Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly Polish in Lychee

Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly Polish in Lychee - £3.99

Not long ago I reviewed the Watermelon shade (here) of the popular gelly polish from Barry M. I was really impressed but there was still a certain shade that was calling out my name...

I ended up picking up 'Lychee' which is a gorgeous beige shade and one I've probably already got from a hundred different brands of polish, but oh well!

I particularly liked the gelly texture of this. It seemed a lot thicker than 'Watermelon' and was great to apply. It dries in superfast time and is lovely a shiny - hence the 'Hi-Shine' in the title.

There are now so many great shades in the gelly range, I really want them all. They've proved really popular with bloggers and for £3.99 you can't go wrong really.

Have you tried the Hi-Shine Gelly range?

A plain week in photos

Polka dot nails / Baking / Pizza! / Fat lips! / Exciting read.../ Weleda goodies / cheeky monkey / ready to pounce.

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

This week has been pretty uneventful if I'm honest! I spent last Sunday attempting to make jam tarts. They did come out quite well but I had a lot of help from Vince!

Yesterday I took a trip to Cadbury Garden Centre with my mum and Daisy. I stayed well away from the Yankee Candle section as I literally have £0 in my bank. Mum did treat me to some tomato plants though, which I hope will grow well. I really need to get started on sorting the garden out! We're hoping to have everyone round in the summer for a BBQ and it would be nice to have some pretty flowers growing! I also got myself some sunflower seeds in an attempt to recreate the 10 feet tall sunflower we grew when I was younger!

Hopefully next week's post will be a little more interesting than me talking about gardening!

Baking Mad

I was recently asked if I would like to feature BakingMad.com on my blog. As someone who can't bake to save her life, I was interested to see just how idiot proof the website and its recipes were.

Not long ago I bought a ready make box of cupcakes and I even managed to mess them up so I flicked through the website and the recipe book that was sent to me and decided to make some lovely jam tarts. The recipe is listed as child friendly so I thought it was perfect for a novice baker like me.

The website is really user friendly and there's so many recipes to choose from. You can learn how to make pizza dough, how to make cupcakes and there's even specific recipes for kids as well.

I had to get Vince to help me, just so nothing went disastrously wrong. I felt I needed some sort of supervision and I thought there's no better supervision than a chef! Surely nothing could go wrong!

We followed the recipe by the letter and it was really simple, however the ingredients for 12 jam tarts actually only made six, which was a bit disappointing, but lucky as I didn't have enough jam for 12!

So apart from a burnt thumb they didn't come out too badly. They were definitely in the oven a lot longer than the recipe said they needed to be, which is always annoying, but I did it! Even I, the worst baker ever can follow the Baking Mad recipes with ease! Hooray!


For keen bakers I think the BakingMad.com is perfect. I've already recommended it to my sister who is great at baking! I will certainly keep using the website and I'm interested to try out the cupcake recipes next.

I received products free of charge in order to make these

John Frieda Luxurious Volume

John Frieda Luxurious Volume Touchable Full Shampoo and Blow Dry lotion minis

I didn't want to pay almost £6 for hair products/shampoo that I wasn't sure would work. I've tried John Frieda shampoos in the past and they've been pretty good but I'm always wary of volume products as I've had so many that haven't really made much of a difference to my hair.

I spotted these mini versions next to the full-size ones and these were much more reasonable at £1.99 each. Most people only use minis for taking away travelling but if you aren't sure about a product and want to trial it first then they're perfect! These will last a good amount of time as well.

I was really impressed with both of these products. The shampoo leaves a nice bit of volume in my hair and the Blow Dry lotion gives a nice extra bit of bounce. You simply spray it onto the roots of towel dried hair and carry on with your blow dry as normal. I used quite a bit of the product on my roots and usually this leaves my hair feeling sticky or straw like but this particular root booster left it feeling extremely normal and soft.

I really liked the finished result as there was a lot more volume than normal, which I love! I wouldn't use the shampoo on a daily basis as my hair tends to get used to products and they stop having any effect so I will probably use this every weekend or so for a voluminous look. I would certainly recommend trying these out and now that I have I would spend almost £6 on the full-size versions.

Wednesday Wishlist #75

Zara: Paisley Print Twill Trousers - £29.99
New Look: Mint Green Peter Pan Collar Top - £6.99, Black Stud Ankle Strap Pumps - £17.99
Matalan: Straw Woven Clutch - £6

This week's wishlist was so easy to put together. As it's nearing pay day I've recently been browsing quite a few clothing websites and I spotted these on my surfing travels. I simply adore the Mint Green Peter Pan Collar Top. It's so perfect, almost too perfect for a clumsy person like me to wear. I'd no doubt spill something down it.

The Paisley Print Twill Trousers really interested me. I'm not sure if I can pull off patterned trousers but these aren't too bold and I think I'd feel pretty comfortable in them. They're so pretty, I like the blue on white, gorgeous!

I wish I had seen the Black Stud Ankle Strap Pumps before I bought two pairs of flats in the Matalan £5 shoe sale at the weekend. These are so pretty and I love the strap!

What's on your wishlist this week?

Snugg iPad 2 case and giveaway

Snugg iPad 2 Case Cover and Flip Stand in Red PU Leather - £34.99*

Ever since Vince bought my an iPad 2 I've struggled to find a nice case for it. I have gone through quite a few of them, the most recent was a quilted one from ASOS that barely lasted five minutes before it ripped.

I was asked if I would like to review a case from Snugg.co.uk and of course, I said yes! I'd never heard of the brand before but I checked out the website and saw they had a huge range of cases. I decided on a red PU Leather one and I'm really happy with it!

It's a really good quality case with white stitching and the PU leather makes it very strong and sturdy. It comes with a flip stand, which is always really useful for iPads, especially if you want to use it to follow recipes or use it as a music player.

It stands up really well and it can also be used as something to keep the kids quiet on long journeys thanks to the elasticated strap that you can chuck round a car headrest. I think that's probably the most clever/awesome thing about it. So many youngsters are iPad savvy these days!





As you'd expect the case opens like a book and uses magnets to keep it secure when closed. The inside is a lovely soft red material and there is also a handy pen holder on the side too.

I can't really get enough of this case. I love the colour and there are loads more choices available. It was a close call between the blue and the red but I'm glad I chose the red! The case comes in at £34.99, which personally is a bit steep for me. I don't think I could ever pay that much just for an iPad case. The most I've paid is around £20 and that is the absolute max!

I think it really is a lovely product and it's such great quality. My iPad will definitely be protected in this!

I've decided to give away the baby version of this case for the iPad Mini. There are just a few rules below for you to follow to be in with the chance of winning this!

Snugg iPad mini PU Leather Case Cover and Flip Stand in Red - £29.99*

Rules
UK residents only!
Please complete all of the requirements
Item will be posted on the weekend following your win.
Competition closes at 12AM on April 30.

A somewhat sunny week in photos

£5 bargain shoes / Charlie / Homemade curry! / Charlie / Stir Fry / Charlie / New beauty bits
Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13
I was doing quite well this week with not spending any money, but then I got to Saturday and I got bored. I ended up taking a quick trip to Matalan and Boots, which are both nearby, and spending way too much!

Matalan have a sale on shoes at the moment, where a selected range are all £5 so I couldn't resist going and having a look. As you can see I picked up two pairs of flats, oops! I spent ages trying on heels but the size threes were too small and the size fours were too big, which was really annoying!

As for the rest of the weekend, it's been a bit quiet. I've seen my niece, which was nice and now I'm about to spend the rest of the weekend cleaning the house and doing all of the boring jobs!

How has your week been?

Spring flowers

I think I may have been a bit premature when I said spring had sprung in a past post. It still doesn't really feel like spring is here seeing as it is dark and rainy outside, but at least I can bring some kind of spring feeling into the house using lovely flowers.

I think tulips are quite possibly one of my favourite flowers - these bunches only cost £5 for the two. They really brighten up the place, despite what Vince says about them 'stinking' the place out. Boys eh.

What are your favourite spring flowers?

Models Own Hed Kandi Collection

Models Own Hed Kandi Collection in 'Bora Bora' and 'Sunset Chillout' - £5*

Models Own have recently expanded their popular Hed Kandi collection from last year with two new shades in 'Bora Bora' and 'Sunset Chillout'.

I haven't tried the Hed Kandi polishes before but these two are so, so pretty. Bora Bora is described as a fine golden textured polish, while Sunset Chillout is labelled as a majestic multifaceted glitter bomb. I absolutely love both of them and they look amazing together as you can see from the pics.

Bora Bora is lovely and sparkly and it dries in super quick time. Sunset Chillout is super colourful and I love the different shaped flecks, particularly the blue circles. It's a tad gloopy on application, but again it dries really fast and that's always my favourite thing about a polish.

I adore Models Own polishes, they're so long lasting and there's so much shades to choose from. They're extremely reasonable and I adore the different collections they've released lately.

Wednesday Wishlist #74

New Look:
Blue and White Paisley Floral Skater Dress - £24.99
 Misumi White Heart Dress - £19.99
 Grey Polka Dot Rabbit T-Shirt - £7.99

Yet another Wednesday Wishlist that is strictly New Look. I'm currently looking for some dresses and I noticed the heart print one above and thought it was really pretty. I love the shaped hem and the black on white too. It comes in a white on black and a red on blue print as well and they're all equally lovely.

I also really love the blue on white paisley print dress as well. I've been seeing this absolutely everywhere and it's so pretty and perfect for spring.

I just had to include the grey t-shirt with polka dot pocket as it made me chuckle. The little rabbit poking its head out of the pocket is so cute. It's such a simple tee, but it really brightens up an outfit and gives it an interesting talking point.

What's on your wishlist this week?

Lanolips Rose Balm Intense for hands and nails

Lanolips Rose Balm Intense for very dry hands and nails - £5.99*

I'm always very wary when it comes to using hand products. A lot of products seem to set off my psoriasis and when I was sent this hand cream I thought the same may happen again. My hands were actually itching a bit and I could see the onset of psoriasis coming but I thought 'what the hell' and used the balm anyway. Amazingly it really soothed my hands and stopped them itching.

This is a purse-sized balm for very dry hands in particular. It is based on Lanolips' signature Medical Grade Lanolin, which is hypoallergenic and alcohol free - in other words, it's perfect for me.

The balm is a lovely peachy pink colour and you only really need a pea sized amount. It's lovely and thick and rich. It does have a slight scent to it, which is quite possibly the shea butter coming through mixed with rose oil. Its really hydrating and leaves my hands feeling soft and lovely for the rest of the day after application.

I was really impressed with the soothing qualities of this balm and for £5.99 I would definitely recommend it.

This post contains PR samples

A five day week in photos

At the car wash! / Chinese / New hand cream / Casserole and a mountain of mash / Models Own goodies / Vince's Masterchef dinner / Pretty tulips / Testing the Models Own new polishes / Another Masterchef creation from Vince

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

Doesn't anyone else feel like this week was really long? I suppose it was compared to the four day luxury of last week.

This week Vince caught the Masterchef bug and has been perfecting his cooking skills to Masterchef standard. I was very happy to play the part of Gregg Wallace / John Torode and try his dishes and I have to say they were a-mazing! On Friday night he cooked Pork loin steaks braised in apple and blackcurrant cider on a bed of mashed potato and spring onions with courgette, red cabbage and a pea puree. Very fancy!

It tasted absolutely delicious and we only remembered afterwards that we should have taken some proper pictures instead of Instagram snaps. Last night he cooked gammon steaks on a bed of spicy red cabbage with spring onions, mushrooms, pan fried sweet potatoes and cauliflower and cottage cheese puree. I don't think you can make a Masterchef without some kind of puree can you? I wasn't to sure about the cottage cheese but it was gorgeous. I'm secretly hoping he's going to create another dish tonight.

Charlie had a visit to the vets on Saturday and now he's all booked in for his neutering and microchipping! I'm going to hate thinking of him at the vets all day all alone, he's going to think we've got rid of him or something. After he's recovered he will be ready to hit the great outdoors. I hate the fact that we live on a bus route and I'll be constantly worrying he will get run over or something but it's not fair to keep him indoors.