Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover

I spotted Bourjois's Magic Nail Polish Remover during a 3 for 2 sale in Boots so I thought that I would give it a go. I actually really like it. I used it to remove my leopard print nail polish and both my hands were done in a few minutes. It does take longer than the 1 second per nail theory which is stated on the front of the tub but saying that it was very quick indeed. I think I had all my polish off in less than 5 minutes which is a new record. It is similar to the Nails Inc remover I have already reviewed and I have concluded that these removers work best when you have just got plain polish on with a base and top coat - glitter polish and feathers will take longer and will mess up the inside of your polish remover.

The Bourjois polish remover has impressed me and I think I would definitely buy it again - fingers crossed for more 3 for 2 offers in Boots. It retails for £4.99 which I think is quite reasonable for the effort it saves you. Also, it contains almond oil which is left on your nails at the end of the polish removal process. Therefore, you don't have to go and apply nail oil yourself. So, it is a kind of 2 in 1 product which is a bonus. 

Leopard Print Nails Guide

Recently I decided to try painting a leopard print pattern on my nails by hand. I think I have been pretty successful! If I can do it then so can you and it looks super cute.  You will need base coat, a background nail polish colour, a different colour for your spots, a nail art pen or brush with black nail varnish, dotting tools & top coat.  Here's a step by step guide as to how I did it: 

1) Apply your favourite base coat

2) Paint all of your nails with two coats of your chosen background colour and leave to dry-I left mine for an hour.

3)Then use your dotting tool and your other chosen nail polish to paint        spots which are long in shape rather than round dots like you would do for a polka dot effect. I placed a blob of polish onto a piece of kitchen foil to dip my dotting tool into. Your polish will tend to get thicker as it dries in the air while you are dotting. You will need to keep replenishing the polish you will be dipping your tool into otherwise your spots will not look very nice.

4)Leave these spots to dry for about 15 minutes.

5)Take your nail art pen or brush (I used the Models Own nail art pen/ brush combo but only used the brush part) and carefully paint a black border to the spots that you have made. I did mine by taking it one side at a time. I left some of the spots borders not completely joined up. You could also make your black border lines more wavy rather than smooth to emphasise the leopard print. I found doing my right hand more challenging as my left hand kept shaking but if you persevere and concentrate it turns out well. I found that the Models Own nail art varnish would go a big stringy due to the length of time it was exposed to the air while I was painting.

6)Leave your animal print pattern to dry properly.

7) Apply top coat very gently over your leopard print nails or you may find that your leopard print pattern will smudge if you accidentally drag your brush over it with too much pressure.

I used Nails Inc's Caviar Base Coat, Nails Inc's Royal Botanical Gardens as my background colour, Models Own's Sophie's Pink for my spots, Models Own's black nail art pen and Revlon Quick Dry Top Coat. You can buy a pack of 5 differently sized dotting tools from Amazon for about £2.00.

I love how this has turned out. Have you tried leopard print nails before? Let me know how you got on.

Nails Inc's Caviar Top & Base Coat

Unfortunately, I am not overly impressed with Nails Inc's Caviar Top Coat. It does not provide that much gloss to your nails. It does dry quite quickly but there are definitely better top coats available. It is rather disappointing for its price.

However, I really like the Caviar Base Coat. It glides on to your nails really nicely. It has a great consistency and the classic Nails Inc brush which I love. When applied it has a clear but warm pink colour which gives your nails a healthy glowing look. Once it is dry it's shiny surface is great for painting your nail polish onto. I now use it under all of my polishes and it is really good.

If you have tried them before let me know what you think of them.

Essie Nail Polish Haul

Recently I bought my first ever Essie polishes.  I had never heard of this brand until I saw Lilly Pebbles, Anna from Vivianna Does Make up and Hannah (snowdrop85) talking about the brand on YouTube. I am so glad I decided to give Essie a go as I have been pleasantly surprised and quite impressed.

I bought the "IT" polish Mint Candy Apple which is a lovely pastel mint colour which I love and I can see why many other people do to. It's not too bright and its not too dull. It's just perfect.

Tart Deco is a pastel peach colour which again I really like. It goes really well with my skin tone and reminds me of spring. It is probably my favourite.

Lapiz of Luxury is a pastel blue colour which is so pretty.

Lilacism is a pale lilac which I was not sure if I would l like it but it is actually much nicer than I thought it would be. I have worn it under Nails Inc's graffiti polish and it looked great. It is quite a pale shade of lilac and not one I have seen anywhere else.

Bikini So Teeny is a pastel lilac with a shimmer through it.  Although when it is on your nails you don't really notice the shimmer it just looks like a pastel lilac.

Essie polishes are thicker than i thought they would be which is great. You only need to use two coats of your chosen Essie polish and your nails are perfectly opaque. I am now obsessed with their pastel colours and so glad I bought them. I have not been able to find such unique pastel colours from anywhere else so far. They have a great selection of colours. I ordered mine from Superdrug as I could not find Essie polishes in my local Boots or Superdrug stores. 

Some people say that Essie polishes don't last very long without a top coat. If I don't wear a top coat I find that any nail polish just chips away much more easily.  Therefore, I think it is really important that you wear a top coat if you want polish to last. I don't think that Essie polish is worse at chipping than any other polish and actually I have found it very hard wearing.

I was a bit worried about whether this polish would live up to the hype  but now I understand why people rave about it. 

An added bonus with the polishes that I bought is that these pastel colours are a perfect match to the new Nails Inc Feather polishes so you can wear them together to create such a cute spring look.

I now understand why everyone has been going on about the brush on the Essie range which is available at Boots and Superdrug. It is quite wide so provides great coverage and very smooth application.

Overall, I am very happy with my Essie purchases. Does anyone have any other Essie polishes that they would recommend?

Nails Inc's Kensington Conditioning Hand Lotion

At Christmas I got two free gifts from Nails Inc with two of my orders which included two generously sized 50ml tubes of Kensington Conditioning Hand Lotion.  I have never religiously moisturised my hands until now which is really really bad.  It was such an awesome free gift - it also came with four mini polishes.  My hands were really dry from the cold winter days so I started using my free hand lotion and obviously really liked it as I am blogging about it.  I think what makes it even better is that it was a free gift. I use it every night before I go to bed. They have got me hooked and I will be buying more. It definitely nourishes your skin. Totally what I need seeing as I use so much nail polish remover. Plus it is still wintery even though it is meant to be spring and my hands get really dry from all the manual labour I do at work as well as the amount of time I subject my poor hands to anti bacterial hand gel. 

I know that many beauty bloggers have found amazing types of hand cream but I wanted to write about this one as I am a huge fan of Nails Inc and their quality products. This is especially brilliant as it was a free gift. 

Nails Inc's Feather Polish

Nails Inc's latest offering of polish has definitely not let me down. I love the pastel colours used in their new Feather polishes. The mixture of the different colours of feathers is ingenious. I received the Feather polishes and a couple of Essie polishes on the same day and noticed that three of the Feather polishes totally matched with three of my new Essie polishes. I used my new Feather nail polishes over my new Essie polishes and it looks awesome.

I have purchased four of the Feather polishes because I love them so much but Nails Inc have just brought out a fifth Feather polish called Brighton which I will hopefully get at some point.

The first of the four Feather polishes that I have is called York which is a mixture of peach and white feathers. I think this is my favourite Feathers polish just because I am loving peach right now. I have worn it over Essie's Tart Deco and it looks awesome.

Chester Feather polish is a mixture of blue, peach and yellow feathers which is crazy cute. I wore it over Essie's awesome Mint Candy Apple which I love. I am obsessed with mint this year. Chester Feathers over it is just an awesome combination - there is not much more to say other than the word "awesome"!

Edinburgh Feathers is made up of a mixture of peach and pastel blue feathers. I wore this polish over Essie's Bikini So Teeny and again it looks lovely and feathery.

The fourth Feather polish I have is Cornwall Feathers and it is a mixture of deep blue and white feathers. I wore this over Essie's Bikini So Teeny and also tried it over white. You could try it over Nails Inc's Baker Street polish. 

Some people have complained that the polish can leave your nails jagged which can result in your nails catching on your clothes. When I applied the Feather polish I was aware that this could happen so I made sure that any of the feather particles that were pointing over the tips of my nails were smoothed and pushed back with my finger tips.

In my opinion these polishes are much nicer than the loose flecks  of feathers found in Bling it on Feathers and Bling it on Midnight which can fray.

These Feather polishes are unfortunately quite difficult to clean off but  I was expecting that. I think that the effort of removing this polish is worth it for the pretty spring like look that you get.

These pastel colours suit my skin tone really well. I really like the feather print bottle tops too.

I am looking forward to trying these Feather polishes over different colours. I would like to paint them over contrasting colours rather than matching ones. I think I may discover something pretty cool. These polishes are versatile as you can wear them over other colours or just layer them over themselves. I am now quite excited about spring and summer - if we ever get out of winter that is! 

Which of the Feather polishes is your favourite? Have you tried their latest Feather polish called Brighton?

Nails Inc's Sprinkles Polishes

I have now tried all of Nails Inc's Sprinkles polishes. At first I only bought two out of the four but then decided that I liked them so much that I would invest in the other two. 

The first Sprinkles polish that I bought was Topping Lane which is a baby pink polish with purple,light pink and deep pink glitter. My mum became such a fan of it that she kept using my polish and was attracting many compliments from shop assistants so she made me order her a bottle of her own.

The second Sprinkles polish that I got was Pudding Lane which is a bright blue/turquoise polish with navy and golden green glitter. This polish has combined bright colour and glitter sprinkles well.

I then purchased the remaining two Sprinkles polishes. Sweets Way lives up to its name - it is really sweet and super cute. The base of the polish is a milky white/pink colour. The glitter sprinkles in the polish are light pink, deep pink and bright blue. My friend told me she had many people admiring her nails when she wore this polish. This effect does make your nails stand out as being different but in a subtle way.

Sugar House Lane is the fourth Sprinkles polish and it is a taupe colour with black and silver glitter. This polish would look really cute with a monochrome outfit. It is pretty sophisticated but at the same time unusual. 

These polishes all look amazing on your nails.  As they are not just flat colours they are really interesting and therefore they are right up my street.  The colour choice is great - very sweet like cupcake icing. I am loving the little cupcake pictures on the bottles. I have used two coats as I think this gives the best results but you may need three. Or you could try them out over different colours. I haven't tried that yet but I would like to see how it turns out.

Some of the glitter particles/sprinkles catch the light and some do not which provides the perfect mix of cupcake sprinkles and glamour.  These polishes are different without being too in your face so if you are looking for something more subtle then these are great. 

The Sprinkles polishes are very impressive indeed. I am aware that they have been out for a while but for anyone who has just discovered Nails Inc they are worth a try. I am sure you will get lots of compliments. 

Let me know what your thoughts are on these polishes! :)

Nails Inc's Overglaze Topcoats

The Overglaze glitter top coats

I first saw Nails Inc's Overglaze top coats on another vlogger's YouTube channel (Hannah - Snowdrop85).  You should go and check her out!  When I was looking for info about whether or not to buy Nails Inc products I watched her videos and read her blog. She is a fellow Nails Inc obsessive.  She had one of the gossip girl sets that I wish I had known had existed as they looked so cool.  They used to do three sets of these - now they only make two Overglaze topcoats.  So I have totally missed out on a cool blue one.  Nails Inc now sell them as two individual polishes which are called The Donmar and The Wyndham. The Donmar is a golden, red and green colour and it changes colour like a chameleon when the light hits the flecks of glitter at different angles. The Wyndham is more of a green colour which does at some angles have a hint of blue - though it is not as prominent as I would have liked.  

You are meant to wear them over dark colours like black, dark green and dark purple.  I have tried them over Black Taxi which is Nails Inc's famous black polish.  It is so good on its own. It has a totally patent finish. You could wear it with probably just one coat and a top coat - it is really thick and covers well. As with all Nails Inc polishes it applies really well and is hard wearing. These Overglaze polishes look great over it.

I can't decide which one I like more. They are both pretty cool and they make your nails look really special and different to most other glitters and effects. They change colour everytime the light hits them. The flecks of glitter are unique as they are all different shapes and sizes. It is almost as if they are like flecks of gold leaf instead of glitter. Also, once dry these polishes are smooth unlike most glitters.  I really love these.  These polishes make quite an impact and yet they are fairly understated. Definitely worth buying one of them to try it out as it won't disappoint you! So glad I've discovered them.

Please let me know if you have tried the Overglaze polishes or if there are any other brands you would recommend?

Nails Inc's Express Nail Polish Remover

Nails Inc's Express Nail Varnish Remover was the first express nail varnish remover in a tub that I had ever come across. Recently I have found out that Boots stock brand name express varnish removers in the same format. I was really impressed with Nails Inc's version though.  I was sceptical at first as I had never tried anything other than normal nail varnish remover. Again I was very pleasantly surprised.  

It costs £6.99 (rather pricey I know!!) and is basically a sponge that is saturated with nail varnish remover inside a tub.  You place each finger individually into the tub and twist your finger so that the sponge rubs off your varnish. It does indeed work fairly quickly even on glitter. You sometimes need to give the edges of your nails where they meet with your skin a bit of a wipe to get any varnish off that the sponge could not reach.

The varnish remover has a really nice smell - it's not the normal strong chemical smell. Plus I think there is something in it that kind of moisturises your skin. It is much nicer than normal remover.

The only down side to this remover is that if you use dark colours all the time when you dip your fingers in it can stain them a bit. But it comes off quite easily once you have washed your hands a few times and if you wanted you could get some remover on cotton wool and gently wipe it off of your skin. Some might argue that this defeats the purpose of the express remover. Also, the glitter obviously stays in the tub if you use glitter polish. My advice would be to have one that you use to remove your colours and one that is solely for glitter polish.  I have been trying to get my paws on another one so I can do just this but they have been sold out for ages. Sad times. I will be using some of my Nails Inc VIP points again to buy it as it is rather expensive.

Over all I think this product is worth the money as a special treat and is perfect for avoiding getting in a mess with lots of bits of cotton wool soaked in remover. You finger tips stay free from all the fluff that comes along with cotton wool too.  I love the bright pink tub it is packaged in- its really cute.

I think Nails Inc's Express Nail Varnish Remover deserves a 9/10.

Does anyone know of any other express nail polish removers that they would recommend or that are more affordable? 

Nails Inc's Soho Street Polish

I think I have discovered one of the most amazingly brilliant polishes ever.  It can be described as stunning. Nails Inc's Soho Street is a multi coloured glitter polish and it is one of the best polishes I have ever come across. I got it in The After Party set as a Christmas present.  I have worn it over Black Taxi and it looks great but I think you could wear it over red too.

The glitter particles consist of gold, red, blue, purple and green. There are various different sizes of glitter which adds to how ace it looks.  The coverage is amazing. You could wear it on its own with two or three coats. When I wore it over Black Taxi I only used one coat. Many people noticed how amazing it was including our mail guy at work. 

Nails Inc have branded it as party glitter but I have worn it to work a few times. Once it was snowing quite heavily and it was taking ages to get to and from work. Whenever I felt tired and depressed due to the weather I would look at my colourful glittery nails.

If you can get your hands on this I would highly highly recommend it. I have a feeling that it may have only been out for Christmas but you might be able to find it on websites such as John Lewis or Debenhams who seem to have some of Nails Inc's older stock. Maybe even EBay!

Let me know what your favourite glitter polish is or if you have tried Nails Inc's Soho Street polish? :)

Nails Inc's Baker Street Polish

Nails Inc's Baker Street is an awesome bright cobalt blue polish.  You might have seen it publicised as being worn by celebrities like Beyonce.  It is one of Nails Inc's most well known nail polishes.  

I love how bright it is when it is on. You only need two coats to make sure the finish is perfect and it is fairly shiny even without a top coat.  Although, I would always recommend wearing a top coat if you want to your chosen nail polish to last more than a few days without chipping.

This colour is so cool, it can totally brighten up an outfit and is just really nice to look at through the day when you are fed up at work.

I have tried it with glitter on top and it looks great. In the photo below I used Nails Inc's Electric Lane Holographic Top Coat to add some sparkle. You can buy this polish for £12.00 from Nails Inc.  Next I will be trying it with polka dots I think.

Some other bloggers/vloggers have said that these bright colours stain their cuticles but I have never come across that with any of the bright Nails Inc colours that I have worn.

If you want something bright that you will use again and again I think this is the polish for you. I am really loving blue nail varnish at the moment but I know some people like more muted neutral polishes. You can buy Baker Street from Nails Inc for £11.00. If you sign up to be a VIP customer you can get 10% off all of their products which is great!!!

Nail Polish -My First Blog Post

Hey!

This is my first ever blog post. I wanted to create a blog and a vlog about something that i totally love - nail varnish (and other nail related things). It is a way of brightening up your boring days at work which is why I personally love it! Plus it it much cheaper than buying new clothes and certainly takes up less space.

Over the past few months I have come across so many awesome new products and brands that I didn't even know existed before. I have had so many compliments about my nails with these new things that I have discovered so I would like to share them all with you. When I was trying to decide which products I would like to try and whether they were any good I relied on reading people's blogs and watching their reviews on YouTube. It was through these that I found so many of the new products that I now love (well new to me - pretty sure they have been around for ages, especially in England and maybe even Glasgow).

One important point, which I consider my unique selling point (hehe), is that I am from Scotland.  Up here we don't have as large a choice of anything compared to what you have in London or even just England.  That applies to both shops and products.  A few months ago I had never heard of Nails Inc and now I am actually their biggest supporter. I am like a walking advert for them.  They are ACE!!!  I discovered them through YouTube and I am so glad I did.  We only have a tiny Nails Inc section in our John Lewis which is why think I had never heard of them.  I went on their website and since then I have been hooked.  My love of colourful and sparkly nails went to the next level.  Therefore, I'd like to fly the flag for all the Scottish folk who have less access to all of the exciting brands and products compared to the rest of the UK.  Now don't get me wrong, I love Scotland, but we have a smaller population so naturally we don't have as much choice as there are less people.

So I'm hoping to make a blog and vlog that will appeal to all Scottish people, cos you get where I'm coming from, and I would like  everyone else to find it interesting too. I would like to aid other people's discovery of pretty nail polish etc in the same way that lots of enthusiasts have helped me. 

Please let me know if there are any types of nail polish that you would like me to review or any brands of nail polish that you think I should try! :)