Crumpet's Choice - The 7 Nail Care Products I Can't Live Without

Hi Goddesses

And welcome to another edition of Crumpet's Choice.  

I am often asked about my nail care routine.  To be fair, I'm quite lazy, and I am not good at building the right habits, so rather than be all technical, I thought I'd just show the 7 basic products I would recommend.  If you're just starting to get into nails, learn from my mistakes - these are the products I swear by after trying a lot of others!

Just one disclaimer - don't ignore your own personal body chemistry.  These are the products that work for me, and I would urge anybody to use them, however, some of us are more acid, and some of us are more alkaline, and that's why no one product is perfect for everyone.  So, these may not be perfect for you, but they're a great starting place.

Base Coat

I've ALWAYS been an OPI Nail Envy girl.  My nails peel, so I use their Sensitive and Peeling version.  This makes my nails stronger, harder and glossier.

Lately, as you know, I've had some issues, so as an emergency rebuilder I've used Duri Rejuvacote, and this has done just as good a job, but maybe achieved the results a little quicker.

Top Coat

For me there is only 1 product in this category - Poshe.  I adore this above all others, and it's the only top coat I've worn for about 18 months.

I personally couldn't get on with Seche Vite - I am one of the people who gets shrinkage with it.  Poshe and Seche deliver the same results - super fast dry time and super glossy finish.

Nail Repair Kit 

Who hasn't had a nail break JUST when their nails were starting to look perfect?   For a while I tried silk wraps, but I'm not super dextrous so they always looked a little messy. Also, if you need to take your polish off regularly, they are not a good option.

Lately I've been using the Orly Nail Repair Kit and it's great. You apply glue, then dip your nail into the powder.  Let it dry.  Repeat.  Once it's dry, file it down for a smooth finish.  It's great.  It doesn't work when you grate your nail half off (there are some things no magic will work on), but it is good for breaks of a few millimetres.

Polish Remover

For me there is only one polish remover - Zoya Remove.  I love it.  I love the smell, the fact that it strengthens your nails, and that it's not pure acetone.

It IS pricey though, especially if you don't live in the US, but there are loads of Google recipes for how to make your own.

Nail File

For the longest time I used clippers and any old nail file, and then I read recently that clippers can weaken your nails.  One long education from my nail group later and I was persuaded that glass nail files are the only way to go.

I chose this HUGE one from The Edge - it's about 20cm long - and it's awesome. It powers through claws like it's melting ice.  I've only had this a couple of weeks and already I wouldn't be without it - total love!

Hand Lotion

For the longest time, I didn't use hand lotion, and then about a year ago I really started to notice how other bloggers didn't have rough looking skin around their nails!

I love OPI Avoplex - it's my favourite of the ones I've used.  A bottle like this will last me about a month.   It hasn't solved ALL my issues, but I think that's because I have dry skin anyway - eczema and psoriasis - so it has an extra challenge on me.  Either way, I really notice a difference when I use it.

Cuticle Care

And this is what I turn to when I need a little extra help - Avoplex.   This is super moisturising - it even glosses up my keyboard when I type after applying it lol.

The only drawback is how small this tube is, and it costs about £10.   When I need to use this, I need it every day, so the smart thing is to avoid needing it by being a good girl and remembering to apply hand lotion twice a day.  Yeh, still working on that :)

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These aren't your only nail care options of course.  Ashley from Smashley Sparkles swears by Trind as her nail strengthening base coat.  Victoria from The Manicurator soaks her hands in olive oil a few times a week - it's easy to see that that clearly works.  The Queen of nail care is Bee from Bee Polished - she's a qualified nail tech and has tons of nail care posts on her blog if you want more science and more details.

Enjoy xx :)

Crumpet's Choice - The 7 Barry M Nail Paints You Can't Live Without

Hi Goddesses

And welcome to an exciting new series on The Crumpet - Crumpet's Choice.   It basically gives me any and every excuse to walk you through my stash, my preferences, my polish loves and anything else that tickles my fancy.

We start with the awesomeness that is Barry and his M.  Originally, this post was going to draw from ALL his polishes, but as we have 5 new Gellies on the way, I thought I'd split it.  So today focuses on the cremes, the Nail Paints.

Barry M has many gorgeous colours, and many of his most popular shades - eg the Ice Creams - are not amongst my personal favourites.  What I have here though are the 7 I use the most, that I feel are the most unusual or to die for or unique, or that just provide a very specific balance to your collection.  If you're lucky enough to have 60 seconds to scoop up 7 Barry M polishes, these are the ones I'm suggesting you choose.

We start with Block Orange.  This is my most used Barry M.  It's just THE perfect orange, and it's also super glossy.  Worse, it started my orange obsession.  I never loved an orange until this polish, and I haven't found another orange since that's as pure or as perfect.




(YIKES!  super nubs!)

Next, Indigo.  This is just a stunning shade.  When I bought it, it was quite unique in the polish world, but lots of other brands have since attempted something similar - Miss Emo Shun All by Sation being the closest dupe.  This polish is just  soooooo dramatic and deep and intense. It's amazing, and again, I have no other purple that compares to it.

I think this next choice will surprise you - Lime Green.  We all know I am a hater of greens, and my skin particularly abhors warm greens, so how the hell does this make the cut?   Well, it's just so ugly that it's gorgeous.  It transfixes me ha ha.   I literally can't stop staring when I wear this one.   Admittedly, this colour is less unique in polish world, and it's also one of the thinnest Barry M polishes I've encountered - I usually need 3 coats for opacity - but I guess that also means it's one of the few Barry M's that will provide you with a jelly sammich.




(are those REALLY my nails???!!!  ugh!)

Shocking Pink.   To be fair, it's not that shocking, it could stand being dialled up a couple of notches, but this is a perfect pink.  For me, it just sits in the centre of the pink spectrum - not too blue, not too red; not too light, not too dark; not too white based, not too corally.   It's poised on the axis of perfection, and that's why I use it a lot.






And then we have 3 blues.  I always considered Barry M one of the best brands for blues - and blue probably appeared more times in his range than any other - but recently other brands have overtaken him here, namely KIKO.

Blue Moon however, is essential.  This is a super soft, super light baby blue with the teensiest bit of shimmer, and for a long time, it was unique in my stash.  Other brands are now catching up with it, but at a higher price.  This is probably my all time Number 2 Barry pick.

Next we have Blueberry Ice Cream, which is just lu-uh-ush.   This is probably the only ice cream shade I genuinely love, as (for me) the other colours can be a bit sickly.   This is just blue perfection.  It's also almost opaque in one coat.  I use this a lot as it's the perfect colour for the sky in nail art.  Just delicious.






And then we have Cyan Blue.  When I bought this, again, it was unique, and I think it may still be.  It's not quite turquoise, and it does lean darker than the bottle, but there are literally a million variations in this little niche of the blue spectrum.   Again, this is effortless application.  If you want a nice bright, summery blue, this is your polish.

And that's it, your 60 seconds is over!   Which was your favourite?   There are LOTS of Barry M swatches on this blog (just use the search box), and you can also click the logo in my sidebar to go directly to their website.  


You can also click on this post HERE to see pics of my Barry stash.  It's grown a bit since then, but it's got some pretty photos :)


Barry M have a really good price point, which is part of their appeal in the UK.  More importantly, they LAST.  They are more chip-resistant than most brands, and I'd say that was more valuable.  


In the US, you can pick them up at Ninja Polish.


Enjoy xx :)