The Comparison | Boots v Bourjois Nail Polish Remover

When Bourjois released their Magic Nail Varnish Remover the entire blogging world went a bit crazy for it. Myself included - you can see my initial review here. Personally I loved it, raved about it and recommend to all of my friends and family. It really is a great little product and I've repurchased a few times since. However, when I went into a small Boots store the other day to get another one they didn't have it, just this little Boots number. If I'm honest I didn't read the bottle properly. I saw "Nail" and "Remover" and just assumed it was the same thing. However it was an artificial nail remover, but works amazingly as a nail varnish remover as well.

The main difference is the inside of the pot. The Bourjois version has a foam inside soaked in remover. You pop your finger in, swish it around and out your finger pops. The Boots version has soft plastic spikes pointing inward with a pool of remover. Again, put your finger in for a couple of seconds and the rub around the spokes and voila, all gone. Both work great a varnish remover. The Bourjois version is easier for transport, with the Boots one I'm worried the liquid will come out. However, the Bourjois foam holds darker colours which then goes onto your own finger. 

One big plus I've found with Boots version comes when taking off glitter nail varnish and top coats. The Bourjois version isn't the best, which I'm sure most people will tell you. However the Boots version is amazing. Th e spokes really help to dislodge the glitter from the nail and comes off within seconds.

As you can see! It really dislodges the glitter and is perfect for it. I would say the liquid is a lot harsher than the Bourjois one, but you can pop your own remover inside when this is used up/dirty. You can get both from Boots, the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover for £4.99 and Boots Perfect Finish Artificial Nail Remover for £3 I believe. I haven't been able to find it online but it was in the section of the false nails in Boots so if you look there you should find it.

Which would you choose?

Nails | Autumn Nudes

 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

For me autumns is all about the earth notes. All naturals and definitely full of browns. I'm one of those people that doesn't fine brown earthy tones boring, especially one nails and I full encourage all to embrace the brown and tan! Here is my top 5 autumn nudes from my collection.

1 | L'Oreal Color Riche Nails in Lady Chocolate

I bought this about two years ago on a whim when I decided I wanted chocolate nails. This is a teeny tiny pot of nail varnish, but to be honest when do you ever use up a full post? It's a thicker brush which is easier to apply and really nice, thick and creamy to apply.

2 | Barry M High Shine Gelly in Lychee

I'm a big fan of the Gelly versions of Barry M's nail paints, they are really long lasting and good quality at such a budget price. I love Lychee as it's a lovely caramel colour so a bit more subtle for the nude season and perfect as a base coat for glitter top coats.

3 | Essie in Glamour Purse

Not entierly sure if you can get this in Boots, but one of the older collections I got it off Fragrance Direct a while back now. It's a gorgeous almond type taupe. Unfortunately it has the old thin brush (ick) so not as nice and the newer colours, but still a lovely autumn shade (currently wearing it as I type)

4 | Bourjois Paris 1 Second Nail Varnish in Beige Distinction

More of a pinky nude, it's definitely the more girly of the five and one I really love. Again it's the perfect shade for a base coat for glitter/sequin top coats. These have a large brush so are super super easy to apply and a gel formula so really long lasting.

5 | Bourjois Paris 1 Second Nail Varnish in Taupe Classy

Very similar to the Essie shade it's a almond taupe but a little bit darker, more brown in it I think as well. This is incredibly long lasting. I can't fault these polish's at all. I'm not 100% sure if this shade is still available but there are some similar ones in the collection.

My favourites are probably Glamour Purse and Beige Distinction. Lychee I wear all the time as well as it's very understated so perfect for the work place.

What's your favourite autumn nude?

Nails | Salon Pro Peppermint

RIMMEL SALON PRO NAILS IN PEPPERMINT £4.49

These little pots of paint are all over the blogosphere lately and I'm not surprised. I bought this little pot a couple of months ago on a whim with the bestie Amber (she bullied me into it I swear). I loved the look of this colour and thought it'd be the perfect summer shade.

As with all the other blogs, it's an incredibly long lasting nail polish - such good quality for such a small price. When i think of how much you spend on a Chanel (goodbye £18) and how long they last (a day if you're lucky) and how much these are... I wonder why I have any Chanels (because they have gorgeous colours and I'm a sucker for them). But honestly these are fantastic. 

This colour is gorgeous as well, its a pale blue aquamarine type colour that just has "Lisa" written all over it. They have such a large range of colours in this range as well, I'm coveting Hip Hop and Reggae Splash.

Which of these polish's would you wear?

Nails | Topshop Hidden Treasure

TOPSHOP HIDDEN TREASURE NAIL VARNISH £6.00

My lovely Mummy went on a shopping trip recently and bought this back with her for me. It's not my usual colour, not something I'd pick for myself, but I am really drawn to it. It's a mix of blues, greens and golds, all mixed together with a shimmer. It's very unusual and incredibly pretty. It makes me think "mermaid".

Quality wise, it's the same as any other Topshop polishes. It lasts for a good couple of days without chipping (with a bottom coat) and I've gotten several compliments when wearing it.

What do you think? Would you wear Hidden Treasure?

Nails | Essie Virgin Orchid

 ESSIE NAIL LACQUER IN VIRGIN ORCHID £1.99 FROM FRAGRANCE DIRECT

If you haven't been to Fragrance Direct yet, go there now - Essie for £1.99?! Who wouldn't want that! It depends on what stock they currently have as to what you can get, but I very recently bought this gorgeous sheer salmon pink colour, called Virgin Orchid. It has the wide brush which I love and the colour is just gorgeous.

Also, for bridal season it is perfect for that. It's sheer enough to be delicate, yet opaque enough to create a gorgeous colour in just two coats. As will all Essie, it lasts for a good few days without chipping (unless you have to unjam a copier but that's another story).

At the moment (at time of writing) there were around 7 different colours on Fragrance Direct, including Fear or Desire. I would definitely recommend visiting them if your after an Essie bargain.

Have you been to Fragrance Direct? What Essie would you want?

Nails | Top Three Spring Shades

I'm a person who loves it when their nails are all painted, suited and booted. I love new colours and I love different shades. This spring I've been keeping to a fairy pastel based palette and these three are definitely my top three.

Models Own Upotia £5
Thanks to Lily I have hunted this down and finally bought it. It's different to what I thought it would be, its a very pale lilac, paler than the photo lets on, and is a gorgeous subtle shade. Long wearing and great as a base when you want to add a sequin top coat.

Barry M Lychee £3.99
A favourite in the blogging world and has become one of my most worn. A "foundation" shade, if you like, which again is great as a top coat base or just a lazy shade. Really long lasting as part of their gelly range.

Essie Maximillian Strasse Her £7.99
Silly name aside, this is a gorgeous pale duck egg-ish blue that screams IM SO PRETTY I COULD DIE! Definitely my favourite. Again, lasts for ages and honestly I am just in love with this shade. it is one of my absolute faves and I will live and die in it.

Pastels are a great shade for spring and summer, and with "foundation" nails setting the way for the next couple of months, these pale shades are definitely in style. Also - look I have a nail wheel yay! About bloody time and I love it. All swatches are just one coat and are without any top/base coat.

What's your top spring shades?

Nails | Barry M Gelly Watermelon

BARRY M GELLY HI SHINE NAIL PAINT IN WATERMELON £3.99 

My favourite budget nail varnish brand is definitely Barry M, I would go as far to say it is my favourite make up brand of all time if it wasn't for Essie - they are on a par I think. So when they bought out a Gelly version of their nail paints I was desperate to try them. But I put it off again and again, because I am a stupid girl! Stupid stupid Lisa!

Anyway, I finally saw sense and popped off to Superdrug where they had 2 for £6 and I picked up this gorgeous shade Watermelon and Satsuma, a bright orangey red polish (review to come!) This is a dark green that is literally the same shade as the outside of a watermelon (hence the name).

As usual it is the thin brush, but it's really easy to apply and dries really quickly. One coat was enough but I always do two anyway. It's also incredibly shiny, hence the hi shine name. Plus, it literally lasts for days. This photo was taken on a Wednesday when it had already been on for four days and look - no chips and still super shiny! Can't wait to use more of their gelly paints!

Which colours do you love?

NOTD: Denim and Rose Quartz

PRODUCTS USED: BARRY M NAIL PAINT IN DENIM & ROSE QUARTZ GLITTER £2.99 EACH

I mentioned this blue nail varnish is my Best of 2012 Nails post and I realised when I put it on this week that I STILL haven't reviewed it for you guys. I had already put some glitter over the top so I thought I would just combine it all for a NOTD post!

So let's start with Denim. It's a 'denim' blue colour, with very sutble glitter running through it to give the effect of jeans. I fell in love with it because it's glue and glittery - but not too glittery so it's perfect for everyday wear.
My lovely Grandma bought me Rose Quartz Glitter for my birthday in November - ahead of the glitter top coat trend my Grandma! - and I love it. It's a pain in the bottom to remove, but its a mix of small and large sequins and glitter to create a mixed affect, and as the name suggests it's a very pale pink so again, subtle.

I'm not a huge nail art person - mainly cause I'm so lazy I can't be bothered - but I saw a post with just the glitter top coat at the base of the nail so I thought I would try that out, with a mix of full nail as well on my ring finger. Unfortuantely my little finger decided it wanted a full coat as well opps!

Overall, I really like this cute look. It's great for everyday and as with all Barry M nail paints they last for ages, dry really quickly and the pigmentation on Denim is fab. This is two coats, but you can get away with just the one!

What do you think of my lazy girl nail art? What Barry M paints should I pick up?

Pure Colour: Absinthe

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Nail Lacquer in Absinthe £14.50

This is part of their new range of nail lacquers and it seems my Mum has most of them already! I decided to take a look at her collection and give one a go. I thought I'd try absinthe as it's a bit of an unusual colour.

The product itself goes on really easily and has a very creamy consistency which is really nice to apply and have on the nails. With regards to the colour, I'm not 100% about it. It's a bit sickly green for me and I'm really not sure how I feel about it.

It lasts quite well however and I know some of the other colours in the range are gorgeous and I can't wait to try the others out.

What do you think of their new range of colours?

Natio Nails

Natio Nail Colour in Adore and Kashi* available from Debenhams

I change my nail colour all the time, so having a polish I can rely on to stay in place and is easy to apply whenever I need it is a must have for me. So when I was offered the chance to try out a new brand on varnish, how could I say no?

You may have seen me talk about Natio before on here, but if not, basically they are an Australian brand who use all natural ingredients in their products.

When I first saw these two I thought I would like Kashi more as it was more of a muted shade, not quite as loud as Adore looked in the bottle. But when I put them on I really can't choose between them. The polish uses a thin brush, but it's actually really easy to use and doesn't leave streaks.

They do last a good few days as well (with a base coat) so it's a reliable varnish in some gorgeous shades. I would love to try this in the colours "Ruby" and "Mystic".

Have you tried Natio Nail Colour? What's your favourite colour?

Tart Deco

Essie Tart Deco £7.99

This is so NOT a winter colour. It's definitely one for the summer. However, Santa left this little pot of joy in my stocking so I was determined to try it before the summer. As with the entire Diffusion range (in Boots) it comes with a thicker brush which makes it easier to apply and has less chance of leaking onto the skin. The formula itself is really creamy and doesn't leave brush streaks (score!). I popped two coats of this on top of my Models Own base coat and I was so please with it.

It came out a lot more neon than I was expecting. I thought it would be a really pale coral, put it's quite a bright, loud coral - which was quite a nice surprise! I have wanted this colour forever and it didn't disappoint, however I might have to save it for the summer to pop it on again (maybe...).

It didn't last as long as a couple of other Essie polishes I have (Snap Happy lasted for aaages), it was a couple of days and then I started noticing chips. But when you work in a retail store what do you expect! Overall, big thumbs up from me!

What's you favourite winter Essie?

Essie Winter 2012 Collection

Essie Winter 2012 Collection £9.99

I have fallen completely in love with Essie this year. Rewind one year ago and I didn't have a clue - hadn't heard of Essie, now I own a few too many! This gorgeous set is part of their winter collection and is three of shades from that collection, Leading Lady

My lovely Mum bought me this set when she came in and saw me at work and I was having a "want to kill everyone" day and she knows I'm trying to be good and not buy anything at the moment. So she treated me, what a lovely Mummy I have.

I have wanted Leading Lady for aaaaages. It just looks like Christmas perfection, and yes, I did notice Christmas has gone BUT it still remains one of my favourite nail varnishes now. Its a gorgeous deep red with subtle flecks of glitter. I have two coats on here, but to be honest you probably only need about one for depth of colour. I always do 2 just in case though. It last's really well - in the photo above I'd been wearing it for around 5 days so super super lasting power!

Beyond Crazy is like a super duper glitter polish. As you can see, it is an incredibly glittery polish and doesn't need a colour underneath it. The picture above is just one coat so you can see just how dense the sparkle is. It's a silvery gold, so it will very easily go with everything.

Snap Happy is a kind of orangey red. More red than orange, but it's not like a super dupey "tramp" red (as my old manager used to call it). It's more of a subtle red. You do need a couple of coats with this (I feel you do anyway) just to make sure you get the most out of this gorgeous colour. I think this will be amazing in the summer months as well as a great Christmas colour.

Overall, loving this collection and the polishes. Leading Lady is my favourite, I think it is just a gorgeous polish and I've had so many compliments over the past few days about it, it will definitely be a repurchase when I run out (if they still do it!).

Which do you prefer?

Models Own Freak Out

Models Own Freak Out £5

When Models Own Mirrorball collection came out I was desperate to give it a go, then desperation faded and then I saw this beauty on Lily's blog and voila - I needed to have this little pot of sparkle.

It's a clear top coat with purple, blue and turquoise sparkly bits inside. It creates the perfect nail for a nice out, or if you just want to make yourself feel a bit special!

If I'm going to be honest I will say I was a little diasppointed with it. It just wasn't as "wow" as I was expecting. I probably didn't put enough on really to make it wow, but I'm a bit underwhelmed by it. It is still a nice polish and I will use it again, but for the moment I am a bit meh about it.

What's you favourite from the Mirror Ball collection?

Essie Mojito Madness

Essie Nail Polish in Mojito Madness £7.99

This is me, popping my Essie cherry. Yup I've gone and done it! I hope you're proud.
I decided my first colour should be something totally different to what I currently have, and I completely fell in love with Mojito Madness, not just for the name (can't beat a good mojito!). I love the jade tones and the creamy, solid finish.

Even though I was a bit reluctant to part with £7.99 on a nail varnish, I couldn't be happier I did. Not only is the colour to die for, but the polish itself is so easy to apply - probably the easiest I've used. The brush is thick and only takes a couple of strokes to cover the nail. Not only that but you don't have to dip it back into the pot for an average of three or four nails. Love it!

It also dries quickly and lasts for ages. I was wearing this colour for around four days with one tiny chip before I changed - and that's only to try out a different Essie varnish!

I would definitely recommend Essie to any nail fanatics. You can get the diffusion range from Boots which has a ridiculous amount of colours available - all of which are incredible! I want the ENTIRE collection please!

Have you tried Essie? What colours would you recommend?

eye CANDY London Magnetic Wave Nail Lacquers

eye CANDY London Magnetic Wave Nail Lacquers*

I reviewed Barry M's very cool magnetic nail varnish a little while ago here and loved the effect it had on my nails and the compliments I got from people wondering how I did it. This nail varnish is very similar however all colours have the same pattern. I got to try out the Artic colour as seen above. The way it works is that the polish contains tiny metallic micro mineral and iron particles. All you have to do is paint your nails then hold the magnet in the lid directly above the nail and instantly this fantastic pattern occurs. Teamed with this colour it reminds me of those metal plate things that you probably recognise from the pattern itself. 

I love how this works, it's so easy to use and I love the colour. It also comes in two other colours, Bourdeaux (a deep metallic red) and Expresso (metallic coffee colour) and I'm curious to see how these look.

You can get this brand from from Sainsbury's everywhere and this will set you back £10. Quite a difference to Barry M's which is half the price and I think the quality is around the same if I'm honest. I do love the product, the price puts me off slightly but I think I'd go for it as a pay day treat.

Have you tried eye CANDY nail varnish at all?

Bourjois 1 Seconde Nails

Bourjois 1 Seconde Gel Nail Varnish

I won these lovely nail varnishs from a blog giveaway along with one of their fab nail varnish removers. I was sent these five gorgeous colours and when my Mum rang me at work going "there's a parcel here for you.. have you been ordering nail varnishes?" I got very excited as I've been dying to try these out.

I can't have my nails not painted, I just can't do it or I bite them and the idea of having a gel nail varnish really appeals to me as I'm also lazy and cba to paint them a different colour everyday or upkeep them if they chip.

So lets talk about the product... it's meant to be "1 nail, 1 stroke, 1 second" - I am unfortunately going to have to disagree with this. It took two strokes (shock horror) to cover my nails. A vast improvement on SO many other nail varnishes I use though so I wouldn't be too down-hearted! It has a fan effect brush and honestly is probably the easiest nail varnish to apply that I have ever used. I usually pop three coats on, however with this I only did two. To be honest, you could get away with one coat but I think just out of habit I was reluctant to leave it at one coat. It was really fast drying as well which is handy when you have a puppy trying to crawl all over you when applying!

Now - to the good bit. I have scratched them, i have deliberately hit my nails with things, I have a puppy... And four days in - no chips. I don't think I could be more impressed unless I come back in another four days and there still aren't any chips. I am seriously impressed with its staying power. I'm going to credit the gel with this.

So, this had me thinking - will it not come off when I pop my finger in its magic nail varnish remover - the answer is yes, very easily. Just as easily as any other polish. 

Now - colours. I have to say, I love all of these colours with the exception of rainbow apparation - I'm just not a glitter girl. I can't seem to pick a favourite at the moment - I seem to have both lavande esquisse and beige distinction on my nails as we speak! Which do you like?

So let's talk about price. It's £5.99 which I honestly think is cheap as chips when you look at the quality of the product. I'd quite happily pay for this and at time of writing it, they were 3 for 2 in Boots. Could you ask for anymore? It seems Bourjois have gotten nails down to a tee.

Have you tried Bourjois 1 seconde nails?

Ways to Waterfall

It seems my sending has gotten a bit out of hand lately! However, I will defend buying this next item until the end of time because I have fallen completely in love with it.

You know one of those dresses that you put on in the changing room and just sigh and think "O crap now I have to buy it..." Well, this is that dress.

Dress New Look

Shoes New Look (Andra's Wardrobe)

Necklace Lola Rose

Bracelet Lola Rose

Nails Estee Lauder Teal Topaz

I have completely bought into the waterfall trend. I think its just a ladylike trend and it's just so pretty! I love the colours in this dress, they are really bring and help to brighten up the black. It comes in at the waist (which I'm a bit fan of) and skims over your bum and legs.

The top of the dress is actually see-through so you do have to wear a black vest underneath (unless you're braver then me and want to expose your underwear!), it does have a slip under the skirt... but not a very long one!

I wore this beauty to my Pappy's 80th Birthday party (that's Granddad or Grandpa to normal people) and I got so many compliments for it :) It's definitely become a staple in my wardrobe for the summer.

This dress is actually in their sale now for £11! So I'd snap it up while you can here

The jewellery (you've probably predicted) is from my trusty Lola Rose collection. I LOVE the colour of these bits, so summery and they go perfectly with this dress. The nails as Estee Lauder in Teal Topaz to match the jewellery with a varnish from my Mum's magic colouring box! (Become one of my fave shades for the summer... If it ever arrives!)

The shoes I stole from Andra's wardrobe (again) and were SO comfortable, the balls of my feet didn't even hurt by the end of the night - which is saying something as there was a disco with classics such as 5,6,7,8 and Saturday Night! You can't get them in this colour anymore but take a look here for the colours you can get :)

Have you tried a waterfall outfit yet?