Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette

As Makeup Revolution palettes go, this one has got to be my favourite! Not only does it actually look like a real white chocolate bar but the shades within it are all completely my sort of shades. There's 16 in total and they range from great base shades, to highlighter shades and onto golds/coppers and darker smokey browns in a lovely mixture of matte and shimmers.

There's just so much to choose from with this palette. To create the look above I used the lighter shades 'Smoothly' and 'Way' and blended them with a couple of shimmers 'Mocha Lover' and 'Frosted Choc', finishing off with 'Delight' and 'Sweet Shop'. They all blend wonderfully together and there's very little fall out - something I've become much more aware of since getting contact lenses. They also have brilliant staying power and last for most of the day.

The Naked Chocolate Palette* is just £7.99, which is really very reasonable for such great colour and pigmentation pay off. It's perfect for creating every day looks or using it to create something a little more glamorous for a night out.

This has quickly become one of my go-to palettes and is supposedly a great dupe for the Too Faced palette, but unfortunately I don't have it to compare.

Have you tried the new Naked Chocolate palette yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

PS - make sure you take a quick sniff of the palette too as it contains real Cocoa to give it a chocolately smell!

*This post contains PR samples

Clarins Garden Escape Spring Collection Joli Rouge Brilliant Sheer Shine Lipsticks

Recently I tried out the new Instant Light Lipbalm Perfectors* from the new Clarin's Garden Escape range and I totally fell in love with them. They converted me from being a colour free lipbalm wearer to someone who doesn't mind a hint of colour. I've been using them since featuring on the blog and have found them to be really moisturising and they've left my lips feeling great.

As well as the lipbalms, Clarins has launched a couple of new Sheer Shine Lipsticks and I was very kindly sent the shades Rose Petal and Coral Dahlia. The lipsticks themselves are both really gorgeous colours. Rose Petal is a lovely pink/nude shade that is extremely natural looking and leaves just a hint of colour and shimmer on my lips.

Coral Dahlia is a tad more red with a hint of gold shimmer, which, on first look scared me a little, but as I found with the red lipbalm, it was a lot paler on application and actually looked really pretty and natural. Perfect for someone like me who is wary of too much colour on the lips.

Much like the lipbalms, these lipsticks are really moisturising and leave lips looking fuller and shiny. At £19 they're a tad on the higher price spectrum but I really would invest in these if you're looking for something wearable from day to day (Rose Petal) or something to add a bit of glamour to an outfit for a night out (Coral Dahlia).

Have you tried the new Sheer Shine Lipsticks from Clains? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Sunday Summary #4

Here we are again, another Sunday Summary! I can't believe we're already on number four and into the last week of January. It's absolutely flown by.

Recently I mentioned that I wanted to spend less time sat on my bum on the sofa and more time doing things after work/at weekends. So, on Thursday my nan, my mum and I all headed to a Crochet class at a craft shop in town. It probably sounds like something an 86 year old should be doing and not a 26 year old but I actually really enjoyed it. I thought I wouldn't be able to do it at all and I'd get annoyed with it and wouldn't want to go back the following week, but surprisingly I was able to do it and am definitely going back next time. We only learnt the very basics and I've brought it home with me to practice inbetween classes, but eventually I want to make a hat, a blanket for my bed and even a toy for the cat, which I'm sure he'll rip to pieces straight away. To be honest, it's quite an easy thing to do and it's quite theraputic as well.

Tomorrow (fingers crossed I can book it) I am hoping to go to a spin class after work, which I'm very nervous about. I'm not sure if I can book on the day and if I can't then I may have to leave it until mid week or even next week, but hopefully my sister will be coming with me so it should be fun. Although, I am the most unfit person there is so I should probably start with something a bit less intense to get my body used to it but I just thought those sort of pilates/yoga classes I would find a bit boring so thought I'd throw myself in at the deep end. I don't expect my legs will thank me the next day but I'll keep you updated!

As if that wasn't enough I've also taken up scrapbooking, which I'm not sure if I've mentioned yet or not. I was going to do the Project Life scrapbook, which has shot to fame after Youtuber Lily Pebbles made a video about it, but it turns out to be really expensive. The folder you use is £20 and all the add ons really make the pounds stack up so I've gone for something a little more budget friendly. It's called the 'La De Dah' journal and is very similar to Project Life but the folder was £10 and all the add ones are either one or two pounds, which is much better. I'm hoping to write a proper post about it, once I've got all the bits photographed. I think it will be nice to look back on it at the end of the year!

This week I hit 1,600 Bloglovin' followers, which I am absolutely over the moon about! I can't believe that many people might be interested in what I have to say. Thank you to everyone who has followed and who comments regularly! I have a little resolution/goal for the blog this year and that's to reach 2,000 Bloglovin followers - I would be so, so happy with that! So, before you go, if you're not already, then make sure you're following on Bloglovin here.

Also, why not catch up on this week's post:

New Year Neutrals

Beat the January Blues

New Year Neutrals

When it comes to make-up and nails I wouldn't say I'm particularly adventurous, but at the same time I don't think there's anything wrong with sticking to nudes and neutrals. You can get some really gorgeous shades of brown/beige/pinks and create some lovely looks.

Eyeshadow is probably where I use nudes/neutrals the most. My make-up bag is jam packed with neutral palettes and I just can't get enough. Makeup Revolution is fab for neutral palettes, in particular the new Naked Chocolate Palette*, the Euphoria Eyeshadows & Contour palette* and the Redemption Iconic Dreams palette*. All glorious compact pieces of loveliness. Keep an eye out for dedicated posts coming soon.

I was also recently sent the Clarins The Essentials palette*, which is gorgeous. It's packed full of nudes/browns/beige but there's also the odd shimmery/copper shade as well, which has to be my favourite thing about it. If you are working with a nude shade then a bit of glitter/shimmer can really brighten up your look and add a bit more glamour to it.

Nails are another place I love neutral tones. I recently picked up the L'Oreal Colour Riche polish in Beige Boheme. Under the bright lights of Boots it looked pretty nudey but it's quite a dark neutral shade, however, worn with the Barry M Matte polish in Vanilla, it looks brilliant. This is probably my new favourite colour combination for nails at this time of the year. Very cool and chic.

Are you loving neutral shades at the moment?

*This post contains PR samples and affiliate links

Beat the January blues

Today is apparently 'Blue Monday', the most depressing day of the year. I guess the reasoning behind it is because the festive celebrations are long gone, everyone is back at work, it's dead cold and pay day isn't for almost two weeks yet…I've certainly felt a bit down in the dumps over the past week and I'm not really sure why, so I've come up with a few ways to make yourself feel a bit better!

Re-jig your skincare routine
At this time of year the weather can be pretty harsh on your skin so it's a good time to look into having a little mix-up of your skincare routine. My skin tends to get used to products if I use them on a daily basis and I'm currently using the No7 cleanser and toner, but am finding it doesn't have much of an effect anymore. It's definitely time for something new. Just as you need a bit of a boost, so does your skin.

Paint your nails
This is one that always cheers me up. I have so many colours to choose from and having colourful nails makes me v.happy! You can go mad and paint them lots of different colours, try some nail art or go for one of your much loved shades, anything to boost your mood just a little.

Change your hairstyle
At this time of year I always feel like cutting my hair. It's the whole 'New Year New You' thing I think. My hair is pretty long at the moment and feeling a bit drab and scruffy. I'm thinking about a long bob…but I know when I cut it I'll want long hair again, it's always the way, however I think I'm going to go for it once I get paid again, just to change things up a bit.

Take up a new hobby
I've been thinking about this alot this week. I'm a little bit bored of coming home every day after work and sitting on my butt on the laptop, I need to DO something. I've been looking into various classes and I've thought about going swimming a few nights a week but I think I'm too chicken to go by myself. I really just need to bite the bullet and book some things up, even if I don't end up liking them, at least I've tried. I would recommend this to anyone else feeling in a similar way…you don't have to do anything that takes you outside though, why not take up a new craft hobby that you can do in the comfort of your own home? I recently bought the La De Dah Journal so I can take up scrapbooking, I can't wait!

While I'm no expert or saying you should follow these tips religiously, they are just a few small ideas to change things a little bit. You could also go shopping and find yourself some new clobber that you wouldn't necessarily go for usually or you could take up exercise/cooking. Anything really!

How are you beating the January blues? Let me know in the comments.

Sunday Summary #3

Another week gone means it's time for another Sunday Summary! This one comes to you from a lazy Sunday afternoon of blog photo taking, writing and listening to Vince shout at the TV as he plays Fifa (does anyone else's boyfriend do this?).

After last weekend's contact lense fiasco I had another appointment yesterday to try and learn how to put them in for myself. Thankfully, after some practicing and advice from Vince, I managed it and have now been given nine days worth of lenses to trial. I'm so pleased I was able to eventually put them in, I didn't think I would find it so difficult initially but it just takes a bit of patience. Did any of you find it difficult too?

As the appointment was so successful I decided to go on a bit of a shopping spree around Boots - I spent way too much money, although I did have a £20 gift card so that doesn't really count. I picked myself up a few bits and pieces and the new DKNY MY NY perfume giftset, which was only £25 down from about £40+. I was quite impressed!

I spent the rest of the afternoon at my parent's house as they were having my niece and nephew overnight. I managed to sneak some of their dinner for myself and helped out with bathtime, hilarious!

Today, instead of sitting around the house all morning in my PJs I went with my parents and my niece and nephew, to the seafront, for a walk. It wasn't too cold or windy so it was quite nice to walk along the beach. As you can see from the picture above, it was pretty bright! We had a long walk and stopped for some chips for lunch, yum!

Now I'm just preparing the week's photos and posts ahead of a lovely roast dinner tonight!

How has your week been?

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

Bare Grills Smokehouse

How to be Parisian: New Look Biker Jacket

Clarins Garden Escape Spring Collection Instant Light Lipbalm Perfectors

Bare Grills Smokehouse Weston-super-Mare

Something a bit different from me today and something I hope there will be more of in the future. It all depends on our bank balances to be honest and whether or not we can afford to eat out!

Anyway, Weston-super-Mare isn't exactly known for having lots of good places to eat, we don't even have your basics…none of your Nandos, Wagamammas, TGI Friday, Bella Italia, Pizza Express or anything similar. No Bills, Zizzi…you get the idea. We have a couple of independent Indian restaurants, your usual junk food outlets, a Pizza Hut and that's about it, so I was really excited to try out a new smokehouse style place that has just opened in town.

The name itself pleased me before I'd even stepped inside. It's actually a lot smaller inside than I thought it would be but it's kind of cosy and there is a bar upstairs, which I'm sure gets super busy in the evenings. We were there on a Saturday lunch-time so I'm not surprised it was quite quiet.

The place has an American/Western vibe, quite similar to TGI Friday but less annoying and loud. The menu is very compact, there's burgers, hot dogs, steak and ribs and that is just about everything Vince and I look for in a meal! As I predicted, Vince went for the Jack Mac burger and I went for a baby half rack of barbecue ribs.

I have to say when the food came out we were pretty surprised. It might not look like much to someone who dines out all the time in the likes of TGI Friday/Meat Liquour etc but for Weston-super-Mare this was pretty impressive and it tasted absolutely delicious. The fries were coated in a scrummy seasoning and the ribs were sticky, barbecuey goodness. Vince really enjoyed his Jack Mac, which was stuffed with cheese, onions and pickles, but he definitely didn't need the extra patty!

These kind of food outlets are pretty popular at the moment - huge stacked burgers, more fries than you can imagine and all served on anything but a plate. Thankfully as this is Weston-super-Mare and not the likes of London, the prices are quite decent. I'm really glad somewhere like this has opened in the town and it's not far from the seafront either so it's bound to do well in the summer.

This is definitely the type of place Weston needs, to bring it a bit more up-to-date and somewhere that people actually want to spend time in. This is just the first stop in my exploration of Weston's eateries - if you're ever visiting one day then be sure to check it out!

How to be Parisian - New Look Biker Jacket

New Look Biker Jacket - £39.99

While other girls buy sensible winter coats in beautiful pastel shades or waterproof macs, I go for a jacket, with no hood or wet weather protection…it may not be very sensible but I love it.

I do have a 'leather' jacket with a hood already but I'm not keen on it and wanted a 'proper' biker jacket so asked Vince for this one for Christmas. He was a very good boyfriend and it was sitting, waiting for me under the tree on Christmas day. It fits perfectly and the quilted shoulders are pretty dreamy.

It's perfect for throwing on over any outfit but I particularly love it with a pair of black skinny jeans and a breton striped top. For £39.99 I think this is quite reasonable, when in the likes of Topshop you'd be paying double for fake leather jackets.

What do you think of biker jackets? Let me know in the comments.

Clarins Garden Escape Spring Collection Instant Light Lipbalm Perfectors

Clarins Garden Escape Spring Collection Instant Light Lipbalm Perfectors in Coral, Rose, Red - £18 each*
Available January 12, 2015




As someone who suffers a lot with dry, cracked lips, I steer very clear of lipsticks and even lipbalms with any hint of colour, but the Instant Light Lipbalm Perfectors from Clarins' new Garden Escape Spring Collection have really changed my mind.

The new Garden Escape collection is absolutely gorgeous and I was very kindly sent these lipbalms for consideration. As soon as I opened the boxes I knew I had to dedicate a blog post to these beauties. There's six shades in the range in total and I received 01 Rose, 02 Coral and 05 Red. The rose and coral shades are beautiful pinky/peachy shades that are perfect for all of the English Rose types out there. The red shade is pretty bold in its packaging but when I applied it, it's actually not as bright as it looks (pictured above - excuse the no make-up!). It's a lovely, natural red colour and even I would wear this and I would NEVER usually wear anything like this. As someone who never wears a hint of colour on her lips, this is really big news.

The lipbalms themselves are really soft and velvety on application and they don't feel at all greasy like a lot of other lipbalms do. Thanks to the nourishing mango and shea ingredients, they leave your lips feeling super soft for a good couple of hours. They also contain Vitamin E as well as a natural peptide to help encourage the synthesis of hyaluronic acid, making lips stay ultra hydrated and leaving them looking fuller.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to try it, but the collection also contains a balm called My Pink in which the pigments react with the PH Levels of your lips, creating a bespoke pink colour to suit your tone. Pretty much science in a lipbalm if you ask me.

These lipbalms are perfect for every day wear and I'm really looking forward to mixing them up with my normal chapstick. I'm fully converted to wearing a hint of colour on my lips now, thank you Clarins.

What do you think of the new Clarins Garden Escape collection? Let me know in the comments.

*This post contains PR samples.

Sunday Summary #2

Hooray! We've survived the first full week of January and the first, proper week back at work after the holidays. Now Christmas and the New Year seem like a distant memory, which is kind of sad!

Last week I mentioned that I was feeling pretty rubbish and I've been feeling pretty much the same ALL week, which is not good! I was so thankful to go to bed last Sunday night and while I didn't feel sick or achy anymore on Monday, I still had a really bad headache. The illness has now developed into a horrible cough, which still seems to be lingering. The one thing I hate about being ill is having a sore throat or a cough. Usuaully if I get a cough it can be ten times worse than normal as I have asthma so I'm upping my inhaler intake and praying it goes soon!

Yesterday I had my follow up contact lense appointment where they were supposed to teach me how to put them in myself. Well, it was a huge fail. I couldn't do it at all and the lady who was supposedly helping me was so useless and unhelpful, I just felt like an idiot sitting there trying to do it. She basically told me to go home and practice the technique of putting lenses in but she wouldn't let me take any lenses to practice with so my next appointment is going to probably go the same way…

After getting myself in a right tizz at the contact lense appointment I took a little look around town, wandering around Waterstones and a few other shops before meeting my sister and my niece for a hot chocolate. We then went to my parents for lunch, which was yummy.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty chilled, I had a lovely nap and spent the rest of the evening infront of the TV with Vince. Did anyone else watch Stars in Their Eyes? How bad was it, awful!!

This morning I've had a nice, relaxing morning drinking tea in my PJs and watching Youtube videos. I've also been taking a load of blog photos while the light is good and am going to spend the rest of the afternoon writing posts and sporadically cleaning the house.

Before you go, why not catch on what you've missed:

Zara Mini Doctor Bag

*If you're wondering about the image I used. I snapped this while walking around Weston-super-Mare. It's by a street artist called JPS.

Zara Mini Doctor Bag

Well aren't I a lucky girl? I received this rather beautiful bag as a Christmas present from my sister/my sister's family and I've officially fallen in love!

Unfortunately I think this version in particular is sold out, but there is a rather fetching orange one available online in the Sale.

I've been looking for a new bag for a while now. I previously had a big Zara shopper and it was quickly filling up with old receipts and bits and pieces, making it insanely hard for me to find anything when I wanted it. The mini doctor bag is so cute and compact and I love the metal hardware as well, funnily enough it's just like an old fashioned doctor's bag (if you've ever seen one and know what I mean!).

It comes with a long handle but I actually prefer putting my arm through the shorter handle. The bag has a button/popper inside but no zip so I prefer to have it a bit closer to me so there's no risk of anything falling out/being stolen.

I almost always opt for black bags but I am loving the navy blue of this one. Before going into the sale it was £29.99 I believe, which I think is a real bargain and I would definitely have paid that much myself!

What do you think of my new bag? Will you be getting one yourself?

Before you go, check out the Cherry Pie Facebook page for some more photos.

Sunday Summary #1

Well hello there and Happy New Year to you! I'm not actually finishing the first week of the New Year in any sort of style as I'm currently tucked up on the sofa under a blanket having been feeling ill.

I felt fine yesterday and I had a nice Saturday morning shopping in town followed by lunch with Vince. I then popped to my sister's and my parents but once I got home I started feeling very achy and cold. A really bad headache followed, which continued until around 3.30am this morning when I woke Vince up for some paracetamol. I felt better this morning and managed a shopping trip to Aldi but this afternoon I've felt worse again, even being sick at one point. I'm trying to drink lots of water and keep myself dosed up as it's the first day back at work tomorrow…

I couldn't very well miss the first Sunday Summary of the year though so after a little sleep I finally popped the laptop on.

If you haven't already noticed, the blog has undergone a New Year makeover thanks to the wonderful peeps at pipdig. I thought it was time for a bit of a re-fresh, what do you think? Let me know in the comments.

I'm also working hard on the style of my blog photos, so hopefully you've already noticed a bit of a difference. I was actually planning on taking some blog photos today but that went straight out of the window. I was also supposed to have an appointment at the opticians about getting contact lenses but I didn't really feel up to it so re-scheduled for next weekend.

It actually feels like ages ago that it was New Year's Eve but it was really only this week. I spent the evening, as I do most years, at Vince's mum and dad's house where we had LOADS of food and watched the fireworks at midnight.

The rest of the week has been pretty quiet. I had a New Year's walk through the woods with my parents and my niece and nephew and have just been working on my blog for the rest of the week.

As I mentioned, tomorrow is my first day back at work and to say I'm not looking forward to getting up at 7am is an understatement. I've had 12 days off in total, including weekends, so I've been enjoying lie-ins every single day, oops!

How has the first week of the New Year been for you? Let me know in the comments.

2015 Blogging Resolutions

It seems that last year I failed to officially document any blogging resolutions, but in the spirit of all things New Year, I've decided to put them down in type and share them with you.

Growth
We all say it's not about numbers, but I would really like to reach 2,000 bloglovin' followers in 2015. I do like to see how many people are interested in my blog and no-one can deny that it feels good to see that number continue to grow. Just being honest!

Photography
I mentioned this in my New Year in Review post - I would like to improve my photography. I want to 'dress' my photos a bit better and not just settle for your average product shot on a pretty background. I want to mix things up a bit and use different backgrounds, props and textures.

Content
I would also like to improve my content this year and include more outfit photos and more lifestyle posts so it's not product review after product review as it can get a bit stale. After all, this blog is an extension of me so it's only right that you should be able to get to know me a bit better and actually see my face from time to time.

What are your New Year's blogging resolutions? Let me know in the comments.

2014 Brand of the Year: Makeup Revolution

There's probably going to be a lot of these types of posts in the blogosphere this week, but I did something similar last year and would like to continue for years to come - it's my Brand of the Year post.

In 2013, this honour was bestowed upon Barry M thanks to its release of some absolutely fantastic palettes, but this year I've given the title to a brand that's not only budget beauty, but it's also good quality beauty too. Take a bow, Makeup Revolution.

I can't actually believe that this brand only launched in March of 2014. It's not even one year old yet and it has already done amazing things, released some brilliant products and ticked all the boxes when it comes to brand/blogger relationships.

Makeup Revolution aims to offer performance and quality at revolutionary prices. It does just that. Prices start at just £1 and there's already so much to choose from, including a professional range and limited edition collections.

It also aims to provide shades for all skin tones and I have to say it really suceeds - just look at its collection of foundations and face products for a start.

The brand's relationship with bloggers is also second to none. I personally have worked with very few brands that are as friendly, sociable and helpful as this one. I have been sent regular parcels of goodies, which are always a pleasure to receive, and have had regular contact with the people behind the brand via email and social media.

Someone seems to be monitoring its social media accounts around the clock too and it is always really supportive of bloggers - even re-tweeting and tweeting links to various blogs, which is always something I like to see from brands.

What's most important about this brand though, is its products, of course. Everything I have tried this year has been of a great quality and a great price. It's the ideal brand for the every day make up addicts we are.

2014 has definitely belonged to Makeup Revolution and I'm really excited to see what's coming up from the brand in 2015.

What has been your brand of 2014? Let me know in the comments.