Modern Country Nails: MoYou Nails Review

{MoYou Nails Review: Two Special Nail Varnishes (in Nude and Razzle Dazzle Rose), Three Stamping plates: 113, 69, 75, Scraper and Stamper set}

I had a lovely jaunt out to the Country Living Fair a couple of weeks ago. One stall in particular stood out as being a gorgeously contemporary twist on the time-honoured tradition of beautifully varnished nails. I always think perfectly presented nails are one of those things that literally adds polish to any Modern Country get-up, don't you? 

One of the ladies on the MoYou Nails stand persuaded me to have my nails done. Not that I needed much persuading! A manicure for free? Yes please!

I was expecting another humdrum product but Oh. My Goodness. I've never seen anything like it. I've had so many questions about how I managed to get these gorgeous images onto my nails that I thought a review was needed!

MoYou Nails sell stamping plates and nail varnishes online and in stores (Debenhams, Fenwick and Bentalls) to enable you to print images onto your nails...or sunglasses, mirrors, mobile phones, windows.... There are over 1500 designs to choose from. That was not necessarily a plus! I spent aaaaages narrowing down the designs I wanted!! 

First Impressions

The varnishes are gorgeous - beautifully vibrant, opaque colours, and apply well. The opacity means that they are on the thick side, which makes them ideal for stamping but a little harder to work with for base coats. 

The stamp and scraper come together. The stamper is easy to use -  squishy and a good size and the scraper does it's job well...though I'd prefer it a little bigger and squishier and it took a while of playing around to get the images to pick up properly. However, its the stamping plates that really stand out.

They come in little individual packets (see left hand of the image above). You need to remove the packaging (middle), and then peel of the blue covering (right) to reveal the mirrored surface with exquisitely etched images. The plates seem very good quality: pleasingly heavy, and the images are very clear.

Using The Products

First, I applied this MoYou Special Nail Polish in Nude. I really love the colour...but, as I said above, it was a little on the gloopy side. However, it did get a great solid covering in more or less one coat and dried quickly.

Once the polish had hardened, I picked out the first stamping plate (113).

The process is simple.

1) Apply a little of the varnish onto the image of your choice.

I love the bright cerise of Razzle Dazzle Rose against the gentle Nude.

2) Use the scraper at a 45 degree angle to scrape of the excess. This leaves the polish in the etched parts.

3) Press the stamper pad over the image.

4) Roll the stamper over your nails from one side to the other to make sure that the whole image is transferred....{MCS tip: start with a straightforward design and experiment with different angles. It takes a while to be able to line up the images to appear exactly where you want them!}

Next up is my favourite....look at that chandelier!! 

Modern Country L:O:V:E!

You do have to be fairly quick to make sure that the varnish doesn't start drying on the plate...but it's definitely worth taking the time to get the placement just right. It's hard to hide any mistakes!

Lastly, I wanted to try a little extra creativity. I applied TWO varnishes onto this little owl. 

The Razzle Dazzle Rose, and another purple varnish that I already had. Then I repeated the same scraping and stamping process, which definitely gets easier each time I try....and it turned out beautifully two-tone...and so cute!!

Overall Impressions

I was truly blown away by the experience at the Country Living Fair...but, remember, they were absolute pros at using the products. I have to say it has taken a fair bit of practice at home to learn to get it looking right....but now I've had that practice...and compliments aplenty (not least from my daughters!),  I can't wait to get extra MoYou Nails plates to add to my collection! 

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The Best Mascara In The World???

Yesterday, after this Modern Country Fashion For Autumn / Fall post, I promised I'd let you in on my new Modern Country beauty secret with you.....and, never one to rescind my word, here it is! 

{Keep on reading to discover the best mascara I've ever tried!}

American readers may have heard about Younique make-up, as it launched there a couple of years ago, but Younique are brand spanking new to the UK market, having launched this month.

I have several of their products to share with you today to give you a bit of a heads-up (in order of preference):

Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes

3 Makeup Brushes

4 Moodstruck Minerals Pigment Powders

Refreshed Pure and Natural Rosewater

First, let's talk about the Younique Moonstruck Minerals Pigment Powders. These are marketed as 'luxurious eye shadows formulated with finely crushed minerals, amino acids and vitamins that provide key nutrition for the skin'.

The reality? Really great products!

 Younique have beautiful packaging throughout their ranges, Look at these babies in their own individual pots:

I picked out four luscious shades:

Infatuated is a rich matte chocolate brown

Vulnerable is a matte rose shade,

Sexy is a shimmery pale gold

Daring is a deep, stunning, shimmering gold.

These four soft and gentle Modern Country colours blend and harmonise so well with each other...but there are 32 to choose from, all with similarly giggle-inducing names!

The powders are free from oils, talc, preservatives and are incredibly pigmented. A tinsy little bit goes a very long way. Rather ingeniously, you can use the Moodstruck Minerals Pigment Powders to make your own tinted moisturisers, coloured nail varnishes....even hair highlights! All by adding a few shakes of these pretty powders.

Once you remove the lids, the pots come with little holes so you can shake out what you need, and pop back what you don't use. These are loose powders so, until they're packed onto your eyelids,  they do have a reasonable amount of fallout. I found it worth placing a piece of tissue paper under my eyes when applying to catch any stray specks. However, once on, these powders last and last. I could still see them on my eyelids after a full day's wear.

And here's a good tip: you can mix a little water, or this pretty Younique Refreshed Pure and Natural Rosewater spray (which smells heavenly, and is also good for a quick spritz on bare skin during the day) with any of the pigments to make your very own coloured eye liner. 

All you need to do is shake out a very little bit onto the lid, and mix  in the tiniest drop of water with a brush.

Speaking of brushes, I was very impressed with the quality of these Younique animal-hair brushes (and that they are completely cruelty free).

I chose three brushes: the deluxe, which is one of the softest brushes I've ever used; the Crease, which is made using Goat's hair to make it slightly stiffer; and the double ended Liner/Shader, which is the brush I like to use with the powders when they're wet. All the brushes are made of non-rusting materials so you can use them wet or dry without worry.

But....

 I have saved the very best until last. This next product is like nothing I've ever seen before in the UK. These are so, sooooo good!

I present Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!! 

Oh. My. Goodness. You are in for a makeup treat!!

I have a slight aversion to the thought of wearing falsies - all that glue near my eyes - but these are basically fuss-free falsies!!

Perfectly packaged (of course!!)...

the kit contains two products:

The transplanting gel, which looks like any normal mascara...

And the fibres, which are made from 100% natural fibres from green tea!...

Younique suggest a 4-step process for optimal results.

1) Apply a thick coat of your own favourite mascara and let it dry.

2) Apply Moodstruck Transplanting gel over the top.

3) While the gel is still wet, immediately apply the Moodstruck Natural Fibres.

4) Reapply the Transplanting Gel to secure the fibres.

Here are my before and After shots....

Before: As you can see, I have pale blonde lashes. I had no makeup at all in the photos below, apart from the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes, so you can see the full extent of the magic, without any other special effects!

After: miracle of miracles, here are those same eyelashes, looking full and voluminous and long and lovely! Just look back and forth between the two photos and try and tell me you're not impressed!! It's as though they've grown on their own...

Not only do they look great initially but they last and last and last, with literally no smudging at all. In fact, I've even gone to sleep without removing my makeup (tut tut!) and there was still no smudging!

Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed with this product.

Do you have experience of Younique products?

You can shop for these products and more (I fancy trying the Younique Stiff Upper Lip lip stains) by clicking on the links!

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