SWATCHES: Essence // Sugar Blush, Bubble Trouble, Isn't She Minty, Don't Leaf Me & Swirl Pool

I headed into Wilko's the other day for some plant pots and plant feed and walked out with these new essence polishes as well (as you do). It appears Essence stopped their "Shine Last & Go" range (a quick dry "gel-look" formula) a year ago to this "gel nail colour" formula with a few new shades. Do not be fooled though, it's the exact same formula just with a re-brand.

I saw these 5 and together they look like a pinterest room palette; perfect spring/summer shades for monstera/leafy looks.

05 Sugar Blush (formerly 05 Sweet as Candy) // Sheer Pink Nude Creme

Coats: 2

First up is a nice sheer polish. It does have some streaks which isn't ideal for a sheer but they're not all that noticeable. I think this would work well as a rose quartz polish. For a sheer it is quite pigmented and after 2 coats, you'll have a nice off-white/pink hue to your nails. I liked this paired with Barry M's plumpy top coat for proper gel-looking nails.

04 Bubble Trouble (formerly 04 Millennial Pink) // Light Peony Pink Creme

Coats: 2

Next we have this pastel pink creme. Another streaky formula that doesn't quite self-level leaving an un-even finish, even after 2 coats.

40 Isn't She Minty?! // Light Pistachio Green Creme

Coats: 2

One of my favourites in the bunch; this goes super well with bubble trouble! The formula on this one was ever-so-slightly better but still gloopy and difficult to manipulate. I also noticed some cracking as it dried. If you love this colour than I'd recommend Wild Mint by Barry M. It's slightly lighter but has the amazing Gelly Hi-Shine formula.

19 Don't Leaf Me // Dark Teal Creme

Coats: 1

This one recommends a base coat on the bottle; I imagine due to horrific staining as it's a beautiful teal shade. This is an exact dupe for both Essie Stripes & Sails and OPI Teal Me More, Teal Me More. With both of those shades retailing at £7 or more, this is an extremely affordable alternative; even if the formula is terrible.

42 Swirl Pool // Sky Blue Creme

Coats: 2

I really like this shade; it will definitely cause staining though so double up on the base coat. This was the easiest to apply. It still had streaks but there was no cracking and minimal dragging. 

// Overall Thoughts

The formula just isn't great as it drags and can be difficult to apply smoothly. For £1.80 each I can't really complain too much though. I'm still not a fan of the giant brush; it can cause too much polish to get on the nail resulting in a "thick" look. It's also an awkward shape with too many bristles at the edges causing polish to flood the cuticle area.

I don't think I would use these as base colours (apart from Sugar Blush) but as nail art and stamping polishes. They aren't opaque enough to be proper stamping shades but they do well enough and hold their shape when picked up.

It's really annoying because the entire range has some beautiful colours but I think I'd rather shell out a couple more pounds and buy Barry M...unless there is a sale on.

NailNerdChallenge July 2021 // Nautical Nails

Mermaids are considered to fall under the "nautical" category right?? Well they do now because I love this look I did. 

It came about whilst I swatching some China Glaze shades and I couldn't help but stick a load of glittery toppers on Too Yacht to Handle. Negative stamps are also the best because I can only imagine a stamping polish like that would cost a fortune.

For these nails I started out with 2 coats of Too Yacht To Handle followed by a layer of Diamond Glitter, then Will-'O-The-Wisp and dry brushed on alternate strokes of Crystal Blue and Pink Luxe. I then used born pretty stamping plate on my middle finger and Moyou on the rest. 

Polishes/Tools Used:

Nails:

- China Glaze // Too Yacht To Handle (teal)

- Barry M Nail Paint // Diamond Glitter (scattered holo)

- H&M // Will-'O-The-Wisp (green duochrome shimmer topper)

- Barry M Molten Metal // Crystal Blue, Pink Luxe

Stamping:

- What's Up Nails // Blanc My Mind (white)

- Born Pretty Stamping Plate // BP-109 (middle finger)

- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Sailor 04 (rest of fingers)

NailNerdChallenge July 2021 // Fruit Nails

It's time for another set of challenge nails! This weeks prompt is "Fruit" and I've had this design on a false nail for ages but I just never got round to actually creating it in full on my nails but this was the perfect prompt!

It's summery, fresh and definitely fruity! Plus not one stamping polish in sight; I'm starting to get good at reverse stamping now. For this look I did two coats of Sweet As Pinkie Pie, then picked up the pineapple stamps using My Showcase Pink and then filled them in on the stamper with Honolulu Blues and Yellow (great name Barry M lol). I topped it off with a glossy topcoat. 

This one took a while to do due to the reverse stamping. You need to make sure it's dry before you stamp or will smudge but then your base has also dried so you either need to apply a sticky basecoat or a layer of topcoat and stamp just before it loses it's stickiness but won't smudge the polish underneath. I need to get at least 5 stampers so I can just do one after the other and fill them all in at the same time.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Nails:
- China Glaze // Sweet As Pinkie Pie (pink)

- Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy // Diamond Top Coat

Stamping:

- Kure Bazaar // My Showcase Pink (fuschia)

- Barry M Nail Paint // 134 Yellow

- Beau Nail Polish // Honolulu Blues (blue)

- Maniology Stamping Plate // M051

Spring Clean-Lines // Pastel Butterfly Nails

Today I present to you this glorious pastel offering. It took me a while to decide on what shades to use. I'm a pastel polish hoarder so trying to select the "right" shade of pastel pink is excruciatingly hard. I ended up choosing Spring In My Step by China Glaze; I adore this shade. It's a bit of an arse as it's streaky with a satin finish and needs about 4 coats but it's such a wonderful shade of pink. That's mainly the reason I did this on false nails as I can just let the false nails dry whilst I'm off doing something else and I don't have to worry about messing it up.

Originally I was going to leave it at just the lines but Lieve91 has been doing some wonderful butterfly nails lately so I decided to add some using her collab plate with MoYou London.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

Nails:

- L'Oreal Color Riche // Jaune Citron (yellow)

- Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Sour Candy (blue), Pistachio (green)

- Ciaté Gelology // Spinning Teacup (lilac)

- Born Pretty Soak-Off Gel Polish // Previous Gum (white)

Butterflies:

- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Lieve91 x MYL 03

- MoYou London Stamping Polish // Turquoise Min (blue), Orchid Chic (purple), Candy Floss (pink), Coral Crush (red)

- Twinkled T // Vibin' (black)

Snowflake Queen // Blue Jelly Winter Look with Glitter

Ah the jelly sandwich. This was actually my first go and it took so long but it looks great...I probably should've done this with actual gel thanks to all the layers that needed time to dry but fortunately I did this look on false nails and could come back every 30 mins or so to apply another layer.

I love them though; they're just so sparkly and shiny. They're also very different to what I would normally do; no peach or monstera leaves in sight!

Layers (Snowflake nails):

1 - Catwalk Queen

2 - Snowflakes

3 - ooh la lolly

4 - Catwalk Queen

5 - Snowflakes

6 - ooh la lolly

7 - Snowflakes

8 - ooh la lolly

9 - Snowflakes

10 - ooh la lolly

11 - Snowflakes

12 - 3D pop tint top coat

Layers (Glitter nails):

1 - ooh la lolly

2 - London Lane (sponged on til most of the nail was covered. This glitter shade did not like being sponged on. Took about 4/5 layers)

3 - ooh la lolly twice

4 - 3D pop tint top coat x2

5 - broken holo nail stickers

Woooo that's a lot of layers. I actually left them overnight and then applied some more top coat the next morning. I'm so glad these are false nails!

I was going to put some christmas text on one of the nails but I like how these could just be generic winter nails so I left it and just added some more snowflakes for the very top layer. I'll be doing a post on the Essie 3D pop tint soon as well because I love it; I wish I'd bought the others in TK Maxx now.

I also felt like the glitter nails were missing something so I added the little holo stickers. I did want to add  more 3D arrow like shape but I only have them in gold. Guess I need to go buy some more nail art wheels in silver!

Polishes/Tools used:

- Barry M // Catwalk Queen (blue glitter)

- Essie // ooh la lolly (blue jelly), Gel Setter 3D Pop Tints Top Coat (blue)

- Twinkled T // Glow Up (white)

- Nails Inc Winter Lights // London Lane (chunky blue glitter)

- Harunouta Stamping Plate // L056

- Essence // Broken Holo Nail Stickers

SWATCHES: Essie // Fall For NYC, But First Candy, Ooh La Lolly & Glowing Strong

More swatches! This time from Essie. I'm not the biggest Essie fan so I tend to ignore them when I see them in TK Maxx but last time there were a few shades that I just couldn't resist throwing in the cart (as well as interesting formulas).

Fall For NYC // orange clay creme

Collection: Fall For NYC

Release: Fall 2018

Coats: 2

I actually remember this collection being released and wanting specifically this shade along with Say It Aint Soho (an orange metallic) but Essie shades are £7.99 here and rarely on sale; the only times I do buy them are from TK Maxx, so I was very happy when this turned up in my local store for £2.99. This is one of those perfect autumn/winter shades. The formula itself is a little streaky and not that shiny but those issues are easily sorted out with a top coat (I just never wear one for swatches).

But First, Candy // dark green jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

Where did this range come from? I had never even heard of it so I was surprised to find it only came out last summer. I have been looking for this exact shade though; a true green jelly, so I was very happy when I saw this and Ooh la lolly in TK.  I wanted them for layering effects however, they appear to be a bit too dark and this one is a little streaky. It also takes forever to dry but that's like most jellies. I stopped at three coats, where it just about lost its transparency and marvelled at the shiny gel-like surface. 

Ooh La Lolly // dark blue jelly

Collection: Glazed Days

Release: Summer 2019

Coats: 3

This is more like the formula I was after; no streaks and builds up nicely but still keeps its transparency. This is going to be perfect for jelly sandwiches (I've already got one planned). Again, it takes a while to dry but I love sticking glitter between the layers for that plastic gel look. Really pleased I managed to get this for £3 as it would've cost me that much anyway after p&p for a jelly polish from born pretty/eBay.

60 Glowing Strong // peach/pink creme

Collection: Treat Love & Color

Release: Winter 2018

Coats: 3

Of course I bought the peach/pink shade. For some reason I was expecting this to be a thick and gloopy creme but it's actually quite thin. It took me three coats to get the coverage I was happy with but it was easy to apply and dried relatively quick. This shade just makes me wish is was summer though...I miss the warm weather and being able to cycle without being battered by a 20mph wind.

SWATCHES: Ciaté // Palm Springs, New England Fall, Dangerous Affair & Reign Supreme

So I was gonna make this big spiel about how long it's been since my last post but it was like 3 weeks ago 😂 So I guess not that long. It just feels like a long time because I've barely been painting my nails thanks to programming day and night. I'm just obsessed with trying to get better at my job right now and I've been burning the midnight oil and all my hobbies have fallen to the side.

Since logging back on though, one thing that is super annoying is the new Blogger interface......thanks, I hate it! They literally haven't changed it since 1999 but now they go and utterly ruin it. If I didn't detest Wordpress with a passion I'd totally swap.

But anyway, I saw these bottles in my local TK Maxx and holy hell, I almost started dancing in the store. I love it when they have Ciaté because they always sell them for £1.99 and the Gelology formula is one of my favourites.

Palm Springs // Deep Royal Blue Shimmer

Collection: Gelology

Coats: 2

This shade was the reason I purchased the 2019 Mini Mani Month and in a cruel twist of fate the calendars we're all marketed/printed incorrectly and they actually contained Pool Party. I mean it's still a nice shade but this is now my favourite blue. It's hard to imagine this looking terrible on anyone. With two coats, my nails looks like shimmering sapphires. The shade is so deep and rich; I can't stop staring at my hand. I honestly feel like I've stolen it by paying £1.99.

New England Fall // Deep Navy Crelly

Collection: Ciaté x Olivia Palermo

Coats: 2

This bottle is fancy as heck. It weighs more than the gelology bottles and it just feels more expensive but it isn't because it had leaked inside the lid. AFter opening it and cleaning it up, I then struggled again to get the top off. It seems to have dried inside the lid which is annoying. I'll have to find some cotton buds to clean it out. Anyway, the shade is amazing. I'd say it's more of a jelly creme than a true creme as it has that glass-like shine. It shines slightly purple in certain lighting and will make any outfit look 5 times classier.

Dangerous Affair // Oxblood Jelly

Collection: Gelology

Coats: 2

I swatched the Paint Pot version in Ciaté's 2018 advent calendar (over here). I love the shade but it's  a nightmare to apply; it stains the skin so easily. So, I eagerly picked up the Gelology version in the hopes that it was a more pleasant experience. Oh my word, was this a dream to apply. In my opinion, this is the perfect red shade. It's elegant, classy and will suit any skin tone. It's also a true Jelly with no streaks in sight so you can go for a more translucent look or layer it up for a glass shine.

Reign Supreme // Deep Aubergine Jelly

Collection: Gelology

Coats: 2

Another beautiful shade; Ciaté do jellies so well. This is very similar to Dangerous Affair but under bright light you can see the purple hue. This is a perfect winter shade. I have a velvet pant set in this colour and I'll just have to wear it round the house to a virtual christmas party this year.

NAIL ACCESSORIES // Meiguimei Blue Marble Nail Stickers Review

Behold! I have found nail stickers that aren't awful! I didn't have high hopes for these, especially after using the tropical holo stickers but these were easy to use and look great. The longest part of this design was letting the nail polish dry.

The blue marble pieces are in long strips so you need to cut them to the size that you want. They are quite sticky so unless you've let you polish dry it will lift it up and cause marks.

I used a quick dry top coat which looked fine at first however it did cause the stickers to shrivel up a little and there are bubbles around the side. I'd definitely recommend using just a normal top coat.

For £1.29 per sheet though this is a quick and super easy way to get marble nails. I might actually try to recreate this look using acrylic paint because it seems relatively simple.

Polishes/Tools Used:
- Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Coconut (off white), Sour Candy (blue)
- Barry M Wetset // Quick Dry Top Coat
- Meiguimei // Marble Nail Stickers

SWATCHES: Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine // Pistachio, Sour Candy, Acai Smoothie, Raspberry Ripple & Grape Soda

So I recently lost the will to not buy nail polish and bought some more nail polish. Approximately 11 shades from Barry M. I won't do them all in one go but split them up. I bought 5 new Gelly shades because I'm obsessed with the formula and pastels are my thing. I wanted the grey and yellow shades that are new as well but I have to draw the line somewhere...I guess...there is always next month.

Pistachio // Pistachio Creme

Collection: Gelly Hi-Shine

Release Date: Spring 2020

Coats: 2

True to it's name, this is a pistachio polish. This is one of the most recent additions to the Gelly range and it's right up my street. It kind of reminds of a mix between Essie Mint Candy Apple and Chillato. The application is easy, the formula glides across the nail and you can almost get away with one coat but I recommend two. Like all Gelly shades it's super glossy by itself and really does look like gel with a top coat on (but I never wear top coat in swatches). 

Sour Candy // Baby Blue Creme

Collection: Gelly Hi-Shine

Release Date: Spring 2020

Coats: 2

If you mixed this with Pistachio you'd probably end up with Wild Mint which was released in their Winter Wildlife Gelly collection (swatched here). I bought this one because I don't have many blues with me right now and well it's just super cute and pastel. It looks a little bit darker on the nails but it's nice and summery. I think this would look good as part of a pool watermarble. I couldn't resist as well and stuck on a shimmer topper:

Raspberry Ripple // Pink Creme

Collection: Gelly Hi-Shine

Release Date: Spring 2020

Coats: 2

This is pinker than I was expecting. Not awful but not exactly what I was after. It's kind of similar to Dragon fruit but more on the coral side of pink. With a bit of tan this doesn't look that bad and reminds me of Pinking Out The Window by China Glaze (that I recently swatched here). 

Grape Soda // Lavender Creme

Collection: Gelly Hi-Shine

Release Date: Spring 2020

Coats: 2

It's odd that I have about a bajillion Lavender shades now but all of them are different. I can't even find one that is remotely similar to this. Which is a good thing...I get to buy more lavender shades 😂. I'd say this on the cooler side and I really love how this goes with my skintone. It gives me 90s sailor moon vibes. December Dawn from H&M is also the perfect topper for this shade:

Acai Smoothie // Dusty Magenta Jelly

Collection: Gelly Hi-Shine

Release Date: Spring 2016

Coats: 2

This one is an oldie but I love the shade. I've been meaning to buy it for a while now. I love these dusty mauve/pink shades as their perfect for doing cosy autumn nails. This one has a slighter thinner formula that the others and leaves no streaks so you could use one coat for a jelly effect instead.

// Verdict

I think the formula for the Gelly range is getting better with each season. For £3.99 I really can't fault the application and pigmentation. I also love how every shade in this range is self-levelling; it's really difficult to screw up using them. There are a few more shades I'm after but I'm trying to practice restraint...I will probably end up just getting them lol.