Marks And Spencer Beauty Advent Calender Day Nineteen

Welcome back to Day Nineteen in my 25 Days of Beauty Series where I show you what I get in my Marks and Spencers Advent Calender. 

 In today's box I receieved a full sized bottle of a Leighton Denny Nail Polish. There aren't any special claims on the bottle, it just appears to be your standard nail polish. It's a glittery shade that would work perfectly over top of another colour or built up on it's own. 

I'm not usually a fan of glittery nail polishes but there's something about this shade that I really like the look of. I won't be using this to do any Christmas nails but have a feeling it'll come in handy for any New Year's Nails I may want to do.

Review: Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paints Summer Releases

For the longest time I stopped painting my nails. Essentially I got lazy and couldn't be bothered to spend time painting my nails beautiful colours that would just get ruined at work. That was until I got bit by the nail painting bug again and conincidentally Barry M released a set of new nail paints perfect for the warmer weather we've been enjoying.

There are four new shades in The Coconut Infusion Range and each one is bright, bold and beautiful in it's own way. There is:

Scuba. This is a stunning blue shade which is completely unique to any other blue shade that Barry M has released before.

 Popsicle. This is a bright pink but is more raspberry in tone than bubblegum which makes it perfect for people who are a bit unsure of pink nails.

Flip Flop. What an orange. This shade is absolutely beautiful and looks stunning on both fingers and toes. Definitely one that'll pop beautifully with a tan.

 And finally Lemonade. This is a stunning unique shade. It's yellow but not too sickly and has a fluorescent edge to it that'll really show well against tanned skin. Brilliant shade for toes if it's a bit too bold for your liking.

All four shades are infused with a mixture of Coconut Oil and Coconut Water to nourish the nail whilst you wear it. They advise not wearing a base coat with these polishes so that nails really benefit from the extra ingredients in these colours. Each shade has a flat, wide, square ended brush that coats the nail in one swipe and leaves behind a stunning, high shine, opaque colour.

As for these four shades in particular, my god they are beautiful. I didn't even wait to get home before I swatched them on my nails. Scuba, Popsicle and Flip Flop go on beautifully in one coat on the nail but Lemonade being such a difficult shade in general takes another coat, not only to give it an opaque finish but also add a pop to the colour. And they last brilliantly on the nail. I have a very hands on job and these didn't chip or flake even though I wasn't being gentle with my nails. When they did chip though and it was time to take them off, I was very happily surprised to see that the shades I was worried about staining, didn't leave a stain behind at all. Usually such highly pigmented bright shades like these stain the nail but there wasn't even a hint of one after I took this off.

If you're looking for a new summer nail paint then I highly recommend you check them out. Not only are they bright and perfect the warmer weather but they also look after the nail as you wear them. Their one of the slightly pricier ranges in the Barry M nail collection but they're well worth the price tag. And if these don't catch your fancy then there are other shades that will surely catch your liking. 

Top 5 Barry M Polishes For Spring

Spring has sprung and alongside the Spring lip colours I've broken out the Spring nail colours as well. And whilst there are loads of I could chose from these are the five that have been really catching my eye.

Frosted Cupcake Nail Paint in Marshmallow
This is one of Barry M's latest releases. I didn't think I'd like this when it first came out but I actually love this shade. It's a light pink shade that has iridescent shimmer running through it. It doesn't stand out too much on the nail and isn't overly glittery or shiny. It's perfect if you want a no nonsense manicure as it makes nails look pretty yet not too over the top. It's square ended flat brush makes painting nails a doddle and they dry quicker than your standard polish.

Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Acai Smoothie
One of my favourites from the Gelly Hi Shine range Acai Smoothie is a deep pinkish shade with a purple undertone. It's thicker than average formula delivers a high shine that looks like it's come straight from a nail bar. It also has a flat square brush so application is easy and it's formula means you can get away with one coat instead of two if you're in a rush.

Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Pink Lemonade 
Another Gelly Hi Shine polish in a similar shade to Marshmallow. Pink lemonade has a almost greige undertone which makes it stand out from other light pink shades. It looks stunning on nails and it's high shine finish makes it really stand out. It's gel-esque formula is thicker than other Barry M formulas so it looks like you've had a gel manicure at a nail bar but without ruining your nails.

Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paint in Freestyle
One of their Speedy Quick Dry nail paints I love at this time of the year is the shade Freestyle. It's more pink than Pink Lemonade but still has a greige undertone to it. It makes it more muted than other light pink tones out there and perfect for an understated manicure. These polishes dry even quicker than the Gelly Hi Shine range which makes them perfect for quick manicures. This formula is slightly thinner than the Gelly Hi Shine range so I'd advise two coats of this to make sure that it's completely opaque and streak free.

Coconut Infusion Nail Paint in Surfboard
The final polish I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of comes from their Coconut infused collection. The shade is called Surfboard and it's an off pink lilac tone that looks brilliant on both fairer skins and darker skins as well. This range of polishes contains Coconut Water to moisturise the nail whilst you wear it. There's no need for a base coat as they don't stain the nail. Two coats is enough to get an opaque finish that is streak free and stunning.

Let's Talk White Nails

This month I've been enjoying painting my nails various summer shades but there is always one colour I keep coming back to. And that is white. Now I know this isn't going to be for everyone but personally I love how white nails look during the hotter months.

It is one of the harder colours to pull off especially if you lack a tan but there are ways to still rock a white nail. Now a lot of white nail polishes are streaky, patchy and thin in formula. This takes away the pop effect white nails has and leaves them looking almost off colour and overall the look of the nails and your hand in general is not pretty. If the polish is a bad quality polish then your hands are going to look dirty and obviously your nails aren't going to look much better.

Polishes to avoid getting this look are the ones from Maybelline, Rimmel and the Barry M Classic Nail Paint in White. These are all very thin in formula which means they're harder to work with and will probably end up leaving nails look a little streaky in places even if you're sure you've covered everything. Slightly pricier nail polishes are the best way to go with White Nails as they have a thicker and better formula. If you don't want to pay the earth for a polish then Barry M's Gelly Hi Shine in Cotton. It's very thick in formula and doesn't go patchy or streaky no matter how thin a coat you apply. Two coats of this polish and you're in for bright white nails that will set off a tan or give nails a brilliant pop of colour without one.

However if pure white nails aren't your thing then you can still work this look by wearing shades that have a hint of a colour running through the white. Nails Inc did a whole range of shades that were white based but had hints of colour running through them. It was mainly pastel shades that still gave a nice pop of colour but it wasn't a stark white against the nail. Barry M's Rosehip and Essie's Fiji are two great examples of these polishes. Both are white based polishes but have pink running through them. They're very pale in colour and you need a good two maybe even three coats to get the colour to truly show through but they give that interesting pop to the nail but aren't stark and in your face.

And I know that it's coming to the end of the summer now but whilst the sun is still shining white nails is something I'd definitely give a go before the colder weather rolls in.

My Top 5 Barry M Polishes For Summer

 

Every season I pick out my Top 5 Nail shades and give you the lowdown on them. And I called them my Seasonal Nail Edit. But with my polish collection consisting mostly of Barry M Nail Polishes I decided to change the name and show you my Top 5 Barry M Shades for each season. And of course with Summer rapidly approaching what a better time to show you 5 shades that you're going to see all over my nails this Summer.

Gelly Hi Shine in Elderberry
If you're more of  neutral nail girl then I think this polish would be right up your street. Elderberry is a grey toned blue shade gives neutral nails a quirk. Whilst it's not as stand out as brighter shades such as Guava this does make an impression as well. If you want to try a colour but are not interested in big standout shades then this is a good shade to choose and makes a change from brown or grey shades.

 Speedy Quick Dry in In A Flash
Looking for a coral shade but can't find a good one? Then try In A Flash from their Speedy Quick Dry Collection. With a hint of white that gives this shade an almost pastel look. And the orange to this is more of pinky orange than a satsuma orange. With a flat square brush this is one of the quicker nail polishes and does dry as quickly as they say. Two coats will give you an opaque finish and will really make the colour pop but not in that fluorescent way that some orange shades do.

 Gelly Hi Shine in Cotton 
Now if there is one colour I love to wear in the summer, it's white. Especially when I have a tan, white nails can just a look that extra oomph it needs. Cotton is a straight up white, no hint of cream or pink. One coat can be streaky but two coats is a bright opaque colour with a glossy finish which only intensifies when you add a top coat. It's not so pretty when it starts to chip but I definitely don't mind redoing my nails with this colour when they look so good afterwards.

 Coconut Infusion in Bikini 
Next is one of Barry M's newer releases and it has some pretty shades for summer in it. This is Bikini from the Coconut Infsuion Range and it's one of Barry M's more insteresting shades. It looks lilac in the bottle (try Prickly Pear if you want a lilac) but when it's on the nail it has this almost nudey pink tone to it that really stands out. With the same brush as the Speedy Quick Dry's these are easy to use and dry ridiculously fast for a non quick dry polish. Plus you get the added benefit of these containing Coconut Oil and Water to help hydrate and condition the nail as you wear them.

Gelly Hi Shine in Guava
The last shade is Guava and it's by far one of my favourite shades out of all of Barry M's polishes. A deep turquoise/aqua shade this is opaque in one coat and popping with two. It's a bright shade that definitely stands out on the nails and will catch people's eyes but because it has a darker hint to it, it won't be too over the top and give that nail that weird look that some extremely bright shades can do. It also has a high shine finish that when it catches the light just gives the nails that extra something that will gurantee you some compliments.

So that's it for my Top 5 Summer Polishes. What are your Top 5? Are any of them the same as mine? Or do you have a colour recommendation for me? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Barry M Daylight Curing Nail Paints Spring 16

Just after Barry M released their spring relaases in their Gelly Hi Shine and Speedy Quick Dry Ranges, they released four new shades with in their Daylight Curing range as well. I only picked up two as the other two didn't suit my style. And as I've reviewed the other new releases, I thought it only fair I reviewed these as well.

The two shades I brought are Bug A Blue and Empire State of Mint. One of my favourite things about these polishes are that they are all named after different popular songs. The other two in the range are called Pinking Out Loud and All The Things She Red. As you can see from the bottles, Bug A Blue is a brightish blue shade and Empire State of Mint is a stunning mint shade. They both appealed to me as I'm a big fan of pastel/bright nails from spring onwards, choosing to keep my darker polishes for the colder months.

If you don't know how these polishes work, all you have to do is put two coats of the colour on your nails and then add the special top coat they released. After that the polish is supposed to harden and add shine when it's exposed to daylight. Now I know it sounds very far fetched but it actually does work, especially with colours like these. These polishes come with a flat square ended brush that makes application quicker and the brush covers the nail in one sweep. When the process is explained it does sound quite long winded but because of the brush and the fact that these polishes dry quickly, it takes as long as doing your nails normally would.

You do need two coats of this polish no matter what colour your using but especially with these. As with other pastel shades these are thinner in formula and can go streaky if not applied properly but once the two coats are on, these polishes have a high shine finish and you'll find the colours will attract your attention and other's to your nails.

When it comes to chipping these polishes can last a good three to four days without chipping but if you apply these polishes wrong or you rush it then they can actually peel off before they chip. However patience and attention to detail and they'll give you a stunning manicure that everyone will love.

Have any of you tried these? What did you think of them? Do you like any of the other shades in the range? Let me know in the comments below.

My Top 5 Barry M Polishes: Spring Edition

Now this post was originally going to be called my Spring Nail Edit but when I was looking for the polishes to put in this post I realised that I was only choosing Barry M polishes. And as I only use Barry M polishes I thought I'd change it to my Top 5 Barry M Polishes for Spring. I will probably do this for each season from now on as I very rarely use anything but Barry M on my nails.

My first choice is the latest addition to my collection. It's their Speedy Quick Dry polish in the shade Freestyle. It's a muted pink shade that doesn't look to pale or to bright on the nail. You know you're wearing it but it doesn't stand out like some of the other pink shades. As it's part of the Speedy Quick Dry Range it means it's the quickest to dry out of the four of them. One coat takes only seconds to dry and it makes it perfect for people who like me can get quite impatient waiting for their nails to dry. Plus it has a flat square brush that covers the entire nail in one sweep. Definitely my favourite out of Barry M's Spring Releases this year.

Up next is an older favourite of mine. This is the Gelly Hi Shine polish in Prickly Pear. It's that perfect lavendery purple shade that's not too cool in tone and not too warm either. This is slightly thinner in formula than some of the other shades but two coats of this give the colour a pop and you'll be certain people will compliment you on your nails. The brush isn't the greatest on this polish but it's still something you can work with. Angle it just right and you'll get that same effect you'd get if you were using a flatter brush.

Another Gelly Hi Shine polish I like during Spring is the shade Blueberry. It's a stunning cornflower blue shade that again isn't too cool in tone nor too warm. It makes a nice choice on nails after months of wearing the darker, more winter appropriate colours. As with the shade Prickly Pear it has one of the thinner brushes but I'm sure if you pick a bottle up now then they will have the newer flatter brush. Two coats of this is all you need to get a bright pop of colour, that you're bound to be complimented on.

My next choice is another Gelly finish polish. This one is in the shade Rose Hip, a gorgeous off white shade that has a hint of pink through it. If you're scared of trying white nails or you don't like the look of them, then this polish is perfect for you. If you like the look of Essie's Fiji then this is pretty much an exact dupe except it has more of a white undertone than Fiji. My bottles of the Gelly Hi Shine polishes mainly come with a thinner, more rounded brush but if you pick them up these days I'm sure you will get a flatter square brush. This is a polish that can go wrong if you apply too many coats but if you only do two or three thin coats you should be okay, it's when you do thicker coats you run into problems.

And the last choice for this Top 5 is another newer addition to the collection. This is the shade Cream Soda, Barry M's Spring Release in the Gelly Hi Shine Range. Now this another nod towards the white nail trend that comes and goes every summer. Yet this is a slightly off white, almost cream colour that will work the same as Rose Hip if you're not entirely convinced by white nails. My favourite thing about these Gelly polishes is the finish. You get such a stunning shine to the nail after using these polishes and that shine doesn't disappear the longer you wear it. Now you may think that means you don't need a top coat for these but you still do. The top coat will not only prolong the shine these polishes give but will also lengthen the life of your manicure.

So that's it for my new Spring Nail Edit. What are your go to Spring Polishes? Are any of them the same as mine? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Spring Releases

At the beginning of the year, Barry M released not one, not two but four new ranges of nail polishes. The majority of them are new seasonal releases for their most popular formulas and that's what I'm going to show you today.

As they did with the Gelly Hi Shine Polishes, Barry M have released four new Springtime shades. And now having compared the two, both releases are quite simple. Both have several muted shades and one bright shade that stands out from the rest.

The four shades in the range are called Winning Streak, a light beige. In A Flash, a stunning bright peach shade. Personal Best, a brightish purple and Freestyle a dusky mauvey pink. Usually with Barry M Collections, I only like one or two of the shades but with this collection I like the entire range. I do of course have some I wear more than others and in this case it's Freestyle and In A Flash. In A Flash is the perfect transition shade from Winter to Spring as well as Spring to Summer and Freestyle is just the perfect non beige neutral shade.

You do need two coats of this polish to really get the true colour and it also means they don't look patchy or streaky. The formula of these is really nice but you do have to work quickly with them as they really do dry as quickly as you expect them to. However it's easy to work with them as they have a thick square ended brush that covers the nail in one stroke. It makes application so much easier and you don't have to worry about removing any polish like you would with a smaller brush.

I do find though that out of all Barry M's Nail Ranges, these are the quickest to chip. As most of their shades are pastels you do need to add coats to get the colour in the bottle and sometimes it can mean a good two or three coats. And on my nails it means that my nail colour is slightly more raised than normal which unfortunately means I catch them easily and chip them. I've tried several top coats with these polishes and it still doesn't work. That however is my only peeve with these polishes and the Speedy Quick Dry Range.

Overall these polishes are just as good as any other I've tried but I don't think you need these if you have Barry M's Gelly Hi Shine Spring Releases. However if you like the look of the colours but you're not the most patient of people when it comes to doing your nails, then these polishes are right up your street.

Have any of you tried these polishes? Did you like them? Or did you prefer the Gelly Hi Shine instead? Let me know in the comments.

Review: Barry M Nailcare Polishes

When Barry M announced they were bringing out a range of Nail Treatments it made complete sense. They are one of the best brands on the high street for nail polishes and if they were the same quality as their nail colours then Barry M were on to something. They released four polishes in the range. Two twice a week treatments and two nail camouflager's, all that help the condition the nails.

The first two treatments they released are the SuperMani and IronMani. Both of these are twice weekly treatments that help condition and harden the nail. They can also be used as base coats and I've never been so surprised by a product. Both of these are clear when applied to the nail and dry down like any other polish does. Once their dry you can put any nail colour on top that you'd like and it acts like a base coat to stop them staining the nail. However it's the result once you've done the rest of your manicure that surprises me. Instead of flaking and chipping like some colours do on me, partly because I'm heavy handed and partly because I work in a very hands on job, my nails are ruined within a couple of days. However when I used these my nail polish lasted a couple of days extra even though I didn't change how I treated my hands. And when they did chip it didn't ruin my nail underneath and once the polish was removed my nails still looked healthy. These could probably used as a top coat as well but for now I'm sticking to using these as a base coat.

And the other two treatment polishes they released were the Mani Masks. These are two slightly tinted polishes that condition and strengthen the nail whilst camoflauging any discolouration and giving nails a semi matte colour. They come in two shades and each one leaves a sheer colour on the nails whilst conditioning them. Out out of the four I do prefer the two strengtheners but these are good polishes if you want a bit of colour on your nails but you don't want to do a full manicure. They leave nails feeling smooth but it does chip like a normal polish and can't be used under a polish as the colour will just peel away from the nails. Definitiely not my favourite of the four.

Overall these polishes are good. The Mani Masks sound good but in use are not something I would reach for reguarly. On the other hand SuperMani and Iron Mani I use alternately when I paint my nails. I find these help to prolong my manicure and help with the condition of my nails. If I was to recommend two to buy it would be these two.

Have you tried any of these new polishes? What did you think? Which ones did you prefer? Let me know in the comments.

Marks and Spencers Beauty Advent Calender Day Twenty-Four

Holidays Are Coming! Welcome back to The Final Day of my Marks and Spencers Advent Calender.

In today's box I recieved a Morgan Taylor Nail Varnish. It's in the shade Paris With Love, a beautiful deep wine shade. From the look of it, it has a very thick formula which will make application easy. It only has a thin brush but sometimes they can be easier to work with than the thicker brushes. Once I've removed all the glitter from my nails I'm definitely going to be giving this a go. If I like then I will do a full review of it in the New Year.

So that's it for this Advent Calender. I'm really impressed with this calender and think it's definitely worth the money. A full review will be going up in the New Year so keep your eyes peeled for that. But for now I'd like to say thank you to everyone who's read these posts this month. And a thank you to everyone who has read my posts this year. For now I'm going to enjoy my Christmas and time off work and I will be back next week with my last posts of 2015. So Merry Christmas to you all, I hope you have a fantastic time and I'll see you soon.

Marks And Spencers Beauty Advent Calender Day Five

Welcome back to Day Five in my 24 Days of Beauty Series where I show you what I get in my Marks and Spencers Advent Calender. 

In today's box I recieved not one but two trial size products. The first product is the Leighton Denny Renovate Nail Repair Cream and the second product is the  Duplex Nail Buffer. This is a 14 day nail treatment to help repair flaking, fraying, cracked, dull and unhealthy nails. 

Now my nails aren't exactly unhealthy or in bad condition but I do work in a very hands on job and my hands and nails go through the ringer most days so I'm looking forward to trying this out. It's only a small tube but as it's only a fortnight long treatment it's not a bad size. I'm hoping that it will give my nails that boost they need coming up to the festive season. A full review will be coming up soon. 

I'll see you all tomorrow for Day Six.