Ideal Shades for Autumnal Nails

Normally, I'm fairly loyal to my nail varnish brands - O.P.I, Nails Inc. and the occasional Sally Hansen polish are the only brands which frequent my incredibly cluttered nail varnish drawer.

The pigments are true to form, the formulations are long lasting (which is ideal if you're heavy handed like me and particularly careful) and they don't dry out my nails.

Now the colder weather is setting in, I'll be switching my nail varnish to more autumnal shades of deep reds, plums and dark neutrals.  Recently, I received a bottle of No.13 Reverence De Bastien in my September Birchbox and the sight of the colour alone was enough to get me a little excited.

I had heard of Bastien before, his reputation lies in the manicures and pedicures conducted at his spas worldwide which have received critical acclaim.  Magazines such as Instyle and Harper's Bazaar had often listed his treatments as a must have, awarding the same numerous awards in the process.  Naturally, the 'nail lacquers' as he calls them peaked my interest at around £16 a pop.

As you can see, the colour itself it is a deep dark red - almost akin to a Claret wine colour (I've taken photos in two different light settings so you get an idea of how the colour can change depending on the light).  The product promised to be 3 Free which is something I have noted brings it in line with other key players in the industry.

For those who aren't sure - 3 Free means free from Toluene, Formaldehyde and DBP.  These are often added to nail varnishes as a result of their ability to make a polish more flexible and give the dried varnish that shiny smooth finish which you so often see.  As you'd expect, these sorts of formulations can damage your nails, not to mention the fact that they're toxic to your body and so should be avoided if possible!

I found the varnish easy to apply - only two coats gives the depth of colour which you can see above.  I followed my usual technique of base coat, two layers of varnish and a top coat to help the varnish last a little longer.  I've had the varnish on for a few days now and the varnish has not chipped at all so in terms of durability this is definitely one to consider if you're heavy handed like me.

My only criticism of the product would be that it seems to 'bruise' quite easily.  I applied the varnish at around 8 in the morning and it looked wonderful all day.  However, after having gone to bed and woken up the following day my nails have imprints from whatever fidgeting I've done during the night - these imprints are what I've affectionately termed bruising.  Normally, I only find that this happens if I've done my nails about an hour before heading to bed so I was a little surprised to find the same had happened despite having done my nails so long beforehand.

All in all a vibrant colour which is true to form and long lasting with a slight tendency to bruise.

I'd love to know what colours you look forward to using as the weather takes a cooler turn.