Models Own Polish for Tans 2016 Swatches*

For the past three years, Models Own Polish for Tans range has become as synonymous with summer time in the British Isles as rain and disappointment. This year's additions to the range provides us with a much-needed injection of bright neon colour that will make your tan pop. Now, as you can see, I am not a tan person and never will be. I'm probably not the best person to attest to the polish's power to make your summer tan pop BUT I am here to show you that the polishes aren't just for the sunkissed amongst us but they also suit us ghostly kids who hide in the shade for fear of becoming the most delicious shade of raspberry pink. Models Own were kind enough to send these over so continue on to see some swatches and read about how I got on with the shades.

So all of the swatches are without a top coat and between three-to-four coats but for a few you could get away with two coats.

Barrier Reef bright, milky pink: a pastel pink, this shade would probably be more at home in a spring collection (and probably featured in a good few as well). A bit of a *basic* colour, it's a decent polish, becoming opaque with three thin coats. There's nothing wrong with the colour but it's just one that we've seen time and time again. In fairness, it is a bit brighter in real life but I have a gazillion pastel pinks in my collection. If you're not worried about getting the entire collection from this year then you could probably give this a miss.

Boat Party wild orchid purple: a gorgeous, bright purple shade, Boat Party is a bit more bright and neon than its compadres in the orchid category. Quite similar to a few purples that have featured in the past few Models Own releases, it's different enough for nail polish fans to get and it truly is more neon than other similar shades. This is three coats. It has a thinner consistency than some of the other shades in the collection and I think this can be attributed to the more neon nature of the shade.

Island Hop hot neon pink: How could we get away with a summer collection without a hot neon pink? It does exactly what it says on the team. It is the sort of pink highlighter shade that you'll see on every beach from here to Bondi. An essential for any beach bunny this summer season. Three thin coats for full opacity but two would do if you're in a rush.

Surfs Up luminous coral: Luminous coral is right! This is one of those shades that the camera just can't capture in all its gorgeousness. A lovely warm-toned coral shade, its a bright alternative for those who aren't fans of pink and want to venture out of the comfortable world of reds this summer. This is three thin coats but you could get away with two.

Beach Fire glowing amber: I think this is the shade is the one that caught everyone's attention when Models Own first posted the teaser image for the collection. Not yellow but not really orange either, it's a refreshing alternative to the standard lemon, yellow neon that you often see in summer collections. I LOVE this shade. It's so unique, unlike anything I have in my own stash. Paired with Surfs Up and Island Hop, they'd be the most stunning combo. My mind's already churning with all of the nail art possibilities! The only downside of this shade is the sheerness of the formulation. It took four coats to get full opacity and I could still see a few patchy bits. This polish might benefit from a white base coat to make it really pop. It's actually a bit more orange in real life but it's quite a hard one to capture on camera.

So what do you guys think? I think this year's Polish for Tans will please different people. We have Barrier Reef and Island Hop who will please the pink-loving crowd and err on the more traditional side of summer shades whereas Boat Party, Surf's Up and Beach Fire push the boundaries and are a little bit more unusual and fun.

My favourites are Surfs Up and Beach Fire by a long stretch, followed up by Boat Party. You can get the new Polish for Tan shades from the Models Own website as well as in Bottleshops nationwide (PLEASE COME TO BELFAST SOON) and are priced at £4.99 each.

Also, I'd love you opinion on my photography from this post. I've come up with yet ANOTHER lighting set and and I'd love to know what you think. Is it better or worse than my previous photos? What more could be done etc. I know I don't normally post pictures with a square aspect ratio but do you prefer it to my normal style? Your feedback is much appreciated! Until next time :-)