Models Own Blusher brush

Having found my hg blusher (MAC Tenderling) and been taught where I should be applying my blusher I have been on a quest to find a shaped, or angled, blusher brush that didn't cost the earth.  I was in Boots last week reeling from the disappointment of discovering that the Debenhams at the White Rose centre didn't have Butter London and that the Boots wasn't carrying the Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure range and was laying on the floor kicking and screaming and just having a general tantrum when I spotted the rather garish Models Own Blusher Brush.  It's bright orange, with a rather weird Orange top, look

But it does have an angled head and it was £8.50.  It comes in a plastic wallet with one of those sliding, zip type, closers which I didn't think too much of at the time but of course is fantastic if you want to take your brush with you, don't own a handbag sized make up bag and dont want your lovely new blusher brush covered in old polos, bits of used tissue and the nasty detritus that gathers in the bottom of your handbag.  

What they say:

Looking for a way to create super defined and glamorous cheekbones? Our professional Angled Blush Brush is perfect for creating a fantastically sculpted look. The slanted shape of this brush offers precision contouring, is soft on your skin and is perfect for accentuating your features!

As the zippy closer thing was effectively locked by the plastic tag I wasn't able to feel the brush in the shop but frankly assumed that for £8.50 it might not be the nicest of brushes but it would give me a chance to find out if having the sloping shaped head would help with contouring and if so I could then spend shed loads more on a better quality brush.  As it happens its a cracking brush, its really soft and does a brilliant job of getting my blusher right where I want it and it really does help with the whole contouring job.  Bear in mind that with my face I'm not highlighting my stunning bone structure, more hoping to suggest to a casual glance that my face isn't actually as round as a football by painting a stripe of brown across each cheek, a la Lohan.  Well hopefully not quite like Ms Lohans infamous court appearance "corpse" face but you get my drift.  Previously I was using a big poofy powder brush which applied my blusher in a big poofy splodge on my big poofy cheeks.  This lovely brush sort of flicks the blusher up towards my eye and nose, creating a nice soft flush whilst giving a nice clean finish underneath, I am sure if you wanted to create absolute facial hollows in terms of contouring this brush would be up for it.  Did I mention it was only £8.50?!  And even the initially jarring shade of orange has turned into a boon, it's incredibly easy to spot my blusher brush lurking in the depths of my make up bag even when I am half asleep as it gives off a sort of glow. It doesn't, but its almost bright enough to.  So yep, love this and if you are looking for an affordable, neon, angled blusher brush this is your man. You can buy it here from Models Own here btw, where its only £8!

Models Own - Red Red Wine

I went red cream in the end but I was under pressure, never shop with a teenage daughter who NEEDS something new for a big night out and who is only pretending that part of the shopping trip is about someone other than her, it isn't, deal with it!

Nice deep red cream. (must remember to clean shite off window ledge before next photo sesh!)


Hope it applies as nicely as this blue, which I love.

Update - it did, thought we were having issues at one coat as its quite jelly like rather than creamy, ended up with 3 and you can still see where the wrapped the tips! Love the colour its very glam. Soz photo is without clean up, top coat or hand cream, yak, but am seriously running out of time now!

Outdoors


Indoors

Amongst other things Em got a lovely necklace from Dorothy Perkins

Isn't that cute?

People of Huddersfield - I salute you.

Spotted this on the Models Own website:

Models Own is coming to a Boots near you!

Our full range of products in over 150 different colours will soon be available in more than 200 of the larger Boots stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Having made our premiere appearance at Huddersfield in March, Models Own is scheduled to start arriving in Boots everywhere from late-April through to September, 2010.

Who knows what demographic we fit to be the very first Boots with a Models Own stand but I am pleased that we did, oh and the rest of you Models Own fans, you owe us - big, if we hadn't purchased like women possessed who knows, you might still be languishing in Models Own free stores!

Models Own - Purple Grey

Going to have to have another go at photos of this, it looks so purple in these and it really isn't. Much more of a taupe, with purple leanings than anything this purple. Will probably add a couple more later if I can get something that looks more like it. Both of these were taken outdoors, top in shade, bottom in light. I really love this, usual fab brush and application and works well with the Nails Inc base and top coats.

Modesl Own - Grace Green

It's love folks. Pure unadulterated love. With a bit of lust mixed in for good measure. I was worried I'd get boiled beef hands but its greyed enough that it doesn't do that. Please bear in mind that last night I was so desperate to try this I peeled off my Boots No 7 Stay Perfect in Teal (perfect polish and will def post pics next time I wear it - clearly the speed dry ones are the issue, this one has a fab brush, great application and is a gorgeous colour, cant fault it) but still peeled it off and slapped on 2 coats of Grace Green whilst sat in bed. No base coat, no top coat, no prep of any sort.




Sludgy green lovelyness



All of these were taken indoors in shade - still struggling with taking pictures of my nails.


And a sneak peak of Purple Grey - same basis no base, no top, no prep and 2 coats. Proper post soon.


And the one nail I didn't peel with No 7 Stay Perfect in Teal.
Both of these taken indoors but in sun through the window.


And one of No 7 Stay Perfect in Teal before I peeled it off! It is incredibly glossy, this is a proper mani with base and top coat, that said not sure the No 7 polishes love Nails Inc base coat, had some dragging issues with this and it was looking like it might refuse to dry until I put the top coat on, the Nails Inc top coat is fab for that.

Models Own - Car Key Collection

My wish list has 3 new entries the Models Own Car Key collection, so glad I read Modesty Brown's blog or I wouldn't have known about these beauties. I want, I want, I want! And whoever came up with the name deserves a gold star, love it! Modesty Brown is having a give away, btw, in case you hadn't spotted it and Becca's Brown, from the car key collection is one of the things she is giving away, lovely person that she is.

NOTD 10 - Modesl Own In the Navy

Went on a mission to find slate green and grey purple and was so disappointed that they still weren't in Boots that I decided to console myself with a navy blue cream. Wasn't sure I really needed this and wasn't sure how much I'd love it as I was concerned it would be so dark it would look black in all but the strongest of light. I was so wrong on both counts! I love this, had forgotten how fab dark polishes look after a Summer of pastels!


Sunshine
This is a lovely glossy navy blue, realised when I got home all the dark blues I owned had shimmer or glitter and I think I prefer cream at heart. Application was good, I do find the Models Own brushes a smidge too long for me to get super neat application. I am seriously allergic to nail varnish remover, it literally makes my skin peel so it would be unthinkable to do a clean up with neat acetone, think my tips would drop off!


Shade
Love how dark glossy polishes make your hands look so sophisticated. Even mine which are sort of lobstery and squat!


Look at that navy loveliness.

I now seriously need a dark green cream I think!

Models Own - 50% off

Post edit update: Have had a look into this and it seems you had to have been a fan of Models Own on Facebook to receive one of the 50% off vouchers. Damn shame as I was seriously that close to ordering my wish list! Am now on a mission to find Purple Grey this weekend!

Spotted this on All Lacquered Up and thought it might be of interest to all the other Models Own fans out there!

Models Own are having a 50% off sale til Aug 27th - yikes get ordering! - to celebrate having more than 10,000 Facebook likes. Just enter code FACEBOOK50 at checkout on orders of £20 or over on modelsownit.com. My wish list would be Beths Blue, Slate Green, Purple Grey and Grey Mist.

Was on holiday in Cornwall last week and had a bit of cash to splash and can you believe that not a single Boots store had Models Own. Those poor Cornish girls, how on earth do they put up with being so badly served? All the ice cream in the world wouldn't be compensation enough. (That is such a total lie - Roskilly's cappuccino ice cream is to DIE for!)

Models Own - Slate Green

By proxy! Karen at Frazzle and Aniploish has swatched it and seeing as I have yet to get my hands on it thought you might like to see her post. Frankly should do all my swatches by proxy as Karen's nails and photos are way better than mine, thanks Karen for swatching!

W7 - Sheer Blue

It's not Models Own Beths Blue, which my heart desires, but is is a very light baby blue so there was no way on this earth I was going to walk past it! For £1.99 I felt even the frugalist blogger could afford to add to her stash as well! Whilst it is a streak fest of super runny pale blue polish it evens out in, oh around 4 coats and you need to make sure you use it in a well ventilated area, a 10 acre field in a nor'westerly gale should cover it! Apart from all that I right proper love the colour.



Did a rapid style swatch as was DESPERATE to try this!

See what I mean about streaky, just be glad you cant smell it.


Just the perfect shade of baby blue.

Have had this on a couple of days so was going to change it this eve, but before I did decided to have some fun and did tips in Models Own Lilac dream, not my best work admittedly but I like how these 2 look together, had meant to do black tips on Lilac Dream before I took that off at the weekend and forgot so will try and remember next time I wear it.

NOTD 9 - Models Own Blue Lagoon

After all the love I was feeling for Lilac Dream poor old Blue Lagoon was always going to be hard pushed to measure up. Factor in that I didn't even want Blue Lagoon but purchased it in lieu of Beth's Blue it really was on a hiding to nothing! No surprise then that I am a bit meh about this one. Application was great, opaque in 2 coats and its nice and thin - cant stand gloopy polish, did the nails inc caviar base and top, both of which are getting a massive thumbs up from me, especially the base - again hate hate hate thick gloopy base coats that don't meld with the nail but rather sit on it, this nail inc base does just that (meld, that is! m. e. l. d. - great word) so that you get the same application from your polish as you would if it was going straight onto the nail and the top coat gives my nails a super smooth feeling which I love. Lilac dream/nails inc combo wore really well, got from Sunday til Weds pm out of it so am happy with that and was almost tempted to re-do the Lilac Dream was loving it so. In fact am on verge of justifying purchase of Illamasqua Wink on basis that as I love lilac cream above all other then shouldn't I really actually have the mutha of all lilac creams? Now all I need to do is come up with a compelling argument that not even Steve "spend it and die" will be able to refute!

Enough blather here's the pics. Taken outside in light, but nonetheless bloody annoying, drizzle.






(If I seem a little cranky blame the slimfast. Have had to take myself in hand and gone back to the gym and cut out eating in an attempt to kick start a bit of a downward shift in my weight - curvy is good, bloater not so much!)

Models Own Swatches and Soap & Glory Hand Food

I may have mentioned that I have a gap in my nail varnish collection which can only be filled by a lilac polish. Had I mentioned that? Having resigned myself to the fact that even with 25% off Illamasqua Wink was a bit beyond my means right now I had a look at the Models Own website to see if they had a lilac. Had seen these around and had never been impressed by them, until Nikki started swatching her Models Own haul and then I rapidly changed my mind! That said both her nails and her photos are fab so she did make the polishes look great! Boots in Huddersfield now has Models Own and was doing a 2 for £8 promo!! Wanted Lilac Dream and Beth's Blue, got Lilac Dream (yay) but no Beth's Blue so settled for Blue Lagoon and having just done a couple of hasty swatches am loving it!

Tried photos with the old point and shoot rather than my usual grown up camera, much easier and I think they are in focus too - sometimes it just doesn't pay to complicate things!

Aren't they lovely!


Shimmery loveliness!

Of course because I purchased in Boots and because I am the frugalist blogger I made sure I had enough points (by purchasing boring stuff like Ibruprofen and Anithistamine!) to get these:

Kerr-ching! These Nails Inc base and top coats get a lot of love on other nail blogs so I decided I need them in my life!

Nikki has also been giving love to Soap and Glory Hand Food and seeing as you can pick up a handbag sized tube for £2.50 I thought I ought to give it a whirl, have been using it for a week and I am right with Nikki on this one, its fantastic, works a treat and smells like heaven.

(Nikki is now probably having a "stalker alert" moment! Please bear in mind that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery Nikki!!)

Just because the sun is shining I have done a very rapid, no clean up, no cuticle loving, no base or top coat swatch of Blue Lagoon and Lilac Dream and whats more its on my right hand!! So whilst its not lovely you can at least see the colours on the nail. Going to have a tidy up and do a proper Lilac Dream mani this eve so will add a proper photo tomorrow.


Ok I couldn't wait! Proper Lilac Dream manicure, complete with Nails Inc caviar top and base coat. It's love people! The top and base coat are fab, base nice and thin and top does dry in 45 seconds to a really nice glossy finish am delighted with these. The Models Own polish is thin but opaque, did have a total disaster doing 2nd coat on LH thumb, big drop ran straight off the brush and onto my index finger, as you can see in the pics. Never had that happen before on the upside you get a really nice smooth finish and its not brush strokey at all. And its opaque in 2 coats and do I ever love this colour!





Must remember to take date off on the camera though, how annoying!