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

NOTD: Essie | 'Bikini So Teeny' & Models Own | 'Sunset Chillout'

Essie | 'Bikini So Teeny' £7.99  - Models Own | 'Sunset Chillout' £5

A NOTD post hasn't made an appearance for such a long time which is silly because I change my nail varnish pretty much every week! This particular combination I've never tried before but I quite like the effect. 

The base colour is Essie's Bikini So Teeny which was from their summer range last year that I rushed out to purchase as soon as it was released. It is supposed to be a bright cornflour blue with a very slight amount of shimmer running through it. I find if you apply more than two coats of this however, the polish takes on a darker and more grey element, which is what happened this time around. This bottle also features the newer brush which is larger than the original, making application a breeze. In terms of chip wear I would say this polish lasted around 3 days, but bearing in mind this has a glitter topcoat which reinforces base shades I don't think that is the best. 

This Model's Own glitter is one of my favourites - I've said it once but I'll say it again, they hands down do the BEST glitters!! The Hed Kandi range in particular is awesome and this mixture of shapes and colours of  this glitter just works so well with loads of different polishes and is a great choice for summer.

Do you have any favourites by Essie or Model's Own? xxx

NOTD: Barry M | Gelly Nail Paint in 'Dragon Fruit' |

Barry M // Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint // £3.99 // 

There have been plenty of posts already where I've harped on about my love for Barry M, and I've been steadily adding to my stash of their latest release of Gelly polishes. This particular colour has gained a place as one of my favourites of the moment. Dragon Fruit is a perfect Barbie pink, with the tiniest hint of sparkle giving the polish more dimension, which you can see the best in the bottom picture. I think this colour looks best on finger tips as on my skin tone it looks a bit dull on the toes unless you jazz it up with some glitter.

The texture is thicker than normal polishes but took around two layers to become streak free with this particular shade. I also really like that the shine doesn't dull after a few days wear and I was chip free until around the 3/4 day. These version of nail paints have been really hyped up with people either loving or hating them, but I am most definitely on the love side! I've got my eye on a few darker shades for Autumn and Winter so am looking forward to picking them up and testing them out.

What are your opinions on the Gelly range? xxx

NOTD: Tropical Glitter

American Apparel 'Neon Orange' // £9 // Models Own 'Sunset Chillout' // £5 //

If you follow me on instagram you might recognise this amazing duo for summer, featuring two of my favourite polishes of the moment.

My Models Own collection is quite substantial now and the large majority of the polishes I own from them are glitter. I think that proves that they are definitely one of the best brands if you are looking for sparkly fingertips. In particular I really like the Hed Kandi range, so when I saw this new one I naturally had to pick it up. 'Sunset Chillout' is unlike any other glitter I own - an array of different shapes and colours of glitter suspended in an easy to apply clear polish. I love that the glitter is really packed into the formula so it applies as an even covering, rather than just giving you one or two pieces per application.

I think it goes really nicely with bright colours - this time I paired it with a neon orange from American Apparel which is another lovely polish (read my review here). What do you think of this combo? Do you have any favourite nail polishes for summer? xxx

P.S. I have recently set up a Facebook page for this blog as another way to follow me for you to receive updates on my blog and other beauty related things! Please 'like' it if you are a Facebook user - it's free :)! 

NOTD: Color Club | Reign in Spain |

The Wanderlust Collection // 4 mini pack //

As soon as I saw this colour in this month's Birchbox I fell in love. A mix of peach and coral with a neon/pastel finish make this perfect for summer and a bit different to the typical neons you get around this time of year. I've been obsessed with all things peach and coral at the moment, so this varnish will go really well with some new pieces I have recently bought for my wardrobe. This colour is so nice that a stranger on the tube asked me to write down the name of it for her - if you've ever been to London you will know people barely even look at each other on the tube so this is a massive credit to the polish! The pictures unfortunately don't do the colour justice, I think the best representation is the bottom one from my instagram.

'Reign in Spain' is part of another collaboration between Birchbox and Color Club (see this NOTD for the other) named the Wanderlust collection, consisting of 4 special summer shades in mini bottles. The formula is just as good as Insta-This - only 2 layers of colour needed for an opaque finish, tip wear by about day 3 and no major chips to be seen at all. 

The only pain is that to get one of these polishes on the Birchbox site you have to get the whole set - and considering I got two in my Birchbox I don't really want two duplicates to get my hands on the other half of the shades (although the green 'London Calling' is literally calling my name!)

What do you think of this colour? What are your favourite summer polishes? xxx

NOTD: Barry M | Gelly Nail Paint in 'Greenberry' |

Greenberry // £3.99 //

Since the Gelly Nail Paints were first launched I've been itching to get my paws on a few bottles. I think the colour range is really good, but I managed to restrain myself and only pick up 2 to begin with. This colour in particular really interested me as I think its quite different and very pretty for both fingers and toes (which I've done to match!) Its a great colour for spring and summer, but different to typical light minty greens that these seasons normally bring. Instead 'Greenberry' is a greeny turquoise shade, which is very bright!

Application is easy and the formula is pretty thick and opaque, like you would expect. One of the main selling points to these polishes is that they are meant to be chip resistant for a lot longer than regular nail varnish, however with this shade I was let down as it chipped within 2. I'm not sure if this is a one off or not as when I tried 'Lychee' it lasted for over a week, so I'm hoping with my next application I will be more lucky. I also found that this colour with my regular top coat, was not extra shiny than other polishes. Again I saw more difference with 'Lychee' in this department so I'm putting it down to the particular shade. On a more positive note one of the biggest plus points about this range is the very fast drying time.

I really do love this colour and it will definitely be gracing my finger tips on more than one occasion over the following months. I've always found Barry M to be a great affordable brand when it comes to nail varnish, its just a shame this shade didn't live up to some of the other claims the Gelly range promises xxx

NOTD: Pastel Sparkles

Barry M 'Berry Ice cream' // Model's Own 'Blizzard'

This is a quick NOTD post which is perfect for Spring time. I've already done a post on this lovely pastel lilac, which is such a pretty colour on its own. However, sometimes I think it can get a bit boring and as I love a bit of sparkle I thought I would pair it with 'Blizzard' from Model's Own. I got this for Christmas from Matt along with the rest of the Wonderland collection and it is definitely my favourite. It has filled a glitter shaped whole in my stash as I don't have any glitter polishes like this. I can't wait to do a full post on it but as a quick over view it is jam packed with glitter and would suit just about any colour you pair it with. A winning combination in my eyes - its a shame the photo doesn't do it justice!

What are your Spring nail polish picks? xxx

NOTD: American Apparel | Neon Orange |

Neon Orange // £9 // 15ml

At the beginning of last week you may remember when the UK actually saw some sun and life was generally better because of it. I think the very brief spell of warmth went to my head as it influenced me to put some colour back into my very boring essay filled life, and I opted to paint my nails the brightest shade I could find.  Now, a few NOTD posts ago, I blogged about a neon yellow shade from American Apparel that I had been bought for Christmas and was left bitterly disappointed by. Well, that has since been returned, but I still had a neon orange that I had also received so thought I might as well try it out.

Thankfully, the quality of this nail varnish has been a million times better than the yellow, so I'm hoping it was just a duff one rather than a representation of all of the range. I love that the colour really does live up to the neon name and I got many compliments when wearing this. Even when the fog returned (I think I jinxed it) this still managed to shine from my fingertips and brighten up my day. The wear time was also incredible and it lasted around 5 days until minimal tip wear set in - pretty fabulous in my opinion.

In regards to application, I used two thin layers to achieve an opaque finish and the wide brush made it a doddle. This polish dries to a matte finish so you could follow up with a matte top coat if you have one. I don't so I opted for my standard Sally Hansen.

I've now got my eye on more colours - especially the glitters (5 in total!) - and am hoping that the rest of the ranges can live up to this quality after being sorely let down before. What do you think of this colour? xxx

NOTD: Color Club | Insta-This |

Color Club // Insta-This // £10

In my last ever Jolie Box before the brand was taken over by Birch Box, I received this beautiful blue nail varnish by Color Club called 'Insta-This'. Formulated after being inspired by Autumn/Winter fashion shows, 'Insta-This' is a bright, deep cobalt blue. It reminds me very much of Nails Inc 'Baker Street', which I had been thinking about purchasing for a while so I was really pleased when I found this in my box. It isn't a normal 'me' colour, however I really liked the look of this on my nails and received  many compliments on it.

As it was my first varnish from the brand I wasn't sure what to expect. The first coat went on quite streaky, however when followed up with a second layer the colour was even and opaque, although a top coat is definitely needed for shine (I used Sally Hansen Diamond Strength). The durability of this nail varnish is great; after 2 days there was slight tip wear which you can see in the above pictures, but major chipping didn't occur until around day 4 which I was pretty pleased with.

If you like the look of this shade you can pick it up here. What is your favourite blue nail varnish? Have you tried anything from Colour Club? xxx

NOTD: American Apparel | Neon Yellow |

American Apparel Neon Yellow // £9 // 15ml //

For Christmas I received two Neon nail varnishes from American Apparel which I had been lusting after since summer - yellow and orange. At nearly ten pounds each they are not cheap but I had seen good things about them and you get quite a big bottle too. 

I was so excited to try it out but turned out to be really disappointed. I love the colour as it is true to the neon you see in the bottle and the matte finish, however the formula was so gloopy. This meant I couldn't layer thin applications to build up an effective colour and left me with thick, gloopy and extremely streaky nails. I ended up having to take it all off and start again once I tried to thin it out with some nail polish remover. After a second go, the formula was a bit thinner but I was left with the same result of streaky and patchy nails, which you can kind of see in the pictures but was more apparent in person so I had to take it off again. For such an expensive polish I was so annoyed at how rubbish it was, especially when the quality of Barry M and Models Own is so much better for a lot cheaper.

Yesterday we went into the Covent Garden store to exchange my disco pants and return this varnish - however, we found out that American Apparel don't do returns or exchanges at all in store which is absolutely ridiculous! So now we have to spend more money returning them through an online process.

Overall, I've been so disappointed with the product and the customer service from American Apparel. I haven't tried the orange yet but will write up of how it fares. Have you used these particular polishes from AA? xxx

NOTD: Barry M | Berry Ice Cream |

Nail Paint // £2.99 // 10ml 

This may not be a typical colour for this time of year, but if you are getting bored of the berries and darker shades, this is a lovely choice. It would look great with a tan in the summer, but I'm not one to stick with the conventional seasonal colours all the time and so wear it all year round. A glossy lilac, this varnish is lovely by itself but can be jazzed up with glitter layered over it too. To achieve an opaque finish, I layered 2-3 applications as it is such a light shade. I'm a big fan of Barry M polishes as they perform really well for being such a bargain price.

It is available from the Barry M website or most drugstores - however, it is useful to note that I think the name has changed from when I purchased it and is now called 'Ice cream purple' (I prefer the previous name). I also like the look of 'Peach Melba' and 'Raspberry'.

What Barry M shades do you like best? xxx

NOTD: Essie | Carry On |

At the moment, I am obsessed with all shades of berry, burgundy and deep purples. I know they are a bit of a cliche for this time of year, but for some reason this time around I've been loving these kind of colours. I usually go for bright shades on my nails but 'Carry On' has quickly made it's way into my favourites. This bottle is from the original range, not the drugstore diffusion lines so has a different brush and slightly different design. This shade looked great with just one application, but I chose to do another out of habit and to make sure it was completely opaque. As you can see it's a lovely deep, reddy purple which I think will go with a lot of outfits this season. I also think this is a great colour to layer up different types of glitter to make it more special for the party season and get a lot of different looks out of it.

The wear time on it was pretty impressive too - I had up to 4 days of no tip wear or anything! As the colour is dark I would recommend a good base coat to stop it from staining your nails. I used Essie's protein base coat with a cheap maybelline top coat over the top (note to self: buy Seche Vitte!) It's also a bit tricky to apply dark shades perfectly but I tried my best!

You may have noticed that I havn't put a price or where you can buy this polish like I normally do with products I review, but that is because it wasn't part of the diffusion range which is cheaper (I think) in Boots or Superdrug and I'm not sure if you can get this colour in department stores such as John Lewis which do stock the original Essie. I think it very much depends where you get yours from as to the price (Essie is available online too), but I got mine in a set of 3 at TK Maxx for around £12 which is a barry bargain! 

What do you think of this nail colour? What are your favourite Autumn/Winter nail shades? xxx

NOTD: Princess Nails

No7 Stay Perfect in 'Pinky Pure' £5.50 // Barry M Glitter Nail Paint in 'Pink Iridescent' £2.99

At the moment I've been really into layering glitter over the top of my plain nail varnishes to make them a bit more interesting and brighten up the dull weather. In this NOTD I've started with a few coats of Stay Perfect by No7 in 'Pinky Pure' and then layered on Barry M's 'pink iridescent'. I really like the combination of the two as I think it looks girly while still being a little understated and elegant and that's why I named it princess nails :). I havn't included a picture of the No7 bottle as it is pretty grotty and old but you can see the glitter above. This combination lasted up to a week on my nails without any serious chips which I think is really good going. I never normally wear 'pinky pure' by itself as I think it can look a bit streaky, needing 3-4 coats to get an even and opaque finish, but with the glitter I get a lot of compliments on my nails and think it is a great combination for many occasions.

Have you tried any of these colours before? What would you recommend from both brands? xxx

NOTD: Barry M | Coral |

Barry M Nail Paint in Coral // £2.99

Out of all Barry M's products, their nail paints are my favourite. They have a great selection of colours, glitters and cracking polishes and now they have introduced their gelly line too which delivers high shine to your nails much like a gellac/shellac manicure. The one gripe I do have though is that the formula can be very hit and miss - sometimes it last forever and is a dream to apply, other times it chips in less than a day. This particular varnish falls in the latter category as you can see from the pictures above there was already some tip wear after less than a full day of wear. 

You can also see from the pictures that it is much more of an orange shade than a true coral. In the bottle it does look more pinkey than orange but this doesn't translate to the nails and instead is almost identical to 'Block Orange' - another Barry M Nail Paint that I own. 

All in all it isn't the best of Barry M's nail varnishes due to formulation and shade so I wouldn't repurchase, however there are lots of other great shades from the Barry M collection which are a hit for me, for example this shade here.

What do you think of Barry M Nail Paints? xxx

NOTD: Nailgirls | The Medal Collection: Gold |

£10.50 for 15ml (full size) // Mini size shown

When I first received both this colour and a bronze in my July Jolie Box, which are part of  'The Medal Collection' from Nailgirls, I was originally disappointed as they didn't seem like the typical colours I would pick up myself and were by a brand I had never heard of. However, I was proved wrong when I tried the gold (I am yet to try the bronze) and was really pleasantly surprised. That is the beauty of beauty boxes (pardon the pun) - you can discover some great brands that you would otherwise never have crossed your beauty radar. 

The gold is a beautiful metallic foil shade and nothing like the other colours I have in my ever expanding collection. It would be perfect for all times of the year, whether in the summer to accent a tan or for a Christmas party. With just one coat I had a perfect opaque gold layer which dried almost instantly but I applied 2 coats out of habit. I liked the brush as it was large enough to cover my nails in one sweep, and together with the fast drying time this nail varnish makes light work of a manicure, something that can often take me ages. It also lasted a good few days before tip wear and considering I was doing washing up and other household chores I thought this was pretty good. The little trial size of these varnishes make them perfect for holiday so I will definitely be packing them next time I jet off, although I'm not a fan of the actual bottle because I think it looks a bit cheap therefore giving the wrong impression of a great product.

All Nailgirl varnishes are free from nasties that can be found in other salon formulas such as formaldehyde and from reading up about the brand they seem to actually care about the state of your nails unlike some of the quick walk in nailbars which use electric files etc which really harm your nails and nailbeds. Nailgirls are a British brand and have a walk in salon in Islington and also blend their own colours to suit the cat walk trends each season.

Overall I was really impressed with the quality and would pay full price for the original size. This nail varnish in particular was good quality and I'm looking forward to trying the bronze.

Have you tried any polishes from this brand? xxx

NOTD: Essie | Cocktail Bling |

If you've been reading this blog for a while or know me personally, then upon looking at this picture you would realise this isn't really a 'me' colour. I'm all about the pinks and bright colours, but recently I've been branching out to nail colours I wouldn't normally reach for (see this other Essie shade). However, I spotted this colour along with an Essie nail fortifying base coat I've been hankering after for a while in a pack for £7.99!!! How could I resist two Essie polishes for that price?? So naturally I had to buy them and tried them out as soon as I got home. 

The brush was large and made for easy application, but I had to layer around 3 thin layers for a good opaque finish. Although this isn't a colour I would see and want to pay full price for, I have to say that this colour is really growing on me, and its always nice to have a variety of colours in your stash! I thought the name for the varnish was a bit odd because 'disco bling' to me makes me think of a bright glittery colour and this is clearly not the case! It's much more of a cement grey, so maybe that would have been a bit more apt. It's not much of a summer colour, so I expect that this will get alot of use in the autumn and winter. But as it is summer at the moment I had to use my current obsession of Model's Own Hed Kandi polish for glitter tips to make the colour a bit more 'me' and summery. I've literally used this glittery with every nail colour I've put on since I bought it! It's just sooo pretty :)

What do you think of this Essie shade? xxx

NOTD: Essie | Turquoise & Caicos |

Previous to my little haul I did yesterday, my next nail colour of choice was going to be my new Barry M purple shade. However, considering my first NOTD was Barry M, I chose to go with this new Essie shade I picked up yesterday instead. 'Turquoise & Caicos' is my first ever Essie purchase and to be honest when I first put it on my nails I wasn't sure. This is my only turquoise/green shade I have as I am normally a pinky/purpley kinda girl, but I've been trying to get out of a beauty and fashion rut at the moment so am trying many new things. However, after finishing applying the colour it has really grown on me and its lovely to have something a bit different. The brush was great for application as it was quite big and wide, although I had to apply 3-4 thin coats in order to get a good opaque colour, but the varnish did dry quickly. From most of the reviews I've read, Essie polishes can vary on how good the wear is depending on which colour, so I will be interested to see how long this lasts. One of the plus points of Essie is the simple packaging. I love the clear raised name of the brand on the bottle and the little 'e' on the top of the brush.

I was also desperate to try out my new Models Own nail varnish so painted just my fourth finger on each hand to jazz it up a bit (I'm a sucker for a bit of sparkle!) I really liked this polish too and was so pleased it lived up to the hype! I think it will suit literally every shade of nail varnish there is so it was a good investment :)

What do you think of this shade? And what other Essie polishes do you recommend? xxx