I recently had a nail polish splurge on Fragrance Direct after Khila from Miss Budget Beauty mentioned that Essie nail polishes were currently only £1.99. So I couldn't refuse as an Essie virgin and them being so cheap.
I also popped in a few other nail polishes and bought two mini Tigi SLS-free shampoos for my holidays that were only 99p each (here).
When buying nail polish from Fragrance Direct I like to Google all the nail polishes to see actual swatches as the little swatches are nothing like the shades or sometimes there isn't even swatches available next to each nail polish. So before adding any Essie nail polishes to my basket I google all the shades in stock and wrote a list of the ones I liked the most. However more shades have been added since I made my purchase and now I really want Essie A Crewed Interest - a lovely peach nude.
The two Essie polishes I went for were Chubby Cheeks and Brooch The Subject (£1.99 - here). I am already in love with Brooch The Subject as it's an ideal base for gold or multi-coloured glitter nail polishes. However for the price... they should have been (£7.99), I don't think the brush is up to scratch (though they have changed the brushes now) but the quality and application of the actual nail polish is perfect.
I also couldn't resist buying two Essie nail care treatments as they were all £2.50 each - a steal! I decided to go for Essie 3-way glaze (out of stock) as I don't have anything that is a base and top coat and I also went for Essie Ridge Filler Base Coat (£2.50 - here) which is apparently for artificial nails and wraps however this works great to fill in and smooth and ridges I have in my nails. I also wish I had bought the Essie Instant Dry Oil Protector (£2.50 - here) as it prevents dents and smudges to freshly painted nails. Which would be great for when I'm in a rush or nail art.
I'm thinking if the products I want are still in stock by the end of the month I will have to place another order!
I was also really pleased to see Fragrance Direct have the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure nail polishes as these are quite hard to find in the UK - only in Boots and on Feel Unique for £7.00 a pop (a bit too pricey for me). Or if you are VERY lucky sometimes they have the odd few in Poundland.
So I was very happy to see them at only £1.49 each (here). I love the shade range of the Complete Salon nail polish range but most of all I love the brush. It literally makes painting your nails effortless because the brush is a perfect size. As you can see I went for Cafe Au Lait which I know I will be getting a lot of use out of and Pedal to the Metal which I'm actually not too sure about as it does need three coats and being a metallic polish it does hold the brush strokes in it a bit... but I am fussy, so I'm sure most people would like this polish.
I also finally bought Technic Carnival glitter nail polish from Amazon (£2.34 free p&p - here), which is a dupe for OPI Raindow Connection! I'm so glad I decided to buy this even though I have so many glitter nail polishes as it's so lovely over nude nails. I've been wearing this for most of the week with Sally Hanson Cafe Au Lait and then my Color Club top coat for a really glossy finish.
I'm actually finding more and more I am going for mid-priced nail polishes but for high street prices or less from discount websites. As the high street has gone a bit crazy with the price of cosmetics and nail polish. I still kind of expect to only be paying £3 ish when it comes to nail polish on the stands at Boots and Superdrug.
The only ones I do buy on the high street are Models Own, Rimmel (cheap still!) and Maybelline. The rest I buy online, from Pound shops or TK Maxx - even Revlon I buy from Fragrance Direct or Poundland nowadays.
Fee xo.
