Autumn/Winter 2016 Nail Favourites

Feels like a million and one years since I did a nail polish post - or a beauty-specific post in general, for that matter. Truth is, I haven't been wearing much makeup (I work from home), my skin is riddled with eczema so I've had to stick to the same couple of skincare products for ages, and my nails have been... awkward. BUT, here I am, and I wanted to share the nail colours and nail care products that are reeeeeally floating my boat this winter...

As someone who is very vocal in her adoration for the Autumn and Winter months - a major factor in which is my love of autumnal shades - I had quite a task picking my favourites for this time of year. This selection is made up of best-loved brands, old favourites and a couple of newcomers. I've divided the shades into warm and cool

 Cool Tones

                                    1) Soigne Botanique - Bleuet

There are a few blue nail polishes that I couldn't live without, but my favourite Winter blue is definitely this one by Soigne Botanique. It's a gorgeous, deep petrol blue and a little bit different from any other blue I've found. Soigne are a firm favourite brand also, and all of their products are 100% cruelty-free and use some really innovative, eco-friendly, plant-based ingredients. 

2) Nails Inc London - Gloucester Crescent*

When I first saw this shade I thought it looked almost identical to my beloved Sheraton Street but, upon comparing them, I decided I might even like it better. It's slightly more grey-toned and wintry which I love. This shade also comes with the added Superfood Boost of Almond Oil and Matcha for nail wellness and is a wonderfully rich and glossy formula. 

3) Ciate London - Tweed & Tails**

I got this polish from one of Ciate's Mini Mani Month advent calendars a couple of years back and it was definitely my favourite out of all the polishes. Can't believe I still have some left! It's still good though and I've worn it a couple of times recently. It remind me of that wonderful time when the countryside is just starting to change colour. 

 Warm Tones

4) Nails Inc London - Kensington High Street*

To be honest, I actually always preferred St. Martin's Lane as my 'purple berry shade' of choice, but I received Kensington High Street recently and I've been really loving it. I've barely reached for the former since. I also really love Nails Inc's gel formula and the newer packaging is so gorgeous. 

5) Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Paprika

When Barry M first released their Autumn Gelly shades a couple of years back I rushed out so fast to grab them and they've been a firm favourite ever since (the next shade in this list is also from that release). I've never had so many compliments and people asking what polish I'm wearing than when I've been wearing this polish. 

6) Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine - Mustard

See above... Over the last 12 months I've discovered something about myself - I reeeeally love mustard yellow, particularly in Winter. This Barry M shade is sadly a little trickier to apply than others in that range, which baffles me a little bit, but it's so worth the effort. 

 Nail Care

Nails Inc Superfood Repair Oil*

I go through phases with cuticle oil. I go from swearing by it to not bothering with it at all. At the moment I'm using this new one, as my cuticles seem to get much drier during the colder months, and it's doing a fab job. The dropper application takes a little getting used to compared to my previous Nails Inc brush-on oil, but my cuticles always feel lovely and soft when I've used this. With almond, rosehip and argan oils.

Nails Inc 'Nail Pure' Base Coat*

Not going to say too much about this one because I'm planning a post on the full range, but I have to tell you all how excited I am about the Nail Pure range of products. These products, much like Soigne Botanique, feature a wonderful 'free-from' formula with no chemical nasties and no animal derivatives. I've also been playing with a couple of the colour polishes from the range, so will report back very soon on how this formula compares to the other Nails Inc formulas. 

It's been lovely pampering my nails again recently, following a difficult phase. They seemed to just decide one day that they didn't want to grow and wanted to split at any given opportunity, so I'd just left them to it for a time. I'm definitely making up for lost time at the moment though! 

I hope you enjoyed looking through these shade selections - tell me your ultimate Autumn/Winter nail products in the comments. I'd love to hear your recommendations!

*Products gifted to me for consideration

**Affiliate link (but be assured that I bought this product and bloody love it - if I didn't I wouldn't be recommending it)

The Month In Manicures - July/August 2014

Hello beauty seekers! First off, apologies that the quality of the photos for this post may be slightly under par. I'm hurrying to try and schedule a couple of posts for while I'm away next week and this was a last minute addition with photos snapped on my phone. I haven't done a Month in Manicures post in AGES because my nails have been going through a bit of a difficult phase, but they've started to improve now so over the latter part of July and beginning of this month I've been painting them with pride once again. So this is a kind of mid-month edition. As always, these polishes are featured in chronological order with oldest first...

1) Nails Inc 'Sheraton Street'

You've all seen this one before on this blog and you know how much I adore it. It's my dream pale blue polish so, of course, it was my first choice when the time came to start painting my nails again after a little break. I got this as part of their In The Nude colour collection at the beginning of this year and I've been getting use out of all the shades, but this one is my secret favourite. 

2) Barry M Limited Edition Nail Paint (no shade name)

I have such a love/hate relationship with this polish. I picked it up as a freebie last summer as part of a Superdrug promotion and was instantly sold on the acidic, neon green. As beautiful as the shade is, it's a BUGGER to apply and stains quite badly, even with basecoat. For some reason though, I still can't resist it when the weather is as glorious as it has been recently. Neons are mandatory at this time of year!

3) Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine 'Dragonfruit'

I hardly ever go for pink on my nails. Not sure why, but it's just not my favourite shade to paint them any more. I think I spent so much time as a teenager painting my nails nothing but pink that I just went off it. However, I felt like something different last week and plumped for Dragonfruit, finished off with Barry M's new matte topcoat. 

4) Mavala 'Bamako'*

Another summer favourite from last year brings us bang up to date. Also a continuation of the summery green theme, but entirely different from the Barry M polish above. This shade is a deeper take on the aqua green polish trend (Barry M Greenberry and suchlike) and is almost earthy whilst retaining just the right amount of bright for summer. I've fallen in love with it all over again!

*****

It feels brilliant to be out of my nail-painting slump! My nails are such that they stay long and strong and gorgeous for so long, then after a period they all seem to break at the same time and go through a sad phase. I think I'm over the worst now and praying they will be back in all their former glory in time for Autumn so that I can bust out all of my berry and neutral shades once more. 

What colours are you wearing on your nails lately??

Nail Colours of Spring: Pastel Pink

Seems I've picked the darkest, murkiest day of the last fortnight to come up with this post haha. I'm getting in the mood for SPRING just lately and, having painted my nails this morning in a gorgeous, dusky, nude, pastel pink shade I realised that I have several such shades in my collection. Do I really need all of them? My mum thinks I'm bonkers when I declare that I NEED a certain shade of nail polish and then totally reject 5 or 6 shades fitting the description because they're just not 'right'. So I've decided to pull out my Top 5 of the pale pink shades in my collection and have a little swatch-fest.

Here are the shades under scrutiny today (L-R)

OPI 'Steady as She Rose' 

Nails Inc Gel Effect 'Mayfair Lane'*

Essie 'Fiji'

Nails Inc 'George Street'

and

Look Beauty Nail Pop 'Petticoat'

I wouldn't say that any of these shades are the same. A pink nail polish is rarely just a pink nail polish anymore (especially for a beauty blogger). Some are cool, some are warm, some are nude, some are.. you get the point. And a lot of them look completely different on the nails to how they look in the bottle. 

When you look at the shades side by side on the nail wheel it turns out that this is really a collection within a collection. No doubt I will wear all of these at some point over the coming warmer months. All of these shades are really wearable and look amazing with a bit of a tan. Fiji is the palest of the bunch while George Street is the deepest and also the most opaque. Favourites?? It's got to be a toss up between Steady as She Rose and Mayfair Lane but for completely different reasons. I love the grey tones in Steady as She Rose while Mayfair Lane is the perfect peachy pale pink. The Nude Award of the bunch has to go to Petticoat. This polish works on its own and also as a base for pink glitter polishes. So, basically, there is definite justification for me having all of them... HURRAH! 

I think I might stretch this post out into a series as I also covet mint greens and duck egg blues during the Spring/Summer months and none of the shades I have will be going unloved this year. So expect more swatching in posts to come!

What are your top Spring nail colours?? Must you have ALL OF THE PINKS?? Do you have a favourite shade of pink??

NEW: Nails Inc Gel Effect Shades for SS14

What can I say other than I know.... I'm completely obsessed. Nails Inc are my not-so-guilty pleasure in life. And I'm not sorry at all, I tell you! As a brand, they're also some of the loveliest people ever and I've got some MORE brand new Spring/Summer releases to show you today in the form of their Gel Effect polishes in 5 on-trend seasonal shades. 

Nails Inc Gel Effect Polishes* (L-R)

Mayfair Lane - Dusky Pale Pink

Downtown - Gel Effect Pink

Kensington Passage - Gel Effect Coral

Soho Place - Gel Effect Aqua

Mercer Street - Gel Effect Blue

I recently reviewed Nails Inc's new 'In The Nude' Colour Collection for SS14 (Post Here) and admired it for the soft nudes and pastels. Well, these shades couldn't be more opposite, except for Mayfair Lane which is the most perfect, soft petal pink I've ever seen! These shades are bright, in your face and perfect for Summer. I love the packaging on the Gel polishes as well. A bit different from your regular Nails Inc bottle. These are some seriously posh polishes!

The Nails Inc Gel formula is seriously plump with no UV required. I used only a single coat for these swatches and just look how glossy they are! I'm still trying to figure out my favourites. At the moment it's between Mercer Street and Mayfair Lane but I just know my preferences will change as the weather heats up and I start pulling all my Summer brights out of my wardrobe. Any of these shades could also be used to jazz up a plain black or white outfit. 

All of these shades are available to order NOW from nailsinc.com and cost £14 for 8ml.

Are you a Nails Inc obsessive?? What shades have got you excited for Spring/Summer?? Do you love a Gel formula??

Floral Nail Art Ft Nails Inc SS14 Colours

This is uncharted territory for this blog. You all know I have a serious fetish for nail polish (in particular Nails Inc) but I've never had the guts to experiment with nail art before. However, I decided that 2014 will be the year I knuckle down and really make an effort to teach myself. In fact this is my first ever attempt at floral nails so pleeeeease don't slate me. I know they're not exactly professional standard hahaha. I've also found myself egged on by my lovely Uni friend Nara, who has just started blogging about beauty and nails herself over at The Nail Polish Bible. Her nail art is AMAZING (seriously, check her out and show a newbie some support, it's a tough world out there in the Blogosphere).

I was quite pleased with this as a first attempt. At first I thought it was a disaster and was going to remove it straight away but they've grown on me. I'm still experimenting with which brush does what (I bought an extremely inexpensive set of nail art brushes from ebay - Link) and figuring out which shades go together. I guess they're a bit splodgy really but I'm sure practise makes perfect. I really wanted to do something with my new Nails Inc Spring shades. I used Nails Inc Hyde Park Place as a base, followed by George Street (both of these shades can be found in their 'In The Nude' Collection - See my post Here) and then used one of the NEW Gel Effect polishes in Downtown* as an accent on the flowers using a teeny tiny brush. I really think it adds a POP of colour to the design. All topped off with Kensington Caviar Topcoat. 

What do you reckon?? Not too bad for a first try?? Can you recommend any easy nail art designs for beginners like me?? 

NEW Nails Inc 'In The Nude' Colour Collection

I'm so excited for this post! Remember how excited I was when posting about the Nails Inc Autumn/Winter 2013 Collection? Well, amplify that by 10 and you get an idea. I first stumbled across the NEW Nails Inc 'In The Nude' Colour Collection at their Spring/Summer'14 preview in December. It was held at the May Fair Hotel and I got to have a good old nosey through all their upcoming new releases for the new year. There are a couple more posts in the pipeline on all of the gorgeousness I witnessed that night but today I want to focus on my favourite of this season's Nails Inc bounty.... 

'In The Nude' Colour Collection RRP £25 - Released January 2014

I was sold on this 4-piece collection the second I clapped eyes on it. It had to be mine. So much so that, as soon as I spotted on their Facebook page that it had been released, I ordered it IMMEDIATELY. This collection consists of two of their current Best Selling shades as well as two brand new neutrals. Colours are as follows...

George Street - Mink Pink

Sheraton Street - Pale Blue

NEW Kensington Gore - Rich Nude

NEW Hyde Park Place - Soft Grey

These shades are seriously creamy and give amazing opacity after even a single coat. The swatches above are two coats with no top coat so you can get an idea of finish (but, seriously, who doesn't use a top coat)? These collections are my favourite way to buy Nails Inc polishes. As a student I can't always afford to by more than one at a time at £11 a bottle but here you are getting four gorgeous, full size, bang on trend for Spring polishes for £25! 

My favourite of this bunch has got to be Sheraton Street. You may have spotted it in yesterday's 'Month in Manicures' post. I'm such a sucker for a pale blue polish and this one is the most perfect I've found. It has a touch of grey about it that makes it the perfect duck-egg shade and it seems to work well on most skin tones. I admired it on my manicurist at the event so much that I asked her to use it on me. 

The only shade that has made it onto my nails so far this year is George Street. If, like me, you liked OPI 'Steady as She Rose' (from the Pirates of the Caribbean Collection) then you'll love this, slightly greyed, dusky rose pink. It's the kind of polish you could wear to any occasion and at any time of the year, as are all of the polishes in this Collection. You'd get plenty of wear out of all four. What's not to love about a good nude, eh? 

You can purchase this collection from Nails Inc Stores, department store concessions/counters and online at 

nailsinc.co.uk

(It's also worth mentioning that George Street and Sheraton Street are also available to buy as individual polishes at £11 each).

Nails Inc are currently offering a new discount code every day for the whole of January so be sure to check out their Twitter and Facebook first should you decide to make a purchase!

What nail colours are catching your eye for 2014?? Do you go for nude shades or do you prefer a bolder, brighter look?? Which new product releases are you most excited about??

My Month in Manicures: Dec 2013

Well first of all.... HAPPY NEW YEAR MY LOVELIES!

Sadly, I've had to skip the last of the Christmas postings I wanted to do last week as I just had ZERO time to whip out my camera and photograph it all. I had a wonderful Christmas and was able to catch up with so many family and friends and that ended up taking priority. I thought I'd kick off 2014 with a round up of December's Month in Manicures. In fact, the first several posts of this year will be dedicated to my nails, with another special Nails Inc post to follow tomorrow. 

Top Row L-R

Essie 'No More Film'

This was the manicure I received when I attended the Boutique Spa Christmas event at the end of November (post Here) and it lasted so well I didn't get round to removing it until a week or so into December! I must admit I forgot to check the name of the icy blue Essie glitter polish which is on top of the base shade (if anyone recognises it please let me know). Bad blogger! Anyhoo, this manicure really got me in the mood for Winter. 

Nails Inc 'Sheraton Street'

 Another event manicure! Aren't I getting looked after lately! Early on in December I went along to the Nails Inc SS14 Preview (lots to come on the blog about that in the coming weeks, I've so much to show you). For my manicure on the night I was going to go for a bright shade but then I spotted this shade on the manicurist and demanded I have the same. Regular readers of this blog will know that I have a MAJOR fetish for pale duck-egg blue nail polish and this shade is the most perfect I've found! It's even more beautiful in the flesh. You'll see more of this colour in tomorrow's post. 

Bottom Row L-R

Essie 'Sable Collar'

 You have NO idea how difficult it was to get a photograph of this shade which reflects its true beauty. In the end I had to use flash. This is one of the shades from my Essie Winter 2013 Mini Collection (post Here). It's a kind of deep cocoa/plum shade with a beautiful pearlescent sheen to it. In some lights it comes off as more brown than this but here the flash has brought out the plum. This manicure took me right up until Christmas Eve. It's testament to Seche Vite really that my manicures are lasting so well lately. I couldn't be without it!

Essie 'Toggle To The Top'

 I think I said it all in my previous Christmas NOTD post about this crushed garnet red polish but I couldn't not include it in this one too. Again, this lasted right through until New Year without chipping too badly. 

New Year's Eve Manicure!

Barry M Textured Nail Effects in 'Lady' 

I really love textured nail polishes and Barry M have recently added to their range to include a bit of sparkle as well as the pretty pastels. I first saw this polish on Gemma (of Flutter and Sparkle) on her Instagram and ran out the very same day to buy it. It looks just like crushed DIAMONDS! It's also pretty indestructible. For this picture I did three coats but two is usuallly plenty. In truth, I ballsed it up a bit and ended up putting the third on just to smooth it over. I only removed this polish last night but it could have lasted much longer. It's not actually a tough one to remove either, unlike other glitter polishes (Toggle To The Top was a nightmare). 

So that was how I rounded off my 2013 nail painting year. I can't wait to see what exciting new shades, effects and ranges 2014 will bring. I'll definitely be sharing my finds with you all, starting from tomorrow! 

What did you wear on your nails over this Festive season?? Do you go for SPARKLE at Christmas?? Did you go bonkers for Winter Collections too?? 

Nails Inc Limited Edition Autumn/Winter Collection 2013

Second post for this evening! 

I couldn't save it until tomorrow as I've been so excited about these badboys. I've been itching to get my hands on the Nails Inc Autumn/Winter Collection* ever since they first revealed it and now HERE IT IS! Eeeeeep! 

This collection consists of 4 polishes:

Old Bond Street - A brilliant blue/violet shade

Oxford Street - A chocolatey mid-brown (The colour of the Bakerloo line!)

Regent Street - A deep wine red

and

St Martin's Lane - A gorgeous darkened blackberry/grape shade which really reminds me of Ribena (see my recent 'Month in Manicures' post).

I haven't had chance to play properly with all the shades yet. The only one that has made it onto my nails thus far is St Martin's Lane and I loved it so much (and it's lasted so long) that I'm still wearing it and have yet to swap it for one of the other shades. Here's where the trusty nail wheel comes in....

I just love how Nails Inc can produce such vibrant, pigmented shades whilst still keeping them subtle and on-trend for the Autumn/Winter season. These wheel swatches (aside from Old Bond Street which needed a little more building up) were only a single coat and the finish is so glossy. Nails Inc really are my Holy Grail of nail polish brands and I have so much love for them. They can do little wrong in my eyes. 

I'm going to dare to mention the C-word again now..... This set is a perfect treat for any polish lover this Christmas! It's also AMAZING value at £25 (a single Nails Inc polish will usually set you back £12 on it's own and here you're getting 4 - a total saving of £19) so could even be a sneaky present to yourself. 

These shades are Limited Edition and can be found in all Nails Inc stores and department store concessions as well as online at

 nailsinc.com

Do you go potty for Nails Inc?? Are you embracing Autumn/Winter nail colours?? Which shades are your favourite??

My Month in Manicures: Sept'13

Hello again!

Remember when I used to do 'Monday Manicure' posts? Also remember that it got to the point when I was so crazily busy I kept forgetting it was Monday? Well I've come up with a solution. I've decided that I'm going to be bringing you all my manicures in one monthly nail polish post. I always snap a photo of my manicures for Instagram so I will now be compiling them into one monthly post with a bit of info on all the products I've used and what I think of them. As we're coming to the end of September I thought this would be the perfect time to start and you'll probably notice that I've wasted no time in embracing seasonal colours. Products are featured in chronological order starting with the first mani of the month....

Maybelline Color Show Polkadots: 'Shooting Stars'

I finally got round to trying this polish! I picked up two shades of the Polkadots polishes back in June (post can be found Here) and, until this month, had only got round to playing with the pink shade. Well, I got bored one night and decided I fancied a Galaxy mani. What you see here is two coats of 'Shooting Stars' with a sweep of my Loreal Confetti topcoat over the top to add a little extra dimension. I love the result! As you can see I'm a little clumsy with darker coloured nail polishes (this photo was taken before I'd had chance to clean it up) but I'm getting better now. As I recall this mani was a bit of a pain to remove but it was loads of fun and lasted ages!

Essie: 'Playa del Platinum'

You'll be starting to notice by now that I ADORE Autumn and have taken great joy in pulling out all my neutral nail shades in preparation for the season. Playa del Platinum is a particular favourite grey-nude of mine that I picked up at last year's Olympia Beauty show. It goes with just about anything. It's extra shiny in this photo as I added a big dollop of Seche Vite on top of it. 

 

OPI: 'Barefoot in Barcelona'

This has been a previous all-time favourite of mine for Autumn/Winter and it still ranks extremely highly. It's a warm, muted terracotta kind of shade that looks particularly amazing when teamed with gold rings or bracelets. My OPI shades have been a bit neglected of late, in favour of Nails Inc (my ultimate HG polish brand) but the shades I have always seem to get more use in the cooler months. Everyone should have this in their collection in my opinion. 

Nails Inc A/W Collection: 'St Martin's Lane'*

This polish brings us bang up to date (I'm currently wearing this). I finally got my mitts on the new Nails Inc shades for Autumn/Winter this week. I actually did a little SQUEE when I opened the parcel. Look out for a full post on the whole collection very shortly but I just had to show you this polish a little early. If Ribena were a nail polish it would be this one. It's a gorgeous deep purple, blackcurrant sort of shade and fits perfectly with this season's berry colour trend. I adore berry/wine shades for Winter, in fashion as well as nails. Raspberry is a particular favourite. Again, this isn't the tidiest of manicures but I am getting better with darker colours, honest!!

So that was my September in nail colours. Guess I averaged one mani a week this month. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. I find that, with Seche Vite, my nail polish lasts for ages and it sometimes seems a shame to remove it when it still looks so immaculate. I will confess to you that there is ONE mani missing from this post, but only because it will feature in my NEXT post (which is actually a very exciting one so keep your eyes peeled). 

So,until next month..... HAPPY NAIL PAINTING!

What are your favourite nail shades for Autumn?? Do you love a particular brand of polish?? Do you change up your manicure weekly or more often??

My Top 5: Summer Nail Colours

 God I've missed you lot! I vowed that I would not complain about this GLORIOUS hot weather we're having lately but MAN does this sticky kind of heat zap my brain! As an ME sufferer my body and brain become so sluggish when the weather gets like this and I just haven't managed to get my brain in gear to write anything for the last week and a half . Seems every blog post I write recently has begun with an excuse for my absence. Not good at all. However, I am here TODAY to show you a handful of nail polishes that I have been loving the most so far this Summer. I've been wearing all kinds of colours recently but these 5 seem to be my most loved of the season so I thought I'd tell you WHY I love each one. Featured in no particular order....

 I just seem to have developed a thing for blue nails this season. It's odd because, of all the colours, blue has always tended to be my least favourite. I suspect it may be the influence of a certain Mrs Kidston and her pastels that inspired this particular purchase. I've been looking for the perfect pastel blue shade and I think this Bourjois offering might just be it. It's just the loveliest powdery baby blue. The So Laque Glossy formula is a pleasure to apply and lasts really well with a good dollop of Seche Vite on top. I need a durable polish in my line of work and this polish takes my bar cleaning duties in its stride!

Had to get a bright one in there!! Nails Inc are my Holy Grail of polish brands and I have a major sweet spot for their products. I just really really respect their constant ability to innovate and be ahead of the game, coming out with new and different shades and textures with every passing season. Their Neons range (out of which I also own Kensington Park Road) had me suckered in immediately for the Summer months and Notting Hill Gate has quickly become my go-to Summer pink. It's like a bright, neon raspberry shade that sets off a tan perfectly. 

I couldn't not feature the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range in this post because I'm really LOVING them lately. I own 4 of the shades but I think Greenberry is most definitely my favourite out of the bunch. I own quite a few minty green/blue shades but this one just POPS out that little bit more and is much more fun for sunshiney days. I'm not always a fan of Barry M polishes and have had hits and misses with them over the years but the formula of the Gelly polishes really is fantastic and gives an opaque glossy finish even after just one coat. They also last longer than the regular Barry M Nail Paint which is a big bonus for me. 

OPI, for me, has taken a major back seat since I discovered my infatuation with Nails Inc, but there are a couple of their shades that my collection would be nothing without. One of those shades is Steady as She Rose from their Pirates of the Caribbean collection a couple of years back. I just think it's a really unique kind of pale, dusky pink/grey. The only other polish I have that is similar is Essie Fiji (which nearly made the cut for this post) but I love that it's so cool in tone and can look really rosy in some lights and more muted and grey in others. Plus anything with a pirate theme is a winner in my book!

I'm actually a little surprised that this polish has made it into my Top 5! I remember stating implicitly that I preferred the Nails Inc Concrete effect polishes to the Barry M Texture range. However, I find myself reaching for this way more often than I thought I would. I have other peachy polishes in my collection but I like this one for the gritty, matte finish and BOY does it last ages!! Peach shades are my ultimate Summer shades (same with my blush and lipstick choices) and I find they really compliment my skin tone. They also really bring out a tan. 

So those are my Top 5 Summer nail shades. These are not the ONLY polishes I will be reaching for this Summer by any means. I've also been LOVING the Mavala Chilli and Spice Collection (Blog post Here) and my Nails Inc Feather polishes (Blog post Here). I just thought I'd chatter on a bit about why I choose the shades I do when the sun comes out to play and what works best for me. 

Hope you're all enjoying the Sunshine!!

What are your favourite Summer shades?? Do you favour a particular brand of polish??

Summer NEON with Nails Inc

If you caught my haul post earlier last week you'll see that I did a bit of a stint on the Nails Inc website in search of some brighter shades for Spring/Summer. There were a couple of shades I'd had my eye on but I decided to do the pick'n'mix 3 for £22 deal and opted for a third too. I'd originally wanted Holland Park as well (neon purple) but, to my dismay, it was out of stock so I must search on for that one. BUT I did pick up these little beauts.....

I'd been after Kensington Park Road for quite a while but, as with Holland Park, it is often out of stock when I go in search of it. Luckily I caught it this time. It's a neon blue, although it's quite a greenish kind of blue. If I were to think of a dupe I'd probably say Barry M Cyan blue (but darker) or OPI Did It On Em from the Nicki Minaj collection (but less green). 

I guess Floral Street isn't so much neon but it is a bright, brilliant white. I wanted it as a base shade for glitters and confetti topcoats and suchlike. Not really much else to say about a white nail polish really is there, but it's something that everyone should have in their nail polish stash in my opinion. And now I have one. 

Notting Hill Gate was the shade I went for on a whim in absence of the purple I was pining for. It's a bright neon pink which actually appears more muted on the nails than it does in the bottle. I'd describe it as a very bright raspberry pink, which I think I actually prefer to a full-on fleuro neon. It's so pretty!! I can't wait to try a cling film mani with this on top of another shade... Maybe even with Floral Street or Kensington Park Road. Watch out for it in future Monday Mani posts!!

These shades are sooooo pretty for summer. I can't wait to play around with them and team them with glitters and other shades. They're also stunning on their own as a bold, colour blocked statement mani. The neons do take a two or three coats to go opaque on me. For some reason the tips of my nails are MEGA white at the moment and shine through like a beacon. I guess that's testament to OPI Nail Envy though. My nails are virtually indestructible at the moment! 

So now I have both my pastels AND my brights for summer! Although I suspect that I may accumulate more before the season is out.... Every time I do a Nails Inc order I end up putting even more polishes on my wishlist than I actually BUY!

Check out the pick'n'mix at nailsinc.com! You can go for 3,4,5 or even 10 polishes at a great multibuy price.

 What are your go-to summer manicure shades?? Do you love bright, pastel or a combination or both?? What are your favourite nail polish brands??

Mini Haul: Nails Inc, Bourjois, NARS

 Evening all!!

I've been doing a bit of hauling this week so far! Nothing too major but exciting nonetheless. Couple of online orders followed by a little 3for2 whim in Superdrug. I've got Summer makeup firmly on my mind lately. Probably because the sunshine has begun to shine through a little. The products I've acquired this week are all PERFECT for Spring/Summer!

I've been  using a lot of Bourjois lately (see previous post) and I've been really enjoying the products. When I spotted their products on 3for2 in Superdrug I couldn't ignore it, could I?!

I guess it was the special edition packaging that suckered me into buying this little blush pot! The colour is so pretty though! It's a lovely peachy pink with a pearly shimmer through it. It comes with a teeny little blush brush (gotta love tiny versions of things, even though they aren't overly useful). I haven't actually tried any Bourjois blushers before so I look forward to experimenting with this over the coming warmer months! 

I've seen the new So Laque Glossy shades on so many blogs over the last week or so, I just had to pick one up! I went for Adora-Bleu, mainly because it was the one that I wanted the most, but also because it was the last bottle left in the shop out of the whole range haha. I guess its very similar to the BarryM Gelly polish in Blueberry but the colour looks more powdery blue. Blueberry is quite vivid in certain light. 

I've been loving the Rouge Edition lip shades I have so, I decided to give this pale pink/beige nude shade a bash while I was at it as the other shades I have are either dark or bright. It looks like one of those barely-there, effortless colours and I love how they feel on the lips. 

I did a cheeky Nails Inc online order last week and it was waiting for me when I got back to London from Uni last night!! So exciting!! I did the pick'n'mix 3 for £22 deal and took the opportunity to get my mitts on some Spring brights. And I'm talking NEON brights!! I also picked up Floral Street as I wanted a white as a base for glitters and other such polishes. I won't go into too much detail just yet as I'm going to follow with an official post about these polishes with swatches etc...

LOOK what arrived this morning in an ASOS shaped box.....!!!! Because I've been so good and not smoked a single cigarette in a whole WEEK (and no plans on doing so either), I threw caution to the wind the other night and ordered my DREAM bronzer from NARS cos I was feeling particularly proud of myself. Seriously, I've wanted this product for at least 2 years but I struggle to justify NARS purchases usually, unless there's someone there to enable me. It's just that little bit out of my price range. Having said that, I did also purchase Sheer Glow recently. Double splurge!!

Most of these products will probably feature again on this blog very soon so expect more information and swatches of everything in due course. I'm really pleased with how my Summer 2013 beauty bag is shaping up!

What have you been hauling lately?? Did you do the 3for2?? What products are calling your name for Summer??