Guerlain Colour Lacquer Nail Polish

Following on from my previous post, I wanted to show you the new Guerlain colour polish range.

The very first thing I like about these is the packaging. In true Guerlain style these are very stylish.

There are 10 colours in total, and I've picked out my top 3 in the image above. The nude shade 'la petite robe noir' is a really nice grey-tinted nude, very muted and chic, easy to wear with any outfit.

I have a real soft spot for the dark wine colour 'Vega' - it's one of my favourite shades of polish in general and this one is a really deep, rich shade that I think will look beautful next Autumn/Winter!

 'A la parisienne' is a bright, bold pink - it's almost neon but has a really lovely richness to the colour that makes it much more wearable.

The collection is largely based around pinks/reds and there are some really gorgeous shades which are definitely worth checking out.

Just like Guerlain's Gel Top Coat, these are high shine and come with the unique brush allowing you to apply one coat to the whole nail in just one sweep - very easy, chic, manicured nails.

You can pick these up now for £18 each.



xo

Guerlain Gel Top Coat

A few brands are bringing out gel effect top coats, including this new release from Guerlain.

It's designed to work with their own colour polishes, but in reality it works over any polish.

The gel top coat gives the nail a thick, transparent coating which is ultra high shine - all key to achieving the look of gel nails.

This top coat protects your colour just like any other top coat would, but maybe a bit better because it's a little extra thick. 

The best thing about this offering from Guerlain is that the brush has been custom-designed for the prupose. It is extra wide and flat, designed to fit the shape of the nail perfectly so you can sweep on just the right amount in one go. This actually really helps with the gel effect because you get one, uniform coat which looks quite superficial (just like gel polish)!


This is available now for £18.

Do you like real gel nails or will you be trying this out?


xo

Tuesday 10: Nail care Tips

Your nails are an important part of your every day look, whether you keep them polished, patterned or just beautifully bare. Below I share some of my tips for easy, every day nail care to ensure your talons are always in shape.

Let your nails breathe: As much as I love a well-manicured and polished nail, it’s important to let your nails breathe sometimes with no polish on them. Whilst nail polish shouldn’t actually stop your nails growing, nail polish remover is quite drying for the nail and can cause nails to flake. Constant polish can also stain your nails a nasty yellow/orange shade, so it’s best to leave the nail bare for a week every now and then. If you really can’t go without a polish, try a clear top coat for some high shine.

Banish stains:  If you wear dark colours, you’re more likely to suffer with stains, although constant use of any colour can eventually give your nails a yellow tinge.  Combat this by wearing a base coat beneath your nail polish and periodically allow your nails to ‘breathe’ with nothing on them. If you have already got that tell-tale yellow tinge, fear not – a great tip is to apply some whitening toothpaste to each nail and leave it on for 5-10 minutes and voila - no more stains!

One direction: Using a nail file in a ‘sawing’ back and forth motion can cause your nails to weaken and split. File in one direction only to keep the tips smooth and prevent breakage.

Get buff!: Buffing your nails is a great way to add natural shine and help polish stay in place. A really good buffer that I’ve tried is the Revlon Crazy Shine Buffer, which allows you to achieve super shiny nails in a flash.

 

You are what you eat: If you find that not matter what you do to your nails, they never seem to grow past a certain length, you might need to change your diet. Nails and hair are dead tissue, so they are the last part of your body to receive nutrients if you’re eating a poor diet. Load up on protein for the best impact (white meat, eggs, fish, dairy products) and avoid any extreme or fad diets which can deplete your body of much needed nutrients such as iron, zinc and biotin.

Cuticle care: Your cuticles are a vital part of your nail. They sit on top of your nails’ growth matrix and protect this part of the nail to ensure that they grow long and strong. It’s important to take care of your cuticles if you want healthy nails. Never cut them – not only can this easily cause infection but it can also cause ridges, white spots and hamper the growth of your nails. Keep cuticles moisturised with a good quality cuticle oil and if you must touch them, only use a gentle wooden orange stick. 

Keep your polish fresh: Nail polishes last longer, apply easier and dry quicker if you keep them in a cool place. If you have space, put some in your fridge, or just keep the ones your use regularly in there. If you are revisiting an old polish and find that it’s turned gloopy since you last used it, don’t throw it out – a good tip is to place the entire bottle into some freshly boiled water for a few minutes. The polish will be good as new again!

Seal the tips : When painting your nails, run the brush along the tip of the nail. This will coat the ends of the nail and ‘seal’ your nail polish, making it less likely to chip and keeping your polish in place for longer.

Keep ‘em clean!: It sounds obvious, but keeping your nails clean (particularly if you are wearing no polish or a clear top coat) is a vital step to ensuring your nails look good. Looking at someone’s dirty nails is so off putting, and it’s the easiest thing to correct. Regularly clean underneath your nails either with a manicure stick, file or a nail brush – this is something the men out there should do too!

Take care: The most beautiful nail look can be quickly spoilt by dry, cracked hands or feet. Keep a handcream in your bag to ensure your can moisturise your hands whenever they need it and regularly exfoliate and moisturise both your hands and feet to keep them in great condition.
What are your top tips for nail care?


xo

OPI The Top 10

I'm lusting after this OPI set  - there isn't one colour I wouldn't wear in this collection.

The set consists of some of OPI's best-selling shades, and it takes care of every colour spectrum from natural, nudes, reds, pinks and darks.

The polishes in this set are all mini versions and the set costs £28.50. You can pick this up now and it's actually on offer at Debenhams with 10% off if you're quick!

xo

Essie Resort 2013

This collection is only available in the US at the moment but is expected to be released in the UK in the run up to Summer this year.

Essie Resort 2013 collection. From left: Come Here!, First Timer, In The Cab-ana, Under Where?

Essie are always on the ball when it comes to nail colours. All 4 of these polishes are bold, pretty Summer shades. With the Summer collection from Dior already available, we'll soon be spoilt for choice.

I think bright nails are a great way to perk up a Summer outfit and add a fun flash of colour.

My favourite is Come Here, although I am also liking the look of Under Where - a very girly, orchid shade.




Liz
xo

Dior Nail Glow Polish Review

I posted about this new product from Dior last week and over the weekend I managed to try it out.

To  give this a proper test, I applied normal clear top coat to one nail, Dior Nail Glow Polish to another and left the rest bare so I could compare them.

I applied two coats of this polish, and at first I did think the nail I had applied it to looked slightly better than the rest. Because it has a very tiny touch of pink to it, it slightly changes the colour of the nail once applied. It's completely transparent and very shiny, and the light touch of colour just makes your nail look a little bit different - it's hard to describe unless you have seen it in person, but the overall effect is really quite minimal. 

The difference between the nail with this on, and the one with a normal top coat on, was barely noticeable.

This polish claims to whiten the tips of your nails too - I left it on for a couple of days but there was no difference to the whiteness of my nail compared with my other nails.

After just one day of wear this polish started to chip and peel all over the nail. Having read a few reviews of this online, it seems like a common problem. It wasn't just at the end of the nail either, it was peeling off in little bits all over the nail. Because the polish is transparent, it's hard to notice this but looking up close, at least half had chipped off in the course of 1-2 days.

When I first heard about this product, I was intrigued as it seemed to improve the natural appearance of your nails and claimed to give them a french manicure look. It sounded like something that would make your nails much easier to manage - just one coat of this and you're done! 

But in reality, it peeled off so quickly that you'd be constantly repainting it, and the difference between this and any old top coat was so minimal that I doubt anyone else would notice your nails looked any different.

I was disappointed with this - especially as I am a big fan of Dior products. I'll be ditching this and trying out their new colour collections instead!


Liz
xo

Dior Vernis Sparkling Shine

Fans of Dior polishes (or just polishes in general!) will love the newest offering from Dior - Vernis Sparkling Shine.

These have been released alongside the most recent Dior Addict Gloss and both are supposed to compliment each other when worn together.

These are so different to the Dior Cruise Collection polishes I blogged about recently but both collections are perfect for Summer. 

These are really gorgeous - you need to see them in person to appreciate how pretty they are. They're ultra shiny and have a really fine shimmer in them that reflects the light and really draws attention to your nails.

The colours themselves are quite bright and very pigmented - one coat gives enough colour, two just tops it off nicely.

My favourite of the above is Delice which is a coral colour - the shimmer just goes so well with this colour and it's a really warm, Summer shade.

These are available now for £18 each and I would highly recommend you take a look at them in store - once you've seen them in person you will want to purchase the whole collection!


Liz
xo

Dior Nail Glow Nail Polish

I'm really intrigued by this nail polish by Dior. The principle behind it is that it's meant to look like you might not be wearing nail polish but just naturally have shiny, healthy, glowing nails. 

Dior even go so far as to say it brightens the nail tips so it looks like a natural french polish. As someone who gets impatient with chipped nails and definitely has no patience to do a french manicure on myself - this sounds like a dream come true.

I haven't tried this yet but I'm tempted to pick it up soon - have any of you tried this?

Doing some research online, it looks like it gives your nails a transparent light pink glow which looks really pretty and gives your nails a naturally healthy look. 

I'm a huge fan of nail polish but sometimes a natural nail just says 'chic'. A natural nail with whiter tips and a glowy base? Even better!


This costs £18 and is available to buy now.


Liz
xo

Dior Vernis Cruise Polishes

Dior recently added a trio of polishes to the Vernis Cruise collection which all look perfect for Summer...

Dior Vernis Cruise Nail polishes in (from left) Pasteque, Lime and Mango

My personal favourite is the pink shade, which is called 'Pasteque' (French for 'watermelon'), which is a really high shine, vibrant shade. 

Lime and Mango are really bold colours too and will look amazing worn on the beach when Summer eventually arrives.

These aren't available in the UK yet and there doesn't seem to be a launch date, but when I hear of one I will post it here.


Liz
xo

Ciate Creme Polishes

Ciate have just launched a handful of colours for Spring/Summer as part of their 'Fairground' collection, including these pastel beauties.

Candy Floss and Loop the Loop

If you're a fan of pastel nails, these will definitely hit the spot. They're really creamy and full of colour. If you aren't into pastel nails, give it a try when Spring (eventually) arrives and you may surprise yourself. Cute, fun candy nails are a great way to perk up a look.

Ferris Wheel and Hoopla

If you really can't get into the pastel thing, Ciate have also launched a range of glittery polishes alongside these which all look really pretty.

These are available now and are only £9 each. You can pick them up from Ciate online.


Will you be wearing pastel nails this Spring/Summer? What's your favourite nail trend for the season?


Liz
xo