Ballerina nails...

After loving my last lighter and more neutral coloured manicure I decided to try out a slightly take on this look. One of the main things I've been loving about wearing lighter nail polish is that it doesn't stain my nails if I forget to use a base coat or i'm in a hurry unlike some of the darker or brighter colours I normally wear. I'm not sure i'm loving this look on my nails, I don't know why, the concept sounds pretty in my head but theres just something that i'm not quite sure about when it's on my hands which meant that it only lasted a day before I removed it.

This was another experiment with layering polishes. This time I used a pink glitter polish in a clear base over a metallic rose gold colour. Maybe it's the combination of the two polishes that isn't just quite right for me, as i've used both before and never had any problems with how they looked. I started off with 2 coats of Orly's 'Rage' which I think is a really beautiful colour. It's light enough to be subtle but the shimmer and unusual hue makes sure that it's not boring. This was a staple polish of mine when I wasn't allowed to wear nail polish at work because it wasn't as obvious as the bright red that was my favourite at that time but still made my nails feel interesting.

One problem I did have with this polish was the price. The bottle I purchased was £5 for a tiny 5ml of product which is a lot when you compare it to brands like OPI where you get around 15ml of product for around the £10 mark. Given the high price I was expecting it to be a really great formula which actually it isn't, it's not really bad, it's just not as good as companies like OPI or Butter that retail for a lower price point. Having said that I would probably repurchase this if I finished the bottle I have because I think it's a lovely and unique colour. I got mine at Boots and haven't seen this brand in any other stores across the UK.

Over the top of this is another polish that is most definitely on the pricey side. It's Nars 'Arabesque'. I have a big love/hate relationship with this polish, on one hand its so feminine and pretty. On the other hand there are so many cheaper alternatives to this that are almost exact if not exact dupes. Look beauty's nail pop in 'Bling' looks exactly the same in the bottle, i'm not sure about application because I didn't need both but i've heard great things about 'Bling' and £5 is much more affordable than the £14 I shelled out for 'Arabesque' at Space NK, Nars also has counters in department stores across the UK. Look Beauty is available in Superdrug stores across the UK if you want the more affordable alternative.

Now, onto the polish itself, I like it....that's the best I can do, I like it - I don't love it. Maybe I was having a strange day when I got this because it's really not the kind of polish that I would normally go for. I prefer a bright or dark nail, not usually something this girly but I had it so it would be a crime not to use it. This polish is packed full of rosy shimmer all in one size that floats around in a clear base. I've never got this polish to full opacity by itself, mainly because I tend to give up after 3 coats.

I feel like someone more girlier than me might really love this nail polish combo but i'm just not really digging it that much. I feel its the nail version of a ballerina; all soft and pretty and feminine, I guess I just favour something a little more edgy.

Deborah Lippmann's 'Diamonds and Pearls'

Let me just start by saying that this is the first Deborah Lippmann polish that i've tried and I personally love it. The formula was easy to apply, how I can't comment on streaking because this polish is so sheer that i think streaking would go relatively unnoticed. The sheerness of this polish was definitely a problem. In the bottle it looks like a lovely, light, shimmery, fairly warm-toned creamy peach. However when applied to the nail it deposits no colour at all and simply leaves your nail warm a warm shimmery glow - somewhat like a tinted top coat. I, personally, found this very beautiful anyway, despite it not being what i expected and I can totally see some people not getting on well with this polish, especially considering the high price point (mine was £14 and I got it from House of Fraser).

Above is the finished look when applied over another polish. Whilst I thought it looked really beautiful by itself, I wanted it to be slightly more substantial looking.

2 coats of 'Diamonds and Pearls' 

I chose a true nude colour to go underneath because I thought that was the best way of keeping the beautiful glow of the polish in the bottle. I chose Dior's '219 Nude Chic' because it was the closest colour that I had to my skin tone. This in itself presented its own opacity problems and I needed 3 coats for an opaque finish. The polish itself dried to a very glossy finish and wasn't thick at all so perhaps if you have the time then this would be a great nude for you. Having said that please steer clear of this particular polish if you are pale like me because honestly it made my hands look a little dead.

3 coats of Dior 'Nude Chic' and 2 coats of 'Diamonds and Pearls'

Above if the finished product with 2 coats of 'Diamonds and Pearls' over the nude colour and I love it. I admit that this won't be something I do very often simply because of the amount of time it took but I really do love the effect that was created. It reminded me of Old Hollywood where everything was soft-focus and had the most beautiful peachy glow. This, for me, is the perfect nude nail, and the warmth in 'Diamonds and Pearls' meant that my hands didn't look so creepy and dead.

So there you have it, I really love this, it's a nice break from all the summer neons i've been sporting recently :)

My top 5 summer nail polishes 2012

Since I live in a country where the sun hardly comes out I don't have too much excuse for season specific nail varnish but if we can't have real summer here in England i'm going to at least pretend its summer on my nails. Who's to say that coral nail varnish doesn't go with a raincoat and wellies? (Neither of which I wear, that would be far too sensible!)

My first summer nail varnish pick is one that has been talked about alot. Its bright, beautiful and exotic and its by Chanel. I know that Chanel nail varnish isn't within everyones budget, but if it then I highly recommend '617 Holiday' from the summer 2012 collection. It applies like a dream, it was opaque in one coat but I applied two to be on the safe side. The bright burnt orange shade just screams summer to me and is warm tones so doesn't give my hands the dirty appearance that cool toned polishes can sometimes give.

Secondly is a polish that isn't specifically from a summer collection but I tend to bring this out in summer because it doesn't do me any favours in winter when my hands are whiter than white, verging on purple. The shade i'm talking about is China Glaze 'For Audrey', a beautiful blue colour with the perfect hint of mint green, inspired by the blue colour of a Tiffany's box. This colour is a great breezy light colour that will go with most outfits. Application can be a little tricky with this one, it can very thick and i've found that it has a tendency to bubble. Nonetheless, I really do love this colour, especially because it's a true creme finish with no shimmer. Lovely!

Next up is the first shimmery polish. It's Butter London's "Disco Biscuit' which I believe is part of their S/S 12 collection. This is a hot pink jelly polish with loads of blue and silver micro-shimmer in it. I love this polish! Application wasn't the easiest but for this polish I deal with it, i'm not talking awful application but it dries to a strange finish, a fairly matte one, and I love a fabulously glossy nail. The shimmer in this is quite substantial which gives the polish a gritty finish which some people don't mind, I personally hate this so I add a nice layer of Seche Vite to smooth out my nail and make it nice and glossy. Despite those issues I still love this polish, I have many, many hot pinks but this one just speaks to me and I think its perfect for sunny summer days. I used 3 coats as it is quite sheer and I wanted to get it to an opaque finish.

One of my very favourite polishes for summer is OPI's 'Austin-tacious Turquoise' that was released in their Texas collection. This is a beautiful shimmery turquoise colour and my number one go-to polish for summer. This applies like a dream, although be prepared to wait for a while as it applies quite sheer so to build up an opaque finish I use 3 coats but the polish applies very thinly and evenly with no streaking whatsoever. When I wear this colour I feel like a mermaid, and everyone comments on it. All in all, I think its a keeper, i'm halfway down this bottle and that never happens for me!

Lastly is a polish from the China Glaze summer neons 2012. It's called 'Flirty Tankini' and is a bright orangey coral colour. Of all the corals I own this is one of my favourites; it's super bright but not as much as some of the others in the collection that I just found too much. This would definitely look better on someone with a tan, but its so pretty that I wear it anyway. This is definitely one to brighten up a dull day, I used 2 coats to get full opacity. The formula is quite thick and it has a tiny bit of micro shimmer that can only be seen under really bright lights.

So there you have it! What are your favourite summer polishes?

Starry sky at night manicure

Lately I've been experimenting alot with creating looks by layering varnishes. The look I'm about to show you is created using a staple from most nail polish lovers collection and a glitter polish. I really love the look this created and I also really love that both polishes are very affordable and readily available!

The look above was created by using a black layer under a colourful glitter. the black I used was Rimmel's 60 second nail polish in shade 800, 'Black Out'. I don't often find use for this polish amongst all of the more interesting or fun shades I own but it's definitely a useful one to have. This black is very glossy and completely opaque in 2 coats which is especially great for if you're doing a layered look as I've done. I purchased this from my local Superdrug but you can also get it at Boots and selected supermarkets across the UK. This polish retails for £3.69 which I think is a bargain when you consider the high quality.

To create the stunning effect which, I think, resembles a starry sky on a clear night I used an NYC expert last nail polish. I used shade 105, 'Lights-Camera-Glitter' which I think is such a cute name for a lovely polish. If worn on its own 3 coats of this polish can be opaque but for this look I just used one coat. This polished has a clear base with silver micro shimmer and silver, blue and lilac chunky glitter. This polish is very similar to many of my higher end glitter polishes and a a fraction of the price, I was so excited when I saw it sitting in Superdrug and not surprised that it was the last bottle left. This polish cost £2.49 and I believe that NYC is available in Superdrug throughout the UK.

I really love the completed look that these 2 nail polishes give, alot of the time I feel that glitter polishes are fun but aren't very sophisticated or grown up. By adding the black background it makes  the glitter pop and makes it seem a little more chic than if it was worn just on its own. Over the top I wore Seche Vite top coat to give a really glossy finish and smooth texture over the slightly rough feeling glitter.

Thanks for reading!

Very exciting...

Hi!


Welcome to my new blog devoted to all things beauty, but mainly to my one true love... nail polish!
Here you will find reviews of many products from Chanel to MUA and everything in between as well as tutorials using these products. 


Hope you enjoy!