Nail Polish

Models Own have released their 2nd Beetlejuice collection, this one being their Spring/Summer 2012  collection. I have to say, I wasn’t a huge fan of the 1st Beetlejuice collection (other than Golden Green) and didn’t get them on the basis that Models Own polishes still contain toluene, formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and camphor, and I am reluctant to part with £5 for something which could potentially damage me when many companies these days produce Big-3-Free polishes – always check your nail polish ingredients! It seems the Big-3-Free label is a big selling point for the Models Own Pro range but to pay £8 for that when many cheaper polishes from other brands are Big-3-Free anyways is a little frustrating!

However, since I never tend to wear a polish for more than a day or two before changing it, I did buy some polishes from the 2nd Beetlejuice collection as they are too hot to miss! Today I have Tropical Sun for you guys, a very very very pretty peach 🙂

So it’s not exactly duochrome (which was one of the selling points of the Beetlejuice collection) but it does look different in different lights – hopefully you can get that from the many photos I took 😛 the final photo shows how it looks distinctly orange in natural light, while the rest are in sunlight or direct light. Essentially it’s a very pink base filled with golden-orange shimmer. Tropical Sun also has silver microglitter throughout, which gives a subtle sparkle to your nails, very pretty!

Application:

The pictures show 3 coats. At 3 coats Tropical Sun still shows some free-edge of the nail, especially if your nails are stained, so if you are a stickler for opacity you will need a 4th coat! The golden-orange shimmer does reflect a lot of light which does conceal the free-edge somewhat though :). I found that Tropical Sun actually took a little while to dry, which was a bit of a pain as I did need a 3rd coat so I ended up doing the 3rd coat the next day. The polish smelled quite strong, a different smell from most polishes (maybe it’s the Big-3 chemicals? Anyone know?) so definitely apply this in a well ventilated area. Finally the finish is shiny, but ever so slightly bumpy so if that’s annoying to you, you may need a topcoat! I think that’s due to the microglitter. Tropical Sun is also just sheer enough to make a nice layering polish, but only just!

Despite all the application pains, I do LOVE this polish. It’s sooo pretty and definitely lives up to the ‘Tropical Sun’ namesake. I’ve never been a peach-person polishwise, but this one is gorgeous. It kind of reminds me of Boots 17 Glisten, but they are very different in base and finish. Tropical Sun is much more pink and has a somewhat more jellyish base. Would you like to see a comparison? Lemme know!

What do you guys think of this one? Also I’m interested to hear what you think of the fact that Models Own still contains the nasty chemicals?! They definitely improve the consistency and finish of any polish, which is a bonus, but I would never wear it say if I was pregnant due to the unknown long-term effects of them. I also wonder how many other drugstore polishes still contain these, I haven’t really looked into it fully yet. Does a polish containing the Big-3 put you off buying it?

x

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Hello my lovelies, sorry I’ve been absent for the best part of March, I was on a bit of a roll with my blog and suddenly life took one of those turns and my blog was no longer my priority nor my pleasure. Anyways I would like to think I am on the road to recovery and this is just one of those steps.

Today I have for you the lovely Revlon Cloud (I fully admit that I was swept up and taken in by the name…), a lovely pale lavender creme. I want to say that it’s one that doesn’t quite live up to my expectations, having wanted it for a good few months, but maybe I’m just being fussy.

Not my best application ever…! Anyway, Cloud is one of those pastels that is a must-have for those of you who follow Spring trends, pastels seem to be a staple pretty much every Spring. Personally I’m really enjoying the fresh and bright colours coming out this year, I’ve never really been a pastel person :).

Application:

The pictures show 3 coats. Cloud was a teeny bit on the patchy side – it applied smoothly but there were still a couple of bald streaks which required the 3rd coat to cover over. Cloud dries fairly quickly, although it didn’t really do the ‘Top Speed’ name justice, it doesn’t dry any quicker than most other polishes. It dries to a relatively high shine, you just can’t tell because of my sheet marks (!) oops.  A slick of topcoat always seems to make creme finishes stand out a bit more though.

I did wonder how similar Cloud is to Revlon Charming (part of their new collection) as Cloud seems to have disappeared off my local Boots’ shelves. Side by side, Charming is a lot more pink-toned, while Cloud is predominantly more blue. I will do a comparison when I remember! Unless you’re lilac-crazy, I personally would go for one or the other, dependent on which goes better with your skin tone.

I actually found Cloud in Poundland, so yep, just £1! I also managed to find Black Star, part of their new line, so keep your eyes peeled! Definitely worth it when you consider the £6.49 price tag for Revlon polishes in Boots and Superdrug.

Hope you are all well, let me know what you think of this one 🙂 I bought the new Models Own Beetlejuice polishes today, they are amazing (needless to say!) and will hopefully be up on my blog soon! 🙂 I did go and see the Hunger Games last Wednesday with Andy and 2 friends, and I was totally blown away by the colour, the sound, the visuals in general… it was just, WOW. I have gone out and bought the books and am currently loving the first one! Have you guys seen/read it yet?!

x

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Firstly, I want to say thank you to the lovely Emma at Lush Looks, who did a swap with me 😀 and this was one of the polishes she sent me! I can’t get W7 where I live and I’ve been dying to try them for ages.

 So the close-up is a bit blurred :s sorry! Hopefully you can see that Green Dazzle is actually made up of blue and yellow square glitter – soo cool! I love that. I didn’t actually realise they were square til I zoomed in. I love how even though they’re blue and yellow, the overall effect is a multi-dimensional green colour. Amazing!

Application:

The photos all show 2 coats of Green Dazzle. While in the photos, the free edge of my nail shows through in patches, it really isn’t visible in person, nor is the pink of my nail. I think the camera picks up a lot more than the eye can see lol. The polish dried quickly, like most glitters. It has a very strong chemical odor, not the usual ‘nail polish smell’, so I’d make sure you apply it in a well ventilated area. Green Dazzle dries very gritty, like most glitters. I applied one coat of topcoat, which didn’t really make a difference; I reckon you’d need a few coats of topcoat for a smooth finish.

I really do love this polish, despite the smell and the grittiness – definitely worth it for the amazing sparkles and the lovely green effect. I am also very happy that it only took 2 coats to look opaque on my nails! 🙂

Have you guys tried any W7 polishes? Where do you find them (in the UK?)

Thank you again to the lovely Emma for providing this for me, I love it!! Keep an eye out for the other polishes she sent me 😉 Hope you are all well, I’m about to go to the gym (yes… me, really!)

x

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me by a fellow blogger in a swap. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was very much after the lovely Fantasy Fire by MaxFactor, and when I saw there was a 3 for 2 offer on the MaxFactor minis, well, who could resist? Meteorite caught my eye because it’s soo shimmery, a lovely bluey-grey base with silver sparkles throughout:

Meteorite is a lovely blue-grey base with silver shimmer. The polish also looks quite purple in some lights. It’s very pretty, very original.

Application:

The photos all show 2 coats, with 3 on my middle fingernail. The polish applied with some dragging but nothing too bad. It covers with 2 coats but there were some bald patches so a 3rd is nice 🙂 In terms of the bottle and the brush, I found it dreadfully fiddly and awkward, and the brush is shaped in a way that makes neat application quite difficult… I won’t even go into the price for the amount you get!

I felt there was something familiar about Meteorite: a few months ago I did a bit of a layering experiment with some 2true polishes. So I did a little comparison for you, it’s definitely worth doing it this way if you can’t quite justify £3.99 for 4.5ml! I layered 1 coat of 2true shade 15 over 2 coats of 2true shade 14, shown on my ring finger:

 In person, it’s pretty much the exact same effect. I think if you were to layer Shade 15 over a darker blue, or even a gunmetal grey shimmer, you would probably get Meteorite but cheaper.

What do you guys think? Something about Meteorite just doesn’t do it for me. It’s undoubtedly a lovely polish but just isn’t really ‘me’.

x

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Here’s yet another Barry M I’ve never seen in shops. Is it just me? Do you see these in your local Superdrug/Boots? We seem to have a standard rainbow but all the really interesting ones come from the Barry M website.

Aqua Blue is essentially a very sheer purple base, packed with blue and green shimmer, giving an overall turquoise effect with a hint of purple duochrome. It’s a gorgeous polish, but not one that I’d wear alone again, much better suited to layering.

Application:

The first thing I have to say about Aqua Blue is that it is sheer and a half! The pictures show 4 coats, and I could still see the free edge. Granted, the shimmer reflected the light so much that often I couldn’t see the nail line (see 1st photo), but it was definitely there. The polish did apply nicely and dried relatively quickly but it’s definitely destined for topcoat-land.

I love love love the colour, especially the hint of duochrome, but I think it’s really only suitable as a layering polish. The green-tone of the shimmer makes your nails look quite dirty underneath, even if they aren’t stained, so I don’t see many people liking this alone.  I might well post some pics of it layered in the near future.

Hope you are all doing well?! I’m enjoying the intermittent sun we keep getting here. It was my Andy’s birthday last week, which was lovely 🙂 I’m taking him shopping (for him!) as a birthday treat.

x

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this blog post was either bought by myself with my own money, or given to me as a gift from friends/relatives. All opinions expressed here are my own.