Gem and Jo's Valentine's Polish Picks

To go along with our Valentine's eye shadow looks we decided to keep up the trend and show you guys our Valentine's Day polish picks. 

We would like to point out that we were approximately 163Km apart when we painted our nails, it was a very strange coincidence that we happened to do practically the same pattern! Weird best friend telepathy going on up in here!

Gem's Pick

You will never guess how much I paid for this polish! Never!! What's that? You wanna know how much I paid? Okay then, are you ready? Are you ready for this jelly?

Here it comes....

I paid 50c!!

And the best part? It's a matte polish!!!!! I love Primark!

I only applied one coat of the matte grey/purple shade because if you apply any more it tends to crack way more easily. One coat is plenty anyway as it gives a fully opaque look which is what we all strive for, am I right? 

The formula is a little thick and getting it to cover your entire nail without streaking is a bit of a challenge but hard work pays off! 

I added a matte top coat from H&M to seal the deal before I added a little purple heart on my accent nail to give the look some Valentines feels! If you look at this picture close enough you can tell my heart is god awful and I cannot paint freestyle for my life. Ah well, everyone loves a trier, right? (Is that the right saying? It doesn't sound right...oops!)

Jo's Pick

I'm gonna let you guys in on a little secret, but before I do please no judgement. I personally am not a big fan of pink. I know I know, I'm practically betraying Barbie herself here, but who says you need to be covered head to toe in pink to show a little Valentine's spirit?

So for my Valentine's day nails, I chose to be a little different (or so I thought until I saw Gemma's nails and realized that we  must actually share a brain!). I first painted a coat of Topshop's Easy Peasy on all but my middle finger. This polish is great, has fantastic staying power and brilliant shine. 

Next to jazz them up a little and add a wee bit of Valentine's flair, I painted my middle finger with this pretty purple pink colour from Primark, which I purchased for €2.00. I then used a piece of Sellotape to make a love heart stencil on my ring finger. Trés Valentines(y) if I do say so myself. This polish applies really smoothly and has a large brush for easy application. 

This look would be great for anyone who wants to get into the Valentine's Day spirit without dousing themselves in pink sparkles and and red love hearts!

What's your polish picks for this Valentine's Day?

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Festive Holiday Nails

Well hello there! Welcome to another unusual edition of polish picks, this one not so much polish, oops. Instead we're gonna show you guys there crazy cute false nails from Primark, which were only €1.50! 

We decided to wear these bad boys for our university Christmas day which was way back on the 15th of December. Basically Christmas day on campus is an excuse for people to skip lectures and wear festive clothes for the day. It's a great tradition and this year was great fun for our last year on campus *sadface*

While we put on the mandatory festive jumpers and santy hats we also went that step further and put these uber festive falsies on. 

When we first got them we were like "these will not last long" however they pleasantly surprised us! The majority of the nails lasted all day and we made sure to bring the glue that came with them just in case, but it definitely wasn't needed!

Jo went full on Christmas and used every design in the pack, which turned out super cute as you can see in the picture above!

Gem went for a more subtle look (mostly because the majority of the nails were a little too big) but it too turned out quite cute, as seen below! Gem also used Primark's PS Love collections pink shimmer nail varnish which was on sale for 50c!

There you have it! Our super festive, cute nails for Christmas day. We are definitely going to try more of Primark's false nails range and we shall let you guys know how we get on with them, as usual!

Which is your favourite look? What did you do on your nails for the holidays? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

Well well well, what do we have here? Another edition of Polish Picks? You got that right! Take a look at the polishes we've had on our nails this week!
Jo's Pick:

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret, I have a huge obsession with the colour burgundy (okay maybe it's not a secret at all). Half the clothes in my wardrobe are burgundy and as soon as it gets to the colder months I love whipping out all my burgundy nail polishes. So this week I decided to stay true to form and chose to wear this Rare Nails polish in the colour Flame. 

 The formula of this polish is a bit thinner than other nail polishes I have been using lately so you might find application a little tricky if you're used to more gel like nail polishes but apart from that this polish is great. A really opaque look is achieved after only two coats and it really does last on your nails.   What I really wasn't expecting was how quickly the polish dried. The polish was touch dry after only a few minutes and didn't smudge easily after that!

You can get a bottle of this baby for around €3.50. I believe RARE nails is a Spanish brand so if you live in Spain I am super jealous because you can find this gorgeous brand in a load of different places. Unfortunately if you do live outside Spain it's a little harder to get your hands on this stuff. RARE nails do amazing nail kits as well and you can purchase their products online here

Check out RARE nail's website here. 

Also check out their list of retailers here

Gem's Pick

This week is a week for sparkly polish and this one fits the bill. It's sparkly and shimmery without the whole bother of actual glitter polish. (Because who likes them polishes anyway, look pretty in the bottle but not on the nails). 

Anyway, here is TopShop's Mermaid varnish. Which I picked up for just €1.00 in the sales (yay for sales!!). 

This polish doesn't really have a completely opaque finish, even with a couple of coats, however you won't really care because it is just so pretty when its on. Despite the opaque-less-ness the polish really shimmers in the light and is prefect for those wintery days where all you're looking for is something girly and pretty without the need for super in-your-face glitter. 

This varnish has a pretty standard drying time, if you like to put it on thick then it'll take a while. I usually put it on in thin coats with a little drying time in between, to make sure it doesn't smudge! 

This is part of Topshop's nail varnish range and unfortunatly I am not too sure whether it's still for sale or not (I can't find it on the website, sadface.) However they have some really beautiful colours, similar to this one and they even have a range of matte polishes!! 

Check out Topshop's website here

Check out their nail polishes here

What's your favourite nail polish at the moment? 

Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks - Special Edition

Hello, Hóla, Bonjour and welcome to our Special Edition Polish Picks! Not only do we have our usual nail varnish picks of the week, but this time we both got some special top coats that we tried out! Hence the 'Special Edition' title.
Check it out!
Jo's Picks:

I  know what you're thinking, deja vu right? You've seen this Barry M nail varnish in our polish picks before. Don't worry you're not losing it (not just yet anyway), this week I decided to go back to this beautiful shade and pair it with this crazy ombré polish from Catrice cosmetics. One of my little secret obsessions at the moment is ombré, from ombré hair (check) to ombré clothes (check) so I thought the only ombré thing I missing was ombré nails. Then this baby hit the shelves and it was like my little mission was complete. 

So all you do to achieve this ombré look is apply one coat of the polish on top of your nail colour to your middle nail, two coats to your ring finger and three coats to your pinky finger. That's all there is to it! The consistency of the polish is very thin so it can be a bit tricky to apply (as you can probably see by my botched attempt above. It was late, I was tired, I have all the excuses!). You also have to make sure that each coat has dried fully before applying the next coat or the polish can bubble a bit (and nobody got time for that). Apart from that, the nail polish is a bit of fun and can be put over pretty much any light or pastel colour. Red tones and pinks do tend to work a bit better though as the polish itself has a red tint. 

The Polish is great for jazzing up a nice pastel colour and you can find this nail polish anywhere that sells Catrice  for around €3.00 (not too shabby eh?). 

Check it out  on Catrice's website here. 

Gem's Picks:

   

So back to the blues. Again. I think I have a million shade of blue polish and you guys will get to see them all because I don't have anything else. Kidding! I also have a pink one. 

This week I used Primark's P.S. Love range yet again, this one a deep royal blue colour that actually matches everything in my wardrobe. I also added a Matte top coat that I picked up from H&M a little while ago. If you know me, then you know my obsession with matte everything. 

Matte + royal blue = my life. 

I was hoping that the top coat would provide the polish with a little staying power, but alas I believe this polish cannot be saved. Yet I still wear it. I'm strange. 

The top coat however is absolutley amazing! All you do is paint your nails as you normally would, then once it's dry, add the top coat like any other. Except it dries matte! Magic! 

Any polish made matte. It really is a wonderful invention. 

   

If your like me and painting your nails to any degree of success means you've completed your life's mission, then you would have been super proud. I think I shoved my hand in everyone's face shouting "LOOK AT THEM!!" I was just so happy with the colour, the texture and how I had managed to keep my hand so steady. It was a true Christmas miracle. Except not at all Christmassy. But a miracle none the less. 

Pick this top coat from H&M stories for €3.50

Check out H&M's Nail polish range Here

What nail trend have you been loving lately?
Thanks for reading!Until next time,

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks - Breast Cancer Awareness Edition

Well, it's been a month since we've done one of these babies! This time we've painted our nails pink, in honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which is this month (if you couldn't tell from the overall pinkness of the blog)! If you want to know more about breast cancer and how to do self-checks, click on the pink ribbon at the bottom of this post!
Self checks are super important and are really quick and easy. The key to higher survival rates is early detection, so get checking girls (and boys!).
Jo's Pick:

So as it's breast cancer awareness month, pink polish was a must. I chose this beautiful Rimmel  London Salon Pro nail polish in the shade Simply Sizzling. This is a gorgeous cream cerise pink colour. 

I have been super busy with college this past month (up to my chin in assignments, eek!), so I needed a polish that was quick drying so that I wouldn't have to wait ages for it to try before I dived back into the books. This polish really did the trick. It dried amazingly quick and it gives off a gorgeous shine. The polish doesn't chip easily at all either, I'm really hard on my nails (even really good polish hardly lasts a day on my nails), but this one didn't chip until day three of wearing it (which by my standards is amazing!). The application was really easy too and this made the process of painting my nails lightning fast. 

I purchased my bottle from boots for about €5.50 which isn't half bad for the quality of the polish. You can find this in pretty much any drugstore that sells rimmel london cosmetics. They have tons of colours as well so there is loads to choose from for any occasion. 

Check out from Boots here.

Check out on  Rimmel London's website here. 

Gem's Pick: 

This week I chose Primark's P.S. Love polish in a really pretty coral-pink! I don't have that many varnishes in pink but this one is definitely a favourite of mine, despite it's poor staying power. (Sad face).

 The colour is really pretty and summery (I know, it's autumn. I'm just not ready yet.) and it goes great with everything!  

To add a little something to my nails I painted my ring finger a sparkly pink (I used some drugstore polish that I can no longer find. Damn my blackhole of a bedroom.). In case you don't know, painting one finger a different colour is known as an "Accent Nail" and it is pretty popular among those ole instagrammers! 

 This polish really made me happy because in the last few days everyone has been talking about Autumnal shades and whatnot and I'm just here like "No. Not yet, please not yet!" But alas I cannot slow the coming winter and it is inevitable that this week I will have to break out my heavy jackets. But this polish made me happy and feel summery again. Therefore it shall remain the colour of my nails for as long as I can make it stay. Which is not very long. 

You can find this polish in most Primark stores in Ireland and it was only €2.50 for a pack of 4 different colours. Yay for bargains. 

Find Primark's website Here

As always guys, thanks for reading. We really appreciate each viewer we get!
Until next time,

Click this ribbon to see

why we've gone pink! > 

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

Yet again, it's Polish Picks time! Take a look below for the wondrous nail products we've used this week!
Jo's Pick:

This week I decided to stray away from the blue and green shades and go for something a little bit girly-er and try out Sinful Colors nail polish in the shade candy coated (does the name remind anyone else of candy crush? or am I alone on this candy crush obsessed island of mine?!). This is a beautiful creamy lilac purple colour. 

What really drove me to try out this polish was the colour. I really wanted to try something a little bit brighter and more feminine and this was perfect. The polish comes out very true to colour on the nails and only two coats are needed to achieve a fully opaque look. It was also a treat to apply and didn't come out streaky at all. Sinful Colors does tend to have brushes that are on the skinnier side so those  of you who are more accustom to using polishes with wider brushes like Bourjois or Wet n Wild may find that application is a little daunting at first, but it really is just as easy to apply. The polish doesn't chip easily (even on my nails and I like to beat my nails around the place), and it also dries fairly quickly.  

I found my bottle of nail polish at my local boots store for €2.49. If you live in the US you can find Sinful Colors in an array of magical places such as drugstores and supermarkets like Target. Unfortunately it's a bit harder to find it in Ireland and the UK but definitely check out your local Boots store, you might just be in luck. Check out Sinful Colors' website here

Gem's Pick:

This week I've decided to go back to the blues, I know I know I should really try to mix it up a bit but I really do love blue! My closet is literally exploding blue and so, naturally, my nails should match. I chose No7 Stay Perfect Nail colour in the shade 'Duck Egg Blue'. So cute! 

This polish is gorgeous and is a real treat to apply! It takes 2 coats to achieve a completely opaque look and best of all, it's quick dry!! One thing I look for in a quality nail polish is how quickly it dries because I just cannot sit still long enough to let it fully dry and I end up with streaky, messed up nails. This No7 does the trick and dries super quickly after application, meaning you don't have to wait 10-15 minutes between coats! 

The colour is gorgeous and is really true to what you see in the bottle! It's a really bright, playful shade which is just what I was looking for to start back to college this week! The bottle claims that this is a highly pigmented colour and I could not agree more, it's gorgeous on and off my nails! (Hopefully it stays on though!) 

I got this nail polish when I purchased a couple of other No7 products and received a free gift which you can check out Here. 

However you can take a look at the whole range of No7 Stay Perfect nail colours Here. This is a really high quality nail polish and for just €8.00 you can't go wrong! Plus there is a huge range of shades! 

Thanks for reading! Let us know what you guys have been wearing on your nails lately and if you like any of the colors above. We really do love to hear for you guys (it brightens our day!).

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's Polish Picks

It's that time again! Here are our polish picks for this week!

Gem's Pick:

                                   

So this week I decided to stray from the blues that I usually wear and try a green instead. The green varnish I'm wearing is from Primark and was part of a set of 4 nail varnishes which were only €2.50 from the P.S. range!! I thought it was a brilliant bargain until I used the polishes. Unfortunately for all you girls out there who love a bargain, I am sad to say that when it comes to polish, the more expensive, the better the quality. 

                        

First off, it takes about 5 layers of polish for this to become opaque and even then its not total cover. And to make this worse, it seems to take forever to dry! You need about 3 hours to apply it and after all your hard work and dedication to making dinner with your elbows to avoid ruining your nails, the varnish just cracks anyway. I love the colour of this polish but the formula is just poop.                     

                                

I applied a layer of Topshop's Mermaid holographic nail polish to my ring finger for a bit of sparkle and thankfully it stopped the Primark polish from chipping. 

To be honest, these pictures (and any others I took) don't show the true colour of this polish, it's more of a Kelly green than a mint. It just doesn't seem to photograph very well. 

I would love to be able to recommend every nail polish I use to everyone, however we all know that there are a few dud ones out there and this just happens to be one of them. The only recommendation I would give this polish is for parents who want a first time polish for their little kids to try. It comes off easily and doesn't stain your nails so it would be perfect for kids who aren't allowed nail polish in school. 

You can get it from Primark stores, check out their website Here. 

Jo's Pick:

This week I decided to go down the green route as well and painted my nails using Barry M's nail paint in the colour Mint green (way to be creative with the names there, Barry M!). This is a really pretty, creamy mint green colour (as you might have guessed from it's name!).  

This nail polish gives off a really pretty shine which I love about it and it is super opaque after only two coats. It does however take a little long to dry compared with some other fast drying nail polishes but that's not much to ask since it really lasts for a long time on the nails. I tend to be really hard on my nails,but this didn't chip easily at all. I was actually super impressed. 

You can find Barry M nail paints in Boots for  about €4.59, in the UK and Ireland. Unfortunately I don't believe that you can purchase this in the US but hopefully they'll rectify this soon. Check out Barry M's website here.

So there you have it our lovelies, our polish picks of the week. Let us know what you think in the comments below, and as always thanks for reading!

Until next time, 

Gem and Jo's polish picks

So here's what we've been wearing on our nails recently!

Jo's Pick:

I recently bought a few nail polishes for Topshop, and this lovely was amongst them. This is Topshop's Nail Varnish in the colour Moondance. This is a gorgeous blue(y) silver holographic colour.

This nail polish dries super quickly, but the best thing about it is definitely the colour. The polish gives off rainbow hues in the light and it looks like the reflective strip on a high visibility jacket. It seriously looks super cool. Unfortunately this nail polish chips quite easily without a top coat, but slap a good quality top coat on and that problem is solved.

I found this polish on sale in Topshop for €4. I don't believe that you can get it online but if you see this in store I highly suggest picking it up. This would be perfect if you wanted to take part in the holographic trend (without dressing head to toe in it and looking like a space man). This would also cool over a blue nail polish to give it an extra sparkle.
Check out Topshop's other nail colours here .

Gem's Pick:

So after trying Primark's matte pink colour in our last polish picks post I've become a little be hooked on matte nail polishes. So I decided to give Sinful Colors nail polish in the colour Savage a go. This is a beautiful matte teal colour.

This nail polish dries really fast and a truly opaque colour can be achieve from only one coat! The polish gives the nails an almost rubber texture which looks really great. I would however recommend wearing a base coat underneath the polish as it can leave blueish stains on the nails once taken off. However as long as a base coat is used this won't happen. 

I purchased my bottle from my local boots store for €2.49, But if you live in the US you can find Sinful Colors in a lot of different drugstores and supermarkets such as target (it's a little bit harder to find in Ireland and the UK). For €2.49, this polish is great quality and I would definitely recommend it to any matte polish lovers out there. 

Check out their website here

Thanks for reading. Let us know if you like these nail polishes in the comments below (we love to hear your opinions!).
Until next time,