Review: H&M nail polish in Grey Sky

(OPI You Don't Know Jacques, Rimmel Steel Grey, H&M Grey Sky, Essie St. Lucia Lilac)

Price: $1.99 CAD

Size: 0.1 fl oz/3.2 ml (it's a fifth of a regular sized OPI nail polish)

A few months back, I picked up a nail polish from H&M. At the time, they were just testing the market and were only selling the minis. I'm assuming it was a success because they're now selling full sized nail polishes in a wide variety of colours. I think the full size polishes are $6.95 or right around there. Even though I purchased this nail polish a while back, I decided to do a post on it because every time I wear it, I get someone asking me what it is.

The colour I picked up is called 'Grey Sky' and cost $1.99 for 0.1 fl oz (it's tiny). As you can see from the photo above, the colour is really unique. I can't really figure it out. It's like a very light mauve-grey colour. I bought it because I thought it looked like it belonged in the taupe/mauve/grey family of polishes that everyone, including me, loves so much. It has a very subtle micro shimmer. When applied, the micro-shimmer is barely detectable. 

The formula is pretty amazing and is very easy to apply. The first coat goes on a little uneven - probably because I have shaky hands. Within 2 coats, it's opaque and isn't the slightest bit streaky.

How long the nail polish lasts obviously depends on how rough you are on your nails. I'm not careful with my nail polish at all. I'm always moving boxes, using my nails to remove stickers or pry something open, and I'm always walking into things or getting my fingers caught in or between things. In other words, I can be a walking disaster at times. I'll start to see chips after about 3 days (that's using Sally Hanson's Mega Shine Extended Wear Top Coat - my fav). 3 days really isn't all that bad in my opinion. For comparison, a Revlon polish will last about 2-3 days and an OPI usually lasts me about 4-5 days. Removing the polish is also very easy.

This is a great shade to wear for formal events or for work. I wear some pretty crazy colours sometimes and will do glitter on all 10 nails, but for those events where you need to look more professional, this is my go-to. It's such an easy colour to wear and honestly, something about it makes my fingers look nicer. I know I'm not crazy for thinking that because two other people mentioned the same thing to me haha. It's a very elegant yet chic colour. No catch. Just a whole lot of awesomeness in a tiny bottle!

I'm tempted to try out their lip glosses.

Have you tried any H&M cosmetics or nail polishes?

xx
Elise

Je t'adore!

I'm a goof. 

A Minimalist Approach to Hair Care

Happy Friday!

I hope all of you have had an amazing week so far. So many of your amazing comments on my posts have been questions or compliments on my hair, so I thought I would devote a few posts to it. This first one will be about how I maintain my hair and I'll make another post on how I curl it.

My hair is extremely long. I haven't gotten it cut at an actual salon since about 3 years ago because I hate that they never listen to what I want. I remember coming home after one particularly awful haircut and I was literally bawling my eyes out. I went up to my dad and said, "Daddy, he made me look like a troll and my face looks HUGE." Even my father, who used to always tell me not to worry so much about appearances couldn't lie. It was pretty bad. 

My hair is naturally very thick and there is a lot of it.  The bottom layers are naturally wavy but the rest of my hair is mostly straight (it's straight but because there is so much of it, it's pretty puffy). 

I don't do much to maintain my hair. I wash it 4-5 times a week. I do not use conditioner. Some of you may think I'm crazy, but if I use conditioner, my hair won't do what I tell it to do. After using conditioner, I can't curl my hair for about 3-4 days because my hair will just uncurl and fall flat after an hour. I usually use Head & Shoulders Classic Clean shampoo. I have tried all sorts of SLS-free shampoos, but haven't  been able to find a good one that cleans my hair. I've also tried a few 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioners, but those also don't work for me. I only apply shampoo to the scalp. 

I also rarely comb or brush my hair. Despite rarely using conditioner, it doesn't get tangled. I know some people will tell you brushing your hair distributes the natural oils and works to prevent your hair from getting dry, but so far nothing terrible has happened to my hair by not combing it. The only time I run a comb through it is when I trim my hair (once every two weeks). 

I curl my hair at least five times a week but my hair doesn't look damaged or brittle. This post is getting pretty long though so I'll talk more about this in my next hair post.

I guess when it comes to my hair, I take a pretty minimalist approach. I hadn't even realized that until I racked my brain trying to think of the products I use and the list contained a grand total of one product. I just find the less I do to it, the better it ends up looking.

As soon as I figure out the best way to show how I curl my hair, I'll post it!

Do you find the less you do to your hair, the better it looks? 
Or is it the opposite for you?


xx
Elise