There are some truly fab indie nail brands around at the moment and I’m really enjoying having a play with new arrivals on to the market. One that’s actually been around for a while but had a bit of a re-brand lately is HJ Manicure – I loved them the first time around when they sent me some of their shades including the most beautiful pink (have a look at it here from way back in 2012) and now they’ve updated their packaging and colours with some truly great shades.
The four shades I’ve been having a play with are: Alpine Green – a deep, blackened green that only looks green in certain lights; I personally really like the effect but it looks a lot greener in the bottle than it does on the nails which might disappoint. Pink Champagne – a “Barbie” pink shot through with gentle shimmer that’s bright without being neon and a particularly lovely shade for feet. Thunder Storm – a deep and dirgy lilac grey shade that’s really well named as it perfectly encapsulates that colour the sky goes during a storm. Lastly Pink Bikini – a baby pink that’s pretty, girly and slightly nude, making it a lovely everyday shade for pink lovers.
The bottles are lovely and generously sized with 15ml of product in each. The brush handles are easy to use and the brushes themselves are medium sized so they give the right level of product. The polish itself is generally good; the lighter shades can be a little wishy-washy and streaky and benefit from 3 coats, but they dry quickly so it isn’t a big problem.
I really like the shades available through HJ Manicure and I think that if you’re on the hunt for the perfect nude then you’ll want to check them out as they have some great shades, including the extremely pale flesh-toned Lace which might be pale enough for “Mannequin Hands” on us paleys.
Surprisingly, my favourite of the four shades I’ve been sent are actually the non-pinks; I love the grey purple of Thunder Storm as it’s very on-trend and easy to wear, whilst Alpine Green is a fun alternative to Rouge Noir. You can view the entire collection here – link – where polishes are £9.50 a pop.
*PR Samples
Love the shades, they are so pretty!