Maybelline | Colour Drama Lip Pencil in '310 Berry Much' |

Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick in 'Berry Much' - £4.99 - Boots

To be honest, when these lip pencils were launched I wasn't desperate to try them. Lip products are my weakness but after collecting many different types of lip crayons I thought these looked a bit lack lustre. First of all they are much smaller than the jumbo lip pencils you can get from brands such as Bourjois and Revlon and I thought the packaging looked a bit cheap, although I do love that the colour of the product is on the end of the pencil.

However, I absolutely love both the colour range and formula of the Colour Drama Lip Pencils. Berry Much is a deep red berry colour which I would compare to Revlon's Kissable Balm Stain in 'Cherish' but is darker, more intense and and a thicker, more opaque formula.  The application is a breeze with the pencil gliding on easily, there is no bleeding throughout the day and the staying power is amazing without being drying on the lips. I do top up with lip balm throughout the day now it is much colder but compared to other mattes it does a great job of hydrating your lips. They also smell quite fruity without being over powering. The product is also an actual pencil so you will need a chunky pencil sharpener to keep the point.

I'm super impressed with the quality of the formula and will certainly be picking up some more shades as soon as possible!

What shades would you suggest I pick up next? xxx

Recipe: Homemade Summer Berry Ice Pops

For ages I have stashed away lots of recipes for ice lollies on pinterest, waiting for the moment that we get a tiny bit of sun to not only try out the recipes but also use my Laura Ashley moulds that I got in the sale a year ago! The last couple of weeks have been amazing so I have been making these refreshing and super tasty ice lollies quite regularly. You can find the original recipe here but I have tweaked it a little bit to suit our tastes and also to fit around what we had in our fridge at the time, which of course you are free to do as well. I know ice pops are really easy to make but these take a little more effort and the taste and look of them are definitely worth it.

Ingredients (makes around 8 lollies)

* 1/2 cup of raspberries

* 1/2 cup of blueberries

* 1 cup of sliced strawberries

* 1 cup of frozen summer berries

* 1/3 cup of sugar

* 1/3 cup of water

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Method

1. Combine all the fruit in a bowl and mash them up with the back of a wooden spoon to release the juices.

2. Add the lemon juice and mint, then stir will to combine everything.

3. Leave to rest in the fridge for about an hour to let the flavours infuse, I sometimes leave mine for longer.

4. After the fruit has rested for the right amount of time, put your sugar and water into a small saucepan and heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved. Do not allow to boil. It is useful to use a saucepan with a lip so you can pour the sugar solution more easily.

5. Leave the syrup to cool for a few minutes and then pour into the fruit mixture. Combine well with the wooden spoon.

5. Using a jug with a lip or spoon, carefully administer equal parts of fruit and syrup into the moulds, making sure not to fill all the way to the top as it will expand when frozen and you need to fit the sticks on top.

6. Put your sticks into the lolly mixture and leave to freeze for at least 6 hours.

And that is all you need to do for a very simple but delicious recipe which should see you through the summer! 

I hope you enjoy it and please let me know if you try this recipe xxx