I’ve been so over nail colour lately, I’ve shared some of the nudes and sheer washes or pastel I’ve been wearing but once the sun was out in the UK (however fleeting) I decided it was officially summer and it was time to pull out my sunshine shades. I’ve split my favourites into two categories, blues and pinks. The lilac doesn’t entirely fit in to ‘blue’, I realise but it did feel more at home with this group than the other so we can pretend, can’t we?

Revlon Charming is a pretty pastel lilac that I wear a lot in Spring but that makes a ‘best of’ post like this because of its formula. I have never know nail polish to be so chip resistant.. this entire range is overlooked because it’s older and less exciting, there aren’t a great deal of colours on most stands or new launches but it’s really excellent if you want a long lasting mani!

Barry M Greenberry was one I bought when I was looking for dupes for my favourite China Glaze Sunsational colours (Too Yacht To Handle) a couple of years ago. It was the first seasonal nail collection I’d totally fallen in love with and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to repurchase my favourites. As it happens they’re all still readily available 3 years later and I haven’t used up one of them but it’s always nice to find a drugstore dupe. I love this bright colour whatever the season.

Barry M Huckleberry is another Gelly formula.. I don’t love the thicker polishes because they tend to take a long time to dry and chip more easily but they also only need 1 or 2 coats so you can’t have it all, can you? I always top them with Seche Vite anyway so the high shine finish isn’t a major benefit for me but I do love this pale blue colour

China Glaze Highlight Of My Summer is one of the Sunsational shades I really couldn’t dupe. A beautiful pastel, almost muted neon mint green. Of the 4 I’d say this is the most summer appropriate but the formula is such a pain, very thin, quick to dry but takes lots of coats and again the more polish you have on the more likely it will chip. I will still wear it cause I have nothing else like it but I don’t love painting my nails with the Sunsationals these days.. I think I’ve just got less patience than I used to.

So that’s part one of my Summer nail extravaganza.. stay tuned for part two if you’re in to warmer pinks and corals!

As you know I’ve been really in to nude nails lately (although the occasional warm weather has had me pulling out my favourite brights this week) and this colour is one of my favourite finds for my skin tone maybe ever. I picked it up on a whim with my weekly shop at Asda  and I absolutely love it but unfortunately it’s possibly the worst nail polish in the world for chipping. It chipped before I could even get into some decent light to photograph it for you. Can you see the corner of my nail I’m trying (and failing) to hide in the picture? It’s supposed to be a 3 in 1 polish with basecoat and topcoat built in, because I was so in to the colour I applied it a few times within a week with identical results whether it was used alone, with base a separate base coat or with my trusty Seche Vite top coat. I just can’t get it to stay on my nails, such a shame as otherwise I would be raving to anyone who would listen. I would be interested to hear from any of you that have tried any of the Naked Nails range, however and If you have a magic trick to keep it chip free I’m all ears!!