First up is 'Candy Blue'*, which I adore. I have a thing for blue and turquoise polishes, and this is a lovely edition to my collection. Once applied it has more of a green tint than the bottle suggests, and there's a gorgeous fine glitter throughout. This only took 2 coats and it dried nice and quickly, like all Models Own polishes. My only gripe is that the consistency was rather runny, but this always tends to be the case with subtle shimmers.

Next is 'Fashionista'*, which I hate. I have never come across a nail polish colour that I dislike so much. I knew as soon as I saw it that it would NOT be a winner, and once I applied it, I was so unimpressed that I had to remove as quickly as possible! There was just something about the colour that didn't sit right with me. I tend to like my golds really rich and lively, but this has more of a greenish tint. The finish was also streaky, and it took quite a while to dry so I smudged it a lot. 

Finally is 'Hot Magenta'*, and I'm so gutted that my iPhone camera doesn't do the colour justice, because it is gorgeous! It's a deep burgundy with a very subtle red shimmer throughout, and it only takes 2 coats for a perfect, smooth finish. This cheered me right up after my 'Fashionista' woes, and I loved it so much that I kept it as a base for my manicure!

So, as I said at the beginning of the post, Models Own and Ford Retail have recently partnered in the creation of a new collection - the 'Glam It Up' set - which will be exclusive to test drivers of the new Ford Fiesta throughout the month of September '13. To get your paws on a set, all you have to do is register your details with Ford, visit one of their new car showrooms, and take a car for a test drive. Then this set will be posted out to you! The whole concept developed from the new Ford Fiesta's contemporary style, with every feature designed to make for a state-of-the-art, fashion forward driving experience. 

I wanted to do some car-inspired nail art for this manicure, so I Googled 'car engine' and used the images as a starting point. It would have been reeeeally difficult to recreate an actual engine on my nails, so I kept it a bit more simple and just took inspiration from the components. My manicure ended up looking quite tribal, but I still think it echoes the cogs and contraptions of a combustion engine, and the added bits of glitter make it very girly!

Models Own 'Hot Magenta'*

Rio gold nail art pen

Rio silver nail art pen

e.l.f. 'Dream Maker'

Tiny dotting tool

With my rich red base, I began to add details using Rio nail art pens. I used the striping brush ends for the lines, and then added more details using the pen nibs. I combined stripes, dots and dashes, and then carefully added the larger sequins from 'Dream Maker' using the dotting tool. 

I wasn't too sure about this manicure at first, but I really like how random and funky it is. I also love the gold and silver details on top of a red base, it's very autumnal! What do you think? Do you like Models Own and Ford Retail's "road-worthy nail polish collection"?**