Blood Orange by Barry M

This polish is one of Barry M's new Gelly nail paint range. This is supposed to be like a Gel effect but a heck of a lot cheaper! This colour is exactly what it says on the tin, a blood orange colour, perfect for christmastime. Unfortunately I think it's a colour that looks better in the bottle than it does on my nails, it's just not quite red enough for me.

In terms of the Gel effect, I have never had Gel nails so can't really compare fully. This nail paint is supposed to produce a high shine effect without the need for a top coat. The polish is shiny but because I am used to wearing Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat which is really shiny this does not quite produce the same effect. I also found that the polish is very slow to dry (again because I am used to using Insta-dri, I had forgotten how long it can take some polishes to fully dry and managed to knock it in several places before it had dried fully.

All in all I can't say that I was wowed by the effect and I don't think it's worth paying the extra £1 over and above the original Barry M polishes.
Next up is a polish I am excited about trying - Blue Rhapsody by Essie.
Until then (and Merry Christmas)
Lealea x

Aurora Borealis by Miss Sporty

Miss Sporty is not a brand that I normally would even look at. I have always dismissed it as a cheap brand aimed at teenagers. However they have a new range of Metal Flip nail polishes which caught my eye in the shop so I decided to buy them and see what I thought. Boots were having a 3 for 2 sale on, so I bought three at £1.99 each. This polish is a beautiful green/purple duo chrome with a metallic finish. The colour really does change from green to purple depending on the light you are in.

For a cheap brand I had previously dismissed I was really impressed with this polish. The application was really easy with a nice sized brush and the consistency was great. My only complaint was that the colour payoff is a bit weak and after three coats you could still see my nails underneath. I think the point of these polishes though is to layer them over other colours so maybe over another polish it would not be as thin.

All in all I am really impressed with what I have tried of Miss Sporty so far.
Next up is Blood Orange by Barry M.
Until then,
Lealea x

Mysterious by George

I bought this polish just after Christmas last year when Asda Living had an ofer on George nail polishes - they were two for £3 I think instead of £1.75 each. The colour is a beautiful purple colour with silver running through it, beautiful in the bottle and it translates so well on the nails, you can really see the silver highlights in sunlight.

For a cheap polish it applies really well and the consistency is really good, not too thin. Three coats would have been better than two to give a really opaque coverage but two was enough to get a nice coverage.

I really like this polish for the price.
Next up I am going back in the alphabet. I have been guilty of buying a number if polishes lately and so am going to run through all those that come before N in the alphabet before I start with the N's in the New Year. So the next polish is Aurora Borealis from Miss Sporty.
Until then,
Lealea x

My Fair Lady by Ciate

I got this polish free with Marie Claire magazine sometime last year. It is a nude colour, very good for using as a base colour for a French manicure. I have tried lots of different nude colours and this one seems to be the perfect shade for my nails. Like my nails only better! I did not put white tips on the ends of my nails when I had this polish on this time around, so it just dulled the whites of my nails a bit, but I don't think the effect was too bad.

I find Ciate's polishes a bit hit and miss. This one was easy to apply but some I find too gloopy. I would not have paid £9 for this polish but for £3 for the magazine with the polish included it wasn't a bad bargain.

Next up is Mysterious by George.
Until then,
Lealea x

Mulled Wine by Nails Inc

I got this mini bottle of Nails Inc polish with a can of Impulse body spray from Boots sometime last summer.  Given the colour is called Mulled Wine it seems appropriate then that I should be wearing it  on the run up to Christmas. The colour is a deep red wine colour, almost plummy.  It is a lovely colour on the nails.

Unfortunately I found that this polish was very gloopy and thick. I don't know whether its because it's a year or so old, but I have had polishes longer that have not been this thick.  It meant that the polish was very hard to apply and was patchy in places. Such a shame as otherwise I would have really liked this polish.

Next up is My Fair Lady by Ciate.
Until then,
Lealea x

Mudslide by Sally Hansen

This polish is a weird colour to like.  It is a very muddy browny pink colour, and looks a bit wishy washy in the bottle. However wearing on the nails it looks like a creamy rosy brown, very grown up and sophisticated.  I really like it on.

As with all Sally Hansen polishes, it applies really well with the wide angled brush.  The creamy formula is great. However, I have found it does also have a tendency to separate in the bottle so needs a good shake up before using it.

This is definitely a polish I would recommend as an alternative to peaches/nudes.

Next up is Mulled Wine by Nails Inc.
Until then,
Lealea x

Motcomb Street by Nails Inc

I got this polish free with December's Glamour Magazine.  I have tons of Nails Inc polishes, none of which I have actually bought outright, most of which have come free with Glamour Magazine over the last few years.  At £11 a bottle, this polish is too expensive for me, but for £2 with a magazine, I think they are a real bargain.

Motcomb Street is a very very dark navy colour, almost black on your nails.  The polish applies nicely and was opaque in two coats.

I am not sure that these polishes are any nicer than Barry M polishes which are a snip of the cost and I certainly would not pay the full price. 

Next up is Mudslide by Sally Hansen.
Until then,
Lealea x