This was over six months ago, but...

... loving Paperchase's play on words. (Even if it did take me a while to get it...)

3 Words (Cheryl Cole)

2 Stars

Become part of one of the country’s most successful girl groups? Check. Gain a slot of one of the country’s most watched reality TV shows? Check. Become the nation’s sweetheart and style icon? Check.

In her quest for world domination, we all knew it wouldn’t be too long before Cheryl Cole decided to break into the music industry on her own after breaking records and winning numerous awards as one fifth of Girls Aloud. But are her singing skills worth fighting for? Not exactly.

Cole sings with none of the sincerity or emotional depth of the likes of Taylor Swift (yes, different genres, but same principles apply); her songs are riddled with clichés about love and…well, not a lot else. (To be fair, the same could be said for Swift, although she comes out more favourably in my opinion, but enough about her. )

But perhaps I underestimate the musical prowess of Ms Cole - this is not my preferred style of music at all, but even I had to admit that some of her songs were irritatingly catchy - Stand Up particularly stands out (Or should that be up?) - down to annoyingly repetitive lyrics - the choruses consist of the same line repeated about a hundred times over, albeit with the words in a different order. Remember: memorability isn’t necessarily a sign of quality. Take, for instance, the Las Ketchup song. A decade later, and people still don’t have a clue what they were singing about.

Comparisons between Cole’s work and that of her fellow band mate, Nadine Coyle, who failed to storm the charts as predicted with her debut single, Insatiable, are inevitable. In terms of singing and music, there’s a lot of difference between them, but Coyle loses out in the publicity and exposure department. To be honest, Cheryl could probably release a CD of herself reading from the phone directory and still be number one.

However, for this reviewer, her songs aren’t yet deserving of the chart success and accolades she has received and are mediocre at best, although she excels as a performer and certainly knows how to put on a show.

A Day in the Life of a Short Person #1

Lush - So White Ballistic

After experiencing the pleasures of Lush's Space Girl Ballistic, I was excited to see a couple of leftover Christmas ones on sale a few days ago, and without even pausing to examine and even sniff it, popped this mysterious white orb into one of the store's distinctive yellow bags. But what a disappointment it was.

I'm not sure if it was down to the product not being at its freshest, but I didn't get the "carpet of bubbles" the label promised and the apple-y smell was quite weak compared to the Space Girl ballistic. However, it was quite a nice scent.

The product itself took a long time to fully dissolve, although some might see this as a good thing. However, it did look a bit boring compared to some of the other ballistics, especially as it was a dull sphere shape with a plain white colour, and the water didn't change all that drastically - I'm sure it would be possible to at least do little spurts of green or red into the water which would have been more befitting of the apple theme. 3 stars.

Lush - Space Fairy Ballistics

http://www.lush.co.uk/products/bath/bath-ballistics/space-girl_1327.html

As soon as the planet shaped bath bomb hit the water, I saw a hectic explosion of bubbles and fizzing as the smell of grapefruit and blackcurrant filled the room, and knew I was in for a treat.

Do not be fooled into thinking this is an ordinary bath bomb: this little wonder also released a flurry of glitter into the water, and soon after popping it into the bath, I found myself surrounded by a sea of purple, with little rivulets of magenta and cyan also escaping.

The smell was strong and lasted for ages, lingering on my skin up until the next morning.

I was lucky enough to be given this as a present by my lovely friend, but I liked it so much I wouldn't hesitate to buy it myself, and at £1.85, it's one of Lush's cheaper inventions. 5 stars.

Lush Lip Scrubs

3 Stars*

What is it?

http://www.lush.co.uk/products/skincare/lip-balms-and-scrubs/bubblegum-lip-scrub_1313.html

Lush Lip Scrubs are a new take on lip balms, pots of scented sugar mixtures designed to exofoliate the lips. The idea is it rub them over your lips, in the same way you would Vaseline or any other potted lip balm, and then lick - yep, you read that right - lick - the excess sugar off. There are three scents/flavours available to try: sweet bubblegum, minty chocolate, and cocoa with a hint of vanilla. There was also a lemon/cranberry concoction containing sherbet, which was created especially for Christmas, but this will soon disappear off the shelves and is now on sale. But does this product do exactly what it says on the tin? I decide to find out...

The smell and taste of the product are lovely (the pink one was, however, a bit sickly) and the whole idea is innovative. However, whilst it was fun to apply, I remain unclear as to whether the lip scrub was actually achieving its purpose - was it my imagination, or did my lips seem drier and more tender after the second application? However, I admit this spot of dryness didn't last for long, although I still don’t think it is worthy of its £4.50 price tag, especially when one looks at the ingredients, most of which can be found in the home.

* After about two weeks of using this product, I can safely say I will not be using it again. When a product does not do what it says, it is bad enough, but having an adverse effect is even worse - my lips are the driest they've been in five years, and have even started bleeding. I am hereby stripping Lush Lip Scrubs of two of its three stars.