I nearly always opt for a plain black nail varnish, as I know it's going to match whatever I choose to wear. Dark reds, purples and blues are a good alternative if I have a specific outfit in mind, and this collection has them all.

I like to wear black nail varnish as much as possible; I think it's kind of required when I'm wearing large silver rings, and I feel a bit under-dressed without it. I've tried doing a home manicure with a UV lamp and - while I liked the longevity of the finish - it took too much time to apply and far too much effort to remove. I barely get out of the house as it is, so seeing a nail technician to do it properly is out of the question.

So, I've gone back to quick-and-cheap basic nail polishes, and I'm currently on a bit of a quest to find one that dries quickly, lasts reasonably well without chipping, and comes off cleanly. I have no brand loyalty, so I'll be trying several over the next few months to find my favourite.

This collection caught my eye when I was in Boots last month: Rimmel's 60 Seconds Rita Ora Shades of Black Collection. I don't know much at all about Rita Ora or her Rimmel collaboration - only that her range isn't all this dark - but the colours were immediately appealing to me. The collection costs £2.99 per bottle, less if on offer, and includes:

• 900 Rita's Black, a standard black gloss polish
• 901 Darkest Desires, a dark red gloss polish
• 902 Moonlight Magic, a dark blue gloss polish
• 903 Midnight Ting, a dark purple gloss polish
• 904 Gothic Garden, a dark green gloss polish
• 905 Girl in Grey, a dark grey gloss polish
• 906 Matte Black, a standard black matte polish

I skipped the grey one as I didn't think I'd use it. For the purposes of comparision I tried 900-904 all together on one hand, in order, starting with Rita's Black on my little finger. My results are pictured below.

In the yellowy, artificial light of my kitchen, it was quite difficult to tell the colours apart, except for the red. They are definitely 'shades of black', and the other colour can be imperceptible in some environments. The polishes were a bit more distinct in natural light the next morning, but the effect was still subtle.

I was happy to find that these 60 Seconds nail varnishes were very quick to dry, and easy to remove. They needed two coats on application and didn't last very long before chipping (a day or so), but quick touch-ups prolonged the wear a little. I tried the Matte Black afterwards and it seemed to last better than the gloss varieties. They're all decent polishes which I will use up, but I don't think the colours will tempt me away from plain black on most days.