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

Have you heard about this amazing eye makeup remover? (and enjoy 20% off)

Like most makeup artists and beauty bloggers I get pretty excited by certain products. And this one is right up there for me.

I discovered micellar cleansing waters* two years ago and have tried various along the price spectrum from Melvita's Rose Nectar Fresh Micellar Water, £15.50, John Lewis online which smells reassuringly natural, to Botanics All Bright Micellar 3 in 1 Cleansing solution (£2.99 from Boots) which I found stung my eyes A LOT (so not a fan).

In my opinion Bioderma's Sensibio H2O Micelle Solution (formerly Crealine) knocks both these and most other eye makeup removers out of the park.

Reasons to try it:

- removes all traces of eye makeup, including waterproof mascara, beautifully and effortlessly

- non-oily

- unperfumed

- great for all skin types, particularly sensitive skins

- removes the need for washing with water which can strip the skin of its moisture

20% Off

The lovely people at escentual.com are currently offering 20% off ALL SIZES which means you can currently buy 500ml for just £11.60! (I remember when 250ml was once £12 so this is a great price).

I recently purchased the 100ml bottle for my kit (definitely worth snapping up at £3.59 and perfect for taking on holiday) and I've been using the 250ml bottle for a week now. In fact, I've been so impressed with it I've just ordered the 500ml.

For those of you with more oily/combination skin be sure to check out Bioderma Sebium H20 Micelle Solution (available in 100ml and 250ml).

I'll leave you with some quick facts about micellar waters and Bioderma, the company:

* What is a micellar water?

We have the French to thank for this wonderful skincare invention. She Said Beauty has written one of the best explanations on micellar water here: 

"A micelle is a microscopic cluster of oil molecules suspended in soft water – the clusters are hydrophobic and oil-loving, therefore grabbing and absorbing dirt and makeup without ever breaking or upsetting the skin’s natural lipid barrier like a foaming or rinsing cleanser would. Alcohol and soap free, they can be used as a gentle makeup remover, after-cleansing toner or as a non-rinse cleanser for sensitive skins."

Did you know that makeup artists and models doing the European shows used to smuggle micellar waters into the UK (hehe!), such was their cult following...but, thankfully, there are now heaps readily available and many from well-known brands including Lancôme, L'Oréal and Rodial.

Bioderma 

Based in Lyon, the French Dermatological Laboratory Bioderma has been investigating breakthroughs in skincare for more than 20 years. They claim to have created the first commercial micellar water (the one I've been banging on about above) as well as the first 'biologically-active sunscreen ingredient that counters the long-term damaging effects of UV exposure' (visit escentual.com for more information on Bioderma's Photoderm range).