Revlon meets OPI

I love a bargain. That's kind of the point in this blog, right? So when I was in Poundland and I saw a Revlon nail polish, I knew I would be buying it. It was Emerald City, the first matte nail polish I've ever bought. I've had my eye on them for a while, so it was perfect.

This was a rush job, so it's only one coat, and it's an iPhone photo, but you get the idea. I LOVE the colour. I'm a sucker for green polish, and this one perfectly matches an eyeliner I have AND a cardigan I got for Christmas. Win win. But, the texture of the polish is horrible. It's like having really fine sandpaper on your nails. I didn't know what to do about a top coat. Matte top coat seemed unnecessary - what's the point in buying a matte nail polish if you're going to put a matte top coat on anyway? And other than that, I've only got a really shiny one, which would mean it wasn't matte any more. Oh, the dilemma. In the end, I just left it because I couldn't cope with the stress.

On to more bargains. Before Christmas, I ordered Rainbow Connection for my friend in Australia. The Ebay shop I bought it from argued with me over sending it to an alternative address (even though it was through Paypal), and in the end they refunded me, and I bought it from another shop.

The day after using the Revlon polish, I went back to work after a long break due to Christmas and being off sick with pneumonia. There was a package waiting for me. Confused, I opened it, and found a bottle of Rainbow Connection from the original people I bought it from. Yay for free nail polish!

So, not wanting to join the exclusive club of people who have spent hours applying and removing this beautiful glitter, I thought I would just add a relatively thick coat over the green I already had on.

Again, iPhone photo. I'm a slacker, sorry. BUT, I really love it, and now I want to apply Rainbow Connection over every single polish I own to see what it looks like. I have yet to take it off though, so that might change my mind.

Happy Halloween!

This will actually be my third Halloween manicure, which is pretty good going for someone who doesn't really care either way for the holiday.

My first was well over a month ago, and it wasn't intended to be Halloween inspired, the colours just happened to come out that way.

The second, I attempted at the weekend, and it was a disaster. The colours were great and the concept was cute, it just did not work out at all. So, I thought I'd try again today.

I used a lime green from Claire's Accessories (it really annoys me that they don't have names), a Model's Own nail art pen in black and a cheap white nail polish. And here's what I came up with:

I originally intended for it to be a take on Frankenstein's monster, but I think he ended up looking more like a ghoul or zombie. Either way, I actually really like this manicure. It's the first time I've used the nail art pen, I've only ever used a dotting tool to do really basic designs before, so I'm quite happy with the outcome.

Have you done a special manicure for Halloween?

Note to self: Impatience ruins cute nails

I wanted something quite neutral but fun at the same time, so I decided to use Barry M's black and Peach Melba to create dots of opposing colours on each hand, then added a matte top coat.

I would have really loved this manicure if I'd have had more patience. I didn't let the dots dry completely before applying the top coat, and some of them streaked a bit.

17 - Fury & Barry M - Black

In the bottle, Fury looks like it could be a cheap dupe for Chanel’s Peridot. In reality, it’s a much richer gold with no hint of green.

It’s a beautiful colour, but a terrible, thick formulation which I found gathered at the end of my nails. So I got a dotting tool and painted a row of dots along the edge.

It didn’t turn out like I’d hoped. Mainly because for reasons unknown, I was shaking like a leaf. But it’s a half decent manicure that I’ll probably keep on for a few days.


Edit:

I took this photo the following day, and as you can see, it has this weird grainy finish that I’ve never seen before. I emailed Boots, who make 17 products, and they assured me this isn’t a problem in general, I must have been unlucky enough to pick up a dud bottle.

Has anyone else had, or heard of this problem?

17 Magnetized nail polish

A while ago, I watched a video posted on YouTube by Boots. It featured their upcoming Magnetized nail polish, and I immediately knew I would be buying it as soon as it was released. You can see the video here.

The polish is available in purple, green, blue and gunmetal grey.  As I already have a lot of purples and greens, and had purchased a similar grey colour earlier in the day, I decided to go for the blue.

It's a really nice shimmery blue, with a hint of purple, and it's actually a colour I would choose even if it wasn't a special one.

The bottle comes with a detachable lid on top of the screw lid with the brush. On top of the detachable part is a magnet, which is where the magic comes in.

For the most effective results, I found it best to apply one thin coat and allow it to completely dry. Then, apply a much thicker coat, and while the polish is still wet, hover the magnet over the nail for around 10 seconds. You have to be careful not to let the magnet touch the polish, but there is a little arc that you rest on your finger to help prevent this.

When finished, you get an amazing instant nail art effect. The magnet causes the polish to get darker in certain areas, making a wave pattern. It also changes direction depending on how you hold the magnet, so you can easily achieve a contrasting effect on each nail.

The formula of the polish is very thick and somewhat gloopy, but I suppose it's necessary to create the best effect possible. 

The lovely blue colour creates an effect akin to ocean waves, and to really appreciate the beauty of it, you need to move your nails around under the light. As far as quick and easily achieved nail art goes, this is my favourite of all I have tried. It's incredibly simple, anyone can do it themselves at home, and at £6 a bottle, it's also really affordable.

Manicure Monday: Princess Nails - 17 Lilac Storm and OPI Teenage Dream

It's my first ever proper post, and I'm cheating already. I know I said I wasn't really going to feature the more expensive nail polish brands, but I was given an OPI mini as a gift, so it still falls into my under £10 category.

This manicure is the exact opposite of what I normally wear. Baby pink is really not my thing. Normally, I wear darker colours, though more and more brights and pastels have been sneaking into my collection.

I bought Lilac Storm from 17 when Boots had a special offer on. Despite the name, and how it looks in the bottle under some lights, it is definitely very pink. It looked like it had a really nice shimmer in the bottle, so I thought I'd give it a try. It sat in amongst my other pinks for quite some time, and I had intended to use it for a water marble manicure. But then I looked at Teenage Dream, and thought they would go perfectly together.

The formula of Lilac Storm is awful. It's very sheer, and after three coats it was somewhat streaky. If I wasn't planning to add Teenage Dream on top, I probably would have given up on it, and used something else instead. But, I persevered, and once I added a coat of Teenage Dream, the streaks were unnoticeable.

By the time I was finished, I felt like a 90s prom dress. Baby pink is definitely not my thing, but I have to admit, even I don't hate it. Who can resist sparkles?