Are you a nail polish junkie?

Are you a nail polish junkie?

Do you spend your lunch hour scouring the beauty counters in Boots for the next “It” colour? Do you spend your evenings perfecting the DIY manicure? Do you feel like your outfit isn’t complete without a slick of colour at your fingertips? 

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, you are part of a new movement taking  the nation by storm. That is the Nail Polish Boom.

According to a survey by Mintel, nail polish sales have grown at twice the rate of any other cosmetic over the last five years. 

In 2008, sales grew by 23% to £93 million. In 2010, sales reached an all time high of £132 million, despite the recession. 

It seems that women are pouring into the shops in search of a new shade of nail polish rather than buying a new pair of platform heels or a new floral playsuit. 

The difference is that you can buy a bottle of nail polish for as little as a few pounds, rather than splashing the cash and spending £30 on a new going out top. Even just spending £2 helps us acheive a new look and lets us leave the shop, bag swinging, rosy cheeked and on that fuzzy high of a recent purchase. Win for our self esteem and an even bigger win for our bank balance. 

The study also found that 30% of women feel more confident with groomed nails and 75% of men and women feel that bitten of chipped nails are offputting. 

However, women in the UK are yet to catch onto having their nails done professionally. Nail bars are still not as popular here as they are in America. The survey found that 45% of women would like to have professional nail treatments but feel the cost puts them off. WW

Here are some more interesting nail polish facts:

• 94% of nail color is purchased on impulse
• Only 25% of women finish their bottle of nail polish before purchasing a new one
• 53% of consumers leave the store if they can’t find the exact shade they want
• 60% of consumers use a top coat, and 44% use a nail strengthener
• 75% of women experience nail problems

Click play below to see how to do a manicure in your own home:

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A Dolce and Gabbana dress for £40? Dreams do come true...

A Dolce and Gabbana dress for £40? Dreams do come true...

Those of you that often lust after the latest designer dresses, but not the price tag, are in for a real treat. 

Peacocks has launched a premium collection of pretty summer dresses inspired completely by the latest designer looks swept off the catwalk. The brand is called Peacocks By Design  and includes replicas of some of fashion’s most sought after designers. 

This floral maxi dress by Dolce and Gabbana (below) is normally retailed at £2835. The Peacocks By Design version is £40. 

This pretty green and yellow floaty tea dress by Erdem (below) sells for £1070, but in Peacocks you can buy a similar one for £35. 

Head womenswear buyer Antonella Bettley said: “This range is exceptional value. For a low budget price you’re getting fabulous tailoring, with lots of fabric and attention to fashion forward details. There is no need to pay the earth for fabulous design.”

Left: Louis Vuitton, price on request. Right: Peacocks By Design, £38

Designers use the most expensive fabrics and the most skilled seamstresses in creating their work. The detail that goes into their fashions is so intricate and time consuming that dresses can cost thousands of pounds. Peacocks has simply taken these designs as inspiration and produced them in cheaper fabrics using simple stitching techniques, so that they can sell the designs to women all over the UK who have more accommodating bank balances. 

Last year, Peacocks also re-created the £9000 Chloe ‘Louise’ bag. Priced at just £10 it sold out within 48 hours. 

However, other high street stores have paid the price of copying high end designers in the past. 

In 2004 Primark paid £23,000 to settle court claims that they had copied a Monsoon top and butterfly dress and a year later had to withdraw six more lines after Monsoon threatened further legal action.

In 2007, the French fashion house Chloe forced Topshop to destroy 1000 yellow dugaree dresses priced at £35, amidst claims it was a copy of their own £185 design.

The Peacocks By Design debut collection is available now on the Peacocks website and in its flagship stores in sizes 8-18. To browse the collection click here. WW

Left: Jasper Conran, unpriced. Right: Peacocks By Design,  £35

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