Dior Manicure Essentials

I spoke of my love for Dior's Top Coat Abricot a while back here, and since then I've been using a few other bits from their manicure range.

Gel Coat

Quite a few brands are coming out with gel like formulas, and Dior's offering is a lovely gel top coat that perfects the look of the polish underneath. This is a little bit thicker than the Top Coat Abricot but has a similar glide over the nails that is great for polishes that don't apply so well as it smooths the finish of the colour underneath.

This prolongs the wear of my polish a bit longer than the Top Coat Abricot but does not dry through quickly, so I only use this if I have time to spend on my nails.

It's very shiny (maybe a touch less then Shellac), but as a top coat it works well to keep nails looking perfect for longer.

Diorlisse 500 in Pink Petal

This is a ridge filler/base coat with a subtle hint of natural nude pink that slightly smooths the look of the nails. Even though I use this as a base coat, I like it more on it's own as it gives a lovely naturally polished look.

Top Coat Abricot

This is my 3rd bottle of this top coat (4th if I count the old version) and I don't see myself switching  anytime soon, for me this is pretty much HG status. It's shiny, dries fast, doesn't peel, prolongs colour wear and has minimal shrinkage. It does get gloopy towards the end of the bottle, but not as bad a Seche vite which goes gloopy halfway through. With Dior I can use up the whole bottle even when it gets a bit gloopy as the formula is quite forgiving. 

Dissolvant Abricot

This one was a bit of an impulse buy from Escentual as I was stocking up on other bits and curiousity got the better of me. This chic little 50ml bottle is a decent enough polish remover, but certainly not worth the price I paid as most drugstore brands do the same job. I would say some stubborn formulas take a bit more work then even a cheaper brand. I'm sticking with the excellent Zoya Remove + which I've just repurchased the salon size bottle.

Overall Dior's manicure range is a strong one, most of the products are repurchase-worthy, the star amongst them being the Top Coat Apricot.

Chanel Le Vernis - 631 Orage

The Chanel Autumn collection Etats Poetiques has some absolutely gorgeous items and the nail colour in Orage (631) is a stand-out product for me.

I can't resist a good grey as it's one shade I've found I like wearing all year round. Up until recently this grey had been the LE Dior polish in Perfecto, but Orage has joined my family of greys and it's very much a welcome addition as this toes the line perfectly in being a proper dark grey without looking like black.

The formula applies really nicely, with the colour gliding over the nail with ease although 2 coats are
required for complete coverage. 

Overall it's absolute love for Orage and it has gone straight into my favourite nail polish stash.


I bought this from House of Fraser.

OPI Mod About You

OPI Mod About You is a shade I've seen so much love for over the past few years from other bloggers but I had never really looked into until more recently. Thinking about it, even though I have a few OPI shades, it's not a brand I've gotten a great deal from even though I have loved the purchases I have made so far. Maybe it's because I like seeing nail colours in person and OPI generally is not as easily accessible locally to me.

Mod About You is a gorgeous, very slightly lavender toned baby pink shade that has good coverage with complete opacity in 2 coats. I like the consistency as it's not tippex like or a thick formula which is something I find on occasion with paler shades.

It's a lovely spring shade and I'm starting to get why it's a favourite.

I purchased this from Ulta (when abroad).

Move Over Seche Vite! Dior wins the Top Coat Crown

Brand new on left, the last drops on right (hence the pinkish tone from polish colour)

A fast drying topcoat is a must-have in my manicure arsenal and for quite a while Seche Vite was my go-to, but I think my SV days are well and truly behind me now since discovering Dior's Top Coat Abricot.

In the past I've had the old incarnation of this topcoat but Dior's manicure offerings have had a makeover since then so I was eager to try their revamped line. I purchased this last September from duty-free and I have just finished it now so it was well overdue a rave.

As with all Dior's polishes, this comes in an elegantly packaged bottle with the removable cap, and the same type of brush as the colour products. The consistency is medium so it glides over the nail well (almost feels a tiny bit gel like), smoothing any slight imperfections in the polish (which is handy if I've used a less-than perfect formula underneath).

It would get a little annoying when halfway through a bottle of Seche Vite the consistency would become gloopy but as the formula is forgiving I would still persist in using it until I really could not make it work which was usually when it came to the last 1/4. Having used a few fast dry topcoats it seems to be the norm for the formula to thicken up.

The Dior is no exception, but it doesn't get completely gloopy like Seche Vite so even though the formula did thicken up I was able to use up all of it where as with other brands I would throw them away when I still had 1/4 bottle left.

Pros:

Dries fast

Shiny finish

Slightly smooths finish of manicure

Prolongs manicure wear (I get much better wear with this than any other topcoat I've used)

Peeling minimal (depends on the polish but it seems the really thick formulas are more likely to peel. Peeling was an issue I had with SV).

Formula does not get gloopy

Cons:

Not super-duper shiny like Seche Vite

Expensive at £18 (although Escentual seem to stock it for considerably less)

I've already bought a replacement and a back-up for this from Escentual, so I think I'll be good on the topcoat front this year!

Ingredients:

Ethyl Acetate, Butyl Acetate, Heptane, Nitrocellulose, Acrylates / Dimethicone Copolymer, Isopropyl Alcohol, Acetyl Tributyl Citrate, Benzophenone-3, Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot) Kernel Oil.

Monochrome Speckled Nails: L'Oreal Color Riche Confettis

L'Oreal have cheered my nails up nicely this week with their new Color Riche Confettis (916) topcoat. This is a clear based topcoat with black and white dots of various sizes suspended within.

As with L'Oreal's other nail varnishes, this dries pretty quickly and the finish lasts well, at the moment I've just got 2 coats over my natural nails, creating an easy monochrome look I'm rather liking.

I purchased this from Superdrug.

Pretty Pink: Dior Vernis Rosy Bow 355

Dior's spring collection has some lovely little gems, and Rosy Bow is one of the things I purchased. I don't have many proper pink polishes, and this one fits the bill nicely as it's a perfect Barbie style pink which doesn't lean blue or coral. I think the closest shade I have to this in my collection is Rimmel's Rose Libertine which has a slightly more salmon/coral tone to the pink.

The formula is a rich cream which is opaque in 2 coats (the pic shows 2 and then I've topped it off with Illamasqua's top coat).

Even though I am a big fan of Dior's polishes, the paler creams are not my favourite formulas as I find them a tiny bit on the thick side although Rosy Bow is fine to work with in comparison to some of their other shades like Pink Porcelain (which I've previously reviewed here).

I purchased this from House of Fraser.

Rimmel Caramel Cupcake & Silver Lines NOTD

Rimmel Caramel Cupcake

Today's nail look I've created using Rimmel's Caramel Cupcake and Nail Art - Nail Striping Tape that I received when I bought Selfridges (not-so-lucky) Lucky Bag.

Caramel Cupcake is a lovely nude which is a touch pinky-beige in tone and I think makes a good nude for those with darker skintones. Pic shows two coats and as usual with Rimmel's polishes applies well and dries quite quickly.

With the nail striping tape you get five little rolls in the box - gold, silver, black, red and white, which are each 20 metres long.

The tape is self-adhesive and you need to obviously cut it and I found that applying it first onto the nail then cutting it off the roll with a small pair of eyebrow scissors worked better then if I was trying to hold it next to the nail or guessing how much to cut off first.

It is fine tape so it is a bit tricky to apply at first, I used my craft scalpel to help lift and move the tape into position. Once it's all applied you seal it with a clear topcoat.

It's a nice idea and the effect is lovely even if takes a bit of time and I should imagine that 20 metres should last quite a while.

The nail striping tape can be purchased in Selfridges Beauty Workshop, which is a great addition to their beauty department but was poorly reflected in their recent lucky bag, I'm hoping their next offering is a bit more considered!

Latest Manicure Must-Haves: Orly Cutique & Essie Ridge Filling Base Coat

As much as I am obsessed with nail polish, I don't pay much attention to my cuticles and they are often neglected as I think to myself, 'they don't look so bad', so it's a part of the manicure I tend to skip but that was until I came across Orly's Cutique Cuticle & Stain Remover. Now I can't believe I didn't get on to this sooner.

This looks like a some sort of base coat, but basically you apply it on the nail for 30-60 seconds and then use an orange stick (or similar) to push back the cuticle and then rinse with warm water. It removes stuff I didn't even know was on my nail and gets rid of stains from previous polish really well, overall leaving a perfect base to start a new manicure.

After that I apply Essie's ridge filling base coat. I was in the market for a new base coat and spotted this in TK Maxx in a little set with a polish, I had already been thinking of Essie so took this as a sign to purchase (plus it was a bargain!).

It's great for smoothing the finish of nail before applying polish and dries quickly.

What I have noticed the most since using these products is that my polish lasts longer than before, and gives a better level of finish to my manicure.

These have really become staples and I am keen to explore some more Essie and Orly base/treatment products.

Sparkling Seas: 2True Nail Polish No.49

It's been a while since I did a nail polish post, so to get back into the swing of things, here's a little gem from a recent Superdrug trip.

2True No.49 is one of the newer shades recently from 2True and it's beautiful turquoise shade that is lovely and summery, reminding me of the ocean and tropical beaches. It has a beautiful fine silvery shimmer that lifts it nicely without being discoball-esque- love it!

The pic is with two coats and the formula applies nicely so I didn't bother applying a top coat.

As 2True is 3 for £5, I did pick up a couple of other shades as there are a few more new colours including some lovely limited edition glitters as well.

Splurge vs Steal: Deborah Lippmann vs Twist and Out

I do like trying out different nail polish removers, from high end to low-end but an important factor for me is that they don't suck the life out of my naturally dry nails/hands as I change my polish quite frequently.

Deborah Lippmann's The Stripper is one that fits the bill well as it removes polish quickly, while not overly drying my nails. It doesn't have that strong chemical smell either, rather more of a quite soft, floral scent (although I wouldn't go sniffing it any closer!).

The only negative thing is the price - £18 for a 100ml pump-dispenser bottle (I did hesitate for a second when buying this - is it worth £18?) but I think this is one of the nicer high-end removers and it lasted a decent amount of time.

I have recently finished The Stripper and was looking to try the new Bourjois remover but instead I read of Twist and Out's Instant Nail Polish Remover on another blog so picked up one from Savers.

I have never tried any of these instant removers before so was amazed at how they work - it's like magic! There is a sponge inside with a hole which you place your nail in and twist around. At first I was a bit dubious as the sponge isn't firm, but after a few seconds I was surprised to see my polish was completely removed! I could not believe how quickly it worked. Even glitters were much more easier to remove with this (I thought The Stripper made shorter work of these but this beats it by miles).

The packaging is not perfect as ideally I would like to remove the lid fully as it gets in the way a bit when removing the polish, but at the bargain price of 79p, this isn't too much of an issue. I find it leaves the nails a little bit drier than The Stripper, but not as dry as other budget removers I've used in the past. Oddly I find acetone-free removers make my nails feel drier, so I went for the acetone version in this (they do an acetone-free one as well).

Overall, as much as I liked The Stripper, this time the steal wins!

Mad Men Inspired Nails: L'Oreal Color Riche Spicy Orange

L'Oreal Color Riche 304 Spicy Orange

I had no idea L'Oreal were adding an impressive line-up of nail polish until seeing these in Superdrug and getting rather excited at all the wonderful array of colours. With the 3 for 2 offer (I think it still might be on), I could hardly resist picking up a few of these.

One colour I had been on the look out for was an orangey-red, a kind of colour that I could see worn in Mad Men, and I think this fits the bill perfectly. Spicy Orange (304) appears a little more orange in the bottle (especially in the store lighting) but when applied it leans more red.  While I am a bit red-lippie shy, I adore red on my nails, it just makes me feel instantly more cheerful.

The formula is excellent, it feels much more expensive then the £4.99 price tag - not thick or too thin and applies very smoothly with a slightly rounded shaped brush. With some reds like this I have found that I need a few coats to get an opaque coverage, but with this one it was almost full coverage with one coat (the pic is 2 coats).

I haven't bothered with a top coat as it's quite glossy without and I find this dries rather quick too - all in all I have nothing bad to say about these, I'm super-impressed.

Sunny Day! Sunny Pink Max Factor Max Effect Nail Polish

I have a bad habit when it comes to buying nail polish, not just that I can't resist buying a new one regularly, but I'll often buy several at a time, then they will sit there for months before I actually use them. This isn't a reflection on the polish itself, but just my very changeable nail polish moods!

Anyway, one polish that I should have cracked open ages ago is this one, Sunny Pink from the Max Effect range by Max Factor.

Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish - Sunny Pink

Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish - Sunny Pink

Ever since I've applied it I cannot stop glancing at my nails, it's beautiful! Sunny Pink is, as the name would suggest, a golden pale pink - very glowy and ethereal kind of shade and it does look slightly more golden or more pink depending on the light as the above pics show.

I love this as it doesn't contrast a great deal against my skin but compliments it well and gives a polished look with the golden tones giving a nice lift against the dullness I can get sometimes on my dry hands.

This applies very well with two coats being fine for coverage although I've gone for three as this does dry relatively quickly as it's a slightly thinner formula. I haven't used a top coat on this either.

I am loving all these mini sized polishes coming out in the drugstore, perfect for my changeable polish moods:)

I bought this from Boots.

New Favourite for Stronger Nails: Seche Rebuild

Apart from Seche Vite, I haven't explored anything else in the Seche range but a while back I read a post on KarlaSugar (here) where she mentioned Seche Rebuild as a great basecoat. Intrigued, I kept a note of it to purchase once I used up a few other base coats.

I change my polish about 2-3 times a week and this takes it's toll on my nails and I find that the tips are prone to peeling and I cannot grow them very long before they break. It is a bit of my own fault as if I see my polish starting to peel away, I cannot resist taking it off (terrible, I know!)

In the past I've had gels applied which I found made my nails feel thinner but I've long since stopped this and my nails are getting back to a more stronger state, although it wasn't until I started using the Seche Rebuild that I really felt a difference.

This has helped to make my nails feel much thicker, stronger and I can grow them longer then I've been able to in a while.

This has definitely opened my eyes up to the rest of Seche, and I would be interested to try the other products in the range.

I bought this from Beautybay.com

NOTD: YSL Black Bronze (126)

YSL Black Bronze is one of the three limited edition nail colours from the new Noir Couleurs collection for autumn/winter.

I was eagerly anticipating this release, all the promo imagery I've seen online is gorgeous and in real life it doesn't disappoint. I did get all three nail polish shades but today I've worn Black Bronze, a gorgeous, deep dark slightly olive-toned bronze.

The formula is on the slightly thicker side but it applies well, no dragging and is fully opaque in just one coat which I am very impressed with. This appears darker on the nails then it does in the bottle which is the same for all three shades but I love it as it's not too dark that it looks almost black.

This is smaller then their regular polishes at 6ml for £15 (their regular size is 10ml for £16.50) which is expensive and not much of a reduction in price considering you get 40% less. 

I don't know if it's just me and my slight packaging OCD but I don't like it when they change up the sizes of their product so that it doesn't sit as nicely aesthetically with the larger size bottle - not sure why they do this.

Despite my little rant I can't really fault the quality in the YSL polishes I have so far and I do adore this shade -  I have been frequently glancing at my nails all day:)

Chanel Coco Blue Le Vernis

Chanel Le Vernis - Coco Blue

Coco Blue is from Chanel's Les Jeans de Chanel collection that launched to celebrate Fashion's Night Out. It is a light denim blue that has a soft barely-near shimmer that gives it a slight dimensional quality rather then looking like a complete cream. This needs 3 coats to get complete coverage and applies fairly well but personally I like some of their other shade formulas like Black Pearl and Graphite as this can be a tiny bit streaky.

I don't think it's really a must have, but I was quite drawn to this shade of blue as it doesn't lean aqua and looks more like a true light blue.

I bought this from Selfridges

Revlon Facets of Fuschia Nail Polish

Revlon Facets of Fuschia (095)

Facets of Fuschia (095) is one of Revlon's new shades out for autumn and it's something a little different then the formulas they normally offer.

When I look at this in the bottle, it reminds me of Deborah Lippmann's Bad Romance which I think is very similar (although I don't have this to compare with). This has an interesting mixture of small round and medium hexagonal purple glitter particles in a semi-sheer black base.

On the nails this doesn't look super-sparkly as the black mutes the glitter a bit. I like it, has a depth that gives it a slightly more sophisticated feel then some glitter polishes. I've used three coats to get complete coverage as even though two were ok, it wasn't quite opaque enough for me.

I bought this in Boots.

Back in Time: MAC Phosphor Nail polish

MAC Phosphor Nail Polish

MAC Phosphor was released in summer 2008 as part of MAC's Neo Sci-Fi collection. It's a beautifully bright, electric deep yellow that is a frost finish. Shown with 2 coats. I initially thought that the YSL polish released this summer was similar but that is a lighter yellow golden shade and doesn't have quite the kick this does. 

I know this was limited edition, but it is one of my favourite polishes and stands out as one of my favourite MAC purchases. It is a polish that attracts attention and I do get comments on it when I wear it. If it is ever repromoted in the future, I'd thoroughly recommend it.

It's definitely a colour that never fails to make my day just a little brighter:)

NOTD: 17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish - Orange Soda

17 Lasting Fix Nail Polish Orange Soda

It seems to be quite often that I come across something that I like in a store and I buy it, but I don't actually end up using till ages later as I don't feel in the right mood for the colour. Orange Soda is one of those items (another one was Dior Porcelain Pink which I should have used sooner as it's lovely).

Orange is not one of my favourite colours but once I got this on my nails, I rather like it as it's slightly peachier then in the pic (the bottle appears to look closer to how it looks in real life) so it feels a little softer. This is a creme finish although I have added a clear subtle glitter topcoat over all the nails apart from the ring finger.
This is three coats as two were not quite opaque enough. Application was ok, and it has lasted 3 days before I started getting chips, which is good for my nails.

Nail Polish Removers: Priti NYC & Andrea Fulerton

Priti Soy Remover, Andrea Fulerton Remover

I change up my nail polish about 2-3 times every week so my nails are prone to feeling dry and peeling/breaking. I used to just rely on Superdrug's acetone free nail polish remover or another cheapy one but I don't think they really helped to maintain the strength of my nails.

When Cult Beauty had their pop-up shop in Selfridges a few months back, I had a chance to properly look at Priti NYC's Soy nail polish remover which I had been curious about. I purchased a bottle and I've been using this for a while now and have tried it on various different polishes to see how it fares.

This feels very different to conventional removers as it has a more oily texture so as I am applying it on my nail, I kind of feel I am rubbing a nail/cuticle oil onto my nails. Initially it seems that this will not remove a thick layer of polish, but using a small amount (about half of what I would normally use if I was using a standard remover), it surprisingly does remove all polishes effectively (glitters take a little more work but it is more effective then the Superdrug one I was using before).

I really like this remover, but it does take a little bit longer to remove the polish and before you can apply a fresh coat of polish, you do need to wash the oily residue off. On the plus side when I do wash my hands, my nails feel nourished rather then dry so it's like I've given them a treatment rather then just taking old polish off. I am not very good at using cuticle oils so this kind of serves that purpose to me a bit and I think my nails are in better condition and don't break as often.

Priti's remover comes in quite a dinky 118ml plastic bottle with a screw-top lid which I initially thought that I would get through rather quickly, but in the few months I have used it I am only just now getting to halfway through the bottle.
At £18 it is a rather a lot for a nail polish remover, especially as I'm used to paying no more then a couple of quid, but I like the way my nails feel with this. Yesterday I was applying a fresh colour and like a doughnut I managed to mess up my polish before it dried and I did this twice! Anyways I used this remover and it didn't feel stripping at all.
Ingredients: soy ester, corn ester, orange oil, vegetable glycerin.

When I do feel a bit impatient and need to take off my polish super-quick, I reach for Andrea Fulerton's Nail Boutique Pump It Up Nail Polish Remover. A really convenient salon-style pump bottle that contains 120ml of product for £3.99 and is acetone free.
This really dissolves polish quickly and cleanly and doesn't feel drying. It removes glitter polish quicker then any other remover I've used. I actually prefer this over Zoya's Remove +.
I haven't had this as long as the Priti, but I have gotten through 1/4 bottle quite quickly as I do need a bit more remover. I don't mind this so much as it is very effective and doesn't cost as much.
Ingredients: Ethyl Acetate, Iso Propyl Alcohol, Aqua, Iso Prpoyl Myristrate, Parfum - Contains: Limonene, Citronellol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Coumarin, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Linalool, Benzyl Alcohol, Tocopherol Acetate, Panthenol, CI 47000, CI 61565.

Both of these removers don't smell like conventional acetone type removers - the Andrea Fulerton has a subtle soft minty scent and the Priti has an unusual, slightly orangey scent so they don't fill the whole room up with overly strong, chemical smells.

I love both of these and will repurchase them when I run out. Overall, excellent stuff!

Favourite Nails: Rimmel 60 Seconds Rose Libertine

Rimmel 60 Seconds Rose Libertine (405)

Rimmel 60 Seconds 405 Rose Libertine is a slightly salmon/coral sort of pink and is a cream finish with no shimmer. This is one of my favourite nail polishes as it's not too pink so when I feel like something less Barbie like I reach for this.

The formula is nice - not too thick and applies well (I accidentally dented the finish on one finger before it completely dried). Pic is after a days wear with a fast-dry topcoat so there is a tiny bit of shrinkage.