Caroline Burke | Burkatron

I never fail to get excited by the latest batch of models own polishes.. their colours are super snazzy and they're always coming up with fun new finishes and textures. 

I've got my mitts on some of their newbies and these metallic and glitter gels are the perfect polishes for the upcoming party season. 

so I decided to throw a little giveaway, huzzah! it's been a while since my last one right? I figured these would be a cool gift for one of you- a little thank you for sticking around, you guys rock.

first up we have the glitter gel polishes- these are a twist on their hyper gel ranges. with the glitter gels you get the nice raised finish of a gel mani but way better (cause it glitter.) 

my favourite shades are the gold tone sheer sparkle and the crystal pink with it's teeny flecks of glitter for the ultimate princess finish!

and then we have my faves.. the colour chrome liquid metal effect polishes. you may remember I reviewed some shades before here. well I have a new batch here and the copper and pearl shades look pretty darn dreamy...

so if you would like to get hold of these 10 beauties.. pop below and enter the rafflecopter draw!

I'll be moderating the entries so please make sure you follow the requirements. this is a UK only competition this time (sorry our postmen don't like us to send these overseas grrr)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

good luck!

caroline x

a few years ago I hated the transition into a/w nails. now I actively look forward to it.

I found myself sporting black nails this summer when I'd usually be caught wearing baby blues and pastels. turns out I've really grown into wearing deeper, richer shades on my nails these days.

I've been dusting off my favourite winter shades so I figured I'd round them up for you. looking for a new polish? well read on and see if anything catches your fancy..

top row left to right- models own hyper gel bermuda blue, models own twilight in teal, models own hyper gel ebony green, barry m grey, models own hyper gel raven red.

bottom row left to right- barry m gelly in lychee, models own chrome gold, barry m gelly in mustard, topshop nails in pillar box, models own twilight marsala.

my winter shades are still colourful but it's a richer jewel tone selection. switch out the pastels for vivid blues and reds dark enough to pass as black until they catch the light. 

models own are my most used polishes as I like their hyper gels. the colour choice is really good and their new twilight collection has some lovely shades (the ebony green and raven red from their last a/w gel collection are still firm favourites of mine.) I also picked a few barry m polishes, their mustard is such a wicked shade and goes perfectly with all the 70's vibes doing the rounds this season. 

do you have any nail polish favourites, let me know?

back soon

caroline x

 I thought I'd seen it all and then liquid metal nail polishes landed!

it's not often I swatch a whole collection, but the latest A/W hyper gels are some of the best shades for winter I've come across... by far.

remember those hyper gel nail polishes from models own.. well now they've launched a clear top coat! I thought this was a brilliant idea as you can add a gel effect finish to your whole nail polish to collection with just one product. 

I've tried it over a topshop's green room polish to show you how it looks..

I'm always excited when models own release a new collection and this latest range is my favourite so far. I adore pastel shades so I was pretty darn happy when this trio arrived for me to play with!

so what's the big deal? well the hyper gel polishes are created to give a salon finish shine without the need for UV..  quite simply you can have the look of a professional gel manicure for a lot less effort (sounds good huh?) they're highly pigmented so with most of them you only need one coat (two max) and so far I've found them to be quite chip resistant.. winner.

cornflower gleam*

this is a beautiful shade and it's also the one that gives the glossiest shiny result (it's very similar to their beth's blue which is one of my all time favourite nail polishes) 

pink veneer*

this is a classic pale pink polish, it applies well and is a colour I'll use a lot as it's simple, clean and feminine. I wore this for 3-4 days without chipping when I was away last week (I always recommend a clear top coat if you're a serial chipper like me!)

naked glow*

I love a good nude and this is my new fave! on days when I can't decide on a nail colour to wear I always opt for a basic shade like this (I think everyone needs a nude like this in their polish collection..)

overall I'm impressed with the super glossy finish of these polishes, you can achieve a gel manicure effect for the fraction of a cost whilst snuggled on your sofa.. any product that enables me to stay in my onesie for the evening is awarded extra brownie points from me. 

the hyper gels are a welcome addition to my (indecently large) models own collection! my only minor gripe with them? I find they take slightly longer to dry than their normal polishes.

they launched in bottleshops today and will be rolled out over the month or so in stores.. keep your eyes peeled for availability online too!

what do you think to them...did you pick anything up in the models own sale this month? 

caroline x

I have a new addition to my fingers this week; a neon purple courtesy of qvc's 20th birthday collab with nails inc! 

the polish itself is a perfect autumn shade, rich but vivid. I love nails inc polishes so I was expecting a good colour and I wasn't disappointed when it arrived. 

it takes roughly 3 coats for full coverage, if you paint thick coats you may get away with 2 but my manicurist friend told me to paint thinner coats as your mani will last longer and chip less.. top tip! 

as it's a neon I knew the finish wouldn't be super glossy (which is pretty much always my preference!) but the shade is a winner so I can overlook the lack of glossiness this time! 

nails inc chiswick park polish and caviar top coat* 

the kensington caviar top coat is lovely, it gave the perfect wet look finish to the neon purple. I like my nails to have this high gloss finish and it dried quickly so I'll be using this top coat again.

there are some other lovely sets on offer at the minute; even though I have a terrifying amount of nail polishes already this nails inc 7 piece everyday has been earmarked for my christmas list *slaps wrist*  

I'm not even going to peek at the party nail collections as they're a whole other world of temptation!

do you like this purple.. is it a colour you'd wear?

caroline x

I don't often share swatches of singular nail polishes but this one swayed me!

it's from the new illamasqua creators collection that I was lucky enough to sample; a collaboration with some of the uk's most loved bloggers (including the lovely milly who's created a very wearable copper toned lipgloss which you can see here!) back to this little beauty though, a galactic inspired glitter polish from style suzi called perseid. 

perseid glitter polish*

glitter rich it has a gorgeous pearlescent finish with undertones of purple, blue and green. it's a tricky one to photograph as you can't catch the full iridescence on camera! you'll need just two coats for full coverage; it's described as a black polish I find it more purple toned until the second coat is applied.

definitely one I'll be wearing this A/W and a good alternative to the standard black polish, well done suzi for creating this little rascal!

what do you think.. one for you maybe?

caroline x

eeeeep lots of little polishes!

I don't know where my love of 'mini' things began (probably in the form of party food ...hello dinky sized nibbles) but there's something I love about pint sized versions of the originals.

cue this lovely little set from OPI; created especially for QVC its called the discovery set and it has a taste of everything OPI has to offer! for anyone who isn't familiar with their best selling products this is a treat..

first up is a selection of autumnal shades with a good quality formula and coverage that I've come to expect of OPI polishes. I wore a few of these while I was away in iceland as they were perfect travel size companions (the deep burgundy called in the cable car pool and the navy glitter alcatraz rocks glitter are my favourites) 

OPI discovery set* from left to right: peace & love & opi | in the cable car pool lane | first date at the golden gate | muir muir on the wall | alcatraz rocks

now for me this is the most exciting part of the kit by a mile... the nail treatments and finishes

I'm often asked what products I use and I'll always include nail envy in my recommendations; its the only strengthener I've used for the last year.  

this kit has three versions of nail envy- the original, cool pink and matte. previously I had a real issue with peeling nails, after a few months of solid nail envy use my nails were in much better condition (you don't see instant results but after incorporating it into my routine it really made a difference long term) 

theres also a rapid dry top coat- I also have this in the full size and it's a nice shiny finish that dries quickly (I prefer seche vite but it's a happy 2nd place)

the last item and the one thing in this pack that I have totally fallen for is the avoplex oil, it smells incredible and is the nicest cuticle oil I've used... I'll definitely be repurchasing this in the full size.

OPI discovery set*

a little mooch through instagram reminded me I haven't put up a photo post for a while so here's some of my snaps from the last week or so..

paddling pool fun (yep they're not just for children) | pear cider on a sunny day | the beginning of a white shoe affair | watermelon nail art

topshop sale candy cane dress | sewing machines! gosh I want at least three of these | cath kidston nails | pretty lace trims for DIY's

climbing trees with the boy | afternoon tea & cake | a lovely present from laura ashley, a set of bird night lights! | his & hers ilcentimetro bracelets, james is so pleased with his!

kukee delivery! | bikini shopping for holiday, thanks primark you little shop of bargains! | summer gradient nails with illamasqua radium and nobel nail polishes | stocking up on bakers twine, I love this string for wrapping up presents!

yikes my iPhone has been snap happy of late, here's a look at some of it's latest adventures.. 

working on some nail art for laura ashley | little pretties seaside charm bracelet | fragrance direct goodies | sunny afternoon in the garden | rosie fox delivery | grazia fashion blog love feature yipeeee! | issue 4 of crafty magazine with my animal head coat hook feature- a brilliant mag for anyone who loves DIY | punktured jewellery bracelets | pink daisy nails

boss jour perfume | holy moly, refinery 29 gave my nails wraps a great review *happy dance* | superdrug nail art supplies for a feature I'm working on | liquid gold- finally mine! | fish & chips after a stressful day! | bright nails courtesty of essie fear & desire | black daisy nails, my go to easy nail art when I'm busy! | flower crown day | my bow nail art tutorial is most pinned in company mag this week hurrah! thank you lovely people of pinterest!!

surprise delivery from scratch, my nails wraps are nearly sold out so grab them before they go! | love cleo antique key bracelet | first bbq of the year, fingers crossed not the last! | button hoarding | new gladiator boots | grazia manicure monday with my great gatsby nails | giving my dry skin some lovin' | laura ashley wallpapers | barry m impulse buys

I thought I'd show you a few new colours in my collection; both are essie polishes which I know are a popular choice with you guys! 

I opted for two bright shades fear & desire which is a vivid orange and mojito madness which is a cool green shade. 

fear & desire really pops on your nails, you can get full coverage in two-three coats (if you're in a hurry I'm certain two coats would suffice I'm just a fussy devil and wanted mine to look really bright!)

mojito madness is one that I've had my eye on for a while, I fell in love with it when I saw a sales girl in sephora wearing it whilst I was on holiday! the formula is good, two coats gives full coverage for this shade and it's nice and glossy!

fear & desire, mojito madness*

the beauty of these two polishes is actually the price; £1.99 KAPOW! (I'm now looking at my essie polish collection and kicking myself for paying full whack for them!) you can pick up quite a few of their shades here (although the selection isn't massive it'll certain stop me going to pick them up anywhere else for a while!)

do you have any essie colour recommendations? I bought a few new barry m colours/glitters today which I'll pop on instagram for you guys! 

back soon!

caroline x

I've always liked OPI polishes (particularly the names) but I do tend to overlook them in favour of models own or illamasqua. I'm not sure why, mainly habit I think? the formula of their polishes is really good so I'm determined to invest in a few more and rectify the situation! 

today I'm wearing elephantastic pink an OPI polish that was sent to me by fragrance direct, it's a gorgeous colour and the formula is a beauty. I hesitate to describe it as 'salmon' pink ....but it's the word that springs to mind so I guess I will!

OPI elephantastic pink*

I wouldn't normally be so eager to share a simple swatch post with you but I'm quite astounded by the prices on their website, they have dozens and dozens of OPI polishes available and they're only £3.99, did anybody else know this...??

they also sell essie polishes for £1.99 

seriously £1.99 

I feel a bit robbed thinking of all the ones I've brought in boots at full price! although they don't have many essie colours available at the minute so your choice is limited.

I have to say I'm deeeelighted (but slightly concerned for my debit card) that I can get hold of OPI at such a bargain price. apologies for those of you not so interested in nail polish but this has been a little revelation for me aha!

I'll be back tomorrow with a super cute DIY project (hope you like it!)

caroline x