The Best Festive Nail Varnishes

L-R: Barry M 'Starlight', Model's Own 'Jack Frost', China Glaze 'Cleopatra', Models Own 'Dancing Queen' and Nails Inc 'Alexa Sequin'

L-R: O.P.I 'Play the Peonies', Essie 'Carry On', Nails Inc 'Tate', Jessica 'Venus Was Her Name' and Nails Inc 'Motcomb Street'

Now the festive season is in full swing, it is a great excuse to crack out the glitter nail varnishes. I've picked 5 of my favourites perfect for Christmas parties and 5 bases that work really well layered with the glitters or by themselves for a glossy plain manicure. These polishes offer a multitude of combinations, a few of which I have suggested below.

'Tate' is a deep red by Nails Inc which is opaque with two coats and works really well with a new offering from Barry M called 'Starlight'. The packing is super cute but the formula is quite gloopy. However, the thicker nature of the polish is packed with glitter and means the particles stick to your nails more easily. I love the stars included in this polish but you need to make sure to seal them well with a top coat otherwise the points can sticks up and catch. I will definitely be sporting this on Christmas Day.

The next combination is different to the traditional dark shades of this time of year but I think is so pretty and reminds me of fresh snow. The base is 'Play the Peonies' by O.P.I which is a pearlescent white with the tiniest hint of a pink undertone. Applying two thin layers of Model's Own 'Jack Frost' on top, the combination gives a subtle iridescent glow. 'Jack Frost' is again packed with glitter but in comparison the particles are much smaller and have a bluey green tinge to them.

In terms of the darker hues 'Venus Was Her Name' by Jessica is a dark yet vibrant purple, Essie's 'Carry On' is similar but a much deeper rich burgundy and finally 'Motcomb Street' by Nails Inc is a wonderful inky blue. My top picks for glitters which look amazing on top of these include 'Cleopatra' by China Glaze - a thin formula filled with a majority of tiny particles of antique gold and a few flecks of iridescent glitter similar to those featured in 'Jack Frost', another varnish from Model's Own which this time is full of chunky, different shaped glitter with a range of green blue and gold hues running through it. And finally a relatively new release from a collaboration between Nails Inc and Alexa Chung packaged in the new bottles is 'Sequin'* polish - a black base filled with bright gold particles.

What are your favourite festive nail varnish picks? xxx

All Used Up #4

Apologies for the awful quality of photos but the lighting wasn't my friend and I ended up having to use the flash on my camera. Anyway onto the empties...

001. Sure Deodrant: Pretty standard and unglamorous but Sure is my fave brand and actually works.

002. Aussie Dual Personality Hi-Hold and Hi-Shine Hairspray: This smells amazing and has pretty good hold, without being sticky. I wouldn't say it gave much shine though. I would maybe repurchase if it was on offer.

003. Bed Head Control Freak: I've been using this up for ages (shampoos seem to take me a while!) and although I loved the smell of pineapple I didn't see much in terms of frizz control. I probably need to use this with the conditioner and styling products to get the most out of it so I can't give too much of a fair judgement.

004. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Colour Insurance: This is one of my holy grail items and has been repurchased time and time again. Smells divine as do all Aussie products and leaves my hair soft, nourished and shiny.

005. Batiste Dry Shampoo: My dry shampoo of choice they are an actual life saver and will always repurchase. My favourite scent is wild but these are lovely too.

006. Pantene Repair and Protect Serum: I havn't actually used this up but have chosen to throw it away as it doesn't do anything and have been told by hairdressers that Pantene is awful for your hair by masking the problems by coating your hair, in turn making it lank and lifeless.

007. Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara: This was nice but I'm never really faithful to one mascara and am loving L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes at the moment.

008. MaxFactor Masterpiece Max Mascara: A lovely mascara, I really enjoyed using this. I've discovered their 2000 Calorie one though which does pretty much the same job for a bit less money.

009. Diesel Fuel for Life Perfume: I'm so sad this has finished! I've had it for years and really stretched it out when it was near the end. A lovely scent which is quite heavy, it was something completely different in my perfume collection. I would repurchase this but do have the body lotion to last me a while :)

010. Maybelinne Salon Manicure Top Coat: This was ok - it produced a nice shine but didn't help with the longevity of my polish. It also became gloopy quite quickly and the design of the bottle is rubbish as the brush couldn't reach half the product. I wouldn't repurchase.

011. Jessica Base Coat: This was lovely and part of a mini polish set I got a while back as a gift. I really love the quality of Jessica polishes and think more people should try them out.

There were some standard empties this time around like the dry shampoo and mascaras (I seem to go through tubes of the stuff) and also some well loved products I was sad to see the end of. What have you finished recently? xxx