No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in 'In the Stars' and 'Star Shower'

If you read this blog, you will know I'm a big fan of the No7 Stay Perfect Range. I'm especially a fan when those lovely £3 off makeup vouchers come around. As they are out once again, I thought it only fitting that I shared some of the new polishes available to you.

As always, these polishes only require one coat and are long wearing. They do have a a high shine element but a top coat will add that extra diamond shine, so to say.

My favourite is 'In the Stars'. A multi tonal top coat glitter that adds subtle shimmer to any polish. Add it to a nude = work acceptable glam. Add it to pink= super girly barbie nails. Add it to a dark blue= an interesting, comment inducing stunner. It's not one to wear alone as you really don't experience the full benefit of it. This polish is a must have, an essential for any nail lovers collection as it gives you so many more options for your nails. Jazzy!

Star shower is a metallic brown shade with tiny blue and gold glitters giving it a interesting shimmer when hit by natural light. It isn't too IN YOUR FACE so again, one that you could style on your nails in the working environment. It's a sophisticated colour, and not one that many will like but it is a hidden gem, something you may well look over whilst perusing the stands at No7.

So there we have it, two options on which you could spend your money on.

Now just call me an enabler.

£6 here.  Or wait until the money off vouchers are knocking around :)

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NOTD - China Glaze 'Fast Track'

Perhaps a little belated, baring in mind this came out a while ago, but now the new Catching Fire movie is out I'm kidding myself into thinking that this late post is ok. Yes, I forgot about this little gem. China Glaze 'Fast Track' from The Hunger Games Capitol Colour Collection.
It is a beige, nude shade with very finely milled gold glitter throughout which gives it shimmer rather than shine. In normal light it can look quite subtle and plain but when it catches the light it really does shine. Meaning that for all you ladies that are restricted from wearing anything jazzy on your nails due to work can sport this colour and get away with it.*

And its £4.52 here.

*this isn't guaranteed, I take no responsibility if not!

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SEVENTEEN Quicker Slicker Colour in 'Wishing Star'

Beautiful, beautiful nails! SEVENTEEN Quicker Slicker Colour in Wishing Star.

Another new polish found whilst perusing Boots. This time a duo chrome, a silvery gold mix that in certain light looks purple. In the above photo it is layered over a metallic gold polish which really sets the colour off. This polish really is a compliment gainer, it catches the light and changes colour so it looks different all the time. Perfect, and fitting, for the holiday season ahead. 

If you really layered it up I think it could become opaque but over a similar rosy gold toned polish it really does become a show stopper.

£2.99 here.

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NOTD - Nails Inc 'Porchester Square' and No7 'Daisy Darling'

A nail combo match made in heaven? Perhaps better suited for easter (after all it bares a striking similarity to a Mini Egg) this combo is perfect for jazzy up a somewhat plain but polished look. Nails Inc Porchester Square (£9.35 here) is a classic, chic, on trend greige (grey/beige) an all-rounder, safe for work colour. However due to the upcoming festive season a bit of glitter turns this from safe to snazzy. I used No7 Daisy Darling from the No7 Summer collection (but available on the boots website for £6) to make it girly but gold and silver glitter would be great alternatives.

So, a different take on the beauty world favourite.. would you wear Porchester Square like this?

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NOTD - Sinful Colours 'Let's talk'

Twirls. Dairy Milk.

Cadburys.

Today I bring you a NOTD that couldn't conjure up tastier images if it tried. Sinful Colours 'Let's Talk', the colour of Cadburys. A deep metallic purple, opaque in two coats (one if you are lucky) and with a high shine without topcoat. These polishes, albeit cheap as chips don't compromise on quality and are up there with the big and the best in regards to it. The brush is thin so easier to do more tricky work but takes longer to apply. I wore this for 3 days with minor tip wear, but due to how different we all are, I won't comment more on wear time.

Overall, it is such a unique and statement colour that will have people questioning where you got it from. Sinful colours gets a big thumbs up from me!

Now for the best bit.

£1.99. 199 pennies.

Buy it here.

Have you tried them? What colours do you swear by?

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The Nail Polish Collection

 (My Favourite Picks) L-R- No7 Crave Me, Models Own Beach Party, Barry M Greenberry, Models Own Ibiza Miz, L'Oreal Color Riche 820, Gosh Holographic Hero.

Here it is. A visual representation of where all my money goes. Lovely to be reminded..

In all seriousness, this collection gets quite a pounding. I change at least three times a week so it was inevitable a build up would happen. Compared to some my collection is modest, to others, excessive. However the colours in here are what work for me, and alongside the photos I will share my top picks with you.

The reds and Neutrals

Most reached for as these are my more corporate colours. The more boring ones lets say. My favourites are the Models Own Beach Party, China Glaze Pool Party and the No7 Gel Shine in Hotting Up. All of which I have reviewed seperately. I own a fair few Nails Inc polishes as the quality is great, but for the pricepoint I'd look towards brands such as Barry M and Models Own. Some hidden gems would be the SEVETEEN polishes, for their price they make a fab addition to your colour spectrum and keep up to date with trends.

The Blues, Greens and Purples

The most reached for? Fantasy Fire and Greenberry (Barry M). The ones I wouldn't waste your money on? Primark polishes. They take an age to dry. My only Essie polish is nestled here (To Buy or Not to Buy) a pale lilac with blue shimmer which is a gem but is getting bustled to the back the closer to the Autumn months we move. Try having a look at the Collection Hot Colours polishes. Cheap and long lasting, some of the most hard wearing ones I own.  Sinful Colours deserve a shout out here to, especially when they are £1.99 each so a great for on trend colours.

Glitters and Darks

My favourite! So much! Love the Nails Inc Graffiti polishes, the L'oreal Confetti and Cystallisme and the Barry M. Don't rate the Models Own  Silver or the NYC polishes because they take forever to try or chip easily. The 17 White polish isn't the greatest but Barry M and Models Own offer a great alternative! The Collection Gel Shine nestle on the top right is great to - dries to a really high shine!

There you have it!! If you would like to see an individual swatch of any of these, drop a comment or a tweet to me and i'll rustle something up for you :) Any of these your go to shades?

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Winterberry Nail Kit

A bit of a different post today. Yes, it's about nails. But with a difference. My first foray into the hidden world of etsy, and some of the hidden gems they have to offer. Today I want to present to you the Winterberry Nail Art kit. A value for money collection offering all you need to do some easy nail art. If you head over to the Winterberry Facebook Site they update when these kits are avaliable as from what I've seen, they sell rather quickly! So onto what I ordered.

Containing  colours of nail beads (for the fish egg beady effect), 3 vials of glitter, gold foil, 1 pot of red flocking powder, a UV nail polish, dotting tool and orange sticks, 2 striping tape (gold and red) and finally some nail studs! A lot, I'm sure you'd agree.
At £6.25 a pop plus postage I think you'd agree, well worth keeping your eye out and getting one from the Winterberry Etsy Shop. Plus for my lovely readers, the lovely Rachel is offering you a massive 20% off by entering the code BEAUTYFACTORY20 which is valid for 2 weeks from today! Get placing those orders.

 My favourite combination has to be the glitter effect on the nails, it looks great and lasts a while too. Here I've done a few examples of what you can achieve, but for more experienced nail art affectionados I'm 99% sure you can achieve something better than I did. 

So what do you think? Worth a bash?

I realise this post sounds a bit PRish but I paid for this myself, I just think it's totally awesome and that you should get involved :)

P.S Enter my MAC lipstick giveaway here, it ends Friday so get your entries in now!

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SEVENTEEN Rock Hard Couture Nail Effect in Celestial Pearl

Whilst perusing the local Boots for a  new pink polish the other day, I came across this beauty. Having not read much about this is in the blogosphere, I was intrigued so naturally I decided to pick one up.

The SEVETEEN Rock hard couture Nail Effects are textured polishes but with more sparkle. I''m not the biggest fan of the texture effect as I pick at my nail polish, and they just feel weird and heavy on the nail. In terms of the texture though it's not overly gritty like the Barry M offerings. More spongey and marshmallowy. Yes, that is now a descriptive word.

The colour, celestial pearl, is perfect though. White, with glimmers of a champagne colour. Looks classy without being over the top. The textured effect also helps show off the colour as it adds extra dimension. I'd call it 'classy glitter'. It takes two coats for full opacity, which is fab. It takes a bit longer to dry as it is a thick polish due to its texture but once dried it had minimal chipping in the three days I sported this on my nails. Winner.

So if you want something a bit different, I'd recommend you try this. Yes, textured polishes may be so last season daaarling but there is still time to squeeze this into your nail wardrobe. And at £3.99 it's not going to break the bank now.

Did you know that by clicking here you could enter my MAC giveaway?

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No7 Gel-Look Shine Nail Colour in Hotting Up

Recently featured in my Daisy Nail Art How To, this new offering has quickly become a firm favourite of mine.

No7 Gel Look Shine is tagged as giving 'spectacular coverage in one stroke' and a 'high gel shine'. But does it?

I present to you 'Hotting Up', a bright fuchsia pink. Brilliant, classic colour which is great all year around. It does cover well in one coat but I would recommend two to make sure every flaw is covered. For the shine... Well that it does live up to. For research purposes I did use a topcoat on one nail but you wouldn't be able to tell which. One less step on a manicure? Epic win.

So, if you are in Boots any time soon why don't you give them a whirl? For £6.50 you can't really go wrong...

...But you could get two Barry M Gellys for that price. Just sayin'.

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Daisy Nail Art How-To

Bonjourno!
Nail Art. Simple Nail art.
Grabbed your attention yet?
Fancy some super cute, super easy daisies for your fingers? The best thing about this design is it is made up of dots so it makes adorning the right hand a doddle (why do you think all my photos are off my left hand - it looks better!). So Follow my step by step guide for cute daisies.
You can use any colour combination you like so grab some polishes and move to step one....
For the dotting tool, I used a hair grip. If you have fancy dotting tools they work just as well :P

Step 1)
Paint the nail in any colour you desire. Here I have used No7 Gel Shine in 'Hotting Up'
Step 2)
Grab your dotting tool of choice. I'd put a bit of polish onto a piece of paper for ease. Lightly dip it in then dob onto the nail (four dots close together)
Step 3)
Add Some more flowers. Remember the edges!
Step 4)
Now clean your dotting tool and grab your next colour, the one for the centre of the flower. Here I used Models Own 'Beach Party'. Put one dot of this colour to the centre of each of your flowers.
Step 5)
Now for leaves. Clean the tool, dip into your polish and apply two dots opposite each other. Do all the flowers or for a different take only add leaves to one or two. (Barry M 'Greenberry for those of you who are interested'
Step 6)
Whilst waiting to try, clean the nail edge with acetone and a brush/cotton bud.
Step 7)
When completely dry, top coat it baby! Dab rather than drag to make sure you don't smudge.
Step 8)
Admire your handiwork! Take photos, instagram that stuff!

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Nail and Hand Care under £8

Just putting this out there: nail care is boring.

There, I said it. 

However it has to be done, so here are my top picks to get it done and dusted so that you can get finished in no time (and so you can get to the fun bit of painting them). Because I'm a poorer lass, all these come under six pounds! Winner! 

Starting off the thrifty talon routine is the Cutex Norishing Nail Polish remover (£2.15 here). This is my fifth bottle of this and I am rather partial to it. It's quick, it's Norishing and it makes removing the old, chipped disaster my nails were in a doddle. It makes light work of glitter polishes too! Following this a file and buff of my nails using Boots Four Way Buffer Block (£2.00 here). I do this at max twice a week to keep ridges down, smoothness and shine up and for a shape of the nail. One for the nail bag at home.

So once that is all done time for a paint job. A recent addition to the lineup, OPI Matte Nail Envy (£7.03 here). As I barely wear my nails nude, the need for the standard shiny version isn't there so in the interest of all things  thrifty I opted for this. Not completely sold on it quite yet however it dries quickly and the finish it leaves is lovely and natural (if you wanted to bare all that is).

After all that effort these are the bits that stay in my handbag to keep my nails looking top form on the go. My top pick here is the Coconut Hand Cleanse Gel from The BodyShop (£2.50 here). This stuff is divine. It smells like suntan lotion and holiday. People cannot get enough of it which means I run out veeery quickly. Could be likened to the infamous Bath and Body works hand sanitiser but this stuff is readily available. To keep the hands smooth on the go I'm using a cheapo one from Asda (80p here) which you can't really go wrong with! It absorbs quickly and has a pleasant smell. For 80p it IS worth picking up. Finally.. a glass nail file to smooth those little catches and breaks before they pull.

So, what do you think? Anything that may sneak its way into your daily nail rotation? Or something I'm missing out on? Tell me!

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Barry M Gelly Shine Nail Paint in Papaya and Greenberry

Likelihood is you've already either got one of these polishes or have read many a review about them. Great value for money, hi-shine and a quick drying time makes these Barry M polishes a must have for any polish lover. The colours alone are fabulous, the formula great.. but I wanted to show you what else you can do with them. Enter Barry M 350 Diamond Glitter.....

Look here at this fabulous Papaya, the perfect colour for summer... want to jazz it up?

Bam! Disco nails in an instant. I don't know if it is my application technique or what but I had many problems with this polish. It highlighted every flaw my nail had (therefore why I put the topcoat on in a bid to disguise said ugliness!). This glitter gives an extra dimension to an already fabulous polish. I would personally recommend you wait a LONG TIME between the base and the top coat colour as I experienced the horrible tacky blutack nail... not what you want when your manicure looks this fabulous...

But wait.. check out Greenberry...

This is one of my favourite combinations as I think the glitter really sets off the green of the base. It is sure to get you a fair few compliments too as it really is a unique combination... unfortunately not suitable for work.

If you have a few pennies knocking around.. at £3.99 you can't really say no. Especially when it is 3 for 2 at Boots right now..

So what do you think? Do you agree with the top coat or would you choose to wear it plain?

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L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat

My name is Charlie and I have an addiction. An addiction to nail varnish.
There, I said it. The majority of my posts have been regarding the polishes I buy and use. So here we go.. another one for you. This has been blogged about so many times recently I was going to leave it to others to inform you all. But I just couldn't help it...

L'Oreal Confetti is fabulous, black and white matte glitter for a sophisticated and simple nail art effect... however don't just swatch it over pastels and nudes like oh so many have.....

Ignore the smudgy smudgy on the blue thumb :)

Here it is over No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in Crave Me (red/coral) and Stand Back (blue). Bet it would look amazing over a bright yellow too... (Reminder I do need to buy one of those).

This little bottle of joy is expensive at £4.99 for 5ml but as it is so versitle I think its worth it... do you?

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NOTD Nails Inc Grafitti in Camden Lock

Are you suprised? Another nail look? Today we have another offering from Nails Inc, from their grafitti range. A while back I reviewed Nails Inc Newburgh Street, the bronze version, but today I'm showing you the multicoloured amazing-ness of Camden Lock.

 

These polishes work best over a white base (I used 17 'mini skirt') to best bring out the effect. The skill of application is to dab rather than spread. I have applied these quite thickly so they are a real stand out, but they can be made more subtle. It consists of bar shaped, large circles and tiny circles of glitter in red, green, blue and gold. They are a very unique manicure and something that is very easy to do at home.

Currently Nails Inc Grafitti is on offer at BeautyBay for £8.69, with free postage.
What do you think of these?

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NOTD Gosh Holographic Hero

GOSH  549 holographic hero, once elusive now readily available. This polish is absolutely beautiful. One minute it will look dull and lifeless but when the light catches it catches fire. The colour spectrum is beautiful. Definitely a polish worth having in your collection.
Yes, it looks fabulous but it is a nightmare to apply. First coat goes on fine but the second is painstakingly difficult. If you use too many strokes it will drag the first layer off leaving you with bald patches. Trick is to load the brush up and use as few strokes as possible.
The wear time on this isn't great but it is now advertised as being 'one night wear' which is fair. It's really easy to remove so it's not a big deal. I managed to wash the pots with this and it only had minimal tip wear.
One other problem is that it highlights any nail flaws (as you can see on my middle finger which is peeling) and no amount of filing or base coat usage seems to help.

Looking for a one night wonder that will bling any outfit up? Buy this. For £4.99 it is worth every penny. Find it here.

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NOTD Nails Inc St Marks Square & Fantasy Fire

I change my nails like I change my socks: everyday. If I don't have painted nails I feel naked but I can go out without any make up.. weird right? That is why I have ANOTHER nail extravaganza to show you.

Nails In St Marks Square is a lovely purple metallic with shimmer. Lovely on its own! Add Max Factors Fantasy Fire to the mix and it turns into something really special. When the light hits it the colours of the Fantasy Fire shine! If they had made Fantasy Fire like this the first time around would have been amazing, right?
 

Max Factor Fantasy Fire £3.99 here and Nails Inc St Marks Square £8.50 here (ebay)

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NOTD Glitter Gradient Nails.

Hello crazy cats!
Just a little update of a NOTD I wore recently. I don't know about you but I don't like nail art because my right hand always looks ridiculous compared to the left. So, an easy to do and effective style is always a winner.. this is wear todays combo comes in.

Paint your base. Let it dry. Drag the glitter polish down from the tip to half way down the nail. When it has dried, go over the nail edge with the glitter. Viola! Bobs your uncle. Done!

It looks great with any polish and a less chunky glitter. As you can see here:

Here I used Accesorize glitter in Emerald City and Barry M 324 for a mermaid effect.  I would say it looks rather effective (if i do say so myself!)
Have you tried this effect? Got any suggestions for colour combos? Let me know in the comments!

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NOTD - 17 Lasting Fix Polish in 'Exquisite' and Saffron London in '08'

Today I have a NOTD that seems a bit more 'classy' than my usual ones... plus the fact it took a lot longer to execute! The base is 17 Lasting fix in 'Exquisite.. dark green with lighter green shimmer running through... a definite festive polish that veers away from the traditional red.

I then applied Saffrons Infamous gold flake glitter Avaliable here for £1.49 with free P&P to the tips. The problem with this chunky glitter is that i find you have to dab it to get the gradient effect which in turn means the polish can get rather thick. My advice is to make sure that it is fully dry before doing anything otherwise it does smudge.
This is one of my favourite NOTDs, and one I'm hoping to repeat closer to Christmas with different colours. What do you think?

17 Lasting fix polish in 'Exquisite' - £2.99 at Boots.

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NOTD- Nails Inc Graffiti in 'Newburgh Street'

Bonjour and hello! Haven't forgotten who I am? Baring in mind last time I posted was August, you'd be forgiven if you did! I'm sorry. I'm a terrible person. I am back with a shebang though.. so less jibber jabber more reviewing!

Today I have a nail of the day that is suitably shiny for the festive period (although it was also spot on for Halloween)... Nails Inc Graffiti in Newburgh Street! Newburgh Street is a mixture of bronze, black and gold glitter pieces in different sizes and shapes.

On my nails it is swatched over 17's lasting finish polish in 'mini skirt'.. (amazing and cheap white polish.. one coat and BOOM.. done.. and only £2.99!!) I tried it over a few colours however the white makes go POW! This is one coat, I dabbed it onto the nail rather than swept it across as it builds up quicker that way. If you like sparkle you should definitely look into purchasing this.
This is available as part of a set from QVC (Newburgh Street is exclusive to QVC apparently). Pick it up here.

Do you like? Dislike? Worth the price? Let your thoughts know in the comments!

Thank you to Amy, as this was a birthday present!

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NOTD Accessorize Emerald City

Hi everyone! The other day I really wanted Barry Ms new turquoise glitter. And when i say really wanted I mean I had my heart set on it. I live in a city and NOT ONE superdrug or boots had this in stock so I started to look at other brands...

Viola! Emerald City. Named wrong I feel as it is definately turquoise. The picture shows three coats for full coverage. Mainly small glitter and some bigger chunks. Sparkles so much. This colour is great for jazzing up a boring outfit! So if you can't find the Barry M one go for this, its pretty much a dupe!
£3.45 at Superdrug and Accessorize

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