I really wanted the glittery topcoat, and during the Christmas period Superdrug did a lot of promotions on various makeup lines. I can't remember what the exact deal was on Miss Sporty but it involved a free nail polish (I think) if you bought some other items from the range? I don't know. I'd been eyeing the topcoat for some time, so this just gave me a good excuse to get it.



I bought the brown colour because it looked unusual - yes, stupid on my part, as I know how horrid their nail polishes go after not very long. Still haven't tested it.



This is my second experience with their lipstick range - the first was when I was fourteen, and bought a not-very-opaque black lipstick to vamp around in and pose for Facebook photos wearing. Yup. Don't remind me. That one wasn't scented. I don't know if all their lipsticks are now scented or they've reformulated the range or it's just this one or what. But this smells very strongly of bubble gum, just like it's name. It's quite novel, for me - I like it!

 

 The colour is halfway between sheer and opaque...highlights lines in a not very flattering way, and I don't have very 'liney' lips. Might be a bit too light, as well. I like it as a somewhat wearable way into the whole 'peach/bright lips' trend that was big last summer, though knowing my luck it won't be this summer.



Thoughts?

JUST LOOK AT THE PRETTY*



*slightly sarcastic, I am aware that my cuticles are minging. The dry, unforgiving winter air decided to vacuum every last drop of moisture out of my already Gobi-esque hands. Thanks winter. I really appreciate it.

This is the free Nails Inc polish, 'Basil Street', that Glamour magazine were giving away, over which a layer of Kiko nail polish is applied. I quite like the 'flaky' effect that this one gives, and I don't own any other top coats like it, so I consider it a good buy.



As always, the Kiko polish had an impeccable formula and this manicure lasted for about four days without chips, which is a big thing for me as my nails are quite chip prone :/ Basil Street took about three coats to get to the level of opacity that I really like, but two are more than sufficient for most others.



I decided to go classier this year and stick to a nude polish. The Kiko topcoat creates a sort of shimmering effect, almost like rain or snowflakes. Christmassy enough? Probably not. I didn't really put any effort in *hangs head*.

Wishing all blog readers a really happy Christmas!

I nearly always include a photo with my blog posts, but I felt there was no point with this review as, I mean, it's clear. And with the current photo uploading situation it's probably best not to. After less than a year of blogging, I've managed to max out 1 GB of my Picasa Web Albums (I had no idea one had a limit, lol) and am currently storing my photos on a Flickr until such a time when I find a better alternative. I've already used up 20% of my Flickr bandwith for this month, and it's only the 6th! Anyways.

I first discovered this "topcoat" on Sammersauras's nail blog (article of discussion is linked). The word "topcoat" is in quote marks because while it is not stated on the bottle that it's specifically made for topcoat purposes, no one (or very few people) paint their nails clear. That's pointless. Why would you do that?
When brands include a clear nail polish within their line, I take that as a topcoat unless it is stated otherwise (such as Barry M's 3 in 1 polish which does all sorts of things). Yeah.

Anyway, I do like this. It has what I'd term a watery consistency, which doesn't smudge my nail designs and is touch dry in the minute promised.  It doesn't chip unless you're very rough with your nails and it doesn't seem to be shrinking, either, but after about three to four days there is some tipwear.

Other people have reported that it pulls the classic quick dry top coat trick when it's halfway down the bottle and thickens up. Currently I'm nowhere near that point but when it does happen, I'll have to add some Seche Restore. Can brands please fix this problem? I shouldn't have to purchase a second product because the first doesn't do it's job properly!

Call me superficial, but what I love most about this polish is the gorgeously luxe bottle. This is only £2.59 from Superdrug and yet the bottle is slightly reminiscent of an OPI one. The matte black handle and the generous bottle size (you get 9.7 ml of product, which isn't bad for a high street brand) make it a delight to use.