NAILS!! (Part One)

If you have an Instagram or Twitter account and happen to follow me (sorry!) then you'll know I have a slight (ahem) obsession with nails.

In fact, my housemate Sally said just the other day "Have you painted your nails...again?". Oh yes.

I thought it high time I shared some of my top nail tips, including:
- how I store the 36 nail varnishes I own (how did that happen??)
- my favourite shades
- my secret weapon for salon-quality nails
- how I care for my nails
- my thoughts on gel / Shellac / Bio Sculpture
- my little black book of the best nail bars in London

(To avoid this post becoming the new War and Peace I've split it into 2 parts).


NAILS: PART ONE

Nail varnish storage

What I use:

• 1x shoe box
• 1x GlossyBox box (these make amazing storage boxes for makeup, photos, greetings cards. Love them!)
• Some tissue paper (optional. I used the paper that came in the shoe box)

My favourite shades

Below are some of the shades in my collection that I think are utterly amazing and that I return to time and time again.

1. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
2. Butter London in 'Kerfuffle'
3. Color Club in 'Jackie O' 
4. OPI in 'Big Apple Red'
5. Sinful in 'Adultress' 
6. Nails Inc 'Porchester Square'

1. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat (from £7) - not really a 'shade' as it's a top coat but I'm gonna mention it anyway. I've already blogged about this award-winning nail product and never tire telling people about it. It is, quite simply, the fastest way to get salon-quality nails and takes mere minutes to dry.

Basically, I wish I had shares in the company.

2. Butter London in 'Kerfuffle' (£12) - a birthday present from my sis last year (thanks G-nôme!). Absolutely love the colour (a pale, creamy coral) and the name (great word, non?). It's also one of a handful of shades which I think works well on both long and short nails.

Do my nails look neon in this? Er, just a tad :)

3. Color Club in 'Jackie O' (only £2.50! Buy here) - #OMG. I discovered this spell-binding neon earlier this summer whilst treating myself to a mani-pedi at one of my top secret nail salons (see Part Two for My Little Black Book of London Nail Bars). People were literally stopping me in the street. After some hunting I found a UK company (tnbl.co.uk) who sell the Color Club range at utterly amazing prices. Color Club varnishes deliver a consistently creamy finish to rival that of OPI or Essie. (Tip: buy 2-3 shades so you make the most of the postage).

4. OPI in 'Big Apple Red' (currently just £7.17 on Amazon!) I paid £12 in Liberty :( - I have a real soft spot for this shade. I was out in Australia (Melbourne) in January visiting my family and trying to heal a broken heart. A local salon had a mani-pedi offer on so I decided some pampering was most definitely in order (nothing like a good mani-pedi to perk a girl up and make her feel just that little bit brighter). A very close second to this particular shade of red would be Nails Inc's 'Victoria & Albert' which I adore.

5. Sinful in 'Adultress' (£4.41 here) - I was given this nail varnish by a beauty therapist a couple of years ago who was doing manicures at a friend's hen. I think it's utterly amazing and used it very recently on a shoot for Rigby and Peller. Again, unbelievable value and feels luxe. It's my go-to shade in the Autumn/Winter and to wear it feels just like its namesake :)

Image credit: cilucia.blogspot.com

6. Nails Inc 'Porchester Square' (£11 approx) - 'Greige'. What a great word. There are countless copies of this shade but very few are capable of matching Nails Inc's unique lilac/beige/grey shade. (Btw, I wonder which came first... Chanel's 'Particulière' - a slightly darker/warmer greige - or 'Porchester Square'? Let me know if you know!).

According to Vivianadoesmakeup.com Barry M's 'Almond' is a fantastic dupe of 'Porchester Square' and only £3.99. Perfect excuse to try a 'greige' if you haven't already done so.

Seche Vite and Mini Me (5ml). The Mini Me comes away with me on holiday.

My (not so) secret weapon

My sister (not G-nôme, another one...Kels) introduced me to this two years ago and it has completely taken the hassle out of painting my nails. I. Love. It.

Having tried countless other top coats including OPI, Nails Inc, Sally Hansen and Essie, for me, Seche Vite's award-winning formula is unparalleled (let me know if you disagree!)

Simply place one coat over any nail vanish - even a cheapo brand - and it will give your nails a high-shine, gel effect that lasts for up to 7 days. It also 'does exactly what it says on the tin', drying nails in record time. (Click here to read my 'hand washing' anecdote).

Tip: Seche Vite can get quite gloopy/bubbly if you apply too thick a coat so try and paint it on thinly.

NAILS!! Part Two will be posted in a day or two...

xx

Top of the Top Coats

Dark and stormy

I hear what you're thinking...
a) who has time to do an at home three-stage manicure?
b) I've got a really shaky left hand
c) I barely manage a swipe of mascara, let alone two coats and a top coat??

That may (all) be true. But can I just share a teeny weeny secret with you?

There is a top coat that is, in my humble opinion, the Ferrari of Top Coats. If you haven't yet heard of this product then I feel honoured to be introducing it to you. It's certainly saved me hundreds of £'s in manicures over the years.

(By the way, see that photo above? They're my nails 6 days after I painted them. Yes Sir).

Tell me more...
- It's readily available in the UK (£9 in Boots, £11.50 at Liberty, and £10.95 at John Lewis. You can also easily buy it online from Amazon. Prices start at £4).
- It lasts 10+ manicures
- Your nails are completely dry within 5 minutes (max), regardless of how quickly you just applied your second coat of colour.

In fact, I once accidentally did some hand washing having just applied Seche Vite and to my complete surprise my nails were just fine!

Now surely that's the ultimate test...