Last Thursday saw the first ever Nationa Nail Polish Day... and guess what, I missed it! Yes, it was just a totally made up day from Essie but as a HUGE nail polish lovers I did initially "ooo" at the news.
However, it did make me realise that in the past year Makeup Savvy has been sorely lacking on the nail polish front. I of course still paint my nails, bi-weekly in fact, but I just don't ever think to mention the shades I'm wearing/loving! I'm not sure what's changed but hey ho, here I am sharing some nail polish goodness today. Maybe this post will get me back into nail blogging, who knows!
With a nail polish collection ashamedly well into the hundreds I sat down and took the time to look through it, picking out the shades I use most often. Below I've neatly categorised them by shade, which was a tricky thing to do because this girl loves a nude nail polish, not to mention a pretty full on glitter.
Today for my last blog post before Christmas I thought I'd share with you a few Christmas Day nail ideas!
Plus I wanted to show you the combo I've been wearing this last week and what I plan to changed them to ahead of the big day!
First up Christmas nail combo ideas! It's all about the glitter for me so I always opt for an opaque base colour and then a festive glitter.
One of my favourite duos is actually a free gift with purchase from Barry M in Superdrug stores! Simply spend £7 on Barry M products and receive this lovely nail duo that consists of a brown shimmer (Gingerbread) and a silver holographic tinsel style glitter (Icicle). I wore this on my nails last week and it's such a lovely combo.
I'm also totally digging the KIKO holiday collection 2016 nail polishes. These come in three glitter shades - 01 Pleasant Silver Rose, 02 Rich Gold and 03 Full Red and are currently reduced to £3.00 online here and hopefully in-store! My favourite of the three is Rich Gold as there aren't may fine gold glitter nail polishes on the market and paired over a deep nail polish (as you can see above, paired with Essie Bahama Mama) or even black really makes the glitter come to life!
Lastly if you aren't a fan of that gritty feeling of glitter nails or hate the snooze-worthy removal process then the Sensational Nail Glitters £2.50 each here may just be perfect for you. This is a dry non-nail polish glitter that you lliterally puff over wet nails and seal with a clear top coat - how clever?! They can be used over regular nail polish or with an at-home gel kit and they come in 3 shades - red glitter, black and a super amazing holographic silver (shown above, paired with Seventween Gel Colour in Mint Cooler). I just can't get enough of these!
As for what I've been wearing on my nails recently, this past week I've been sporting one of my most favourite Essie glitter nail polishes; Summit of Style Boots £7.99 or Fragrance Direct here for only £2.49, over Bourjois La Lacque White Spirit (ASOS here or Boots in-store) which is just a good white base I always use. I was tempted to apply a matte top coat to see how they would look however as I loved the sparkle from Summit of Style I decided to leave them!
For my Christmas day nails I'm planning to go all red as it's just such a festive look. Of course I couldn't just go for all red nails, I had to find a perfect red glitter to go with it! For the base I've picked C&E nail polish in Apple/Rouge Sublime but really any classic red would work. Then for the red glitter it was a hard choice but I decided to go for a slightly more raspberry red glitter in Sally Hansen Strawberry Shields. I love rich sparkly red nails so I'm excited to sit down tonight and give my nails an even more festive manicure!
So there you have my Christmas nail polish combos that have hopefully inspired you to try out a glittery combination!
Happy Christmas everyone!
Fee xo.
Happy Halloween everyone!
I don't know about you but whether I'm doing anything for Halloween or not I always like to get into the spirit of things and give myself some fun nails and watch a scary movie or two. Halloween nails always get compliments and it personally puts me in a good mood for the occasion.
So I thought I'd round-up 5 of my favourite Halloween/fun nails I've done over the years that you can easily re-create on your own nails or possibly for a child that is going out treat or treating. Hope you like my ideas!
These are a random mix of everything and perfect if you can't decide what to go for. As they are mix and match they kind of look like you have false nails on as well! All you need is a small brush and a dotting tool (you can use the end of a bobby pin if you like) and 5 basic nail polish colours. This is possibly my favourite Halloween nail art to do!
Another very simple nail art look that looks quite creepy as your fingers look like they have eyes! This is simply 3 blobs/circles to create the pupil and then fine red lines to create the outer effect. So easy to achieve!
Black and orange always look great together so here I created a silhouette type scene that's actually pretty simple to do.
These actually look like they are tricky to create but it's simply a line with 2 dots either end to create the bone shade. These couldn't be any simpler and they look great on any dark base nail polish.
Last but not least I thought I'd include some really fun nails that feel quite 'Halloween' to me. It's all about the base here and creating that gradient ombre effect with a small piece of sponge. Then it's applying small wiggly lines over the top for the leopard print.
Hope you've found some spooktacular inspiration here and have a fab Halloween!
Fee xo.
Essie is up there as one of my favourite nail polish brands. The reason for this is their great shade range and their kind of runny formula that makes application a breeze for me (also I'm sure it means they don't go gloopy as fast).
However at £8-11 full price they are a little pricey for my liking but thankfully I've never paid that - ever! With the likes of Fragrance Direct and eBay I've never paid over £5 for a single Essie nail polish - pretty good right?
So with now quite the Essie collection I thought I'd select my top 5 that I feel are perfect for autumn/winter!
Leading Lady
£2.49 dupe shade - Fragrance Direct here
First up my total festive favourite! Leading Lady is the most beautiful cranberry glitter and with a slick of top coat transforms into something magical on the nails. It also only requires two coats which is pretty impressive if you ask me. Plus it's a spot on dupe for Deborah Lippmann's Razzle Dazzle. Leading Lady has been sadly discontinued and now hard to find online but Toggle To The Top is virtually the same just a touch darker. You can find it on Fragrance Direct here for £2.49.
Russian Roulette
£6.95 - eBay here
Russian Roulette is my go-to red. With it's cherry red tone it's bright and cheerful but chic at the same time. Also it stunningly glossy and looks great on both fingers and toes! An all year round red here.
Hors D'Oeuvres
£2.49 - Fragrance Direct here
This is my latest acquired Essie polish and I don't think I could be any more in love with it. I love glitter nail polishes in general but when they come with a glided base and a duo tone it's love! In some lights it looks gold, then silver and then when the light really hits it a beautiful platinum shade that's so so stunning. If you are looking for a Christmas glitter then I fully recommend this! (Also requires only 2-3 coats).
Bahama Mama
£4.44 - Amazon here
A stunning deep plum shade here that is ideal for both autumn and winter. This will look great on all skin tones and definitely doesn't need a top coat. Also this is my favourite shade for painting white nail art onto as the contrast is really there and it just makes for a great base colour. You may think there are shades out there that are similar but this is the cream of the crop as far as rich plum polishes are concerned.
Bikini So Teeny
£7.50 - eBay here
Yes, you would instantly think Bikini So Teeny is a summer shade, and well it is, but come cold weather and snow(?!) this looks great again! Sadly my swatches make this lighter than it actually is, but the softness and smoothness is spot on to how it is in real life. As you can see from the bottle image BST contains very subtle shimmer that can be hardly seen unless the sun catches it. Much like Russian Roulette another great all round nail polish that works well for spring, summer and winter.
What do you think of Essie nail polishes? Have you tried them? If so, what are your favourite shades to wear from the brand in autumn/winter?
Fee xo.
After months of brights and pastels Autumn nails can come as a refreshing change. It personally gives me the opportunity to sport more chic nails with deep berry shades and experiment with different textures.
However you need not spend that much at all to be on season with all my favourites here costing no more than £5 and all available on the high street!
Revlon Parfumerie Scented Nail Polish in 'Autumn Spice'
£6.49 - Boots or in select Poundworld stores!
Ahhh Revlon you always get it so right. From their standard nail enamel range to their newer Parfumerie scented collection I've always been a fan and with their latest shades I think I may even be more in love with them! Autumn Spice is undoubtedly an ideal shade for autumn/winter with it's beautiful duo chrome brown/pink sheen. The formula applies amazingly well and lasts without chipping. As for the scented aspect of the range I'm still debating in my own head the point, even though I'm always drawn to them . I've yet to come up with a reason for scented nail polishes to exist but Autumn Spice certainly smells lovely and cosy!
Barry M Gelly Nail Polish in 'Paprika'
£3.99 - Boots or Amazon here
Barry M are certainly on point with their latest a/w nail polish offerings in the Gelly range. Out of the 6 new shades released Paprika is without a doubt the most autumnal and my personal favourite. Like all shades in the Gelly range this applies perfectly, looks smooth and glossy and requires only 2 coats. Chilli and Mustard (which you will either love or hate!) are also perfect shades for Autumn.
Seventeen Chalk Dots Nail Effects Nail Polish
£3.99 - Boots in-store
Not an obvious autumnal choice here but a nail polish top coat I was instantly drawn to in Boots. In a strange way I feel this fits with the marble interior trend at the moment with it's grey tones instead of it being just a contrast of black and white. The speckled effect looks amazing on and certainly a nail polish people are likely to admire. For reference I applied 2 coats over a white nail polish base as it quite milky/sheer.
Models Own Scented Nail Polish in 'Fizzy Cola'
£5.00 - Boots in-store or Superdrug here
A softer option here with a light brown nail polish that contains an interesting mix of fine gold shimmer and small white dots. This looks lovely and warming on the nails and works well with pale skin tones . Application is a breeze and the gold shimmer is subtle but stunning when it catches the light. Also the scented cola bottles scent is addictive - must remember to not sniff my nails in public!
I also planned to feature one of the new Rimmel Velvet Matte Nail Polishes in Sumptuous Red however within a day it had already chipped and continued to horrendously chip and flake off on day 2 of wearing it. A gorgeous shade and finish but sadly not a nail polish I can recommend based on how badly it chips - shame on you Rimmel!
Hope you'd enjoyed this nail post - I loved taking the pics for it!
Fee xo.
Last week I came across the new Technic Duo Nail Polishes that very much reminded me of the Models Own Artstix's (£6 each) and with some amazing combinations and at a snip of the price (£2.99 - eBay here) I had to snap up a few to try out!
Much like the Models Own Artstix's the Technic Double Trouble Nail Varnishes come with double ended polishes - a solid base colour and a glitter top coat. I especially like that the glitter/colour combinations are thought out for you and they are so compact. Plus I can't believe each duo is only £2.99!
Each Technic Double Trouble is fairly fast drying and requires 2 coats of the solid colour with a great formula that I'd actually wear alone with the glitter as an accent nail on my ring fingers. Then just a single coat of the glitter top coat is required.
Technic Midsummer
£2.99 - eBay here
First up a lovely lilac base nail polish with a silver/green glitter top coat. I especially love the lilac nail polish and would wear it alone as with the glitter I think it would look great over a white or nude nail polish to show off the green glitter more. Together I don't love the combination but it's pretty enough and does look quite summery.
Technic Bollywood
£2.99 - eBay here
Love, love, love Bollywood! I knew I'd love this from the colour/glitter combo - mint green and gold glitter always look amazing together. But with the amazing creamy formula the base colour applied so smoothly and looked great alone. I also love how packed the gold glitter is so only a single coat is needed for even coverage. Such a lovely duo!
Technic Indian Ocean
£2.99 - eBay here
This was my least favourite of the three as the base was just too sheer for my liking and more of a jelly formula than a cream one. However I loved the blue glitter top coat which I know I can pair it with a more opaque blue base so it wasn't a total waste of a purchase.
In the Double Trouble range there are 3 other shades that I thought I would mention especially for the middle shade - Festival here. Festival I'm pretty sure is Technic's Carnival glitter which is my favourite glitter top coat from the brand (see my swatches here). I know the combination of the glitter with the pink base coat will look amazing so it's definitely now on my to-buy list!
On a side note if you aren't one for online shopping you can find the Technic Double Trouble range in select Bodycare stores for a bargainous £1.99!
Highly recommend these!
Fee xo.
As most of you know I like to paint my nails, a lot. I'm also lucky enough to provide nail posts for the Avon blog here and generally show off new nail polishes here on Makeup Savvy. Meaning I try to look after my nails and cuticles as much as I can.
But the thing is I generally only use a cuticle oil and whilst my cuticles looks healthy my nails have become bendy and soft with excessive nail polish use. Plus I'm also noticing my nails starting to peel at the tips as I'm getting older! So when the Nailtiques Formula 2 Kit came on my radar (as Escentual have reduced it to £9.95 from £22.90 here) I decided it was time to give a proper nail care routine a chance.
Fast forward a whole month I thought I'd share my thoughts on the kit as I think it's pretty great for the reduced price! First up, what's included in the kit - Nailtiques Oil Therapy 7ml, Nailtiques Formula 2 7ml and Nailtiques Cuticle & Skin Gel 7g.
On opening the pretty compact box I was initially a bit confused at to what all the products do. However after reading the instructions I realised the gel in a pot is basically an intensive treatment for cuticles/feet/any dry skin, the Formula 2 is a clear treatment polish that you apply to the nails daily to strengthen them and the orange-coloured Oil Therapy is a cuticle oil.
To start off the treatments I decided to use the Formula 2 on bare nails for a week then just wear it as a base coat under normal nail polish . I also applied the Oil Therapy daily when I remembered (generally before bed) and used the Cuticle & Skin Gel on my toes as my fingers didn't require such an intensive treatment. I've now being using all the products on a regular basis and can see a notable difference in my nails with them feeling a lot stronger and no sign of peeling any more... also I feel I should add that I haven't broken a nail in over a month now! Plus my cuticles are in perfect condition! Below are some of my thoughts on the products in the kit.
Nailtiques Oil Therapy
This was easily my favourite product as I love a good cuticle oil but they can be hard to come by. A sign of a quality cuticle oil is how easily it absorbs into the skin and this one was amazing for that leaving the skin around my nails hydrated and neat. It also has an amazing apricot scent to it which is beyond yummy. Once I've run out of this I will definitely be considering buying it again.
Nailtiques Formula 2
This I think is what truly made a difference to my nails. Results weren't fast but within 3 week I realised my nails actually felt a lot less bendy at the tips and all peeling had gone! I will try to keep this up as a base coat as I still believe it does something even if it's not the suggested way to use it.
Nailteques Cuticle & Skin Gel
I kind of feel this is a bit of a filler item as the Oil Therapy is a similar product. However if you did have really dry cuticles then this would be the best product to use first. As I had no real need for it I decided to use it on my feet as my cuticles aren't great. For such a light feeling cream this really does moisturise and hydrate the skin extremely well and within days I noticed a big different in how my feet looked. A great product but not a necessary one for me.
Overall at £9.95 this kit is worth it if you want to sort out weak, soft, bitten or peeling nails. It's almost like a first aid kit that restores the nails!
Fee xo.
For the past few years Ciate have been bringing out some amazing manicure kits that have impressed me. However I think I've finally been wow'd with their latest Shell Manicure Kits... I mean just look at that stunning bottle of crushed shells.
The fairly new collection consists of 3 kits - Mermaid You Look (seen here), Wish Upon A Starfish (a pearl white iridescent manicure) and She Sells Sea Shells (a girly cream pink manicure). These can all be found on Look Fantastic here for £18.00 each.
The Ciate Shell Manicure Kit in Mermaid You Look contains 1 full size bottle of Ciate Pillow Fight (a beautiful creamy lilac grey), 1 full size bottle of pearlescent crushed shells, a handy metal funnel to place the excess crushed shells back into the bottle plus full instructions.
As soon as I saw how beautiful the crushed shell pieces were up close I decided to give it a go as I was eager to see how easy or difficult it would be and also how well the crushed shell would last on the nails. It's okay it looking pretty on the nails but if it doesn't last then what is the point? I very much feel like this with Caviar nail beads and nail wraps!
Application
First up was applying Ciate Pillow Fight, a beautiful nail polish alone and one that is so easy to apply. I made sure to leave my ring finger nails until last as I wanted to pour the crushed shells onto wet polish so that they would adhere. As I didn't want to waste any of the crushed shells I placed the top plastic cover of the set under my nail which acted as a handy tray. I then poured the crushed shells over myentire nail and carefully but firmly pressed the shell pieces on, also wiping over the tip of my nail to push any pieces down to give a smooth finish.
Results
Once I was sure the base nail polish was fully dry I then applied a clear top coat, which I was actually hesitant to do as I didn't want it changing the appearance of the crushed shell finish. However I needn't have worried as the shells almost seemed to absorb the top coat to still give a beautiful pearlescent but rough looking finish. As you can see the finish is pretty spectacular and due to how easy it was I would actually be tempted to do all my nails with the crushed shells for a special occasion. I'd also do this because it amazingly lasts so well on the nails.
But how well did it last?
Unlike caviar beads the crushed shell lays so much flatter to the nail and doesn't get caught on anything. This really did surprise me as I was genuinely expecting the manicure to last 2 days at the most however I had to actually remove it after 5 days due to my nails growing out and developing that void between the nail polish and cuticle. As for removal, I won't lie... it was a god damn nightmare! However for the beautiful look it gave my nails it was worth it.
I feel the 'Mermaid You Look' kit could be worn any time of year and look pretty but for super summery nails I would definitely go for She Sells Sea Shells which again comes with the most amazing bottle of crushed shells!
What do you think of crushed shell nails - is it a yay or nay?
Fee xo.
Finally, finally I have sat down to talk pastel nails! Spring is definitely here with the mix of sunny and rainy days we seem to be having and pastel polishes are adorning my nails the majority of the time.
As I love accessible products and my budget nail polishes I thought I would make this little spring nail polishes edit strictly high street only. You can of course get all these nail polishes online as well.
Here are 10 of my very favourite nail polishes that I feel are perfect for spring!
Nudes & Pinks
From nail swatches top left; clockwise -
Sinful Colors in Easy Going (£1.99 - Boots here), Rimmel Space Dust in Aurora (£3.99 - ASOS here or Boots), Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in Lychee (£3.99 - ASOS here or Boots), Revlon in Popular (try eBay), Models Own Fruit Pastel in Strawberry Tart (£5.00 - MO site here or Boots).
I personally love neutral nails whether it's a glossy nude or a pale pink. My go-to nude come spring (well any time for that matter) is Barry M Lychee - a perfect creamy nude with a high gloss finish that will suit any skin tone. Though for sunnier days you can't go wrong with Sinful Colors Easy Going - the most perfect easy to apply light pink-y toned nude that is surprisingly very opaque. For more glitzy nails, or the most perfect accent nail for nude/pink nails, there is Rimmel Aurora... just wow! The nail swatch doesn't show it off to it's full potential so make sure to have a read of my full post here if you like the look of it - trust me it's an amazing nail polish.
Onto more pink-y/lilac shades now with a milky lilac glitter from Revlon called Popular... which I sadly realised when I came to writing this post is now discontinued and therefore hard to get hold of. However never fear I do have a just-as-pretty alternative for you with Revlon Girly (£6.49 - Superdrug here) which may actually be prettier! Last but not least a true pastel pink and a scented one at that with Models Own Strawberry Tart - just the most perfect cream baby pink shade ever.
Blues, Greens... and a Yellow
From nail swatches top left; clockwise -
W7 in Sheer Blue (£3.35 - Amazon here), Essie in Bikini So Teeny (£7.99 - Superdrug here), NYC Expert Last in Mint Macaroon (£2.49 - Superdrug here), Revlon Colorstay in Buttercup (£7.99 - Superdrug here), Models Own Speckled Egg in Magpie (£5.00 - MO site here or Boots).
For warmer more summer feeling days in spring I love nothing more than a bright pastel on my nails. A beautiful soft pastel blue can be found with W7 Sheer Blue, this is just about opaque on the nails but looks so light... hard to explain but I don't have a pastel shade similar to it. However my most worn blue has to be Essie Bikini So Teeny - a perfect shade for pale or tanned skin and can be worn right in to summer.
For a more chic and muted pastel I like to go for NYC Mint Macaroon, actually NYC have quite a few muted pastels in the Expert Last range that are worth checking out. But for when the sun is really shining Revlon Buttercup is straight on my nails - sunshine in a bottle with this sherbet lemon pastel that actually makes me happy when looking at my nails. Last but not least Models Own Magpie, one of my favourite shades at the moment that is sure to get quite a few compliments and rightly so as it's such a unique nail polish.
Hope you have enjoyed my Spring nail polish picks!
Fee xo.
Fee xo.
Remember last month when I wrote a pre-Christmas wish list? Probably not. Well I decided that I needed to treat myself to the Nails Inc set I featured in that post because it just looked too glittery and wonderful to miss out on.
Since then lots of places have been selling out of the mini set, even ASOS. But I found it on Beauty Bay for the bargain sale price of £12.80 here!
I've recent years I have purchased a few mini collections from Nails Inc as they are nice way to try out the more 'special' shades from the brand, especially when their nail polishes cost £9+. I've always been pleased even if they are pretty dinky but this year I'm even more happy as this set contains some amazing glitters from 5 different collections.
I would have loved to have swatched away on my real nails however sadly I've had a few nail casualties so a nail wheel will have to suffice for now!
As you can see the set contains a lovely mix of textures and finishes. 2 glitter top coats with Hampstead Court and Old Street, a semi opaque glitter with Westminster Bridge Road, a subtle glitter opaque top coat with Regents Park and a metallic foil in rose gold with King's Road.
My favourite has to be Regents Park as it just reminds me of shimmering winter berries and it really does look beautiful on the nails, perfect for Christmas and winter. But I also love how fun Old Street is, I'm sure it would look great over a white or black nail polish especially for New Years Eve. Also King's Road went and surprised me as I always imagine metallic nail polishes to be streaky but this is just perfect and such a soft delicate shade that I can imagine wearing alone or with a subtle gold glitter over the top or even Hampstead Court.
This really is a nail polish set ideal for the festive season and updating your party nail polish collection... just like I have done (I've told myself no more presents to me love from me until after Christmas!).
But this would also make a great gift for someone that loves nail polish! I know I would be pretty delighted with this... well maybe a different mini set such as the Nails Inc The Editors Set which is even cheaper at £11.20 here... just not as glittery. Or you could split up the set if you were creating a few gift sets for friends.
Really at a great price at the moment and worth snapping up!
Fee xo.
Nothing says festive fingertips like a red nail polish.
I have so many reds in my collection that mainly get used at Christmas. Here are my top 5 that are glossy, vibrant and all well priced... especially my favourite from NYC. Nail of the day to come of that very soon!
Nails Inc X Kate Space 'Big Red Apple'
(Free with last month's Glamour mag - still available)
First up is an excellent free nail polish... or £2 which is the price of the magazine. This is such a rich glossy red that is perfectly opaque in two coats. For a freebie it is excellent quality and may be in the running for my Christmas Day nail polish.
Avon Nailwear Pro+ 'Real Red'
(£4.00 - Avon here or in catalogues)
I've tried so many Avon nail polishes now after creating quite a lot of nail looks for the Avon blog and the Nailwear Pro+ range has to be my favourite. The formula dries really hard and I normally end up removing the nail polish due to tip wear instead of chipping as these just don't chip! This specific shade is very close to a perfect red but with a slight more warm/berry tone to it.
NYC Expert Last Nail Polish 'Red me the News'
(£2.49 - Superdrug stores)
This has to be my favourite festive red! Red me the News transforms nails into ruby red jewels that are so smooth and glossy. This is a perfect alternative to a solid colour red as it still appears as one colour but just has a wonderful metallic sheen to it, very impressive for only £2.49. The formula also lasts really well (apparently up to 10 days, I'd say more like 5 - but still very good) and unlike a lot of metallic formulas doesn't show any brush strokes or streaks.
Essie 'Russian Roulette'
Out of the 5 reds in this post Russian Roulette is the most classic/true red. Perfect if you want bold red nails for Christmas and excellent as a base for nail art... this works with white nail art so well. Essie is a great nail polish brand so if you want to spend a little more then this shade is so worth it for Christmas. You can see my nail swatches with festive nail art here.
Sally Hansen Insta-Dry 'Rapid Red'
(£3.43 - eBay here)
Without a doubt my red in a rush nail polish. I actually have a selection of nail polishes that I keep to one side that I know are opaque in one coat and dry super fast. And this is definitely one of them, plus the brush fits the nail perfectly meaning you can paint the whole nail in one brush stroke! I'm such a huge fan of all Sally Hansen Nail Polishes and the Insta-Dri range hasn't let me down yet. Super opaque, glossy and fast drying - what more could you want! If you don't want a bold red then this is a perfect one.
If you have any suggestions for Top 5 posts - nail polish, beauty or skincare just let me know!
Also what is your favourite (not too pricey) red nail polish?
Fee xo.
Today I had to share with you possibly my best bargain purchase of the year! Now you may be ooo-ing at my £5 polish finds but what if I told you I meant £5 for all three?! Yes, I snagged these bad boys up for a mere £5 in TK Maxx, down from £15... which is still a bargain really.
Deborah Lippmann really are the creme de la creme of nail polishes normally costing £10 each at House of Fraser but lots of 'older stock' has winged it's ways into TK Maxx stores up and down the country. All packaged in bags of 3, I discovered these amongst lots of others at the full price of £15 on the clearance shelf.
These were the most separated looking polishes out of the lot... mainly because they had been laying on their side for too long I imagine. However after a little shake up out of the boxes they were back to normal, so don't be put off if you see any horribly separated ones!
Fortunately the reduced set contained 3 beautiful shades that I love, so I got extra lucky there. My favourite shade has to be Cleopatra in New York as it's such a striking glitter, then Superstar which is a beautiful opaque autumnal copper glitter and then finally Supermodel which is a vivid red sheer jelly polish that I have found to be amazing with jelly sandwich nails... NOTD to come soon.
With a saving of £25 I am so pleased with these nail polishes and may have to pop back in to see if they have any more very soon.
TK Maxx is definitely the place to be checking out reduced nail polish sets at the moment. I also spotted sets from Orly, Essie, Nails Inc and Revlon.
Fee xo.
With more nail polishes than I know what to do with comes more than enough tools and extras. I try to keep everything in order by storing them in labelled beauty boxes - nail art tools, hand creams, glitters, nail polish removal etc but really I have too much of everything for it to be super organised.
Which is why I thought it would be a good idea to select my favourites from each box and mess up even more by not putting everything back! I've promised myself I will re-organise it at the weekend zzzz.
So here I thought I would share with you my top picks of all my nail extras minus nail polish removers and I just pick up anything acetone-free and always make sure I have a Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover tub in.
Top Coats
For me the step of a top coat is a must for a perfect finish. My first ever top coat was one from 17 (which is still pretty good), I then progressed to an equally cheap one with NYC which is amazing for the price. Then finally 'splashed' out on a bottle of Seche Vite when I realised it wasn't actually that expensive at all if purchased online.
I now use the NYC In A New York Minute Clear Nail Polish (£1.79 - Superdrug) on quick manicures when I'm trying out a new nail polish, which is quite often. And save the Seche Vite Top Coat (£6.00 - eBay here) for more special manicures and nail art as it's just so glossy and wonderful. If I'm wanting matte nails I go for Models Own Pro Matte Top Coat (£5.00 - Boots) but really all matte top coats are pretty much the same so if you want a budget one I'd suggest opting for the one from Rimmel.
Base Coats & Nail Treatments
I recently wrote a full post on the China Glaze Ridge Filler Base Coat here where I explained that my obsession with painting my nails has left me with fairly ridged nails. It isn't the end of the world but it means a ridge filler base coat is needed if I want a smooth finish to my nail polish without the ridges showing through. I started off by using the Essie Ridge Filler (£6.98 - eBay here) and as I had nothing to compare it against I thought it was pretty good, though slightly time consuming to apply as it is like a nail polish. But then I was tempted by the China Glaze Ridge Filler Base Coat (£4.56 - eBay here) as it is such a discounted price and I now feel this is what a ridge filler base coat should be! A lot less 'nail polish' like this applies really quickly as it's thin and dries equally fast. If you do have ridged nails from over using nail polish or just ageing nails then I highly recommend the CG one.
I've also recently started to think about the strength of my nails as I now do a few freelance nail article jobs from time to time that require lots of different nail looks so over a period of a few days I am constantly painting my nails and then removing it, making my nails more likely to break. I'm lucky my nails are quite strong but in the past year I have seen my nails just break off and I can see that it's been because they are quite brittle at times so this is were the Renunail Nail Strengthener (£13.50/30ml - Amazon here) comes in. This does require a break from using nail polish and painting on the treatment daily but from the looks of the reviews online and hundreds of amazing reviews on Amazon this does wonders for the nails. I plan to start my first course of using the strengthener next week when I have a few nail posts out of the way, just in time for my holiday at the end of November.
Cuticle Oils & Nail Filling
For nice looking nails cuticle oil is a must. I've never had a problem with my cuticles but still like to use an oil quite often to keep them looking neat. But for dry/over grown looking cuticles an oil is a must - none of this trimming them malarkey! Most cuticle oils are good and will benefit the nails but I especially like the Champneys Nail Treatment Cuticle Softening Nail Oil (£8.50 - Boots here) as it's slightly thicker than a lot I've used and it smells nice (plus it has a button dropper at the top that I'm still impressed with - it really is the small things!). Another cuticle treatment I like is the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Creme (£5.50/17g - Feel Unique here) which is basically an oil in solid form. You just work this over the nail and it melts into a slight oil and smells like boiled lemon sweets.
When it comes to shaping my nails I don't actually cut my nails - ever. Like never ever! When my nails get too long I just file them down a bit... I guess I just feels like I'm damaging my nails by cutting them. I'm still yet to try out a glass nail file but for now I feel a standard file works fine. The lovely nail file above is from a set of 3 from Ted Baker (£5.00 - Boots).
Hand Creams
Hands Creams I feel are essential to nice nails so therefore I own a lot... well that is my excuse at least! They range from sample sizes - great for handbags, organics ones and even the odd pricier ones... I somehow feel I can never have enough, though I most certainly do have enough!
Currently in my handbag I have a simple Shea Butter hand cream from L'Occitane (came free with a magazine) which is really hydrating and soaks in quickly which is a must for applying hand cream on the go. Next to my bed I have my trusty Lavera Basis Sensitiv Hand Cream (£6.95/75ml - Feel Unique here) which I love - very refreshing, lovely scented and very nourishing yet light. Then with all my nail extras I have the Lanolips Rose Balm that is a super size 120m/£10.20 - Boots here. This feels like such a treat and is the most nourishing hand cream so I make sure I apply this when I've used nail polish remover and my hands are feeling dry.
Nail Art Tools
I like to keep it simple with my nail art tools and you really don't need to spend a lot of money at all. So many nail art looks can be achieved with dots or require dots so different size dotting tools are essential. I purchased a double ended set from eBay (5 for £1.40 - ebay here) that still feel brand new and I know will last for years to come. I also have a handy double ended Avon Nail Decoration Tool (£1.85 - eBay here) that is great when I need to use both a brush and dotting tool, I can just turn it around as and when I need each tool.
For simple nail art I like to use metallic Sharpie pens, these are the ultra fine ones and do need to have a top coat placed over them so they don't wash off but they are so easy to use. I also use a Muji 0.38 Gel Pen (£1.00 each - Selfridges/Muji stores) which I need more of in different colours as it's my favourite thing to use for detailed nail art. The pen means you can literally draw your design on the nail and be very precise. Again this needs to be sealed with a top coat and the nail polish base needs to be fully dry as the pen tip can drag nail polish that isn't completely dry.
Nail Art Extras
My box of nail art products is without a doubt the most disorganised mess! It is however the most exciting box but I have so many bits and bobs that I like to keep just in case I ever need them for different nail art looks.
My favourite nail art has to be glitter! So messy but fun and of course very pretty on the nails. My favourite loose glitter is from NPW (set of 5 glitters - £2.50) as the glitter is so iridescent and pretty and I love how they come in little glass bottles. Though so many of these bottled glitters can be found via eBay (£1.89 for 12 bottles - eBay here). Also from NPW which are available in select department stores, Topshop and New Look, are the gold and black Nail Art Pens (£5.25 set of 2 - Debenhams here) you see above which come with loose gems to stick on, I especially like the black for a more subtle look. Another product I really love that I have only recently discovered are the Glitter Fx's from Nailene (Set of 2 for £4 - here) - you literally squeeze the soft plastic tube to puff out the ultra fine glitter which you can choose to land on the tips of the nails or over the entire nail. The shades are also really beautiful.
Hope you have enjoyed this run down of my favourite nail products.
Fee xo.
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