The Sunday Catch Up #25

Lovely roses from Vince / Anniversary cards / New beauty bits from Makeup Revolution / New nail polish brand to try! / Clarins fragrance - ooh! / New eyeshadow palettes from Makeup Revolution

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

I can't really believe that this time last week it was boiling hot and Vince and I were walking around the lovely Chew Valley lake. I think I mentioned in last week's post that we were celebrating being together for six years but I didn't manage to show you the flowers he got me and the lovely card! I also thought I'd show you the Breaking Bad card I got him too from SiouxAlice on Etsy. I love it!

The week has absolutely wizzed past, which is very unusual as when I have a week off booked the one before it usually goes super slowly. Having time off is really lovely but making sure all of your jobs are done before you go is pretty tricky!

I don't have much planned or any reason for booking this coming week off, I just felt like it was about time. Vince has booked Thursday off work so we can go for a day trip somewhere (fingers crossed for sunshine!) and the majority of the week will be spent tidying the house, getting plenty of blogging done, shopping and celebrating Daisy's third birthday.

On Sunday my friend Keely and I are going to Cardiff to do a bit of shopping. I am really looking forward to it and for the past couple of weeks I have been adding various bits to my shopping list. I can just tell I'm going to end up spending an absolute fortune and leave myself broke for the rest of the month, but as long as my rent and bills are paid who cares?!

Now I better be off to get on with some more cleaning…yeh right!

How has your week been?

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polish in 'Damson'

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polish in 'Damson' - £3.99





I'm so annoyed at myself with these pictures. I took the polish pictures a couple of weeks ago with a different bunch of flowers but when I came round to photographing the actual polish on my nails the lighting was completely different and I couldn't get it to match. The flowers have since died so I've re-photographed with a fresh bunch. I've now learnt my lesson and know I need to photograph the product and the results all at the same time. If you want to see the original pics you can check them out on the CherryPie Facebook page

Anyway, this polish is from the new Barry M Gelly range and is so ridiculously vibrant and blue. It really stands out and would be great if you're just wanting to add a little pop of colour to an outfit.

The polish itself is really thick and I only needed one layer to get the finished look above. It is a tad gloopy on application, which is a little annoying, but it does dry incredibly fast though so I can't fault it too much.

I just can't get over how bold this colour is. It's eye-popping and I absolutely love it! It's lasted really well so far with only really minimal chipping. It's so far passed the washing up test and also held out under the bathroom cleaning test too so I'm really impressed it has lasted so well. It's super shiny once it dries, hence the 'hi shine' part of the name, but there's no need for a top coat here, bonus!

Have you tried the new Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Polish in 'Damson'? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Bleach London Swamp Spritz

Bleach London Swamp Spritz - £6

When I buy any kind of sea salt spray or any hair product that aims to create that perfect beachy look I get really carried away and have visions of myself with the perfect 'beach' 'do and I'm almost always disappointed. I should have learnt my lesson by now, sea spray usually just ends up leaving my hair salty and sticky and the Bleach London Swamp Spritz was unfortunately no different from the rest.

For £6 this is a bit pricey. You're pretty much paying for the Bleach London name and the fact it is in a bottle shaped liked something you'd use to clean your bathroom with just doesn't help reassure you when you're handing over six of your hard earned pounds. The bottle actually really puts me off, as does the name 'swamp spritz'. What kind of a name is that really - do you want hair that looks like you've just crawled out of a swamp?

I've used this several times now in the hope that it would get better but it just hasn't. It leaves my hair feeling sticky and straw like and it really just doesn't do anything. It's less like a spritz and more like a jet of salty water on application. I would really not recommend spending your hard-earned money on this. I'm not really sure why I did to be honest, I guess I got swept away by the hype again.

Have you tried this? What are your thoughts?

The Sunday Catch Up #24

Yesterday Vince and I celebrated being together for six years. Six whole years! I can't believe it, it's pretty much flown by. As we don't really have any money we were looking for somewhere to go that was relatively cheap so we decided upon Chew Valley Lake.

It was absolutely boiling so a pretty perfect day to go. Vince actually discovered the lake years ago, although I can't quiet remember how he discovered it. Anyway, since then it's become a lot more popular and is often quite packed unless you go for a bit of a walk. There is a little cafe so we had some lunch before setting off on a bit of a trek. It felt like we walked for miles and miles but Vince said it wasn't very far at all. It just felt far seeing as I was wearing unsuitable walking shoes.

The problem with visiting the lake on such a hot day is that it makes me want to really go swimming! I suddenly get the urge to go on holiday and go swimming in the pool or on the beach, ahh!

It was a really nice day overall and the lake is perfect for having a day out when you don't want to spend a lot. It makes a great dog walk too so would really recommend it if you own a pet.

What's your favourite thing to do when you're keeping to a budget?

Super Facialist Anti Blemish line from Una Brennan

Super Facialist by Una Brennan Pore Purifying Clay Mark - £8.99*
Super Facialist by Una Brennan Purifying Face Scrub - £8.99*

New products alert! I am a big fan of the Super Facialist range from Una Brennan and I use the Tea Flower Clay Mask quite regularly. Before I recently donated it to my sister I was using the Vitamin C Moisturiser on a regular basis too alongside a few other moisturisers.

Anyway, back to the topic. The Super Facialist range now has two newbies joining the family, a new scrub and another clay mask. I've been using these recently and am a huge, huge fan. The clay mask intends to ease congestion so if you're living in a busy city then this is a must. I however, don't really live in a busy city, but I am still reaping the benefits of using this mask. It contains Salicylic Acid and mud from the Dead Sea, which helps to cleanse deep into the skin and leave it feeling fresh and revitalised.

It's not too thick and not too thin, just perfect to apply, which you do and then leave for five minutes before removing. After removing my skin feels ultra soft and really rejuvenated. My skin is really thanking me for using this mask as it really does leave my skin feeling clean, which I've not experienced with other masks. It really feels like the grime of the day/week has been shifted quickly.

The scrub scared me at first. I'm not really a fan of scrubs on the face, mainly because my skin is so very sensitive and ones I have used in the past have caused me lots of trouble, however I thought I'd man up and give this a go. I'm really glad I did because the scrub is extremely gentle, despite containing Salicylic Acid, which is a pretty scary sounding ingredient. The beads within the scrub are really teeny tiny and help to exfoliate the baddies away. You can use this on a daily basis but I personally wouldn't. I've been using it once a week for a little pamper session and I've really seen good results as areas where I have big pores are really improving already.

Together these products are absolutely fab. They compliment eachother nicely and my skin feels lovely after using them, really clean and fresh. I'd definitely recommend!

Have you used these? What are your thoughts?

This post contains PR samples

Makeup Revolution Giveaway

I've not held a giveaway in a little while so today is your lucky day. I've recently received lots of lovely products and to no share some of them with you would be wrong so here we go…

Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser

Bee Good Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser - £11.50*


I have been looking for a new cleanser for a little while. I'm not sure if anyone else has experienced this but my skin tends to get used to products and they no longer have such a good effect anymore so I was really glad to receive this from Bee Good. I have seen lots of bloggers talking about Bee Good recently and I was itching to get my hands on some products to try out.

Honey-based products seem to be pretty popular at the moment and I have to admit that I've totally jumped on the bandwagon. The scent is just a-mazing and the best thing is, the cleanser is suitable for all skin types, even mine, which is ultra sensitive. Hooray!

The cleanser is extremely rich and creamy and it just sweeps away the grime with ease. It's super moisturising and leaves my skin feeling refreshed and clean and ready for the day ahead. I've been absolutely loveing this and have quickly incorporated it into my daily routine.

The best part is all the bee-based ingredients are ethically sourced and a share of all profits are put back into beekeeping causes in the UK. I know that the bee population is falling in the UK so anything that helps towards it can only be a good thing. I'll definitely be purchasing some more products from the range - what ones have you tried? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

This post contains PR samples

Barry M Matte Nail Paint in 'Rhossili'

Barry M Matte Nail Paint in 'Rhossili' - £3.99





Yet another gorgeous nail paint from Barry M. Does this brand ever do anything wrong? It's recently released a new line of matte nail polishes for the spring/summer and while I was having a little browse I picked out this lovely shade. It's a great mix of pink/purple with a matte finish, which I love.

The polish itself is really lovely to apply, not streaky or thin at all and it dries really quickly. I only needed two layers to get the finished look and I think it's perfect. After a few days there were only a few chips and even after seven days some of the nails are still completely covered in the polish. Some of the other days have suffered chipping after a week, however, you don't really need nail polish for any longer than that anyway!

Basically this nail polish ticks all the right boxes. If only Barry M did the majority of its shades in a matte finish, then I'd be really happy. Or, I could just buy the matte top coat…

Have you tried the new Barry M matte polishes? What are your thoughts on them?

New from Makeup Revolution

Salvation Palette - £6*
Sugar and Spice Blush and Contour Palette - £6*
Chocolate Deluxe Baked Eyeshadows - £2.50*
Bronze, Shimmer and Highlight - £4*










Makeup Revolution is a brand that a lot of bloggers have been getting behind recently. Amazingly the brand only launched two months ago, can you believe it? In that time it's gone from being a shiny new brand to being one that's really made a big splash in the blogging community. It's blogger interaction on social media is great as whoever is behind the accounts is really on the same level we are and is doing everything right - I do like a brand that re-tweets bloggers and helps them out as much as the bloggers help it out by writing about its brand.

Anyway, I was contacted recently as I had been sent a lovely package of products from the new range! Annoyingly I missed the delivery as I was at work but when I did finally pick it up I was really pleased with what I'd received. The new Salvation Palette is absolutely gorgeous and has been creating quite a buzz as a little sneaky peek was revealed on Twitter recently. The shades are absolutely perfect for me, it's like I had a personal shopper or something. They are SO my colours and I can't wait to give these a try. I love the fact that all of the shades are named and there's a huge mirror in the palette too, big thumbs up!

The Sugar and Spice Blush and Contour Palette is another one that I just want to sit and stare at all day long. Being the bad blogger I am I don't actually own many blushes so this palette is really going to help me out with exploring blushes a bit more often. The two marble-esque shades are perfect, perfect, perfect. I almost don't want to use them and spoil the prettiness.

The Chocolate Deluxe Baked Eyeshadows aren't my usual go to shades but they look so gorgeous that I really want to give them a try. The palette is so cute and tiny - perfect for travelling with.

Bronzer is another product that I've steered clear of recently but looking at the Bronze, Shimmer and Highlight compact makes it look a lot less scary. There's three differet shades here that can be used separately or blended together with one big swoop of a brush - gorgeous!

All of the products are now available from the website and are all extremely reasonable. I am really excited about the future of this brand and what it has up its sleeves. I'll be writing separate reviews soon so keep an eye out for those!

Have you tried Makeup Revolution yet? Let me know your thoughts…

This post contains PR samples

The Sunday Catch Up #23

New products from Make Up Revolution / New CD / The longest living flowers ever / Fruity!

Follow me on Instagram - @cherryp13

I didn't mean for my Sunday catch up post to feature as much make-up as the blog features usually but it just happened this way. I received a lovely package from Makeup Revolution, containing lots of new products and I just had to share them with you - there will be a dedicated post coming this week and then individual reviews too.

All week I've been moaning about how slow the week has been going, but then it got to Friday and it felt like it whizzed past. The weekend has definitely gone quickly, but in two weeks time I have a week off, which I'm really looking forward to! I don't have anything planned unfortunately as Vince will be working but it is the week before Daisy's third birthday so I said I would help my sister with the party planning, I expect I'll also do lots of shopping and I have a trip to Cardiff planned with my friends as well, woo hoo!

This weekend has been pretty relaxed. I had a nice Saturday morning lie-in and lounge around the house before going to do a few little chores. I then popped into my mum and dad's house for the afternoon - it was absolutely boiling yesterday and it's been pretty warm today as well. Today has been a pretty boring one as well, although it is Father's Day my dad has been working so I haven't actually seen him. Hopefully he will like the presents I left for him. I spent most of the morning at my mums before coming home for a nap and doing a bit of cleaning, now I'm onto blogging and scheduling posts for the rest of the week!

What have you been up to this weekend?

New from Lush: Granny Takes a Dip and May Day

Unfortunately there isn't a Lush store near me so I took the plunge and ordered a couple of bits online. I have seen lots of bloggers posting about the new products for Summer 2014 so I thought I'd play it safe and order the Granny Takes a Dip bath bomb and the May Day bath ballistic.

The Granny Takes a Dip bath bomb REALLY caught my eye due to the colours. It's absolutely huge as well so you really get your money's worth. It's packed full of ginger, pepper and lemon and turns the water all sorts of different psychedelic colours. The lemon scent intends to wake you up and rejuvenate you a little while lemon oil will boost your mood and the ginger and pepper gives a lovely warming feel.

I can't find the May Day bath ballistic on the website any more, which is a shame. Perhaps it has sold out? It was a limited edition release after all… but if it does make a comeback I would recommend purchasing it. Every penny from products sold went towards anti-badger cull projects in the UK. The bath ballistic itself contains fennel oil and antiseptic rosewood oil and just smells divine. For £2.95 this is a real bargain and again, is absolutely huge!

I hate the fact I don't have a Lush store near me. It would be perfect for my little seaside town and I love going into stores and discovering all of the different products available. What are your favourite Lush products?

New from Collection: Mardi Gras

Collection Mardi Gras - £1.99 each

I've been trying to get my hands on this range for a while now. I spotted a couple of bloggers writing about the new products and I wanted them straight away but I'd heard they weren't available in stores until June 11, however I went into a store on Saturday and there they were, calling my name.

The colours are lovely, bright and fun and the range has been inspired by Brazilian carnivals and possibly by some little football tournament that's coming up soon too…

It's quite a small range, only three polishes and three lip balms in total, but at £1.99 each it means you could buy every single product! I wish I did to be honest, but I chose to leave the white nail polish and the two other lip balms, big mistake!

I picked up the 'Canary Yellow' and 'Green with Envy' polishes, which are extremely fun colours and can be worn individually or even together for a bit of a Brazilian feel! I also picked up the 'Green Apple' lip balm, which smells amazing and is lovely and moisturising. Another new release that looks like the Maybelline Baby Lips, interesting…

I'll be writing full reviews of these products on the blog very soon, but just wanted to give you a little taster!

Let me know what you think of the new range.

New Look Check Crop Top

New Look Check Crop Top - £14.99
Matalan Ankle Chain Strap Ballet Pumps - £12

Ahh my lovely long hair! I'm kind of regretting getting it cut right at this moment… anyway, onto the outfit. Not exactly anything to write home about but I really, really like this crop top. It doesn't really come out cropped on me as I'm so short but I just love it. The pattern is perfect and I love the sleeve length too. So far I've just worn it with plain jeans on the bottom as I'm not really sure what else to team it with, I'm quite wary of clashing patterns.

I had such a job searching for these shoes. Matalan never had my size in store or online so I ended up trying on a size 3 and a size 5. The size 3 was too small and the 5 a bit too big but as there's a strap then my feet don't really slip around in them so I went for the size 5 in the end. There's so pretty and the strap gives a little edge to what would otherwise be a plain ballet pump.

Let me know in the comments what you would team the top with!

The Sunday Catch Up #22

Lush haul / Scrub a dub dub / Seascape products / Bee Good Cleanser /
Collection Mardi Gras! / Blogging inception / 'To review' basket / New makeup organisation

Follow me on Instagram - cherryp13

This week has been a good post week. I'm trying to forward plan blog posts a lot more so these products will be featured pretty soon. I want to move away from having review after review after review and I want to include some more magazine-style posts, if that makes sense. I'm not too sure! I now have a 'to review' basket full of products instead of leaving them in the plastic bags all around my bedroom.

I definitely need a desk to help with my organisation. I'm hoping to get a dressing table in the bedroom and use it as a desk as well. I found a really nice one yesterday on a second hand site but unfortunately it was just an inch or two too big, how annoying! The prices of the types of dressing table I want are absolutely ridiculous, like over £100. Silly.

Yesterday I had a good old tidy of my makeup and I bought the three coloured pots from Sainsburys for all my brushes and pencils. They're actually supposed to be plant pots but they're the perfect size for my windowsill and my future dressing table…

So, this week has been lots of the usual. On Tuesday I had a visit to the dentist, ew. Luckily I don't need any fillings, just to see the hygienist for a deep clean as my gums are quite puffy and saw. It seems to be something that keeps happening so it may be that I have to get regular cleans, argh! I also had to have X-rays just to make sure there are no holes in my teeth that the dentist couldn't spot by eye. The dentist puts this weird stick in your mouth, which you bite down on. He then points the laser at you and he and his assistant both run out of the room! I've never understood why…but when they did they left the door open so the whole waiting room could see. Say cheese!

What have you been up to this week? Let me know in the comments.

Before you go, why not stop by the Cherry Pie Facebook page for more updates and behind the scenes photos.