A Nail Art/Nail polish blog by a really nerdy software Engineer

Sunday, 23 July 2023

SWATCHES: Essie // Stripes & Sails, You're A Gem & Spaghetti Straps

SWATCHES Essie Stripes & Sails, You're A Gem & Spaghetti Straps

Found these three beauties in TK Maxx for £2.99 each so of course I had to bring them home with me!

Stripes & Sails // Sacramento creme
Collection: Spring 2018
Release: 2018
Coats: 1

SWATCHES Essie Stripes & Sails

This one-coat wonder is a self-levelling thing of beauty. I love dark green/teal shades and I'm happy to have this as part of my collection. I'd say a cheaper dupe for this would be Rockpool by Barry M. It also does well as a stamping polish due to it's thickness.

You're A Gem // Rose Gold Linear Holo
Collection: Gorge-ous Geodes
Release: Spring/Summer 2019
Coats: 2

SWATCHES Essie You're A Gem

SWATCHES Essie You're A Gem

Who knew that mainstream polish brands could do holo so well??


I looked up the rest of this collection and I think I may need to track the rest of them down because hot damn, what a formula. 

Spaghetti Straps // pastel pink crelly
Collection: ?? Core Colours?
Release: <2010? or 2017?
Coats: 3

SWATCHES Essie Spaghetti Straps

This is such an old shade I can't actually find when it was released! I know that this is a newer bottle though because it has the wider flat brush so I think this particular one is from the core colours that were re-released back in 2017.

That said, I LOVE THIS POLISH. Sorry for the caps but it's just such a soft, baby pastel pink with a slight hint of peach. This is my polish for all quartz looks now. It can be ever so slightly streaky if applied in a too-thin layer but other than that, it's the perfect sheer. I'm wearing three coats and I can't get over how classy and elegant it looks. Apparently there are some other amazing Essie sheers out there now in similar shades and I'm going to have to hunt them down.
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Friday, 21 July 2023

SWATCHES: Nails Inc // Made In Mykonos Set

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set

Found this adorable set in TK Maxx for £8.99! I think the packaging lured me in more than anything. Released in Summer 2022 this was a perfect summer set!

You're My Sol Mate // white creme
Coats: 2

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Your're My Sol Mate Swatch

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Your're My Sol Mate Swatch

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Your're My Sol Mate Swatch

So this is also the exact same shade as Primrose Hill Road from the Florals...For Spring? set. I've noticed that Nails Inc don't really do new shades anymore, they just rename old ones and package them up in a new set.

This is quite a streaky white creme that only slightly self-levels. The second coat still leaves some slight dark patches but is acceptable. 3 coats is needed for full coverage.

I was actually quite impressed though with it's stamping ability! It's a bit translucent however that can come in handy for layering looks.

Need Some Vitamin Sea // bright navy crelly
Coats: 2

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Need Some Vitamin Sea Swatch

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Need Some Vitamin Sea Swatch

Nails Inc Made In Mykonos Set - Need Some Vitamin Sea Swatch

I feel like this should've been called "Rooftops" or "Shutters" because these 2 shades together remind me of those white buildings with the blue roofs. Not just for summer though, this shade is perfect all year round and for the most part it even stamps well on top of light shades!

It's a pure crelly shade, so not quite a full jelly as it's too opaque but applies with no streaks. The formula reminds me of the Ciate Gelology range. It dries fairly quickly and 2 coats is sufficient for full coverage. After the second coat you're left with that beautiful glass-like shine. be careful though, as it is quite runny and stains the nail bed/cuticle area.
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Thursday, 29 June 2023

SWATCHES: Color Club // Pastel Neon Collection 2015

color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

When I saw this 7 piece set in TK Maxx for £6.99 I practically threw it in my cart and then protected my cart at all costs...even though no one was around and if there were, they wouldn't know what Color Club is anyway unless they too were nail polish enthusiasts.

And this wasn't the only 7 piece Color Club set I got....oh no I got 2 sets for £14. I considers this a win-win scenario. Currently I can find this set on amazon for £35 and there are a few other sets which I'm considering as £5 a bottle isn't that bad but TK Maxx did me a solid.

After getting them home I did some research on them and found out this set is their full Pastel Neon collection released back in 2015.

It's my two favourite finishes smooshed together to create the ultimate polish.

Meet Me At The Rink // Pale Pastel Baby Blue
Coats: 2

meet me at the rink - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

Even though I hate the thin brushes this was surprisingly easy to apply. The first coat was streaky, but it is a neon pastel so that's expected but the second coat covered everything. I'm surprised how glossy the polish is, usually neons are slightly satin but this reminds me of Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine formula.

Diggin' The Dancing Queen // Pastel Lavender
Coats: 2

diggin the dancing queen - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

This is almost a one coat wonder, if you can control the polish. It's a bit on the runny side but not too difficult to apply. Again, this has a lovely glossy finish and reminds me of Ciate Spinning Teacups but brighter. These peony lavender shades are some of my favourites right now as they suit my skintone so well!

Feathered Hair Out To There // Pastel Pink
Coats: 2

feathered hair out to there - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

This is almost a dupe for Deco Miami' Cake but both polishes are hard to get hold of in the UK so it doesn't really matter. This pink has a slight hint of peach but it's wonderfully bright and makes you look more tan. Without a doubt this is the shade I'm wearing to go watch Barbie in though.

Hot Hot Hot Pants // Pastel Peach
Coats: 2

hot hot hot pants - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

I love this shade! It's a perfect peachy pink and these are the types of shades I'm partial to buying. Surprisingly though I couldn't find anything like it in my collection! This one is the least glossiest, with more of a satin finish. Due to this, it needs at least 3 coats. I'm wearing 2 in the photo and it doesn't look bad on photos but up close you can see the streaks.

Disco's Not Dead // Pastel Yellow
Coats: 2

discos not dead - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

This reminds me of one my favourite polish shades; Avon Lemon Sugar. It's difficult to do pastel neons and this is more on the streaky side but it does well.

Under The Blacklight // Pastel Green
Coats: 2

under the blacklight - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

A bit of a seedy name for a polish but whatever. Neon pastel green is a notoriously hard shade to get right but Color Club have done a great job. It's not even that streaky. I'd say Hot Hot Hot Pants was the worst offender in the collection. This is a more affordable version of OPI's Pump up The Volume and doesn't need a white basecoat under it either. I'd say the cheapest UK alternative is Cuccio Dancing in the Dark but that has the black speck problem that releases from Cuccio in the past few years have and it's not a pastel finish.

I didn't have this on for long but I can see it proper staining your nails so get those basecoats on when wearing it.

'Til The Record Stops // Pastel Mint
Coats: 2

til the record stops - color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches

And last is this dupe of Essie's Chillato; also one of my favourite polish shades. It's still quite streaky though after 2 coats. I'd go with 3 but then you're looking at long dry times.

// Verdict

What a great collection. It's a shame it's so difficult to get hold of Color Club in the UK. You either have to rely on amazon or ebay as many specialist UK nail stores have stopped stocking them. 

If I had paid full price for them, I would've expected better self-levelling properties, but other than that I have nothing else to complain about.

color club pastel neon collection 2015 swatches
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Tuesday, 6 December 2022

Christmas Party Nails // Nude & Gold Glitter/Foil Nail Design

Christmas Party Nails // Nude & Gold Glitter/Foil Nail Design

I have so many designs that I just never got round to posting. Here's some nails I did for works Christmas party last year!

Christmas Party Nails // Nude & Gold Glitter/Foil Nail Design

I'm all about super quick and easy designs right now. This one should take less then 10 minutes!

Christmas Party Nails // Nude & Gold Glitter/Foil Nail Design

I did 2 layers of Revel, then once it was dry, dabbed on some gold foil eyeshadow, then topped that with Bijoux. I just did light brush strokes, starting from the tip to give it that ombre look.

Polishes/Tools Used:
- Manna Kadar // Revel (nude creme)
- H&M // Bijoux (gold glitter)
- Primark P.S Beauty // Gold Foil Eyeshadow 
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Sunday, 4 December 2022

Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

I can't believe it's that time of the year again already. Every year, Sainsbury's do some amazing designs on their wrapping paper and bags that are just begging to be put on nails. Case and point this bag design.
Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

I went with some designs on the MoYou London Noel 4 plate and Liquid Gold. For the text I used what was left over from stamping the pinkie nail (as it left the perfect oval centre) and then stamped the text in the space.

Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

It's not exactly like the bag as the designs aren't as detailed, however I'm waiting for some more Noel plates from the Black Friday sale so hopefully I should be able to get a little closer to the bag.

This is a cute and quick set though!

Christmas Wrapping Nails #1 // Sainsbury's Country Walk Linework Leaves Christmas Bag

Polishes/Tools Used:
Base
- Essence Shine Last & Go // 46 Black is Back
- Barry M // Matte Top Coat

Stamping
- MoYou London Stamping Plate // Noel 04
- Twinkled T Stamping Polish // Liquid Gold
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