Nails Inc Glitterati

Whilst I am sure none of you doubted it for a moment the following post is proof of my fabulty as a mother.  My sister and I swop cheques and purchase presents for our kids that we know they will love and there are occasions when that has massive benefits.  Like when you buy your daughter a collection of nail varnish you know she will adore and will also of course be obliged to SHARE!! 

Ladies I give you Nails Inc Glitterati collection: 

 

Are they not 3 of the most glorious glitters?  This post is seriously picture heavy (see previous post re new camera)

London Bridge

Chelsea Embankment

Hatton Garden

So good it gets another pic!

In spite of reservations regarding the removal of glitter polish and because I am a martry to my blog I decided I would swatch all three in a glitter ball, nail bling marathon.

First up Chelsea Embankment.  This is a gold base with a mass of tiny bits of gold glitter so much so that it looks like a metallic foil when you get to 3 coats.

1 coat

2 coats

3 coats

I love this and the whole metallic nail finish it creates.  I wore it out recently as an accent nail on both ring fingers with a deep blue polish on the rest of my nails and loved how it looked.  

Next up Hatton Garden.  

 

 Oh dear Lord. Is that not to die for?  I think this really is my absolute favourite, a real walk into walls and crash your car cos you cant stop looking at it winner.  This is a clear polish with large holographic and silver glitter, its chunky and clunky and still I refuse to hate.  I rarely would never wear a sheer polish but I actually rather like this with just one coat to give bare nails a bit of sparkle.

Every collection has its problem child.  Meet London Bridge.

Blue polish with the most gorgeous fuschia glitter, the glitter is larger and less dense than the gold and smaller than the silver.It is beautiful but it's a total mare.  I was swatching and didnt want to let the coats dry completely as was hoping to get these off with minimal nail damage so maybe if I had let each coat dry really well I might have been able to even out the glitter better on the 3rd coat.  No glitter post is complete without some layering.  I decided to layer these on top of Illamasqua Eclipse, a recent sale purchase that I will blog soon. 

Index - gold, middle - silver, ring - purple

Index - gold, middle - silver, ring - purple

I think had I been a bit more sparing with the gold this might have looked really good, as it was I was too heavy handed and the layering thing went out the window.  Of course the silver layers like a dream, a clunky chunky dream but guessing a good top coat would smooth things out - although your polish would be mm thick.  London Bridge is killing me, it could look so nice but it just refuses to play ball.

Removal of these was not the trauma I had feared.  Admittedly I didn't let them dry completely and went at them with a litre of polish remover and its possible that left to dry fully I would have needed to go down the tin foil glitter polish route, I will update this post when I next wear them properly to let you know.

I paid £25 for this collection but it is on sale for £21.25 with free delivery at www.feelunique.com or £18 from the Nails Inc website, delivery extra.  I know the season for glitter is now behind us but maybe a bit of sparkle is just what we need to get us through the dull old months of January and February, what do you think?

UPDATE: It is with great sadness that I have to report the untimely demise of hatton garden. Not 2 hrs after completing this post our smallest dog, who will be henceforth known as "that bastard dog" knocked it off my desk and broke it.  Allegedly.  There is a conspiracy theory kicking around (Emily saying it like it probably is!) that my husband, actually broke the polish and blamed "that bastard dog" (which is far more likely in my opinion) but sadly that cannot be proven.  That said "that bastard dog" has no money and OH does, so it will be OH that pays to replace hatton garden and not tbd anyway!

 

2012, a new camera & my beauty blogging mojo back

Happy New Year lovely people!  New Years Eve was a quiet one for Steve and I, we stayed in, we drank some wine and we watched the fireworks on tv, it was bliss and Em more than made up for us - she went out at 4pm and got in at 7am, she's her father's daughter for sure!  Steve and I went to York on NYD.  Not a total success in that the weather was pants and 90% of the shops were shut, Jessops wasn't so we did come home with a fab new point and shoot so there will be blogging and there will be photos!  My fab "proper" camera takes amazing pics but I get completely precious about it and spend hours striving for perfect and of course without a macro lens there is no chance of good close up pics.  My new point and shoot remedies all of this so I am looking forward to getting back into beauty blogging in 2012.  

I have a few things planned, I am working on a facial oil comparison post as I now have the Sanctuary Oil, Clarins Santal and Liz Earle Superskin Concentrate - this year I am going to concentrate on posts about stuff that I would like to have been able to find but couldn't, facial oil comparisons was one of them.  I am also going to compare Aveda and Kerastase hair care soon.  There will be pics of the 2 perfumes I got for xmas (Miller Harris La Fumee and Penhaligon's Juniper Sling - I know spoilt rotten) and a review of sorts as I am crap at describing scents!


But for now a teaser from the new camera!  I bought Em the Nails Inc Glitterati collection.  To. Die. For. Even if you have to have your nails sandblasted to remove it!  Check this out - this pic is missing the purple glitter the proper post will include it.

If insane nail bling is your thing this is a post you wont want to miss!
x

Nail update - they're back!!!

Excuse slightly chipped Nails Inc, its been on since Sat eve with no top coat.  But look and marvel at the improvement in my nails!  I am delighted.  All I had wanted to achieve was short and without flakes as I don't do long nails and bar one patch on the tip of my left hand ring finger nail we are pretty much flake free.  This is how they looked 9th Jan, not a pretty sight. They had a month with no polish which made no difference, just to be clear the no polish wasn't really about avoiding polish, it was about avoiding nail polish remover.  So after a month with no discernible improvement I went right back to my old habits, but this time including Mavala Scientifique once a week and Nailactan every single night;  brush teeth, say prayers (Dear God, please help me find a way to afford Illamsqua Scarab AND Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua on Saturday. Thank you. Amen), apply Nailactan, schimples.  

Next time I have 5 mins between polish applications I'll get a naked nails pic so you can see just how the flakes have improved.  Happy Monday all.

Post Edit: sometimes our prayers are answered!  The incredibly fantastic and wonderful Helen at Sparklz & Shine has just sent me a link to Scarab and Viridian at the stupid price of £11.50 on ASOS, with free next day delivery today into the bargain! Don't mind telling you am giddy with excitement!!

Nails Inc - Caramel

Usuall gloopy Nails Inc mess that I thinned with nail varnish remover, my nails are so going to drop off.

Worth it though as I love the colour, even if it does bring out a smidge of the pink in my skin.

All that no nail varnish for a month - total waste of time. Have been wearing it now for 2 weeks and nails are looking waaay better. Result.

Colour is pretty accurate in these pics btw.
Happy Friday folks

Nails Inc - Cool Caramel

£10 for Nails Inc is just not happening.  Weirdly everytime I have paid full whack the polish has been craptacular, when I get a freebie with InStyle or Diet Coke its never as bad, is that psychological, maybe if we are spending a reasonable amount of money on a product we have expectations that we don't apply when its a freebie??  Anyway, that was in danger of getting deep.

Feast your eyes on this baby:

I have a feeling this could be my mannequin hands nail polish but will be waiting til February to find out.  Em has already used it and it is stunning on her although her hands are either orange with fake tan (bloody vile stuff) or are pale with no pink in them, unlike mine so hopefully it will look as nice on me, will do NOTD pics in Feb when I get round to wearing it!

Update.  I am not sure if there are other people like me?  I am hysterical about my nails and hair - wont leave home if having a bad hair day type of thing.  As  you may know am having a month off from nail varnish to nurture my nails and get rid of all the flakes.  Have Mavala hardener for the tips and Nailactan to smooth on every night and although the tips are still flaked the nail bed is looking much happier and my cuticles are much less trashed.  So why, in the name of all thats holy did I sit and bite my nails on Thursday evening?  I cried, literally sat and cried with my glass file in hand trying to tidy up the damage.  I seem to go into some kind of self destruct mode with my nails.  I did catch myself before they were super hideous, there was enough left to smooth off with the file but I did make 2 of the biggest flakes even bigger, my nails haven't been this short in about 10 years and I cant bear to look at my hands.  Breaking the ban with Scarab could be a lot further off than I had hoped.  Silly cow that I am.

Nails Inc - Free with Diet Coke

Would never pay full whack for a Nails Inc polish, they have too many issues. Buuuut would never sniff at one free with InStyle or, as is the case at the mo, with 2 bottles of Diet Coke from Boots!  Sent Em on a Nails Inc mish Friday lunch time and the girl done good.  She got me the bottle of Cool Caramel that I had my eye on.  Dithered over getting Denim Blue as well but the pics I had seen weren't that fab and I wasn't sure so left it.  A situation I may well rectify tomorrow! 

Am dragging Steve off to Leeds for a spot of light mooching.  (light mooching, heavy spending if I get my way!)  You saw the lust list, I intend to return with at least something off of it.

So will do some photos of Cool Caramel and any haulage and get a post done.  Am working at the Lamma show next week (I sell advertising on a farm machinery magazine and manage a used agricultural machinery website, as well as taking photos and running a guest house).  There is a strong possibility that the complete and utter lack of any kind of glamour and the need to be in a freaking field, in the rain, in January, may kill me.  If it does before they bury me some one paint the nails of my corpse with Scarab ok, ta.  Oh and if I haven't had chance to do it my top lip could do with a bit of a sesh with the hot wax - espesh if they are planning an open coffin!!

Barry M Crackle

Wasn't sure how I would feel about this, never embraced matt nails as I just think they look better glossy, hate scratty nail polish and was wondering if the fact that this is matt and cracked that I might just hate it. I so don't!!



I have put it on top of a green/gold duochrome'ish polish and it looks like snake skin. Am thinking nails done in a nice rich copper with some shimmer with a thin strip of sparkly gold up the middle then topped with this - python nails!



First couple of nails looked a bit pants, the black was too thick where I had gone back over the nail to try and cover all of it. In the end did up one side first, it dries really really fast, then went back and did up the other side of the nail which avoids overload and a nasty gunky mess!



Indoors with flash - hence shrek coloured skin!

I used Nails Inc base and did add Nails Inc top coat too, although the matt finish on top of the shimmery green gold was really effective, looked a bit like flock wall paper!, the black looked like it might peel if it wasn't sealed, was concerned top coat would drag it but it applied no probs.




Whilst it's not exactly classy I think you can have a lot of fun with this - I spent a while just putting on different base coats and applying the crackle to see how it looked and whilst doing my nails is never a chore I don't remember when it was last really good fun!

NOTD 9 - Models Own Blue Lagoon

After all the love I was feeling for Lilac Dream poor old Blue Lagoon was always going to be hard pushed to measure up. Factor in that I didn't even want Blue Lagoon but purchased it in lieu of Beth's Blue it really was on a hiding to nothing! No surprise then that I am a bit meh about this one. Application was great, opaque in 2 coats and its nice and thin - cant stand gloopy polish, did the nails inc caviar base and top, both of which are getting a massive thumbs up from me, especially the base - again hate hate hate thick gloopy base coats that don't meld with the nail but rather sit on it, this nail inc base does just that (meld, that is! m. e. l. d. - great word) so that you get the same application from your polish as you would if it was going straight onto the nail and the top coat gives my nails a super smooth feeling which I love. Lilac dream/nails inc combo wore really well, got from Sunday til Weds pm out of it so am happy with that and was almost tempted to re-do the Lilac Dream was loving it so. In fact am on verge of justifying purchase of Illamasqua Wink on basis that as I love lilac cream above all other then shouldn't I really actually have the mutha of all lilac creams? Now all I need to do is come up with a compelling argument that not even Steve "spend it and die" will be able to refute!

Enough blather here's the pics. Taken outside in light, but nonetheless bloody annoying, drizzle.






(If I seem a little cranky blame the slimfast. Have had to take myself in hand and gone back to the gym and cut out eating in an attempt to kick start a bit of a downward shift in my weight - curvy is good, bloater not so much!)

NOTD 4 - Nails Inc St Johns Wood

Oh is there ever a story behind this one. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I'll begin. Manchester March 2010 and I was on a mission - Nails Inc Jermyn Street or die trying. That may sound a little over dramatic, if you had been there you would know, it isn't! Hauled sister and daugher straight into Debenhams and to the Nails Inc counter, Jermyn Street was £10 on its own or for £18 I could have the "Griege" collection: Jermyn Street, The Thames (grey), Taxi (black) and a white/pale cream - cant remember the name. Well they say a fool and her money are easily parted and I am no exception. Was beyond delighted and over lunch shared out the spoils, hey, I am nothing if not generous - Em got the black and Ness got the pale cream and I had Jermyn Street, that lush Chanel Particulere (sp?) dupe and The Thames a fab grey cream. Was ecstatic til I came to use them, the brush on Jermyn street was straggly and un-even, the polish was thick and gloopy and I was peed off. Thames was worse, more straggles and at one point I dipped the brush into the bottle and it came out with a really long hair/fibre wrapped around the brush, yeuakk. The only other experience of Nails Inc polish that I had had was a freebie on the front of a mag and it too was super gloopy and nothing to write home about.

So in the interest of finding out how the hell Nails Inc could justify £10 something for a bottle of their polish I emailed customer services to ask if the polishes in the collections were of the same quality as the individual bottles. Got back the reply that they were and that I must have had a duff set and that they would be happy to replace the collection. I was pretty pleased and very impressed and waited for my new collection to arrive. And waited. And waited. You can probably see where I am going with this!!

After 2 months I emailed them again and said that whilst the offer of a new collection had been a lovely gesture, that was all it was - a gesture. Finally got a reply saying that the original contact had left but they would now send me a bottle of Jermyn Street. Of all the cheek! Wait 2 months and then instead of the original offer of a new collection get offered a single new bottle instead, I think not. They did then offer the Griege collection again but I am a bit over all that grey and beige so asked them if it would be possible to have a single bottle of St Johns Wood instead.

On Saturday this arrived.

How fab is that? Frankly had it been empty I would almost have been happy to have had the jiffy bag. ALMOST.

Inside the jiffy bag, was a Nails Inc black box and inside that, wrapped in black tissue was this

St Johns Wood - I am going to describe it as lavender cream, isn't it be-you-ti-ful? Actually in this photo its looking a bit darker than it truly is.

Just to give you a comparison here it is next to Purplicious - much more accurate on the colour.


Yesterday afternoon I finally had chance to get some on my nails. I am here to tell you that Nails Inc polish rocks. Seriously after having used 3 bottles and been pretty not impressed with the brushes and the formula this one has made me totally change my mind. The polish is very smooth and incredibly opaque, you could almost get away with one coat, but that just doesnt feel right so it got 2, did have some slight streaking caused by the brush, the polish is still fairly thick but it does go on like a dream.


This is 2 coats with Boots Expert strengthening base and top. Bit of tip wear and a whopper of a chip as I didn't get round to photo'ing this til this pm and I had done 3 hours house work and a spinning class by then!

You may have noticed my rather plump and luscious cuticles. Of course you did. This is due to this wonder product


It is amazing and makes my hands feel so moisturised without being greasy it is chock full of shea butter and smells like heaven. It was a b'day pressie from Rachel who is a bit of an Elemis fan and wanted to share the joy! Lucky me. She also got me a tube of their pre-tanning cream which I am going to use in the 2 week run up to my holiday in Corfu and if I tan, rather than doing that glow in the dark white, bright red lobster and back to glow in the dark all in the space of a day thing that I usually do I will be a convert for life! Cant wait to try it and of course will let you know how I get on!