Nails: The Easiest French Manicure ft Nail Vinyls

You know what I really don't like? Boring things. Sandwiches, British soaps (make that British TV in general), cricket and French manicures. I really do not get the appeal of the French manicure considering all the awesome polish colors and nail art around. Having said that a) they're nice for job interviews b) also nice if you are a professional WAG and c) I've paid for a fair few over the years. I used to get my nails done at salons and would occasionally opt for French tips, usually though I'd get some nail art or gems added.
I guess part of the reason for my dislike is that I've always found them impossible to replicate at home either free-hand or with those little guides you can buy. 
Earlier this year I discovered Nail Vinyls and I purchased some chevrons and single chevrons - they are fantastic and basically foolproof! Linda often announces discount codes and sales on her Instagram so when she launched her new site, I decided to grab some more including, yes, French tips. 

For my first manicure with these, I couldn't think of what color tips to paint so I went with classic (yawn) white just to see how they'd turn out and also because I had a brand new white polish to try. Here's how they turned out:

Nails: Serum No.5 - Flashing Lights - Swatches and Review

So today I have a more-exciting-than-average nail polish to show y'all. It's had quite a lot of hype on Instagram so when I saw it for pre-order on Rainbow Connection I didn't hesitate to purchase it. It's billed as a Reflective Top Coat and comes with the recommendation that you wear it only on bare nails (or over a matte polish) and use no top coat.

The official description from Serum No.5's shop:

"This shimmering, silver top coat will protect you from those Flashing Lights or get you noticed in the dark. Please note that although this top coat does dry to a slightly textured finish, due to the reflective quality of this top coat, it is recommended that youdo not use top coat."

Sounds like a lot of work, eh? This is my second Serum No.5 polish (I have Atomic Peach and find the formula tricky to work with). I'm happy to report that Flashing Lights' formula is a breeze and it dries super-quickly. It did drag a tiny bit on the first coat so I applied a second to even it out and also just because I was curious. Let's have a look at some photos - all show 2 coats on bare nails unless stated otherwise. First up, here's how it looks in direct sunlight:

And now what you're all really curious to see, in the dark with a flash!