Models Own Sweet Shop Collection

Scented polishes that smell of old fashioned sweeties - what fun! I have three polishes from Models Own new Sweet Shop collection. First, here's Coca Cola Bottles - this is a pretty chocolately taupe with a gold shimmer and tiny pearly glitters. Really pretty and perfectly work appropriate, and it does smell of coca cola. Actually, the smell reminded me of a moment at last weekend's ultramarathon - flat, slightly warm coca cola is a staple drink given to runners at aid stations as its easy available sugar and being flat and warm easy to drink without making you burp or shocking your stomach. When I was filling my water bottle I caught sight of the marshall pouring huge bottles of cola into a big bowl in the sun to go flat and warm and it smelt quite strong! The colour of this also reminds me of those chocolate custards I like to slurp down when running too - I'm sure this polish will be popular with ultrarunners everywhere, lol. 

 I have to say I struggled a bit with the formula on this, I found it thick but sheer at the same time. I used two coats at first, but I thought it looked patchy, so I added a third to get a coverage I was happy with. But then my Seche Vite didn't play nicely with the polish and I got a bit of shrinkage at the tips. In spite of this, I like the colour and finish enough to want to wear the polish again. 

Models Own Sweet Shop - Coca Cola Bottles

 Next is Rhubarb and Custard, a yummy blue-toned red jelly with microglitter, presumably representing the sugar in the sweeties. Smells lovely, great colour, easy formula - this one is great. Top coat is essential to smooth out the glitter (but you'd expect this with any polish containing this much glitter).

Models Own Sweet Shop - Rhubarb and Custard

I used two coats for this mani.

Models Own Sweet Shop - Rhubarb and Custard

Bonus for me with this polish, it was a perfect match for the red bits in the complimentary buff I got from the race I was talking about earlier. I don't have a polish this colour in my collection, so it's sure to get worn again. I'm not sure why I have so few red polishes; I like red, and wear it often, but whenever I'm buying polish I always pass over the reds thinking 'Oh, they're just red, I've got red'. Then whenever I want a *specific* red for nail art or something, I don't have it. 

Here's the last, and my favourite. Gumball - a perfect bubblegum pink. Perfect colour, perfect formula. Two coats plus topcoat here. And it smells of bubblegum. In fact I've been wearing it for three days now, and it still smells of bubblegum, after two long swims and through my topcoat!

Models Own Sweet Shop - Gumball

Models Own Sweet Shop - Gumball

Models Own Sweet Shop collection is available now from Superdrug, Models Own website and Models Own Bottleshops. These products were sent for review.

Models Own Blue Glint with ILNP Birefringence (MoYou Sailor plate 07)

Models Own Blue Glint stamped with ILNP Birefringence using MoYou Sailor plate 7

Models Own Blue Glint is one of their new Hypergel colours. It's a super-bright, teal-leaning blue and a shade I absolutely love! Here it is on it's own - I wore it like this for a couple of days before I added the stamping. This is two coats of Blue Glint with Seche Vite quick drying top coat.

Models Own Blue Glint

For the stamping I used ILNP Birefringence, which is a teal to purple duochrome, and one of the swirly patterns on MoYou's Sailor collection plate 7 (XL images). I'm SO impressed with MoYou plates; such a good range of interesting patterns and the XL plates are perfect for longer nails. When I first started stamping there were Konad and Bundle Monster plates, and although there were some nice designs, stamping was something I saved for when I had short nails mostly. No need for that now!

Models Own Blue Glint stamped with ILNP Birefringence using MoYou Sailor plate 7

Birefringence stamps quite easily and I like the abstract effect. I like the duochrome shifting effect - my nails go from a monochrome teal pattern to teal and purple as the light changes. Come to think of it, I have a running top that it is teal with a darker teal pattern on it - this mani would go really well with that.......might wear it tomorrow!

Models Own Blue Glint stamped with ILNP Birefringence using MoYou Sailor plate 7

I purchased Models Own Blue Glint from my local Superdrug (I did get some Hypergels to review but not this one) and I got ILNP Birefringence from a friend. You can buy ILNP polishes direct from their website or from Etsy; they ship internationally.

Models Own Speckled Eggs - MAGPIE

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Models Own Speckled Eggs are a set of pretty pastel cremes packed with black glitter in various sizes. Yes, they are very like the Illamasqua I'mPerfection speckled polishes which were a limited edition released at the beginning of last year - some of the colours are similar, some are different.... the biggest difference is the price! I only bought one of the Illa speckles but I will get around to doing a comparison sometime. For now though, here is what I think is probably my favourite Models Own Speckled Egg - Magpie. That might change as I try others, but for the moment I'm very taken by this shade. It's a gorgeous turquoise shade.

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Application needs a bit of care, the formula is a bit thick and gloppy; I used three thin coats for this mani, with a layer of Seche Vite between the second and third coats and then another coat of SV at the end. The polish also seemed to be a bit on the slow side to dry, although to me this is pretty much irrelevant as I always use Seche Vite. I like the effect enough to completely  forgive the slightly tricky formula.

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

I purchased Models Own Magpie from my local Superdrug. Models Own polishes are £5, currently 3 for 2 - so working out at £3.33 these are a bargain compared to the £14.50 Illamasqua speckles (although most of the Illa ones are gone now anyway).

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie 

Finally, I added a matte topcoat for the last day I wore this mani - when matte this really does look like a birds egg!

Models Own Speckled Eggs - Magpie (with matte topcoat)

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). 

An InLinkz Link-up

Models Own ~ DogsTrust Charity Polish and Giveaway!

Models Own Dogs Trust Charity Polish '25 Carat Gold'

Today's post is something a bit different and  bit special. The polish I have to show you is Models Own 25 Carat Gold, which was created by Models Own for Dogs Trust to celebrate the 35th anniversary of that slogan we're probably all familiar with.........  'a dog is for life...not just for Christmas'. Now Christmas is over this message about responsible dog ownership is even more important. Dogs Trust is asking dog lovers to spread the idea of stopping to think 'am I in a position to socialise, train and look after a dog for the rest of its life?'. Its a hard question, but potential dog owners do need to think about this. I have a rescue dog myself (actually my auntie rescued her first, but then became ill and died four years ago, so I took Tess on at that point) and there is a lot of work and commitment required, but a lot of fun too!

Dogs Trust is the biggest dog welfare charity in the UK and looks after 16,000 dogs every year in its 18 rehoming centres around the country. You can find out more about Dogs Trust at their website, or their Facebook page, or on Twitter.

Let's have a look at the polish, because if you like it and decide to buy a bottle, all profits from every bottle are donated to Dogs Trust. Dogs Trust corporate colours are yellow / gold, so I guess the colour is based on that. Its a warm gold shimmer:

Models Own Dogs Trust Charity Polish '25 Carat Gold'

I was surprised how nicely this applied, and how much I liked it once it was on my nails. There are only a couple of colours that I don't think really suit me, and gold is one of them, but I really rather like this. I used two thin coats, then dabbed on a third coat with a fine, slightly dampened makeup sponge. I almost always use this application technique for polishes with a strong shimmer, as I hate to see brushstrokes on my nails. It worked a treat with this! Here's a straight on shot

And slightly to an angle, you can really see how the colour glows:

Models Own Dogs Trust Charity Polish '25 Carat Gold'

Then I decided to add a bit of dog-themed nail art! I added a tip gradient in white, and stamped on white paw prints for an accent nail.

Models Own Dogs Trust Charity Polish '25 Carat Gold'

This polish was sent for review, but it can be purchased direct from Dogs Trust  for £5.50. All profits go direct to the charity.

....................... and - I have five bottles of this lovely polish to give away! I'm sorry, but I have to limit this to UK entrants only because of Royal Mail shipping restrictions (nail polish can't be posted out of the UK). Enter with the Rafflecopter below :)





a Rafflecopter giveaway