N.O.A

I am all consumed by autumn/winter at the moment. The seasons are changing and the trends shifting, but since the sun has decided to only make an appearance now, I’m feeling a bit of spring/summer’s neon trend. One way of carrying on the season’s colours when you’re not ready to shift yet, is with your nails. I’ve been rocking a neon orange for two weeks now, and really don’t want to take it off. It’s the only reminder that its summer, especially during yesterday’s thunder storms.

TOMA by Mad Beauty released their Art Attack collection which contains 6 über bright shades. As I mentioned I fell in love with Tangerine Nights, a bright neon, orange hue, but I also tested out Magenta Magic, a vibrant shimmery pink. I found the polish itself to be quite thin, so to get the shade I wanted I had to apply at least three coats, sometimes a fourth. And as for lasting, it does chip quite easily, however this could be due to the amount of coats of polish applied. But it is the colours that I keep going back to with this collection, not the varnish.

Sometimes we want pretty nails that are more than just a block colour, but haven’t got the time or skill to achieve the manicure we lust after. When I tried Layla Magneffect Magnectic Nail Polish I found a solution.

This polish reacts to the magnet on the top of the brush, so all you have to do is paint your nail and hold the magnet above it for about 5 seconds and it creates a pattern. It’s that simple. Just make sure you apply a lot of product to each nail, otherwise the effect doesn’t work as well. I found the varnish itself was very glossy and thick, so it was easy to apply smoothly.

Here I am wearing 08 Velvet Groove. Layla Magneffect Nail Polish is available exclusively to Urban Retreat at £11 per pot.

Getting older means you have to work, your life becomes busy and sometimes that means you don’t get to see your girlfriends, or wolf pack, as much as you would like. So on Sunday we planned a very girly day of red wine, nibbles and nails.

Jody has recently taken up nail art, and has a pretty creative flair for it. We all fell in love with the Wah Nails Book of Nails and picked out different designs before Jody worked her magic.

Nina choose Leopard print nails to jazz up her outfit for a Gala this week. Firstly paint the entire nail one colour, then half the other before dotting and creating the spotty pattern.

Emily went for a decorative pattern. The nail was painted in one colour before using a Spangles Nail Foil to get the intricate design. The foil was simply cut down into a square shape a little bigger than the nail, pressed down and imprinted on, in a transfer tattoo sort of way. But don’t leave the foil on the nail too long, otherwise it takes off the polish when removed.

I just love my comic strip manicure. Although this is a bit fiddly, the practice behind it is rather simple. Paint each nail a different colour, then with a white nail pen, draw the speech bubbles in the corner of your choice on each nail, then dot the rest of the nail. Leave to dry, then outline the speech bubbles with a black nail pen and fill in with words of your choice. I went with the obvious ‘Wham’, ‘Pow’ and ‘Bang!’

With the influx of gel manicures it was only time until someone would come up with an at-home gel kit. The Nailene Sensationail At Home Gel Manicure System became the number one selling home gel kit in the US in its first week. So having had gels in the salon and loving the benefits of a strong endurance manicure, I tested out the kit to see if it really works just as well at home.

The starter kit contains a Gel Cleanser, Gel Primer, Colour Gel Polish, Gel Base & Top Coat, as well as Manicure Stick, Double Sided Nail Buffer, Lint-Free Wipes and of course the pro 3060 LED Lamp. The kit is meant to last you for 10 complete manicures.

To start I  prepared my nails. I did this by removing any polish, then I filed and buffed the natural nail. Using the Lint-Free Wipe I cleaned the nails with the Gel Cleanser. Then I applied the Gel Primer and let it dry naturally. I applied a thin layer of the Gel Base & Top Coat, trying to avoid the skin and cuticle. You have to cap the natural nail, so I did this by running the polish brush along the tip. Then I cured the nails for 30 seconds as instructed. Here is where you need a steady hand. I applied a thin layer of Colour Gel Polish, trying hard not to touch the skin or cuticle, and caped the nails again with the brush. Make sure you touch up the nails and make them look as perfect as possible, because once you cure the colour, there is not going back. I cured the nails under the LED Lamp for only 60 seconds, before applying another layer and repeating the 60 seconds. I then applied a thin layer of Gel Base & Top Coat and cured for 30 seconds. You then remove the layer of moisture using the Gel Cleanser and Lint-Free Wipes and ta dah, you have high-gloss damage proof nails, however I didn’t quite.

The Gel Cleanser didn’t clean the nails and the manicure was left sticky. When I wiped down the thumb nails half the colour was removed and within an hour my manicure looked messy and bumps had form under the gel, causing it to flake. So I decided to try again and found that the reason the thumb nails were peeling was because the LED Lamp is smaller than those in salons, and the underside of your nail thumb doesn’t get any light. When I repeated the manicure I treated the thumb by itself, so it got as much light as the other nails. I also had to leave the nails in the lamb for double the amount of time it says in the instructions, as the light is not very strong. Instead of using the Gel Cleanser to wipe off the moisture, I used a regular nail varnish and that seemed to work better, as it didn’t leave the nails sticky to collect dust and lint, like before.

After the second go, my nails did look a lot better. Not perfect, but as good a first attempt.

The starter kit costs £85 and is available in Boots. This does seem rather steep, but it works out around £5.77 per manicure compared to the cost of £25 in a salon. The kit is designed to last you for years and so it is more of an investment, but I still think that the cost is rather high. My other thought is that you do need to have a steady hand, as this manicure lasts longer than most and might not always look as professional as the salon equivalent, so if you are not the best at giving yourself a manicure, this is not the product for you. Over all I think the idea is great, of course everyone would like a gel manicure at the fraction of the price, but it’s not. Well not at the beginning.

In May the Sensationail Invincible Gel Polish Colours (£15 each) will be launched so that you can use different colours at home.

What do you think about the Nailene Sensationail? Will you be investing?

I have never tried gels before, but for Mother’s Day I took my mum on a mother daughter spa trip to Letica Haute Coiffure in Marylebone. She decided on gels and so I thought I would give them a go also. There are many brands out there now, but at Letica Haute Coiffure they stock Essie for normal manicures and Artistic Colour Gloss for gels.

The girls were so friendly and helped us indecisive people choose the colours we wanted, as there is so many to choose from. Mother chose Fashionista, a deep plum and I went for Tease, a pale mint shade. Firstly they shaped our nails just how we like them and then buffed using the 180 side of the Artistic 100/180 Effect Buffer and removed dust, leaving the nails shine free but not damaged in any way. Then our nails were scrubbed with an Artistic Nail Surface Cleanser leaving them ready to gel.

Firstly they applied Colour Gloss pH Nail Prep, then Colour Gloss Soak Off Bonding Gel before we placed one hand at a time under the Artistic LED light for 10 seconds. Then they applied the Colour Gloss Soak Off Color Gel to the nails and each hand was placed under the light for 20 seconds before being repeated. Lastly they applied Colour Gloss Soak Off Glossing Gel before placing our hands under the LED light for a further 10 seconds and wiping off the glossy finish to reveal beautiful nails.

To soothe the surrounding area a little cuticle oil was applied after, which is what you can see here.

I have had my Colour Gloss gel manicure for over a week now and I can’t believe it looks just as perfect as when we left the spa. I have never had a manicure last more than 3 days without chipping.

As the name suggest, Artistic Colour Gloss nails are soaked off, but I still have at least another week and a half with these babies!

Most beauty related posts I am reading at the moment are about detoxing, looking after your drained skin and how to make sure you start the year off fresh. But screw that, I am all for carrying on the party! Just because it’s January doesn’t mean you have to go all demure and boring when it comes to make up. So with the screw-January-blues mindset I have given myself a glittery manicure to lighten the mood.

The first time I came across Mavala’s little pots of nail colour was at The Powder Room off Carnaby Street. The place has a vintage feel and these little pots fitted in with the ambience perfectly.

Mavala’s newest product is their Show Time collection, which features holographic glittery top coats for a glamorous effect. I decided to paint my nails, each with a different Mavala colour and then apply Sparkling Violent over all of them. If my nails were longer I would have given myself a glittery french manicure – something I am sure to try out soon.

 My favourite colour is the varnish on my thumb, which you cannot see too clearly here, but it is a pale pinkish nude, that looks fabulous with the glitter top coat. On my thumb I’m wearing Nicosia, index finger is Daring Pink, middle is Blue Curacao, ring finger is Black Cherry and on my little finger I’m wearing Marine Blue. I have become quite accustomed to wearing a different colour on each finger, but make sure you wear the same brand throughout, otherwise the slightly different consistencies, textures and glossiness can make your manicure look messy. With all the colour that’s flying around the trends ready for Spring, why not start with your nails now.

Mavala pots of colour are £4.30 each and are available in department stores and in salons nationwide.

My favourite time of year is upon us. The September issues of the magazines are on the stands and full of everything Autumn/Winter related. Although we can’t exactly be rocking around in the heat in the new coats and scarfs yet, we can however indulge in the new colours.

Here I look at some of the Autumn/Winter shades to wear on your fingertips.

Jermyn Street by Nails Inc is a soft brown with a slight grey undertone. A naturally shiny polish, that doesn’t need much maintenance. Smooth to apply, with the right thickness, this shade is great for the season ahead. I applied two coats and after five days there is only a tiny chip. 4/5

Nails Inc Jermyn Street Nail Polish, £11, available at Debenhams 

What I really love about Ciaté Nail Paint Pots are the cute little bows on each polish. This varnish was extremely easy to apply as it has a flat brush, which meant that I was less likely to paint my entire fingertip than usual. The colour itself is described as an oyster beige, although I would say it is more of a grey. There is a hint of sparkle to it, although not shiny; two coats and you are left with a matte shade, that feels rather cheap to touch. After five days I found that it chipped quite easily. 2.5/5

Ciaté Nail Paint Pot in Sharp Tailoring, £9.00, available from Ciate.co.uk

One brand I always head to for great colours and lasting, great quality polishes is Nars. Galion is part of their Autumn/Winter 2011 collection. I would describe this colour as a moody grey, a perfect reflection of the dark, edgy clothes that hit the runways. The varnish was smooth to apply and lasted more than five days with no chips and was still glossy. 5/5

Nars Nail Polish in Galion, £13.50, available from Selfridges 

Again a perfect colour for the upcoming season, Topshop Nails in Deceptive is a deep purple, that allows you to be a little girly while still being on trend. The varnish itself is glossy, with the right texture and very smooth to touch. After five days there were minimal chips, and some of the shine had faded. 3.5/5

Topshop Nails in Deceptive, £5.00, available from Topshop

We are going to see a lot of this colour in the months ahead and so I wanted to find a great nail colour to compliment the trend. The best I found was Revlon’s Emerald from their new Top Speed Collection that launches in September. It was the easiest to apply from all the polishes I tried and still looked glossy and thick five days on.

Revlon Top Speed in Emerald, £6.49, available in Boots September 2011