Ulta3 Watercolour Nail Polish Limited Edition Review and Swatches

Hey there! I'm happy to present to you the Ulta3 Watercolour nail polish. It's perfect for summer and the colours just brighten up your day. I bought the set when I saw that it was available at Terry White Chemists. There are 5 nail polishes in the set; Lily White, a cream matte white (solid colour), while the rest are watercolour / tints in Seeing Red, Marine Blue, Cello Yellow and Peek-a-boo Purple. The complete set retails for $10 and all the polishes are in full size. It's a steal compared to the OPI sheer tints in which you only get 4 mini sized bottles at $24.95.

There are so many ways to wear this - the possibilities are endless, making it really versatile. You can use it as a background for nail stamping or free-hand designs, or even wear it on its own as it is real cool the way it is. Polkadots, tartan, stripes, abstract patterns, you name it! I find that the watercolour effect polishes do bubble up, and they never really dry up, or they take quite a while to dry. A layer of top coat speeds the process of drying time and creates a solid barrier for the polishes.

Onto the photos!

They look brilliant under the sun. A glitter top coat adds more interest and pulls the whole look together. 

 The Ulta3 Watercolour Nail Polish Set. 

The OPI Pirouette My Whistle which I used as a glitter top coat. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this set. It was fun, quick and easy, and really brightens up my day! Get it before it sells out as these are limited edition! Everyone seems to be asking for these and it's all the rage now! Have fun and go crazy! 

Love, 

Vicki

Long Lasting Nail Polish?

It's been a while. I've been busy, with shifting, studies, exams, assignments, you get the idea. Anyways, I'm all settled down now and have been staying in Australia for the last 4 months or so. It's great here, really, except for the lack of international brands in their markets. I've been deprived of my shopping for so long I can't even remember the excitement and adrenaline rush of shopping in a proper shopping mall. People are nice in general. Moderate paced, polite and courteous at most times. A totally different environment from where I spent the last 5 years of my life, which is Kuala Lumpur. Apart from being a shopping haven, I honestly don't think Kuala Lumpur is fit for living.

Anyways, I have all the time in the world now so I better update the beauty products that have made its way home to me. I'm going to list the brands that I've tried here and I'll do individual reviews or combined ones if I see fit. I finally tried Lush, the ever so popular, almost-free-of-preservatives beauty brand. I've discovered Ulta3 that is well-known for their nail polishes. I've also got to experiment with Illamasqua cosmetics, got myself a bottle of their polish, and boy, they wear like steel. Local brands like Australis, Face of Australia (oh, even Napolean Perdis) are not bad at all. Speaking of which, Australis came out with an AC on Tour Contour and Highlight Kit that is very similar to the Anastasia contour kit at a fraction of a price. I've managed to snag myself one last palette I believe and it's been sold out ever since - all the Pricelines I went to did not stock it and it wasn't available on their website either.

And yes, Priceline is a popular drugstore but I feel they're more like a makeup store than a pharmacy, really. You'll see loads of young girls from students to working adults, mostly women, at the makeup aisles who are more concerned with beauty. Other drugstores (or chemists as they call it here) are populated with more mature consumers, from working adults to retirees, both men and women who will be hanging around the fish oil area, or some vitamin / supplements area. I swear the Marketing Research subject is making my brain compartmentalise everything even though the semester is over.

But, it's much easier typing away without having to reference anything and I can do it with passion. I went crazy today and bought myself many bottles of nail polish. I've been wondering these few days, which is the best, long lasting nail polish? Particularly a vampy red shade. Because who would like to re-touch their nail polish every two days? Chipped nails do not only look unkempt, it's disgraceful. I've done some research on the Internet, and lo and behold the best nail polish that in terms of long lasting as voted by consumers is a $2 cheapie, Sinful Colors (In the US, in Australia it's AU$4.95.) The most expensive Chanel nail polish ranked second last in the nominated polishes. Surprise, surprise. Covergirl, Sally Hansen, and Revlon among others made it to the list as well. I particularly liked the video in this link.

I've been asking some friends around for the best long lasting polishes, and I got responses such as Bourjois So Laque and Skinfood (Korean brand) Nail Vita polish. I tried looking for the Bourjois one in Priceline as they had this 2-day 40% off all cosmetics sale. But they've sold out on vampy red shades. I'm a sucker for vampy red shades cause it's sexy. And fierce. And feminine. I could go on. I know this is post is so wordy, but my absence is similar to a friend you haven't seen in ages and there's loads to catch up on!

Here are two pictures of my haul today. I'm really excited about the Ulta3 Watercolour nail polishes that everyone is asking about. They're all the rage! Hint: They're dupes for the OPI Sheer Tints. They're available at Terry White Chemists so hurry and get yours as these are limited edition!

(L-R) Sets: Issey Miyake Pleats Please Nail Polish Set, Ulta3 Special Effects Watercolour Nail Polish Set.

(L-R) Individual Bottles: Maxfactor Nailfinity in Ruby Fruit, Covergirl in Wine Stain, Sinful Colors in Georgia, Sinful Colours in Kissy, Maybelline in Fuchsia Fever, Maybelline in Blue Freeeze.


I believe the Issey Miyake Pleats Please one was a gift with purchase together with the perfume of the same name, but they were selling it in Cosmetics and Fragrances Direct as is. Sinful Colors discontinued the colour that I bought which is Georgia, a deep vampy red. (It's not on their website anymore) I wonder why. It's such a gorgeous, luxurious, timeless, elegant, and expensive looking shade. It's the last bottle in the clearance section and I was so glad I managed to find it. I hope Sinful Colors will consider re-producing Georgia as well as other classic colours like Mirror Mirror and Truth or Dare. It's terribly wrong to discontinue these shades and for such a price and most importantly being long lasting, I would be a loyal consumer. For life!

So, my question to you is, which are the longest lasting nail polishes that you swear by? Comment below, I'd love to hear from you!



Love,

Vicki

Avon Over Nature Makeup Palette

This all new makeup palette contains 4 eyeshadows, 2 blushes and 2 applicator brushes housed in a beautiful purple orchid print casing that is surprisingly sturdy. The eyeshadows and blushes are shaped to resemble the orchid and makes this palette all the more charming. This looks too good to pass up and I'm glad I did not because the pigmentation is very good. I got the one in Garden Voyage, pre-dominantly consisting of purple eyeshadows and coral blushes. The other palette we have in Malaysia is Ocean Flower, featuring slightly pinker blushes and turquoise / tan / black eyeshadows. In Australia and New Zealand however,  both these variants are not available. They have 'Tropical Dessert' which features pre-dominantly brown eyeshadows - which I think they should also market in our country. The Over Nature here in Malaysia also carries 8 spring-worthy lipstick shades housed in a similar purple orchid print casing, whereas 5 shades are sold in Aus & NZ.

Makeup Palette retails for RM49.90 (S&S RM54.80)

The Over Nature range is limited edition.

Below are the pictures of the all new AVON Over Nature Makeup Palette in Garden Voyage.

Swatches without flash.

Swatches with flash.

Just by looking at it makes me all feminine and happy. Doesn't it?



Love,
Polkadotpaw

Makeup Quality is Degrading!

I felt the need to say this as it's so unfair for the price we pay! Prices usually go up and never come down but the quality of makeup is degrading. In my free time when I don't blog I read a lot of reviews online of different products and recently I've been very interested in Revlon foundations. They're comparable to MAC. (And they smell the same, I've got MAC Pro Long Wear Concealer and did a sniff test side by side, they smell exactly the same!)

Apparently there was a reformulation of the Revlon Colorstay in early 2013. It doesn't perform as well as the previous version and the most disturbing thing I've seen in the reviews is that it transfers a lot after the reformulation! Yikes! It's a pet peeve to me so will have to try out the foundations again and see if they really transfer that much. 

I remember my maternal grandmother telling me she used to put on Max Factor foundation on her face before going out. They didn't have many brands at the time but it sounded like it was top quality and I never hear her mentioning anything about breaking out. She's now in her 80s and her face is still flawless and smooth. Better than mine! My late paternal grandmother used a lot of Elizabeth Arden she even had a train case that she carries along whenever she travels! Apparently that's what a lot of women did back then! How cute is that? I wish they produced cosmetics as good as those days. The quality of makeup is synonymous to that of cars; back in the day the steel was a lot harder and stronger but now, it's a lot weaker and softer. 

I think it's rant-worthy after searching high and low for a drugstore foundation that was almost perfect. 

Polkadotpaw

YSL Yves Saint Laurent Forever Youth Liberator Serum Foundation

Sorry, have been busy and left my blog alone for a long, long while. But I'm back and hopefully make it up! I'm reviewing the YSL Youth Liberator foundation today. Just a short review on what I think about it.

I don't think this needs any further introduction as everyone on the internet has been pretty much raving about it. But for those of you who have no clue whatsoever, this foundation is basically infused with an age-defying serum. 

I got this from Selfridges (UK online) via a friend who stays in Australia. She wanted to buy more stuff so the VAT deducted can be used for shipping. So this bottle has been travelling the whole world before reaching me in Malaysia. (YSL cosmetics are not available in Malaysia, we only have their perfumes)

So what do I think about this foundation? I don't know if it's the rave reviews that raised my expectations way too high but from the sound of it I bet you can tell from the sound of it I'm begging to differ with all those rave reviews. 

Let me tell you I absolutely HATE this foundation. It does give me a dewy finish but right after the 30-minute mark, my face looks like a grease-ball, there's shine everywhere and worst of all, it makes my pores look bigger. Bumps and irregularities are enhanced and it is absolutely abominable. I have combination skin and it feels so heavy on my face by the end of the day. The shade I have, B30 is too yellow and after oxidizing, it looks even muddier. It is sheer in coverage, it wouldn't cover my rosacea-red cheeks or blemishes. I actually prefer my bare skin after I take my makeup off for the day over this foundation. That's how much my skin hates this product as well. 

Malaysia is really humid so I can tell you it doesn't work at all on my skin in this climate. The only time I got it to be work alright, mind you I said alright, not excellent, was when the strong winds from Siberia was blowing and it was raining really heavily (about a month or two back). The weather was cold it reduced the chances of my face becoming overly oily. 

I also tried buffing it in with a brush and dusting a thin layer of powder on top to prevent oiliness - It still feels very heavy and greasy at the end of the day. 

I feel cheated by L'oreal. I feel like their products in general are substandard for the price they're charging (for the luxury brands under them). Because I don't quite remember really enjoying something from L'oreal. Just for the record, the liquid pen eyeliner from Shu Uemura is just downright terrible and again I don't get the hype. It skips and erases the previous line if I go over the liner again on my eyelids. Simply terrible. 

My point is, don't believe in the hype. Especially for foundations, it really must be suited to our skin type whether it's dry / normal / combination / oily etc. I don't believe there's a product that works for every single person. Some may love a product, others may hate it.  Try it for yourself before buying. 

P/S: I just realized the foundation I always reach for, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere is oil-free. Funny I just realized the spamming of "oil-free" written all over the back of the frosted glass bottle like one and a half years later after using it? I have my eyes on the Laura Mercier oil-free foundation. I tried it at the counter the other day it works well for me and I'll get it when I'm about to finish my liquid foundations! 

---

I've also thrown in the YSL Glossy Stain in #12 Corail Fauve for a really short review (I promise). It was a Christmas gift and I was really delighted to have it. (It was actually Secret Santa so it was kinda an exchange) Nice as a gloss but it doesn't last as a stain. And it smells like liquor. Honestly, would I repurchase this if I run out of it? The closest I would get is purchasing L'oreal's dupe for it (Caresse Shine) which works fine. For the price, I don't think it performs that well. I'd suggest going to Korean brands for lip stains that really work. I'm absolutely in love with Korean lip stains; they last for a few good hours on lips and are more affordable too!

Pictures below:  

Looks luxe in packaging. Not thoroughly impressed with any of these. 

Left-right : YSL Forever Youth Liberator Foundation in B30, Glossy Stain in #12 Corail Fauve. 

I don't quite like the scent either, if I haven't mentioned already. 

Here's the foundation on. I don't think I've gone past the 30-minute mark but I assure you, it's not something I would want to show you and it's not something you'd like to see. 

Trying to look more serious as I'm trying to convey my dislikes about the foundation. I shouldn't look so happy, right? 

Have you tried this foundation? Love or hate? Tell me in the comments below!

Hope you enjoyed my honest review. Have a great day!

Love, 

Polkadotpaw

AVON Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick Swatches & Review

The Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipsticks come in ten mega-watt, vivid and high definition colours. They have chromo-pixel technology that makes the colours more vivid. All of the colours have tiny specks of glitter in them. They are available in 10 gorgeous shades. These shades are the ones available here in Malaysia. 

The 10 shades are:

1. Pink Pop 

2. Fuchsia Fun 

3. Kicked Up Coral 

4. Really Rosy

5. Brilliant Berry 

6. Charged Cherry 

7. Divine Wine

8. Rockin' Red

9. Personified Plum 

10. Brilliant Brown (not in pictures)  

I got all the shades except for Brilliant Brown because I don't think brown hues don't do anything for my skintone. They appear muddy on me and makes me look dated and too matured. All the lipsticks are placed in the same order as above (except for Brilliant Brown) for easy viewing purposes. Same goes for the lipstick swatches. 

These are the lipsticks in their bullets. They remind me of the Cle de Peau lipsticks but only in terms of the shape of the lipstick. I can't really compare the two of them because the last time I visited the Cle de Peau counter I was hunting for foundation and didn't bother trying other products. 

 Swatches taken with flash.

Without flash. (L-R) :

Pink Pop, Fuchsia Fun, Kicked Up Coral, Really Rosy, Brilliant Berry, Charged Cherry, Divine Wine, Rockin' Red, Personified Plum.

Bare lips for reference.

Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick on lips:

 Pink Pop (gold glitter) : Warm-toned, sheer pink.

Fuchsia Fun (silver and gold glitter) : Fuchsia pink. (It has cooler undertones compared to Pink Pop) 

 Kicked Up Coral (pink glitter)  : Warm-toned, deep coral with brown undertones.

 Really Rosy (gold glitter) : Warm-toned red with a slight hint of orange.

Brilliant Berry (pink and gold glitter) : Berry shade with plum undertones. (This has less plum than Rockin' Red. To me it's a lighter version of Rockin' Red. )

 Charged Cherry (pink glitter) : Bright, blue-based red.

Divine Wine (pink glitter) : Deep red with slight plum undertones. My favourite of the lot. It is deep red with just the right amount of brightness. This would flatter most skintones. 

 Rockin' Red (red glitter) : Burgundy red with plum undertones. (More plum compared to Brilliant Berry.) 

Personified Plum (gold glitter) : Deep plum shade. This is the least pigmented of all and looks as if I'm lifeless and makes my lips look dull when I put it on. It looks like a stain. For deeper, vampy shades it is not only right but a must to choose pigmented colours for statement lips. Save the sheer colours for a natural look. This shade just looks odd as if it's trying to be natural when it is not a natural shade at all. Well, it didn't suit my light complexion because of the stain-like effect. I was expecting quite a lot from this seeing the gorgeous plum shade in the tube.



Photos below dedicated to the shade in Divine Wine. I can't speak highly enough of this.

On lips : AVON Ultra Color Rich Mega Impact Lipstick in Divine Wine. Outlined my lips with a concealer and it made the colour stand out even more!

Other products used :

Eyes : Shiseido The Makeup Fine Eyeliner in Black on upper lash line, AVON Glimmersticks Cosmic in Silver Eclipse on lower lash line, Maybelline the Rocket Volum' Express Mascara.

Face : Maybelline Angelfit Flawless Affinity Foundation in Light Ochre, Estee Lauder Signature Silky Powder Blush in Radiant Kiss (used with a light hand).

See how well this lipstick shade contrasts with a dark blue outfit. Simply gorgeous! Am also in love with grey eyeliners! 

The Verdict

I love these lipsticks! This entire range has the right balance of pinks, coral, reds and plums! The colours are not opague but they are not that sheer either, they are buildable (Sheerest would be Personified Plum). These are high-shine and are quite pigmented for most shades. They do not last very long as with most Avon lipsticks. I did hope they lasted longer for the darker shades. There were slight bleeding of colours. The glitter is very fine and once applied on lips, it does give lips dimension. It's not a problem for me since the glitter is so fine - it's still better than those frosty Avon lipsticks (anyone agree with me?) These lipsticks are perfect for nights out when you want dimension on your lips. The scent is mild and inoffensive at all, in fact I kind of like it. I hope Avon doesn't discontinue this lipstick range as they have a tendency to do that all the time after you've fallen in love with a particular shade or range.

Retails for RM27.90 (S&S RM32.10) Be on the look-out. They sometimes have sale prices for more than 50% off!

Have you tried any of these?

Polkadotpaw

Who Are Your True Friends?

Have you ever wondered who your true friends are? Especially when it comes to girls, it isn't easy. There's so much drama and strife going on in real life you'd think people you're dealing with emerged from fictional characters you see on TV. Scary isn't it?

You'd think that all these "girl" drama will disappear together with the adolescence once hitting adulthood. Think again. Some people stay fixated in their little adolescent world for God knows what reason.

I don't understand why some females want to be better than another (especially their close friends) in ALL aspects. I've always seen the world as a somewhat balanced place with people good at different things. (That's what makes each of us unique!) But I tell you, I've encountered girls who want to just be good at EVERYTHING! This creates strife among their own group of friends and of course, people are bound to get hurt. The problem could stem from their own insecurities but that doesn't give them the right to treat other girls as inferiors or doormats. What kind of friendship is this?

Some girls would want all the attention to themselves. Again, stemming from insecurities, but what do they get at the end of the day? Do the attention they get make them a better person? Make them feel secured in the long run? They'd just seek for more attention once they run out of it making them addicts to false security. And girls would do anything just to get attention at the expense of everyone around them. I'm not saying that it's bad, everybody needs some sort of attention - it's normal, but when girls seek it compulsively and want it every SINGLE time - they're bound not to get it at times - it makes them jealous, competitive and they'll never be true friends who'll be happy for you when something amazing happens in your life. Because they'd want it too, and they'd want it even better than what you have. True friends will be sincerely happy for you for all the wonderful little and big things that happen in your life.

The two-faced types are one of the worst. In front of you, they act all nice and sh*t but behind you, they say all sorts of things about you, insult you, judge you, question your every move, etc. Seriously, what's the point of being friends? If that's the sole purpose of them becoming friends, why bother? Do they think they'd always get away with it? A hypothetical situation would be girl A and girl B. Girl A loves shopping for lots of things be it branded or not. Hello? That's what girls love doing right? Girl B would b*tch about her to her bf judging her spending decisions like it's any of her business. Did Girl A borrow from Girl B to buy any of that stuff? Did Girl A owe Girl B any money AT ALL? Then why's Girl B talking so much? That ain't even Girl B's money at all. Why does Girl B care how Girl A spends her money? Mind-boggling.

If anything bad ever happens to any of these two-faced monsters, they lose all their friends in the process with nobody who "have their back", they deserve it. I'll be the first one to run cause I don't take no sh*t from anyone. At least not anymore.

Seriously, what intrigues me most is that these kind of things still happen in adulthood. Or early adulthood. Still, it's adulthood.

These above characteristics are just some of the most annoying people to me, the list isn't exhaustive and I'm sure you've encountered loads of girls who can't stop creating drama for you. :P
But one thing we can all agree on is that you don't need friends who take advantage of you, but see you as an equal, not someone who's inferior. That's the meaning of friendship!

I don't know about you, but I've got my homies - my girls whom I can always talk openly with about my problems and that I know they'll always be there for me. They're the ones who are truly happy for my successes be it small or big and I feel the same way for them too. There's no jealousy that conceives a hidden agenda to become better, as though it's a competition. Basically, there's no drama. Also, they're the ones whom I can go on crazy shopping sprees with. =)

If you're still stuck in toxic relationships I urge you to do yourself a favour and get out of it. You really don't need the emotional abuse and drama. I hope you find friends whom you can trust with your life. And if you feel you have any of the characteristics mentioned, easy, change for the better. Please treat your friends with more respect and you'll have friends for life!

If you're wondering why I'm writing this, I just feel I need to get it off my chest. That's the reason for creating a blog in the first place, right? This blog is about beauty mainly but I'll also post all other stuff that inspires me, making it a blog of more substance, hopefully.



Sincerely,

Polkadotpaw

Merry Christmas 2013 & Happy New Year 2014!

Hey people! How have you been? It's been a while since I last updated due to year-end parties, dinners, friends, family and so forth. Am proud to announce that I've more to review and swatch for you guys!
Ranging from Christmas presents, drugstore hauls, AVON.

I currently have 60 AVON lipsticks in total (bought within a month or two in a collective haul) so stay tuned for those as I'm in love with their lip products and so excited to share them with you! I will swatch & review them according to their lines / series.

This is just a very short update on what's coming. Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Love, 

Polkadotpaw