Barry M Need For Speed

Another nail post, another Barry M Speedy Quick Dry polish to show you. I picked up a few shades from this range so I've been gradually trying them in between my other many shades and this one probably has to be the most unlike me colour ever. Need For Speed is a mid-toned true purple that looks absolutely stunning on the nails, though I can tell this won't be one that suits all skin tones. 

Once again this is a really great spring shade and it certainly draws attention to your nails when I wear it. Funnily enough, unlike the previous 'speedy' polish I tried, this one I actually did find dried quicker than average and it had a lot more of a glossy finish so I will disregard my previous review of 'Eat My Dust' as a one off experience. 

I think I'm going to be adding many more shades from this range to my collection soon as I just love the spring colours and the names are just fab! This is not a colour I'd usually choose but I took a chance and I happen to really love how it looks. 

Barry M Eat My Dust

I've never been a huge fan of darker blue shades (that's my mums domain) but give me a pastel duck egg blue polish and I'm all over it. Eat My Dust is part of Barry M's new Speedy quick dry polish range and it rivals some of my all-time favourite nail shades, being the most perfect cool pastel blue. It's such a fun shade for spring and one of those that you can't take your eyes off - I've had so many compliments wearing this polish! 

The only negative I have about this polish is that I didn't really find it to be all that quick drying. I applied two coats, as with all my other polishes, and it took just as long to dry as regular formulas do, with the first coat applying quite streaky. That was a slight disappointment but once applied, it doesn't chip for at least a week and that's really all that I look for. 

I've always been a fan of Barry M nail polish and while this one isn't quite what it claims to be, the shade and lasting power makes up for that in a huge way. I'll definitely be buying more colours from this range, though I think this one may have become my favourite spring polish; bold statement I know! 

Spring Nail Edit | Neutrals

And we're back with the second part to my spring nails edit. This week it's onto the neutrals, those shades you reach for when you want something simple on your nails or even if you're heading off to a spring wedding etc. These shades are some of my favourite barely there polishes and I've been reaching for them surprisingly more than I have my bright shades. 

First up in the neutrals edit are two Rita Ora for Rimmel polishes in the shades Lose Your Lingerie and Rain Rain Go Away. My go-to of the two has to be the newest addition and that's Rain Rain Go Away as it is the perfect mauve nude that I feel will suit so many different skin tones as it has a grey hint to it. I actually have this on my nails currently and it has lasted a week so far without any chips so it's a great one! Lose Your Lingerie is the perfect pale pink shade that has the tiniest hint of shimmer but nothing that is really noticeable on the nails. This also applies well and lasts a long time - this would be great for occasions like weddings or prom etc. 

Another from Rimmel is Mary Mary Quite Contrary and this is from the standard polish line and is a barely-there lilac shade. I love how subtle this one is and it's perfect for everyday wear if you don't want to go bold and bright. I'm not normally one for garish lilac/purple shades but this one is so feminine and is definitely one of my favourites.

Next up is L'Oreal's Lemon Meringue and this is such a fresh pastel shade and really follows the current not-quite-white nail trend that seems to be appearing right now. These polishes apply probably the best of the lot and the staying power is great, the only downside is that this usually requires three coats for me to be happy with the opacity as it can end up looking slightly streaky otherwise. Not a huge blow but something to consider. 

Finally there's my least favourite of the bunch but one that will most definitely work for a lot of you out there. It's from the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine range in 'Lychee' and it is a really brown nude that just clashes with my skin tone horribly. The formula however is great, as expected fro Barry M, and I'm a huge fan of the hi-shine appearance so it gets plus points in that department for sure. 

Well there you have my spring neutrals nail edit. Don't forget to check out last weeks edit if you're more of a brights girl as I give you a run down through all the rainbow coloured shades I love! 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Spring Nail Edit | Brights

The clocks have gone forward, the sun is shining and the UK seems to be experiencing the first hints of Spring. Now with a new season comes a whole array of new nail polish shades to break out of the dark depths of my cupboard and for me, it's often a decision between bright and neutral shades, with pastels usually coming somewhere in between the two. I thought I'd put together two little edits of my favourite spring nail shades covering bights and neutrals and everything in between! 

First up this week is the brights edit and I've tried to pick something to cover every colour give or take, some being my absolute staples and others being ones that I wear occasionally. Lets start with the newbies to my collection and they are the new Rita Ora for Rimmel shades in Port-a-loo-blue and Glaston-berry. I love the names of all these polishes and you probably guessed, they are all festival inspired. There is a great mix of bolds, neutrals and darks in the collection but I chose these two as they are perfect spring shades in my opinion. The formula is great, two coats and you're good to go, and they seem to last a good while before showing any signs of chipping. 

Next are from my old favourite brand, Barry M and they are part of the Gelly Hi Shine collection and for me, these work great and require no topcoat, which is a bonus for me, anything to cut down the time it takes! The shade Prickly Pear is the perfect mid-pastel lilac that can be build up to be a bold and this is one of my go-to shades during spring. Key Lime is one that in the bottle and swatches I love but against my skin tone it just doesn't work. I do however think this one would be great with a super pale or dark skin tone but unfortunately I seem to sit in between the two.

If you follow me on Instagram then you may have seen that I had the ever popular Ciate advent calendar on the lead up to Christmas and one of the more unexpected shades I got was Big Yellow Taxi, ironically in the tiniest bottle ever! This is your typical sunshine yellow shade and so would work perfectly as a spring/summer transitional shade. The formula is great and after two coats it is opaque enough for me. I would recommend Ciate if you're looking to splurge slightly more on your nails. 

Finally we have one of my favourites of the bunch and that's Lovie Dovie by Essie. I'm definitely a pink nails kind of girl (let me know if you want to see a pink edit) and this shade is just the perfect barbie pink bright. I absolutely love the formula of all Essie polishes and they last an unbelievably long time before chipping. I have several shades but this is up there with my all-time favourites. 

Well there you have my spring brights nail edit. As mentioned, I love to wear a mix of brights and neutrals throughout spring so if you're more of a neutrals kind of person, next week I'll have another edit up running through my picks. 

Don't forget to let me know your favourite spring nail shades! 

Worth the Hype?

There are several products out there that cause quite a stir in the beauty blogging community but I’m always looking to ask the question: are they worth this hype? I’d say I’m quite a skeptical person, especially regarding newly releases products as they often get a lot of press for simply being new, rather than for being great. So today I’ve picked out a few of these products to answer the question (in my opinion) if they are really worth it or not.

June Favourites '14 | Video

Oh June, where an earth did you disappear to! It was the month I completed university, turned 21 and found out my university results (most nerve-wracking day ever). I also discovered and rediscovered a few new beauty bits and I even got back into reading. There's a lightweight foundation, a cult favourite concealer and even an eyeliner - what?! It's been a good month...

Summer Nails Edit | Beauty

Summer came shining in (pun well and truly intended) at the weekend and I just love this time of year because it means I can break out some of my 'reserved solely for summer' nail polishes. Now I do mix up my nail colour a lot all year round but in the Autumn/Winter months darker, berry hues are what I reach for most so now summer is here, I'm finally able to reach for the bolder, almost neon shades and of course, pastels.

As mentioned, I'm really loving pastel shades at the moment as they give my nails a much softer, more girly look that is perfect for the warmer months. Two of my favourites have been from the Rita Ora for Rimmel collection in the shades Pillow Talk - a pale powder blue - and Lose Your Lingerie - a soft pearly pink. both of these shades have a slight shimmer to them in the bottle but this doesn't really translate on the nails, which I'm quite happy about. They are the perfect pastel shades in my eyes and the formula is also really great, they have a large brush for easy application and I find they become opaque after just two coats.

Sticking along the pastel lines (sort of), I've also been really enjoy the L'Oreal Color Riche nail polishes, in particular the shade Lemon Meringue, which as the name would suggest, is a pale, almost white lemon colour. This ones great if you want a more subtle n ail colour. I also really like the Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes as I love my nails to be as shiny as possible. The pastel shade I like is Prickly Pear, a slightly darker than pastel, lilac shade. I'm really wanting to try the new spring/summer collection though, there's so many lovely pastels. Again, these both have a wide brush and also only require two coats.

Also from Barry M, I've found myself reaching for a bolder shade, Guava, if I'm feel like pastels just aren't cutting it. I love how this applies and the shade is so bold that it really stands out. I always get so many compliments when I wear this nail polish. Last, but certainly not least, is an old favourite, Models Own Beach Party from the Hed Kandi range. This was a huge favourite of mine last year and it's back this year, it's one of those shades that unfortunately is only reserved for summer due to its neon brightness. And when I say neon, I mean get out the sunglasses, neon! The only issue I have with this polish is that it dries semi-matte so does require a good topcoat, a step that I try to avoid if I can!

So they are all my summer nail polish picks. I think I'm off to paint my nails in Beach Party now as it's a beautiful sunny day outside. What are your favourite summer nail shades? Do you go bold or pastel?