Recent Buys | New Nail Polishes

| nail swatches all photographed with a topcoat polish |

If you follow me on Twitter, you may know that I recently took the plunge and sorted out my nail polish collection. Yes girls - I embraced my inner ruthless-ness and got rid of any I don't wear or any that had simply gone gooey and well past their prime! I find it very hard to part with nail polishes - collections are updated so often that it's sometimes hard to find a replacement for a shade that you're getting rid of and as someone who changes their nail polish up to 3 times a week (shocking .. I know, I just can't stand chipped talons!), having a big selection of shades is quite important to one's manicure regime!  Since clearing out the somewhat obsessive collection, I've been really good and only purchased 5 newbies over the past 3 months or so (this is astonishingly good going for me - it's taken a big fat dose of willpower not to accidentally-on-purpose knock a couple of bottles into my basket when picking up neccessities). I thought I'd show you the ones I decided to cave in to.. one brand being one I've never tried before but have been so superly duperly impressed by I will most probably be going back to grab the whole shade range pretty soonish..

| Sinful Colors | Timbleberry | £1.99 |

A brand I've never tried before but one that I will be buying into again for sure. The quality is amazing - for the price of £1.99 it is such a bargain and it beats my more expensive polishes in terms of application and wear time without a doubt.  I noticed very little chipping and the formula is smooth and easy to paint on.  The colour is also amazing - it's a lovely orangey coral colour with a slight hint of pinky red - a really interesting shade that is really bright and colourful - perfect for this time of year and one that will take you through summer as it will look beautiful with a tan.  A girl even stopped me when getting on the bus to ask what shade I was wearing on my nails - so trust me on this - the photographs don't do it justice! My local Boots store have quite an extensive range of shades - one of the best displays of colour i've seen in a long time - I really, really recommend you have a little nosey if you spot them.

| Orly | Purple Crush | £5 |

 This has been on my wishlist for ages.  At £5 it isn't the cheapest of polishes and the bottle is definitely on the small side, but I loved the colour so much I decided I'd treat myself.  I must say, the only downside to this polish is the wear time - I personally find it chips quite easily, and when dry the finish is quite matte.  I'm a big fan of shiny, glossy nails so this is something that annoys me a little.  I have to apply a couple of coats of my top coat to get a good gloss on it. Apart from that, I love the application and the colour range available, and the colour only takes 2 coats to get a fully opaque finish.  I actually quite like the little bottle and the brush - it's all very cute and it makes for a fool proof application - yippee.

| Barry M | Mushroom | £2.99 |

An old favourite and a cult product amongst the blogger world.  Such a brilliant understated colour that gives a nod to the whole 'nude nails' trend without looking sickly.  Barry M's polishes are some of my all time favourites and the quality is bang on for the price.

| Revlon 'Moon Candy' Collection | Galactic | £8 |

An impulse buy, and an expensive one at that! I was so taken by the little duos in their 'Moon Candy' collection and even though this polish probably isn't the most obvious choice now we're coming into Spring/Summer - it's one that I simply had to have.  The little foil pieces in the polish bring the shade to life and add so much dimension and interest to the nails.  I really love the finish it gives and the irridescent pieces certainly aren't skimped on - it only took two swipes with the brush to get the finish shown in the swatch photographed above.

| OPI | Teal The Cows Come Home |

Bought in a blog sale for £5 - I've had this on my list since last year so when I saw it in a blog sale recently I had to get it! OPI polishes don't come cheap so I was really chuffed to grab it for a fiver! If you're a regular reader of my nail-related posts you'll know I adore blue polish - and this shade is just the most beautiful shade of turquoise blue ever. It's not the most opaque polish in the world, which is a shame as it takes a good 3 coats to build up properly, but I've also worn it over plain blue polish to give a bit of metallic dimension and it looks amazing. I love it.

I've done so well to hold back on the temptation to go crazy and build up my collection again. But I think it's good to have a good clear out and buy shades you really love instead of having a load of them you'll probably never wear.  I will certainly be stocking up on more of the Sinful colours range - there's some amazing bright corals and blues in their shade selection that I simply need in my life! You can take a little look on the Boots website here (I'd also just like to add I am in no way associated with this company or being paid and poked with a stick to sing their praises - I just happened to stumble upon them and think it's of paramount importance that you are all aware of their existence!)

Have you tried any of these brands? Whats your favourite shade right now? I'm on the lookout for some new favourites!