I go through phases with painting my nails – I love it when they are all pretty and lovely but I hate actually doing it. I’m getting better, but it still sometimes looks like Tori did my nails for me – I’m just clumsy and wobble a lot. I’m also REALLY BAD at sitting still and not doing anything for as long as it takes nail varnish to dry (approximately 400 years…) so I usually scuff it or smudge it or dent it before it is properly set.

That aside, I often buy myself new nail varnish when I want to cheer myself up and I often find myself lusting over it when I really can’t justify buying it. So I thought I’d vent some of my lust here.

I have tried a few times to do nail art using whatever I had to hand (cocktail sticks and cotton buds are just two examples) and it has always gone as terribly as you’d expect. I would really love a starter kit like this one so I’d have all the tools to at least try and make funky spots and stripes without making it look like I lost a fight with a mad cat dispensing nail varnish. This Rio Nail Artist Starter Kit is from Argos and looks just right for a beginner like me.

I quite like dark coloured nail varnish but I also like sparkles so this Scandalous colour from Revlon Nail Enamel is the perfect combination of the two. (Currently £6.49 at Boots)

I have heard so many people rave about this range that I kind of really want to try it out. It is far more affordable than I expected, too. I like a lot of the colours in the range but I have picked out ‘Prickly Pear‘ to feature because I don’t have a pale purple in my collection so it is something different.

Another Barry M product but this time from their new range – I said I’m not great at waiting for stuff to dry so I love the sound of Speedy Quick Dry. Just what I need! I actually quite like this ‘Pit Stop‘ colour – it would go well with pretty much anything. A good everyday colour.

I really want this just to have a play and see how it works – making patters on your nails with a magnet? AWESOME! (Currently £13 at Boots)