Feelin' blue

Party people, you are going to love me. I've discovered an amazingly pigmented, easy-to-apply, glossy A/W nail polish for a fiver - Rimmel Lycra Pro in Blue Vogue.

I actually borrowed this from a colleague this afternoon as many late nights in the office meant I hardly had time to wash my hair this week, nevermind paint my nails, and tonight I'm off for cocktails - Soho, you will never see me without a manicure.

This is 2 coats, and I could have left it at one! The first glided on neatly with not a streak in sight, thanks to an incredibly creamy formula that isn't sticky or gloopy like some thicker varnishes (Nails Inc, I'm talking to you). And check out that shine, without a topcoat! It's a little bluer than this photo, and has a hint of sparkle which is pretty invisible to the naked eye but must serve to enhance that awesome gleam.

Another boon of this brand is their new brush - it's wider and flat than your usual brush, and curved at the sides to fit around the nail bed. Seriously, this is an innovation in polish.

This line is marketed as offering a 'professional finish', and I have to agree that this is the neatest, glossiest, most even coverage I've ever achieved by myself.

If I wasn't in the middle of yet another spending embargo until payday, I would be straight to Boots to stock up on every colour of this miracle find, OPI Lincoln Park After Dark, you are no longer my favourite navy blue!

Take matte

During a fleeting visit to Superdrug to grab some painkillers, I was momentarily distracted by the kaleidoscopic Barry M counter.

A friend had mentioned Barry M's Cyan, and once I saw it, I couldn't resist. It helped that she lives a few doors down from me, and we can effectively share a nail polish collection, so in my mind I was doing a public service by picking up this little beauty. (£2.99)

I hope you ladies (and gentlemen) are sitting down because what I'm about to tell you could knock you off your feet... this is only two coats! This polish is a flippin' gem. Regular readers will know I'm a three-coat addict, but there was absolutely no need with this creamy, opaque beauty. And the colour is great. (Coated with Seche Vite here for extra gloss)

Then I took things to another level. I picked up Topshop's Matte with my other items last Wednesday, and although I was pretty dubious as to whether I'd take to matte nails, on a vibrant colour like this I'm sold.

Don't get me wrong, I'll always love that shiny manicured look. But for the crazier colours in my repertoire this gives a more casual edge I'm a real fan of. Would rather like to try it with some of Barry's ice cream colours, and definitely with Topshop's Gypsy Night, just to see what it does to glitter polishes. Either way, it's a fun product for a fiver, worked well here on top of my topcoat, letting you change it up on a whim, and dried in seconds with no brushstroaks. Go forth and mattify!