FOTD ~ Un-naturally Natural Look

Today I was going for a REALLY EASY and quick look for the day.  I wanted to look refreshed, well groomed and if I could manage, slightly cute....JUST!  So I hope you enjoy :) 

Face:
~ MAC Prep and Prime SPF 50
~ Revlon Photo Ready Foundation (Nude)
~ No7 Sculpting Bronzer
~ Maybelline Mousse Blush (Peach Satin)

Eyes:
~ Elite Intensity Liner + Elite Stage Permanent Liner (brown) (smudged on eye lid)
~ Eyeko Mascara
~ Coco faux lashes
~ Benefit Browzing (Medium - eyebrows)

Lips
~ ELF Studio Lipstick (Nicely Nude)
~ Revlon lipgloss (Peach Petal)

 

Peace,

Cherry x

Face of the day ~ Stone Grey Eyes

Not many will agree with a grey smoky eye for the day time but it doesn't bother me at all!  I personally feel so as long as you tone down the rest of your make up, keep it simple and yet sophisticated, a grey smoky eye in the morning shows a bit of bravery yet mystery.  So here is the Face of the day, I hope you enjoy this look as much as I did.

   

    

Face:
~ L'Oreal Studio Secrets Mattifying Primer
~ Korres Wild Rose Foundation (WRF2)
~ Mememe Illuminating Concealer (Buttermilk)
~Top Shop blusher (Pinch)
~ MAC MSF (Medium Plus)

Eyes:
~ GOSH Eye Shadow Collection (Smokey Eyes palette)
~ Elite Intensity Eyeliner
~ Eylure Girls Aloud Faux Lashes (Nicola)
~ Eyeko Mascara
~ Benefit Browzing (for my brows, medium)
~ Neo Glamour Gray lenses

Lips:
~ MAC lipstick (Creme de nude)
~ Revlon Lipgloss (Peach Petal)

I have a problem and we should probably talk about it….HAUL TIME!

I know… it’s insane isn’t it.  I have to stop, I have to.  But for now…LET’S PARADE THE STUFF I BOUGHT BECAUSE ITS FUN!

 

New RImmel London SHOW OFF  Lipsticks

New RImmel London SHOW OFF  Lipsticks in: Shake-up Pink, Tell No One, Kiss Me 

In life there aren’t that many people I follow in terms of make up buying… in general I buy whatever takes my own fancy and while I listen to reviews and take on board the opinions, I always like to form my own if it takes an interest to me.  However if there is one person that I follow for make up and lipstick advice it would probably be Suzi because we A) have similar skin colour  B) seem to like similar products and C) because I look up to her fashion sense, make up looks etc etc.  So while I wouldn’t go as far as saying I have an idol, I really do like  her style and I suppose if she likes something, chances are, I will like it too!  I like to use the colours she uses too because they go well with my skin tones.  So when in her latest video she showed off the new Rimmel Show Off lipsticks I was both ecstatic and completely sold.  However this morning when I stormed into Boots to take advantage of the three for two offer, I realised I had not noted down what colours to get!  So, in the end I picked the ones I fancied and guess what?  She bought two of the three I picked…and she only picked up two.  I feel well chuffed, perhaps I have learned something!

So the colours I picked at Shake-up pink, which I seriously adore because I haven’t yet got a suitable matte baby pink (believe it or not) and this one is perfect.  Tell No One is also a brilliant colour; almost terracotta I would say!  But it’s going to be a lovely sophisticated Summer colour.  By this time there wasn’t one I loved a lot so I picked Kiss Me which is a warm red. 

 New RImmel London SHOW OFF  Lipsticks in: Shake-up Pink, Tell No One, Kiss Me 

 

Shake-up Pink

Tell No One

Kiss Me

Already I am loving the formula and colour pay-off.  They are non-drying and have a great smell and best of all they last for a incredible amount of time. I shall use them more to test them out.  I can smell a review coming in the distant future!

 

Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Night Cream

Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Night Cream

Considering the day cream is such a hit with me in my books, I decided to buy the night cream.  Now I’ve used it once so I’m not going to say anything yet.  But I am hoping for good things! 

 

Leighton Denny Quatro

Leighton Denny Quatro 

 

Originally I was going to opt for the Leighton Denny Crystal nail file which costs a whipping £14 but I finally put it down and came to me senses that it probably would be nice but it wasn’t completely necessary.  This is the buffer and nail filing quatro and anyone who knows my nail habits knows that I religiously buff my nails and I love filing them – and it costs £6 so I hope it will be good!

 

Eco-tools Retractable Kabuki brush

Eco-tools Retractable Kabuki brush

Suddenly the need for a retractable brush occurred to me when I realised that the reason why I hate bringing out face powder on my day out is because I hate using powder puffs twice.  I remember at school I loved my retractable brush and so I decided to get an Eco-tools one and I love Eco-tools a lot and I am happy to have found this at my Boots. 

SATC Faux Lashes!

SATC Faux Lashes complete set

When I heard that SATC the movie was going to have a sequel I was SO incredibly excited!  I still am!  I know they will not fail me because they never have.  I have watched the entire series back to back and I absolutely love the characters, the stories, it’s comedy factor, the tear jerking moments, the outfits, the music, the men, the women and I am ALL SATC!  Needless to say when these Faux lashes came out I was going to pass out with excitement.  I mean, this is almost like a mini chance to become one of the SATC ladies…sort of…!  I have a feeling that these themed ‘girl band’ lashes are going to take off having seen a completely success with the Girls Aloud inspired eye lashes (by the way, Nicola’s all the way!!).  I, however, could not pick a favourite out of these because I love them all.  I feel like they’ve all captured the character’s personality well and it will be like being each character on a different day!  Amazing!

SATC Faux Lashes: Charlotte

Charlotte’s would no doubt be fluttery, feminine yet modest.  I think they are wearable and natural without being boring because there is nothing boring about SATC or Charlotte even though she is portrayed as the more tame and mild mannered one of the four.  I think these a very cute girl next door so a definite winner for me!

SATC Faux Lashes: Miranda

I would probably say these lashes reflect the Miranda we see further into the series.  This is definitely more feminine than the Miranda in the very beginning because the way they are tapered makes them fluttery and sweet.  These will elongate the eye and open them up!  For the same reason why I love Nicola’s lashes from the Girls Aloud series, the shape totally captures me and this has totally got me excited!  The inner side of the lashes will blend in totally with your own lashes so it creates a beautiful shape to the eye.  I CAN’T WAIT!

 

SATC Faux Lashes: Samantha

This totally typifies the glorious Samantha; long, flirty, glam, sexy and luring.  I cannot wait to try these out.  I love the alternating lengths and the thickness of the roots.  These will give a great impact to the eye.  I think with these, as expected, I will wear this more in the evening outs and for special occasions.  I think if i was a bit more bold I could wear these daylights but I feel a strong look would have to do these lashes justice and Summer day-time really shouldn’t be calling for these!

SATC Faux Lashes: Carrie

I wouldn’t say these are my least favourite but I do think they look less wearable than the others.  I don’t think I’ve been that fond of spiky lashes but I haven’t tried them yet so I won’t judge.  This is very Carrie; statement, bold, glam, strong and striking.  The little star embellishment is all the bling it needs to say how special Carrie is.  Again, this will be used more in the evenings but I am excited to accompany a strong statement look with these lashes!

 

NYC Faux Lashes

NYC Faux Lashes

Well what have I got to lose at £1.99?  Probably the cheapest drugstore lashes I have seen yet!  I didn’t quite like the others that NYC had to offer but these seemed nice.  What does everyone think about these lashes?  Has anyone tried these at all?

 

Veet Complete Body Kit

Veet Complete Body Kit

I AM GETTING READY FOR THE SUMMER!  I remember the last time I waxed must have been when I was 16 years old so it’s been a fair while now.  I am not excited so much about waxing my underarms because the last time I did that an accident happened…. so it wasn’t good.  But I will brave it and try again.  Heres to a fluff free summer!

 

That’s it for cosmetics and make up, I’ve accumulated lots of clothes hauling to do but I plan to do a more fashion orientated post some time in the near future.  I hope this will suffice for now.  Thanks for reading!

Peace,

Cherry x

NOTD ~ TOPSHOP “Sunset” Nail Polish

Wahey!  I’ve finally got time to myself now that my priority is no longer in education; so in order to celebrate I have painted my nails, finally!  I start off today with Topshop’s “Sunset” nail polish.  This is the first Topshop Nail polish I have ever used and I doubt it will be my last.  This is incredibly gorgeous and extremely wearable.  It’s fun, flirty at the same time relaxed as it is glamorous.  I find that those polish dried insanely quickly; it exceeded my expectations and more.  However I must say this is the results I achieved after THREE coats of nail polish as it comes on quite sheer.  I personally think it looks nice still as a sheer coat however for the purpose of this blog I wanted to show you want it looked like at its maximum potential.  I think the fact that it dries so quickly allows me to forgive the need of applying three coats.  I love this champagne coral colour; reminds me a lot of my favourite perfume which is D&G Rose The One.  I am LOVING this!

Peace,

Cherry x

Collective Haul – Eyeko, TopShop, Korres, No7 and more!

Today there is limited t ime for me to talk about each product in detail, I do a bit more in my Youtube video this time so when that is up I hope you take a look for information!

TOPSHOP BLUSHES



















Picked them up in  Brushed Berry, Butterscotch and Pinch.  Great texture, finish, price and colour pay off.  Reviews to come!  Packaging also CUTE.





TOPSHOP NAIL POLISHES





TOPSHOP nail polishes in Sunset and Daredevil – summer day and summer nights?  :)







EYEKO NAIL POLISHES






EYEKO nail polishes in Posh, Nude and Tea Rose.  Love them all but finding it hard to deal with as Posh is very similar to Nail’s Inc promotion polish in ‘London’….  never mind!






ESSIE NAIL POLISH






Essie ‘matte about you’ nail polish – can turn any shimmery shiny nail polish into a matte one – amazing, bought from ebay.  Greats a satin matte kind of look – DO NOT PAIR UP WITH A SHADE LIKE NAILS INC LONDON…trust me :)  Cost around £7-8


 
EYEKO GIFT















Eyeko also sent me a free gift having put in an ambassador code (mine is E3103) but its from Liparazzi but I have little understanding of this brand (is it part of EYEKO?  I don’t know) but it’s a moisturising lipstick with Jojoba, aloe vera and Vitamin E but the colour in Rehab, is much too dark for me! 



NO7 LIMITED EDITION BRONZER











Sent to me by Boots – amazing combination of colours!  Great texture, great finish, not shimmery and limited edition Sun Drenched Collection.  I like to use for contouring and bronzing!  This one is the Sculpting Bronzer – fantastic!







KORRES WILD ROSE FOUNDATION













Recommended by Moodeve last year and finally purchased it!  Brilliant to use for this summer, definitely worth reviewing.  Great finish, long lasting and easy to blend!






BOOTS HONEY BODY BUTTER

Seriously thick and creamy body butter (true to its name).  Spells like sweet honey and has really saved my forever drying feet.  Soothes my skin and rehydrates!  Makes me kind of hungry….

Sorry for the lack of info but this blog took me 5 minutes and now I must dash!  PEACE!
Cherry x

The Mole Removal Story (+ LOTD)

Not that long ago I announced on my Youtube channel that I had ‘secretly’ gone off to do a spot of surgery; it was nothing ‘big’ so I had not announced it before it hand after all it was only a mole removal.  Or rather it was several mole removals. 

A lot of people have messaged me to ask about the surgery and for a number of reasons; some were out of curiosity and some were because they had done it or want to do it so needless to say there are many questions to be answered.  So if you have asked me a question I will try my best to answer them here in this blog entry. 

So if you’re wondering what moles I removed, they were the one of my nose and the ones by my eyes.  Actually many remain on my face but I got rid of the first three that annoyed me the first.  I especially disliked the one on my nose and so having thought about it since I was probably about 11 (the same time I started caring about my looks) I thought it was time to do it.  I had a good 10 years to think it over and every day I was sure I wanted it done.  So ten years later and I’ve done it.  Was it a good decision to make?  We will find out soon enough!

So I think before I go into the actual nitty gritty, I feel like it’s important to address the emotional elements of the why and how.  It’s probably considered one of the most important factors before going into any type of surgery because there is always the idea of regret or even trauma.  I know this is only a mole removal but it’s also the human face; these days, the face is what brings in the money. 

So my decisions for the mole removal was simply because I just had enough of it being there.  You can’t quite say that I was ashamed of having it or embarrassed, I just felt it got in the way whenever I took pictures or put on make up.  It seemed like it didn’t matter how great my foundation or skin looked that day, the mole seemed to represent to me a genuine flaw.  I mean I didn’t hate it so don’t get me wrong because I know it’s tiny.  I also know what you’re thinking; you’re wondering why such a small mole would bother me.  Since having it done people have said to me that they didn’t realise I had a mole on my nose and those who did thought it cute.  I’m not shocked to be honest because I’ve come to learn that what you may be very conscious about, no one else really notices or cares for that matter.  But I didn’t like it!  It was just a mole that seemed to come from no where (I Wasn’t born with this or had this as a young child!) and it seemed to get darker and more obvious.  I Just had quite enough of seeing that mole every time I took a picture. 

As for the other two on my face, I didn’t quite mind them at all but I took them away for different reasons.  Something that is hard to talk about because it’s a hard cultural boundary to cross is the topic of  Chinese facial readings.  It’s very hard to appreciate if you have no idea what it is and have never been close to this practice from a young age; there are countless Chinese people who are not familiar or accepting to this practice and so I wouldn’t expect anyone to really understand my understanding of it.  But basically in the art of Chinese face readings, it is said that moles on the nose are a bad sign of bad marriages and futures while moles around the eyes signify many tears and troubled times.  Actually in this practice moles on the face generally are not considered fortunate and while some mean more than others, it’s best not to have them.  If you want to know more about this art we can discuss this another time but it’s one of those subjects that I feel is wasted on those who are very closed minded.  If you want to know why I believe these things then it’s like asking why some people believe that there is God or why some believe in Karma…or maybe witchcraft.  It’s just one of those things and I was trying to explain this to a good friend today and he seemed apprehensive (or rather completely resistant) on the idea…and he is Chinese!  But my theory is that it’s good to believe in these things only because it doesn’t do you much harm.  I remember the saying is ‘better safe than sorry’?

So we’ve covered why I did it, when I decided to do it and the other reasons behind it.  Now I guess I Should talk about when I actually did it.  The procedure actually took place last Saturday which I believe was the 15th May 2010 and so it’s almost been a week since having it done.  I’m booked in to see the doctor a month later just to check up on things… I hope it’s heeled by then because while the ones by the eyes have done well in healing, the one on my nose is particularly having a hard time.  The procedure took approximately 45 minutes but really the actual removal is very quick.  The doctor removed all three moles are the same time so I left the surgery with plasters all over my face!

So what’s involved?  I’m not a doctor so it’s not going to be quite accurate in what I’m saying but I can tell you the basic steps.  My face was injected with a local anaesthetic and that kind of hurt.  You have many nerves on your face so it was very uncomfortable to say the least.  Then he beings removing the mole; now mole removals tend to be either ‘cut out’ therefore leading to stitches otherwise if they are small like mine then they are just ‘shaved’ off.  My mum had hers cut out because they were large and about the skin surface so she had stitches.  So after this he uses something (that I have forgotten the name of) and he will basically burn your skin to seal it off.  At this point you will smell burning flesh which made me feel quite sick but it didn’t last for the long.  The worst part of this is probably the fact that the local anaesthetic didn’t work too well on the mole on my right side of my face so I felt most of it…. I’m not usually a wimp but that really did not feel nice!

Overall the experience wasn’t too traumatising but I have to say I’m not rushing to go get more done any time soon.  I don’t want to scare you because it’s really not that bad! 

Now the question of cost popped up quite often.  Firstly I will have to say that I met this doctor when he removed my Mum’s mole and he was a doctor who she was referred to through her GP therefore it was on the NHS.  However when I asked him at the time if he would remove mine he said that as there were not a danger to me, it would be purely a cosmetics case and therefore will have to be done privately.  Therefore I did it at his private surgery which means it was done as private prices.  Now prices really do vary because there are some places that charge £200 per mole and some more and some less.  My doctor was charging £100 per mole and as with most places, the more you do the cheaper it becomes per mole therefore I paid £150 for three to be done which in effect is not too bad!  So it’s going to be different depending on where you are and who you go to. 

So if you want to get your moles removed there are firstly a couple of things you must consider.  The things I suggest you think about is how important it is to you that it is removed and what benefits it will give you when it is gone.  Then you must consider whether you feel its more a cosmetics surgery or whether you think its a danger to your health (i.e. possibilities of Cancer etc) and so if it is the latter, your best bet is to go to your GP (your local doctor) as if you are worried, they can and will do it for you for free!  I kid you not, this is a known fact and I know people who have done this.  If you state that you feel it is changing in shape, feel or colour and they agree it may be dangerous then they will remove it on the spot for you.  However if you find they do not agree, they may well refer you to someone (or themselves) who can do it for you privately.  The best thing to do is to make sure they have a good reputation and positive feedback from previous customers and don’t forget to shop around before committing yourself.  If you feel you can trust the doctor then go with it!

Now there is the topic of scarring to discuss.  According to my doctor, scarring only really occurs for those who have the larger moles and those who need stitches.  For minor moles like mine there will be very minimal scarring.  Now if there is it is quite normal and I’m actually expecting scars just because my skin seems to love to scarring.  If you’re wondering what I’m doing to prevent scarring is I’m keep the areas hydrated and I’m trying my best not to touch them too much.  It’s important not to keep them too covered up and allow it to breathe.  Once the ‘wound’ is a bit more stable I will keep applying Vitamin E oil (or gel) in order for the scar to fade and also use my usual Aloe Vera gel all over the face which I have found over the years has evened out my skin tone.  I am also taking extra vitamin C supplements as it boosts the development of collagen which I hope means quicker and neater healing!

So I think I have covered everything.  If there are any more questions you are very welcome to ask here, in my chat box, via email or even formspring.  All that is left is to show you how much i CAM WHORED* myself rocking my little plaster and new eye shadow.  I bought two baked eye shadows from The Body Shop which is in their Summer Trends collection and I picked up Jade and Copper.  They are great duos to use for quick looks and so I thought I would use Jade today.  Enjoy the pictures!

*If you’re wondering why I made a point of CAM WHORING is because someone decided to tell me I was a ‘cam whore’ and in response to that I would say that yes I am and I’m proud of it.  So eat that!

  

JADED AND COPPER

 

Peace,

Cherry x

Review: Benefit Stay Don’t Stray

Another product that has received quite a lot of mixed reactions; it’s been battered and it’s been crowned approval from many gurus so here is my two cents on the product.

The Low Down

Considering it’s from one of my my favourite brands, Benefit, I was excited to try this because I have loved (and loathed) some of their products and one of my favourite products from Benefit include their Boi-ing concealer as well as Lemon-aid therefore this product seemed hopeful. The product is actually called ‘Stay Don’t Stray’ and hopefully from the name you can tell it’s a product that intends to keep make up in place throughout the day.  It’s actually a concealer and eyeshadow primer; now much to my confusion I thought this product was a concealer and an eyeshadow primer.  However I’ve come to realise it’s supposed to be a primer for both your eye shadow and concealer therefore you can apply concealer on top and hopefully it will stay all day.  

The product is dispensed through a pump and contains only 10ml of product.   The consistency of it is like any regular liquid concealer, neither too thick nor too runny.  It’s easy to apply with your fingers and is lightweight enough to store in your handbag.  The choice is shade for this product is supposed to be a neutralising tone that everyone can wear underneath their eyeshadow how it it begs the question how can a person with medium to dark skin possibly use this?  This review shall discuss this further…

 

And what do they claim?

This dual-action power primer works 360° around the eyes to make concealers AND eyeshadows STAY PUT.

Concealers don't crease, eyeshadows stay vibrant and true...you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

What else you need to know: neutral nude shade is universally flattering

custom airless pump is sooo easy to use...just a dab'll do ya!

- Benefitcosmetics.com

How did it work for Cherry?

I find that this product works a charm as a primer for your eye shadow, I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was better than the Two Faced Shadow Insurance because sometimes I find that the make up fades slightly but it does a good job of holding it out most of the day and it doesn’t allow my eye shadow to crease.  However I don’t feel it does much for my under eye concealer as putting another concealer on top can sometimes make it look ‘too much’ and so I just skip this. 

Instead I use this product as a straight up concealer itself and then apply powder on top.  Obviously this isn’t going to work for everyone; I feel like I’m just lucky enough to be the right shade for this product to work in that way for me.  So while I know it’s not a concealer, I will review it as one anyway! 

Below are some pictures of its concealability on my eyes….

No Concealer

 

My left under eye concealer

 

 
Both eyes concealed

WIth concealer on top

 

As you can see it works lovely as a concealer; it’s consistency is perfect and shade is great for me. I know this isn’t much use to a lot of you but for some it may be!

Another thing I must touch on is that it has an AWFUL dispensing pump; you need to watch out because this pump will dispense WAY too much product and you will not only lose product but also attempt to use too much and therefore it will look cakey.  I would suggest slipping the small pump cap off (not the big lid) and then pushing the white cap down slightly so a small amount pumps out.  This is one way I have found that works for me.

 

Cherry’s Final Verdict

So for £19.50 it’s a similar price mark as a mid-end concealer or eye shadow primer.  I would suggest that if you cannot use is in a ‘360’ fashion (find uses for all around the eye) then I wouldn’t recommend it.  A lot of people have said its creased on them and I have a suspicion it may be those who have oilier lids.  As well as this it’s not going to be great as a concealer primer either and I can’t imagine many people being able to use this as a normal primer either.  So I would save your money unless you can use it for all of those reasons.

I myself am happy that I purchased this but I am not pleased for its shade, as it limits everyone and I hate its pump.  I’m glad it doesn’t smell and the consistency is right.  On the most part it works too so what can I say?

I will give this product a 4/5 for being great for me but it loses marks for not being great for everyone else! 

 

Happy shopping everyone!

Peace,

Cherry x