Tuesday 8 October 2013

What I have been dealing with the last couple of months - Branchial Cyst

In May of this year i noticed a small lump in the left side of my neck, i went to the doctors and had a series of tests done (ultrasound and an MRI) both were horrible.  After a month of waiting for results i finally was diagnosed with a Branchial Cyst.  Looking things up online (which you should never do because it always seems worse than it actually is!) a Branchial Cyst is a defect from in the womb that usually grows during adolescence mine was obviously a late developer.

After diagnosis the lump seemed to grow rapidly until it was causing me extreme pain, difficulty breathing (as it was pushing on my wind pipe, and my arteries) I went to see a specialist who drained it (ewwwww) and booked me in for surgery to have it removed.  I had to have it drained twice due to the size and how quickly it was growing.  

Last Thursday (3/10/2013) i went in for my operation, this is what my neck looked like the morning of surgery. 


The lump was about 10cm (huuugeee) i was under for about 2 hours but i finally have a normal sized neck again!  There is a small chance the cyst could come back but its really unlikely.  The surgeon has done a really good job and the scar is really neat so fingers crossed in a couple of months it shouldn't even be noticeable.  He has done the but along a natural crease in my neck to help with minimising the appearance of the scar.  This is my neck same day after surgery (look away now if your squeamish!!)


The surgery really took it out of me as it was pretty aggressive, plus with it being on your neck all your muscles ache and because its still swollen and bruised it literally feels like ive been punched directly in the neck :(
But after only a few days the scar and swelling are looking loads better.

 
I'm definitely on the road to recovery but think it will take a while to get back to normal.  The main moral of this is please go to the doctors if you find anything, luckily the lump didn't turn out to be more serious but you should always go and check things out!

Can anybody recommend any good concealers for when its healed? :)

cherrylovesit x 

Makeover @ Illamasqua Manchester

So as you can probably tell i have become obsessed with Illamasqua recently.  I LOVE the makeup, i just love the colours and how pigmented everything is :) so for my friends birthday we went and our makeup done as a treat.

Paddy did my makeup and i was so happy with the end result i ended up spending a fortune!  I always ask for a dramatic eye and a nude lip as that is what works best for me.  Paddy did a stunning purple smokey eye with winged lashes and a nude lip.


Products used were: Hydra Veil Re hydrating Gel (which i have just been given as a pressie and I'm in love with!!) its the most amazing base for your foundation it really gives you a flawless base.  The Skin Base Foundation in SB11 the coverage is amazing and i love how easily you can blend it and build up your coverage.  On the eyes the cream pigment in Mould, precision gel liner blended out and the pure pigment in Furore.  The eyelashes (which i purchased!) are no 21 i love them really feathery and worked perfectly with the winged makeup.  On the lips he used Test a gorgeous soft pink colour.


I love getting my makeup done at Illamasqua, Paddy really talked me through everything he was doing so i can try (try being the operative word here) an recreate this look.  The Makeover costs £30 and is redeemable on products.

If you are looking to get your makeup done for an event or just get some tips on how to apply i would strongly recommend booking yourself an appointment.

(all products i purchased i will review separately in more detail)

cherrylovesit x

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Blogging absence :(

Recently I really feel like ive been letting myself and you all down when it comes to my blog posts so I really just wanted o explain whats been going on with me and why ive been a bit absent.

So this year has really been all about change,  I started by finally going to see a doctor about the depression ive been secretly dealing with for over 5 years, its something that affects me every day but when it does its something I find very difficult to deal with.  I know everyone suffers in different ways, my problem is that im always on at the end of tether so when something little happens (that anyone else could ignore) its like the end of the world to me.  So I have now been diagnosed with depression and I am on a waiting list to speak with a counsellor (I have decided not to medicate)

Secondly I have changed jobs I have been working in retail management for over 5 years, this has recently been making me really unhappy and so in March I got a job with an online estate agent.  So far I am really enjoying it, there is loads of pressure but I kind of like it, theres much more of a social scene which I love, plus because I don't work with my friends anymore we all make more of an effort, so I see them more which is amazing!  For the first time in about 3 years I have a really good group of friends and I love them all to pieces <3


Me and my boyfriend have been together for 4 years and this last couple of months have been a bit up and down, I think its really been make or break for us, at the moment we are working through things.  I think weve both just changed so much in the last years and weve never really addressed it, I really hope it works because I cant imagine my life without him.


So yeah that's basically why ive been absent lately, things are on the up though so fingers crossed I can get back to it!! Ive missed you!

cherrylovesit x



Tuesday 28 May 2013

PARIS 2013 OUI OUI!

This year my Mum decided that we would do something different for her birthday, so last Thursday me, my Mum and sister boarded a train to go to Gay Pari!!!
All i really wanted from the weekend was to go to Sephora (well i do love makeup!!) and to eat food!!


We started with breakfast and coffees on the train to London and then when we arrived at St Pancras had a glass of Champagne at Searcys Champagne Bar (the longest in Europe).  While on the Eurostar we had Champagne and strawberries :)

We were staying in an apartment rather than a Hotel which gave us more of a feeling for the local Paris, on the Thursday evening we went to a gorgeous bistro and had an amazing 3 course meal with wine (obviously!!) i enjoyed a ravolini starter, confit of duck for the entree and tarte tatin with ice cream for dessert :)

Friday the weather was horrendous but we carried on and did the tourist bits!!


My favourite part of the day was all the amazing cakes we encountered (ate and just perved over!) IN Angelina's (Coco Chanels old hangout) and Laduree i was in heaven, Macarons and pastries as far as the eye could see, if i lived in France i would be twice the size i am at the moment and thats not a good thing!

 Being in love with beauty and makeup my trip would not have been complete without going to lets face it our mecca, Sephora!!  I still have no idea why we dont have them in the UK or that they dont ship here!! Anyway as much as i wanted to buy absolutely everything i limited myself and purchased some Sephoras own daily brush cleaner, a Sephoras blusher and a new Ciate nail set i am in lve with this!! (will do a separate post on it! dont you worry)

While i was there i decided to keep my makeup simple and classic with a winged liner (maybelline gel - reviewed by moi here) MAC mineralize skinfinish in medium dark, Maybelline mascara and the ILAH brow kit from the #northmeetup.


All in all it was a great trip filled with cake, beauty, tourism, wine and family, who else has been and what were your fave parts of the trip?

cherrylovesit x

Wednesday 8 May 2013

New brand calling: RE:store

So this is a little bit of a break from the norm but i decided you fbloggers had to know about this new brand ive fallen in love with.  So i found RE:store through a friends Instagram she had purchased one of there amazing pieces and i instantly started lusting!!

RE:store is a new fashion brand based in Manchester they are looking: 'To create high quality, unique urban apparel that inspires and encourages our customer's to join our RE:store RE:volution which never settles for normal, always strives for individuality and aims to provide our customer's with the confidence to define their own idea of original...' I love the idea of taking vintage pieces and adding a new modern edge to the garment is an amzaing idea, plus its right up my street!

These have got to be my faves items of the collection at the moment and at only £18 an absolute steal when payday comes around i will deffo be treating myself, and maybe my boyfriend (if he's lucky!) as theyve recently uploaded pics of some gorgeous tee's with neck embellishment!

I really hope brands like this get supported and turn into something amazing!  Please go check RE:store out on Facebook HERE

What do you guys think??

cherrylovesit x



Sunday 28 April 2013

Glamglow supermud clearing treatment: review

One of my favourite things from the #northmeetup was meeting the lovely ladies from Xentan and GLAMGLOW.  Id always heard amazing things about these products on the bblogger grapevine but had to yet to try any of them myself. 


During the event itself i managed to go down and speak tot hem about what the products had to offer.  I have yet to try the Xentan that we got in the goodie bags, however after a particularly heavy Friday night out (oops!!) i decided my skin warranted some much needed TLC.  I decided to use the GLAMGLOW supermud clearing treatment as this is the one that was raved about the event.


So the detoxifying mudmask contains some of the amazing tea leaves that makes GLAMGLOW something different, designed to not only leave you with instant results but to keep your skin loking amazing for days after this really is something different. 


I apologise for the above photo but i had to show it on!! so after leaving it on for 20 or so mins i washed it off using my Washi Clothes.  I am completely converted my skin felt and looked amazing and it did continue for days after! I didnt feel like i needed to cleanse after or put loads of moisturiser on because it had dried my skin out (which is how i usually feel after a facemask!)

I loved it, it really did make my skin glow and made me feel amazing without any makeup which is no small feat, i will deffo be investing in a bigger tub!!

Have you used any GLAMGLOW products?

cherrylovesit x

Sunday 21 April 2013

#NORTHMEETUP #BBLOGGERS

So i know ive been horrendous the last couple of weeks with keeping up to date on my blogging (im sorry please dont hate me!!) but here it is my roundup of the amazing #NORTHMEETUP



Toward the beginning of the year the amazing Em from www.emtalks.co.uk put out a tweet for northern bloggers seeing who wanted to come to an event, i tweeted back but really didnt expect anything as im so new to the blogging community!  But low and behold i received an email!!

Saturday i spent the entire day making over 60 cupcakes for all you beautiful bloggers, thank you so much Em for letting me supply them and to any of you who have featured them in your blog posts!!



It was such an amazing day cocktails, beauty and girls!  It was my first ever bloggers event so i was super nervous to meet everyone, but i have to say everyone i spoke to was so nice! It was nice knowing i wasnt the only newbie in the room and getting some great tips from the pros who have been blogging for ages.



I got to meet some amazing people who fingers crossed i will see again at other events...Charissa-Rae www.charissarae.com, Laura from www.heroineinheels.blogspot.co.uk Niki from www.beautyshaker-x.blogspot.co.uk and a few girlies who i already knew Victoria from www.inthefrow.com and Ashleigh www.prettygirlrich.blogspot.co.uk the 2 girls who actually inspired me to start blogging, and obviously not forgetting EM!!

I had such an amazing day and want to say thank you to all the amazing sponsors GlamGlow, XenTan, Blanx, Arbonne, Ilah borws, Nikki for Anne Semonin and CapitalFM for the red carpet area!!
The goodie bags were literally the best thing EVER!! i have never been so excited to open anything ever haha!!



I will do a blog post on my fave products from the goodie bags but thank you to Faceb4, Xen Tan goodies, Blanx, Elemis, Dr Hauschka, Lee Stafford, Burts Bees, Arbonne Makeup, Witch, Label M, Neil & Wolf, Batiste, GlamGlow and so many more i cant even remember!


All in all it was such a fantastic day and really made me feel like part of an amazing community! So again Thank you Em and to everyone i met on the day sorry if ive forgotten to mention anyone!!!

Saturday 6 April 2013

Help! Please answer....

Hi guys!! so i was wondering if a few of you could answer these questions for my beautiful friends dissertation i would really appreciate it!






So i figured because were all interested in beauty and makeup we could really help with some questions she needs answering:

How do you feel about yourself in todays society?
Do you feel pressured to look a certain way by people or the media?
Are you happy with yourself?

Also if you are willing please attach a photo of something your insecure about

I would really appreciate it if any of you could just answer these questions!!

Thanks BBLOGGERS!!

cherrylovesit x

Monday 1 April 2013

OOTD: New Look Midi


It was only last year that i realised midi dresses are the best design for my shape so im a bit obsessed with them now to be honest.  I picked up this gorgeous dress at New Look in there designer bit.  I cant for the life remember what the brand is called, as it doesnt have a tag inside!! But it was an absolute bargain at £18.


I love the purple in dress as it matches my hair!  So i went with my simple black heels, and rocked my newest BarryM nail varnish in mint, and my skull clutch from Primark.  The midi is super comfy as its just a jersey material.  Im genuinely impressed with this as New Look isnt somewhere i go into very often but they have a great range of jersey midi dresses between £16 and £25, plus there not all black like in some other shops.

All in all i loved this outfit because i was comfy but felt sexy at the time!

cherrylovesit x

Sunday 24 March 2013

March Glossybox Review



So this months Glossybox is "Get City Chic with Glossybox" i actually really liked what i got in this month, its much more of a mixture of things than previous months.

 
The first thing i loved is this months Glossybox was the edition of a little book, its a great little travel book its really cute!  In the middle there are some really cute little stickers, i dont know much il use it but i think its a really great addition to the box.


TRESemme Salon finish extra hold hairspray - Full size £4.69 - I actually use hairspray quite a lot, because i have shorter hair i find its the only thing that really holds my hair in place.  This TRESemme hairspray smells really good and does hold your hair in place, however, i dont like that it makes your hair a bit clumpy i usually use Silverkrin and think il stick with it.






Juicy Couture - CoutureLaLa - Full size £63 - Im not a massive fan of Juicy Couture but do like some of there previous perfumes but find some of them a little bit too sweet.  I actually think this is a move away from the usual sweet scent, this is a much lighter fragrance.  Using bright florals its a lovely fresh summer smell that i really like.  I also like that its a pump spray tester as you can get quite a lot of uses out it.





Elizabeth Arden Eight hour cream - Full size £25 - Eight hour cream is one of those miracle all rounders.  It works great for hands, cuticles, dry skin, lips (see an all rounder!!) i actually have always loved this product and having a tester size is great for my desk at work :)





Nails Inc - in St James - Full size £11 - Ok so i have a MASSIVE collection of nail varnishes but i dont have many reds, so im really glad i got this colour, i love Nails Inc anyway and think there varnishes are good quality.  Shame this didnt come in the February box for Valentines though.





Jelly Pong Pong lip blush - Full size £12 - I love that this is a full size product!! In america they have a thing very similar to Glossybox but you get full sizes.  I actually really like this colour its a really light pink sheen that does exactly what it says it gives your lips a lovely 'blush' 

All in all pretty impressed with what ive got this month but we need more full size samples come on Glossybox!! Dont let the americans beat us!!

cherrylovesit x


Wednesday 13 March 2013

Ghost Hunt Ordsall Hall 09/03/2013

So this is a little bit different from my usual posts but i had so much fun last night i had to share!

Me and a couple of friends went to a Ghost Hunt at Ordsall Hall in Salford the night ran from 9pm until 1am and we moved in groups around the hall doing seances in different rooms reported to be haunted.





 Ordsall Hall was first recorded in 1177.  Since then, it has been home to medieval gentry, Tudor nobility, Catholics loyal to the crown, butchers, farmers, an Earl, an artist, priests, scout troops, mill workers, cows and several ghosts!

They run ghosts nights several times a year.  The night was £39 (a bit pricey) and included refreshments, use of the equipment and what was described as a finger buffet (trust me it wasnt!!)

The night started with a talk in the great hall and then you are split into groups and taken round my different members of the tour group.  While in each room you use different equipment to try and gain communication with the spirits. 




the night is recorded on webcam this is one of the images from them!  We had quite a lot of interaction in the first room and then not so much anywhere else.  You are pushed to laugh and have fun as it makes everything much more relaxed.  I loved it even if you think people are pushing the glass or its not true! This was so much fun!

Has anyone else been on ghost hunt?
Do you believe?

cherrylovesit x

Tuesday 12 March 2013

Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner 24H - Review







If any of you have me on twitter you will already know by now that i am a massive fan of the winged liner look.  Its my day to day go to! i LOVE it.

Ive tried all different products pencil (i love for creating a really smokey eye) liquid (i love for sleek lines) but have found that gel is my fave!  Mainly because it lasts a really long time on my face and in the container (if that makes sense!)

Ive used MAC's gel eyeliner and loved it, but this month I've already splurged on way to many luxuries so had no money for my necessities! This was on offer in Boots for £7 so i decided why not as id seen some good reviews.  It comes with a brush as well which is always a plus.






The brush is a scalloped edge which i wasn't too sure of as id always used an angled brush before, but it actually works really well great for thin and thick lines.  I'm actually genuinely impressed it stays on all day and i can vary my looks with the brush from a simple kick to a more dramatic wing.  The gel is really smooth and i don't feel you need a lot to go along way (good for the purse strings). 

I don't feel there's a massive difference between MAC and this high street Maybelline version so just another example of when high end doesn't really make a difference.




Have used this product before?

cherrylovesit x


Tuesday 5 March 2013

Simple Kind to Eyes Revitalising Eye Roll On - Review

One of my major issues with my face (haha) is my bags under my eyes they are really bad, sometimes it looks like i have black eyes its not a great look.  So i have tried loads of remedies and products and not really found anything that i like.  Previously i have used a similar product by Garnier and wasn't sold.





The only reason i actually bought this was that Simple was on 3 for 2 at Boots when i did my haul so why not!  Im not going to say this is a miracle roll on or that my dark circles are instantly gone because i really dont think thats possible, however, i actually really like this product.  




The roll on is a really good size for the under eye area and doesn't leave to much liquid on your skin.  after lightly dabbing in with my ring finger you do notice a difference, its not massive but i do feel that since using my dark circles have slightly improved so i dont have to wear quite as much concealer.  This is also cheaper than other products claiming to do the same thing (£4.99).  

Does anyone else have really bad issues with under eye circles?

cherrylovesit x


Philosophy Hope in a Jar - Review

Philosophy is one of those brands that if you've heard of or tried any of there products you will already love them, if you haven't you really need to discover them!



Philosophy Hope in a Jar is their go to moisturiser and comes as part of a collection of cleansers and creams.  I was actually introduced to this brand through my boyfriend and his Mum she loves QVC and gets loads of fantastic brands through them that you dont see on the high street.  All philosophy products have these great little sayings or "philosophy's" on the front of their packaging which i just love (not sure why just think its cute).

The moisturiser retails at around £34 a bit pricey but trust me it lasts for ages.  Certain Selfridges and John Lewis stock it and most recently big Boots stores have started to do a small selection including their AMAZING shower gels.  To be honest i always get mine on eBay as you can get some really good deals this pot was £19 including postage.

It has a whipped texture that feels really light (this also goes to improve coverage as you dont need a lot to go a long way)  There is a slight yellow tinge to the cream with a light citrus smell.  It is 99.9% oil free, i have combination skin and find that it works really well hydrating my skin.  The best thing about this product is the instant result, once applied lightly with the tips of your fingers your skin instantly looks brighter and i find it evens my skin tone out really well if your daring you could go out with just this on! 


I absolutely swear by this moisturiser morning and night (light enough for day and mositurises enough for night) and really hope ive shown you a brand you maybe haven't seen before.

cherrylovesit x

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Oscars 2013: My roundup


 If any of you saw my post yesterday you would know i was pretty excited about The Oscars last night.  I ended up tweeting throughout the whole thing if you want to see my ramblings theres a link to my twitter on the right hand side (@cherrylovesit)

To start off the red carpet! We originally started watching the coverage on E! but i was actually really disappointed i dont feel like enough time was spent actually on the red carpet! Too much of Kelly Osbourne giving her opinion on dresses we didnt even get to see live!! Eventually we flipped to Sky Oscars and that was MUCH better.

Overall i was slightly underwhelmed with the dresses dont get me wrong i thought most people looked amazing but from the standard ive seen in previous years.  My top 3 picks for best dressed are as follows:


Jessica Chastain again rocked the red carpet for me in her Armani Prive dress.  Nude elegance she said she wanted "to capture the glamour of old Hollywood" and i think she en captured it perfectly!
Chrlize Theron looked absolutely stunning with her extremely short pixe cut (thanks to Mad Max!) and her structured peplum from Dior!  I loved how feminine and statuesque she looked.
Naomi Watts again in a gorgeous Giorgio Armani Dress i loved the gunmetal glitter and different style there was nothing else like it on the red carpet this year.
I realiseall these dresses are quite structured but thats just the look i like!

Other honorable mentions go to:


Stacey Kiebler in  Naeem Khan, Amanda Seyfried in Alexander McQueen and Jennider Lawrence in  Dior Haute Couture. 

My highlights of the night were Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron dancing in the opening medley, JGL dancing and singing (i mean could he get any better!!), the cast of Les Mis singing live (unreal actual tears!), Barbara!! need i say more, and Argo winning best picture it was so deserved especially after they snubbed him for Best Director!  His speech was touching and perfect.  I still love the Oscars and was happy that this year there was a real mix of winners not any one film swept the board.  Another year to go for the highlight of the Red Carpet season!!



cherrylovesit x

 

Sunday 24 February 2013

Oscars 2013

ITS THE OSCARS TONIGHT!!



The Oscars is a really big deal in my house both me and my boyfriend love films so the Oscars is the highlight of the year (even though we get irritated by them every year) we stay up and have movie food and champagne cocktails.

Im really excited about this years Oscars as Seth Mcfarlane (Family Guy) is hosting so im sure theres going to be some great laughs tonight. 
We do always get really annoyed as the films they choose arent what we would class as the films of the year (but i guess thats why its an opinion) I think the biggest shame this year is that Ben Affleck hasnt been nominated for Best Director but his film Argo has a nom for best Film.  Ben Affleck completely deserves the Oscar as i thoroughly enjoyed Argo.  Plus he's suddenly got really hot!! (i think its the power of the beard!! and a good suit)


The red carpet is my fave part of the night to be honest seeing all the gorgeous outfits, hair and makeup i love it!!!  My best dressed from last year were Stacey Kiebler, Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain. 


Cannot wait to see who will be wearing what this year!! Will do another post tomorrow about the winners, losers and best, worst dressed!!