A Huckleberry Nail

One of my main blogging 'enablers' is Laura from Buy Now, Blog Later I absolutely love everything about her style and so tend to pay attention to what she is currently sporting. So it was no surprise that I took notice when I saw her wearing an on trend pale pastel blue nail in this post. She was actually wearing an Essie version but my local Boots store was out of stock so off I went around the aisles to find a dupe.

It looks like Rimmel and L'Oreal currently have a range of pastels out; Rimmel with the Rita Ora range and L'Oreal with their Perfection Color Riche Nails but again both were out of stock. 

Then I stumbled across the BarryM counter and they have a few perfect pastel shades in their Gelly High Shine range, which is already a formula I love. I instantly picked up Huckleberry in a bid to replicate the far more expensive Essie version.

I am really pleased with this polish although I think the pictures make it look a little brighter than it is because they have been taken in a blue room however, it is also definitely not a blue toned white. As usual with this formula a couple of coats gives a totally opaque, highly pigmented and glossy finish. Paired with a good base coat and Seche Vite top coat it is also long lasting.

 

The perfect shade for those looking to incorporate a spring pastel into their look. Has anyone else been loving pastel nails lately?

Nailing It

For me O.P.I was always in the realms of salon only manicures and I only recently realised you could buy these in places like John Lewis (my spiritual home)...where have I been all this time!

Anyway in the States the O.P.I range is available in make up heaven Ulta which is where I picked these up on a 3 for 2. I got one FREE!!!!

I didn't stray too far from the normal here with a nude, pink and red/orange and then went on and painted my nails every day as I couldn't decide which one I loved more.

The first that I picked up was 'Cajun Shrimp'. A vivid red with hint of coral this has livened up my summer fingers and toes. I know that loads of bloggers have swooned over this colour and I am not surprised. I'm in love and I can see this taking me straight through Autumn and Winter by providing me with that much needed pop of colour.

As with all reds it is hard work; the slightest chip will take you from perfectly groomed to scraggy nailed but for me it is worth the maintenance.

 

The perfect nude nail is illusive as far as I'm concerned but this does come close. 'Mimosas for Mr & Mrs' is surprisingly that perfect shade for when you don't want to your nails to clash with your couture like at a wedding. 2 coats will mean your own nail tip shows through but with a creamy and classic finish.

 Last is the baby pink which comes from the OPI Minnie Mouse collection called 'Chic from Ear to Ear'. This plays to my inner child and those days when the only colour that would do was Barbie pink and this is exactly what it is. 

It takes 3 coats to get to the opacity that I prefer and it has a feint fine glitter running through it. This is a frivolous colour if you will and has lasted well through the summer days. I'm not sure it will get quite so many outings as we head into the winter months but I look forward to pulling it out of my nail collection again as Spring starts to show in March.

 

Is this not the most perfect colour collection ever? I could last the rest of my life with just these 3 colours...but what fun would that be!

Instagram Memories #7

Planning an amazing trip /// Saturday night pub night

 Spring is coming /// A lunch time purchase

 Easter nails /// Living in Bristol

 Game night /// Weird bedside statue

 Most beautiful morning view /// Sister ready to jump out of a plane!

Quick #notd

 

 A very quick nail of the day post from me, as I'm trying to get in the festive mood and I love this more sophisticated work friendly take on 'sparkle'. 

On the nail is elf 'Dark Navy', topped with a coat of Revlon 'Sequins' finished with Leighton Denny 'Crystal Finish'.

I love dark short nails particularly in winter but it is nearly Christmas after all and during one of my little wanders around Boots at the weekend I saw that it was 3 for 2 on Revlon makeup, and with any 3 purchases you got this free 'Sequin' polish. That is FREE people and obviously the 3 other items I HAD to buy were a necessity. Let me tell you it was not hard to buy 3 Revlon make up products (but that is a whole other post coming shortly). I knew as soon as I got it that it would look great on top of the 'Dark Navy' already in my collection!

OK so I have to tell you about the top coat as well. You may be thinking...how can you get so excited about something so boring! But the search for the perfect top coat has been ongoing. I want high shine and a smooth finish and I also want my nail varnish to last longer than one day. Until I found this, I had not found it. 

I have seen this on a couple of blogs and thought I'd give it a go, but it is quite pricey at £11 for one bottle and I picked this beauty up in M&S (also a surprise). This is without a doubt the best top coat I have ever used and definitely ticks all the boxes, so until I find one that is even better this will continue to be gracing my little fingers.