Nails are generally filed under ‘faff’ in my world, so I’m always interested to hear about anything that makes them either more interesting or easier. A few things that have popped up recently that are a bit different in the land of polish – so I thought I’d share them with you today, to make your yuletide manicures as sparkly and awesome as mine will be. Enjoy.
First up is a kit that lets you custom blend your own nail colour. Palette London Create Your Own Nail Paint Collection (£25) allows you to match your nails to outfits, create that exact shade you always wanted or just experiment. My kids loved it (under close supervision) and I am quite keen on my seven-year-old son’s creation, named ‘Poison Ivy’, a lovely grey/green. A fab Christmas present.
As would be a Deborah Lippmann nail colour. What’s different about her shades is that they all have a ‘5-free formula’ (free from oluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, camphor or DBP) and are instead infused with green tea and biotin to encourage nail growth and health. Quite surprising when you see how fabulously long lasting they are – and in the case of this new shade, ‘Can’t be tamed’ (£18), sparkly. Stocking filler? Yes please.
Speaking of nail growth, my next innovation is Micro Cell Nail Repair (£18.50). It launched into the UK this year, but was already a best-seller in Germany, selling over 10,000 a week. It’s pricey but in three weeks your nails are so much stronger and longer. And you can use this bad boy as a base coat, a top coat or on its own. Nice.
New from Bourjois, who always give good nail, is a collection called La Lacque, which is my go-to ‘day wear’ nail polish range for winter. The formula is highly pigmented so you get full coverage in just one stroke of the specially designed brush. It’s so easy to apply and it comes in 12 shades, including this season’s nudes and a fabulous blue for toes called ‘Only Bluuuue’. And all for £6.49 a pot.
Finally, something I haven’t tried yet but can’t wait to. Nails Inc Spray Can Nail Polish (£10) is selling out all over the place and I’m not surprised. If it’s as good as I imagine it is, it will be a game-changer. I’m on the waiting list.
