bloomzy /

[Nail Week] Review: Ylin Colour Changing Nail Polish

Ylin Colour Changing Nail Polish*

Here is the next post from ‘Nail Week’, introducing a colour changing nail polish!
This probably sounds like a bit of a gimmick, but I was seriously impressed with it.
I haven’t been a fan of the cracked polish & magnetic polish looks, so this is my fad of the Summer.

 

As you can see from the photos above the nail polish changes colour when exposed to different temperatures.
At room temperature the nail polish has a nice gradient effect to it – this bottle is a blue base with purple gradient tips.
When it’s warm (see circled nail) the polish reverts back to blue and finally when it’s cold the polish changes to purple – I only placed the tips of my fingers in the freezer to quicken the process, that’s why it’s more of a gradient in the photo.
Oh, and don’t worry about the white dot on one of the nails – I caught it when applying the polish.
Pros:
+ I loved the gradient effect
+ Opaque in one coat
+ Fun and a bit of a party trick
Cons:
– Matte finish
– You don’t have much control over how/when the colour changes
Notes:
It is a novelty, but I found it fun to wear a colour changing nail polish.
The fact that you can achieve a simple gradient effect without having to spend hours on your nails, or use various sponges etc. is worth buying this polish alone. Of course depending on the temperature you don’t have much control over the look of your polish, but I didn’t find that too bothersome, actually it was quite fun checking up on my nails during the day to see if they had changed. As for the matte finish, I felt a bit sad about that, but I guess it’s down to the formula.
The price isn’t too bad either at around £5 (with free shipping).
ETA: Yes, a glossy topcoat can be applied and it will still change colour. I did it with a Barry M topcoat.
You can buy the blue/purple Ylin Colour Changing Nail Polish here.
Or browse BornPrettyStore for other colours in the range.
10% off with code: BLOOMZYK31
bloomzy /

[Nail Week] Review: Dear Lee Gold Multicoloured Glitter Nail Polish

Dear Lee Gold Multicoloured Glitter Polish*
Those who follow me on Twitter will know that I have dubbed this week on the blog; ‘Nail Week’.
Why? Well this week’s beauty posts will all be related to nails – polishes, art etc.
So here is the first post for ‘Nail Week’, a review of my new favourite Glitter polish, from Dear Lee.
Dear Lee isn’t a well-known nail polish brand, but they’re one of my favourites.
Their polishes have a great consistency, apply well, are long lasting and have great cover.
This polish is no different, and for fans of glitter polishes (like myself), you won’t be disappointed.
Pros:
+ Thick consistency for a glitter polish
+ Good application
+ Glitter showed up well
+ Loved the rainbow sequins used
+ Works well with various base colours
+ Removed easily with nail polish remover

Cons:
– Gold could have been more prominent
– Doesn’t look great with a white base coat

Notes:
If American Apparel’s Galaxy Glitter & Models Own’s Gold Finger had a baby, this would be it.
This is the glitter polish I have been waiting for. I haven’t been able to find a rainbow glitter with a gold glitter base anywhere. I’m sure I’ve seen plenty but not at a price I can justify for a nail polish. The price for this? Around £2.70 ($4.22)! That is a ridiculously good price, especially when shipping is free. As you can see from the photos above, I tried it out with a dark base, a white base and on plain nails. I’m not a massive fan of how it looks on a white base coat but I am in love with it paired with the other two. I can tell that this will be worn A LOT.
You can buy Dear Lee’s Gold Multicoloured Glitter Polish here.
Or browse BornPrettyStore for other colours in the range.
10% off with code: BLOOMZYK31
bloomzy /

Guest Post: Top 5 Nail Polishes for Summer

Today the wonderful Sophia of Tattooed Tealady will be guest posting. I’m very happy to have her guest posting on the blog today and I can’t wait for you all to read all about her nail picks for this Summer – enjoy!

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I’m very happy to be writing this guest post for the lovely Emma today! 
I am going to be sharing with you my top five nail polishes for summer.

Over here in the UK there isn’t much sun this summer. In fact after warnings of a water shortage and an expected drought, we’ve actually had the opposite, with torrential rain & flooding throughout the UK. Horrible, horrible weather! I like to think that when the weather is dull & glum the best thing to do is brighten yourself up & add a little bit of colour to your life! Particularly where nails are concerned, as you can make such a colour impact with the right choice of nail colour!
The five nail polishes I think are best for brightening up your summer are:
Models Own Tropical Sun
Models Own Indian Ocean
Models Own Mystic Mauve
Bourjois shade 26
Max Factor Fantasy Fire
4 of my 5 summer polishes have a glimmer effect to them. I think polishes like this are great for catching bits of sunshine and giving off a beautiful sparkling effect, making your nails look hypnotic! The Bourjois polish is a nice mix of pink and purple! I like both pinks and purples, but I prefer when they are a little mix of both, rather than your standard pink!

You can wear these polishes alone, or combined, or even use one to finish a look by using it on your accent nail. Nail polish is a remarkable thing, allowing you to create a variety of looks!
Here are my top tips for keeping your nails and nail polish in tip top condition:

Look after your nails! I use a hand cream and cuticle butter throughout the day and especially before bed. It keeps my hands, nails and cuticles in great condition leaving my hands and fingers looking and feeling lovely. A moisturising hand lotion is best, and I recommend Lush Lemony Flutter for a brilliant cuticle butter which not only does an amazing job, but smells divine and lasts an absolute age!
File your nails often. If you keep your nails nicely filed they will stay in better condition and are less likely to break or become uneven. A perfect nail file for this is the S-file!
Give your hands and nails a little pamper! You can easily give yourself a mini-manicure at home. All you need is a bowl with warm water to soak your hands in, a nail buffer, a nail file and your hand cream and cuticle butter! I do mine about once a week! You can easily pick up mini-manicure kits on the high street or even online!
Use a base coat and top coat. A base coat will stop your nail polishes from staining your nails and a top coat will keep your nail polish in place, preventing it from chipping. I also like to run each along the edge of the nail too, to seal it all in.
I hope you have enjoyed my little guest post! 
A huge thank you to Emma for letting me do it!
You can find my blog (here) and Twitter (here).
I can also be found on many other social networking sites which you can find on my blog!
Have a lovely day!
Love, Sophia xo
bloomzy /

Review: Avon Nailwear Pro+ ‘Star’

Avon 12ml Nailwear Pro+ in ‘Star’
A few weeks ago I entered a nail art contest with Avon, and I was luckily one of the first 200 entrants.
This meant that I was sent one of the polishes from their new Nailwear Pro+ collection.
The Avon Nailwear Pro+ collection comes in 10 shades and is fortified with acrylic gel – to add extra strength, and Dura-Plus Complex – I have no idea what this is and when I googled it I only got results for Avon. Anyone? 
Anyway the product claims “12 days of lasting colour, 10 days of shine and nick-resistant finish.”
Avon Nailwear Pro+ in ‘Star’  – 2 Coats

Pros:
+ Nice big bottle
+ Easy application
+ Only needed 2 coats
+ Can be worn sheer or opaque
Cons:
– Started to chip after 3 days
– Colour was a little lacklustre 
– Didn’t live up to the hype
Notes:
For a polish that claims to be strong and chip resistant I felt a little let down.
I don’t do anything where I use my hands more than the average person so I felt a bit sad when it started to chip after only 3 days. I have used other brands of polish that lasted longer and they haven’t been ones to claim long-lasting ability. Even so I really liked that the polish was opaque after only 2 coats and that I could also wear it sheer, or layer it over other polishes. The colour wasn’t something I would choose myself, but maybe that’s a good thing as it has let me try something different.
All in all, it was good for a free polish and at [currently] £2.49 you can’t really complain.
You can buy Avon Nailwear Pro+ polishes here.
bloomzy /

Wish List: Best of British

Best of British

 

Best of British by bloomzy Ok so I may not be a Royalist, and I won’t be celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee…
However I am proud to be British, and I do like limited edition, special occasion items.
I’ve been gazing through windows at the decorations in stores, and the items they’re offering.
So I thought since it’s the Jubilee weekend, I would do an extra special wishlist!

With all the current hype around the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, tons of brands have been bringing out limited edition items to celebrate the occasion. This means lots of British brands are showing how proud they are, although that hasn’t stopped a lot of non-British brands also having some fun. Hey, it’s a party & everyone is invited!

The items I choose for this wishlist are items I would happily buy/wear any time of the year!
I love the selection of items, from Union Flag cupcake decorations to red, white & blue nail polish.
Although the ‘Markus Lupfer’ Crown Sweater, the ‘Not for Ponies’ Corgi T-shirt & the ‘Nails Inc’ Jubilee Crystal Colour Polish have to be my favourites…Oh who am I kidding? I want everything!! 

bloomzy /

Review: MUA Love Hearts Nail Polish

MUA Love Hearts Collection; U & I, I <3 U Nail Polishes

Recently I ordered some of the new MUA Love Heart Collection Nail Polishes, as I couldn’t find them in a nearby Superdrug store. I only bought two from the collection though as I found the other 4 were very similar to shades that I already owned from Barry M.Pros:
+ Only £2!
+ Almost opaque after one coat.
+ Lovely shades that are true to colour.
+ Nice thick polish, with a lovely glossy finish.
+ Bright & Pastel colours that are perfect for this season.

Cons:
– The brush on the yellow wasn’t very good quality, so the application was difficult (as you can see in the photo) but I think I was just unlucky and this was a one-off.

Notes:
I really can’t express how much I love the pink-nude colour. It applied perfectly, with a gorgeous opaque, glossy finish after only two coats. That might sound normal, but for a nail polish that only costs £2, this was as good as any of my Barry M ones I own.

I would like to also mention the lovely people at MUA Cosmetics.
There was a problem with my order being dispatched and no dispatch email was sent but the lovely people who emailed me kept me up-to-date and informed. Thank you!

You can purchase the whole collection here.

bloomzy /

Review; Pop Beauty & Barry M

Pop Beauty; Twinkle: Electric Glimmer | Barry M; Red Glitter NP150

For Christmas I received some gorgeous nail polishes from the fiancé and family. They know just how obsessed I am with my collection, so thoughtfully they added a little something to it. I choose 2 of my favourites to review here. The reason I took videos as well as photos is because I found it hard to show the effect of the polish in just a simple photo – this being most true with the Pop Beauty polish.

The Pop Beauty polish featured in this first video has to be my favourite by far. I’ve not seen another polish like it. I can’t describe how much I love it! Pop Beauty offer some amazing shades and glitters in their nail collection. The bottles are attractive and come with 15ml/0.5floz, which is more than your usual bottle. It took a couple of coats for me to achieve my desired look, nothing more than a regular polish.Being a glitter polish it is prone to chipping more than a regular one. This did happen a couple of times on my thumbnails but was easily remedied by filling in the spaces, which surprisingly were not very noticeable afterwards. Even though Pop Beauty polishes cost a little more than your regular polish, you’re receiving some amazing, unique shades/glitters. I will definitely be buying more from their range – I’ve even made a wish list for my birthday.

Pop Beauty is available online and in selected stores.

Barry M offer a great selection of polishes and I own quite a few of them already. They’re cheaper than PB but then you receive a regular size 10ml bottle, and their shades are often copied by or from other brands. This means it won’t be as unique, but the quality and look is great so there’s no complaints here! This polish took about 3/4 coats to achieve an opaque, strong colour but I have found this with a lot of Barry M polishes.As mentioned before, glitter polishes are prone to chipping and the Barry M polish was no different. I did try to fill it in like the PB one, and it worked but was definitely more noticeable, which is probably due to the shade more than the quality of the product.

Barry M is available online and in most UK Boots & Superdrug stores.