Best of July 2011

Hi all, I'm back and here I am with my favourites of July 2011 and a anything else I've missed out since my absence...

Sanex Anti-perspirant Sensitive The heat is enough to make anyone sweaty and sticky let alone the nervousness of ponging the moment you arrive at the office but never fear because I have found the ultimate solution!
I have never found a deodorant that actually works let alone a roll-on.  If it did work the effects wore off eventually and I'd go back to my refuge of electric fans.  I happened to get this on offer and I wasn't expecting miracles because, to be quite frank, I'm not really into roll-ons.  However this baby really works and keeps me fresh and odour free all day.  I LOVE IT.

 

Lavshuca Eye shadow Quad - BR-1

This is a really pretty palette I picked up at SaSa in Hong Kong.  If you haven't got the Urban Decay 'Naked' palette and you're looking for similar neutral shades then this might be the one, if you can get hold of it!  The colour pay off is great and the texture is velvety and easy to glide on.  These colours can be used in combination to create anything from simple day time looks to heavy smoky evening eyes. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette 

Speak of the devil, I have rediscovered this wonderful palette and it's actually more versatile than I realised.  The golds and bronze colours are perfect for the summer!  It's become my go-to palette when I'm not feeling creative but the outcome is always great.

 

Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara

One of my ultimate favourite mascaras on this planet, this tiny baby works miracles.  It primarily gives extreme length but can build up really striking, voluminous lashes, even for the tiny hairs I was blessed with.  It's a comb applicator so I didn't expect to like it but actually it works a treat and even great for those under eye lashes.  I HEART!

 

Missha B.B Boomer

I adore this primer because it gives me such a subtle glow.  I like to use this directly on my cheeks, the bridge of my nose, forehead and slightly on the chin.  It's great mixed into your tinted moisturiser or foundation too.  It's light weight formula means I can layer this on top of moisturiser and not feel like my skin is clogging up.  This primer is perfect for creating a healthy, dewy complexion.

 

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

At last, drugstores now have a real decent gel-liner that is easy to use and totally affordable.  This baby comes with it's own brush that is perfect for creating cat eyes and I have been using this every day.  It sets really well and does not streak; this one is a winner for sure.

 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

This foundation has been great for the summer because it really does last all day.  For hotter days I have been applying a sheer layer of it rather than mixing it in with moisturiser like I would every Summer.  This conceals all of my flaws and a little goes a long way.  The shade I'm using is 200 Soft Beige but I do have to mix it with the shade below it because it is still too dark for me, yet the shade lighter is much too light.  I still really like using it and it's been my go-to for quite some time.

 

GOSH Precious Powder Pearls - Glow

This little pot of glory was featured sometime last year on my blog and it's still one of my all-time favourite bronzers.  This gives me an instant glow and makes me look like I've been on holiday.  For instant hot summer glamour, go for these precious powder bronzing pearls. 

What are your Summer must-haves?

Much love,

Cherry x

Park Bom inspired look

 

  

Hello everyone, the next video up is going to be a Park Bom inspired look and I hope you guys will enjoy it.  I have loved Park Bom since 'We Belong Together' came out and I've remained a big fan since.  Her purple lenses are absolutely adorable, the ones I'm wearing are BS201 (bella special purples) and you can get them from:  http://fotdlooks-shop.com/ 

I think I'm going to get some bangs cut into my hair just like Bom's, what do you think?

 

Cherry x

Covering Away a Bad Skin Day

One of the biggest learning curves in make-up application and in every girl's life is learning the art of covering imperfections on our faces'.  We all have blemishes and dark circles and I am not exaggerating when I say that I've been looking for my perfect concealer since I even knew what make-up was.

So here are two products I am excited to show you that help cover up my flaws and imperfections and give me the confidence to walk out the door.  But first, a before and after picture is much needed:

 Without Make-Up

 

Perfectly Covered

 

So I think the two concealing products that have to be mentioned are these:

 

Missha Perfect Concealer [Natural Beige]

 

A small pot of wonder!  I bought this in Hong Kong and it's fantastic at covering dark under eye circles.  I find that it's easy to apply and light-weight enough to wear even when you are looking to wear a little less make-up.  It has great coverage and best of all it looks completely natural to the skin.  I find this works best with a brush as a gentle touch with this product produces better results.  When using this, always remember to pat and never to swipe and then set with a loose powder on top. 

 

Vichy Dermablend Make-Up

I really like this foundation as it has really top-notch coverage.  It is light enough as a foundation but can also be used a concealer.  It may be expensive and not in a particularly large bottle but this product will last you quite a long time as a little goes a long way.  I find it is best for covering redness and it's been helping to cover my blotchy, dry and red skin well.  You can pick this up at big Boots stores or find it online.  I used the shade no. 25.

 

I hope you all like it, watch the video to see how well this works!

Peace, Cherry x

Tea in my hair

When I was in Hong Kong I picked up a foam hair dye by Liese and it was in the colour 'Milk tea brown'. 

Inside came with everything I needed, including perfect instructions (in three different languages), gloves (good quality ones) and a sachet hair treatment (not so good).

Mixing the hair dye wasn't particularly difficult and when you get to grips with it it's actually quite simple. 

My hair has always looked different colour in different lights so I must show you!  Here are some photos of my hair colour before:

I know it's kind of strange.

When applying the hair dye, I found it quite tiring to keep massaging in the mixture to produce the foam in my hair.  Eventually I got there and when there was foam, it made covering all of my hair easy.  For once, I was sure I got every single strand.

And below is my new hair colour.  I really didn't expect it to be as dark as it is.  I thought it was going to come out as a rich, bright blonde (see picture above) but it really has come out a light brown instead.  Overall I'm pleased with the colour though as it's a nice change! 

   

Here is a quick comparison:

Much love,

Cherry x

The Sienna-X Spray Tan

For my present as maid-of-honour, I was taken to my local and favourite spa to have a spray tan.  It's there that I got the Sienna-X Spray tan and it was an absolutely fantastic experience!  The process only took about 10-15 minutes and it's turned out great.  I chose the very lightest shade so I could go on holiday confidently and look glowing in pictures.  The treatment cost about £40 at my spa but I assume it's different at each place that does it. 

I love that it doesn't have an offensive smell and it looks extremely natural.  My face doesn't look too dark but you'll see from my shoulders and neck that I am looking golden.  Tell me what you think!

Cherry x

My sister and I before

My sister and I after

 
with flash

Without flash

x

A Simple Bridal Look

 

Just wanted to share a bridal look with you all. I find that if bridal make-up is done well it will look effortless and simple, seamless and natural.  Yet to achieve bridal make-up that has the endurance to last throughout the day AND look perfect for the photos can be quite challenging.  One bit of advice I can give to those doing their own make-up is to practice everyday for as long as you need, let that be a month, two or one week beforehand.  This will be a huge day in your life so looking  your best is important, especially as we all hope to only do it once and once only...

Cherry x

The StriVectin-SD Trial

 

I know a lot of you will be interested in the results for the StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate, at least I know I am.  I have been applying this on since the 28th of January and each time I dab my eyes with this expensive potion, I wonder whether this is just an overrated eye moisturiser.  There is only one way to find out and that is to do a real trial on it to see how well it works.

The full 'program' takes 8 weeks, by which this means that in eight weeks time my eyes should have visibly less wrinkles and I should look even more youthful and awake since my dark eye circles should disappear.  I have been using this for one week and that only means I will be due for a final comparison around March 25th 2011.   Throughout the course of the eight weeks I shall update you all but it's exciting to know that perhaps by my Sister's Wedding, i shall have brighter and smoother eyes! Above is a picture of me prior to any usage of the product. This was taken bright and early in the morning - face completely naked!  The picture quality isn't perfect so it may be difficult to see, but on right eye is this irritating crease that forever traps in concealer and foundation - this is what I'm wanting to get rid of.  I know my dark circles aren't the worst but they are not good news without a great concealer.  I hope in a few weeks time there will be great improvement!

The next beauty wonder I really want to try out is the Clarisonic; I have been wanting it for years and now that I have a full-time job, it only makes sense to put that on an official list of things I could realistically buy!  I am considering purchasing the 'Mia' via the internet but am unsure as I'm the type of gal who would want anything that has 'plus' at the end of it ....so perhaps I will end up with the Clarisonic Plus over the Mia. 

Anyway nice talking to you ladies, shall speak soon!

Much love,

Cherry xxx

Haul 1st/2011

Hello everyone!  I thought I'd share with you all some of the things I picked up.  It's my Sister's wedding in March and I want to really look my best..so hello expensive skincare! 

 

Lancome Tonique Douceur (200ml) [£20.45] - I picked this up because it's been a long, long time since I splashed out on an expensive toner.  I have always been pleased with a few select drugstore ones (Botanics, Simple, Neutrogena...etc) but I decided to spend some hard earned cash... the first place I headed to was Lancome because, for me, it's quite a trusted brand for skincare... and voila!  This was recommended to me for combination skin and having used it a few times....well, i shall tell you soon!

Lancome Baume Eclat (125ml) [£19.90] - I didn't know what to expect with this cleanser, all I knew was that it was good for my skin type and that I needed a new cleanser!  It turns out to be a cream to oil formula and is suitable for any skin type.  Similar to a lot of oil based cleansers, the aim is to moisturise as well as clean off grime along with any trace of make up.  I am trialling this out as it's a tricky one, again I shall have to get back to you on this one!  

 

 

Lancome Hydra Intense Gel Face Mask (100ml) [£31.65] Hydrated skin means good skin!  This mask caught my eye because you can apply it and tissue it off as it's gel based!  It only needs five minutes to rehydrate your skin and you can use it once/twice a week.  I will be using this once a week, in the morning before work... as it's pretty expensive! 

 

MAC Brush Cleanser (233ml) [£8.50] - These days I'm way too busy to constantly clean my brushes, so in desperation, I've picked up the famous MAC Brusher cleanser to save time and effort but be as hygienic as possible.  I am also going to be practising make up on the bride and bridesmaids so this will come in handy!

I finally got my hands on the StriVectin-SD! (30ml) [£49.00] !  I didn't know when I was going to have the courage to buy this and it turned out when I realised that even my concealer was having a hard time covering my dark circles!  The Wedding is soon and I really need to fix up so I have approximately 8 weeks in which this product should be fully working its magic by then!  I hear some really positive things about this tiny tube of wonder and for £49...I really do hope they are true!

As I was walking through Boots, I was wondering to myself about what kind of foundation will work for the Wedding day?  I knew, above everything else, I needed to find something that would last a long time.  That was when I walked past the new Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation (30ml - 100 Ivory & 200 Soft Beige] [£6.99].  I thought I would give these a try as they were on special offer (2 for £9!) and as I like a lot of Rimmel products, I didn't think I could go wrong!  I have a habit of buying two shades of foundations as I like to mix them or use the darker one for contouring!  I have been wearing this non-stop just to test it out to see if it lives up to its claim!  To Be Continued...!

 

I don't know why but I've always resisted from trying out the Maxfactor False Lash Effect (Waterproof) [£10.99] simply because it was on the steep side for a mascara.  I have always wanted it and I have finally got it!  It's quite large and sports a brush that I am not particularly used to, but none the less I am very pleased to finally own one as I have always loved my Maxfactor Masterpiece  Mascara.  I am also trying this product out to see if this will be useful for the Wedding.  The trial continues...

That is it for the haul, stay tuned for a few mini reviews and also the true trial of the StriVectin SD Eye Cream!!

Peace,

Cherry x