OPI Shine Bright Nail Polish Advent Calendar Review With Spoilers

I can't believe it's already time to start talking Advent calendars! Seriously, where has this year gone? It only feels like two minutes since I was reviewing last year's beauty calendars!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I like to treat myself to a beauty Advent calendar every Christmas. I don't often splurge on beauty products throughout the year, so this is one beauty treat I like to give myself. This year, I decided I wanted to go with a nail polish calendar again, and after narrowing down my favourites, I chose OPI's Shine Bright Advent calendar.

Before we go any further, please note that this review contains spoilers including photos of the contents, so if you don't want to ruin the surprise for yourself, you may want to stop reading here. If you are here for the spoilers, however, keep reading, and I'll try not to disappoint you!

So, the Shine Bright Advent calendar is this year's offering from nail polish favourite OPI in collaboration with Swarovski. It features twenty-five mini OPI nail polishes in a range of bold and sophisticated colours for the holiday season, including twelve brand new shades from the Shine Bright collection, and thirteen of OPI's iconic classic colours. An almost perfect balance of new and old nail shades.

There are festive reds, playful pinks, dazzling golds, mesmerising midnights, decadent purples, and so much more, providing you with something for every mood, outfit, and occasion. It's a beautifully curated collection, and it's sure to keep your nails looking fabulous throughout the festive season- and beyond. 

The twelve new Shine Bright polishes included in the calendar are:

♥ Dressed to the Wines- a red-wine shimmer. 

♥ Gingerbread Man Can- a shimmery brown. 

♥ Heart and Coal- a black glitter. 

♥ Let's Take an Elfie- a shimmery violet-purple. 

♥ Merry in Cranberry- a playful fuchsia. 

♥ Naughty or Ice?- a shimmery champagne. 

♥ Red-y For The Holidays- a classic velvety red. 

♥ Snowfalling For You- a pearlescent pink.

♥ This Gold Sleighs Me- a metallic gold.

♥ This Shade is Ornamental- a velvety rose-pink.

♥ Tinsel, Tinsel 'Lil Star- a metallic silver.

♥ To All a Good Night- a shimmery midnight blue.

And the thirteen classic OPI nail shades included are:

♥ Alpine Snow- a whitest white.

♥ Aurora Berry-alis- a raspberry pink.

♥ Bogota Blackberry- a deep claret with an intriguing fruity sparkle.

♥ Bubble Bath- a neutral tone.

♥ It's A Girl- a baby pink.

♥ Kyoto Pearl- a soft pearly white.

♥ Lincoln Park After Dark- a midnight meets purple.

♥ Malaga Wine- a wine-red.

♥ Pompeii Purple- a hot pink with an explosion of purple.

♥ Russian Navy- a deep-sea indigo.

♥ Strawberry Margarita- a bright pink.

♥ Taupe-less Beach- an enticing taupe.

♥ Tickle My France-y- a naughty nude.

The Shine Bright calendar is filled with beautiful nail colours, although, it does contain a lot of reds, and pinks, instead of covering a whole spectrum of colours, which is common with OPI's Advent calendars. You might view this as good or bad depending on the shades you like to wear on your nails. I personally love wearing a whole rainbow of colours, yet I'm thrilled with the shades in this calendar. The colours are stunning, and there's a great mix of glosses, shimmers, glitters, and pearlescent finishes. There are so many shades inside that I can't wait to try out, especially the reds like Red-y For the Holidays and Dressed to the Wines, and the glittery blacks and blues like Heart and Coal and To All a Good Night. However, I also would've preferred to have seen a little more variety in the calendar; seven pink shades is a little excessive for one set- even if they are all different, and there are too many nudes for my taste, which are unlikely to ever get used because I prefer a bit of colour. I decided to overlook this, though, as I love the look of the majority of the nail polishes in the calendar, and I've been impressed with OPI's calendars in the past. 

All of the nail polishes in this calendar are miniature-sized OPI nail polishes, so if you were hoping for full-sized bottles, you may be disappointed. Yes, at 3.5ml they're small in size, but mini cosmetics are adorable, and you still get plenty of manicures from each bottle- I'd say at least half a dozen two-coaters. The calendar is a great way to try out lots of OPI nail shades before committing to their full-sized bottles, which, let's face it, can be quite expensive. These mini nail polishes are also the perfect size for putting in your bag or suitcase to use on the go (not that many of us are going places right now; thanks, Covid), and they're less likely to dry up or separate before you reach the bottom, which often happens to me with full sized bottles of nail polish.

My only real problem with these mini OPI nail polishes is that they don't tell you the names of the nail shades on the bottles, which can make identifying the correct shades tricky if you want to reorder a favourite colour at a later date. Sure, it tells you the names on the back of the calendar, and on the inside of each window, but who holds on to the packaging until every bottle is used up? It's a minor issue, but I wish OPI would just label each bottle to make life easier.

As for the packaging, the calendar is made from thin but reasonably-sturdy recyclable card from responsible sources, and features a modern red and pink design with disco balls and streamers. The front of the calendar is split in two, and opens up to reveal twenty-five geometric cardboard windows in deep red, pink, yellow, and purple on a background of metallic pink streamers, split in to three sections. Each window is clearly numbered in a large white font and organised in numerical order to make locating the correct window a breeze, and when you open them, you'll find the name of the polish printed on the inside behind it. I really like the design this year. It's attractive, it's festive, it's colourful, and it'll look great on display with the rest of the Christmas decorations. What's not to love?

Overall, my first impressions of the calendar are almost entirely positive. I love the majority of the nail shades, there isn't any cheap tat added to cheaply bulk out the calendar like some other nail brands have done (I'm looking at you, Essie), the packaging is attractive, and the price is reasonable. While I haven't tried any of the nail polishes inside yet, I've always been impressed with the high quality of OPI nail polishes in the past, and I'm really pleased that I chose the Shine Bright calendar for Christmas 2020. I can't wait to start trying everything over the holidays.

I'll be giving you a closer look at the polishes over on Instagram every day during Advent, so be sure to give me a follow if you want to see which polish I get each day as we count down to Christmas.

The Shine Bright Advent Calendar retails for around £65, although it can be found much cheaper with some online stores.

It's currently still available to purchase from Amazon, Just My Look, Nail Polish Direct, and OPI.

Have you treated yourself to a beauty Advent calendar this year, or have you gone for something a little more traditional?

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Ciaté Mini Mani Month Nail Polish Advent Calendar 2019 Review

This year, I will be counting down the days 'til Christmas with not one but two nail polish Advent calendars. Earlier in the week, I reviewed the Essie Advent calendar for you guys, and today I'm back to give you the low-down on this year's Ciaté Mini Mani Month calendar.

Ciaté London's Mini Mani Month nail polish Advent calendar is the original beauty calendar, which appeared on the scene years before all the other beauty brands caught on and began to release their own. This calendar has been returning year after year for about a decade now, getting a redesign and a new set of contents each year, and it's so popular it sells out every Christmas. I think this is the third or fourth Christmas I've purchased one of their Advent calendars- they're that good I keep on going back for more!

This year's Mini Mani Month Advent calendar features a metallic silver design with a modern illustration of London at Christmas time in silver, grey, and white emblazoning the front. The design includes iconic landmarks like The Shard, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, and The London Eye, along with non-descript buildings and houses, a scattering of simple modern Christmas trees, and 'Mini Mani Month' printed in a large script in the centre.

The calendar opens on a hinge like a book to reveal twenty-four large cardboard windows, with the numbers in a large font size which will make it easy to locate the right door each day.

Hidden behind its twenty-four silver windows, are twenty-four nail treats for you to discover each day in the lead up to Christmas, including twenty-two mini paint pots, one full-sized paint pot, and one limited edition glitter nail file. The set includes ten brand new shades for 2019, and six mystery polishes, which Ciaté say may vary from calendar to calendar, so you'll never quite know what shades you're gonna get!

Here's a list of everything you will find inside:

♥ Limited edition gold glitter nail file- a mini rose gold glittery emery board nail file.

♥ Party Popper full size paint pot 12ml- a clear polish with gold and holographic glitter flakes.

♥ Kiss Chase mini paint pot 5ml- a dreamy pink with luminous pastel tendencies.

♥ Gilded Goddess mini paint pot 5ml- a clear polish with glittery gold flakes.

♥ Sweet Treats mini paint pot 5ml- a candy pink shimmer.

♥ Splash! mini paint pot 5ml- a delicate pale yellow-gold shimmer.

♥ Palm Springs mini paint pot 5ml- a vibrant royal blue with a pearlescent twist.

♥ Phantom mini paint pot 5ml- a stunning teal glitter with a slight purple shimmer.

♥ White Heat mini paint pot 5ml- a creamy, glossy white.

♥ Royal Reign mini paint pot 5ml- a dark purple-grey.

♥ Snatch mini paint pot 5ml- a bold, blue-toned red.

♥ Paparazzi mini paint pot 5ml- a vampy red-black.

♥ House of Mirrors mini paint pot 5ml- a very fine sparkly silver with a delicate red shimmer.

♥ Star Crossed mini paint pot 5ml- a dreamy sunset orange and yellow gold glitter.

♥ Iced Frappe mini paint pot 5ml- a creamy, uplifting cream nude.

♥ Tutu mini paint pot 5ml- cool baby pink.

♥ Pepperminty mini paint pot 5ml- a tingly fresh mint green.

♥ Summer Haze mini paint pot 5ml- a warm orange-red.

And the six mystery shades included in my calendar are:

♥ Purple Rain mini paint pot 5ml- a pretty lilac and ice blue shimmer.

♥ Midnight in Paris mini paint pot 5ml- a gorgeous midnight blue with a silver shimmer.

♥ Cyclone mini paint pot 5ml- a turquoise to bronze shimmering duo-chrome.

♥ Up In The Clouds mini paint pot 5ml- a dreamy opalescent pale pink.

♥ After Dark mini paint pot 5ml- colour-shifting purple to blue iridescent.

♥ Violet Vixen mini paint pot 5ml- a rose-gold glitter with a red, purple, and yellow gold shimmer.

I couldn't resist taking a peek at all of the products hidden inside when the calendar first arrived, and let me tell you, there are some seriously beautiful nail shades in this set! Everything is so gorgeous. There are bold reds, mesmerising navys, pretty pinks, glamorous golds, beautiful iridescents, and so many other gorgeous shades, mostly from the Gelology creme nail paint collection. There are less nudes and more colourful shades than in some of their previous calendars, so of course, that's makes this calendar a winner in my book! I'm so impressed with the selection of nail shades included in this Advent calendar; I think it has one of the best selection of colours yet. I can't wait to try them all out this December. 

The great thing is, there are no annoying loose glitters or caviars like there used to be in past Mini Mani Month calendars, and unlike the Essie Advent calendar, it isn't bulked out with cheap accessories. Okay, there is one sturdy, glittery gold emery board included, but I can live with that. A girl can never have too many nail files around in case of nail emergencies, right? 

I've not yet tested or swatched any of the paint pots as I want to save that pleasure for Advent, but I've been a big fan of Ciaté nail paints for years, and I can tell you the formula handles like a dream, dries quickly, and is long lasting. I usually find Ciaté polishes remain chip-free for at least four or five days, which is far longer than most other nail brands I've tried. (And believe me, I've tried a lot). They're well worth the investment.

You may also be happy to know that the brand is vegan friendly, not tested on animals, and free of parabens, so they're kinder to your nails, health, animals, and the environment than many nail brands. You can purchase with a clear conscience knowing no animals were harmed to make this Advent calendar, and that Ciaté are committed to a sustainable future. How great is that?

This year's Mini Mani Month calendar contains £150 worth of products, but retails for just £50, so it's fantastic value for money, and one of the most reasonably priced beauty Advent calendars around this Christmas. It's still available to purchase from Ciaté, Beauty Expert, Debenhams, Look Fantastic, Mankind, and Nail Polish Direct, but you'll have to be quick because it won't be around for much longer!

Overall, I think this year's Mini Mani Month is a fantastic Advent calendar. The design is attractive, the contents are amazing, and the price is very reasonable for twenty four good quality nail products. I can't wait for Advent to arrive, so I can start opening the windows, and try all of the gorgeous goodies inside. My nails are going to look so good this December! 

I'll be revealing what I find inside each window over on my Instagram account during every day of Advent, along with the contents of my Essie Advent calendar, so be sure to give me a follow if you want to follow along.

How will you be counting down the days 'til Christmas this year?

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Review | Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Nail Paints

Barry M has been one of my favourite nail polish brands since my early teens, so when I saw their new Speedy Quick Dry collection in Boots last week I couldn't wait to give them a try.

The collection is made up of the prettiest, delicate pastel colours, and I had a hard time narrowing down which ones to road test first. The polishes were on 3 for 2 in Boots, so of course I just had to buy three. 

I chose a cheerful flamingo pink called 'In A Heart Beat.'

A fresh Spring green called 'Pole Position.'

And a fashionable blue, somewhere between duck egg and mint, called 'Road Rage.'

Three very pretty shades that were made for the perfect Spring manicure!

I wasted no time in trying them out, and used them all in one manicure later that same day. I have to say, I was impressed with how well they handled. The polishes all have wide flat brushes which make applying each coat super easy; the width helps to cover a lot of nail in one swipe, so it takes no time at all to apply each coat.  

I needed 3-4 coats to achieve an opaque finish, and it took less than a minute for each coat to dry! Both hands were done and bone dry within fifteen minutes. I don't know about you, but I hate waiting an age for my nails to set, so this Speedy Quick Dry formula is a God send! 

They're the perfect polishes for anybody who has limited time to get ready, and for people who have a difficult time sitting still long enough for their nails to dry. I've lost count how many times I've smudged my nails because I've not left enough time for them to dry properly, but I haven't had that problem with these three polishes. I'm sold. They even stayed in place for three days without chipping!

My only real issue was that 'Road Rage', the duck egg blue, went on a little bumpy unless the brush was drowned in polish. The brush kept sticking against the nail, instead of gliding over it, which I think was down to the quality of the brush and not the formula.  With a little patience, I worked around it by flooding the brush, but it took a little longer to brush off the excess polish to get an even finish.

Aside from that little issue, I really love these nail polishes. They're easily some of the loveliest pastel polishes I've ever worn. I still can't decide which is my favourite; it changes from minute to minute. I'm leaning towards the pink right now, but in five minutes I'll say green or blue. All three shades are fresh, bright, and cheerful- and you just can't go wrong with pastel polishes like these for Spring.

The Speedy Quick Dry polishes are very affordable at £3.99 each, and should be available in all good pharmacies / drug stores like Boots and Superdrug. 

Have you tried their Speedy Quick Dry nail paints yet?

PS. Apologies for the state of my nails in these photos. I know it's pretty much the worst looking manicure ever. I have really shaky hands these days (from the pain and painkillers), so I currently have the artistic ability of a three year old! I don't have the patience to try again, but I decided just to blog these photos anyway, as I wanted to share these polishes with you.