I’m actually pretty impressed with myself as over the past couple of years I’ve massivley scaled back my nail polish collection. Once upon a time it filled an entire shoe organiser that hung on the back of my office door but now I have a respectable drawer filled with my top lacquer loves; saying that I am still always tempted by a new range.

I recently got to try out the new Color Therapy collection by Sally Hansen. I’ve always sworn by Sally Hansen’s nail treatment range and this new collection is really unique because it combines nail colour and care. Madeline Poole, Sally Hansen’s global colour ambassador, has created 38 unique shades that cleverly blend together colour and nourishing argan oil.

I wear nail polish a lot so any polish that actually cares for my nails as I wear it is a winner in my books. The blend of natural argan, acai and evening primrose oils condition weak and dry nails making them stronger and more hydrated. These polishes can be applied directly onto bare nails and don’t require a base coat. The brush is really nice and wide and it only took me one coat to get an even application. After using the Colour Therapy Top Coat I was left with a beautiful glossy finish and it also helped to seal in the natural oil complex.

The shades range from nudes and mushrooms, to blush and bright pinks as well as some deeper, darker shades. My personal favourite is “Red-Iance”, a gorgeous orange-y red that looks really smart on the nails. I’m obsessed with pink at the moment and the pink shades in this collection are so pretty, so I think I’ll be reaching for one of those next!

I tend to get quite dry nails so this formula worked really well for me. I also carried the Color Therapy Nail & Cuticle Oil around in my handbag and applied it to my cuticles throughout the day. It’s a really lightweight formula so it doesn’t feel too oily on your hands but it really helps to repair, restore and revitalise the nails.

The collection is available exclusively at Boots online and in-store from 12th April at £8.99 each – shop here

Photos by Lydia Collins

Dior makeup is definitely something of beauty and their new nail polish launch is seriously special. It’s not the kind of polish you pickup to fix a chipped nail, these Diorific polishes are good enough to be gifted. The nail polish bottle itself is incredibly unique, round with a gold lid that resembles an expensive perfume.

One of the shades, ‘Nova’, really caught my eye as it’s completely different to anything else I have in my collection. Usually with a shade like this I’d layer it over a light pink or even a deep burgundy for something quite festive. It’s technically a top coat and it’s meant to resemble a broken mirror, which I think is the perfect description for the effect it gives. Instead of layering it over a colour I cleaned up my natural nails and wore the top coat alone – I love the finished look.

Although you can’t completely see in the photos, the shimmer can be completely undetectable in some lights but then you catch a glimpse and it makes the nails almost look wet. I’m so obsessed with this nail look, it’s so subtle and classy for the festive season. I’m pretty sure I’m going to rock this look until January. It’s love.

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photos by Lauren Shipley

I try a lot of different nail polishes and I love switching up my nail colour depending on my mood. As we move more into spring I’ve been reaching for lighter, fresh colours and this week on my nails I’ve been wearing Sally Hansen Tribal Sun. I’ve loved pairing it with my white jumper for a clean, sophisticated look.

Tribal Sun is part of the Miracle Gel range and is just one of 45 shades available, all of which use the exclusive gel colour system for natural light curing. The shade is a tangerine orange that instantly perks me up and makes me feel happier. Brighter shades can be intimidating if you’re not great at applying nail polish but the applicator and formula of these make it really easy. The handle is long and easy to grip and the brush is long and flat which means you only need to swipe it once to cover the whole nail. The formula allows you to get a gel finish without needing to go to the salon and without needing to use a light.

After applying the colour I then used the Miracle Gel Top Coat which sets the polish in place, gives it a beautiful shine and also adds volume to the nail to give it that healthy gel look. It’s plumping abilities doubles the volume of your manicure, giving it a fuller and thicker effect.

You can purchase them for £9.99 and if you’d like to keep up to date with Sally Hansen, follow the brand on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I’m excited to try some of the other shades!

Coconut Oil has been working it’s way into cosmetic formulations for a while now after discovering it’s health benefits and the huge trend throughout the food and wellbeing industry. This time round it’s not just coconut oil making it’s way into a beauty product but also coconut water. The Barry M Coconut Infusion Nail Paints incorporates both ingredients into it’s new formula to hydrate and nourish the nails. The antioxidant properties help to strengthen the nails alongside the blend of Hexanal and Vitamins B & C. The formula also includes high reflective resin which is why it looks so beautifully shiny on the nails.

The caring, gentle formula requires no base coat and I used two coats although I think one would have also been fine. I really love  the formula of these polishes, it left my nails looking bright and fresh and they felt nourished and not at all stripped.

There are 9 shades available, above I have Bikini (green), Laguna (blue), Sunkissed (tan) and Starfish (nude). Each polish is only £4.99 – what a bargain!

Cocktail Bling is a nail polish I’ve owned before but it got thrown out somewhere along the way as the formula had gone bad and it wasn’t getting enough love. Last week when picking up one of the AW15 Essie polishes I took advantage of the buy one get one half price deal and couldn’t resist picking it up again.

It sits somewhere between a grey and a lilac so I love it for around this time of year. It’s like cashmere for your nails…

Cocktail Bling is an Essie classic. Have you tried it?

Nails have always been my thing and I have a huge weakness for those little bottles of colour, especially the blue ones! I thought my Container Store shoe storage system on the back of my door was genius at first but over the years I seemed to have collected more and more nail polish. I had a big clear out about a year ago but then those empty pockets just made more room for new polish and I got stuck in a vicious circle of nail polish hoarding.

So a few days ago, as you may have seen on Twitter, I had another clear out. This time I decided NOT to put them back in the pockets and instead try and find another, smaller storage space to keep them. I got rid of about 75% of polishes, which either went in the bin if they were no longer usable, to charity or in my friends and family giveaway pile. I had so many similar shades that I put them all next to each other to pick and I just went with my gut feeling when picking up each polish.

Essie is still my largest group of polishes and blue is still my most worn colour. I kept a few bright colours and glitter for nail art purposes but I’m really happy overall with my collection. It’s far more likely that I’ll actually wear the polishes now and I’m going to try my absolute best to have a one in one out system.

So that was achievement this week – I’m feeling good about it! ps. Don’t judge me… I am a nail polish hoarder and I know it.