The Red Mani

So, it's come to that time in December when the Christmas party prep really begins. This means that I begin my no-nonsense pampering session on the countdown to the big day...This means eyebrows are seen to, everything is waxed and buffed and the hair is given a good chop. It's an important ritual that I like to stick to when anything is coming up where there are lots of pictures to be taken and it gives me a good excuse to immerse myself in beauty heaven.

This begins with the nail prep. One colour is always my favourite around this time of year, and that's Red. No nonsense, fail-safe and popular it may be, but by no means does this little gem have to be boring. With all the little twists on the classic Red enamel polish these days, it's super-simple to find an original way to make the classic red mani look a little bit more of a statement.

Barry M always seems to be the brand I go to when looking to mix up my varnish collection. I love how long their varnishes stay on the nails and how glossy and healthy the colour looks on the nails. The consistency is always superb and never too runny or too thick (something that seems to be a lot harder to find with Essie polishes...) which makes the application super easy. As a lover of gel nails, I decided to go for the new "Gelly" range Barry M have brought out, as the "hi-shine" promise on the bottle called my name. True to their word, the varnish really is glossy and looks identical to any Shellac I have had done in the past. Perfect for nails on a budget. To mix it up a little bit more ("Woah, calm down..." I here you say...) I chose to apply a red glitter layer onto my fourth finger, a cheeky little accent nail right there. After all, what would Christmas be without glitter?! I've not tried the Barry M glitter varnishes before, although it may seem like I've been living under a rock, I was amazed at how one coat gave such instant coverage, the glitter was more of a nail wrap in appearence which made the nail stand out and looked really cute and festive.

So all in all? Barry M got the gold star once again. Pretty christmassy nails, already getting me excited for the upcoming christmas parties...

Has anyone else got a go-to nail look for the festive period?