The Flower Cup Chester Review

I’d originally discovered The Flower Cup in Chester through Instagram. A friend had shared their Instagrammable décor and food, and from that photo I knew I had to visit.

The Flower Cup is a small coffee shop in the centre of Chester. The interior ticks all the trend boxes with marble topped tables, plenty of greenery, cute wall hangings and peacock chairs.

My boyfriend and I visited them for brunch a little while ago. Just to let you guys know, we paid for our own meals, this wasn’t a collaboration in exchange for free food. I genuinely love the place, so I thought it might be good to share my experience and support a local business.

The menu options are amazing, they also have a vegan menu with plenty of options which is refreshing to see! Most things can be customised by adding or taking away ingredients. I loved so much on the menu, I found it hard to choose something, I just wanted it all.

I was in the mood for something savoury, so I opted for the Breakfast Taco. This was two tortilla wraps filled to the brim with yummy avocado, halloumi, rocket and salsa. It was heavenly!

I’ve also previously had their Hash which contains, sweet potato and chorizo hash, fried egg, avocado and it’s delivered to your table in a skillet pan with plenty of chunky bread. I can also recommend this.

I’m yet to try their cakes, which always look incredible in the glass display, as their brunch menu items are so filling and hearty!

Not only is the Flower Cup a coffee shop, you can also buy beautiful floral arrangements and cute succulents and attend flower workshops too.

I highly recommend visiting The Flower Cup if you are passing through Chester!

Hair by Martyna in Chester

I didn’t realize how bad the condition of my hair was until Martyna worked her magic! I was invited by Martyna to come and experience her hairdressing skills and see the beautiful salon she works within.

Mode Salon in Chester has that stunning white, minimalist interior décor, but it’s the personal touches that Martyna adds that makes the experience so enjoyable.

As I sat down, I was offered a refreshment, they even serve wine! Can you imagine sipping on a glass of wine while you get a new do and a pamper, heavenly! You could also request to borrow a phone charger so you can scroll through Instagram at your leisure.

Martyna asked me to talk through my hair type and what I do to style it. As you may know from reading my blog, I have naturally curly hair which I blow dry and straighten religiously. As I’m trying to grow the layers out, Martyna advised on what length to cut my hair.

Happy with my consultation and Martyna’s advice, I was taken over to the sink wash. She used Davines haircare products, which you might have heard about before through the beauty blogging community. Not only is their packaging very Instagrammable, Davines haircare is created by using eco-friendly renewable energy sources, how amazing?!

I was treated to a relaxing head massage as Martyna washed my hair, next up was the cut. As you can see, she did take a few inches off to get rid of the dead ends and damaged hair. My curly hair is usually so hard to blow dry but she created silky smooth locks.

Since having my hair cut by Martyna, it looks so much more shiny and healthy. It’s easier to style and I can now keep on top of keeping it in good condition.

Martyna shared some of her top tips to keep your hair in good condition:

1. Always use heat protector. I’m currently using this one.
2. Slowly run the straighteners down the section of hair, this is less damaging than running over it quickly more times.
3. Always wash your hair with shampoo twice. Once to grab the dirt from the hair and the second to cleanse the scalp.
4. Use conditioner only on the lengths of the hair to prevent it weighing the hair down and making your roots oilier quicker.

You can see Martyna's hair portfolio and get in touch via her Instagram. I highly recommend visiting her if you are in the Chester area!

Burts Bees Lip Crayon Review

As some of you may know, I am a huge Burts Bee's fan. Their lip balm was the only thing that saved my lips during my Roaccutane treatment and I've repurchased it time and time again.

Booths, a family owned and operated independent supermarket with stores across Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria, Cheshire and Greater Manchester area, offered to send me some Burts Bees products to try.

Burts Bees have expanded their lip care range to include coloured lip products such as their Satin and Glossy Lipsticks, Lipgloss, Tinted Lip Oils and their Matte and Gloss Lip Crayons, which I have to review today.

I've been edging away from heavy liquid lip colours as I feel something more moisturising is much more flattering on my lips and they are also easier to work with. Que the Burts Bees Matte and Gloss Lip Crayons. I have two shades in the matte formula named Sedona Sands, a beautiful nude pink and Redwood Forest, a 'just bitten' berry red. The third lip crayon is the gloss formula in the colour Santorini Sunrise, a summery bronzed coral.

The chubby crayon design makes it easy to apply, you can just throw them into your bag and top up your lip colour without a mirror when on the go. Both the gloss and matte crayons have a pigmented formula that doesn't feel drying or cakey on the lips. When I apply these, it feels as if my lips are being nourished.

The colour does need a top up after eating but this is to be expected from a creamier formula. They are comfortable and enjoyable to wear. I highly recommend them if you are looking for a new lip colour for the summer. Thank you to Booths for sending them over!

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GIVEAWAY: Beauty Bundle Worth Over £60 - Vidal Sassoon, Toni & Guy, Paw Paw and Fabulift

When Fuel PR got in touch, I couldn’t believe how many of my favourite beauty brands they had on their books. Fuel PR are a boutique PR agency in London, that create engaging campaigns for their partnered brands. They work with incredible brands such as Toni and Guy, INGLOT, Palmers and Paw Paw, just to name a few! I highly recommend following them on social media so you can see the latest releases and keep up to date with all your favourite brands.

I’ve teamed up with Fuel PR to celebrate their agency and all their fantastic brands by giving away a bundle of beauty essentials worth over £60!

One lucky winner will receive a Vidal Sassoon Infra Radiance Hot Air Styler, a Toni & Guy Daily Conditioning Dryer, Fabulift Advanced Formula Lifting Serum and a Papaya Gold Paw Paw Balm.
Excited about the prize and want to enter? Use the widget below to complete your entry.


Please note that the giveaway is only open to UK residents and you must also be happy to provide your address if you are selected the winner. There is no cash alternative to this prize. If the winner doesn’t respond in 48 hours, another will be selected. Any false entries will result in disqualification.

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer vs Soft Matte Concealer - Review and Comparison

I'm so guilty of getting swept up by beauty product hype. I picked up the infamous Soft Matte Concealer and Radiance Concealer from NARS as I found my well loved Collection Lasting Perfection concealer started looking cakey and dry under my eyes.

The Radiant Creamy Concealer comes in a lip gloss-esque tube, with a doe-foot applicator. I love to trowel on concealer as I have purple under eye bags, but the shape of the bottle and small wand only allow you to pick up a minimal amount of product, I need to layer this create a good coverage. It does have a glowy finish, my shade is a little lighter than my skin tone and foundation colour, so it does give that Kim K under eye highlight effect. You can powder under the eyes to prevent creasing and it doesn’t cake up. It feels light and hydrating, so I imagine it would be suitable for people with dry skin too.

The Soft Matte Complete Concealer comes in a little round pot, so you need your own Beauty Blender or brush to apply it. The formula is thicker and higher coverage than the brand’s other concealer. The consistency makes it perfect for covering spots and pigmentation. It smoothes over spots to blur their appearance and never looks cakey. It can also be used under the eyes to conceal dark circles.

Do you need both? I plan to repurchase both the Radiant Creamy Concealer and the Soft Matte Complete Concealer. I tend to need something more creamy under the eyes and something a little more heavy duty for spots, so for me, I can justify having both in my collection.

As you can probably tell by now, I actually do believe these concealers are worth the money and hype!

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Mario Badescu Skincare Haul

This haul started with just one product, the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, as both Jodie and Gem had recommended this skincare product for spots. My skin recently had an acne flare up, which are rare since my Roaccutane treatment, so I was desperate to soothe and calm the few cystic spots that had appeared.

Beauty Bay was one of the only stockists of Mario Badescu I could find in the UK so I had a browse of the brand and it's skincare on their site. I spotted a set exclusive to the website created for MB's 50th anniversary, which already included the Drying Lotion. There was also a Silver Powder, which is said to help clear blackheads (I'm hoping for miracles), a Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater, a Flower and Tonic Mask and an Enzyme Cleansing Gel. The set was £32, but I thought it would be a great way to try skincare from the brand before investing in a whole skincare routine in full sizes.

During the time of my purchase, if you spent over £35 on Mario Badescu, you received a glycolic duo, the Glycolic Foaming Cleanser and the Glycolic Acid, I can't wait to see how this compares to the Pixi Glow Tonic. So to take me over the £35 spend, I purchased the Healing and Soothing Mask. During acne flare-ups, my skin can get so sore so this sounded ideal for calming my angry skin.

I've heard amazing things about Mario Badescu skincare, I can already tell you the Drying Lotion is incredible at reducing the size of spots, I can't wait to try the rest and review them!

I like to share mini reviews on my Instagram Stories, so make sure you are following me over there, @cherriesbeauty

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