Giveaway: Gosh Holographic Nail Polish

As far as I know the Holographic nail polish by Gosh has been discontinued for quite a while now but I was lucky enough to find two bottles in the discount section of my local Superdrug. It's such a bitch to apply, I needed 3 coats and it still ended up patchy but it's so pretty it's worth the effort. It has a matte finish but when the light hits it erupts into a rainbow (not literally ;)) It was really hard to take a decent photo of this with the sun playing peekaboo but I did my best. Scrangie has better photos here. I paid £2.50 each but I've seen these sell on ebay for £20+ which is cray cray considering there are loads of holo polishes out there.

I don't need two bottles of this so I'm giving one away. As it was in the "bargain bin" I can't guarantee that it hasn't been opened or tested and there is a sticky label residue on the bottle, but apart from that it's perfectly fine! This giveaway is open to all readers and you can enter by filling in the Rafflecopter form below :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spring NOTD

The weather this weekend has been glorious and everyone seems to be in a good mood because of it. I would have liked to have gone out for the day but the trains are closed for engineering work and I can't be faffed with rail replacement buses so I'm currently enjoying the sunshine from my sister's bedroom with a large cup of tea and a biscuit (or two).




I decided to paint my nails in keeping with the weather and to me, nothing screams "Spring" more than pastels. My favourite two colours Barry M Mint Green and Berry Ice Cream go so well together, don't you think?

What are you wearing on your nails at the moment? Hope everyone else has had a good weekend xx

Models Own Leopard Print NOTD

I missed out on the last 50% off Models Own promotion but I was on the ball this time round. I bought Utopia, Pink Fizz & Peach Puff and used all three for some leopard printed nails. The glitter doesn't show well here but it sparkles like a beauty when it catches the light.

BTW I don't bother with the liquid eyeliner method, I use a Sharpie and it's so much better. Just wait for it to dry properly before the top coat otherwise it'll smudge like mine....Still a novice!

NOTD: GOSH Mouse Grey

I won this mini polish in a giveaway by Beautylicious Love and it's been on my nails since I received it almost a week ago. Actually surprised at how much I like this considering it's grey, the total opposite of the pinks and corals I usually favour. Application was lovely and smooth and it was chip free for 3 or 4 days (without a topcoat). I can't find these on Superdrug's awful website or even the GOSH one but apparently they come in 20 limited edition colours and are available now (£2.99 for 5ml). Don't know how this compares to GOSH's regular line of nail polish but I was impressed.

Been feeling rather uninspired lately which is why I haven't been blogging much but hope to rectify that soon. Hope you're all well xx

NOTD: More pink crackle

My nail polish collection is still missing but hopefully it'll be found when we move back home next week (fingers crossed). So my choices are limited even though I've bought about 6 or 7 new bottles but in really similar shades - pink, coral and peach. Two toned nails are just another way of mixing it up a little. The base is two vertical stripes - no name white polish and Barry M's Peach Melba finished off with a lick of pink crackle and a clear topcoat.

What are you wearing on your nails today?

NOTD: Two toned orange and pink nails

I felt like deviating from my usual pink nails and went for something different.

I used two coats of Barry M's Pink Flamingo as a base and added a diagonal stripe of Rimmel's Apricot Punch with the help of scotch tape as a guide. Pink Flamingo is a neon pink and the brightest one I own. Opaque in two coats and great consistency so no complaints from me. Apricot Punch could be one of my favourite colour polishes if it wasn't part of the fruity scent range. The colour is great but the apricot scent lasts for ages, even with a top coat and it was starting to annoy me.

Despite this one niggle, I like how it turned out even if the edges are a bit wobbly. Didn't realise orange and pink go so well together!

NOTD: Deborah Lippmann Happy Birthday

Yeh baby! Finally got my hands on this after so freaking long. Costing £16, it's the most I've ever spent on a nail polish and probably the only time I ever will. Move over Chanel, your polishes are pretty but they chip and fade like a mofo. I wish I could afford to pay £14 a pop for the standard Deborah Lippmann polishes because they swatch like a dream. Most have a jelly like finish which I love.

Anyway, if you don't like glitter polishes then you're probably recoiling in disgust right now because this is like a multicoloured disco ball exploded on your nails. I love the chunky glitter particles and don't think I've seen anything else like it.

My cuticles and skin around my fingers are awful, I apologise. These photos show about three coats and it's a bit patchy but I prefer that way. I found that you have to "place" the glitter on the second coat rather than just brushing it on. Haven't got a clue about how long it lasts yet because I only bought this 2 hours ago.

It's still in stock on the HoF website but who knows how long that will last so get it whilst you can if you want it.

NOTD: Barry M Peach Melba + Pink Instant Nail Effects

Two of the latest polishes from Barry M. Chubby fingers ahoy!

Summer is all about soft peachy shades and Peach Melba is perfect. Sadly I don't think it looks great on me, perhaps if the colour was deeper? Also it was really thin/streaky to apply and you definitely need three coats.

I loved the black crackle polish so it was a no brainer that I would buy one of the new coloured shades. I was considering the white one but eventually pink won out. The finish is matte but I will be applying a glossy clear coat over this. You can't really see from the photos, but the crackle polish "ate away" at the colour underneath and thinned it out. Not that you can tell from a distance but it's certainly noticeable close up. So annoying :|

P.S I finally drew a winner from my Benefit giveaway, congratulations to Gaby!

NOTD - Topshop 'No Love Lost'

Dear Topshop, I want my fiver back. Your nail polishes are pretty but they SUCK.

This photo is when I first used it two weeks ago. The mess above is only two coats and it needs at least three to look decent but my god I couldn't bear the dragging and gloopiness. Why is it be gloopy and stringy when it's brand new?!

Since I had nothing but time on my hands today I thought I'd give it another go but nope, stll hate it. Four coats to become opaque and a clear top coat to get rid of the drag marks = too much hassle. Then of course it took ages to dry and ended up smudging so to prevent my blood pressure going through the roof, I decided it would be better to take it all off.

I can't help my attraction to coral nail polish and this one looked very promising but the only place it's fit for is the rubbish bin.

NOTD - I got WAH'd!

WAH'd? Or is it WAH-ed? Anyway my NOTD is courtesy of WAH nails, something I've wanted to get done for a while. I actually got these done for free at the WAH pop up nail bar at the Barbican, where there were many events going on this weekend.

There were a select few designs to choose from including the popular leopard print but I wanted something I had never tried before so opted for polka dot pow nails. It took roughly 15 minutes and I looooove them. I can't allow myself £20+ manis on a regular basis but for special occasions I am definitely going back!

NOTD: Barry M in Mint Green

I have to say that Barry M is my favourite nail polish brand for bringing out affordable and quality polishes in a wide range of colours. Absolutely loving this mint green at the moment, something I never thought would happen but I like the contrast against my skintone. I think it would look even better come summer!

NOTD: American Apparel in Rouge

Remember when I said I went on a nail polish spree? Well these are American Apparel polishes I came home with. I know they've been around for a while but I forgot they existed until Becky from Style and the City posted about one colour in particular.




The colour I'm wearing today is Rouge, a dark and dusky rose which is very Autumnal. This is (a messy) two coats but I actually prefer one coat as it looks lighter and prettier in my opinion.

They're £7 each or three for £17 and I could have easily bought 10 bottles. There are so many nice colours and it was really hard to choose just three. Temptalia has swatches of pretty much the whole collection here and here. I defy anyone to have a look and not want at least two or three!

NOTD: H&M Hello Kitty in Turquoise

The other day I went on a nail polish spree and came home with 5 new bottles. I only went in for one but I just couldn't help myself, which always seems to be the case. This what I am wearing on my nails today.

This bottle caught my eye whilst browsing H&M and I wasn't too sure if their Hello Kitty branded polishes were any good but I loved the bright colour.

It's definitely a two coater and really does need a top coat to make it glossy. The consistency of the polish isn't brilliant and I wasn't expecting much for £1.99, but the brush? Frigging awful! Worst brush ever - it's thin and the bristles are stuck together making the polish drag and the application VERY frustrating. Arghh!

Steer clear if you're ever tempted. The colour is lovely but turquoise polishes can be found in any brand.

NOTD: Nails Inc in Heather Grey (Diet Coke)

I only ever buy Nails Inc when they're on promotion with Diet Coke, which is also the only time I ever buy Diet Coke!

I wasn't that keen on any other colour but Heather Grey when I saw the promo. However it looks more pink in the promotional photos than it does in real life which is misleading. Application was a doddle and it stayed chip free for a good few days without a topcoat. That said, I think this purple colour is too murky for my liking, especially in this dreary weather. I'm going to switch to something bright and sparkly!

Favourite nail look at the moment

The minty base colour is a cheapo Asda one (from this post) and it is unbelievably streaky and downright horrible. It's turned into gloop even though I've only used it several times and is full of stringy fibres?? Don't know why! Anyway, with the help of the Barry M crackle polish it turned into something decent. My favourite nail look only because it's so easy :)

NOTD: Models Own Nude Beige + Juicy Jules

I've wanted some Models Own nail polish for ages but only got round to buying some the other day. I bought Nude Beige after seeing a lot of people blog about it (most notably Zara from Mouldy Fruit) and Juicy Jules was free (when you buy any two MO products in Boots).



Nude Beige is lovely on its own but I wanted to add a bit of sparkle as I attended a wedding yesterday. I wasn't wowed by the runny/streaky consistency but two coats were all I needed. I love the glitter in Juicy Jules though, really fine and VERY sparkly. Tons better than the Barry M glitters! It's the second day of wear without a top coat and no chips or sign of wear yet. Looks promising so far.

I can't wait to try more colours. There's so many to choose from!

NOTD: Barry M Vivid Purple + Instant Nail Effects

A trio of Barry M polishes, which were used to create my NOTD, inspired by Charlie's recent NOTD post. I couldn't find my metallic blue polish but ended up rediscovering Vivid Purple, which I haven't worn for yonks! A deep metallic purple, this colour is beautiful and looks even better with the added texture of the black crackle.

My nails are super short right now but I prefer it this way.

Daylight was fading fast whilst I was taking these photos so they're not the best in the world. The one without flash is a better representative of what it really looks like but with flash you can see the metallic shimmer better. I love how dark and vampy this is. A far cry from my usual pinks and lilacs.

Have you tried crackle nail polishes? What's your favourite colour combo?

Nail Rock Nail Wraps

I love the look of Minx nails but as is the story with most things, I can't really afford them. Then I read about these nail wraps on BritishBeautyBlogger which seemed like a good and affordable substitute.

I bought mine for £6.50 from Topshop but you can also get them on Asos. I originally wanted leopard printed ones but they didn't have any so settled for these plain silver wraps.



Application is simple - place the wrap on your finger nail, apply heat from a hairdryer to activate the glue, press down firmly and file off the excess. However it's so fiddly and time consuming. It took me a good 30minutes to do one hand and I managed to burn my cuticles with the heat from my hairdryer :(



I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with the outcome. My thumb, forefinger and middle finger came out so crap and I couldn't smooth out the wrinkles. I think this is because my nail beds are more curved on these fingers than on my ring and little finger which came out great. That's what I'm telling myself anyway!

They didn't last long, about two days? The edges became flappy and I ended up peeling them off because they were irritating me so much. I won't be repurchasing these because they're too much hassle for me. But for special occasions they would be great.

NOTD: Barry M Limited Edition 030

Sorry for two nail polish related posts in a row but I found this Barry M polish today and I had to apply it as soon as I got home. I actually went into Boots to see if I could find their new Instant Nail Effects polish but also spied this beauty. I can't find it on the website but the sticker says "Boots Limited Edition 030" so perhaps you can only buy it there? Anyway I got both for a fiver (don't know how long this offer lasts).



Like every other Barry M polish, it's a two coat job (but one would be okay too). I'm hoping this will last because I loooove the vibrant glossy colour and I really think it suits my skintone.



At first I thought it was too similar to Blueberry Ice Cream, which it appears to be judging by the bottle. However I compared swatches along with Revlon's Plum Seduction and you can see the results for yourself - it's between a plum and lilac colour.

oh Barry M, you never fail to disappoint with your nail paints.

NOTD: Grey leopard print nails

As I'm going out tonight to celebrate my birthday, I wanted to try something different with my nails. Using my newly purchased Beautyuk polish in 'Slate', a George by Asda turquoise polish and some old eyeliner, I set about creating this look with the help of Gem Fatale's tutorial.

I don't have steady hands so it really isn't neat and my nails on my right hand are shocking (oh to be ambidextrous).


Thankfully it appears that people aren't looking too closely as I was complimented on them this morning. Next on my wishlist is Konad & the leopard print plate!