Nail Polish Loves

A slightly different post for you today as I thought I would share my nail routine with you as recently I have found some amazing new products that have been total game changers for me! Starting with base coat, I have been using the Rimmel Nail Nurse Base Coat for the past few months and have really noticed a difference in the quality of my nails. Prior to using this, I had real problems with my nails peeling, and although this has not eradicated the problem completely, it has really helped to strengthen my nails and lessen the issue.

For my birthday I recevied my first Essie polish. I had always avoided the brand before because I deemed the nail varnishes to be too expensive compared to what I could get from other brands. However, I can now see that they are totally worth the money; the brush is the perfect width, it had barely chipped on my nails after a whole week, and the colour range is insane. I have the shade Sunday Funday and am in love with the coral colour and subtle specks of glitter. I have to say that I am definitely converted, but I will still be saving other colours for my Christmas list as I still can't justify spending £8 on a nail varnish out of the blue.

Another nail varnish collection that I highly rate is the Barry M Gelly Nail Varnishes. These are super shiny, meaning it is not necessary to use a top coat, and they last well without chipping. My only complaint about these is that they take forever to dry, so I generally have to use top coat anyway to make it dry quicker.

And that brings me smoothly on to the final product which is Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat, and I am not kidding when I say that this is quite possibly my favourite make up product ever! I literally just apply a generous coat over my nails and within 2 minutes my nails are fully dry, so much so that you can knock them against a table, do the washing up, whatever you like, and they wont smudge at all! Not only this, but it also leaves your nails extremely glossy and extends the wear time of your nail polish!

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you thought of them in the comments.

emma x

The Tuesday Review: Kiko Nail Varnish

Hey guys! This weeks review is another Kiko product, and this time it's one of their nail polishes. I was really excited to try this and it did not disappoint. The formula is really lovely and creamy, and two thin coats was enough to give an opaque colour. I could have got away with one coat if I applied it more generously, however I always prefer to apply two. The wide brush made for an easy application and it dried in no time. I wouldn't say it was particularly glossy, but I always finish with a coat of Seche Vite top coat anyway. The only thing I was slightly disappointed with was that it only lasted a couple of day without chips, and with other nail polishes I can often last a whole week. Other than that I was really impressed with the formula.

I have the shade 363 which is a lovely deep pink. On the nails it comes out slightly darker than in the bottle, making it more suited to winter than summer. I haven't tried any other shades so I can't comment on whether all the other shades perform in the same way,  but I will definitely be trying more, because at just £2.50 per bottle, I can look past the chipping as I don't mind repainting and going through more bottles.

Have you ever tried a Kiko nail varnish? Let me know in the comments.

emma x

Kiko Haul

For today's post I wanted to share with you what I bought on my first ever trip to Kiko, which, for those of you that don't know, is a cosmetics brand that can't be purchased in other retailers such as Boots. I was very excited to have a browse around the store as I had heard a lot of amazing things about the brand, and I was overwhelmed with the amazing range of products. There was so much more makeup than I thought there would be, a surprisingly large skincare range, and a good selection of brushes. I went to the flagship store on Regent Street (it's basically on Oxford Street though as it's on the corner where they meet), so there may not be as greater selection in other Kiko stores, but I was truly spoiled for choice. It's a miracle that I didn't buy more than I did, but I managed to restrain myself, and tried to pick the cheaper products rather than the 'pro' versions.

The prices in Kiko are really good and are equivalent to the middle range of the drugstore, with most everyday products ranging from £3 to £8. Some products, such as setting sprays and complete brow kits were more expensive, but that's the case with most brands. For the price you get excellent quality packaging, and a lot of the products came inside boxes which makes the products, and store as a whole, seem more luxurious.

The first product I got was an eyeshadow in the shade 143 which is a really nice pale pink shade with a little glitter in it. This is a good colour for a quick wash over the lids when I don't have time to do anything special. From the couple of times I've used it, I've found that it applies really nicely. It creases slightly throughout the day but because it's not a bold shade you don't really notice. For £2.90 I think this is a good eyeshadow and is perfect for travel if you only want to take a shade or two.

The next product is a nail varnish in the shade 363, which is a dark reddish pink. I really like this colour as I think it's good for summer because it's bright, but the deepness of the shade makes it suitable for winter too. The brush is quite wide, which I like as it makes application easier. I haven't used it yet so I can't comment on the formula, but I'm really excited to use it. These nail polishes are £2.50 which I think is a good price for a nail varnish.

The next thing I bought was an eyeliner from the Smart Eye Pencil range. It is a lovely turquoise blue colour in the shade 813. I thought this was perfect for summer to add a pop of colour to my eyes. From swatching it on my hand, I found that it was a little on the solid side, but for £2.50 I can't really complain, and I will only be using it on odd occasions. They do have similar shades in their other eyeliner ranges though, if you are interested in a slightly softer pencil from the brand.

I also bought a lip liner from the Smart Lip Pencil range as whenever I go for a bold lip, it's nearly always a bright pink, so I knew it would be worth it as it will be a shade I use often. The shade in question is 708, which as I said, is a bright pink. Because I will be wearing it under lipsticks and glosses, the exact tone of the shade doesn't matter to me too much but I do really like the colour so I could potentially wear it alone.

Lastly, I picked up the Glow Touch Lip and Cheek Colour in the shade 102 Wave Hibiscus, which is a lovely peachy coral colour. I have been wanting to try a cream blush for a while but wasn't sure if they would be for me, so I figured that this would be a good solution because even if I didn't like it on my cheeks, I could use it on my lips. What really lured me towards this product is the gorgeous packaging which is unique to their summer collection. This was on sale for £4 so I would hurry if you want to try it as they won't be around much longer.

I hope you enjoyed this haul as I haven't posted one in a while. I will be sure to review most (or maybe even all) of these products after I have tested them for a couple of weeks. Be sure to leave a comment telling me whether you've tried anything from Kiko and what you thought of it.

emma x