Ciate 'blizzard' nail polish

Last Christmas I received the Ciate miniature bauble set which had six shiny Ciate minis perfect for the festive season. Anyone who knows me will know how much I love all things sparkly and glitter nail polish is no exception. 

This is 'blizzard' in the miniature 5ml size:

I love this polish as it is true to the colour in the bottle, dries super quickly and only needs two coats for consistent opaque coverage. The glitter catches the light so it has a nice sparkle, making it perfect for a night out. 

I can't wait to try the other shades but they're all a lot brighter so I will wait until spring is here to test them out, hopefully it won't be too long away!

Nails of The Day...Technic Polishes

I finally got a little bored of my floral nails today, so they've been replaced by a new look made up of two Technic Nail polishes.

The pink polish is a lovely bright shade titled "lychee". I'll be wearing this on my toes for the rest of summer I think, it's so low maintenance - it's quick to apply, it goes on evenly with no streaks and best of all it leaves the nail super smooth and shiny, they almost look like false nails! I still can not believe how fast drying they are, I can be a bit clumsy and usually smudge my nail polish at least once without fail shortly after painting my nails, but this polish manages to dry before even I have time to ruin it : D
The purple colour is actually a translucent purple shade containing lots of multi-coloured glitter, called "Mad Alice". Although the glitter doesn't show very well in the pic, it actually catches the light really nicely, and builds up an opaque background colour in 3 coats. I think this might be an advantage over the clear glitter polish too as it saves you the time of having to apply a base coat!

In other news, and unsurprisingly no doubt, my "reduced spending plan" isn't going so well...(self-explanatory blog posts to follow soon!). Hm.Maybe time for Plan B and a huge ebay clearout?

Technic Nail Polish Review

I thought I'd do a quick review of the technic nail polish which I used to create my Cath Kidston nails. I bought 3 shades from Bodycare, a pastel blue, pastel green and dark pink, and at just 99p each I didn't really have high expectations for them. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they are actually durable, long-lasting polishes, and even the pale blue was opaque in colour in just two coats and left no streaks. Since painting my nails I've washed my hair, done some gardening, cooked, been grocery shopping and carried out other chores and yet my polish has still not sustained a single chip! I can't wait to call in to Bodycare again soon and see what other pretty shades they have, I've already seen a pretty multi-colour glitter which looks like a very close OPI dupe, and at 99p they're a bargain!

Technic nail varnishes can also be purchased online at love thy makeup for £1.25 if you don't have a Bodycare near you.

Cath Kidston inspired Vintage Rose Nail Art

I've wanted to try a floral pattern on my nails for ages now, so when I was in town today I picked up a couple of new nail varnishes to create my own rose nails.

Edit - I've added green leaves now and it think they look a lot better; very vintage and Cath-Kidston-esque!

 For the pastel green I used shade "picnic" by technic (reviewed here) and the darker green is "Envy - 960" by Sinful Colours (a new nail polish range available in Boots, it has a vast range of colours and they retail for only £1.99). I didn't use any special nail art pens, although I've been wanting to get some for a while I was actually quite pleased with the quality of both brands which I used, the brushes were easy to hold steady and use precisely without the need for nail art pens or tools.

Seventeen Off the Wall Graffiti nail effects in "bluetone" Review

My nail varnish collection has suddenly doubled in size in recent weeks, and the latest additions to my collection are two blue varnishes from Boots (where all make-up is currently on a buy-one-get-one-half price offer, and they're giving out £3 off No7 make-up with purchases of £5 or more). The first is a deep french blue with a hint of metallic shine called "Betty Blues" by No7, and is the base coat in the picture below. The second is the nail varnish I'll be reviewing, a translucent blue polish by Seventeen densely packed with silver and black glitter pieces. It's part of their new "Off the Wall Graffiti Nail Effects" range and available in two shades, "bluetone", which is shown below, and "monochrome", which has black and white glitter.

I applied two coats of the No7 stay perfect varnish for the base, then a layer of Seventeen's glitter polish. If you shake the bottle well then one coat is enough to give an even coverage of glitter across the nails, but for the one or two that were left a little sparse I just let them dry and then added a second coat to make it more even. I really liked the overall look of the varnishes together, and although it is not very clear in the picture, the glitter reflected light to give a really pretty sparkle to my nails and it would be ideal for evenings out.

SEVENTEEN Quicker Slicker Colour "Sailor Boy" Nail Polish Review

I called in to Boots today to pick up the free Clinique Lipstick I'd been sent a voucher for in the post, and thought I'd have a quick look to see if there were any new nail polishes that caught my eye as I don't have many light colours for summer. I was not disappointed as Seventeen has just launched a few new colours perfect for summer, and I chose a lovely sky blue shade titled "sailor boy". It is part of the "Quicker Slicker Colour" range which claims to dry in 50 seconds and although I didn't time it, it certainly did seem to dry quickly which is a big plus point for me because i'm always smudging my nail varnish whilst I wait for it to dry and it can be very frustrating having to start over! I only needed 2 coats to get a nice even coverage and the colour is true to the bottle. I'm quite pleased with my new little purchase, it's a pretty colour for the summer months and reminds me of clear skies and blue seas! It's only £2.99 and currently all seventeen make-up is on 3 for 2.

Nails of the Day...French Manicure

I haven't had time to paint my nails recently, so on Friday I decided to return to my favourite nail look and painted them with a french manicure, which I think looks pretty and you don't have to worry about the colour clashing with your outfit!

I used Seventeen's Nail Whitener for the Tips and my pale pink Chanel polish for the rest of the colour and sealed with a clear top coat by Natural Collection. I used to find it too time consuming getting the white tips just right but since I discovered Nailene Perfect French Tip Guides it doesn't take much longer than using a plain polish.

Poundland Nail Stamping Kit Review

A few weeks ago I read about Poundland's Nail Stamping Kit which has received some glowing reviews online. Intrigued by the idea I was keen to give it a go and managed to track down a kit last week. In the kit you get a metal plate engraved with several designs, (the one I bought had flowers and a butterfly as per the picture below), a rubber stamp and a plastic scraper.

 You have to paint over your chosen design with polish, then use the scraper to remove excess varnish, press the stamp on to it and then press on to your nail. It took me a while to get the hang of it, and I still haven't quite perfected it but each time I try they're looking better! I've read a few handy tips online which have made it easier to apply; don't use a quick drying varnish, stamp quickly and the most useful tip I've read is to use a nail file on the stamp before you use it as the varnish sticks so much better.

It was a little tricky to get the hang of and it is quite time consuming if you are using a base coat, (which I would recommend as the stamps don't show up very well on clear nails), because you need to make sure the polish is completely dry before stamping on it to avoid smudges. However once you do get the hang of it it's quite fun and an easy way to try out nail art, as it's still quicker than having to draw on complicated designs and patterns. At just £1 I'd recommend trying them out purely for the fun factor anyway!

No 7 Speed Dry Nail Colour "Afternoon Tea" Review

The last time Boots ran their £5 off No7 voucher promotion I decided to treat myself to a new nail varnish to add to my collection. At just £2 it's an affordable little treat but I didn't realise how rapidly my nail polish collection had expanded, they have outgrown their box and now I have a collection growing on my dresser.
So anyway back to boots, and I decided to opt for a pretty neutral beige shade with a pearlescent finish titled "Afternoon Tea".

I really like this nail polish as it applies easily with  no streaks and builds up an opaque colour in just 2 coats. It doesn't take long to dry so I didn't have a problem with any smudges and it lasted several days without chipping. The colour is subtle but pretty, so I think it would work well both in the day time and evening and is an ideal shade for Spring through to Autumn.

Primark Nail Caviar Review

I've been intrigued by the introduction of 'nail caviar' in recent months, but having read mostly negative reviews on the MUA constellations, being put off the price of the original ciate caviar and failing to track down any of Poundland's version, I thought I was destined to give it a miss. That was until I spotted a 3D manicure kit at Primark, no less. Essentially exactly the same as 'nail caviar', the Primark version comes with a nail varnish, a bottle of tiny beads which are a pretty mix of silver, pink and pearl, and a handy funnel.

So the idea is that you paint your nail, then pour over the beads making sure you have a tray underneath to collection them, press them down slightly so they set in the polish, and then pour the left over beads back in the bottle using the funnel. As I was trying the beads out before work I kept it to just one nail per hand having heard that they don't last long, and I used another nail polish which complemented it for the rest of my nails (a No 7 polish in shade 'Milan' which I've previously reviewed).

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to do and how evenly the beads went on considering I was trying to do it quickly. After work one of the nails had lost a few beads but the other still looks perfectly intact, which again I was quite surprised about as my nail polish had chipped and smudged while I was working. Overall I was quite impressed by the Primark kit, and at just £2.50 it is the cheapest nail caviar kit i've seen (with the exception of the elusive Poundland one). The beads probably aren't very practical for everyday wear, but a fun novelty and ideal for evenings out.

Nails of the day...Cupcakes

Rain and cold weather here means I've been stuck indoors most of the day, though I did manage to get a few parsnip seeds sown earlier. So as there are only so many repeats of 'Come Dine With Me' that you can sit through, I decided to have another go at nail art and this time went for a cupcake theme, the results are below!

It took 3 coats of the base (17 Lasting Fix in shade 'Fairy Cakes') to get an opaque colour and it was still a bit patchy then but overall I think they look ok!

Nails of the day...très beau!

Today I made my first proper attempt at nail art, and all in all I don't think it was too unsuccessful!
For the base I used a Barry M nail varnish in shade 'Berry', a pretty lilac colour that reminds me of spring time, (which you could easily forget is meant to be nearly here with the high winds and snow flurries we're having today!) For the bow I used a No7 nail colour in 'vivid violet' and placed a little nail gem in the center.

They are still a little messy in the picture as I wanted to take a picture before I had chance to smudge them so didn't remove the excess polish from the edges until after! But overall I'm quite pleased with them : )

Nails of the Day...Pretty in Pink

Seeing as it's the 1st of March and (almost) the official start of Spring, I thought a bright and cheerful nail colour was in order today. On my thumbs I used a No7 polish in shade 'Milan' which I have previously blogged about, and used two coats of a pink glitter nail varnish over it (a new purchase, it was only 99p from Savers), and for the other nails I used a pretty shimmery pink nail polish from the Barbara Daly range at Tesco.

I can't wait for the weather to improve a little, I have two climbing rose sticks that need planting out but it's just too cold at the moment! I had also been hoping to plan a picnic for Mothers' Day next weekend, but unless we get an unexpected burst of sunshine maybe an indoor afternoon tea would be better?!

Chanel 'Le Vernis' Nail Colour Review

For my last birthday I was lucky enough to receive a Chanel nail varnish which had been on my wishlist for some time. It is a versatile light pink shade, named as 'ballerina', and here's what I thought of it:

The Pros:
- It is a lovely colour and leaves a shiny gloss finish on your nails, giving a salon-manicure look
- It is easy to apply, and applies with no streaks

The Cons:
- The biggest negative for me was how durable it was, (or wasn't). I've worn it a few times now and the longest it has lasted without chipping is just a day, and the shortest is a few hours. It chipped far too easily once it was dry.
- It took several coats of polish to obtain a solid, noticeable colour, which meant it took a long time to dry completely and was easily smudged in the mean time.

For me, when you consider the high price tag (approx £20) for a bottle of nail varnish, the quality just does not match up to what I would expect from such a well-known brand, and having searched for other reviews of the Chanel Nail Polish, it seems to be the consensus. Whilst I was thrilled to receive the nail varnish, I don't think it will be joining my regular make-up purchases when it runs out, as although I love the colour and glossy appearance, this does not make up for it lasting for such short lengths of time, and considering how much I like my chanel foundation, overall I am disappointed with the quality of this particular product.

P.s...today the resident pheasant learned a new trick...if no food has been put out for him he knocks on the glass with his beak to demand the situation be rectified immediately! I don't think it'll be long before he's venturing in the house to help himself to breakfast, lunch and dinner!

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour "Milan" Review

In the January sales I treated myself to a No 7 gift set from Boots, which among a few other pieces of make-up included a sparkly pink nail varnish. I  have finally got round to trying it out, and I'm still a bit undecided on this one. It applied very easily, streak-free and dried really quickly, and only needed two coats to achieve the colour in the bottle. However the finish was a bit more metallic than I'd expected so it's a bit too shiny for day-time wear and I'm not sure it goes with many of my evening outfits. I think I might keep this one to wear on my toes in the summer.

No 7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour "Star Shower" Review

Boots are currently giving out £3 off No. 7 make-up vouchers when you spend £5 or more instore, so I decided to treat myself to a new colour for only £2.50. I chose the shade "star shower" which is a charcoal base with lots of gold shimmer, perfect for nights out. I did find it took quite a while to dry and was easily smudged until it had set, but i love the finished colour after applying 3 coats and think it is ideal for the upcoming party season!