Autumn/Winter Nails ... Neutrals

Bonjour!

I don't know about you but when it comes to nail polish I try to hang onto my Summer brights for as long as possible and since we were lucky enough to have that bit of Indian Summer not too long ago they stuck around for that bit longer than usual!  I tend to ease myself into the new season gradually (and somewhat reluctantly since I'm a proper 'Summer lover'!) moving onto neutral polishes,  and eventually the deeps!  Of course, you can obviously wear whatever the hell you want on your nails throughout any season and depending on your mood but this is just how I tend to roll ... generally!

So here's what I've picked out from my current stash - different depths here but I consider all these to be in the 'neutral zone' ...

From left to right...

Nails Inc - Basil Street
Maybelline Forever Strong - Taupe Couture
Leighton Denny - Supermodel
Barry M Matte Nail Paint - Mocha
M&S Limited Collection Nail Polish - Putty

And here they are on ... as always a rushed paint job (on a Sunday and I had to get a chicken in the oven shortly after - as you do!) ... but you get the general picture ...

Basil Street is the palest and reminds me of Baileys Irish Cream - usually need three coats with this one.  Haven't used Taupe Couture for ages and it's a deeper shade than I remembered but still has that flat brown/neutral vibe.  Supermodel is quite new and one of the thinnest polishes  I've tried but very easy to apply.  Mocha is unfortunately the least long lasting but I still love the matte effect.  Putty is my newest edition (you can see my NOTD here).

Must invest in a couple of those 'nail wheel' contraptions I know some of you use for these types of posts - would certainly make things easier when there's a Sunday dinner to cook!

What are your favourite Autumn nail polishes?  Do you cross over with neutrals or dip straight into the deeps?

Jen x

NOTD - Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Mocha & No7 Matte Nail Effects

Bonjour!

This is the second of my Barry M Matte Nail Paints - in Mocha  - you can see my NOTD in Crush here.  I love the colours/finish of these Barry M Mattes but the wear time is not so good, so with my recent £3 off Boots voucher I bought the No7 Matte Nail Effects Topcoat (it only came to £4) ...

I took these pictures on two separate occasions and on both days the sun decided to make a welcome appearance - on and off mind! As with Crush, Mocha is not a true matte but has a bit of a sheen to it (as in the first pic), which I don't mind at all. Easy enough to apply but you do need two coats and drying time is average.  It doesn't last without a topcoat and chipped after a day. It's a good laid back, deep neutral shade though and really does look like one of those chilled iced mocha drinks that go down so well in the Summertime - I now have Summertime on my mind - can't come soon enough!

Anyway - the bottom pic is after having applied the No7 Matte Nail Effects topcoat - although it looks opaque in the bottle it goes on clear.  As you can see Mocha is now a proper 'flat matte' with virtually no light bouncing off the nail. With this topcoat the polish lasted two days before chips - so an extra day's grace - still not fantastic but better and to be honest I'm beginning to wonder whether anything will ever last on my nails more than a few days anyway - maybe if I become a lady of leisure someday and employ a cook, cleaner and bottle washer - yeah right!

I know many of us associate nail polish with glossy finish but I do like this effect for a change, it takes it to a whole new level of grunginess don't you think? The No 7 Matte Nail Effects Topcoat is meant to make any polish matte (not just the ones that are meant to be anyway!) - so you could have a field day (should you have the time and patience) messing about with all your different polishes just to see the difference!

Have you tried the Barry M Matte Nail Paints or the No 7 Matte Topcoat?  What do you think of matte polishes?

Jen x

NOTD - Barry M Matte Nail Paint in Crush

Bonjour!

I've been intrigued by the Barry M Matte Nail Paints for a while now but faffed around (true to character) picking 'em up and putting 'em back (as you do) and mulling over the problem of a topcoat etc  before I bit the bullet the other week when they were on offer in Boots. I ended up with a couple of the Mattes and this one is 'Crush' ...

*Note the collaboration shot just above with sleeping pooch!*

I haven't used a matte polish before but this was easy enough to apply. I needed two coats as just the one was streaky. Drying time was about average without my usual super-quick dry (but obviously glossy) topcoat.   Unfortunately it didn't last too well once on - just over a day before some wear on the ends - but my hands are constantly in and out of water when I'm at home. My young friend at work said it lasted approx. two days for her before she had to go over her nails again with another coat to patch things up. Neither of us used a topcoat. I found it very easy to remove, however, if that's any consolation! ;)

Regarding the finish, if we were talking Dulux I'd say it's more of a  'soft sheen' rather than 'flat matt'. The colour of a good red grape with a smooth leathered look to it (reminds me of those dark red Dr Martens I'm still lusting over!) there's a slight edgy vibe going on don't you think?

So ... despite the 'not so good' wear time I am quite taken with this polish - it has a different look to it which appeals to me and is reasonably priced at £3.99 (mine were £3 each on offer) . Going 'topcoatless' is not a practical option though so I've bought a matte topcoat this weekend which I'll be trying out shortly. Will keep you posted.

Have you tried the Barry M Matte Nail Paint? What did you think?

Jen x