NAILS | MODELS OWN 'DANCING QUEEN'

Models Own 'Dancing Queen' (£5.00) & Essie 'Mint Candy Apple' (£7.99) - Boots

Eeeek! Isn't this nail polish just amazing! I have been after the something from the Models Own Mirrorball collection since it was released, but as I only have tiny boots near me, I had to wait until the weekend (just gone) to pick one up! I went with 'Dancing Queen' which is a jade green glitter with flecks of blues and gold also; it's really lovely. 

Choosing what to pair this with though was more difficult as I hate wearing green nail polish and blue just didn't look right, so I opted for an in-between with 'Mint Candy Apple' by Essie (here) which really compliments the glitter well.

As for the application of the glitter polish, I used two coats on each nail as I found not a lot of flecks appeared with just one. Also, this may sound odd, but once dry the glitter is really sharp to touch in places - even with a top coat - I do think I can forget about that though as I love the shapes and colours within this polish! Overall it gives a really nice effect.

I'm definitely going to try more from the Mirrorball collection. Have you tried any, if so, which would you recommend? 

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde

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AMERICAN APPAREL 'NEON VIOLET'

American Apparel 'Neon Violet' - Selfridges (part of a 3 for £17 deal)

Writing this has made me realise that I haven't posted a nails post in absolutely ages; I've not really worn very exciting colours lately though because I've been trying to let my nails get a bit healthier. This nail polish is my first by American Apparel (I do have another I got at the same time) and is a very bright neon purple shade called 'Neon Violet'. I got this as part of a three for £17 deal - I kept two and gave one to my mum - which I think is super expensive for nail polish but the bottles are a really big and I technically got these for free along with my other weekend buys from Selfridges.

This polish came out completely opaque after two coats which is what I'd expect really; I would maybe do three coats for a really neon look. It was easy to apply and dried reasonably quick though it did dry matte so I used a top coat. One not so great thing was that after only three days it has started to chip considerably, maybe it's my rubbish nails or maybe it's the formula...who knows.

I don't think I would buy any more American Apparel nail polishes but this is a really lovely colour and I might try it again with three coats to see if that's better. Have you tried American Apparel Nail Lacquer? What do you think of this shade?

Emma xo

follow me on TWITTER and instagram at iamemmawilde

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MODELS OWN NUDE BEIGE

Recently I've really been loving glitter accent nails, especially with colours that could otherwise be seen as boring. I bought Models Own Nude Beige yesterday - my first ever polish from this brand - because I thought it was a lovely neural shade but after painting my nails with it I immediately felt they looked too boring; so out came my glitter polish by Tecnic - which apparently is called 'carnival', I have always just called it glitter haha.

I actually love this combination so much! Its a real mix of the warm tone of the nude and the blues and red of the glitter which normally wouldn't sound like it'd work but for some reason this really does. I think only on one nail though; it may be overkill on all of them. As for Nude Beige itself, I like the overall finish, but I really didn't like the application. For some unknown reason it came out very streaky at first and I found it so difficult to get a full cover without it looking well, bad. However, I do love that this polish is so opaque and only needed two coats to get the perfect look. 

I'm excited to try some more Model Own polishes; I just hope others apply a little better than this one did. I have on my list: Balearic Cool, Hedonist, Beach Party (which I bought yesterday), Utopia, Toxic Apple, Pinky Brown and Emerald Black.

Are you a fan of glitter accent nails, or do you prefer more or no glitter? Have you tried Models Own?

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ESSIE MINT CANDY APPLE

 Essie Mint Candy Apple - £7.99 (boots)

After much deliberation I finally caved in and bought an Essie nail polish. For the past couple of weeks, each time I've been in Boots I've picked up Mint Candy Apple, wandered the store with it, got to the till and then changed my mind. The thought of spending £8 on a nail polish actually pains me inside but last weekend I finally took the plunge and just bought it! 

All I can say is that it is definitely worth the price and I'm so so glad that I decided to get it. In fact, I think this is the best nail polish I've ever used; the application is easy, it literally just glides onto your nail and because of the extra thick brush, it is so quick and doesn't leave your nails looking streaky like some polishes do. It's also super fast drying and finishes with a lovely shiny look (although I still used a top coat - habit). I have to say, I was slightly disappointed with the colour on my nails. In the bottle it looks a very mint greenish shade but on the nails it's definitely more of a blue tone, very similar to Blue Moon by Barry M except that has slight shimmer. This aside, I still love this polish and think to is well worth it. 

I've only had this on my nails for a couple of days but so far it hasn't chipped or worn which is great! I usually change my nails every 3-4 days but I think I'll keep this on longer...don't want to waste it at that price! Speaking of the price again, think I'll be splurging a little more in the near future on a few other shades that I have my eye on. Any recommendations?

Emma xo

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GLITTER COVERED NYC MANHATTAN

NYC 'Manhattan' & Technic Rainbow Glitter

I want to start by apologising for the messy paint job on my right hand...the photo makes it look A LOT worse than it actually is; I tried but failed at tidying it up! Anyway, I just love this combination. I bought 'Manhattan' by NYC last week on a whim and then much to my delight came across the Technic rainbow polish on a market stall at the weekend and thought they would look perfect together. This glitter polish is my new favourite, it's just great and it only cost £2; bargain! I'm definitely more for a subtle hint of glitter like this on just one nail than having all my nailed glitter-afied...maybe that's just me?

NYC 'Manhattan' is a very dark purple/red shade that is very opaque so you could probably get away with one coat - I did two just as a matter of preference. I've now had this on my nails for about three days and it hasn't chipped, worn or marked which to be honest I'd be disappointed if it had after only three days. I'll probably end up changing my nails tomorrow anyway haha. As for the glitter, I technically only used one coat but it was a very thick coat so you could say I used two...I'm definitely one for going bold with the subtle hint of glitter (contradiction much?!)

Do you like glitter polish, if you do, more or less? And do you prefer to wear darker or lighter shades on your nails?

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BARRY M SILVERY LILAC

Barry M - Silvery Lilac (£2.99)

This nail polish is exactly what it says on the bottle, Silvery Lilac. Maybe that's why Barry M couldn't come up with a more creative name. This polish is quite sheer and needed three coats to get a complete opaque look but the end result really is worth it; I love this colour and the effect it creates. Its a multi-tone polish with hints of lilac, green, silver and in some lights blue which really make it a less than ordinary Barry M creation.

As you may of read in a pervious post, this is part of Barry M's new collection of shimmery polishes and this is by far my favourite. This is definitely going to be a long-time polish in my collection, it seems like I'm taking a real shine to 'petrol-effect' colours as with Topshop's Hidden Treasure.

Are you a fan of multi-tone nail polishes? Have you tried Silvery Lilac or any of the other new Barry M colours?

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BARRY M BLUE MOON & STRAWBERRY

Barry M Blue Moon & Strawberry I/C (ice cream?) - £2.99 each

Today I opted for a pastel themed nail look which originally was intended to be just Strawberry I/C on every nail but somehow ended with Blue Moon on my ring fingers! I just love both of these polishes as they apply really well - two coats gives a perfect opaque outcome - and Blue Moon in some lights can be mistaken as a white shade so went perfect with the soft pink. 

As with most of Barry M polishes, the finish is rather glossy and a top coat isn't always needed; though I usually do as I like my nails to be extra shiny. A quick thing I found was that if you paint all your nails with the main colour and then paint the ring fingers over that, it turns out a much more vibrant and complimenting shade (or at least it does with these two colours). I suppose it's basically like painting your nails with a white base coat just with a colour instead?

Anyway, I really love both of these nail polishes and I forever stick by the fact that Barry M is amazing! If you've tried Barry M, which is your favourite nail polish? Do you like the different coloured ring fingers 'look'? 

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BARRY M SHOCKING PINK

Sticking with the ever so great Barry M nail polishes, I picked up Shocking Pink the other day after realising I didn't actually own any bright pink polishes. In the bottle it looks nice but on your nails it looks amazing; it's so bright, almost Barbie pink bright and the finish is super shiny that a top coat really isn't essential (although I always like to apply one anyway). It took me two coats to achieve a real opaque look but you could get away with just one in all honesty. As with most Barry M polishes, it applies smoothly and with ease but i have found they seem to take a lot longer to dry than other brands...maybe I'm doing something wrong?

After I'd done my nails I thought they needed something else so decided to use my newly bought glitter polish from a brand I've never heard of before called Saffron London. This polish has a mix of fine glitter and larger hexagon shapes which I much prefer in this case to smaller, more closely packed glitters. I chose to stick with just painting the one nail on each hand because I thought it'd be too much otherwise, this way it just adds a subtle bit of sparkle...

Are you a fan of Barry M nail polishes? Would you add glitter or go without?

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BARRY M TEAL

Reading the title to this post you may be thinking, Barry M doesn't do a nail polish in 'Teal', well, this is exactly what I thought until I came across this beauty whilst browsing Superdrug. The second I saw it my exact words were: 'this needs to be in my life' and so it now is...

From this nail polish you can expect an easy application of two coats (I personally think this is best), and then an amazingly amazing 'psychedelic' as my mum put it, colour on your nails. It is very, very bright and has a slight shimmer to it, so is very shiny even without a topcoat. I just love this colour, from the minute I saw it to the minute I put it on my nails I knew it would become one of my top nail polishes on my collection. These photos really do not do it justice at all, it's a really intense and vibrant colour.

One thing that has left me somewhat confused is that after scouring the internet in search of this nail polish, I have come to the conclusion that it pretty much does't exist. I looked on Barry M's own site and then tried a google search and both came up with only eyeshadow results :S So, is this a new collection to their line I wonder? 

Have you tried or even seen Barry M's Teal nail polish?

***Since writing this I have discovered that Barry M have in fact released a new line of polishes along with their magnetic effect polish which are only available in a select few stores for the time being. I'm unsure of the details of any of the other polishes***

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BARRY M MUSHROOM & SPARKLE

Barry M Mushroom & Miss Sporty Transformers Sparkle Touch

This Barry M nail polish is amazing! It is the easiest application ever (as to be expected from Barry M) and only needed one coat (although I applied two just to be on the safe side) to be opaque. I had heard so much about this polish but was always reluctant to buy it as it just looks really dull in the bottle. Oh how I was wrong to doubt it; the colour is perfect, a very dull but soft brownish shade with hints of grey tones.

I initially just had mushroom on my nails but then I wanted to jazz it up a bit so decided to paint just my ring fingers with this Miss Sporty glitter polish. This glitter has tiny flecks of blue and pink which really do compliment the mushroom colour well and so I ended up painting all my nails with it haha.

Have you ever tried Barry M Mushroom? Are you a fan of glitter nail polish?

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PASTEL NAILS

In honour of this seasons pastel trend, I thought I'd emulate it through my nails rather than my clothes :) 

This is definitely a nail look that will get you noticed...some think it's silly and others think it's great; I personally love it! Why choose one colour when you can use five.
I used Barry M for four of the colours and then No7 for the fifth because I didn't have another pastel Barry M polish. No7 polishes cost £7 each and Barry M cost £2.99 and honestly, I prefer Barry M. It applies so easily and lasts ages whereas No7 polishes chip quite quickly.

Will you be trying these pastel nails? 

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BARRY M WHITE CORAL

Tonight I tried out 'nail art' for the first time...well my version of simple, beginners nail art haha and this is what I came up with. I chose Barry M 'Coral' as the base colour (which actually looks more like a light red)  and then Barry M 'Matt White' as the other. 

I opted to only do this pattern on my thumbs and ring fingers because on every nail it might have looked a bit much - and it would have taken me forever! Anyway, I'm really pleased with how it turned out, especially considering it's my first attempt. I think next time I might try it with two different colours instead of white and then maybe I'll try new patterns...maybe I'm just getting ahead of myself here...

So this is my nail of the day, I think it's super different and makes my nails look more interesting. Not entirely sure how long it'll last though as I used a lot of layers of polish! 

Do you have any suggestions for nail designs I could try...baring in mind I'm a complete novice? 

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TOPSHOP HIDDEN TREASURE

I've been wanting to see what all the hype is about with Topshop nail polishes and so today I bit the bullet and bought the ever-so desired Chanel dupe 'Hidden Treasure'. This polish is basically a metallic petrol colour which hints on being a matt finish. 

This nail polish applies so so well, the consistency was just right and I found it went on with ease. I found two coats were all I needed to get the perfect 'petrol' look but three coats wouldn't harm! 

This polish has quickly become my absolute favourite because it's just so unique; I think this is definitely a 'get me noticed' colour. I can quite happily say that this was one of the best £6 (well £5.40 with discount) I have ever spent and I will definitely be trying more of Topshop's polishes in the future. 

Have you ever tried any of Topshop's nail polishes? Which is your favourite? 

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NYC CANAL STREET

my nails actually look really messy in the photo - they don't look like that really!

NYC has to be one of my all time favourite makes of nail polish; they apply so smoothly and they last at least a week before chipping. This colour is Canal Street and it's a shimmery rust red colour which after two coats looks great! 

I put Rimmel's Ultra Shine top coat over this polish just to give it extra protection from chipping, but in all honestly you probably wouldn't need one. I think this polish is very wearable however when I put it on I noticed it made my hands look ghostly pale (maybe that's just in my head). 

I'd recommend going and trying out NYC polishes, they really are well worth the small price for a really great, lasting polish. I like the names too, they are all streets or places from well known cities which is quite unique. 

Have you tried this or any other NYC polish before? Which is your favourite if you have?

xoxo

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A Tuesday in the life of Emma....

Today started out as a seemingly pointless day. I went to university for a lecture and a workshop; the lecture was very very pointless because we just filled out a module feedback form and listened to the lecturer go on about how we should give him good feedback. I then had an hour break on my own where I handed in an essay and just sat....on my phone...for the whole hour! Then the workshop came where I had to do a test which was easy. Lets hope I'm not typing this and then I get it back and I've done really badly!

So that was my academic day over with but then I came back to my flat, ate soup (very exciting I know!) - it was vegetable soup for all those wondering - and then I went to The Bridges shopping centre with two of my flatmates which was very productive; I got some Christmas cards, glitter sequins and a few presents :D and then a Starbucks! 

Obviously I can't show you a photo of the presents I bought because then that will give away the surprise for people! :L haha

We got back to the flat, I made myself a pizza and then sat and wrote my Christmas cards...as the photo shows (I don't have a photo of what the cards look like though because I used them all....Christmas cards are all written now ready to be given out and mailed tomorrow, hopefully my cards going out of the UK will get to people before Christmas, fingers crossed!

I've now just finished making a start at packing some stuff ready for when I go home for Christmas break on Thursday!!! I'm super excited, I really am ready to go home now, and lucky for me I'm home for six weeks, SIX WHOLE WEEKS!!!!!! 

My failed attempt at packing. I realised how many magazines I actually have and that all my shoes fit perfectly into this suitcase!  I just moved the soap powered conditioner and hair stuff over near the case to make it look like I'd packed more haha...

Now as I type this I'm watching Rizzoli and Isles which for all those who don't watch is awesome! Read my TV shows blog to know what it's about....

Just thought I'd share with you some stills from this weeks episode. Maura is my favourite character, just another piece of useless information for you there...

Oh oh, how do you guys like my nail polish this week. Thought I'd go for something a bit different and try glitter on only one finger. 

What do you think? I actually really really like this look...think I might try it with red next, get in the festive mood.

Also, you may or may not know but I don't wear make-up for the sole reason that I wouldn't even know where to begin! But, I have been meaning to play around a little with it and today I thought I'd give it a shot and try to achieve some sort of subtle look on my eyes. This is what I came up with using the very basic make-up I already had haha...

I actually really like it. Okay so it isn't the most fantastic job but I like the fact that it's noticeable but doesn't look like I've pasted my face. Think I'm going to be wearing this look more often...

Well that's it for my ramblings, hope I didn't bore you too much. Happy Christmas/holidays/etc etc and prepare yourself for a Christmas blogging spree next week leading up to the big day!  

Bye! 

xoxo

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