Top 12 Nail Polishes for Autumn Swatches

It's almost September which means it's almost time for Autumn! This year England hasn't had much of a summer so moving into Autumn isn't going to be a huge change. I picked out my top 12 favourite nail polishes for Autumn. I tried to get a bit of everything in there from OPI to Barry M and indies as well as brights, holos and neutrals. I feel like Autumn is a transition period between the bright neons and muted/dark shades for winter. I have included some of my all time favourite polishes! Of course you can wear whatever you want whenever you want, these are just my personal picks! I'm kind of going to go through colour order.

As always, I have LIVE SWATCHES of these on my YouTube channel!!

First up is OPI I Saw...U Saw...We Saw...Warsaw.

This is the darkest colour in the bunch. It's a very deep navy with a hint of teal. I love this polish because even though it's very dark it's still a vibrant blue and it'll never look black.

I love this polish on its own as well as in nail art.

I only used 1 coat for the swatch!

I reckon if you added a second coat it might slightly deepen the colour, but I love how it looks just on 1 coat.

The formula is very opaque, easy to work with and dries to a glossy finish.

Next up is Kester Black Blue Raspberry.

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm obsessed with Kester Black.

This is a very vibrant cobalt blue. This has been the colour of the year for me so far. I literally 1can't get enough of it, and not just for my nails!

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was very sheer but the second coat fully covered up my nail line. I reckon you could add a third coat as it's still slightly deeper of a colour in the bottle than it is on my nails.

It dried to a beautiful glossy finish.

Barry M Guava is one of my go-to colours for Autumn. It's still very very bright, but not as in your face as a neon is. This is a great pop of colour for Autumn.

This is part of the Gelly range from Barry M. These polishes tend to have a slightly thicker formula and dry with a high shine finish. The formula definitely wasn't difficult to work with. I tend to like thicker formulas more anyway.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was pretty streaky but as it dried the streaks seemed to disappear. It was still slightly uneven so I would recommend a second coat.

Next is OPI Mermaid's Tears.

This was a huge lemming of mine! I think I finally own the entire Pirates Of The Caribbean collection!

This is a beautiful muted seafoam green. This has a hint more colour than Thanks A Windmillion, also from OPI, and that's why I much prefer this one.

The formula was very thin.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. The first coat was very sheer and streaky, but the second coat covered everything up. It dries with a glossy finish.

This is Be There In A Prosecco from OPI's new Venice Collection.

The Venice collection was beautiful but this is the only one I added to my top 12 polishes for Autumn.

This is a stunningly beautiful ivory creme nude. This is a great palette cleanser for all the brights and darks. This is a very sophisticated looking colour and I'm officially obsessed.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

It is quite a thin formula and streaky on the first coat, but the second coat covered everything up. It dries with a glossy finish.

Next up OPI Designer...De Better.

This was another HUGE lemming of mine and I was looking for it eeeeverywhere! Until I finally found it in an auction of eBay for about £5!

This is seriously stunning and so worth the hunt. It's a white gold shimmery polish with some coppery bits. It's similar to Worth A Pretty Penne from the new Venice collection, but this is much more of that white gold, whereas that one is much more rosey toned.

I used 2 coats for the swatch, but it was fully opaque in just 1 coat. I did apply topcoat to the swatch.

Next is Kester Black French Lavender.

This is the perfect muted purple. This is quite similar to Planks A Lot from OPI, but this has a slightly better formula.

This is a very light muted purple. OPI came out with a muted purple in the Hawaii collection which was much darker which I wasn't a huge fan of.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. If you're in a rush you could easily get away with just 1 coat as it is very opaque and even coverage. The second coat will slightly deepen up the colour.

It dries with a glossy finish.

Of course I had to include holos too. I've been obsessed with holos this year and want them ALL.

This is Freckles Polish The Treblemakers from the new Pitch Perfect Collection (released today!!). This is a warm plum purple linear holographic polish.

I used 2 coats for the swatch. There was a slight visible nail line of the first coat. The second coat really deepened up the colour.

The second holo is Glam Polish Indigo Sparkle.

This is a much cooler toned brighter purple holo.

I used 3 coats for the swatch.

The first coat was very sheer, but the polish built up beautifully in 3 coats.

This is another great pop of colour for the Autumn.

It dried to a bit of a dull finish so I did apply topcoat.

Next up is OPI I Sâo Paulo Over There.

I wore the crap out of this polish last year. I never thought I would like a brown polish, but I think it's beautiful towards the middle/end of Autumn. It looks really elegant and sophisticated.

I used 2 coats for the swatch.

The formula was very easy to work with, it was slightly sheer on the first coat but the second coat covered everything up.

Next is OPI Just A Little Rösti At This.

This is my all time favourite OPI.

This is a beautiful deep red. It's still very vibrant but much darker than a traditional red. This makes it the perfect shade for Autumn.

The formula is incredible! I only used 1 coat for the swatch.

You could apply a second coat and it will slightly deepen the colour, but I love how it looks with just 1 coat. It has great coverage and a very even finish. It dries super glossy.

I'm obsessed.

The last polish is another favourite of mine.

this is Mecca Cosmetica Timandra. Mecca Cosmetica is an Australian brand.

How beautiful is this colour!? It's a purpley fuchsia and it's AMAZING.

I used 2 coats for the swatch, although if you're picky you might want to add a third.

It's a little sheer on the 1st coat and it dries to a matte finish so I added a topcoat for the swatch.

This is a very vibrant shade, but a great transition shade.



Those are my Autumn picks! What will you be wearing for this season?
xx Elaine

Mani Swap with @PolishIsTheNewBlack

About a week ago Rachel from @PolishIsTheNewBlack asked if anyone wanted to do a maniswap/bestie twin nails with her. I seriously love her account. She's a fellow UK nail girl who does incredible nail art. It was so difficult for me to choose which design to do, but I ended up choosing this floral design. It's something completely different from anything I've done before.

She decided to recreate my glittery mermaid scale mani (which I'll blog about in a later post... mu blog is a little behind!).

I love how hers turned out, and do you see those cute little seashell studs?!?

Luckily for me, Rachel had a tutorial of her mani on her page ;)

I started off with a pink base of OPI Pink Friday. I love this pink because it's a light pastel shade, but still very very bright.

I then added some green grassy bits. I found out that I don't have a proper grass green in my collection..... I guess I'll have to go shopping!

Instead I used China Grass Grass Is Lime Greener. It's hard to see in the photos since it's so light, but it was more visible in real life.

Following Rachel's tutorial I then added the flowers.

For this I used one of my top 10 nail polishes. This is Mecca Cosmetica Timandra. Mecca Cosmetica is an Australian brand that creates Artistry Nail Polishes, amongst many other beauty items. I miss that store!

Anyway, back to the design.. I drew the flowers and then I used OPI Pink Friday again to colour them in.

Next up is the blue-y bits. I first added some tiny dark blue dots using Mecca Cosmetica Cobalt, and then went over it with Kester Black Forget Me Not.

I finished it off with a red Mecca Cosmetica (I forgot the name) and added some dots in the middle of the flowers.

I'm obviously very technical with all my terms.

I gave it some time to completely dry and I added a glossy topcoat. I then added some star studs on my index and pinky fingers as I didn't have the same shape she used.

How cute are these nails though?!?

Check out @PolishIsTheNewBlack on instagram for more beautiful nail art!

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 

Nail Art Challenge June - Destinations

During the month of June I decided to take part in two nail art challenges. To view my other posts click here! Doing two challenges has been a little much, but I'm slowly going through them... Day 28 of #nailartjun was Destinations. As you may know I have traveled up the East Coast of Australia throughout May and it was amazing! One of my favourite places was Sydney (amongst many others). I felt right at home in Sydney and my boyfriend and I walked the Harbour Bridge. When I saw this design by @sparklicious_nails I know I had to recreate it. This is the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge in Sydney. I actually took a photo of this view during the day. 

I started off with a white base, of course OPI Alpine Snow. When that fully dried I taped up the tips of my nails and used a sponge to create an ombre. I used Nails Inc Notting Hill Carnival (yellow), Nails Inc You're A Peach (orange) and OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips (pink) for the ombre on my index finger. I then used the above 3 colours as well as Mecca Cosmetica Timandra (purple/pink) as on ombre on my middle finger. I used a new part of the sponge and used Nails In You're A Peach, OPI Kiss Me On My Tulips, Mecca Cosmetica Timandra and Kester Black Bougainvillea (purple) for the gradient on my ring finger. I used Mecca Cosmetica Timandra and Kester Black Bougainvillea for the ombre on my pinky. 

I then removed the tape and create a horizontal gradient on the bottom bits. On my index finger only sponged on Kiss Me On My Tulips. On my middle finger I used Mecca Cosmetica Timandra and Kester Black Bougainvillea, On my ring finger and pinky I used Kester Black Bougainvillea and Mecca Cosmetica Cobalt. 

I then slowly started to draw using my Barry M Nail Art Pen in black. I started off drawing a line between the two gradients. After that I outlined the shape of the opera house and coloured it in and drew a line at the end of my pinky. I then applied some of the nail art pen product onto a note card and used my extremely thin nail art brush (that I thinned myself) to draw the Harbour Bridge. I started with the bottom line, then the first arch and then the second. I drew the zigzag line inside the arch and then drew the straight lines down. It was pretty tricky and needed a lot of patience and concentration, but I'm so happy with it! 

After waiting for about an hour I applied my top coat. I wanted to ensure that the design was fully dry before I do anything! 

The ombre looks so beautiful and it's the best sunset look I've ever created. It's also the most incredibly "scenery" or 4 finger nail art I've created. I'm so proud. Thank you to @sparklicious_nails for the design idea! What I love most about it is that I've seen that view in real life, and also that I walked over that bridge! 

What do you think of these nails?

xx Elaine 

Nail Art Challenge June - Picnic & Tropical & Summer

During the month of June I decided to take part in two nail art challenges. To view my other posts click here! Taking on two challenges might have been a bit too hopeful, because I'm drastically behind! As you can tell I'm trying my best to try and get them all done.... today...... So I'm a little more up to date with the challenges on Instagram, but like I mentioned in my previous post: It's about the nail art, who cares if it's a little late.. right?!

Today I am combining three different themes: Picnic and Tropical from #nailartjun and Summer from #nailartchallengejune. At the start of the month I was looking through all the themes and immediately wanted to recreate this manicure by @littletipoff and @sprangleynails on Instagram. I have seen this design floating around instagram and pinterest for a while, but I mainly looked at these two ladies.

It's a Sex and the City style picnic with tropical cocktails and how could this not resemble summer?! I have recently started rewatching Sex and the City from the start... again... and I love it! This is probably the only show I can watch and rewatch and rewatch. I used a ton of nail polishes. Each cocktail is made out of two colours.

I started off with a white base, of course OPI Alpine Snow. I used Furless Cosmetics Clouded and the bottom of the two brushes to draw the cocktail glasses. I love that grey and for a full review click here! I then used China Glaze Grass Is Lime Greener and Essie First Timer and slightly mixed them together using the thicker brush on the top. For the second cocktail I used Cotton On Body Candy Floss and Essie Camera. I love the Cotton On Body nail polish, it only cost $2.95 and it extremely opaque and neon. Camera by Essie is also a neon but requires a white base as it's a jelly formula. For the third cocktail I used Kester Black Blueberry Tart and Now, part of the Architecture in Helsinki limited edition due. And finally for the last cocktail I used Kester Black Peach Melba and Models Own Beach Bag.

I used Black Satin by Ulta3 for the straws and Mecca Cosmetica Ophelia for the cherries. Lastly I used Barry M Diamond Glitter for the glitter ice cubes. That's a lot!! Each cocktail had a bright pastel and a neon so the colours really popped.

I think these nails look really cute, what do you think?
xx Elaine