Hi My Loves,

With my love of nail polish becoming a slight problem, I'm talking over 100 nail polishes, I thought I should be sharing my knowledge with you guys.

There are numerous nail polish finishes but I am only going to be talking about the most common.

Zoya - Sailor [Source: Samarium's Swatches]

Creme - the most common finish. They are a pure colour with no special finishes. They usually have a lovely shine and have a smooth finish setting them apart from the other finishes.

Barry M - Guava Gelly [Source: Imagination in Colour]

Jelly - extremely similar to cremes with the main difference being the texture. Jelly polishes have, as the name implies, a jelly-like texture. They tend to apply more sheer but they have a beautiful shine and are glossy in finish.

Essie - Sugar Daddy [Source: Ponikuta]

Sheer - transparent polishes that are often used in french manicures. Most sheers tend to be pink or nude colours and can be shimmery.

Model's Own - Cerise [Source: Nail Lacquer UK]

Metallic - often copper, gold and silver shades. They can look gritty or smooth and are popular in duo and monochrome polishes.  

Lester Black - Snowdrop [Source: Swatch Girl]

Frost - tend to look icy or frosty, as the name would suggest, with a metallic look. These polishes are becoming less popular today however.

OPI - Push & Shove (Gwen Stefani Collection) [Source: All Lacquered Up]

Chrome - used interchangeably with frost, however chrome can refer to a frost with a high mirror finish. They usually look as though you have painted melted metal straight onto the nail.

Rimmel Velvet Matte Fall 2014 - 015 Midnight Kiss [Source: Demelza's World]

Matte - flat colour with no sheen at all. They dry quickly and tend to be less creamier and smooth to apply, definitely a downfall, so they can dry streaky. Mattes are prone to chipping much more easily as you usually don't need to apply a top coat (to avoid the shine factor).

Orly - Old School Orange (Plastix Satin Finish) [Source: All Lacquered Up]

Satin - the cousin of matte polishes. They do not dry totally flat and matte and they are not shiny enough to be classed as a gloss finish.

OPI - You Don't Know Jacques Suede (Suede Collection) [Source: Steph's Closet]

Suedes - another close relative to mattes, however they contain a slight shimmer, making them smooth and luxurious looking. Suede's tend to be less easily chipped than mattes and much lower-maintenance. They are more textured and have a much wider colour range than mattes.

Sally Hansen - Be-Jewelled (Gem Crush Collection) [Source: Fab Fatale]

Glitter - can be found in jelly formulas or in a clear base. It is usually the actual flecks that are coloured rather than the actual base having a colour. Glitter polishes can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from micro-glitter to chunky glitter and glitter-shapes and can range from a single glitter to a two-toned or multicoloured glitter and tend to have a rough texture. Glitter polishes can range from a single glitter to a two-toned or multicoloured glitter.

W7 - Metallic Neptune [Source: Lipglossiping]

Duo-chrome - change colour depending on the way the light hits them. They are often a shimmer and can appear as two different shades depending on the light. When you have a true duo-chrome they are very noticeable and obvious.

NYX - Maroon (Advanced Salon Formula) [Source: Vampy Varnish]

Shimmer - has a great colour base with any shimmer colour you can possibly think of added through it. The shimmer is traditionally gold or silver and are usually super fine. Shimmer polishes are usually smooth to the touch.