Guest post at the Crumpet today!

Wow! I'm honored to be posting Christmas Nail Art at The Crumpet today!

Go check my post on Debbie's blog to see what this mani really looks like!

I will say that it includes a lovely Christmas UK indie glitter called 'Crushed Candy Cane'!

Experiments with M&S Limited Collection Texture Polish "Pink Mix"

M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix

This polish was a complete surprise winner! I saw it in M&S a few weeks ago; I was intrigued so I bought a bottle. It's a fine textured polish with a slightly glittery, jelly finish, in a pretty, deep pink. Here it is on its own, no topcoat, obviously:

M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix

I've seen a few textured manis with stamping, and I thought the texture in this one was fine enough to give it a try. Here it is stamped with white using an image from the Cheeky Wild at Heart jumbo plate.

M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix

Works a treat - I really like how this turned out!

The other thing I couldn't resist trying was dots with another textured polish - the one I chose was Barry M Countess, a deep burgundy sparkler of  a textured polish. I loved Countess when I used it as the main polish in this tape mani a few weeks ago (Barry M Countess Tape Mani) and it works great for the dots here too!

M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix with Barry M Countess Dots

M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix with Barry M Countess Dots

This one also worked admirably, and I think is probably my favourite look of the three! When I bought Pink Mix I noticed it had a medium blue textured sister - if it's not sold out I think I need to get a bottle of that and try out a gradient!

I purchased M&S Limited Collection Pink Mix at my local M&S and Barry M Countess at Boots.

An InLinkz Link-up

Binky London Swatch and Review

Binky London Pelham Pink and Sloane Silver

Binky London is a new brand that just released in the UK last week. I have a few samples to show you, let's start with a pink, since pink is one of my favourite nail colours....... the brighter the better, lol! This one is called Pelham Pink and it's from Binky's Gel Collection. It's a bright pink with great coverage, easy application and a super high gloss - this swatch is just two coats, no topcoat!

Binky London Pelham Pink 

Here's a macro to show how dense and rich the colour is in this one. I love both the colour and finish on this polish.

Binky London Pelham Pink 

Next up is Beaufort Burgundy - a rich deep burgundy, pretty much what it says on the tin. I loved this colour, I wore it alone last week for a couple of days and then I used it as the base for a Christmas nail art design (watch this space for that one!). I did use Seche Vite with this polish, mostly because I didn't want to wait around for it to dry.

Binky London Beaufort Burgundy

Binky London Beaufort Burgundy

Just two coats again though, the coverage on these colours is really good. And one other thing, the brushes are a super shape, quite big, but flat and rounded (if you are an artist, they're a filbert shape) - this makes it really easy to paint a neat edge around the cuticles. I didn't need any clean up with these, not even this burgundy shade.

Next is a St Tropez Taupe, a pretty nude with a slight shimmer. Two coats again.

Binky London St Tropez Taupe

And finally (for tonight, I have other colours I'll be posting about in the next week or two) here is Sloane Square Silver. It's a silver foil............. I'm not the greatest fan of foil and metallic polishes on their own but I do love them for stamping! The moment I saw the consistency of this polish, I knew it would be perfect for stamping. I decided to add a gradient in this shade to really put it through its paces - and it came out with flying colours! I stamped first with an image from Bundle Monster plate BM-311 over Pelham Pink, then added the gradient with a slightly damp sponge. Binky London Sloane Square Silver is just PERFECT for stamping and blending. My promotional package included some other foils and I can't wait to try them out in nail art designs!

Binky London Pelham Pink and Sloane Silver

Binky London Pelham Pink and Sloane Silver

Overall I'm really impressed with this line. OK, the colours aren't that adventurous, but they are good staples for any collection. What I like most is the formula and application, which are superb. And the shape of the brush.

These polishes were sent for review. You can buy Binky London polishes from Escentual.com; they are £4.95. There are twelve colours in two colour collections. I have the other eight polishes (which include a glitter topper and a colour shifting topper) lined up on desk ready to try!