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.)

xxx