I'm back... with a new blog!

Hello, long time no see!

I know this blog may appear to have been abandoned, but I promise it hasn't! After Christmas I was so busy with coursework, which then led into the exam season, I had no time for blogging. I have greatly missed reading others posts and writing on this blog, as I enjoyed it so much.

Over the short period of time I have been posting on "Jem's Polish" I have had over 2000 page views from all over the world, and gained 13 lovely followers - something I could never imagine!

So, I have created a new blog, which I am determined to post regularly, hopefully at least once a week. I wanted to have a fresh start at blogging, and will not only focus on nails, but make up and lifestyle things too - "a bits and bobs blog!"

Again, apologies for the 6+ months gap (eek!), and you can now find me
on "oh so jem"!

Thanks!

Jem x

Hello!

Hello!

I'm so sorry I've not posted in a while, it feels like forever! I hope you all had a great Christmas (wow, this is really late, isn't it?!) I have been so busy with coursework deadlines at school I haven't had a chance to blog!

This post is just to say I'll hopefully be back to blogging soon, so please don't feel I've abandoned nail blogging!! I have my Christmas haul and I have some lovely new polishes that I look forward sharing with you! I hope to post soon!

:-)

Shocking Pink - Barry M

Hello! I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while, I've been busy studying and haven't had a chance to post! Although do not fear, my nails have been kept pampered, polished and painted (with the slight use of more hand cream for this chilly weather)!

I absolutely love this time of year. I'm enjoying the wintery feel of everything! The warm knitted jumpers, wrapping up with scarves and gloves, the touch of frost pushing its way into the air, and leaves departing trees. AND it is nearly Christmas!! Hearing Christmas songs on the radio always puts a smile on my face, and I can't get enough of the dark, berry-like shades of nail polishes!

I've got a couple of new polishes to post soon - I wish I could say a 'haul' but I'm afraid I haven't got that many new ones!

This post has been waiting to be published for a while, which is due to myself making the silly mistake of writing about this polish and not saving it - only the pictures and title! Grr. Anyway, after a frustrating mishap, here is Shocking Pink by Barry M. 

Shocking Pink. They certainly named this correctly!! This pink is brilliant, so bright and bold.

I've had this polish for a while and I love it. I think the flash has made it almost neon, which it isn't, but in real life it is still 'Shocking'!

This is such a classic colour, and I think everyone has got to own one. The formula was great, and I think I used two coats for these pictures. I think a glitter like Pink Sapphire would look amazing over this, too! 

I promise to not leave it as long this time, and I will be posting more very soon! :-)

I am considering making a few small changes to my blog, for example the alignment of the text, the pictures and I may I look into altering the layout etc. Is there any other things I could do to improve? Please comment.

Pink Sapphire - Barry M

Hello :-)

After finding out Barry M have released new polishes I couldn't wait to go and buy some! Especially as there were new glitters. Superdrug did a great deal: buy 2 products and get a nail effect free (either Black Croc or the Orange Web). When I first heard about the Web effect I thought it sounded quite cool, but I'm glad I didn't choose it as I've seen the effects which are disappointing! I chose 2 of the new glitters; Amethyst, Pink Sapphire and Black Croc effect as my freebie.

Bursting with excitement, I applied Pink Sapphire over one coat of Strawberry Ice Cream by Barry M. As it was only one coat it was not opaque, but I simply couldn't wait for another one! Like many glitters, I couldn't apply it by swiping the brush along like normal polish, so I had to dab it on. A lot of glitter applied with one brush load, and 2/3 covered the nail well.

I adore this glitter, the silver bars works brilliantly with the pink and silver hexagrams -  There is even very fine pink glitter too! I finished with a topcoat, although it didn't have the normal glitter roughness, I just wanted to make it extra shiny!

The next day I decided to add another glitter coat, but I could of happily left it with one coat. I think that one coat is more subtle, whereas two coats is just...

Wow! It really made a difference with two coats! Application was the same on the second coat, and I can honesty say this is one of my favourite glitters EVER!

I also found that applying one coat of glitter, adding a topcoat, then adding another glitter layer (and topcoat) created a brilliant layered effect. I'm not sure if this is visible in the pictures, but I'd definitely recommend doing it!

I love this pink combination, and I can't wait to use my Amethyst glitter and the Black Croc too! I am also going to experiment with Pink Sapphire over a black and darker polishes. I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of taking this off, but it's so beautiful I can't moan!

What do you think? :-)

Pompous - Rimmel London

Following my horrible broken nail, here is Pompous by Rimmel London. I have had this for a good year or two so I have no idea if it is still available!

I was quite excited to see this on my nails, as I thought the colour in the bottle looked gorgeous. I expected it to be a bit more of a rich purple but it has more shimmer in it than I thought.

It says "Xpress Brush 1 Sec Application" however I used 2 coats. I am struggling for words on how to describe the formula, with only 'a bit odd' coming to mind! The brush was very big (a bit too big for some of my nails) so I found applying the first coat very tricky. The result after 1 coat left me quite shocked but another made it even and a lot better. Finished with a topcoat.

I didn't time how long it took to take the polish to dry, although it was pretty fast!

Overall, I thought this polish was okay, but it isn't one that I can't wait to wear again. I thought the colour was pretty, however I do not think it really suits me - despite loving wearing dark polishes! I prefer plain colours rather than shimmer/pearlescent effects, so this didn't really tick my boxes unfortunately!

Broken Nail

I never knew how much it hurt breaking a nail! As well it being absolutely heart-breaking, it was incredibly painful! While trying to collect tree bark for my art work, a chunk of my thumb nail snapped off! Not only did it break quite far down the nail, it also effected some layers!

The disaster happened when I had Cobalt Blue by Barry M on my nails! I was devastated :-(

 

This led to me cutting all of my nicely square shaped nails down, trying to disguise the length of the thumb nail! Gutted! :-(

Cobalt Blue - Barry M

Hello!

Sorry I have not posted for a while, I've been so busy with school work and I've also had a horrible cold, which I'm just getting over, finally!!

So, I am going to do a whopping 6 posts! Woo :-)

This is Cobalt Blue by Barry M, a brilliant electric blue! I've had this polish for a couple of years now and I only wore it a handful of times when I first got it. I love blue polishes and decided to put this on - how amazing is it?!

I had no idea how electric the blue was! I was so shocked! I absolutely LOVE it.

If I remember correctly, this is 2 coats. Like all Barry M formulas, I had no faults and it applied nicely. I had lots of compliments about this brilliant blue and I couldn't stop looking at my nails.

I would definitely recommend this nail polish, everything is brilliant! If you love blue polish like I do, this is a must!

What do you think? :-)

Dripping Paint

Here is a technique I have wanted to try for a long time - the dripping paint technique! I got a bit sidetracked doing an essay, and started looking at my nail polishes... Hence, a little bit of nail art!! So, after a couple minutes break, I was typing away again with newly polished nails, extremely satisfied with my result.

This is Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? over Mermaid's Tears, both OPI. You can see Mermaid's Tears on it's own on the post before this one! Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? is a lovely colour - a cross between a grey and a cream? The description 'dusty/dirty cream' springs to mind? Sorry, my mind has gone blank with ways to describe this!!

Originally I was only going to do the dripping effect on my ring fingers as accent nails, therefore doing two coats of the grey/cream.

But, when I saw the result of my two ring fingers and realised it was so quick and easy to do, I couldn't help myself and painted the rest of my fingers! I only used one coat for the rest of my fingers.

To create the effect I simply wiped off the nail varnish inside the bottle and then turned the OPI brush on it's side - picking up some of the polish running down inside and created 3 or 4 lines on my nail - just going over halfway on some lines. I tried to do a variety of line lengths to create the paint dripping effect. I then filled in the gaps and sealed with a topcoat - Ta dahh!

I will definitely do this technique again - I love it - I had quite a few compliments today too!! I will also like to experiment this with different base colours and also alternate the colours; dripping from the top of the nail and dripping from the base.

Hope you like this quick and easy design!

Mermaid's Tears - OPI

Hello!!

This is Mermaid's Tears, one of my new OPIs that I bought at TKMaxx last weekend. Mermaid's Tear's is a beautiful green from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection.

This is such a gorgeous colour, however I found the formula of the polish on the runny side - as my nails are very curved, I found it running down the sides and onto my fingers and the crevasses of my nails. This was 4 coats but was only really a 2 coater, my nails were quite rough to start with so used more coats to get them completely smooth! All in all, another great OPI polish!

I have also returned to using the Barry M Base coat, Topcoat & Nail Hardener All In One! I used this so much but it completely ran out!! Luckily my friend bought me a new one so I use this as a base coat, and continue to use my Sally Hansen topcoat as I love how much faster it makes the polish dry!!!

In the majority of lights, Mermaid's Tears it is a slightly dusky green with a hint of mint! Love it!! I have also cut my nails, you may notice quite a bit shorter than I normally have - I carefully shaped them  in a square with slightly soft corners. I love my nails when they are long but find they can become a nuisance when they get a bit too long!!

How long do you like your nails to be?

New OPI Polishes

Hello!

A trip to TKMaxx is never complete without a good look and study at the nail polishes! So.. Here is 2 new polishes that were a ridiculous £9.99 for the set - what a bargain!!! Now, before I reveal the names of the two, can you guess what they are called?

Any guesses?!

The pretty pearly pink is 'Come To Poppy' and the gorgeous green is 'Mermaid Tears' (check out that alliteration!!) I have wanted Mermaid Tears for quite a while so I couldn't resist buying this set after spotting it! Also, after seeing a picture on Instagram of a Did You 'Ear About Van Gogh? and Mermaid Tears combo I had my heart set on this brilliant colour! And who doesn't love a bit of Pirates of the Caribbean?!

I will be trying both of these very soon, I am SOO excited!!

Kim-pletely In Love - Nicole By OPI

Following Khloe Had A Little LamLam, here is another Kardashian Kolor. This light pink polish is called Kim-pletely In Love, and has a blue teal shimmer to it. I borrowed this polish from my friend, excited to try another Kardashian Kolor!

I was unsure what it would look like on my nails, as I prefer dark colours, but this is just so pretty, it is hard not to like it!!

Despite the gorgeous colour, you need A LOT of coats. I mean, a lot. I was planning on putting a quick coat of white down before applying Kim-pletely In Love but my white is rather thick and I wanted to do my nails quickly. So, this is a base coat, and an unnecessary amount of polish, finished with one top coat.

Not only was the colour very translucent, it was also very thin; also contributing to the amount of coats I had to apply. Personally, I do not like to see my nail line after applying polish, so applied coats to eliminate this.

I painted my nails late at night so I didn't see the full effects of the gorgeous shimmer - I hope in the close-up pictures you can see the blue shimmer, it is amazing!

I wasn't that impressed with the formula, as I found it very different from my other OPIs (which apply like a dream!) but I feel that the colour makes up for it. Ho-hum, the shimmer is beautiful in the sunlight!!!

I would recommend this polish, along with the advice "use a white first!" as I honestly love the colour and the cool shimmer. (After using one polish of hers, I think me and my friend are even with all the years of using my nail polish!! Whoops!) I also think that the polish looks amazing with my new ring, in the sale at Topshop!!

Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam - Nicole by OPI

This is Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam, a Kardashian Kolor from Nicole by OPI. As you can see it is a beautiful, rich dark green, and is a polish I ADORE! I bought this from ASOS a couple of months ago along with Kendall On The Katwalk, a blue and green glitter. Before they arrived, I had only seen front on pictures of the bottle, so it took me by surprise when they arrived! I think the bottle is absolutely brilliant, along with the polish!

I am a fan of the Kardashian's, but it was only in the last few months when I started reading nail blogs that I discovered that they had a range of polishes out with Nicole by OPI, Kardashian Kolor.

I think this was 3 coats (with a base coat) - I couldn't stop painting as I love the brush too much! - but I have previously worn it with only 2 coats, and applied carefully it could be a one-coater!!

I found Khloe Had A Little Lam-Lam quite tricky to capture the intensity of the gorgeous colour in a photograph, as it looks different in the sunlight and the shade!

Like OPI, I found the brush gave a perfect application and was a dream to paint with! I love wearing dark colours so I will be wearing this A LOT!

I added 2-3 coats of topcoat to really bring out the colour and shine. I often only find it with glitters, but with this colour I just can't stop looking at it! :-)

Bloomsbury Square - Nails Inc (better photos!)

As I said in my earlier post today, I was going to apply another layer of topcoat over Bloomsbury Square by Nails Inc. 

I ended up adding two coats, making a total of 3 layers of topcoats, and as I'm sure you can see, it made the glitter come alive!!

Now looking at the previous pictures, I love them even more after applying the topcoats (I didn't realise it was possible till after!)

I honestly can't stop looking at my nails, and it looks even more amazing in the sunshine now! :-)

Bloomsbury Square - Nails Inc

This is Bloomsbury Square by Nails Inc - a superb 3D glitter that I LOVE!

This is two coats of Bloomsbury Square (without a base coat) and a topcoat. I think I will put another topcoat on to make it even more shinier.

I had no faults applying this - the glitter application was even and would look brilliant after one coat on top of another colour. This is the first time I have used this polish as a full manicure, the only other time I used it was for an accent nail with Barry M's Berry Ice Cream. I have found that this is quite thick compared to regular polish, but I think this is common with glitter polishes, which I don't often wear!!

It was very difficult to capture the brilliant intensity of the glitter, but I'm sure you can gather, it looks AMAZING in the sun!

Big Apple Red - OPI

Hello :-)

Sorry I haven't had a chance to post recently, I've been a bit busy and haven't had a chance to upload any nail posts! So here comes two!

This is OPI Big Apple Red, a brilliant red that I absolutely adore! There is no questioning this as an orangey or pinky red - IT'S RED!

This is a base coat, and about 3 coats - I annoyingly dented my thumb and I didn't want that nail to look any different to the rest, so regrettably painted all of them again! It was perfect in two coats but silly me didn't leave it long enough to dry - I don't think the surprise of hot weather and sunshine in England had sunk in!

I did have a little bit of tip wear, but polish aside, I wasn't very happy with myself doing this manicure; I didn't leave it to dry properly hence the many unnecessary coats!

So please excuse the mistakes, but I hope you can see how fab the red polish is!