Nails | You're a Canary, I'm a Gold Mine

The lyrics are: # You're a canary, I'm a coal mine... # but I couldn't resist using it for the title. I made the connection (to what I'm about to show you) and got the song stuck in my head.

Today I've got a quick manicure post to share with you. I can't even remember the last time I did a NOTD post, and I used to do them all the time; I don't know what happened there. I'm hoping to get back in to the swing of regular nail polish posts this year, and today I'm going to start with a new favourite of mine.

Over the festive season, I picked up a couple of Barry M glitter polishes to add some sparkle to December, and over the last month or so, I've become addicted to this one in particular: Barry M's Gold Mine Glitter. I love this polish so much I've used it at least a dozen times already, and will soon be needing a new bottle. 

I was expecting Gold Mine Glitter to be a clear top coat with black and gold glitter mixed in to the polish, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn it was a black polish that contains flecks of gold glitter. I would have loved it either way, but I think this glitter looks stunning on it's own without layering it over something else.

My photos really don't do this polish justice, but out of fifty shots these were the best I got. The manicure proved to be extremely difficult to capture in the Winter daylight. Just trust me on this one; it's beautiful. Far more beautiful than these photos suggest. It looks like gold dazzling in a jet black mine.

The polish becomes opaque in two to three coats, dries within a few minutes, and the result is the most grown-up and elegant glitter manicure I've ever seen. I don't know about you, but I think some glitter polishes seem better suited to kids and teenagers, and have me questioning whether I should still be applying glitter to my nails at twenty-eight. Not this one. It looks so glamourous and edgy at the same time, and doesn't leave me feeling like a five year old playing dress up. It's a polish I imagine Cinna would have accessorised Katniss' Mockingjay outfit with. 

I've found I get minimal chipping to my index finger nails after two or three days, and the rest remain unchipped for up to a week! It's a fantastic polish for just £2.99, and it's already made it's way in to my top five favourites. You should be able to find Gold Mine Glitter in Boots and Superdrug in store and online, and on Barry M's own website. I've also seen Barry M polishes available in River Island, ASOS, and Amazon. 

It's my perfect cure for the January blues!

Manicure | Red Glittery Christmas Nails

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! I hope you all have a magical day whatever you have planned.

I have a quick nail look to show you this morning. This is a look I was playing around with last week when I was trying to decide what my Christmas manicure would be.

The polish I began with is this Inglot Nail Enamel, shade 024. It's a beautiful dark red with a gold sheen; the perfect Christmas polish, if you ask me!

I applied my usual three coats to my nails here, although two would have sufficed. This enamel glides on like a dream, becomes opaque after two coats, and dries so quickly. A coat on one hand would be dry by the time I painted the other! It's amazing! I think I completed all three coats on both hands within ten minutes! I don't have to tell all you nail polish enthusiasts what a rarity that is. It's one of the reasons I love Inglot nail enamels. They dry incredibly quickly, and they're also of impressive quality; these nails remained chip free for five or six days! They're probably the best brand I've ever tried.

The golden sheen of the nail colour doesn't show well in this photo, but the finish is just how it appears in the bottle.

I then used this Accessorize polish over the top of the red nails. It doesn't have a name or number, but it was part of a set which I found in Superdrug.

I wanted to have ruby red glittery nails for Christmas, and was intending to purchase the Barry M one, but that didn't happen. I then remembered I had a dark pink Accessorize polish, so I tried it over the Inglot manicure. The glitter actually dried red, so I got instant perfect red glittery nails! The best thing is that it didn't leave that awful glitter polish texture; it gave a relatively smooth finish. I didn't manage to get a decent photo of the glitter nails, but they looked so festive. I'm intending to recreate it for Christmas Day.

What do you guys think?

How do you do your nails for Christmas?

I hope you all have a fantastic Christmas and New Year with your loved ones. Be sure to have a few drinks for me! I'll be having a quiet one at home. I'm off to get dressed and attempt to make a trifle...

Manicure | Green and Glittery

On Sunday night I painted my nails with a new polish combination: three coats of Barry M's Teal, and a touch of Barry M's 'Green Glitter' to the tips. For the last three days I've been attempting to photograph the results, and each day, I've failed miserably at capturing the true colours.

I think I have a colour-blind camera.

Teal is a very metallic, two tone polish, but although it appears practically petrol blue in these photographs, the polish is actually an aqua-marine/green teal with only a slight hint of blue! I'm not sure why my camera refused to pick up the green; out of hundreds of photos these are the only shots that showed a little hint of the true colour. Similarly, the emerald green glitter hasn't been portrayed well in these images.

Both are equally beautiful shades. I'm not usually a fan of metallic polishes, but the blend of green and blue (of the teal) is entrancing and makes me nostalgic for the sea; the colours remind me of the waves in Cornwall on a sunny day. As I usually find with Barry M Nail Paints, this polish glided on, set reasonably quickly, and turned opaque after two coats. 

The green glitter is a pretty, vibrant emerald green and was a no fuss way of adding a little sparkle to the look. I just painted one thin coat to the last third of my nails for a discreet look, but it could be built up for a more intense nail. Glitter is particularly perfect for wearing during the festive season!

Both polishes only began to chip after the third day of wear. As is usually the case with glitter, it took a little elbow grease to remove, but I soon had my nails all cleaned up and ready for a new colour.

Overall, I was pleased with how nicely these two varnishes complimented each other. My younger Sister liked it so much she decided to give it a go herself. I'll definitely be wearing these two together again. I've definitely converted myself back to glittery polishes, and can't wait to snap up some more of the Barry M beauties!