A few weeks ago I was tipped off by a fellow nail polish lover in my suburb, that our local chemist had the new Ulta3 Candy Couture book of nails. The book contains 12 limited edition ulta3 Candy Couture nail polish shade plus four bottles of candy sprinkles.
I've got four separate posts showcasing these polishes, including four different looks with the candy sprinkles.The three shades I was going to show today were Gumball, Fairy Floss and Sour Grape. Although I've decided to hold Fairy Floss over to show you as part of the Ulta3 Christmas bauble release.
Gumball - a very pale dusty pink creme. For a pastel shade the opacity was pretty good, this swatch shows two coats topped with Seche vite.
Sour Grape - a beautiful medium toned purple creme. Very similar to Palette Play from the recent summer collection, but this is a hair lighter. Nice formula and good opacity. This is two coats with Seche Vite.
Here is the first bottle of candy sprinkles. These ones are called 100s & 1000s and the bottle contains a mix of blue, pink and orange metallic micro beads. The bottle has a clear little stopper in the top to help ensure you don't spill them, but I recommend that you pull that stopper out before starting your nails, otherwise you're likely to spoil your freshly painted mani.
I created a full accent nail with 100s & 1000s and then some chevron tips. Whist the 100s & 1000s didn't contain any purple beads, the mix matched beautifully with the purple base. I stuck the beads on one nail at a time by just applying a thick layer of top coat and sprinkling the beads onto my nail. I then gently pressed them down to ensure they were well stuck.
So what really has me baffled with this lovely set of polishes and beads is the dreadful photoshop work on the inside over of the book that shows how to apply the sprinkles. They have repeated the same nail photo and photo-shopped in the micro beads. They have the beads way too large compared to the nail and the edges are just chunky and hideous. You can even see the repeat pattern in the beads where they have cloned them.
I mean really, how hard would it have been to employ a nail artist to create a micro bead manicure on a hand model and photograph those. Hey, why not even pay an Aussie blogger to do it for them, because there are so many talented Aussie bloggers out there that could have done a bazillion times better job that what is printed on this box. IF I were a nuggle and I picked up this box in the chemist and saw that picture I think "no way do I want to create that hideous mess on my nails", and probably put the box back down. Luckily I know that micro bead manis done right can actually look really fab!
Have a look, on the left are the photo-shopped micro bead nails with the chunky edges and huge beads overhanging the cuticle. On the right is my effort. I know which I'd prefer looking at.
If you are looking for the Ulta3 Candy Couture book, then check the Ulta3 stockist locator. You can now also purchase Ulta3 online directly from the Heat Group, although I can't see the Candy Couture book for sale online.
Let me know if you are interested in any comparison photos between any of these ulta3s and previous releases, and I'll put together a comparison post for you all.
I'll be back tomorrow with more shades, and another look with the micro beads.
Love this set! The only bad thing was that the caviar beads all bled out immediately once in contact with some SV. Disappointing!
ReplyDeleteOh really, I only top coated the black ones, and they didn't bleed, but I didn't like the look with top coat so I didn't top coat any of the others. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteLol. That ulta3 book photo is just sad. Anyone could have done a better job than that. On the plus side, sour grape looks great.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in some comparisons with other Ulta3 shades - if you have the time and energy of course! And I agree 100% on the Photoshop - what's the point??? Better off using some blogger photos and giving credit!
ReplyDeletePretty ;D
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it! I'm following you and I'm http://minailsart.blogspot.com.es/
ReplyDeletewow what a cool set! i must try it!
ReplyDeletei was wondering if you could check out my blog http://thesleee.blogspot.com.au/
i've just started blogging and i'm not sure what to start with! thanks =)
Oh Noooo, could that photo look any worse! They really have just plonked a hand of wet nails into a huge vat of that sprinkle stuff. I love this set, Ive not seen anything like this around in Brisbane, thank you for the links.
ReplyDeleteYour mani is really good and I think you should these pics to Ulta3.
You got it! I think Ulta3 should use your photos instead of the ones they've used for the book. You always do a great job on pics! I'd love to see some comparison shots if you decide to do them. Some in this new bill look close to older shades - although I don't think there's anything that looks like gumball. That's almost a warm nude.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kat - it was your tip off on IG that sent me looking for this down the road! :)
Delete♥ love this set!! ♥
ReplyDeleteHahaha! That photo was hilarious. Yours look WAY better. ;) I really like that purple shade too.
ReplyDeleteI might have to ask Santa for this ;)
ReplyDeleteVery cute set. Their 'photo' of the sprinkles nails looks like some sort of disease.
ReplyDeleteHi Kitties, Happy New Year, I am curious about something you might know about. What is the story with the Ulta3 polishes and where they are made? I have one very old one, made in Australia, after I saw this post I got into them and went to buy more. The ones I bought were made in Taiwan, then yesterday I went back to the same chemist and bought more and most polishes there were made in China. Do you know where they are made currently? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi - A few year back they were all made in Australia. Then they changed production to China, labelled as PRC and most recently they are made in Taiwan. The most recent change was about mid last year. Cheers Cathy
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