Californails Feb Nail Art Challege - 01 Glitter

So ladies I'm taking up the Californails February Nail Art Challenge after deciding I needed a long overdue kick up the ass to get me back into doing my nails and blogging.

I chose this challenge which runs on Instagram because you don't have to do your nails every day. It's all about small steps! 

The first challenge was glitter and here is my offering. 

For my base I used Color Club East Austin, stamped from Back to The 80s plate 03 by MoYou London using CC Silver Lake, top my middle finger with Maybelline White Splatter and little finger Maybelline Alley Attitude. 

What do you guys think?

If you want to see my future creations check out my Instagram page pretty_digits. 

Take care

A x

 

Models Own HyperGel Gel Effect Polish

Hey ladies how have you all been? Today I want to share with you three gorgeous polishes from the upcoming HyperGel collection from Models Own. I always look forward to their new collections because they are one of a handful of UK brands that offer on trend polishes at great value.

HyperGel polishes is said to offer wearers 'super-high-glossy gel-effect' nails with 'extra vibrant colour', which after testing I can certainly vouch for. Imagine the shine you get after a gel manicure and that plump finish, or that glossy finish you get from applying Seche Vite top coat well basically that is how glossy these babies are but minus the hassle of a top coat.

I'll comment on the formula of each polish below but overall they applied pretty smoothly and were all touch dry in a matter of minutes. They were all extremely pigmented and will be trying them out for stamping at a later date.

Ok on to swatches...

Cornflower Gleam is one of those shades that everyone should have in their stash. It IS the perfect cornflower blue and shouts Spring. Compared to the other polishes the formula seemed a lot thinner and the first coat seemed a little sheer. I was worried I'd struggle to get good coverage but on applying the second coat the polish evened out and dried to a super glossy finish.

Pink Veneer is an incredibly pigmented baby pink. Think Dior Tutu but slightly more vibrant. The formula for this was quite thick and is potentially a one coater, however, I used two out of habit

Lilac Sheen is a pretty lilac that reminds me of lazy summer days in a lavender field. It sits somewhere in between for first two formula wise. I'm not a huge lilac lover but if you are I would recommend this based on formula and pigmentation alone.

The HyperGel collection will launch exclusively in all UK Bottleshops on Saturday, February 8th, online on February 12th at www.modelsownit.com, in Boots from February 19th, and Superdrug from March 12th. They'll be priced at £5.00 each.
Currently there is an opportunity to get these beauties pre-launch at 50% off if Models Own reach 250,000 fans on Facebook. Last time I looked they were only a few hundred away so get ready to place your orders. Which ones will you be getting? I'm eager to try the white as I'm always on the look out for a white one coat wonder
*PR Sample

Morgan Taylor - Under the Stars and New York State of Mind swatches

Olympia beauty is back and yesterday along with a couple of non-bloggin friends we fought with the crowds to grab the best bargains on offer.

I went along armed with my small list of things I definitely wanted to get and a few brands I just wanted to check out and get whatever took my fancy. One of those brands was Morgan Taylor. Hailing from the makers of Gelish I had seen a few swatches and heard raves about the quality of their formulas so was eager to try. Like a magpie I was drawn to two glittery and sparkly bottles.

The first one I saw was Under the Stars a dark navy blue jelly infused with silver holographic glitter. I spent a long time looking at this trying to decide if I had anything similar and I couldn't come up with any dupes, so I had to have it. The first coat went on sheer but by the second coat the opacity built up nicely but not too much as to cover the holo pieces. The formula was good but a little thick for my liking. It dried a bit gritty due to the glitter so if you want a smooth finish a thick layer of top coat is a must.

Here I have on two coats and a layer of top coat

This polish looks much more stunning in real life.

The second polish I got was New York State of Mind. This gorgeous pink, blue, purple and gold glitter in a black base is lovely for autumn, but now seeing it swatched I can't help thinking I have seen this colour combo somewhere before. I can't think of any dupes off the top of my head but I'll have a rummage through my stash later. This was another two coat wonder that needs a top coat if you want a super shiny finish.

Overall I'm pleased to add some Morgan Taylor polishes to my stash, the formulas were fab and dried really fast.

I'm not sure where these polishes are available but at Olympia Beauty they were selling them for £4.95 each.

Born Pretty Store Pretty Purple Holo #11

Today I have on an awesome purple holographic nail polish from Born Pretty Store. Not one to tire of holos I was eager to give this polish a try and I was definitely not disappointed.

The polish itself was quite sheer and required 3 coats for full coverage, however there was no dragging or any weirdness that happens with some holos we're more familiar with (GOSH) so if you don't have an aqua base in your stash you'll still find this easy to apply. The purple colour is strong and doesn't look too silvery when not in direct light.

I photographed under fluorescent daylight bulbs and you can see the holo effect is very obvious. In sunlight the effect is even stronger.

I later decided to spruce up the mani by stamping some feathers from a nail art plate I previously showed you guys and dabbing 'Freckles' by Lush Lacquer over them. What do you guys think?

This 6ml bottle of holo glitter is currently USD $5.59 and is available directly from the Born Pretty Store website along with loads of other nail art essentials.

They offer free international shipping so why not have a browse!

*This polish was provided for review

Lush Lavender and Shimmer - Julie

Hiya, hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. Yesterday my bf and I, along with a friend decided to take a cycle trip to our nearest lavender farm. The journey there was pretty much all up hill and we had to make several pit stops (mainly because of me). After a couple of hours and more than a few wrong turns we made it to the farm. You could smell the lavender on approach which made me feel instantly more relaxed.

Mayfield Lavender Farm, Banstead, UK.

After the visit I decided to wear OPI's Planks A Lot with Julie by Shimmer Polish layered on top. I think the combination is very pretty and reminds me of my time at the farm. Julie is a mix of aqua, green, silver, gold, magenta, red and orange glitter. It's a complex blend with no one colour jumping out.

I only needed 2 coats to achieve an evenly distributed coverage.

Shimmer Polish is a glittery polish line created by Cindy and can be purchased from here.

Thanks for stopping by.
*Polish sent for review