Beak & Claws: Paul & Joe Beaute, Koala Bear (No. 13) Nail Polish

Today I am starting a new monthly blog post series - Beak and Claws which will review and showcase my favourite lip products (beak) and nail polish (claws). I have called this series "Beak and Claws" as I wanted to maintain a link with the name of my blog - Sparkling Magpie, so blog posts and blog name are connected rather than just having random names for certain reoccurring posts that have no relevance to the blog itself. To maintain consistency when considering longevity and potential chipping I always use the same base coat - NailHQ All in One.

I chose Paul & Joe Beaute Koala Bear nail polish (No.13) as the first victim in this series as I love both their clothing and cute but grown up prints and the cosmetics line.  P&J are a quirky, fashion forward French fashion brand. I have already outlined in a previous blog post how P&J diversified into the beauty world under Paul & Joe Beaute. Their fashion line's aesthetic translates seamlessly and successfully into the competitive world of skin care and cosmetics. 

As my neck is fused totally I cannot look down and I also lack hand coordination.  This means I find it near impossible to paint my own nails and normally rely on others to do it for me.  If I am going to try and do it myself it takes a lot of patience, a near melt down, angled mirrors - so I can see what I am doing and a nail polish remover pen to erase my mistakes.  The size of the brush, wand, lid -(gripability and comfort when holding the brush matters) and consistency of the polish are all important considerations if I am going to paint my nails myself.  I did do my nails myself for these photos.  They may look a bit scruffy around the edges but I am proud of them as they took ages to do.

The colour of Koala Bear (£12 for 12ml) is a muted, dusky grey.  The consistency of the Polish is quite runny and thin in texture but it easy to control (too runny and I cant control it with my brush and it runs off my nails), It dries quite quickly - within 10 minutes. I have compared the brush to a Nails Inc nail polish brush.  I much prefer the P&J one. The brush has a long deeply grooves handle/lid which is easy and comfortable to grip, making it easy to apply the Polish in long, even strokes without risking  smudging. The brush itself is long and thin with a square edge. Here is where I prefer the Nails Inc one as their brush is curved so it fits nicely into the curve of the nail bed giving a nice finish without much effort. As the P&J one is squared off it takes more effort not to just swipe over but instead go inside the curve of the nail bed. A combination of the two brushes, I feel, would result in the perfect nail polish brush!

The bottle has a elegant, vintage/ classic. feel/ look to it and would look great displayed on a vanity table or dresser. The handle is white plastic, the bottom part of the container is made of glass. P&J is embossed on the top of the lid. 

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own. 

Available here from Amazon UK.