So, once again the Models Own half-price sale is upon us and most of us are left wondering... to succumb or not to succumb? For me personally I will not be succumbing, as I'm trying to cut down the amount of nail polish I buy (My nail polish collection is getting out of hand) and truthfully the only item I really, really want from this selection is the HyperGel polish. That being said, if I was feeling like having a bit of a splurge then this is what I would buy, and what I would recommend if you're struggling to fill up your basket!


Artstix Nail Art Pen in Black - £3 I think every nail obsessive should own a black nail art pen in my kit, and shamefully I don't have one. I don't have any nail art pens, in fact! I've heard good things about this one, it's good quality and not likely to clog up unlike cheap ones. It comes with a hidden thin brush too!

5 Piece Brush Set - £5 I'm including these because I had my eye on three of the brushes, and realised that instead of buying those, it was cheaper to buy this set which has those three plus two more in - talk about a bargain! The neon orange is a bit bright but I guess it makes them easier to find in your make up bag.

Lip-Stix in Raspberry Cool - £2.50 Models Own lip products have never really caught my attention to be honest, but when searching for swatches of this I was really impressed. Reviews say that these are moisturising, comfortable on the lips and offer brilliant colour payoff for the price.

Artstix Nail Polish Duo in Terra Crystal - £3 This, and the Artstix below are unique, because they contain shades that you cannot buy individually from Models Own, and there's some gorgeous shades too. The two shades here are 'Terra Firma' and 'Pink Crystal', which appears to be rose gold to me - anyone else agree?

Artstix Nail Polish Duo in Cloud Drops - £3 My favourite of the two is this one; it contains an easy-to-wear nude with a dense, gold glitter - how can you go wrong? The two shades are called 'Cloud 9' and 'Dew' Drops'. You're effectively getting two polishes for the price of one here so are great value for money.

Lipstick in Plum - £3 Again, I was searching for swatches online and this came out as my top pick of the lipsticks. They have a great little range, from matte brights to the deepest blackcurrant and all seem to be of high quality. My only gripe is that the packaging looks a bit cheap - but for £3 you can't complain!

Mixed Up (Glitter) - £2.50 This is a really unusual polish; it contains black and holographic glitter in a clear base, meaning that you can put it over any nail colour. I've seen some swatches of it over black; you'd think that the black glitter would be lost but it seems to add an extra dimension to the finished result.

Purple Ash - £2.50 I'm all about muted shades at the moment, and this shade is one that I've not seen much on the blogosphere. An unsung hero perhaps? It's one of those colours that stands out yet is work friendly, managing to look sophisticated yet unusual at the same time. A must have for anyone's collection!

Absinthe (Velvet Goth) - £2.50 Admittedly, I'm not a fan of how these polishes look on their own; they're textured and a bit lifeless. However, with a top coat these transform into the most beautiful, deep, glittery nail polish. There's something about adding the gloss back to them that really makes them pop!

Northern Lights (Wonderland) - £2.50 I have 'Southern Lights', a purple version of this and can say that the picture above does it no justice... it's a stunning glitter polish. It can be layered up quite easily on its own or swept over another shade to add a bit of sparkle - and when it catches the light, it looks stunning.

Naked Glow (HyperGel) - £2.50 As mentioned, this is the only item I really want from Models Own at the moment, and I think that it could be the perfect nude for me. I'm curious to see how these perform compared to gel nails - I've heard that they look and feel similar, with fantastic pigmentation.