You guys seem to like it when I show you products on a budget that work as well as their pricier counterparts, so I think you are going to like what I have in store for you today.

I've spoken before about a brand called Ulta3 and how much I love their nail polishes and how surprised I was by the quality of them. They have recently revamped their makeup line and the first thing that caught my eye when walking past the new stands were the new lipstick containers. Gone are the cheap-looking plastic tubes and they are replaced with a sophisticated tubes with colour panels on the bottom which is what draws they eye.

You know what else is great about these? The price. $2.99 for the standard colours and $3.99 for the mattes. Yep, that's right, they have a range of matte colours. In a budget line. Awesome, right?

So you want to know how they look right? For the most part - they are terrific. A couple of them need a little work, but overall I was really impressed with the quality, opacity and the wear of them.

L-R: Vixen, Harem Pink(m), Lilac Glow, Orange Crush(m), Pure Chic, Pink Pout(m), Coral Reef

015 - Vixen
Terrific work appropriate colour if you like a little shimmer. Smooth, opaque and easy to work with.

030 - Harem Pink (matte)
This is the first of the three mattes and my favourite of them. While not a true matte lipstick, this can be forgiven because it also does not have the drying qualities most matte lipsticks do. Opacity is fantastic and it's a smooth cream finish.

007 - Lilac Glow
A blue based pink/purple, this one surprised me with it's wear-ability. Definitely not a colour for everyone but still a keeper.

029 - Orange Crush (matte)
Not a fan of this one. I can't say I expected a matte orange to be terrific or flattering but I was intrigued to see what the formula was like. The answer is terrible. Clumpy, a little drying, not opaque at all and building up the colour makes it look worse. There is nothing redeeming about this, and like Harem Pink, it's not actually a matte at all.

051 - Pure Chic
Again, another great work colour to add to the collection. No faults with this one, great application, opacity and wear.

033 - Pink Pout (matte)
This one is just ok, it's a little drying, not actually matte, great colour though.

040 - Coral Reef
I was so disappointed with this one. I was so excited about the colour and was so disappointed with the lack of colour payoff, the texture and the overall finish of the lipstick. Avoid this one.

I want to try a few more of these, definitely some reds, but I highly recommend these as a luxe option for less.

That's it from me today, I was thinking about putting together a post on contouring - is that something you would be interested in getting some insider tips on?

Welcome to Swatch A Palooza 2013! This is were we are going to celebrate all things bright and colourful. I'll be swatching my entire polish collection by brand, as well as all of the makeup - and yes that includes my entire pro kit as well.

If you guys see something you like, speak up. Let me know if you want more info, a proper review, a comparison with similar brands or shades. I'm here for you guys, so you get to say what you want to see.

Let's kick it off with some OPI shall we?

Into the Night
The Amazing Spiderman Collection - 2012

Glizterland
Swiss Collection - 2010

Skull & Glossbones
Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Collection - 2011

Grape... Set... Match!
Serena Williams Grand Slam England Collection - 2011

Flower to Flower
Summer Flutter Collection - 2010

And another of Flower to Flower to really see that shimmer through it.

Ok, so that's part one of OPI done. Only a billion more to go!

I'll be back later this week with more OPI swatches and also swatches of all of my OCC Lip Tars, so stay tuned.

Just a quick post today.

This was my mani a couple of days ago.

I used China Glaze Black Diamond, a gunmetal grey with strong shimmer, totally not black. I don't think this polish gets enough love, I quite like it and would wear it more except that for some reason it is always really messy to apply. You have to layer this one over another black polish otherwise it seems to get a faded look. I do love the blue/ green/ purple shimmer. It's very subtle, and I have never managed to photograph it well until now.

I used Color Club Wham! Pow! as an accent nail on each hand because I thought the colour might be too much on its own, although I think that since I stamped over the top it became more wearable and not too in your face.

What are your thoughts? A whole mani using Wham! Pow! Or is the colour just too bright on it's own?

Make sure you're entered in my MAC Giveaway. If you aren't you can enter here.

That's it from me. Be awesome to each other.