Grunge glam, thank you Maam!

The Topshop Heavy Duty Limited Edition Make Up collection is right up my alley - especially the polishes. I almost left with three, but as I'd bought Chanel's Paradoxal a mere half-hour earlier, I thought this might be a bit excessive. I soul-searched for a good 20 minutes before settling for Grunge, but I can't promise I won't be back for Lead.

Grunge is a beautiful black base/gold mettalic combo which looks kind of khaki green in the right light. It goes with absolutely all my recent A/W aquisitions, including purple, nude, terracotta and especially camel.

It's totally opaque with two well-applied coats, and super glossy due to the amazing gold shimmer that adds a little understated glam to daytime. And 48 hours in with CND Stickey basecoat (review to come) and Seche Vite, it's chip-free.

Well done Topshop!

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!