New Year is such a fantastic time to have a bit of a tidy, especially when you're trying to stay indoors to save some cash.
I'm still yet to start on the wardrobe clear out (much to Simon's disappointment) but I did make a small effort over the weekend by having a sort through my nail polish.
This leads me to a bit of a confession ... my name is Chloe and I'm addicted to Nails Inc.
I really love it and as a result have managed to build up quite a collection. Most of my friends know about my obsession, but by the look on Simon's face as I tipped all of the various colours out onto the kitchen table he didn't! Admittedly it is perhaps a little excessive considering I only have 10 fingers and 10 toes.
Many things appealed to me when I first discovered Nails Inc - the cute little bottles, the huge range of beautiful colours and the fun London related names of the varnishes. They are also fantastic at doing promotions and offers which has what has allowed my collection to grow so fast. The varnish is of such good quality and is long lasting which is really important, especially when you work in an office using your hands all day.
For any other nail colour enthusiasts out there, the Nails Inc website is a good place to start. They run a VIP loyalty scheme which costs £5 to join for a year and gives you a free nail varnish on joining, 10% discount on your shopping, reward points (which unlike other reward schemes mount up pretty quickly) and a birthday gift.
The website also offers some lovely little extras. Want to try a colour before you buy? Just click on "try it on" and you can pick your skin tone and try a few colours out to see what they might look like. They also offer a couture service which I love as it's perfect for gifts. You can bottle up your own varnish picking the colour, giving your lid a bit of bling and then creating your very own name.
Individually the varnishes cost £11.00 a bottle but if you "pick and mix" there's an offer of 3 for £22, 4 for £28, 5 for £33 or if there are too many shades you love you can get 10 for £65. They also have a great variety of themed sets which save you pennies. I currently have my eye on the £25 "In The Nude" collection which contains 4 perfect colours for every day wear.
Nails Inc offer a range of manicure and pedicure services and you can often find them in Debenhams, House of Fraser, Selfridges and Fenwicks. I've not actually tried any of these out for myself yet but it's been on my to do list for quite a while now so hopefully I'll get round to booking an appointment in 2014.
Something I have tried is some of Nails Inc other products and I can tell you that their Kensington Caviar Hand Cream smells absolutely amazing.
Like every great collection part of the fun is getting my hands on special promotional bottles and Nails Inc quite often collaborate with other companies to offer great deals, over the years I've got new shades from buying bottles of Diet Coke from Boots, free with magazines and by eating lots of Dairy Milk (what a chore that was!).
Some of my favourite special editions have included colours to celebrate the launch of musicals in the West End and the launch of the MTV show the Hills in the UK.
Yes I really do have every colour in the rainbow, including yellow! I don't think I've ever actually worn that particular colour, but who knows maybe I'll be brave this Summer and give it a go.
It was really fun sorting through my collection and picking out my favourite colours, although it has also made me realise that most of these are so well loved they're actually practically empty and need to be retired.
Here's my picks of favourite colours - from left to right:
Brompton Place - a beautiful pastel pink colour, it's so good for days when you're feeling extra girlie
Victoria & Albert - the perfect shade of red and always feels very "London" to me - think London buses and traditional phone boxes
Portobello Market - a slightly different colour to one I'd usually pick out but I love wearing this one on holiday, it really makes my skin look more tanned. You can see how well loved it is, and I'm a little upset as it's actually now run out.
Piccadilly Circus - this is probably my favourite of all the Nails Inc colours, it's a beautiful bright pinky purple with a hint of red
Leicester Square - I like to wear this one on a night out, which is why I love that it has a beautiful crystal cap. It's a lovely deep purple colour
Jermyn Street - one of my absolute favourites for every day wear, it's perfect for a well polished office look
All of these colours (apart from Leicester Square) are Nails Inc classics and are available on their website.
