September 2015Cherry Pie : September 2015

29 September 2015

NailPolish.co.uk - a one stop shop for nail polish

NailPolish.co.uk
NailPolish.co.uk
NailPolish.co.uk
NailPolish.co.uk

I don't know about you but my local Boots/Superdrug stores can be very limited on nail polishes. It's often the same old shades on the stand and there's some brands that the bigger Boots stores stock that my local one doesn't so I sometimes find it difficult to try new brands and shades.

I recently discoverd www.nailpolish.co.uk, which stocks 1,000s of different brands and shades, all for great prices. I was recently in touch with the website and was lucky enough to receive two polishes of my choice for the purposes of this post. I opted for two Essie polishes in 'Mind your Mittens', which is a deep grey shade and 'On a silver platter', which is a gorgeous glittery top coat. I thought these would look pretty lovely together and I certainly wasn't wrong. The top coat is silver/grey/blue in the bottle and it can be worn on it's own for a snowy/wintery look or as a top coat on something darker, as per the above pics, where it actually appears gold on application, so perfect for party season!

I realise these are both from the 2013 ranges and are in older packaging, but for a knockdown price I don't think it really matters. Both polishes are gorgeous, apply like a dream, have great staying power and are going straight into my already very full collecion.

It's not all older stock on the website though, having a browse through the Barry M section and I came across lots of new releases, so the site is perfect for anyone that can't get to the shops or whose local shops aren't so up-to-date with their stock rotation.

There's so many different polishes to choose from, they're all full-size and 100% genuine as well so no nasty fakes. Some of the polishes are a bit cheaper than you'd normally find in shops so it's well worth having a good look around.

The polishes also came really well packaged and despatch is super quick too. If you order before 2pm Monday - Friday you'll get same day despatch. Spend over £15 and you'll receive free delivery too.

Overall I think this is a great little website for nail polish fans to discover old and new favourites and you can save 10% on your next order with the code POLISHED. You're welcome!

*This post contains PR samples.
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28 September 2015

Seventeen Cosmetics Define & Conquer Contour Kit

Seventeen Cosmetics Define & Conquer Contour Kit
Seventeen Cosmetics Define & Conquer Contour Kit
Seventeen Cosmetics Define & Conquer Contour Kit
Seventeen Cosmetics Define & Conquer Contour Kit

I've been on a bit of a spree of the old Seventeen stand in Boots recently. I think it was three for two on items and you also got a free gift for spending over £5. I'll be featuring the free gift here at the end of the week so look out for that. What I wanted to feature today was the Define & Conquer palette/kit, which is a cute little compact containing a light and a darker powder for contouring.

I have to admit contouring was a bit like a foreign language to me. It was really scary when it first became a 'thing' but now I'm seeing these sorts of kits come out that don't have such scary looking shades in them, so I thought I'd pluck up the courage and try one out.

Thankfully this came with a handy little guide, telling me where on my face to apply which shade of powder. I found it extremely helpful and a bit less nervewracking when applying. After applying foundation I usually look a little pale and while blusher does help to add some colour into my cheeks, I'm still a little ghostly elsewhere so the darker contour powder really helped my face to look a little less dead, while the highlighter helped to add a bit of a glow.

I have to admit I applied it very minimally, just because I wasn't sure what I was doing and had this fear of ending up with brown stripes across my face, but I was pleased with the finished result and could definitely see a bit more colour in my face, which may not show up in the pictures incredibly well, but I promise you it's there!

I definitely think practice makes perfect when it comes to contouring so I like the fact the powders are blendable and buildable, enabling you to keep things quite simple or you can go all out Kim /kardashian if you to choose. This is a great little foolproof compact for people like me who have never tried contouring before and are a bit scared of it. It's like contouring for dummies!

Have you tried the Define & Conquer kit from Seventeen Cosmetics? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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Buckley London Royal British Legion Poppy Collection

Buckley London Royal British Legion Poppy Collection

I'm sure everyone here is well aware of the traditional paper poppies that adorn coat lapels as Remembrance Sunday approaches each year. Wearing a simple little poppy commemorates everyone in the military who has sacrificed their life in World War One and Two and following conflicts.

Buckey London is a long time supporter of The Royal British Legion, whose representatives you'll see selling poppies in their little boxes every year, and its founder Adrian Buckley, approached the charity with an idea to create beautiful jewelled brooches. The brand has now become the official designer of The Royal British Legion Poppy Collection and wow, what a collection of poppys.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the paper poppy but they can get easily lost/damaged so for some people it's nice to have something a bit more permanent. These are real statement, colourful crystal poppy brooches, but that's not all, there's earrings, necklaces, cufflinks, bracelets and pins so really something for everyone.

The collection is extremely precious and each piece is something to be treasured and can be worn all year round. Prices are extremely reasonable as well with keyrings, cufflinks and earrings starting from just £12.50. Your money will be going to a brilliant cause as all profilts are donated to the Legion and Poppyscotland.

While the collection is absolutely gorgeous it's important to remember that whether you're wearing a jewelled poppy or a paper one, showing your support is the most important thing.

Buckley London is using the hashtag #BuckleyRemembers this Remembrance season.

*This post is written in collaboration with Buckley London.
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25 September 2015

Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette: The Big Smoke

Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke
Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette The Big Smoke

I've lost count of how many eyeshadow palettes I have. I seriously need a big cull and to keep only the very necessary palettes! The Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette is a new addition to my already growing collection, but is slightly different to what I usually use, as in it's not all neutrals/brown shades, but ones to create day time and night time smoky eye looks.

The palette, which retails for £7.99 contains eight matte, shimmer and pearl powders alongside three metallic creams, an eye primer and a dual ended brush as well as a handy little 'get the look' guide. I actually always find these guides really useful as it tells you which shades to put where so I feel as if I'm creating my eye look 'properly' instead of just bunging any old shade all over the lid.

Instead of your usual black and grey shades for a smoky eye, this palette has a mixture of blue/purple and green toned shades. I went for a mix of Smoky Marble and Wild Khaki, which are really nicely pigmented, with a hint of the shimmery Onyx Black. The handy guide was really easy to follow and the eyeshadows blend really nicely, although there is a bit of fall out on application, but nothing that can't be disguised.

The shadows have great staying power as well, lasting from day until night. You could always top up the look with a bit more shimmer for a night out or even try one of the metallic shades on their own, as they really pop. The Illuminated Bronze shade is actually really gorgeous and perfect for autumnal looks.

For £7.99 this is a pretty cheap and cheerful palette and one that I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of. Have you tried the Seventeen Easy on the Eye Palette? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains a PR sample.
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24 September 2015

A revolution in hair bands - Bandzee

Bandzee
Bandzee
Bandzee
Bandzee

There are many pitfalls that come along with having long hair...one of those is hair bands. Much like kirby grips, they can never be found when you need them. They can also be really rough and pull at your hair as well as leaving horrible kinks in it after wearing it up for too long and horrible marks on your wrist if that's where you keep them safe. I've been there, I expect most of you have too so when I was contacted recently by Bandzee and asked if I'd like to try a preview of its new subscription box I jumped at the chance.

Bandzee is a newly designed type of hair band, made from fabric with a super-soft elastic trim. They're designed to be kind to your hair, keep it well in place and leave it kink-free after use. Bandzees also come in a variety of colours and patterns. I received four of the hair ties in a mix of white, red, polka dot and lip patterned. They are actually SUPER cute and really remind me of festival wrist bands, except much more stylish. I'd definitely be happy with wearing these around my wrists, even if I didn't need a hair tie that day!

I decided to put the Bandzee through its paces by wearing one during an aerobics class. I usually put my hair in a high ponytail with a normal hair tie and afterwards my hair usually has a huge kink in it and has fallen half way down my head thanks to all that exercising. I decided to wear a Bandzee to see how it would cope...

I was pleasantly surprised. On arriving my sister noticed I had one round my wrist and said she had been looking at them herself online so they were instantly recognisable. The band was really impressive as it held my hair in place throughout the whole class, which is very active and sweaty! My hair didn't fall out at all and there was no need to re do it. When I took my hair out after the class before my shower there were absolutely no kinks in it at all so if I had wanted to I could have worn it down for the rest of the evening, but don't worry I wouldn't put anyone through looking at my sweaty mess of a face and hair. I also noticed the band hadn't stretched at all and I had looped my hair through it at least three times.

My sister had real trouble through the class with her hair tie and had to re-do her hair several times, in the end I gave her my spare Bandzee, job done! She swiftly took it home with her afterwards...

The subscription box should be launching this month. I'm not sure which date exactly but the website does say 'coming soon'. The boxes will be monthly and will cost £4.95 for a packet of four hair ties. Each month the hair ties will be different colours and patterns and eventually you'll be able to build up quite a collection! P&P is free too so that's a huge bonus.

I didn't think I could be that impressed with a hair band but I am really impressed with this one. £4.95 is a great price for a pack of four as well so I'd definitely recommend signing up if you can.

*This post contains PR samples.
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23 September 2015

Trending: white nails

White nails
White nails

White nail polish is a tricky one. It can be really great if you find a good quality, thick but not too gloopy polish, but it can be awful too, especially if you have a thin polish that needs lots of applications as it can leave your nails double the thickness, it won't dry properly or it'll go horribly streaky on application.

I've noticed a lot of bloggers and Youtubers rocking white nails recently, some matte, some shiny but all looking great, so that's what has inspired this post and led me to rocking a white nail recently.

There's lots you can do with a white nail. You could leave it plain as it's a pretty eye-catching look or you could work a bit of nail art in or use a different colour or even a glitter top coat on an accent nail. I went for plain white with the Barry M Gelly polish. It is a touch on the thick side so I'd recommend wiping away a lot of excess and building two or three layers. Luckily, it's not too thin so it dries quite nicely, however I did manage to take a chunk out of one of the nails when I hit it against something, oops.

If you can get a good finish then white nails are a pretty bold statement, I certainly like the way it looks when I'm tap, tap, tapping away on my laptop. It makes my nails feel somewhat more elegant and feminine if that's possible.

What do you think of white nails? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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21 September 2015

A look back: Barry M autumn polishes

Barry M Autumn Quick dry
2015
Barry M Autumn
2014
Barry M Autumn Quick dry
2014
Barry M Autumn Quick dry
2013

Recently I featured a couple of autumn nail shades from Barry M's new Quick Dry range, then while I was browsing my blog photo folders I came across last year's autumn range and was inspired to put together this little post, featuring my favourite autumn ranges from Barry M's past. I'm sure there are ranges dating back to before 2013, but this was all I could find in my archive posts.

By far my favourite range is the gorgeous Autumn Gelly Range. It's like the creators of the nail polish went out and picked up some colourful autumn leaves, blended them up and made a nail polish with them. The colours are just SO spot on for autumn and I am definitely digging all of these out of my nail polish boxes ready to rock them once again! My favourite colour combination has got to be the Mustard and Chai. Gorgeous.

Following close behind is the new 2015 Quick Dry autumnal range, which I blogged about only last week. The colours are again on point for autumn and interestingly, they're completely different from the 2014 shades. I'm absolutely loving berry shades this year and these polishes were really impressive to, as you'll find out if you read the post!

It looks like Barry M actually release two different autumn ranges in 2014. Alongside the Gelly range was the Silk range, another one that I absolutely loved. I haven't used Barry M's silk paints in forever but I remember they were absolutely dreamy to apply...very silky in fact! The finish on them was great as well and they lasted ages. Interestingly there's a couple of berry shades alongside a green, more lovely combinations!

Looking back through my archives I came across a post about a couple of Matte polishes, which were released in 2013. After a little research it looks like the matte polish was Barry Mn's 2013 autumn offering and the two shades pictured above were two of five brown/nude and coffee-esque shades. Again, quite a difference from other autumn ranges not only in the shades but in the matte finish too. Again these were lovely to apply although they took a bit longer to dry than most. The finish is great though and if I remember correctly, the following spring/summer a range of great colours came out. There's also now a matte top coat so you can get matte nails with any shade!

I've been a Barry M fan for years and years and it's actually been really interesting to look back over its autumn ranges from the past few years. I would have loved to have gone even further back - are there any ranges you remember specifically? Let me know in the comments.
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16 September 2015

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polishes

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polishes
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polishes
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polishes
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Nail Polishes

I'm back again with some more autumnal nail shades, this time from the newly re-launched and re-designed Tanya Burr Cosmetics.

When Tanya first launched her cosmetics range I wasn't hugely blown away but now that it has been re-designed, I'm much more interested as I feel like it has become a bit more sophisticated than it was and appeals to people a little bit older than Tanya's teenage audience, i.e me.

I picked up the shades 'Penguin Chick', which is a really cute greige/chocolate shade and the aptly named 'New York Night,' which is a really pretty berry shade. The colour combination is not to dissimilar to the one I featured from Barry M last week, which you can see here.

The bottles are very similar to the Nails Inc ones but thankfully they're a fraction of the price at £4.99 each. The bottles are a really good size and the lids actually come off to reveal a small screw cap top underneath. These are much easier to hold and apply the polish with than the rectangle lids would be.

The brushes are very standard, not those extra wide ones you can get, but it doesn't take away from the application of the polish as it still goes on really nicely. The polishes aren't too thin either. I only needed two coats to get the above finish. They dried extremely quickly as well, which I was really impressed with and the most important thing is that they didn't chip after half a day like most other polishes, which I have to admit, I was expecting them to. When writing this I've had the polish on for four days and the chipping is only very minimal on one or two nails so I'm suitably impressed and will be picking up a few more colours from the range.

Have you tried the Tanya Burr Cosmetics nail polishes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Before you go, why not nominate Cherry Pie in the Cosmopolitan UK​ Blog awards here under the 'Best Beauty' category.
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14 September 2015

Wahaca Bristol


Bristol seems to be steadily growing into one of those 'go-to' places for foodies. Park Street especially has opened a plethora of new 'trendy' restaurants over the past few years and the latest, which I've been waiting to try out for a while now, is Wahaca.

The new restaurant is tucked away at the top of Park Street but it's not unmissable thanks to its bright pink signage, drawing you in for lots of Mexican loveliness. The restaurant itself is very 'cool' with hipster art work and graffiti, snazzy hanging chairs, dim lighting and even a table football game.

It might look small from the outside but the restaurant goes quite far back so there's plenty of seating for all types. Vince and I popped in at 12pm on a Bank Holiday Monday - it had only just opened so was pretty empty, but within 10 to 20 minutes it was absolutely heaving and there was a real buzz about the place.

Things aren't too disimilar to other restaurants, you're popped down in-front of a paper menu, which the waiter proceeds to scribble all over and your dishes are brought out as and when they are ready. This has both upsides and downsides. The upside is that you get your food relatively quickly but you can end up like that scene in FRIENDS where Joey is left at the restaurant table and meals for six people arrive all at once. In other words: major overcrowding. Some people like to eat a starter, then a main and don't want to eat them together. Thankfully, I'm not one of those people, bring it all on I say! The other downside is that you can be tucking into your grub and other people are still waiting, leading to that awkward situation where you can't decide if you should start eating and risk looking rude or be polite and wait and risk letting your food get cold.

I'm not too familiar with Mexican food to be honest and the menu had so many options that it was difficult to choose. The waitress was really helpful and suggested a few things to us and went through how things worked. We both went for bigger mains (I had the Pork Pibil and Vince had some sort of chicken in sauce, I can't remember the name!) along with sweet potatoes on the side and a starter of three tacos. In hindsight we decided it would be better to choose lots of different things from the starter/street food menu, that way you get to sample a bit of everything! The tacos from the street food menu were pretty yummy, however I think they should come in twos or fours - it's difficult to share a taco in half between two people!

The food itself was really good - the Pork Pibil I had was technically pulled pork with a coleslaw and pink pickled onions. It came wrapped in a parcel of paper - the pork had a real almost sour kick to it while still being yummy. It was a good size too and I couldn't finish it all, which is unusual for me! Vince's chicken dish was a decent size, covered in creamy sauce and did look really good. Thinking back, we didn't actually try each other's dishes. I have to say the best part of the meal was the sweet potato side, which was absolutely delicious. I could have eaten pots and pots of the things. They were dressed in smoky caramelised mojo de ajo which was gorgeous!

Overall we had quite a lovely lunch and it was nice to try something different. You'll usually find us across the road in the Cosmo pan-Asian restaurant, as it's one of our faves, but we forced ourselves to have a bit of a change. The prices weren't too bad, the atmosphere and food was great so all in all a pretty successful trip. Next time we'll remember to try lots of different dishes for that 'proper' Mexican street food feel.

Before you go, why not nominate Cherry Pie in the Cosmopolitan UK​ Blog awards here under the 'Best Beauty' category.
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11 September 2015

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Autumn Nail Shades

Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Autumn Nail Shades in Dragster and Sprint Finish
Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Autumn Nail Shades in Dragster and Sprint Finish
Barry M Speedy Quick Dry Autumn Nail Shades in Dragster and Sprint Finish

I am more than ready to embrace the autumnal season. While other people are clinging onto the last hints of summer, I'm already loving life in my slippers and dressing gown. To match my mood I picked up a couple of shades from the Barry M Speedy Quick Dry new autumn line. It was a difficult choice but I went for the beautifully berry/pomegranate toned 'Sprint Finish' and the dark and moody 'Dragster.' If I remember correctly they were buy one get one free!

Both polishes just scream autumn and I thought they might look quite nice together. I've been using a lot of nude polishes through the summer so it's definitely time to goth it up a bit with something darker. I was totally right that the two shades would go well together - they more than go well together in my opinion and I'm absolutely loving the colour combination.

They apply like a dream aswell. They're not too thin so you only need one or two coats and the wider brush helps so much when evenly distributing the polish. Sure enough, they dried pretty speedily too.

What impressed me most about these polishes was that they passed not only the washing up test but also the household cleaning test too. If you're a regular reader of this blog then you might have heard me mention these two thorough nail polish testing methods. I've found that washing up is a good test of a polish as it can chip due to being scraped against washing up spongers/knocked against cutlery/bowls and plates etc. I've also found the same thing can happen when cleaning the house and using household cleaning products too. However, I was really surprised that these polishes survived both and four days since application, there is only very minimal chipping.

I'm quite over the moon with how these polishes have performed. It's been a long time since I've used a polish that hasn't chipped within an afternoon of it being applied. I'm 100% going to pick up a few more colours from the range. It seems as if my autumn polish needs have been fully met!

Have you tried the new Barry M Quick Dry autumn polishes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
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10 September 2015

Head to toe pampering with 7th Heaven

7th Heaven Pulped Papaya Rescue Masque and Foot Pumice and Foot Butter

If, like me, you were a girl growing up in the nineties then you'll recognise these little 7th Heaven sachets as a staple of girly sleepovers. The cheap and cheerful pampering products of which you could never pronounce the name, were always on shelves in local Superdrug stores and supermarkets and there were so many different ones to choose from too.

Back then the brand was called Montagne Jeunesse but it has recently been re-named to 7th Heaven - this was apparently to celebrate the brand's 30th birthday and the name was chosen by the fans/followers.

Fast forward a good couple of years and I never thought, at nearly 27-years-old, I'd be turning to these little packs on a Sunday night for a pre-work pamper sesh.

I was recently sent the Pulped Papaya Hair Masque and the Foot Pumice and Foot Butter so I was literally pampering myself from my head to my toes!

A couple of tips for you before I go any further...I would recommend using these in a bath as opposed to a shower. The hair masque needs to be left for five minutes or so and it's particularly difficult to get on with other shower things such as shaving/cleaning in a small shower cubicle, while the shower is running and you're trying not to wash off your hair masque. I'd also recommend opening the packets before getting under the water as they're a little difficult to open once your hands are wet!

After washing my hair as normal I swifly slathered on a good half of the contents of the hair mask sachet. The masque itself is a pinky coloured, thick, almost smoothie-like mixture that I worked into the hair and left for around five minutes. The pulped papaya not only filled the shower with delicious aroma but it made my hair smell heavenly, even 24 hours after use.

After five minutes you simply wash off the masque and get on with your day. I let my hair dry naturally so it was a little while before I knew whether the masque had had any effect or not. I must say it left my hair smelling great and feeling extremely soft. It hasn't felt this soft in a long time and regular use of these masques can only do wonders to it I feel.

I'm trying this 'thing' where I look after my hair more. I'm trying to use less heat on it after blow drying it every.single.day and not washing it as often either so any sort of masque I can use to help tackle damage is going straight on there!

I was particularly interested to try the foot pumice and butter as well as I do suffer from dry, cracked heels. Nasty, I know! Again, I used around half of the sachet and rubbed in the foot pumice furiously! The pumice is peppermint-scented, which helps with any foot odour you might be suffering from while the grains help rub away dry, flaky skin. It's quite a nice feeling to apply and it's great for giving yourself a little foot massage with. Again, I'd recommend doing this in the bath otherwise you end up hopping around the shower trying to apply.

Once out of the shower I dried my feet and applied the foot butter, which is a pretty common shea butter conconction. It dries relatively quickly so you aren't left walking around your tip-toes waiting for it to sink in. It left my feet feeling super smooth and my dry heels were well buffed - a few more uses and I think this could do some really good things. I'll definitely be using it regularly.

Overall I had a great pampering session and really enjoyed these little cheap and cheerful sachets. For £1 these are an absolute bargain as well - people often think cheap products won't help or make any difference but I'm really impressed with both of the sachets I received and I will definitely be giving some different ones a try in the future.

You'll also be pleased to hear 7th Heaven uses natural and cruelty-free ingredients in its vegetarian kitchen.

Have you tried 7th Heaven before? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.
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9 September 2015

Total Hair Experts Pastel Miniature Hairdryer

Total Hair Experts Pastel Miniature Hairdryer

Funnily enough, hairdryers are pretty tricky to photograph! Luckily this is a miniature hairdryer, otherwise I would have been stuffed! I recently received this cute mint green hairdryer and it's already working wonders for me.

Earlier in the year I won a hair dryer in a competition and while it is a good, professional hair dryer, it's SO heavy and it smells weird after you use it so I was looking for something a bit more compact and easier to hold, cue this mini mint green delight. The hairdryer is so lightweight that it doesn't ache your arm at all, no matter how long you spend on your hair. It's super easy to use as well with two heat/speed settings and a 'cool' option for styling.

I mentioned that it's pretty compact and it can be made even more so thanks to the foldable handle. It also has dual voltage so is the all-round perfect product when you're travelling. It is 1400W which is powerful but not so powerful that it does great damage to your hair. My hair is just below shoulder-length and it does a good job of drying it in a decent time!

This is a pretty perfect, budget-friendly hairdryer, great for travelling and also great for anyone who is off to Uni this/next month and needs to buy something on a budget. At £18 this is a bit of a bargain, but from today you can get it even cheaper at Tesco Beauty online or in-store for just £12 until October 4.

Have you tried the THX Mini Hairdryer or anything else from the range? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains a PR sample.
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8 September 2015

Korres Almond and Linseed Shampoo

Korres Almond and Linseed Shampoo

I've never had the chance to try many Korres products, so when my local chemist (of all places!) started stocking the brand, I was overjoyed!

I didn't exactly need a new shampoo as I've got a few in rotation but the almond and linseed shampoo smelt like the best one on the shelf, so it had to be mine. It was a little pricier than what I'd normally spend on a shampoo at £10 but I'm definitely getting my money's worth.

I've been trying this 'new' thing where I don't wash my hair every day and use as little heat on it as possible so after two or three days of unwashed hair, the Korres shampoo is a godsend as it nourishes my hair and helps prevent damage and split ends, something I really need at the moment. It leaves my hair feeling super soft and clean after using and not only that, it smells amazing and leaves my locks smelling of almond all day long.

A short but sweet post today! Have you tried any Korres products? Let me know in the comments.
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7 September 2015

Fresher's Week beauty essentials and giveaway

University beauty essentials
University beauty essentials

Something I put very little thought into when I first went to University was what beauty essentials I needed! I had all my pots and pans, my notebooks, my laptop etc etc but forgot about some of the very basics needed to keep myself looking half decent through Fresher's Week. I've cobbled together a little list of items you might find useful during your first few weeks at Uni.

Dry shampoo
The holy grail! I'm not even sure if dry shampoo was a thing back in my Uni days, all I know is there were four girls vying for the bathroom every morning and it all could have been much easier if I'd had a little can of the magic stuff to spray into my roots and give them a bit of a boost. Perfect if you have a 9am lecture and you wake up a little late or hungover!

Under eye concealer
Another one I couldn't have done without during University. Perfect for when you spend the night partying instead of studying or if you pull an all-nighter before a hand in date.

A nude and a bright lipstick
If there's one piece of make-up I'd recommend keeping on yourself at all times, it's a lipstick. It's a good idea to have one nude one for every day looks and going to lectures and a fun, bright shade for nights out and dressing up.

A good skincare routine
University can be pretty stressful. There's lots to take in, there's lots of partying and lots of drinking and lots of not eating so well. It's a good idea to have a good skin regime already in place or a decent spot cream handy for any stress-related breakouts.

Makeup Revolution has just launched its new range of skincare including an anti-bacterial face wash and serum, which I'm giving away to one lucky reader. The giveaway is UK only and you must follow all the rules to be in with a chance of winning. The closing date is September 14. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


*Some of the products featured are PR samples.
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4 September 2015

Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Collection

Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Collection
Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Collection
Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Collection
Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Collection

This package was probably one of the most dreamy packages I've received as a blogger so far. It contained some products from Molton Brown's new Heavenly Gingerlily collection*. The range has launched to celebrate Molton Brown's new set of Body Polishers...the 3-step Gingerlily routine, containing a body wash, polisher and body lotion infuses scents reminiscent of Tahiti to leave skin perfectly pampered.

I absolutely adore Molton Brown products and every time I pass one of its shops I just have to have a look and a sniff around. All the products are super luxurious and are the ones you only get on special occasions like birthdays or Christmas so I'm feeling super lucky to have received this heavenly little package.

The Gingerlily scent is heavy with ginger, of course, as well as white lily and a kick of spicy tuberose. All of the products contain Polynesian tamanu nut oil too, which makes them really enriching on the skin.

The body wash and lotion are both so lovely and softening on the skin. The body wash is lovely and spicy smelling and really fills the shower with aroma. I'm not usually keen on body lotions as they often don't dry very quickly and leave skin feeling sticky but this wasn't the case here. The lotion is lovely and creamy and dries super quickly. It's lovely and softening on the skin too after you've buffed yourself with the polisher.

The sizes of the bottles mean these are going to last forever as well but the real star of the show is the body polisher, which contains Tahitian black sand and leaves the skin feeling ridiculously soft. As you use it it transforms from a gel-like substance into a milk so it's really easy to use in the bath and shower. It's great for using on dry skin and I suffer from horrid itchy bumps on my legs after shaving, so this really helps to soften my legs out a bit!

I know it's still a little early but if you're getting your Christmas lists written and things in order then this set would make a lovely gift for someone.

Have you tried the new Heavenly Gingerlily collection? Let me know your thoughts in the comments. *This post contains PR samples.

Before you go, why not nominate Cherry Pie in the Cosmopolitan UK​ Blog awards here under the 'Best Beauty' category.
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