More Random Nail Spam...

Well hello there,

How are you all? I hope you're better than I am! I seem to have done something funky to my back. (Yes, I am like a walking medical issue - there is always something lol!) Alas, it means I've had to have a few pain killers now and then - and they do a really good job of making me drowsy and sleepy - so no computer time for me!

It probably has something to do with the entire week we spent having a good spring clean! I never thought of my house as messy, just a little cluttered in places. So I roped the Mr. into helping me have a good sort out. Very therapeutic! And, dare I admit, maybe my house WAS messy. (Three car's full to the local tip/recycling centre...) There's still some stuff to do - like things to eBay, things to donate to charity, and a final run to recycle an old TV. I didn't realise we had acquired so much junk! Ooops! Also, during this epic tidy-a-thon, we discovered that we've had a leaky pipe for a while, which has caused much stress, and will probably cause more before its completely resolved! Oh well...!

As a result of our hard work, there were a few casualties in the nail department. Which sucks, but at least my house makes me happier! Whilst I'm getting back into a better shape, here are a few old pictures again - as the title suggests, some random spam!

(I know, I know, but still, who doesn't like looking at nails?!)

Model's Own Jade Stone - So pretty... so very pretty...!

A bit of nail art using Angelica polishes from Primark! And yes, terrible cuticles :(

Stripes and swirls using Sinful Colors, China Glaze and Chanel

A late photo - hence the tip wear - but this is my fishtail attempt for the few days of summer we had.

Be still my beating heart - Essie Jamaica Me Crazy. Insta-Love with this one! Oh yes!

I loved this wrapping paper - I used it for pass the parcel for my sister's hen party. It's so cute! And so, I had to do a mani inspired by it!

Finally, a terrible photo, but it shows the pink shimmer in the blue. Sinful Colors Cinderella and Pinky Glitter. <3

What do you think of the mani's and polishes? Any of your favourites in here? And where do you get inspiration from? Anything stranger than wrapping paper?

Let me know!

See you soon,

Love Charlotte x

A Layering Experiment - Fantasy Fire + Beach Bum Blu

Hi Everyone!

I've been playing around with Fantasy Fire (you know, THAT Max Factor polish which sent everyone into a tizz last year) for a while now, and I am looking for the perfect base for layering. I've tried a few different combinations, but I thought I'd share a quick example I tried after swatching Essie's Beach Bum Blu.

On all pictures, my index and pinkie are just the BBB, my middle finger has BBB with 1 coat of FF, and my ring finger is BBB with 2 coats of FF!

Make sense? I hope so!!

I think that this makes quite an interesting combination, and it's a nice change from the typical dark blue or purple bases!

Whats your favourite base colour for Fantasy Fire?

Let me know,

Love Charlotte x

Essie - Beach Bum Blu

Hi Everyone!

This next polish makes me wonder why I picked it up. I'm not the biggest fan of wearing blue polish. And I don't wear foil / metallic polish very often. So picking up a polish that is a blue foil? A little bit random for me...!

To be fair though, it is a beautiful blue, and quite a soft foil too! Its a more Summery colour, I would say - and I imagine it would look awesome with a decent tan! But foils remind me of Christmas treats and tinsel, so we'll take a look at it now! (I know, I'm so impatient!!)

As its a foil, there are a few brush strokes, but nothing major - its a much softer look! The blue has a slight tinge of turquoise to it, which makes it that little bit more interesting. And as always, the formula and application were excellent - I love the Essie brush!

What do you think? Tan or tinsel?

Let me know,

Love Charlotte x

Essie Chinchilly - Better Late Than Never!

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm going to share one of my lemmings with you. It's been a long time coming, and it's one I should have picked up sooner, but you know, I wasn't sure if Essie was worth the hype. I mean, could they be as good as my beloved China Glaze - considering they're around about the same price?

(The answer to that one by the way, is YES.)

Chinchilly is one of those polishes that I kept seeing all over the internet for a while. I saw it, so I wanted it. And the name (always important) is fun to say. Chinchilly! Feels good, doesn't it?!

So lets take a look, hey?

 

What can I say...? Gorgeous, isn't it?! A beautiful minky, brownish grey - such a soft and elegant colour. It's grown up glamour, work appropriate and always on trend.

Lovely to apply (as per usual) with a great brush. This was two coats, and is shown without a top coat.

I'm in love... aaaaaahhhh...!

Do you have Chinchilly in your stash? What are your nail polish lemmings?

Let me know,

Love Charlotte x

Essie - Sexy Divide

Hi Everyone,

It would appear that I have fallen for another brand of polishes. I am cheating on China Glaze. And OPI. And, well lots of other brands that I have been loving for a while now. What can I say, I'm a loving girl!

Beth - fairy glam-mother,  blogger, and fellow polish fiend - has been telling me for ages now that Essie polishes are awesome.

They're expensive, I said - I can get a China Glaze for that.

She rolled her eyes at me, and told me again that I should try them. She loves them, so I probably would too.

If there's one thing you should know about Beth, she is ALWAYS right. I can't think of a time where she was wrong. I wish I could... only joking... But seriously, the girl knows things.

When the latest lot of mail came from Boots (Double Advantage points... WOOO!) I noticed that they had three for two on all cosmetics. You know where this is going, right?

If I was going to buy some Essie polishes, I was going to do it whilst they were on offer... and had double points!

I had been lusting after Essie Chinchilly for a while. When I first started reading blogs, it was everywhere and I guess it just stuck in my head. I really wanted to look at the Mirror Metallics range too, but the Essie stand in my local Boots is tiny, so no go there. I got my Chinchilly, Beach Bum Blu and this.... Sexy Divide.

It's a deep, rich Cadbury's-esque purple, which is very very shiny. I don't think I have a polish which is quite as glassy as this one. My nails were like stained glass windows, rich, and full of glossy colour. When the light hits them... WOW!

The purple shows up little flecks of blue and red, but has an almost blackened base to it. It's certainly very sexy, as the name suggests.

The formula is beautiful. In fact, with just one stroke of the rather lovely brush, I knew I was converted. This is just two coats. Sadly, my only issue is that after one day I had quite a bit of tip wear and a few little chips. After two days - even after tip repair, I had bigger chips - and that evening, cooking with olive oil led me to have some rather nasty peeling. But still, it's not like I normally wear polishes for that long. I can forgive that.

So, where do I sign for the Essie fan club. I want my membership!

What are your favourite Essie polishes? Let me know!

Love Charlotte x