Reaching for Red

Well it's that time of year again and it seems that no matter what the A/W trends, red is a classic ‘never fails’ go-to for most ladies in the deeper and darker seasons. One thing that never loses its style for me, is red nails. However, as a pale-skinned blonde, I really struggle to find reds that suit me (in fact I only dare do it on the nails!) and as well as that, when it comes to red I’m just plain fussy.

In the past I’ve avoided red polishes as I’ve found them far to bright and orangey when outside, almost cheap looking, even if a lovely colour in indoor light. In order to get the right colour outside, I’ve found myself reaching for deep berries and burgundies which (though I love them to bits!) lets face it – just aren’t that iconic red. But recently, I discovered the first red which I would actually describe as perfect!

It’s Essie’s Limited Addiction. I’ll start by saying that I love Essie’s entire range – I’ve always had nails in good condition and always seem to get compliments on them with people saying I must do them all the time. I do take decent care of them to be fair, but if you go for a good quality polish (I love Essie and OPI in particular but Topshop is actually surprisingly great also) then it will last a lot longer, especially if you’re well behaved and apply base and top coats! You can also get it really reasonably now in Boots for around £7.95 I believe and it’s regularly on 3 for 2 (who can resist?!). Another great tip for Essie or OPI, especially if you’re looking for a limited edition, is check on Amazon before spending loads elsewhere – they quite often have them for really cheap and let’s be honest, Amazon really does almost make shopping TOO easy. Any excuse to avoid digging my card details out my bag!

Back to this particular polish… it’s a lovely pillar box red still but with a gorgeous deeper undertone. Not orangey, not pinky, if anything maybe slightly winey; any which way – it’s what I would describe as classic red. What I love most about this polish is the difference in colour between outside and inside I’ve found is minimal (as previously mentioned, a pet hate with other polishes), meaning that you know what you’re getting! As you can see, it still looks deep, bright and lovely outside. The texture of this polish is also fab and so easy to apply, with extra thanks to the flat, fanned out brush which makes application a doddle. It’s also reasonably fast drying too which is a fab bonus for a reds – I’ve tried so many that actually just don’t seem to dry!

I find reds look best on shorter nails so I’ve had to cut mine as they seem to grow uncontrollably (I think all the vits that should be going to growing my hair are actually going to my nails), but I think it looks pretty gorgeous!

I’d love to hear if anyone has any other great red suggestions, or what you think of Essie's Limited Addiction! 

H x