pastel power

I had been lacking pastel polishes from my collection, excluding the ones which came in the Ciaté advent calendar so after discovering I had a whopping £23 in Boots points, I delved into the aisles of Boots in search of new pastel shades to rock this season.

I knew Barry M was a safe option, so I chose Rose Hip from the new additions to the Gelly collection, it’s a beautiful soft pink and as it’s from the Gelly range, it doesn’t lack in pigmentation, shine or longevity. Now L’Oreal isn’t a counter I often find myself visiting, I don’t even know why, it’s just one of those brands that I simply forget about. The packaging of this polish in Nouvelle Vague from the Color Riche Les Blancs range is just beautiful, it looks lovely in my little nail polish dish full of spring/summer shades.

From Ciaté I already had the shades: Sugar Plum, Ferris Wheel and Pepperminty which all came in the advent calendar from last Christmas, they’re all easy to wear shades, even the green and blue. I find that when blues and greens are in pastel form they aren’t so garish and harsh so can easily be pulled off as they aren’t so ‘in your face’.

All of these polishes are of great quality, two coats and they are opaque and ready for a top coat. I’d say out of them all, I love Nouvelle Vague the most, I’m a bit of a sucker for purple shades and this is off white with a hint of the purple so makes it look like my hands are a little tanned, rather than their usual milk bottle comparison. I kind of wish I’d have bought the other shades in the range… *runs back to Boots*.  

favourite nude polishes

Apologies for the yuckiness of the skin around the nails and the red tinge to my fingers!

Slowly my nail polish collection is growing, especially as I've finally grown my nails and although they are not at the length I want them, they are slowly getting there and are presentable enough to do this little post for you!

During this 'inbetween' winter/spring stage I never really know what to go for, I'm fed up of deep reds and burgundy's but it's not quite pastel weather - this is where nudes come in! Although perfect for any time of year, I feel like they just fit in right now. So I thought I would choose my top 5 from my collection and share them with you.

(L to R)

Model's Own 'Nude Beige' (standard beige)

Barry M Gelly 'Lychee' (soft ivory)

Ciaté 'Ivory Queen' (peachy nude)

Essie 'Tea and Crumpets' (more of a pink nude rather than how it has photographed here)

Essie 'Delicacy' (a pearl iridescent)

All of these brands have fantastic polishes which last for a considerable amount of time with the right top coat and there's something to suit everyone's budget. I love the formula's of all of them and the drying time isn't too long either. 

I'm currently rocking 'Lychee' by Barry M which is a firm favourite of mine, plus adds the effects that my nails are longer than they are due to a light polish, rather than a dark berry tone which is an added bonus for me!

I can't wait for my nails to be that bit longer for spring and then I can donne the pastels, I'm dying for some colour to brighten up my look!

Which nail polish make is your favourite? Are you still wearing dark berry shades, clinging onto the festivity or have you opted for something a bit lighter now we are (hopefully) moving into spring?