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Posts tagged Nail of the Day
NOTD: Maybelline Colour Show ‘Purple Dazzle’
1
7 years
by Naomi in Nails
I didn’t get many beauty related gifts for Christmas, but one of my friends did give me this beautiful nail varnish as part of my Secret Santa present. The varnish is from Maybelline’s Colour Show BE Brilliant collection, which features four limited edition glitters for Christmas 2014.
The shade I have is called ‘Purple Dazzle’, and consists of purple, pink, blue, gold, and green glitter, both large and micro flakes, in a sheer purple base varnish.
The glitter looks stunning in both indoor and outdoor light. Indoors the pink really dominates, which looks really pretty, but once outdoors the varnish really comes alive, and all the other colours shine through.
The swatch below shows one coat of the glitter worn over one layer of Nails Inc ‘Wigmore Street’, which is a pretty close match to the base colour of ‘Purple Dazzle’, but more opaque. I chose to apply it this way to avoid layering the glitter too much, as it would make it harder to remove. However, like this, it’s easy to remove with a standard nail varnish remover.
The varnish applies nicely, and doesn’t go on too thick even if you dab it on to give an even spread of glitter. It also dries smoothly, so there are no sharp pieces of glitter to snag on clothing.
In my experience, ‘Purple Dazzle’ lasts a couple of days without a top coat before chipping, which is decent, but it’s not the best glitter I’ve tried in terms of staying power.
Overall this is a really lovely glitter, however I went to Superdrug today to pick up another shade and they no longer had it, so it’s very limited edition indeed! They did have a few bottles of another shade left though, so it’s worth checking your local store if you want one.
Naomi x
NOTD: Barry M Glitterati ‘Fashion Icon’
0
7 years
When it comes to nail products, Barry M are one of my favourite brands, so when they announced a flurry of new shades for Autumn/Winter 2014, I was incredibly excited! As well as adding new colours to their Gelly, Silk, Classic and Aquarium ranges, and releasing some gorgeous Christmas glitters, Barry M have also launched the new Glitterati collection. Glitterati features six ‘blinging’ glitter paints, and they really caught my eye when I first saw them on Instagram.
So far I’ve only picked up three shades from the new selection – Rockstar and Fashion Icon from Glitterati, and the new Aquarium Glitter, Atlantis. I’ll be posting about each shade individually over the coming weeks, plus any more that I end up buying, but today’s NOTD is Fashion Icon.
Blue and purple are two of my favourite and most worn colours, so I was immediately drawn to this beautiful shade. Fashion Icon has a purple base with a blue duochrome effect, and is packed full of micro glitter, some of which is holographic. I find this shade so mesmerizing as it looks different every time I look at it. It goes from electric blue to grape purple to bright violet in one movement, whilst all the time remaining strikingly sparkly.
All of my swatches show three thin coats, with no base coat or top coat, which I think looks great, but I bet it’d look just as gorgeous layered over a deep purple shade.
I’ve also found Fashion Icon to be impressively hard-wearing. Despite spending the whole day cleaning, unpacking boxes and generally being busy, my nails look just as good as they did when I first painted them.
I can really see this wonderful shade becoming one of my all time favourite glitters, and I can’t wait to swatch Rockstar to see if it’s as stunning as this one.
Barry M’s Glitterati nail paints cost £3.99 each, and are available in store and online from Superdrug and Boots, and online from Barry M.
Naomi x
Limited Edition British Summer Barry M Nail Paints
1
7 years
by Naomi in Nails
To celebrate the slow but sure arrival of the British summer, Barry M have launched two limited edition nail paints, exclusive to Superdrug. Both shades have a pastel bright colouring, which is very on trend this season, and a shimmer finish which looks stunning in the summer sunshine.
Promenade is a gorgeous pink shade, which is reminiscent of the candyfloss and sticks of peppermint rock that you find adorning the British prom. It’s such a happy colour, and really gets you in the mood for a fun day on the seafront!
Seaside, my favourite shade, is a glistening blue that brings to mind the sea and skies of a hot day in July. It’s so pretty, and I can just imagine a mermaid wearing this one.
As with all Barry M nail paints, Promenade and Seaside both apply like a dream, and dry incredibly quickly, which means more time outside enjoying the sun!
Barry M’s British Summer nail paints will be available in Superdrug, whilst stocks last, between 4th June and 1st July, and you can choose one for FREE when you spend £6! Which colour will you be snapping up?
Naomi x
*These Barry M Nail Paints were sent to me by Superdrug for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
NOTD: GOSH ‘Frosted Plum’
5
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
You may remember that at the beginning of January I swatched and reviewed a gorgeous glitter varnish from GOSH’s Frosted Sand collection, called ‘Frosted Purple‘. Well, it officially became one of my favourite varnishes of all time, and I couldn’t wait to add more frosted shades to my collection. In particular I was trying to get hold of ‘Frosted Plum’, but the only bottle in my local Superdrug for months was a damaged one. Then, earlier this week, I noticed that they had a few more in stock, and luckily for me all of GOSH’s varnishes were on offer for £1.99 each! Obviously I bought it straight away and applied it when I got home, so today I thought I’d share the swatches with you.
Like its purple counterpart, ‘Frosted Plum’ is a pleasure to apply, looks opaque in just one coat (although I applied two), and dries really quickly. It’s also rather hard-wearing, and stays put for a good few days without chipping, even without a base or top coat.
The best thing about it though is the colour. The base shade, as you’d expect, is a beautiful deep plum purple, but throughout it are flecks of gold, bronze and bright pink, which give it a brilliant depth. It looks absolutely amazing in the sun, and even indoors it still looks impressive. The glitter in this one is a lot more consistently sized than in ‘Frosted Purple’, and I think it looks a bit like a caviar manicure.
Indoors (with flash)
Outdoors
I’ll stand by my previous statement that GOSH’s Frosted Sand glitters are honestly the best glitters I’ve tried, and I will continue to add to my collection! I have my eye on a couple of their spring pastel shades, ‘Soft Blue’ and ‘Soft Green’, which are also currently £1.99 in Superdrug (reduced from £3.99).
Will you be buying any of GOSH’s frosted glitters?
Naomi x
NOTD: Primark Spotty Nail Polish
3
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
I’ve been wanting Illamasqua’s Speckled nail polishes ever since they were released, but at £14.50 each I just couldn’t justify buying them. Then, whilst queueing in Primark at the weekend, I spotted this Spotty nail polish, which is a dupe of Illamasqua’s Speckle – their discontinued speckled lilac shade. And the best part? Primark’s Spotty was discounted from £2 to just £1!
The polish has a creme base, and is crammed full of black glitter and micro glitter, which in the right light has a beautiful holographic sheen. The overall finish reminds me of a Cadbury Mini Egg, which is perfect for Spring and the run up to Easter! The polish has a smooth consistency and applies evenly, giving opaque coverage in two coats, but it takes a while to dry. Not ideal, but not really a problem if you’re not in a rush.
My only issue with the polish is that, when I first used it, lots of little air bubbles got trapped underneath (as you can see above), so it looked and felt a bit lumpy. It could’ve been due to the base coat I used though, so next time I’ll give it a miss to see if it makes a difference.
In terms of staying power, I wore this for three days before removing it, and by that point it had barely chipped at all. I imagine it would last for almost a week before starting to look scruffy.
Overall, this is a lovely, pretty polish, and I’m so pleased I finally have a speckled polish in my collection. I just wish I’d picked up the other shades too!
What do you think of my bargain find?
Naomi x
NOTD: GOSH ‘Frosted Purple’
5
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
Earlier this week I nipped into Superdrug whilst shopping with my mum, and whilst browsing the make up stands I spotted this gorgeous nail varnish by GOSH. Most GOSH varnishes usually retail for £3.99 each, but the range of ‘Frosted Sand’ glitters, which are very similar to OPI’s Liquid Sand collection, are currently discounted to £1.99. I was instantly drawn to this shade, ‘Frosted Purple‘, as the colour looked incredible in the bottle, so I snapped it up and couldn’t wait to get it home to try it out.
‘Frosted Purple’ is a simply beautiful colour, and is neutral enough to wear with just about anything. It’s a dark silver tone with a lilac tinge, and consists of two sizes of glitter – a very fine micro glitter, with larger flecks throughout. The varnish dries matte, which is quite unusual for a glitter varnish in my experience, and is textured like ‘frosted sand’. It feels slightly rough to the touch, but I’ve used far rougher glitters in the past.
Now, I know this is a bold statement to make, but I think this varnish is the best glitter varnish that I have ever owned/tried. It even beats my trusty favourite brands, Barry M and Models Own. Most glitters need layers and layers for full coverage, but not this one. My swatches show the coverage after just one coat. That’s right, ONE COAT! And it really doesn’t need any more than that, as it’s completely opaque. The formula is lovely too – very smooth and not at all gloopy, so you can actually brush it on (the brush is nice and wide, yay) rather than dab it on, as is usually required with glitters. It also dries very quickly for a glitter.
In terms of hardiness, I’ve been wearing ‘Frosted Purple’ for three days now, and the tips of my nails are just starting to show signs of wear. There are no chips or anything though. I can tell it’s going to be a pain to remove as it has the same texture as Models Own ‘Northern Lights’ and ‘Southern Lights’ which are really tough to get off, but it’s a small price to pay for such a high quality glitter.
EDIT: I was wrong! The varnish was actually really easy to remove with a normal nail varnish remover, and it barely took any soaking or rubbing to get it to budge. I’m very, very impressed.
I spotted four shades in the ‘Frosted Sand’ range, all of which are Toluene-free and Formaldehyde-free. ‘Frosted Silver’, ‘Frosted Gold’, ‘Frosted Purple’, and ‘Frosted Plum’, which I think is a new addition, and is next on my nail varnish shopping list! Will you be trying any? If so, get on down to Superdrug quick to take advantage of the £1.99 offer!
Naomi x
Orly Nail Lacquer – Swatches and Review
8
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
One of the first places I look when searching for a beauty bargain is Fragrance Direct, especially when it comes to nail varnish. In the past I have purchased Essie products from them for £1.99, and even OPI for £3.99, and last month they added another well-known brand to their site – Orly. Orly nail varnishes usually retail for £10.95 each, but Fragrance Direct are selling full-size bottles for just £3.99.
Fragrance Direct very kindly sent me four Orly shades to review, and after trying all of them out I can now share my thoughts, so here they are…
Velvet Rope / Moonlit Madness / Charged Up / Liquid Vinyl
Despite their different finishes, all four varnishes have a very similar formula. The consistency is smooth and, even though the brush is narrow, it applies easily, but the first coat always comes out slightly streaky. No matter how careful I was when swatching these, I couldn’t get the first coat to look right, and it was nowhere near opaque. Luckily, a slightly thicker second coat solved that issue, and the overall look was good. They also dry fairly quickly which is always a positive. They’re not quite 60 second varnishes, but they’re not far off.
When choosing the shades I wanted I struggled slightly as there are so many gorgeous colours in the range, but I’m really happy with the ones I settled for, and here they are…
Velvet Rope
As it’s my favourite colour, my nail varnish collection is overflowing with purples, but Velvet Rope is unlike any other I own. It’s a lovely violet purple with a shimmer finish, which is studded with particles of silver micro glitter. The overall effect isn’t quite ‘velvet’, but it’s really pretty, and despite the glitter is still easy to remove.
Moonlit Madness
I’m not always keen on red varnishes as a lot of them have an orange undertone which I really don’t like, but I love Moonlit Madness as it’s a bright cherry red, which I wore a lot over Christmas. It also gives the classic red nail a bit of a twist with a subtle shimmer finish.
Charged Up
Charged Up is my favourite of all four shades as it’s so beautifully vibrant and eye-catching, and in the right light hints of both pink and blue come through, as seen above. It also has a lovely creme finish. This is a great shade for Spring and I know I’ll be getting a lot of wear out of this one in the coming months.
Liquid Vinyl
I currently have three black nail varnishes – one from Primark, one by Barry M and this one, and this is by far the best. As the name suggests, Orly’s black is gorgeously fluid and looks stunning on. It has an incredible shine to it as well, and its high quality is just so obvious.
If you want to grab yourself some bargain Orly shades, just visit Fragrance Direct. Their standard delivery is only £1.99 too!
Naomi x
*These Orly Nail Lacquers were sent to me by Fragrance Direct for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
NOTD: George Quick Dry in Boom
6
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
Whilst getting something for dinner from Asda yesterday, I stopped by the cosmetics stands for a quick browse, and was pleased to find that the George nail varnishes were on offer for £1 each, down from £1.75. I can never resist a nail varnish bargain, so having read many positive reviews about the range I decided to pick up a shade to see whether they live up to the hype. The colour I settled for is called ‘Boom’, a brilliant blue with a glossy creme finish.
I’m happy to announce that George’s varnish completely lives up to the rave reviews. The brush is narrow, but it’s fairly long and the decently-sized lid makes it easy to control the application. The varnish applies smoothly, and gives amazing coverage even in one coat, but as always I applied two coats for a flawless finish. As you’d expect of a quick dry varnish, it dries incredibly quickly, and a day later it is still free of any smudges, dents, chips or scratches. It looks like it’s going to last a lot longer, too!
Here’s how it looks on the nails…
‘Boom’ is a gorgeous, bold shade that really catches the eye. The pigmentation of the varnish is incredible, and the colour has a real depth to it. I’ve always liked blues, but seem to be lacking in blue varnishes, so this is a great addition to my collection.
For such a budget range the quality of George’s quick dry nail varnish is very high, and if you’re a fan of nail products I recommend you try them if you can, especially as they’re currently only £1. I’ll definitely be going back to Asda to buy more! I spotted a lovely pink shade that I’ll be picking up next time.
Have you ever tried any varnishes from this range? What do you think of them?
Naomi x
NOTD: Jacava London Blueberry Muffin
4
8 years
by Naomi in Nails
Nail varnish is one of my favourite things to review, so when London brand Jacava gave me the opportunity to choose a colour from their collection to write about, I just couldn’t say no. After much deliberation I settled for Blueberry Muffin, that I received along with a Top Coat with UV Inhibitor which I wasn’t expecting, so that was a nice surprise.
Jacava are a 100% British brand who are vegan-friendly, cruelty-free, and never test on animals. They also boast the first 8-free polishes in the world (yes, that’s right, EIGHT-free), as they don’t contain Formaldehyde, Camphor, Toluene, DBP, Cellophane, Phthalates, Parabens or animal ingredients. So, right from word go, they’re a brand I’m happy to support, and luckily their products match up to their good name!
Top Coat with UV Inhibitors and Blueberry Muffin
Jacava’s packaging is simple but sleek, and the long, slim lids that their polishes come with are easy to grip which makes application effortless.
The polish itself has a silky smooth formula which gives surprisingly opaque coverage in one coat, but I like to apply two coats for a bolder, more intense colour. Perhaps the most stand-out aspect of Jacava’s polishes for me is how quickly it dries. It’s literally dry to the touch within a minute, and after five minutes it’s good to go. I even got my two pet rats out to play just after painting my nails, and they didn’t smudge at all. Just one word of advice. In my experience the top coat isn’t suitable as a base coat, and will make the polish peel off extremely easily. It stays put for a long time without a base coat, though, and looks gorgeously glossy with the top coat for an all round perfect manicure. Jacava’s website also states that the top coat’s UV Inhibitors keep white nail polish white for longer, which is a nice feature that I’ve never seen before, so worth investing in if you regularly wear pale shades.
Blueberry Muffin has a lovely creme finish, but is more of a pinky purple than a blue purple. Sort of a soft and dusky dark lilac. It’s an absolutely beautiful shade which reminds me of spring flowers and lightning skies all at once. I love it.
Click image for a closer look!
Jacava’s range features eighteen beautiful shades and several different finishes, including creme, metallic, shimmer and glitter. Every polish contains 22-carat gold for a nourishing, luxurious formula, and they cost just £14.50 each. I personally have my eye on Blackberry Fool, Marrakesh Nights, Midnight’s Secrets and Chillax! To view the full Jacava range click here, or find them on Feel Unique.
Which shade do you like best?
Naomi x
*These two nail polishes were sent to me by Jacava London for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Models Own Ice Neon in Pukka Purple
7
9 years
by Naomi in Nails
Models Own are one of my favourite nail varnish brands, mainly because they constantly come up with new and exciting colours and finishes, and they haven’t disappointed with their latest offerings for Spring/Summer. Last week, Models Own launched their Ice Neon and Fruit Pastel collections in Boots stores, and since I had a £10 Boots voucher to spend I decided to pick up a colour from each. I couldn’t wait to give them a go, and since we’ve been having a lot of snow lately I decided it would be fitting to use the Ice Neon varnish first, which is the one I will be reviewing today.
The Ice Neon collection features five shades – Bubblegum, Toxic Apple, Luis Lemon, Pink Punch and, the shade I own, Pukka Purple. Each shade is intensely fluorescent, and comes packaged in a frosted glass bottle which is intended to be stored in the fridge, in order to preserve the vibrancy of the varnish.
As with every other Models Own varnish that I’ve ever tried, Pukka Purple has a wonderful creamy consistency and applies effortlessly thanks to the easy grip lid and long brush. The varnish is very opaque, and looks flawless after just one coat, but I still find it necessary to apply two coats in order to intensify the colour. It also dries impressively quickly – within a few minutes of application I was able to go about my business without any worry of smudges or dents.
All of the Ice Neon varnishes have a matte finish (which may explain why it dries so quickly, as mattes tend to in my experience), but can be made shiny with a gloss top coat. Unlike some matte varnishes, this one applies well over a base coat, so there’s no need to worry about staining. Though I love the matte finish of Pukka Purple (which is still a little bit shiny, but not in a glossy way), I did find that it didn’t last too well without a top coat. Within a day my nails were showing wear at the ends, and after two days the varnish was chipping. Not ideal, but the amazing colour makes up for the poor lasting power.
Pukka Purple is an absolutely beautiful indigo purple, and is unlike any other purple varnish that I own (and I own a lot!) I’m not usually a fan of neons as I think they can look quite tacky, but this has the bold brightness of a neon colour but manages to remain classy with its matte finish and blue undertone. It’s definitely an attention grabber, and has brought me many compliments over the last few days!
Overall, despite its tendency to chip easily, Pukka Purple is a stunningly unusual varnish and boasts Models Own’s characteristic high quality formula. A definite must if you’re looking for something a little bit different and on trend this season. All of the Ice Neon collection is available online, individually or in a box set, and can be found in Boots stores around the country. At £5 each (or £20 for the set) they are kind on the bank account too, and worth every penny.
Check back later this week for my review of Grape Juice from the scented Fruit Pastel collection.
Naomi x
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