LDN in a Day...

Ciao bella's! Last weekend I went to London to pick my sis up...She's been living in Clapham, London for the last couple of years but her contract is up so she's moving back home for a while until her next contract. So I had the pleasure of driving down to London to pick her and alll her stuff and bringing it back home in my car. But while I was there we did get the chance to spend one day together looking around (rhukrhing) the city!

We started off by looking around the Natural History Museum...I've driven past it so many times and always admired the absolutely stunning building but never got round to checking it out so this time I really wanted to see what was inside!

Then we headed over to Knightsbridge to check out Harrods and tick one off my sister's list...cant beleive she lived there 2 years and never went! lol

After tiring ourselves out by looking at the gorgeous bags, getting spritzed by about 10 different perfumes by SAs and wandering around the amazingly tempting food hall (my gosh the food was sooo mouthwatering)...we decided to indulge in some lunch from the food hall and head down to Hyde Park to have a little picnic by the Serpentine...

Lobster & Soul Terrine with a fresh french bagette and a yummy haloumi Mediterranean salad...so lush!

Then we headed over to Oxford Circus and made a trip to one of my favourite stores Liberty...I love this store! Its got such great and unique mix of different things from most famous designers and new upcoming independent ones too...all with such style! and the building is absolutely beautiful too!!

Couldnt resist a quick look in Illamasqua while we were in Oxford Circus...

We also managed to spot a few of the 200 easter eggs dotted around London as part of the big Faberege Easter Egg Hunt...grand prize is a Diamond Jubilee Egg valued at £100,000!

Somehow we ended up in Trafalgar Square...The National Gallery in the background to the 2012 Olympics Games countdown...

Then finally....over to Covent Garden for drinks, dinner and a little walk to take a peek at the Themes before we headed home...

I cant believe we managed to pack sooo much into one day...was had soo much fun!! We were pretty knackered the next though so we decided to take it easy and have a nice little brunch at a local french cafe in Clapham and look what they had! Chalkboard tables!! It was the perfect end to my LDN trip...well it was before we had to then stuff my car with all my sister's junk and head back home! lol

What did you guys get upto this weekend?

Cherry Lane xoxo

You Gotta Hear This...

Hiya everyone! I had been going thru abit of a dry musical spell recently where nothing much has really been inspiring me but I've got my groove back and here are some of the songs I am loving right now...

1. Stooshe - Love Me feat. Travie McCoy: LOOOVE this song but not a fan of the vid...its so distracting from the awesomeness of the song and their voices!

2. Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know feat. Kimbra:  So by now I'm sure most of you have already heard this because its been No. 1 in loads of countries but I wanted to share the love! Im so obsessed with this!

3. Emeli Sande - Next to Me: British singer...this girl has got an INcredible voice!!

4. Albin De La Simone - Avant Tout, I Vont You: This is a kinda curveball...I stumbled on this song randomly when I was in an French Connection store in Edinburgh...they were playing it in the store as I was waiting for House of Pinheiro to try some clothes on and its funky beat together with French style totally capture me to I Shazam'ed it and have been addicted ever since lol. I have been listening to the proper studio version on my iphone but I could only find a live version on YouTube *sad face* but you get the idea...p.s. skip ahead to around 55secs

5. Olly Murs - Heart Skips a Beat: This song has been around for ages (I even did a separate blog post about it ages ago here) but I still love it and havent got tired of it yet!

Soooo....what do you think? I hope I have given you abit of musical inspiration to liven up your day!

Cherry Lane xoxo

First She Said Beauty Box has arrived!!!

Hiya beauties! So the day has finally arrived and so has the First She Said Beauty Box! I wont blabber on and instead just get straight to the good stuff...

Gorgeous coloured box!

Bonus Item - Jing Flowering Dragon Eye Tea

Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Shade 2

Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio

Orly Manicure Mini in Blackout

  

We Are Faux Eyelashes in Apex

Comfort Zone Good Night Kit

Here's a summary...

Orly Manicure Miniature in Blackout - Full Sized 5.3ml £5.00 - Received full size £5.00
Orly Nail File - Full Sized £1.10 - Received full size £1.10
Aveda Smooth Infusion Trio - Full Sized Shampoo 250ml £15.50 - Sample size 10ml £0.62p
                                              Full Sized Conditioner 200ml £17.50 - Sample Size 10ml £0.88p
                                              Full Sized Style-Prep Smoother 100ml £18.50 - Sample Size 10ml £1.85
Comfort Zone Good Night Kit - Renight Recovery Cream Full Sized 50ml £52.95 - Sample Size 6ml £6.35
                                              Renight Recover Complex no pricing info available - Sample Size 4ml
Collection 2000 Cream Puff in Shade 2 Nudey Beige - Full Sized 5ml £2.99 - Received full size £2.99
We Are Faux Eyelashes in Apex - Full Sized £9.00 - Received full size £9.00

BONUS

Jing Flowering Dragon Eye Tea - Full Sized £9.00 50g - Received 6.5g £1.17

Introductory Cost of Box - £9.70

TOTAL VALUE OF BOX - £28.96

My first impression is that this is a great box filled with a balance of different products - moisturiser, hair care, cosmetics and nails. I will use all the products contained in the box apart from maybe the faux lashes...but then again I've never tried faux lashes before so this might be the opportunity to give them a go! They do look quite nice and natural! I am a tad disappointed by the sample size of the Aveda Hair Care samples...I wish they were a little bigger so that I could get at least two uses out of them however we received two/three (if you count the mini Orly) full sized products. So overall I am very happy with this first box! I cant wait to get trying these products!! :-)

For more info about She Said Beauty you can click here for my previous post or here for their website.

Cherry Lane xoxo

Wordless Wednesday

Inspired by (ok copied - its the best form of flattery afterall) Karla Powell

Sunshine Award :-)

I'm so happy because yesterday my very good friend Rachel from House of Pinheiro gave me a very special Sunshine Award!! I cant tell you how happy I am to get this award! Rachel is my 'blogmother' (her words)...through the success and happiness she has gained from her blog...she really encouraged me to start writing me one too. For a good couple of years she kept telling me and finally I decided to take the plunge in November last year. I'm soo glad she did! This blog has brought me so much joy! I love sharing the little things that inspire me with you. I found this fantastically supportive community of people and made some lovely new friends who I hope I will meet in person one day. So thank you Rachel..not only for the award but for your encouragement! 

Rules:

Thank the person who gave you the award. (Rachel, thank you! You are a ray of sunshine in my life)

Write a post about it. (yep, you're reading it)

Answer the questions that come with it.

Pass it along to ten people and let them know they’ve received the award.

Questions:
Favorite Colour: Purple
Favorite Animal: Fish
Favorite Number: 6
Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Innocent Kiwi, Apple and Lime Smoothie! Or if in India...Ganga Jamna! *drooling just thinking about it*

Facebook or Twitter: Twitter! Best way to keep upto date with the latest news
My Passion: Cherries!! (and playing with makeup, travel and baking)
Getting or Giving Presents: Definately giving....I love seeing the delighted look on someone face as they open a gift I have given them.

Favorite Flower: Flowers are just so beautiful! I love all brightly colour flowers and I cant pick one!
Favorite Celebrity Role Model: This is a toughie, I could have picked someone who had climbed mountains or some gazzilionaire but instead I have chosen a person who is closer to home and more realistic... someone who's awesomeness have been admiring recently is TV presenter Anita Rani. She recently did a documentary for the BBC called 'Four Wheels' where she spent 3 weeks driving from Delhi to Chennai. I'm sure y'all have seen vids of the crazy streets in India and yeah it really is that insane (horns, taxis, trucks, motorbikes, rickshaws and not forgetting the cows!). This girl has crazyyy confidence and guts to face all that! I would never attempt driving in India! Then on a kinda polar opposite she also recently won the Great British Bake Off!! She was soo good on the show, her baking idea's were so creative, she really pushed herself to be the best and was so meticulous (baking is a science afterall). Anita comes across as a really hard working and successful independent woman who isn't afraid of a challenge and strives to be the best at everything that she does. An inspiration in my eyes!

Here are the 10 blogs I have chosen to pass this on to (so many good blogs, this was hard!)

1. Jenifer from Kitsch N Sync - A gorgeously cute mix of fashion and beauty. I really I love her style of writing and that she takes fashion/beauty issues one step further by talking about body confidence and upcycling.

2. Eden from Sweet Wahine's Beautiful Life - Eden is so sweet..reading about the randomness of her life and inspirations always makes me smile. :-)

3. Aisha from Aishadow.com - I love hearing about the latest products hitting the US as well as her great homemade beauty tips...did you know garlic is really good for your nails?!

4. Ailah from Cosmetic Blur - This girl is crazy talented! Her make-up looks are absolutely stunning, creative, bright and immaculately perfect every time!

5. Halima from Designer Spray - A fashion blog with a difference! I love her awesome photography and her funky style! 

6. Safira from Miss Stylicious - A lovely chick who blogs about product reviews, latest beauty launches mixed in with her fun weekends in exploring London.

7. Swarnali from Dreams & Drama - One of my first supporters, Swarnali has a fantastic way with words and is so artistic too!

8. Elpiniki from Tomato Soup - Greece is my favourite country so when I found her blog I was so excited to recreate some of her authentic Greek recipes 

9. Emm from Circular Insanity - Emm has a really fun take on Indian beauty products and great Tech Talks tips to improve your blog.

10. Aki from 7% Solution - Fashion, food, cute vlogs and general awesomeness of life! I love Aki's blog!

Thank you all for your wonderful inspiration!!

Cherry Lane xoxo

Soap & Glory Choc/Cherry Lip Balm!! A Great Kisser!

Hi everyone! I finally have my laptop up and running again! yay! I'm so happy that to do a review of this gorgeous new lip balm I have discovered!

'A Great Kisser' by Soap & Glory is a new range of three fruity lip balms - Juicy Peach, Sweet Coconut and Chocolate Cherry respectively as picture below.

These lip balms contain 'mango butter to moisturise, apricot butter for weather protection, lingonberry oil to boost the barrier repair (and prevent water loss), and pomegranate extract to renew your 'dewy''. 


'Juicy Peach is a gorgeous coral shade, Sweet Coconut is clear in colour with a hint of shimmer and Chocolate Cherry is described as a sheer popsicle pink'

I'm sure you can guess which one I went for..yep the Choc Cherry! I gotta say I just love all Soap and Glory packaging...its so fun and retro! And this lipbalm is no different..its so cute! One great thing I noticed about the tin is that its very easy to open and slides off great unlike the similar Vaseline tubs which can get quite tight and be a nightmare to prise open.

When I first opened it I thought it looked quite bright in the pan but in fact its quite sheer on the lips giving a nice hint of colour and a glossy/dewy finish.

The texture of this product is absolutely gorgeous!! It looks a little heavy in the pan but once you circle your finger around it melts and applies on your lips very easily. It really is unlike any other product I've used and  feels so luxurious! S&G describe it better than I ever could...'its not too waxy, not too slippery, not too greasy, not too sticky. In fact, its just right'. And I completely agree!! It feels extremely moisturising, provides a protective barrier between my skin and the elements which is particularly important in these harsh winter months but at the same time its not too thick, its not too sticky (dont you just hate when the wind blows your hair and gets stuck on your lipgloss eek) and feels so lovely and soft.

The scent actually isn't as I imagined...maybe I have been spoilt by the gorgeous rich fragrance of the TBS Chocomania but the choc/cherry scent of this lipbalm was more like a very subtle cherry chocolate liqueur which personally I'm not too keen on.

Overall, this product is a winner!! Although the scent is quite disappointing it is very subtle and the performance of the lipbalm formula itsself far outweighs this one negative. 'A Great Kisser' leaves my lips feeling extremely soft, moisturised and nourished with a nice glossy finish and indeed very kissable!

Would I buy this product again? Yes definitely I would but I would go for the Juicy Peach flavour.

This product retails at £5 for a 18g tin. Available from Boots.
For more info about Soap & Glory and to check out more of their awesome products please visit their website.

Cherry Lane xoxo

Inspired by Mac Pro Masterclass at London Fashion Week

Hey everyone! My replacement laptop charger hasn't arrived yet so I'm still using the blogger app on my phone :-( I can't really write alot using the app so instead I thought I would just post a pic of an eye makeup look I did last night. It's London Fashion Week this week...I love fashion week! Looking at all the clothes, buzz in the atmosphere and the fun events happening. I saw a photo of a look created during Mac's Masterclass at London Fashion Week by Paolo Rodriguez and it inspired me to have a go myself...these photos are literally just me messing around and playing with my makeup for fun...

Cherry Lane xoxo

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector – Daily All-in-One B.B. Cream

Hey everyone! I seem to be on an unlucky streak recently...last week my iPhone charger cable got crushed in my bag and this week my laptop charger has decided to give up on me! :-( They say bad luck comes in 3s but I'm praying nothing else goes wrong!!

So in the meantime I'm using the blogger app on my phone to make this post. Not the greatest tool as it won't let me Hyperlink but I guess its good enough for when you can't reach a laptop.

So anywwaaays.... This week I did a guest post on Vertika's Vivacious Blog reviewing Garnier's Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream...I am totally in love with this cream! You can check out the review here

If you live in the UK you can also find out where you can get a free sample of the cream by checking out the post.


I hope are having a fabulous weekend!! What are you all getting upto?

Cherry Lane xoxo

Makeup Inspiration - Purple Dreams

Hi gorgeous people!! Even though I'm not that great at it I really love experimenting with different eye makeup so I thought I'd show you what I came up with using my latest purchase L'Oreal Color Infallible in Purple Obsession (005). I absolutely love this eyeshadow!! Probably because purple is my favourite colour but also because its just such a great product...I'll be doing a proper review of this together with a swatch soon.

oh and I just wanted to mention that I had a really hard time taking a decent picture that captured the true colour and sparkles of the eyeshadows so I'm sorry the photo's are not that great! A good camera is high on my wish list but will have to wait a little while I'm afraid. Anyways, here ya go...

Apply a primer to your eyelids...I used e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer

Next I took a flat eyeshadow brush from The Body Shop and applied L'Oreal Color Infallible in Purple Passion (sparkly purple with black undertone) all over the eyelid

Then I took Mac blending brush 224 and created the outer v using Mac eyeshadow in Contrast (v. deep blue with slight blue shimmer and black undertones) and used this colour to blend out the purple creating a softer line. I then went back to the purple and lined the bottom lashline with this.

I then used a pale lilac shimmery eyeshadow by in the inner V and e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow in Elegant to highlight the browbone. I also used Rimmel Exaggerate Liquid Liner in Black and Bourjois Liner Effect Mascara

I hope you like this look! 

Cherry Lane xoxo