Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish Swatches

Hi everyone!

 

Essie recently launched their Gel Couture polishes and I have six to share with you today. The range is based on the couture catwalks and have fashion- related names. There is a broad range of colours so there is something to suit everyone. They have a gel- like finish and Essie claim that you can get up to 12 days wear out of them. No base coat or UV or LED lamp is needed as with true gel polishes.

OPI Patience Pays Off - Review & Swatch

Hi everyone!

Today I have another nail polish swatch for you, this is 'Patience Pays Off' and its one of OPI's new Infinite Shine polishes which are said to have a gel like finish. As I mentioned in my previous post about Nails Inc's Gel effect polishes, so many brands are bringing these types of polishes out now so how does OPI's offering fare? Pretty well I'd say! This polish was good to apply, it levelled itself out and dried quite quickly which surprised me due to how thick the polish is!

Nails Inc Pro Waterloo Place - Review & Swatch

Hi everyone!

 

Nails Inc recently launched their 'Pro' range of gel look polishes available from Sally Beauty Supplies in the UK. There is a wide selection of colours available that are said to be long wearing and durable with a shiny, gel like finish. So many brands have launched gel like polishes such as OPI's Infinite Shine range so I'm excited to see this offering from Nails Inc.

Waterloo place is dark, aubergine colour and is beautiful! There is a base and top coat available in the range but I used my trusty Orly Bonder Base and Seche Vite Top Coat and they worked just fine! The brush is wide with a rounded tip which makes application quick and easy. The consistency of the polish is quite thick but it applies smoothly and evenly. The picture above shows two coats. Despite the thickness of the polish it dried quickly too. The finish is very gel like and shiny which I love! So far I love this polish and will definitely be popping back into Sally's for a couple more!

 

I found that this polish wore pretty well. There were a few small chips on the tips of my nails after around three days which isn't bad! 

Visit Nails Inc for more information on the line.

You can purchase the polishes from Salon Services for £6.25 ex VAT each.
Maz x

Essie Fall 2015 Collection Swatches

Hi everyone!




Today I have four of the six nail polishes from Essie's Fall 2015 collection to share with you!


Leggie Legend: This polish is a true star! It is such a stand out shade and I'm sure will be very popular! Its a bronze-copper-gold shade with a metallic finish and is perfect for the festive season!


With the Band: This is a classic red shade with a hint of burgundy. Everyone needs a true, creamy red in their collection!


Frock n Roll: I love the name of this shade! It's a rich espresso shade with shimmer. This polish has a slight sparkle to it too which is stunning!


In the Lobby: This is a beautiful glossy plum shade with a crème finish.

The collection also includes two other polishes including Colour Binge which coral- red and Bell Bottom Blues which is a bright indigo blue.




You can purchase the polishes individually for £7.99 each from Boots or this mini set of four for £11.99 from Amazon




All colours apply evenly and are fully opaque in one coat! I think they are limited edition so if you want to get your hands on them be quick!


Maz x

Nails Inc Lilly Road - Review & Swatch

 

Hi Everyone!

Nails Inc have recently come out with a new limited range of polishes called 'The New White'. Now I love an off -white shade so I rushed to get my hands on one, or maybe two, ok it was three!

Two coats of Lily Road and one coat of Seche Vite Top Coat 

This was is called Lily Road and is described as a 'Clean baby pink'.

The brush is wide which makes application easy. The polish was fully opaque and lasted well. The polishes are expensive but they are good quality and I love the new square Nails Inc packaging much more than their old style!

You can purchase this polish from Nails Inc for £14

Maz x

Essie Lady Like Nail Polish

 

Hi everyone!

Essie have some of my favourite nail polishes and this one is no exception! This is Lady Like which is described as an 'elegant soft mauve'. This is the kind of polish that everyone would like in my opinion. I chose it for a job interview as I wanted a neutral opaque shade that looked smart but not too attention grabbing!

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Almond

Hi Everyone!

 

So I may have been guilty in the past of being a bit of a nail polish snob and sticking only to salon brands such as OPI and Essie but I have fallen in love with the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paints. I have several in my collection now so expect to see more soon!

 

Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Polish in Pomegranate

Hi everyone!

 

The weather is amazing here in the UK at the moment and I hope you are all enjoying it! I am off to the beach tomorrow so decided to paint my nails before I go!

Essie She's Picture Perfect & OPI Polka.com

Hi everyone!

I decided to go for a purple, sparkly manicure today! First I applied 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base, I love this stuff, it really helps to strengthen your nails and the matte finish helps your nail polish to stick. I then applied 2 coats of Essie's She's Picture Perfect which is described as a 'iridescent, reflective lilac'. This polish is gorgeous, it applies fairly evenly and dries quickly too! I then added 2 coats of OPI's Polka.com which has a clear base with different sized purple, fuchsia and teal glitter pieces. This polish is amazing and really eye catching, it is one of my favourite glitter polishes ever! I finished off, as always, with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

Butter London Disco Biscuit

Hi Everyone!

 

I haven't tried many of the nail polishes from Butter London before, I own Muggins and Teddy Girl and like them both but have always felt that they are a little over priced! Anyway, I decided to give Disco Biscuit a try as I love the name and how it looks in the bottle! Disco Biscuit is described as a 'Hot pink glitter' polish.

 

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Disco Biscuit. This polish has a jelly-like finish and is, therefore, a little on the sheer side. On a plus point it does dry quite quickly. I finished off by adding a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

 

 

This polish is really pretty and lasted well. It reminded me a little bit of OPI's Flashbulb Fuchsia.

You can purchase this polish from Butter London for £12

 

Maz x

Essie Fiji

 

 

Hi everyone!

 

First of all I would like to apologise for the lack of posts recently! I have now finished my studies so can devote much more time and attention to my blog again!

 

Essie Fiji

 

Today I applied one of my favourite nail polishes, Essie Fiji which is a gorgeous strawberry milkshake colour. It's fairly easy to apply but is quite thick and can be a little patchy. The polish is fully opaque after two coats which is great. I love this kind of pinky-white colour as it is a great 'go-to' polish and perfect for spring/ summer. It is fairly similar to OPI Mod About You and Butter London Teddy Girl, both of which I own, in my opinion Fiji is the best of the three due to opacity and durability on the nail!

 

Zoya Trixie & OPI Disco Ball Sparkle

 

I also used two coats of Zoya Trixie with OPI Disco Ball Sparkle to create a sparkly, silver accent nail, and finished off with a layer of my favourite top coat, Seche Vite!

 

Maz x

OPI The Spy Who Loved Me - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

 

First of all I would like to apologise for the lack of posts over the recent months. I have been really busy starting back at university after a fairly long break so haven't had much time to spend on my blog. I'm hoping that now I am settled that will all change!

 

Anyway on to the nail polish! Today I painted my nails with one of OPI's new polishes from the James Bond Skyfall Collection. I choose 'The Spy Who Loved Me' which is described as a 'romantic red with sparkle'.

 

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of The Spy Who Loved Me. The polish applied smoothly and evenly and was more or less opaque after the first coat which surprised me a little as you don't always expect that after just one coat! I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

 

This polish is really bright and eye catching and is a nice change from the usual darker shades that you tend to see at this time of year!

 

Let me know if you recommend any of the other polishes from the collection! I can't wait to see the movie!

 

You can purchase this polish from Look Fantastic for £11

 

Maz x

Orly Rage Nail Polish - Review & Swatch

Hi Everyone!

I decided to apply a metallic shade to my nails today and went for Orly's Rage nail polish which is a beautiful rose - gold colour with a slight silver flash to it.

I began by applying a coat of Seche Base followed by 2 coats of Orly Rage. The polish is more or less opaque after the first coat but I found that it was a bit patchy when dry in places, this was, however, corrected with the second coat. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

 

 

I love this polish! It's great any time of the year and the metallic shade is bang on trend right now!

I purchased the mini size (5.4ml) bottle of this polish from Effortless Nails for £3.95

Maz x

How to Easily Remove Glitter Nail Polish

Hi Everyone!

If, like me, you love glitter nail polishes but hate how difficult they are to remove then you will definitely appreciate this simple method that I have found to remove them!

You will need:

Nail polish remover (100% pure Acetone will work best)

Cotton wool pads/ rounds

Tin/ Aluminium Foil

Method:

1. Begin by applying some nail polish remover to a cotton wool round and place on 1 finger, over the nail.

2. Wrap a strip of tin foil around that nail to hold the cotton wool round onto your nail, making sure that it is firmly in place over the nail.

3. Repeat the above 2 steps for each nail.

4. Wait for around 5 minutes.

5. Twist and pull each wrap of your nails and the glitter polish will come away from the nail easily.

6. Use another cotton wool round to remove any excess glitter polish left behind on your nails.

And there you go! A simple and effective way of removing glitter polish without scrubbing away at your nails!

I hope you found this useful!

Maz x

Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy nail polish from the Navigate Her collection for Spring 2012. This polish is a beautiful lilac colour that has a purple shimmer to it in the bottle but not so much on the nail which is a little disappointing. To add some extra dimension I added a layer of China Glaze Snow Globe from their Christmas 2011 collection which is described as a sheer colour base with a multi coloured glitter in gold, aqua, green, blue and purple.

China Glaze Snow Globe

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Original Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Essie's To Buy Or Not To Buy. This polish applies smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. It's almost opaque after the second coat but there is a little bit of visible nail line. I then added one coat of China Glaze Snow Globe followed by a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I love this polish and think that the colour is beautiful and perfect for a summer. The fact that the purple shimmer that you see in the bottle does not appear to transfer to the nail is a little disappointing but I thought that the addition of Snow Globe made up for it!

You can purchase Essie To Buy Or Not To Buy from John and Ginger for £9.95

You can purchase China Glaze Snow Globe from Effortless Me for £6.95

Maz x

Zoya Neeka Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

This week my nail polish of choice was Neeka by Zoya from the Mirrors collection which is described as a "dusted grape purple with flecks of golden shimmer and sparkle". I love Zoya polishes as they have such great staying power and a pretty unique selection of colours and finishes.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Zoya Neeka. This polish applies like a dream and was fully opaque after the first coat. It's also fast drying which is great. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

This polish is gorgeous and I haven't seen anything else quite like it. The dusty eggplant colour is gorgeous and the small golden flecks give the polish an extra dimension of colour.

You can purchase this nail polish from eBay for £10.55

Maz x

China Glaze Exotic Encounters & I Herd That Nail Polishes - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

I picked up a couple of the new nail polishes from the new China Glaze On Safari collection for 2012. I chose 'Exotic Encounters' which is a medium green- teal colour and 'I Herd That' which is a copper, orange and holographic glitter mix.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of China Glaze's Exotic Encounters. This is a lovely opaque lacquer with a cream finish. It was smooth and easy to apply and fully opaque after the first coat. I then added 2 coats of I Herd That to my ring fingers as an accent nail (using China Glaze's Fast Track as a base). I then finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

You can purchase these polishes from Beauty Bay for £6.95 each.

Have you purchased any of the polishes from the collection? If so, let me know what you think of them in the comments section below.

Maz x

Essie Turquoise & Caicos Nail Polish - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied Essie's Turquoise and Caicos to my nails. This polish came out in the 2010 Resort collection and I have owned it for quite a while. I really like the polish which is described as a 'Tropical aqua shade' and I think that it is an ideal summer colour!

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Turquoise and Caicos. The polish has quite a thick consistency but applies smoothly and fairly evenly. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

The coverage of this polish is pretty good and smooth. There is some visible nail line but it is not as obvious in real life as it is in the pictures above!

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £8.50

Maz x

Essie Cute As A Button - Review & Swatches

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied another summery polish to my nails, this time I chose Essie's Cute As A Button which is described as a 'bright and vibrant coral'.

I began by applying 2 coats of OPI Matte Nail Envy as my base followed by 2 coats of Cute As A Button. The polish applies pretty smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. There is still some visible nail line after the second coat but it isn't too noticable. I finished off with one layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

I love this bright summer colour! It looks great and is really eyecatching! It also makes your skin look more tanned!

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £8.50

Maz x

OPI Color So Hot It Berns

Hi Everyone!

Today I applied OPI Color So Hot It Berns from the Swiss Collection for Autumn/ Winter 2010. This polish is bright red colour with a creme finish.

I began by applying a coat of Seche Ridge Filling Base Coat followed by 2 coats of the polish. It applies smoothly and evenly and dries quickly. There is some visible nail line after the 2 coats but it's not too obvious. I finished off with a layer of Seche Vite Top Coat.

This polish is beautiful and a classic red shade. It's similar to Big Apple Red but that has slightly better coverage in my opinion.

You can purchase this polish from Beauty Bay for £11

Maz x