Neutral nails for pale skinned gals!

Essie 'Sand Tropez' Nail Polish

As much as I adore the lilac-greigey tinged nudes, there's always something about them on my skintone that just looks a little off.  As in 'hands a bit dead' off.  A while back though, I picked up a bottle of Essie's 'Sand Tropez' and was obsessed.  It's the perfect sandy, taupey, milky coloured nude that doesn't look a thing like tippex nails!  It also goes with pretty much anything as it's completely neutral which is something I'd been looking for for yonks.

The formula as per the usual with Essie polishes is great - opaque in two coats (with a base coat) and pretty longlasting.  I forgot to take nail pictures until a good few days had passed, yet there were little to no chips in sight!  All in all, definitely one to try out if you're super pale skinned and on the market for a nude polish.

xxx

This week's nails - Barry M 'Damson'

This week's nail post is about the second Barry M polish I picked up a while ago in my drugstore haul...

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in 'Damson'

'Damson' is a gorgeous bright, royal blue shade that's perfect for perking up an outfit!  I love the glossy effect you get from the Gelly range of polishes, and this particular shade dries super fast and is opaque in two coats.  It does have a rather strong plastic-y smell though, which may be offputting for some but I tend to do my nails in the evening so by morning the scent has faded enough that it's not much of a bother.

I'm one of those people that tends to stick to more neutral nail colours, so there's not too much going on if I'm wearing a bright lip or piece of clothing, but something about this shade just keeps me coming back (I've already painted my nails with it several times in succession...)  Definitely one to check out if you're in the market for a budget friendly blue nail polish!

xxx

Last week's nails - Barry M 'Eat My Dust'

I picked up a couple of new nail polishes last week, which I talked about in my drugstore haul - but now I've tested them out I thought I'd let you guys know what I thought of them!

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail paint in 'Eat My Dust'
£3.99 from Boots

The shade I used first, and am going to talk about here is 'Eat My Dust' from their Speedy Quick Dry range.  Applied over a base coat, it only takes a couple of coats for pretty much full opacity, and it dries fast (but not much faster than the Gelly polishes to be honest!)  I did test it out on its own to start with, sans base, but within a few hours it all began to peel off which wasn't great - so I'd definitely recommend using a base coat with this range even if you're in a rush!  The colour is beautiful though - a  creamy pastel blue with a hint of lilac.  However I did find that after a day or so the lilac tint disappeared and it became a true sky blue on the nails (as you can see in the swatches) and lasted chip free for about five days with my usual Sally Hansen Insta-Dry top coat.

For comparison I've popped it next to the shade 'Almond,' from their Gelly range, in the picture below.  Unlike 'Almond', 'Eat My Dust' hasn't got that greige-y nude thing going on, and is much lighter in colour which is perfect for springtime!  Also, compared to the Gelly range these polishes have a great sized brush, that's similar to the sort you get from Essie.  This makes doing your manicure a bit less fiddly!

All in all, I'm really glad I picked this shade up and really want to give the mint green from the range a go!
Next nail post I'll be reviewing the other Barry M polish from my haul, so keep an eye out for that in a week or so's time...

xxx

Huge drugstore makeup haul!

This time last week, I decided I'd head into town for a little shopping pick-me-up.  And ended up going a little bonkers in the aisles of Boots and Superdrug!  I thought It'd be fun to share them with you, as I don't often purchase this many items in one go - oops...

It's been at least a couple of months since I purchased any lip products, and since I absolutely love the Revlon Balm Stain in 'Honey' I thought I'd try out some other shades from the range.  In a post last week I mentioned I had a gap in my lipstick stash for a bright pink and an orange lip colour - so when I was in Boots I picked out 'Lovesick' and 'Rendezvous'.  They both look gorgeous, so fingers crossed the wear time is just as good as 'Honey'!  I also happened to wander past the Barry M stand, and I ended up grabbing a couple of their polishes - who can resist, right?  'Eat my dust' is a gorgeous pale, pastel blue that pulls a tiny bit lilac, and it's from their Speedy Quick Dry range which I was curious to try.  'Damson' is the most stunning bright blue shade, from the Gelly Hi-Shine range (which I've been super impressed with before).  Plus, they were buy one get one half price, so it was a win-win situation!

In Superdrug, there's also a 3 for 2 on currently but across all brands.  I'd heard a lot about the Max Factor Creme Puff blushes, and how they have a very similar glow-y effect to the Hourglass ones but at a fraction of the price.  Since I love Rimmel 'Santa Rose' as it's the perfect natural blush for my skintone, I thought I'd give '10 Nude Mauve' a go - which is very similar but adds a little more dimension to the face as it's not totally matte (I've already tried this out aswell, and it's super soft with very little fallout so applies like a dream!)  I also decided to try out Rimmel's (relatively new) foundation, which is the Nude version of their Lasting Finish formulation.  As I have a tiny bit more colour in my skin post-holiday, I think '010 Light Porcelain' should be a pretty good shade match - thankyou drugstore brands for finally catering to us super pale people!  Finally, I knew that my Benefit Roller Lash was on it's last legs so I was on the market for a new mascara.  In the end, the lovely counter staff pointed out that Max Factor's False Lash Effect had several pounds off, making it cheaper than the other two products which meant I got it for free!  I'd seen Suzie from Hello October talk about this, and since her lashes always look amazing I thought it was definitely worth a go.  Plus, the packaging is super pretty (I think part of the profits go to the Marie Curie trust, which is awesome too).

And just as a little add on at the end, whilst I was in Wilko (getting ice cube trays if you must know!) I stopped off at the Essence stand and chose one of their Longlasting Lipsticks in the shade '01 Coral Calling' It's a lovely, bright peachy coral and was only a couple of pounds.  It has a similar scent to their lipliners - slightly chemically woody cherry but isn't strong at all (or that offensive to be honest!)

xxx

Nails Inc 'Tate' - free with Glamour this month!

It's always a bonus when you pick up a magazine and it comes with a fab free gift.  Glamour is one of the most reasonably priced ones out there (only £2!) and December's edition not only comes with a Nails Inc polish but a Body Shop gift voucher and a discount code for H&M.  The shade I picked out was 'Tate' - a beautiful deep red.  From the picture on the packaging I was expecting it to have some shimmer running through it, but it's a smooth creme polish.  

I don't have another polish quite like this (only berry or bright reds), so I'm super happy with my choice!  Nails Inc usually retail for over £10, so if you've always wanted to try one or just add to your collection this is a budget friendly way to get your hands on a great quality polish.  I believe there's also a dark purple and a grey-nude shade available :)

xxx

Nail polishes: The Uni Edit

Overpacking is one of my greatest vices.  And the upcoming semi-permanent move to uni has been no exception.  "But I might need just that particular shade of peachy-pink blush..." has happened far too many times when I've attempted packing up my makeup, and since the Michaelmas term is only eleven weeks I can't really justify packing half a tonne of nail polishes.  (But c'mon, a girls gotta have options right?!)  As a compromise I've dug out a cute little gift box that's just big enough to fit about ten/fifteen polishes, in the hope that my need to be neat and tidy and all in one place will stop me going overboard and cramming them all in (and possible having an overflow).  In my head it seems like a good idea to pack a good spectrum of colours, but in the end I've gone for the colours I am statistically more likely to use...

Row One : The Neutrals

From L-R...

• Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in 'Elderberry' : This is one that I still have yet to try out properly.  I love the formula though, and although they're a little messy to apply (polish runs all over the place!) this shade is the perfect wintry grey-blue.

• Natural Collection Nail Colour in 'Champagne' : Natural Collection is one of those lines where the price tag scares most people off.  There are a lot of misses in the line - and the lipstick packaging is beyond crummy - but this particular shade of polish is an almost dead ringer for Essie's 'Buy Me a Cameo'.  The formula is great, and the longevity decent.  Can't wait for the weather to cool down a little more so I can start wearing this again!  (The shade 'Maple' is great aswell - it's got an almost copper tone to it which is absolutely lovely.)

• Essence Colour and Go Polish in 'Love Me, Cupcake!' : I've already spoken far too much about this polish - visit here if you want a thorough review.  All I can say is that if you see it in your local Wilko, get it!

• Dior 'Nail Glow' : If you want a polish that adds a little somethin' somethin' to your nails, but doesn't show the chips this is your guy.  Even though it does actually chip fast on me, I absolutely have fallen head over heels for this along with the rest of the 'Glow' line - and this does make your nails do just that - glow!

• Dior Base Coat 'Abricot' : My last base coat - the Revlon quick dry one - was approaching the end of its life, so I decided to try out something new.  My nails were also getting pretty flaky and generally in bad condition (probably due to the acetone polish I use to get thick polishes off), so I thought a decent quality one would protect my nails and condition them a little.  So far, it's going great and one thin coat dries just as fast as its predecessor.

• Nails Inc 'Motcomb Street' :  Although when I was younger I seemed to sport black nail polish every other week, nowadays I can't quite take the plunge and this is as close as I get.  This shade, although a little tricky to find is the perfect almost-black navy that looks amazing layered with glitter polish!

• Ciaté 'My Fair Lady' : I believe this polish came free with a copy of Marie Claire a year or so ago.  It can apply quite streaky if you're not careful, but with a good base coat you get a lovely sheer wash of pink.  This particular shade doesn't seem to exist anymore, but the closest one I've found is 'Beach Melba' - although if you want a more opaque effect the shade 'Couture' seems to get better reviews.

Row Two : The Brights

From L-R...

• Essie 'Big Spender' : One of my most recent posts was about my predisposition towards Berry lip colours.  This is the nail polish equivalent to that - not too red or pink and works in any season.  Love it.

• Essie 'Hors D'oeuvres' : Glitter city, but I love it!  This is the most beautiful glitter polish I have ever owned (I think I have a weakness for gold shimmer) - one to put off removing though - think I went through about ten cotton pads and half a bottle of acetone remover to get off!  See it swatched here over the top of 'Big Spender', although it looks fabulous on its own.

• Essence Colour and Go Polish in '111 English Rose' : This is the one polish that I haven't yet tried, although it looks to be the perfect autumnal red (not too bright, with a dash of rosy pink!)

• Essie 'Dive Bar'  : A gorgeous iridescent dark green/almost black with blue and purple shimmer running throughout.  Full post with swatches here. 

• Essie 'Splash of Grenadine' : Packing this shade was my way of hanging on to summertime.  I referred to it as the sort of pink Barbie would wear when I swatched it here - it's on my toes at the moment and cheers me up every time I look at them!

• Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dry' : My favourite top coat by a long stretch.  Nails not completely dry and its time for bed?  No problem - pop a thin coat of this on before doing your nightime routine and tada, no sheet marks the next morning!

And there we go, the proof that it all fits! I'd also just about got room for a couple of toe separators and a cuticle cream (the No 7 one), now it's just a matter of resisting purchasing any more polish over the next couple of months!

xxx

'Dive Bar': The Essie obsession continues

This week when I was looking for something to paint my nails with, I began to dig through the more wintry-coloured polishes that had been sitting in a box out of the way for several months.  I'd originally been looking for a dark red, but in the end settled on this colour as I knew it would dry super fast and only need a couple of thin coats (i.e. it was Essie!)  The week before, 'Splash of Grenadine' had been on my nails, so this was really great to change up to for something a little darker and iridescent.  This polish was actually a Christmas gift from a couple of years back, so it's got the old bottle and brush style - but I although it was a little fiddlier to apply than the newer polishes I still didn't make much of a mess and it didn't go streaky.  'Dive Bar' is a very dark green, which looks shimmer-free in some lights, and in others there's some purple/blue iridescence running through it.  It's quite simply stunning, and I'm so glad I rediscovered it!

And here it is - two coats with a dash of a quick-dry topcoat over them.

You can find it here at Superdrug, priced at £7.99.

xxx

The one coat nail polish.

Recently, I picked up a bottle of Essence's 'Colour and Go' polish in the shade '168 Love Me Cupcake'.  It's a gorgeous grey-purple colour, very similar to Barry M's 'Almond' but with a little more lilac.  It is also a gazillion times easier to apply!

Out of routine, I previously have applied two thin coats and it's been absolutely perfect.  But last night, I didn't have time to wait so just slapped on the one (slightly thicker) coat over a quick dry base, and ran out the door.  It wasn't till later on that I noticed it was completely opaque with no streaks - that second coat wasn't needed!  It still needs a topcoat to avoid chipping obviously, but if you're looking for something that you can just do the one coat of and be done with - this is the one for you.  It also dries super fast, and although the coat was thicker than usual there were no odd smudge marks the following morning.

And here you go, one coat with no topcoat!

You can find it here or in store at Wilko, priced at £1.60.

xxx

Essie's Splash of Grenadine

This is one of those polishes that makes you feel girly, no other way to describe it.  It's such a vibrant Barbie lilac-pink, and it just draws the eyes in.  As Essie polishes go, it's pretty standard - easy to apply, good longevity and decently opaque in two coats.

The colour is very distinctive - even though (as I said above)
 it is Barbie-esque, there's something slightly chic about it.
Perhaps because it's almost a muted neon?

Here's two coats of the polish, with the usual top coat (Sally Hansen Insta-Dry).
No chips after five days! 

You can find Essie polishes at most Boots stores or online, priced at £7.99

xxx

Another Essence haul!

This week, I happened to nip into Wilko to pick up a few bits for uni, and remembered that I'd been meaning to try out some more items from Essence's makeup range.  I'd been particularly impressed with their 'Colour and Go' nail polish, so chose a couple more colours (plus another blush, oops!)...

'111 English Rose' and
'146 That's What I Mint!'

I've already tested out the mint shade, and much as I love how it applies, there is some light shimmer running through it that I didn't spot in store.  However, it's pretty much opaque in two coats and dries super fast.  The colour is also almost a light turquoise on the nails, not as light as expected but still lovely!  Judging by how the colour from bottle-to-nails translates a smidge darker, I'd expect the rosy shade to be almost terracotta on the nails - which should be perfect for autumn.

I also grabbed their 'Blush Up!' cheek colour in the shade 'Heat Wave'.  This was the one item I regretted not picking up last time I was at the stand, and although I really didn't need another blusher, it was so pretty that I couldn't not pop it in my basket this time around!  I've been experimenting with orange blush, having purchased Sleek's 'Life's a Peach' a couple of weeks ago and although this isn't as sheer, I feel that with the gradient you can get the perfect customised peachy-pink shade.  This blush is a lot less sheer than the Sleek one, so you have to be quite careful with it - just a dab is enough.  The compact also feels very sturdy, and although you don't get a mirror with it, I can hardly complain about the gorgeous design being on show!  (The perspex packaging reminds me a little of the Clinique Cheek Pops aswell.)

L-R: Swatched across the gradient of the blush (orange side to pink side),
then all the colours swirled together on the far right.

You can find the entire Essence range here at Wilko, and in store.
The nail polishes cost £1.60, and the blush £3.50.

xxx

Just another mani Monday...

This week seems to be the one for dreadful-pun-post-titles.  It's probably because whilst I'm writing this that it's been well over six hours since I last ate anything.  Well, apart from one of those Moser Roth chocolate bars a couple of hours ago (but that doesn't really count, does it...?)  Anyway, today I painted my nails with one of the Kiko polishes I picked up quite a while ago.  I've previously only used it on my toenails, but as I was feelin' the vampy mood I decided to go matchy matchy and use it on my fingers too...

Kiko Nail Laquer in 286

Its a gorgeous dark wine, that's almost berry-red in the bottle but translates much darker on the nails.  As I said before, it is quite a vampy shade and I can only really get away with it now as we're approaching the end of summer.  It is one of those reds that you've got to be super careful with as it'll go everywhere if you haven't got a steady hand (I think I got through about five cotton buds tidying it all up!) but the finished effect is beautiful.

Kiko's polishes also dry very quickly, so if you need a third coat on one or two nails (like me) you aren't going to end up with a splodgy sheet-marky mess come the next morning.  The brushes are nice and wide, not quite as tapered as I'd like - but I'd much rather be swiping the edges with cotton buds than dealing with streaks.

And here it is on the nails.  This is true to colour - you can
almost see a bit of reddish brown peeking through.  Very 90s chic.

Kiko Nail Laquers are available here, priced at £3.99.  My shade (286 Purple Red) is currently reduced to £2.50 - bargain!

xxx

Budget brand focus: Essence

When you're counting the pennies (especially after that little trip to Space.nk turned into a full on splurging spree), it's a relief to come across a new budget brand to try out.  I'd seen a few posts about Essence recently, but as my closest Wilko is 45 minutes away I hadn't yet gotten around to picking anything up.  Price point wise, they're somewhere inbetween MUA and Rimmel - but the products I managed to get were well up there in quality.

I just wish I'd gotten more things to try!  In total, these
cost £4.30, an average of £1.43 each (bargain!)

I was especially impressed by the 'Colour and Go' nail polish I picked up - the brush was just the right shape and size to cover the nail in a couple of swipes and it dried super fast (I believe I did my nails in 15 minutes, which is a complete record!)  The shade 168 is a gorgeous dusky lavender, slightly more purple than Barry M 'Almond' but very very similar.

Apologies for the slightly shaky picture here,
but I thought it was definitely worth showing
the brush shape - it's just like the Essie polishes.

The blush I chose was from their Silky Touch range - and is very highly pigmented.  The texture is very soft and not chalky at all, and it lasts all day on my combination/oily skin.  This, like the nail polish felt comparable to much higher end products!

L-R: One swipe, Blended out

As the whole range was on 3 for 2, I also chose a glitter topcoat (for fun!) which I haven't yet tested out.  It's a gorgeous rainbow glitter, that I'm sure I'll use coming up to Christmas/New Years - and as it was so cheap I won't feel guilty for not using it all the time.

All in all, my first experience with Essence as a brand has been stellar!  I'll for certain be popping a few more of their polishes in my basket next time I'm in store.

The entire Essence range is available online at Wilko, and there's also a limited range in store.

xxx

The perfect coral nails.

Coral lovin' 

When Bobbi Brown came out with her 'Nectar and Nude' Collection, I was all over it.  Everything was b-e-a-utiful, and I immediately wanted to go have an accident in the John Lewis beauty hall (I mean a purse related accident - not the other sort - haha!)

As it usually goes though, by the time I'd gotten around to visiting the Bobbi Brown counter the items I'd specifically wanted had all sold out.  This happened too with the Dior spring collection, where I desperately wanted the coral coloured 'Lip Glow' - but that's another story...

Anyway, the one thing I'd really had my eye on was her nail polish in 'Nectar' - the perfect reddy-pinky-orangey coral.  I ended up keeping an eye out for it on Ebay - eventually I found someone who was selling one!  I'd wondered whether it was worth doing a post on a limited edition product, but if (like me!) you were hunting for it online and were unsure if you should bother - this might be of some use.

The bottle is lovely, Bobbi Brown's packaging is always very chic and sleek.  The colour really does translate beautifully to the nails, although it can be a little streaky to apply.  I'd also prefer a slightly larger brush, like the ones on Essie polishes (especially since it's rather pricey!)  As I'm very messy painting my nails, I knew I'd probably run out of it quickly so I've been hunting around Boots for a close enough, budget-friendly dupe.  Max Factor do a shade in their 'Glossfinity' line called 'Cute Coral', which seems to be pretty much identical.  Thank goodness for that!

The picture online looks much more orange -
but it really does look like 'Nectar' in reality!

Max Factor 'Cute Coral' is £5.99 from Boots (a bargain considering Bobbi Brown polishes are £11!)

xxx

Chic nails by Barry M...

The other day, I saw a fellow blogger wearing this polish and fell in love.  Long story short, I ended up popping into Boots to get it on Saturday - and applied it as soon as I returned home...

Barry M Gelly Nail Polish in 'Almond'

'Almond' is a gorgeous grey-nude colour with some lavender undertones.  In some lights it looks pure grey, and then as if by magic it will change to a dusky purple!  I absolutely love it on the fingernails - not sure about toes (might be a little too grey for them) - and as it's supposed to mimic a gel manicure it should last a long time on the nails too.

I used a base coat as advised on the bottle, and applied two coats of the polish.  It was almost opaque in one, but was a little streaky so a second was required to smooth it all out.  I also applied a top-coat out of habit, and also as we're going away for the week I didn't want it to need any touch-ups! (At some point I'll also do a top-coatless test to see the longevity of the polish alone.)

And here's the finished product! 

You can find it here for £3.99.  All the Barry M polishes are buy one get one half price in Boots at the moment, so I may or may not have slipped the shade 'Elderberry' into my basket too...that's next on my list to try out!

xxx

Ways to use your No.7 voucher...

It's that time again where when you get to the till at Boots, you're given one of those dratted No.7 vouchers for £5 off skincare and £3 off makeup...

I'd usually just head off home and completely forget about it, until it was long out of date!  However, if you're savvy there's quite a few bargains to be gotten with it.  (Prices are for when you use the coupon.)


£2 Face Wipes

I usually use the Simple wipes, just because they're usually the cheapest ones around that don't leave a funny residue.  However, unless they're on offer they're more expensive per pack than these.  The No.7 ones are soft and feel a little more luxurious.  My main pro is that they have a proper clicky closure, so they dry out much less quickly (and when travelling don't leave your washbag all damp!)






£7.50 Thermal Mask


There's been a lot of buzz going around in the blogging world recently about the Sanctuary 5 minute thermal detox mask.  This mask does pretty much the same job, but is also formulated for oily skin.  I find that if used once a week,  my face looks a lot less oily when I wake up in the mornings and my makeup lasts much longer.  I've actually got it on as I'm typing this!  Sanctuary's offering is on promotion too at the moment, making it about the same price but it's usually about £10.





£3 Nail Polish

If you're looking for a long lasting polish, comparable to Essie, look no further.
There's a huge range of shades available, and at a similar price point to Rimmel or Seventeen these are a no brainer.










£5 Cream Shadow Stick

I picked up several of these last time the coupons were being handed out.  My absolute fave is 'Cool Mink', a soft grey taupe with a little bit of shimmer.  They've really got the formula on point here - scribble it all over your lids, quickly blend out and you're done.  Long lasting, and I've heard that they're supposed to be a dupe for the By Terry 'Ombre Blackstar' shadow sticks!







£1.95 Pencil Sharpener

A sharpener is a sharpener, isn't it...?
This one is pretty sturdy, and with the coupon is cheaper than Boots' Essential range one.  The second hole is just the right size for those impossible to sharpen chubby eye crayons (I'm looking at you Nyx!)









Bargain Brushes

Finally, I couldn't help but mention the makeup brush range.  If you're after a real hair blending brush, the Eye Contour Brush is the way to go.  My absolute essential though is the Smokey Eyeliner Brush.  This is amazing for applying powder concealer to blemishes.  Work a little into the brush, then press the tip gently into the skin.  Couldn't recommend it enough (and would probably run out and repurchase full price if mine went missing haha!)  Both are £4.25 with the coupon.


Skincare is on 3 for 2 here
Makeup is also currently buy one get one half price here

xxx

Glitzy nails...

I'd decided to glitz up my nails for a night out last week, and happened to take a couple of pictures just before leaving (you know how it is - you need photographic evidence of that perfect mani you spent aaaaages on before you go out and most likely mess it all up :/ )

Anyway.  I found the photo this morning, and thought I might as well type up a quickie nail post on the polishes I used...

On the left: 'Hors d'oevres'
On the right: 'Big Spender'

I'm in love with Essie polishes at the moment
(definitely going to be checking out their summer collection next time I'm hitting up Boots!)

Having started everything off as per usual with a base coat (the Revlon one from my previous nail post), I applied a couple of coats of my fave - Essie's 'Big Spender'.  Once that had all dried, I added a coat of Essie 'Hors d'oevres' - a gorgeous gold shimmer with hexagonal silver glitter and tiny little flecks of blue.  (I believe I saw this originally in TalkBeckyTalk's summer nail vid, and was obsessed with it!)  Finally, I topped it all off with my regular Sally Hansen Insta-Dry.

Surprisingly, as everything was super quick drying it didn't take long at all to set (I always end up spending the extra time tidying the edges up though!)  However, ideally I'd probably leave it all overnight and apply the top coat the following morning :)

I love how you can still see the base colour, depending on the lighting.
So purdy.

Although it still required a little extra elbow grease to get my nails squeaky clean, having multiple layers of polish under the glitter coat meant I wasn't clawing chunks of glitter off over the day following removal.  Also, two coats of the base colour probably aren't necessary as the glitter polish isn't that sheer - which is great news for next time around!

Essie polishes are usually cheapest at Boots, but as the glitter top coat was limited edition I purchased it from Ebay.

xxx

A sky blue mani with a pop of pink...

A quick post today on the manicure I did tonight...

L-R: Models Own 'Feeling Blue', Essie 'Big Spender',
Revlon 'Quick Dry Base Coat'', Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dry'

I'd had Models Own's 'Feeling Blue' nail polish for a while, and had never used it.  Its a lovely pure blue, like the sky on a clear summers day.  I really like Models Own polishes; they're opaque in two coats and have a great colour selection.  The brushes are quite small though, so not the easiest to apply.

Since I didn't really want blue toes, I opted for my favourite Essie polish - 'Big Spender' - for them.  Its a gorgeous plummy pink colour, that's almost opaque in one coat and applies like a dream.  I love the brushes on Essie polishes; they're huge, and allow you to coat your nails in a couple of swipes (they're very similar to the ones on Dior polishes).  (Note: the colour from this one doesn't quite translate on camera - it's a little more purple, and darker in reality.)

In order for my hands and feet to match, I painted my ring finger on each hand with 'Big Spender', and I feel it goes quite nicely (and adds a little bit of girlyness back into the manicure!)

I'm also terrified of stained nails, so always use Revlon's 'Quick Dry Base Coat' underneath - very very quick drying, and makes the polish on top apply much smoother and more opaque.  Finally, I topped everything off with a coat of Sally Hansen 'Insta-Dry' - so so glossy, and it's touch dry in seconds.

And here's the finished product!

(Also, a quick note from the morning after; no sheet marks!!)

Essie, £7.99
Models Own, £5
Revlon, £6.49
Sally Hansen, £5.99

(They're all available from Boots, and are almost always on 3 for 2.)

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