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.

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.

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!

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?

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.

Nails Inc George Yard

Yup, another Nails Inc. I was nude the last time we spoke, so I decided to go a bit bling. Nails Inc's George Yard fits the bill- it's a foil finish pale pink/gold polish. I've got a lot of boring housework to do, and find this polish to be almost indestructible. However, I have two slight grumbles with this polish: firstly, it is a pain in the neck to remove. The pink/gold pigment is very easy to remove, leaving the silver foil behind! Aagh! The price of beauty, eh? I find this a pretty standard complaint of glitter and foil polishes. My other peeve with these polishes is that they highlight any lump, bump or ridge on your nail. You can't scrimp on the preparation. Furthermore, if you smudge a coat, it cannot be remedied by slathering on a thick layer of top coat. Your nail may be smooth, but you will still see the smudge in the polish. On the flip side, besides the long wear, there is also the bonus of excellent coverage. The polishes are quite thick so one coat will easily suffice.

Oh, they're also impossible to capture well on camera. That's my excuse.

With flash

Outdoors, without flash. Dazzling, right?

Foils, you cruel mistress.

Nails Inc Balmoral

Nails Inc released a limited edition collection for the royal wedding. Now I'm no monarchist. Nor am I especially excited about the gold lids. But the colours in this collection are gorgeous! A metallic red, a gold foil, a regal purple shimmer and a creme beige. A saw them on Ebay at a good price, and I had to buy.

Balmoral is the nude beige creme. It may not look too good in the pics. This is because a) I am rubbish at taking pictures, but I am trying to get better and b) this manicure was done 5 days ago!

This is part of the reason I love Nails Inc. I have heard others say that they don't do any 'wow' colours, and to some extent I agree. The shatters, the suede and matte finishes are a distraction: they are gloss creme specialists. I can easily get a week's wear out of a Nails Inc polish, with a layer of top coat to freshen the manicure midweek. After that, I'm either bored with the colour or regrowth is an issue.

So here are the pictures:

This picture was taken in daylight with no flash.

Indoors with flash.

So what have we learned from the pictures, apart from the fact that I have manky cuticles? It's a beautiful, cool nude, beige. It's one coat of base coat, two coats of colour and one coat of Nails Inc Caviar Top Coat. Not bad after 5 days is it? The application was smooth and self levelling- there was no problem with streaking.

I'm pale and interesting, and this suits me. Why oh why does it have to be a limited edition?