Sunday Swatch Day (1)

I want to start something new on my blog and Instagram where, along with my swatches and nail art, I post weekly posts. On Sundays I want to do Sunday Swatch Day and on Friday I want to do Friday Favourites! This is inspired by someone I follow on Instagram and I completely forgot the name of! When I remember I'll post it!

Anyway so for Sunday Swatch Day I want to go through my collection and swatch nail polishes that I haven't used in a while. This way I'm making use of all my polishes and none of them are just standing there unused, and it always gives people a change to look at completely different polishes!

My very first Sunday Swatch Day and I'm already late posting... I did manage to post them on Instagram yesterday, but didn't have time to write the blog post. I decided to start off with Leighton Denny.

I love the brand Leighton Denny. It's quite an expensive brand, the nail polishes are £11 for a 12ml bottle. They are available online and in some M&S stores. The majority of mine are from TKMaxx. About 2 years ago, when I started my nail polish obsession, I always found these in TKMaxx, but I haven't seen them for a long time unfortunately.

All Leighton Denny polishes I've tried have an incredible formula. They're all very smooth, easy to apply and very minimal streaking. They dry to a super glossy finish and dry quick. I have never been disappointed with any of the colours.

First up is Shipwrecked.

This is one of my first ones and I still love it! It's such a gorgeous.. I don't really know how to describe the colour!

Online it's listed as an "acid green cream polish". It's kind of that in between a pale yellow and a pale green, yet still being very bright.

This came out a couple of years ago and it's actually on sale for only £6.60 at the moment!

I used 2 coats for the swatch. It applied incredibly smooth and easy. I didn't apply top coat. The photo doesn't even do justice as to how glossy it really is!

Next up is Blue Lagoon.

I believe this was part of the same set as Shipwrecked from TKMaxx. It was 3 polishes for £14.99.

This is the most perfect blue with a hint of turquoise. I love the description on Look Fantastic.com

"Think warm sandy beaches, crystal blue water and desert islands with this Leighton Denny Nail Colour in Blue Lagoon; this seasons must have shade, teal and turquoise are fused together to create this exotic blue shade. Yummy!" 

Isn't the perfect description?!

I used 2 easy coats for the swatch, no topcoat.

The third colour I swatched is my favourite pink of all time. This actually is my most used nail polish (other than white, top and base coat). It's down to the O in Leighton!

 This is the perfect shade of pink. It's a very sweet light pink, that's bright but not in your face.

Anyway this is called Babydoll.

Here is the description from BeautyExpert.com

"Baby Doll gives an effortless dreamy summer feel with high impact results."

Another perfect description!

Again I used 2 coats for the swatch and no topcoat. I was very careful with my application, making sure not to over work the polish. I would recommend 2-3 coats.

Next up is Viva La Diva, a super vibrant gorgeous red.

As you can tell from the bottle, this is not as creamy as the others. This has much more of a crelly formula. I still used 2 coats for the swatch but if you look closely you can see my visible nail line. It's only very subtle so you can really tell and it definitely doesn't bother me, but if you want it to be fully opaque I'd recommend 3 coats.

Again the formula was incredible. No issues and it dried super super glossy.

I think this might be the only polish I actually paid full price for!

This is Get Your Côte.

"This electrifying azure blue is sublime summer skies for your nails, giving you a cutting-edge catwalk look that wont go unnoticed. This bright and breezy blue is fun, wearable and traffic stoppingly stylish."

Yes I totally agree.

This is even more gorgeous in real life than in the photo. It's a really vibrant azure blue that pops off your nails.

I used 2 coats for the swatch, although it could be fully opaque in one thicker coat.

Last is Leading Lady.

i have a couple nudes from Leighton Denny. My favourite is Honey Trap, however I've used this one fewer times than Honey Trap, so decided to add this one instead.

This is a pinky nude.

" a future classic - an elegant, sophisticated nude that combines sumptuous dusky pink with a delicately chic hint of grey."

Pinky nudes suit my skin tone so beautifully and I can't get enough of them!

Again super easy application, 2 careful coats and no topcoat.

Leighton Denny is a bit more of a higher end nail polish brand. They retail for £11 for a 12ml bottle. It's also a bit of a lesser known brand compared to OPI, Orly, Essie and China Glaze. I'm not sure why it's not talked about because the formula on each and every one of these is perfect. Leighton Denny claim to be High Performance Nail Colour and they definitely are. Swatching them makes me want to buy more! They're such a reliable brand!

CM Handmade UK Nail Art Gradient

CM Handmade UK is an indie brand located in the UK. They are a fairly new nail polish brand but have some amazing polishes. Anywhere from cremes to crelly's to holos.

I received a few polishes from them to review and decided to create some nail art!

I have been obsessed with gradients recently. They're so easy to do and look so impressive!

Products used: 

Barry M Cotton: White base

Nail Mail Mess Free Mani: Liquid Latex

Primark Cosmetic Sponge

CM Handmade UK Lucite (green)

CM Handmade UK Perble (purple)

CM Handmade UK Vanilla Bean (nude)

Leighton Denny Angel Dust (silver glitter)

Ulta3 Stop The Press

Hema Fast Drying Topcoat.

More info and swatches after the jump!

Top 10 Nail Polish for Autumn

The weather is getting cooler and the leaves have started changing colour... it's time for Autumn! I love everything about Autumn, especially how it used to be back when I lived in New Jersey. There would be crisp blue skies and brightly coloured red, orange, green, yellow trees. I also love the fragrances that come out around autumn, the vanilla's, spices and pumpkin scents are so cozy and warm. Aaaand of course I love the Autumn nail polish colours. This is the time of year I get to wear one of my all time favourite OPI's: Just A Little Rösti At This. I've picked out my top 10 colours. Most of them are cremes, but I did pick out two shimmers.

I'll start with a nice refreshing pop of colour. This is OPI...Eurso Euro. It's very similar to OPI's Do You Have This Color In Stockholm from the new Nordic Collection, but this is a little more blue toned. 

This is a great transition colour from the summer neons as it's still very bright but not quite as in your face. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

The second colour is another popular shade this season, OPI's Thanks A Windmillion from the Holland collection a few years ago. This is a lot more muted than My Dogsled Is A Hybrid from this years Nordic Collection by OPI. Barry M has also come out with a shade very similar to this one in their winter collection which could be a cheaper alternative. 

I like how this is a bit more muted and neutral and thus a lot more wearable. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

Third up is Just A Little Rösti At This by OPI. Oh how I love this colour!! I bought it in Melbourne last year and it's been my favourite deep red ever since. It's a classic Autumn colour that'll transition perfectly into winter. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, you can easily get away with just one coat though! 

Next is another OPI, let's get all these out of the way first. This is Steady As She Rose from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection a while back. As well as the deep dark rich colours, I love wearing something a little more neutral and light. This is a beautiful rosy colour that's wearable all year round. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

This OPI is new to my collection but I know I'll be wearing it all Autumn.... this is Muir Muir on the Wall from the San Francisco collection. It's a shimmery duocrome in a very dark plum base. The shimmers reflect from this beautiful bright pink, to a golden shine. 

It kind of reminds me of Every Month Is Oktoberfest by OPI, but that's much more purple. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

The final OPI is one of my very first OPIs... The World Is Not Enough from the Skyfall collection. This is a shimmery silver brown base with pink coppery shimmers. This is so beautiful in real life and just glows in the sun! 

The formula is a little sheer so I used three coats and no top coat. 

My first non OPI had to be a Kester Black. This is Deep Violet, and it's a dark plum colour. Even though it's very dark, it's definitely purple in every light and doesn't come off as black. This is another popular colour this winter. There are many alternatives you can buy such as Barry M Plum, Mavala Tokyo, OPI Vant To Bite My Neck. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, although you could easily get away with just 1 coat. 

Next up is Mecca cosmetic Ophelia, a very bright red. I have recently been getting back into plain red nails, and although it's another shade that can be worn year round. I think it works great especially in summer and autumn. Every single brand in the whole world has a red like this, so it definitely isn't unique, but I love the formula of all Mecca Cosmetica polishes. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat, although you could easily get away with just 1. 

I wanted include a very simple neutral nail polish and Honey Trap by Leighton Denny is my go-to nude. This is a much more beige toned neutral shade that looks elegant, sophisticated and very natural. It's something everyone can pull off. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

Finally my last Autumn shade is probably the most typical shade.. a burnt orange! I chose Barry M Paprika. This is the meaning of Autumn. It's the colour of the fallen leaves and pumpkins and reminds me of warm Autumn days. The whole autumn/winter Gelly collection by Barry M this year is fantastic. 

I used 2 coats and no top coat. 

What do you think of my top 10 Autumn picks? Are they similar to your favourites around this time of year? 

xx Elaine 

Yoomoo Frozen Yogurt Competition

A few weeks ago the frozen yogurt brand YooMoo had a competition to create nail art inspired by their brand. The prize was a Nails Inc Nail Polish. There were two competitions, one by YooMoo itself and one by @thepolishlist on Instagram. I entered into the second competition and created this nail art inspired by their strawberry swirl flavour.

I watched YoungWildAndPolished's YouTube video on how to water marble. She had so many great tips and advice and thanks to her I am finally able to water marble properly!

For the water marble I used three Essie colours: Urban Jungle, Cute As A Button, and Go Ginza. For the Ombre I used Essie Urban Jungle, Leighton Denny Babydoll, Essie Cute As A Button and OPI Koala Bear-y For the Yoomoo logo I used Urban Jungle by Essie as the background and Leighton Denny Babydoll for the cow.

I am so excited... I WON! @thepolishlist chose my entry as well as @firefly5 and @lisas_nails1 to win an exclusive YooMoo Nails Inc nail polish.

The polish is called Udderly Shocking Pink, and it's this beautiful bright pink. I love Nails Inc polishes are they're always super easy to apply.

I used two easy coats for the swatch and it dried with an incredible shine.

I'm so happy and proud of myself that I won a competition!

Free Leighton Denny Harpers Bazaar Part 2

This month, the July issue, Harpers Bazaar has 6 free Leighton Denny nail polishes to choose from. The magazine retails for £4.20. It includes two reds, one dark red with silver shimmer, one brown, one dark pink and one sheer light pink. At first I only picked up the brown, dark pink and sheer pink... but I went back for more and now have the entire set! To check out the first three swatches of Supermodel, Plush Pink and 3 Times a Lady click here!

The three other shades are (from top to bottom) Viva La Diva, a vibrant bright red, Lolly Pop, a beautiful pinkish red, and Best Seller a dark red base with tons of silver shimmer. 

First up is Viva La Diva. My camera isn't very good and picking up different reds, but it's slightly darker in real life, more like the photo above with the magazine, it's the third bottle. The formula on this was amazing, I only needed two coats. It's very smooth and not streaky at all. The first coat was slightly sheer and you could see my nail line, but the second coat covered that up completely. 

This is my favourite from these three, Lolly Pop. Originally I thought this was just another red, but it's actually a beautiful pink that leans red. I love it! Again for formula was great, two even smooth coats and it's fully opaque. 

The third polish is something I've never really thought of getting. Best Seller is a dark red shimmery nail polish. The red base is almost jelly-like but very opaque, and it's packed with tons of silver shimmer. Because it's a shimmer polish and not a glitter it's still very smooth to apply and easy to remove. I used two coats for the photo. This is a very Christmassy polish and I personally don't think I'll wear it any other time of the year, but it's a beautiful nail polish! 

Free Leighton Denny Harpers Bazaar Part 1

Leighton Denny is another brand I'm a big fan of, they're a bit pricey at £11. I bought my first Leighton Denny at TK Maxx, it was a set of three nail polishes for only £15. The bottles look really nice and they've got a great range of colours. The formula on them is amazing. Their cremes are super opaque and easy to apply.

This month, the July issue, Harpers Bazaar has 6 free Leighton Denny nail polishes to choose from. The magazine retails for £4.20. It includes two reds, one dark red with silver shimmer, one brown, one dark pink and one sheer light pink. I only picked up three: Plush Pink, Supermodel and 3 Times A Lady. The two reds were pretty similar and I've got a ton of reds, and I wasn't a big fan of the dark red with silver shimmer either.

The first colour I decided to try was Supermodel. I'd heard a lot of good reviews about this one. It used to be part of a limited edition range and it was so popular they made in permanent! It's a really lovely dark brown colour that looks really elegant. The formula was amazing. The first coat was super smooth and streak free. There was a very slight visible nail line so I added two coats. You can easily get away with one though. The second coat enhances the colour and makes it a bit of a deeper brown. It has a super glossy finish. I'm not surprised it's such a popular colour!

Supermodel, 2 coats

The second colour is Plush Pink. This is a deep warm pink that's still really bright, but not too in your face. This was an aaaamazing formula. I applied two coats for the swatch, but you could definitely get away with just one. It's a really beautiful pink and dries quickly with an amazing shine.

Plush Pink, 2 coats

The final colour is 3 Times A Lady. This is a sheer but buildable pink. The first coat was super sheer, and made my nails look really healthy. The second coat was a lot more opaque, but still had an obvious nail line. I'm not a big fan of sheer polishes, but 2 coats was actually really pretty. Adding the third coat made it almost completely opaque. It's a gorgeous light baby pink and because it's such a sheer polish it dried with the most incredible shine. I love it! It's probably not a colour I would have bought for £11, but for £4.20 I'm really happy I got it!

3 Times a Lady, 3 coats

The three shades are beautiful, and it kind of makes me want to go back and get one of the two reds... They dried really quick and all three of them had a beautiful shine on their own, definitely no need for a topcoat. The formula was great. The two cremes were really opaque and easy to work with. The sheer polish wasn't streaky at all, so whether you want 1, 2 or three coats it all looks great. I've been using a lot of OPI and Kester Black lately and these nail polishes have made me realise why I loved Leighton Denny so much!