SensatioNail in Kitten Heel

So...something new for the blog. I decided to try gel nail polish at home. At the moment, I'm painting my nails almost daily, and I wanted to see if I could maybe try gel and do it just once a week or so. Plus, the idea of nails that chip less easily is appealing. I looked around for a while, and came across SensatioNail. I spent my birthday money on the Super Deluxe starter kit, and it arrived today (two days later!)


The process was much easier than I had hoped. You need only to lightly buff the nails, clean each nail with the gel cleanser (which I guess is rubbing alcohol) apply a layer of primer (I just applied this around the edges of my nail as I hear it makes for easier removal) apply a basecoat and cure for thirty seconds, then apply two thin layers of colour, curing for sixty seconds after each. The whole lot is finished with the topcoat, which is then cured for thirty seconds. The weirdest part is removing the moisture layer that makes the nail feel sticky - basically, you rub your fresh manicure with alcohol and feel like it's going to smear all over the place. It doesn't, of course...weirdest sensation. The feeling of having newly done nails but no fear of smearing, denting or otherwise ruining them is really quite nice. The whole process took me about 45 minutes.

My first SensatioNail set up!

SensatioNail in Kitten Heel

 As you can see, I went for a lovely pink for my first attempt. Kitten Heel seemed almost perfect in two coats. My left ring finger shows a tiny bit of visible nail line, but this is likely due to an inconsistent thickness in the layer of polish. I was worried that painting with gel polish would be somehow different, but it was more or less the same as standard polish. The gel goes on smoothly and the brush was the perfect size for me - not one of those wide monstrosities I can't stand! I also managed to get a fairly decent cuticle line, and I suppose that this can only improve as I get used to the process. When I was researching gel polish, one of my main concerns was removal, so I intend to do a removal post when I take it off.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first attempt, and I can't wait to try more of the colours!



Thank you for reading!



*all products purchased by me! I have no affiliation with SensatioNail or Nailene.

Superdrug 2true Colour Quick Shade 19

Today I have to show you a new polish. It's a beauty...

This is 2true Colour Quick in Shade 19. Now, I've got to admit, when I saw the 'New Flat Brush' on the bottle, my heart sank a little. I hate those huge, wide flat brushes that are supposed to easily cover the nail in one sweep. I don't WANT to cover my nail in one brush stroke, it's messy. Besides, I have really small nails. But thankfully, this brush isn't one of those...it's really nice, just a little flatter to make the cuticle easy to get close to. Top marks.

The formula is also pretty spot on. For such budget polish, it's lovely and smooth, and this was perfect in two coats (over Models Own base coat, and under Seche Vite topcoat) It dries suprisingly fast. Overall, I'm really impressed. Obviously, the best bit is the colour. This is a beautiful pink, and I have a lot of pink polish. It's bright enough to stop it being old fashioned, and very eye catching. I'm a fan.

My only slight grumble, is the tall thin bottle. It teeters alarmingly if you're not careful when wiping the excess off on the neck of the bottle. If I wasn't being careful I would have knocked it over for sure. I prefer standard, slightly more stable bottles. But, only a small gripe, I shouldn't be so clumsy.

Available exclusively at Superdrug stores or HERE priced at a splendiferous £1.99. I'll be getting more shades.



*press sample

Long overdue catch up AKA Mega Blog Entry

Well hello. As my own version of a Constant Reader, the lovely Emma, pointed out, I haven't blogged since May. May! I hang my head in shame. Honestly though, I wasn't feeling like it, and I said all along (to myself, obviously, no one else cares) that if I didn't feel like blogging, I wouldn't. I go to work enough, I don't want blogging to turn into a chore.


Anyway, despite the fact that I've been quiet for so long, I have still been doing what I do best - my nails, and so I've got quite a few manis to share. Here's a selection of my favourite from the time that I've been gone...

  [Above] The gorgeous Nails Inc Copacabana. This one saw me through large part of our holiday in Turkey, it's a bright and beautiful coral.      

  [Above] Barry M Gelly Shine in Greenberry, with Models Own Indian Ocean on top! Proving once again that Barry M make beautiful nail polish for bargainous prices.       [Above] Nails Inc Basil Street. I wore this uncharacteristically plain colour for a fancy dress party. I was dressed as Clark Kent, and he doesn't usually wear nail polish.      

  [Above] Color Club in Pardon My French. This is BRIGHT. Retina searingly bright, though that clearly doesn't translate to the picture. I love it. Perfect formula, gorgeous colour.         [Above] Exposed in Grey with China Glaze Fairy Dust on top. Who doesn't love a good holo? Fairy Dust is one of the finest, most holo of all. It's lovely. 

[Above] Rimmel London Cocktail Colours in Baby Bellini. This is so pretty. The only downside is the one coat claim. Not true. This is three coats - one coat is very, very thin. I want this whole collection though, the colours are gorgeous. 

  [Above] And finally, of course, a bit of leopard print Konad stamping. Barry M Pink Flamingo with black Konad polish and plate m57.       I think that should just about do it! It's good to be back.

Nails Inc Knightsbridge Green

Here's another of my Lucky Dip polishes:

This is Nails Inc Knightsbridge Green, and it's lovely. However, and I want you to know this so much that I'm going to shout it. USE A BASECOAT. Use two. Seriously. I double basecoat my nails and they were unbelievably stained when I removed this polish. I looked like an extra from The Walking Dead. It is the stainiest polish I've ever used (yeah it's a word) My basecoat was Nails Inc Kensington Caviar, and topcoat was Seche Vite.

Beautiful colour though, it got a lot of compliments.


What do you think? Is it worth the zombie nails afterwards?

Nails Inc Draycott Place

This is the first of my Lucky Dip polishes, Draycott Place, and what a beauty. It's eye-searingly bright in the sun (woo, sun!) but this is the best picture I managed to get today. It's the kind of colour I want to wear on the beach, with a tan!

It looks much more dull here...Also, the bottle is covering the spot where I cut the palm of my hand with a breadknife (I'm an idiot) It stings when I wash my hair, haha.


This is two coats, with Seche Vite topcoat. What do you think?