Hello!
I haven't got a super-exciting manicure to show off today, just two different ones I've worn for work in the past week. Both are pink - I do love pink, and I can get away with it at work as it matches my uniform, as long as I don't go crazy with nail art, which is why both of these manicures are pretty simple.
The first one is a gradient. I started with a base of Utopia by Models Own and then created the gradient using Serendipity by Ciate, a beautiful pink glitter I've been dying to try since I got it as the final polish in my advent calendar. Here's how that manicure turned out...
The pink glitter looked really delicate and sparkly, and I loved how this turned out!
The second manicure, which I'm currently wearing, is just a simple one-polish look (for now!). I wanted to try Princess by Barry M on it's own as it's such a pretty shade. This is two coats. I'm thinking of jazzing this up somehow later on when I have time, but for now it looks really nice on it's own. I love how much glitter and sparkle this polish has!
Hello!
After my Lorax fail yesterday, I didn't have much time to think of or do another design, so I decided to just go for pretty-and-plain nails. I've had Lady by Barry M on my 'to-try-again' list for ages. This is the only one I've bought from Barry M's new textured range, I really wanted more but I don't really use textured polishes much and knew I wouldn't use them! However after loads of umm-ing and ahh-ing I finally bought Lady with my Boots points (so doesn't really count as buying, right?!).
I was so excited to try it and applied it straight to my nails the day I got it... and was disappointed! I'd not thought to use a base colour, and after three coats Lady was still see-through, you could see my nail-line and I really didn't like it! I knew it would look better with a white base coat, and have wanted to try it for ages, but have always had other designs I've wanted to do (more recently, halloween and bonfire night themed etc).
Sooo anyway, here it is. This time, I used a base of Sally Hansen's Lavender Cloud, two coats. This is my fave (and only!) white polish and it's a massive bottle too! I then topped this with two coats of Lady. Instantly it looked fab! I love how clean and pure this polish looks, and it's a bit more exciting than just having plain white nails. It looks like crushed pearl and I love it!
I've not added a topcoat as I didn't want to alter the textured finish, which did mean this took ages to dry and was more easily marked, and I did have to re-do one finger when I got a big dent in it soon after painting it! But I've had it on since yesterday now and it's not chipped or got any tip-wear, and it's still looking beautiful.
I played about with having an accent nail and also contemplated adding studs or something, but really this polish is just beautiful on its own and doesn't need any embellishment. Looooook <3
Hello!
Finally got round to trying out another of my Models Own buys that I picked up a few weeks ago at the Bottleshop! This one is Absinthe, the dark green one from the Velvet Goth collection. These are all textured glitters, and there are 5 colours. Myself and Naileymabob both picked up the green and the blue, as we agreed these were the most pretty and the most unusual.
I applied a base coat of Nail Envy and then two coats of Absinthe. It's quite tricky to apply because it's so thick - you've got to put loads on the brush. It dries really quickly, which is good, but sometimes it's started to dry before you've fully painted one nail, making it a bit patchy/streaky. But overall, the finish was fab, and I love how packed the glitter is. I also adore the subtle big/small pieces, making it look really 3D. This first pic is without topcoat - it was quite a rough/matte finish.
I then added two coats of Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri topcoat to add some shine, and I think it looks sooo much better! So so sparkly and shiny <3 I think this will be a lovely polish for autumn/winter, and the dark green/sparkly colour reminds me of Wicked the musical, which is always a good thing :-D
So I went into Superdrug yesterday on the hunt for the new Barry M sequin effects polishes! I'd seen mixed reviews - actually, mostly bad reviews, but I just had to see for myself. I'd decided as the 3-for-2 Barry M offer was over on the 7th May to just treat myself to the white sequin effects. But when I got in, it was 3-for-2 on all cosmetics! So I had to get three. Obviously. Here's what I bought, because you can mix brands, and I've had my eye on this Revlon polish for a while. It's called Girly, and I thought it'd be a good comparison to the sequin effects. Not cheap at about £6.50, I only justified getting it because it was part of the deal. My third polish was yet another Gelly. I picked up Grapefruit to add to my growing collection. Here are my goodies:
I couldn't wait to try them out, so while sat in Starbucks I quickly applied 2 coats of the Revlon polish on most of my fingers, and an accent nail on each hand with 2 coats of the Sequin effects. Sorry about the quality of this pic, I took it on my phone:
So - my initial thoughts on the Sequin Effects polish first. I don't like! Like others have said, it's so gritty and textured. It'd look beautiful if it was smooth! And adding a second coat just seems to clump it even more, and makes it look uneven and ....gross! So I wasn't impressed initially.
The Revlon was better, although I wasn't keen on it over a 'bare' nail, even with more than one coat. I did love the different sized and coloured glitters - such a lovely mix and a fab colour scheme. I love pink!
I decided that when I got home, I'd layer the polishes over a base colour so they stood out more. I layered two coats of the Revlon over two coats of Barry M's Prickly Pear (purple gelly) and the Sequin Effects over two coats of Sally Hansen's Lavender Cloud (white). On one hand, I added two coats of sequin effects, but on the other hand (first pic below) I just stuck with one as it looked better without the glitter all overlapping. I'm much happier with how they look now. They're both definitely layering polishes!
As I mentioned in my previous post, I've just treated myself to one of the new Barry M textured polishes. When I heard about these and saw swatches from other nail bloggers, I knew I would have to try one out. I didn't get the full range as I wasn't sure I'd use them much, so I picked my favourite - the pink! I thought if it's going to be a strange texture, it should be a normal-ish colour... and also, it's called Kingsland Road which is very similar to my street name, so was obviously meant to be bought by me. ;-)
I applied three coats of the polish. You definitely need this amount, as it's quite see-through after one coat, and still a bit patchy after two. I've had this on for longer than a day and it's stayed on well so far, even though I mess/pick at my nail varnish (I know, bad!)
Like other bloggers have said, I'm not quite sure how much I'll use this, and whether I will encorporate it into my nail art? I definitely had to try it though, especially as Superdrug were doing 2 for £6 on Barry M, which meant I could also get one of the new Gelly's too!
What do you all think of textured polish? I still haven't made up my mind!
