Winter to Spring Nail Polish Transition Ideas

Going from dark wintery nail colours to pastels in the springtime can be a hard transition to make. I have put together a few polish ideas (some of my favourites) that will hopefully help you know what to wear during the transition from winter to spring. 

Essie Bangle Jangle 

A grey/lilac polish is super pretty and ideal for this time of year. You have the spring-ness of the lilac but it is paired down and made slightly more wintery and subtle by the grey tones. Beautiful. 

Barry M Cardamom 

This is what I would describe as an "old fashioned green". The perfect middle ground between dark midnight greens and spring-y, fresh, bright greens. 

Barry M Elderberry 

A beautiful blue-grey polish - do you see a pattern with the grey tones to everything? As you can probably tell, I like to go for pale or brighter colours that are still subtle, grey-tones and muted. 

What polishes will you be wearing for the transition from winter to spring? 

Winter Nail Polish Picks 2015

Winter is probably my least favourite season for nail polish. In the spring I wear a lot of greens, pinks and pastels. In the summer I am all about the brights and neons. Autumn is great for deep berry shades, jewel tones and December is, of course, glitter. By the time January rolls around I am usually feeling a little bit lost as to what colours to use, my nails are usually left in a bit of a state after all that glitter over Christmas too. What is a girl to do?  If you are like me and need a little bit of nail inspiration at this time of year, I hope this helps and you enjoy seeing some of my favourites.

Sidenote: winter lighting is not my friend.

WARNING: this post features a LOT of grey *monkey covering his eyes emoji*

First up is Avon Midnight Green. I am a bit fan of green nails in general and I really like this darker green shade. I like that it is not so dark that it looks black and you can still tell it is green.

Barry M Vintage Violet is a really pretty grey-purple shade. It is muted and classy and I think it is quite an usual shade to find from a cheaper brand.



Essie Blue Rhapsody is an icey blue toned silver metallic polish. Its really easy to apply because you just need  one coat and it dries super quickly so if you are impatient - this is the one to go for!




Barry M Chai is a really pretty grey shade that goes with any outfit. You all know how much i rate the Gelly formula so this is definitely a winner for me.

Barry M Mushroom is such a classic shade that i think i will always love and have in my collection. Its a really nice brown-nude but its not so pale that it gives your hands a 'dead' look. Most of the colours i have chosen for winter are quite neutral and simple after the craziness of holiday glitter. 

Essie Jazz is a lovely neutral shade (another neutral!). I would really recommend this shade not just for winter, but for any smart occasion such as an interview or important meeting because it just makes your hands look very tidy and polished. 

Essie Chinchilly is another classic that i wouldn't want to be without in my collection. Its a warm grey with a very slight mink/purple tone. Super pretty and one of my go-to polishes when i don't know what to wear. This is a polish i will never get bored of!

Last but not least, Essie Bobbing for Baubles is a dark navy blue with a grey tone to it. Its a bit more interesting than your average dark blue but its still classy and subtle.The perfect way to add a bit of colour but navy to me, is still a neutral. Great for all skin tones.

What is your favourite polish to wear for winter? Are there any you think I should try?

Essie A Splash Of Grenadine

I had been umm-ing and ahh-ing whether to get this polish for about two years and let me tell you, I'm so glad I did! It looks quite dark in the picture but the colour is such a unique lilacy/pink/lavender shade. It's quite blue-toned and I wasn't sure if it was going to suit me but it's GORGEOUS! 

I used two coats in the picture above and you know how I feel about Essie brushes and their formulas. Perfection. 

Birthday Nails - Rimmel SpaceDust in Moonwalking

It's kinda an odd time of year to be blogging about glitter nail varnish but last week it was my birthday and if you can't wear glitter on your birthday, when can you?

Last Autumn, Rimmel came out with a limited edition SpaceDust collection (you can probably still find them online?) and MoonWalking is one of my favourite shades. 

It's purple with silver glitter and it's sparkly without looking too Christmassy. The formula is actually amazing. I only used 2 coats which is impressive for a glitter, especially one from the drugstore, it's pretty easy to remove too. 

What do you think? Glitter nails, yay or nay? 

Rimmel Pop Your Pink NOTD

The Rimmel nail polish brushes are some of my faves and with the summer weather being here, I've rekindled my love for bright pinks. Pop Your Pink is a hot pink and takes 3 coats to be opaque - as with a lot of neons, it can be a little streaky. The wear time is pretty good, you could probably get 5-6 days out of it with a good top and base coat and it dries really fast. 

So, what do you think? Are you a bright pink kinda girl? 

Penny Talk

I literally can't remember the last time I painted my nails with something other than an Essie polish... Okay, slight exaggeration but I do seem to be using Essie a lot lately! 

Penny Talk is originally from the Mirror Metalics Collection 2012 but is still available on their website so I think it is now permant in the diffusion line. 

It is described as an "authentic copper metallic" on the Essie website, it is a gorgeous coppery rose gold colour and is perfect for all year round (it looks particularly pretty in the sunshine and would be great for a party or event). 

In the photo above, I used 2 coats (even though you could probably get away with just 1!). It dries super quickly, the Metalics are the fastest drying Essie formula I have come across. 

So, what do you think? It's definitely a one-off colour and I don't think I've seen any other brands do anything similar. 

The 'Grown Up' Pink

As you know, i am totally in love with the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine Nail Varnishes, so when I found out they were bringing out three new pastel shades for spring, I had to pick some up. The baby pink shade, Rose Hip is the one I was most drawn to and I love the fact that it's a pastel pale pink without being too young, and bubblegum -esque! It's grown up and still girly and perfect for spring. 

Pastel Nail Picks 2014

L-R, Models Own Apple Pie, Barry M Rose Hip, Models Own Blueberry Muffin, Barry M Prickly Pear

Models Own Apple Pie

I had a hard time choosing between this and the classic Essie Mint Candy Apple but even though I probably prefer the formula of the Essie polish, the Models Own one is the more green of the two and looks more like a classic mint colour. As I said, I hate the formula, it's really thick and hard to apple but this does mean that it is opaque in two coats and it lasts prettty well on the nails, I just wish the application was better. Far too gloopy! £5

Barry M Rose Hip

This polish is so pretty. When I first saw swatches online, I wasn't sure whether it was aiming to be a dupe for Essie Fiji but it has a lot more pink in it than Fiji does. It's such a good formula for a pale polish and you only need 2 coats. £3:99

Models Own Blueberry Muffin

Again, this polish has an awful thick formula but the colour is beautiful. It's the perfect soft pastel blue. £5

Barry M Prickly Pear

The brightest of the bunch, this was the first Barry M Gelly polishes I ever picked up and I love it! I often find that with Barry M, you need quite a few coats with their paler polishes as they can be a bit patchy or streaky but because this is part of the Gelly Hi Shine range, it is thicker in texture so you only need 2-3 coats to get it opaque and it's not streaky at all! £3:99

All polishes are 2 coats on the nail wheel. What are your Spring nail polish picks? 

Beauty Wishlist #1

 

My beauty wishlist #1

 

 

 

 

1.) China Glaze - Winter Holly - Yes its July, but I've been lusting after this gorgeous green polish for EVER and it would be so perfect for A/W. I haven't seen anything else like it and it just looks gorgeous.

 

2.) Macadamia Deep Repair Mask - Another product that I've been wanting for a year or more. One day I will bite the bullet and buy it despite the expense!

 

3.) Mac - "Hue" Lipstick - This is such a classic beauty blogger/Youtuber product and I have totally been sucked in! I really want to find the perfect nude/pale pink lipstick.

 

4.) Mac 217 brush - Out of all the Mac brushes, this is the one I want the most. I love the Real Techniques brushes and I think their face brushes are absolutely fab but I feel like Mac does eye brushes a little bit better. I don't have any  Mac brushes and will probably never own any, due to how expensive they are. But in my eyes, they are an investment and something I will keep for years. I'm not sure if that justifies the hefty price tag but we'll see....

 

5.) Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks - I have the classic 107 lipstick which is amazing in the A/W and I love it so much, I want to try some more shades. I have quite big lips (and a big mouth, oops!) and if I wear bright lipstick, I like it to be matte because I think bright+shiny/glossy = a bit too much and my lips end up taking over my whole face!

Image Credit: Katies beauty blog

 

6.) Slek - Sweet Check blush-by-3 palette - I think this is the product I want the most. I have no idea what to say about it, other than I WANT IT. I have the blush-by-3 'Lace' palette and I love it but I really want this one too! These are such fab quality and so pigmented. I think they are an amazingly priced product for those who cant afford a Nars blush. You literally need the tiniest 'tap' of product and I can tell that my 'Lace' palette is going to last me forever. Another good 'investment'!

 

What beauty products are on your wishlist?

 

NOTD - Essie - Bikini so teeny

NOTD - Essie - Bikini so teeny.

This purpley-cornflower blue colour is just amazing. It's bright and pretty and I just know that I am going to be wearing it A LOT this Spring/Summer!!

 

Sorry for rubbish pics.

 

 

The polish has a very very slight shimmer in it and doesnt really show up at all. Its really gorgeous though!