I'm usually one for super bold nail colours but recently I've been opting for sheer neutrals.. I suspect this is  trend that crept up on me gradually. I feel I've been 'incepted'. I had a manicure while we were in New York in January and was totally converted to the idea initially however actually making a follow up appointment back in Yorkshire is another matter. It's always later, later whereas when you're on holiday you have nothing but time! I started looking into DIY/home nail maintenance and like magic I received an email from the powers than be at Elegant Touch who were launching a brand new range of nail care products!Dubbed 'Nail Apothecary' these bottles all do different jobs and come together (in theory) to create your capsule wardrobe of nail care. Now I have been a long time lover of Seche Vite top coat for keeping my nails gel-like-glossy and chip free so although the 'gel effect top coat' may be great it just doesn't compare for me, I'm afraid. The ridge filler again is something that didn't stand out but that's purely because it's not something I suffer from. The only time I've ever considered a ridge filler/base coat of any kind is under super thin foil polish.. otherwise it's just an unecessary extra layer that in my experience will lead to chipping sooner than without. So at this point you think I'm panning the whole range, I know but never fear.. the cuticle products are here!! This is where I need help.

My holy grail cuticle remover is from Sally Hansen and the Elegant Touch Cuticle Eliminator gives Sally a run for her money! Jelly like consistency, I apply (with the handy brush) around each nail, leave for a couple of minutes then push back my cuticles and rub away (gross, I know) any dead skin. It's my favourite thing to do and it leaves me looking manicure fresh. The Cuticle Elixir is just a fancy word for oil, not sure it's better than any other oil I have but it's a nice enough, fit for purpose product. The one thing I would say lets down the range is the packaging/branding.. Elegant Touch is a well known brand and they've obviously tried to set this apart a bit but once out of the plastic box the bottle look a bit.. cheap. I say this because the 24k gold Ridge Filler Nail Treatment is £8.95 and lets face it.. we care about what our product packaging looks like! They're selling us an aesthetic product, I think they could have done more to make it aesthetically pleasing. Maybe that's just me.

Available online here

The Essie polish I'm wearing here is Birthday Suit, my nail colour of choice for the past few weeks. Unbelievably I've been reaching for it time and time again.. I think partly because it doesn't show wear since it's sheer and natural.. I'm starting to understand why this was a trend.

PR Sample