Friday 30 January 2015

PR - Chanel Spring 2015 - COLLECTION REVERIE PARISIENNE

Happy Friday polish peeps!! I hope you're all having the best week :) Today I have the official Press Release for the Chanel Spring 2015 beauty collection, Collection Reverie Parisienne. Available Now!


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Tuesday 27 January 2015

Orly - Sparkle Mini's

Hello everyone, and happy Tuesday. I hope your weeks are all going well so far. 

Today I'm going back in time to Christmas time! I did buy this Orly Sparkle Mini set before Christmas, but I never got round to swatching. But I thought, seeing as though you can still get hold of these polishes I would share them!

Released for the holidays 2014, the Orly Sparkle Mini's include four of the six polishes from the collection, all in diddy 5.3 ml sized bottles.




From L-R, Bling; Tinsel; Mirrorball and Glitterbomb.

First up is Bling. A warm gold glitter. I really like the warmer tone of the golden base. This swatch is of two coats - 






Next comes Tinsel. Not my favourite of the bunch I have to say. I'm not sure about the bar glitter, I think it's a bit too big and sort of takes over the nail. This swatch is if one coat layered over Barry M Black - 





Third is Mirrorball and my favourite of the bunch. A holo silver glitter, but with larger glitter particles thrown in there as well :) Love this one! This is two coats - 





And finally it's Glitterbomb. I really enjoy this one, it's just a lot of fun! And the small pink particles give a extra something to just a plain old glitter polish. This swatch is just one coat, again over Barry M Black - 





I do like buying these mini sets, as I think it's a great way to try out brands / collections, and if you're like me and have 54216806 nail polishes, you're not likely to finish full size bottles of anything anyway! However, I think if I didn't want to try the collection for the blog, I would probably have just bought the full size Mirrorball. I still might!

The Orly Sparkle Mini set is £14.95 and I got mine from Nailpolishdirect.co.uk.

Phew! 

I hope you enjoyed today's post and I'll see you on Friday :)

WN x

Sunday 25 January 2015

Zoya - Yuna + Mosheen

Happy Sunday everyone! 

I'm back after making my schoolboy memory card mix up error......

Today I have two colours to swatch from the lovely Zoya. Before these two pretties, I only owned one other shade called Holly ;) You can't find Zoya in lots of places over here, but you just have to know where to look. Or just go on Amazon! I'm excited to grow my collection. Because, obviously I need all of the them and I don't own enough nail polish already.

The first colour is called Yuna. Released as part of the Ignite collection for Fall 2014, she is a lovely soft grey with golden / bronze metallic flecks. Nice and opaque in two coats, though I did think twice about using just the one -






Next comes Mosheen, from the Zenith Holiday 2013 collection. This one is an icy blue glitter topper, however when it's layered onto the nail the colours become more aqua in tone. Reminds me of the sea this one! The swatch is one coat of Mosheen over the standard Barry M Black - 





I can't decide which one I prefer... I think I'd be more likely to wear Yuna. But then I don't need to pick a favourite, that's why we have 10 fingers! ;)

This is why I wish Zoya was more readily available here. On Zoya.com, polishes re $9, however in the UK they retail around £10.50. Boo. However, I purchased mine from Nailpolishdirect.co.uk, where they are currently £8.95 (though there a couple for £7.95 as well). And they deliver FREE in the UK :)

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

See you Tuesday,

WN x

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Christian Louboutin - Lady Twist

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope you're all having a great week so far :-)

We're carrying on with a theme today..... Expensive nail polishes that I wouldn't buy for myself that I got for Christmas!

Today, I feel really lucky to be able to bring you a swatch of the beautiful Lady Twist by Christian Louboutin.  I've been coveting one, (any!) of these polishes since they launched last summer, but like Sundays Tom Ford colour, I just couldn't bring  myself to part with that much cash for one nail polish.

That's where my boyfriend came in ;-)

I was so torn. Do I go for the classic 'Rouge Louboutin'? But I decided, as I'm not a big red person, that I'd go for a colour that I was likely to actually wear. Christian Louboutin nail colours are split into three groups of 10 colours, The Pops, The Nudes and The Noirs.

The colour I chose is a Noir shade called Lady Twist - 




As you can see, this cap is giant! It is meant to measure 20.5cm, the same as the famous Louboutin Ballerina Ultima shoes. Though I haven't personally measured it, I'm taking Vogue's word for it! The Noirs all have the gunmetal finish, where The Pops have silver and The Nudes, rose gold. 

According to Christianlouboutin.com, the cap design is inspired by calligraphy which turns the application into a luxurious experience, inviting women to take their time. Which is all very nice in theory, and if you have the time I'm sure it's lovely!

Onto the swatch, which is just one coat of colour, with top coat - 


I think the formula would work well in either one thicker coat, or two thin coats. Here, I used just the one 'normal' coat, and the finish is somewhere inbetween opaque and streaky I think. 

Personally I would actually prefer to do two coats because I have to admit holding the cap is a really nice experience! It's comfortable in the hand, and it does feel like holding a pen, if not quite as slim. 

Another little detail I noticed was the red inside the cap - 


I just thought it was an interesting detail to include in the post!

I'm having a lot of the same feelings towards Lady Twist as I did towards Tom Ford's Indian Pink. The colour isn't unique. Yes the formula is good, but it's not too much to expect that for the price of the thing! I don't mind paying a bit extra for luxury, but like Tome Ford is £8 more expensive than Chanel, Christian Louboutin colours are DOUBLE the price of one bottle of Chanel.

However, I feel like I actaully am more likely to buy more Christian Louboutin (or ask for it as a gift!) because of the difference in the packaging and presentation of the product itself. You can tell that a lot of thought has gone into the whole set up of the nail polishes and it just makes me feel like I'm getting more for my money.

Then again, the colours aren't anything new so it's unlikely I will be splurging in the near future! 

Christian Louboutin nail colours are £36 each. Mine was purchased for me from Selfridges.com, and you can check out the full range at Christianlouboutin.com.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and I will see you all Friday!

WN x

Sunday 18 January 2015

Tom Ford - Indian Pink

You hear Tom Ford, you think luxury. 

It's a brilliant idea for high end houses to include beauty in their range. It brings the premium name to those that can't afford to shop them for reals. We can feel like we are included in the magical world of luxury goods, even just for a little while :-)

That being said, I almost certainly buy Tom Ford for myself! However this little beauty was a Christmas gift from my brother. No, he's not that good, I sent him for this specifically!

I am super conflicted writing this post. But we'll swatch first, then discuss! Pics are two coats of Tom Ford Indian Pink with a top coat - 






Firstly, what is everyone's thoughts on the nubs? I think I like them. I just can't keep any sort of length and shape at work, they're breaking every day and nibs just make my life easier!

Secondly, this is a beautiful colour and the formula is fabulous. It didn't need a top coat for shine, however it did smooth out the finish slightly. Unfortunately I can't comment on wear time, as I did only wear this for a swatch. 

This is where I feel conflicted. Do I have polishes this colour? Obvs. Is it a good polish though? Yes, it's bloody wonderful and the formula is great. 

Is it worth the £26 price tag? That depends! 

If I had £26 to spend on nail polish, you all know I'd be collecting Tom Ford right now! But there are, of course, so many alternatives to Indian Pink that are miles cheaper. I mean even Chanel is £8 a bottle cheaper!

There is an amount of the old 'you get what you pay for', I mean even the box is quilted for God's sake! But honestly, I don't know how much better nail polish can get. Higher price points don't necessarily mean higher quality.

Would I recommend Tom Ford nail lacquer? Absolutely. If you have the £26 going spare that is. If not, it's not the be all and end all. I'll probably treat myself in the future. But for now, one's enough :-)

This was purchased for me at Harvey Nichols.

I hope you're all having a great weekend so far!

WN x

Friday 16 January 2015

A England

Hello polish peeps, and happy Friday!!

I'm super excited to get back into the swing of things on the blog. I didn't realise how much I missed posting until I started doing it again :)

Today I am extra giddy as I've tried a new brand to me, A England. I've always enjoyed seeing swatches of A England colours, and thought it's about time I tried some for myself! 

If you haven't tried A England before and are unsure whether to, I would recommend checking out the ABOUT section on their website. I love a company with such a strong, individual message, as it makes a refreshing change from the 'big', more impersonal (I think anyway) brands. What I like is a story. Where the brand came from, what is the motivation, and I love a good inspirational message!

I picked up two shades from 'The Legend' collection, Princess Sabra and Saint George. Every collection by A England has a story behind it and each name has a meaning. Check out the GLOSSARY for all the definitions.



On to the swatches. First up is Princess Sabra. She is an olive/golden polish, with particles of a more yellow gold, blue and silver, and I think I see a bit of green in there too! 





This polish is two coats of colour with top coat. 
Princess Sabra isn't the best formula of the two, however the colour is still glorious. I love how the different shades of gold create a real depth to the polish.

Close up bottle shot - 



Second is Saint George. This guy! He is a completely goergeous teal/green, packed full with different shades of blue and green.





This polish is swatched with only one coat. Yes, you read that correctly! One coat! And so beautiful. Saint George is my kind of colour. Deep and dimensional, but chic too. Just different enough.

Close up bottle shot - 



I would absolutely be purchasing so much more A England! The polishes are wonderful quality and there a plenty more fabulous shades where these two beauties came from.

A England Nail varnishes are £9.00 each available at A-england.co.uk, however I purchased mine at Nailpolishdirect.co.uk which currently has some A England colours with a third off ;-)

I hope you enjoyed today's post, and I'll see you all on Sunday!

WN x

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Update - Where I've been and what I've been up to.

Hello. 

It's a bit difficult to know how to start this post, I've not written one for so long! 

I've been away from the blog for just over a month now, and I thought I'd fill you all in a little bit as to why. Not that I feel like I have to explain my absence, if I want to have a month off I will! But it was all a bit unexpected and sudden, and I know if I'm nosy enough to wonder where people go, others will to ;-)

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that at the beginning of December, my Grandma passed away. As you would expect, it was a tough time for me and my family. Everything happened so suddenly, she went into hospital on Thursday, and passed on Sunday morning.

She was a tough lady, and had been through so much already, I suppose it was just her time.

So naturally I've just taken some time to be with family and re-adjust, I suppose, to carrying on without her.

On another note, I have been crazy busy at work recently. With working two jobs (one in retail!) this time of year is the busiest time of year, as I'm sure a lot of you will know and understand! 

The short version of this blog, is that my head has been elsewhere and it would just not be fair to post content that I wasn't personally happy with. For you guys or for me. I know that every time I post a blog, I am being judged. That's just a fact of the internet! And if that's going to be the case, then I'm going to be judged on my best work, not something I post because I feel like I have to, because I feel obliged to.

Now I've taken a bit of time, I feel so re-invigorated, and I'd like to send a big thank you to all my fellow bloggers and vloggers out there who have been inspiring me over the last couple of weeks. The passion and enthusiasm that you all have is something that I've been missing recently and it feels amazing to have it back. I'm raring to go!

I didn't realise how much I missed blogging. The whole process, the mani, the pictures, the writing, until I started doing it again :-)

Another huge thank you to everyone that reads / follows / comments etc on WellNailed, my Twitter and Google+ pages. I can't tell you how awesome it is to keep getting love and follows and all that great stuff even when I'm not posting!!

Like I said, I can't wait to dive back into this, so I'll see you all on Friday with an exciting post using a brand I've never tried before! 

I hope you're all having the best week so far :-)

WN x