Hi! Today is not a nail art post I'm afraid - instead, I want to share with you the set of nail polish I recently received from e.l.f. Cosmetics, which is a fantastic range with tiny prices. Honestly, if you haven't heard of e.l.f. before, you must have been hiding under a rock! Unlike most cheap brands, e.l.f. never scrimp on quality or variety, and I am yet to be disappointed with both their makeup and nail products. Anyway, if you're a regular reader or follow Little Tip Off on Twitter or Instagram, you will probably know that I entered e.l.f.'s nail art competition a couple of weeks ago. The theme was Rock vs. Vintage, and I decided to submit some polkadot and rose nails (you can see the tutorial here). To my absolute disbelief, I won! I soon received an email from a lovely lady at e.l.f. HQ, who asked which 14 piece nail cube I would like as my prize. They have two themes - 'Jewel Tones' and 'Brights' - and I decided to opt for the latter, since you can never have too many bright nail polishes :)

The set consists of eight bright shades, two nude tones, and four sparkly polishes. I initially thought they would be displayed in a perspex box, which would have been ideal for storage, but unfortunately the packaging was just plastic and cardboard. I suppose more substantial materials would add to the price tag though (the cubes are £15.00 each). Despite the packaging, the contents did not disappoint. Each nail polish is cute and dainty, with a hexagonal shaped lid that's perfect for grip.

The brushes are small, which is to be expected with minis, and apply really smoothly. The consistency is also just right - no bleeding, and no gloopy bits! I was also really impressed with the opacity of the polishes, as they only require 2 coats (apart from 'Metallic Elegance', but that's to be expected of such a pale varnish).

You can tell that e.l.f. thought long and hard about which colours to involve in their cube. Since nudes and pinks tend to be the most popular nail colours, it's a really good idea to include four. I also like the balance of sunny shades and classic colours - 'Sunflower' and 'Mango Madness' are ideal for a fun summer manicure, while 'Skinny Jeans' and 'Smokin Hot' are perfect for an evening out. Out of the non-sparkly polishes, my firm favourites are 'Flirty Fuchsia' and 'Mint Cream'.

The sparkly varnishes are what really excited me. You can never have too many classic glitters, so it was very good of e.l.f. to include 'Gold Star' and 'Dream Maker'. Delicate glitters are also a must for every nail addict, so 'Fairy Cream' is the perfect subtle shimmer. 'Chic Confetti' is also a staple for every nail polish collection - it's reminiscent of both Models Own Hed Kandi 'Ibiza Mix' and Nicole by Opi's 'A Million Sparkles'.

I decided to swatch a couple of the polishes, and as I said before, the consistency and opacity really is impressive. The glitter polishes are a bit more watery, but to be honest I prefer this as you can just build it up to suit you. There's nothing worse than thick, gloopy glitter varnish!

This is 'Skinny Jeans' with a 'Metallic Elegance' accent nail, both topped with 'Fairy Cream'. I don't think I'd ever bother building up 'Fairy Cream', as it looks so lovely and subtle with one coat. I must admit, it did a take a little longer to dry than the others, but I guess the ingredients must be a bit different! The majority of the polishes dried really quickly, which is another plus.

P.s. As you may have noticed, I'm trying out a new watermark. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it though! I love its simplicity and how it matches the colours of each manicure (inspired by One Nail To Rule Them All's watermark, which is so clean and effective), but I don't think it really 'goes' with my blog theme. Maybe I need a big blog overhaul... This will have to wait until I've finished my Dissertation though!