Nails Inc Queen Victoria Street

I was feeling very summery today and thought I'd go for a daring green colour. Nails Inc's Queen Victoria Street is a polish I don't wear too often, but when I do, I vow that I will wear it more often. And here's why: it is a beautiful shade of green, is very easy to apply and I get great wear from it. I painted my nails today and have had many compliments about it.

Avon Nailwear Pro Inky Blue and OPI Gold Shatter Layered Manicure

I've had these photos on my camera for ages, and feel it's high time I posted!

I really love this polish. In indirect light it looks almost black, yet when the light catches it, you get a flash of electric blue.

Once more, Avon have come up with the goods and produced an excellent polish, with great coverage and durability. The problems arose when I tried OPI Gold Shatter. It didn't shatter! Whether I applied it too thinly or thickly, I don't know. I still got a pleasant enough looking manicure, but I wanted shatter!

As you can see, the gold was lovely and sparkly, but there was no shatter. The picture below shows a little bit of shattering on my little finger.

Avon Nailwear Pro Decadence

I have to say that this polish became very boring- but in a good way! I had it on for 8 days without chipping or wearing on the nail tips. Either this is one amazing polish or I don't do enough housework!

I was a little bit sad to remove a perfectly good manicure, but I have plenty of other polishes calling for my attention! I thought that metallic polishes looked a little bit 1980s, but I'm beginning to love them again.

OPI La Paz-itively Hot

Another of my oldie-but-goodies! I have worn this polish many times over the last 11 years and it still draws compliments. It is not your standard pink creme; there is a very subtle purple shimmer. Like most OPI polishes, it has great longevity and only needs removing once nail regrowth starts to show.

It cheers me up through these miserable winter months!

OPI Nice Hands... Great Nails

So here is a review of another of my ancient polishes; this polish is 10 years old and is still going strong! It has the smaller OPI brush that I prefer and applies very smoothly. These pictures were taken after the polish had been on a week, with only the nail edge repainted and an extra coat of top coat for maintenance- excellent durability.

The polish is orange, but has is muted my a soft shimmer; the photos make it look more garish than it really is.

Avon Nailwear Pro Lucky Penny

So, another of my Christmas loot:

This polish is quite astonishing: I put had it on for 8 days. No chipping, no dulling, no hassle. In fact, I only removed it as I was getting a bit bored with it. It is vibrant copper metallic and will look gorgeous in the autumn.

Avon Speed Dry+ Lime Splatter

I received 6 Avon polishes for Christmas, so I will attempt to review a couple of them in the coming weeks. I started with Lime Splatter as I have not got a similar colour in my collection. For some reason I have not really worn green polishes before and I have to say: I love it! It is a very unusual creme pastel lime-green, very different to the minty greens that were popular in 2012.

When I applied the first coat it streaked and I thought, "Oh no, this doesn't bode well!" I needn't have worried. The second coat went on a treat with excellent coverage. I received so many compliments when wearing it too!

Nail Inc Belgrave Place

Okay, so I have reviewed this polish before. The thing is, in the last review I did a layered manicure and used a Nfu Oh flakie over the top of the Belgrave Place. I didn't post any pictures of Belgrave Place by itself.

So, here it is. I think it is a classic. It is the perfect blurple. I also love the fact that you could get away with one coat of this polish- the coverage is amazing. The photo makes it look a little too navy; it really is more purple than it appears.

Nails Inc Warwick Avenue

I've had a bit of trouble with this polish. I bought it a couple of years ago because I love the colour, a baby pink creme. When I tried it I was a bit disappointed as it seemed to have a very soft finish- the slightest knock and the polish would crinkle. This seems to be a problem with creme pastels; the amount of pigment required for an opaque finish messes up the resilience of the polish. Fast-forward a couple of years and I decided to give it another go.

 

It was a great success! The trick is to make sure that each coat is really, really thin and to wait a long time between coats. I was hoping for a solid colour, but the above picture shows three coats of Warwick Avenue. In a way, I like the sheer finish and still being able to see my nail line- it is a beautiful, soft look. I think that a solid look could be achieved with 4 coats. Oh, and it is lasting very well. the pictures are of a 4-day old manicure with no touch-ups. It is starting to chip now, but the colour is so pale that noone would know.

OPI Sicilian Vermillion

I have had this polish for ages- about 10 years. I get it out at the first glimmer of sunshine; it doesn't disappoint.

It is a beautiful deep orange creme. I like the bright colours, but I am a bit too shy and a bit too pale to carry off the look too often. This polish is bright enough to be eye-catching without having the 'disco-nails' look of true neon. I apologise for the poor picture, but once again, it was taken on my mobile.

Nails Inc Haymarket

Long time, no see! I've been busy!

Anyway, just a quick post with Nails Inc's Haymarket. I apologise for the rubbish picture; it was taken on my mobile. I didn't have my proper camera, but I love this colour so much. It is a perfect sunny shade- a bright aqua blue. It looks more vibrant on the nail than in the bottle. It is a fabulous polish too, applying evenly, with full colour after 1 coat (although I used 2). It lasts ages too!

OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

From one of my oldest polishes, Maui Mango, to one of my newest, Lincoln Park After Dark. It's been on my list for a while- I love the idea of a polish so purple it's black!

The polish was slightly disappointing. I didn't realise it would be so black. Even in daylight, it looks black. In fact, it only looks vaguely purple if a very bright white light is shone on it, or when the pigment is revealed when using nail varnish remover. I had done my homework and looked at swatches online, but my bottle seems so much darker. Is mine a dud? I do not have a true black polish and I think I could get away with using this.

My other niggle is the new brush. It appears to be wider and flattens out to allow the nail to be coated in fewer brush strokes. This is all very well, but I have tiny nails! This brush is too wide!

In daylight:

Indoors, with flash:

See what I mean? Black Tie Optional is a black polish, but has different coloured shimmers which make it interesting, a black plus. Lincoln Park After Dark is so black that it appears to be nothing more than a black polish. I may try to wear the polish in the height of summer and see if the bright sunlight helps the purple base shine through.

OPI Maui Mango

I decided to have a look through my ancient polishes and give them a shake, checking to make sure they've not gone claggy. I came across OPI's Maui Mango, a polish which has been in my collection for over 10 years.

It's a red-brown berry creme, and comes with the older, smaller brushes. It still paints and wears well, as I'm sure you'll agree:

Nails Inc Magnetic Polish Trafalgar Square

Okay, so I couldn't wait!

I decided to test out Trafalgar Square, the gunmetal grey of the trio.

The first coat was not easy to apply- if the brush is not loaded the polish will streak. I didn't see this as too much of a problem, it's just that the brush and consistency of the polish is different to the usual bottles of Nails Inc. I suppose this is to be expected as the polish is load with iron filings...

I have a picture of just one coat of Trafalgar Square. You can see on my little finger the problem of a thin coat.

The for the fun bit: the second coat and magnet! The second coat applied beautifully and gave excellent coverage. I was concerned that the magnet would be fiddly, especially when doing my right hand. I needn't have worried. Each nail only takes a few seconds to magnetise, and I only caught two nails on the magnet.

I have one piece of advice when using magnetic polishes: when applying the top coat, make sure the brush is loaded and use a nice thin lacquer. If you use a slightly claggy top coat you will need to use more brush strokes to achieve an even finish. This can start to erode the design formed by the magnet. As few strokes as possible is the key. You can see where I started to erase the stripes on my index finger:

Overall I am very pleased with the results. I know that next time I will do a better job by applying generous coats of polish. I think the 3D-metallic look is stunning, and I am already planning which colours I can put beneath the magnetised coat in the hope it peaks through!

Exciting news- New Followers and Nails Inc Magnetic Polishes

Exciting times- I now have three followers! Welcome to Deez Nails, Bethereen and Vettel!

Even more exciting- my Nails Inc Magnetic Polish has arrived. I have all three: Trafalgar Square (gunmetal grey), Houses of Parliament (purple/brown) and Big Ben (antique gold).

I have not been this excited since my Nfu Oh flakies turned up. Hmm, I'm in a quandary. My last mani is still looking fab, but I want to swatch my new haul.

What's a girl to do?

OPI Sugarplum Yum

I've been revisiting a few old favourites recently, particularly the duochrome polishes. I love the fact that the colour is never static, that as I move my hands my nails will flash different colours.

One such colour is OPI's Sugarplum Yum. Like all duochrome colours it is hard to describe, but here goes. It's a light blue-grey shimmer with a pink-champagne shine. I hope that's clear, but I doubt it is. Look at the pics and see for yourself:

The blue base is easy to see from an oblique angle.

Face on, the pink hue can be seen.

OPI Black Tie Optional

Aah, Black Tie Optional: a polish I have a love/hate relationship with. Why? Firstly, I think I may have a dud bottle. I have seen on other blogs a beautiful beetle-carapace black that shines pink and green depending on the angle of the light. Mine does not do this. The green-gold colour is only visible when washing my hands. Having said it, it is still a very nice polish. It is black, but with tiny pink and green-gold glitter. The effect is an 'interesting black'. People say, "Oh, you've got black polish, no wait, it's not really..." It looks like black, deep purple, deep brown or deep green- it's very difficult to decide. It's very disconcerting to find a colour the brain cannot adequately define.

Oh, and it's impossible to photograph well! My first picture shows the green-gold hue:

The second shows the pink/purple shimmer, along with a very black thumb nail!

Green nails:

Brown nails:

Purple nails:

See what I mean?

Nailene Hard & Healthy French Manicure Review

Long time no see!

So where have a been? Nowhere. About a month ago my nails all went bleurgh. And snapped. So I couldn't be bothered posting pictures of them on my blog. That's all. They've not regrown fully, but are no longer a complete embarassment.

Ah, the french manicure. I've never been a fan of it myself. It was big in the 1990s, so I bought some cheapo polishes and tried it. I couldn't do it, made a big mess and then gave up. Towards the end of the decade we had the double whammy of fake tan with fake french-manicured nails. Ick. The tanned skin didn't look good against the pale nail, especially when the tip was painted Tippex-white. It all looked a bit synthetic.

So why the change of heart? I was at someone's house when I spotted that they had left out their Rimmel french manicure polishes. I swatched my little fingernail. It looked good; it seems I am more dextrous as I've aged. Figuring it was rude to do the whole lot using someone else's polishes, I made a mental note to rummage around and find any suitable polishes from my own collection.

Later that evening, I came across two french mani sets, complete with the stickers you'd use for the tips. I didn't actually want these kits, they were just part of some bundles I bought off Ebay. One kit is Nailene, the other is Kiss Colors, a US brand I've never heard of. I decided to go with the Nailene, as it's a brand I know!

I did my usual preparation of OPI Chip Skip, followed by a base coat, and then got going with the tips. The white polish didn't give great coverage, so I had to do two coats. I was surprised how easy I found it, even painting with my left hand! I didn't use the stickers- yup, I did it all freehand! My tips looked a bit ropey, but the nude coat hid all my mistakes:

Not bad, eh? I quite like how it make my pale and pasty complexion look a little warmed up.

Then an odd thing happened. My partner was looking on the camera and saw these pictures. He doesn't know I'm doing this blog. He said,

"Why do you have pictures of hands on the camera?"
"For my blog."
"Oh, they look nice for your hands!"

Is that a compliment? I will take it as one! The manicure has lasted 4 days so far, without retouching. I was concerned that the thick white polish on the tips would have smudged by now, but it hasn't! I think I should give this 'tips' manicure another go.

OPI & Apple Pie and Nfu Oh # 49 Layered Manicure

After the success of my last layered manicure, I've decided to try another.

I have had my bottle of OPI & Apple Pie for about 7 years. It's a caramel brown creme, but feel it's a bit too orange to be chic, so I wondered if a Nfu Oh flakie could work its magic.

I thought the bronze flakes in Nfo Oh 49 would work well over the brown lacquer.

For reference, I post two pictures, one with flash, one in sunlight, of the OPI &Apple Pie before it is pimped with the flakie.

I was surprised how well this polish applies. Besides its advancing years, it has a teeny brush. I think that OPI have redesigned their brushed since thie was made. Still, it levelled well and gives a high shine. And after the transformation...

As with most of my pictures, they really need to be enlarged to see the flakes properly. I could not capture the flakies well- when lit from an oblique angle they dazzle green. This is my best picture:

I think that the Nfu Oh flakies are a very simple way of reviving an old polish!

Nails Inc Belgrave Place and Nfu Oh 44 layered manicure

I think the pics of this one speak for themselves...

Belgrave Place by Nails Inc is one of my favourite polishes. It is a perfect indigo creme, managing to be dark and vibrant at the same time. Nfu Oh is a brand that I have recently found, and this is my first manicure using their products. I think they are a perfect marriage.

Nfu Oh are famous for their flakies- opalescent flakes of glitter that are simply stunning over a dark polish. I love the look of a layered manicure as it is an easy and gives a sophisticated look. Nails Inc polishes work perfectly in this manicure as they give such good coverage with one coat. I think this is essential as too many layers will chip easily. The Nfu Oh polish has plenty of flakes, one coat would suffice, but I was greedy! The manicure was achieved with a coat of base coat, then one of Belgrave Place, two of Nfu Oh 44, then a top coat.

The pics are of a three-day old manicure.

It was very difficult to capture the beauty of the polish indoors. This photo is best enlarged:

Outdoor pictures show the poliush at its best. Again, enlarged, this picture show that the flakies are orange and green, depending on the light.