During 2016 I began to notice I was reaching for my nail polish collection less, I wasn’t excited about buying new colours or taking the time to even paint my nails. I have never been into nail art or trying out super fancy things with my nails, I’m pretty low maintenance in this department so I thought it was about time I downsized my collection even more (I did have a minor clear out of polishes that were past their best in the Summer)
Part of the reason I have been using my collection less is, I have found a lovely nail salon in my village and the ladies in there are so good and use really nice polishes, I never get gels only a manicure and polish which is only £10. So for the few times, I need my nails painting I have been going there to have them done professionally and its a nice pampering thing to do, a little me time.
I realised that I don’t need 4 polishes of a similar colour & that they were not getting used enough so I have managed to half my collection & my friends will be excited to get some new polishes. I love passing products on to people & one of my goals this year is not to hoard things that I know I won’t use, no matter how beautiful they are.
I condensed my collection down from 60+ polishes to under 30 and I’m very pleased with that number. Although after taking the photo of the colours I kept, I took 3 more colours out of the box to pass on. I have no desire to add anymore polishes to this and think I have a very good selection of shades, everything from bright oranges to black & a couple of glitters and duo chrome effects too. I think I have covered all bases.
I have kept quite a few of the Mavala Polishes as I really like that their bottles are smaller, I never finish a polish and their formula is so easy to apply and it dries quickly too.
I also enjoy the Nails Inc range and have a few colours, most of them have come free with Glamour magazine. I like how long these wear on me and the brush is a really nice one for applying in a hurry but not making a complete mess.
BarryM – always going to be a firm favourite and I think they have to be the best budget friendly nail polish brand. Their colour selection is huge and I have never been disappointed with the formula or application of their polishes.
I have tried to keep a good spectrum of colours and a few colours that I wear on my toes too. I love pinks and turquoise blues but I have a habit of wearing more nude shades most of the time. Glitter polishes are my pet peeve, I love how pretty they look on your nails but I detest removing them so I am only keeping two, one gold and one red option.
Although I am sad to let some of these colours go, how many blue polishes does one lady need? I fell out of love with Models Own as their formula seems to be quite thin and I only get 2 – 3 days wear without chipping. So I have parted with quite a few of them & some lovely colours too.
The NARS polishes although I really wanted to keep these I wasn’tusing them at all and I have similar colours in other brands that I prefer more and I know a couple of people that will love to have these in their life.
I am passing on many glitter polishes as I just can’t deal with the hassle of removing them.
So there you have it, I have started 2017 as I mean to go on. More organised and only keeping products I 100% love, even if they have sentimental value or cost me a fortune to buy. Its another step on my journey to living more consciously and more minimal.
Let me know how many polishes you own & how many you actually use.
This beautiful Nails Inc Polish came free with the December issue of Glamour. For a bargain price of £2 you get a great magazine (I love to read Glamour) and a Nails Inc Polish which has an RRP of £11. There were four polishes to pick from & truth be told I wanted them all but I have far too many polishes as it is, so I decided on this deep purple called Wigmore Street.
Wigmore Street is a true deep true purple shade. It is opaque in 2 coats, I found it easy to apply but It did take a while to dry in between coats. The brush was quite thin but it applied the polish nicely. As with all Nails Inc polishes this is great quality and had good staying power, I took it off my nails after 4 days and there were no signs of chipping. I think I could have got a week of wear from this polish.
Let me know if you picked up this copy of glamour & what polish you picked.
I’ve been planning this series for a while, I wanted to celebrate the incredible and diverse beauty brands that are home grown and proudly British. There so many British brands that are sold internationally as well as many smaller lesser known brands. I have 50+ brands to share with you, I’m excited to discover some new brands and share with you quite a few brands that I love. I hope you enjoy this series of posts & let me know if you discover any brands that you didn’t know were British.
Launched this year by Laura out of her love of a good bath, she wanted to share that love with the world & so The Bathory a cute little British brand was born. With their HQ in London & their small factory in a barn in rural Berkshire they let you invent your own blend of bath soak. This is a luxurious way to enjoy a bath and its such an exciting concept for bath lovers everywhere. Their jars of bath soak are £18 so quite pricey but if you like to relax in the bath then these are perfect for that. From their website to the final product this brand has excellent attention to detail and I really like that. I’m excited to see whats next from this brand.I have written a full review of them here.
This is a brand that almost all of us know and love, it was founded by the creator of Bliss Spa, Marcia Kilgore back in 2006, its eye catching packaging and tongue in cheek names are what most people notice first. Soap & Glory are a fun, fresh affordable British brand that have gone from strength to strength. They now have a product range including skincare, haircare makeup, bath & body care. We all have our favourites and mine include The Righteous Butter, Sugar Crush Body Scrub and Hocus Focus Highlighter. This is a brand that is now sold internationally and they always seem to be releasing something new and exciting. I’m secretly hoping they do a line of nail polish. Let me know what your favourite S&G product is. I want to try their new Make Yourself Youthful Sunshield Superfluid SPF50+as I am all about the facial SPF.
Was founded in 1843 by Eugene Rimmel and was originally a perfumery on London’s famous Regent Street. They’ve always been well known for their Mascara & Rimmel actually means Mascara in many languages. Rimmel is such an iconic British Brand that is sold in more than 40 countries and is Britain’s best selling cosmetic brand. They have a great range of affordable products and are still to this day most well known for their mascaras, although I think they have added more to their range. I personally like their Wake Me Up range and their Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal are a great budget friendly eyeliner – these come in 7 shades & 5 of these shades are a staple in my makeup bag. What are your favourite Rimmel products?
Was founded in 1994 by Jo Malone, ‘who began her career as a facialist, soon becoming one of London’s most sought-after skin care therapists. To thank her original 20 clients, she hand-mixed her own Nutmeg & Ginger Bath Oil. One client ordered 100 bottles as table favours for a prestigious dinner. Instantly, 86 guests wanted more. The Jo Malone London brand was born.‘
It’s now seen as a quintessentially British brand, their stores are a pleasure to shop in and its so hard to leave empty handed. They’re best known for their selection of fragrances but they also have candles, skincare and body products. They package them up beautifully with a cream box and a silky black bow so if you needed a gift these are the ultimate & look luxurious. I had a candle as a leaving gift from a job & I treasured it for months. Let me know what your favourite Jo Malone scent is, mine has to be the classic Lime Basil and Mandarin and their Amber & Patchouli. I could spend hours in their stores testing them all out.
Was founded in 1999 by then fashion editor Thea Green MBE (Services to Beauty Industry) she loved how easy it was in America to get a Manicure and felt there was a huge gap in the market for aUK based fashion forward nail bar, her first salon was started in London. It was famous for the 15 minute mani & demand was high. Nails iNc grew very quickly and can now be found in department stores nationwide. Nails Inc is known for their affordable, luxurious nail care, that’s catwalk inspired and gives you professional quality. True to its British roots the shades are named after London destinations like Spitalfields and Notting Hill Gate. Nails Inc has grown to be Britain’s most successful and popular nail bar chain and they employ 400 people throughout UK & Ireland.
Their products are sold internationally and you can now find Nails Inc nail bars in Sephora in the USA and Canada. I adore Nails Inc polishes & think their formula is so good, the colour range is stunning, They are always at the forefront of new effects and finishes and it is exciting every season to see what new textures and shades they come up with. Among my favourite shades are Basil Street (gorgeous subtle nude) and St James Park (pretty pink). They have an extensive selection & I need to add a few more shades to mine. Let me know what you recommend. Nails Inc not only sell nail polish but also hand-care, foot-care and false lashes.
Is an Anglo – Japanese brand but the product is produced in the UK. STEAMCREAM is an all in one natural moisturiser that is light and gentle enough to be used on your face, body and hands. STEAMCREAM is produced using a STEAM process, The force of the STEAM fuses the ingredients instantly – holding them together in a very gentle and loose emulsion. When it touches your skin, the naturally moisturising ingredients and pure, calming essential oils are released from the light emulsion so they can sink past the surface reaching the areas they are needed fast. Your skin will feel intensively moisturised and softer for longer’.
STEAMCREAM is also a very ethical brand with focus upon its packaging being environmentally friendly and recyclable. It’s also Vegan Friendly, freshly handmade everyday and STEAMCREAM use a minimum amount of preservatives so that the skin’s natural balance of flora can be protected. Low preservative levels also help STEAM CREAM to biodegrade easily. I love using this multi purpose product & have a collection of their cute tins on my vanity. I have written a full review on this here.
Is a British makeup brand launched in 2008, it is a brand which encourages individuality and freedom of expression. Drawing much of its inspiration from the 1920’s Berlin theatre scene and the many alternative scenes that we have seen since. It is a brand thats popular with makeup artists and beauty lovers alike, not conforming to the norm Illamasqua has a flair for the vivid, pigmented and adventurous they never shy away from pushing the boundaries of makeup. I like that it feels quite dark and edgy and that your part of a movement and not just a brand. Its quite exciting. Illamasqua are known for using colour and being bold. I have only tried a few products from them but I was pleased with the quality and their customer service, if you get chance to visit one of their shops or counters you must, their staff are very friendly, helpful and passionate about the brand. So nice to see. Please let me know what products you use & love from them.
Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own.
I like bright nail polish as much as the next person. In fact nail polish is probably the only time I do experiment with bright colours as my clothes tend to be dark/neutral & so to does my makeup. Alsough saying that my nude nail polishes get a lot of love, they are so easy to wear & I like that they look pretty and understated. I have picked out my favourite 6 nudes to share with you.
This is a lilac toned brown and has a lovely glossy finish. If You’re in a hurry you can get away with one coat. Its the perfect evening nude shade as it is quite a dusky colour & the darkest of the nudes I have.
Nails Inc Polishes are such good quality and apply really nicely on the nail, not streaky at all. I apply two coats of this and it looks fresh and I think it looks like Caramel. Very pretty indeed
I was surprised by the quality of this nail polish as it only costs £1, it is a very pretty light brown nude colour. You will need to apply 2 coats of this & a top coat is a must but the colour is subtle but pretty & I have worn it a lot.
I love love love this colour, it is a gorgeous pink toned nude & it looks very pretty with a tan on both your fingers & toes. I adore this shade and always get compliments when I wear it.
This is such a classic blogger polish, I wear this quite a lot too. It makes a very good base for glitter polish as the colour is so subtle. I think it has a slight lilac undertone on me & I like that.
A.K.A Soft Mink / Nails Inc Basil Street / Nails Inc Porchester Square / MUA Shade 19 / Topshop Barefoot / Models Own Utopia
So they’re my most worn & best loved Nude Nail Polishes. If you love any of my picks let me know, or better still recommend me your most loved Nude shade. There is always room for more x
