Models Own Speckled Polish Review and Swatches

Models Own have come out with the Speckled Egg Collection of nail polishes, there are five in total each named after a particular bird: Dove Pink, Goose Yellow, Magpie Green, Duck Blue and Swan lilac. Reminiscent of Illamasqua's speckled polishes these are more affordable retailing for £5 and i'm sure will be popular for Easter and spring. The colour displayed on the website and the actual colour in the bottle is accurate so there shouldn't be any problems ordering online. I bought Swan Lilac and Magpie Green land Duck Blue.

Swan Lilac is very thin and runny, and needs 3 coats to be opaque for a non patchy finish. Normally I wouldn't have the patience for anything above a 2 coater nail polish but because it's a special effect polish and the fact that the speckled effect is pretty forgiving in terms of brush strokes and streaks, I can put up with it. One coat of Swan Lilac gives a sheer paint splattered effect which also looks good. This shade can look almost blue sometimes because it's not a purple but a softer lilac shade.

Magpie Green is also a runny consistency but only 2 coats are needed for an opaque finish. I think thin coats are better to keep the finish looking even. I think I love this colour the best

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Duck Blue

 I found that two coats are needed for an opaque finish. When applying the first coat I found the nail polish formula a little on the thin side, then when I applied the second coat it felt a little gloopy. However application was still really easy.

This is a textured polish so the finish is not smooth, adding a top coat helps seal the colour while giving a smooth finish. (I used Butter London's PD Quick topcoat.) I would say drying time for this nail polish is average, the brush is long and easy to use. I really like the shade although it's brighter than what I would normally wear. The colour displayed on the website and the actual colour in the bottle is accurate so there shouldn't be any problems ordering online. I used Boots base coat, applied two coats of Duck Blue and then a top coat. I applied this on Friday and the first chip was on Sunday, this wasn't bad considering I've been typing a lot and that I forgot to wear washing up gloves on more than one occasion. I can't wait to try Magpie Green or Swan Lilac next!

I used Bourjois So Perfect base correctrice coat which has been fairly good at protecting my nails from stains, dries really fast and I love the long wide brush that coats the nail in one swipe. After that I applied two coats of Model's Own Speckled egg and then Butter London's PD Quick Top Coat which is really glossy, quick drying and 3 free. After three days I haven't had a chip so far even though I've been typing and washing my hands a lot. These Speckled polishes do take a tiny bit more effort to remove with nail polish remover because the speckles contain glitter particles (although you can't see this in the polish at all.)  

Despite their consistency I love these speckled polishes as they are so unusual, with a twist on traditional pastel colours and just perfect for spring. The Speckled Egg collection is available on the Model's Own Website retailing at £4.99. But Superdrug is currently having a buy one get the second half price many Model's Own Nail polishes here! 

The only Models Own polishes I've tried are from this collection, what other polishes do you reckon I should try from Models Own?  Let me know in the comments below and tell me what  your favourite nail polish brand is too! 

What I've been up to this Month: March Favourites

I thought I'd write about what I have been up to lately so that you guys could get to know me a bit better. This month I've been loving the show Drop Dead Diva. The show starts with model Deb who is engaged to lawyer Greyson, but gets killed in a car crash. When she arrives in the holding area in heaven she decides to press the return button on the computer. This sends her soul back to earth but in someone else's body. In the body of Jane a smart lawyer, who happens to be plus size. Her guardian angel Fred is sent after her so that Deb maintains Jane's life. Jane also has to work alongside Greyson who is mourning his fiancé Deb. While the show has been criticised for implying Deb's old life as model was better than her current life as the plus size smart lawyer, I feel like that Deb just pines after her old life and in particular her family, and that it takes her a long time to adjust and appreciate her new one. The show tackles the issues of weight in the court cases, wanting to sue a store for not stocking clothes for larger women and when she defends a women who was fired from her job for putting on weight. The lead is played by Natalie Hall who has a wonderful singing voice with cameos from Kim Kardashian and Paula Abdul. Some of the show's crazy court cases remind me a little of Ally Mcbeal, but what I love about this show is it's heart. I also like the fact that there's generally two court cases in each episode so you don't get bored or so many you're confused. It's currently on Amazon instant Video.

This month also saw the Season 5 finale of Pretty Little Liars which I've been hooked on since the get go. This series hyped the big reveal of the identity of A, the person who has been torturing a group of five high school girls and murdering a few other people along the way. However while we found out the name of A, we weren't quite sure of their true identity. I guess the show couldn't give us all the answers to this mystery as there's still another two series left. It's still gripping as always so if you haven't seen it I'd recommend watching it! It's available on Netflix & itunes.

I've also been listening to Sia's latest album 1000 Forms of Fear, she is an amazing talent and so is Maddie Ziegler who features in some of her videos. I never caught Dance Moms, the TV show that made Maddie famous, but she is incredibly talented. I also picked up an Anastacia's self titled album (2004) and been really impressed, my favourite tracks are Sick and Tired and Left Outside Alone.

I've almost completed a course on Cyber Security, a free course with the Open University. It's an 8 week online course and if you're interested and have the time I really recommend it. The course is run by Cory Doctorow, and involves learning how the hacks in Playstation and Target security breach happened as well as practical ways to protect your computer from viruses and trojans and yourself from identity theft. I might write a post covering some of the main points.

This month I've also discovered Fig and Hazelnut bread from Marks and Spencer (in store) which is absolutely delicious, if you're interested you can also find a recipe for it here (though it's not the same as M&S's version.) I've also be wanting to try out Cupcake toothpaste from Flamingo, which I found out about through Fee from Make up Savvy when she tweeted that she was trying it out- you can see her review here of it here.

Let me know your favourites this month in the comments below.

Make Up Revolution The One Fluid Blusher & Atomic Lipstick in Ruby Review

Make Up Revolution The One Fluid Blusher in Rush Me

Make Up Revolution The One Fluid Blushers are packaged very much like Daniel Sandler's famous watercolour blushes. These come boxed with a stripe across the top of the box showing the colour inside and hold 14.4g of product in a very small bottle. These fluid blushers are oil free (yay for some) and silicone based (various Dimethicones) that make it glide across the skin but this may be a no-go for those who are allergic to silicones. I have sensitive combination skin and I did not have any problems and can agree with MUR that it doesn't clog pores either. These liquid blushes also contain vitamin E and Jojoba, both of which are good for the skin. The smell is very neutral and there's no artificial, heavy chemical scent some products have.

Before applying you need to give this a shake to mix the silicone and pigment together. Then put a drop on the back of your hand, dip a finger in and rub and blend on your cheek. Because of the bottle design and because I'm not used to using liquid blushes, I often pour out too much and also have the product running/dripping off your finger/hands. I recommend applying this over a sink as it's a lot messier than applying something like Benefit's Benetint. (Maybe they should rethink the packaging?) You only need one or two drops but it's very easy to over do, but a few dabs of concealer and foundation can fix this. I find applying liquid blushes tricky but although this is messy to use, achieving the desired effect was easy. As long as the bottle is shaken before use this can be used on bare skin as well.

All of Make Up Revolution's The One Fluid blushes have a gold shimmer to them. I wasn't sure how obvious the shimmer would be, but I bought this in Rush Me, a peach gold blusher in the hope that it would give that Nars Orgasm highlighter glow, I couldn't find any reviews on it at the time so I thought I'd take a gamble and give it a go. In the bottle the blush looks peach but it actually gives a warm pink flush to the skin with a gold shimmer highlighting effect and not a hint of glitter or disco ball in sight. The gold does fade/wear off first after around 5 hours and the pink blush wears after 8 hours. I don't have Daniel Sandler's fluid watercolour blushes so I don't know which one is more superior but what I can say is I like this a lot and for £3 it's definitely worth checking out. I think I've fallen in love...I can't wait to try it in a darker shade such as Desire which is a raspberry colour. See the other colours available at Make Up Revolution website here.

Make Up Revolution Atomic Collection Lipstick in Ruby

The shade Ruby is supposed to be a dupe for Mac's ever popular Ruby Woo. However Ruby Woo is matte and this lipstick is not quite as matte, since it shines a little in the light. This is fairly comfortable to wear and not at all drying, a common complaint with Mac's Ruby Woo. It's a blue based Hollywood red (although Ruby sometimes looks like an orange/warm red it's not) and if you google pictures of Mac Ruby Woo you'll see it pretty much suits every skin tone despite it being a blue/cool red. I think the same can be said for Make Up Revolution's Ruby lipstick as well. I absolutely love this shade as it's just so glamorous!
It smells of vanilla and it does taste very subtly of vanilla. I've been wearing this with a No 7 lip liner in Fire as a lip base, which is a pretty good match for this lipstick (the lip liner leans a little warmer but it's not that noticeable.) After that I blot twice in between applying three layers altogether. Without a base of lip liner underneath this lipstick has a habit of moving all over the mouth area after drinking and eating so a lip liner is recommended. Unfortunately this lipstick does transfer when drinking, but the blotting and layering means that the pigment remains pretty much intact through a coffee and cold drinks. However this did not last through a meal at lunch or dinner which is pretty much standard for a budget lipstick.

I recommend this lipstick for those either on a budget, looking for a dupe or those scared of bright reds but want to give it a go without spending a lot. And of course for bargain hunters. This is my favourite shade of lipstick that I've bought from MUR and it's only £1! Available at Make Up Revolution online.

Revlon Neon Nail Art Polish

The concept behind Revlon Neon Nail Art Polishes is that a layer of white polish underneath another colour will make the colour 'pop.' This is why NYX Jumbo Eye shadow Pencil in Milk (White) is so popular, because used under other colours it makes the colour on top much more vibrant.
I bought this for a St Patrick's Day themed manicure and was interested in buying a green polish rather than looking specifically for neon nail polish. I also thought that with the two colours I was getting two colours for the price of one, and if I didn't like one polish the other would be ok. In the end I used other polishes because Revlon's version just doesn't work well.The white does make the polish a little brighter, a little more neon but the finish is very streaky and uneven. I have Revlon's number 150 Florescence- a white and bright light green polish. You're supposed to apply two coats of the white polish and two coats of the green. I started by using one coat of Bourjois So Perfect Base Coat before using the Revlon polishes.

The white polish is thin and runny, but isn't all that bad to be honest, and needs two coats to be opaque, I have read other reviews (unfortunately after I bought this) complaining that the white polish is really streaky but I think it's OK. However the green polish is very thin, watery and very transparent. This may be deliberate, so that the colour underneath shows through in order to make the green pop. However it applies very unevenly and ends up looking very streaky and blotchy. Some of the white polish showed around the edges as well, though I did my best to rub it off . It reminds me of trying to use a yellow neon highlighter pen to hi-light  black print and the highlighter merges with the ink to a weird green colour. It took separate two afternoons (10 hours in all) to try to get this looking presentable. It doesn't look great and I hope the camera picks this up. I didn't use a top coat because after all the effort of 4 layers and still looking bad I couldn't be bothered to apply more. However it does have a nice shine without a top coat.

To borrow a phrase from Dragon's Den, I feel that Revlon have 'over engineered' the idea of neon nail polish. This concept involves painting an extra two coats of polish when I'm sure you must be able to buy a neon polish straight of the shelf without all this hard work and effort. I feel Revlon  repackaged some nail varnish to convince us that it was something new and completely different to whatever else was out there, so that it becomes 'special' and a 'must have.' Basically it's a gimmick that doesn't work. The concept is terrible. I'm amazed that Revlon let this product out of the testing lab! It's priced a £7.99 in Superdrug, and on Amazon (£1.59-£15!) but luckily I bought this in Poundland so I didn't waste much money, but even for a pound there are much better nail polishes out there- I recommend Poundland's Make Up Gallery in Midnight Black nail polish. I am going to keep it to see if I can use the white polish as a base underneath some glitter polishes so that it doesn't go completely to waste. But my advice is not to waste your money on a gimmick that doesn't work well enough!

St Patrick's Day Manicure

To celebrate St Patrick's day I painted my nails gold and green. I used Kate Spade for Nails Inc in Uptown Glamour, which applies like a dream,it's opaque in one coat and dries quickly. It came with Glamour magazine awhile back,although it's still available on Ebay here. While Sinful  Color's Envy (Poundland) was runnier and needed two coats for complete opaqueness and to eliminate streaks. Sinful Color Envy results in a super shiny finish. I used Bourjois So Perfect Base Coat which has the benefit of being quick dry too. I used PD Topcoat by Butter London.

6 TV Shows To Binge Watch On Amazon Instant Video/ Prime

Devious Maids 
This show centres around the lives of five maids working in the houses of the rich and famous. Flora, one of the maids,is murdered at a party held at socialite Evelyn and Adrian's house. Marasol (Ana Ortiz from Ugly Betty) a former professor decides to work undercover as a maid in order to clear her son who is accused of Flora's murder. The other maids are Rosie a sweet idealistic young window who works for the self absorbed actress Peri Westmore and her long suffering husband,soap star Spence Westmore. Zoila and her teenage daughter Valentina both work for wealthy long time friend Genevieve Delatour and her son Remi. Valentina dreams of becoming a fashion designer someday and also has a crush on Remi. Sultry and ambitious Carmen has dreams of becoming a singer and has managed to get a job working as a maid for the successful singer Alejandro Rubio. If you enjoyed  Desperate Housewives you'd enjoy this.

Spooks
Spooks is an action drama/thriller about  British MI5 agents/spies working in Thames House London. Spooks used contemporary socio-political events and terrorist threats as story lines, such as Al Qaeda and Iran. As well as the dangers of the job, the show also illustrates the moral dilemmas MI5 officers face as well as the red tape that occurs. The show is action packed and pretty realistic. What I liked about the show was that the writers weren't afraid of killing off the main characters which made the show less predictable and that each series had an overriding story-arc as it's focus.

One Tree Hill
When I first heard about OTH I dismissed it as another American high school drama but I fell in love with the show. The main characters are two half brothers Nathan (James Laffety) from a wealthy two parent family and Lucas (Chad Michael Murray) raised by single mum Karen without any financial support, although both are close to uncle Keith. Dan (father of both brothers) constantly berates Lucus, Keth and Karen on a regular basis and pits Nathan against Lucus when they try out for the school's basketball team. Their rivalry grows when Lucas is interested in Peyton, Nathan's girlfriend and in retaliation Nathan becomes interested in Lucas's best friend Hayley. Gradually Nathan and Lucas's relationship changes from animosity to friendship. I absolutely love Lucas for being so kind and for taking care of people and feel that Lucas and later Nathan become really good male role models. Plus Lucus is hot and Nathan is also good looking. The soundtrack is brilliant, the eclectic mix introduced me to Citizen Cope, Band of Horses, The Wreckers, Trespassers William and reminded me how good Feeder is. The soundtrack also showcases the singers in the show Hayley (Bethany Joy Lenz/ Everly) Chris (Tyler Hilton) and Mia (Kate Voegele.)

Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is a  medical drama that follows a group of surgical interns and residents as they cope with various medical traumas alongside their personal lives, and is every bit as gripping as ER. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) is the lead character and the introduction is often narrated from her point of view.Her complicated relationships with both her parents have made her pessimistic but her compassion and skills as a doctor stop her from being completely jaded. Grey's Anatomy also a pun on the medical textbook Gray's Anatomy.  This is addictive drama with top notch quality acting from all the cast.

Alias
While at college Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) is approached by someone claiming to work for the C.I.A and offered a job. Sydney is assigned to SD-6, a "black ops" section of the CIA and becomes a field agent. Unable to reveal her real job Sydney tells friends and family she works for a (very demanding) bank who expect her to make last minute international business trips and come in to work at all hours. In the pilot episode Sydney confides in her fiancé Danny that she is a spy. The consequence of telling an outsider about the existence of SD-6, is that SD-6 kill him. Her father (who also works at SD-6) reveals that SD-6 is actually an international organised crime group and enemy of  America and the C.I.A. Sydney becomes a double agent like her father, determined to destroy SD-6 from the inside. This fast paced action show sees Sydney in many disguises and the complicated relationship Sydney has with her father and colleagues within SD-6 means allegiances are constantly changing. Her C.I.A handler Michael Vaughn played by Michael Vartan is pretty easy on the eye too!

Grimm
Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli) is a homicide investigator at Portland police department. His dying aunt visits him and tries to warn him of his heritage as a Grimm and the creatures that will soon be after him. Around this time Nick realises he can see people transform into monsters when he looks at them a 'gift' that no one else has, realising that creatures from fairy tales actually exist. Grimms are guardians that hunt mythological creatures (Wesen) to protect humanity. However after meeting reformed wesen Monroe, Nick learns that not all things are black and white, that some wesen can be good and essentially harmless. Nick struggles to balance this new Grimm life with his normal life, keeping the Grimm part a secret to most people. Along with his partner Detective Hank Griffin and Monroe providing the supernatural background, Nick battles the wesen creatures that he encounters on his murder cases. A show that merges cop drama with fantasy.

What To Get For The Mum Who Already Has Everything Part 2

After a certain age you already have everything you need and end up buying yourself the things that you want. So booking a day out to do something special for mothers day, or at a later date or  purchasing a voucher for a future day to be pampered, will be both memorable and enjoyable. It's always nice to ring the changes a bit! If you give vouchers remember to remind to check the voucher expiry dates. Don't assume they last for a year or more as some need to be used up with 6 months. At the end of this post, I've also included a list of things that hardly cost anything at all to do, but will be much appreciated by mothers everywhere.

Trip To The Spa
Book or buy a spa trip gift voucher. There are many reputable ones across the country - see Red Letter Days for more information here. Virgin Experience also offer many Spa trips see here

Manicure (Mani-Pedi)
Use Glass pod to book a manicurist to come to you or your mother wherever you are. Surprise your mother or have one together at home. (London Only)
To book a mani-pedi when your mother lives in a different city, use the Beauty Spotter app. This rates beauty salons and users can upload pictures of their finished manicures or haircuts, tagging in the salon and their location so others can see the result and find a good salon.

Afternoon Tea
There are lots of afternoon teas held at various historic sites including The Royal Albert Hall , Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace, Royal Pavillion , Blenheim Palace , Kinnettles Castle,  Carberry Tower (Edinburgh), Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Chateau Rhifana in Anglesea. If you've been inspired by The Great British Bake Off, there are afternoon teas that include a two hour Tea Cookery class at L'atelier des Chefs (London £99) for more information see here. There are various afternoon tea and Thames cruises see here. There's an afternoon tea where you also design your own perfume here. If your mum loves pottery and ceramics Wedgewood do a tour and afternoon tea (Staffordshire £35 see here) as well as Emma Bridgewater (Staffordshire £16 see here.)

Wine Tasting
Vinopolis has a Mother's Day Package that includes two Wine tasting tickets and a glass of Canard-Duchene champagne each for £62. This package will be available to purchase until midnight on Sunday 15th March 2015. Open dated tickets are valid for 3 months from date of purchase and pre-booked tickets are available between now and Sunday 14th June 2015. Vinopolis is based near London Bridge. For more information see here
Virgin Experience also has various wine tasting mother's day packages based in East Sussex, Oxfordshire as well as London. My favourite is a voucher for the view from London's Shard as well as Vinopolis wine tasting for £113. For more information see here. The 02 priority app offers 25% off mothers day experiences on Virgin Experiences days valid for 3 more weeks.

Theatre 
See Lastminute.com for tickets to shows in London and elsewhere. Shows such as Wicked, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown, War Horse and Shakespeare in Love are popular.

Climbing The 02 (London)
Enjoy spectacular 360 degree views of London from the  viewing platform in the centre of the roof, before finishing with a thrilling descent back to base to complete your adventure. You can climb during the day. against a sunset or see the stars at  twilight. Tickets are £26 for adults for 90 minutes, or there is an option for a gift voucher. The 02 Priority app has an offer for £15 off up to 4 tickets valid for the next 3 weeks if you would like the whole family to go. For the 02 website see here 

Don't forget that you don't have to spend much- some things in life are free (or almost anyway!)

• If you live with or nearby your mum's place you can prepare the traditional Breakfast in Bed or go over later to make brunch or dinner.
• Clean mum's whole house/ Do the weeks chores- she'll be happy that she gets to relex in the week knowing the chores have been taken care of.
• If you are handy with a power tool tackle those d.i.y jobs that nobody seems to get around to do. She'll be thanking you no end- especially if she is not as mobile as she used to be.
• Watching her favourite films or TV box-set together if in doubt Fawlty Towers is a favourite.
• Put your beauty skills to the test and give her a manicure.
• If it's a nice day spend it having a picnic in the park or the beach.

This post is not sponsored and I was not compensated in any way.