Models Own sale haul!

Recently I asked you guys to help me abuse my bank balance by liking the Models Own Facebook page! Basically, Models Own said if they reach 100,000 likes on their Facebook page during September they would give us all a code to get 50% off their products online. As you can guess, they did it!

The nail polish addict inside me placed an order as soon as the promotion code went live. However, I didn't go as nuts as I usually would. I was a good girl :) Also, as my collection of polishes is getting quite big I thought I'd be strict & only let my self buy shades that I didn't own. This sounds obvious but some girls have sooo many polishes & most look the same, just different brands. So yeah, I tried to be good & manly cater for my nail art obsession!

With that in mind, here's what I ordered -

Left - right: 3-in-1, Luis Lemon, Lime Green, Pink Fizz, Emerald City, Pinky Brown, Emerald Black, Thunder & Lightening.

Here are some swatches of the polishes. But, these photos really don't do them justice! The yellow polish has a lovely matte finish, the green & glittery pink are about right, the glittery green is a lot more green (less of a blue tone) in real life, the pinky brown is a gorgeous two-tone polish that looks fab in sunlight, the emerald black has more of a dark green tone in real life & the glittery black is about right :)

I had a little issue with the Luis Lemon polish. When my delivery came the neck of the polish bottle had broken. I really didn't want to complain but I knew that the polish would just dry out & be no use. So I emailed Models Own & they replied apologising & saying they'd send me a new one. Within a few days me & Luis Lemon were reunited :) A* for customer service from Models Own!

On another note, have you guys seen their new Wonderland collection?! They look beatiiiful :)

Hope you all had a fab weekend, Jen xo

NOTD | OPI Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It

My love for OPI is probably well known by now! I get cravings for a new polish, & I just cannot resist! Although this shade was bought by my lovely boyfriend for my 21st birthday :) 

OPI are by far the best polish I have tried, closely followed by Essie & Topshop. Their colour selection is redonkulous - there are just so many! Not only this but they apply so nicely. No visible brush strokes, fast drying, opaque colours & long-lasting wear. 

This post is just a quick one but I wanted to show you this lovely colour. It's called Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It, which I think is a fab name! I love this colour, it's one of my new faves. Indoors it appears to be your average red shade, but in natural light it appears to be a bright orange. I love this about OPIs - a few of the OPI polishes I own appear different shades in different light. 

Jen xo

Barry M nails | Love or hate?!

Barry M were the make-up brand of my early teen years. Like many other girls I was obsessed with their dazzle dust pigments & their nail polish collection. However, as I have grown more knowledgeable to higher quality brands I realise that Barry M nail polishes really aren't everything we thought they were.

Even when I was younger I thought that their polishes took an age to dry & vowed not to buy anymore! But recently whilst shopping in Topshop, Oxford Street I spotted an amazing colour. I couldn't resist. & I hoped that maybe, just maybe they had changed their formula. 

I was wrong :( Their  nail polish is just as bad as it use to be. The polish is thick, becomes gloopy very quickly, takes a long time to dry, has visible brush strokes, easily chips & the surface is easily scratched & marked. I hate to be so negative, but it's all so true! 

I really wish that this wasn't the case, as I absolutely love their colour collection! The colour I bought recently  was Teal, and is pictured below. 

Ahhh, it's so pretty! About an hour after I painted my nails in the above photos I got dressed & put on a pair of leggings. After an hour, nail polish should definitely be bone dry! But, when pulling up my leggings the polish on a couple of my fingers creased completely & smudged up the nail. By this point I also had various scratch marks on the surface (due to the sheer thickness of the polish). 

The thickness of their polishes also means that they really don't last very long. Below is my selection of Barry M polishes. Although they look okay of the plastic nail wheel they don't appear like this on my own nails. The polish is so gloopy that it takes a lot of product to cover a single nail. Which still results in a thick, streaky result. However, I will add that the shatter effects polish is completely fine, as is the glittery red polish.

Am I the only person who thinks this about Barry M hair polish?? I'd love to hear your opinions too!

Jen xo

My 1st OPIs!

Call me sad, but I am now a very happy owner of 2 OPIs! :D

I love love love painting my nails, I've been doing it so often lately! Since creating this blog, & following many others, I have became a lot more familiar with various products & their quality. I had heard of OPI before entering the blogging world, but I was simply happy with my Rimmel & Topshop collections. I apologise Rimmel & Topy - I still love you & will use you, but you just aren't enough any more!

So I went on a hunt for OPI! They aren't sold in places like Boots or Superdrug; only salons, hairdressers etc. I found a few places that stocked OPI but, with my disappearing bank allowance, I wasn't willing to pay £10+ for a bottle of nail varnish. Then I realised my cousin has access to a local beauty warehouse (because she is a hairdresser!) & I'd heard that they sell OPI there.

With the beauty warehouse card at the ready I set off! The day I went happened to be a VAT free sale, bonus! So the OPI polishes were being sold at £4.90!! As well as this the store its self does a buy 4 get 1 free. I was in heaven. The colour range is absolutely amazing! & I love all of their random names. I picked out 6(!) nail polishes in total. My boyfriend paid for 4 of them (for my birthday) & I bought 2 - there was no way I could wait until my birthday without owning my own!

So here are the two I bought...

Just spotted the lizard & over the taupe.

I absolutely love them & I can definitely see what all the hype is about. The formula is of the best I've ever used. It's quite a thin polish, so is really easy to apply & doesn't get messy/clumpy at all. To keep the formula at its best there are 2 silver balls in each polish. I love this, because I always find my polishes get old & gloopy, so a good shake before every use will prevent this. The only down side to the thin formula, if it even is a down side, is that you need to apply 2, maybe 3 coats to cover the visible nail line. I love painting my nails though so I'm fine with this! The thinner formula also means that they dry quite quickly; in comparison to thicker polishes like Barry M, which take an age to dry! Another thing I love is the massive brush handles. Because they're quite large they are really easy to get a grip of, making application easy & more precise (no hand cramp too!).

Just spotted the lizard

 Just spotted the lizard is from OPIs amazing spiderman collection. I think it's a gorgeous, unusual colour; with undertones of gold & green. It's also a dupe of the infamous Chanel's peridot polish, but for a much cheaper price! I'm currently wearing this :)

Over the taupe

Over the taupe isn't the most exciting colour, but I've been wanting to try a brown/grey tone for a while. Also, I thought this shade would be perfect for my graduation later this month.

So there you have it, my overenthusiastic OPI post! What are you favourite OPI shades?

Jen xox