Straight to the nail stuff today, with Part 2 of the Ulta3 Autumn/Winter Metallic Crush collection.
Enchanted - This one is totally different on the nail than it is in the bottle. In the bottle it looks to be a metallic olive green shimmer. But on the nail I was very surprised to see it is actually a dark aubergine purple and the metallic green shimmer seems very light and almost silvery. A very interesting polish and not what I expected at all, I quite like this one, but god damn it why are they so frosty and streaky!!
Jade - In the bottle this one looks really pretty, but now I think it's an icky light green frosty mess. Maybe if it was a darker shade of green and not a medium pastel shade I wouldn't dislike this one so much. Way too frosty for 2012 chic, it's a 1982 time capsule this one.
Pinot - This one is actually a rather nice colour and perfectly suit's it's name. It's deep red and shimmery, but certainly not unique.
Shiraz - Hello, what were they thinking doing two almost identical shades, and naming them both after red wines! Ok, this one is actually a little lighter and pinker, but who other than a nail nut is going to notice that! Both Shiraz and Pinot also look very similar to past colours Foxy Russset and Brandy Wine. I'll do a comparison swatch this weekend of those four.
Overall, the colours in this whole collection are ok, a few that I really like, one that I think will be relegated to the 'nail art only pile' and a few that are dupy but ok.
I was really excited for this collection because I was hoping it was going to be a full collection of metallics like some of the other awesome Ulta3 foil metallics. Lollypop Lilac, Envy, Precious and Snazzle are just a few that come to mind that are fantastic foil finishes that don't show any brush marks. Why did these ones have to be frosty and not foily. Damn it. I'm blaming the PRC formula and the stiff and blunt ended brushes.
I love the pinot!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so frustrating trying to find decent colours in this brand though! All the stockists near me only ever have drips and drabs of old stock :(
Yeah, me too. All the good colours get sold straight away and the yuck colours stay there for months!
DeleteI still haven't found any new colours! I wonder if the chemists actually order new stock...
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Heat Group they do, but I'm guessing only when their stocks run low, and because other places are stocking these now (Big W & Coles) they are not selling as fast.
DeleteThose drips and drabs of old stock might be worth looking over if they are old formula. I recently picked up some "spares" of Precious and Lollypop Lilac.
ReplyDeleteI look ever time I go past a bin - always look out for the Aussie version of Non-chip too, it's just as good as Lynnderellas Glitter Tamer for me!
DeleteAw what a bummer that these are frosty; they are such pretty colours!!
ReplyDeleteI like Enchanted!
ReplyDeleteI've just recently started getting into nail polish and I just love your pictures! They are always so nice and your painting is so neat!
Enchanted is very pretty and welcome to the underworld of crazy nail polish ladies!
DeleteThanks for sharing the swatches, I have a "nail art only" pile too ;-)
ReplyDeleteLuckily my Nail art only pile isn't too big.
DeleteI blame the brushes too! They are too stiff. When I use their top coat it creates brush marks on polishes that would normally be flawless, like cremes. :(
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried the PRC top coat, but I certainly see the divot line marks that the brush makes in all the polishes. Its a shame, cause the quality used to be so good.
DeleteI love Enchanted so much that I don't care about the brush strokes, but that's just be.
ReplyDeleteAhem, 'me'.
DeleteEnchanted was such a surprise packet, but stupid brush marks I hate them!
DeleteI picked up enchanted, I don't like it at all on my nails and I will not be buying any of the other colours in this collection. I picked up 2 bottles of bo peep this week, one prc bottle with dark pink polish, one aus made bottle with bright pink polish....
ReplyDeleteYes, I hate that some the PRC versions have changed colors for the same name polish too! That is really annoying. Its such a shame that the quality really dropped of when they shipped production off to China.
DeleteI found a way to get the green shimmer in Enchanted to really shine through. I lightly dabbed my painted dried nails (no top coat) with nail polish remover and it took the slightest layer of polish off leaving the shimmer behind. Then finished with top coat. It now looks like the green shine you see on beetles. Really really pretty.
ReplyDeleteBe careful not to take too much polish off when dabbing though, it only takes just the lightest touch.