*NEW* Barry M: Speedy Quick Dry Swatches & Review

Happy Friday Folks!

Tonight I've got the new Barry M Speedy Collection to show you... I debated buying these for a week or so after seeing mixed reviews, but the fact is I am a complete Bazza hoarder and generally HAVE to buy the colours I like in any new collection hahaha! I now own near on 150 of the little beauts! This collection feature the cute chequered flag lids (which were screaming out to be incorporated into my swatches) and are supposed to be super quick drying and easy to apply with the new flat and wide brush as seen in the Plumpy Topcoat.

Lets take a closer look...

First up is Pit Stop a lovely soft grey, three coats with plumy topcoat.

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 This is Lap Of Honour a dusky lilac, three coats with plumpy topcoat.

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 Third up is Kiss Me Quick a light and bright pink, four coats with plumpy topcoat.

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 Next is Eat My Dust a gorgeous dusky blue, three coats with plumpy topcoat.

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 Now for Pole Position a bright but pale green, four coats with Plumpy Topcoat.

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This is In A Heart Beat a stunning pastel coral, four coats plus Plumpy Topcoat.

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Last of all is Full Throttle a light and bright orange, four coats and Plumpy Topcoat.

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Speedy or not so speedy, that is the question!... And the answer is sort of lol! 

Do they dry super fast? Yes. Do they need at least three, mostly four coats to not be all ugly and streaky? Yes. Is that speedy?? Well sort of, and they do have the easy application brush!... You see?! Hahaha.

I do adore the chequered flag lids and racey names, and I love most of the colours (the green and orange... meh!). I'm also a fan of the new brush, it's just perfect for my squoval nail shape!

Given that the Gelly's usually need two to three coats and take a wee while to dry, I reckon that three to four coats of these with their fast drying formula would be quicker... But it's hardly something to write home about let alone call 'Speedy'. Happy I bought them all the same and I managed to pick them up in the 2 for £7 on Bazza nails and lips deal in Superdrug which is a bonus!

I'll be back on Sunday with the first installment of my 'Behind The Blog' series.

Have a great weekend!

Rebecca x

*NEW* Barry M: Spring Gelly's & Plumpy Topcoat

Hello beauts!

Tonight I have some swatches and a review of the new Barry M Gelly's and Plumpy Topcoat I picked up the other day... There are three new spring shades - blue, white & lilac and a new topcoat claiming to 'plump' your nails to look more like a proper gel manicure, it's also sporting the new wide, flat brush as seen in the Speedy collection... I will be sharing my swatches of those with you tomorrow!

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First up is Sky Blue...

This is three coats with plumpy topcoat. I love this duck-egg blue shade!

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Second is Cotton...

This is two coats with plumpy topcoat. It really is crisp white like cotton!

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Finally, it's Fondant...

This is three coats with plumpy topcoat. Reminds me of Iced Gems, do they still make those things?

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So the verdict on the Gelly's is as usual - they are gorgeous, almost chalky spring time colours with lovely shine but take a two or three coats to be perfect. The Plumpy Topcoat is plumpy in that it is like two coats in one and is very shiny, but it's not even close to 'plumped' feel of a real gel manicure. It's actually lovely to work with but requires as few gentle strokes as possible to avoid tiny bubbles forming. Luckily the wide flat brush makes this totally do-able! *Edit* Drying time... Touch dry very quickly, but because of the thickness it dents and scratches easily for about twenty minutes!

 To give you an idea of it's size, it does my whole pinky finger in just one stroke...

I picked these up in the 2 for £7 on Bazza in Boots... Back tomorrow with seven of the new Speedy polishes!

Rebecca x

Gelcure Soak Off Gel Polish: Swatch & Review

Hi loves!

Tonight I have a swatch and review of a product I've not featured on the blog before, a soak-off gel polish from Gelcure! I'm trained to provide gel manicures as part of my Nail Technology VTCT and do occasionally pop a gel polish on myself too so I was eager to try out a different brand to the one I trained with and use professionally...

For the record, I don't recommend you do gel manicures on yourself without proper training (there is real science and an art behind this stuff peeps), but there are so many at-home gel products on the market these days unfortunately it's inevitable and I can only try to advise and inform...

To prep for this mani I did thorough cuticle work, lightly buffed and dehydrated the nail plate. I then did one base coat and cured for two minutes. I followed with three thin coats of this lovely shimmering blue, curing in a UV lamp for two minutes in between coats and for four minutes on the final turn because dark colours tend to cure a little slower than light or sheer ones. I finished with one topcoat curing one last time for two minutes and finished by removing the tacky layer with cleanser.

I was really pleased with the quality of this polish. It applied well in thin layers, self-levelling quite nicely with no run-off - it literally stayed where I put it which is great, though a little thicker than I usually find ideal. It was also so smooth that it required no buffing to even out or add shine at the end. The colour and shimmer are very nice indeed and the mani stood up to plenty of chores etc with no chips.

Gelcure: Base Coat, Colour 150, Top Coat

I removed this polish after a few days by first of all giving the surface of the gel a light file to break the seal. I then soaked cotton balls in acetone and held them on to each nail with tin foil strips. I left the nails to soak for ten to fifteen minutes and then squeezed & pulled the little foil/cotton bundles from my fingers to remove almost all the gel in one swoop. I removed any excess bits with a clean cotton ball soaked in acetone and gave my nails an oil.

Would you like to see more gel mani's and nail art on the blog?

Rebecca x

 *the featured product was sent to me FOC for honest review*

Pick 'N' Mix Challenge: Houndstooth & Red, Orange, Yellow

Evening sweeties!

I can't believe we're in the last week of February already, where the hell does the time go?! I'll be happy to see March though, I'll be turning 30 at the end of it and I'm super happy about that! I think I've been looking forward to this since I was 21 LOL (I'll go more into that as the time approaches)... Anyhoo back to the nails, I combined looks again this week, it's just my favourite way to approach this challenge. This was a 'make it up as you go along' job...

To kick off, two coats of the red and orange and three of the yellow. Once dry it was time to tape off and apply two coats of the white. Next I stamped the houndstooth pattern in black, removed the tape swiftly and finished with topcoat. I love how the thin black polish stamped with a rippled texture!

Considering I had no idea what design I was going for when I started, I'm pretty happy with how this mani turned out! I usually have to put at least some planning into a design before I go for it for it to turn out well hahaha!

Barry M: Pomegranate, Mango, Black, Yellow, Matte White, 3in1, Cheeky: Vibrant CH8, Decorator Tape

See what Crumpet's other tarts have been up to below...

Rebecca x

An InLinkz Link-up

Pick 'N' Mix Challenge: Geometric & Blue, Green, Yellow

Ugh, today was a day where I knew exactly what I wanted to do but the universe worked against me with bubbling polish, bleeds under tape, smudges on topcoat etc, etc. Third time was lucky thank heavens; please spare me a day like that for a while!... As soon as I saw the colour requirements for this challenge I knew the polish combination I would use, they've been on my mind as a trio for a while and I remembered this 'double french' design in the WAH nails stuff I got, plans came together!

I started with two coats of that stunning Bazza blue and then taped off a section at the top and bottom. I then used three coats of each of the neons, removing the tape straight after finishing the third and final coat and finished with topcoat. 

I just love how eye-popping those neon's are against the blue! Getting me right in the mood for pools and day-glo bikinis again hahaha!!! Roll on summerrrrrrrrrr!

Barry M: Damson, 3in1, Models Own: Flip-Flop, Bikini, Striping Tape

Rebecca x

An InLinkz Link-up

Chinese New Year Manicure

Oooh I do love Chinese New Year, it's quite a magical affair! It also happens to be the year of the sheep (or ram or goat depending who you talk to) and I LOVE sheep... It is also the very exciting day that Blur announced their new album recorded in Hong Kong and with an entirely Chinese influence... :) What with #EELive tonight as well it's been a fun packed 24 hours LOL! But back to some super cute sheepy nail art, darn that lil hair, arggghhhh...

For the sheep I freehanded two coats of white in a sort of cloud shape using the polish bottle's brush and then once dry, used a small detailer brush to paint the face in a teardrop shape with two little ears. I next dropped two small dots of white polish for the eyes using the same detailer brush and added the black details with a nail art pen. The other nails were a simple two coats of the red and purple with gold details painted with that lil brush again; finished with topcoat.

I thought I'd better explain my symbolism!!! The purple and red are lucky colours in the year of the sheep (as is brown but I don't like brown hahaha). Two and seven are lucky numbers and North is a lucky direction. The middle finger holds the "yang" sign of the sheep... Happy New Year!

Barry M: Matte White, Cappucino, 3in1, Pomegranate, Blackberry, Gold Foil Effect, Black Nail Art Pen, A Small Detailer Brush

Rebecca x

OMG Nail Strips Review II

Hi dears!

I have another OMG Nail Strips design to show you this evening and OMG am I ill!!! Hehe... A cold and a chest infection have had me under the duvet dosed up on Lemsip and Cough Syrup all weekend, romantic huh?!... Anyways, back to these super easy nail strips which are ideal for doing a mani in my current state...

So first I picked the best sized strips for my nails then gave them a light buff to remove any ridges and sheen. Next I placed the stickers down cuticle end first, rubbing down the centre of the nail to the tip and then pressing down the sides from centre to side-wall to minimise creasing. Finally trimmed any overlap at the sides and filed the excess from the tip in gentle downwards strokes. You would usually then follow up with topcoat to seal.

I love this snakeskin print and the wintery colours, it creates quite a chic mani which isn't always easy with animal print! OMG have a whole heap of pretty designs to choose from and are priced at $7.99/ea (£5.21) or 5 sets for $25.00 (£16.29). Very reasonable because in my opinion the quality is a lot better than the ones you generally find on the high street etc... and they're still cheaper!

OMG: Viper Nail Polish Strips

OMG also now offer Pamper Party Packs for your own little manicure get together and stock some NFC LED Nail Stickers if you like something a little flashy!

Rebecca x

*the featured product was sent to me FOC for honest review*

Pick 'N' Mix Challenge: Hearts & Purple

Evening beauts!

It's challenge time again and I was looking forward to getting down to some hearts nail art but unfortunately I only had some nubbins to decorate after bashing a couple of nails in the week - boohoo! I also appear to be coming down with some sort of cold/cough bug, just perfect for a Valentine's weekend eh?! I've been in full-on man flu mode all day hahaha!

This was s quick and simple... Two coats of purple followed by two coats of the hot pink, hand painted into heart shapes over the tips. I then used a white nail art pen to outline the hearts and add some lace-like dots. No topcoat on this one.

I really like this mani, I'm glad I decided to go ahead with my planned design despite the distinct lack of a free edge with which to create a pointy tip for my hearts. The colours really go well together and the shine is great for having no topcoat. I had forgotten how hard these hypergels can be to work with though, verrrry tacky!

Models Own: Purple Glare, Cerise Shine, Barry M: White Nail Art Pen

Wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Rebecca x

An InLinkz Link-up

A WAH Nails Wednesday

Hi loves!

Apologies for the little lapse in posts, had some switch-er-ooing of tech to do haha! Back in action tonight with a little looksee into the WAH Nails box of tricks I bought from Boots in the January Sales, along with a couple of mani's of course! My initial experience with WAH had been a little 'meh' after buying their nail file and being contacted by them for my feedback. The file wasn't great - as they had suspected and I was offered a polish to review but it never arrived. After a mention of this on social media I was contacted again to confirm if I'd sent my details, which I did, but then I've heard nothing again...

... Nevertheless, as soon as I saw this case I knew I had to have it, I love the WAH style if nothing else! I wasn't fussed about the contents (a variety of polishes, nail art supplies, tutorials and manicure tools) but I NEEDED the case for my pro nail art kit, it's the perfect size with pockets and the ring binder storage etc. I was not willing to pay the RRP so I waited patiently and was rewarded with a £60 discount, much more palateable!

I started with trying out the polish I had sooo wanted to review - the pink No Nails, No Life for obvious reasons and paired it with the lilac colour Mating Surfaces. It took three/four coats to get them fully opaque and without streaks but the finished colours are lovely. I then used the black nail art pen to draw on the doodles and I must confess to being pretty impressed, you will need a confident and steady hand though! Finished with a topcoat.

 I can't deny I love the colours and the brush is a nice wide one, but I don't believe the three/four coats required warrant the current £9 price tag! The formula is very thin and though quick drying, has a rather dull finish; the topcoat is a great addition. The nail art pens have a lovely steady flow which I never expect with this nib design, if you have a steady hand you'll have no problem! The tutorials aren't half bad either.

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This lovely blue is An Even Bigger Splash and again took three/four coats to be free of streaks. Though I did like the brushes themselves, I struggled for a comfy grip on the bulky square lids! I used the striper brush part of the pink & black nail art pens to paint on the rough leopard print. The quality of the paint is pretty good and I love the colour of that pink! Finished with topcoat. 

Much like the squeezy nibs, I never hold out much hope for the quality of the brushes in nail art pens but I was pleasantly surprised with these ones. You do have to be sure to remove all excess from the shaft of the brush to avoid big scary blobs raining down on your design though! The price tag of £7 is not too bad given the £5.99 price tag of the Models Own versions which are smaller and quite frankly, rubbish!

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So overall I would say this experience of WAH was much like the first - Hit & Miss! Most of the tools included are great but the file and buffer not so much. The colour and drying time of the polishes are great but the thin formula, square lids and price tag not so much. The pens will work for the confident but not for the novice. The tutorials are pretty good, the studs and diamantes so-so... The case is beaut!

What do you think? Wah or Blah?

Rebecca x

OMG Nail Strips Review

Hi loves!

Back in November I was contacted by OMG Nail Strips to do a review of their whole-nail art stickers. I love this kind of product for a mani in a hurry or to take away with you because they are quick, mess free and super easy to pack! But as with all stickers/vinyls/transfers, results can be hit and miss so I'm always up to try something new to me. Out if the many lovely designs I picked a couple out and one of them was this British monochrome set...

I prepped the nails with a quick buff and a wipe with nail polish remover, dehydrating the surface a little to aid adhesion. I then chose the most suitable sized stickers, placed down at the cuticle end of my nails and rubbed firmly down on to the nail. I then gave a quick topcoat sealing in the tips. I have to once again apologise for the yellow tinge, it was that dodgy lighting day I had!

I was really pleased with the quality of these strips. The designs are well printed and the strips themselves are a good thickness, very tacky and flexible enough to be adjusted as you apply them. They also had sizes suitable for my itty bitty nails without a heap of trimming which made a nice change for me, I would definitely buy them at $7.99 a set.

OMG Nail Strips: Black & Gold Union Jack

OMG Nail Strips also offer Nail Pamper Party packages, find more details HERE or check them out on Facebook HERE.

Rebecca x

(the featured item was sent to me free of charge for honest review)