Alice + Eliza for Marks and Spencer

This was another polish that I received for Christmas. I'm working through all the new loveliness...

Also pictured is the snuggly blanket my mum bought me :)

It's an unnamed polish. Now...this is a lovely colour, but I really had to work for it, haha. Horribly streaky formula, spiky brush, you name it. But, still, lovely colour! I used Essie basecoat, and a generous coat of Seche Vite topcoat. So, Marks and Spencer/Alice + Eliza, please work on your brushes and polish formula, because the colours are great, and the packaging is really sweet.


What do you think? Will you put up with spiky brushes for a good colour, or just choose something else?

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Blackberry

I got this polish for Christmas from a lovely friend, and I'm really impressed with it! It's a Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polish - supposedly they're very shiny without topcoat. It's true, they are very shiny, but I can't do without topcoat...

Please excuse my glittery cuticles! I'm dangerously low on nail polish remover. Anyway, this is two coats of the Barry M polish, over Essie basecoat, with Seche Vite topcoat.

I've begun to tire of my Seche Vite thickening so ridiculously, though. I have got Seche Restore, but it's just not the same. What do you all recommend for a high shine, quick dry topcoat that doesn't go all gungy in the bottle?


Thanks for reading!

Nails Inc Buckingham Street over Exposed Grey

I did a bit of a reverse glitter mani tonight. Normally I paint the tips of my nails, this time I went from the cuticle...

I really like the effect. It's not perfect but it looks nice in real life, stands out a lot more that in the photos. This Nails Inc glitter is really a gorgeous colour but I think it needs to be layered, it's suspended in a clear base so you wouldn't get far with it on it's own.

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat (still going strong, LOVE this stuff, it makes my nails so strong)
• Exposed - an unnamed polish in grey (2 coats)
• Nails Inc Buckingham Street glitter (sponged on)
• Seche Vite top coat

What do you think? Do you prefer cuticle glitter, or just on the tips of the nail?

Thanks for reading!

Nails Inc Aspen with Ciate Enchanted Rose

Another bright mani to show you tonight. I've gone back to brighter colours for some reason...

This is Nails Inc Aspen with an accent nail (ring finger) of Ciate Enchanted Rose, which was a limited edition colour for the Mini Mani Month calendar. I love Aspen, and it looks even nicer with a sparkly nail!

Nails Inc and Ciate are available at QVC HERE.

Two coats of Aspen, and two of Enchanted Rose, under Seche Vite topcoat. My basecoat at the moment is still Essie Trillionails, because I love it.

Do you like red polish?

Ciate Mini Mani Month Day 2 - Dangerous Affair and Day 5 - Cabaret

Just a quick one...I'm officially useless, I can't keep up with swatching every day!

So, here are days 2 and 5 of the Ciate Mini Mani Month!

The top picture is three coats of Dangerous Affair 013 - you know I love a classic red and this one is beautiful.

The second picture is three coats of Caberet 046, a fairly muted sort of purple. It's nice but not outstanding.

Both are with Seche Vite topcoat.


So I guess I need to amend my statement...I'll do my best to swatch the polishes as they come, but I'll probably end up doing the ones I like best ;)

Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle over Nails Inc Queensgate Mews

Here are tonight's nails...after struggling to foil off a Mirrorball glitter polish, guess what I went and put straight on...

Beautiful though, huh? It's two coats of Nails Inc Queensgate Mews, a deep red, with one coat of Deborah Lippmann Razzle Dazzle on top. As always, basecoat is Essie Trillionails and topcoat is Seche Vite.

There are so many Deborah Lippmann polishes I would love to try. This is the only polish I have, and I really love it. It's like ruby slippers...


What do you think?

Nails Inc, Models Own - Lazy Blogger! Also, La Roche-Posay

Wow I've been rubbish at blogging recently! I'd like to say that I've been busy doing amazing things, but I can't think of any (unless you count making forts out of the incredible huge box our new bed came in, more of which later...)

Anyway, I'm back, and as usual I have a few different manis to show you!

Nails Inc Chalk Farm with Models Own Freak Out!

Nails Inc Henrietta Street

Exposed in Mystic with Nails Inc Electric Lane accent

Nails Inc Berkeley Square with Butter London The Black Knight tips

Oh...and me in the box ;)

So, there's a catchup of all the nails I've worn recently. I promise to try and be good and upload as I go. You'll be pleased to see that I've shared a picture of me in the box too. Seriously, it's better than the bed!


Also, recently I've been using La Roche-Posay skincare as my skin has a bad time every winter (I was designed for warmer climes, without doubt) and it's really very good. Just thought I'd mention in in case you happen to be reading and suffering from the same problems as me - oily forehead and dry cheeks are the issue. Also, some really painful spots. I've been using La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo as well as their toner and Micellar water, and I've just ordered Effaclar K. So far, so good. My skin is calmer and smoother, and the spots have stopped flaring up. It's a big deal for me, as I have always had very good skin in the past, but now I've reached the grand age of 28, something has changed!


The recommendation came from Ruth Crilly at A Model Recommends, so I'm very thankful to her!


The only other thing I wanted to mention was that I'm very excited to start opening my Ciate Mini Mani Month calendar soon! I'll be blogging it as I go.


That's all for now - if anyone is interested in more details on the skincare, or the polish, just leave a comment below! Thanks for reading.

Nails Inc Motcomb Street

Tonight I used Nails Inc Motcomb Street. It was another Lucky Dip polish and I really like it.

This is two coats, over Essie Trillionails basecoat, under a coat of Seche Vite topcoat. It's the darkest of midnight blues, so dark that it looks black until you see it in good light. I was intending to stamp over this, but I had one of those stamping attempts where you mess up a single nail about a million times, so I gave up and left it as it is. It's kinda nice though, so shiny...


What do you think? Are you a fan of dark polish?

Nails Inc St Pancras, Heddon Street, Prince Albert Road, plus galaxy nails!

I have many manicures to show you! I've been lazy and not blogging much recently, but the nails always get done! I'm on a bit of a Nails Inc kick at the moment, having purchased a Lucky Dip from their WEBSITE again.


Here they are:

Nails Inc Heddon Street

Above: Nails Inc Heddon Street. This is one that I've shown you before, but I love it! It's so shiny and lovely. 2 coats.

Nails Inc Prince Albert Road

Above: Nails Inc Prince Albert Road. I just got this polish as part of a Nails Inc Lucky Dip. It's very hard to photograph but really nice. I would describe it as a dark purple with very fine silver particles. This is 2 coats.

Nails Inc St Pancras

Above: Nails Inc St Pancras. Another Lucky Dip polish. One of 'those' reds. Just perfect. Smooth, shiny and classic. 2 coats here.

Above: A third take on galaxy nails. These are a bit more muted than some of the ones that I've done before. I don't like them as much, but I guess they're okay. I might try some totally different colours next time. They don't take long at all, but they're quite effective. I was thinking about doing a tutorial, actually.

As always, these manicures all use a basecoat of Essie Trillionails, and a topcoat of Seche Vite.

So that's me caught up with the last few days worth of nails. I post them as I go on my Instagram (@shepaintshernails) but I should definitely try harder to blog them!


(Oh, and finally...hi Emma! Thanks for always reading.xx)

Nails Inc Chalk Farm, Models Own Indian Ocean

I felt like doing a bit of stamping last night, so here's what I came up with:

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Chalk Farm (2 coats)
• Models Own Indian Ocean (2 coats)
• Silver Konad M57 leopard
• Seche Vite topcoat

I quite like it. The silver Konad polish is really subtle, and I still love Indian Ocean for layering.

What do you think?

Ciaté Pom Pom

This is Ciaté Pom Pom and I love it! It's one of the extra items I received in my Selfridges Beauty Box. It's a bright, classic red which leans toward the orange side. The thing I like best about it is the application - it goes on like a dream, so smoothly. The picture is two coats with one coat of Seche Vite.

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Ciaté Pom Pom (2 coats)
• Seche Vite topcoat

Beautiful, right? I've asked my husband for the Ciaté Mini Mani Month calendar set for Christmas/late birthday present...so I might have a few more of these lovely minis to use soon.

What do you think? Will you splash out £38 on the Calendar?

Models Own Mirrorball Freak Out!

Okay, this is my new favourite from the Models Own Mirrorball Collection (yes, I'll probably say that about each one)

Accent nail only tonight, taking off a full glitter mani every night is more than my heart (or nails) can bear. But doesn't it look pretty?! The Nails Inc polish base is a duochrome so it's a lovely combination of purples and blues in general.

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Garrick Street (3 coats)
• Models Own Freak Out! from the Mirrorball Collection
• Seche Vite topcoat

So what do you think of this one? Definitely my favourite...

Models Own Mirrorball Boogie Nights

Here's the next Mirrorball Collection polish! This one is called Boogie Nights and I like it even better than the last!

This is layered over Nails Inc Montrose Place, and I love it! It's so sparkly and multicoloured, and application is pretty easy because of the new gel like finish.

Models Own even used the picture above on their Facebook page! (Click the link!) Thanks Models Inc!

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Montrose Place (2 coats)
• Models Own Mirrorball Collection in Boogie Nights (2 coats)
• Seche Vite topcoat

You can buy the Mirrorball Collection on the Models Own website HERE for a bargainous £20, or each polish separately for £5 a piece. They really are worth it. I've had so many compliments today.


What do you think?

Models Own Mirrorball Dancing Queen

So, here is the first of the Models Own Mirrorball Collection! My husband picked Dancing Queen for me to try first. I put it over Nails Inc Emerald Street because I felt like having proper green nails tonight!

It's kinda lovely. As usual, it's impossible to show the glitter properly in a photo, but there are all sorts of colours going on! It goes on very smoothly, suspended in a clear base, and isn't too tricky to place - I just brushed this on, no dabbing or selective placement.


I'm not looking forward to removing it though!

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Emerald Street (2 coats)
• Models Own Dancing Queen (1 coat)
• Seche Vite topcoat

I think it would also look amazing with a few coats for really spangly nails, but I like it like this too.

What do you think? Which one should I try next?

Nails Inc Berkeley Square and Models Own Purple Haze

Because I'm slightly addicted to sponged glitter tipped nails, here are some that I just did...

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Berkeley Square (2 coats)
• Models Own Purple Haze (sponged)
• Seche Vite topcoat (this took two coats to be smooth!)

What do you think? I promise to lay off the sponged tips soon. Maybe.

Barry M Berry Icecream and Models Own Indian Ocean

Tonight I went for a simple design. This is Barry M Berry Icecream with Models Own Indian Ocean sponged tips. It's tricky to photograph, as always!

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Barry M Berry Icecream (3 coats)
• Models Own Indian Ocean sponged on tips
• Seche Vite topcoat

I also noticed I'm very close to 100 followers here! I never expected to have so many followers after less than a year - thank you all. I also have a staggering 1645 on my Instagram account @shepaintshernails - I can't believe it! Definitely thinking about another giveaway...

Galaxy Nails Take Three!

Tonight I did Galaxy nails for the third time! I love doing them, and this time I used a lot more colour than I have before!

 

I used a lot of colours. Most of them can be found here: Galaxy Nails Take One, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments!

Nails Inc Heddon Street and Westminster, Selfridges Beauty Box

I've got a couple of manicures to show you tonight -

What I used:

• Essie Trillionails basecoat
• Nails Inc Heddon Street (2 coats)
• Konad Gold and M57 leopard print
• Seche Vite topcoat

And the second one:

What I used:

• Essie Trillionaire basecoat
• Nails Inc Westminster (2 coats)
• Nail Pop Pearl Effect topcot (2 coats)
• Seche Vite topcoat

I think the second one is my favourite, I love the Nail Pop topcoat!

Finally, I just wanted to see what you all thought about me maybe blogging some beauty products. I was lucky enough to order a Selfridges Beauty Box this morning, after a prolonged struggle with the website (it crashed about 20 times during the process!) and I'm thinking about reviewing some of the products once I've used them for a while. I have a really quite ridiculous beauty product collection on top of the nail polish collection! Anyway, would a beauty product post bore you, or would you be interested in reading it?

Rimmel Pro in Ultra Violet and Michael Kors MK5128

I'm back! You may not have noticed since my blogging is somewhat sporadic recently, but I've been on holiday. My husband and I went to Turkey to celebrate our first wedding anniversary, it was lovely.


My nails grew loads when I was away, or it feels like they did. I only painted them once while I was there (is that weird? I just can't leave them!) Here's a picture from the day before I went, with newly trimmed nails:

Barry M Pink Flamingo

And here are the pictures I took today:

As you can see, I got a tan hehe. You can also see how much they've grown in 12 days! I think I'll trim them again tomorrow actually.


What I used:

• Essie Trillionails nutritional formula as a base coat - I like this a lot
• Rimmel Pro in Ultra Violet (2 coats)
• Nails Inc Culford Gardens for random dots
• Seche Vite topcoat

Just quick and easy nails today! Also, because I'm a lucky lady, here's a picture of my anniversary gift from my husband:

He bought me a Michael Kors watch (MK5128 I believe) I've wanted one of these for ages, and I'm so happy with it! It's rose gold and lovely. He even snuck my old watch into the jewellers and had it resized so it was perfect when I opened it.


That's all for now! If you want to see any holiday pictures, I'm on Instagram as @eternallife_

Nails Inc New Burlington Place and Lucky Dip

It's a bit of a bumper post today - I bought Nails Inc Lucky Dip again so I've swatched the first one, and I did my friend Katie's nails for her tonight!


First, the Nails Inc Lucky Dip. It's possibly the best one I've had so far...

L-R: New Burlington Place, Westminster, Old Park Lane, Paddington, Chelsea, Culross Street


£15 for all of these beauties!

I couldn't resist New Burlington Place - it looks so beautiful in the bottle, and it doesn't disappoint when it's on!

  

What I used:

• Essie Fill The Gap basecoat (2 coats)
• Nails Inc New Burlington Place (2 coats)
• Seche Vite topcoat

This polish goes on so nicely. It's incredibly shiny and eyecatching - I LOVE it. I'm looking forward to swatching the rest of them!



Next up, a mani I did the night before:

This is Exposed in Spontaneous with Nails Inc Privileged topcoat.


Here are the nails I did for my friend Katie tonight:

What I used for these:

• Essie Fill The Gap basecoat (2 coats)
• Nails Inc Elizabeth St Caviar (2 coats)
• Konad Black Polish and plate M71
• Seche Vite topcoat

I was really pleased with these, and I'm happy that Katie likes them!

Finally, here's the new ring I got from River Island for £4! I love it!

Loads of pictures! What do you think? Which Nails Inc polish what would you like to see swatched next?