Today I'm taking a look back over the season and revisiting some of my nail polish favourites. There's everything from nudes to blues to reds, and we cannot forget the festive influence: there's a heck of a lot of glitter! I've swatched all the shades too, with three coats to give the best possible representation of the colour.
I'm going to track all the way back to Halloween, where I painted my face like a skeleton and discovered the perfect blood red in the form of Nails Inc Tate (£14). This is a beautiful deep red that works oh so well in the cooler seasons. I find that pillar-box reds really don't suit me at all, so I prefer something a bit richer and this is perfect.
Another polish that has been an absolute favourite every since I bought it back in the autumn is Essie Maximillian Strasse-Her (£7.99). This is the most perfect greeny, bluey, grey shade that is such a standout in my collection and completely undupable. I've been particularly enjoying pairing it with the Barry M Matte Top Coat (£2.99), as it gives the polish such a gorgeous powdery finish.
THE NUDES
I've also been coveting a more subtle look. Barry M's Mani Mask (£3.99) in the shade Bashful is part of a new nail care range, and gives a sheer, semi-matte wash of pink that makes the nails look really polished. It is perfect for a natural look and conditioning them at the same time.
THE EFFECTS
As I mentioned before, the one time of year where glitter and all that jazz really comes into its own is Christmas. I know we're a bit past that now and let's face it, we all know I'd wear glitter at any time of the year, but I wanted to talk through some of my favourite nail effects, and some new discoveries too.
The first is one that has been a favourite for a few years, and that is the NYC In A New York Minute Nail Polish (£1.79) in Full Metal Jacket. This is such an amazing foiled metallic gold that applies so beautifully, especially at such a bargain price. I love that it is a cool gold, rather than being more on the yellow side, and it is perfect for party season (if I did party that is, I'm more likely to be found at home at 10pm with a cup of camomile tea, granny alert!).
Another favourite is the Maybelline Color Show Crystallize (£3.99) in Rose Chic. Forget those sheer attempts that are so wishy-washy they take a thousand coats to actually get any glitter on your nails, this is almost opaque with one coat. It really does give a crystallised finish to the nails, and the pale rose gold shade is a subtle take on the glitter trend.
Just before Christmas, I picked up a couple of polishes from Next. Their makeup section has had a bit of a rebrand recently and I've been really impressed with their nail selection. Their finishes is definitely comparable to Nails Inc at a fraction of the price. I picked up Mono Clone (£4), a matte pebble effect polish, which is so unique! It gives such an edgy look to the nails and it is so good for the price.
I also bought Apple of My Eye (£4) from Next, which is a glittery red polish. On the first coat, it looks more of a raspberry shade, but built up it becomes more of an opaque, true red glitter. This was the perfect Christmas Day polish as it's just so damn festive! These aren't available online, but you should be able to find them in store.
I really enjoyed putting this post together, and am looking forward to spring. I can't wait to pull out all my pastel nail polishes, especially all the blues. I have the most amazing pastel lime green shade from Essie that I'm desperate to adorn my talons with. Let's just hope they've grown a bit more by then!
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