How to Hugely Boost Your Facebook Reach For Free! *Updated September 2019*

There's not a day goes by that I don't receive a message bemoaning Facebook changes or chat to a fellow blogger who has decided to toss in the towel on that social media platform altogether. Many blame Facebook algorithms and, to be fair, they are unfairly biased against those that don't shell out a fortune for sponsored ad placements. Well what if I told you that you could multiply your Facebook reach exponentially in just 3 simple steps without paying a penny?

Help Getting to Sleep: Catching Elusive Zs After the Christmas Break!

So we did it, we managed to survive the first official working week back of 2019. Or did we? Hands up if you looked at the clock every hour on the hour, hands up if you found yourself scrolling Instagram at 4am, while sleep eluded you... Hands up if a bleary eyed google search brought you here.. Luckily, I got you, a good night's rest is just on the horizon with my 5 top tips on how to beat insomnia and have you sleeping again in no time at all. 

Introducing Tuesday's Travels with Super Mam! (aka Stonebabies)

Just a quick intro from Mise, I've been scrunching my nose with the excitement of my little Sis joining us here on CherrySue. Sing it with me 'It's a Family Affaiiiiirrr'. In all seriousness, Corrina here is one of my 

most favourite people on this planet. 

A rock of support through all of my hard times, while juggling her own life with an ease I never knew possible, this woman inspires me every single day. If you've seen her Instagram or Twitter, you'll also know that she's the kind of Momma that defies belief, the kind of Momma that we all wish we had 

and we all strive to be. 

She's also an unstoppable force when it comes to travelling the world (she's affectionately known as Stone Travel)  & loving every minute. These little chickens are better travelled than I could ever hope to be. With the introduction of Tuesday's Travels, I'm hoping she'll let us in on her secrets and we can all try to catch up. I'm all for Prada travel on a Primark purse! Take it away, Sis!

Hi I’m Corrina, CherrySue's little sister *waves* I’m a stay at home mam to 4 little ones, all under 7 years old & expecting a new little bundle of joy in October. I had been working in Banking Management from my early twenties (and rocking it) but when the girls arrived 7 years ago, I gave it all up to be a full time Mam. 

We all love to travel & do it quite a lot but on a budget I might add! Even though the recession has clipped our wings we still manage to get away. Only nowadays it’s mainly weekend breaks in Ireland.

Sue & I have put our heads together & come up with an idea that those of you who love to travel might like. For all of you that think your options are limited with a young family and not very many sheckles, I'm here to let you in on a little secret, that's just not true! 

To help with a show and tell, we're introducing Tuesday's Travels posts for CherrySue, starting next Tuesday with The Mother Road herself (how apt?!) – 

Route 66. 

We all have a few destinations on our bucket list, right? Well when our twins were 10 months old & I found out I was expecting again we decided it was now or never. Route 66 had always been top of our list, there is nothing quite like the open road driving cross country in the USA. You get to see everything along the 2,448 miles (4,000 kilometres) from the bright lights & big cities of Chicago & Los Angeles to the abandoned ghost towns - brilliantly creepy.

Route 66 - Open Roads for Dayz

 Historic Route 66, begins in Illinois and runs through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, the Texas panhandle, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. After a couple of months planning & researching we set off from Dublin to Chicago with two little babies in tow. Pop by next Tuesday and see how we started our trip. 

They're SO squidgey!!

Care to share your travel adventures or aspirations? 

Excited for Tuesday's Travels? 

Tell us, what destinations are on your bucket list? 

What to Buy in the States: US Beauty Brands We Don't Have (*cries*)

Are you lucky enough to be heading Stateside? Wondering what you should be spending your hard earned dollits on? The USA really is the land of plenty when it comes to beauty products, so I thought a handy little heads up might help cut through some of the bewilderment and point out some gems when it comes to holiday buys. 

I've chosen a few brands that it's damn near impossible to get your mitts on in the UK and/or Ireland but if you have any to add to the list I'd love to hear 'em in the comments too, sharing is caring y'all...

The very lovely Fleur from FleurdeForce.com first alerted me to the gorgeousness that is the packaging on Physicians Formula bronzers and blushes. The entire range is peppered with gems, for as little as $11, as a first step into beautiful products, you should definitely check this brand out. You'll find it in Walgreen's, Ulta and most large drug stores. 

My first glimpse of cruelty free cosmetic brand Tarte came courtesy of Estée of EssieButton.com, her haul videos from home (her home, Canada) always leave me yearning for some (ALL) of Tarte's products. The cult favourite and multi award winning Amazonian Clay blushes will set you back around $25 but you just need to check out their reviews to make you wibbly with want. You'll find Tarte in Sephora, Ulta and most large department stores. 

The state side equivalent to our MUA, Wet n' Wild does budget beauty brilliantly. Classing itself as 'All Access Beauty', there's guaranteed to be something to catch your eye. Be sure to check out their Color Icon shadows that are causing a stir in the online community and try very hard not to buy a bajillion nail polishes for next to nathin' (not that I'd judge you for that). Again Wet n'Wild is widely available, drug stores being your best bet. 

Yep, I'm well aware that we have Maybelline on our shores but are we as spoiled for choice as our American sisters? Hells no! Be sure to check out mascaras, limited edition Color Tattoos and the full complement of Baby Lips when perusing the aisles of drug stores and supermarkets. You're guaranteed to spot something we just don't have and who doesn't want that? You're also pretty much guaranteed that it'll be a damn site cheaper too. 


While we're on the subject of cost, no US trip would be complete without a quick calculation of just how much you can save on brands that we do have. The likes of Clinique, MAC, Bobbi Brown and Benefit will cost decidedly less than here (mostly because we're woefully ripped off price wise) so now's the time to stock up on firm favourites. 

Tell me, have you been shopping Stateside or are you heading that way soon (you lucky sucker)? I'd love to hear what you've been buying and of course what you plan on picking up. 

To the comments!

NOTD and Some Handy Tips for Large Glitters

Nails today are a bright, blinging blue courtesy of Models Own Freak Out from the Mirrorball collection over a base coat of OPIs Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue.

While I didn’t much go in for the Mirrorball collection, finding large glitters a bit of a pain in the tuckus to work with, I couldn’t resist this blue/purple glitter fest.

Model's Own Freak Out: Mirrorbal Collection

I have a couple of handy hints to ensure large glitter polishes work well on your talons instead of looking like a haphazard mess should you want to do the same:

First: Choose Either a Complimentary OR a Contrasting Base Colour:

You’re going to want to show the glitter in its best light. Complementing colours tone down bright glitters somewhat, while contrasting polishes amp up the effect. To complement Freak Out I chose from the same colour palette and went with this stunning metallic royal blue, OPIs Unfor-Greta-Bly Blue from the Germany Collection.

Second: Remove Excess Polish from the Brush:

The problem with large glitter pieces in polish is that they can be very hard to control on application for an even finish. To counteract this, twirl your brush as you remove it from the bottle, this removes any excess of the clear suspension polish. That way you can place rather than paint the glitter onto the nail bed.

Third: Seal with a High Shine, Smoothing Top Coat:

Glitters, by their very nature, are coarse on the nail, that’s what makes them so sparkley. To prevent snags, smooth the nail bed and give your glitter an extra boost, seal your mani with a high shine top coat. I can’t recommend Seche Vite enough, not only will it heighten the shine but by bonding the layers of polish together, it makes removal a lot less of a headache.

And that’s it – go forth and have the eyes out of heads with your gorgeous glitter nails.

Have you tried any of the Mirrorball collection yet? Lemme know! 

Blogging Tips - 5 Tools That Have Helped Me

I've a bit of a different post this morning, don't worry though beauty lovers, I'll have a regular post up this afternoon. This one is aimed at fellow bloggers, just starting out, to show you a couple of tools I've used over the past year to help readers and followers find their way around and for me to boost traffic and increase publicity of my little corner of the interwebz. 

I've linked below 5 tutorials and changes I've made to CherrySue that I've found have really helped and perhaps you will too. 

1. Link Within

Once you've written a couple of posts and they begin to fill up your archive, it's important not to let them be lost. Tools such as LinkWithin show several thumbnails under each post with related articles you've published before. A large percentage of my daily hits comes from people new to CherrySue, that obviously like the cut of my jib enough to read a little more. 

This tutorial will show you step by step how to install LinkWithin, help visitors navigate your site with ease and will ensure that your posts are viable long after they're published. 

2. Facebook Like/Recommend Button

The addition of a Facebook Like or Recommend button means that your readers can like and share your posts with ease. A lot of times viewers won't be logged into Google, nor will they want to and we all know it's about making life easier for your readers. 

This simple step by step will show you how to install the Facebook button of your choosing. Once the button is clicked, your post is pinned to their wall for all of their friends to see (and like too, hopefully). 

3. Pin It to Pinterest

Pinterest is the fastest growing social media site of all time and offers a wealth of new readers and visitors to your blog once you're set up. Allowing readers to pin your beautiful pictures (and posts) means that they're given a new lease of life on a completely different platform. (the posts, not the people, natch)

This handy tutorial will show you exactly how to add a Pin It button to your blog and the advantages of doing so. Take a squizz at my Pinterest account to see how I've been using it. 

4. Open Links in a New Tab

One of the most recent changes I've made to CherrySue is to add the code and make all of my links open in new tabs. This is important for two reasons: 

1. I'm all about sharing the love so I link to other sites and blogs in almost every post
2.  Once a reader has followed your link, mid paragraph, unless they're enthralled by your post or just not in a huge hurry, they're not going to click back to finish - boourns. 

This simple change to your HTML means that all links you use will open in a new tab, this will significantly decrease your bounce rate and ensure that your reader has to click as little as possible to get all available info. Everybody wins. 

5. Use Your Widgets Wisely

This one is not so much a tutorial as just something, readily available, that's helped me greatly. Blogger has set up all manner of widgets within your template and when you're new to the blogosphere it can all be a little confusing to know which you want clogging up your sidebar and which you don't. 

By trial and error I've found my most helpful ones for all concerned have been: 

• The Search Bar - essential for easy navigation & quick searches
• Follow By Email - Widen your audience hugely with this handy tool
• Translate - A hugely helpful widget for international visitors to your site 
• Blog List - It really is about sharing the love, Blogging is a community, I have to give props to those that inspire me daily and those I read regularly. 

These can all be added through the Design --> Add Widget process on your blog. There might even be some more in there that tickle your pickle. 

That's my round up for now, hopefully you've found it to be a little helpful. I'm still only essentially a newbie at this blogging lark too so if there's any blogging tool or tip that you use that you think I, or the other lovely CherrySue readers might find beneficial, I'd really appreciate a heads up in the comments. Ta very many, yo. 

Handy Dos & Don't for Tip Top Talons

I've been asked a couple of times about any nail tips for nail tips that I might have through emails, DMs and even for Prudence magazine last month so I thought I'd share the full article of my top tips that help me keep my nails in check. 

They're a couple of simple Do's & Don'ts that I've found have worked for me...

Do

• Eat well: Foods rich in zinc (such as nuts & seeds) are a healthy, natural way to good, strong nails. A decent multivitamin with VitB helps too. 
• Keep your nails dry and clean: use gloves when doing dishes (if you can't avoid doing dishes). Wet nails have the tendency to become brittle and split. When washing hands, using a nail brush will kill unwanted bacteria, especially under longer nails.
• Use Crystal or glass nail files: Emery boards pull and tear the nail causing splits and peeling but the finer grit on crystal/glass files is kinder and more effective on your nails. Always file in one direction at a time when shaping tips. You may have heard that this is an Old Wive's tale but Old Wives don't get lick their tales from the ground, y'know? 
• Massage your nail beds and cuticles: This not only gives you healthy strong nails but also encourages growth. Use a nail oil or hand cream of your choice and massage your nails & hands at least once a day. Keeping a bottle on your desk in work or on a bedside lockers is a handy reminder to take up this helpful habit. 
• Use nail polish: Contrary to popular belief, nail polish helps to keep your nails healthy and strong. If colour isn't your thing, a clear polish is enough to act as a strengthener and give your nails a buffed, manicured look.  

Don't

• Bite! You know you shouldn't do it, right? Biting not only destroys the look of your fingers and nails but raises your probability of nail and dental infection. Using either a foul tasting top coat or an expensive polish can help to encourage you to stop. 
• Use your nails as MacGyver tools: It can be tempting to take keys from key rings and scratch/poke at all manner of things but your nails aren't designed to put up with this abuse. It's a recipe for disaster. 
• Pull at or bite cuticles & hang nails: Use a clippers to trim loose cuticles and hang nails, pulling or biting can tear the skin, causing bleeding and the inability to eat salt & vinegar crisps for days. Totally not worth it. 
• Use polish remover that contains acetone more than once a week: If you're removing polish more than once a week, pick up some acetone free remover. Acetone, although effective is incredibly drying to nails. 
• Peel or pick off polishes: Glitters are notoriously tempting to peel off as are the new Caviar manicures, when you peel your polish off though, you also peel off your top layer of nail, leaving them susceptible to cracking, peeling and breaking. Always be sure to have Shellac & Gellish manicures removed properly. (If you really have to get them in the first place). 

What do we think? Have you any handy (geddit?) hints or tips that you'd like to share?