Valentines mani - including reviews of Models Own Hypergels and FakeTattoos nail tattoos

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine with FakeTattoos heart nail tattoo

Pink and hearts for Valentines Day, how predictable! I wasn't really planning this, but a review pack of Models Own Hypergel Polishes landed on my doorstep yesterday, including two super pinks......... so why not!

And, at last, it gives me something I can post in Missy's Nail Art A Go Go challenge......... HEARTS!!!

I started the mani out with a sort of ombre using Models Own Pink Veneer (the sugary baby pink) on my index finger, a gradient of Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine (a fab hot pink - one of my favourite nail shades) on my middle finger and Cerise shine alone on my ring finger. I painted my little finger black - there isn't a black in the Models Own Hypergel range but I had something specific in mind for my mani that needed a black nail.

Here's the ombre before I started adding the hearts and dots:

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine

Application of the Hypergels is good - Cerise Shimmer is almost a one coater (I did two more out of habit than because I really needed to) and the consistency and flow was just about perfect. This is a polish I'm sure to use a lot in future. Pink Veneer is a little trickier, but you'd expect this with any pale pink like this. The first coat looked streaky, but it was fine after the second coat.

As you can see, the colours gradient together wonderfully - I painted one coat of Pink Veneer as a base, then applied the gradient with a fine, slightly dampened makeup sponge.

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine

For the nail art, I received a couple of packs of nail tattoos to try out from FakeTattoos, a company based in Sweden, last week. These included a sheet of hearts, mostly black but a few pink and other pastel colours. 

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine with FakeTattoos heart nail tattoo

I used four of the black heart tattoos on my ring finger nails and a single one on my index finger. The tattoos look pretty good once finished, but they are a bit fiddly to apply. You cut out the tattoo you want from the sheet - they have a plastic cover sheet on the front and paper backing. Once you have the tattoo cut out, peel off the plastic and stick the tattoo, sticky side down onto your nail. Then you need to hold a pad of damp paper (I used cotton wool actually) over the paper to soak it, until the paper slides away. Wait a few minutes for the tatto to dry, then apply top coat. They had a bit of an edge around them, so I used a coat of Gelous to smooth the nails out before adding Seche Vite. 

I had intended to use the light pink tattoos on my black nail, but unfortunately these didn't show up at all on the black - I guess they must be transparent; probably would be good over white or a very pale background shade. 

So I decided on dots instead - I wanted to see how the Hypergel shades stood up as dots over black - and they do so very well! I think these two Hypergel shades have lots of potential for nail art!

The FakeTattoos pack said the products were also suitable for application to the skin, so I added a heart to the outside of my little finger. It looked convincing last night, but it had mostly rubbed off by mid morning...... maybe they would last longer on a less exposed part of the body!

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine with FakeTattoos heart nail tattoo

I did the same gradient on my thumb as on my middle finger, and added a freehand heart in Cerise Shine near my cuticle with a dotting tool. then dotted over the heart with Pink Veneer. This was easy to do and I like the way it turned out!

And finally, a close up of a couple of the nails

Models Own Hypergel Pink Veneer and Cerise Shine with FakeTattoos heart nail tattoo

Models Own Hypergels are available on their website now and will be in Boots and Superdrug later this month. The colours used here were sent for review. You can buy FakeTattoos nail tattoos at their website here (they also have some interesting looking bigger fake body tattoos). 

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