Manic.Monday: Bling on the New Year!

Yes I know what you're thinking - another post about nail polishes...? Well, what can I say except that it is Monday again, and while it may be less Manic than usual since I have some time off from work, there are still manicures to be had and polishes to be shown off in all their glory! Tomorrow it's New Year's Eve and I'm sure I'm not the only one planning for an outfit, wondering what to do with my hair and what makeup look to create. To be honest I haven't quite decided on a lot of those things yet, but at least I have decided what to do with my nails and I'm going posh with the shade Toff from Butter London (£12).

I don't actually have many nail polishes from Butter London and every time I wear one, I ask myself why I don't have more of them when they have so much going for them. First of all the formula is free from all kinds of chemical nasties, which is great and I hope that more brands choose go the same way, particularly since Butter London shows that the formula doesn't have to be compromised in any way. The texture is rich, smooth and creamy with so much pigmentation that you only actually need one coat to achieve a nice opaque look. The brush is of fairly standard width, but of great quality and together with the creamy texture you'll easily get a streak free even finish that dries quickly and lasts about 5 days, which to me is longer than average when it comes to nail polishes. Regardless if you go for one or two coats you'll get a very glossy, high shine finish. I'm not really one for making New Year's resolutions, but one that I think I could actually stick with is to get some more polishes from Butter London for my collection.

Butter London has well over 100 different gorgeous colors to choose from and they all have quirky, fun names inspired by British culture like Cream Tea, Pimms, Thames or like this one - Toff (slang for someone with an aristocratic background or who dresses very smartly). It's a gorgeous old fashioned muted dusty rose pink which is a very sophisticated, stylish and timeless shade and I think it's so versatile you could wear it with any outfit or look that you're going for.

Now if there's any occasion for which you can really bling it up, it is definitely New Year which is why I decided to also add some crystal gemstones from Andrea Fulerton (£7.99) to the look. I've kept it quite simple with just a single stone which I think is quite an interesting, Asian inspired look but you can of course be as creative as you wish and perhaps do a gem French manicure or even cover an accent nail completely with gems - the possibilities are endless. I find that the best way to firmly attach gem stones to the nails is to work on each nail at a time, and to make the final coat of the base shade quite thick, so you can press the stones down firmly into the polish. I then apply a high shine top coat before moving on to the next nail, and this way the gems will stay in place for about 3-4 days. All I need to do now is decide what to wear and then I'm ready, so just Bling on the New Year!