Purple edition

Since it's Easter this weekend I thought it would be appropriate for the color edition this month to focus on purple. As a color it's a mix of mostly red with a portion of blue and it's one of the colors that was first used in art, but making purple pigments was a complicated and costly business which is probably why purple is traditionally often associated with luxury, royalty and dignity. Purple also symbolizes magic and spirituality and to me it's an elegant and harmonious statement color which I love to wear; from the darker more sophisticated shades in winter time to the lighter, more floral and romantic shades in the summer time. Interestingly enough all of my favorite flowers (except jasmine) are purple - lilac, sweet peas and hyacinth, and my birthstone is tourmaline so it seems as if I have a strong connection with this particular color and today I want to show you some of my favorite purple products.

Having fair complexion that still tans quite easily I guess you could say that I have a golden undertone to my skin, so I generally avoid purple or blue toned lip products since they tend to make my skin look very pale, and not pale and interesting but pale and sickly. But over winter I did experiment with deeper berry shades and I came across a product that positively surprised me in many ways - Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss (£6.29). First of all I had been very skeptical to lip glosses up until fairly recently since I used to think of them as sticky sparkly and cheap lip goo, however this formula of cotton and silk is lovely, moisturising and completely non sticky. Even though the lip gloss feels very light on the lips the pigmentation is intense and long lasting - the claim is that it should hold up to six hours and on me it lasts at least four hrs, which is still pretty good. It's available in eleven shades and Captivate Me may look very dark and purple in the tube, but it's more of a dark raspberry pink on the lips and it creates a lovely sheer glistening look. So not only did this product prove to be nothing like the image I had of lip glosses but it turns out that I can actually do blue-toned lippies too.

I've mentioned before that I love to use a colorful eye pencil on my lower water line, to add a little something to a neutral make up look, especially during the warmer months of the year and when I've got a little bit of color. Since I now have a little bit of a tan, albeit fake - courtesy of the amazing Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning for face and decolleté (£19) that I reviewed yesterday, it's time to sharpen those eye pencils. One of my favorites eye pencil's is the L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol (£4.39) in 114 Breezy Lavander, a beautiful intense metallic light lavender. The formula is a combination of oil and wax, making it very soft and creamy to work with and the pencil applies very smoothly without any need for pressing or tugging. Although it's not specifically water resistant it does have a long lasting wear making it great to use on the upper or lower waterline. Sticking with pencils but in a much thicker version, I've really taken to chubby sticks both for lips and for eyes - they are just so handy and practical. One of the most interesting and affordable formulas on the high street is Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick (£4.49). The consistency is very soft and buildable and you barely need to touch your eyelid with the tip to get an intense color payoff with a very subtle lustrous finish. The shade 006 Paranoid Purple is a gorgeous high shine Byzantium purple and although one light sweep with the stick is enough to get a nice color, personally I think this shade looks its best when you've built it up and you have a dramatic and daring look. The pigmentation may be intense but unfortunately it's not very long lasting, and on me the color fades after only a few hrs despite using an eye shadow primer - but that is the only down side with this product, and as such I think it's a great budget friendly option to the original Clinique chubby.

From top to bottom:

Rimmel's Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in Captivate Me

L'Oréal Color Riche Le Khol in 114 Breezy Lavander

Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Stick in 006 Paranoid Purple

A nail polish brand that I have raved about a few times before is the amazing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Formula (£6.99) that combines base coat, strengthener, growth treatment and top coat with each color. It's taken me a while to completely trust this product, but having tried so many different shades of it now I have managed to wean myself off wearing a separate base- and top coat and so far it's never caused any problems with discoloration to the nails or the finish. It has a wonderful wide brush for easy streak-free application and strong pigmentation that will last for about 5-6 days before you might want to touch it up, with an excellent high shine finish. There are over 60 colors to choose from and this shade - Good to Grape is a lovely creamy and rich Wisteria purple that looks so graceful and pretty. If you haven't already tried this gem from Sally Hansen I would highly recommend it, after all you get 5 products in 1 for a very reasonable price and with a quality that puts a lot of premium brands to shame.

A nail polish from a premium brand that never disappoints is Estée Lauder's Pure Color Nail Lacquer (£14). The formula is excellent with high pigmentation for a beautiful opaque look and exceptional high shine finish and this one also comes with a nice wide brush for even coverage. With a lot of the darker shades you could probably get away with only applying one coat, but the shade Bete Noire is a magnificent dark royal purple with a slight shimmer that definitely should be applied in at least two coats so that the effect comes into its own. Since I'm a polishaholic and change my nail color more times than I can count every week, it's not necessarily a deal breaker for me if the wear isn't brilliant, however it is VERY important to me when it comes to premium brands since they usually come at a premium price and they therefore also should have premium quality, but I've always been very happy with the longevity of Estée Lauder polishes and I would say it takes about five days before the finish needs to be retouched. You can see swatches of both nail polishes here on my Instagram.

Last in this purple line up is a fragrance, and it's a celebrity one which can be controversial. I know that a lot of people have very strong views about celebrity scents, however I am an equal perfume opportunist and only look at the actual scent qualities, which I think should be assessed on their own and not whether you're a fan of the celebrity or not. I'm curious to know what your thought are on this, so please let me know in the comments below. Regardless - this is Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy EdP (£24) which comes in a pretty deep purple bottle with little pale blue crystals. It's a delightful, fruity, young and uncomplicated scent that makes me think of a warm summer night garden after the rain. When you first spray it on you can easily detect the piquant and fresh fruitiness of raspberry and cherries, which eventually give way to a more sophisticated note of colorful delicious and sweet freesia and orchids. The scent is grounded in warm and sensual notes of musk, and vanilla which gives it substance and keeps it from being too light and candy like. Even though Midnight Fantasy is an EdP and therefore it should be fairly concentrated and linger quite a long time on the skin, I do find that it's less intense than most of my EdPs and I would say that it lasts about 2 hrs on me before I feel that I need to apply some more. It doesn't matter though, I still adore this fruity, sunny and joyful scent and every time I wear it I get loads of compliments for it, so would I buy it again? - definitely! Would I recommend that you try it regardless of what you think of celebrity fragrances? - definitely!

I hope you've enjoyed this selection of a few favorite purple products. I'll be taking a few days break over Easter since we'll be going away, but I'll be back again as usual on Tuesday. Have a great Easter everyone! Xx

Manic.Monday: Pink at Him

Let's continue celebrating the warm weather and embrace all the feeling of spring in the air this Monday with a gorgeous sheer light peachy pink polish from the amazing Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Colour (£6.99) range. This is probably one of my most exciting nail discoveries the last 6 months and it's now one of the collections I check out first when it comes to buying new nail polishes since it combines a fantastic selection of colors with a high quality formula. The formula is a 5-in-1 that has a built in base coat and top coat which seems to be fairly standard these days, and on top of that it also contains a nail strengthener and growth treatment that nourish the nails while you're wearing a gorgeous color - not very standard at all me thinks! Does it sound a bit too good to be true? Well let's see...

For me the Salon Manicure range is the cream of the crop of the Sally Hansen polishes, with almost 60 different colors in a lovely, heavy glass bottle that contains a very generous amount of product. The first few times that I tried the Salon Manicure range I wasn't confident enough in the claims that the built in base and top coat would be enough to protect my nails and to add enough shine for a high gloss finish, however a good few months down the line and many shades later I have now stopped applying a separate base and top coat with these polishes. I haven't seen any changes for the worse in terms of how long the wear lasts so it seems as if the polish still sticks well to the nail, and I haven't had any discoloration at all, even after wearing some very intense vibrant shades.

The formula has just the right density and it comes with a great wide brush that means that you get a next to perfectly even application in a brush stroke and a half. By now I have tried all kinds of shades from this range - from deep dark vampy to light and sheer and they all have wonderful pigmentation so if you wanted to, or you're in a rush you could stick to only one coat for a lovely finish, but as always I prefer two for a truly opaque finish. As for the top coat, the formula itself is definitely glossy enough that you don't need it, and in the photo I haven't used either base or top coat. It's easy to say how long a nail polish lasts before it starts to chip, but what is considered long wear is ultimately down to each individual. On me nail polishes from the Salon Manicure range last for about 5-6 days, which I think is very long lasting, and even when they do start to go you can get away with wearing it for another few days if you have the patience, or you can quickly remove it with minimum effort with any decent dip and twist nail polish remover.

The 5-in-1 concept is great and unlike claims from many other brands, for me this really works and although I'm a die hard polishaholic changing colors more often than I apply lipstick, I haven't had any problems of dry and brittle nails or discolorations and when Sally Hansen keeps launching beautiful shades like this perfect, versatile and delicate spring color I will keep coming back for more.

January favorites

First bunch of favorites for 2014 and even though I'm slowly shedding my winter clothes and makeup for lighter and more colorful Spring looks I still feel a strong need to nourish and comfort my skin and body, to keep the cold and darkness away. It's been a bit of a wet and miserable start to the year so I've craved warm, soft perfumes to heat me up from the inside and luckily I've had two amazing scents to help me with that. To start off I've literally bathed in the lovely Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist ($14) in Warm Vanilla Sugar. If you like foodie, cookie type scents you'd probably love this. It's a very harmonious and well balanced mix of light and sparkling vanilla sugar, subtle coconut and tonka bean - gorgeous! A lot of body mists don't last very long after you've sprayed it, but the warmth of this makes it last surprisingly long and when you've sprayed it, the whole house smells as if you'd been making vanilla cookies, oh yummie! It's also worked really well in combination with the Jo Malone Rose Water & Vanilla Cologne (£100) from the sophisticated Cologne Intense range. This is another warm and vibrant scent that makes me think of expensive truffles or Turkish delight - the rose water adds delicacy and freshness while the vanilla makes the cologne creamy, refined and luxurious. I love this extravagant and lush scent that lingers on your clothes and hair long after you've sprayed it, and it seems I'm not the only one since I've received so many compliments for it.

My skin has behaved quite well this season, for which I'm very grateful but instead I have struggled a little bit with finding the right lip balm and some of the products that I've used previously, all of a sudden aren't doing it for me anymore so the past months I've to turned to my trusted Gatineau Defi Lift 3D Revolumising Lip Care (£28). This product is so much more than a lip balm - it does contain lovely smoothing and moisturising ingredients like shea butter and jojoba oil like many other balms, but it also has a collagen stimulant to create a subtle plumping effect and which helps to redefine the natural lip contours so you'll find that in addition to a moisture boost your lips have a little bit more volume for a few hrs. It's an amazing silky and light product that you can use as a primer or a lip gloss on top of lipsticks, and I also use it as a mask on the lip contours, letting it sink in for about 15 mins or so. Since it's quite an expensive lip care product I usually use this in the morning as a lip primer to plump my lips and as an overnight treatment, however since I've really needed something deeply hydrating lately I've also used this generously throughout the day and I love its plumping effects.

Next product may not be very exciting but for me it's an absolutely essential part of my nail care routine - Sally Hansen's Miracle Nail Growth Treatment (£9.99) which is applied every other day to bare nails to help them grow longer and stronger in no time (apparently you should see a 30% increase in nail growth in 5 days). A lot of products promise the moon and more, and I'm always very skeptical towards marketing fads, but I have used this strengthener a couple of times every week for well over a year and it actually does work - and if you use it as a base coat you'll treat your nails with minimal effort every day under whatever lovely shade you're wearing.

 Violet Freeze

Passionate Pink

If you read my recent post on some of my latest purchases from Avon, you might be surprised to find that one of my favorites this month is the Avon Color Trend Color Me Pretty Wet-Look Shine Nail Enamel (£3) in Violet Freeze. You may remember that we got off to a very rocky start because of some very misleading color swatches, however I won't hold that against this innocent little polish and after we passed that initial hurdle I actually really LOVE this shade. It's a wonderful shimmery light lavender blue and for me it's got just the right depth of color that at the same time gently nods to the pastel trend that I'm completely embracing this Spring. This shade turned out to be an unexpected little ablessing in disguise!

The last product this month is a wonderful creamy lipstick that has really cheered me up these rainy days and it's the The Body Shop Colour Crush Lipstick  (£10). This range has an impressive 26 different shades to choose from, and Passionate Pink is a gorgeous shimmery juicy and highly pigmented rose color with a slight blue undertone that packs enough of a punch to brighten a look, but is still versatile and soft enough that you can easily wear it during the day. The lipstick is very moisturising and gives a velvet long lasting smooth satin finish and I'm looking forward to pick up another shade from this great range this Spring.

That's the end of the favorites for this month. When I first started doing these posts last year, I fully expected them to be quite repetitive and that I would stick with the same old products month after month, but every time I think back at what I've actually really used the most - I surprise myself by how much the favorites change from month to month and I'm already curious about what goodies I'll be drawn to in February.  

December empties

I can barely believe that there's only one week to go before Christmas! I've spent the last few weeks bringing home so much stuff for Christmas that the cupboards are filled to the brim of food and hidden away presents. Well, good thing then that I've also tried to make some space by finishing up a few products.

As you may know Operation Rapunzel to get my hair to grow even longer has been in action these last few months, so you probably won't be surprised to see that there are 4 empties today that are related to hair care. The first one is the Kérastase Elixir Ultime hair oil (£27.60). It's a wonderful light oil with a gorgeous scent of sweet and rich moringa that is great for repairing and nourishing damaged hair. Like most hair oils you can use this for some many purposes, as a conditioner, treatment, detangler or as a styling products. I only use a few tiny pumps of oil, and my hairs feels so smooth and silky and cared for. Out of the hair oils I've tried, this is one of my absolute favourites and despite the price tag I would definitely buy it again as it's a real investment in your hair.

Next up is the dry shampoos of the month and both are from Batiste in the scents Cherry (£2.99) and XXL Volume Big & Bouncy (£3.99). Batiste will always be a brand I turn to for dry shampoo because of the wide range of scents that they offer, and they keep re-inventing themselves with new and exciting releases. The cherry scent comes in a cute retro bottle and it has a sweet, fairly intense cherry scent and although it's nice it's almost a little too heavy for me since I prefer lighter scents on my hair that won't interfere with whatever perfume I'm wearing. Big & Bouncy is more of a fresh floral and it's very effective for adding texture and extra body to the hair at the same time as it refreshes and controls oil and I would definitely get it again to help create updo's that stay in place all day.

Key to my routine to encourage my hair to grow is using the Lee Stafford's Hair Growth Treatment which is a protein rich mask that you use as a treatment in between your shampoo and conditioner and you apply it not only to the ends of your hair, but to the scalp as well and a healthy scalp is important for healthy hair, after all the hair grows from the scalp - not the ends. It's a wonderful rich cream with a lovely nutty scent that makes the hair feel very soft and volumized. I've really enjoyed using this every week and I'm already working on my second tub so that I can give you an update next month on how it's worked for me - and if my hair has grown longer which I really hope.

That's the hair products out of the way, so let's look at the others starting with the Gatineau Floracil Eye Makeup Remover (£17.50). It's a non-oily very gentle but effective remover that contains camomile to sooth and refresh the eye area but that also cares for the eyelashes at the same time. In the evening I usually take two cotton pads, soak them with Floracil and put them over the eye lids for a few seconds, and it's as if all the makeup, even water resistant mascara just dissolves and gets wiped away. There's no rubbing or pulling of the delicate skin and no stinging sensation in the eyes. If like myself you spend most of your day in front of a computer screen, your eyes might get a bit tired and weary, and just relaxing with a few pads of Floracil, is a few minutes of every day luxury.  This is without a doubt the best eye makeup remover I have ever used and I will definitely get another jumbo sized one in January and since it should last me about 5 months, the current offer on Salon Skincare really is excellent value for money.

One of the nail care brands that I completely swear by is Sally Hansen and I have used the care range for years now. I must confess that I have strayed and used other brands in between that promise miraculous nail growth, but I have always come back to Sally Hansen since I find that the products actually work and one of the products I've used almost non stop the past year is the Nail Growth Serum (£6.95). The serum contains Biotin, which is famous for helping hair and nails to grow and also for improving the quality. You massage it into both the nail and the cuticle and it certainly helps your nails to grow and I also find that the nails feel stronger and more even. I do prefer the Nail Growth formula that you can use as a base case, but both products are great and if you find it difficult to grow your nails, this might be a great product to try.

Just as I had planned on wearing a lovely glamorous Hollywood look with red lips and a winged eyeliner, my Avon Glimmerstick Liqui-glide eyeliner (£2.50) gave up the ghost. Timing couldn't have been worse! The product has the consistency of a liquid eye liner, but it's in a pencil form and has great precision, which is great for me since I find that liquid liners can be quite difficult to work with. The liner lasted really well throughout the day without any smudging but it was also easy to remove in the evening. I wore the shade graphite - perfect for creating a flick but not quite as harsh as darkest black, all in all a very nice and budget friendly eye liner.

The last empties is one of the winter scented candles I recently bought from Lily-Flame Candle (£8.50). Winter Wood was a fresh, but woody and aromatic scent, almost like the scent of Christmas tree. In the tin it was a bit soapy but I was very positively surprised and it filled the room with a lovely homely scent. I'm usually never disappointed in the candles from Lily-Flame - the scents are great, the candles burn a long time and they usually burn really well. This time however I wasn't pleased when the candle after about 15 hrs refused to burn any longer and had turned into the shape you see in the photo. A bit disappointing, but at least the other candles that I bought haven't let me down, and are just as great as I've come to expect.

I didn't manage to finish as much as I had hoped this month, but I'm sure I can find space somewhere if Santa is kind enough to bring me some lovely beauty bits and pieces this Christmas...

Manic.Monday: Haute Chocolate

Not only is it a Monday, it's Manic as usual, but it's also in the run up to Christmas so the mania is worse than ever. I thought I was fairly well prepared but I still feel as if time is running away from me. Well if it is, then at least may nails can look fab while the mania is increasing. I've shown a couple of polishes from Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure Formula previously and today we have another true winter beauty. As I've mentioned before this formula combines five different nail care products in the one formula; base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, top coat and of course whatever beautiful color you've bought which in this case is the very wintery Haute Chocolate (£6.99) that makes me think of decadent hot chocolate with whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped roasted hazelnuts.

The first times I tried this polish I still felt sceptical about how well all these claims worked and I used to use both a separate base and top coat, however having tested this a few times without the separate products I am now completely comfortable and trust this formula to be long lasting and high shiny without having to use anything extra. I was most worried that not protecting my nails with a base coat would cause discolourations, but it hasn't, not even when wearing very strong colors like e.g. Fiery Island. I've also mentioned before that the brush is one of the best ones you can use. It's very wide and you easily get great opaque coverage without having to use lots of strokes, which I find usually causes some streaking in the finish. Even though you do get a lovely opaque look using just one coat, to me sticking to just one coat depends entirely on which shade I'm using and when it's more metallic or shimmery I like to wear two coats. In the photo I've used two coats as a base to really bring out the metallic almost mirror like effect in the finished look.

From left to right (in natural light):

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate with Nails Inc Snowflake effect

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate with Ciaté Snow Globe

 From left to right (in artificial light):

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate with Nails Inc Snowflake effect

Sally Hansen - Haute Chocolate with Ciaté Snow Globe 

 

Today's shade Haute Chocolate is a wonderful warm and discrete slightly plum tainted metallic chocolate brown and it's not just the name that is perfect for the season. To me this shade is a muted and sophisticated option to the traditionally very bright Christmas shades that also works well with different effect top coats. In the photos I've applied one coat of my current absolute favourite - Nails Inc Snowflake for that powdery, newly fallen snow look and also Ciaté's opalescent light catching Snow Globe and I think they are both suitable for lovely and subtle party looks.

This formula is very long lasting and on me it'll definitely last without any need to retouch for about 5-6 days and it's also easy to remove, even with the different effect top coats. I can't mention enough what a great nail polish this is and I would highly recommend that you try one of their amazing shades. All of a sudden I'm in the mood for some hot chocolate... I wonder why?

Manic.Monday: Fiery Island

A few weeks ago I mentioned my new found love for Sally Hansen nail polishes, specifically the Complete Salon Manicure Formula. It's an interesting and innovative concept of five different aspects - all essential for nail care, covered in one single product. That means that when you've selected one of the gorgeous shades in the wide range available, you'll also automatically get a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment added through a built in time release function, and top coat in the same product. Since I more or less always wear a nail polish, which can be tough on the nails and cuticles, I really appreciate brands that incorporate some nail care ingredients into the shade itself and when there are so many stunning shades to choose from - it makes me a very happy nail polish wearer. The Sally Hansen shade I'm showing you today is the gloriously vibrant, energetic and zesty Fiery Island 545 (£6.99) which is a slightly darker shade of warm satsumas orange and to me it just captures the essence of beautiful golden autumn leaves.

Since you've already got built in base coat and top coat, you can definitely wear this shade just as it is, and it won't leave any discolourations on your nails, and it'll also add a lovely high shine to the finished look. I usually always wear a separate base- and top coat, but I'm gradually coming round to the idea of using the nail polish as it's intended to be, and in the photo I'm only wearing the nail polish itself, nothing else.

Another great thing about this nail polish, showing the high quality of it, is the brush. It's nice and wide giving wonderful seamless coverage in one quick sweep. I'm also very impressed by the lovely density and pigmentation of the shades, and you really only need one coat to create a lovely opaque effect with that built in high shine. Even though I am getting used to not using base- and top coat when I wear this formula, I'm still very much a two coat girl to get that ultra glossy, opaque look which is what I'm wearing in the photo as well.

The nail polish is supposed to last as long as up to 10 days, maintaining the lovely shine but realistically I think it's closer to 5-6 days, before the finish starts to get a little bit more matte and you can see the first chipping. I still think that's pretty good for a nail polish, and considering you get so many other benefits from this formula at a very affordable price, the 5 day wear is hardly a concern. Overall it's an excellent formula and definitely one of the best ones I've used in the same price range, pulverizing some premium brands - there's simply no contest. If you're interested in trying the Sally Hansen nail polishes for yourself, then hurry down to Boots where their current 3 for 2 offer also includes these little goodies, so I guess I'll see you at the checkout!

Manic.Monday: Commander in Chic

I have always been a fan of the Sally Hansen range of nail care products. I have tried several of them and find that they do exactly what they claim to do, and some of them have been staple items in my nail care drawer for a few years; e.g. the Nail Growth Miracle and the Miracle Cure - both excellent products! But it wasn't until the beginning of the year that I tried my first Sally Hansen nail polish and it was such a pleasant surprise that I have bought quite a few of the nail polishes since then (surprise, surprise - spot the polishaholic).

The product in today's post is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Nail Colour in Commander in Chic 370. It's a beautiful pale rose khaki brown with a faint mauve undertone that makes it a really soft and feminine shade. It has something of a pastel tone over it, and it would look gorgeous to wear with an oversized pink coat or jacket to be right on trend.

The Sally Hansen Salon Manicure nail polish range is marketed as a bit of a technological marvel - yes... we are still talking about a nail polish... First of all they are a 5-in-1 product i.e. they contain base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, color and top coat - that sounds very promising! Then the formula contains a "patented micro-encapsulated time-release technology" of caring ingredients that infuses the nails, nourishing them throughout the wear. I really like the fact that brands are trying to make the nail polish formulas as gentle and caring as possible for your nails, but since I apply a new shade every few days I simply haven't worn the Sally Hansen polishes long enough to be able to comment on whether I've noticed any significant improvements in quality to my nails - but the concept is definitely great.

The formula is nicely opaque and already after one coat you'll have a glossy satin look, although for a truly thick color I would recommend that you apply two coats. It comes with a very nice wide brush that fans out beautifully, which means that you get excellent and smooth coverage of more or less all of the nail.   

Commander in Chic - 370

Since the polish is a 5-in-1, in theory it's a real time saver and you can tell that Sally Hansen has tried to create a polish which can be used on the go. You can definitely wear the polish as it is with no separate base coat or top coat, without your nails being stained and the finish is also nice and glossy enough. Personally I always use a separate base coat and cop coat anyway, and I also like that the separate top coat adds even more high shine to the finished look. It could be that doing this, there's a little bit of an impact on the wear. On my nails the polish lasts approx 5-6 days before it starts to chip a little bit, which I think is really good, but I know that the product claims to be chip resistant for up to 10 days. I don't know about you, but I've never had a plain polish that's lasted that long with a perfect finish.

To sum it up - the Salon Manicure is a great formula that also cares for your nails and there is a rainbow of colors to choose from. If you haven't already tried this polish, have a look at all the tempting shades they offer, the next time you're in Boots or Superdrug - and that's an order!

At your fingertips

With so many nail polishes and so little time, it's important for me to look after my nails and hands. So in between painting my nails all the colours of the rainbow I try to fit in products that provide some care and nourishment as well.

A while back one of my bad habits was to pick off nail polish with my fingers as soon as it started to chip - I just couldn't help myself and it was terrible for my nails. Since I discovered Pretty Quik Instant Nail Polish Remover there's no need for any of that anymore. There are several version of this out there and Bourjois is a well known one, but this little cheapy works just as well. Open the bottle, put your finger in it and twist to get rid of any polish. For ordinary polishes it takes seconds for it to disappear, but if you're wearing several layers or maybe even something sparkly (oooohhh, yes!!!) it might take a little longer. It's a little miracle in a bottle. The only thing I can't stand with this product is the smell - the remover is phenomenally effective but the pungent smell of acetone could knock out an elephant. I really wish they had a similar product that was acetone free - and it would be more healthy for nails too. The things we endure for a magnificent mani....

After that I'll use my beloved glass nail file to do any shaping necessary - truth be told, I do this as little as possible since I find that once you start filing your nails a lot, they get more and more brittle. The great thing about glass nail files is that you only need to barely touch your nail and you've corrected what you wanted. And of course there are so many pretty designs out there with sparkles, flowers, butterflies - you name it and I'm sure you can find it on either Amazon or eBay.

I've tried many nail polishes from Essie but up until a while ago never any of their nail care products, and truthfully I wasn't at all sure about the Essie Apricot Cuticle Oil when I bought it. I thought £9.95 was pretty expensive and I've used some great products that were bargain buys from Lush and Avon, but since I like to try different things I had to take the leap. It has a subtle apricot smell that makes it pleasant to use, it's absorbed quickly and it seems to do the trick. But you can get any of all the multi purpose oils that are popular at the moment, and probably achieve exactly the same result.

When it comes to nail care, there's no other brand in my opinion that produces so many little gems that really do work, as Sally Hansen. I've tried many of their products, and at the moment I alternate between the Sally Hansen Miracle Nail Growth Treatment and the Sally Hansen Nail Growth Serum.

The Miracle Nail Growth Treatment can be used as a base coat, and should then be reapplied every other day to bare nails. When I don't use that, I opt for the Nail Growth Serum and massage that into both the nail and the cuticle. Out of the two products I probably prefer the lacquer since for me that replaces the base coat, but regardless of which one you go for they certainly make your nails grow. A few years ago I had very short nails and simply couldn't seem to get them nice and long. I tried the Nail Growth Treatment and haven't looked back since. If you were to have only one single nail care product - THIS would be the one to invest in. 

I do try to give my nails a few days of rest without polish every couple of weeks to let them breath, but if I do apply a colour I'll finish off with the Rimmel Finishing Touch Ultra Shine Top Coat. Again I know that there are many options available for top coats, including the cult item Seche Vite Top Coat, but for me Rimmel works just as well, and I love the gleaming shine this gives.

I finish my glam it yourself mani with a nice creamy hand lotion and it doesn't get much better than the Caudalie Hand & Nail Cream. It has an absolutely divine smell that makes me feel energized and ready to get on with things - sun kissed Valencia oranges with a sherbetty sparkle for freshness that remind me of citrus candy. Not only does it smell amazing, but it also nourishes your hands and leaves them feeling soft, soft, soft!