China Glaze Devotion

For the last six months I've been living in a part of the country that seems to be stuck in a sort of 1950s time warp. It is the fashion version of no man's land. So imagine my surprise when I got distracted by the window display in a nail salon and found they were selling China Glaze nail polishes! After doing a little happy dance I popped in a bought a couple, including Devotion (a silver foil) and Grape Juice (a shimmery purple).

I used Devotion on my fingernails in preparation for a night out a couple of days ago. I haven't tried China Glaze polishes before, and I must admit I was a little disappointed with the formula. I've found that metallics are often either very runny or very thick, and this was definitely the former. It needed two coats to make it opaque and dried a bit streaky, although this evened out after I put a top coat on. It also bubbled a little, despite the fact I waited a good five to ten minutes between each coat. I love the colour though - it's a very bright silver that really stands out:

As you can see, I also used one of Claire's nail stickers on my ring finger. I'm a big fan of these. They're pretty cheap (£3 for the set) and they just make a standard manicure look a bit more fun:

I'm on day four of this manicure now and it has yet to chip, which is a pleasant surprise. The formula on Devotion may have been a disappointment, but I'm also wearing China Glaze Grape Juice on my toes and it applied much better; it wasn't nearly as thin. I won't post a photo of it though because frankly I think feet are kind of gross and I don't want to subject anyone to looking at mine (you're welcome). So would I buy China Glaze polishes again? Probably...

OPI Dating a Royal & Silver Shatter

I love OPI nail polish. I don't think words can sufficiently express how much I love it. Yes, it's more expensive than some brands, but as far as I'm concerned it's worth the price tag. One of my current favourites is Dating a Royal, a bright blue that really pops and suits most skin tones. When I first saw this colour it reminded me of Kate Middleton's dress when she announced her engagement to Prince William:

I don't know whether the polish was intended to match her dress, but given how similar the two colours are - and the polish's name - it seems quite likely.

Anyway, I wanted to paint my nails with a bright colour but I also wanted something a bit more fun than Dating a Royal on its own - which is where OPI's Silver Shatter comes in. Part of the Pirates of the Caribbean collection (and my favourite of the six, although Mermaids' Tears, a mint creme, comes a close second), as the name suggests it's part of the recent craze for crackle polishes. It's silver with tiny glittery specks that catch the light beautifully.

Look how sparkly it is!

First, I used a base coat to prevent staining (my go-to one is Nails Inc Soho Silk because it creates a white base, which means your chosen polish goes on more opaque), then two coats of Dating a Royal. This was followed by a light coat of Silver Shatter. There are numerous instructional videos for applying crackle polishes, but to be honest it's not hard to figure out for yourself. The main thing to remember when applying it is the thicker the coat, the fewer cracks there will actually be in it. Wait for it to do its thing and dry, then followed with a top coat. Voilà!

Okay, my photography sucks (practice will hopefully make perfect) but you can still see quite well how it turned out. I got a lot of compliments when I wore it, including from several strangers.