NOTD Barry M Gelly ~ Sky Blue

It's no secret that the Barry M Gelly polishes are my go-to brand & this one is no different.  Sky Blue is from the Spring 2015 range & yet again, offers the perfect formula & application now expected of these, even for a pastel shade which are notorious for bad coverage.

This is with just 2 coats with my usual China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & Seche Vite top coat & as I find with most of the Gelly polishes, it lasted a week with no wear or chips until I removed it to re-paint my nails.  It shows more green than it looked in real life, it is definitely blue though!  For just £3.99 a bottle, I really think you'd be hard pushed to find better quality at this price!

Are you a fan of the Gelly polishes?

NOTD Essie ~ Chubby Cheeks

I haven't bought an Essie polish for ages but if you follow me on Instagram, you'll have noticed that one 'fell' into my basket in Boots the other day *ahem*!!  This is 'Chubby Cheeks', a beautiful soft yet bright coral & I love it!  (It's currently on 3 for 2 so is the perfect time to try them!)

Admittedly, the finished photo is dreadful - I'm not quite sure what happened there - but I've remembered why I used to love Essie polishes so much.  The brush is a great fit on the nail making application simple & very quick & the finish is great.

I used my usual Strong Adhesion base coat by China Glaze & Seche Vite top coat & I'm currently 5 days in & just starting to get tip wear.

Do you like Essie polishes?  What's your favourite shade?

NOTD Barry M Speedy ~ Stop the clock

I recently bought two of the new Barry M Speedy Quick Dry polishes, the first of which I blogged about here so next up is this one, Stop the Clock, a gorgeous cross between lemon mousse & vanilla ice cream!

I was fully expecting to have to apply 3 coats of this one, as with In A Heart Beat, but funnily enough, this covered much better in only 2 coats.

I really, really love this colour for spring, it's just like I've dipped my nails into a bowl of melted vanilla ice cream.  Again, it would look slightly better without the pasty skin colour going on here but still! Please excuse the dry cuticles, I should've oiled up before the photo!

This has lasted much longer than the other colour surprisingly enough, so in my opinion, the formula of this particular shade seems a bit better.  I'm not sure why, it just is!

The one thing I forgot to talk about with the other review though was the brush which is flat & curved on the tip so fits the base of my nail perfectly.  It covers in just two swipes & as I only had to use two coats of this, it really did dry rapidly.  I did apply Seche Vite on top though for added shine & strength!

The Barry M Speedy Quick Dry nail paints are currently £3.99 each or 2 for £7.00 at Boots.

What do you think, does this shade float your boat?!

NOTD Barry M ~ In A Heart Beat

It's no secret that Barry M are my go-to polishes, they're cheap (and nearly always on offer somewhere!), the colours are great & the formulas are superb - the Gellys are my absolute favourites - so whenever they release new polishes, I'm all over them!

Their newest releases are easily identifiable by the black & white chequered lids, a nod to the new Speedy Quick Dry formulas & there are 9 new shades, all pastel hues.  Two colours in particular caught my eye, this one, In A Heart Beat, a soft coral pink & Stop the Clock, a rich vanilla ice cream shade, which I'll review in a day or two.

Unfortunately, I have mixed feelings about this polish.  I adore the shade & I think it's perfect for spring (although it feels a bit odd wearing it now!) & yes, it really is very fast drying.  But......it's very streaky & took 3 coats to get an even-ish coverage but to be honest, it could've done with an extra coat for the perfect finish.

I started, as always with my China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & then applied the 3 coats of colour.  Although there was a sheen, I prefer the high gloss finish of the Gelly polishes so I left them for 10 minutes to see how they dried & then applied a coat of Seche Vite top coat (not how you're supposed to apply this btw!)  In the 10 minutes before I applied the top coat, they felt totally dry to the touch although I'm not sure they would've passed the handbag or toilet test at this point!! (You know, delving in your bag or doing up your jeans after the loo without damage!!)

10 minutes after the top coat though they were well & truly hardened & dry so it still only took around 30 minutes to dry totally.  Although the manicure itself took longer with the extra coats.....  Having said all of that, pale shades are notoriously bad for coverage so next time I might try it with a base of opaque white, which usually helps.

Longevity wise, I'm only 2 days in to the manicure & am already getting tip wear & a couple of tiny chips, which is a tad disappointing.  So while I love the shade & will use the polish, I much prefer the gelly polishes so will stick to those - I hope Barry intends to release more of those shades very soon!!  It'll be interesting to compare this with the other shade I've bought.

What do you think, is this your sort of shade?

NOTD China Glaze ~ Out Like A Light

Following on from my new found love of all things grey, I've been wearing this gorgeous charcoal polish for much of the winter.  It's such a classy colour, dark & rich but not as black as the photo shows it.  I tried taking photos in so many different lights but it still showed it darker than the real shade, you'll have to trust me on this one!

The photo above was taken 5 days into the manicure so there is very slight wear on the tips but it's still a super long lasting polish when teamed with my manicure super duo, China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & Seche Vite top coat.

This is Out Like A Light by China Glaze & it is available for just £3.95 (rrp £8.95) on Nail Polish Direct.

NOTD China Glaze ~ Conduct Yourself

I haven't done a NOTD for quite a while so let me show you this polish I bought a couple of months back, Conduct Yourself by China Glaze.

(Sorry about the different sized photos, not quite sure what went wrong there?!)

This is my favourite & usual winter shade, deep & vampy but this one is pearlescent, which is not entirely evident from the photos though!  You can buy this shade here at Nail Polish Direct for only £3.95 - which is actually cheaper than I paid in my beauty wholesaler, grrrr!!  I've just found this website & I see they do free delivery too so I'll have to give it a whirl!

I'm a huge fan of China Glaze polishes & only ever use their Strong Adhesion base coat, which is amazing.  However, I'd like to try their Fast Forward top coat next as I currently use - and love - the blogger favourite, Seche Vite but on paper, this product offers the same thing.

Are you a fan of dark nails too?  I know Jenny over at http://beautyandthebiryani.blogspot.co.uk/ is!!

NOTD Nails Inc ~ Copacabana Coral

Whenever I spot a magazine offering a freebie, I'm drawn to it like a moth to a flame, especially when it's a Nails Inc. nail polish!

Out of the three colours on offer with this months InStyle (a bright coral, a pink & a greige nude) the coral was just calling me & I also had a £2 off voucher for the mag so it was bargain of the day!

Copacabana Coral is just my sort of colour & it offers the fabulous application & longevity that normally comes with Nails Inc. polishes.  As always, I start with my China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat, followed by two coats of colour & a final coat of Seche Vite top coat.

As you can see, it's the perfect colour for summer & would look amazing with a tan (wishful thinking!)  I'm now into day 5 of my manicure with no chipping or tip wear, pretty darned good considering I've been painting furniture (sans CSI gloves!) but this explains the dry, gnarly skin & cuticles - whoops, sorry!!

Have you snapped one of these freebies up yet?

NOTD Barry M ~ Vivid Purple

 

 

 

 

As much as I've loved wearing the neons & brights on my nails all summer, somewhere deep down inside of me I'm yelping with happiness that autumn is arriving & the darker, more vampy nail colours are back!!

 

I have another Barry M gem to show you today that I picked up the other day & first off, can I apologise for the photos because they just do not do this stunning colour justice!  I tried to take photos in so many different places with different lights but nothing could show off its true beauty......you'll just have to take my word for it!

 

Vivid Purple is a gorgeous jewel-like shimmer polish & I'm totally in love with it!!  It's just perfect for winter parties.....or just for everyday if you're like me & love a fab, dark nail.  It's a little streaky with just one coat but these photos are with 2 coats & Seche Vite top coat & I just love it!

 

 

 

 

 

What's your favourite nail colour at the minute?

 

 

 

 

 

 



NOTD Barry M ~ Blood Orange Gelly

 

 

 

 

I don't have to say again how much of a fan I am of the Barry M Gelly polishes, they're just amazing polishes for a few measly quid!!

 

Like the others I've tried, this bright tomato-red one doesn't disappoint either.  This is photographed with 2 coats although the second coat wasn't at all necessary as it covered totally opaque with just one coat.  I just think it's habit for me!

 

As always, I used my China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat & Seche Vite Top Coat to finish the mani off.  The photo was taken 3 days in with no wear on the tips or any chipping!

 

 

 

 



NOTD Essie ~ She's Pampered

 

 

I believe Essie She's Pampered was one of the A/W '12 special editions & I picked the little beauty up from the Boots clearance shelf a couple of months back but hadn't tried it until last week.

 

As with most of the Essie polishes, this has a great formula, thick & opaque enough to get away with only one coat but the photo above is with 2 coats & Seche Vite top coat.  It looks more fuschia pink in the bottle but I found it more of a red with a hint of pink.  Either way, it's a beautiful colour ideal for this glorious sunny weather we're having!

 

I managed a week with absolutely no chips & minimal wear on the tips, this is another Essie hit for me!

 

 



NOTD Barry M Gelly polish ~ Guava

 

 

I cannot rave enough about the Barry M Gelly polishes....seriously, I can't!!  They are such great value for £3.99 a bottle, but you can usually find them on offer in either Boots or Superdrug though making them even more of a bargain!

 

The choice of colours they're offering at the minute are amazing, the brushes are the perfect size & they offer the best coverage - sometimes one coat is all you need!

 

The Gelly polishes are high shine to mimic gel polishes (obviously!) but I always top with a coat of Seche Vite & this means I usually get at least 7 days without any chips & only the very merest of wear on the tips.  They really are fantastic & if you've never tried them, I urge you to hot-foot it to the shops & buy some..........go on, off you go!!

 

 



NOTD MUA ~ Summer Pastels

 

 

 

1.  Lush Lilac

2.  Strawberry Crush

3.  Frozen Yoghurt

4.  Moody Mink

5.  Pistachio Ice Cream

 

So a couple of months ago I picked up these wee MUA bargainous gems in Superdrug for the princely sum of £1 each.  I'd seen a lot of people wearing summer pastels & loved them but really wasn't sure how I'd like them on me seeing as I'm usually a vibrant bright or gothic dark nail polish kinda gal!!

 

As it happens, I've loved them all but I surprisingly loved Pistachio Ice Cream the most (very similar to Essie Mint Candy Apple don'tcha think?!)

 

For the price, the longevity is great & I usually had around 3 days before any wear on the tips.  The photos are all showing 2 coats of polish (with my trusty Seche Vite top coat!) & although some colours could have benefitted from a third coat, in general I've been very pleasantly surprised by these polishes & they're a great size for travelling too! 

 

The only downside to these are the thin brushes but come on, for £1 I'm certainly not going to be shedding any tears about it & I can't wait to see what new colours MUA will be releasing next!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



NOTD Bourjois ~ Bleu Fabuleux

I've not bought or used any Bourjois polishes for a couple of years now & I don't understand why I stopped but I'm certainly glad I've rediscovered them!

 

This polish has a great, wide brush that covers the nail perfectly in just 2 sweeps & the cap itself is really comfortable to handle.

 

The application itself was excellent & the colour was opaque enough with one coat but I always do 2 anyway.  It was super glossy just on it's own but I always seal my manis with Seche Vite as I find it helps with the longevity.

 

I'm now day 5 into this colour & have had absolutely no chipping & only minimal wear on the tips, all-in-all excellent I'd say!  The vibrant cobalt blue colour is divine & I've never had so many people comment on my nails before.

 

On the same trip to Superdrug, I also bought another 2 Bourjois polishes so I'm looking forward to trying these out too....watch this space!!

 

 

 

 

I think this colour could become my new favourite & that's some feat seeing as I don't actually like the colour blue!!

 

 

 



NOTD Maybelline ~ Pow Green

I just love having teenage daughters who also love doing their nails as much as I do as it means extra polishes for me to try out!

 

Pow Green by Maybelline is not a colour I'd have chosen off the shelf in a million years but when my youngest daughter bought it the other day, then appeared wearing it later on, I thought it looked amazing.......& that I'd be pinching it at some point to try out myself!

 

This is the first time I've used a Maybelline polish.  I don't know why but it's a brand I tend to bypass as I don't really get on with their cosmetics & unfortunately, I didn't find the polish fared that much better either.

 

Colour-wise I can't fault it.  A fabulous, zingy pale lime green, almost chartreuse really, the photos don't do it justice.  But I wasn't in love with the polish itself.  It was really streaky & thin on the first application & even with the second coat, it could've done with at least another, you can see my middle nail is quite patchy.  I used my usual China Glaze Strong Adhesion base coat & Seche Vite top coat but it began to chip on the tips the next day....not good I'm afraid as I usually get 6 - 7 days from my manicures unless I remove it in order to change colour.

 

However, I will wear this polish again for a night out or occasion as I love the colour so much, I just know now not to expect it to last that long!