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Thursday, 30 January 2014

*NEW* Models Own HyperGels - Part I - Brights

Oooh I'm super excited today! My bargain HyperGels nail mail arrived already! How super fast was that delivery?? 24 hours from order to doorstep, can't beat that!!!... Calls for a second post!

I didn't really buy these because I wanted 'hypergel', I've never really understood this fad?! You choose gel for a true, deep colour and gloss, but mainly for the longevity; like two to three weeks long. I don't really believe any polish is going to beat those qualities right now... But, I wanted to keep an open mind and assess this 'gel finish' for myself... and add to the colours in my Models Own collection, at the moment it's aaaalllll glitter lol!

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 Tonight I'm going to be showing you the top four in the mail, the brights as I have put it. I opted out of the orange and red polishes in this collection as I'm just not keen on those colours on my nails. I have seen quite a few swatches of the pastels already so thought they could wait until tomorrow... I'll start off with the swatches and then share my thoughts :)

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This is White Light a lovely bright white.

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This is Turquoise Gloss an intense turquoise.

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Third is Cerise Shine, a deep, hot pink.

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Last but not least is Blue Glint, a gorgeous, rich blue.

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So, that's the swatching done, now for the review...

... I am LOVING the colours. The shine is really impressive for regular polish but, knowing gel mani's, I'm not sure they can quite claim to have the same shine. It doesn't have that same depth and richness of gloss and colour at all; it's just more shiny than usual. Shouldn't they be making our pretties as shiny as possible anyway?! In fact, finishing a regular manicure with my favourite Color Club topcoat gives a just as good, if not better, gel like finish! 

The coverage is great but you may find the formula a little thick; the polish becomes tacky and sticky fairly quickly. That's great for drying time but can be a little messy if you take your time or need to touch up. I found the best finish was achieved by applying one thin (slightly streaky) coat, followed by one thick smooth coat before the first was completely dry. Do Not be tempted to brush over and over, the fewer strokes the better with these for sure. As mentioned, they dry super quick - was touch dry in 5 minutes and smudge proof in 30. They also quickly stood up to knocks, scrapes and washing up!

Overall, I'm happy with my purchases, especially at half price!... Great colours, fast drying and hard wearing... oh and shiny lol, just not THAT shiny. If I was doing a special mani or nail art with these polishes, I'm sorry to say, I would still topcoat. 

What do you think? Did you manage to grab some bargains in the sale?

MissLanage x

GOT Polish Challenge: Dots

Morning folks! 

Today's GOT design is also a Throwback Thursday manicure for me; I did this same design - but in blue - back in January last year! You can check it out HERE, see how much my nails and pics have changed! I love dotticures and this is one of my fave designs to do. All the Barry M's used are well over a year old, the Colorshow, I'm not sure but it's a few months at least lol!

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I started with the Colorshow light purple, two coats. I then took a medium dotting tool and placed five lilac dots in a small ring, in different positions on each nail. I then took a bright purple and dotted around the lilac ring in a larger circle. I repeated the process again woth the lilac and then finally the dark purple. Finshed off with a topcoat. Love it!

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Really eyecatching design but actually not all that difficult to do. You may feel a little overwhelmed when starting out but once you've done a couple of circles, you'll soon find your stride and before you know it, it's done! Digging the colour combo too, think I may even like it more than the blue one.

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Maybelline Colorshow - Iced Queen, Barry M - Berry Icecream, Bright Purple, Vivid Purple, Color Club - Topcoat, Medium Dotting Tool

MissLanage x

Wednesday, 29 January 2014

*NEW* Nails Inc: In The Nude Collection

Hello me lovelies! I got some awesome nail mail yesterday, my Nails Inc Lucky Dip and the In The Nude Collection. Super happy shopper; as well as the bargain lucky dip, I also got 25% off my other polishes with the Nails Inc January Deals on Facebook :)

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Nails Inc - George Street, Shreaton Street, New Kensington Gore, New Hyde Park Place

Today I'm swatching the Nudes, I love nudes! Especially blues, pinks and greys; so this collection was ideal for me! The rich nude (beige) is not really my colour, my mum would love it though haha! It was soooo hard to capture their true colours on my phones camera; I did all my nails last night but this morning was unhappy with the pictures, so today I did them all again and took the pics in daylight lol! The things we do?!...

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In the order they came out of the box; first is George Street, a mink pink, two coats and topcoat. I love this shade, just my kind of pink.

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Next is Sheraton Street, a pale blue, two coats and finished with topcoat. Such a beautiful shade, almost duck egg blue, I love this one even more!

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 New Kensington Gore is third up, a rich nude (beige lol), two coats and topcoat. This was by far the hardest to capture on camera! It kept coming out much warmer and browner than it really was. i think I just about got it in these snaps though.

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Last up today is New Hyde Park Place, a soft grey, two coats and topcoat. This is joint favourite with the blue for me. I think grey and white are defo my top manicure colours.

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So that's the nudes done... stunning collection I think, and so on trend for spring summer. It was inspired by some top designers at Fashion Week. Loved the formula and the shine.

I will soon do a post with some of the fabulous shades I received in my Lucky Dip... AND... today I managed to get my hands on the eight Models Own Hypergels I wanted to try out!!! At 50% discount in their sale too! Awesomeness! As soon as they hit my doorstep, I will get swatching and reviewing so stay tuned!

MissLanage x

Monday, 27 January 2014

The Monday Meme

This made me and my other half laugh, he said he'd already worked this one out lol :)

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I can vouch for the fact that he has worked that out; he tells me I'm beautiful several times a day even when I look like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards! He also buys me nail polish on a fairly regular basis and certainly pays when I spy a MUST HAVE when we're out shopping. He also helps with the odd design idea when I'm stuck *swoon* lol... What's your man's relationship with your polish habit?? :)

Soon!

Missanage x

Sunday, 26 January 2014

*NEW* Bohem Nail Jewellery!

Hi beauties, hope you're enjoying the weekend! I have some pretty exciting nail mail I want to share with you today!... 

...Just before Christmas, I was approached by the guys at BOHEM with regards to trying out their new sterling silver nail jewellery! I received a special blogger discount, allowing me to bring you this wee post here... The jewellery is a thin silver plate, covering the whole nail and can be engraved with a variety of designs. They can be plain engravings like these ones or filled with colourful enamels; even gold, filagree and embellished designs are available. They come in three sizes & two curvatures to best fit your nail and vary in price. This 'Gypsy Print' pair are priced at £35.42 +VAT. In a normal, non-promo order, they would come in a nice presentation box as seen on the website.

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I went with the gypsy print (leopard print) because it's a favourite of mine and I didn't want any coloured enamel to ensure I could use them for a variety of looks. For this first go I decided to pair the jewellery with a matte black and silver foil stamped manicure. I think the matte paint against the shine of the silver is just lovely.

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I started by painting all but the accent nail black and topcoating with a clear matte polish. I then used the silver foil to stamp the matching leopard print. I had to double stamp three of the nails because these cheeky plates are just no good for my longer nails! I then lightly buffed my accent nail and dehydrated using an alcohol sanitiser spray I use professionally. I then firmly placed the sticky tab on the underside of the jewellery at the cuticle end and left for a minute. Next, I removed the film from the other side of the sticky and pushed firmly onto my nail, cuticle end first, and held for a few minutes.

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I must admit, I was a little dubious about this product. Although I loved the idea and look, I didn't believe it would fit well on my slim jim nails and I wasn't convinced the sticky would hold. (I know another blogger lost hers the other day after a day or so of wear). I wore mine out and then overnight, forgetting to peel it off, and it was still in place in the morning so that's pretty good to me! It was comfortable to wear, fitted my nail size and shape well and looked pretty cool. I did have to get used to the weight on my nail - you wouldn't think it, but that little extra IS noticeable.

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Avon - Licorice, Rimmel - Matte Finish, Barry M - Silver Foil, Bohem Gypsy Print Nail Jewellery, Cheeky Vibrant Plate 02

So, opinions please ladies! Yay or Nay???

MissLanage x

*bohem nail product supplied at a discount in return for an honest review*

Saturday, 25 January 2014

Saturday Swatching: Tara's Talons

Well, here we are, the last weekend in January! That has flown by! Today's swatch is the fourth of five favourites to feature from my Tara's Talons Advent Calendar... The lovely Three Wise Men; a blue/green opaque shimmer with white, green and teal hexes in various sizes. I ummed and arred about what I might do for the accent nail; and then remembered my one Jumbo cheeky plate which has these cute boy and girl symbol patterns on it. Perfect!

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I used two thin coats of the pale blue as the base and then added just one coat of the Three Wise Men on all but the accent nail, which I stamped with the male symbol in a teal. I finished with a topcoat. Really quick and simple; this polish is another I think I'll be loving come spring time!

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Maybelline Colorshow - Cool Blue, Urban Turquoise, Tara's Talons - Three Wise Men, Color Club - Topcoat, Cheeky Jumbo Plate 10

MissLanage x

Friday, 24 January 2014

Picture Polish: Blogger

Woohooooo it's Friday peeps!... And it's payday and Nails Inc Lucky Dip day LOL! Good times :) Will you be treating yourself this weekend?

Today I just have a nice quick mani for you, featuring the lovely 'Blogger' from Picture Polish... This was the extra shade I chose to have in the 'Buy 4 - Get 1 Free' offer on their website. I have hankered after it for many moons now; being a blogger 'n' all, I NEEDED it in my collection. It's a stunning mix of coloured glitters and an ode to all us nail bloggers.

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I popped two coats of it, in a gradient-ish sort of way; over two coats of the lovely Tiffany... which really is the colour of the Tiffany packaging we all know and love. Now that is a mani I should do sometime soon, Tiffany boxes! In the meantime, I'll be loving on this glitter, it's gorgeous!

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Have a wonderful start to the weekend lovelies! Check back tomorrow for some Saturday Swatching with Tara's Talons and on Sunday for an exciting Bohem Nail Jewellery post!!!

MissLanage x

Thursday, 23 January 2014

GOT Polish Challenge: Blue

Ahhh my favourite colour! Had many different ideas for this theme but picked two of my oldest blues out and decided on a Tunisian Tile inspired design. I love Tunisia :) I have been lucky enough to spend much time there, have many friends connected with it and have an active interest in all their goings on! I even speak a lil of the local lingo which I adore! In fact I bought this particular MoYou plate just for two designs on it which said 'Tunisian Tile' to me lol! If you're familiar with that part of the world, you'll see where I'm coming from.

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I started with three thin coats of the pale blue because it is so sheer, then left to dry thoroughly! I then sponged on some white to give it a slight textured, hopefully ceramic-ish finish. Next I stamped the pattern with a deep, deep blue and finished of with a topcoat. I LOVE it... but maybe next time will choose to do on a pure white base and sponge on the pale blue?!... Just a thought :)

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Barry M - 3in1, Blue Moon, Models Own - Snow White, Avon - Inky Blue, Makeup Sponge, MoYou Pro Collection 03

 And here is a pic of me from 2010, in a friends house in Tunisia decorated with tiles a bit like my mani!



That's all for today; Picture Polish - Blogger, gets its time to shine tomorrow :)

MissLanage x

Tuesday, 21 January 2014

TPC - Red, Orange & Yellow

It's Tri Polish Challenge time again :) I'm so pleased to be part of this! It takes place every Tuesday, but I'm taking part bi-monthly... You can see my first red, orange and yellow TPC mani - a sponged African sunset scene - HERE!

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I'm not a fan of any of these three colours so struggled with an idea of what to do for this a second time... no other half around to help this time either hahaha! I decided to go with a sort of dry marble technique and added some studs; I toyed with gold but decided on black. Boy did the colours make me look washed out! I need me a holiday in the sunshine LOL.


I started off with two coats of the yellow as a base and left to dry for a good half hour while I got on with something else. I then dotted two medium sized blobs of red and orange polish onto each nail; I took a large dotting tool (to avoid any scratching of the underlying surface) and swished it all together in a fun, random mess. After 10 mins I topcoated and placed the studs into the wet polish. I'm not sure if I like it or not...?! I like the effect but not the colours I think?!

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Maybelline Colorshow - Electric Yellow, Solar Flame, Power Red, Blackout, Color Club - Topcoat, Large Dotting Tool, Cheeky Nail Art Studs

MissLanage x

Monday, 20 January 2014

The Monday Meme

All I can say is... true that!

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I have said a couple of times that I wouldn't buy another bottle until I had finished using my untried's of which there are many... maybe 20 or more?! Oooh guilty, guilty, guilty hahaha... But I have never managed this and have now vowed never to make such silly promises ever again... each one will get their time to shine... one day! LOL. Do you have a big ol' pile of untrieds? Please say you do! ;)

Good day folks!

MissLanage x

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Saturday Swatching: Tara's Talons

Third up in my new Saturday Swatching 'Indie Series' is another beauty from my Tara's Talons Advent Calendar... Vixen. An opaque purple shimmer with green and blue hexes, purple hearts and bar glitter. Love it :) And what a fab name to inspire some nail art too!... Of course, what else but a lovely foxy fox! When I had decided this, I noticed a distinct lack of orange polish to choose from in my collection, I'm not a fan I must say! Is there one colour you avoid???

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I chose to use this polish over a polish very close to the purple shimmer in this topper, a holo China Glaze. One coat with one coat of the Vixen. For the accent nail I painted the whole fox head in orange - two thin coats; once dry I added the white v-shape and the white in the ears using a striper polish. Again, using a striper polish I added the eyes and nose by letting small beads drip down the brush. Finished with topcoat. Really quite fond of this despite the orange lol :)

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China Glaze - When Stars Collide, Barry M - Mango, Tara's Talons - Vixen, Color Club - Topcoat, LA Colors White & Black Stripers

MissLanage x

Friday, 17 January 2014

Picture Polish: Nail Mail & Swatches Round II

Oooh what a fab, fab start to the new year I am having with all this nail mail!!! So much so, that I have a second round of Picture Polishes to swatch and share with you *squeal*

 This second batch I bought direct from Picture Polish in Oz, rather than a UK supplier. They had an offer of buy four and get a fifth polish free! How could I resist that?! These polishes have been on my 'to buy' list for aaages, was just waiting to have a spare bundle of cash to spend... Thank you Christmas lol! I have four of them featured in this post - the glitter topper 'blogger' will come in another post in the next few days :)

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I am in LOVE!

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First up, Lagoon... A teal scatter holo with silver hexes, two coats with topcoat. Sooo pretty and sparkly, just like an ocean!

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Second in line today is Ultra Violence. A gorgeous purple shimmer with copper micro glitter and hexes, two coats and a topcoat. The pictures don't really do this one justice!

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Now for Geode, a lovely duck egg blue with green glitter and hexes in navy, cyan and baby blue; three coats with topcoat. It's cute and dainty, I KNOW I am gonna love this come spring time!

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 Bringing up the rear is Douceur, a cute nude colour with silver micro glitter and red, magenta and baby pink hexes; three coats with topcoat. It's STUNNING, my fave of the bunch and I didn't expect it to be at all!

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So, that's all for now; Blogger will come out to play soon! You may have noticed a switch in hand?! Two nails broke on the left and that just wouldn't do for swatching these beauties! I don't generally feature the right, to me it seems awkward to look at in pictures compared to the left?! Does that make sense? Lol...

See what the other British Bloggers have been up to this week, this time I might actually remember to add my link too! Doh!

MissLanage x