Nail Polishes | Current Favourites

Here are a few of the nail polishes I've found myself reaching for a lot recently...

I really like the Maybelline Colour Show and Barry M Nail Paint polishes, especially as they are only £2.99 each. I've been loving blue (Cyan Blue 294) or green on my nails recently because I like how they make your hands look tanned in summer! I much prefer the formula of the Barry M Nail Paints to the Maybelline polishes but the colour range for both is brilliant.

I first tried one of the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paints a few months ago and really didn't like the formula. I used the shade Watermelon a couple of times and found it to be too thick and gloopy. So many people kept on raving about how amazing these polishes are so I decided to give them another chance and try one of the more summery shades. I'm still not a massive fan of the formula but I love the shade (Passion Fruit) and can see myself using it quite a lot because I do like the shiny effect it gives once dry. The Essie polish in Capri is one of my all time favourite polishes (I'm wearing it on my nails right now). I love the formula because Essie polishes are slightly thinner so I find them easy to apply and this colour in particular is just beautiful.

I got the bright pink nail polish on the left in a set from Boots at Christmas and love the colour. The Sinful Colours (Easy Going 300) is a recent addition to my ever growing nail polish collection and I really like it. I've never tried Essie's Fiji but had heard that this one is a great dupe and it's only £1.99! They started selling Sinful Colours in my local Boots a couple of months ago so I decided to pick one up and give it a try and I absolutely love the shade. The formula is a tiny bit on the runny side but I'd definitely recommend this brand because the quality is good for the price and the colour range is great. 

What summer shades have you been wearing on your nails? Got any favourite brands?



Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

On My Nails: Nails Inc Caramel & Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots

I love the Maybelline Colour Show Polka Dots in Chalk Dust. I haven't tried the L'Oreal Confetti Top Coat but i'm guessing they are similar. The reason I opted for the Maybelline one is because it's a bit cheaper and I now have a few polishes from the Colour Show range and i'm really pleased with the quality. I decided to try it over a neutral colour so used Nails Inc Caramel which I got free a while ago in Boots when I bought two bottles of Coke. I love it when they do deals like that as even though I do like the Nails Inc polishes I never want to spend £11 on a bottle. I love the neutral shade underneath the black and white polka dot effect, it reminds me of eggs. I think next time I use it i'll try it over some pretty pastel colours such as Barry M's Blue Moon.

I would definitely recommend the Colour Show Polka Dots, it dries really quickly, gives such a lovely speckled look and you only need to apply a couple of coats to get an even and eye-catching effect. 

There are two other shades which look really pretty, let me know if you have tried them or are a fan of the Chalk Dust polish too! 

I'm loving...Kiko Nail Lacquers

I first came across a Kiko Make up Milano shop when I was in Italy a couple of summers ago. What immediately drew me to it was the extremely neat rows and rows of make up that I could see through the shop window from down the road. I was expecting it to be some high end cosmetic store with ridiculous prices, but as I got closer I realised that this was my kind of shop. 

Firstly, they appeared to have every shade of nail polish going and secondly the price tag was way more reasonable than I was expecting. I stocked up on a couple of shades but managed to somehow restrain myself. I don't know what it is about nail polish but I feel like I can never have too many. 

I then discovered that Kiko also have stores in the UK when I came across one at the Westfield in Stratford. In the UK these nail polishes only cost £2.50 which is even cheaper than Barry M so I decided to pick up a few more shades. I'm so glad I did because I think I might even prefer them.

Last week I wore this pretty pale pink shade on my nails and it's my favourite out of the bunch. It lasted for about 4 or 5 days without chipping too badly which is pretty good, considering i'm ready to change my nail polish after about 3 days. I always struggle applying lighter colours because you have too put on a few coats before your nails look even. However, I only used 2 coats of this polish and managed to achieve a pretty even finish. I find that these polishes are the perfect consistency, dry quickly and teamed up with a top coat look really lovely.

They also have a wide range of mascaras which i'm a big fan of too. Let me know if you've tried any polishes from kiko or any of their other products! 

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

On My Nails: Ciaté Paint Pot Big Yellow Taxi

This is the only Ciaté nail polish I own and I don't love it but I don't hate it either. In the bottle, this shade (Big Yellow Taxi 074) looks amazing and don't get me wrong it also looks gorgeous on the nails too. But I think it's just a bit too bright for me. The consistency of the polish is pretty thick which almost made it difficult to apply. However, at the same time I do like how opaque it is as this means you only have to apply one or two coats. 

The thing I love most about these polishes is the packaging, the shape of the bottle and the tall handle for the brush. I am tempted to try some other shades that I might get more wear out of or maybe try a paler yellow, but the £9 price tag is what's holding me back. I could get two nail polishes from brands that I love for that price. Hmmm it's a difficult one! What do you think, are any of you fans of the Ciaté Paint Pots? Should I try one in more of an everyday shade ?

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.

On My Nails : Maybelline Color Show Pow Green

I have loved everything green recently, including nail polish. This weeks shade is Pow Green from the Maybelline Color Show range. This green is on the yellow side which is what I love about it and it’s brightness makes it a fantastic spring shade. I have applied two coats here but one would probably be enough and with a good top coat it doesn’t chip for a good 4-5 days. I now have three shades from the Color Show range and with a price tag of £2.99 I would definitely recommend picking one up if you can. 

Disclosure: The views expressed are based on my own experience.