NOTD #8 | Winter Tale |

Just as I jump feet first back into blogging I come back home and realise I left my camera at Uni. Fail! This won't stop me though so for this week the photos I upload will be taken on my phone. I know, not the best quality but it will do for now.

No7 'Winter Tale' is what I have on my nails today and it's actually quite a hard colour to describe. I would say it's a muted purple, grey, blue colour and that is one thing I love about some of the No7 nail varnishes, they are so original! Seeing as it's meant to snow in England tonight I think it's a very apt nail colour and I love it.

I find the No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colours to last for 5-7 days with a good top coat which is what I would expect for paying £6. Also, I normally get them when there is a 3 for 2 on No7 in Boots which is quite often. They dry fairly quickly and appear glossy when dried so I have nothing really bad to say about them.

Off I go now to sit by the fire and hope for snow tonight!

Nails of the Day #2

This is just a quick post showing you guys what I have on my nails today. It's Berry from Barry M and I featured it a couple of posts back in my favourite spring nail polishes. It's such an easy colour to wear as I find that it is subtle and really feminine. It took me two coats to achieve the colour below and has lasted for five days which I think is pretty decent for such a cheap brand!

Hayley xxx

Top 5 Spring Nail Polishes

Those eagle- eyed of you would have seen the title and expected a picture of five nail polishes not four however my first spring favourite is one that I have ran out of recently. It was a limited edition No7 polish in the colour Top Toes and even though it was a tiny 4ml bottle, I am rather impressed that I have actually finished a nail polish! The colour is a very natural, light taupe shade with no shimmer to it and I can safely say it is my all time favourite colour. It's appropriate for all year round and looks sophisticated on the nails giving off slightly different hues in different lights. If anyone can recommend me a similar shade based on my limited description please do not hesitate to comment below!

Anyway, on with the first polish in the picture above.. This infamous Barry M nail paint is in the shade #317 Blue Moon and looks almost matte however does in fact have really tiny blue shimmer throughout which is hardly noticeable. This shade is perfect for the spring as it fits the trend of pastels and makes blue a very wearable colour to sport on your nails. For an opaque colour two coats is necessary and I find it lasts a good four to five days with a good top coat which I think is pretty decent. 

My next pick of the bunch is another Barry M nail paint in #308 Berry. It's not at all a berry shade but more of a lilac which also fits in the the pastels trend. I find Barry M has an amazing colour range at a great price, the consistency and longevity on your nails isn't too bad either. Downsides of this brand include that some are hit and miss in terms of opaqueness with some having to apply 3 coats to create the desired effect. Also, the brush isn't for me. As I said in my 'Nails of the Day' post a few days ago, I prefer larger, flat brushes to apply my polish however these are small and thin.

I'll not go on too long about my next polish as I featured it in my last 'Nails of the Day' post which you can read here. Mango Madness by e.l.f. is the only bright colour I have featured but makes me happy whenever I look down at my nails and excited for the summer. All e.l.f. nail polishes are only £1.50 and great value seeing as this colour stayed on my nails for 5 days before a tiny chip appeared!

My last spring nail polish is Pinky Pure by No7 and I picked this up recently with a £5 off voucher that Boots give out when you make a purchase of £5 or more. Like Mango Madness and Berry there is no shimmer to the polish and it's the prefect pink to wear for a bit of subtle colour. It's really fast drying however a massive con is that you have to apply three or four coats to achieve an opaque colour. This makes the whole process of application really long as you have to wait til each coat is perfectly dry before applying the next or else it gets ruined easily. In saying this, the colour is lovely and does stay on your nails without chipping for a good six days if you're careful.

So that's my roundup of my favourite spring polishes, do you have any you'd like to recommend for me to try?

Nails of the Day #1

                                    

As I change my nail polish up fairly regularly I thought 'Nail of the Day' pics would be a nice and quick post that I could put up on weekends. Here I have on an e.l.f. nail polish in Mango Madness. By the swatches on the website I thought it would be more of a muted, coral colour but it is in fact a bright orange. This scared me for a while as I bought it a good 6 months ago and I felt it was more of a spring/summer colour. However, the other day I saw it in my collection and thought I would give it a go. The polish is really opaque and you could definitely get away with only one coat  but I always apply two just for good measure. All e.l.f. polishes are only £1.50 which is great value however as expected, they do not come without flaws. Personally I prefer thin, flat applicator brushes and these come with thin, circular ones (similar to Barry M) which is a bit of a downside. Also, they take fooooreveer to dry. I am not sure if it just this one because the two others that I own do not take as long which is a bit strange. If you can find a bit of time or a brilliant topcoat to seal the polish then I don't think you can beat the value for money.

My next post will be 'My Favourite Spring Nail Polishes' so keep your eyes peeled for that. Do you own any e.l.f. nail polishes? If so, which would you recommend?