New Nail Length & Vintage Mani

I decided to give my nails a chop this week and get them all to the same length and shape, I think it looks much better :)

I decided to give vintage “Cath Kidston” style nails a go. I wasn’t sure how I’d get on with the flowers so decided to go with stripes for the rest of my nails except my ring finger. I used Barry M 251 Blue as a base colour and then using a dotting tool and Essie Van D’Go and Models Own Vintage Pink I drew the flower and used OPI You Don’t Know Jacques for the leaves. I then did vertical white stripes on the other nails using a striping tool.

I love this look and definitely want to try again with different colour combos!

Konad Zebra Nails

I’ve been playing around with my Konad stamping set which I got a few weeks ago and wanted to share a few of the zebra designs I’ve tried.

First of all I wanted to test non Konad polishes and see how it works. A few I tried were just no-hopers but then I came across Barry M 320 Foil Gold which worked a gem. I put it over Models Own Purple Grey and think the final result was really subtle but pretty.

(Slight mess up on my middle finger!)

I also did my Mums nails using OPI Do You Think I’m Tex-y and Konad white
I really liked the pink and white contrast and definitely want to try this out on myself!

Peacock Nails

I saw this look on YouTube and fell in love. I decided to give it a go seeing as I loved the colours used and I love Peacocks!

I used Essie Going Incognito as the green base, then used a dotting tool and GOSH 554 Gold, Rimmel 825 Sky High and Models Own True Blue for the spots.

It’s not quite the same as the finished result in the video but I quite liked it! I think if I was going to do this look again I would make the dots bigger and more even.

I love doing animal print designs though and am always on the look out for new ideas, let me know if you have tried any and would recommend!

Models Own Freshen Up

I was quite excited to see the new Models Own collection …

“The NEW Spring collection from Models Own: FRESHEN UP! Five pretty sherbet pastels, each designed to give a gorgeous natural colour. Includes Edamame, a fresh shimmering green; Naked Shimmer, a glistening gold-tinted stark beige; Soda Pop Pink, a subtle pastel blush; Peaches & Cream, a light sherbet peach; and Bare Beauty, a pretty, barely-there nude.”

Looking forward to seeing some swatches of these but Edamame, Naked Shimmer and Bare Beauty are probably the ones I’d be most interested in!

Have you added any of these to your collection? Let me know your thoughts!!

Attempt at Marble Nails

Well I tried it! My first two attempts are below.

L: Essie Mint Candy Apple, Essie Van D’Go and Models Own True Blue
R: Models Own Turkish Delight, Models Own Peach Sherbet and Essie Mint Candy Apple

I think it is definitely something that you get better at over time! Took me a while to get used to what temperature the water needed to be and also timing to get a pattern before the polish dries! I’m not admitting defeat as I will be trying this again soon but it’s quite messy and time consuming so I’ll need patience when doing it haha.

Saying that, I did get some nice comments when I wore the above!

To be continued!

Scotch Tape Mani

I’ve recently come across the concept of using Scotch tapes in manicures (am I ridiculously behind with the times?) and wasn’t sure if I’d like it…I’ve tried using manicure guides before and just end up getting annoyed when you get residue or it peels off your base polish. However, I decided to give it a go and found this video with cute design which I based my mani on.

First of all I used a Rimmel base coat and when this was dry I put a strip of Scotch tape across each of my nails and painted the top half with 2 coats of Models Own Turkish Delight. I waited a few minutes before peeling off the tape and was pleasantly surprised to find no residue or peeling! I let this dry and then painted on the white dots using a Natural Collection white polish (with the end of a hair grip as the dotting tool). Then I used Barry M 47 Black to draw a black line.

 

I’ve never actually done a mani leaving some of my un-painted nail showing but I kinda like it! I’ve had a lot of comments already and am excited to try different versions of this look. And yes…I am still obsessed with dots on my nails it seems!

Have you ever tried a Scotch tape mani? Would love to hear any other ideas – I’ve seen some checkerboard designs which look really cute too!

Suits You Zooey…

I saw this pic the other day of Zooey Deschenal’s nails at the Golden Globes on Monday and fell in love…

SO COOL! I definitely want to try the tuxedo nails soon, but this pic inspired my most recent nails:

I used Models Own True Blue (1 coat) and then drew three white dots on with a cocktail stick using Natural Collection – White.

They didn’t take long to do and I think they look pretty cute! Have you tried tuxedo nails? If so, I’d love to hear!

Turkish Delight…with a bit of Blue…

I ended up getting Turkish Delight with my recent Models Own haul because the polish I had originally ordered (Pure Purple) was sold out. I am SO glad I got it! It is a gorgeous shade of purple/pink which is really deep and rich.

I decided to mix it up a bit and paint one nail on each hand True Blue. (Left hand: ring finger, right hand: index finger).

I loved this combo together and both polishes lasted really well with little chipping.

What do you think of the random ‘one nail being a different colour’ idea? Let me know!

Haul and Smash Up Polish

My Models Own order finally arrived, woo!

(L-R: Turkish Delight, True Blue, Green Grass, Silver Smash Up & Purple Smash Up.)

I was really excited to try out the Smash Up polishes as I’ve only used the Barry M one’s before, so I put Purple Smash Up over GOSH’s Groovy Grey.

I think it gives a different effect to the Barry M crackle polishes, I’m not sure if it was the base colour but I wasn’t really feeling this combo that much. I will be trying it with a mixture of different colours though, I think it would look awesome with a bright pink underneath! I shall keep you updated!

Also, I nabbed a bargain from ASOS the other day – I got the Essie Resort collection for the amazing grand total of £1.50!

(L-R: Fair Game, Da Bush, Lion Around & Your Hut Or Mine)

I  am LOVING the look of Da Bush so far, so I think I’ll be trying this out very soon! Have you got any of the polishes from this collection? Let me know your thoughts!

Sally Hansen–Salon Effects

I was in New York last week and picked these up in Walgreens. They were around $9 I think and I haven’t yet seen these on sale anywhere in the UK so thought I’d pick some up. They had some awesome designs but a lot were sold out so I ended up going with these.

I applied them before our flight home at JFK and found them VERY easy to apply and work with. (I did make one boo boo on my index finger as you can see below, but that was my error and I couldn’t be bothered to replace!)

This picture was taken 4 days after I originally applied them with a top coat of Sally Hansen Double Duty top coat. They are without a doubt the best polish strips I have used (so far) and I am very impressed with their lasting power! I can see me ordering more of these! Does anyone know if they are available in the UK?

I also picked up a couple of boxes of these leopard print polish strips from Forever 21, so I will post these up when I’ve tried them out!

I am also waiting for my delivery from the Models Own sale (one of my polishes was out of stock so it delayed my delivery) I have ordered a few coloured crackle polishes which I’m really excited about and some shades I’ve been eyeing up for a while. Haul post when they arrive

Models Own - 50% Sale!

The lovely people at Models Own have reached 50,000 Facebook friends and to celebrate are having a 50% sale - amazing! Pretty much everything on their website is half price, so head on over and get saving, you can pick up polishes from just £2.50 - bargain!

Naturally, I have ordered myself 4 polishes and 2 Smash Up polishes so far. I am very tempted to go back for more! Models Own are one of my favourite brands so I would recommend you give their polishes a go if you haven't already :)


Enter code FIFTYFIFTY at the checkout: https://www.modelsownit.com/

Happy Shopping!

Crackle Me Up

I have been using the Barry M Crackle Polish a lot since I got it…I need to post more pics of this! One of my favourite polishes to mix it with is Models Own – Grace Green. It reminds me of an army kind of camouflage look mixed with a turtle shell!

What’s your favourite polish to team with a black crackle polish?

Models Own–Purple Grey

So the first polish I decided to try from my recent Models Own haul was the coveted Purple Grey which has been compared to Chanel Paradoxal and dubbed as the ‘must have’ shade for Autumn/Winter. Now, I don’t have the Chanel polish but I have to say I LOVE this colour!
It is a brown, purple, grey mix which looks different in every type of light! At its best it looks like it does in the picture above, a gorgeous deep purple with a hint of grey. In the shade it looks more purpley-brown, as below…
This polish applied well with two coats and was a nice consistent formula. What do you think of this shade? I think it’s a love it or hate it colour! Do you have Paradoxal? Comment and let me know your thoughts!
Also – just to let you guys know I will be away for the next 2 weeks I am going to the USA! I’m hoping to get my hands on a few goodies so look out for my haul post when I am back! 

Models Own–Pink Fizz

I have a love-hate relationship with Models Own glitter polishes. The love part being that I think they look awesome on and the hate part being that they are a nightmare to remove! Despite that, I finally got my hands Pink Fizz and gave it a go this week. The fact that they are tough to get off means they stay on really well and this polish has worn very well with no chips and very little tipwear. This is a light pink/silver heavy glitter polish which is actually very wearable for both day and night. I love how good the coverage is for this polish and this was after 3 coats (over just a clear base coat). I would have Scarlet Sparkle to show you all but unfortunately the bottle smashed on its way to me, so I’ll need to try and get hold of another bottle!

Models Own Nail Pens

Models Own have teamed up with WAH Nails to create some nail art pens in black and white – you can see some pics of the launch event over at the Models Own blog – my absolute favourite mani has to go to Gem Fatale, adorable!

(Pic from Models Own facebook page)

These go on sale on the Models Own website from 15th November – no confirmation of the price yet. So what do you think of this? Will you be getting your hands on these?

The Internet Is Really, Really Great…

Today one my my favourite West End shows is closing – Avenue Q. Well it is going on tour actually, but it is leaving the West End after 5 years. I have seen the show 4 times in 3 years and will be going to the last show this evening. In honour of this, I decided to try and dedicate my nails to the show today…ta da…I used Miners Photo Finish shade 34 (which I have had far too long) and Special FX Black nail pen. I then did a topcoat of Rimmel Pro Matte Finish.If you haven’t seen the show – you should definitely try and catch the tour!
In other news…my Models Own order arrived!L-R: Peach Sherbet, Purple Grey, Grace Green, Vintage Pink & Purple Ash. Cannot wait to get these polishes on my nails!Have you seen Avenue Q? Do you have any of these Models Own shades, let me know your faves!

Models Own: I Did It!

So I finally bit the bullet and ordered my favourites from the new Models Own collection, I took advantage for their 'buy 5 save £7' deal (I'm such a sucker for a bargain) and ordered 3 from the 'Car Key' collection plus 2 other shades that I've been lusting after for a while! My order came to £18 in total plus free delivery so that is only £3.60 per polish...so I keep telling myself! Anyway hopefully my order will be here sometime next week so I shall leave you in suspense until then and I can show off the colours I ordered :)

OPI My Big Break

This polish is a gorgeous purpley-pink colour with green/silver sparkles, which actually doesn’t come across very well when photographed.

As expected from OPI the formula is nice and I particularly like the brushes on OPI polishes as they seem a bit bigger than normal and this makes foreasier application! This shade took a good 3 coats to get a decent coverage and not a bad drying time. I have also included another photo that gives a better idea of the ‘sparkles’

On another note, how amazing is the new Car Key collection from Models Own?!

I can see myself ordering Grace Green, Purple Ash, Garnet and Vintage Pink in the not so distance future <3

Has anyone got their hands on any of these yet? Any favourites, recommendations?

Let me know!

Emerald City

Hats off to Models Own again!

I decided not to use another colour underneath Emerald City as I just wanted to see how it would turn out, after the first coat I thought it wasn’t going to work but I kept going and after 3-4 coats I really started to love it. It has been years since I have worn a glitter polish and I so have the glitter bug now…I want a red one and a pink one and a blue one now!

Emerald City is definitely a polish I will be wearing again and I will be trying it over another colour polish to see how it turns out.

I had real trouble trying to get a decent picture of the colour of this polish, it comes out very teal-y in photos, whereas it is actually more green. I played around in Photoshop and (ignoring how green my hand looks) this is a better colour match for the polish. It hasn’t come out great but it really is such a pretty colour.

In conclusion, thumbs up for Emerald City!

Oh and it turns out MUA is only stocked it selected Superdrug stores, and my local store is not one of them! So I am taking a trip to the nearest one later on today, so I will let you all know how I get on and post some haul pics!