I went to Boots today just to get some stock (i.e. cotton pads, facial toner, make up sponges etc etc) and I came across BarryM (obviously, like who doesn't just gravitate to there?) and I noticed they were giving away their limited edition of dazzle dust if you purchased products worth over £6. I did have a look at it but it is quite a regular lilac, I'm wondering whether I missed the point but I decided against it. Just as I was about to bypass all the rest I suddenly eyed up something I had not even noticed before.
Grey nail paint?
Without hesitation I picked it up and along with their Topcoat/ basecoat. Before I talk about the basecoat I just want to say how amazing grey is. I've recently had this new obsession with the colour and I can't stop wearing grey. Am I subconsciously preparing for the winter months ahead of us? I just love grey, it's such a versatile and chic colour. I also love that it can be gothic yet edgy pretty cool.
I decided on an alternative french manicure. I've used BarryM grey, black and their topcoat/basecoat. The white flower is done using Sally Hansen Nail art pen in white. Those pens are the bomb btw. I didn't get them at first but OMG!
Back onto the Basecoat by BarryM. This is probably one of the best, inexpensive, drugstore basecoats. This is one of the first one's I ever bought and I have tried others but always gone back. It's crazy to even think so deeply about a see-through nail polish but the beauty of this product is this; no flaking, a less offensive smell, it's a nail hardener, top coat AND basecoat in one. I've also go China Glaze's Fast Forward top coat and I'm just not understanding this product. For some reason if I use it it makes me nail polish peel off very, very quickly. Needless to say, in my disappointment and in much need of a topcoat, I went back to trusty BarryM.
Outfit of the day:
Long black t-shirt (Primark) Purple vest dress (River Island) Black leggings (H&M) Big black belt (Dorothy Perkins) Black heels (sorry you can't see this! Arms didn't stretch far enough!) (Clarks)
I love today's outfit, it really spoke out my mood; rebellious, daring and rather sexy. I've also used MAC's cornflower on my eyes :)
Welcome to episode two of my Anime Series. As you know I'm doing Sailor Moon first and the second sailor I've tackled is Sailor Jupiter i.e. Mako-chan!
Products used: (left to right) Sally Girl - Snow BarryM Kohl - #20 GOSH Eye Kohl - White MAC warm eye palette - sweet joy (dark green) MAC- Typographic
Also used: Suki Palette (purchased from Hong Kong)
Really there is no rocket science to this. I've been battling with my body image and confidence for a long time. Within my circle of friends, I've always worn the slightly more outgoing/outrageous clothes and I pride myself for being more daring than I feel. When leggings emerged from the fashion scenes I did not know what I was to do. I've never been into following trends but this was a trend I wish I could - but didn't know how to. Surely leggings would NOT flatter my shape and in turn make me look EVEN shorter and would highlight my lumps and bumps? This was confirmed to me when eventually I began to see bigger girls doing it all wrong. It always looked - very unflattering. This scared me into thinking that I couldn't do it.
Until today I finally just got too annoyed. I'm so tired of jeans and I'm not going to keep avoiding these tops just because I wouldn't have leggings to go with. And I refuse to keep living in these jeans.
I looked at the types of leggings there are; there's different materials, lengths, colours and qualities. I asked myself, what would be great to break into that will flatter me and will most importantly - be fuss free.
The answer is cotton - thick enough to hold you in, thin enough to keep you looking slim. Colour? Black is good to start off with- or try dark navy. Length is always tricky but I know that as I'm a mere 5ft 1 (approx 151cm) tall, I can't wear anything cropped because this tends to make me look stockier than I am. Unless I wear heels in which I barely do. And really, would I spend that much money on a pair of leggings? - Probably not.
I headed to H&M and I bought my very first pair of leggings for £5.99. These are comfortable and very well made.
If your body shape is similar to mine you might wonder, what you can wear for with it to flatter your body shape. Right now I'm really into vests with longer, draping sides. This gives the illusion that I'm leaner as it skims my lumps and bumps but the short length in the middle keeps me looking my height as opposed to 3ft tall. I love that you can wear these over a long sleeve or even alone.
Top: Primark £5 Leggings: H&M £5.99
Top: River Island £6 (sale)
I love baggy tops like this. Be careful, if you're short like me, it can swamp you. Find one that is a) off the shoulder to give you more dimension, b) that the end is closer to your bum than you knees, and c) is made of thin material which will look nicer for your shape
Top: Primark £5
I also stumbled across this beautiful 80's feel short cropped top. The short length means it will keep my legs long, as long as it's fitting and flattering. I would NOT wear leggings with this despite it pairing up with the 80's feel. I know that my shape would not suit that. Instead I wear black fitted straight leg jeans.
Top: Primark £5
What other staple is there other than black pumps? Pumps: Primark £4
I also picked up a Rimmel Exaggerate lip liner is Diva Red for approximately £4. This means only one thing - red lip tutorial!
It's late and I couldn't upload this but this is my FOTD. There is nothing I love more than a smokey look with a metallic twist. Apart from maybe a smokey metallic look that is reminiscent of a hot, bronzed, summers day :)
Rather than the usual curly ends, I opted for sleek straight hair today and used my name Angelfish Spray wax which is my new favourite over the usual Lee Stafford. I'm wearing nude lips (Revlon Nude attitude) with thick liner (MAC Blacktrack gel liner) and some glitter (Too faced glitter eyeliner)
Hi everyone, As a treat for myself I went out to Boots and thought that I'd buy something nice for myself. I ended up buying two lipsticks, both from the Revlon Matte collection. I've always said I've never been a 'lips' person which basically means that I tend to focus my make up on skin and eyes and tend to leave lips bare or with lip balm. However I've been trying to venture out into this area and build up my collection and confidence with statement colours.
Me: No lip colour, au natural
Below I'm wearing Revlon's 'Nude Attitude' which is such a warm nude colour. I've been looking for the perfect nude colour because I always tend to find ones which are either to pale or too brown. I think I just have found ones perfect for my lips and skin tone.
Below is a picture of me wearing the infamous GOSH Darling. This lipstick is loved by one of my favourite gurus, Lollipop26, that is why I went out to buy it before I even tried it. I realised later that it made me look anaemic and like I did not have any colour in me. It drowns me out because of its cool pink tones, where as Revlon's Nude Attitude is a honey toned nude which is perfect for
Left to right : Revlon's Nude Attitude Vs Gosh's Darling
Nude attitude
Nude attitude
Left to right : Revlon's Nude Attitude Vs Gosh's Darling
Also you may recall a few blog entries ago I came up with a 'pin up' look which a few of you liked. It made me think about the idea of wearing red and looking for the perfect red colour. This is one of the first statement red colours I've voluntarily bought. This is Revlon's Strawberry Suede
What does everyone think? I will have to make this work one way or another and I love that it has a beautiful matte finish.
One of the most controversial products I’ve ever reviewed in the past if probably the St Ives Apricot Scrub.This isn’t because of anything I said but because there are so many different opinions about this product, perhaps the Marmite of scrubs; you either love it or you hate it.
Having been a devout St Ives fan from day one, I’m shocked that I even bothered to try another scrub. Wait no, not just any scrub – another apricot scrub.St Ives are the biggest brand of apricot scrub by far, if you Google that in, every single link is pretty much related to St Ives apart from one small link on the side which links to a company called Aapri.
You may have seen it before in the drugstores modestly sitting on the shelf and while I don’t know about you but up until a few months ago I had not even noticed this product much.I’ve been using this product for a long while now and I can finally reveal to you what I think of the ‘Aapri skin clarifying blackhead clearing scrub’ and how it measures up against an old favourite.
Firstly let’s remind ourselves of what the St Ives scrubs are all about.Previously I had given this product a 5/5 and while a mass load of us loved it, it also had a fair share of people who hated it.St Ives has three types of ‘apricot scrubs’ including ‘blemish fighting’, ‘gentle’ and ‘invigorating.I adore all of them and I use the gentle daily and the others alternately once or twice a week.These scrubs help make skin brighter, cleaner, clearer and softer and the best part is that the product is that its easy to come by and is at drugstore price.Let’s not forget that these scrubs are also award winning too – so surely there is no point looking for an alternative?
Some have complained to me that St Ives scrubs can be too abrasive (excluding the ‘gentle’ type).The abrasive material used in the scrub can sometimes irritate sensitive skin and while it gives others a good polish, others have said it rubbed their face raw.It’s also been said that these scrubs can make microscopic cuts into the face and cause infections and blemishes.With this said it’s always been known not to force scrub your face and you shouldn’t exfoliate blemished areas but some are adamant that this scrub works against them.However they are still looking for a scrub that doesn’t dry out their skin, has enough abrasive ingredients to give an exfoliating scrub but not remove their skin.
Perhaps their answer will be the scrubs from Aapri.I’ve personally only used their ‘Blackhead clearing scrub’ so this review and comparison is only based on my experience with one Aapri scrub and all three St Ives scrubs.
Aapri Clarifying Blackhead scrub is of creamy consistency yet it has similar gritty ingredients as the St Ives invigorating.However what may actually make this scrub slightly more appealing is that it contains less exfoliating particles therefore it won’t be too harsh on the skin.
Here is my review for the Aapri Clarifying Blackhead scrub
The Low Down
I’ve already gone through pretty much the profile of the product and really what is there to say about a facial scrub?
But I want to draw your attention at the pictures below and just compare the scrubs by consistency, smell and texture.Aapri definitely is creamier and lighter and looks a lot less intimidating.It has a lighter fragrance and in many ways due to the packaging and feel, it’s a lot more pleasant to use.
St Ives 'Invigorating' apricot scrub , Aapri Clarifying Blackhead scrub, St Ives Gentle Apricot Scrub
And what do they claim?
“SKIN CLARIFYING
blackhead clearing scrub
Suitable for all skin types
Removes those unsightly blackheads.
Aapri blackhead clearing scrub not only clears away the blackheads you have now, but also helps to prevent any future ones appearing.
Helps to unblock pores, and refreshes skin, so with regular use your skin will be healthier-looking and less prone to spots.
Fantastic results from the first application:
Visibly clearer and smoother skin
Irregularities and blemishes smoothed
Radiant skin and a healthy glow
Skin less prone to future spot and blemish breakouts”
-Aapri website
How you can use the product As with my usual routine I will wet my face in warm water to open up the pores, then I apply a small amount on my finger tips and work in a circular motion on my face for about two minutes, making sure I avoid the eye area and work gently.
Then I will rinse my face with warm and cool water, pat off with a towel and continue with my facial routine.
How did it work for Cherry?
I would probably say that this scrub makes me feel very safe.Why?Sometimes when I used St Ives Invigorating, depending on the mood of my skin, it would give me a minor dry irritation and yes sometimes if I had sensitive skin it did feel a bit too much.But this is precisely why I use the ‘Gentle’ version daily and this has always agreed with me.Aapri gives me the same feeling as the St Ives Gentle scrub but the only difference is that St Ives comes in a bigger bottle with more product in the bottle.My skin feels smooth after applying Aapri and what I do like is that my skin does look brighter afterwards.
And much will this cost?
While I can’t seem to find it at either Superdrug’s or Boot’s website, I know I purchased this from Boots.I know it’s not expensive and was around £5 – a good competing price for St Ives.
Cherry’s final verdict?
As I am comparing the two products I do have to say this; St Ives bottles come in 150ml while the Aapri I believe is a 75ml bottle.Therefore the Aapri scrub is a lot more expensive for the amount of product you’re buying.However I have to say that my skin seems to love Aapri and it never dries out when using it.Also a little does go a long way with this product and it has lasted me for over three months.
The question is, would I choose Aapri over St Ives Gentle?The answer is, probably not – not because I dislike the product but because of the product size and amount. If St Ives discontinued the Gentle scrub from their range I would use the Aapri blackhead scrub daily and still continue to use the St Ives Invigorating once or twice a week.
I might say that I prefer the exfoliating particles in the Aapri scrub over the St Ives spherical beads; this may also be the deciding point for you too.I would choose the Aapri if you do not like scrubbing beads and if you through the St Ives Invigorating was too harsh.Aapri is the happy medium between the too harsh and the too gentle.We may have found somethingjust for you.
