Neon Polka Dot Nail Art

I think neon polka dot nail art is a great way to incorporate neon colours into your outfit. I used Models Own's Neon Ice polishes in Bubblegum and Pukka Purple to create the polka dots. My trusty dotting tool came in very handy yet again. I love creating polka dot nail art. It's so easy but so versatile. These neon polishes really stand out so well on a black background.

What is your favourite colour combination for polka dot nails?

Nails Inc's Nottinghill Carnival Yellow Polish

As it is officially summertime I thought would write a post about one of my favourite yellow polishes which is Nails Inc's Nottinghill Carnival.  It is a pastel yellow polish but it is not too dull or cream toned it is just sunny enough. I think this is why I really like it because it is a pastel colour but still pigmented enough and bright enough to look cheerful on your nails. I feel like it is the perfect yellow polish for me. Not too golden or dull. I really love my Models Own Neon Ice yellow polish but for times when I would like to wear a slightly less vibrant yellow polish Nails Inc's Nottinghill Carnival polish is perfect. Sometimes you need to apply three coats of this polish but nonetheless I would highly recommend it.

What do you think of this polish? What are your favourite yellow polishes?

Maybelline Forever Strong Super Stay Gel Polish - Bubble Gum

I was raiding my Mum's nail polish box again and I came across Maybelline's Forever Strong Super Stay Gel polish in Bubble Gum. This is a pretty pink polish (my Mum is obsessed with pink polish) with very subtle metallic tones in it which you only really see in the light. I really like the formula of this polish. I think it actually rivals my beloved Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes. I don't know why people don't rave about this polish more often. I hadn't realised that this range of polish is actually Gel polish. I think this is why their formula is so great. You only need two coats and your nails are perfect. The polishes applies really well and the brush is really great. Its almost like the new Essie brushes. This polish dries fairly quickly too. I really would like to try out a couple of their other colours seeing as I have been so impressed.

Have your tried this polish before? What colour of polish from this range do you like the best?

Andrea Fulerton's Rose Nail Tattoos

Andrea Fulerton's Nail Tattoos are more like nail stickers than tattoos. I actually really like the rose tattoos that I have tried out. They are so easy to apply. You literally peel off and stick on. Boom - it's done. You can then apply some top coat to keep them stuck firmly to your nails. I think these roses are very cute. I haven't attempted to paint roses on my nails yet but I can imagine its rather difficult. Therefore, these stickers mean that you don't have to necessarily master the art of hand painted roses which I'm pretty pleased about. I really like the colour combination of polish that I have used here. 

Let me know what you think about these stickers? I have a couple of different types to try out so there will be more posts coming soon. Have you ever tired these before?

Nails of the Day

This is just a quick post to show you how pretty these polishes look together. I am wearing Barry M's Gelly Hi-Shine polishes in Dragon Fruit and Greenberry. I think they look so great together. I love pastel colours and I love my Gelly Hi-Shines so this was the perfect combination of awesomeness. :)

What are your favourite polish colour combinations?

Ciate Pinkaboo Glitter Polish

I am usually not the biggest fan of Ciate polishes because I think that the quality and formula of their polish is not very good. I tried my Mum's Ciate Pinkaboo Glitter and found that this polish was a lot better than some of their other polishes. It is a pink/silver holographic glitter in a pink translucent top coat. I painted it over black nail polish and found that it applied really well. The polish glided on to my nails smoothly and the brush was totally different to the other Ciate polishes that I had tried which was great. It was much shorter, like a make up brush and wider than the long flimsy brushes I've experienced with Ciate. It is a really sparkly polish and looks brilliant over black polish. If you are not really a fan of Ciate polishes normally you might really like their glitter polishes. 

What do you think of this glitter polish? Do you have a favourite Ciate polish?

Neon Swirl Nail Art

I really love this neon swirl nail art design. It looks so pretty and is really easy to create. I used Models Own's Ice Neon polishes in Bubblegum and Pukka Purple for the swirl art. The black base colour is Nails Inc's Black Taxi polish. I think this is one of my favourite nail art creations.

What do you guys think? Have you ever tried this type of nail art?

Here is the link to my swirl nail art guide if you want to know how to create this design yourself:

http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/polish-swirl-nail-art.html

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polish - Passionfruit

Barry M's Passionfruit Gelly Hi-Shine polish is a really nice coral red colour. I don't actually own any other polishes in this colour so I am pleased that I have added it to my collection. I can't recommend these polishes highly enough. I really love them. I know that a small minority of people don't get on with the Gelly Hi-shine polishes but I can't fault them. They have a great streak free formula, they are really pigmented and opaque, they apply extremely smoothly and dry quickly. This Passionfruit polish looks awesome on your nails. I will definitely be using it for nail art purposes too!

What do you think of the colour? What is your favourite Gelly Hi-Shine  polish?

Here are the links to my previous Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine posts.

My first post on Gelly Hi-Shine polish: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/barry-m-gelly-hi-shine.html

Link to Summer Gelly Hi-Shine polishes: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/new-barry-m-gelly-hi-shine-polish.html

Dragon Fruit Gelly Hi-Shine polish: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/barry-m-dragon-fruit-gelly-hi-shine.html

Gelly Hi-Shine Polish Round 2: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/barry-m-gelly-hi-shine-polish-round-2.html

Grapefruit Gelly Hi-Shine Polish:

http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/barry-m-gelly-hi-shine-polish-in.html

Barry M Pink Crackle Polish

I found a couple of polishes that I hadn't used for over a year the other day and I am so glad I did. It was kinda like discovering treasure. Barry M's Pink Crackle polish was one of them. I had dismissed this polish as being a bit naff but I really don't know why. I think over a year ago I was not as adventurous with my nail polish as I am now. This polish is not naff at all!! 

I have worn it over black polish which looked really good and also over Barry M's Passionfruit Gelly Hi-Shine polish.

This polish applied well and looked great. The crackle design developed better if I made sure not to put too much polish onto the nail.

For its bargain price I would definitely recommend it.

Have you tried this polish? Do you have a favourite crackle polish?

Models Own 5 in 1 Top & Base Coat

I have been using Models Own's 5 in 1 Top and Base Coat quite a lot recently to test it out. I really like using it as a base coat. It glides on smoothly and provides a good base for your polish. The brush is pretty decent and its a 14ml bottle so it should last you a good while before it runs out. I would recommend it as a base coat. I think it is meant to strengthen your nails too but I can't say I've noticed any difference in my nails. 

As a top coat it applies really nicely but takes a while to dry. It remains quite tacky for a couple of hours but once dry it does ok as far as top coats go. I would use this top coat if my Revlon or my Barry M top coats ran out.

Have your tried Models Own's 5 in 1 top coat? What do you think of it?

Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips - Wild Child

I was in the mood for some zebra print this weekend so I grabbed my awesome Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips in Wild Child. I love that they are monochrome. I have had a rather large obsession with monochrome nails lately. I have not mastered the art of painting zebra print onto my nails free hand yet so these are perfect for me.  As much as I love messy, crazy colourful nail art sometimes I like structured patterns on my nails. I think these look really cute.

What do you think? Have you tried them before?

Here are the links to my other Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strip posts.

Review of Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/sally-hansen-nail-polish-strips.html

Sally Hansen Nail polish Strips in Numbskull: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/sally-hansen-nail-polish-strips.html

Sally Hansen Nail polish Strips in Purr-Fect Harmony: http://scottishstefsnails.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/sally-hansen-nail-polish-strips-purr.html

Jessica Nail Polish - Smitten Kitten

When my mum brought home a Jessica nail polish the other day I totally had my eye on it. I had never tried Jessica polishes before and was intrigued to see what it would be like. So, very kindly she let me borrow it and give it a go. The polish is a really pretty mid pink colour and it is called Smitten Kitten. It has a very subtle shimmer through it which is really only visible in direct sunlight. I was actually incredibly impressed with this polish. The formula is great so the polish applies really smoothly and streak free. I think I could have managed to get away with just one coat of this polish but I went for two coats to be safe. The brush was good and I found the polish dried fairly quickly. 

I am looking forward to trying out more Jessica polishes because I was really impressed.

Does anyone know of a Jessica polish that they would recommend? What do you think of Jessica polishes? 

Models Own Splash Collection Polish - Red Sea

I had vowed to stay away from Models Own's Splash collection but I couldn't resist when I saw their Red Sea polish and hoped that it would impress rather than disappoint. I painted this polish over a black base which did look really really pretty. This polish has a sheer red base with iridescent purple, gold and red flakes of glitter. Unfortunately, I found that if I wanted lots of glitter on my nails I would have to paint on several coats and also place flecks of glitter where I wanted them. The actual polish itself tends to flood your nails without applying much glitter. So you end up with a heck of a lot of polish and not much glitter even if you find strategic ways to apply it. This means you nails go a bit bumpy and take ages to dry.

As pretty as the glitter is I don't think the end result looked very good. I think I will be staying away from the rest of the Splash collection which is a shame as I was willing it to be good. 

If you have tried polish from the Models Own Splash collection how did you find it was to apply?

OPI Black Shatter Polish - My 100th Post

Ok so I know that crackle and shatter nail polish has been around for ages and ages but I found this little gem hidden away. I got OPI's Black Shatter polish last year but for some weird reason tried it once and wasn't very impressed. I have no idea why because when I tried it last week I absolutely loved it. I'm very excited about the awesome nail looks that I can create with it. 

I have tried it over pink and over multicoloured nails and I think it looks great. I really do! Not only that, it is so easy to apply and works so quickly it's great. The polish glides on really smoothly and the brush is really good. My top tip for applying this polish is to make sure that you don't put too much onto your nail. If you feel you haven't applied enough polish you can add a little bit more and again it glides on effortlessly. No one would be able to tell that you had touched up areas where you wanted a bit more shatter.

I am looking forward to trying this polish over tie dye nails and neon polishes. 

I would really recommend this polish, especially for anyone who has not tried shatter/crackle polish before.

Do you like shatter/crackle effect nail polish? If so, what colours do you wear it over?

Maybelline Color Show Polish in Electric Yellow

I had never tried Maybelline Color Show polish before I purchased Electric Yellow. I wanted to try out a new polish brand so I bought it. The polish bottle is really cute and sleek and it is rather reasonably priced too. It has a fairly decent brush so application is ok too. The polish itself seems quite thin. I think you would need three coats of this polish to make sure it was streak free. If you are looking for a golden yellow polish then this is probably a good polish for you.

The end result was quite nice but I think the polish was a more dull yellow than I had hoped for. I think I will have to try some other polishes from this collection to see what I truly think of this brand.

I also tried is polish with my Loreal Confetti polish over it and I think it looked pretty good!

Have you tried Maybelline Color Show polish before? What do you think of it?