essie nails winter collection

 I guess it's time to admit that Christmas is nearly over, but I still find the week between Christmas and New Year still just as exciting, however this time I'm trying to force myself to work and try and get an essay done. I still haven't started and I opted for writing this blog post instead. This year I had such a lovely Christmas, and even though I've been a bit ill I didn't let it spoil anything, from my friends and family I got some thoughtful gifts and I hope that you all got everything you asked for and had a lovely time.

My sister knows me too well, I love essie nail varnishes now but because I'm a student, I'm living on quite a small budget so can't really afford them or justifying buying them when my fridge is empty and I have nothing to eat. She got me the essie winter collection of nail lacquers which include three festive (but not just restricted to Christmas) shades. The bottles are smaller than a normal bottle and so you only get 5ml in each bottle, though I never really finish a nail varnish and so I wouldn't count that as a negative at all.

Each colour has its own name, the white is called tuck it in my tux, the sparkly in between gold and silver is called jiggle hi jiggle low and the deep red is called jump in my jumpsuit. I was a bit worried about the white shade needing a few coats in order to build it up to the solid white colour however it only needed two coats in the end. All the nail varnishes applies easily and dried as a solid colour  on my nails. As I couldn't decided which one to use first, I used all three but I think jump in my jumpsuit is my favourite and would look perfect with a simple monochrome outfit and  add a little bit of colour. I've only just painted my nails and so they haven't had time to chip but I'm pretty sure they'll be the same formula as the normal nail varnishes and so will last quite a while. 

I'm so thankful I was given this set and will definitely get a lot of use out of all of nail varnishes.

naughty nautical, essie nail lacquer

I'm not going to lie, I'd have never brought myself an essie nail varnish, I knew they

were meant to be good but I would have never dreamed on spending that much on one. However my sister brought me this one in naughty nautical for my birthday a few months ago. It's such a lovely teal colour but with sparkles making it perfect for the festive season! I was unsure about the colour at first as its quite bold and I normally wear a more subtle colour on my nails, because I find it impossible to stop them from chipping so that makes it less obvious. 

However this nail varnish has converted me essie as they're definitely worth it! It has quite a big brush with makes for easy application and at the most needs two coats to create the bold colour but the formula is by no means thin or transparent. It also doesn't take too long to dry which is perfect when you're impatient and everything needs to be done the second I've decided to paint my nails. As the sparkles aren't overwhelming so it doesn't have the stubbornness of glitter polish when you come to take it off. Although this isn't the typical dark berry colour I normally opt for at Christmas, its such a nice alternative to wear to Christmas parties and any festive occasions.

barrym nail paint in peach melba

I feel like summers completely here and I've actually managed to get the tiniest bit of a tan from being in the garden but every year I always wear this barrym nail varnish in Shade 318, Peach Melba. It's such a perfect summery peach colour that goes with any outfit and looks even better with a bit of a tan. It isn't too bright which means I can wear it as a subtle nail varnish. Also as it's a barrym nail paint you know you can trust the formula and it'll will last a few days without chipping. However my only problem with the complete barrym nail pains is in summer when it's hotter I find it's harder for them to completely try and set. This usually lands up with me getting a dint in the middle of one of my nails just because I'm so impatient and can't wait long enough for my nails to dry. Though considering I've used this nail varnish so countless times and still have so much left for a few pounds it's definitely good value.

What's your favourite summer nail varnish?

models own hyper gel polish in cornflower gleam

Sorry about the unannounced mini break, but anyway a few months ago I picked up my first models own nail varnish in apple pie which is part of there scented range. I then got the urge for a solid blue nail varnish and this models own polish stood out to me as it was a colour of nail varnish I'd never really seen before. It is part of their hyper gel effect range and is in the shade cornflower gleam, this is a soft denim blue colour, and is a perfect summer colour.

The packaging itself is a bit more detailed than the regular polish, but this one was still the same price of five pounds and you get 14ml of product, so it's not the cheapest nor the most expensive nail varnish around. This brush itself makes application easy, and the because the focus on the gel effect it has a thick formula so two coats is plenty. I love this gel effect because it gives a solid and soft colour and is still super shiny. It's just a durable as the other polish and last a few days without chipping and this was without a top coat. I've only tried two models own polish so can't say I'm fully persuaded but now my trusty Barrym varnishes have competition!

my favourite nail combination

When it comes to nails, I love changing colours and I have a pretty big nail varnish collection, however I'm rubbish at making them last and they can rarely last a few days without them chipping. Anyway I thought I'd shade this combination as it's so soft and subtle it lasts at least five days before it chips but at a first glance you wouldn't even noticed they'd chipped.

The first nail varnish I use is the Maybelline Forever Strong Pro in Rose Poudre which is a soft neutral pink, but not too bright so it's not quite a pastel shade. I love this colour as it's so gentle and not too bold it goes with everything and looks lovely. Then on top of this I use the Bourjous 1 Seconde innovation in Shade 4, which is just a clear varnish with soft pink tone and sparkle to it. I use this as a top coat over the Maybelline varnish and it just makes my nails look prettier. Also I wouldn't say this is definitely a one second dry polish but I'd say it would definitely be try within 10 seconds so that's not pretty bad at all. I know there's so many different varnishes in the world you can be forever discovering new combinations but for the last six months this has a been my favourite and I think it's perfect for spring!

models own nail polish in apple pie

Spring and summer are coming which means it's time to get out the pastel nail varnishes again (i love everything pastel!). I'm a bit behind the time because I remember seeing so many pretty pictures of the Models Own scented polish range last year but yet I never got round to buying any of them. So when I decided I wanted a pale green this was my first thought. Considering I have a lot of nail varnishes I always manage to come up with an excuse to buy some more and think of the only colour that I don't have.

This is my first Models Own polish and it's from their scented range in the shade apple pie. It cost a reasonable five pound and you get a good 14ml of polish so it's pretty good value for money. It's a lovely spring pale green shade with a hint a blue which I like so it doesn't make your nails look mouldy! It does have a slight apple scent when you first apply it that does try and mask the typical nail vanish smell but I wouldn't say it smells like an apple pie but still any nail varnish is going to smell like nail varnish so I wouldn't buy this solely on the idea that it's scented. The actual product itself is impressive as I only need two coats and without a top coat it's even managed to last a couple of days without chipping, and for me that's an achievement. I'm definitely glad I discovered Models Own nail polishes and will probably pick some more shades up during the summer.

revlon nail enamel in girly

It's a Saturday night, and I stayed in with the intention of doing some coursework but now I'm just sat watching The Ring 2, I'm not really sure why, considering I hate scary films. Anyway Revlon's nail enamel in girly (Shade 260) is the complete opposite!

It is a light purple based nail varnish with light pink, purple and blue sparkles of glitter, making it an instant attention grabber on my shelf. I've never brought a revlon nail product before but I like the sleek packaging, and you get a lot of polish for the price, even if it is more expensive then I would normally pay. The nail varnish itself looks lovely on, however I would recommend painting your nails a lilac first and then applying this, as it was fairly translucent, as you can see in the picture. It last three days without chipping and for me that's a miracle! I really like the effect and it got many compliments!

Next time, I'll apply more coats to get a more solid colour but I used to stick to barry m nail varnishes and thought nothing could compete, however now I'm more  inclined to try some more revlon products instead, especially if they're glittery!