Category: Manicure Monday

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Manicure Monday #29 | Sophisticated Glitter – Blogmas Day #22


Sometimes glitter can sometimes seem a little much, and although I will, especially at this time of year, sport a complete glitter manicure, it is nice to just add a hint of sparkle to your look. This is where the accent nail comes in…


So I began with a nude – I went for the Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Lychee which I actually have a full post on here. Any nude or neutral colour would look great with this look – anything that you would wear on an everyday basis. Then you pick a nail you want your glitter on. I’m not entirely sure why, but my favourite is always the ring finger – slightly off centre but still noticeable enough on your fingers. For this I used this very interesting glitter, the Maybelline Color Show Brocades Nail Polish in Knitted Gold which is sadly no longer available. But any glitter that you have would work ideal for this look – I personally think gold looks the best with nudes!

Do you ever rock an accent nail? Let me know your favourite combinations below!

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #27 | Essie Lots Of Lux | Blogmas Day #15

























If there’s any time of year that you can get away with obnoxious glitter on your nails, then it’s definitely now. I don’t tend to use any when it’s not the festive period, so my nails are often constantly sparkling. I was lucky enough for my boyfriend to give me the You Beauty Advent Calendar for my birthday, and amazingly, one day brought me this stunning Essie polish! It’s safe to say, that it was almost immediately on my nails, because, let’s be honest it looks absolutely gorgeous. 


Lots of Lux is described as a ‘shimmering lapis lazuli with a superfine matte finish’. I think the comparison to a gemstone is very apt here – it looks so interesting on the nails. It’s not a smooth finish, it definitely textured on the nails, but I think this is what makes it unique. It was very opaque, and although I did two coats, I probably could have got away with one. It is a nice formula, and stayed pretty chip free for a while.

So if you’re looking for a nice glamorous glitter this festive season, then definitely consider looking trying out Essie. What is your favourite glitter formula?

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #26 | Mac Nail Lacquer in Soiree – Blogmas Day #8

When you think of Mac, nail polish is not the first thing that springs to mind. They have quite a bad reputation in the YouTube and Blogging worlds – they’re known for being quite expensive for something that is not that great. Now I believe it was the Cham-Pale collection from a good few years ago now, and I was checking out all the products on Temptalia (as always) when I saw this gorgeous shimmery light rose gold-esque shade and I knew it had to be mine…


Mac Soiree is described as a ‘sparkly light bronze gold’ and luckily for you and me it is now part of the permanent collection. This has to be one of my favourite nail polishes in my collection. It is incredibly easy to work with; it applies opaquely with one coat and never, ever goes streaky. The pigmentation on this is amazing, and its a go to polish for me when I haven’t got much time as it looks perfect without any effort. Let’s not forget that the colour on this is also spot-on for this time of year – it’s sparkly and fun, but not over the top.

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #25 | Kiko Nail Lacquer 240 Apple Red | Blogmas Day #1

Welcome to Blogmas! I will be posting every day from now up to Christmas Eve, which is both scary but exciting! Since Manicure Monday is somewhat of a tradition for me now, there seems no better way to kick off this blogathon. Now I have written my fair share about Kiko now, and their nail polishes are definitely something worth looking into. There are a ridiculous number of shades in the line, but today we are talking about one that is very seasonally appropriate…


Kiko Nail Lacquer in 240 Apple Red is a classic burgundy shade. It is slightly more brown-toned that blue-toned which makes the ideal A/W shade. As with all the other Kiko polishes I have tried, the formula is on point. It stays chip-free for days, is opaque with two coats, and looks incredibly glossy and amazing on the nails. I’m also a huge fan of the brush on these – I am quite partial to a thinner brush as I find them to be much neater and easier to control. 

Burgundy shades are so classic for this time of year, and I think its probably one of the easiest colours than anyone can pull off. It injects colour without being too garish, but isn’t so dark that it is really intense. What is your favourite colour to rock in the festive season?

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #24 | Formula X Brain Power

As you may know, I recently went on a day trip to paris (read all about it here) and of course, that included a trip to Sephora. I was mainly on the hunt for brands that we can’t get hold of in the UK, and it is safe to say I was stood staring at the Formula X stand for quite some time. After a lot of liberation, I finally chose a shade, something more neutral, to fill a gap in my nail polish collection…

Brain Power is described as a ‘cappuccino tan’. I picked it up because it looked like the perfect camel shade, and after recently finally getting my hands on a camel coloured coat, I am really falling for the shade. On my skin, it is much darker than a nude, but I can see this being perfect for medium skin tones. Personally I think the slightly darker tone adds a little extra interest to your standard nude, whilst staying neutral enough that you can wear it on any occasion. 

Now after hearing so much about these polishes on YouTube, I had high hopes for the formula. I have to say that it really is lovely. It was opaque in two coats, smooth, glossy and had very impressive wear time. The only downside is that we can’t currently get hold of these in the UK as you can’t get them shipped from Sephora. So if you ever happen to be in a Sephora, you definitely should go and have a browse.  






















-RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #23 | OPI Skull and Glossbones






















I don’t always follow the trends for nail polish, and there are some shades that I love to wear all year round. So today we are straying away from those dark autumnal shades that we all know and love, and I bring you one of my favourite polishes in my collection. And maybe I’ll convince you that you also need a light grey in yours…


OPI Skull and Glossbones is a cream-finish light grey. This was part of the Pirates of the Carribean collection a few years back now, but it is still available online (with a bit of a search I found it here). I really love the formula of OPI polishes – it has the perfect consistency, lasts for ages and is really glossy. There’s something special about this colour though. It is muted enough to act somewhat like a nude on the nails, making it nice and sophisticated, but it doesn’t blend in with your fingers or wash you out. Perfection. 






















If you’re a fan of the nude/neutral nail then you definitely need to try out this shade (or one like it). Sometimes its nice to stray away from the bold colours and feel a little grown up for a change…
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Manicure Monday #22 | Essie Sew Psyched






















I love me an unusual nail colour. Sometimes the ugly colours are actually the ones I’m drawn to. And this is particularly when the autumn comes around and these dirty grungy colours are all the rage. I’ve had this one from Essie for a while now and I love pulling it out when the weather gets a bit cooler.

Sew Psyched is a cream-finish dirty olive green shade. As with many of the Essie polishes I have tired, the application is smooth and opaque and only needs two coats to reach the desired look. When I bought this, it wasn’t part of the diffusion line available at Boots and Superdrug, so my polish has a brush more on the thinner side. Unlike most bloggers, I actually prefer this brush – I find it easier for precise application. In terms of longevity this definitely delivers. It lasts well on my very chip-prone fingernails with a good top coat.























If you’re into the more unique A/W shades, then I’d definitely suggest picking this up, especially when Boots do a good deal. I only have a few Essie shades, but they are some of my favourites in my collection so I’m definitely in the market for a few more. What are your favourite Essie polishes? 

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #21 | Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Chilli






















I was really impressed with the autumn collection from Barry M this year. So much so, that I’ve already dedicated a post to the unique shade Mustard (here). Of course, when I was buying that shade there was an offer on Barry M in Boots, so naturally I picked up another…

Chilli is a really interesting shade. It isn’t your typical dark red with blue undertones, but rather it comes off quite brown. It’s surprisingly unique to my collection, and it definitely screams autumn. As I have mentioned over and over, the Gelly formula is impeccable, especially for the price. It has an incredible shine and wear time, and it is one of my all time favourite nail polish formulas.






















If you are a fan of a dark red, I definitely suggest you give this slightly different one a try. What’s your favourite colour nail for autumn? 

-RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #20 | Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Mustard

If you are a regular reader of the blog, you may know my love for the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint formula (read my reviews of other shades here and here). It’s fast becoming one of my favourite nail polish formulas ever, so when I heard about their new autumn collection, I knew I had to check some of the shades out…

The shade Mustard is a very unique shade and not one that you often see brands release. It is a true mustard shade and the formula holds up to the usual expectations of the Gelly line – opaque, smooth to apply, incredible shine and long lasting. The funny thing about this shade is that in certain lights it can look almost like a nude or a neutral on me as my skin has quite strong yellow undertones. In brighter light however, it is much more striking and vibrant making this shade extremely versatile for me. It is definitely worth trying if you find yellow shades a bit too garish and want to try something a little bit more toned down.
























I feel like this will be a very love it or hate it kind of shade, but personally I am a big fan. I can definitely see myself reaching for this during the rest of autumn. What are your thoughts on mustard nails?

–RachelElizabeth
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Manicure Monday #19 | Nails Inc Gel Effect Polish in Porchester Square

If you read my last Manicure Monday you would have know that I recently picked up the Nails Inc Holiday Wardrobe. As I mentioned in that post, this set has been impossible to track down online, but I’ve seen it pop up in most of the bigger Boots that I have been in recently. This week we are focusing on the shade Porchester Square, that thanks to the amazing Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup (who loves the shade) I had very high hopes for…

Porchester Square is the classic ‘greige’ shade. It’s a beige that leans slightly to the cooler grey side with a slight lilac tinge. The colour is an absolutely winner for me – it’s a great alternative to a nude mannequin nail as it doesn’t completely blend in with your skin tone, but still looks sophisticated and polished. However, I’m still a little on the fence about the formula. Because it claims to be ‘Gel Effect’ I expected it to last considerably longer than other polishes I own, but that just wasn’t the case. It wasn’t the worst in terms of wear, but it sits somewhere in the middle of the polishes I’ve tried in terms of longevity. The Kensington Caviar Top Coat that came in the set also did nothing to help the wear of this polish, but I did find it to be much better when using Seche Vite or Sally Hansen Mega Shine. 



Don’t get me wrong, it looks stunning on the nails. They look glossy and plump, almost as if you had had a gel manicure, but the wear time really let this formulation down. I’ve heard great things about this formula so I’m wondering whether this is just a personal issue I’ve come across. They are available individually for £14 here. Have you tried the Gel Effect polishes?

–RachelElizabeth


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