The set includes three Gel Effect polishes: Porchester Square (a grey-toned beige), Regents Place (a light powdery blue) and Covent Garden Place (a bright warm-toned pink). It also contains the Kensington Caviar top coat. The set is worth £54 but retails at £25 making it an absolute steal! The only problem is that I cannot find this anywhere online, but I got it very recently from my local boots. If you’re interested in trying these shades, it is worthing trying to hunt down this set. You can buy the polishes individually here.
Manicure Monday #17 | L’Oreal Pistachio Drage
L’Oreal Perfection Color Riche in Pistachio Drage is a creamy mint-tinged white shade. Surprisingly, for a pastel, it is decently opaque in one coat, but it definitely still needs two. I have never tried any L’Oreal polishes before, but I was pretty impressed with the formula – it wore well on the nails and wasn’t too prone to chipping. The shade itself is absolutely stunning; in some lights in leans more towards white, and sometimes it is much more of a true mint shade. The bottle is on the small side for a polish, but if you’re like me and have an embarrassingly large collection, then you will probably still not reach the end of this…
Manicure Monday #16 | Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Blueberry
Barry M Gelly Nail Effects in Blueberry is a gorgeous light periwinkle shade. I find that it is a little too dark to be a pastel, but it isn’t overly bright – it sits somewhere in between. As I have mentioned before, the Gelly range from Barry M is incredible – it lasts a really long time on the nails, it is seriously opaque, and the shine competes with Seche Vite. I think that this is one of the newer shades of the line, and it makes me incredibly excited that they will be continuing to add to the range.
Manicure Monday #15 | Tanya Burr Penguin Chic
Unfortunately, the Superdrug I went in wasn’t fully stocked, but the one that caught my eye was Penguin Chic. It’s a gorgeous taupe, and great for those who don’t love wearing bright colours on the nails or don’t want their nails clashing with their outfit. In terms of the formula, I was pleasantly surprised. It was smooth, and applied opaquely in two coats. I also really like the brush – It is standard, and on the thinner side, but I found it really easy to paint my nails with.
If I had to choose, I would say the nail polishes are my favourite of the line. This may well be because I am a nail polish addict, but I think that these are really well formulated, and there is a nice colour range. At £5.99, these are very reasonably priced, and I would definitely recommend picking one (or several) up if you are in the market for some new nail polishes. They are available in store in Superdrug and online at FeelUnique. I know that I will probably end up with a few more in my basket…
Manicure Monday #14 | Barry M Berry Ice Cream
Barry M Nail Paint in Berry Ice Cream (Boots list this as Ice Cream Purple)
Manicure Monday #13 | Essie Blanc
Manicure Monday #12 | Rimmel Salon Pro by Kate Moss in Reggae Splash
Manicure Monday #11 | Nails Inc Baker Street
As you may have noticed I like nails inc polishes (check out Manicure Monday #3). Baker Street is no exception to this love. The formulation is impeccable – its smooth, opaque and easy to apply, and is incredibly long lasting. I particularly love the brushes on nails inc polishes – I am one of the only thin-brush devoted fan, I find them much easier and less messy to apply. The only downside to these is the price point. They aren’t cheap, but I really feel the price reflects the quality of the polishes. They have great on trend shades, and are always ahead of the game when it comes to new colours and finishes.
Manicure Monday #10 | Bourjois Amande defile
Regardless, I decided to choose the Bourjois Paris So Laque Nail Enamel in Amande Defile, which is quite similar to the Essie option, but perhaps a smudge lighter – a pale duck egg blue shade. This formula really is gorgeous – it’s opaque (which can be an issue for pastel colours), long lasting and incredibly shiny. Bourjois is a slightly more expensive brand on the high street, this polish coming in at £5.99, but I think the formula is good enough to warrant that still affordable price tag. The rest of the shades also look gorgeous and I’m surprised I haven’t already picked more up! This is one of my favourite summer shades, and it was one of my most worn of last year.
Manicure Monday #9 | Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Mocha
The Matte Nail Paint in Mocha in the bottle looks like a warm mid-tone brown. It applies to the nails much as you would expect a regular cream finish polish would and looks shiny. However in about a minute it starts to dry to a matte finish. I did two coats, and it was very smooth and even in texture. However, what I found odd about this polish – and maybe it’s due to nature of the matte formula – is that it dried to a completely different colour to what it looks like in the bottle. It ended up being a cool milk chocolatey colour, and it some lights looks almost like a purpley-taupe. I did like the colour it ended up being, but the bottle itself is a bit misleading. I wouldn’t say that the finish is completely matte either – my nails still reflect some light, but they do look almost matte.