Duke Street

Today I'm blogging about a swatch from the new Nails Inc - Nail Kale collection. 

This colour is Duke Street. 

My brother and his girlfriend got this one for my birthday and he said "it's my favourite nail colour of yours because it was chosen from the heart" hahaha. If only that was a genuine statement. 

But it is a gorgeous colour all the same! 

The nail kale collection is supposedly healthy for the nails as it is packed with super foods such as kale extract (surprisingly!) It has the intention to make nails stronger and smoother nails whilst still being able to wear a great colour with 150+ to choose from. 

The formula is packed with Vitamins A, C and K boosting keratin production. 

They are pretty pricey but the finish is amazing so I can see why. So if you are trying to grow your nails and make them stronger but still love a bold nail - this will be perfect for you! It is almost like the OPI Infinite Shine Lacquer - but Nails Inc has extra health benefits! 

I've heard from many nail lovers/bloggers that they aren't too fond of the bottle as it is pretty chunky. However, I'm fully aware and am a sucker for pretty packaging! So I actually really like the bottle. It is refreshingly different from standard polish bottles. What's your opinion? Too OTT? 

 This polish is finished off with Seche Vite fast dry top coat giving it extra shine. They honestly looked like gels, I was very impressed.

I definitely recommend nail kale to anyone looking for a shiny lasting polish. 

xox

Blog Birthday Giveaway

 I cannot believe Nailstori is a year old! So to celebrate I am doing a giveaway on Instagram! 

Included in the prize is;

6 Leighton Denny nail polishes

2 Nails Inc

1 mini China Glaze

2 Sally Hansen

A Cath Kidston nail kit

5 packs of nail art gems 

1 Orly nail polish

Orly hand cream

Plus many other goodies! 

(Not all prizes are included in the picture) 

Onto the rules; 

1.) This is an International giveaway - yay! 

2.) Repost the picture on my Instagram with the hashtag #nailstori1yeargiveaway and tag me in the post @nailstori 

3.) Must be following me (don’t follow to unfollow - not cool) 

4.) Must be 16 or over otherwise will need parents permission. 

5.) Your page must be public so I can view your entries

6.) I will like your entry so you know it’s valid.

7.) One entry per person. 

Ending February 13th.

Tag friends and let them know of the lush nail polish filled prize. 

Good luck! 

I’m planning to have two more nail designs on the blog this week then it’s exam week and I will be absent - so please bare with. 

Much love for reading! 

xox

Last minute mani

 Well, I was planning on sharing some stamping I've been up to... however,  me and my mum planned a very last minute trip to Lisbon! So I've had to do a quick holiday mani, I just can't leave it a plain colour these days. 

This mani includes; Essie - Millionails, Nails inc - Optic Wave, MoYou - White, L.A colors, Sally Hansen - Top coat and striping tape.

I liked my last post design but decided to add to it and use a different blue. I really loved the Optic Wave on my toes so matched the colour with my fingers - I never have matching mani/pedi but love it for holidays. 

You can faintly see some dotting on my index and pinky finger that are very off centre! I realised way after it had dried so couldn't change it! 

I wanted to add gemstones (which I have on my toes) but I find they never stay on my nails as much as I would like, I didn't want any falling off and not be matching the whole trip. I think adding gemstones into the design would look good for any recreations. 

For coming weeks look out for more MoYou related posts. In this post I used their white nail polish. I initially got this polish for stamping but wondered what it would be like for regular painting, so gave it a go. My first MoYou polish experience was a good one! The colour is great, it isn't an off white, making it really stand out in a design like this one. The formula seems great, dries super quick which is also good when adding polish on top of it. And overall, gives a nice shiny finish before using a top coat. I cannot wait to share what I will be reviewing in the coming weeks. 

Have a sunny week and I will be posting very shortly. 

xox

POTW

It's that time of the week again - product of the week.

Today's product is: Nails inc express nail polish remover. 
I am so pleasantly surprised with this product, it is such simple idea and works too well to be true. 
I picked this up in boots at a clearance and got it for £2 just to give it a try -  I am so glad I did. The retail price for this product is around £10 (I think) being the bargain hunter I am I'm not sure I would pay the full price for it but I have seen them in a few clearances so keep your eyes peeled for one.

Basically all the product is, is a pink plastic pot with a big sponge in it soaked in nail polish remover. You put your finger in the hole of the sponge wiggle your finger around for about 15 seconds and all the polish will be gone. The main reason I was interested in this product was for the dreaded glitter/sparkle remover dilemma, it is such a faff. This completely solves this problem, just put your finger in the pot for longer and your glitter nightmares will be resolved. 
I have used this product about 5 times on all my fingers, it shows no sign of drying out or polish residue on the sponge which was my initial worry. If it begins to dry out I would recommend just putting some remover onto the sponge and giving the bottle a shake, no need to spend to get another every time. 

The remover seems to be good quality, it doesn't dry out nails and cuticles. However, the smell is quite strong at first - but I guess that's nothing us nail girls aren't used to! 

I really love this product and didn't think I would at all. I went and picked up another pot after my first use of this. If you are looking for a quick and super effective removal this is definitely worth a purchase. 

More nail posts this week - I have had a lack of painting due to being poorly.
xox

Practice does not always guarantee perfect

Today's post is showing that no matter how many times you have done a nail art technique - there are still off days! This particular water-marble mani just would not turn out how I wanted and I had done it over numerous times. 

For this I used: Essie - millionails, OPI - natural base, Nails inc - Optic Wave and Ciate mini - Kiss Chase and Sally Hansen - Top coat. 

Starting off with polish; I got Nails Inc optic wave in my boots haul (a few posts down) and I absolutely love the colour. It's more of a bright blue which the picture doesn't show. I'm so glad I got it. The Ciate was a freebie in a Marie Claire magazine and I really like it too. Really nice to apply and one coat is enough for even colour. 

Onto the actual water-marbling ... 

I was going for a specific design on each nail and I wasn't prepared for it to go so wrong! 

I used everything I usually do and it just wasn't spreading in the water and was drying so quickly I couldn't create my design properly. The nails inc was spreading okay but the ciate wasn't.  

I wasn't going to give up so I did the mani on both hands but hated it because it took me so long - it only lasted a day! 

It was a disappointing mani but I love the colour combo. 

Not every design is a success.

xox

Huge boots clearance haul

It's fair to say I went a little crazy in boots today... But the deals were way too good not to. 

So, these include; 
Nails inc - Optic Wave.
Barry M - Marshmallow (confetti), Bubblebum (confetti), Sour Apple (confetti) and White 351 (sequin) 
Sally Hansen - Star Powder.
Collection Hot looks - Look at me & Parma Violet.
Rimmel London Salon Pro Kate collection - Reggae Splash.
Essie - Jam n' Jelly (my favourite)
Finally, Nails inc express nail polish remover - I thought this looked pretty interesting and was a bargain! 

I cannot believe how cheap these were, none are damaged so I guess they are just out of season. I got all of this for £20 which is a bit of a splash but then I added up the original values.... £59! I never buy polish at full price so I like to go a little crazy sometimes, plus it's way more fun finding the great deals. 

I'm interested in the confetti but am unsure how to make it look good in a mani, I think I'm going to have to do an internet search for some nail inspo. I don't really like the Barry M brand but these 4 polishes just looked so pretty and I have noticed more of fellow nail bloggers using them. 

The real question is... which to swatch first? I know what my first week of summer is going to consist of! I need more hands to paint. 

I think I'm going to push the boat out and try the one stroke technique this week. However, it may go awfully and not be blog worthy. But do be sure to keep a look out. 

Have a great weekend nail peeps.
xox