LUSH christmas goodies

So today I thought I'd share with you all the christmas themed offerings I picked up from LUSH this year. I honestly could have taken all of it but I narrowed it down to 5 bath products and a soap from the christmas collection. I've also asked my mum for one of the LUSH box sets for christmas so hopefully I'll be able to try out some more products then! But for now, here's what I picked up!

Just a little extra note: Unfortunately, as I am at university and have no access to a bath, full reviews on what these goodies are like will have to wait until I am home later this month. I will give you some thoughts on their scent and appearance though!

So the first thing I picked up was this LUSH christmas classic, the Magic Wand Bubble Bar! The idea with this is to swirl it about in your bath in order to produce an endless stream of beautiful bubbles. I remember seeing this last year and being gutted about not getting my hands on one so I'm super happy to be able to try one out this year! Now this is very sweet smelling and has the same scent as the Snow Fairy shower gel (which i'm gutted i forgot to get on my little LUSH trip!). It's super girly and just adds that little bit extra to your bath time!

Now if this isn't just the most adorable thing you have ever seen in your life then I don't know what is! The lady in the store (who was possibly the nicest, most informative person i have ever met!) actually told me that this little bubble bar is based on the blue penguins that live all the way in Australia which not only enticed me even more to buy one but also showed me how LUSH really do think about all their products. This little guy has a much more fresh scent to it than the Magic Wand bubble bar which is slightly citrus-y and also a little bit floral. I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to put him in the bath as he's just too cute to see melt away!

I was actually a little bit sceptic about purchasing this bath melt due to all the glitter. I remember Zoella in her LUSH christmas haul how much glitter it shed (see above picture for proof!) and I personally don't want to be coating myself in a layer of glitter when I go to moisturise. However, I was very much drawn to the scent which is super uplifting and has a really strong scent of lime (honestly, every time i can come into my room i can smell it even though it's still in it's packet, in the carrier bag!). The lady I was speaking too also said that there's only really one thin layer of glitter so it's not actually too bad. Plus it does look really pretty... I guess I can make do with a little sparkle in my life this christmas!

I wasn't actually drawn to this when I walked into the shop, purely for it's appearance. It sort of looked like two different coloured play doughs moulded together. However, the slight iridescent shimmer and scent convinced me to go for it. The Candy Mountain bubble bar smells deliciously of bubble gum and I just know it's going to be a luxurious bath when I use it. There's a slight hint of vanilla to it as well so it doesn't get too sickly although I would advise not to use the whole bar at once! I actually can't wait to use this and turn my bath water a lovely shade of pink!

Now this is another LUSH classic, the Cinders bath ballistic, but as I'm not really keen on bath ballistics (they don't really add much apart from some colour to a bath) I wasn't going to bother getting it. However, as I'm a sucker for the hype I gave in and added it to my basket! I think I chose this one over the other bath ballistics because it has popping candy on the top and I really can't wait to see what they're like in the bath! I think they'll just be a little more exciting than your average bath product. 'm not too keen on the scent as it's cinnamon but I think there will be nothing more perfect than this in a nice bubbly bath on Christmas Eve so I think I'm just going to deal with it!

So after I'd put Cinders into my basket, I was heading to the till to pay when my flatmate actually pointed this soap out to me. I gave it a big sniff and I was actually pleasantly surprised. It's the Snow Globe soap and it's super fresh. Again, quite citrus-y (are you seeing a theme here...) but this time, lemon. I think I'm going to save this for when I have a bath but I'm really interested to see if the scent transfers to the skin and lingers for a while afterwards. I also think it would be nice to use in the morning to perk you up a bit and give you a really fresh start to the day.

So there are my picks from this years LUSH christmas collection. There were so many other things I wanted to pick up but I think I did a pretty good job at limiting myself to only a few. I'm super excited to try everything out and as I've said, I'll give full and proper reviews once I've had chance to try them out later this month. But I really recommend going and checking out the offerings in shops and talking to the employees who are always so nice and informative! I never walk away with anything I don't like!

Have you picked anything up from the LUSH christmas collection? If so let me know in the comments!

OPI you callin' me a lyre?

I've finally got round to posting about the third nail varnish I picked up when in New York (last year! eek...). Now I tried all of the colours separately and reviewed them as I used them but I really feel I've saved the best until last. I absolutely adore this colour and out of the three I've tried from the New York Ballet collection this is the one I think you should all get!

Like the other two colours I've tried from the collection this is a very sheer pastel colour but actually provides a much nicer finish than the other too as it's a much more natural colour. It's also a very gorgeous colour, the perfect pale rose pink.

It's an extremely watery consistency (as were the other too) which made me a bit doubtful at first as to what it was going to be like and it is only slightly pigmented but I actually quite like that as it's unlike any of my other polishes. I think it would actually work really well for when you want to do a french manicure.

Unfortunately you can't really do one/a couple of thick coats to increase pigmentation as it's so watery that it would just run everywhere and smudge like crazy so I've just had to go for the thinner coats and a lighter finish. However, just one coat instantly made my nails look brighter and lovelier and healthier that I wasn't going to bother with any extra layers (but i did for the purposes of this review!). Honestly, I was so impressed with the way the polish looked on the nails. 3 coats is about as much as you can do before it starts to get a bit messy and you can still see my white tips through the varnish but that is, obviously, just because of how pale the polish is anyway.

It really is a very simple nude pink (occasionally looking beige in some lights) but honestly THE perfect nude. It's very natural and super subtle so would be great if you wanted a discrete nail varnish or if you're not allowed to wear any at school/work. I feel that it's a very sophisticated colour as well and whilst it is subtle, it's not completely unnoticeable and when I was wearing it I often gazed down at my nails to admire how lovely they looked!

Another way I'd wear it is under glitter polishes as a really simple base (it's actually how i'm going to paint my nails next so look out for a picture on my instagram! @bethsutton_).

It has a relatively good drying time but smudges very easily unfortunately. I actually learnt the hard away and about 15/20 minutes after painting my nails, I completely messed one of them up! I think how easily they smudge is to do with how many layers you use but you need more layers to get a good colour so it's a tricky situation! On the other hand, I found the staying power of this polish to be really really great. I never use a top coat (naughty!) but it didn't chip at all! It lasted for days (about 3 which is pretty darn good considering no top coat!) before any signs of chipping which I'm super happy about!

The colour is very true to the bottle unlike the other shades I tried and because of this I didn't actually think I'd like it that much but it's just so pretty. I can't wait to repaint my nails with this colour! Unfortunately it's not really an autumn/winter colour but I love it nevertheless and come spring 2014, it'll be perfect!

There we go then, the last of the polishes that I tried from OPI's New York Ballet collection. I have to say that they are mixed feelings for the colours that I tried but this is by far my favourite so if you have chance, go and check it out!

Updates!

1. I mentioned in my last post that I wanted to post a little more regularly but this post has come a little later than hoped. Unfortunately I've just been super busy with university, university work, university life, catching up with friends, regularly calling my parents etc. I've just had a lot going on and my blog has had to take a little back seat... I've also been turning to X Factor in my spare time as I have so much to catch up on and it requires very little energy!
2. I've really not been up to much recently and the most exciting thing I've done is go to one of the club's in town with my flatmates for a night out. It was pretty cool and I actually managed to meet up with a friend from home which was great. I was very tired the next morning but worth it I think.
3. Today has been super chilled and I've just been reading blogs, catching up with X Factor, watching YouTube videos and reading articles for university - not all that interesting really. 
4. And it's exactly what I'm planning on doing tomorrow as well! 

I'm off to finish watching some X Factor but fingers crossed I'll be here tomorrow! Night!

may 2013 glossybox

Is this an actual beauty related post? Not one just containing my ramblings? Why yes, yes it is. And the pictures were in fact taken in my new surroundings (i.e. my room at university, not that exciting...). 

Today I thought I'd just do a quick post on the glossybox I got in May and its contents. In May it was Glossybox's 2nd birthday and so it was pretty exciting for both them and their subscribers. Now I didn't actually think the products were exceptionally special (i don't know why i thought they would be, maybe just because it was a big occasion?), they are all items I'm excited to try!

Now I'm a high street girl when it comes to mascara's and have never actually tried a high end one. But that doesn't mean I've never wanted one - I very nearly bought one of the Lancome limited edition mascara's at duty free this summer but was tempted by other beauty things instead. Plus I do have a few other mascara's that I need to try and test out first. Anyway, when I opened this box, I was very happy to see this sample and I'm super excited to give it a go. The brush shape is unlike any I've seen before and I'm interested to see what effect it creates on the lashes. Now the packaging says that this is a '4-in-1' mascara and I'm not entirely sure what it means, nor does it explain on the packet the little sample came in. However, I'm definitely going to look into it and share my research findings with you when I do a full review. 

Now I've never heard of the brand Harmony before and I can't actually find any information about them online or where to buy any of their products which is a bit disappointing. But I'm sure if I end up really liking this product I'll hunt it down! Upon seeing this product I wasn't that excited because sometimes I doubt how far you can actually go with moisturisers. However, I slapped myself on the wrist and remembered how important moisturisers are to your skincare routine and they are actually product I regularly miss out which is very bad. I usually use the Liz Earle Skin Repair one but sometimes I find it a bit too heavy on the skin so I am definitely open to finding an alternative that is lighter. I have just tried this on the back of my hand and it does definitely feel lighter (whether this is the same on the face is another question). It sinks in pretty fast and is nicely soothing. One thing that I'm not too keen on is the smell. It's slightly like suncream but something else as well that I can't put my finger on. I'll keep giving this a go though and report back on my thoughts!

This is another brand I've never heard of before and I'm a little gutted that this is the product I will be trying first from them because it really doesn't look that interesting. The label doesn't give much detail or instruction either - 'prime & create'? a 'mixing medium?' Upon discovery I had no idea what I was supposed to do with this and I'm still not 100% sure but since putting a bit on the back of my hand I think I have an idea. I just rubbed the tiniest little bit onto the back of my hand and my lord, the skin on my hand has never felt smoother! The gel has blurred the skin to make it look flawless and has created the perfect base for any make up. From this, I think it is just a primer but I think you're supposed to mix it in with your foundation? I'm interested in trying it on it's own and mixed with foundations to see the effects I get and I can't wait to report back to you guys! It just goes to show that you can never judge a book by its' cover!

Oil is something that I should probably use but always something I tend to avoid. Having very oily skin on my face I definitely don't want to add any more to it and I always have nightmares that if I put any oil on my hair after washing it, it will turn out so disgustingly greasy I'll just have to watch it again. And in terms of putting it on my body, I need to get into the routine of moisturising first, then I can move onto oils and the likes. (rant over...) Therefore, I wasn't too overly enthused by this product but when I saw it was by the brand Caudalie and had the word 'divine' in its' name, I feel like I just have to give it a go! I've not tried it yet but will definitely let you know!

I recently had a big clean out of my nail polishes and a lot of them got thrown away due to the fact they were all gloopy or had just dried up completely. Therefore, any additions are welcome to my collection! Nails Inc are a brand I'm not too sure on. I think they're a really lovely brand to buy from but not one I hear a lot of. I don't think I'll ever go out and buy from them myself but I'm definitely happy to receive samples in beauty boxes and full sizes as gifts as I've never had problems with the actually polishes before. I think this colour is so gorgeous and vibrant and probably much more suited to the summer. However, I intend to wear it in these colder months with pride and to brighten things up a bit!

The final item I got in the glossybox was a little extra something that the company provided. Now I personally find these a godsend. I cannot tell you the amount of times that I break a nail when I'm out and about and have nothing to file them smooth again so end up biting them until their ridiculously short (such a bad habit!). So I'm super happy to have these to carry around in my handbag for when I have a nail emergency!

So that's it for my thoughts on the May glossybox. I know it's so super late but I just like to give my full thoughts and sometimes that takes a little while to get round to!

And I'm not going to do a full update here because I'm sure it'll be really boring as all I've done really is settle into uni and get stuck into the lectures etc. I'm really sorry that my blog has been compromised because of that, it's just I've had no time and I've just not been getting time to post. I'm hoping now I'm in more of a routine, posts will be more regular but I'm not going to promise anything because they always get broken! :(

I'm off to bed now as I have a 9am lecture tomorrow (all the funs) and so want to have a good night's sleep before that. Hopefully a post tomorrow afternoon so look out for that! :)

september summary

bright pink is the only way to have a bath /// off to seville! /// ice cream on our first day in seville /// posing by the fountain in the real alcazar de seville /// eating out part 1; 'birthday' dinner with friends /// eating out part 2; our fave dish at wags /// eating out part 3; last meal with my history gals /// BEST CREATION EVER /// my new baby that i love very much /// my lovely room at university - i really do like it! /// first fresher's event /// first care package from my mum

So this is what I've been up to this past month...

The main things that I've got up to are:

• going to Seville; it was honestly one of the most amazing weekends of my life and i really can't wait to go back and explore the beautiful city a bit more
• moving to university; a super stressful but exciting time!
• fresher's week; probably one of the craziest weeks of my life. i got to meet so many new people and bond with my new flatmates who i absolutely LOVE. but i'm super excited to start my lectures now and really get stuck into student life!
• my birthday; it was my birthday last Wednesday (the 25th) and it was quite a strange one. it was the first time i'd ever been away from home for my birthday and it made me miss home a lot more. however, my parents came to surprise me and took me out for dinner which meant an awful lot to me! i already can't wait to see them again!

I'm really sorry for the lack of posts during the past week or so - it's just been super manic what with settling in at university and getting to grips with this whole new experience. I'm really enjoying myself but it was a rocky start (read about my rollercoaster of emotions in my last post!)

I'm hopefully going to be back on track now as my university timetable started today (although my first IT session was cancelled, very frustrating!) and so I can get back into a routine. However, just stick by me as I'm still getting used to this whole 'student lifestyle' thing!

I hope everyone's had a good week and weekend and I look forward to posting again soon!

"i'm officially a student!": moving to university

Hello! So I've been a little absent this weekend as I have been a bit busy with moving into university...

Saturday was possibly one of the most stressful days of my life trying to get everything done before I left, trying to buy all the last minute things I needed and trying to say goodbye to all the people I would miss. On Saturday night my parents and I also went for our last dinner together before I left and things got a bit emotional.

(Now I want to just give a little piece of advice at this point to people who are about to move to university or who will be moving in the next few years. I was so excited about going to university all summer but it this weekend it really hit me how much I would miss home. It got me to thinking that I really wasn't ready and that university wasn't for me. Obviously this got me very stressed that I had made the complete wrong choice on what to do with the rest of my life. I, therefore ended up getting very emotional many times and just feeling so lost and confused. However, I just had to keep thinking of the positives and how it wasn't like I was never going to see my friends and family again or never go back home in order to calm me down and remind me that what I was doing was the right idea. So I just wanted to let you know that if you do find yourself getting a bit teary as you begin this new journey away from home, it's fine! It's okay to cry! I thought it wasn't at first and that I was one of those people that couldn't handle university but you have to remember that everybody is different and everybody handles these things in different ways! And you are never alone - there are a whole host of people for you to talk to. (attempt at advice now over...))

Anyway, yesterday was the day that I officially moved in to my new flat. It was an early start so I could do some last minute packing before we left and to make sure that I arrived on time (i had a specific time slot for moving in). As a result, I was absolutely shattered and already emotional meaning that the car journey was spent feeling pretty queasy. Once I had arrived, however, my nerves had simmered down quite a bit and once I'd seen my room I was much happier. My room is actually really nice - it's pretty simple but it's also pretty big so once all my stuff was in it's place, it looked really good. However, once it was time for my parents to leave, the tears came once again. I think it was purely because it was this whole new experience in a completely new environment that set me off and the fact I would be on my own. After they'd gone though I went into the kitchen/lounge area and sat with my flatmates and ended up feeling so much better. There are two other girls in my flat and 3 guys and everybody is lovely.

Last night we all had dinner together and then I went to the fresher's 'opening night' at one of the clubs in town which was really good fun. It wasn't too crazy of a night but I still got had a good time! I also managed to meet up with one of my friend's from back home which I was very happy about!

Today has been much more chilled and we've just done a bit of shopping, wandered around the area and had dinner. Some of us are now just sat in the communal area watching a bit of TV and having a chat. We're going to have a quiet night in as most of us have induction events tomorrow and want to be nice and fresh face for those.

Even though it was a rocky and emotional start I'm really enjoying university life already. I got my timetable today and it's absolutely amazing (i have no lectures on a friday, ever and every other monday is free!) so once I get back into a structure I'm sure I'm going to have the best time here!

So that's my little rambly post about moving to university and settling in. Obviously I'm not the most experienced and it is only my second day here but if anybody has any questions then please ask! I'll be happy to have someone else to talk to as well! Advice is also very much welcome!

Now I'm going to go back and join my flatmates before an early night ready for tomorrow...

my lovely lovely room

wristband for the fresher's party

aqua splash tangle teezer

Before I started blogging/reading blogs, I had never heard of the brand Tangle Teezer before and had never thought about owning a specialist brush that would remove my tangles and knots with ease. Back when I used to have ridiculously long and dry hair, an item like this would be an absolute godsend as my hair would knot so easily. However, know I have removed all my dead ends and have much shorter, healthier hair, it doesn't tangle nearly as easily. But I got this with the Selfridge's Summer Beauty Box and was super excited to try it out. Unfortunately though, I have ended up rather disappointed.

Something that I do love about it is the colour. It's so bright and pretty and it's something that I'd definitely be happy whipping out as it's so much nice than just your average hairbrush. It's shape is also something I really like. It's unique and great for the bath and shower as it's lightweight and not too 'clunky'. The shape is completely different shape to the original tangle teezers but just as nice I think. One thing that the Aqua Splash has in common with the other tangle teezers available is the different length of 'bristles' with both short and long to try and reach all layers of your hair.

Now as it is aimed for use in the water, I thought it'd be perfect for use in the shower after I've put conditioner in, to help run the conditioner through the lengths of my hair whilst detangling at the same time. However this isn't actually what happened when I gave it a go. As the 'bristles' are so flexible, when I tried to brush through my hair they just bent and so wouldn't actually catch any of my hair, just sort of run over the top. When I did actually get more of a hang of it, it only really worked well on the ends of my hair and only really brushed the top layer of my hair. In order to get it to work on the full length and all layers of your hair, you have to really grip the roots in order for the rest to detangle. Sometimes you almost have to place your hair onto the brush in order for it to detangle which really is disappointing.

One time it really worked well was on towel-dried hair so it could be a substitute for your average brush. But as it is aimed for water use, I would have thought it'd work well on both dry and wet hair. However, the next time I used it in the shower it really tore at my hair and it was really hard to detangle my hair. My hair isn't even that knotty most of the time so I can't understand why it was so particularly difficult with this tangle teezer. However, after the initial difficulty, it did make my hair really soft afterwards but I think this was purely because it got my conditioner all through my hair which could quite easily be done with a cheaper, normal brush.

So there we go - my very disappointed review of a product I was super excited about. But even though this review isn't the most positive, I will keep trying to use it to see if it'll grow on me but I do also want to try out one of the original tangle teezers because there are so many positive reviews out there of them. I also don't want this review to put anybody off checking out the tangle teezer products as I know for a fact that most people absolutely love them and they will obviously work differently for different people!

MUSINGS...
Finally a post that isn't published late at night! I've finally got my act together today and got round to writing this review at a decent time. I'm going out this afternoon to the gym and then to the hairdresser's which I'm so excited about. I absolutely love getting my hair done so I can't wait for it to be washed and cut and nicely styled (small minds!).

I also have to start packing properly tonight for my move to university this weekend. I don't actually get that stressed or worried about it until I think about how much I have to get done and how much of a change it's going to be which is when I start getting all anxious (arghhh). But I know I'm going to enjoy myself once I have everything sorted and once I've settled in. Then I'll be happy (I hope!).

soap & glory no clogs allowed super self heating deep pore detox mask

So I mentioned in my last Soap & Glory post that I picked up 3 skincare products after a rubbish day of exams as a way to cheer myself up and as I've already done the review for the exfoliator I thought it was about time to try out the masks. The two masks I chose both work on clearing your pores but in different ways and with my pores being my biggest trouble spot, I'm looking forward to seeing how each of them works. Now I've only tried one so far and I absolutely love it so please read on for possibly one of the most positive reviews you will ever witness!

So as I mentioned, my pores are the worst part of my skin - they're absolutely huge and very easily get clogged. But to be honest, I don't always give my skin the deep clean it always needs. Blackheads are also another huge problem for me and these are probably a result, again, of not deep cleansing my skin that often. Therefore, anything that claims to get rid of them in one easy step is great for me.

As soon as you squeeze some of this mask out it has a slight gritty feel to it which I, at first, assumed was for exfoliation as they are tiny tiny beads. However, as I applied more to my face, I realised that there were some bigger beads in there too and as you rub the mask onto your face, these beads sort of melt away and create the heating sensation of the mask. The mask really starts to heat up as soon as it is put onto the face and it does become pretty hot (never had one as hot as this before) which may not be to everyone's tastes. I personally love it because it means my pores are really being opened and cleaned.

I think this would be really great for when your skin is feeling particularly clogged. Mine usually gets quite bad once a fortnight or if I've been wearing make up particularly often so I would use this mask instead of my other, regular masks as it's much more thorough and for the specific use of unclogging pores. Therefore in the future, I'm going to mix it into my normal routine to give my face a regular deep clean.

Another thing that I really love about the whole product is the little scrub you get with it as it means further exfoliation as you remove the mask from your face and it's a really handy way of taking the mask off. I've never actually used a sponge to take a mask off before but I like it as it's not too rough at all.

But onto the results! My face felt and (!!!) looked unclogged! My blackheads were significantly reduced in size and sight instantly and my pores looked so much smaller. I absolutely love it! I've never had a mask like it before or one that produces such an instant result. It's exactly what I've always looked for in a mask. My face felt super soft after using it which made me very happy! And because of the instant outcomes, I would recommend this to use before a big night out or if you want a quick fix!

So there we go. A super positive review and a product I'm very happy with. I've only used this a couple of times but I already know it's going to become my holy grail face mask! I really urge all of you who have problems with pores and blackheads to give this a go because it really does work!

MUSINGS...
Sorry for such a late post but I've been super busy today! This morning was actually quite laid back but then my dad and I went to the Trafford Centre to pick up my very lovely MacBook Air. Now this is actually for my birthday next week but I needed it early so I could set it all up before I headed off to university. It's my first ever MacBook and I absolutely love it! I feel so lucky and I'm so grateful to my parents for it!

After we got that we did a bit of other shopping that we needed to do before heading home so I could start playing around with my new toy!

Tonight I've just been out with a few friends as we're the last of our group to head off to university so we thought we'd go for a final final meet up. It was super nice to see them but definitely didn't feel like the last time before we all head off in our separate directions. To be honest though, I know it won't be long before I see most of them again because we're all already planning on when we're going to visit each other!

I hope this week has treated you well and remember it's Friday tomorrow!