THE RED-CORAL NAILS

When I don't know what to paint on my nails, there are three colour groups I will go for - either nude, mint green, or corals. As I was hunting through my (ridiculously large) stash, I found out that I actually have four corals that are pretty darn similar, some more affordable than others, and so I thought this would be a good post for those who want to get into the reddish-corals.

The first one you see is Ciaté Playdate which is more of a pink toned coral rather than the red-orange. The formula of Ciaté polishes is one of the best that I've tried as they last really well on me considering nail polish generally chips on me in about a day or two *cries*.

For more of an orange-toned take on the corals, we have Revlon Craving Coral, which is one of my favourites for my toes, and  can imagine I will be getting mucho use out of this one when the summer comes along and the sandals make an appearance.

Two that are very similar (almost identical on the nails - I've tried wearing both at the same time and there isn't any difference), are OPI Red Lights Ahead...Where? and GOSH Crispy Coral, which both sort of sit somewhere in the middle between the pink-toned ones and the orange-toned offerings. Fun Fact - the OPI one was actually my first ever OPI Nail Polish!

Something tells me that my nails will be seeing a lot of these shades in the warmer months... What are your favourite summer polishes?

MY CURRENT OPI NAIL POLISH COLLECTION

When I first got into nails, and blogging, I always thought that OPI Polishes were way out of my league (aka, too much money, and I would never own any), but some time on, I own 5, and after some success stories in the bargain-hunting department, I will definitely be getting more in the future. I thought it would be a time to talk you through my current collection, but look out because I sense another coming soon in the future if I ever get any bolt-ons.

Starting off with the first OPI I ever bought, it's Red Lights Ahead...Where? A vibrant pink-red, hint of coral, one-two coater little pot of loveliness. I never used to like this when I first purchased it, but as I used it more it has become a staple in my overflowing collection, and gets an outing on the pointers at least once every one/two months. This came from the Holland Collection, which  most of them belong to. 

Another from the Holland Collection is A Roll In The Hague which is a vibrant, slightly red, but closely bordering true orange, and I didn't think I would be too wowed on this one, but I am. I love it, and orange is a colour you can wear it quite a lot of months and seasons, and so I think this one will be worn quite a lot. I don't own anything as close to a true orange as this one. 

The third I have from the Holland Collection is this one, dubbed as I Don't Give A Rotterdam which is a lovely blue/periwinkle, with silver and iridescent shimmer in it, and I was so excited to wear this, but it is so sheer. I have tried it over white, but it didn't quite work, so I'll get back to you on that if it works out, I'm not one for sheer polishes. 

One from the Caribbean Collection is Stranger Tides a dusty, murky, nudish pale green, which I am obsessed with, and I have a feeling that I could be wearing this a lot. It goes with everything, and it has that staple status of a nail polish, and once again, is nothing like I already own at all. 

I'll be quite honest, I was over the whole crackle thing, a few months after its debut, and I haven't used one since. But, considering I found Shatter The Scales from the Amazing Spiderman Collection in Poundland, I got it anyway, and although I won't use it all that much, it is nice to say I have it... sad. If this was a normal polish, it would be my autumnal dream, a rich forest green with sliver sparkles throughout - lovely. 

One day OPI might rule my collection, but for now, I am more than happy with my 'collection', and I'll let the drugstore ones do their thing until I have otherwise...

 

MY RECENT BARGAINS

It would appear that I have been doing some shopping recently, but haven't managed to pay full price for anything you see in the image above. That makes the hauling sound a little better...right?

Starting off with skin, I purchased 2 items. The first being the Dr Jart+ Water Sure Gel, a hyaluronic acid based gel which locks in moisture, hence why I use it under moisturisers daily. Basically Hydraluron in a tub, and this cost me £6.50 a month back in a Boots clearance, unusually reduced from the £26.00 they still charge on the website. 
Secondly, I picked up the Garnier Moisture Match Wake Me Up Gel Moisturiser, which I have wanted for a while now, and what better than when it is over half off at £2.37 in Tesco - brilliant. Look forward in the next few weeks of what is ruling the skincare shelf, and you may see one, or both of these featured. 

Onto nails, I accidentally stumbled into TkMaxx, and found a pack of 3 OPI Nail Polishes for £6.99 - What?! I couldn't not pick this pack up, as it was almost half the price of one, for all three. I got A Roll In The Hague, which is a vibrant, slightly red orange, I Don't Give A Rottadam, a dusty, periwinkle with some iridescent, leaning on holographic glitter - and both of these are from the Holland Collection. The other, is called Stranger Tides, a slightly dusty, murky, pale greenish, nudish, hybrid, which belongs in the Caribbean Collection I believe.

Back to makeup. In tesco, on the same trip, I managed to find myself a wee bargain, when spotting this Maybelline Eyestudio Mono in 750 Chocolate Chic, which I thought was matte at first, but in depth, this is a slightly reddy, plummy, dark brown, which is matte in the 'base', but then it has some larger, sparse amounts of iridescent shimmer, and still looks smashing in the crease. This was reduced to 79p, as I think they were decreasing the stand. 
For the same reasons, I found a Maybelline ColorSensational Lip Marker in Wink Of Pink on a whim as it was £1.49, but I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I don't know whether it has dried already, or the colour payoff or maybe it isn't as pigmented as I remembered on the first use.

Finally, on Saturday, I was waltzing round Boots, as you do, and in a clearance, I found the Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in 040 Crystal Water, which I have wanted for so long, and the sticker said £3.50, which I thought was a good deal anyway, but as the lady scanned it through, it came to £1.50 - what a bargain! 

So, a bit of a long one for me, but this haul should have cost a total of £86.06, but instead, I paid... £19.64, and something tells me that is a great deal... 

 

 

My Spring Nail Polish Picks! - High End and Drugstore

Hi everyone! So, Spring is just around the corner, and I really like things to match with the seasons, so I will do a few posts on my blush, jewellery, lip, and nail polish picks. This is my polish post, so I hope you enjoy it! With polishes ranging from high end/luxury to drugstore, this is a great selection!

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Greenberry £3.99

 I absolutely adore Barry M nail polishes, and when this new collection came out I had to get one. I picked this for one of my top 5 spring polishes as it is pretty and pastel, but also very bright, and uplifting and not your normal pastel turquoise colour. I can't fault this at all!

OPI Nail Lacquer in Red Lights Ahead...Where?! £8.50-£11.00 depending on the place of purchase.

 OPI nail polishes are flawless. This one is incredible. It's a vibrant pink-red coral colour, opaque in 1-2 coats. The lasting time is great, which you would expect for such a good quality polish. I really love just simple creme colours on my nails in the spring, I have no idea why, but I just don't lean towards shimmers and glitters as much in the warmer months.

China Glaze in Passion For Petals - Around £7-£8 

China Glaze are another great high end brand. This polish is a lovely pink/coral creme colour, which I absolutely adore. It is from their recent Avantgarden collection, so you should still be able to pick it up! The drying time of this polish is great as well, so you won't have to wait around for it to dry!

GOSH - Miss Minty £4.99

 Hands down, one of my favourite nail polishes. Hence the dirty cap, and it being half empty. I must buy another one of these, as the GOSH polishes are so incredible and I will probably cry when this one runs out. I was wearing this in autumn and winter for crying out loud, I must love it if I was wearing a pretty pastel in the month of oxblood and deep plums.

Fearne Cotton Polish in Lemon Drizzle.

You can't do a spring nail polish post without a nice pastel yellow creme. I have a weird hing about yellows. If they aren't like this one (pretty and pastel) I won't wear it. I feel strange about it, like I have mouldy nails or something. Yellows just don't suit my skin tone, but this one is lovely. This came in a Christmas set, but I am pretty sure that if you shop around online you will most certainly find it!

So, let me know some of your favourite spring/summer polishes in the comments! I have my eye on Essie Fiji, Mint Candy Apple and Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine in Lychee.

Thanks for reading, don't forget that you can follow via GFC and Bloglovin' and also on twitter; www.twitter.com/thebeaubow

Bye! Lauren x