The Minx Effect: more metallic nail polishes

Thanks to what I'm calling the 'Minx Effect', we're seeing a huge trend for shiny and metallic-looking nail products just now. Some are classic metallic wet polishes, while others are dry sticker style strips you can apply yourself at home, with no need for a UV lamp.

If you can't afford the £30 consultation fee to get your nails minxed at a salon or just don't have the time to spare there are plenty of DIY metallic nail products to choose from, and we've tested a few so you don't have to.

1. Stargazer Chrome

The most cheap and cheerful of the bunch, Stargazer's 'Chrome' polish comes in a bottle so shiny you can see your face in it. Unfortunately this is not a true representation of its contents, because the polish itself is actually rather foily, but it does catch the light and is still a good thick metallic shade at a very reasonable price. It dries surprisingly quickly too. Buy it online here for £2.50

2. Blixz stick-on nail colour

Blixz is more of an obvious Minx-lite, consisting of strips that you cut to size then stick to your nails and file down. The finish is much closer to the real thing, looking almost as shiny and giving a proper high gloss finish. They're cut into nail sized shapes already so application is not as fiddly as you might expect - and of course there's the advantage of no drying time, too. These won't last anywhere near as long as a Minx manicure, but they will fool people while they're on! £9.99 for one set of plastic films for fingers or toes at Ideal Beauty Products.

3. Chanel Le Vernis in Kaléidoscope

Good luck tracking this one down, but if you can get your hands on Chanel's 'Kaléidoscope' Le Vernis shade, you won't be missing Minx too much. Kaléidoscope was a limited edition metallic that has now reached the end of its limited run, but you can still find it on Ebay from time to time, and it's also still on sale on US site Izzy's Beauty Shoppe for $29.