Little Boy Blue - Blue Nail Polishes in Honour of Baby Cambridge

So unless you've been living under a massive rock you will know that here in England we have had a royal birth.  That's right Kate and William (aka the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) have had their first child and future king, George Alexander Louis.  To celebrate this lovely event I thought I would gather some of my favourite blue nail polishes to celebrate the birth of this already famous little boy.

I have gathered quite a collection in a variety of finishes and shades of blue.  They range in price from eye watering OPIs to the wonderfully purse friendly Barry Ms.  I was somewhat horrified to find that I owned quite so many shades of blue, shamefully this isn't all of them, just my favourites.  I need to go on a spending ban, that much is quite obvious.  However in searching through my collection I have found two dupes for you, I knew my hoarding collecting would come in useful at some point.

Here are all the colours that I selected.  Starting from the top and continuing clockwise:

Denim by Barry M is a wonderfully glittery matte navy.  This colour really is quite unique in my collection (which considering it's size is a real achievement).  The colour is stunning and the formula is amazing as always.  Quite a few Barry Ms appear in this list as they really are incredible for the price.

Blueberry Ice-Cream by Barry M is a lovely pale sky blue.  Not unique but the superb formula and price make this a wonderful addition to any collection.

Up All Night by China Glaze is a shimmering dark blue, almost the glossy equivalent of Denim.  I have also managed to find a near dupe for this colour - Sally Hansen's Complete Salon Manicure in Navy Baby.

Navy Baby is ever so slightly darker but also has the magical shimmer that makes Up All Night so special. From a distance you wouldn't be able to tell them apart and you certainly don't need both of these.  In terms of formula I slightly prefer the Sally Hansen but I know some people dislike the wide brush.

Kendall on the Catwalk by Nicole for OPI is a spectacular blue, green and purple glitter explosion.  I like to wear this when I am living out my mermaid fantasies.  I really gorgeous colour whose only fault is a stupidly shaped bottle and the fact that it is a pain in the bum to remove.

Rue Montmatre by L'oreal is a greyed out dark blue that almost verges on purple.  I really do love this colour, its dark without being too vampy.

Sea Spray by China Glaze is a beautiful pale grey with a blue hue.  This is a lovely colour with a tan and is a sneaky work colour.  Subtle and elegant without giving the dreaded mannequin hands.

Serpentine Road by Nails Inc is an amazing shimmering bright blue which seems to be lit from within. Gorgeous, that's the only word for it.

The Sky's the Limit by Sally Hansen is a bright blue that verges on turquoise.  A lovely bright summery colour.

Bobbing for Baubles by Essie is a dark almost black blue colour.  Very vampy and sexy.

Lorelei's Tiara by China Glaze is a mixture of silver and light blue glitters and another colour with a cheaper dupe - Sally Hansen's Gem Crush in Showgirl Chic.

As you can see they are practically identical.  Showgirl Chic has slightly more blue particles which I personally prefer.  They are both wonderful though - particularly nice as a snowy winter polish.

Cobalt Blue by Barry M is the standard primary bright blue colour, it is so vibrant and lovely for these summer months.

Thinking of Blue by Sally Hansen is a slightly darker blue and not as vibrant, slightly more subtle.

Bikini So Teeny by Essie is a pale blue with tiny (practically invisible) silver glitters.  I wish the glitter was more visible but it is still a lovely colour.

Road House Blues by OPI is a dark navy which leans a little purple.  

Cyan Blue by Barry M is a bright light blue, a really fun colour,

Paris Avenues by L'oreal is a dark grey which looks blue in the light.  I love this one, I will have to get a back up bottle just in case (L'oreal's bottles are too tiny).

First Mate by China Glaze is another classic blue colour with a wonderful formula.  This is from the 2011 Anchors Away collection which is one of my favourite ever collections.

Queensgate Terrace by Nails Inc is the perfect cornflower blue, this one is so pretty and girly it makes me want to skip through meadows and pick wildflowers.

So those are my picks for baby blue nails.  What are you favourite blue nail polishes?  Are you celebrating the prince's birth?

Favourite Fall (Autumn) Nails - Dupes and Alternatives

I love nail varnish, it is somewhat of an addiction for me.  Every season I like to pull out a few which I think I will be wearing more than any others.  It makes it that little bit easier to decide on a nail colour in a rush.  I thought I would show you six colours that I think will be living on my nails for the next few months.  Due to the fact that I have a ridiculous amount of nail polishes I have been able to find cheaper dupes and good alternatives to my more expensive polishes. All are shown with one coat and no top coat. 

Here we have my more expensive picks for Autumn.  L-R: China Glaze - Recycle, OPI - Gouda Gouda Two Shoes , OPI - Big Apple Red , Nails Inc - Piccadilly Circus, Nails Inc - New Burlington Place, China Glaze - Agro.  These all have an rrp of over £10 but can probably be found for less if you shop around.

These are their lower priced counterparts.  L-R: Barry M - Grey, Revlon - Endless Possibilities, Revlon - All Fired Up, Barry M - Raspberry, Models Own - Pinky Brown Beetle Juice, Models Own - Golden Green Beetle Juice.  These are all under £10, with most being around the £5 mark.

Now on to the swatches and comparisons. (Warning: Picture Heavy)

First up we have the greys.  I love grey nail polish, to me it feel like the kind of rebellion that is acceptable for work.  I love pairing grey nail polish will really girly dresses.  For the swatches you can see Barry M (grey) on the left and China Glaze (recycle) on the right.  They are different but unless you a nail polish obsessive like myself you probably don't need both.  They both had lovely formulas so on this instance I would say save your pennies and go for Barry M.

Next up is neutrals.  These are the classic nudes that every girl needs in her collection, after all the brights of summer I always crave these colours as soon as the leaves start to change.  For the swatches you can see Revlon (endless possibilities) on the left and OPI (gouda gouda two shoes) on the right.  These colours are very different in my opinion. The OPI can seem a little 'old ladyish'  but it does have a lovely subtle gold shimmer.  The Revlon is a beautiful girly pink.  So I would just go for whichever appeals more to you.

I love red nails, I know they can polarise opinion but I just think they look really sexy when done right.  for ages I have been on the hunt for the perfect red which is still not over.  I like both of these but they are both slightly too bright for me to promote them to holy grail status.  On the swatch you can see Revlon (all fired up) on the left and OPI (big apple red) on the right.  I cannot see a difference between these colours  I would go as far as to say they are dupes.  However I much prefer the Revlon formula so I would definitely go for that one.

Berry tones are a wonderful way to give your look an Autumnal feel.  The swatch colour is more accurate than the bottle colour here.  The swatch shows Nails Inc (piccadilly circus) on the left and Barry M (raspberry) on the right.  Again these both had flawless formulas and are near enough the same colour.  Another money saver from Barry M.

I love the beautiful shimmering colours.  The swatch is Models Own (pinky brown) on the left and Nails Inc (new burlington place) on the right.  The swatch doesn't do these justice, they are are both beautiful complex colours.  The Models Own is darker and more purple whereas the Nails Inc is more pink and orange.  The Nails Inc applied slightly better and is my favourite of the two, however it depends on what you prefer colour wise.   

 Lastly is the moss greens.  Another classic Autumn colour.  The swatch shows Models Own (golden green) on the left and China Glaze (agro) on the right.  I much preferred the formula of the China Glaze and like that it is darker in colour.  However the Models Own has a lovely golden shine.  They are sufficiently different to own both but if you were to pick one I would recommend the China Glaze.