Brighter Than Sunshine - Ulta3 Citris Swatch and Review

I've seen lots of neon in the shops for Spring/Summer 2012-13 so I think I will break out this polish again in the coming months!

Ulta3 is a great Australian brand and their polishes are only around $2-$2.50 depending on where you get it from. Woolies was having a sale where Ulta3s were only $1!! The quality is really good, and I think it rivals the likes of OPI and China Glaze.

Ulta3 Citris is the brightest, most neon yellow you can imagine! It dries matte, like all neons, so a top coat is required. Also, the downside is that it is quite sheer so layering 1-2 coats over a white creme is essential, unless you want dead-looking yellowy nails! Here I have it layered over Revlon White on White.

Sorry that you can see the white polish near my cuticles - it's not noticeable in real life!

Bright than sunshine a highlighter ;P

Ulta3 Citris and Revlon White on White

Pros:
- Cheap cheap cheap! :D
- Available at many chemists, as well as in Target and some Woolworths stores.
- Really outrageously bright fluoro yellow.

Cons:
- Needs to be layered over a white creme.

Overall:
7.5/10 - I love bright colours that stand out and this one is a must have for neon lovers and those who want to make a statement with their nails!

Thanks for reading!

- J

K.K. Nail Polish in Mint Chic (No. 27) Swatch and Review

I came across this brand in Cosmetics and Fragrance Direct in Sydney's DFO (Direct Factory Outlet - from what I've heard though it does not even compare to the outlets in America!). I had never heard of it before, but everything - I recall seeing eyeliner, lipstick, polish, etc - was only $2 each! So I picked up the most interesting-looking polish - No. 27. A quick Google search came up with the brand's website. The polish I got is actually called Mint Chic on the website but it has no name on the bottle, just the number. It is pretty awesome so I will definitely be getting a few more, and maybe some other makeup stuff next time I go there. I haven't seen this brand sold anywhere else, so if you know where else it is stocked, let me know and I will update this post! :)

Mint Chic is an absolutely stunning medium jade green jellyish base with dense greeny-silvery flakies. The flakies are similar to the ones in Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe but Mint Chic's are more densely packed, have less gold colour and does not have a teal duochrome. I did 4 coats plus two coats of Seche Vite. Anyway, enough talking, here are the pictures! (I had to colour correct some of these to make them more colour accurate).

I think I actually prefer this kind of polish in the shade, you can see how reflective the flakes are.

In direct sunlight. It's much more sparkly in real life, but my camera couldn't capture it.

Under artificial light. So sparkly!

Pros:

- Colour is really, really beautiful and iridescent.

- You can't really argue with a $2 price tag!

- Dried faster than I had expected.

- Lasted a week with only very minor chipping and basically no tipwear.

- Bottle is pretty huge - 16mL.

Cons:

- The smell is quite strong.

- Bottle looks cheap and the labels are clumsily stuck on.

Dupes:

- None in my collection. The closest is Orly Meet Me Under the Mistletoe, but that is way darker.

Overall:

9/10

I'm really amazed at and in love with this polish, especially given it's from an unheard-of brand and is dirt cheap at $2! The quality is fantastic and the colour is spectacular. If you're a green lover like me, this is a must-have!

- J

Bargain Alert! Essie 2011 Summer Collection Minis Cube

Just a quick post to tell you guys about a great bargain that I picked up! :D

I got this Essie Summer Collection Cube from Cosmetics Fragrance Direct in DFO (Sydney) for $5, discounted from RRP $25!!! I love shopping at this store, I also got a $2 green flakie polish (um yes please! I will post swatches and a review soon) and the limited edition Maybelline Be Scene In Green for $4. They also sell quite a few Revlon polishes for $5. I never pay full retail for Revlon polishes - they are so overpriced here! I can get them for around $3 AUD in Hong Kong. There's no way I'm paying RRP, which is around $14 or $15 for a bottle. Urghhhh. Anyway...

This Essie Cube has minis of 4 out of the 6 polishes from the 2011 Braziliant Summer Collection, namely Smooth Sailing, Super Bossa Nova, Meet Me at Sunset and Braziliant. Scrangie has great swatches.

As I said, the RRP is $25 and it was discounted to $5. :D This is probably coz the collection is more than a year old but I don't care haha :D The polishes are only 5mL each but I think it is still a bargain coz it comes out to be only $1.25 each. I'm so happy coz I already had the full size Essie Too Too Hot from the same collection but it wasn't one of the minis.

I went a few days ago and they still had tonnes left. I don't think the Cosmetics Fragrance Direct in Market City had any though. Anyway, I hope this helps someone bag a polish bargain!

- J