Max Factor Max Effect

Max Factor Max Effect in Chilled Lilac - £3.99

Everytime I go into Boots I walk straight past the Max Factor concession. This time I decided to have a closer look and picked up one of their new(ish) Max Effect Mini Polishes.

I picked up 'Chilled Lilac' for £3.99 which isn't a bad price! The colour is perfect for Spring as it's a really cool, light Lilac, hence the name.

The polish is a bit thin when applying which is really annoying. I used about three coats in total and on the third it was quite difficult to get a nice finish as it kept going a bit gloopy and thick, despite it being quite thin at first? It was pretty weird but the finished result is pretty!

I love the shade, it's lovely and girly. It doesn't really need a top coat as it's so shiny. Overall it's a great polish for the money but a bit annoying on application. I will definitely use it again!

Benefit Hello Flawless SPF15 Cover Up Powder

Benefit Hello Flawless Cover Up Powder in Ivory - £24.50

This has got to be the best cover up product I've ever used! Not long ago I received a sample of it and put it to the test when my skin was particularly rubbish. I actually couldn't believe my eyes when my bad skin was completely covered up and looked clearer than ever!

I tend to just wear Foundation/Tinted Moisturiser when I have particularly bad/spotty skin but neither tends to really cover up properly. Once I pop a bit of this powder on though the imperfections simply disappear.

I find the sponge is really great for application as it helps the powder get inbetween any dry or cracked skin. The brush is more for a sweeping natural finish on the whole face.

The powder is really soft and just seems to be the perfect shade match for my skin. It's actually a great sized product as well as comes with a good size mirror and little compartment to hold the brush and sponge.

I originally thought £24.50 was a bit too expensive for this product but I would absolutely pay it again as it's so brilliant.

Highly recommended!

Wednesday Wishlist #24

Boohoo.com: Romiley Button Front Cap Sleeve Shirt Mini Dress - £20
Dorothy Perkins: Green pull on jeggings - £23
ASOS: Vero Moda Oversize Melange Tunic Top - £16
New Look: Oatmeal Ikat Heart Print T-Shirt - £9.99

So, while browsing Boohoo.com I came across a cute shirt dress which isn't something I'd normally wear! It also comes in a cute Mint colour, it would be great for the summer!

Picking pieces for this weeks wishlist was quite difficult! Not much is catching my eye at the moment! I'm waiting to be paid to be honest and looking for things when I have no money is quite hard because I can't buy them! What's really on the top of my shopping list is pastel coloured jeans or three quarter lengths so the picks here are just some nice additions!

I love the idea of the green leggings! I've been contemplating dark green jeans but these would be great, especially teamed with the Vero Moda top, what do you think? Roll on payday!

What do you think of the choices? Would you try the shirt dress?

What's in my shopping bags?

Matalan Sorbet Satchel - £8

Matalan Bird Print Shirt - £16

Max Factor Max Effect in Chilled Lilac - £3.99
Bourjois 10 Day Nail Polish - £5.99
Rimmel Traffic Stopping Eyes - £6.49

Yes! It's back! I haven't done one of these posts in so long and I've bought so much stuff! There's too much to do a backdated post so I'll just continue with what I bought recently!

On Saturday I was so bored that I just had to take a quick trip to Boots to see what was about. There's always something new in stock at the make-up counters and as I try and keep up to date on new products for the blog I had to pick a few things up! Of course, I went totally overboard and spent about £20 in total, but I had a double points voucher so it was completely worth it! Always look for coupons before you shop; it pays!

It was 3 for 2 on make-up/beauty products so I obviously picked up some nail polishes and the new Rimmel eyeshadows, all lovely and all will be reviewed on the blog in the next week or so!

I also picked up two amazing bits in Matalan. The Sorbet Satchel is SO gorgeous! It's not a colour of handbag that I'd usually get. I think I only really own black bags so this is a real change, I just hope I don't scratch or mark it! It was only £8 too so complete bargain!

Matalan have some lovely blouses/shirts in store at the moment so I tried on the really pretty Bird print shirt. I didn't buy it, left the store and got in the car and then got out of the car and went and got it! It's never something I'd wear normally but I really wanted to try it so here we are! I love the print and the fit. £16 is a bit pricey for Matalan in my opinion but I'm glad I got it because it's so pretty, I'd probably happily spend that if it was in Topshop.

So you'll be able to look forward to some reviews of the products to come and I'm trying my hardest to master taking outfit photos so fingers crossed!

Jurlique Pick of the Bunch

Jurlique Pick of the Bunch - The Favourites - £45*

Just before Mother's Day I was contacted by the lovely people that represent Jurlique and was offered a sample of their special Mother's Day sets, a chance at which I jumped at of course!

My Mum loves using different products and she's always ordering different bits from QVC so I thought she might like to try a sample and review it for my blog. She's never tried Jurlique either so I was interested to hear her thoughts.

I wasn't expecting an actual full size product worth £45 to try out! I probably could have got away with giving it to her as an actual Mother's Day present!

The packaging is lovely and the bottles themselves are such a lovely shape and texture. They just look expensive and good quality.

The Rosewater Balancing Mist is made to refresh and maintain balance in the skin. Mum has been using it every morning and finds it very refreshing and hydrating, it's got such a lovely scent and dries nice and quickly.

The Herbal Recovery Gel is a light gel made to firm and hydrate skin and restore radiance. You only really need a tiny pea sized amount when applying. It does start to dry quickly but goes a little sticky/tacky for a few minutes, but after that it leaves skin lovely and soft and smelling of roses!

Both of the products compliment eachother perfectly. They not only smell gorgeous but Mum has been using for a little while now which is quite a good sign as she often gets bored with products. She says her skin feels a lot softer and more refreshed after use so they're a definite hit!

This set makes a lovely gift and both products will last for ages. £45 is a little expensive but they're really great products. I definitely think Mum would pay this as she's paid more in the past for various QVC bits. Overall great products, definitely recommend!

This post contains PR samples

A small week in photos

Much needed McDonalds / Sweeties / Crazy Jasper / Blogging! / Crazy weather
Follow me on Instagram @cherryp13

I totally forgot to take many photos this week so I do apologise! I did remember to snap a few but to be honest, I've not done much this week anyway!

This week has flown by for some reason! But I have good news! My placement has been extended by a month to 27th April! It's been going really well and I'm doing lots of work for them so I'm really pleased I've been asked to stay a bit longer! I've never worked in PR before and it's quite interesting and good to do something new!

It's certainly nice to get paid a decent wage and work some proper hours! I can't wait until I next get paid so I can go a bit mad in Boots, there's so many things I want to buy and review for the blog! If you've got any suggestions then let me know!

Missguided Spring/Summer 2012 Lookbook

Summer is on its way! I'm loving the imagery in this Lookbook as well as the variety of prints and patterns!

I've got to say that Creepers are really growing on me and shops like Missguided are bringing them into the mainstream a little more! I'm also loving the bright wedges and leggings, in particular the stripy ones!

Missguided have gone pretty heavy on the JC Litas copies recently and they're really not something I'd buy or wear but they look great on other bloggers!

The Lookbook is really cute and most importantly, Summery! I love the bright shorts and little tops as well as the patterned jumper, perfect for Summer evenings!

What do you think of the S/S Lookbook from Missguided?

Wednesday Wishlist #23 featuring Boohoo.com

I always always forget about Boohoo.com when I'm creating my Wednesday Wishlists! I usually just go straight to Topshop and ASOS, but they're much too expensive these days. Boohoo.com actually has some great pieces for great prices!

I absolutely love the Tia Double Buckle Contrast Shoulder Bag as it reminds me alot of the popular one from Zara that I'm still contemplating buying! It's not a bad price either. I actually loved all of the bags on the site, they all looked like a great quality and there were some great copies to choose from!

Love, love, love the skirts. I don't think I've ever tried a pencil skirt before, I might be a bit too short for them but I love looking at them!

I said on Twitter not long ago that I wasn't keen on the stripy leggings that are popular in the blogging community at the moment. I actually tried on some thin striped trousers yesterday in Matalan and loved them, so I've completely changed my mind now! I much prefer the thinner stripes though!

What's on your wishlist this week? What do you think of pencil skirts and stripy leggings?

George Matt Finish Nail Polish in Freedom

George Quick Dry Nail Varnish in #57 Freedom - £1.75

Can you believe this little pot of loveliness comes from George at Asda? If you look close enough you can find some really great little beauty products in supermarkets these days, and most of them even have branded concessions as well!

I picked up the George Quick Dry Nail Varnish in #57 Freedom for just £1.75, which is super cheap for a nail polish these days!

I've been wanting a Matt polish for ages as I love the finish to them and they just bring something different than normal polishes. There wasn't many shades left in stock actually so I settled on this baby Pink colour which is really not something I'd usually wear.

It took about three coats to get a good finish as it's quite thin but it's very bright! If you read my Topshop Nail Tattoos post from last week you might recognise it as I used it for the base. I actually ended up having to remove the stickers and reapply the polish which was a bit annoying but it dries super super fast!

It lasted a day or two before starting to chip which is a little poor compared to some polishes but what do you expect from a cheap and cheerful supermarket? It'll do for the odd special occasion or an evening out I think. I might even try some nail art with it!

What do you think? Have you tried Asda's nail polish before?

Glossybox March 2012 - The Harrods Edition

Molton Brown Vitalising Vitamin AB+C Bath & Shower, SKII-SKIN Signature, Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream

Valentino Valentina Eau De Parfum, She Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil

Lancôme Hypnôse Drama

A little later than planned but I thought better late than never! This has got to be the most hyped up Glossybox ever. The spoilers were out way in advance of the box's release so pretty much everyone knew what to expect, and pretty much everyone wanted a miniature Burberry lipstick. Cue lots of complaints when they didn't receive one.

I was pretty glad I didn't get a Burberry Lipstick if I'm honest. Although my mum was disappointed! I hate that beauty boxes are always packed with lipgloss and lipstick. I think it's just playing it safe and beauty boxes need to have a bit more imagination! Of course Burberry is an amazing brand to have in your box so whoever did get one should be grateful!

I was a bit disappointed to see two cardboard samples in the box as they don't really scream luxury to me. The perfume is quite nice but the face oil will probably not be of any use to me! But I was so excited to see the Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara as I've wanted to try it for absolutely ages!

The Molton Brown shower gel took me a little while to get used to. The scent is SO strong but after a while it kind of grew on me. The bathroom smells quite nice after using it, and so do I!

I wasn't impressed to see Clarins again. I know it's a great brand/product but we had Clarins products two months ago and I haven't even used them, so this one probably won't get used either. I'll certainly give the SKII-Skin moisturising cream a go as it's a brand I've never heard of before, and that's what Glossybox is all about.

I probably won't be buying any of these products in full size. They're from Harrods for a start, which means they're probably expensive and I noticed that Glossybox didn't include the prices of full size products in the little note. I think they've alienated a lot of their customers with the complimentary hard/arm massage from Harrods stores...I doubt when I go in June that the offer will still be on! Gutted!

Overall it's not really too bad of a box, but there's bit some right dramas over it. People will never be happy! My favourites have definitely got to be the mascara and shower gel! Lovely!

What did you all think of your Glossybox this month? Are you looking forward to seeing what's in store for April?

A plain week in photos

Topshop Nail Tattoos / Daisy taking over the office (You're fired!) / Harrods Glossybox / Vince at work on his latest creation / My new favourite cheese / DIY Chinese / Lovely dinner by Vince's mum!

I've suddenly realised that I didn't take many photos at all this week! Usually this post is full of pictures of my dinners but this week I just seemed to forget! Bad blogger!

I did manage to get a bit of food in there including my new favourite cheese bites! The DIY Chinese was made using microwave noodles and Chinese style ribs as it was Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary so they went out for a meal, leaving me to eat this! It wasn't too bad...but not as good as the meal Vince's mum made. I love eating her food because she just puts everything together and things I thought wouldn't work together, work really well and they're delicious! Luckily Vince has inherited the cooking talent!

As I mentioned before, the Topshop Nail Tattoos were a bit of a let down. I'm still deciding whether I like the Harrods Glossybox or not. There will be a review to come this week! I certainly like the Molton Brown shower gel despite how strong it is!

I'm loving the new look Company magazine at the moment! I kind of went off it for a long time and grew out of it but now it' had a makeover I really like it. The content is better aswell!


Last night was my friends 24th birthday so Vince and I went round for a few drinks etc, although I was driving so obviously not drinking! I didn't imagine it to be a late one but I didn't get home until 4am this morning, and now Vince is texting me complaining that his eyeballs hurts! Haha! Serves you right!

Obviously today is Mother's Day, so yesterday I spent absolutely ages traipsing round the shops trying to find a present. I just couldn't decide what plant/flowers/clothes to get her so finally settled on two books that I thought she'd like and a big box of Jelly Babies which are her favourite! It seemed to go down well!

The rest of today is going to be spent writing up blog posts and eating a lovely Sunday lunch, yum!

John Frieda Full Repair

John Frieda Full Repair Range available at Boots*
Sheer Mist - £6.99*
Deep Infusion Serum - £6.99*
Deep Conditioner Mask - £5.99*

Root Lift Foam - £5.99*

Full Body Shampoo - £5.69*
Full Body Conditioner - £5.69*

Did you guess what the video I posted on Monday was about? If not, here's your answer.

John Frieda has launched a brand new John Frieda Full Repair range, designed to treat damaged and overworked hair. Aka, mine.

I had already been using the Shampoo and Conditioner and I absolutely love them. I was previously using Aussie products but I was finding my hair more and more difficult to brush after every wash, even with a tangle teezer, so when I received the Full Repair products I immediately started using them and found brushing much easier!

The products leave hair feeling lovely and soft and like you've just come out of the hairdressers. The Root Lift Foam is not like usual mousses that leave your hair a bit hard and straw like, so I really prefer this product! I'm yet to use the repair mask but if the rest of the products are anything to go by, I'll be using it on a very regular basis.

When I saw the prices of the products I thought they were a bit steep. Almost £6 for a shampoo...but after using them I think the price is really worth it. I'd definitely recommend!

This post contains PR samples

Topshop 'Sisters Of The New Moon' Temporary Nail Tattoos

Topshop Temporary Nail Tattoos in Black - £7

I love the new Sisters Of The New Moon collection at Topshop. The packaging is so pretty and the Temporary Nail Tattoos really caught my eye! Anything nail art related always does.
£7 is a bit steep but since I got paid I thought I'd treat myself! The packet comes with two pages of tiny black 'tattoos'. There are 86 in total but it really doesn't look like it. Some of them are really small!

They're so easy to apply. I remember when I was a kid I used to have those little fake tattoos that you would put onto your skin using water. These are exactly the same, you simply cut out the design you want, take off the plastic and stick on your nail. You then hold a wet cloth/flannel over the nail for about 10 - 15 seconds and voila!


You don't have to wait for them to dry and you can get on with things straight away! However, they don't last long at all. About an hour after application I noticed tiny bits had started rubbing off, which is not good at all, and they picked up little bits of fluff and dust really easily. I ended up taking them off.

They're pretty but not worth £7 at all, not for the length of time they stay applied.