Building The Perfect Nail Wardrobe

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Lauren

Whilst it took me some time to truly build a love for makeup, I have always been a good lover of nail polish. Nail polish was probably my original hoarding problem and it still continues to have a large presence in my beauty collection. I have built up a well loved collection through the years and also discovered those must-have shades and brands that I always go back to. Some people may not like to have every possible colour of the rainbow in nail polish form so I thought I would break it down and look at those essential shades you need in your collection.

THE NUDE

One of my favourite kind of shades, a simple pretty nude shade. If you are looking for something fuss-free then a nude beige/pink shade is the perfect go-to. Simple but chic, it goes with any outfit. A perfect option for weddings or a formal event with a pretty yet luxurious feel.

Favourite shades: Essie Sand Tropez, Essie Ballet Slippers, Nails Inc x VB Bamboo White

THE CLASSIC RED

A shade that surprisingly took me a while to get a hold of but one that is an essential in everyone’s collection. A classic red will never go out of fashion, it is that fail-safe option you can always rely on. Red nails look uber sleek and add a simple but chic splash of colour to a neutral outfit.

Favourite shades: Essie Fifth Avenue, Illamasqua Aorta, OPI Guy Meets Gal-Veston

THE GLITTER

You either love a bit of glitter or you don’t but c’mon we all need a good glitter nail polish for those festive occasions. I mean it’s not quite Christmas without a layer of something gold and sparkly, right!? It may be a pain to remove but a layer of something sparkly is always worth the effort!

Favourite shades: Essie Summit of Style, Nails Inc x Alice & Olivia Gold Goddess

THE SOPHISTICATED GREY

Now when I say grey I mean those greige/grey-y blue toned shades, yup so not quite full on 50 shades of grey. These are some of my favourite shades, a touch of colour through the blue-y tones yet the grey means it remains fairly cool toned and neutral. Another one of those simple but chic looks.

Favourite shades: Essie Master Plan, Essie Parka Perfect, Essie Maximillian Strasse Her

THE SPRING PASTEL

After the darkness of Winter, I am sure we all want to inject a little bit of life and colour into our lives. Whilst I may not be the most colourful person, a little pastel shade on the nails won’t hurt nobody. I find a pastel the perfect way to add colour as it’s light and happy yet not too in your face.

Favourite shades: Barry M Rose Hip, Accessorize Heavenly, Nails Inc Mayfair Lane

THE BRIGHT SUMMER SHADE

Speaking of colour, come sun shining Summer time, there is nothing better than a touch of colour to suit a warmer complexion. It doesn’t have to be over the top fluorescent type of shade but a touch of colour adds that summery feel.

Favourite shades: Essie Chillato, Barry M Coral, Essie Roarrrange

THE AUTUMN BERRY

Whilst a pop of colour adds such positive connotations of Summer and great memories, nothing will ever beat the dark shades of Autumn. Those dark berries and deep purples will always hold a dear place in my heart.

Favourite shades:Barry M Matte Crush, Essie Bahama Mama, Nails Inc Grosvenor Crescent

What are your favourite nail shades?

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Nails Inc x Victoria Beckham

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Lauren

If there was one collaboration that got me pretty darn excited this year it was Nails Inc teaming up with Victoria Beckham to launch a set of two nail polishes inspired by her Spring 2015 collection. The set includes two Japanese inspired shades Bamboo White and Judo Red. With a name like Victoria Beckham attached to these shades, you can imagine it being quite a pricey affair. Indeed at £25 a bottle or £45 for two it doesn’t come cheap and it did put me off. Although luckily after spotting a sweet deal on Feel Unique, I picked up the duo set for just around £20. Bargain? I think so!

Firstly, can we talk about how gorgeous the packaging is! The duo set came encased in a neat white box with a obvious minimalistic theme going on. Never did you think a bottle of nail polish could get so luxurious but the bottle designs have luxury written all over them. Both bottles carry the newer swish Nails Inc bottle design which I totally love although compared to the original range, these feel a lot more weighted. Mixing up the simple monochrome design, each bottle has a clear panel showing off the gorgeous colour packed inside as well as sporting a matte finish which I am all over!

Most importantly though is of course what is in the inside. The two shades are perfection. Simple, effortless and chic. A classic milky nude, Bamboo White and a bold orange-y red, Judo Red. The formula is also perfect. Judo Red had an opaque finish in 2 coats while Bamboo White needed another coat for full pigmentation. The brush is the perfect size to apply to the nail and each shade glides on easily and smoothly making it a doddle. I am well and truly obsessed with these two shades and I know they will become classic staples in my nail collection. Now did someone say Nails Inc and Alice & Olivia collection, here I go again…

Are you a fan of Nails Inc?

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Essie Chillato

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Lauren

When it comes to nail shades I always prefer going for something a little dark or neutral. Pretty much like my wardrobe eh. Bright colours can sometimes be a little too much and in your face kinda shades but my recent summer love has had me sporting a little colour. Essie Chillato had my heart beating since I first seen it in the line up for the Essie Summer 2015 collection. While the collection had a couple of pretty shades, this pistachio yellow-y green shade was pretty unique and added something different to my collection. The colour is just so perfect, its not too in your face but adds a little splash of colour and a summery vibe to a basic outfit. Yellow nail polishes are something I try to avoid but the paler colour of this makes it super wearable. Of course as you would expect from Essie the formula is also spot on. Long lasting and this shade only needs a couple of coats and you’re ready to go!

P.S Apologies for the shoddy nail selfie, this photo was taken after a double application and a couple of nail breakages. Typical eh!

What’s your go-to summer nail shade?

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OPI Guy Meets Gal-veston

Posted on June 22, 2015 by Lauren

I’ve finally put my darker greys and blues away in favour of something a little more summery for my nails. You can never go wrong with a classic red. It adds a little more vibrancy to any outfit but still remains sophisticated and chic. The red I have been sporting recently comes from OPI in the shade name ‘Guy Meets Gal-veston’ which doesn’t make much sense to me but it’s what’s in the inside that counts, eh!? The formula of this is spot-on. A long-lasting formula with an opaque finish in 2 coats. The consistency is rather weird, a very thin and watery like formula but weirdly builds up a really good colour. I only own a couple of OPI polishes so I am not incredibly familiar with the brand but with the quality of this nail polish, I will definitely be looking to expand my collection!

Are you a fan of OPI nail polish?

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The Spring Edit: Nails

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Lauren

It feels like Spring has finally sprung. I don’t know about anyone else but with the colder and horrible weather during Winter, it makes me feel like we will never get any good weather. Gladly we are past that stage now and its time to overload on pastels and lighter colours. I have selected 9 nail polishes from my stash that I will be wearing over the warmer season, some of which are the obvious light pastel shades for spring or a little different. Please be aware some of the swatches above appear a little darker than they actually are.

Top Row

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Road Rage – I’ve spoken more about this one before here with better swatches. This is part of the new quick dry range from Barry M which comes in a range of pretty spring pastel shades. This one is a lovely duck egg shaded blue-y green.

Chanel Tenderly – Again you may have heard me mention this before here. This is part of Chanel’s Spring 2015 range and it is quite different for Spring with a mauve-y plum toned shade but I am loving it!

Essie Ballet Slippers – This is a shade I am currently rocking on my nails and its different to anything I have ever owned. It really is as nude as nude can be. If you are wanting a moment of having natural looking nails this pale sheer pink gives your nails a nice little boost of prettiness.

Middle Row

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Rose Hip – This is a beautiful pastel pink shade perfect for Spring and the Barry M gelly formulas are one of the best around.

Essie Under Where? – This is a beautiful lilac-y lavender shade with a hint of pink from one of the resort collections in the main Essie line.

Essie Master Plan – This is a new addition to my stash and its a beautiful light grey shade that will go with anything. Everyone needs a good grey in their collection and its such a sophisticated shade that doesn’t need to be dull.

Bottom Row

Essie Maximillian Strasse Her – Weirdest name ever. Despite that it is a favourite of mine at the moment. Its quite hard to pin point the colour, its a blue-y, green-y toned grey-ish kinda colour. Its a pretty unique shade and one that is a great addition to any collection.

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Full Throttle – Another one from the quick dry range that I reviewed before here. This is a colour that usually wouldn’t appeal to me but its such a pretty shade on the nails. It’s a very soft apricot colour perfect for the warmer months.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine HuckleBerry – Another one from the Barry M gelly range and yet again it’s a lovely pastel shade. This is a beautiful light baby blue that is pretty versatile and could be worn from Spring to Winter.

What nail shades will you be wearing this Spring?

Chanel Tenderly

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Lauren

When it comes to nail polish I tend to stick to cheaper brands like Barry M and Essie thinking there was no chance I would ever buy anything pricey for my nails. Knowing me however who said that years ago about makeup, I have now went down the same route with nails unfortunately. After seeing this gorgeous polish on Lily Pebbles’ blog I fell in love with a slight temptation but £18 for a nail polish was just a bit too far. Then I really suffered the temptation when the lovely Jacqueline from A Vibrant Day posted about this and got my totally in the mood for a little Chanel splurge. So thank you Jacqueline for getting me in to bad habits now haha!

This shade is part of the Chanel Spring 2015 collection and is the perfect unique shade for Spring. Its a Mauve-y plum-y taupe toned polish that is perfect for transitioning into the warmer season. This is such a ‘me’ shade, I love dark nails and when it comes to Spring and Summer I don’t quite like going so vibrant so this is the perfect kinda dark but also appropriate for warm kinda days nail polish (did that make any sense!?).

When it comes to the formula of Chanel nail colours, I haven’t heard much good about them. I have heard about them usually chipping and the formulas not being incredibly long lasting but from what I’ve heard on this beauty it is the complete opposite and I totally agree! The formula is quite thin and watery so does need a couple of coats to get the colour pay off. I’ve worn this polish a couple of times since buying it and it hardly chips during wear and lasted me a good week. Whether I’ll be splurging on another shade from Chanel, I’m not so sure but I am pretty glad I did with this one. It is one beautiful shade!

Have you tried Chanel nail polishes?