Clear Top Coats for nails - my favourites

For years I've been dodging the top coat on nails because I'm lazy but actually it's time to admit that they really do make a difference to the longevity, and the appearance of a nail polish, let's face it we all want our polish to last for days and shine so much that we can see our reflection in them.  In addition, a good top coat will contain all sorts of ingredients to strengthen nails and protect them from splitting, you only have to check out the Sally Hansen aisle to see that there are a lot to choose from and they all do different things.

Today I've chosen three of my favourites to share with you, these are predominantly for shine but I find that they all leave my nails feeling stronger as well.

O.P.I RapiDry

First up is RapiDry, cool name huh?  I bought this from Duty Free at Gibraltar Airport last year, as I had euros burning a hole in my pocket and wanted to spend them on something so I checked out the nail polish aisle and found this.  What's great about this is that not only does it give a lovely shiny top coat to your nails, it's also very quick to dry (hence the name) so you don't have to sit with your fingers outstretched for ages not touching them or doing that flicky thing we do to 'air dry' them which is great for it you're in a hurry.  Anything from O.P.I. is going to be good though, right?  I would definitely buy this again.

Avon Gel Shine 

The Avon Gel Shine top coat is part of their Gel Shine range (although this is called Mark now having been recently re-branded).  The purpose of the gel shine top coat is to give the gel polishes that extra bit of shine and I can say that it really does!  The gel polishes by themselves are very good, giving a great shine without the top coat but it's worth popping a bit of top coat over it to give them that extra pazzazz and also it helps with the longevity, they last several days with no chips at all, it's also very hard wearing and doesn't chip easily but there's no problem taking it off with ordinary nail polish remover.  It's very reasonably priced as well and is very often on offer in the brochure and online so if you like it stock up when you see it on sale (I say that as a fully fledged Avon Rep).  It obviously works beautifully on the Avon Gel Shine polishes but I've used it on others and it does a great job.  So all in all a super product for a great price.  To check out the Avon Gel Shine on Avon please click here. 

Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy Diamond Top Coat

I got this as part of my Glossybox subscription last year.  I think I wrote about it at the time because on first look I was impressed with it and then when I used it I wasn't disappointed.  The Revlon ColorStay Gel Envy has got an unusual brush whereby the bristles are quite thin and they are arranged so that the liquid covers the edges of your nail then you brush inwards, thus covering the entire nail and not being blobbed in the middle which usually takes ages to dry and ends in only half the nail being covered an a shiny top coat whilst the rest of it sits their dull as dishwater.  Whilst this polish is designed to go on top of the ColorStay Gel polishes it does work well on other brands too.  

Lipstick Love ... Maybelline Babylips 'Peach Kiss'

Today I'm going to talk about about Maybelline Babylips, these little balms are not quite a lipstick, not quite a chapstick but a bit of both.  They've been out for a while now, the first one I got as part of my Glossybox subscription and I was so impressed I bought another.  I think Glossybox can be credited with quite a few of my recent beauty purchases, that's how I became obsessed with Kiko Milano products (another story ...).

Anyway, one of the reasons I am so impressed is that it does do what its supposed to do, that is, to make your lips feel soft like baby lips.  It is not not squidgy, sticky or over-glossy and it does feel like you're wearing a lipstick.  The Babylips balms give good colour and the packaging is cute and colourful.  It's great to shove in your pocket or handbag and I've even got one in the car for emergencies.

While we were in America over Easter I wore 'Peach Kiss' as it was a lovely colour and had SPF 20 included so both boxes ticked there.  It was very easy to reapply after drinking and eating as it was constantly in my pocket.  The other colour I've got is 'Cherry Me'  (see me wearing it in the photo below) which gives a lovely pinkish glow.  There's something to suit everyone as well because Maybelline have produced a variety of colours check out the Boots website, which shows all the colours and the price.

Maria
xx

Maybelline Babylips - Peach Kiss

Me wearing Cherry Me

Cherry Me

Primer Reviews - Kiko Milano and Avon Anew Vitale

Kiko Milano Radiant Boost Face Base

As I have something of an obsession with Kiko Milano at the moment it would be unfair not to mention this lovely primer Kiko Milano Radiant Boost Face Base which I clearly must like a lot as I’m on my second one of these (though the packaging has changed since the first one I got in 2015).  I bought this at the same time as I got the Kiko eye primer which I reviewed a little while back and I'm just as impressed with this one as I am with the eye primer.  

This base is a slightly peach tone to it, so it is actually possible to use it as a base by itself without foundation as it leaves my skin quite a healthy colour.  Given the state of my skin however, however I rarely use it alone unless I'm on holiday as I do need a foundation and concealer to make me look human most of the time.  It's a thin but creamy consistency and sinks in straight away, it feels a bit more like a moisturiser than a primer.  The other excellent thing about it is that it's extremely reasonably priced, all Kiko products are amazing value (and beautifully packaged as well).   The website often has a sale on so it's worth checking that out to stock up on your favourites.

So that's Kiko covered, read on to find out more about Avon Anew Vitale.

Radiant Boost Face Base 

Avon Anew Vitale Visible Perfection

Avon ANEW Vitale Visible Perfection

I wasn't sure if this was an actual primer at first, Avon don't exactly market it as one, it's more of a skin-smoother-line-eraser type product, in fact it has the words "blurring treatment" on the front .  I absolutely love this product.   It smells glorious for a start and no matter how much attention my face is going to need it always gives an amazing base, smoothing over lines and pores, leaving a clear canvas on which to start painting.  It's in pretty pink packaging and, like all primers less is more otherwise you just end up with greasy skin.  It sinks in straight away so if you're in a hurry and you want to whack your foundation over the top then you are able to do that without worrying that it's going to slide off as soon as you walk out of the door.   It costs £12.00 which feels a bit steep at first but actually I think its worth it so I would definitely buy it again.  

Hope you enjoyed this post, happy primer-ing!