The Sunday Catch Up #12

The official end of MCR! / Charlie being snooty / Daisy in the sandpit / New polishes / Mini roses for Mum / Hair prods / New perfume!

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

This last week has gone super slowly. The last week of the month always does though because I am just waiting and waiting for pay day. I didn't think I'd be getting paid until Monday but I looked in my bank account yesterday and there was some lovely money staring back at me, just waiting to be frittered away in Boots.

I didn't disappoint and headed to Boots immediately. I spied the new scented Revlon polishes and so picked one of those up instantly and a few boring bits like shampoo as well. I also had a mooch around Matalan too but nothing really caught my eye there.

I spent the morning at my mums as my sister and Daisy and Oscar were visiting as usual! We played in Daisy's sandpit as the weather was really nice for a change. The weather's been pretty good today too as well so I popped to my mum's again to give her her Mother's Day present and just hang out for a bit really.

I've spent the afternoon cleaning the house and taking blog photographs. It's pretty difficult to do in this weather as the sun is blasting through the conservatory where I take my photos so it can get a bit frustrating but I'm happy with what I've snapped so far. We could have made better use of our afternoon and gone for a walk or something but sometimes you just have to chill out at home. Vince is watching the racing now so there's definitely no chance of tearing him away.

I'm going to treat us to a takeaway for dinner as we're looking at a super scrimping month ahead. Vince's pay is changing to monthly so he isn't going to have a penny for the entire month and I will have to help him out if I can. As long as there is some sort of food in the cupboards I'm sure we'll be fine!

One more thing before I go. This week I actually managed to finish a book for the first time in forever. I've always been a keen reader but I seem to go through phases of not reading and this most recent one has been the longest. I did buy a book last weekend though called The Fault in our Stars and I just finished it on Friday. I really loved it and you know a book is good when you're going about your day and just thinking about getting home and reading. Has anyone else read this? I've heard they're turning it into a film so I'm glad I read it before that comes out. Let me know what you thought if you've read it.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream - £9.99



If you had told me a couple of years ago that I'd be really interested in make-up and would be wearing a certain product pretty much every day I never would have believed you. Until recently I wouldn't wear any type of foundation or skin coverage but I really should have been.

For as long as I can remember I have had annoying redness on my right cheek and haven't been attempting to cover it up, except on special occasions but I have been wearing the Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream regularly for quite a few weeks now. I picked it up completely on one of those Boots spending whims as the colour correcting properties really appealed to me.

I have to say I absolutely love this. It's extremely lightweight and applies beautifully. I use one of the Real Techniques sponges and it just glides over the skin, correcting imperfections and redness as it goes. I've been wearing it as the only coverage on my face but you can blend it or wear it with foundation too. At £9.99 it was one of those products I probably shouldn't have picked up randomly but I have to say it really works so I would definitely recommend it. It makes me feel much more confident about my skin and it lasts all day long and well into the evening too. It doesn't flake and crumble like my foundations normally do due to my dry skin. I just can't get enough of this!

'In the Surf' Seventeen Colour Clash Nail Effects

'In the Surf' Seventeen Colour Clash Nail Effects - £3.99




This is the latest in a long line of 'graffiti' look effect polishes, but it's at a much more reasonable price than most! Recently I picked up 'In the Surf' from Seventeen, which is a pretty blue/white/green speckled polish with hints of orange. It's a perfect effect polish, but you only really get the desired effect if layered on top of a white/light base coat.

I won't go too much into the white base coat as the review isn't about that but let's just say it's absolute rubbish. When I finally got the base coat to look somewhat decent I applied the graffiti polish and it's really lovely. I used two or three coats to get the above look and it really builds a sturdy layer. The flecks of colour in the polish are particularly lovely but I wouldn't say it's particularly 'graffiti' like.

It's very hardwearing but as I needed so many base layers it's one that can peel off quite easily if you're not careful. For £3.99 this is very cheap and cheerful and there's also a peach/pink top coat available as well, which is as equally pretty. I would recommend this for a night out to add a bit of extra glamour to your outfit.

Have you tried this? Let me know in the comments.

New Look crop t-shirt and polka dot shorts

Mint green crop t-shirt - £12.99, Black Polka Dot Shorts - £14.99



Recently I signed up to an offers site that was offering a £10 New Look voucher for just £5. 'What a bargain' I thought… so I got two and I spent them pretty much straight away too. I'd seen these shorts several times in various New Look stores and I had even picked them up and carried them round with me with the intention of buying them, but then I put them back. I'm not sure why but they went straight into my virtual basket when I had my vouchers. I was also looking for something a bit different top wise. I went for a crop tshirt full of minty green goodness.

To be honest it's not very cropped on me, which I prefer, and paired with these shorts I think I've come up with the perfect 'smart' interview type outfit, but it can also be worn casually with a pair of sandals in the summer. I am definitely planning on picking up the tshirt in a few other colours, there is a gorgeous red/berry colour that is just calling out to me.

I adore these shorts as they're very floaty like a skirt but you don't have the worry of them blowing up with a big gust of wind and revealing everything!

Let me know your thoughts on this outfit in the comments...

Mother's Day craft challenge and H.Samuel giveaway

I was recently challenged to decorate two mini photo frames for Mother's Day. I was sent all the supplies and two cute cardboard photo frames. Now I have to admit I'm not the most crafty person. If I ever attempt anything crafty I usually get annoyed with it and it ends up being flung across the room but I guess I must have been in the right mood to do this as I sat down on Sunday afternoon and got my paints out.

I was going for a bit of an ombre look with the square frame, from pink to red, and I think it works ok. Not brilliant, but I'm happy with it. I also went for an all over ombre using purples and blues with the heart shape frame but I thought I'd go for a cloud effect on this one and again, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

I chopped off the original string hangers and replaced them with the pretty ribbon, which I think works really well. I kept the detail quite minimal with a little wooden flower in the corner of the square frame. Now, the intention with these was to fill them with pictures of my mum and I but weirdly we don't have any printed. I hate having my photograph taken and so does my mum so I don't actually have any of us together! I'm sure there's probably some stuffed in a box in my parent's attic but I wasn't about to go through them!

Instead I went for a photograph of Vince and I (aww!) in the heart frame and a photograph of me as a kid in the other! Perfect for Mother's Day and really cheap too!

If you fancy splashing a little bit more on your mum this Mother's Day then you can enter to win a £50 H.Samuel gift card below. UK only and the giveaway ends on Tuesday, April 1.

The Sunday Catch Up #11

Purple tulips / new books / Pizza! / New stationary! / Oscar being the cutest! / New Barry M palette / New Barry M Aquarium polishes / New Gelly Hi-Shine polishes

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

I still can't believe it's March. This month is going so, so slowly! I seem to be the only person feeling this way as well, haha!

So, aside from work I've not done much else this week. I am loving the fact it is light when I leave work now, I was getting seriously fed up going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark so it's really nice to drive and actually be able to see! Vince is back and working quite a few hours again after a long period of afternoons and days off. We shouldn't moan as it means more money!

Yesterday I spent the day doing not a lot. I popped to the shops and bought myself a few things I didn't need such as tulips and daffodils and a new book. I haven't read a book in absolutely ages and I have loads sat in a 'to read' pile. I seem to be going through a very long phase of not wanting to read. I blame it on iPhones and laptops, but I definitely need to get reading again! I spent the afternoon at my mum's. My sister was there with Daisy and Oscar too so I stayed there for quite a few hours drinking tea and playing with them both on and off. Despite staying there for ages I still came home and did all the housework instead of going for a nap and had a nice relaxing evening.

Today was pretty much more of the same. I headed to town with my mum, sister, Daisy and Oscar just to get out of the house really. I ended up spending the Superdrug vouchers I have. I picked up SO many new Barry M nail polishes it was ridiculous but I spotted the new Aquarium collection and I have been waiting for it for absolutely ages so I couldn't pass them by. I also picked up the new Barry M spring/summer eye palette. One of the palettes was my product of the year for 2013 so I'm really keen to start using the new ones.

Let me know what you've been up to this week.

Before you go, make sure you catch up on the previous week's posts:

If you go down to the woods today…

Ciaté Scented Nail Polish Remover in Mint Chocolate

Barry M Silk collection

Matalan Textured Crop Sweat and Daisy Flock Skirt

Matalan Textured Crop Sweat and Daisy Flock Skirt

Matalan Textured Sweat Top - £14, Daisy Flock Skirt - £10, Gold Daisy Necklace

Another outfit, can you believe it? This one features three new bits I picked up from Matalan recently. I'm not sure why I picked up the top/jumper to be honest but something just called out to me. It comes in a textured/quilted look material, which I actually really like but it came with a garish plastic necklace attached to it, which I really didn't like. Thankfully I was able to get the necklace off and wear my lovely new daisy one.

I don't usually wear necklaces but this one was too pretty to pass up. I would really recommend Matalan for jewellery as they have some really great pieces. It's definitely a cheaper alternative to the likes of other hughstreet stores, such as Topshop and New Look.

The top itself is a strange fit. It's cropped, but not so much that you're showing off your stomach but it's the sleeves I'm not really used to yet. They sort of puff out at the elbows as you can see and make me look wider than I actually am. I probably should have teamed this with a skater skirt to even out my proportions a bit but it's all trial and error with me.

I do really like it though. It's not too thick that you're left sat sweating but it's just right for a spring/summer evening. I decided to pick up the daisy flock skirt to go with it as it's just so, so pretty. Skirts like this are perfect for work/meetings but I wouldn't really wear them casually. It would work pretty well for a night out outfit though with a pair of heels and a more glam top.

What do you think of this outfit? Let me know in the comments...

Barry M Silk Collection

Barry M Silk Collection in Blue Mist, Purple Heather, Brown Truffle and Green Meadow




This has got to be my new favourite collection from Barry M. It was one of those that I couldn't wait to get my hands on and when I finally had the chance to I couldn't decide which polishes to pick, so I picked four…

The collection is made up of gorgeous pale pastel shades full of shimmer. They apply as their namesake suggests…with a silky application but they dry matte, which I was quite surprised at but I actually love. There's a hint of shine to them but what impressed me most about these nail polishes are their staying power.

Most nail polishes don't pass the washing up test and only last two days or so before lots of chipping occurs and I lose a couple of nails completely. I was really impressed with this collection as after more than a week there is still pretty much all of my polish still in tact, with only minimal chipping, and I have done the washing up several times during this week as well.

All of the colours are perfect for spring and are the perfect pick-me-up. I've enjoyed wearing them as pictured above but will be wearing single colours all together or mixing up one or two colours. They all compliment each other perfectly. This is just a fab collection from Barry M and I hope there are more colours still to come.

Have you tried the new Barry M Silk Collection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Ciaté Scented Nail Polish Remover in Mint Chocolate

Ciaté Scented Nail Polish Remover in Mint Chocolate - £10

This is probably the most money I've ever spent on a nail polish remover. There was a bit of a buzz about it in the blogging world so I totally got caught up in it and bought this for £10 plus postage, which made it nearly £14 in total. That is quite a lot for a nail polish remover if you ask me, but you do get quite a lot of product for your money and as you don't really need much for each use.

I like the fact this comes in a glass bottle and I also like the fact that it didn't smash in transit. While it looks green in the bottle it's actually clear nail polish remover and the bottle comes with a plastic stopper to prevent any spillages. My mum actually asked me how on earth a nail polish remover can be scented… and if you were to sniff the bottle (which I wouldn't recommend) you would wonder the same as well because in the bottle it doesn't seem scented. It's not until you've used it on your nails that you can smell the minty chocolatey scent. It's not a massively overpowering scent and it kind of smells like those cheaper chocolates that you can get, which is a little disappointing. The scent doesn't stay around for long either.

I'm kind of on the fence with this. On the one hand it's great at removing polish and you only really need a little product for each use, which means this will last absolutely ages but the scented selling point to it seems a bit pointless to be honest. You can only smell it once you've used it on your hands but then who's going to be sitting there sniffing their fingers?? Exactly.

I'm not sure this quite lives up to the hype. The remover does contain vitamin B5 and vitamin E to help moisturise and nourish the skin but I don't think I would be using this regularly enough to see any results from this. It's a lot of money to pay for a nail polish remover and do you really need scented nail polish remover? Probably not.

Have you used this or any of the other scented polish removers? Let me know what you thought.

If you go down to the woods today...

Weston-super-Mare has a great wood that stretches for miles and miles. Most people go straight for the tourist hot spot, the Grand Pier, and most visitors completely ignore the wood's potential. It's a pretty great walking spot as there are so many different routes, especially if you don't stick to the paths. There's some great little picnic spots, lots of animals and some weird little things to spot such as a giant wooden owl, which I only discovered recently.

Before I lived here I would visit my nan and grandad and we would always walk the dogs through the woods and then go to the park. Dogs absolutely love the woods and I would love watching them run around. There was also a rope swing attached to a tree that I'd love to swing on. The woods are also near where I went to college and as I did a film course we would always venture into them to record so I have lots of good memories there.

Anyway, last Sunday Vince and I took a stroll through the woods as it was really good weather again. It was absolutely packed full of dog walkers and every time I go there I feel like I want a little dog to take with me but then I think about all the hard work that consists of taking care of a dog and how much they smell and leave hair everywhere and I quickly change my mind! We took a long walk in a big circle and then Vince decided he wanted to show be an owl statue that he knew of. I didn't have a clue what he was talking about but we came to a bit of a clearing and there was this huge wooden owl. I loved it! It's the perfect picnic spot too with tables and benches so when it's summer we're going to go back with a picnic basket for the afternoon.

What places in your hometown do you love to visit?

The Sunday Catch Up #10

Weston-super-Mare in the sunshine / 1,000 bloglovin followers / Outfit photos / Outfit details / Minty crop top

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

It feels like a lifetime ago that I had my long weekend but it was only this Friday until Monday just gone. I posted about it on Monday actually but on Sunday Vince and I had a lovely walk along the seafront. You can check out my post about it here. Weston-super-Mare does look lovely in the sunshine.

I can barely remember what I did on Monday to be honest! I remember meeting up with my sister and my nephew in the morning and having a little wander around Boots and Matalan. We then popped into Costa for a lovely tea. It was really weird though as Daisy was at nursery so wasn't with us. It was very quiet without her and I know she would have hated to miss out on 'going for coffee', which she absolutely loves to do.

Vince had the afternoon off so we did some food shopping and chilled out at home for the rest of the day. I managed to get lots of outfit photos taken as the light was just right in my conservatory.

On Tuesday it was back to work as normal but it went pretty quickly and it was Friday before I knew it. I slept terribly on Friday night due to my sinuses playing up so I laid in on Saturday morning, which meant the day went super fast. I kind of hate it when that happens because I feel like I don't get anything done! I did pop to my mum's in the afternoon as my parents are looking after my niece and nephew overnight and then met up with my friend Sarah, who I used to work with, for a bit of a catch-up, which was really nice.

Not sure what I'm up to today apart from preparing blog posts and cleaning the house. I have suggested to Vince that we go for a little walk somewhere as once again the weather is lovely.

Forgot to mention, this week included a little milestone as my blog reached 1,000 followers on Bloglovin. Hooray! Thank you to everyone who has followed me and continues to keep coming back. It's nice to have people out there to talk to.

Before you go, why not check out my blog posts from the past week:

Weston-super-Mare in the sunshine

Clarins Spring Opalescence Collection and giveaway (ends Tuesday)

New Look burnout tee

Pantene BB Creme

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water