September Favourites ft Armani, Aveeno, L'Occitane, Maybelline, MUA and Vaseline

All the leaves are brown... the leaves are brown... and the sky is greeeey... Unheard of for us here on the Emerald Isle, Summer has held on with it's claws and refused to leave this year, much to my delight. It's also been a great month for new beauty finds - most of which are deliciously póca friendly too - behold my September Faves: 


1. Armani's Night Viper Nail Laquer: €24 Admittedly I balked a little at the €24 price tag for this new release Armani nail lacquer but when it makes your nails look like this in just two coats with no topcoat then my Jimmies were unrustled again. I managed 5 days wear with no chip or tip wear and no need for a refreshing coat of Seche Vite. Love. It. 

2. Aveeno Moisturising Creamy Oil: €8.89 here My Mam has always been an avid fan of Aveeno and I've managed to lather myself in her stash whenever showering in the Parental's. I'd never tried the brands Moisturising Creamy Oil until last week though. With active ingredients Colloidal Oatmeal and Sweet Almond Oil, this cream to oil formula moisturiser soaks in quickly and leaves the most beautiful almond scent behind. A real thigh rubber. 

3. Maybelline's Brow Drama: €7.49 here Available in 3 colours, Maybelline's ball brushed brow mascara is a manna to all of us that are a little clueless when it comes to brow care. I found mine best when left to 'dry out' for a day or two but the no streak, no clump, no muss, no fuss formulation has shaven precious minutes off my daily dash. Highly recommended. 

4. L'Occitane's Creme Divine: €82 in store or €93 here L'Occitane's Divine Cream is by far the most expensive item to ever make a CherrySue Faves list but truly, feeling and seeing is believing with this newly relaunched anti-aging cream. Derived from the Immotelle flower with Corsican Myrtle, Corsican Honey, Hyaluronic Acid and Evening Primrose Oil, from my first use I was crazy about this cream. Genuinely not necessary for under 35s but a godsend for those over, this 50ml pot will last 6 months and I've already put in my special Christmas gift request with himself for another. Get thee to a L'Occitane shop and sample this bad boy!

5. MUA's Smokin Palette: €7.18 here It's not often I'll call a product The Dopest Dupe I've Ever Seen but this new palette from budget beauty giants MUA has actually blown me away this month. A spot on dupe for the Urban Decay Smoked Palette at less than quarter of the price, this jewel toned, velvety soft wonder palette hasn't been out of my reach in weeks. I'd advise you to lep on this one, quick smart. 

6. Vaseline Paint the Town Red: €4.49 here A nasty side effect of all the pain meds I've been swallying for my back this month has meant that I'm suffering with the dryest lips known to man. While La Roche Posay's Cicaplast Lips has never left my kisser and literally saved my skin, Vaseline Paint the Town Red slathered on top is the most flattering blush red tone while I can't wear full on lippie or gloss. Consider it a handbag essential and get your mitts on this limited edition little red tin before it's too late. 


Tell me, what are you rating and or slating this past month? 

Giorgio Armani's Nail Lacquer with Swatches

I'm more than a little discerning when it comes to nail polishes. That doesn't mean I opt for brands over budget nor cost over quality. I'm all about great colours, well designed brushes, quick drying and high shine finish. It's really no surprise that Armani has ticked all of those boxes and more with their new Nail Lacquer line though is it? 

Available in 18 colours, 6 in each of the three colour trends: Aqua, Reds and Beiges, there's bound to be something here to please just about every nail tip this autumn/winter and beyond. 

All 18 lacquers lined up at the Armani Launch (More on the Rouge Ecstasy lippies pictured SOON)

The lighter shades of Armani's nail lacquers give a completely opaque finish in just one coat, thanks to the wide, short brush that manages to coat the entire nail in just one swipe, but the darker variants definitely need two, such as Night Viper (below) the deepest, most flattering, autumn appropriate, oxblood colour I've used. 

While the high shine finish is a beautiful touch with this formulation and means you can skip the top coat, be sure to use a base coat to prevent staining of your nails. Inspired by car lacquer, apparently, the polish formulation dries quickly from liquid to high shine gel. This innovation is credited too with the long wear promise. I managed three days so far without chips - kind of unheard of sans Seche Vite. 

And finally, these colours complement each other beautifully so lend themselves very well to autumnal nail art. This tweed offering shall be posted later this week and couldn't be simpler to do. 

Armani Nail Lacquers launch exclusively in Brown Thomas Dublin and Cork from October 15th at €24 a piece. 

Pressies for El Papito: Father's Day Gift Ideas ft Gillette, Armani, Bulldog, Fitflop, Molton Brown & Netflix!

Heads up, lovelies, Daddy's Day is a coming this Sunday and you've got to be prepared. 

Whether your pops is a manly man, preferring to rough it, skincare wise, rather than take a little extra time - I know from experience that if you give that man some daycent product, 

I mean physically place it in his hand and fold his fingers around it, 

not only will he use it but he'll blahhdy love it too. 

I've put together some tried and tested gift ideas that the popster in your life is sure to love. Check it, yo!

1. Bulldog Natural Skincare (starts at €6.79)

We've reviewed the Bulldog Natural Skincare Range here at Casa Cherry extensively. With the Gorgebags now on their second and third bottles of this line. 

Each product is all natural and based on the Bulldog unique blend of 8 essential oils but each also cram in extra ingredients to tackle the job at hand, naturally and effectively. 

2. Acqua Di Gio from Armani (from €51.75)

Designer smellies are always a winner with Dads. If you completely love the scent, it's more than likely that Daddio will too. 

Acqua Di Gio is one of the cleanest, manliest smells I've come across to date, buying the third bottle for my Dad the sales assistant in Boots said 'God, that's GORGEOUS, you won't be able to stay off him with that' - 'Eh I hope I will, it's for my father' - the look on her face will make me chuckle until the day I die. Truly stunning scent. 

3. Molton Brown Sport (from €19: full range €59)

One of Dad's stand out products has to be Molton Brown and he doesn't get many complaints from me as every time I buy him a piece or two the Dundrum store spoil me with deluxe samples. It's totally win/win. 

Their new Sport range starts at €19 and consists of a trio of energising, high-performance products ideally suited to athletes, sportsmen and gym goers and work hard for older Dads on the go too (the madra doesn't walk herself a bajillion times round the park y'know). With deodorising cassia bark, invigorating nutmeg and refreshing lime they're a sure fire manly hit. 

4. Gillette Fusion Pro Glide (€13.99)

The eldest Gorgebag has been trialling the Gillette Fusion Pro Glide for the past several weeks and is in the absolute love with it. 

His face is soft and clean with none of the usual nicks or tears from bating the blade around his face before school. Relatively cheap for a top class and flawless shave every time, 

there's not a Daddio that wouldn't love this. 

5. NetFlix Subscription (€6.99 per month or €83.88 for the year)

Does your Pop love the all things televisual? How about a gift that keeps on giving with a Netflix subscription?

With a wealth of shows including the most recent Arrested Development, imagine the chats ye could have over tea? (Spoiler free of course) 

6. Fitflop for the Mens (€90)

For the health conscious father a pair of men's Fitflops could be just what the Doc ordered. 

Advertised as 'caffeine for the feet', your only concern with these bad boys would be the ladies in the park checking out your Papito's perfectly toned legs & buns as he walks the madra. (BOKE)  

Tell me, have you picked your Pop's gift yet? Anything here to inspire you? 

Introducing Armani Eyes to Kill Intense Eyeshadow #28

There are times in a girl's life when a product leaves her speechless, it doesn't happen often and if that girl is a beauty blogger even less so. When I set eyes on Armani Eyes to Kill shade 28  from the Limited Edition Acqua collection though, it was definitely one of those times. 

Launched at the recent Maestro evening for Armani, this Acqua collection of Eyes to Kill Intense shadows boast 6 new shades (#24-#29) and each is a little bit more wow than the last. They're waterproof, highly pigmented, formulated as a hybrid suspension, neither a cream nor a powder and they boast 24 hour hold. Impressive, huh?

Huuuuge swatch to tke in some of that gold and russet glory

What Armani have given us here is a creamy soft shadow that blends with ease and literally transforms once it covers your eye lid. There's a kaleidoscope of colours that show in different lights and I'm at a loss to think of a more flattering shadow for my eye colour (green/blue) in my collection. 

Being somewhat of a savvy shopper, I had always thought that once I had picked up some Infallible Eyeshadows from L'Oréal, then sure I as good as had an Eyes to Kill shadow. I mean, who would spend €26 if they didn't need to, right? Having now used #28 for the past fortnight, I can only shake my head at the naivety. I'm sold, hook, line and sinker. 

Not a lot of shadows boast 24 hour hold, I often wonder how you could properly test that claim too, save wearing your full face to the leaba. Not all of us need 24 hour staying power when it comes to their shadow but if you look at the picture above, the one on the left is at 7.30am and the one on the right, 8pm that evening. That's pretty impressive for 12 and a half hours wear with no primer. Not a crease to be seen and even some flecks of shimmer still visible. 

If you haven't garnered from my fence sitting post here, I'm in the actual love with Eyes to Kill Intense #28, were I not on a shopping ban #27 and #24 would already be in my possession. If you're unsure about this range I urge you, strongly, to drop by an Armani counter have a real life look. Hey, if you feel the need to twitpic me while you're there, I won't hold it against you. 

Armani's Eyes to Kill Intense Eyshadow Acqua collection is on counters now, but only for a limited time. Will you be checking them out?

Sneak Peek at Giorgio Armani's Maestro Collection for A/W 2012

I was delighted to be invited along to check out the newest collection from high end favourite Giorgio Armani yesterday, titled, Maestro. Consisting of deep to bright purple, pink and coral hues, this is one of the most wearable Autumn/Winter collections I've seen so far - there really is something here to suit everyone. 

There's a full post coming up very soon to give you the full low down with pricings and product reviews, including the stunning  Maestro Complexion Perfector and the Maestro Eraser but I thought you might like a sneak peak at the what you can expect from this September launch. 

Super soft autumnal eye shadow  palettes & 7 beautiful sheer  Rouge D'Armani Sheers

Close up of the 7 new Rouge D'Armani Sheers

Probably my favourite piece from the night was this face and eye palette consisting of a velvety face powder and three shadow shades. Heavy weight and with the satisfying click magnetic closing that I've come to love with Armani lippies, this one is definitely on my Lust Have list. 

Swatch ALL the Armani

I've been given a few bits to play with from the collection so please believe this hairy handed swatch fest isn't all you'll be getting. Just wanted to show you how flattering these colours are on the skin. 

'I know, right?'

'International Face Designer' for Giorgio Armani, Thoa Tran, showed us the beautiful effect that can be achieved with just your fingers, the Maestro Complexion Perfector and the Maestro Eraser. The result was luminous, completely transforming the lovely model's look in minutes with minimal effort. I'm seriously looking forward to properly testing these new generation of make up products. 

So what do we think? Has anything from Maestro piqued your interest (yet)?