I Can Paint a Rainbow...

C is for Crimson...

This is my chance to showcase all of the beautiful, vibrant and sumptuously rich reds I have collected over the years! Let's face it, every nail-painting woman owns at least one ruby red nail polish because with one slick they can make you feel feminine in an instant! Perhaps not one for the shy and retiring, a red manicure will definitely demand attention. Here are some of my favourites...

OPI Born Red-y

 

With Flash



No Flash



This is definitely a pink-toned red with a slight shimmer which is noticeable in the flash photograph. It is one of my more recent additions, from OPI's Germany Collection of 2012. A beautifully vivid red.

 

 

OPI The Spy Who Loved Me



No Flash



With Flash



This one is a brighter, purer red that is more balanced in tone. However it is clear in the flash photograph that is awash with a glittery, shimmer. This means that it is a nice way to get the effect of a glitter nail polish without the dreaded, almost impossible task of removal! Maybe one best stashed away till christmas though... 



 

Bourjois Rouge Escarpin

 

With Flash



No Flash


This one is a classic red creme polish with no hint of shimmer at all. This perfect scarlet shade will suit most skin tones and thanks to the excellent formula, it will remain shiny for days!

 

Maybelline Deep Red



No Flash



With Flash



This one is a slightly darker, more subtle red with a very delicate soft tone. I know I've raved about these polishes before but trust me they are definitely ones to watch! Something about this polish just screams elegance...



 

Topshop Nails Bad Habit



No Flash



With Flash



 This one paints slightly darker than the Bourjois and is also a pure creme polish. With a small brush, these Topshop polishes are slightly tricky to paint with but they're on trend range of colours definitely compensates for this.



Nails Inc Royal Ascot



No Flash



With Flash



This one is a jelly polish with more of a tomato base colour causing the red to appear lighter in tone. To be honest I'm not really a fan of jelly polishes because despite the shine they produce, even with three coats, they can still appear slightly transparent, which you can detect from the no flash photograph. Still a nice, bold red for summer!

 

Nails Inc Victoria and Albert



No Flash



With Flash



This is another mid-tone pillar box red and I have to admit, one of my absolute favourites! It applies perfectly and has a real depth of colour without becoming too dark. The cool tone to the polish makes it very wearable and it is certainly one to last throughout the seasons!







Nails Inc St James



No Flash



With Flash

Last but not least, this one is another pinky toned, creme red that is perhaps more youthful than the deeper reds. It is from a collection of Nails Inc mini polishes and is super shiny! Would also work well in the summer with a golden, glowing tan!





I Can Paint a Rainbow...

B is for Beige...

Now I'm excited about this one! I've used 'beige' quite loosely here to cover all of the beigey nudes in my collection, of which I have to admit there are quite a few! For me, a good nude is the most failsafe colour you can wear. Ever got dressed one morning only to realise just as you're about to walk out the door that your nails completely clash with your outfit? Yes I know the feeling! However you just don't get that with nudes, they go with everything and I really think a well polished nude nail is about as classy as it gets. Have a look at some of the ones I have collected over time and have seriously got good wear out of and see if any of them take your fancy.

Rimmel Caramel Cupcake

With Flash





No Flash







This is a light nude with a tiny amount of shimmer that you can see in the light. Paints really well and is quite a speedy dryer, not sure if it quite makes sixty seconds though!

 

 

Rimmel Beige Style



No Flash




With Flash



This one is very similar, maybe ever so slightly darker in tone with less shimmer. It was the first ever nude I acquired and has been a staple classic in my collection ever since.





 

 

Maybelline Ivory Rose



With Flash



No Flash


This one is more of a cream polish but I think against a lighter skin tone it would appear more subtle. It's beautiful if you want to wear a nude yet still make a statement. Also on a side note, these Maybelline Forever Strong Pro polishes are the most chip resistant line of polishes ever!



 

Maybelline Rosy Sand

With Flash

No Flash

This one appears shinier than the others and clearly has more of a brown pigment which I'm not quite sure corresponds with the name! It's a really nice one for darker skin tones, if you're worried about nudes clashing with your colouring. Another great polish from Maybelline.



Nails Inc Cadogan Square

With Flash



No Flash



This one is more of a caramel beige and didn't get the best reception when I wore it. Maybe not one for indian skin? Still a nice rich nude.







Nails Inc Porchester Square



No Flash





With Flash

This one has a definite grey tinge but I decided that the slight beigey tint warranted its place among the nudes. I got this from a collection of Nails Inc minis which explains the adorable tiny bottle! More of them to come! Maybe not my favourite of all the nudes but still a good quality polish.

Models Own Nude Beige



With Flash



No Flash







This one is a classic cool toned nude and if I'm honest maybe, along with its name, the least exciting of the bunch. Still a surprisingly good application from Models Own.

I Can Paint a Rainbow...

A is for Apricot...

To start off, I have decided to display the peachy, corals of the polish world which aren't quite orange but cannot really be considered pink either! For this reason I have chosen to give them their very own colour category to really put them in the spotlight! Despite the fact that mine has almost completely faded, they really do sparkle against a glowing, golden tan so they are a must for the summer months! (Maybe not in England though...)

OPI On Air Perso-nail-ity



No Flash





With Flash



This vibrant coral has a beautifully subtle shimmer which is best exposed with the flash. Application is also flawless with OPI's impeccable formula.

Bourjois 16



No Flash

 

 

Rimmel Rose Libertine



With Flash





This one has slightly more of an orangey tint that doesn't really translate well in the photographs, also the angled brush makes the application slightly tricky. It is still a cute colour and it really does last the ten days as claimed! 



With Flash



No Flash

 



This one definitely photos more pink than it appears in the flesh but is a nice alternative if you feel that the other two are a bit too intense. It is also a creme polish rather than a shimmer so is worth a try if you're after the block colour look.





Nails Inc Blenheim Terrace



With Flash



No Flash



This one is certainly the palest of the bunch and actually looks more of a peach than a baby pink in real life. As with most Nails inc. polishes the application is really smooth and this polish has the tiniest, blink and you'll miss it amount of shimmer that you can just about see with the flash. A lovely colour.  





I Can Paint a Rainbow....

Red and yellow and pink and green...purple and orange and blue.......

So I know I haven't blogged in a while, ok that's an understatement...I haven't blogged in a whole year! But after a hectic twelve months, I am finally ready to pick up right where I left off! The only problem is I have amassed so many new colours that I really struggled to find a good way to present them to you but fear not! Thanks to a little inspiration from my lovely friend Emily  ( www.1bluesquirrel.blogspot.co.uk ) I have found a solution! This month she's doing an A-Z of photography and so I thought why can't I do the same with my nail polishes? So I sorted them all into different colour categories for each letter of the alphabet and to be honest it was a really useful albeit frustrating experience! ( P is for purple, no wait P is for pink! Ahhhh!...and so it went on) I also had a lovely time reminiscing about the various colours that have adorned my nails over the years! For example I somehow have managed to collect far too many dark purple nail polishes...no doubt a result of my ever so slightly emo phase in secondary school, but we don't need to talk about that!

So here it goes.....enjoy!