The Easter Chocolate Indulgence collection from Nella Milano

The Easter Chocolate Indulgence collection from Nella Milano - £8.95 each*



I hope everyone is looking forward to the lovely Easter Bank Holiday coming up! I know I am. As my mum tells me I'm too old for Easter eggs I thought I'd still get into the spirit with the new Easter Chocolate Indulgence collection from Nella Milano. The polishes make ideal alternative Easter gifts or you could just buy them for yourself as a bit of a treat. The collection includes Chesnut Road, Sizzling Sienna and Moon Whisper.

Chesnut Road is a chocolately, rich red, almost like red velvet in a bottle. Sizzling Sienna is the perfect deep nude, which works really well alongside Chesnut Road but if white chocolate is more your thing then you might like to opt for Moon Whisper, which is a pretty, delicate nude with a hint of pink. Moon Whisper is quite a thin polish so you'll need to really build up the layers. Sizzling Sienna and Chusnet Road both apply beautifully and only need a couple of coats.

As I've mentioned before, these polishes are £8.95 each so they're a little on the pricier side but so worth it. They're super shiny and they dry really quickly too, bonus!

The best thing is you can still enjoy the chocolatey goodness without the calories!

Have you tried Nella Milano polishes before? What do you think about the Easter collection?

*This post contains PR samples

One year into the revolution

On Saturday Makeup Revolution celebrated its 1st birthday. Can you believe it? Over the past year the brand has really revolutionised the high street make-up scene and has become one of my favourite brands to use, work with and write about.

The range of products has gone from strength to strength and its created so many dupes for higher end brands as well as producing its own unique items. My bedroom is currently full of Makeup Revolution eyeshadow palettes, which are my absolute favourites and which I use on a daily basis. Not only are the products really great but they're super affordable aswell, perfect for people of all ages to pop in their baskets.

The brand is also super sociable and in touch with lots of bloggers. As a blogger I do have some contact with PRs and brands but none of them are as personal as Makeup Revolution. I don't know about other bloggers but there aren't many brands that just send me products at random, this one does, so it's really nice to know me and my little old blog are actually being thought about. I received the delicious cake pops (above) in the post on Saturday as well as a hand-written note to help celebrate the brand's birthday and it was just lovely to know that the people behind the brand thought it was worth celebrating with me of all people! To other bloggers this is probably a common thing but I've not found any other brand as friendly and helpful as this one. It really feels like there's personality behind the social media accounts and I really enjoy interacting with them.

So with that I wanted to dedicate a post to the brand and wish it a happy birthday, here's to many more!

Are you a fan of Makeup Revolution?

Sunday Summary #13

I can't believe it's Sunday again! The past week went SO fast and this week coming is only four days long, which is great but also bad because it means a day less to get everything done. I'm not quite sure what I'm doing on Good Friday, probably not a lot!

On Wednesday I had spin class again. Recently I haven't really been pushing myself hard enough so this week I made sure to up the resistance properly so I could really feel it. I think I did quite well and although it was super hard I still really enjoyed it. I have another class this week coming as well as my next crochet class. This week we're starting a new project, it's a 'crochet along' where everyone works on the same project, using the same pattern and doing it altogether in the class. We've seen the finished blanket we're going to be making and it looks SO complicated, not sure how I'm going to get on with it, eek!

This week my mum and dad got a new puppy!! Eeeek! She's so cute. She is an all white Border Collie with a few flecks of grey. They got her from Wales from really bad conditions, she is blind in one eye but my mum and dad didn't want to leave her so brought her home. We took her to the vets yesterday and she has a heart murmur and is really, really small for her age. The heart murmur could go away with age but the vet wants her to put on some weight. You can see some pictures over on my Instagram.

She's so teeny tiny, she looks like a little polar bear. She's so cuddly and playful and although she keeps bumping into things when she's walking around, she is settling in well. My mum and dad's other dog, Jasper, doesn't seem to mind too much so far.

So my week has pretty much consisted of cooing over the puppy. Later yesterday afternoon I popped to mum's again as my sister was round with the kids. They absolutely love her and want to cuddle her all the time! I expect I will get some more cuddles in on Thursday before crochet class! If you're ever in a bad/sad mood then cuddling a puppy or a cat works wonders!

Most of today has already passed and I've so far only hoovered and cleaned the bathroom. I'm going to attempt to take some blog photos this afternoon after demolishing my chocolate spread on toast, yum yum!

What have you been up to this week/weekend? Got much planned for next week? Let me know in the comments.

Catch up on the past week's posts:

Five Friday Favourites

COLAB Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo

Makeup Revolution Black Velvet Palette

Spring brights with Rita Ora for Rimmel Super Shine Nail Polish

My love of magazines

Five Friday Favourites

This time last week I was on my way home from Bristol with a Boots bag full of goodies. This post contains the majority of those goodies, which I stopped myself from using until I had got a good shot of them. Blogger problems…

Maybelline The Smokes
Now I don't know if this is a new release or an old one but as I was browsing the make-up counters in Boots this palette screamed out to me. I couldn't see a price on it but I popped it in my basket anyway. It was £9.99, which isn't too bad for a palette that can create the perfect smokey eyel

Having done my research, I've found there's also a nude/blush version of the palette, which is extremely pretty, but The Smokes is definitely more me. I'm wearing a couple of the shades as I'm writing this!

Collection Field Day Nail Polish
I've been trying to get my hands on these for ages. My local Boots only had two of the three so I waited until my trip to Bristol to pick them up. For £1.99 they're such a bargain and the colours are perfect for spring. I can't wait to try them out all together, watch this space…

Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer
I was definitely in need of a new primer before picking this one up. I don't wear foundation all that much so I only had a really old primer that looked almost like jelly. That went swiftly into the bin and I picked this up as it seemed to be 'new in' on the shelves. Underneath my foundation it seemed to hold out pretty well, giving me a good base to work with! Definitely one to keep in my stash for the future.

Trevor Sorbie Volume Shampoo
The reason I picked this up was because I was looking for a new volumising shampoo and wanted to give the Phil Smith 'Big it Up' shampoo a try but couldn't find it! Most of all I just love the yellow packaging on this one and while it's not giving my hair loads of volume, it is leaving it super soft feeling, which I'm loving!

L'Oreal Infallible Eyeliner
I am no good with liquid eyeliner, but I am a bit better with these types of liners that aren't liquid but aren't pencil either. They're kind of a soft inbetween, which make it really easy to use. I'm loving popping this over a brown smokey eye and it has a great nib on the other end, which can be used for blending.

Also, have you noticed the sneaky sixth favourite in the form of the 90's throwback Primark duvet? Super soft and cosy!

What are your five favourites this week?

COLAB Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo

COLAB Extreme Volume Dry Shampoo - £4.49
During the past few months I've gone on a real dry shampoo journey. Previously I washed my hair every day and while I'm still stuck in this rut on the weekdays, I have managed to break away on the weekends and this is where dry shampoo has come in. I've tried your general Batiste sprays but haven't found them too successful. I've also tried dry shampoo powders from Lush and Herbal Essence's own dry shampoo, of which I'm semi on board with, but at the moment I'm loving COLAB's version of the magical spray.

In case you don't know, the sprays are made with model and blogger/Youtuber, Ruth Crilly, and the reason I picked one up and gave it a try is because I've seen Ruth on Youtube and read her blog and really love her stuff. I think she's pretty hilarious and so down to earth, but even if you don't know who Ruth is, I'd still recommend picking this up because it seems as if Ruth hasn't just stuck her name on something, but she's co-created a really fab product.

There are a couple of different scents available in the range, all named after well-known cities. I picked up New York and am happy to admit it was because I like the city and have been there myself but I also preferred the scent on this one as well. It's lovely and fresh/fruity and it really lingers on the hair, so you get the odd whiff every now and then, yum!

It doesn't leave the hair feeling sticky or straw like, which I've found happens with lots of others. It actually leaves my hair looking as if it has been washed that morning. I did a sneaky little test and asked my family if it looked like my hair needed washing or not and they said no, which is great…if they were being honest with me (I'm sure they were!).

£4.49 is a bit on the pricier side for a fullsize version of the spray but you can pick up the smaller 50ml versions for £2.49 if you don't want to go all out. I'm now really keen to try some of the other fragrances and I'm also excited about what is going to come next from Ruth.

Have you tried the COLAB dry shampoo? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Makeup Revolution Black Velvet Palette

Just when I think Makeup Revolution can't possibly bring out another eyeshadow palette, it goes and brings out its Black Velvet palette, which is not only full of beautiful eyeshadows but the packaging itself is covered in its namesake, with a jeweled heart for decoration. Unfortunately it was a bit tricky to photograph so I'll leave it to your imagination!

Now down to business. The palette is full of 13 matte nudes and neutrals and 3 glitzy shimmer shades and once again it feels like the palette is tailored exactly to my tastes as these are so my sort of colours. While I've created a pretty nude/brown eye look, I do rather love the deep plum and grey shades - these are perfect for creating a more glamorous look.

The shades are really lovely to apply and there's very little fall out, which I'm really pleased about. They blend really nicely with each other and there's a shade for your every need, whether it's a day time look you're creating or something more glitzy. The shadows have great staying power too and remain in tact throughout the day.

The Black Velvet palette has gone straight into my pile of everyday palettes. For £7.99 it's extremely affordable and definitely one all makeup lovers need in their stash.

Have you tried the Black Velvet palette? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and tweet me the looks you've created with it at @cherryp13.

Spring brights with Rita Ora for Rimmel Super Shine Nail Polish

Rita Ora for Rimmel Super Shine Nail Polishes in Port-a-loo Blue, Roll in the Grass and Tangerine Tent - £2.99 each


It's been lovely and sunny all weekend (although it's raining as I write this) and those few days of sunshine really boosted my mood and got me into the spring/summer vibe. So much so that I ended up picking up the new range of nail polishes from Rimmel in collaboration with Rita Ora.

The shades are just gorgeous! Brilliantly bright and bold! Perfect when the sun is shining or even if it's not. I picked up Tangerine Tent, which is a really great orange shade, Port-a-loo blue, which is an almost neon blue and Roll in the Grass, which is a dark mint/turquoise shade. I absolutely adore all of the shades and have been wearing them all for a couple of days. They look brilliant together but I was a teeny bit disappointed in Tangerine Tent, which is a little bit thinner than the other polishes so you need more layers when applying it.

The polishes go onto the nail absolutely perfectly though and the brushes are precision maxi-brushes to be exact, and are really thick, almost twisted, which allows you to reach the entire nail in one swoop.

The polish is pretty chip resistance too and there is barely any chipping at all after the few days I've been wearing these shades, so I'm seriously impressed. The finish is super shiny too so it really lives up to its name.

What do you think of the new Rita Ora for Rimmel Super Shine Nail Polishes? Let me know in the comments.

My love of magazines

Ever since I can remember I have loved magazines. If I remember correctly the first ever magazine I bought was Shout and since then I've been hooked. I started off with the likes of Shout and Girl Talk magazine (oh my God Girl Talk was amazing!) and as I grew up got more into the older, teen mags and music magazines. I have a collection of Kerrang! magazines in my Mum and Dad's attic and built up quite a stack of Glamours, More!, Companys, Cosmopolitans and a lots more.

I loved magazines so much that I went on to study Magazine Journalism at University and had dreams of graduating, moving to London and working on a glossy magazine. I did graduate but dreams of moving to London didn't happen as I realised it wasn't as easy and glamorous as my teenage self thought it was. I did do internships at a couple of mags, which is another post entirely, and to this day, still love flicking through a magazine.

As a youngster, reading magazines was such a great experience. I'd love picking up copies of my favourites every Friday when we went shopping. I loved the articles, the stories and as I got older I enjoyed the fashion and beauty more and more.

While the Internet and blogging has changed magazines hugely, it hasn't changed my love for them. There's still something really relaxing about flicking through the pages and I get a lot from magazines that I don't necessarily get from websites/blogs. I probably need to branch out a bit more but with the blogs I read, it's usually reviews on products and blogger's personal opinions on them and while that isn't a bad thing, I do like how magazine's do things on the beauty front. Talking about what's new, what's being used on celebrities and runways and showcasing different looks.

There are some really well-written, thought out blog posts out there but magazine's give me juicy articles to sink my teeth into and learn from. They have really upped their game when it comes to writing about important issues around the world too and that's something I really enjoy reading.

As the blog industry surged, the magazine industry definitely took a back seat and many people say magazines will become extinct in years to come, but personally this isn't something I believe will happen. I think girls/women like myself will always enjoy having something real in their hand, to pick up and put down as and when they please. It's also so nice to put down the laptop/switch off the phone and pick up a magazine.

What are some of your favourite magazines? Let me know in the comments.

Incase you didn't know, I've become the resident beauty blogger over at Magazine.co.uk's The Hub so I will keep you updated on any new posts over there.

Sunday Summary #12

I can't believe it's been exactly a week since I was sitting here writing this post and staring into the beauty of a long, week off. Now I'm staring at a week back at work, but am trying not to think about it too much or I won't sleep tonight!

I had a pretty relaxing week off to be honest. Thankfully my car passed its MOT and so didn't need any work. I couldn't actually believed it passed and no advisories either, not sure what's going on there…

I spent some of the week taking blog photos but not nearly as many as I would have liked to. I also gave the house a good clean and tidy up, although you wouldn't be able to tell now.

Vince had most afternoon's off so we spent most of them watching cheesy daytime TV quiz shows and napping. On Friday we got up early to watch the eclipse, although we had no special sunglasses so couldn't really appreciate the full effect. We then got ready and headed to Bristol for the day. We had lunch at one of our favourite all-you-can-eat Asian fusion restaurants and did some shopping! I spent way too much money during the week so am on a bit of a spending ban this week besides paying for petrol!

It was really nice to have spin class and crochet class this week and not have to rush back from work for them. I did well at spin and enjoyed it again but still need to work on that 'ol resistance! Crochet class was good, after being stuck on one bit on my blanket for two weeks I was finally able to get on with it and am now flying through it. I've probably made some mistakes in it but the untrained eye won't be able to tell so I'm going to keep going - I want to make it quite big so I can put it on the bed. Hopefully when it's finished I can post a picture or maybe write a blog post about my new hobby but if you really are that interested, I've posted a couple of snaps over on my Instagram. I really never thought I'd keep it going this long!

Next class we're going to be starting a lily pond blanket but we're doing it all together each week. It looks pretty complicated but I'm sure we'll do ok. I've been really into looking up patterns online and trying them out on my own but they usually end up going completely wrong, but I guess it's the best way to learn.

I don't really have anything planned this coming week, other than work. I'm pretty happy though as I have one full week and then the week after is only four days due to Good Friday so I have a nice long weekend coming, hurrah!

How has your week and weekend been? Let me know in the comments.

Before you go, catch up on what you might have missed on the blog:

Great Greens for St Patrick's Day

Beauty blogger problems

MUA Cosmetics Spring 2015 Pro-Base Prime & Conceal

Introducing: Make-up from Crownbrush UK

Five Friday Favourites

Five Friday Favourites

I can't believe it's Friday again! I've had this week off work and it has gone SO fast but I've spent the week doing lots of bloggy stuff so have been surrounded by products. Here are a few of my new favourites…

Bourjois Colourband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Eyeliner pencils
Bloggers across the land have been raving about these things and because I absolutely needed another brown/nude eyeshadow pencil, I picked some up. I kind of wish I'd picked up the pink and grey shades as well as the entire collection is actually really pretty looking.

These are super soft and lovely to apply and leave a really shimmery finish. They're great for using as a single eyeshadow colour or blend them with other shades/use as a highlighter AND they can be used as eyeliners as well. They're very versatile and definitely something I think everyone needs in their make-up stash.

Microcell Cuticle Care Pen* I was recently sent a range of nail care products and the cuticle care pen from Microcell is one that I've been using for a couple of days now. I sometimes suffer with dry skin around my cuticles so I'm hoping this little pen works some kind of magic and leaves my cuticle area lovely and soft instead of sore.

Scruples Complete Recovery Intense Repair Masque*
I haven't used a hair mask in SO long, which is quite bad. I don't use conditioner on my hair as it makes it too greasy so a good mask every once in a while really does it the world of good.

I use heat on my hair pretty much every day before going to work so a mask like this is great for damaged hair like mine as well as chemically treated hair. It helps to nourish and soften the hair as well as adding strength and shine. It is a bit of a pain to apply as you need to apply to wet hair, wait a few minutes and then rinse so you either need to hang around in the shower freezing your bits off or mooch around the house with drippy, wet hair while you wait for it to do it's thang.

Bourjois Smokey Eye Quad
I don't know how many times I picked this up off the shelves in Boots and put it back again. I don't know why it took me so long to actually purchase but I'm really pleased that I have. Bourjois have released a few great eye products recently and this is another that I'm really enjoying, along with the Colourband 2-in-1 Eyeshadow and Eyeliner pencils.

I've gone for my usual brown shades but I love the fact that this has a really pretty shimmer shade in the middle. This can be used to just finish a look off or just inside the eye to really make your look pop. Great!

Collection Eyes Uncovered palette in Nude
I have quite the collection of nude/brown palettes and here is another one I've added to my stash. It took me absolutely ages to actually realise there are three different palettes available, nude, bronze and grey. The shades are actually all very similar but they're great for creating every day looks. The bronze palette is great if you want to add a bit of sparkle and I guess the grey one would be great for creating a smokey eye.

Have you tried any of my favourite products? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains some PR samples.

Introducing: Make-up from Crownbrush UK

2015 is the year of make-up for Crownbrush UK. Initially the company was well-known for its professional brushes but is now not only providing the tools for make-up application, but also a new range of great make-up aswell.

I was very lucky to receive a couple of new products from the range, including the new Matte Bronzer, which I was pleasantly surprised with as it's not a scary looking, dark bronzer, but actually one especially for fair skin, to just add a little hint of colour. Great for the summer months.

I also received a Chubby Eye Pencil in Dark Chocolate, Eyeliner/Eyebrow pencil in Dark Chocolate, a Chubby Lip Pencil in Vegas Nights and a Lip Liner Pencil in Cappacino.

All of the products are available now and are really reasonably priced. The chubby eye and lip pencils come out at £3.99 and the normal eye/lip pencils are just £2.99. The bronzer palette is £6.99 so you're really not going to break the bank with this stuff, which is great!

As you can see, the dark chocolate shades of eyeshadow and eyeliner/eyebrow pencil I've been sent are super rich and chocolatey and just my style I have to say. Perfect for a dark, smokey eye and beautifully soft to apply too.

The lip and lip liner pencils are gorgeous natural looking shades, and the chubby pencil has just a hint of shimmer in it. These are perfect for people like me who aren't keen on bold lip colours so prefer something more nude and barely-there looking.

On first impressions I'm super impressed with the products, the pricing and the packaging. The range is definitely big competition to highstreet brands and I can see myself really growing to love this brand. There's still lots to look forward to as well with trio eyeshadows, glitter eyeliners, gel eyeliners and mascaras are still to come…

Have you tried Crownbrush UK make-up yet, let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

MUA Cosmetics Spring 2015 Pro-Base Prime & Conceal

I haven't featured MUA on this blog in quite a little while. I think the brand took a bit of a back seat towards the end of last year but I am really happy to see that it's back with a bang this year. I was recently sent the new Spring 2015 Pro-Base Prime & Conceal range, which is a very purse-friendly range of products, great for helping correct various skin problems.

The Smooth, Set & Prime works like a normal primer but is in a solid, balm form so you don't use too much product on application. It's great for creating a good base for your make-up and helps keep it in place for the majority of the day. I was also sent the new Prime & Conceal creams, which are not only brilliantly coloured, but all have very important jobs that they do.

The yellow cream helps brighten and conceal areas of your skin with purple tones while you can use the green cream to apply to areas that are susceptible to redness, this will help neutralise and reduce the redness - definitely something I can get on bored with. Use the lilac cream to illuminate or help mute yellow undertones in your skin and use the peach cream to add a touch of radiance to your skin.

While using green/peach/yellow/lilac colours aren't new groundbreaking tones to use in the concealing business, the range is a great budget-friendly alternative to normal highstreet and higher end brands at just £2 each. The creams themselves are lovely and creamy, great for applying with a brush or your fingers and I'm a big fan of the green cream to help reduce redness, which is something I do suffer with.

Overall I'm really impressed with the new range from MUA and the fact that it's providing people with a more budget-friendly way of helping their skin look great, in particular, teenagers who could be new to using make-up and don't have much spare cash.

Have you tried MUA Cosmetics before or its new Spring 2015 range? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Beauty blogger problems

I've been a blogger for five years now, a beauty blogger for around 3 or 4 and along the way have come across many, many problems that only other bloggers can relate to…

When you splash out on a tonne of make-up but can't use any of it until you've photographed it for a blog post

When you're all set up ready to take blog photos and the sun decides to poke it's head out, shining all brightly and adding a lovely glare to your images

When it's 3pm on a winter afternoon and it's pitch black outside…a time when you wish the sun would rear it's head, shining all brightly so you can take some blog photos

When you receive products from a PR company and the females in your family all swoop down on them like magpies

When non-bloggers see your make-up stash and just don't understand…

When your 'to review' pile is so high you don't really know where to begin

When it's a perfectly lit day and you just don't have the motivation to blog or take photos

When you do have the motivation to blog or take photos, but they keep coming out rubbish!

When you have hundreds of eyeshadow palettes from different brands, all in the same shades of browns/nudes

Having a bathroom/bedroom packed so full of products that a visitor wouldn't even recognise that a man lives with you too

Blogger's block - but hey, I guess this post proves you can get past it!

Despite this rather ranty list of 'problems', these are far outweighed by all the positives that come along with being a blogger!

What problem do you face as a blogger?

Great Greens for St Patrick's Day

I don't really celebrate St Patrick's Day as I'm not Irish, however I do like any excuse for a themed nail look and as tomorrow is St Patrick's Day, I thought it'd be a great excuse to whip out all my green nail polishes.

Green is a colour I thought I didn't wear too often but I actually have quite a few different shades of green polish. Barry M does great greens, especially in its Gelly and Aquarium ranges, both of which I've reviewed separately here and here. I've also teamed these with the Maybelline Colour Show in Moss, which has gone a rather gross looking yellow colour in the bottle, but still looks great once applied.

I've also used the new Nella Milano polish in Evergreen and one of the gorgeous Revlon Parfumerie polishes in Lime Basil. I'm really surprised about the Revlon polish because it's a scented one and almost a year after buying it, it still smells delicious after application.

As I mentioned, coming up with various themes for my nails is something I really enjoy and it's a great way to shop your stash and rediscover some old favourites. I'm pretty pleased with the different shades I've rediscovered and hopefully this post will inspire you to come up with a look of your own.

How are you celebrating St Patrick's Day? Let me know in the comments.

Sunday Summary #11

As I write this I currently have one long week of complete nothingness stretching out ahead of me…in other words, I have a week off work, but it's been a bit of a stressful process in the lead up to it as I've had to make sure the majority of my jobs are complete. Anyway, enough of thinking of work, how am I going to spend my week off I hear you cry?! Doing as much blogging as possible of course!

It all starts tomorrow with some post planning. I'm hoping to get up relatively early (8am ish) and have a nice cup of tea and Youtube catch up before ploughing on with what posts I want to make live this week. I then want to plan for the rest of the month and as far into next month as I can. If there's any sort of posts you'd like to see then do let me know!

As well as blogging I also plan to tidy my house. It's an absolute mess at the moment, not with dirt, but just lots of stuff everywhere and it all needs putting away. Sometimes you just need time off to catch up on things. I'm hoping to sort my wardrobe out and sort my bedroom out a bit as well.

My car is due an MOT tomorrow so unless I walk somewhere, it will definitely be a day at home. I don't expect it will pass the MOT so will probably need some work doing to it this week as well, fingers crossed it can be done this week as I pretty much booked the entire week off especially for it.

As I mentioned this week has been a bit stressful and I hoped my spin class would help get rid of some of it but this week I wasn't really feeling it. I'm not sure why but I just wanted it to end and I wanted to get home, which is a shame, but I am determined to get back into it this week and really push the resistance! I was also thinking about doing some extra classes this week, but can't decide which!

This week coming will be great as I won't have to rush home from work for my class. I also have crochet this coming week and I am so glad because I am SO stuck! I've spent most of this afternoon starting it, taking it all out and then starting it again. It's driving me absolutely mad. I was hoping to get some done in the week as well but that's totally gone out of the window!

This weekend has been pretty quiet. Yesterday was REALLY quiet infact. I didn't get up until 10.30am and then didn't get dressed until lunch time. As I got up so late it left me feeling tired all day long, so much so that I fell asleep again in the afternoon. It was such a waste of the day to be honest as I could have got so much done but sometimes you just need a lazy day!

This morning I popped to Mum's for breakfast with my sister and the kids. For Mother's Day I got her a bag for all of her craft bits, she has absolutely loads now! I need to get a bag for myself soon I think as I'm already building up a collection of wool.

How has your weekend been? Have you got much planned for the coming week?

Before you go, catch up on this week's posts:

Versace Eros Pour Femme Eau de Parfum

My favourite instagramers

Mother's Day treat: Thierry Mugler Eau de Parum

Make-up and Mum

Five Friday Favourites

Five Friday Favourites

So I thought I'd start a new little series on the blog…Five Friday Favourites! I'm aiming to write about new products so you can get a feel of what's new on the market and also write some more indepth posts once I've trialled the products for a little while.

Nella Milano Spring/Summer 2015*
I thought I'd start off with a new brand that I recently discovered. Nella Milano is an independent brand, which takes inspiration from the Italian fashion capital, Milan.

I was recently sent a couple of colours from the new spring/summer 2015 collection, which I have to say is really fun, bright and full of popping colours. Each polish is £8.95 each, which is a bit on the pricier side than your normal highstreet polishes but cheaper than the likes of Nails Inc. The polishes are pretty perfect for cheering yourself up when it's still cold and they have great staying power too.

Kiko Cosmetics - Generation Next Cool Touch Eyeshadow*
I don't know about you but I'm seriously impressed with the new Generation Next collection from Kiko Cosmetics. Much like the Nella Milano polishes, the products in this range are seriously bright and colourful, just look at the turquoise eyeshadow, it's insane. I probably wouldn't wear this all over the lid, I'd perhaps use it just to add a pop of colour on the outside lid or use it as a soft eyeliner.

The eyeshadow pot comes with a protective film to keep the eyeshadow fresh on every use. Whoever heard of keeping an eyeshadow fresh, that's a new one! The product itself is really smooth and velvety to apply and comes with a nifty applicator tool too.

Kiko Cosmetics - Generation Next Crystal Eyeliner* Another product from the new Generation Next range and this one doesn't hold back on eyepopping colour either. On application the eyeliner has a really pretty metallic finish and is great for creating a more precise line.

Makeup Revolution Black Velvet Palette*
When the new Black Velet palette from Makeup Revolution came through my postbox I was seriously impressed. The outer packaging is actual beautiful, black velvet with a jewel heart on the front and the shades inside are seriously me. Matte nudes and neutrals galore with a few select shimmers, gorgeous.

Makeup Revolution Obsession Palettes in Paris* and Pure Cult*
More Makeup Revolutionary goodness, this time in the form of its new Obsession palettes, which I'm rather enjoying at the moment. I don't think Makeup Revolution ever stop production of new palettes. Pure Cult is a lovely nude/smokey palette, perfect for creating a 'night out' eye look while Paris is a more pinky/cream based palette, perfect for every day looks.

Keep an eye out for most indepth posts on these products in future.

*This post contains PR samples - infact they're all PR samples. I promise I didn't plan it!

Make-up and Mum

Let me just start off by saying my mum is probably going to kill me for posting these pictures of her, haha!

I was recently contacted by Fragrance Direct and asked if I wanted to take part in its Mother's Day campaign and of course I said yes, so I spent the weekend rifling through family photos trying to find one of my mum and I together. The only ones are from when I was quite young as neither of us like having our photos taken, so please do enjoy my mum's perm and my pink t-shirt and yellow shorts, how stylish!

When it comes to all things beauty, makeup and skin related, none of us would be where we are today if it wasn't for our mums or other significant female role model in our lives. They're the ones that teach us where to put lipstick and that bright blue and pink eyeshadow isn't a good look after all. It's strange how we pick these things up. Obviously I don't really remember myself but I am already seeing my niece become interested in nail polish and makeup after she's been seeing my sister apply it. It's like she's a natural already, she knows what goes where but maybe she doesn't have the knack of applying it just yet!

When I was younger, as well as makeup, I did have a real interest in nail polish and dyeing my hair, so it was really handy that my mum was a hairdresser and would spend hours painting the stuff onto my head for me. I tried a range of colours including black, purple, red and pink tips! I used to see mum's hair colour charts and enjoyed playing with the little fake bits of coloured hair. Then I'd go with her to work at the hairdressing cash and carry and see all the different colours!

In my teens I was introduced to skincare and it was always mum who I'd ask about it. What sort of products should I use, how do I get rid of this huge spot and quickly?! These days she's a regular reader of my blog and has even got her hands on a few bits after I've reviewed them in the past. Her and my sister are always the ones to get first dibs on things when I have a clear out.

I kind of know what I'm doing when it comes to makeup and skincare now or so I like to think, although I could use a hand with hair dyeing at some point. What I'm trying to say is whether it's makeup and skincare advice or something a bit more serious, I still count on my mum for absolutely everything, despite being 26 and living in my own place.

Makeup/skincare and hair dye might be trivial things to some people but sharing something/an interest with your mum growing up and then into your twenties and beyond is great. It's important to have something to bond over and talk about so when special days such as Mother's Day come around you can really appreciate having your mum in your life. Mother's Day might be one of those holidays created by higher beings than us just to make money and I do believe that you should appreciate your mum all year round but it doesn't hurt to take one day out of the year to really treat her and show her how much you care!

What makeup tips and tricks did your mum teach you? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Mother's Day treat: Thierry Mugler Angel Eau de Parfum

When these two products dropped through my letter box (ok they didn't really as they're too big but I like the saying!) I instantly knew that one person in particular would be very jealous…my mum! Angel by Thierry Mugler* is one of her favourite scents to wear. It's one that she re-purchases every time and while I would like to keep it for myself, I can't help feeling that I smell like her everytime I spray it on myself. Not that that's a bad thing!

I have actually decided to give this to my mum instead of keeping it myself due to it being one of her faves and it being Mother's Day soon. I do think perfumes make such a lovely present for mum's as they're usually someone you know extremely well so know what sort of scents she likes if she hasn't already told you.

The Angel scent is a lovely blend of bergamot, sweet red fruits, vanilla, caramel and patchouli. It's got base notes of vanilla, chocolate and caramel so there's a very sweet/chocolatey twist and is great when you get a bit of a whiff of it on yourself a little later in the day after spritzing.

Usually when you get a fragrance set it comes with some kind of body lotion, that I never usually bother using but the Angel body lotion is an absolutely huge size and although it's a lotion, it still holds the trademark Angel scent really well, leaving you smelling great for absolutely hours.

I'd definitely recommend treating mum to the new Angel scent, you can't really go wrong with perfume. I expect my mum will be very happy to receive this one!

*This post contains PR samples.

My favourite Instagramers

I am absolutely loving Instagram at the moment so thought I'd put together a little post of some of my favourites to follow.

The Quick Beauty Review
The Quick Beauty Review is an extension of Helen from The Love Cats Inc and I think it's such a great idea for an instagram account. It combines fab, minimalist pictures of products with short and straight to the point reviews. It's much faster than trawling your way through blog posts.

Katy Mitten
I adore scrolling through Katy's Instagram snaps, especially the ones of her absolutely gorgeous cats. There's quite obviously a lot of thought put into each picture and each one is bright, minimalist and fun. I love it!

House of Momma
I'm cheating a bit with this one as it's my sister's account but I do love looking at all her pics. This account is more specifically for her various craft projects. You can see a Matilda print bean bag that she made the kids to go in their reading corner and it's just adorable! Please go give her a follow!

A Little Boat Sailing
Amy's blog is one of my fave so it's only natural that her Instagram would be a big hit with me too. Her blog photography is absolutely amazing and the same goes for her Instagram snaps, a great mix of beauty and lifestyle!

Lady Liquor
Catherine is another favourite blogger of mine and her beautiful photography is so inspiring, which means I'm also a huge fan of her Instagram account. Another quite minimalist ix of photos, but absolutely gorgeous none the less.

It wouldn't be fair if I didn't give my on Instagram account a little plug. You can follow me and what I'm getting up to over at Instagram.com/cherrypieblog.