Essence: non-UV gel polish

UK press launch. Credit - Flipside PR

When searching for cutting-edge new beauty finds, value homeware store Wilko is not the first place that comes to mind - but it is indeed where I stumbled upon an awesome new beauty brand Essence.

Their point of sale states they're "Europe's no. 1 cosmetic brand", really? Looking at the stats though, they started in Germany in 2001, already big in over 60 countries worldwide and on further digging, it looks like Essence launched in the UK last year, but as they retail solely in Wilko stores in the UK, I've never come across the brand before.

'10 True Love' is a lot deeper and darker than this,
but camera lighting didn't pick it up

Covering all areas of cosmetics, but excelling in nails, the products are all low cost, starting at just 99p. 

What caught my eye was the long row of non-UV 'The Gel Nail Polish', with a vast array of rainbow colours and the their cute curvaceous bottles, they look good enough to eat, and the low price means you can justify a bit of pic 'n' mix nail candy.

I went for a classic dark warm red '10 True Love' (£1.60) and 'The Gel Nail Polish Top Coat' (£2.50), (as I didn't trust the full power of the low cost gel effect).

Ring finger is just the colour,
pinky finger is with the gel top coat

The colour had excellent depth, nothing like you'd expect for the price, and dried really quickly. '10 True Love' had a great shine, which meant I could just do 2 coats, but the top coat really added a fab gel-like sheen. The colour alone without the coat lasted perfectly for 4 days, but the nails I coated with the gel top coat that "lasts 60% longer" it did indeed last a full week.

Verdict: Really impressed with Essence's The Gel Nail Polish colour, high quality and the gel top coat really adds a lasting wow factor to your mani - no more shabby nails by Thurs/Fri in the office! The low price tag is what makes this so appealing and easy to experiment with. Looking forward to trying out the rest of the collection, and I'll be shopping a lot more in Wilko from now on.

Nails inc - Styled by You

While looking for presents for a girlfriend's birthday (or if I'm

more honest - treats that I usually end up buying for myself too), I stumbled across a cute little idea by Nails inc. "Styled by You" personalised nail polish. 

First pick your favourite colour or treatment, then customise the cap of the bottle with gems, messaging or embossed initials, finally design the box with stickers and then add a personal message. 

Clearly I've been living under a rock for the last few months, as these were released in May but I found a cute SBY collection Nails Inc released on the arrival of the Royal baby Princess Charlotte

The verdict: The price-tag is £25 and as they aren't bespoke shades, you could buy them as standard for around £14. To the beauty buff, they're quite a cool bespoke gift, but unfortunately the cost means I wont be sneaking an extra one in the basket for me this time.