Around September time I find myself leaving behind the bright corals and vivid pinks of the summer season and choosing a moodier palette for my fingertips.
I’ve been dipping my toes into oxblood red recently but here are my favourite colours for my fingers.
Max Factor Mini, £3.99
I can’t tell you how many bottles of nail varnish I’ve got to the bottom of. I reckon it’s only one or two, most get too gloopy and I end up throwing away half the bottle. That’s why these mini versions from Max Factor are so handy. This inky shade looks very chic on short nails and great for a rainy day. Cloudy Blue is available from Boots.
Avon Gel Finish, £7
If you’re after salon shine without the UV lamp then Avon’s Gel Finish Nail Enamel is worth a look. There’s 24 shades to choose from. My favourite is Mudslide, a rich brown which lasts around five days on my nails before any chips.
OPI, From £3.99
I’m a sucker for a nail enamel with a good name so ‘A French Quarter For Your Thoughts’ doesn’t disappoint. As I’m pale I often struggle with greige shades but this one is really flattering. The formula can go a little streaky with thin coats so best to go for a heavier coat. This is a discontinued shade so it’s difficult to track down but it’s still available at Fragrance Direct.
Topshop, £5
It took me ages to find a decent gold that a) wasn’t too yellow and b) didn’t chip. ‘Aurelian‘ is a metallic shade perfect for the party season and ticks all of the above boxes. The packaging also gets a big thumbs up from me as polka dots never fail to make me smile.
Rimmel, £2.99
A dark purple is essential for the colder season and this deep plum shade is a great colour for the autumn. With the right base coat I love to paint my finger nails black but if it’s a step too far then a dark purple makes a good alternative. You can get ‘Black Cherries’ from Superdrug.
I’m really loving the matte finishes around at the moment but so far haven’t found one that doesn’t chip. I’d love to know what you’ve been using this autumn and if you’ve found any long lasting matte shades?
Posts like this make me so jealous! I work in food research & nail varnish is totally and utterly banned (along with make up, jewellery & embellished tops!). Fortunately I can indulge in the rest in the evenings & weekends, but painting my nails for one night seems a bit of a waste! Can’t wait until the Christmas holidays – they’ll be painted continuously for a fortnight! Yippee!
Oh Lynsey, I used to work in hospitality and had to forgo nail varnish so I feel your pain. I bet you’ll paint them every colour under the sun over Christmas.
I’ve been using a freebie Nails Inc one which I guess is a sort of very dark burgundy – Hanover Square but got a bit bored so a changeover today to that M&S Mink one Charlotte forced me to buy 😉 I also have a range of reds from Essie that I like – think their nail varnish is one of the best as the brush is nice and wide.
I like a gold for Christmas parties and even like a glitter (but hate the taking off phase as it never comes off!)
I am SUCH a nail varnish addict and eyeing up the new Chanel navy one which is SO in vogue!
Yes that Mrs O’Shea really does have a tendency to make us all buy things 😉
If you apply remover on cotton wool and then wrap your fingers in foil it can be very effective for removing glitter polish.
I love the matte nails look, so after hours of listening to me lamenting my current nail polish collection a couple of years back he bought me a matte top coat from Nails Inc for Christmas called Westminster Bridge. It is FAB. You just sweep it over dry nail varnish and it instantly mattifies. My favourite is to add it over the top of metallic nails, like copper or silver to get a dull metal effect.
Can’t it be christmas yet?!
Adding to Christmas list right this minute Jodie. Dull metal sounds even better than shiny!
I love deep purples for autumn and winter. I’ve got to say, try as I might to paint my own nails I just can’t do it and they always chip after a day so I stick to Shellac. I’m currently wearing Dark Lava – a really deep purple with the slightest bit of metallic. It goes with absolutely everything and will last for two weeks, no problem – total winner!
Just checked out Dark Lava – LUSH!
How appropriate, I am painting my nails inky blue RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!
Its a Nails inc one called Motcomb street (though it does say limited edition on the bottle)
I’ve got a Barry M matt one that lasts for ages (and I’m pretty hard on my nails!)
I bought the Rimmel Velvet Matte one the other day and it lasted an hour before it chipped. No word of a lie! I was gutted as the colour was a gorgeous grey. Thanks for the Barry M recommendation.
I love Nails Inc. There’re nail kale polishes a great and have really put my nails back in good condition.
Do you know Kirsty, I don’t think I’ve ever tried Nails Inc. It must be about time I started.
Oh Lauren you are missing out!!!
Ha haha that you said that about the Topshop packaging! As soon as the image loaded the first thing I thought was… oooh that is a lovely pot… I’d quite like a set of those for Christmas baubles. Polka dots, pretty gold and a similar font to that I’ve just used for my advent parcels – I think I need this just to match. 🙂
You’d never believe but I spent much of last night looking for some mini white baubles to paint gold dots on! Great minds think alike 😉 x
I love a Matt black polish – like a chalk board! I’ve got a fab Orly mattifying top coat that lasts about 5 days, it’s brilliant! The Orly speed-dry top coat is amazing as well. No more smudges!
Five days is impressive Kerri. Must get myself a mattifying coat.