DIY Pink Lemonade Sugar Body Scrub

I normally use exfoliating gloves to exfoliate my body, but I got it into my head that I just had to make a body scrub, and once I get an idea, there's no stopping me! I was going to make a brown sugar and vanilla scrub, but then came across this post and decided to make a pink lemonade one!

For this, you'll need:

• Sugar (I used granulated because I like a scrubby scrub, but you can use castor)
• Olive oil
• Lemon extract
• Pink food colouring

I haven't given quantities because it all depends on how exfoliating you like your scrubs to be. For reference, I used about 400g of sugar and 100ml of oil because I wanted mine to be very scrubby. I then used 2 tablespoons of lemon extract and a teeny tiny amount of Wilton Food Colouring Paste in Pink. I've used this on my hands so far, and they were left feeling very soft and moisturised. At first, there was a small amount of oil residue, but a towel and time to absorb resolved this. It was also brought to my attention that you could be left with residue in your bath, which is dangerous, so make sure you give it a quick clean afterwards! 

The extracts were on clearance in my local co-op, so I bought a few lemon ones and a peppermint one, and I'm planning on making a refreshing foot scrub! I also want to make a coffee body scrub, and one without oil.

NYX Gems

NYX isn't a brand readily available in the UK, but I've tried a handful of their products over the last few years. I've liked all of them, and a few have become part of my everyday routine. Those few are above!

The first product I use nearly every day is the Rouge Cream Blush in Natural. I also have Glow, but tend to use this shade more. Let me just say, NYX cream blushes are my favourite ever. They're so pigmented and creamy! You just need to touch the product with the very tip of your stipple brush and you have enough product for one cheek. A slightly harder dab will give you enough for both. Most of the other cream blushes I've tried need to be warmed up with your finger to give any pigmentation. In terms of colour, Natural is... natural! It goes with everything. It does look very pink in the photo, but compared to Glow, it's a lot more neutral. You can see swatches of both shades here.

The Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan isn't a product I use every day because I love my lip crayons, but it's still a product I often use. You apply it like a lipgloss, but it dries matte. I think the finish is really natural, and the effect lasts a couple of hours, almost creating a slight stain. When applying, it feels really soft and smooth, meaning I can blend it out with my finger if needs be. When it comes to products like this, some people dislike them because they can be too drying. However, I've never experienced this with a matte lip cream. Then again, my lips are in good condition! You can see a swatch of Milan here and here, along with a swatch of the Glow cream blush.

You can see how much love the Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha has had; it's becoming very small! I've been using this for... over a year and a half, and there was about a 6 month period where I wore this daily. That's how much I love it. I've been branching out with different shades recently, but I always come back to this. It's pigmented, creamy, and perfect for my lower lash line. The colour is dark enough to define, but the metallic sheen allows it to reflect light, brightening your eyes. You can read more about it and see a swatch here.

I used to buy my NYX products from a reliable eBay seller, but since then, they've increased the P&P costs a lot, so I'd suggest going over to the UK NYX website here. 

Do you own anything from NYX? What's your favourite product from them?

Organic Surge Sale Purchases

I must admit, I hadn't heard much about Organic Surge before their current sale. However, I then started reading tweets about people stocking up on their favourite products at amazing prices, so decided to check them out! The fact that they're natural and organic persuaded me to place an order. I bought the Blissful Daily Moisturiser for £2.12 down from £8.49, and the Super-Intensive Daily Moisturiser for £2.25 down from £8.99, both of which are still available to buy. I also used the code NEWDEL for free delivery! I actually wish I picked up the Daily Care Face Wash, too. First impressions of these two moisturisers are good. The packaging is nice, they smell great (Because of the lemon essential oil in the daily version, and the organic rose geranium essential oil in the intensive one. My mum has just smelt them and isn't keen, though), they sink into the skin quickly, and leave it feeling soft. I've only used them a couple of times so far, though, so these thoughts could change.


Have you bought anything in the Organic Surge sale? Or are you planning to? I was going to buy the brown sugar scrub for £8 down from £32, but can easily make one myself! I may try to, actually. If it goes well, I'll blog about the recipe!

Flower Shaped Shortbread Biscuits

I didn't plan on baking today, but then thought I'd give myself a break from watching Supernatural and Criminal Minds! It's a hard life, eh? I wanted to make some kind of biscuit, and decided on the classic shortbread. Shortbread is so easy to make, and most books/websites have a recipe for it. This time, I followed this recipe. The only thing I didn't do was chill the biscuits in the fridge before baking because there was no room! For the flower shapes, I used the cookie cutters I bought from Wilkinson at Christmas. They were around £1, and have definitely been more than worth it. You can find similar ones on eBay, too. I've just had a quick search and found these for £1.69, and these for £2.09. All I need now is good old cuppa to go with these little treats!

Stocking Up

Does anyone else stock up on products? I could open a small shop with the back ups I have! I stock up partly because I'm organised, partly because I'm a shopaholic, and partly because it's more cost effective in the long run (I buy back ups when they're on offer). The products in the photo above are mostly necessities. I haven't even included my shower gel, moisturiser or makeup back ups! I would have had to use my bed or floor.

Let me know if you can relate!

The Body Shop Haul

I told myself I wasn't going to order from The Body Shop, but the sale, 40% off code (EXTRATREAT), and free delivery over £5 reeled me in!

I bought a Raspberry Body Butter for just £3 (normally £13), and the matching Shower Gel for £1.80 (normally £4). I already own the body butter, and love it, so thought I'd get these two products for a birthday present or something. I have so many products in my birthday/Christmas present box now! It's my excuse to buy things I don't need, but want :)

I then added the Cranberry Joy Linen, Room & Body Spritz to my basket for £2.10. I bought my mum the shower gel in this scent for Mother's Day and really liked it. It smells like fresh berries!

The products from here are not from the sale, but were 40% off with the code. I bought the Banana Conditioner for £2.70 (normally £4.50). To me, it smells more like coconut than banana, but it still smells great. Very sweet, which I love. I'm going to use it tonight, so will let you know how I get on!

I also bought some more Hand Cleanse Gels in Coconut and Mango for £1.50 each (normally £2.50 each). I already own these, but wanted to add them to birthday/Christmas presents because people are always interested when they see/smell them. They're also practical!

I bought another pack of Organic Cotton Rounds for £1.50. I love these because they don't fall apart! They're normally £2.50 though, which is expensive. That's why I always buy them when there's a code floating around.

Lastly, I bought another Paddle Hairbrush for £4.80 (normally £8). I've had three of these now and love them. My current one was getting a little worse for wear, though!

Have you bought anything in The Body Shop sale?

eBay Necklaces

 

I bought these necklaces months ago, but didn't start wearing them until recently because I don't wear much jewellery! My first, and favourite, can be bought here for £1.39 including P&P. You can also buy it in silver here for the same price. The second necklace can be bought from here for just 99p including P&P. And the third can be bought from here for £2.39 including P&P. Keep in mind that the listing for this one shows a blue stoned necklace, but I received a grey one. I still think the grey is pretty, though. All of these necklaces are from the same seller. They sell a load of necklaces, and I'm just about to buy some more! I always check eBay before I buy jewellery from the highstreet because you can get exactly the same thing, or something similar, for a lot cheaper. I've bought a few necklaces that have been exactly the same as ones seen in Accessorize!

Cake Decorations Haul

I've been getting into baking over the last month, and have bought a few things to make my treats that little bit prettier! 

The first things in the photo above are my favourite out of everything. They're the Wilton Food Colouring Pastes/Gels (which can be bought from this seller for £2.85-89 each). You only need the tiniest amount, so I can see them lasting a while. I bought Pink, Sky Blue, and Violet. I bought the Violet to make my buttercream/frosting whiter. It will counteract the yellowness of the butter (just like a purple toning shampoo counteracts brassy tones in blonde hair).

I also bought a few pots of decorations from Tesco. The Dr. Oetker Sugar Stars were £1.29, the Tesco Multi Coloured Confetti was £1.50, and the Strawberry Glimmer Crunch was... I've forgotten, but it was probably around the same price!

The Rainbow Dust Edible Cake Decoration Glitter in Hologram White is from the same seller as the Wilton Food Colouring Pastes/Gels, and was £2.95. I chose this colour because it will go with everything. I'm tempted to buy a few others, though!

The muffin cases were from this listing, and cost £1.20 for 24. I think they're expensive, but they're big, thick, and I'm using them for my sister's birthday cupcakes/special occasions. They're not cases to be used every time you bake!

The Dr. Oetker Wafer Daisies were also from Tesco, and were £1.49. These are also for my sister's birthday cupcakes :)

From TK Maxx, I bought some Silicone Baking Cases for £3.99. I've wanted some of these for a while because you can reuse them, making them more cost effective in the long run!

I also bought the Confetti Sprinkles for £2.49. They're more expensive than the ones from Tesco, but the pot is double the size. These are the ones I used in my Chocolate Chip Cookie Slabs.

The Cookie Cutters were bought from TK Maxx a couple of months ago, but thought I'd include them because I saw some similar ones when I bought the Silicone Baking Cases and Confetti Sprinkles the other day. I also wanted to include them because they're so colourful! These were £2.99.

I also bought a piping bag and some cupcake boxes, which were also from eBay, but they weren't pretty enough to make this post ;)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Slabs

Hello! I made these chocolate chip cookie slabs (with Galaxy and sprinkles) yesterday, and they're delicious, so thought I'd share them with you! I mostly followed this recipe, but made a few changes. Instead of 200g of chocolate chips, I used 100g of chocolate chips and 100g and chopped up Galaxy. I also added sprinkles to, and on top of, the mixture before I put it in the oven. I also didn't make tranditional round cookies, but put the entire mixture into a huge tray. This just saved space, and I didn't have to worry about the cookies expanding and running into each other. Also, the recipe says to bake for 10 minutes, but mine were no where near done at that time, so I left them in for about 20 minutes (And have done every time I've made them so far). This may be because I made a giant one instead of individual small ones. I'm really happy with the sprinkles. I didn't know if they would hold up in the heat, but they did, making the cookies look pretty. I'm going to add more to my sister's birthday cookies to make them as colourful as possible!

If you've got any baking recipes you swear by, send them my way!

Models Own Beach Party

Models Own Beach Party is highlighter orange in polish form! The formula was a pleasant surprise, taking 2-3 coats. I thought it'd be sheer because it's a neon, but that wasn't the case. Some will find this garish and tacky, and I have to agree with them... but I still love it :) My hair, makeup and clothing are always simple, so I like to go crazy with my nails. I think I'll wear Luis Lemon next week; a neon yellow!

Update!

All of my animals, past and present

I haven't written one of these in ages! Partly because my life hasn't been that exciting, and partly because I didn't think there was any point. However, I was reading through my old posts earlier and loved reading my diary type entries. It was interesting to see how I felt years ago.

So, I've finished year 2 of university! I can't believe it. In one of the posts I read earlier, I wrote: I don't think I'll get into uni, and even if I do, I don't think I'll manage it. Well, past me, you did get in and you are managing it! I had an exam on the 6th June, and that was my last assessment. Results are on the 19th July. I'll find out half of my degree grade on the 19th July. Scary stuff.

Year 3 and the dreaded 'd' word will be upon me in a few months time. I've thought of a topic for my dissertation, so I'm going to look into it and then narrow it down with the help of my lecturers when I go back. I'm just hoping they don't dismiss it! It has to be English based because I'm majoring in English Language and Linguistics, but I've also found a way to incorporate my minor (Media) and my interests. Fingers crossed it works out!

I want to start exercising a little to tone up and improve my health. I did the Blogilates Call Me Maybe Mighty Squat Challenge yesterday, and oh my. My legs sure are hurting today! I'm feeling muscles I didn't even know I had. I'm going to do an ab specific video tomorrow, and then whatever else takes my fancy.

I applied for a job earlier! I've enquired about jobs before, but never applied for one. One with a form and everything. Some of you may not know this, and some of you will, but I have huge confidence issues, so this is a big deal for me. I'm nervous (understatement), but I was terrified to go to uni and that all turned out fine (so terrified that it took all of my willpower to force me out the door, and I was sick every morning for a couple weeks).

Since finishing uni, I've been baking and blogging quite a bit. I don't have any fun plans for the Summer, just looking for a job and thinking of dissertation stuff. If I do end up getting a job, I don't know how I'll be able to cope in year 3, but I'll get to that hurdle later. I do want to try and do some fun things, though, like go to Thorpe Park with my friends. I've been to Alton Towers (didn't think much of it), but never Thorpe Park. I'd also love to take a day trip or weekend to another city.

And that's everything! I may try and make these updates a regular thing again. We'll see!

Colours of the Rainbow Tag!

I had seen this tag doing the rounds, and when Laura tagged me, I thought I'd have a go myself! For this tag, you simply pick a product for each colour of the rainbow (plus pink). It can be the packaging that's coloured, or the product - whatever you choose! I actually found this pretty hard. I wanted to stay away from nail polishes because I've already done the Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition post. I also wanted to pick a variety of products, not 4 or 5 shower gels.

So, for the colour red, I've chosen one of my eBay brushes (you can see my post on them here). For £1.54 (they're now around £2.55), I'm very pleased. It's soft, dense, doesn't shed, and washes well. I've been using it for my powder blushes.

For orange, I picked The Body Shop's Mango Body Mist. I love fruity scents, especially mango, so this is perfect. 

I've cheated a little with yellow because there's hardly any yellow on it! But it's the best I had, and I wanted to pick products I actually use and love. This is The Body Shop's Mango Hand Cleanse Gel. I love it! It smells just like the other mango products, and lives in my bag (I have the other scents laying around the house). I reviewed this, and the other scents, here.

I just had to pick Original Source's Lime Shower Gel for green. I've used this for years. I told you I love fruity scents!

For blue, I picked Nivea's Express Hydration Primer. I've been using this for... over 8 months now, and I've still got over half left. It's very thin compared to the Witch primer, but it works (I reviewed it here).

Maybelline's Rocket Mascara isn't exactly indigo, but it's the closest product I had. I've only been using this for the last couple of weeks, but really like it. It separates my lashes and defines them. I've also been using the Mega Plush one, which is great, but I think I prefer the Rocket because it's not as feathery, so gives a little more definition. 

I chose Cutex's Nourishing Nail Polish Remover for violet. It's my favourite nail polish remover, and all I use now. It does the job and smells nice for a nail polish remover (like vanilla).

I picked Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey for pink (swatched here). It's my favourite lip product, and one of the few I wear to its full intensity.

I love a good tag! I tag everyone reading this :)

Follow Affordable Treats on Bloglovin!

Hello, all! I'm not sure if you've heard, but GFC is supposedly being removed soon. This means all you lovely people in the box to the right will not be able to stay up to date with my posts that way. However, you will be able to stay up to date if you follow Affordable Treats with Bloglovin' here. Bloglovin' is free, and so easy to use. I've actually been reading blog posts through this website for months now, and much prefer it to the Blogger dashboard. All you have to do is click 'follow' to follow a blog, you can group the blogs you follow into categories, you can mark posts as 'read' so they don't clog up your homepage, and you can 'like' your favourites.

I hope you all follow me over there so we can continue to interact! Your comments really do make me smile, and even make my days!

Favourite Nail Polishes - Glitters

Choosing just 16 favourite nail polishes in my Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition post was incredibly hard, so I bring you part 2: Glitters! I used to dislike glitters, but have come to love them. Fine ones look pretty over every nail, and chunkier ones look great on an accent.

My first favourite glitter is Illamasqua's Creator; a black base with silver glitter. I bought this on ASOS with a £10 voucher, and I'm glad I did, but wouldn't pay the full £14.50. As much as I love bright nail polishes, I also love shades like this.

Sally Hansen's Oxide is more of a shimmer than glitter, but it didn't fit into my Rainbow Edition post! This is similar to Creator, but it's more of a gunmetal shade, and the glitter is much finer.

Models Own Ibiza Mix is a mix of green, blue, purple, gold and bronze glitter. Very unique, in my opinion. I used to hate chunkier glitters, thinking they looked tacky, but this looks very pretty on my ring fingers.

Models Own Party Pieces (exclusive to ASOS) is a mix of larger and smaller glitter chunks, and the colours include red, blue, green, purple, gold and silver. It's very fun and goes with most colour nail polishes.

Barry M's Amethyst Glitter is densely packed with blue, purple, pink and gold glitter pieces. I love this with darker blues!

Barry M's Pink Silver Glitter is so, so pretty. The glitter is very fine, so I don't mind wearing this on every nail. Glitter can be very bold, so I love that the colour is subtle to even this out.

Essie's Beyond Cozy is another fine glitter that I like wearing on every nail. Normally, the combination of gold and glitter screams tacky, but this colour is very cool toned, and can sometimes look silver, so I think it works. I wore this for Christmas 2012, and will probably wear it for Christmas 2013, too!

I also love my flakies nail polishes (Nubar 2010 and Gosh Rainbow), but haven't included them in the photo. They're so beautiful, with the flakes changing colour in the light. They look incredible over dark polishes!

What are your favourite glitter nail polishes? Are there any I absolutely have to have?

Soap & Glory's Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash Off Deep Cleansing Milk

I've been using this product for over a month now, so thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on it! This has actually been out of stock on the Boots website, and in store, for a while now. I'm hoping they're just repackaging it and not discontinuing! So, the price of this is £8, but it was £7 when I bought it. The price is reasonable for me because it's under £10 and cleansers are a personal necessity. The packaging is really cute, just like Soap & Glory's other products. The pump is great and just makes things easier! The scent is what initially drew me to this product. I'm going through a phase of loving anything to do with peaches. It also has a distinctive smell of mint, which I wasn't sure of at first, but it's really refreshing. The consistency is between a gel and cream, and different to anything I've tried before. It's not very thick, and feels like it's melting your makeup away. Moving onto the results; the main thing I look for in a cleanser is it must remove all of my makeup. Obviously. It should also leave my skin feeling soft, or at very least, normal. I don't want my skin feeling stripped. The formula achieves both of these things, and combined with the packaging and scent, makes me love this product. My skin isn't left that soft (nothing compares to my hot cloth cleansers in that department), but it feels clean, refreshed, and normal. No tightness here. Oh, for reference, I have normal cheeks and an oily t-zone. I'm not sure if this will give dry skin the moisture it needs (but that's what moisturiser is for, I suppose!). I'm really liking this product so far, and will repurchase it once I've used up the 3-4 other cleansers in my shower (oops!). I just hope it returns to the shelf! (UPDATE: It has returned to the shelf - It's just in different packaging!)

Ombre Meringues

I made meringues for the first time today! I've recently got into baking, but never saw myself making meringues because I've seen many horror stories on Come Dine With Me (gotta love that show). They were actually really easy, though. I was initially going to use this recipe, but didn't want them to turn out coffee coloured. So, after a little researching, I found that you could leave the icing sugar out and just increase the caster sugar to make white/cream meringues.

I used:

• 4 medium egg whites (had no large eggs to hand, but it all worked out fine)
• 200g caster sugar

Method:

• I whisked the egg whites for about 8-10 minutes, and then whisked some more (I wanted to be sure!). I stopped when they were fluffy and could hold the bowl upside down without it spilling out.
• I then added the caster sugar tablespoon at a time, and made sure each one was fully whisked in (this took about another 5 minutes).
• Then, I dolloped the mixture onto baking paper lined baking trays (the recipe says to use parchment paper because the meringues will stick to baking paper, but mine were fine). Next time, I want to pipe them on to make them look extra pretty.
• For the gradual change to pink, I added a little bit of Wilton's Food Colouring Paste/Gel in Pink (I bought mine from this seller for £2.84, including P&P) after every few dollops. This stuff is seriously pigmented, so be careful. I'm glad it is though because it means the pot should last a while! I also love it because Wilton is my family name haha.
• Lastly, I popped them into the 100°C oven for 1 hour 45 minutes.

This recipe made around 15 medium meringues.

I'm going to serve these with the classic cream and fruit combination. Not 5 per person like the photo suggests, though! 2-3 should be plenty. I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt! If only there was an occasion coming up (with the exception of Father's Day. My dad hates meringues!)

MUA Blushers (New 2013 Shades)

Cupcake, Lolly, Bubblegum, Bon Bon

Cupcake, Lolly, Bubblegum, Bon Bon

Cupcake, Lolly, Bubblegum, Bon Bon

Hello! So, I decided to pick up some of the new MUA £1 blusher shades during their 3 for 2 offer. I've never tried their original blushers, so can't compare them. I do know that the packaging is different, though. It's nothing fancy, but it does the job, and I can't really complain for £1! The powders are really soft to touch (more than most blushers I've tried), pigmented, and blend well. However, when I dip my brush in, there's a lot of fallout, so a lot of product is wasted. The shades I have aren't shimmery, so give a natural looking blush. In the pan, Lolly has some subtle shimmer, but this doesn't translate to the skin. My favourite would have to be Cupcake because it's a soft peach which suits my freckled skin tone well. I also like Lolly because I don't have a matte orange in my collection. Bubblegum is pretty, but not a unique shade to me, and Bon Bon is a subtle, natural pink. The two other shades in the 2013 collection are Marshmallow, a cooler toned pink, and Candyfloss, a shimmery pink. Overall, for £1 (or less if you bought/buy them during an offer), I think they're pretty good. The powdery fallout is a shame, though.

Recent Beauty Buys

I wasn't planning on posting another beauty haul, but then I kept buying bits and bobs here and there. So, let's get cracking!

Alberto Balsam shampoos and conditioners are currently 4 for £3 in Superdrug, so thought I'd stock up. I used to use the brand a couple of years ago, but then moved on to TRESemme. I've recently gone back to them though because they're affordable, work well, and smell amazing! I bought 3 shampoos because I'm already stocked up on conditioner.

I also bought the Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Gel Cream with Peach for £2.99. It's just a simple, light moisturiser that absorbs into the skin quickly.

The Simple Baby Moisturising Wipes are normally £1.99, but they were down to £1 in Lloyd's Pharmacy, and my sister had staff discount, so I got them for 80p each - Yay!

Going back to Superdrug, I bought the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair for £4.19. I've gone through tubes and tubes of this stuff, but for the last couple of months I've been using MUA's Cover and Conceal Wand in Porcelain, which has been working fine (especially for £1.50). I thought I'd go back to this to remember how good it is, though.

I often forget to look at the Feel Unique website, but it's actually great. Free delivery, discounted products, and you currently get 10% off your order. I bought Maybelline's Rocket mascara for £6.79 (before the 10% discount). I didn't buy the waterproof version because the last waterproof mascara I bought (Maybelline's Falsies) would not come off, no matter what products I used. You could see that as a good thing, but I want to keep my lashes, not pull them out trying to get the stuff off!

Also from Feel Unique, I bought Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in Permanent Taupe for £4.99 (before the 10% discount). I don't wear eyeshadow on my eyelids because I look ridiculous, but I like blending them into my lash line to give some definition. I've been using On and On Bronze, but wanted a matte shade.

I then placed an order with MUA because their products were 3 for 2. I picked up 4 of their new £1 blusher shades - Cupcake, Lolly, Bubblegum, and Bon Bon (will be reviewing these in the next couple of days). 

I then bought the Hide & Conceal Stick in Porcelain for £1. I normally use liquid concealers, but thought this would be good for blemishes. It's actually really creamy, which I wasn't expecting! 

I also bought the Power Pout in Runway for £3. I have all the other shades, so thought I may as well get this one too! It's a coral/red, and I'm going to wear it lightly (I also look ridiculous with bright lips)

I thought I'd also show you what I've just ordered from Superdrug (free delivery until the 17th). I bought the Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave In Conditioner and Aussie Dual Personality Heat Protection & Leave In Spray for £6. They're normally £4.49 and £4.69 each. These are both repurchases (they smell amazing!).

Then I added the Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover to my basket for £2.15. This is my favourite nail polish remover and smells nice, considering (like vanilla).

Then I thought I'd stock up on my trusty razors seeing as they're currently better than half price. I bought the Bic Lady Soleil ones for £1.51, and the Bic Miss Soleil ones for £1.48. Bic Soleil razors were the first ones I ever used (about 7 years ago), and they're the only ones I've used since. I do want to try a battery operated one, though, but don't know the good from the bad!

And that's everything! For now, anyway...

Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition

I love nail polish, and I love rainbows, so thought I'd combine the two! I was initially going to pick just one polish for each colour, but that was far, far too difficult! So I picked two instead (which was still a challenge, I tell you).

One of my favourite reds, and Winter favourite, is Barry M's Raspberry. It's dark yet vibrant at the same time, and has just enough pink in it. Models Own Hedonist is amazing! It's a neon coral/red, and the photo really doesn't do it justice.

Sinful Colours Orange Cream is one of the most recent additions to my collection (look at the post before this to see it on!). It's the most beautiful peach shade. I initially had Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Papaya in place of this, but swapped them. The second orange I chose was Models Own Beach Party. This is the brightest yellow toned orange I've ever seen! 

Etude House Ice Cream Nail Polish in Banana is another polish I've recently blogged about (go to the search bar on your left to look for swatches). I bought this for the cute packaging, but it's actually a really nice polish. It takes 2-3 coats, which is good for a yellow! Models Own Luis Lemon, on the other hand, is rather sheer, but it's a neon, so I'm not surprised. I just wear a white base coat underneath! It's probably the brightest nail polish I own, and that's why I love it.

I don't own many greens, so it was easy picking my favourites. Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry is beautiful! I've also blogged about this. The next green I chose was Sinful Colours Rise & Shine. This shade is so hard to photograph! The photo really doesn't do it justice. It's not a muted teal like above, but a... green (I don't know how to describe it!) with blue and green shimmer.

For blue, I didn't choose a sky blue, but shades at different ends of the spectrum. You have Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Guava, one of the new Summer shades, and then Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Blueberry. Guava is a turquoise, whereas Blueberry is a cornflower blue (incredibly pretty).

Indigo... I only have one indigo polish! And that's the fourth shade in the photo - Barry M's Indigo. Another Winter favourite of mine. It's not just a navy, like the photo suggests, but a vibrant indigo with lots of purple tones, too. The polish before it is Astor's 070 (A Spanish brand that I found on Fragrance Direct). I know it's not indigo, but it's close enough!

Violet/lilac/purple was a category with lots of possibilities. I ended up choosing a cool lilac and a warm lilac. The cool toned variety is Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Prickly Pear, and the warmer one is OPI's Lucky Lucky Lavender. 

Pink isn't a colour of the rainbow, but you can't leave out pink when it comes to beauty! I love most shades of pink, cool or warm toned, so chose the Barry M Gelly Nail Paints in Dragon Fruit and Grapefruit to represent this. I think they're the epitome of pink shades.

Because choosing 16 favourite nail polish shades was too hard, I'm also going to be showing you my favourite glitters and extras in another post soon. It's hard to narrow down my favourites because I only buy shades I love (of course!). 

I also took photos for five other posts earlier, so look out for them!

Sinful Colours Nail Polish in Orange Cream

Natural lighting, flash

How pretty is this polish? I love it! Sinful Colours Nail Polish in Orange Cream is a pastel peach with subtle silver shimmer. I'm wearing 2-3 coats in the photos above. 

I'm loving this £1.99 range so far. I'll definitely be buying more shades, especially when Boots have their next 3 for 2 offer (3 nail polishes for £3.98, anyone?!)