The Nail Polish Lowdown

Over the past few years, I've been building up my collection of nail polish (but believe me, I'm not done yet!) and this is a review of both the best and the worst!

Overview of the collection

I'll sort through by brands, in no particular order!

Barry M

I love the Basecoat/Topcoat polish, because it really leaves my nails feeling stronger and must healthier.
I don't have much to say about the actual nail polishes themselves, but generally they last quite well for £2.99 nail polishes, as well as having really easy-to-use brushes and formulations. 

 OPI

How could I not include OPI? A few years ago I bought a minis set from ASOS and since then I have constantly found myself going into the colourcopia in Westfield! To be honest, I can't see myself actually owning that many colours of OPI, because realistically I don't want to be spending over £10 just for nail polish! So sometimes, I indulge myself and find a nice colour that I haven't found anywhere else, and I let myself splurge! In terms of general texture and brush, I really like it, and think it can be worth what it costs!

Topshop

I tried out the Topshop nail polishes after being wooed by the 2 for £10 offer at the counter! I love the texture of these, really fast drying and the bottles last for a really long time! However, I put 'Jewel in the Crown' on once and then found it completely staining my nails. 3 weeks later and despite using various nail polish removers, putting many coats of different colours on, my nails are still stained with the colour, so I won't be trying that again (even though it's such a beautiful colour)

Urban Decay

While Urban Decay aren't really known for their nail polish, when browsing in Sephora I came across this set- the Naked nail polish set. I love the Naked palettes and so I was intrigued by the nail polishes, and let me tell you, I haven't been disappointed! They have really good brushes and are easy to apply, but certainly need a good top coat otherwise they chip very quickly. The only downside would be that the bottles are quite small and you can't purchase the colour separately :(

Sephora

There's not much really to say about these, they're just bog standard nail polishes, not particularly outstanding as nail polishes yet small and travel-sized so easy to take away on trips. I love the colour range available, and they are very purse-friendly!

Sally Hansen

I've been using the Sally Hansen top coats for as long as I can remember, before I really knew what it was! They're such good value for money, and the bottle lasts for so long. Also, it works so well as a top coat, making my nail polish stay on, without chipping, for a really long time, as well as strengthening my nails! I'd love to try their actually nail polish colours when I can find them!

Essie

I have two Essie polishes, 'Bikini So Teeny' and 'Aruba Blue', bought mainly because I just loved the colours, but to be honest I've been quite disappointment with them and I think that they've been hyped up. They have quite gloopy textures and so I find myself needing several attempts to put them on. I'll keep trying with different topcoats and base coats, but I'm not very impressed.

General 

Rimmel Pro: I love this Matte Finish nail polish, providing such a lovely finish to my nails and looking more exciting than normal shiny polish!
Models Own Pro: I was wondering through Boots when I came across this brand with promotion, and taken aback from the colour range I just had to pick up a bottle! I love this colour, in the shade 'Aqua' and I can definitely see myself wearing this a lot in the next few months. 

Nails Inc. Magnetic Polish: I love wearing this polish because it just gives an effortless way of doing patterned nails (for those who are nail polish incompetent like me!). It's such a beautiful colour and so easy to use, I really love it.

Models Own: I only have one nail polish from Models Own, in the shade 'Aqua Blue', and I really think it's such a gorgeous colour. While the formulation is also quite gloopy, I find you just have to shake it around a bit, and use it a few times before it will start to work properly and apply well. I've found it to be quite a nice pattern that turns out when I apply the nails inc. colour first and a thin layer of this on top!

Favourites

This is my all-time favourite nail polish. Both a beautiful shade 'Dulce de Leche' and an easy-to-apply formula, this is the best nail polish I have ever used and probably ever will use. This colour is just so sophisticated and chic, I can see myself buying a few more bottles!

I love this colour for the winter, 'Big Smoke' from Topshop, is just so beautiful. It's started to run out so I definitely need to go and pick up another bottle soon!

This is the only No7 nail polish I own (and really it's not even mine, it's my sister's). It really does dry very quickly, as well as being a gorgeous colour. However, I don't think they sell it anymore, because I certainly haven't been able to find it!

With OPI's renowned reputation, I was sure that Nicole by OPI wouldn't fail me. I picked up one of the Kardashian Kolor polished, in the shade 'Kim-pletely in Love'. It's such a lovely colour and I was excited to use it, but I was just disappointed by it. It comes on in such thin layers that it's transparent, barely classifying it as a colour. I don't think I'll be purchasing from this range again. 

So overall these are my favourites for the next few months, the top photo for daytime and the bottom photo for night time. These are all beautiful colours and I'm sure that I'll be constantly whipping out the nail polish remover and changing my nail colour every day! I'll be sure to try out some of the least liked ones a bit more to see if I can change my mind about them, possibly finding some new favourites?

Love, D xxx