New in: budget nail polish

It’s no secret I love nail polish and I especially love them when they are cheap! None of the polishes featured in this post cost more than 4 euros and one of them retails for as little as €1.69. Now that’s what I call a bargain. There’s polishes from HEMA, H&M and Essence and some were a bit of a let down, while others were a pleasant surprise.

Essence: Prom-Berry

This deep purple which is close to a black is opaque in almost one coat. I love how this is dark but still clearly a purple and it has just the slightest bit of sheen to it as you can see in the close up picture at the top right. Like most Colour & Go polishes by Essence the texture is a bit thick but nevertheless very workable. This is also the most affordable polish in the bunch at 1.69. But I got this one for free as Kruidvat had a discount last week and it was buy 1 get one free.

Essence Be Loud Graffiti top coat Not Punky nor funky

The minute I saw swatches of this polish on Pocket Full of Polish, I loved the look of this. The swatch is of only 2 coats which for a glitter top coat is a very nice job. It is limited edition though and I got my hands at the very last one at my Kruidvat so I prize myself lucky. The different kinds of glitters with not only different sizes but also a multitude of colors make this one special polish to have.

HEMA Special Effect Glitter Coral

HEMA is starting to do something right on the nail polish front. When I went in there some time ago, I had a difficult time choosing which polishes to take home as I liked nearly all of them. I settled for a few, of which this bright orange toned red with gold and red glitter was one. I love how bright it is and orange toned reds is my color of choice at the moment. I don’t think it is very coral looking though. Bares a possible resemblance to OPI’s Jinx, but I’d have to check.

HEMA Special Effect Holographic Bordeaux

On to what I think might be the most special polish that I bought. This burgundy colored nail polish has the tiniest specks of glitter. When I first saw this I thought it was going to be some sort of top coat. But no. This nail polish is opaque in almost 1 coat, dries to an almost matte finish and as you can see in the swatch at the bottom: it has the most magnificent holographic effect when the light hits it just right. What’s more: I’ve been wearing this polish since Friday and it’s only now showing the first signs of wear and tear with a top coat. They had other colors in this same line, and I am now dying to try more.

HEMA Special Effect Glitter Purple

Not a very purple polish is you ask me, but that is mainly due to the effect of the silver glitter. This glitter is chunkier than its red counterpart, but still every bit as wonderful. A deep blue toned indigo, this glitter polish will be great for the holiday season, and any other occasion that needs a bit of sparkle. Once it dries the textures is a bit grainy, reminding me of the sand effect nail polishes that are such a hype right now.

H&M Rooftop Party

The major let down of the bunch. This polish looks amazing in the bottle with a cherry pink colored glitter alternating silver flecks. When swatched however, this doesn’t do the polish in the bottle any justice. This swatch is two coats and it’s nowhere near opaque. Such a shame, but hey, a girl can never have too many glitter top coats right? (I feel a glitter polish post coming up…)

H&M Jo is in the House

On to surprise number 2. I ordered both H&M polishes from their website (here and here) and there it only says ‘silver glitter’. The bottle looked intriguing enough, so I decided to give it ago. This is simply an amazing rainbow colored glitter which isn’t exactly holographic as the specks are too big, but yet it is. Just wow! I think this will look amazing over blue, pink, green and of course black polish. Anything really. Again I highly recommend this one. It also gives a good pay off at only two thin coats.

As fall is looming over our heads I find I have more interest in polishing my nails again, so with these new acquisitions I’m sure I’ll be able to get myself through fall. Which one is your favorite?