Models Own: HyperGel Review* - Vintage Roses

Hello all,

I was very excited to get three Models Own HyperGels in the post to try out.  I was even more excited that the three that I got were my favourites of the 10 colours available! I got Cerise Shine, Blue Glint and Red Lustre.  My original plan was to swatch them all, but I was having nail art withdrawals so decided for something in between.

* Press sample - sent to me for review

The HyperGel polish is amazing! Normally I use at least two coats of polish, but I have only used one here.  The coverage is so even and opaque you just don't need anything more.  And look how gorgeously shiny it is.  I was very pleased with the drying time, I was expecting it to take quite a while as it's gel effect, but it was dry surprisingly quickly ready for my nail art.

As you can see I have used Cerise Shine on three fingers and Blue Glint as a background for my accent nails on my finger finger and thumb.  Simply using the normal polish brush I dabbed on three Cerise Shine splodges and waited for those to dry.  To add petals to my roses I used Red Lustre for shade (you can just about see it in the picture).  I also needed a highlight so I chose to use Strawberry Tart from the Fruit Pastels collection.  To create the petals I used a really small nail art brush and painted on two 'c' shapes in slightly different sizes and ant different angles.  I started off with the shade and then went in again in the same way with the highlight.  Then to finish my roses off all they needed were some little leaves.  I used Apple Tart, again from the Fruit Pastel collection.  So not only do my nails shine like I have had gels, but they smell yummy too!

I am really pleased with this design.  I think it's simple enough that you can still see the beauty of the HyperGel polishes but it's also really pretty and girly.

I am loving seeing what everyone has bought in the Models Own sale recently over on Twitter! Glad to see I am not the only polish addict around - leave me your links so I can see what you got!

Fruit Pastel Double Dot Dotticure

Hello all,

The last time I did a full dotticure it proved to be very popular and is still the most popular post on my blog, you can see it here if you want.

I thought I would go for another dotticure for spring using Models Own Fruit Pastels.  These colours are perfect for spring, and they smell delicious! Each one has a fruity scent that compliments their colour.

 

 



I have done this double dot dotticure using Grape Juice, Strawberry Tart and Apple Pie.  It's a very simple look to achieve.

Start with your base colour, I couldn't choose which one I wanted to use, so I used all three colours that I have from the collection.  Once the base colour is dry (I always use two coats) add some white dots at the edge of your nails using a dotting tool.  If you don't have a dotting tool you can always use the end of a tooth pick for small dots or a cotton bud for quite large dots.

Leave the white dots to dry and then to create the double dot look use the same colour as your base in smaller dots over the white ones you have just created.  To finish off the look I added some more small white dots to fill in some of the gaps and add a bit more of another colour into my design.

I haven't found a Models Own colour yet that doesn't give a good coverage and the Fruit Pastel is no exception.  They are very creamy pastel colours.  As I said earlier the colours all have a smell to compliment their colours.  Grape Juice is the least scented of the three that I have, but has a pleasant grape smell.  Strawberry Tart smells a little like strawberry sweets and apple pie smells almost like an apple body wash.  Using them all together my nails smell like sherbet.

I hope you like my design and give it a go yourself x

Models Own: Ice Neon and Fruit Pastels

Hello all,

Models Own have some new collections and they have a campaign to see which team you are on with #neonVpastel.  I just couldn't choose a 'team' as they are both so nice, so I got three from each collection!

Today I will be reviewing Pink Punch from the Ice Neon collection.

These are the Ice Neon colours that I got, from left to right, Pukka Purple, Toxic Apple, and Pink Punch.  They are called neon for a reason, the colours are so bright and vibrant.  Models Own suggest that to keep these polishes at their brightest they are best stored in the fridge.  You don't have to though - it's up to you.  I'm not as I am sure they will be bright enough anyway.

Although this is labelled as Pink Punch, I have to say I originally thought it was orange.  Depending on the light the look can change.  I would say that this is more of a coral pink, but Models Own do have Bubblegum, a bright highlighter pink in the Ice Neon collection as well.

The polish goes on nice and smoothly with very little streaking.  I always tend to use two coats of polish as I find it lasts better, but you could get away with just one coat of this if you wanted.  The neon's dry with a matte effect, but I found that this was not at matte as other polishes that give the same effect.  There was still some shine to the polish when it was dry, but if you wanted to keep the matte effect you could use a matte top coat to protect the colour, but still keep the effect.  I am not keen on matte nails, I like a bit of shine, so I used my normal top coat to give the shine you can see here.

I would recommend the Ice Neon collection if you want a super bright manicure to help bring on that summer feeling early!

Back to School Nail Art with Tutorial

It's that time of year again, it's time to go back to school.  When we think of this time of year there is an iconic symbol that always springs to mind... the apple.

The apple has inspired my new design.  I hope you like it and give it a go yourself by following my step by step guide.

 

 

 

What you will need:

• Base coat
• White polish
• Nude polish
• Red polish
• Red glitter polish
• Brown polish
• Green polish
• Top coat
• Cotton buds
• Nail dotting tool/thin paint brush

These are the polishes I used to create the look.

 

 

First, use a base coat to protect your natural nails and start the design by painting your nails with a simple French manicure.  Paint the tips white and leave them to dry and add a coat of a nude colour.

 

 

 

 

Leave this to dry before moving on to the next step.  To create the body of the apple I used red, but you could always choose green if you wanted.  I also decided to make one of my apples sparkle for that extra special look, but you don't have to do this if you don't want to.

 

 





Take your red polish and drip some onto a scrap of paper.  Using your cotton bud dip this into the polish and then add a red dot to your nail, slightly overlapping your French tip.  Continue this on all your nails.  I added the red glitter polish to my ring finger in the same way.

 

 

 

 

Again leave this to dry before moving on to the next step.  To create the stalk of the apple you will need to use the nail dotting tool or thin paint brush.  I have a double ended nail tool with both of these, so to create the stalk I used the brush.  As with the body of the apple drip some of your brown polish onto a scrap of paper.  Using your brush paint a small brown line moving away from the apple.

 

 

For the leaf I used the nail dotting tool, but you can use the brush if you want, just clean it using a small amount of polish remover on some cotton wool.

Drip a small about of your green polish onto your scrap of paper and using the dotting tool create a small dot by the brown line you just painted for the stalk.  Drag the dot in the opposite direction to create the leaves.  Do this on all your nails.

To finish, eave this to dry then add a thick layer of a top coat to protect your new design.  You now have a back to school manicure.

Enjoy.