Clash of the Tartan

New Look Red Tartan Check TShirt - £19.99

Possibly my favourite recent tartan purchase, I just can't get enough. I spied this little beauty in New Look when I was quietly browsing and I walked past it a few times. I wasn't sure about it, it's a pretty bold print and not something I'd usually pick up but I had some vouchers to spend and thought I might as well try it on as you never know... I'm so pleased I tried it on because as soon as I put it over my head I knew I loved it.

It's a sheer, chiffon fabric so a top underneath is definitely needed. I wouldn't say it's exactly a winter-friendly top but a chunky cardigan over the top would be absolutely perfect. Here I've styled it with a tight skirt as it's quite a loose fitting tshirt but I think it would look equally as perfect with some smart trousers, jeans, shorts or even a skater skirt. The list is endless really.

I learnt a bit of a lesson when I picked this up and I really need to try more things on instead of dismissing them as something that wouldn't suit me. I didn't think this was really me but I really love it!

Book review - Revenge wears Prada

For as long as I can remember I have loved to read. I have tons and tons of books at my mum and dad's house from when I was younger - loads of Jacqueline Wilsons and Roald Dahls all saved up for no reason other than I don't want to throw them away. I also have quite the collection of books here at my house as well as I still love snuggling up and reading a good book.

The Devil wears Prada was a book that I really enjoyed. I enjoy the film equally and when I saw the sequel book had been published I was really keen to read it. I had it for quite a while before I actually read it as I was going through a bit of a non-reading spell.

When I did finally pick it up I was hooked for only a while. It was great to have the old familiar characters back as well as some new ones and to read about Andy's adventures almost 10 years on. The book finds Andy as Editor of The Plunge wedding magazine, trying her hardest not to be so Miranda Priestly about being in charge, and planning her own wedding to a media mogul.

The books trundles along nicely. I wasn't expecting anything super thrilling from a chick-lit book but at one point I put the book down for a good week and temporarily forgot about it. To me that's not really a good sign. I want a book to grip me and not let me put it down.

When I did pick it up again I found the story pretty predictable if I'm honest. We follow Andy on her wedding day and through her life as an Editor. We also follow her as she makes one of the most difficult decisions of her professional life with regards to her magazine, The Plunge and Miranda Priestly's publishing agency, Elias Clarke.

As I mentioned it was great to have old faces back, I particularly enjoyed welcoming back Emily and of course, Miranda, but I feel Miranda wasn't in the book nearly as much as I'd hoped. In The Devil wears Prada I found it really enjoyable to read about the ice queen herself and her wicked ways so I was disappointed to not have as much Miranda this time around. I've read a couple of reviews elsewhere and this seems to be quite a popular opinion of the book.

At times the book is quite exciting and it's great to follow Andy through her life but as I mentioned previously, I found the storyline quite predictable and actually guessed what was going to happen quite early on. When it does happen it's all very quick. The 'twist', if you can really call it that is over pretty rapidly and the book ends quite abruptly. It picks up again one year later and not much really happens, which left me feeling really disappointed. It does end on a bit of a 'I wonder what happens next' note but i don't think it's anything worth picking up again in a third book.

I loved The Devil wears Prada movie, it's one of my faves, but if they were to make the sequel to it I'm afraid it would be pretty dull. The book is an easy read, nothing too troubling but in the movie world it would read as boring.

I'm so disappointed by the book but I'm glad I read it and got to find out what happened to Andy and Emily and of course, the famous Miranda.

Have you read Revenge wears Prada? What did you think?

Seventeen Deconstructed Lash Lacquer

Seventeen Deconstructed Lash Lacquer - £5.49

I'm not quite sure what to say about this product. I bought it while it was on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots as I thought there'd be no harm in trying it. The brush itself is similar to a liquid eyeliner brush except you paint it onto your lashes to make give them a dramatic, black finish.

Now, when I tried this out I wasn't quite sure how to apply this to the lashes. The product is supposed to coat each lash and do it's magic but I wasn't sure if I was supposed to brush it on like a mascara or literally brush over each lash. I tried every way I could think of but all I ended up with was clumpy lashes that didn't really look any more extreme than if I'd have used a normal black mascara.

The lacquer also left my lashes really stiff and it was difficult to remove the lacquer, even with a proper make-up remover. My lashes were crusty and hard with the lacquer applied. I'm not really sure of the point in this product as in my opinion it didn't really work. I certainly wouldn't recommend it!

A 'good post' week in photos

Charlie being a poser / My fave candle of the moment / Yummy sweets! / Products coming up in future festive blog posts

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Do you ever get those weeks where you get great stuff in the post? The most annoying thing though is having to go to the delivery office when you miss the postman, argh! Anyway, I'm planning a few festive-themed posts and gift guides in the VERY near future so some of the above photos are sneak peeks of what I'll be featuring. I might even give a few bits away in a giveaway too!

As usual this week has gone relatively slowly and it's been made even slower by the fact I've felt ill for most of it. For about two weeks now I've had a really annoying tickly throat but I've not been coughing or anything, it's just been affecting my voice slightly and making me sound like a robot. Then this week it turned into an annoying cough that would leave me really gasping for air. I've also had a seriously sore throat and on Friday night and most of Saturday, a really annoying cold. Thankfully the sore throat has pretty much gone now (after I bought lots of medicine, typical!) but the annoying tickly throat is still lingering. Most of the time it's fine but I'll try and talk and my voice sounds weird or, like the other night, I'll just be sleeping and then all of a sudden have a coughing fit. Really rather annoying!

I've got two weeks before I'm due my week off from work. I recently won tickets to The Clothes Show Live and some of the dates fall on the weekend before my holiday and a couple of the days into my holiday so I'm hoping I can go, depending on travel prices etc. I'm also hoping to get my Christmas shopping done, although I'm really not sure what I'm going to buy people. I hate just wandering around the shops just looking at things and wondering who would like what. I'd rather have a list of what I'm going to buy everyone and know exactly where I need to go and be done with it all! I might even try and order some online to try and eliminate the amount of time I have to spend out with other crazy Christmas shoppers.

This weekend has been REALLY quiet. I spent most of Saturday relaxing at home and most of today in front of the TV watching repeats of Friends. It never gets old does it? I also did a spot of much needed cleaning but still have lots more to do. I expect I'll do a proper clean when I have a week off, because there's nothing I'd rather be doing on my week off than tidying and cleaning, haha! I guess if I get it done then it will be a lovely tidy house for Christmas!!

*Have you entered my giveaway to win a £20 New Look giftcard yet? Enter HERE.

Sky hooks and tartan paint

Missguided Kaede Tartan Organza Panel Skirt - £14.99

I don't know if you've realised but I'm a little in love with all things tartan at the moment. I currently have a tartan scarf, a tartan top and this pretty tartan skirt from Missguided. It would be one clash of the tartans if I was to wear them all together! Of course, I won't though...

I bought this skirt completely on a whim but I'm really annoyed that I can't seem to find it on the website anymore, which means I can't link you to it. It was £14.99, which is quite reasonable I think and it's a lovely green/navy tartan pattern with a sheer bottom panel, which I really love. It's not quite a pencil skirt but not quite a mini skirt either, I'm not sure how to describe it but I tend to wear it a little high waisted so it hopefully doesn't make my legs look any shorter than they already are.

It's a pretty constricting style and is quite tight so there's not much room for anything but walking, although I'm not sure what else you'd be doing in it really?! It's great for wearing as a smart interview/meeting type outfit or you can add heels for a night out. I would choose to wear this pretty casually with a tshirt as above or maybe even a plain jumper and flats.

I'm so glad I purchased this before it was taken off the website. I absolutely adore it and I think the sheer panel gives it an interesting edge! What do you think?

Revlon Chalkboard Nail Art

Revlon Chalkboard Nail Art - £7.99

I know Ciate have recently brought out a chalkboard effect nail polish but I refused to pay the ridiculous price for it. I recently spotted this one from Revlon while I was in Boots so I just had to give it a try.

The instructions are as you would expect - paint on the 'chalkboard' polish, let it dry and then paint on the 'chalk' polish in any way you fancy. Simple really! The black polish dries really quickly, which is great, and it only takes two coats to get a nice background for the chalk.

The white polish brush is labelled as a nail art brush but to be honest it's nowhere near thin enough to do any fancy-type art. I must have picked one up with a naff brush because the bristles kept splitting apart, making it really difficult to use. It does dry quickly, which again is great but I've definitely learnt a lesson here - always check the brushes before purchasing a nail polish.

It's a great way to have a bit more fun with nail painting but I personally can only do a couple of basic designs. It's a great, cheaper alternative to Ciate's chalkboard polish so I would recommend it - a great Christmas stocking filler too!

Anatomicals 'help the paw' Hand Cream

Anatomicals 'help the paw' Hand Cream - £3

Hooray, another Anatomicals product! I received this in a recent beauty box and I was so pleased as I was such a huge fan of the 'no old bags allowed' eye gel I also received in a beauty box.

I couldn't wait to try this out because as you probably already know, I'm constantly looking for hand moisturisers/cream, especially for the cold weather we're now getting. The packaging is bright and fun and if you read the product descriptions you'll have a right giggle.

The moisturiser contains Vitamin E and is extremely moisturising but you really only need a tiny bit. I went a bit mad when I first tried this and used quite a large amount of moisturiser, which left my hands really wet for ages afterwards. A pea sized amount is definitely the way forwards and my hands feel lovely and soft afterwards.

I can't believe this is only £3. It is such a bargain for 100ml of great product. It would make a fab Christmas stocking filler or I'm sure you could create a bit of a pick 'n' mix of products for someone's birthday or for Christmas.

What's your favourite hand cream/moisturiser?


*Remember to enter my New Look gift card giveaway here!

An untitled week in photos

Christmassy duvet! / Sausage and mash / Charlie being a cutie / New foundation / New skirt / New top and cardigan! / Fry up / Chalkboard nails

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13
So I couldn't think of a title for this week's week in photos as nothing really exciting happened! I never usually have much to say on these posts because I literally go to work, come home and have dinner then sleep. I usually spend the weekends blogging, relaxing and seeing family so unlike most bloggers, don't have very many interesting pics to share.

I sound so depressing but after working for the week I usually don't like to do too much on the weekends. I like a good lie-in and this weekend I even managed to get some outfit photos taken. I tried taking some outfit photos last weekend but it was a complete and utter fail and two and a half hours of picture taking completely went down the drain. This weekend the lighting was just right, it wasn't windy or rainy and I managed to snap around three outfits, which I'm pretty pleased with! I even mistakenly came across a much better way to take my photos so I'll be trying that in the future! You can see some sneak peeks of the outfits in the above pics!

I don't have much planned for the up coming week. I'm starting to think a little about Christmas present buying now so when I get paid at the end of the month I'm hoping to do some Christmas shopping. I'm also hoping to pop up some Christmas-related posts including gift guides! A lot of bloggers are doing them already but I need to plan mine first! Eeek! I've already bought a couple of presents but I really need to think what I can get everyone - it's such a difficult task sometimes! Argh. As you can see I already have my fairisle/Christmassy duvet on, which is lovely and cosy.

Amie Morning Dew Moisturiser

Amie Morning Dew Moisturiser - £4.95

I think I have quite a good collection of moisturisers now and I was really pleased to see this one from skincare brand, Amie, in a recent beauty box I received. I had been meaning to purchase some Amie skincare products but I kept putting it off as I wasn't able to try them first, but now I've tried this I feel much more confident about buying from the brand online.

I love trying different facial moisturisers and I'm really pleased with this new discovery. The moisturiser has a matte finish and is formulated for sensitive skin, which is perfect for me. It sunk it relatively quickly and doesn't have a horrible fake scent to it, which is something that my skin will often react to. It left my skin feeling lovely, soft and dewy and even after a good few hours it was still feeling pretty moisturised.

For £4.95 you get 100ml of product, which is a real bargain when you compare it to others on the shelves of Boots and Superdrug. This one will definitely become a treasured part of my collection and I'd highly recommend it!

Wednesday Wishlist #100 and a giveaway!

Dark Red Tartan Check Tea Dress - £22.99, Red Tartan Check T-Shirt - £19.99, Belle Heart Red Tartan Leather-Look Pocket Shorts - £19.99, Red Check Mini Tube Skirt - £19.99

I can't believe I've reached number 100 in my Wednesday Wishlist series, mainly because I can't believe I've been able to keep it up for so long. Granted there's been the odd week I've forgotten but at least it's not a series that has started and completely stopped right in the middle.

This week I'm featuring the very popular tartan trend. I may have featured a couple of tartan items in the past but I don't even care because I love it so much. I actually have the above sheer tartan top, which I'm hoping to feature in a future outfit post if I can ever master the art of outfit photographing, and I actually purchased a new dark green tartan skirt yesterday too.

To celebrate reaching my 100th Wednesday Wishlist I thought I'd hold a little giveaway! As I've featured all items from New Look in this week's wishlist I thought I would give one of my readers the chance to buy some tartan for themselves (or anything else they want!) and I'm giving away a £20 New Look gift voucher.

The voucher will be purchased by myself after the competition has ended and will be sent to the winner via post.

Open to UK only because of the above reason ^

Follow the rules of the rafflecopter!

Winner will be announced on November 30, 2013.

Gift card might not actually look like the image above, it's just an example!

Collection Gothic Glam in 4 Poison

Collection Gothic Glam nail polish in 4 Poison - £3.19

I was quite surprised not to see a black in the new Gothic Glam range from Collection (previously Collection 2000), but I still decided to give one of the polishes a try. I opted for '4 Poison' which is a glittery dark blue and is actually really pretty.

When I say it's a glitter polish I mean it's actually a smooth glitter polish, so it's not rough on application and it'll come off easily without leaving a horrible mess like a lot of other glitter polishes do.

I was surprised to find a wide angled brush when I unscrewed the lid. It's great for covering the whole of the nail when you apply the polish and the polish itself dries extremely quickly, which is always a hit for me. The finished look above has taken just two coats of the polish and I love it, it really sparkles in the light and for around £3 it's a real bargain too!

A pizza making week in photos

New festive socks / New Primark bag! / Meatballs / Homemade pizza / Charlie / New nail polishes / New shoes / Idiots guide to baking

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

You know you've not had a very exciting week when the only thing you can remember really doing is making a pizza... Oh well, food is good I suppose. We did cheat a little and bought the base ready made but we created our very own meat feast pizza, which was absolutely delicious if I do say so myself.

After last weekend's big shopping trip in Bristol I tried not to go so mad with the spending, although I did hit Boots and Matalan as normal. I tend to visit the shops when Vince has gone to work and I'm all alone at home and bored, oops.

I totally wasted most of Saturday doing pretty much nothing. I had planned to get some blogging done but for some reason Vince has a punch bag in the middle of the garden and it totally ruined my outfit photos. I was to weak to move it so I'll be aiming to spend the rest of today taking pics...unless it rains of course, which is very likely. I've got lots and lots of products lined up to review on the blog. I signed up to a few beauty boxes, which I have found to be a really great way to not only discover new products but get hold of blog content.

How has your week been?

Barry M Natural Glow Shadow & Blush Palette

Barry M Natural Glow Shadow & Blush Palette - £6.49











I've been trying to get my hands on one of the new Barry M palettes for absolutely ages. I recently went into town and spotted this one still in stock so I quickly picked it up.

Although I've never tried it myself, I believe this is a dupe for one of the Urban Decay Naked Palettes and having looked at other bloggers' reviews of them I would say it's a pretty good imitiation. Of course there's not as many shades but the shape of the palette and the shade pans really gives it an Urban Decay feel.

Barry M is one of my favourite highstreet brands, along with MUA, but I think they have tried so hard to imitate the Naked palette that they've failed to really do the most they can with this product. MUA have various Naked palette dupes but they haven't copied the rectangular shape of the pan, meaning the consumer gets a lot more product for their money. MUA's palettes are cheaper too. This Barry M palette was around £6.49 I think and you get less pans and a lot less eyeshadow product in the pans for your money, which is a bit cheeky really.

Pan and pricing issues aside the shades are very 'me' and are lovely natural colours. They're well pigmented, but there is a little fall out on application. They have great staying power and will last all day long without needing reapplying. I've been using this palette pretty much every day for around two weeks now and I'm loving it.

I would quite like to try the 'Smokin Hot' palette, which is also part of the range as it looks lovely and shimmery. Have you tried any of the Barry M palettes yet?

Dr Ceuticals Super Repair Hand Cream

Dr Ceuticals Super Repair Hand Cream - £9.99*

I'm on a constant mission to find good hand creams. I currently have a handbag sized Lanolips one, which I love, but now I have a fullsize one I can apply in the mornings and the evenings as part of my routine.

I'm sure I've said this before but I suffer from Psoriasis on my hands but for a while now I've kept it at bay, however in the winter it tends to come back. Central heating tends to make my hands quite itchy and if I'm shopping and popping in and out of shops then my hands are really affected by the different heating systems and being put in heat then being put back out in the cold air. They swell up a bit and become really itchy. It's not nice at all so I'm always looking for a hand cream to help calm them down.

I'd never heard of the Dr Ceuticals brand before but I was recently sent this hand cream and I really love it. There's a fine line between keeping my hands moisturised and moisturising them so much that the products begin to irritate the skin. I have to be careful how often I use products but I've been using this hand cream for a little while now and there's so far been no irritation. It's lovely and moisturising and leaves my hands feeling super soft afterwards.

There's no awful scent and it quickly absorbs into the skin. I've been using this mostly in the mornings and it's really soothing and keeps my hands moisturised for most of the day. For £9.99 this is definitely something I would purchase myself as it really is battling the dryness away. It also has anti-ageing properties, which is always a plus too.

Have you tried this hand cream yet?

This post contains PR samples

Origins GinZing Moisturiser

Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Moisturiser - £23


It's finally mine! Recently I signed up to receive two free sachet samples of this moisturiser and I completely fell in love, however I was really disappointed with the £23 price tag for the full-size version. I've been saving a Boots voucher that I got for my birthday and when I spotted an Origins stand in my local Boots store I just had to pick one up.

The thing I love most about this moisturiser is the zingy scent. It's so refreshing and really wakes you up in the morning. While I was contemplating spending £23 on a moisturiser I was sent the Super Facialist by Una Brennan, which is a great alternative to this. The Origins moisturiser is perfect for my skin as it's not too harsh and it doesn't irritate it at all.

I find it gives my skin a definite radiance about it. It's an oil-free formula and it sinks in really quickly, leaving soft and lovely skin. I would really recommend it to those with dry skin, which is something I suffer from myself. I don't know why I put off buying it for so long, I think it's £23 well spent.

Have you tried the Origins GinZing Moisturiser?