Posts about: swatches
29/01/2015
I thought I'd seen it all and then liquid metal nail polishes landed!
19/11/2014
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.
12/09/2014
say hello to the latest (and rather swanky) collection from models own, the diamond luxe range is it's most grown up release to date! complete with real diamond dust and gold capped bottles you might be fooled into thinking these would be more expensive.. fear not these are going on sale just shy of the usual £5.
08/04/2014
oh la la, newness from models own has landed (again!!) this time in the form of polish for tans a collection designed to show off tanned skin (clearly my genetics didn't get the memo.. damn you irish skin)
these little rascals have taken me quite by surprise.. they're actually really wearable!
the formula of these is pretty knockout (just one coat pictured here) I really liked the combination of the neon yellow 'bikini' and green 'flip flop' together so I painted a quick gradient! they blended really well and dried really quickly.. winner.
...this is a pair I'll definitely be sporting together in the summer -tanned or not!
25/03/2014
topshop sunglasses + glitter socks
I've had these for a while but forgot to include them in my last round up duh! when I'm trying to resist the urge to buy EVERYTHING in topshop I'll buy little bits to satisfy my shopping urges.. this time it was in the form of glitter socks (total mush have right?) and sunglasses!
label m honey and oat conditioner
I fancied splashing out on some new conditioner so picked up this label m one as I've used a few of their products before. it smells lovely and has left my hair nice and shiny but for £15 a bottle I'm not overwhelmed by it (possibly not one I'd repurchase but I would consider opt for one of their intensive conditioners instead!)
soap and glory scrubs and hand cream
if there's one thing I don't need it's more hand cream but boots 3 for 2 turns me into a crazy person. I figured I could use it as a foot cream instead as my burts bees one ran out last month.. any excuse! the flake away body scrub is an old favourite of mine for fake tanning skin prep but the new addition for me is their breakfast scrub.. HOLY LORD this stuff should not be legal!! I've already considered eating it numerous times as it smells like pancakes and maple syrup.. it's also brilliant at buffing my skin so I'm finding all kinds of excuses to jump in the shower this week.
pop 3 lomography camera
I hold ellie fully responsible for my purchase of this camera! it's pretty awesome though as it has 9 lenses.. 9 people! because of this you get an cool repeating image on each snap when the film is developed .. take a peek at ellies full post here to see what I'm rambling on about (ellies blog is pretty damn amaze so it's well worth a stalker-ish browse) I also love that this camera is gold.. PIMPIN'
lip crayons
more results from my boots rampage.. this time lip crayons! I love lipstick but I find it a bit high maintenance (due to my annoying lip chewing habit I never seem to be able to keep it on for long!) I always seem to have chapped lips at the minute so most mornings I skip the lipstick and opt for something a bit more easy peasy in the form of these little rascals. I tend to apply them then rub them off slightly so they just stain my lips before applying lip balm or gloss.
from left to right these are rimmel colour rush balm in boom chic a boom and rumour has it, revlon colourburst lacquer balm in provocateur femme fatale and maxfactor lipfinity lip tint in 06.
the maxfactor tint isn't really a crayon it applies more like a felt pen but the stain is intence and longer lasting.. perfect for nights out. I've found no real difference between the rimmel and revlon crayons and the rimmel ones are only £6 (I think superdrug has a buy one get one half price offer at the minute) I'd love to try the matte ones but I know old habit die hard and I'll always come back to the glossier ones as they're easier for me to wear..
have you tried any of these?
back soon!
caroline x
03/03/2014
models own are releasing yet another new collection.. I'd just overcome my excitement over their hyper gel range when this one arrived... wowza! the speckled egg launch has spring written all over it, think mini eggs but for your fingers.. I've tried this style of polish before in the form of illamasqua freckles so I was interested to see how the models own version applied.
first up is their pastel pink called 'dove' it applies really well (this is two coats shown here) and dries quickly. I haven't added a top coat here but I usually would as I love my nails to be glossy!
next up is their cornflower blue shade which goes by the name 'duck' this is the shiniest of the three I've tried and the pigment is the strongest.
finally I've tried the lilac 'swan' this is lovely and again takes two coats for full effect. I can't decide if this or the pink is my favourite!
these polishes look great blended to created a simple gradient effect too, I've dabbed some of the pink onto a lilac base in the photo above.
even though this 'speckled' effect polish isn't new I'm seriously impressed with the models own version, it doesn't chip easily, dries quickly and at just £5 a bottle is almost a third of the price of other similar polishes on the market.. I don't know about you but that's certainly good enough for me.
these are set to launch on the models own site and superdrug stores march 12th and boots stores nationwide from the 19th.
what do you think.. would you wear this type of polish?
caroline x
08/02/2014
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.
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)
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!)
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
07/11/2013
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!
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
06/07/2013
wowza it's been a while since I first painted this nail art... an oldie but a goodie!
I figured that some of you wouldn't have seen these (I first painted them just over a year ago here) I never posted a full tutorial and I wanted to show you how I did them!
I've used one of my all time favourite colours models own beth's blue as the base. the formula of this colour is crazy good- I'm wearing just one coat in the photos below.
so here's the steps I've used! first start off with the base colour and leave to dry
next use a white nail art pen to draw a white circle, dab small dots around the edges to create these 'cloud' shapes above.
next use a dotting tool to add a small dot of a light and dark pink to suggest flowers, then dot on greens to suggest leaves.
finish off the design by adding tiny white dots in a circle shape around each flower centerpiece (it's important to space out your design so you have enough room to do this!)
seal with topcoat and enjoy....
I hope you like them! back soon!
caroline x
18/06/2013
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!
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
05/06/2013
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!
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
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