Deja vu...but not in blue

Hi!

I loved my blinged up turquoise nails for last week's GOT polish challenge so much that when it came to chosing my nails for a night out last weekend I decided to recreate them - in a neon hue! The stamping-glitter-stud combo is cure to become a favourite this summer I think! This time I used Models Own beach bag from their polish for tans collection and while I love the colour the formula left a bit to be desired. This is three coats, which I don't mind in itself, but it was so thick I had to add thinner halfway through the second. I must admit I did my toes with it too, but I wouldn't expect a polish to go as gloopy as it did after only two uses, especially as I expect people buy these as their "summer" manicure colour (that is afterall what they're marketed as, no?) I often find this with Models Own, their colours totally knock my socks off, but the formula sometimes doesn't live up to that. I'll move on...! I used Models Own Bora Bora as the accent nail, and added studs from Born Pretty Store and stamping from the Pueen Buffet set with Barry M Gold Foil. Teamed with an LBD and my dancing shoes, and I was in cheesy disco heaven!

My camera freaked out a little bit at the colour, it really is that bright! I absolutely love it, no doubt about that, I just wish the formula was better. Have you picked up any MO polish for tans? I do think it's made my pasty sausage fingers look a bit more tanned!

Hx

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GOT Polish? Lilac!

Hi!

Guess who forgot to post their GOT polish mani yesterday? *Raises hand* So here it is, a wee bit late! I hope it was worth the wait, because I used an absolutely stunning polish here. Emily de Molly Simplicity is a lilac cream prolish stuffed with white matte glitters that just float perfectly in the crelly base. There's no fishing for glitters, no dragging, perfect opacity in two coats and it's smooth as glass just with one coat of topcoat (Poshe is my go-to). I teamed it with another Australian polish, but this time what I believe is a drugstore brand, Face of Australia Castle on a Cloud is a beautiful pale lilac with pretty shimmer. Another great two coater, and I topped it with some bubbly stamping to match the glitter in Simplicity and for a dreamy feel.

Worth the wait? I'm an idiot sometimes!

Hx

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Dotty Bows with MoYou Nails

Hi!

I was offered the change to try out some stamping plates and special polish from MoYou Nails, a UK nail art brand who offer stamping plates, special polishes and everything a nail art novice or expert, or anywhere in between, could ask for! They sent me plates 101 and 105, a stamper and scraper and their red special polish to try.

The plates I chose both have 6 small images on them - 101 has owls and eyes, and 105 has hearts and bows (we all know how I feel about owls! <3) The plates are round, come with a blue protective film to stop them getting scratched in transit, and a backing so the edges aren't sharp. The stamper is red and firm, and it worked straight out of the packet with just a wipe over with some acetone - no need to "prime". The scraper is plastic, which I prefer as it wont scratch the plate. All in all a great set, and would be fab for someone just starting out with stamping.

I started out by swatching both the plates on paper, using the red special polish. The red is a true red and stamps perfectly. I had no trouble picking any of the images up and transfering them - on paper or on my nails. Even the plate number stamps! Each image is crisp and clear.

I then tried the polish over some different colours. I chose red because it is a notoriously hard colour to stamp over a dark base, and unfortunately this was the MoYou red's only downfall. You can barely see it over the black, but over blue and silver it's perfect.

And then of course I had to use it in a manicure! I paired the red with white and some dots for a cute mani. The red special polish isn't too thick that you can't use it for a base, which saves trouble trying to match stamping polish to normal polish.

All in all, these are great, high quality stamping plates, and I'm very pleased to add them to my collection. Everything featured in this post can be purchased from www.MoYouNails.com, and they have a huge range of plates with individual and full nail images, special polishes and nail art tools. I've got my eye on some of the XL plates...

Also, keep an eye on MoYou Nail's Facebook page for updates, special offers and competitions! And I'm planning a special manicure with the owl plate soon, so look out for that too!

Hx

The product featured was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details.

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GOT Polish? Blingggg!

Hi!

This week's GOT polish theme is bling! Now, I can bling it up as much as the next glitter addict, but I went for a bit of subtlety. Just a bit mind. I used Rimmel Turquoise Sky as the base, with Maybelline Knitted Gold and Sinful Colors Paris on the accent nail. I stamped two nails with Cheeky XL C and Barry M Gold Foil, and then finished with some small square studs from Born Pretty Store.

I actually really love this, and might try something similar when my toes need changing in a few days...I've only ever stamped my toes once and it was a disaster, so maybe this time it'll make it to the blog! I've not posted my toesies in a while...

Hx

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Lacey nudes...

...and if that title doesn't attract the spam bots I don't know what will. Anyway...

Hi!

I've decided a good way to embrace my nubs is to get out all of the stamping plates that I might have dismissed lately because the images were too small, or not suited to an almond shape, and make use of them! While I could make the images from the Pueen Love Elements set fit, I think this design (from Pueen 29) used in this way is more suited to a square shape. I only used half of the image, and placed it down the side of my nail, accenting with some rhinestones (which I couldn't have applied any wonkier if I tried). The base is Nails Inc Sao paulo Streets, which was a freebie from the month's InStyle mag and a lovely cool toned nude.

Did you pick up any of the InStyle freebies this time around? This is the only one which called to me and it is nice and the formula was good too.

Hx

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Without the dark, we'd never see the stars...

Hi

Late post from me tonight, today has been a horrible ending to a pretty shitty week so I'll keep this short (like my stupid nails). Today;s Adventures in Stamping theme was to use a pink base but instead of a pink creme I chose some simple stars over this glittery raspberry pink texture polish, Luna by Rimmel from their Space Dust range. To be honest, while this is textured the sparkle is so much nicer with a topcoat, but just one thin layer and you don't lose the finish completely. I stamped some simple silver stars with Cheeky CH5 and Barry M Silver Foil.

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Au Revoir Almonds...

Hi!

This is the last of the manis I have to show you from before my nails got the chop, so say good bye to the almonds for a while! It's a shape I loved and I'm definitely aiming back towards that shape again so hopefully they wont be gone for long. In the meantime though, things are going to be pretty nub-tastic around here!

For this manicure I was inspired by the fabulous Louise from Tips and Topcoat and used a couple of the Models Own Polish for Tans collection, which I think are best described as pastel neons. Contradiction perhaps! Anyway, for this manicure I used a nude base and then added Models Own Beach Bag and Shades, a pink and peach from the collection, using the saran wrap/cling film method. Once that was dry I stamped the basket weave pattern from Konad S6 in white. I had to stretch the image to make it fit, so it's a little distorted, but it kind of fits the theme!

I'm loving this collection of polishes, sometimes Models Own really gets it right! I can see myself reaching for these all summer long...

Hx

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GOT Polish? Texture!

Hi!

Another one from before the break today, and in fact it was before the mini-break that lead me to shorten my nails a little a few weeks ago. I had intended to do some nail art on top, but the tip of my middle finger broke off before I had a chance, so for the first time ever it's a no-nail-art GOT polish from me! The polish is Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in Sour Apple - my love for this kind of green is never ending!

Short and (hopefully) sweet today, lots of little things seem to be conspiring against me at the moment and I'm in a bad mood! Plus my cat has been missing since Monday and I'm really worrying about him. I'm sure he's got stuck in someone's shed or garage somewhere, he's that dopey but he knows which side his bread's buttered and he's always usually home for dinner. Here's hoping he finds his way home soon :(

Hx

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No Hollaback Girl

Hi!

I have a couple of manis left over from before the chop happened, so I thought I'd share one today. While I'm not a huge OPI fan, I do love an OPI mini set! I have quite a few and I think it's a great way to try the shades before splurging on a full size. I have to admit, I don't often go for the full size (with 900+ polishes it's unlikely I'm going to run out...) but I have already ordered a full size of the gold, Love. Angel. Music. Baby because it's unlike anything else I own and so pretty! For this manicure I used I Sing In Color and Love. Angel. Music. Baby, using the brush from L.A.M.O with most of the polish wiped off to create the distressed looking gradient tips. Really simple nail art, and it looked great.

I actually think this would look great on my nubbins too...I'm trying to embrace them I really am...

Hx

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Nailtiques Formula 2 Kit from Escentual

Hi!

I was recently contacted by Escentual and asked if I'd like to try a Nailtiques Formula 2 Kit. If you've been reading for a while you'll know that my nails are not naturally long and strong, and they drove me to distraction before I found a formula that worked for me. I still feel like without a treatment base coat and lots of moisturising they'd split and peel and that is exactly what Nailtiques Formula 2 claims to treat. The kit contains a 7ml bottle of Formula 2 (a treatment polish), 7ml of Nailtiques Oil Therapy and 7g Nailtiques Cuticle and Skin gel in a little box which would be perfect for travelling. The kit usually cost £22, but at the moment it's just £9.95 with free delivery, so it's a great time to try! It was also a great time for me to try it, as on Sunday this happened *sadface* Bye, bye lovely long nails, hello baby nubs! I have to say, it feels odd without my talons, but it will give me a good chance to give Nailtiques a good trial and report back to you on how it does, especially in comparison to my beloved Duri.

Naked, dry little nubbins!

My first impressions of the kit are really good. It's very compact and comes with a detailed leaflet telling you how to use it and the benefits of each product, and others in the range. It states that formula 2 is for soft, peeling, bitten, weak or thin nails - mine have been all of those things at one time or another! Here are my initial thoughts on the kit:

Nailtiques Formula 2 - this is the treatment polish which Nailtiques claim is protein rich and designed to condition and bond together the layers of your nails while building new layers of healthy nail. It's a clear polish with no strong smell which dries quickly and leaves a shiny finish. It's been working for me as a base coat under polish, but it's recommended to use it on it's own until you start to see results.

Nailtiques Skin and Cuticle Gel - this is a glycerine and aloe enriched gel which is designed to help heal tough cracked skin and cuticles. It feels really soft and lovely, without leaving a layer on my skin. I'm gong to try and get Mr NN to give this a go as it claims to be good for men's cuticles and his are awful!

Nailtiques Oil Therapy - I think this is my favourite product in the kit. It's a really light apricot-scented oil that absorbs really quickly and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. If you don't like the feel of greasy cuticle oils, this is definitely one you should try! I like to oil my cuticles before I take photos and before bed, and I feel like I can apply this and just get on with whatever else I'm doing and not wait an age for it to soak in.

I'm going to give this kit a go for a few weeks, and then I'll report back to on how I get on! I've heard good things so I'm hopeful. In the meantime, if you'd like to give it a go yourself, the kit is available from Escentual *here* for just £9.95 (less than half price!)

Have you tried Nailtiques Foruma 2? How did you get on?

Hx

The product featured was a PR sample provided to me for free for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own and 100% honest. Please see my disclaimer in the tab above for further details.

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Stained Glass Springtime

Hi!

This week's adventures in stamping theme was spring, and I thought I'd try out a new technique. I blogged a while ago about some sheer tint-esque polishes I made, with this technique in mind. The idea is that you stamp a pattern on a white base, and then "fill in" the image using these sheer polishes and a little brush or dotting tool, making it look like stained glass (or leadlight). Because they're sheer, the colour will only show over the white and not the black stamping lines. For a first try, I'm quite pleased with how this manicure came out - I used MoYou XL Pro 06 and pink, raspberry, purple, yellow and green home made sheer polishes. The unstamped nails are China Glaze Keep Calm Paint On, which is my favourite mint and as such has gone a little gloopy. I love it so much though it finally made me order some thinner!

It's not perfect but for a first go I don't think it's too bad! And a little bit of wonk adds to the charm ;)

Hx

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GOT polish? Neon!

Hi!

I've had a bit of an unintentional blogging break for a few days, but I'm back with this weeks golden oldie for you, and the prompt was neon. I've been loving a bit of neon lately but for these nails I went for pure trash and I love it! My neon was a mini Orly in Hottie - a bright pink that looks slightly coral toned. I think it would have been brighter if I'd used white undies but I knew I'd never get it even with the chevron French tips, and that the overlay of fierce animal print would hide any visible nail line - this was three coats and the VNL was a plenty! I accented it with zebra stripes and leopard print (with glitter - China Glaze Glistening Snow - because it just needed to be more in your face...) I think this is possibly one of the loudest manis I've ever done! And I'm helping out at my sons school today...perhaps I should have changed it! I had to shorten my nails a little because of a break and I thought it was the perfect time to try the chevron tips. They're not 100% but I really like the shape.

What do you think? Tacky or timeless? I think I know the answer...

Hx

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