Neon Stars featuring The Nail Arcade!

Hi!

Today I have some cute neon star studs from The Nail Arcade to share with you! I love anything neon on my nails, but haven't ventured into the world of neon studs yet, so these star shaped ones really appealed to me! I used a mix of the stars to accent some neon star stamping using Pueen 44 and my new Mundo de Unas stamping polishes (which I will do a separate post on soon). They were easy to apply (just popped them onto some wet topcoat, and then added another layer of topcoat to seal them in) and they've so far lasted three days with none pinging off or losing their colour! I think these are a great way to take your neon into Autumn/Winter if you want to be seasonally appropriate, and don't break the bank at just 95p for a wee bag of 50 studs. What's more, they are a UK based store, so you don't have to wait weeks for them to arrive, and you're supporting local business. Win win!

The lovely Rachel at The Nail Arcade sent me a sweet little package of goodies to try out, so you can expect more posts from me singing their praises! And in the meantime check them out on Etsy, Twitter and Facebook!

Hx

Some products in this post were provided free of charge for review purposes. As always all opinions are 100% my own. All other products were purchased myself.

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Adventures in Stamping - World Music Day

Hi!

Apparently yesterday was world music day, so to celebrate this week's stamping Sunday theme was music. I decided on a bright gradient with some music notes in black for a summery look! The three polishes in the gradient were all from the Models Own Polish for Tans collection - Bikini (yellow), Beach Bag (peach) and Shades (pink) over Crabtree and Evelyn Snowdrop. The stamping was from Cheeky CH31 and I stamped with a new-to-me black - MUA Pitch Black. I usually use Konad Black, which is ever so slightly more opaque but an absolute pig to clean up. This is the only other black that I've been happy with stamping wise, and you can pick it up on the high street for a quid! I would suggest grabbing it if you see it as I've been looking for a while and kept coming up empty handed. Now I'll grab another as soon as I can!

I think keeping it simple over a bright busy base is the way to go. It looks striking without being too in your face. I really like and I'm glad it didn't chip after spending most of the day swimming today, so bonus!

Hx

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The sun has got his hat on!

Hi!

We seem to have had an uncharacteristic run of good weather in the UK last week, which was very welcome after a thoroughly soggy winter! So, I celebrated by digging out the remaining untried colour from the Models Own Polish For Tans collection from the three I picked. This is Bikini, a white based neon yellow which in the bottle just looks like lovely, neon perfection. Oh how wrong could I be. This is a devil of a polish and by the third nail I wanted to throw it at the wall. I very nearly did, but managed to restrain myself and add some thinner, which didn't help at all. It was streaky, gloopy, lumpy, thick yet somehow still craptastic enough to flood my cuticles and make a complete mess. I struggled through two coats before giving up and slapping some China Glaze Fairy Dust on top in the hopes it would improve. Then I had to clean the bugger up. I have been trying really hard to be neat with my clean up lately, really making an effort to get good lines and crisp cuticles, but f&*k me it wasn't easy! I then stamped some sunglasses from Cheeky CH37 to distract from the lumpy mess a bit more, and managed to smudge that too. This mani was not meant to be! I endured it for a day, and then it came off because I was too cross and every time I looked at my nails, it made me grrr.

I want to give Models Own the benefit of the doubt with this, but I had similar issues (though not as bad) with Beach Bag from the same collection, so I'm pretty sure I didn't just get a bad bottle. I took it off and replaced it with a Mentality matte polish that just glided on like butter, practically applied itself. If an indie can get it so right, how can a mainstream brand get it so wrong?

Have you tried any of the recent Models Own releases? Have you had formula issues? I'm keeping this polish for nail art purposes, but you can bet your rarest OPI that it will never grace my nails as a full mani again!

Hx

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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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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? 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

An InLinkz Link-up

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GOT Polish? Totally Tropical!

Hi!

Today's Golden Oldie theme was tropical, and I thought I'd try my hand at a little stamping decal again! My golden oldies were China Glaze Peachy Keen and Color Club Poptastic (should have used Flip Flop Fantasy really!) I also used Milani Gold Gems and Sinful Colors Paris for a little glitter gradient. Don't look too closely at the decal, it folded over at the edge and smeared a little bit. I will perfect them one day!

Fits the tropical bill, no? I loved the gradient despite the little decal accident! I really can't wait for summer, I can't stop cracking out the neons! My pedi is even neon in readyness for real flip flops!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Tri-Polish Challenge April #3 - Fade to Neon

Hi!

I'm a twit. I thought I was super organised and had this post scheduled for 8am, but I didn't so you're getting it at 8pm instead! For this week's TPC I went with neon and white gradients using all Color Club polishes, from the Poptastic collection - Warhol (pink), Chelsea Girl (blue), and Almost Famous (yellow). I did the gradients and had intended to either stamp or dot over them, but decided I liked them plain. I did feel like it was missing something though!

I can finally show my thumb again after a nasty break a while ago, as it's finally catching up again! Yay!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Tri Polish Challenge April #2 - Barmy Blue and Neon too

Hi!

This week's TPC couldn't be more different to last weeks - in contrast to soft, pastel and girly I have gone for neon, sharp edges and eyesearing! I started with a base of white and then sponged a gradient with Rimmel Barmy Blue and Models Own Bubblegum. Because they're both quite deep colours I had to sponge on a few more layers than usual and so mu sponge started sticking to my nails. So I decided to cover it up with a good old bit of stamping, with Pueen 52 and Konad White.

I think I should have added a navy blue at the cuticle end of my nail, as I wanted the base a bit darker, but overall I was pleased with these :) I think I was all pastelled out after last week! And I must just put a good word in for these new Pueen plates, so far they are flawless. Good stuff.

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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GOT Polish? Chevron!

Hi!

Have you got your sunglasses ready? This one is BRIGHT! And I loved it! This week's Golden Oldie Thursday is all about the chevron, and my golden oldie is Orly Glowstick. In terms of nail polish, it doesn't get much brighter. I used a white base to really get the highlighter effect, and accented it with Barry M Silver Glitter, because, you know, it just wasn't bright or blingy enough already.

Bright enough? Not very me really, but who cares. It's February, it's depressing. Grab your highlighters and get colouring in!

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Tri-Polish Tuesday Pink, Grey and Brown #3 - Neon and on...

Hi!

I'm not sure what to say about this mani. The concept was good, but my nail art brushes let me down. I know, a bad workman always blames his tools, but I really need some new ones because my lines just aren't as crisp as I'd like. Oh well. The polishes I used were Sally Hansen Eel Skin and Models Own Bubblegum. I've heard that Bubblegum stamps well, which is unusual for a neon, so maybe I should have tried that.

It all looked so good in my head...

Hx

An InLinkz Link-up

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Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink...

Hello!

Before we get to the nails, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all my readers and followers - I've hit 100,000 page views on the blog! It's taken a long time, thanks to technical issues and several breaks from blogging, but I promise this time I'm going to try to keep it up! Thank you everyone :) I hope every single person who peeks at my blog enjoys reading it as much as I like writing it.

Now, onto today's Stamping Sunday manicure - based on water. I used Revlon Royal - a lovely squishy royal blue jelly, and paired it with a very special UK indie polish - Peace Is Free by Quirk. Peace is Free is a mix of neon purple and blue hexes which glow under a blacklight! I don't have a blacklight to prove it, but check out Quirk's Facebook page for more pics and updates. Once that was all dry I stamped these silver waves from MoYou London Sailor 03 in Barry M Silver Foil.

Then I experimented and added another thin layer of Royal over the stamping to create a stamping jelly sandwich. I think Royal is a teeny bit too opaque but I liked the subtle effect!

Hope you've had a nice weekend :) The 33 day challenge continues tomorrow!

Hx

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Happy Halloween!

Hi!

Today I'm showing you my only Halloween manicure this year. I just haven't been feeling it really, and all my creativity has been zapped with ideas for the 33 day challenge. I've been battling with illness too and we weren't going to do anything but let the kids dress up to answer the door to trick or treaters. But then Mr NN went and bought them cute costumes (I'm bound to instagram them later) and I picked up a few decorations in Poundland, so we decided to take them trick or treating and I needed nails that fit the bill. I think these are possibly the simplest Halloween nails I've ever done, but they're still cute. Just skittles, all done with Color Club Poptastic neons (Pucci-licious, Twiggy and Wham! Pow!) , topped with China Glaze Whirled Away. I usually can't stand bar glitter, but this is sparse enough that it doesn't make my nails look hairy and I can handle that. I freehanded stripes on my accent nail for a bit more interest. Simples.

Happy Halloween!

Hx

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