NOTD: Peach Sherbet

Say hello to Peach Sherbet from Models Own.  It's probably not one I would have bought myself -  this one of the colours I won but I just picked it as I don't have many nudes and they are handy to have.  At first I wasn't too sure about it as it's a bit orangey against my skin tone to be a nice nude but if you set that thought aside and just look at it for the colour itself it is quite pretty and unusual.  It also has a nice coverage and finish, this is 2 coats without top coat as I had left it at my friend's!  I think Models Own are definitely my favourite brand of nail varnish, I don't think I've found one yet which has disappointed!

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Collection: Neon Nail Varnishes

Summer might well be over but who says you need to start wearing darker colours on your nails?!  I'm not really one for following seasonal nail colour trends, especially as I don't like having my nails very dark.  I will maybe have a couple of shades which would be particularly suited to that season but other than that I just go for whatever I feel like at the time.

Over the past year I have become a big neon fan and built up quite a nice wee collection!  I'll go through the colours I've got and add in any comments and full posts if available.

From left to right:

Nina Ultra Pro in Punki Pink - probably not CF.

Models Own Bubblegum - loved this in the summer!

Models Own Hedonist - at first I wasn't sure about this colour but saw it on someone's nails and loved it!

China Glaze Orange Knockout - I found the China Glaze ones didn't have as nice a finish as Models Own ones.

Models Own Beach Party - the brush came off so they sent me a new one which is actually darker, how odd!  My dad fixed the brush for me so now I have two...  I wonder if they look different colours on the nail?

Models Own Luis Lemon - love this, but haven't actually worn it yet...

China Glaze Turned Up Turquoise - An unusual neon, you don't often see turquoise.

Neons are notoriously difficult to try photograph but I've tried my best!  Swatched in the same order as above.

What are your favourite neon polishes?

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Paperbacks & Beauty Facts: Summer Favourites

Some of the items I've been loving this summer!

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NOTD: Summer?!

I decided to take a break from my Nail Varnish Challenge as all the colours left are a bit drab and Autumnal, and go for something brighter while we're having nice weather!  So I tried out a new polish I was lucky enough to win in a Giveaway last month ran by Fashiony Nails, I love it!  This is Bubblegum from the Models Own Ice Neon Collection, and as always, neons are a bitch to photograph!  It is recommended that you keep these in the fridge to keep the colour from fading, however I haven't really done that yet!  I found it was rather thick and gloopy to apply but it was almost opaque in one coat, after application I put it in the fridge and it did seem smoother.  I really want to try Luis Lemon!

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NOTD: Coral Sun

I bought this Coral nail varnish the other day as Barry M were doing 3 for 2 so I decided to go for this as I don't have one this colours.  Although applying it on my nails it reminded me of the Tangerine nail varnish from Barry M but I haven't compared them side by side yet.  I would assume that Tangerine is more yellow and less pink.

I was looking at this on my nails and it was very uninspiring so I added Models Own Tropical Sun over the top and I love it!  New favourite combination!  Tropical Sun has a gold duochrome and tiny bits of gold glitter in it, it's so pretty when it hits the light.  I wore it to work and got loads of compliments from colleagues and customers.

(I was ambushed by Rory during taking the photos for this, at least he sort of matches!)

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Christmas Giveaway! [CLOSED]

The last giveaway I did was when I hit 100 followers on GFC and as I've not done one since I though it would be nice to do a Christmas one!!  Unfortunately this one is just going to be UK only as I think it will be heavy to post and also as it's close to Christmas the post gets rather manic!  Items included:

- Lindt Santas Sleigh

- Candy Cane

- Models Own Jack Frost nail varnish

- Linea Christmas Berry candle

- Lush North Pole soap

- Lush Northern Lights soap

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!!

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NOTD: Candy Sprinkles

I've had this nail combination envisioned in my head for ages!  On the nail I still really like it, although Models Own Disco Mix is definitely not my favourite glitter, it's so sparse :(  For the base I used Topshop Milkshake which I love!

Any recommendations for a good multi-coloured glitter which isn't as sparse as this one??

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NOTD: Back To Blue

I have been trying to give my nails a bit of a rest, they've been peeling and breaking something awful recently.  I think it's been almost 2 months now without nail varnish!  Apart from the odd random finger painted with a tester haha!

So for my first manicure in agesss I decided to go with this really pretty blue which is Skinny Jeans by Ciaté.  I got this item in the only Glossybox I ever purchased, which was last summer I believe!  I'm not 100% sure about the cruelty-free status of this brand, I had a look on their website and it says: "Ciate is a 5 FREE brand completely free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP (dibutyl phthalate), formaldehyde resin, camphor and is even cruelty free (never tested on animals)."  I have emailed them anyway to see what they say about ingredients, suppliers and suchlike.

Even though I have had this for almost a year I have never actually used it, and I found the brush a bit weird!  They have a sort of wide, flat brush, which is quite good in general but I found it difficult for getting a nice shape at the base of the nail - as you can see from the pictures - but maybe it will just take some getting used to!

I used two coats of that and then applied one coat of Models Own's Bluebelle on my ring fingers as an accent.

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NOTD: Models Own Combo

Boooo it's exam time, don't think I've ever been as stressed out as I was on Thursday, but it's gone the other way and now I am too laid back...  My first exam is on Tuesday and I don't think it'll go very well but I'm feeling more positive about the others so fingers crossed!

Here I am wearing Models Own Tropical Sun with Ibiza Mix as an accent.

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NOTD: Frosty Finish

After removing Fiercely Fiona - which came off like a dream, no staining! - I decided to paint my nails using my new Models Own polish from my haul.

With regards to 'the experiment', the base coat over the nail treatment did seem to help it last slightly longer so I have done this again here.

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Models Own Nail Swatches

Here are some swatches of the two nail varnishes I bought recently:

First is Mystic Mauve, a frosty light pink.  This is 2 coats but it is basically opaque in one, albeit slightly streaky.

Then Ibiza Mix from the Hed Kandi collection.  This is a multi-coloured and multi-sized glitter polish in a clear base.  On the left is just one coat then the other one is about 2/3 coats... I tried to build it up but I got bored.  There's not a chance in hell of this one being opaque!  I found the consistency to be much thinner than I expected and the glitter is very sparse.  I would only use it on top of other colours so this isn't really a problem but I would have preferred for there to be slightly more glitter and less clear nail varnish!

Finally I layered one coat of Mystic Mauve and one coat of Ibiza mix.  I probably wouldn't wear this but I was having a fun and just curious!  It gives you an idea of how it would look over another colour.

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Look What I've Bought!

I was in Boots the yesterday so I thought I would look and see if Models Own had the full Hed Kandi collection available which they did!  It was also 2 for £8 so obviously I had to buy two, duhh!  I didn't really fancy any of the other Hed Kandi ones as I have some similar, so I just bought Ibiza Mix and then Mystic Mauve from their normal range.

I also got the Starter Set from Real Techniques.  I've been saving up my Boots points for ages and I finally had enough to buy this, so pleased that I basically got them for free!  I have the Core Collection and Stippling Brush which I got when they first came out and really liked them, love that they are synthetic!

The main reason for getting this set was that I really want to find a synthetic version of the MAC 217 brush and Sam tweeted me saying that the Base Shadow brush (second on the left) is quite similar so I will need to do a wee comparison and see if it is!

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NOTD: My Favourite Colour

I've mentioned this before but I love orange! I think my obsession started almost a year ago and just seems to stayed with me. I was planning for my next nail colour to be orange - the Barry M one - but I went shopping yesterday and couldn't resist this neon polish! This is Orange Knockout by China Glaze.

Okay, I have NO idea why this was so difficult to photograph, oh my god! It kept showing up a completely different colour from what it is in 'real life'. It's still not perfect, but my camera is not of the best quality so I'm afraid this will have to do for now!

The yellow tone which is showing up is not visible in person, I think it must be flash reflecting back, but I need to use the flash or it goes blurry (don't even go there, either it's me or the camera which is shit, I have no idea!). Anyway, I don't love how the colour is quite translucent - you can see my nail tips through it - so I might try it using a while base and see if that makes it any better. The formula is quite thin and I thought I would need to use more than 2 coats (this is 2 coats) to avoid streaks but it was actually fine. Enough complaining, the colour, I love!

I also painted my toes with Scarlet Sparkle, it's so pretty! The glitter is suspended in a red base colour so it gives the impression of it being opaque in one coat. I used two coats to make sure I got lots of the glitter!  But I'm not going to show you a photo of my feet...

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Why Did I Buy 8 Nail Varnishes?!

I went shopping today and got rather carried away buying nail varnishes...  I think I need some sort of rehab!

From left to right: Tropical Sun, Emerald City, Scarlet Sparkle, Bluebelle, Punki Pink, Orange Knockout, Turned Up Turquoise, Nail Art Pen in Black.

The neon polishes have a sort of soft matte finish which does look nice on my nail wheel but I prefer a really shiny finish on my nails!  Here they are with a coat of Seche Vite on top:

I haven't tried out the nail art pen yet, quite scared, I have such shaky hands!

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