Top 5 Gifts for Nail Polish/Art Lovers!

I've decided to stray away from the norm today and write about what I think are some of the best gifts for nail lovers everywhere!

I've tried to give an explanation as to what each item is for and I've ordered them by price (high to low). I'm hoping that this will also be a great guide for anyone who doesn't know anything about nails so if you're reading about any of the products and, well, scratching your head then leave me a comment and I'll happily give you some further information about what the heck you are looking at :)

A (pricier) gift for the girl who likes long lasting polish

Under £70

I bought the Sensationail kit mid-2012 after reading some pretty rave reviews about it. Basically you use a special polish with it which needs to be cured under a UV light which then makes it stay on a LOT longer than normal polish. I have to say - it does work and it's really easy to apply. I think the longest I've gone without having to re-apply is about 2 weeks but I never go easy on my nails (they get hammered daily at the mercy of the keyboard and I never wear gloves for washing up, cleaning, re-grouting the bathroom ha ha)... The kit includes enough to do 10 sets of nails - a lot cheaper than going to a salon which will set you back around £30 a go for Gellish/Shellac nails.

For the girl who wants easy, uber-impressive nails...

Under £30

Ok, so this is kind of 2 items, but you'll be needing both of them. The stamps provide a pattern to transfer to the nails and of course the stamper puts it on... If you're a regular on my blog you will have seen lots of examples of how impressive nail art stamping can be. It's so easy to do and looks absolutely great. If you want to go all out you can also buy the special polish to stamp with, but I actually just tend to use a normal polish and although it doesn't work with them all, it does work really well with some - you just need to experiment a little.

For the girl who always moans about weak nails...

Under £20

I've got pretty weak nails in general, and since I've been using nailtiques formula 2 I have to say that I've noticed a big difference. I don't believe there is a miracle product out there but this is definitely as close as it comes! Having said that, I have never used it as the instructions say (which is to apply a coat every night, reducing to every other night as you see improvement). I always just use it as a base coat and as I often wear a manicure for a couple of days, I've never applied it daily. It takes a few weeks to see any difference but I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this to someone!

For the girl who wants some nail inspiration!

Under £10

WAH-nails started in London in 2009, and now have reached some pretty dizzying heights as one of the authorities on nail art - you can even now find them in Topshop in Oxford Circus (and I believe Manchester).  This book is great as it shows some really great tutorials of varying difficulty (and some of the simple ones are actually among the most visually impressive!)

For the girl who likes some bling!

Er, under £10... again...

I love nail wheels and I have far too many - this kit is great as you get a selection of fimo pieces (basically, small colourful images printed on fimo material to stick on), colourful stones and small flat-sided beads/pearls. This kit will put a great finishing touch to any manicure!

NB: I'm well aware that one of the reviews on the Amazon page for this product says that it wouldn't make a good gift because of the packaging. I've never bought a nail art wheel set and found the wheel to be of good quality - just needs a bit of ribbon to pretty it up and it's great :).



So, hope that's helpful to some people at least :) Feel free to leave me a comment if you want any more information about any of the products...