Essie - Gel Couture Nails.*

I have a love hate relationship with painting my nails. I love the look of my nails when they are painted and neat, but sometimes fitting the time in to paint them can seem like a chore! So when Essie brought out their own gel nail range promising to last 12 days, I couldn't wait to try them!

Leighton Denny - Supermodel.

 Hey everyone! Today I am going to do a review on one of my all time favourtie nude nail varnishes from Leighton Denny in the shade of Supermodel. Now usually I'm not one to go for a nude nail but my aunt gave me this as a present and I instantly fell in love with it!

First of all this nail varnish comes in a very stylish thick glass bottle with a silver lid which I think looks really nice and also it feels quite sturdy so it would be great to take away with you and you won't have to worry about it breaking.

This nail varnish has a lovely grey/beige tone to it which I think would suit most people, and the more coats you add the darker the colour goes. I love this shade and I think it is perfect for important dates and occasions, for example this is my go to shade for any interview or meeting as I think it looks quite professional.

This nail varnish applies really nicely with no streaks and with only one coat it is already opaque, but I like to apply two coats as I think it gives a nicer colour and helps to make it last longer. I find this nail varnish dries quite quick and would give it probably around 10 minutes for it to dry fully. Once dry it has a really nice shine to it and it lasts for about 4 days without chipping which is great!

I also like to apply the Pink Silver glitter nail varnish by Barry M to this nail varnish as I think the colours really compliment each other and it gives a really nice effect. This nail varnish also dries very quickly (within 5 minutes) and also lasts for at least 4 days! So I think it's a great pairing.

This nail varnish costs £11 so it is a bit on the pricier side, but the last time is great and I definitely think it's worth it. You can either buy it as a single from Look Fantastic or from QVC as a double set which includes a nail treatment.

Look fantastic - £11

QVC - £22.47

The Barry M nail varnish is a bargain at only £2.99 and you can buy it here:

Barry M - £2.99

What do you think of this nail varnish shade?

Models Own - Banana Split Scented nail varnish.

Hello everyone, I hope you all had a lovey weekend! Today I am going to review Models Own Scented nail varnish in Banana split. Last week in London we had quite nice weather so I thought I would seize this opportunity and get out one of my pastel nail varnishes for the occasion! 

(Sorry for the nail varnish smudge down the bottle, I didn't realise it was there and I haven't had time to take more photos.)

This nail varnish has a lovely pastel yellow colour that reminds me of banana milkshakes. It comes in a nice glass bottle with a scratch 'n' sniff sticker on the top which smells like the foam banana sweets you can get from pick'n'mixes, which I thought was a really nice touch.

Unfortunately though this is only how far the scent went, I didn't find that the nail varnish had a very strong smell of banana which was a bit disappointing, but I always wear a top coat so the smell would have been lost in any case. Also banana can be quite a weak scent so the other nail varnishes in the collection might have a stronger smell.

When applying I find that the first coat can come out a little patchy, but once a second coat is applied it really evens out and the finish is really nice. I would recommend to leave about 10 - 15 minutes to allow this to dry fully, so it is quite quick which is always a benefit when it comes to nail varnishes!

I really like the last time of this nail varnish and I find it lasts me a good 4/5 days before it really starts chipping, so it is great for when you are having a really busy week.

This nail varnish costs £4.99 and there 6 more different shades in the collection. You can buy it here:

Banana Split nail varnish.

What do you think of this shade?

Also don't forget about my giveaway, you have until Friday to enter!

Giveaway!

Bourjois1 seconde gel nail varnish - Violine Hypnotique (34).

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend! To start this week off I thought I would do a review on Bourjois 1 seconde nail varnish in Violine Hypnotique, as I just love this shade and I think it is perfect for Autumn and Winter!

First of all this nail varnish comes in a very eye-catching glass bottle with a long lid, which helps to distinguish it from my other nail varnishes so it's always easy to find and also I think the longer lid helps with the application as well.

This shade is a lovely dark plum/burgundy colour which is an iconic look for the colder months, and when in the light it has a lovely shimmer to it. The nail varnish itself has quite a thick consistency and is very opaque so really you could get away with only applying one coat (but in these photos I have applied two as I find it always helps to make the varnish last longer). 

It is called 1 seconde nail varnish as the brush it has is quite big (it has a fan effect) and you only really need to do one or two sweeps across the nail to cover it all instead of the usual 3-4.  Also I find that this nail varnish is quite quick drying compared to other gel nail varnishes and usually takes around 10 minutes to dry fully.

Once dried the nail varnish looks really shiny and makes my nails look nice, thick and healthy which I love. I find that this nail varnish usually lasts me around 3-4 days before it starts chipping which isn't too bad.

This nail varnish is definitely going to be one of my go to colours for Winter and it costs £5.99. Also currently in Superdrug it is buy one get one half price on selected Bourjois makeup. You can buy it here:

Bourjois Violine Hypnotique.

What do you think on this nail varnish?

Barry M - Autumn Gelly nail paints.

Hey everyone! Today I am going to review two of the new Gelly Hi-shine nail paints from Barry M. I got the colours Mustard and Paprika which is from their Autumn range and I fell in love with these colours immediately.

Rimmel London - Lasting Finish in Black Cherries.

Hi everyone, can you believe it is the first of September already! Where has the time gone? Anyways.. today I am going to review Rimmel London's Lasting Finish nail varnish in Black Cherries (193). This to me is another colour perfect for the upcoming Autumn and winter months.

This nail varnish has a lovely deep red/plum colour to it, which I think is nice and warming for the colder days ahead of us. It also has a slight sparkle in the light as well. When applying I find that this nail polish needs two coats as the first coat can come out kind of streaky, but after the second it evens out nicely.

I found the drying time for this nail varnish to take quite a while and I would say to leave yourself a good 15 to 20 to make sure it is completely dry before doing anything. Also I would recommend that if you have a fast drying spray or drops to use them as well to help speed up the process.

The only problem I have had with this nail varnish is that I don't think it really has a lasting finish. It only lasted me about two days before it started to chip which was a bit disappointing, but I had been very busy and used a lot of hot water on my hands which didn't help. So I would recommend using a good top coat with this to help it last longer.

This nail varnish was a great bargain costing only £2.99 so it's definitely worth checking it out! You can buy it here:

 http://www.superdrug.com/Rimmel/Rimmel-Lasting-Finish-Nail-Polish-Black-Cherries-193/p/499951#.VASsxvldXsY

What do you think on this colour? 

Barry M - Matte nail paint in caramel.

Hi everyone, I hope you all had a good bank holiday weekend! Today I am going to review one of the Barry M Matte nail varnishes in Caramel. I love a matte nail varnish as they look good and are a really simple nail effect to do.

I got the shade Caramel which is a nice nude colour which looks professional and goes with anything! When applying it can be a little streaky but nothing too major and if you are in a rush I think you could get away with just one coat. However I like to use two coats as I feel it makes my nails look neater and does get rid of any initial streaks from the first coat.

What I really love about this matte nail varnish is that the dying time is really quick! I am super impatient when it comes to waiting for a nail varnish to dry and always end up smudging them, however this nail varnish dries completely within 5 minutes! 

Another benefit is that I also find this nail varnish lasts longer than most and doesn't start chipping until about day 4/5, so I like to use this when I know I'm going to have a busy week ahead. I did team up this Matte caramel with a Barry M limited edition gold sparkle nail varnish which I think goes really nice over the top.

Barry M has a lot of matte nail varnishes out now so you have a great colour range to choose from, I also own the colour Burgundy crush from them and they are at a great price of £3.99. You can buy this nail varnish and the rest of the collection here:

http://www.superdrug.com/Barry-M/Barry-M-Matt-Nail-Paint-Light-Brown-Caramel/p/730658?singleResultSearchPage=true#.U_yuOPldXsY

Unfortunately they don't sell the limited edition glitter top coat anymore but I think Revlon nail varnish in Tweed Woven would look great as a top coat as well. You can buy that here:

http://www.superdrug.com/Revlon/Revlon-Nail-Varnish-Tweed-Woven-Clutch/p/866958#.U_yt0fldXsY

What do you think on Matte nails? 

Nail Rock - Glitter Dust Red.

Hi everyone! So for the lack of posts recently, I have been so tired and feeling a bit run down so blogging had to take a step to the side for a while, but I'm hoping to get back on it this week! So today I am going to review nail rock nail polish in Glitter dust red.

This nail varnish has a bright classic red colour and comes with a small pot of glitter which comes in a slightly darker shade of red. To use this you apply one coat of nail varnish and allow it to dry and then immediately after adding the second you dip your fingernail into the glitter pot to transfer the glitter on.

 Now as you can imagine this can be a messy process can be a messy process (see picture below) so when I use this I choose to only do it one one nail. I find it is useful to make sure you have some cotton buds and a wet wipe near buy to help remove the excess glitter from your nails and skin. Also don't do what I done and try and blow the excess glitter off your nail especially when the glitter pot is right next to it as it will cause a glitter catastrophe! 

I really like the colour and the effect of this nail varnish however due to its quite messy process I only like to use it for special occasions. The wear time of this nail varnish isn't great for me and starts chipping within two days and the glitter starts coming off within one day too, however you could probably make the glitter last longer by using a top coat (However I didn't do this as I didn't want glitter in my topcoat every time I do my nails.)

To be honest I don't think I would ever repurchase this as even though it has a nice effect, I don't think it is worth the mess and hassle. I would much prefer to buy a standard glitter nail varnish.

These nail varnishes cost £6.99 and unfortunately I couldn't find this colour in the shops but you can buy different shades such as blue and burgundy here: 

https://birchbox.co.uk/brands/nail-rock

They also do different effects such as sequins and caviar.

What do you think on this nail effect? Do you know an easier way to apply it?

Barry M nail varnish - Mediterranean from the Aquarium collection.

Hi everyone! I'm back from my holiday so today I thought I would review my holiday nail varnish from the Barry M aquarium collection in Mediterranean. I fell in love with this colour when I saw it in the shops, I think it's because I'm such a sucker for multi-toned nail varnish and thought it was perfect for a seaside holiday.

This nail varnish comes in a lovely glass bottle that has a gold lid with a fish scale pattern (which I love) to resemble that it comes from the aquarium collection. All the nail varnishes in this collection resemble the ocean/beach in some way and this one looks like a lovely sunset.

This nail varnish has a nice pink copper / rose gold colour. Like I said this is duo-chromed with pink being the main contributor with a nice rust orange undertone so when in the light it changes its appearance. I love the look of this nail varnish in the sun as it is really shines. 

I applied two coats of this nail varnish as it can be quite opaque with just the one. It had a really nice application and didn't leave any streaks which is great and also the drying time isn't really long. I would say that it took about 5 minutes for it to dry nicely, but I would wait 10 just to be sure.

Once applied this nail varnish lasted about 4 days before it started chipping, so it was great that I didn't really have to do any touch ups whilst I was away.

This nail varnish cost £3.99 which is a bargain! You can either buy it from your local Superdrug or Boots, or you can purchase it online here with the rest of the collection: 

http://www.barrym.com/products/nails/effects/aquarium-nail-effects.html

What do you think of this nail shade?

SOIGNÉ Botanique - Persimmon.

Summer is well and truly here in London and the weather has been great for the last few days (In fact it's bordering on slightly too hot!) so I thought I would review one of my favourite summer nail varnish shades which is Persimmon by  SOIGNÉ Botanique. (I will also add the Persimmon is one of my favourite fruits if you ever get the chance to try it.)

I have never really been one for bright nail varnishes and have always played it save with darker shades, but recently I have been trying to be more adventurous and when I received this in I think my Mays Birchbox I couldn't wait to try it out.

This nail varnish applies really nicely to the nail and even with one coat the colour is quite opaque, but I always like to apply 2 to ensure the colour is completely even on my nails and to help my nail varnish last longer. Once applied the drying time is relatively quick and it was pretty much completely dry within 5 minutes.

The colour of this nail varnish is a nice dark orange which I think is a perfect summer shade and is bang on trend at the moment. It usually lasts on my nails for about 4 days until it really starts to chip.

This nail varnish is made from 85% natural origins and is free from Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate and Camphor, which I think helps contribute to the fact that when applying this nail varnish it doesn't have a strong headache/nausea inducing smell.

What really intrigued me about this nail varnish though was it's packaging, it is gorgeous and looks to me like the Chanel No.5 packaging.  The box is sleek and well presented and looks like a very high end product. When you open the box the bottle is stored between 2 foam pieces to keep the bottle safe, so I think this is the perfect nail varnish to take away with you.

This nail varnish costs £11, so it's not the cheapest but it certainly looks high end and the quality is great. The SOIGNÉ Botanique webstore (http://www.soignenails.com/) is coming soon but until then you can buy it here:

 https://birchbox.co.uk/shop/soigne-persimmon-nail-lacquer

What's your favourite summer shade?

Models Own - Sparkler.

 This July I received a bottle of Models Own nail varnish in Sparkler from my Birchbox and after wearing it for a week I thought I would do a more in depth review of it.

I saw this nail varnish as more as a top coat so I applied it with New York Noir by Nails Inc.  I think it has a really good effect teamed up with a dark base coat and as the intention with this nail varnish it looks a bit like a firework on the nails.

Sparkler is filled with lots of holographic strands in a clear nail polish and when in the sunlight the strands are really eye catching and sparkle different colours giving it a good effect. Though personally I don't think I'll be wearing this often as I felt the stands were a bit messy on my nails but I think that's just a bit of my perfectionism.

This nail varnish was easy to apply and I only used one coat, though sometimes I did have to do a few extra dabs where the holographic strips failed to apply. Once on this nail varnish lasted me the whole week apart from a few strips at the top of my nails which started peeling off.

The cost of this nail varnish is £5.00 and you can buy it here: 

https://birchbox.co.uk/shop/models-own-fireworks-in-sparkler

Gosh nail varnish - Ocean.

The summer holidays are coming up soon so today I thought I would review one of my favourite summer shades of nail varnish - (540) Ocean by Gosh.

I love this nail varnish and it instantly caught my eye when I walked into the shop. The colour is so bright and I always get complimented when I wear this shade.

This nail varnish has a very nice metallic shimmer and as the name suggests the colour resembles an ocean. It has a nice aqua blue colour with slight hints of green in it, and it really looks great in sunlight which I think makes it the perfect nail varnish to wear on holiday somewhere sunny!

It is very easy to apply and if you are in a rush it even looks good if you just apply just one coat. In these pictures I am wearing two coats of Ocean and a top coat to help make it last longer. 

One thing I would say though is be careful with your brush stokes as they can sometimes be quite noticeable with this shade. 

Another thing I love about this nail varnish is that it has a relatively quick drying time. This is very important to me as I am super impatient, and usually as soon as I apply nail varnish I smudge it!

This nail varnish usually lasts me for about 4 days which is good for me, as I struggle to find a nail varnish that will last one day, but I think this is because I tend to take very hot showers/baths and I'm usually tapping away my fingers, so the colour chips off at the top.

This nail varnish costs £3.99 and you can buy it here: http://www.superdrug.com/Make-Up/Nails/Nail-Polish/Gosh-Nail-Lacquer-Ocean-540/p/398098#.U72RhfldXsY

What do you think of this shade?

Models Own - Pinky Brown.

This Models Own nail varnish in Pinky Brown is from their Beetle juice collection. 

This collection was released back in 2011 so it is quite an old nail varnish, but it's one that I go back to again and again as I love the colour and have not really seen it anywhere else. 

As the name suggests this nail varnish has a two-tone dark pink/brown colour and has a glass fleck effect.

What I love about this varnish is that it really does give a noticeable change in colour when it enters the light, going from a darker brown to pink with a dark orange tint. 

When using this nail varnish I find it needs at least two coats (The above photos are done with two) as with only one coat it is quite translucent.

This product has a good wear time and usually lasts me at least 4 days.

This bottle cost £5, the same as most of models owns nail varnishes and you can buy it here: http://www.modelsownit.com/products/nails/beetlejuice-collection.html

Do you have any of the Modles Own Beetle Juice collection? What one is your favorite?