MANI MONDAY- ALEXA CASHMERE PINK

My nails had a little break over the past week after having them in glitter all through December and well into the new year so all I had on was a base coat.

This is a more muted nail look with no jazzyness created by the Alexa Cashmere Pink which I got in a set at Christmas. I like this colour more than I expected and it went on really smoothly- this my first experience of the new bottle and brush design and so far all I love it (apart from the elevated price)!
The polish dried with a slight texture which I suppose is meant to resemble a cashmere jumper.

Products used:

Orly Color Care Argan Cuticle Oil £10.00

 Nourishes and hydrates the nails and cuticles.

Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat £12.00

This base is for weak, peeling and bendy nails.

Nails Inc Alexa Cashmere Pink £15.00

A soft pearly pink polish.

I must say that I am super impressed with my nail painting this time and I have nearly mastered applying polish without getting it all over my cuticles! Hurray for Youtube tutorials!

 Thanks for reading my #manimonday!

MANI MONDAY- METALLIC PLUM

Plums have really been on my nail radar this season which is a change from my usual bright pinks. 

This gorgeous colour from No7 fulfills my magpie-like cravings by having a lovely metallic finish and I decided to add a glittery gold accent nail to add some extra sparkle!

Products used:

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Colour in  Damson Dream £6.00

Mavala Nail Colour in 227 Sparkling Gold £4.75

Nails Inc Gel Effect Topcoat £12

 All of the above are available at larger Boots stores.

MANI MONDAY- VAMPY PLUM

As Autumn looms I decided to go to the dark side and use this lovely Nails Inc shade called St Martin's Lane. This is a deep wine shade that came out last winter but hasn't really seen the light of day as I am more of a bright nail kind of girl!

Products used:

• Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat- strengthens weak & bendy nails.
• Nails Inc polish in St Martin's Lane (no longer available to purchase) but the shades "Grosvenor Crescent" & "New Oxford Street" are similar plumy shades.
• Nails Inc "Kensington Caviar" Gel Effect Plumping Top Coat- creates a gel-like finish & helps prevent colour fading, chipping & breakage.
• Nails Inc Corrector Pen- to wipe away the many mistakes I made!
   

I definitely needed the corrector pen with this colour as my nails are short and as you can see my application ain't all that! haha

 I must say that I like this colour more than I thought I would and maybe I'll be tempted to wear shades like this more often and leave the pinks for the Summer time!

x Thanks for reading my lovelies! x

MANI MONDAY- CLINIQUE A DIFFERENT NAIL ENAMEL

Today's nail look has been created using a little Clinique freebie polish that I got a few months ago. Clinique claims that this is an allergy free polish suitable for the most sensitive of skins. I think that this is the colour "Happy" although it doesn't say the shade on the bottle. 

The polish goes on really smoothly without going gloopy and dries to a super glossy finish.
A cute accent nail with polka dots was created using the Sally Hansen nail art pen. 

Excuse the one chipped nail in the pic...not sure what I did for that to happen.

Last time I wore this polish it lasted nearly 3 days without chipping! 

Products used:

• Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat- strengthens weak & bendy nails.
• Clinique A Different Nail Enamel in "Happy"-  nail enamel for sensitive skin and eyes.
• Nails Inc "Kensington Caviar" Gel Effect Plumping Top Coat- creates a gel-like finish & helps prevent colour fading, chipping & breakage.
• Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in "Fine White 310"- used to create the polka-dot effect.

Have you tried out Clinique nail enamel? 

I wouldn't mind the bright pink shade called "Hi Sweetie"...it's very me!

Thanks for reading my lovelies! 

MANI MONDAY- NUDE POLKA DOT!

This has been one of my favourite nail looks which has been created using Nails Inc and Sally Hansen products. When I first applied the nude polish I thought that it looked a bit dull as I am usually a fan of bright pinks but adding the polka dots makes it all a bit more interesting. 

Products used:

• Nails Inc Hyde Park Base Coat- strengthens weak & bendy nails.
• Nails Inc "Eaton Terrace" The Perfect Nude Polish- nourishing ridge filling formula.
• Nails Inc "Kensington Caviar" Gel Effect Plumping Top Coat- creates a gel-like finish & helps prevent colour fading, chipping & breakage.
• Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in "Fine White 310"- used to create the polka-dot effect.

I start off by filing my nails and pushing back my cuticles followed by rubbing in some vitamin E cuticle oil. The base coat is applied followed by two coats of the nude nail polish and I let each coat dry in between. Next I paint on the dots and let dry before finishing with a layer of the gel top coat. 

This would normally last a few days but it depends on how much I use my hands at work!

I always seem to get polish in my cuticles :( Any tips on how to avoid this please leave a comment at the end. 

Thanks you for reading and I look forward to seeing all your Monday Mani's on Instagram!