Is this the perfect blue polish? Um, YES.

I love the idea of bright colours on my nails, but they never seem to translate very well when applied. Yellows, greens, blues... I often love what I see in the bottle but then don't like how they look once applied. I'm not sure if it's my skin tone (very pale!) or the shape of my nails (quite narrow and small) but certain 'non-traditional' colours look a bit bizarre on me. Take the pale mint green phase, for instance. Unless it's super pale, almost white, green just looks weird on my hands. I can't carry teal or grass green, and you can forget about neon! 

I've always loved the idea of blue nail polish, from deep dark navy to light baby shades, but I've never been able to find a shade I feel totally comfortable with. Until now. 

I have finally found the perfect blue and I'm obsessed with it! Allow me to introduce you to Maybelline's Super Stay Gel Nail Colour 7 Days in 'Surreal':

It's actually a little paler in 'real life', with more of a creamy white base. But you can see from the photo that it's a sort of mid-denim blue, a pastel with punch. But not too much punch. Because too much punch in blue polish doesn't seem to suit my nails! This, however, is just PERFECT. 

Swoon!

Everything about this polish is brilliant, from the colour to the formula to the brush. It has a good thick formula which delivers a high shine finish without the need for a top coat if you happen to be in a hurry. I can't stand it when you apply a nice nail polish only for it to dull straight away. I always use a top coat, but it's nice to think that should an emergency arise you can skip one! Plus, this is the ONLY polish I've used claiming to give a 'gel nail' finish that actually delivers on its promise. I'm looking at you, Barry M and Rimmel...

One coat of this gave pretty good opacity, although I prefer applying two coats for maximum colour depth and shine. It's totally streak free, doesn't drag at all and comes with a wide brush, making it quite easy to apply neatly. I'm definitely not the neatest at applying polish, but I think I did a pretty good job this time, all things considered (i.e, my complete lack of hand eye coordination). Drying time is around two minutes per coat, which is a little longer than some polishes but I'm happy to wait considering the shiny end result! As well as delivering glossy shine and streak-free colour, the Super Stay range is fortified with strengtheners, which my brittle nails seriously appreciate! And, on top of this, each polish promises to deliver 'up to 7 days' of chip-free colour. I'm currently on day 2 and so far, so very, very good. I can't fault the quality of this product at all. It really is my perfect polish.

Another pic!

I would have thought I'd need a lighter blue but I just love this mid-blue hue. I did actually pick up two other shades from the Super Stay range as I'm loving the range of colours available:

L-R: '615 Mint For Life', '635 Surreal', '265 Divine Wine'

Look, a gorgeous super pale mint! And I always love a good red wine/raspberry colour, especially for my toes. Maybelline just keep on impressing me at the moment, with my love for their Colorsensational lipsticks also remaining strong. Their Super Stay polish is definitely my favourite high street formula out there at the moment and I can't emphasise enough just how good the quality and shade range is, a snip at only £4.09 each at Superdrug. 

Weekend haul: Sinful Colors, got2b and Topshop make-up

As I had £16 worth of Boots points on my card I thought I'd treat myself to a few bits and bobs over the weekend. I'm currently ever-so-slightly obsessed with nail polish, so I picked up four pretty shades from the new Sinful Colors collection. An American company, Sinful Colors seem to specialise in fun, 'trendy' colours, with the collection featuring lots of neons, pastels and glitters. They retail for £1.99 each, which is pretty fab. Here are the four I picked up:

L-R: Island Coral, Cinderlla, Winterberry, Soul Mate

I really like the pale blue shimmer 'Cinderella' and the dark brown-aubergine Winterberry in particular. The other two look quite similar but Soul Mate is a more pinky coral as opposed to orange coral. 

I also picked up a few hair products. The new range of Schwarzkopf got2b styling products were on sale for £3 each, so I chose the beach matt mermaid look texturizing salt spray and the Oil-licious tame & shine styling oil. 

I love a good salt spray, especially for when my hair is feeling a little flat. I also love a good hair oil for everyday use, and this one is such a great bargain. I've used it a few times over the last couple of days on damp hair, and it really helps to smooth split ends and nourish my frazzled highlighted locks. It has quite a thick texture, which I prefer as it feels more satisfying somehow when applying to hair in need of nourishment. Plus it smells lovely, quite floral but with a nutty kick too. A little goes a long way on my fine hair, and it doesn't make my hair at all greasy or lank. A winner!

Now for the really fun part... My mini Topshop make-up haul! I've had a few things from Topshop's range in the past, including a couple of lipsticks and nail polishes. I found so many gorgeous items this time that I couldn't resist picking up a selection:

From left to right: Eye Duo in 'Harlow Sunset' (£8), Smokey Eye Palette in 'Golden Aura' (£12), Kohl liner in Sable (£4), Nails in 'Ruthless' and 'Nice n' Neutral' (£5 each), Lip Bullet in 'Joyride' (£8). 

I am completely head over heels in love with this Eye Palette. I'm a sucker for neutral colours and these feel so soft and buttery. I've been wanting to try a plum shade for a while, and the duo shadow looked too good to resist. I usually use my trusty Mac eyeliner for definition but thought I'd try this Topshop one, and I'm so glad I did as it goes on extremely smoothly and doesn't pull or drag at all, making it easy to draw thin or thick lines depending on preference. 

Now, I wasn't actually looking to buy a red lipstick. I'm not sure if the lighting in Topshop is  funny or if I was just having a bit of a moment, but I *thought* this was a pink colour! It looked like a dark pink and I couldn't find a tester so I just went with it and bought it... Only to open it at home and realise my mistake. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with red lipstick, as some make my pale complexion look even paler, and some make my teeth look quite yellow. The trick is finding a red with blue undertones, and Mac's Russian Red is all my absolute favourite: matte finish, doesn't budge, and compliments my skintone (and my teeth!). So it was with some trepidation that I applied a coat of this Lip Bullet. To my relief I instantly loved it! It's a tomato red but not at all orange, so my teeth looked fine, and it has a lovely matte texture, meaning it doesn't bleed or smudge outside of the lip line. It makes a change from my usual pinks, nudes and berries, and I'll definitely be wearing it throughout the summer. 

Finally, I couldn't help but add a few more items to my nail polish collection! I love a dark, wine red and I also love nude colours, so these really stood out for me. The brushes are quite small, which I prefer as it means I don't end up with polish all around my nails, which is what often  seems to happen with bigger brushes. 

I'll be writing reviews throughout the week, and can't wait to share some swatches of the Eye Palette and Lip Bullet in particular. 

Browse Sinful Colors here

Browse Schwarzkopf got2b here

Browse Topshop make-up here