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!