& Other Stories: Armure Plum Nail Colour

& Other Stories - Nail Colour in Armure Plum - £5

9/10

What I think: When it comes to nail varnishes I need one which is practically idiot proof, it needs to have a nice brush, good colour pigmentation and formula needs to dry quickly. I wasn't expecting anything amazing from these polishes, I just though they would be average. Though I was in store and in the need of a new deep purple polish. Thankfully sorting my nail varnish collection out has made me realise what colours I need to get rather than buying similar shades of what I already have (see post here) 

Pros: 

- I love the brush of this polishes, it is nice and wide and holds the polish on it well.

- The formula is great dries really quickly and brushes on well

- Lasts quite well too, I change my nails up a lot so I would say a good 3-4 days!

- Super glossy finishes

- One of the nicest polishes that I have used in a while will definitely be investing in some more. 

Cons: 

- For the desired effect you need to put 2-3 coats on, I personally put 3 on which I normally only put 2 on with most polishes. 

- I don't like that you have to peel that big sticker off to open the polish because I love the packaging until you need to open it. That and it leaves a sticky bit on the side which you have to clean off. 

I must say the next time I am up in Regents Street I will be getting some more from this collection, I'm just a gutted about the sticker situation.

Have you seem this new brand? Have you visited the store? 

My Nail Varnish Collection

Hello,

Firstly I would just like to apologise for my absent these last couple of weeks, if I am totally honest with you, I just haven't had any motivation to post or really wanted to. However, by not blogging this has made me realise how much I miss it and I have quite a few exciting new products coming up so keep posted for that!

So I saw a 'new' way of organising nail varnish on Pinterest (which now I can't find the pin for) however I have seen this week on Instagram (follow me @misslaceyloves) that the new store "& Other Stories" which is based in Regents Street, London also show their polishes in this way.  I always struggle to decide what nail colour to apply unless I am in a particular mood or I have made a new purchase.

I bought a bag of lolly pop sticks from Lakeland for £2.59 for 100 of them and simply just painted the tip and wrote the nail and brand of the polish on the body of the stick. This also helped to see the consistency of the colours and how easy they painted on. I now keep them in a little pot next to my nail polishes. It helps me see which colours that I own so none of them get lost in the back of my cupboard! 

What do you think of this idea? How do you keep your polishes organised?

Revlon Colorstay - Coastal Surf Nail Enamel

Revlon Colorstay - 170 Coastal Surf - £7.99

Today has been such a sunny and beautiful day, it is the first time this year that it has looked like Spring, shame that it hasn't felt it though. In honour of the blue skies and gorgeous sun, I decided to dig out one of my new shades that I have recently bought. The new Revlon Colorstay polishes have one of the best formulas that I have tried in a nail varnish. The colour brushes on the same as it looks in the bottle, and I have only applied one coat. I always use a clear base coat and a clear extra shine top coat. 

This Coastal Surf shade looks as though it is going to be one of my favourite of the spring/summer. I don't tend to wear blues and I am sometimes quite unadventurous with the colours that I wear/buy. But with this shade there is something bright and uplifting about it which shouts out fun and they make a statement. Revlon Coastal Surf Nail Polish is such a beautiful, bright and solid blue shade that I think will suit almost every skin tone. The formula of the polish is very different from lots of others on the high street, I don't think I have ever tried a colour which gives such a bold and full coverage in one coat. It is definitely a one coat, super glossy finish and extremely easy to apply. It says that is last up to 11 days and I will be hopefully putting that to the test even though I usually change my polish weekly.  I can't fault this polish at all and I will be definitely buying a lot more colours in this range.

Ciate - Purple Sherbet

I received this free in July's edition of Marie Claire 2012, this was the colour that I least wanted the others ware Ciate Jelly Bean, a bright pink which I really loved and the second was Ciate Bon Bon, which is a nude and is very similar to my Nails Inc Basil Street.  However, I wanted the magazine there and then as I was on my lunch break and needed something to read. So I settled with this colour and thought I would swap it with one of my friends. But then on Sunday night whilst I was laying in bed looking at my bare nails which had been colour free for at least five days! :( I was watching My Week With Marylin (which I was expecting it to be better than it was but it was still enjoyable) I saw this colour in my collection and tried it. It took only two coats and the next day at work I was paid so many compliments that I think it comes in being my third favourite colour after my orange and Basil Street. :) 

The nail polish to buy is £9 so getting it free with a magazine which I would normally buy is a bonus for me but even if you're not a frequent reader of Marie Claire then the magazine only costs £3.70 so you are still making a saving. There is also a 25% voucher inside for Ciate too - which after this polish I will definitely be using.

Did anyone else get Marie Claire this month?

Loving The Orange

As you can see by this post that I am really loving the orange trend at the moment. My first hook was the Orange Nails as seen on Stephanie Pratt, Vanessa Hudgens and Olivia Palermo above. My two favourite orange nail varnishes of the moment are the Kiko nail lacquer in 235 and Missguided in 09. The Missguided one I think I got free from a magazine possibly Glamour or Cosmopolitan (as they are really the only ones I buy). The colour is a block colour and has no shimmer at all, it is bold and bright - everything you need for a summer polish. Whereas the Kiko nail lacquer I brought from the Kiko store in Westfield at Stratford, it is the shop which has millions of different shades of nail varnishes. Mine was £2.50 which is a bargain as it is a great polish which is long lasting. This one has a gold shimmer through the orange which makes the colour softer and looks great with a summer tan.

                       

I think this is possibly my favourite make-up trend that I have clung to in ages. I literally adore my orange lipsticks and I feel that I have the two perfect shades for myself. My Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti (left picture) is a great subtle shade whereas my GOSH Flirty Orange is really bright and 'in your face' type of colour. Most days at the moment I am sporting either of these colours, I just need the sun to come back out because this colour looks beautiful with a tan. 

Has anyone else jumped on the Orange Fever?

No.7 Iced Mocha Nails

I loooove when Boots gives out their £5 off No.7 vouchers. I personally think that No.7 products are over priced so when they have £5 off it's then the price I would pay. This is a recent buy of mine and I love this colour. I am very into the nude nail trend and this colour isn't as gold as it looks in the bottle. The nail varnish is quite thin and runny so you'd need to apply two coats but when on my nails is comes out quite pinkish. But I LOVE this colour :)

Nails Inc Basil Street

I have had this nail varnish for ages since Glamour Magazine  had it as a giveaway. I love the nude colour and I am always reverting back to it. A few months back my friend Meg brought this from Nails Inc at £11 in the same colour Basil Street. 

Because the colour is nude/light I have applied two coats as well as a top coat, but normally when wearing Nails Inc I only have to put on one. I find that Nails Inc varnish is long lasting and it doesn't chip easily. So win win for me when it comes to nails as my varnishes always seem to chip so it must be extra extra strong. 

The only problem is at the moment is that my nails are stained around the edges from the use of my No.7 Devils Double colour. I have tried lots of tips and tricks but can't seem to shift the red. So if you have any then leave me a comment please!! I know they would look a lot better without the reddy/pink rim.

Have you tried Nails Inc?? 

NYC Colour Nail Varnish

I have been hunting for a brown nail varnish for a while now. Whilst I was doing my budget buying the other day I came across the NYC (New York Colour) brand in Superdrug. Where I found the most perfect shade of brown that I have been looking for, for months, which is why I am glad that I didn’t buy the first one I saw.

Okay so the flash on my camera make this look more red than it actually is. It's more like a yummy glitter chocolate colour :)

NYC In a New York Colour Minute Quick Dry in 220 Canal Street is on £2.99 @ Superdrug. It is amazingly fast drying. I originally only put one coat on and that was sufficient. Looked fab but as the day went on it chipped. So I applied another layer with No.7 top coat and it has lasted and still looks good. Easy to apply; thick and was the colour that I was dying for, all big bonuses for me.

What do you think? Have you used any NYC products before?