Tag: nail polish

A New Nail Shape and Bargain Polish 

I’m something of a perfectionist when it comes to my nails. If they look shabby or the layer of acrylic has grown too far out, it bothers me. Way back before I became largely housebound, fitting in regular nail appointments around teaching and socialising wasn’t a big deal. Now of course, things are different. Weeks can go by when I’m not well enough to leave home and when I am, it’s only with the support of my husband and/or parents.

Nonetheless, getting my nails done remains a tiny and all too infrequent window into the person I used to be. No matter how sick I am, my nails looking nice gives me a little joy.

So, here’s how my nails look after my latest (and too long delayed) visit to my nail place. I’ve gone for an Almond shape rather than the square with slightly rounded edges shape I’ve been in the habit of getting for a long time.

I really like this shape. It elongates the fingers and strikes me as elegant. I find the sharp spike look that’s popular now to be too extreme for my taste but the Almond shape is somewhat softer. 

The polish I went for is the shade 04 Our Sweetest Day from Essence’s The Gel range. I love these little polishes; they apply and perform well and are a bargain at £1.60 each (available in the UK from Wilko online or in store). I chose to have 3 coats of this particular shade but generally 2 coats is sufficient with these polishes. They’re a great way to update your collection of colours each season without causing significant damage  your bank balance 😊.

What nail shape do you favour? Do you have a favourite brand for polishes? 

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Follow me on Instagram.

Tweet me – @chroniccockney.

Note: this is not a sponsored post. All products discussed were purchased with my own money.

Advertisements
4

Revlon Diamond Top Coat

A good top coat is one of those beauty products that tends to be an unsung hero; they aren’t as glamorous as much a hyped highlight or eyeshadow palette but finding a good one is a little beauty blessing. I’m very much enjoying this Colorstay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat from Revlon so I though it deserved a quick post.

I was pleased to receive this top coat in my October Glossybox as I had almost run out of my previous bottle from Sally Hansen. There are so many top coats on the market to choose from and I’ve never loved one so much that it became a regular repurchase.

That said, I intend to buy another of this product when I run out. I like the double brush design; I can cover my entire nail with one swipe if I’m trying to be quick.

The finish this top coat creates is super glossy and long lasting. The formula is slightly thicker than most top coats I’ve tried but it doesn’t take any longer to dry. I’ve found that it helps keep my nails shiney and ‘just painted’ looking for a good 5-7 days, bearing in mind that I like my nails to look really glossy.

This photo shows my nails in serious need of in-fills (I have a layer of acrylic on top of my natural nails) and the top coat is doing any excellent job of distracting attention away from the shabbiness of my nails, with the cunning use of glossiness. This is very useful when I’ve been too unwell to get to the nail place regularly; let’s face it, that’s the case all the time these days.

So if you’re browsing the drugstore for your next top coat, I recommend giving this ago – what’s not to like about a top coat that’s glossy and keeps your nails look freshly ‘done’ for longer?

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Follow me on Instagram.

Tweet me – @chroniccockney.

Note – this is not a sponsored post. All products discussed were purchased with my own money.

1

Summer Nails: Lilac

Just a quick post today to share my current nail look. It’s always a good day when I’m finally well enough to make it out of the house to get to my favourite nail place 😊 It requires planning, meds, lying down afterwards and sometimes my long suffering husband escorting me home if the pain has spiked, but at least one part of me looks neat and not sick afterwards!

  
Since it can be many, many weeks between nail salon visits, I’ve had the length kept short on my acrylic in-fills. Acrylic is somewhat out of fashion these days but my nails stay tidy and the same length as as each other for weeks at a time, so it’s worth it to me.

   
 
There are certain shades I’m drawn to every summer – baby blues, pinks and lilacs always make an appearance during warmer months. This Rimmel polish from the Rita Ora range is 558 Wild-Er-Ness. It was on sale at ASOS so I popped it into my basket on a whim last time I placed an order.

The shade itself is very pretty but I noticed that it required more coats to get a decent coverage than, for example, my polishes from Essence (which are even cheaper!). I find the brush to be a touch wide but nothing major. It’s a decent polish for the price but I suspect a good top coat will make all the difference to the wear time.

What nail shades do you reach for in the summer months?

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Tweet/follow me – @chroniccockney

Follow me on Instagram.

This blog is also available via Bloglovin.

Note: this post is not sponsored. All products discussed were purchased with my own money.

3

Pale Blue Nails Look

Just a quick post today to share my current nail look with you. I spend sooooo much of my life stuck at home feeling awful that it’s quite the occasion when I eventually make it to the nail place to get my coat of acrylic filled in. I always bring polish with me (so I have the exact shade at home to do touch ups with) and this is one of my favourites, so much so that you’ve probably seen it make an appearance on my blog before!

   
 
This is from The Gel range at Essence and is a ridiculously cheap £1.60 per little bottle, so if you fancy picking up a few new shades for Summer you can grab a handful without breaking the bank.

  

I find that it lasts well and of course you can always use a more expensive top coat on top if you like.

Do you have a favourite brand for cheap nail polishes?

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Tweet/follow me – @chroniccockney

Chronic Pain Cockney – The Little Things is also on Bloglovin.

NB This is not a sponsored post.

2

Mint Green Nails Look

It’s been an especially bad couple of weeks in my Chronic Life, hence the recent lack of new blog posts. Pain levels have been sky high & I’ve been stranded in the dark battling my Chronic Daily Migraine to an even greater extent than usual.

Today I finally made it out of the house and as my nails were in desperate need of attention, I  went to my favourite nail place (Trieu Nails in Bethnal Green-if you’re in East London I highly recommend them!).

 
(I do not in fact have a giant thumb; didn’t get the angle quite right on this pic! 😆)

I brought this polish along with me; it’s from Essence and is a real bargain at £1.60 a bottle. I absolutely love this colour for Spring. As you can see I’m very fair skinned but this colour is one of those rare gems that will look fresh and lovely against all skin tones. I tend to go for relatively short nails these days as it can be AGES between nail appointments due to my mostly housebound status but I think this colour would work on pretty much any length & shape. 

Essence products can be purchased in the UK from Wilko (online/in store) or online via Beauty Crowd.

I’m hoping for a few ‘low pain’ hours in the coming week so keep an eye out for my upcoming ‘MAC Mini Haul’ post!

Do you have a favourite nail colour for Spring?

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Tweet/follow me @chroniccockney

Follow me on Bloglovin.

Note: this is not a sponsored post.

2

Little Ondine Fragrance Free Nail Polish: Purple Rain

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you might remember my delight at finding a brand of nail polish that doesn’t smell – a migraine sufferer holy grail product! The latest colour I’m test driving from Little Ondine is called Purple Rain.

  
   

In case you’re completely new to the brand, their nail colours are chemical free, scent free and peelable – yep, you can peel it right off. These features make them a must try for people with smell or chemical sensitivities. They’re also great  for those of us who have a child who wants to copy mummy’s nails but wouldn’t be allowed to near traditional polish and remover at such a young age. 

I really like these products but they’re not perfect – it did take several coats with this shade to get the colour pay off I wanted. That said, it did dry very fast so it wasn’t as time consuming as several coats of traditional polish would have been.

   
 

The shade itself I really like – I LOVE purple nails. This is a shade that looks good at any time of the year (is it just me that feels like some nail colours are seasonal??). My problem is that I can’t stop myself picking it off in a day or two; it comes off in such satisfyingly large pieces! To be fair that’s my fault rather than the product’s 😊.

If you decide to invest in some of these polishes make sure to get the clear top coat Secret. It shines up the look of the colour and can be used as a base as well.

Have you tried out the Little Ondine range? 

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Tweet/Follow me @chroniccockney

I’m also on Bloglovin.

Note: this is not a sponsored post.
 

4

£1.60 Pastel Blue Nail Polish from Essence

As soon as March rolls around I find myself reaching for lighter, more pastel nail shades, even though the weather in the UK has quite caught up with my Springtime vibe yet. One of my favourites is this one from Essence:

   
 

This shade is from ‘The Gel’ range – 39 Blue Bubble Di Blue and costs £1.60. The colour pay off is amazing considering the price; I achieved the coverage I wanted with two coats. The bottle is smaller than most nail polishes but I have no problem with that since I can’t remember the last time I actually finished a bottle of polish anyway! This range is a great way to stock up on lots of colours you’d like to try without spending a fortune.

   
 

As long as you use a top coat, this polish lasts just as well as the expensive brands. This shade in particular will look great on all skin tones, from the very fair like me to dark skin. Essence is available online in the UK at Wilko and Beauty Crowd – I highly recommend grabbing yourself some beautiful Spring pastels or brights. I love beauty bargains that truly perform well 😊.

Do you have a favourite Springtime nail colour?

Wishing you good luck and happy days,

Kindra x

Tweet/follow me @chroniccockney

Follow me on Bloglovin.


0

Snow White Nails Look: Barry M

It’s not often that I get to write a blog post on a nail colour that is completely new to me; I’ve been a daily polish wearer for nearly 20 years and have experimented with a wide range of shades. But this pristine white nails look is one I’ve just tried out for the first time, so I thought I’d share it with you. You probably know by now that making it out of the house to get my layer of acrylic filled in is cause for celebration these days so that’s when I usually try out a shade I’ve had my eye on for a while. 

  

  

The polish is from Barry M. I can’t remember using their nail products before but I spotted it on sale and snapped it up.

  

I’m now a total covert to the gorgeousness of white nails! I wasn’t sure if it would work against my very pale skin but I think it does; in fact it’s an elegant option that looks great against all skin tones. The Barry M polish itself is opaque after two coats and with a top coat lasts beautifully. I suspect it will look as good in Summer as it does in Winter.

   
 

I should mention that despite the word ‘matt’ appearing on the bottom of the bottle, the polish is in fact the usual glossy kind. This works out well for me as I just can’t seem to get on board with the the matte nails think; generally I prefer my lips matte & my nails glossy 😊.

Have you tried the white nails look? What do you think of it? 

Wishing you good luck & happy days,

Kindra x

Follow me on Bloglovin.

Tweet/Follow me @chroniccockney

Check out my YouTube channel.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post. Products discussed were purchased with my own money at prices available to the public at large.

0

Nails Look: Jubilee + Snowflakes from Little Ondine

  

A quick post for nail polish addicts today! The navy blue & sparkles look I’m sharing today  was created using polishes from Little Ondine. The brand is a favourite of mine due to the wonderful odourless, peel-off formula. Check out my recent posts for more details and links: Little Ondine Winter Wonderland Set & Little Ondine: A Peelable and Odourless Favourite.

   
 

I created this look with two coats of navy blue (Jubilee) and two coats of sparkle (Snowflakes) on top. I finished with a coat of the brand’s topcoat, Secret.

   
 

This sounds like a lot of coats but the formula is fast drying & designed to be used in layers; 2-3 coats are always recommended as it makes for easy & usually in-one-piece peeling off when you’re ready for a colour change.

   
 

I’m a big fan of blues and purples generally when it comes to nails and often wear navy blue shades on their own. ‘Snowflakes’ compliments navy beautifully; the sparkle largely shows up as little chips of glittery blues & greens. I think the resulting look is a pretty yet grown up way to add some festive sparkle to your nails.

One thing to note if you’re using ‘Snowflakes’ or any of Little Ondline’s sparkle/glitter polishes: I’d advice against dotting sparkles on as you might with traditional polish. In my opinion the method just doesn’t work properly with this resin formula. Instead go for building up to your desired coverage with thin layers.

  
Do you have favourite dark and/or sparkle polishes that you enjoy using in Winter?

Wishing you good luck & happy days,

Kindra x

Follow me on Bloglovin.

Tweet/follow me here.

Check out my YouTube channel.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post. The products discussed in this review were bought with my own money at their usual price.

0

WordPress.com.

Up ↑