Autumn Nails | Beauty

If you have been reading my blog for recently you'll know that I love all things autumn, in fact I might do a little post on the exact things I like and I promise it won't include pumpkin spiced anything! But these Barry M Gelly Hi Shine polishes just scream all kinds of autumn!!

Since moving back from Italy I have been getting shellac on my nails just to cheer myself up really, I love getting beauty treatments done and because I was WFH every day I had a little flexibility to get them done whenever I wanted. However I recently got a job in London again which means that I have to get them done on Saturdays and right now I just can't be bothered to do that so I soaked my last set off and decided to start painting them again. Don't get me wrong this is far less convenient for me because my nails are very thin and weak and I cannot stand chipped nail polish so it means I have to paint them 2 or 3 times a week but it is cheaper and it means I get my weekends to do whatever I want.

This year I have change to cruelty free products only which means that walking into a standard high st store the selections are more limited but I frickin' love Barry M polishes so I don't mind at all!!! Personally, I think every girl should have a light grey nail polish in their collection, It's so simplistic but looks incredible on nails of all lengths. The first colour is called Almond which is odd because to me it looks nothing like an Almond colour. Then I bought this gorgeous orange toned nude that I just love right now because it's so different to what I have worn before and this one is called Peanut Butter... I mean, Barry M are really struggling with the names I think but as you can see it's a really lovely shade.

I opted for the Gelly Hi Shine ones because I heard a lot of good things about them in terms of longevity, however if you have very weak nails these won't last incredibly long, soz guys!

Whilst I have short nails, I actually have quite long nail beds so when I paint them it creates the illusion that my nails are longer than what they actually are. This is why I like to go for these kinds of shades purely because it draws attention to them in a more subtle way.

What nail shades are you loving this Autumn? 

Lola Barcelona Nails Polish | Beauty

This Lola Barcelona nail polish came in my April Birchbox and the shade I received was Born but I loved it so much that I thought I would write a separate post on it. 

I adore nude shades and this one is perfect for me, what I really like about this Lola Barcelona polish is that it's different from your normal nude polishes because it has a bit of shimmer in it which you know I'm always a massive fan of. When I wear this polish I love how subtle it is and because it has purple undertones I would imagine this look gorgeous on darker skin tones as well. 

In terms of longevity it kinda falls in the middle, it's not incredibly long lasting but it doesn't chip as quick as other polishes I have tried recently. But It's just so bloody pretty I don't mind the odd bit of chipping here and there. 

Have you tried any Lola Barcelona nail polishes yet?

Barry M Speedy range | Beauty

How gorgeous are these Barry M nail polishes!? I mean the shades are literally perfect for me. I have seen a few reviews on these Speedy nail polishes and I think Barry M just has the most beautiful range of shades it was pretty hard to pick out which ones I wanted to buy. However the Boots 3 for 2 offer certainly helped me to narrow it down. 

I went for Stop the Clock which is such a pretty pastel lemon colour, Eat My Dust  a sky blue colour and Pit Stop which is more of a taupe/nude kinda colour. I really love soft pastel shade at the moment. We all know about my love affair with Essie Fiji, so I thought these would be a nice change/replacement. 

Another selling point with these Barry M polishes are the fact they are Speedy. There is nothing more I hate than waiting for nail paint to dry, I mean it's boring you have to sit still because otherwise you'll end up smudging it, it's awful. What I found with these is that once you have added one layer on all 10 fingernails you're ready to start all over again. This product does try very quickly which is handy because as you know which all pastel shades you have to add 2 or 3 coats to get it opaque. 

I must admit I don't actually have that many Barry M nail polishes and never quite understood the Gelly obsession but the Speedy range is something I can get my teeth into. In terms of longevity, these aren't that great, they chip quite quick on me. I always use my Essie Prep and Protect which helps make all polishes last just a little bit longer.

I have to say that Stop the Clock is probably my favourite shade, it's just so pretty and summery and I know it will look absolutely fabulous with a tan. But Pit Stop is a VERY close second! 

Have you tried any of the Bary M Speedy range?

MicroCell Cuticle Pen | Beauty

If you have read my post from last week you'll know that I recieved this cuticle pen with some nail polishes too. This MicroCell Cuticle Pen* offers intensive protection for cuticles and sensitive nails. 

I must admit, I'm probably the laziest person when it comes to looking after my cuticles, I never push them back, I never put oil on them. Part of me forgets and the other part of me just can't be bothered. I have bought cuticle pens in the past but they are very oily and I end up loosing it or something. 

What I really liked about this MircoCell Cuticle pen is  what the tip of it, it kinda reminds me of a felt tip pen. It's hard which means you can push back the cuticles a bit whist adding oil to them. The oil that is released is a really small amount so it's just enough for each nail. It's really controlled and really good, I'm surprised how much I love this product. I really like the packaging as well, I like the shimmery blue and it's incredibly light weight so easy to pop into your bag if you needed too.

I'm definitely going to make more of a conscious decision to look after my cuticles now because to be fair my nails are pretty weak, but I feel that with the MicroCell range my nails are going to be looking better than ever. 

What tips do you recommend for looking after your nails?

*This is a PR sample however all views are my own

MicroCell - Nail Repair | Beauty

If you follow me on instagram you'll know that I love to paint my nails, normally always an Essie polish but over time constant painting and removing of the polish it does take it's toll on my nails. 

I was recently intorduced to  MicroCell Nails* who is German nail repair brand that is just being introduced into the UK market. They offer a wide range of products  which include polishes that have calcium and seaweed infused into the product, acetone-free removers, professional and safe files, at-home gel polishes and nail colours that actually repair your nails as you wear them. Which is pretty impressive if I'm honest as with most nail repair polishes they are always a clear colour. 

Let's start with the MircoCell base coat, I must admit I have tried my fair share of base coats and right now I am loving Essie's repair version of this but personally I don't think you can ever have too many nail polishes that repair your nails. Though this is a small sample you actually get quite a lot of product because it's quite a runny consistency. 

I loved how quick this dried, I don't know whether it's supposed to dry that quick but it's great for me. It leaves my nails incredibly shiny which is lovely and I must admit they felt very protected. I know it's hard to comment on whether this polish chips because it's a clear polish but I wore this for over a week an noticed my nails chipped maybe two times which is pretty good. I must admit my nails looked in pretty good condition only after 1 week and after 2 weeks I could actually feel a difference they definitely felt so much stronger. 

Moving onto this gorgeous berry shade, this nail polish contain calcium and silicium for stronger nails and I received the colour Raspberry Kiss. Loving the name I must admit! I really like the idea that this polish has that added extra to help protect my nails. 

Typically my nails tend to flake and lift which is really annoying because it means my polish doesn't last very long so I'm really excited to try this out to see whether it does help with the condition of my nails. I really like the colour, to be honest I haven't worn any dark/berry shades for quite sometime so it was nice to receive this colour too. The polish again dries really quickly and I'd say you need two coats for this deep berry shade. I love how it looks incredibly glossy without even adding a top coat. I did however find that it chipped a little quicker but I think this is because the condition of my nails are quite poor right now. 

The one thing I will note about the packaging is that the colour used for the content on the back was a dark colour which made it incredibly hard to read against the berry shade but maybe this is just because it's a sample size?

I'm going to save the cuticle pen for another post because otherwise this would be incredibly long so have a look next week!

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with this brand. It's one I've never heard of before but I would consider buying other products from them, it'd be nice to see whether they are going to bring out some more colours. Plus MircoCell has the added extra of actually protecting your nails as well, you can't go wrong!

Have you heard of MircoCell before?


*This was a PR sample however all views are my own

Formula X Top Coat in Turbulent | Nails

This post is inspired by my lovely friend Tineal, she recently went to America and came back with this gorgeous little gift from Sephora for me, a beautiful Formula X top coat in the colour Turbulent.

The picture really doesn't do this justice of how pretty is it, the blue pieces are just so lovely, like a sky blue almost and I adore the way it's mixed with jet black pieces too. 

Quite often I paint my nails and always do one nail a different colour or I add glitter just to the tips so this Formula X product is actually perfect for me. I don't actually own anything from the brand which is why it'll be such a treasured addition. 

I also noticed that when I put it over my nails it dried incredibly quick and I don't know whether it's supposed to have that added extra or it just dries quicker than what I am used to with other nail polishes but it's perfect.

At first I didn't know which shade would be best to put it over the top of, I have Mint Candy Apple, black shades, red shades but then the blue pieces wouldn't stand out as much. So I had a bit of a play around and decided it works best on these two colours. 

On the left is Essie Go Ginza and on the right is Essie Fiji

Just so pretty aren't they. I kinda think it works with both shade but I think I am loving Turbulent over the top of Go Ginza slightly more. 

What do you think?

OPI Coca Cola Red | Review

If you have seen my post last week you will know that I recieved an OPI nail polish in Coca Cola Red in my November Birchbox. 

I absolutely love the colour, it is very red, but I don't think its quite pillar box red, it has orange undertones. I was so excited when I saw this in my box because I've heard OPI is an incredibly good brand and I've only ever worn it with fake nails.

I actually wore this to a wedding recently because I was wearing a black lace dress and I thought this would add a splash of colour. Like with most nail polishes it takes about two thin coats to look good which is fine. 

I have got to be honest now and say that I am pretty disappointed with the way this product lasts.I know that this is a very good brand and have just the most amazing colours, but this chipped really quickly. I always paint my nails at night before when I go to bed because I won't be touching anything that could chip or ruin my nails, so the next morning I though it would be fine. 

As I started my day I noticed a small chip and they literally got worse as the day went on. I wasn't doing anything that would have caused them to chip, I was driving and then got changed and then was just walking around the wedding venue, nothing strenuous. But there were chips on nearly every single nail. My nails aren't the strongest so after a day or two, naturally the nail polish starts to chip which of course is fine, but I just expected the OPI nail polish to last at least one day. 

I've noticed recently red polishes don't last as long as others. I've bought Essie in Bordeaux, a gorgeously deep red/merlot kinda colour and that chipped incredibly quick. However my other Essie polishes such as Fiji, Go Ginza, Mint Candy Apple, etc all last days longer. I also have Barry M Meadow from the Silk range and that lasts fine. Rather odd huh?

I still love OPI polishes and I am going to wear this Coca Cola Red shade again, maybe for a night out as opposed to an all day event. 

What you favourite shade of OPI?

Models Own Sparkler | Review

I receieved this nail polish in one of my Birchboxes a little while ago, I'll be honest I can't remember which one now but I didn't really know what I'd do with it. I don't usually buy glittery polishes but it is full sized so I thought I would use it at some point. 

Recently however, I have found myself adding this nail polish to quite a few manicures, I kinda like the way it adds a touch of sparkle to everything. I really like that the pieces of glitter aren't little circles but instead strands of glittler, how cute! Now as we are heading into Christmas, I love everything glittery of course, tis the season to bloody sparkle.

So I just thought I would share with you my most recent manicures...

Sometimes in life you just have to add your own sparkle.

What are your favourite glitter nail polishes?

Essie Nail Polish

I know there are so many posts about how amazing the Essie Nail polishes are and the colours are just gorgeous but I didn't realise how much I would love them until I bought Go Ginza. 

But I tried to be good because to be honest they are a little pricey and I didn't buy anymore until I was in Boots recently and they had a 3 for 2 on all Essie Nail polishes. Of course I had to buy three so I thought I would share with you the colours I've picked up. 

As you can see these are 3 quite different shades but I really liked each one.

Mint Candy Apple - To be honest, I have seen this on Anna from Viviannadoesmakeup's nails and vlogs and it always looks gorgeous. I have had serious nail envy every time I see it and I just think it's a really fresh colour. This is going to be the first one I try out. 

Bordeaux - Now we have the exciting Autumn/Winter months coming I knew I've gotta get a good deep red. As soon as I saw it I knew that was the perfect shade I was looking for, I love the colour red on my nails.

Fiji - This one I have been picking up and putting down for well over a month. I was really torn between this and Go Ginza they're fairly similar just slightly different shades, this is more pinky where as Go Ginza is more lilac. 

What is your favourite Essie colour?

Bourjois Dissolvant Miraculeux | Review

Ok guys I know what you're thinking "she's a bit late to the party" but yes I have just discovered the magic of nail varnish remover in a pot in the form of Bourjois Dissolvant Miraculeux.

A little pot of magical bliss

I love to paint my nails but recently I've been finding it hard to get into a good routine of painting them because I get home late or I do something after work, most of the time I simply cannot be bothered of remove the polish let alone paint them. 

The other day I was just wasting time in Superdrug when I saw this, I have read so many reviews on this product and I actually had chipped nail polish on so I though I would give it a go. 

I got back into the office and thought whilst it was quiet I would just try it out, I was so impressed. You literally stick you finger in the little hole, which in cases your nail with sponge and twist the pot around maybe 2 times, remove you finger and boom! It's all gone. It's that simple, it's that great!  I was that impressed I went running around to other girls in the office to show them, they were all equally as impressed. I have to mention another thing I love about this product is, it actually doesn't have a "nail polish remover" smell, well if you sniff the pot it does, but you shouldn't be sniffing from the pot anyway. It almost leaves an oil on your finger tips, that smells of fruit it's actually really nice. 

I wouldn't quite say it's a "1 second" nail polish remover but it's about a 2 or 3 second remover which is still impressive and far less messy. I'm not sure how glitter is going to fair with this product but I don't really wear a lot of glitter polishes so it doesn't matter too much. I will say it's on the fractionally pricey side of things at £4.99 but I do think it's worth it. 

This is going to make my nail polish life so much easier. 

Have you tried the Bourjois Dissolvant Miraculeux yet?

Miss SportyClubbing Colours Nail | Review

I thought I would do a nice little post today because my most recent ones have been somewhat lengthy. 

I've been painting my nail a lot more recently and have been experimenting with various different brands, because honestly I don't know which one is better than the other, I usually just go for colours. 

I was in Superdrug with a pal and she was looking at the Miss SportyClubbing Colours collection and they were on offer - 3 for 2. My friend had two colours but was struggling on the third when I picked up the most beautiful sky blue colour called Blue Wink so we bought them. 

Isn't it pretty?

The really great thing was this nail polish dries super quick which is what I love, and takes only two coats to get a solid colour without any nail colour seeping through. 

The longevity of this product I'll admit is pretty bad, I know I have pretty weak nails but this still chips super quickly which is a real shame. I paint my nails just before I go to bed so I have less chance of smudging/ruining/chipping them, but as soon as I started getting ready for work the next day it had chipped. 

I decided that I would try it with my Essie Prep n Prepare, base and top coat, because these are amazing products that might make it last a little longer. I hadn't used the nail polish for maybe a week or so and the consistency had gone really gloopy and thick. I really struggled to paint it on my nails and keep it even, I was really disappointed. With the Essie Prep n Prepare it lasted a little longer thankfully but I'm still getting a few chips. 

Overall, my opinion on this product is a little below average, there are so many other nail polishes out there that are amazing but this is not one of them. It's cheap at £1.99 and great if you just want to have a polish that lasts maybe a day or a night, but I want a little more from my nail polishes, however I do still love the colour.

Essie Nail Polish

I've only just tried Essie nail polishes and I'm in love!

Now that my nails are all lovely and natural, I have been painting them weekly. Most of the damage from the acrylics have grown out now so they are a good length. I'm quite lucky because my nails beds are actually pretty long anyway so even if my nails are short with a bit of polish they actually look longer. 

I was in my local Boots, bearing in mind I'm supposed to be on a spending ban I shouldn't have set foot in there, but it was like a magnet to me and I went straight to the gorgeously bright Essie stand. 

I was drawn to the most gorgeous shade of lilac called Go Ginza. I love it, I've got a real thing for pastel shades.

Since I've started painting my nails I've come to realise I really need a good base and top coat but never really knew which ones to go for. In the past I always pick up a top coat but they turn out to be rubbish and within minutes my nails are chipped. 

After I picked up Go Ginza I just spotted this cute little duo...

This was exactly what I was looking for, then I blinked and I was at the till paying for them. 

This is my first experience with Essie nail polishes and I'm genuinely in love. Now I understand why everyone raves about this brand. My nails have lasted 4 days without any chips and I have one tiny chip but isn't even noticeable. They almost remind me of a gel manicure, they look so glossy and smooth. 

I know as soon as pay day comes around I'm going to be buying many, many more shades. 

What's your favourite Essie nail polish? 

OPI I'm Brazil nuts over you | Review

I was super excited to receive a gorgeous little OPI miniature in this months Birchbox. Now I have my natural nails again I can actually get excited about all these lovely new nail polishes. 

The colour I received was I'm Brazil Nuts Over You, a fun sparkly pink colour. 

I thought this was just going to be a standard glittery shade...oh how I was wrong. 

It's actually part of the Liquid Sands collection that OPI has released and there are about 4 different shades. What this means is that formula is actually incredibly textured, like a sandy sort of finish. 

It's hard to show in pictures the texture of it, but it's completely different from any nail varnish I've ever used and y'know what, I kinda like it. 

The colour, I'm Brazil Nuts Over You, I absolutely love, it's different to what I've been wearing recently but in the past I'm a lover of all shades of reds and corals and pinks so it's perfect. 

It has a gorgeous shimmer to it that works incredibly well with the textured feeling. It almost has another purpley tone that shows in the light really the pictures do not do this beauty justice.

As I said I'm used to a smooth almost gel like finish but this actually neatens my nails up and works well on my broken short nails, it doesn't make them look even shorter which is a bonus. 

One thing I will say is that like all other glitter nail polishes, it's a bugger to get off. You're going to need a good acetone nail polish remover for this bad boy. 

I love love love this nail polish. 

Have you tried anything from the Liquid Sand range from OPI?

Nails of the day (well, week)

As you may know I used to have fake nails, huge fan of fake nails. However as time went on I knew my love affair would have to end so I had them soaked off and replaced with shellac because they were obviously quite weak. 

The only problem with shellac is that it gets kinda boring, having the same shade for 2 weeks and they look less fresh with every day that goes by. 

I keep seeing all these beautiful bloggers with utterly stunning nail colours so I just decided to just soak them off myself. 

Now I'm Shellac free I've managed to experiment with some nail colours this week. 

Usually I never, ever stray from my beloved ruby red nails. I've probably worn every shade of red known to man on my nails. But this year I have really fallen in love with the pastel shades and muted tones. My first choice was...

Ciaté - Shooting Star

This actually came as a set with some tiny pearls but I really liked the taupe kinda colour and the formula is perfect! It's a little bit thicker than most nail polishes it's almost has a gel like texture. It dries super quick as well. I love it! It's such a different colour to what I usually go for. 

Soigné - Créme Au Beurre

I got this little beauty in my Birchbox this month. I have been keeping my eye out for the perfect, pinky nude colour for a while and here it is. It's gorgeous, I was so happy when I received this colour. The only very minor issue I have is it takes a few coats to ensure that your nail colour doesn't seep through. In this picture I had 3 coats of it on.

Barry M - Meadow

I have actually worn this colour before over my acrylic nails and loved it however I forgot to take a pic of this on my natural nails. This is one nail polish where I love the colour but it chips so damn quickly. 

Right now there are literally so may different colours I want to try out and add to my modest collection now that I can because I have natural nails. 

What shades/colours and brands are you loving at the moment? 

Hello gorgeous natural nails...

So I did it, the acrylics are no more! They took an absolute age to soak off but at least it's done now, what do you think? 

I've gone for a coral kind of colour which is perfect for spring!!! 

The nail technician was really surprised that my nails weren't in too bad condition and actually pretty strong. She took a lot of length off which was necessary. 

I have decided to go for a gel manicure to help protect them for a month or so then I will start just painting them myself. 

It's weird to have my actual nails again and they look so short but I am happy with them!

Goodbye beautiful fake nails...

Just to give a bit of background...

I've always had pretty weak nails, I've tried vitamins, nail strengthening polishes, I kept them short, I kept them long, the fact of the matter is they're just weak! 

Nail polish would chip within minutes of being done they always looked really awful and ugly. As soon as I started working in a more professional environment I realised I just couldn't meet clients with such appalling nails. I did try various different "2 week" gel nail polishes but most lasted about a day. 

So I went fabulously fake and boy have I loved it! The length, the (fake) strength, always looked neat and tidy! 

However it's getting to a stage where I see so many beautiful blogs (I blame you all) with beautiful nail colours that I just need to try and let's face it, fake nails aren't good in the long run 

So I say farewell nails, it's time to strip it all back...

Check in over the weekend to see them gone! 

The suns out, new nails as well

The sun is out, everyone has gone back to wearing beautiful bright colours, corals, whites, blues, greens, pinks! Everything is full of life again.

This afternoon I went to get my nails done and opted for this utterly delicious Barry M nail polish...

Now how gorgeous is that colour. I've seen this Silk collection in the shops for ages and saw this advertised but every Boots and Superdrug appeared to be sold out of this particular colour. 

I waited a good two weeks before I saw it but when I did, I bought it instantly.

But the thing I didn't realise is the colour is almost an exact match to my car... 

Just spreading the love, one colour at a time!