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Monday 3 March 2014

Morgan Taylor 'Polished Up Punk' Swatches & Review + Nail Art



* Product provided for review


Hello! I know I sound like a record stuck on repeat, but apologies yet again for being so absent. I've been away from home so much over the past month it feels like I've hardly been here...but things have settled down now, so here I am!

I was delighted to be contacted by Morgan Taylor recently and asked to review a couple of polishes from their 'Glam Rock' collection (which I believe was for Winter 2014). The Glam Rock collection is described as 'A mixture of funky metallic shades and glitters to bring out the rebel in you!' and consists of six polishes:


Left to right, they are:
Better in Leather – Black silver glitter
Little Misfit – Lavender and aqua duo chrome
Polished Up Punk - Navy crème
Pretty Wild – Lavender greige crème 
Rebel With A Cause – Deep burgundy pearl
Studs and Stilettos – Gunmetal glitter

If you're not familiar with the Morgan Taylor brand, here's a little blurb from the company:

'Morgan Taylor has been created by Gelish founders Danny Haile and David Daniel. The specialist formula is made from raw ingredients enhances finish, coverage and wear ensuring that not only your nails will look gorgeous but they will stay that way too!RRP £10.99 each from Sallyexpress.com'

The polish I'm showing you today is the navy crème, 'Polished Up Punk'*.  I also received 'Little Misfit', the duochrome, so expect to see that one at some point in the near future!


'Polished Up Punk', two coats plus top coat

'Polished Up Punk' is a dark navy which appears blackened in some lights, but remains just on the right side of black - by which I mean that it is almost always discernibly blue and not black. I think its depth is more apparent in the nail art photos below. It's a very winter-appropriate colour and I always think these kinds of shades look especially foxy on short nails. I found the formula very nice: it was neither too runny nor too thick, spread smoothly and had great opacity - I used two coats plus top coat here, but you could conceivably get away with one if you were careful. I also really liked the shape of the brush, which is flat but not too wide (I know a lot of people can't stand super-wide brushes) and a sensible length. Please excuse the slight scuff marks in the above photos - my goopy top coat was responsible, not the polish itself! I didn't wear this manicure long enough to comment authoritatively on wear time, but I wouldn't expect any problems if worn with a good top coat.

Aaand I wouldn't feel like I was blogging properly if I didn't throw in some nail art, so...




I wanted to keep it relatively simple so Polished Up Punk would shine through, so opted for this somewhat abstract geometric design. It also seemed like a good opportunity to practise my striping tape technique (still needs work!). I taped off the outlines of the...lines and filled them in with A England 'Ascalon' using a nail art brush, then removed the tape (I use tweezers). You can just see the purple flash of Ascalon in the reflection of my lamp here, but it's so much more awesome in person. The rhinestones on my index finger are from an Urban Outfitters nail art wheel my friend Kirsty gave me for Christmas - I attached each to a dot of top coat, using a moistened orange stick to pick them up. Plenty of top coat (now thinned) to smooth everything out/keep the gems attached!



Thoughts? Is Polished Up Punk your kind of shade? Would you describe it as 'Glam Rock'? If you're interested in the collection, you can find Morgan Taylor polishes at sallyexpress.com for £10.99, (though I always think it's worth hunting online for a bargain!). 

Would welcome your thoughts on my geometric tape design, too! I wasn't sure at first but it really grew on me - it looked especially bold from a bit of a distance. It's ridiculous, though, how much thought goes in to making something look so random!

Hope you've all had a fantastic weekend!

1 comment:

  1. Very much in love with this collection and your nail art! Fantastic job on the tape design! I am forever thinking, over-thinking really, the route I want to take with my nails. I am not a professional, just a fan who enjoys nail art! Thanks for the pics and your blog, of course! ������

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