Honey Flowers // Beige Autumnal Flower Design

Another look that came about whilst swatching the Nails Inc Nail Spice collection! This was a super quick one. Just 2 layers of Honey Lane, followed by designs stamped on with Smokey and Bright Lights, then a layer of smudge proof top coat and matte top coat.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Nails Inc // Honey Lane (pink beige)

Stamping:

- Twinkled T // Smokey (dark grey)

- Barry M Liquid Chrome // Bright Lights (gold)

- MoYou London // Botanical 16 Stamping Plate

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Proof Top Coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Cosy Plaid // Beige Autumn Plaid Look

This came about whilst I was swatching the Nails Inc Nails Spice Set. It doesn't get much more autumnal pumpkin spice vibes than these 4 shades and I thought they'd be perfect for a scarf look.

These stamp better than I thought they would!

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Nails Inc // Pudding Lane (off white)

Stamping:

- Nails Inc // Bread Street (pale mauve), Honey Lane (beige), Nutmeg Lane (terracotta)

- MoYou London // Trend Hunter 27 Stamping Plate

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Free Top Coat

Autumn Lane // Nude Beige Autumn Nails

This came about whilst I was swatching the Nails Inc Nail Spice collection. I wanted to see how well the darkest shade could stamp and I think it turned out quite well.

I started off with 2 coats of Honey Lane, then dry brushed on some Pudding Lane and Bread Street for contrast. I used Nutmeg Lane for the base stamps and then used the L'or to bring some shine in via the gold before sticking a matte top coat on top.

This was a pretty quick look and quite effective! It feels like witchy vibes but make it pumpkin spice.

Polishes/Tools Used:

Base:

- Nails Inc // 

Honey Lane (dusty peach), 

Pudding Lane (pale pink), 

Bread Street (dusty pink),

Stamping:

- Nails Inc // Nutmeg Lane (terracotta)

- L'Oreal Color Riche // 660 L'or (gold shimmer)

- MoYou London // Fall in Love 15 Stamping Plate

Top:

- MoYou London // Smudge Free Top Coat

- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

SWATCHES: Nails Inc // Nail Spice Set

I saw this in TK Maxx for £12.99 and stayed strong however a few weeks later I was there again and caved because it's such a cute set! I'm also a sucker for ombre shades.

The Nail Spice set was released October 2021 with a retail price of £22.

Pudding Lane // Off-White Pink Taupe Creme

Coats: 2

Nails Inc have reused this name as it used to be a blue glitter polish from the early 2010's. I found this be on the streaky/runny side making it somewhat difficult to apply. I'm a big fan of off-white shades though so this will be going on my favourites shelf. 

2 coats can still be a bit streaky but it's not the end of the world.

Bread Street // Neutral Dusty Pink Creme

Coats: 2

I am in love with this polish. It's hard to imagine this looking bad on any skin tone. It's one of those perfect, autumn mauve dusty shades. Like Pudding Lane, it's quite runny with streaks making it slightly annoying to apply but all is forgiven on that second coat.

Honey Lane // Neutral Dusty Peach Creme

Coats: 2

This is an amazing shade that could be used for any time of the year. It pairs incredibly well with Bread Street. I can see all of these shades being used in a nude art deco look. This one is also a perfect match for my skin tone and would provide the best base for nude nails with neon decorations.

This one had the best formula so far, slightly thicker and less streaky.

Nutmeg Lane // Deep Terracotta Creme

Coats: 2

I like this shade however I wish it was more brown-ish and resembled actual gingerbread which has more of an orange tint to it. it was also the easiest to apply and you could get away with one coat but I did 2 just to smooth everything out. This is a proper cosy autumn shade and stamps really well. 

// Overall

This set is advertised as being "gingerbread scented" which is perfect for the autumn/winter seasons however there is no scent. To me it just smells like nail polish with a slight sweetener aroma somewhere. 

On the box it says you should fill in your thumb and pinkie with Pudding Lane, Bread Street to your index, Honey Lane on the middle and Nutmeg Lane on the ring finger for "on trend ombre look". So that's what I did:

I think the shades tonally match each other well and you can create some fantastic nail art however this set should have a 5th dark brown shade to complete it. 

Nails Inc // Nail Spice Set // £22

SWATCHES: OPI // Feeling Frisco, Sweet Carmel Sunday & A Woman's Prague-ative

In a previous OPI swatch post I mentioned wanting to get Feeling Frisco and Sweet Carmel Sunday as they were the last two I wanted out of the California Dreaming collection and shortly afterwards I managed to pick them up on eBay for £4 each. Meant to be (even if I am disappointed with them).

Feeling Frisco // Cream Bisque Creme

Collection: California Dreaming Infinite Shine

Release Date: 2017

Coats: 3

Beautiful shade, shame about the formula. This is a streaky, brush stroke filled mess and it's the infinite shine version. I don't even want to imagine what the regular one is like. I would use this as a base for a look because I'm not happy with how it looks by itself.

Sweet Carmel Sunday // Copper Shimmer

Collection: California Dreaming Infinite Shine

Release Date: 2017

Coats: 2

I was surprised by this because I was expecting a chrome finish with brush strokes but it actually has a very thin formula which allows you to build up the copper shimmer with no fear of dragging/streaking. I also wasn't expecting the subtle holo and I mean subtle. It really brings the shade alive in direct light/sun light though as otherwise it's quite dull looking.

A Woman's Prague-ative // Chunky Orange Shimmer

Collection: Euro Centrale

Release Date: 2013

Coats: 3

This is a wonderful burnt orange chunky shimmer suspended in a raspberry red jelly. The first coat is a bit thin but by the third coat your nails will look like expensive wrapping paper. I absolutely love this shade; it's my favourite out of the three and is perfect for autumn and winter.

SWATCHES: Primark Ps // Mushroom, Cashew, Baby & Candy

Apart from some chrome polishes I bought a while ago I haven't really dived into Primark polishes which is weird because they're mainly £2 or less. I told myself I didn't need any more polish but I saw all these pretty pink/nude shades and I couldn't resist.

Mushroom // Nude Mauve/Brown Creme

Collection: Colour Care

Coats: 2

I'm starting off with the deepest shade. I don't normally go for brown shades but there is something about this shade that I really like. I think it would be perfect as the detail on ice cream cone designs. The formula though is actual witchcraft. It's sheer and runny yet applies with no streaks and you could wear 1 coat by itself. It's also incredibly shiny. I think the slight mauve/cool undertone sets this brown apart from others. It's the first one I've tried that truly suits my skintone. Off to a good start.

Cashew // Nude Cream Creme

Collection: Colour Care

Coats: 2

This one is defintely streaky if applied lightly. You can almost get away with 1 thick coat but I'd do 2 just to ensure full coverage and a smooth mani. This is a fantastic cream colour that isn't too yellow. It honestly looks just like cashews; they clearly chose the name wisely. 

Baby // Soft Pastel Pink Creme

Collection: Colour Care

Coats: 2

I'm not a big fan of the name but I am a big fan of the shade. This has a slightly thicker formula but it makes it easier to apply. The shade itself is not an "in your face" pink; it's subtle and more powdery.

Candy// Soft Pastel Pink Creme

Collection: Gel Effect

Coats: 2

This was definitely the easiest to apply. I liked how the shade looked with 1 coat, but it went a bit too bubblegum with 2. It's still a nice pretty pink colour; it reminds me of Ciaté Tutu. It's still a little streaky with 2 coats and could possibly do with 3 but it's not noticeable unless you're about 10cm away from your nails.

// Verdict

Unfortunately my local Primark is severely understocked in their nail polish range. The stand was almost empty save for these shades. The stand with the false nails was full though. I'll keep my eye out though as I've been convinced. For the price these polishes are excellent quality as well as being cruelty free and at least 3-Free.

SWATCHES: Arcancil // Fleur De Cerisier, Pivoine & Magnolia

A completely new brand for me! TK Maxx re-opened last week and I had a couple of days off during the week so I went to my local store and almost cried from happiness. They didn't have much nail polish in but, what they did have were these 3 beautiful shades and 3 beautiful China Glaze shades.

So, I thought this was a random in-house brand however it's actually a French brand and each of these shades are 7.50euro each but I got them for £1.99 each.

Fleur De Cerisier // Light Peony Pink Satin Creme

Collection: Vernis Green

Release Date: ?

Coats: 3

According to google translate this means "Cherry Flower" and I'd say this shade is very reminiscent of the delicate leaves on cherry blossom trees (my favourite trees!) This dries with a satin finish and due to that it does have some brush strokes but a top coat will level that out. It is a little streaky and 3 coats are needed but it dries pretty quickly.

Pivoine // Light Peony Nude Creme

Collection: Vernis Green

Release Date: ?

Coats: 3

This appears to be a light nude shade but by 3 coats it has a pink/peach undertone and I actually really like it. Or maybe it's just because I'm a bit more tan now (thank you sun), lighter shades are  now looking a helluva of lighter on me. This one also applies easier than the last and has a creme finish. Not Gelly levels of shine but still pretty nice. Once again though it does have some slight streaks that can be evened out by a top coat.

Magnolia // Clay Nude Creme

Collection: Vernis Green

Release Date: ?

Coats: 2

I'd say this one is a bit too dark for my liking. Brown/reddish shades have never looked that great on me, I was hoping this one wouldn't have a red undertone. I think this would do well with a light beige in a watermarble to achieve a coffee design. This shade is the only one though that kind of self-levels.

// Verdict

Not to shabby for only £1.99 each, especially Fleur De Cerisier, that one is definitely my favourite. I think I might do an ombre with all three though and use some of the detailed flowers on one my MoYou Botanical plates with them.

Meebox // Donuts Edition

And it's finally time for the unboxing of my final Meebox that I bought in October when they were having a sale. I was super excited for this one due to the creamy pastel shades and indie brands. I'm loving the discovery of Deco Miami! Let's have a closer look at the products shall we?

Kure Bazaar // Cappucino
RRP £15

Collection: ??

Release Date: ??

This uses the same thin brush that old Essie shades used to have and I don't like it. It's just so hard to get a good swipe and prevent flooding. I am happy to have received this shade though as when I was researching the "Hope" shade I got in this years Sunday Times LIB box, this was the shade I wanted the most when I saw the shade range. The shade itself is a little darker than whats in the bottle and under bright light it goes even darker which is strange. But it is the perfect shade to create some donuts with. I'm wearing two coats in the swatch with no top coat.

Little Ondine // Ripple
RRP (no longer sold, was £11)

Collection: ??

Release Date: ??

My first time using this did not go well as I used it on top of my peel off base coat (as usual) and it started instantly cracking and splitting (see the second photo). After some research it turns out this brand uses a water-based, peel off formula made from resin and many other nail artist use them as a peel off basecoat. Little Ondine says all their polishes are odourless and surprisingly, there isn't really much of a scent. This one smells a little minty but I'm not sure if that's just my brain making it up because of the mint colour.

I'm actually really interested in this brand, however it doesn't seem to be available in the UK anymore and their twitter account stop posting a year ago. In the US though it still seems to be thriving which is a shame.

As for the polish, I don't think the formula holds up well over time. Normal polishes don't really go off, but the "peel off" part of this polish has caused it to become lumpy and dry with those PVA glue-like chunks. It's also streaky and needs several coats but the lumps never go away. It does peel really easily in the exact same way as my PVA-based peel off which just makes wonder if this is the exact same product but with colouring.

I'm wearing three coats with no top coat.

Deco Miami // Cake
RRP (not sold in the UK, $6 in US)

Collection: ??

Release Date: ??

I think this is my favourite polish in the box; it's just so cute! I love interesting and unique bottle designs and now I want more of them but they're kind of hard to get hold of in the UK. The shade itself is perfect though and makes me look beautifully tan. I almost can't believe how well it matches my skin tone. Instead of being a bright hot pink this is a neon peach/pink pastel that dries quite quickly to a satin finish. You do need at least three coats though as it is very streaky.

After perusing their website, they do ship to the UK, but shipping varies on the weight and then there's tax and import fees so it will end up being an expensive order. But they do have some seriously amazing shades.

NCLA // Sivan Ayla Donut Wraps
No longer sold (was £11.95)

After some research I discovered this was part of a range in a collab with someone called Sivan Ayla. I think she's a vlogger/lifestyle influencer but anyway it was released in 2017 and full of neutral skin tones and donuts. I feel these wraps look a little "kid-like" for such an elegant collection. I probably won't use them as me and wraps don't mix well.

Miss Cat Nails // Nail Art Pearls
No longer sold (was £1.99)

Another item that probably will never be used mainly because things stuck to my nails annoy me. They just catch on everything. Also, these are tiny and I don't have the patience to glue lots of little pink beads to my nails. Some other reviews said they got champagne coloured ones and I think I would've preferred them.

Art Club (by Color Club) // Nail Art Pen in White
RRP £4.99

I was really excited when I saw this (even if the metal tube bit scratched me when taking the lid off). Then I used it. If you're doing stripes and nothing else this is fantastic but I found it ridiculously hard to draw shapes with. The polish itself is lovely and opaque however I would use an actual brush to do more detailed looks with it. I found that huge blobs would run straight down the brush at random intervals and flood the nail. It's also hard to clean up and leaves white streaks on you skin making it look dry and flaky. When researching this product, this appears to be quite an old bottle as well and whereas nail polish doesn't really go off, this doesn't feel like proper nail polish and I think it may have gone off. Good idea, shame about the execution.

// Verdict

This was one of the boxes I wanted the most when I first discovered Meebox and I think if I had received it back in March 2018 I would be estactic however, I feel some of the products have lost their shine and the only one I'm really happy about is the Deco Miami polish; I have got to get me some more of those. For £15 though, I'm not going to flip any tables.

When Meebox stopped doing monthly boxes last December they said they were going to reduce their boxes to quarterly to give them more time to collaborate with indie brands. However, it's now December and the last box they released was the Atlantis edition back in March so I have a feeling that sadly, they may have stopped doing boxes. It's a shame because there really was no other sub like this one. 

Nude Palm Leaves // Pink Nude Tropical Design

Something a bit different? Perhaps my favourite mani I've done so far and hand painted! Well....half hand painted. I bought some acrylic paint a couple months ago but with assignments piling up I've been doing the most basic of mani's. However I handed in my last assignment on the 24th and now I have time again. It's so strange to be able to do whatever I want and not feel guilty about not doing uni work. 3 years has gone by so quickly and now I have 6 weeks till I move to Birmingham to start the next chapter of my life.

But, these nails. I've been wanting to get into using acrylics for a while now thanks to talented nail artists like @narmei (piggyluvs). These are kind of cheating though because I used a stamping plate to get the shape of the leaves and then I painted over them to give them more detail but boy does it make a big difference!

I also found a use for one of the sheer polishes from this months Mani & Lola! Now I just need to use the other sheer pink in something. I think a more pigmented background would've ruined this as the pop of green and the pink leaves are the focus. It's a little streaky but with a nice glossy top coat it's only noticeable up close. I was also surprised at how easy it is to work with acrylic on nails, it dries quite fast but water activates it again (unlike when it's on paper). I definitely need some proper brushes though as my cheap ones are a bit to soft to do really fine detail with.

How I did it:

I applied one coat of Pink Nude and followed it with the pink leaves using Rosewood Forest. All the stamping designs are from Tropical 36. I then stamped on the green palm leaves using #12 and then mixed the acrylic paints together to create a light, dark and mid green tones and randomly painted them on to create the detail. Once it was dry I topped it off with a glossy top coat.

I have so many designs I want to do and I want to film as well! I'm also thinking of adding skincare reviews to the blog as I really miss the skincare blogging, it's just the makeup stuff I can't really stand doing. I think I'll be adding beauty box unboxings as well considering I have 6...So much to do! I'm actually excited for everything and I'm going to start my nail polish app soon once I've finished designing it.

Polishes/Tools Used:-

- ORLY // Pink Nude (sheer pink creme)
- Essence // Rosewood Forest (dusty pink)

- Born Pretty Polish // #12 (green)
- Crafts 4 All Acrylic Paint // 105 Titanium White, 605 Green Pale, 753 Black

- Barry M // Plumpy Hi Shine Top Coat
- MoYou London Plates // Tropical 36

SWATCHES: Avon True Colour Pro+ Nail Enamel // Halo Nudes Collection

So, a couple posts back I did swatches on Avon's new Cosmic Lights collection and in the same order I also bought the entire Halo series they debuted in that book as well...because nail polish.

Yeesh...a couple of posts back? The Avon Cosmic Lights collection was posted on 17th October 2018...that's how long I've had this post lying in the draft folder. And why? Well here was what I wrote near the end of October:

I'm a sucker for all things pastel and pink and well; this range is just pastel and pink. Also in the brochure they also look like they had a slight pearlescent sheen to them which is something I don't have in any pastels so I thought they'd be a good addition to the collection. Avon brochures are notorious though for swatches but when they finally arrived I was relieved to see that they are brimming with shimmery-ness.

That said, it's taken me a good month to swatch them all (blatant LIES) as these aren't the greatest formula. Due to how sheer they are I thought I could skip a few steps by applying them under a white base coat; don't do this. The white throws off the colour and makes it look dirty and real cheap. Also, they don't look great on top of black. Sure you see the shift easier but it kind of looks like a milky white substance with a colour shift applied on top of black polish; it's not great. You need to spend the time building up 4/5 layers on top of bare nails for the best result. 

Ok, so admittedly I swatched one, got annoyed and couldn't be bothered to do the rest. But now I've done them because they've been sitting in my 'to swatch' pile for months and I just want to get it over and done with. Also, they seem like a good post for February what with them being soft and pink (for the most part.)

Halo White // sheer off-white with pink shift

I've swatched this polish so many times it's not even funny anymore. The first time I stupidly did it on top of white base; this does not look good layered on anything, just lumpy. It still looks lumpy and I just can't abide it. It's not that it takes 4 layers just to even get anywhere but it takes so long to dry in between coats and even after a quick dry top coat, you can't do anything with your nails for a couple of hours or it'll smudge. Not a great polish.

Coats: 4

Halo Nude // sheer very pale peach with green shift

This is practically the same as the first shade only it has a green shift to to it. I can't see myself using this for anything because like Halo White, it takes to long to dry and I now have polishes that can achieve this look much faster and with nicer results.

Coats : 3

Halo Pink // sheer pale pink with blue/purple shimmer

This is quite a nice Princess shade...from far away. Up close it's a bit streaky and milky but not completely awful. I don't think it quite matches my skin tone  but I wouldn't rule out using it for a look as I like the shift.

Coats: 3

Halo Rose // sheer pale pink with rose shimmer

Ok, so back in November when I did the Halo Nights design, I was wondering why it took me so many layers to achieve any sort of colour pay off. Now I know why; this shade is practically non-existent. It appears to be a beautiful pastel pink in the bottle with bright rose shift, however on the nail it's almost a clear polish with a rose shimmer shift.

One coat gives the nails a nice shine with a slight shift in the sunlight. Two coats gives your nails a nice sheer pale look with the shimmer. Like the last shade, I think these would be great a Bride nails as they're extremely understated but soft and romantic.

Coats: 3

Halo Lilac // sheer pale lilac with red & blue shimmer

And the last shade in the collection is the most opaque. I like this shade, I think it suits my skin tone quite well plus, I can see myself using this for another design as it's very princess-ey. I'd say this is my favourite out of the bunch, however I may be bias because I tend to gravitate towards lilac shades anyway. The shift is quite hard to see on this one and you need to be up close but it's very pretty.

Coats: 3

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------//
And I'm done! I'm finally done! I only received these shades at the end of September.....I can finally put them away on my shelf (if there's room, I just made that thing and it's already almost full...)

Usually, I love Avon polishes however this collection was quite a let down and turned out nothing like the photos.

Look how pigmented those swatches are! They're so much darker than what they really are and that's what I thought I was getting. But that's what you have to put up with when ordering from Avon. I paid £3 each for them and £15 is a good price for 5 polishes but I really don't think these are worth it. Especially since I don't think I'l be using most of them again. They just take to many layers and take an age to dry.

Halo Nudes Collection

Looks done using these shades:
-Halo Nights // Pink & Nude Wanderlust Design
-Lace // Clairestelle8 Valentines Challenge