New Page: My Nail Care Routine

I created a new page on the blog describing my nail care routine. I will be updating it as and when I find new products, change my method or learn new tips. If you haven't yet seen it, please feel free to have a look and share your suggestions!

Nubar - 2010

If you like flakies, and I know many of us collectors do, I'm sure you've heard of Nubar 2010. Nubar is a cruelty-free, vegan brand based in the USA. All their nail varnishes are B3F and reasonably priced.

This top coat was released for their 10 year anniversary. It's a clear base with different size iridescent flakies that reflect mostly red and green. The formula is pretty good and dries quickly; one coat is enough for layering.

I've been thinking about this post pretty much since I started the blog. I wanted to do it justice and show it to you over lots of different nail varnishes, but then realised that it looks so cool over black I don't need to show you less interesting options. Here's a few anyway, so you can see what I mean:

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From Top Left to Bottom Right:

OPI Here Today... Aragon Tomorrow Suede

OPI Fly

OPI Ali's Big Break

a-england Galahad

Mavala Poetic

OPI Jade Is The New Black

Over black it's just amazing, like autumn leaves or even embers. I really like this look, it certainly shows off all the different colours vividly.

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This is definitely a must have as it can update your mani in a matter of minutes. If you, like me, fancy a change after a day or two and can't afford to completely change your look, make sure you try this.

Brand: Nubar

Name: 2010

Type: Flakie/Top Coat

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: 4.6/5

Potential dupes: several potential dupes, Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure is probably the most popular one.

Buy it from BeautyBay £5.50 (with free worldwide delivery)

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Enhancing Base Coat

2 x OPI Black Onyx

1 x Nubar 2010

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Nails Inc - Notting Hill Gate

It's not news that most Nails Inc polishes are named after places in London/stations. While Notting Hill Gate might bring memories of Julia Roberts being glamourous and Hugh Grant being awkward, it reminds me of something much closer to home.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon in late Summer 2003 when I went to Notting Hill to have a coffee with my now husband. Norah Jones was playing in the background, we were sitting on a brown leather sofa in a small venue on Portobello Road and realised we wanted to be more than just friends. And the rest, as they say, is history.

So I ended up buying a pink nail varnish! I haven't gone insane, I am a romantic and this is not just any pink. This is a cool pink, it's neon! I thought it'd look great as a vibrant pedi colour but haven't tried it yet.

The formula on this is very good. It goes on smoothly and only needs two coats. The finish is between a matte and a creme, for those who, like me, are not familiar with neon polishes. I thought it might glow in the dark but it doesn't, I hope that gives you an idea of how eye-catching this product is!

I honestly can't wait until the sun is back, hopefully for more than a week, in the UK and I can wear this again. When my little girl gives it back, that is!

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I also created a few mani options below using Nails Inc Paddington for the French tips, star and dots and Nails Inc Electric Lane holographic top coat. In hindsight, I'm not sure how good they look... see for yourselves:

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Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: Neon

Name: Notting Hill Gate

Type: Neon

Colour: Pink

Pantone equivalent: Rhodamine Red

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Illamasqua Collide, comparison coming up soon! Other neon pinks out there.

Buy it from Nails Inc £11

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extending Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc Notting Hill Gate

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

OPI - Black Onyx

I only bought Black Onyx last year. I used to wear a lot of black in my late teens and had moved away from the hardness that it provides in recent years, but decided I needed it in my life again. I trust OPI to produce a good quality product and this was no exception: perfect coverage in two even coats, glossy finish, good drying time, long wear, excellent brush... all the things I have come to expect from them.

As I was taking the photos below, I was wondering what to write about this nail varnish. What can you say about a black creme? Then I remembered that it's not all about Rock/Punk/Goth nails, there is so much you can do with black!

Black is great for Nail Art and also serves as a perfect base for some finishes such as duochromes and flakies. You can use it on French tips for a twist on the traditional white and it's a safe colour for pedis.

Even if you're not a black lover like I am, I think every woman should own one good quality black polish.

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Brand: OPI

Collection: Classics

Name: Black Onyx

Type: Creme

Colour: Black

Pantone equivalent: Black

Make Up Alley rating: 4.2/5

Potential dupes: Many!

Buy it from Demon's Beauty £7.16

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extending Base Coat

2 x OPI Black Onyx

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Orly - Fowl Play

I remember seeing this polish last year and thinking it was so me I had to have it. Then I ordered it, tried it once and was a bit underwhelmed, so I put it in with the others and forgot about it until now.

Orly is a brand I am not very familiar with, despite having been around since the '70s. Their formula is free from DPB, Toluene and Formaldehyde; their full size bottles are slightly larger than average (18 ml) and they have a rubber "gripper" cap.

Fowl Play is a purple jelly base with different sized flakes that flash red, green, orange and gold. It also has blue glitter particles and silver micro shimmer, so it's full of goodies! The formula is a little thicker than I am used to and drying time is not its strongest point. It took me about three coats when I used it before, which implied long waits and hard work... for me at least.

This time around I wanted to see the effect without getting lost in the coats, so I used one coat of a-england Elaine as a base and only did two of Fowl Play. One would have probably been enough to show the best bits, so if you're ever in a hurry and want to sport some flakie goodness then bear this in mind.

After looking at the photos I took today, this polish does look gorgeous on and it's pretty special. So maybe the jelly consistency, which is in effect what puts me off, is worth it after all. Do give it a try.

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Brand: Orly

Collection: Birds of a Feather

Name: Fowl Play

Type: Flakie

Colour: Purple

Pantone equivalent: N/A

Make Up Alley rating: 4.5/5

Potential dupes: it's very close to OPI Merry Midnight.

Buy it from Amazon UK £7.95 (free delivery)

I used:

1 x Save The Nail Colour Extender Base Coat

1 x a-england Elaine

2 x Orly Fowl Play

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Nail Art: Double French mani

If you follow me on Twitter you might have already seen what I am about to show you, but I was quite happy with the results so I thought mi mani deserved a quick post.

Double French using Instagram
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I started with a base of Illamasqua Whack and then did freehand French tips in OPI Alpine Snow using a Nail Art brush. To complete the look I added another layer of tips in OPI Black Onyx, revealing a little of the white underneath. I finished it off with top coat.

I loved this modern twist on the French mani and will definitely be attempting it again with different colour combinations. Are you a fan of the Double French?

Nail Art: Easter Eggs

It's the Easter Bank Holiday weekend and for many of us that means only one thing: time off work! Ever since I debuted with the Owl, I attempt a little bit of nail art whenever I have the time. Today I am sharing with you an original Easter Eggs design.

My materials: 

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From L to R:

• China Glaze For Audrey
• a-england Guinevere
• Illamasqua Milf
• Mavala Acid Yellow
• Mavala Poetic
• OPI Apline Snow

The process:

I painted things in the following order:

1. My nails with a coat of OPI Alpine Snow to have a white base
2. Two horizontal lines, the bottom colour on one finger was used as the top one on the next (from L to R), and so on
3. The top tip on one finger was the bottom on the next (from L to R), and so on
4. The bottom of one nail was the top on the next (from R to L), and so on
5. Triangles in the top and bottom colour in the middle of each nail
6. Dots in the top, using the colour from the bottom line and vice versa
7. Dots in the centre, using the colour that hadn't been used on that nail yet

There is probably a much easier way to do it! In case you were wondering, I spent about two hours doing both hands.

The outcome:

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Happy Easter everyone!

Nails Inc - Paddington

Our final stop on the AW 2011 set is Paddington, all change here! 

If I didn't know that these polishes' names come from train stations, I would have probably thought of the cute little bear of the same name.

This is a very dark grey creme, and since it dries a tad darker than the bottle it is almost black. It's not the most unique of colours, to be honest I am not sure how many blacks/near blacks one can have, but this is nice nonetheless. Formula was great, it's potentially a one-coater and looks even and glossy.

Paddington: Please look after this nail varnish.

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As this is the last one of the series, I thought it'd be nice to show you a mani I tried with Paddington and Charing Cross:

Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: AW 2011

Name: Paddington

Type: Creme

Colour: Grey

Pantone equivalent: 426

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: It's very close to OPI Suzi Skis in the Pyrenees, but I haven't compared them yet.

Buy the set from Look Fantastic £19.99

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc Charing Cross

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Nails Inc - Charing Cross

Part three of the Nails Inc AW2011 set, today I am sharing Charing Cross with you.

This is a classic red creme. I am aware that the rail station it is named after is known for being a red light district but I can't assume there is any relation between the colour and the name.

This is a shiny, even and smooth nail varnish. Application was a breeze although there was some staining after removing it, which is often a small price to pay with shades as pigmented as this one.

I am a red lover and find it suitable for most skin tones and ages. Do you find it classy or old fashioned?

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Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: AW 2011

Name: Charing Cross

Type: Creme

Colour: Red

Pantone equivalent: 186

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Many!

Buy the set from Look Fantastic £19.99

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc Charing Cross

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight

Nails Inc - St Pancras

Continuing with the AW11 set from Nails Inc, today I am showing you St Pancras.

This is not a station I am very familiar with: I didn't live in the vicinity and, unlike Victoria, hadn't seen it in my English books when I was a teenager. It's become more popular in recent years since opening a Eurostar terminal.

St Pancras himself was a Roman citizen who converted to Christianity and was beheaded for his faith at the age of 14. I don't know whether this event gave name to this polish but it certainly resembles blood.

This colour is such a classic! I've had many of the kind over the years as burgundy cremes are my first love. I could wear this all Winter, every year!

The formula and brush are very good. It goes on smoothly and one coat might be sufficient but I like it better after two. 

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When I tried it on I thought it would look great with gold, so I came up with the following idea, using OPI Glitzerland and a toothpick:

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It dries a little darker than the bottle, so it's pretty vampy indeed!

Brand: Nails Inc

Collection: AW 2011

Name: St Pancras

Type: Creme

Colour: Burgundy

Pantone equivalent: 4975

Make Up Alley rating: N/A

Potential dupes: Many!

Buy the set from Look Fantastic £19.99

I used:

1 x OPI Natural Base Coat

2 x Nails Inc St Pancras

1 x Save The Nail 45 Second Top Coat

Metadata:

Canon EOS 450D - 50 mm - f/1.8 - ISO 400 - indoors - no flash - daylight