Nails of the week – blue/green metallic

I came across the Andrea Fullerton range at Superdrug, on the same day I bought the Studio eye pencil set. I had never heard or seen them before, and they looked very attractive – from the packaging to the variety of products. The colours were particularly exciting, the combos looked great, it really had that “nail art” at home things going.

I was immediately drawn to the Trio Colour Layering System nail polishes, and fell in love with Rain Fall. The idea is that you can wear each colours individually or  layer both for different effects. At 7.99, I decided it was worth a go, as the colour in the bottle was mesmerising – a metallic teal solid colour and a sheer iridescent blue/purple, shimmery and with green soft glitter flakes.

Application was ok. The teal nail polish is very thin, so coverage wasn’t great. I decided against applying two coats, as I would end up with more than my usual two or three (maximum – I hate thick polish!) coats in total. The sheer varnish was also easy to apply, and quite smooth considering the flakes. One coat didn’t impress me, so I applied a second one. I dried quite smooth, despite the flakes, and drying time wasn’t too bad.

The polish also seem to be chip and scratch resistant, as I was peeling potatoes (oh, the glamour!) and the peeler hit my nail straight on, with quite a lot of force, and even though I expected the worse, the nail polish was practically intact – so points for that – let’s see how it fares in the week!

As it is a double-ended polish,  and the two small bottles are joined by the double-sided brush, it was quite uncomfortable to hold while applying the polish, as the bottle you were not using was still attached to the end of the “brush”. It felt quite heavy and clumsy, but not impossible.

Of course, the colour on my nails wasn’t the colour on the bottle. This doesn’t mean I am not pleased with it – I am, it is exquisite, and it varies quite a bit, depending on the light and angle. Most of the times, it is blue with green flecks. On bright, direct light (such as photography flash), it looks dark blue. On not so bright, natural light, it looks Egyptian blue; tilt it a bit, and you can see green flecks – not only glimmering but almost giving it some depth and texture. On darker light, indoors, it looks almost forest green with lighter green flecks. If you look at your nails sideways, you can best spot the plethora of shades this polish offers: you can almost see the teal coming through the shiny green flecks, and the blue/purple sheen as the nail curves. Beautiful.  I thought the polish was aptly named, as it indeed reminds me of a tropical forest rain fall – or a mermaid magical seaweed (yes, you heard it, in my head’s fantasy land!)

Overall, quite pleased, the effect is really pretty, and the colour, although as not as much as in the bottle, mesmerising nevertheless. The quality of the solid colour polish could be better, as I would need a good three coats to use it solo, and the brush easier to manage. Not sure if I will buy more, there are some truly amazing colour combinations, but I had very high expectations for this one, and it fell a little bit short.

I have also bought other two magnetic nail polishes from different brands and colours, and cannot wait to try those! I will, of course, post all about them in the next few weeks!

Nails of the week – blue holographic glitter

When I made the trip to Nails Inc to get the magnetic nail polish I wore last week, something else caught my attention: the Electric Lane holographic glitter topcoat.

Lately, I have been obsessing over glitter, but I must confess that I am usually not one for glittery nails (or shoes for that matter, and I am now eating my words, as explained on this post). Another late obsession of mine has been holographic nail polish, and I was crushed when I realised I missed Gosh’s limited edition one, which cost a bargainous £5, and is now going on Ebay for £20+!!! Add “limited edition” to a glittery holo nail polish and it comes to no surprise I succumbed to this £12 topcoat.

Because it is a topcoat, it obviously requires a nail varnish to be applied under, and I chose the lovely deep blue “Blue my mind”, from Collection 2000, which I wore for the first time a few weeks back, as I thought it would look very pretty, just like a starry night. And I wasn’t too wrong – while calling it a starry night might be a bit of a stretch, it does look lovely on cobalt blue.

I found it very easy to apply, the consistency is good and the coverage is impressive for a clear glitter polish, I just used one coat (with a second added as a touch up, 5 days after first application). My only issue is with the texture once dry: the main reason I haven’t been a huge wearer of glitter nail varnish is the “rough”, bumpy-ish finish. At least this one, being medium to fine grain, doesn’t look bumpy at all, but it feels slightly rough. To minimise that,  I applied an extra clear topcoat, so my nails feel smoother to the touch. Worth noting that this observation does not apply to this varnish in particular, every glitter polish I ever tried made me slightly uncomfortable in that department – some more than others.

The holographic element is quite good, it looks like a little explosion of colours, with some depth to it,  specially when it catches the light. However, under intense direct light it can look plain grey glitter. The pictures do not make justice to this fabulous polish at all, it was quite hard to photograph it, so I took a slightly out of focus picture which captures the multi-coloured light reflection I noticed many times when moving my hands around.

Overall, I am very happy with it, got a few compliments on the colour and I am looking forward to trying it with other colours underneath – black and white are suggested, but I think it would look good with bright pink, dark grey or green.

I have been going nail varnish crazy, so have *lots* of new ones to try on, which will keep me going for a few weeks – watch this space!

Nails of the week – magnetic

Nails in purple

In sunlight

*Lots* of excitement with this week’s nail polish. After battling with my common sense about paying £13 for a bottle of varnish, I made a trip to Nails Inc. and bought myself the Magnetic Effect Nail Polish in Houses of Parliament – a lovely purple with some grey undertones.

Had never used Nails Inc. before and I am very impressed and quite happy to have paid the steep £13 for the bottle. I also like that they name all their polishes after London streets or landmarks. Cute.

Although magnetic nail polishes are nothing new in the market, this seems to be causing a buzz at the moment. Nails Inc. have the magnetic polish in three colours (purple, gunmetal and gold), and the attendant recommended the purple or gunmetal, as the effect is more striking. Call me impressionable, but I instantly fell in love with it when I saw the attendant trying it on for me to see – nothing quite like seeing the pattern “magically” appear, in 10 seconds,transforming an ordinary colour into and exciting design.

Indoors

Application was easy; the polish is of a good consistency, the brush offers even application, and it dries quickly and thinly. I had the impression it would look quite thick or uneven, but it dries smooth and glossy. The bottle has two caps – one with the magnet on top and the second one with the brush. After a base coat, I applied a coat on all ten fingers, and the colour was a greyish purple. Then, for the second coat, you do finger by finger applying the polish and holding the magnet above the nail for 10-15 seconds, and voilá! I did touch the magnet on two nails, even though they have a clever little “stand” to aid you, so had to remove and re-apply, but you stop doing it once you get used to it.

The final result is exquisite; the wave-like pattern reacts to light very well, the shadowing shifting slightly when you move, it has great depth – it reminds me of an almost kaleidoscopic action. The purple that shows through is much nicer than what you see before , and the darker parts of the pattern are very close to black.

I am in love with this. I also found out that a more affordable version is available at Boots, on their 17 cosmetics range, and the price is £4.99 (usually £5.99) and it comes in four colours.

The effect is really unbelievable for the effort it takes (close to none) and it really looks like the nails have been done professionally. I think this is the beginning of a long attraction to magnetic nail varnishes!

I also succumbed to another super exciting shade when at the Nails Inc. shop, but, as usual, you will have to wait and see!

Nails of the week – gold foil

gold nailsSuper excited about my nail colour this week. Bought almost two weeks ago, I’ve been burning to try it on, so I am very happy that I finally gave the Barry M Instant Nail effect – Foil varnish a go. Being sceptical about the “true metal” look offered by many nail polishes, I wasn’t disappointed. Plus, I found it to be good value, at £3.99 from Superdrug.

I am now sporting “foiled” gold talons. I didn’t have a great experience with several gold nail polish in the past (they were either glittery or just metallic with no real golden pigment), and this one, even though it is not as if you applied liquid metal to you nails, it has got the shine of the inside of a foil sheet, slightly muted. It reflects light well, and it looks great! I think they got it right calling it “foil”, as I could relate the colour with the inside of foil sheets (if you ever encountered gold foil in your life, that is).

Gold nails

Still, I am very pleased with the result, as it is quite rare to find metallics that have such a good coverage. Application was, and I am not going to lie, not that easy. It was ok, but the polish is a bit thick, it kind of requires that you apply quite a bit for a uniform coverage and even though I was super careful, taking probably double the time it usually takes me to apply nail varnish, I can see slight brush marks and tiny bubbles on one nail.

Despite of the fact that the way it sets is not perfect (I am quite pedantic with the finish of my manicure, I HATE marks, bubbles, bumps, even if of microscopical proportion), I might re-apply for next weekend, as it would go great with the outfit I am planning for a big night out.

I also bought some nail foils, which I have never worn before, and I am really looking forward to trying them on! I have been on a very experimental mood lately, so watch this space!

Nails of the week

20111010-203224.jpgI haven’t posted the “nails of the week” for a while (about ten days since I should’ve);  but the clue is in the name and I apologise.

The delay is justified (well, these are my excuses, anyway!): I wore the purple nail polish for a record ten days as I was on holidays – it HAD to last – and considering my two trips to the spa and a few nibbles from a very nervous girlfriend waiting for her injured boyfriend to complete a marathon, I must say it held off really well! Also, I decided to let my nails breathe and went varnish free for three days, clearly another record for me.

dani

The red nails in action

This week, the situation dictated my nail colour: I had a circus themed birthday party and by my costume demand, the only colour to go for was red, which is no sacrifice for a big fan of scarlet talons like myself.

I relied on a good old Colorama mix: super bright red 40 Graus with light metallic and slightly darker red Vermelho Ardente on top. This is an old favourite combo, which a manicurist used on my nails a few years back in Brazil and I loved so much that I bought the colours to replicate at home!

My “nail schedule” is now restored to normality and I will have a manicure in a few days. For the first time, I have already decided, in advance, what colour to wear, and I am *very* excited about it! To be honest, I cannot wait… but you are going to have to, until my next post!!!

 

 

Nails of the week

Cobalt blue nails

Blue!!! Yes, this week I painted my nails blue, finally – and I am absolutely loving it!

Wearing green last week opened up a whole new world of colour for my talons. I had so far resisted the colder shades, sticking faithfully to reds or pinks – warmer hues in general – but this really changed my manicure life. I know, a bit dramatic, but I do feel there are so many more colours to be discovered – plus, I’ve had really bad flu for a few days now, and this really cheered me up!

Following the my experience with the super inexpensive Collection 2000 green Bongo Beats, with its reasonable durability (it lasted seven days, with a couple re-touches), and great colour and price, I decided to give the brand another go: I chose the aptly named Blue my mind, from their Lasting Colour line (which promises colour up to 10 days – I will probably never know, as I usually change after seven, but I am hoping to have impeccable nails for the week!).

This is a deep metallic cobalt blue with amazing shine, that looks even more stunning in daylight. It costs £2.99 a bottle – a bargain, especially if it lasts as long as it promises! Delightful!

I am very excited to think about what colour is coming next!!!

Nails of the week

JAde green nails

I am very proud of myself for finally dabbling into the colder colours for my nails – I am wearing green this week.

I am truly loving this colour, and it made me realise my problem might not be with cold, but light colours  on my nails – I failed to keep the pastel green, and never got close to the pastel blue, even though I quite like it. I only just managed to keep the lilac for a week.  As long as they are cold and dark, I think I will be ok. I cannot wait to buy some cobalt and midnight blues!

Keeping up with the A/W 11-12 jewel colours trend, I really feel as if my nails have been jewelled – it is like having 10 little gems on my fingertips!

Bongo Beats, from Collection 2000’s Hot Looks Fast Dry range, is a lovely metallic jade green nail polish which has very subtle gold underlying pigments and  has quickly became a favourite of mine.

I have only recently branched out into really inexpensive nail varnish, as I am petrified of chips, so this one might still disappoint me – poor duration has caused me to fall out of love with many – so far, so good, though. And at £1,79 (and an amazing £2 for two bottles!), there isn’t, so far, a bad thing I can say about it!

Nails of the week

berry nails of the weekThis week I am wearing another oldie: Framboesa (raspberry), from Colorama.

I really enjoy the berry shade, which keeps me on the reds, but the burgundy shade makes it a bit  more autumnal.

Having used the Miss Sporty nail polishes in the past weeks, I found this one quite thin to apply, so had to do three coats!

Still, looks good – very shiny and goes perfectly with my Diva MAC lipstick!

Autumn/Winter 11-12 nails

Illamasqua nail colours

A couple weeks ago, I bought a few nail colours from Miss Sporty – a classic red, an iridescent purple,  a hot pink to replace and oldie and… I floated towards my very first new season nail colour, a  dark mettalic gray. I am very sure I will be wearing it soon and  it will feature on the “nails of the week” – have applied it, just to try it on, and it looks fab!

Chanel nail colour

I haven’t really seen that much in terms of nail colour tendencies so far on the web, apart from a mention on Vogue, but by digging a bit I think my bet is on a multitude of ash tones, especially graphite, charcoal and matte greys. Midnight and cobalt blue, pearlised deep mocha, greige and metallic/iridescent green also seem to be popping up. I would also count on deeper reds –  berry, burgundy and even maroon.

Dior nail coloursChanel‘s Black Pearl, Blue Satin, Graphite and Particuliere, as well as  Dior‘s Underground, New Label and Perfecto and Illamasqua‘s Bacterium, Viridian, Propaganda and Phallic(!)  really fit the bill (all pictured on the right). I will be  definitely looking for more affordable options to test!

I have to confess I am a little bit sad that the super brights are getting a rest for the colder months and although it does make sense, I remain a big fan of glowing nail colour – I shall miss the flaboyance of summer in that sense. I do prefer warm colour on my talons – but I suppose red will always be there to comfort me!

Nails of the week (08/08/2011)

Red nails

Red. My nail colour passion really lies with reds. It is, hands down, the colour you are most likely to see on my nails throughout the year. It’s sexy, it’s classic and it goes with everything.

There is no hue discrimination – they can be orange-reds, pinkish-reds, deep red, burgundy red, blood-red, purplish reds, metallic reds, you get the idea – I just love them all.

This week, I am wearing, for the first time, a red from Miss Sporty‘s  lasting colour pro-brush line, which promises a “shock proof, chip and scratch-resistant formula which delivers 7 days durable colour with a high-shine finish”, apparently. The high-shine I can definitely see, still to trial the action men properties of this nail varnish in the next 7 days.

I found it a bit thick to apply, but the “pro-brush” is good – its shape really aids application. It is great value, at the moment, two bottles for £2.99 at Superdrug.

And of course, it is red – a vivacious tone of red, which I am really enjoying seeing on my nails after cheating on the scarlets with more trendy colours in the past weeks!