British Nail Bloggers discuss.. Favourite Top and Base coats

Hey all!

So here is the post I was ACTUALLY supposed to do. If you want to read the 'accidental' mistake post of hand and nail care faves, you can read it here.

I am a creature of habit, so when I find something that works, I stick with it. I feel I am 'adventurous' when I order 1 of 3 dishes I have approved at the local indian takeaway, or the chinese takeaway - I am that boring. But if its not broke, don't try and fix it!

So here are my base and topcoat loves:

Base - OPI Nail Envy

I wear this for strenghtening my nails. It works fantastically as a base and only needs doubling up for extreme stainers. I did try a stint with Seche Clear, and although it did lengthen my mani life, it was only extended until my nails started breaking left right and centre. So I decided that OPI Nail Envy was the wiser choice - I would rather have nice length nails and change my mani more often than have longer wear but uneven and forever breaking nails. It makes me go cold just thinking about it! I have tried the original and the matte and I am actually veering towards liking the matte more, but in all honesty, I buy whatever is cheapest when I restock!

Top - Seche Vite

I LOVE ITS GLOOPINESS! I am probably the only person who does, but it just envelops everything and smoothes and glosses over any imperfection. It also dries super fast and I weirdly love the smell of it. Don't get me wrong, I don't like it super duper gloopy, but I like how after you've used it twice or thrice it's thicker than any other topcoat. It's also the only topcoat I know that doesn't smudge my nail art. I sacrificed a whole bottle of OPI topcoat for a franken because it was about as much use as a chocolate teapot when it came to not smudging things. It was also a slow drier. OPI, your topcoat stinks! The only thing I don't like about Seche Vite is that it contains Toulene, and most polishes are free of that now. 

And thats it! Simples!

Don't forget to check out everyone else's choices for this! I am excited to see what everyone else thinks!

Rachael xxx

An InLinkz Link-up

Nail Polish Fixes Everything!

Hey all,

Sorry I've been so quiet-  work has been mental busy. I also got some bad news yesterday - the confirmation of the end of my contract. I have been working my arse off trying to get them to see that they should keep me, but yeah, they haven't.

So of course this morning my resolve to work as hard has waned a little. So to cheer myself up, I painted my nails with a new Nails Inc that I got - Roland Gardens. Really pleased with the colour - it tips just enough orange that I can pull it off - its seriously beautiful and has really lifted my spirits anyway!

I also snapped a nail on the way to work and do not have a file.. so I will apologise now for my odd ring finger nail and the shape!

As I have just done these quickly at work, I was also mega pleased with myself to find a topcoat in my bag :) so also testing my new OPI Top Coat. I have never tried it before, so I am interested to see how it works.

What do you think? I'm pretty pleased with it (bar my  odd nail which I will fix when I am home!) I dont wear red enough - definitely think I need to crack out the reds a bit more often! :)

Ellagee Polish Part 2

Please note: these three polishes in today's post were sent to me for review purposes. All other Ellagee polishes I have posted about are polishes that I have bought myself.

This post is also EXTREMELY pic heavy!

The three polishes that Laura kindly agreed to send me are from her new 'You're the Top' collection. They are Beyond the Sea, I've Got a Crush on You and Crazy He Calls Me and are all glitter toppers (glitters in a clear base). All of the polish names in the collection are inspired by the great music from the 1930's and 40's.

I wanted to save my favourite of the 3 until last, but I honestly couldn't. I really didn't think I would be a fan of this, but I sneakily tried it out for an earlier mani last week and loved it that much I wore it for 4 days before I reluctantly took it off. This is I've Got a Crush on You.

'I've Got A Crush On You is a clear base with shades of pink, white, and silver glitter. Other colors in the photos are reflections from the holographic glitters.'

I also wanted to show you how versatile this topper is - its pale, feminine attributes mean it works well with a variety of colours. I chose one of my favourite neutral shades - L'Oréal - Soft Chinchilla to show you how soft and elegant this can look! This is 2 coats of Soft Chinchilla with 1 coat of I've Got a Crush on You and 1 coat of Seche Vite.

What do you think? I love the colours together - it's glittery, but not in your face glittery. Its demure, understated and very classy looking. It also doesn't HAVE to look barbie, ditzy blonde pink, which is why I love it so much!

The formula was wonderful. Not too runny or thick, very easy to work with. I did dab a little more than I usually would but only because its hard to brush properly when you're only doing a small section of your nail!

The above photos are all in artificial light.

The above 4 photos are taken in natural light - here you can clearly see how light and delicate the glitter is. Really beautiful! 

The second polish I have for you is Crazy He Calls Me. A beautiful rainbow of colours, which I chose to layer over black. Here I have 2 coats of Sinful Colors Black to Black, 1 coat of Crazy He Calls Me and 1 coat of Seche Vite.

I didn't realise just how many photos I took of this - I was quite taken by it!

This is what Laura has to say about it: 'Crazy He Calls Me is a clear base with shades of red, orange, gold, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, and purple hexagon glitter.'

I really like this against the black. I think because of the variety of colours, that it would probably look best over Black or White, but you could pick whichever colour you like - depending on the effect you want. This polish is heavily glitter packed, so you could achieve full coverage of glitter in 3 coats. All the above photos are in artificial light.

It reminds me of a party in a bottle, it brings a smile to my face when I look at it on my nails! I forget how much I love my black nails - I think this may make me wear them more often!

Absolutely lovely - love how all the different colours catch the light! Would you wear it?

And here is the final topper - this is Beyond the Sea. 

'Beyond The Sea is a clear base with shades of teal, turquoise  magenta, and gold hexagon and square glitter. Other colors in the photos are reflections from the holographic glitters.'

I chose to layer this over Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Blackberry. I think it really showcases the beautiful teal / turquoise glitters. As you can see, there is a fine sprinkling of gold and magenta which is well balanced.

 The above photos are in artificial light.

 The above are in natural (fading - sorry!) light. 

What do you think of the three? You already know my favourite - which is yours?

Just a reminder - you can find these at Laura's Etsy store here.

Also, check out her Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter. She often posts details of discounted products and offers, as well as teasers for her new upcoming collections!

Please feel free to let me know what you think - I love hearing your thoughts and comments!

Rachael xxx