Mani Monday: Ulta3 Colour Bomb!

 

Hi guys. I've never felt as burnt out as I do right now. This week has been hectic to say the least and I really need a break. Monday I published my blog post, took a 1 hour 20 minute each way bus trip to a food invite collab, came home, then got another post published on Instagram from an event I'd attended over the weekend. Tuesday I had to prep all work for a beauty collab, put away so many groceries from an online delivery and post my Boost Lab Haul photo on Instagram, as well as prep work for Monday's food collab. Wednesday I posted Monday's food visit collab to Instagram, washed my hair and continued working on my beauty collab, writing the caption and researching some hashtags. Thursday I went into town and edited some photos for another post. By this stage I was mentally exhausted and put off posting my beauty collab photo, but did do some Stories for it. I also did a quick giveaway on my food account Stories of some codes for fairy floss I was gifted but couldn't use. Friday (edit - the day I wrote this) I finally got my beauty collab work finished and posted on Instagram, did some housework, did some prep for a food collab I'm going into the city for tomorrow and wrote this blog post. I think I might be taking on too much!

This week's post features the newly released Colour Bomb shades from Ulta3. I got sent these nail polishes in December last year, but the launch date kept getting delayed. Finally I can post about them! I love these pretty colours, and decided to apply all of them in the one epic mani lol.

These colours are playful, fun and light-hearted and are inspired by the nostalgic tones of the early 2000's. The shades are Frost, Aquamarine, Acid Lime and Marmalade. I hope you enjoy this mani!

Disclaimer: These products were PR gifted.

Top 7 Beauty Purchase Regrets!

I think we've all bought things that seemed like a good idea at the time, only for it to become abundantly clear later on that it was, in fact, a rather shit idea. Sometimes, I even know it's a shit idea at the time I'm buying it, but my brain is still egging me on, insisting I MUST HAVE IT. Make yourself a coffee, sit back, relax and enjoy the gloriously bad decisions I've made, with my Top 7 Beauty Purchases Regrets!

Looks good in the tube...

7. Australis Velourlips Matte Lip Cream in Hon-O-Loo-Loo
When Australis first released this collection of matte creams I was so excited. I think we all were! Don't get me wrong, some of the shades are lovely. Just not this one, on me. I swatched this on my arm in Priceline and it looked so pretty I immediately fell in love and knew it had to be mine. Of course I completely forgot my arm and my lips are two vastly different colours and just because the arm swatch looked good didn't mean this would translate to my face. Hon-o-loo-loo is way too light and impressively manages to make my lips disappear into my face whilst simultaneously making my teeth appear yellow. Sexy! Hey, at least it's a multi-tasker.

6. Ulta3 Nail Colour in Honolulu
OMG, Honolulu again! How freaky is that? OK, so as much as I love Ulta3 for its cheap as chips rainbow of nail polish colours, the fact still remains, this is yellow nail polish. I have never worn this and I probably never will. Why did I buy this? Do I not know myself at all? Was I having an identity crisis that day? Did I have a particular nail art idea in mind? Had I been watching too much Sesame Street (damn you, Big Bird!)? I mean it's not even a pale lemon or pastel yellow, for shit's sake. It's..... well, it's Honolulu, and it's hideous.

What an extravagant cock ring!

LOL

5. Giant Hair Donut
I don't even know what brand this is, or its proper name (probably because I ripped the packaging off in an excited frenzy to try out my new hair bun maker, lolol *cries*), but it's huge. And therein lies the problem. I do not have huge amounts of thick hair. My hair is fine, and so damn fine (hey, girlfriend!) that it's a massive struggle to wrap it around this bastard contraption ensuring it's all covered. I used this once, and I remember spending ages poofing my hair around this 'donut' until my ugly bun covered up all the stupid sponge. Then I took countless photos, ripped it out, threw it to the back of the cupboard and went to my room to sulk. LOL.

What a stunning bottle though!

4. Lolita Lempicka Eau De Parfum
Oh My God, the bottle is so cute! It's shaped like an apple and has gold accents and the spray button looks like an apple stem and I have to have it! And so I did. I ordered it online, without even smelling it first. I'm not joking. This is the power of gorgeous packaging/bottle design, people. I am not proud of this impulse purchase. Turns out the scent of Lolita Lempicka gives me a huge motherflipping headache, so I can't actually wear it. At least it looks pretty. High Fives all round!

Yeah right!

Put this on the front of your packet, Lip Rock!

3. Lip Rock Metallic Lip Foils
I won't lie, the idea of having metallic gold lips excited me. The 'Reduced To Clear, Was $5.50, Now $2.00' sticker did not raise any red flags whatsoever, instead cementing the decision to purchase in my head. This was happening, goddamnit! You'll be shocked to know, my lips looked nothing like the perfect, shiny gold plump kissers on the packet. These were a bitch to apply, came out uneven, didn't adhere to my lips properly and weren't even gold. I chose my blurriest photo then filtered the crap out of it before posting it to Instagram, that's how bad it looked. #truthbomb

Seems sensible

hahaha

2. Lime Crime Lipstick in No She Didn't
Yes, she fucking did! Hehe. And she regretted it almost immediately. Because it's blue lipstick. It's blue (like the nail polish was yellow); you just can't get around the fact. But more astonishing is knowing that that's the reason I wanted to buy this in the first place. I wanted blue lips! I'm an introvert, so it's not as if I'm ever wearing this outside the house. I have to work up the courage to wear Airborne Unicorn out, FFS. And no, I don't do the Zombie Walk or go to Fancy Dress parties ever. I have absolutely no use for this, besides slicking it on so my family can point at me and laugh.

1. BYS Eyeshadow in Limited Edition NEONS
Wow. Take a look at this thing! Soak up those fluorescent shades with your now-damaged vision. Marvel that the designer behind this palette had their super-fun novelty hues approved. What lovely, flattering, wearable colours, said noone ever. This jarringly hideous neon eye palette literally makes my eyeballs vomit. I can only imagine I was feeling nostalgic when I saw this, because I do love the '80s. More the movies and music than the makeup, but still. I like that BYS made this a Limited Edition, and yet I hope that I didn't get this thinking 'ooh, only available for a limited time, better grab one before they sell out!'. Because I'm pretty sure I'm the only idiot who actually bought one. Are you jealous?

Don't miss a post!

If you enjoyed this, consider subscribing via email! (right sidebar)

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

What's your biggest beauty purchase regret?

Mani: Blossom Fever with Added Sparkle!

Products Used:
Ulta3 nail colour in Blossom Fever
BYS nail enamel in Million Dollar Baby

For this manicure I wanted a nude look, but with a bit of sparkle, so I used my new Ulta3 Blossom Fever nail colour, with two coats of BYS Million Dollar Baby over the top. I am so drawn to Million Dollar Baby, I have to stop myself from applying it over every polish I wear. It looks amazing in the bottle, but when you apply it, the small and large gold glitter pieces are actually few and far between, so I usually find myself adding another coat just to get my desired level of sparkle. Unfortunately, capturing the true effect of sparkly glitter in a photo is really hard to do, so some of these photos don't do it justice!*

Blossom Fever by itself

* are crap!

Ulta3 Blossom Fever Mani!

Ulta3 Blossom Fever is a gorgeous, creamy nude with fleshy pink undertones that has a lovely glossy finish. I used two thin coats. There were streaks after the first coat, but I was able to even it out during the second coat application. This shade is very flattering and forgiving if your nails are not in the best shape, as the nude tone is subtle and doesn't stand out like a bold red would. An added bonus is the optical illusion of elegant, elongated fingers!

I picked this baby up in my recent Colourful Ulta3 Mini Haul where it actually photographed as pale yellow?! Weird.

This would be a beautiful shade to wear to an office job or on your Wedding Day if you were trying to be conservative! It reminds me of my nude Zoya shade 'Diem', (which I blogged about here), but with a lower sparkle factor. I really love this colour and am chuffed that it has dried without me smudging it at all!

As always, Ulta3 nail colours are $2 each and available from selected Target stores, Terry White Chemists, Blooms the Chemist, Good Price Pharmacies, Chem Mart and other selected pharmacies.

What's your favourite nude coloured nail polish?

Ulta3 Strawberry Sundae Manicure!

From my recent Colourful Ulta3 Mini Haul comes this fun, flirty, feminine candy-like pink, Strawberry Sundae. A bright, cheery, pretty colour perfect for the warmer weather, it comes at a pretty perfect price tag, only $2. I love picking up new Ulta3 polishes, because of the great formula, extensive range of colours and low cost. 

I applied two coats and completely forgot about a top coat. Oops!

You can rifle excitedly through the Ulta3 bin at selected Target stores, Terry White Chemists, Blooms the Chemist, Good Price Pharmacies and other selected pharmacies, such as Chem Mart, where I get mine!

Colourful Ulta3 Mini Haul!

I have been itching for a haul lately, in particular a really large Lush one, but I picked up some pretty Ulta3 stuff in the meantime, basically to quell the incessant urge to spend. No, I do not need nail polish. Of course I don't. But rifling through the Ulta3 nail polish bin is the closest I will get to touching a rainbow, and at only $2 a bottle, who gives a fuck? Besides, the promotional sign said spend $10 on Ulta3 and get a free 250ml Nailpolish Remover. It goes without saying that the sales assistant knew nothing of this deal and had never seen this sign before in her entire life. Of course she hadn't. By all means, let me explain your offer that you display prominently in your place of employment to you. Please.

So for the grand cost of $10.95, I got:
Sahara Rose lipstick
Carrot Top nail colour
Strawberry Sundae nail colour
Blossom Fever nail colour
Hearts Desire nail colour
Nailpolish Remover (Free!)

What have you bought lately?

Ulta3 Lip Paints and Swatches!

I finally tracked down some Ulta3 Lip Paints at a nearby chemist recently. I love looking through the Ulta3 display because it's such a fun, inexpensive brand, meaning you can pick up quite a few things without going broke. Even though the products are cheap, they don't compromise on quality. I particularly love their expansive nail polish range and have a shit-ton in my collection.

These lip paints retail for only $5.95 each, and for that price tag you get 7ml of bold, 'super-intense' lip colour. These colours are bright, pretty and fun! I picked up Eclectic Orange, Manic Mauve and Radical Red, but there's actually six shades in the range. The others are Extreme Pink, Expressive Fuchsia and Loud Purple.

I feel like the squeezy tubes are slightly on the small side in terms of how much product you get, however at only $5.95 a pop, it's not really an issue. I adore the wand doe-foot spongetip applicator, which is angled for precision application. The product is easy to apply, smoothing on effortlessly. The formula of these lip paints is lovely. It's kind of like a thick, creamy colour-packed gloss, that looks more like a lipstick once it's on. It's not sticky; in fact the texture is moisturising, flexible and very comfortable to wear. You get a shiny finish, but there's no feeling of it sliding off. I found them to be quite long-wearing, as well. These lip paints have a pepperminty fragrance that some people may not like, but I found it OK. 

Apologies in advance, my Eclectic Orange lip swatch was a disaster and basically unusable. So I didn't include it!

L-R: Eclectic Orange, Manic Mauve, Radical Red

Manic Mauve

Radical Red

Colours?
Eclectic Orange, Manic Mauve, Radical Red, Extreme Pink, Expressive Fuchsia, Loud Purple.

Price?
$5.95 for a 7ml tube

Where can I get them?
Ulta3 is stocked at Terry White, Chemmart, Bloom the Chemist, Good Price and other selected pharmacies as well as selected Target stores. This range was released a few months ago, and can be difficult to track down, so if you come across them in your travels, I'd recommend checking them out!

Disclaimer: Non-sponsored. Products bought with my own money and all opinions are my own.

Fun Ulta3 Speckled Nails!

I'd forgotten that Ulta3 had released a fun, Easter Egg reminiscent speckled nail polish range! I was actually looking for their Lip Paints, when I thought I'd go for a bin dive in the polish section. I came up with these two lovelies. The yellowy one is Hot Cross Fun and the greenish one is called Egg-cellent. I wish I'd found some more, because the other colours are very pretty! Check them out in this photo from the Ulta3 Facebook page....

Photo courtesy of Ulta3 Facebook page

Anyway, I thought I'd use both colours in my manicure, because why not?! I've applied two coats of each polish and didn't bother with a top coat, because frankly, my brain was fried from trying not to stuff up this complicated 'alternating fingers' pattern. LOL.

At only $3 a pop (just $1 dearer than the normal Ulta3 polish range), these speckled beauties are a major bargain. Unbelievably, Ulta3 do not have a website, but they do have a handy Stockist Locator function on their Facebook page, so you can try your luck at your nearest stockist. This range is so fun and cute, I think it would've been snapped up pretty quickly, but you might get lucky and find some colours leftover like I did.

Disclaimer: These products were bought by me. Non-sponsored and Max The Unicorn is not affiliated with Ulta3. Opinions are my own.

Stripey Mermaid Manicure!

If you ask on Twitter "what colour should I paint my nails?" and you get only one reply, "green and blue stripes" (thanks @Cypherage) you should probably freak out for a few hours, then think 'HELL YES! WHY NOT, LET'S GO!'. And then create a Stripey Mermaid Manicure! Despite a complete lack of experience in the area of stripes, I threw caution to the wind, and this is how it went .....

Products Used
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Mermaid Green
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Tahitian Lime
BYS Nail Enamel in Hocus Pocus

I couldn't be stuffed with a top coat this time. I'm on Day 2 of this mani and the polish is starting to chip a tiny bit at the tips, so maybe I should have. Note that these are all very inexpensive brands of polish, so this is quite the Budget Mani. In retrospect, Mermaid Green and Hocus Pocus are very similar in colour, and I probably should have chosen more distinct shades. But on the whole, I think it looks OK!

What do you think?

Disclaimer: All products were bought by me (and probably for about $8 all together!).

Teeny Weeny Colourful Haul!

OK, so I indulged in a teeny, weeny colourful haul the other day. I went to the mall for the first time in months (sad, I know!) and I had a list as long as my arm of things to get done. None of them were beauty-related. I got all my shit done post haste and it was straight to Priceline for me! Although, I think I picked up the Ulta3's at KMart or Big W while I was there for something else. Someone needs to invent Beauty Blinkers so I can walk past and ignore a store's makeup section. Until then ..........

(back row) 
2 x Batiste Dry Shampoo XXL Volume
(front row, left - right)
Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 20
Rimmel Kate Moss Lasting Finish Lipstick in 19
Rimmel Fruities Nail Polish in Strawberry Fizz
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Tahitian Lime
Ulta3 Nail Colour in Honolulu

So bright and pretty!

What have you hauled lately?

Frog Pond Manicure!

This is a green mani with a shot of purple for good measure! Or because I didn't have five greens. I call it my Frog Pond Manicure! Behold the magnificence......


Products Used:
BYS in Hocus Pocus
Ulta3 in Mermaid Green
Ulta3 in Mojito
Revlon in Rock Star
Ulta3 in Lagoon
Max Factor Nailfinity Glossy Top Coat

Above photo:
Left to right - Ulta3 Lagoon on pinky, Revlon Rock Star on ring, Ulta3 Mojito on bird, Ulta3 Mermaid Green on pointer, BYS Hocus Pocus on thumb.