Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts ...

With the horrible weather we're currently experiencing, and the fact that I'm on holiday, I just can't bring myself to go outside and do something, or even do something constructive indoors. I bought some plain black hangers from Ikea a while ago when picking up some other essentials, so that I could make all the clothes in my wardrobe hang on the same type of hanger. Me? Obsessive? Never .... I'll let you know when I actually get round to doing that as it feels like one of those tedious tasks that I know I'll appreciate afterwards, but I just can't bring myself to do it now. So, rather than doing anything useful, I decided to repaint my nails. I'm really into the classic french mani at the moment as I feel like it makes my rather short and stubby fingers look a lot longer and more elegant than they actually are.

(L-R) Nailtiques Formula 2, Nude Bon Bon Shade 2, Canmake Top Coat, Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, Natural Collection in White.

I started off by using the Nailtiques Formula 2 as a base coat. I've talked about this on here before, and I really do think it's been helping to strengthen my nails, and I've noticed a definite decrease in splitting and cracking. I use this under any nail polish to make sure my nails are protected.

I then used the thin nail art brush shown above with this white Natural Collection polish to do the white tips. Now, I find that my left hand always looks a lot nicer and more professional than my right (I'm right handed, so painting with my left hand is very challenging.) However, I've found that if I keep the brush still and roll my nail under it, it helps me to keep the line a lot neater. Now, this isn't the greatest polish, I've used better, but for under 2 quid I really can't complain.

This brand is Japanese, and .. well .. it's not great to be honest. I find it to be quite streaky, and the brush is far too thin for a good application. I put a coat of this over the top of the white so it doesn't look quite so stark, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who's looking at asian cosmetics. 

Finally, I topped it all off with a clear top coat from Canmake, another Japanese brand. Now, this top coat is AMAZING. It really does stop my polish from chipping, and makes that Natural Collection polish last nearly a week without chipping. It also dries nice and quickly which is a huge bonus as I'm sure I'm not alone in hating sitting there, waiting for my nails to dry and thinking of all the other things I could be doing. If you're able to get hold of this, I highly recommend it.

This is the finished result. (My left hand, as my right hand is quite a bit messier, and lets face it, you want to see pretty nails, not ugly, badly painted ones.) I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, and I love how elegant it is. If you've tried this, or you have a favourite nail polish that you're loving at the moment, let me know! :)

On a different note, whilst browsing Tumblr, I found this image. Am I the only one who LOVES it? I want to just sit in front of a mirror and try all of them! My favourites are the classic number 7 and the more interesting number 35. Which is your favourite?

from london, with love.