Hello!
No Nail Mail this week but with The Walking Dead Season 7 finale upon us I thought it was a good time to post my Walker Stalker Con London 2017 review and obviously nails were done for the occasion!
I posted a review in 2016 of my experience at the first Walker Stalker Con London, I had a General Admission ticket last year and although I still had an amazing time the queuing etc... did take away from my enjoyment a little so this year I splashed out a bit for a VIP ticket!
The VIP ticket gives you perks such as faster queuing over GA. Priority panel seating and we got in an hour and a half earlier than GA which was a much more relaxing experience than last years craziness.
Walker Stalker have a 'will call' on the Friday before the weekend starts so we picked up the tickets early to avoid the queues on the Saturday. Will Call was SO! well organised this year and only took around 10 minutes to pick up the VIP admission tickets - Straight to the desk because we had priority queuing and then picked up my photo op and autograph tickets which took about 45 minutes - No priority queues for this.
We arrived about half 8 for the doors at 9. The Platinum and Gold VIPs were let in first and then us. The hall at Olympia was so much better laid out this year. Pictures below:
This was the convention floor with the merch in the centre and autographs around the sides and on the upper level with the panel seating to the back of the hall and a big open floor space next to it. Last year this was where the photo ops were but they had been moved into the back hanger creating a much more open feel. Last year was a claustrophobic nightmare! This year I don't think I felt too 'crammed in' the whole weekend. I know they sold less tickets this year as well and I think they hit the nail on the head with numbers.
Hall with just VIP attendees.
Photo Ops and second panel stage to the right of these lines.
There was new artwork for lanyard passes as well this year. How cool is that zombie!
First thing Saturday I had my Norman Reedus Autograph. These were pre-sold for GA & VIP this year which meant a much less crowded Norman line. Much more relaxed. I still waited around 3 hours as Gold & Platinum had priority. I was lucky that Jefferey Dean Morgan came to say Hi! Safe to say my mind went blank as soon as I met Norman and ended up talking about blood sugar levels and didn't show him my nails. I'm hoping next year I'll be lucky to snag another autograph and maybe not become a mute next time! Norman was lovely though, and hugged me!!
After this we went to a few panels and looked at the merch and also managed to fit in a Lauren Cohen Autograph in the afternoon. She was lovely but definitely doesn't spend as long chatting to fans as Norman so her line moved very quickly. We walked straight through with our VIP Passes.
The cos players this year were awesome and really added to the experience, There was also a scare maze with professional zombies and a photo booth for pictures, I didn't try this as, as much as I enjoy The Walking Dead, I would have been a complete wuss with the jump scares!
Sunday we arrived around half 9 and went straight in. We were hoping to get a sketch from Charlie Adlard but the queue time was too long so we went and watched some more panels instead. I had a Photo Op with Norman in the afternoon. It was fairly well organised this year but the Photo Op security people were very loud and unhelpful. We had to wait quite a while but Norman is often running late so I was expecting it. The Photo Op is very fast, like 30 seconds. I probably won't get any Photo Ops next year as I preferred the autographs where there's time for some interaction before being moved along.
We spent the rest of the day watching panels and looking at the merch. I think I could have got some more autographs if I'd wanted but the prices had gone up quite a bit from last year and I enjoy the panels so didn't want to miss any. Next year I might try for some more autographs depending on who's announced.
Overall I was so pleased Walker Stalker had taken on all the complaints from last year and frankly I think sorted all the problems! VIP was definitely worth the extra money. Less queuing was definitely appreciated and the priority seating at panels was great as I love that aspect of the con. The early entry made getting your bearings much less stressful. The merch was much better, both quality & quantity. The Volunteers did an amazing job and seemed much better informed than last year. My only complaint was that despite being let in at 9 most of the stars didn't arrive until 10 meaning the hour I was hoping to maybe squeeze some easy autographs in didn't really happen. Also the pre-sale autos for Norman & Jefferey way overran and people were there past closing time as the tried to fit everyone in. I had a group A ticket so this wasn't an issue for me but the later groups ran very late, nightmare if you had trains to catch etc... Credit to them both for staying well into the evening to see everyone though. They have such long crazy days!!
Also I think I'd now like all my nail pictures to be posed on Norman Reedus if that's ok! Best place my Right hand has ever been!
Got my VIP ticket booked for next year already!
So onto the nails! I always find my Walking Dead Nails turn out similar to ones I've done before but I just really like this design!!
I used my trusty OPI 'My Boyfriend Scales Walls' as a base and dry brushed using Models Own 'Red Lustre' & 'Raven Red' for the blood effect.
I used stamping plates Uber Chic 'Zombie Love 01' Sugar Bubbles '001' & Creative Shop Plate '35'. I stamped with Colour Alike Black Stamping Polish and my Fab Ur Nails Jumbo Stamper.
I topped it all off with a coat of HK Girl Top Coat. So Shiny!
If you've got any questions about Walker Stalker Con feel free to comment or contact me on my social media.
Here's hoping our favourite characters survive the Season 7 Finale!
Thanks for visiting,
Have a lovely day,
Helen xx
