Sunday 12 January 2014

• Top 10 nail polishes // glitter & colour block •


When the lovely Rachel from RachiiRawr asked me to collab with her on a nail post I jumped at the idea because a) her blog is cute and b) I can't get enough of nails.
I have chosen 3 glitter polishes and 7 colour block polishes, ranging from drugstore and what could be considered high end (the likes of Essie and Jessica).
2 coats of polish have been applied to each nail and I'll go into a little more detail about why I love them.

POPBeauty Nail Glam in Aquatic Glitz
Currently £6.50 from POPBeauty, click here to be directed to the site.
This was one of the first glitter polishes I ever purchased, and I fell in love with the formula, the colour, and quite simply the amount of glitter that they have packed into it. This little nail polish really packs a punch and goes on so opaque from the first application. I love the turqoise/baby blue/greeny colour, and the name Aquatic Glitz really is very fitting. I loved it so much that I bought another a few days later (bit of a nail polish horder, me) along with some other colours from the range - Lavender Glitz, Confetti Glitz and Pink Glitz. This one really stood out to me though and I would go as far as to say its my favourite glitter polish of all time - ooh controversial. As with all glitter polishes, it is a bit of a bugger to get off, but to be honest I tend to pick my glitter polish off anyway (shhh, we all do it). Go get you some!

Maybelline Colorshow Brocades in 220 Knitted Gold
Oooh now this is just bloody lovely, isn't it?! It's no wonder all of the beauty bloggers rave about it. It's different from normal glitter polishes - it has a gold underlayer so can be worn alone rather than over a base colour. In some lights the polish is a real true gold colour, in some it's a pinky rose-gold colour, and in others you can't see the base colour at all, just the glitter on top. It's such a strange and beautiful product and I've never seen anything like it. Now onto my favourite bit, the glitter. The size of the chunks varies and if you apply 2 or 3 coats it sort of finishes with a duck egg/snakeskin effect (in a pretty way, promise) - I'm not selling it, I know, but you'll know what I mean if you've tried it. I have to say that the absolute best thing about this polish is that the chunks of glitter are evenly distributed over the whole nail (said for effect in italics, because this is kind of a big deal). It annoys the hell out of me when I find my perfect polish, it looks all fine and dandy in the bottle, then I apply it onto my nails to find that it's a wild, patchy mess. Not great. This, on the other hand, applies like a dream. Unfortunately, it is sporadic in it's appearance in Superdrug, so you'll have to keep an eye out for it. But if you haven't picked it up already, it's worth going through the hassle of finding it.

Rimmel Space Dust Nail Polish in Moon Walking
Currently £3.99 from Boots, click here to be directed to the site.
Rimmel just never lets me down for nail polish. They seem to have it spot on with their colours, glitters, base coats, top coats - you can never go wrong. So when I received this little beauty in my stocking, I was pretty chuffed as I already had an inkling of what was in store for me. The purple/lilac polish is packed full of silver glitter, as similarly to the Maybelline Knitted Gold, the glitter is distributed evenly on the whole of my nail. The polish is so opaque even after one coat and I often just leave it at that (with a top coat, of course). At £3.99 I think it's an absolute steal as I've tried higher-end polishes that haven't matched up to this! I'm excited to try the other colours in the Space Dust range - I'm off to Boots tomorrow, watch this space...

Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Orchid Splash
Unfortunately I couldn't find a link for you to buy this product, so I suggest you make it your mission to find a local Avon representative and snap this one up. I've been on the hunt for the perfect pink for what feels like forever, so last year when my housemate was wearing this on her nails I had that moment where it feels like time is slowing down and all you can focus on is the nail polish. I don't even care how dramatic that sounds, because it is exactly what happened. After swooning/screaming out of excitement (I'd found the one) I was all over that Avon catalogue like a rash. The colour is just...oh the colour. Its a cross between the best pink and the best lilac. Job done. Just. Just get it. Please. You so wont regret this one.

Barry M Hi Shine Gel Effect Nail Polish in Lychee
Currently £3.99 from Boots, click here to be directed to the site.
Now I'll admit, I jumped on the bandwagon with this one. It was allll over YouTube, blogs, Pinterest and lots more internet thingy-ma-bobbys. I was a victim of obsessive product watching and reading. The gel effect polishes are in general all fantastic; I'm sure you know all about them, but just in case, I'll say that the formula is really thick and really opaque. Sometimes I get a bit riskay and only wear one coat, without a top coat, dun dun duuuuun (I know right, what has happened to me?! Changed woman). It's pretty much what it says it is - it leaves a gel effect with a high shine. If you've ever had gel nails done professionally, the finish is very similar to that. The longevity of the polish isn't too bad, but to be honest I'm mainly into it for the colour. It's so hard to find the perfect nude that doesn't make your hands look pale and doesn't make you look like a granny. Well this is it. You're welcome.

Barry M Nail Paint in 341 Cappuccino
Currently £2.99 from Boots, click here to be directed to the site.
The only way I can describe this colour is purpley/mauve/brown/grey. It's the perfect Autumn/Winter colour and I think it's very underrated; no-one ever talks about poor little Cappuccino! This one is more for work/school and I found myself reaching for it when I felt like I needed to look more professional the next day. I'd say it's more of a mature colour, but none the less a beautiful one. You don't always want to be sporting bright red or fluorescent yellow; this is just a really classy, really cool polish. It's not trying to be anything it's not and its lovely in it's own right.

KIKO Nail Lacquer in 340 Light Blue
Currently £3.90 from KIKO, click here to be directed to the site.
I actually bought this in Naples, Italy about 3 years ago before KIKO became popular in the UK. I can remember walking into the shop and thinking, England really needs one of these. This polish really caught my eye. I find it hard to pull off blue sometimes because I'm really quite pale, and blue can often make my hands look un-feminine which isn't great. This is such a light colour though, kind of a princess-blue (reminds me of Princess Jasmine from Aladdin) and I think it's a really pretty colour. I swear this polish is unchippable and is made of steal - many brands should take a leaf out of KIKO's book. KIKO has shops in London, 3 I believe, so for those of us who don't live in London we unfortunately have to order online. I really hope that KIKO opens up shops all over the country though, the cosmetics really are excellent quality.

Essie Nail Polish in Geranium
Currently £10.95 from Liberty London, click here to be directed to the site.
I was so excited when I received this polish in my Glossybox at the start of 2013 (a year ago, whaaat?!) as I only owned four Essie nail polishes at the time and loved them. The quality of them is fantastic, they're not thick or gloopy and I've had mine for years and they've not dried out. Just for that reason, I'm willing to pay a bit more for them. Geranium is a very bright red/orange and looks more orange than red in most lights. It goes on glossy and needs two coats for it to be completely opaque, which is what I would expect from a nail polish anyway. With a top coat, this nail polish has been known to last me for a good 5 days which is pretty impressive as I'm never sitting still and I'm always doing things with my hands. I'd love to get my hands on more Essie polishes and will be putting them on my next beauty shopping list!

Topshop Nail Polish in Solar
Currently £6 from Topshop, click here to be directed to the site.
I was gifted this by my lovely housemates as one of my birthday presents a few years back and it's the perfect "me" shade. I love the duo-chrome look of the polish - when it catches certain light, its either a greeny/gold or a rosy pink colour. It's something a little different than you're average Joe gold colour and it's quite an interesting one when you've been wearing more sophisticated, girly polishes during the week. On the Topshop site, the instructions are to use a base coat, two coats of this and a top coat for best results, but I actually think you just need one coat of this. It won't be completely opaque but it will give a softer finish to the nails, a little more girly. It's a lovely colour and I'm looking forward to trying more from the Topshop make up range.

Jessica Nail Polish in Blue Blast
Currently £10.50 from tsbeautyshop, click here to be directed to the site.
Lastly, I've really been enjoying the Jessica Nail Polishes recently. The quality of them is fantastic and they're so chip-resistant its unbelievable. Used in nail salons around the UK, I'm down with the notion that if they're good enough for the salons, they're good enough for me. A little on the pricier side, I do think you're paying for the brand name as there are excellent quality polishes in the drugstore, but I would have felt wrong not including this polish as the colour is just amazing. As I previously mentioned, it's hard to find a good blue polish for people with pale skin, and this one is just such a cool alternative to the generic bright pink or bright reds. I love it on my toes for summer, too. It's definitely one of those polishes where you want to show off your tootsies around the pool.

And that's it! Some beautiful, great quality nail polishes. I hope this has inspired you with your next nail-painting session. Go and check Rachel out if you have a few spare minutes, she writes lovely posts & has her nail post coming up too!

Daniela

24 comments :

  1. I love the Barry M Lyche I wear it all the time!

    pearlsandsparkle.blogspot.com

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    1. Hello, I know, it's such an easy-to-wear colour. I love it! Daniela x

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  2. Love love love it! I love the rimmel one. actually, I love it all... i have a weird nail fetish -___- hahaha!

    http://themiasalazar.blogspot.com

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    1. Hello, haha me took I can't get enough! My last nail polish count was 108...excessive much? I think so! Daniela x

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  3. The rimmel space dust one looks absolutely amazing!

    http://thebravestindividual.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Hello, it is amazing! So long lasting too! I may have gone shopping today and bought another Rimmel Space Dust...haul coming tomorrow! :) love your blog by the way! It's so cute! Daniela x

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  4. Love them all especially the POP one!x

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    1. Thank you, yes that one in particular is a pretty stand out colour! I always get compliments when I wear it :) Daniela x

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  5. So glad I brought the perfect pink nail polish into your life :D x

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    1. Haha me too! You are responsible for my pweeeeetty nails! X

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  6. Oooh gorgeous colours and glitters! :)

    http://ellistuesday.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you! :) I'm a real nail polish hoarder, my last count was 108...oops. Love your blog by the way! Daniela x

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  7. I love the Essie polish Geranium, my perfect shade! xx

    adaliascloset.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Hello, thank you, it's stunning isn't it! It's really hard to find the perfect red but I think this is definitely it! Love your blog by the way :) Daniela x

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  8. I'm loving Topshop Solar. I need to get my hands on it as the only gold in my collection is a disappointing mess. Great post.

    Raise The Waves

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    1. Hello, ahh me too! I definitely recommend it. Aw no, sorry yours was a mess - go get this one! :) Love your blog by the way! Daniela x

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  9. I love the Topshop Solar! So so beautiful :)

    Rachel [at] AMomentInTime.

    xo

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    1. Hey, thank youu, I love it too! Was so happy when I received this as a gift :) Also I've checked out your blog and I love it! Daniela x

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  10. The Avon polish is such a beautiful colour!

    I've been meaning to try a TopShop polish, but I was never such of their quality. Now, I will definitely give them a try!

    Ray | Obey Ray

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    1. Hello, thank you, I love it too! The Topshop ones are really good. I was initially sceptical as I thought they should stick to what they know (clothing) but I was pleasantly surprised! Your blog is gorgeous by the way! Daniela x

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  11. I have a little Barry M addiction and Lychee is definitely being added to my collection!

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    1. Hello, ooh yes I do recommend adding it to your collection. It's so lovely on the nails and does give a really great gel-like finish! Daniela x

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  12. They are so gorgeous! The RED!


    Check my blog out and follow if you like it maybe?
    Thank You
    Lovely post
    xoxo
    http://curlyscribbles.blogspot.in/

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    1. Hello, thank you, I love them all. Took me a while to narrow it down to 10 though!
      I've checked out your blog and love it, have followed you :)
      Thanks for visiting! Daniela x

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