CND Vinylux weekly polish

So last week I treated myself to a manicure. My cuticles were a mess and I've still not really figured out how to deal with them efficiently. Last time I had my nails done at the Swan Beauty Salon they used one of the original OPI DS polishes, which was freaking AMAZING! This time they used a CND's Vinylux polish in the blue on the picture below. 

I nearly had kittens when she started to apply the polish (BLUE) without a base coat. No, she said when I exclaimed, these new polishes need no base coat and they should last for one whole week without chipping and wear.

Well, managed to gouge a line of polish off my index finger within an hour of getting these done, but this was my own fault as I was cooking etc... Otherwise the polish lasted very well until the end of the week with minimum wear.

Whilst viewing the All Things Nails Group on facebook, I saw someone else posting and commenting on these polishes. So I thought I'd investigate further... Seems these polishes were currently on sale at The Nail and Beauty Link (tnbl) for £3.75 along with the Top Coat you are supposed to use with them, and so I purchased three. The blue, I had applied for my manicure 'Blue Rapture', 'Rock Royalty' is the gorgeous purple and 'Sage Scarf' is the dusty green. I just love the name of the green polish, both this and the blue are such unusual shades.

So tonight I used 'Sage Scarf' and was hoping to stamp a more geometric design on my accent nail, but neither design stamped well or straight. So I just did this little circular pattern from the same plate. Let's see how this Sunday Night manicure endures the week!

Oh, one more thing, I purchased my first Indie polishes this weekend! So excited to see what they are like when they arrive, AND I took part in my first Destash Swap. Have sent four polishes off to a new home and waiting to see what I receive in return!

I got the blues

So on my recent trip to the States returning with several polishes I noticed that I have a thing for blues. I knew I had a thing for purples, but this was new!

Recently that trend has remained and the latest polishes I've been wearing and buying have been different shades of this lovely colour.

First up in Color Show's 'Lilac Rebel' from their Acid Wash collection.

I've just found a new Group on facebook called 'All Things Nails' and whilst I was searching for information on Color Show's Bleached Neon collection, someone posted a picture of one of these Acid Wash polishes. 

I'd never heard of them, or seen them in the stores, and it seemed like another limited collection had quickly passed me by. On further investigation it seems that these were still available in some places and after a visit to two Boots Stores I managed to pick up the above in a light blue and a minty green. They do four colours in this range, the others are a cream and a darker blue.

Overall I like the effect it gives, you don't have to fish for the white matt glitters and there are plenty of the larger hex ones. However the application was a bit tricky, the polish, although thick is quite sheer and it took three coats to get the polish fully opaque.

I will keep my eyes peeled for the other two polishes as both Superdrug and Boots seem to be doing offers on Color Show polishes, whether that's buy two get one free or buy one get second half price.

Whilst on the subject of Color Show, I watched Nicole from Young Wild and Polishes review on their Bleached Neons collection. She loves them and commented they were great for water marbling (something I have yet to successfully do!) Disappointingly the seven polishes they brought out in this range were not duplicated over here in the UK. Omitting three shades including the blue and purple that I was really hankering after! Why Maybelline, do you DO this?

The packaging is different too, here are the four available over here. Why didn't they swap out the orange for a blue to mix it up a bit?

And these are the larger and more interesting collection they released in the States.

So why do they do this? There is probably a very boring and unsatisfactory reason behind it, I wonder if any letter to Maybelline would unearth the reason, or make them consider making the whole range available over here... I think the nail market in the UK is big enough for Maybelline to consider this, let's see! 

So I did pick up the UK set. Bet I make a dogs dinner of trying to water marble, whether that's due to formula, the colours just being too similar or just my lack of skills!