Tuesday 28 June 2016

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom

Hello Lovelies

Today I want to share with you a very special and proud day for me and that is Hannah's year 11 school prom which took place on Thursday 23rd June 2016. I am sure most of you will already know who Hannah is but if not I will introduce you to her and tell you a bit about her before speaking about her prom and sharing some photographs with you. 

On October 11th 2007 I lost my beautiful friend Donna to cancer, she had fought hard from diagnosis just 22 months earlier and tried her best to live for her to gorgeous children Rhys who was then 16 and Hannah just 8 years old, during those 22 months myself and Donna had many conversations, we laughed and we cried and when Donna was first diagnosed she tried to remain optimistic and often spoke about how she would be around for a good few years to come, tragically it soon became evident that that wasn't going to be the case and just 2 weeks after Donna was told there was nothing else that could be done for her, she very sadly passed away. In those final 2 weeks Donna went through a lot of emotions but the one thing she spoke about more than anything were her beloved children, it broke her heart that she wouldn't see them marry or be a grandma to their children but she also spoke of other things such as explaining to Hannah what periods were or how boys shouldn't treat her, how to shave her legs and lots of other things that a mother does for her daughter, during one of these conversations she said "what about Hannah's prom? Who will help her choose a dress and be there for her at prom when all the other mums are there for her friends?" and I said "I will" I promised Donna I would always be there for Hannah (and Rhys) and that I would be there for her prom, her wedding, when she has babies, shaving legs, periods, sex talks, throwing up from being drunk, telling her the dangers of drugs to random things like if she got chewing gum stuck in her hair and lots and lots of other things too, and she smiled, squeezed my hand and simply said "thank you".  

Since Donna died Hannah and I have become extremely close, she is like my own daughter and I love her as if she is, she says I am her adopted mamma and calls me mamma, she is also very close to my girls calling Lissy big sis and Cole bigger sis, Simon does the usual dad thing of winding her up and making her laugh, and she is a huge part of our family. 

When it came time for Hannah to look for prom dresses earlier this year, her dad had noticed a village boutique which sold prom style dresses and is about a 20 minute drive from us, so back in February, her dad, his partner, myself and Hannah all went to see what the shop had on offer and after Hannah trying on several dresses Hannah chose her prom dress, it was beautiful and she looked so lovely in it and I felt so proud and honoured to be with her when she chose it and pleased that I had also kept my promise to Donna. Over the following months I ordered Hannah her prom shoes and prom bag online, we went for silver sparkly for both the bag and shoes, and both were perfect with her dress. You can't actually see her shoes on the photographs I have but if you would like to see the shoes or if you are looking for prom or occasion shoes, you can find the ones Hannah had HERE and the bag she had HERE.

Hannah's prom was a real family affair starting with me helping her choose her dress and then helping her choose her shoes and bag and then ordering them online for her, Lissy did Hannah's false tan for her, Lissy is a real pro at false tan application and with Hannah being so pale naturally we worried a spray tan may be too dark for her so Lissy offered to do her false tan and it looked lovely, just a nice healthy natural glow that suited her colouring perfectly, they had had a practice run a couple of weeks before so we knew it would be ok and Cole of course did Hannah's makeup for her on the big day. 

The preparations for prom started 2 days before on the Tuesday afternoon with Lissy applying Hannah's false tan, she used the Vita Liberata 2-3 week tan in the shade medium, leaving it on for 4 hours before showering it off this left a gorgeous glow and Hannah looked like she had been away on holiday, really nice and natural, Vita Liberata is Lissy's favourite tan and can be found HERE. On the Wednesday, the day before prom, Hannah had her nails done, she chose acrylic nails with an ombre french manicure and glitter finish and they looked perfect. 

prom nails

On the day of Hannah's prom she had her hair done at 2pm then came to our house for makeup, she left her makeup entirely up to Cole, Cole asked her what she wanted and she said "I'm leaving it up to you" and it looked stunning, Cole chose to do a smoky eye but not too dark and added a pigment which looked blue in some lights so looked stunning with her dress, she chose a peachy/nude blush and nude lip and they complimented her eyes perfectly, her makeup looked stunning. 

prom makeup

Once Hannah's makeup was done it was time for her to get dressed, I was so so pleased and also proud that Hannah chose to get ready for her prom at our house, myself and Lissy helped her into her dress and strategically placed lingerie tape in all the right places, a quick spritz of perfume and my baby girl was ready, she looked absolutely stunning and I felt so very proud of her and I know Donna would have been looking down and bursting with pride, Hannah is the image of her mum and more so when she wears makeup, it breaks my heart but is comforting at the same time. 

Once Hannah was ready it was time for her to go to her friends as their transport was picking them up from there, we all went to her friends and Hannah and her 3 best friends all had photographs there and some in front of the car before they headed off to their prom venue in their car, a lovely white Bentley which had a pearlescent finish to the paintwork, it was perfect. My friend who is also one of Hannah's best friends mum took me, Cole and Lissy to the venue, we set off just after the girls so we could park close to the venue and we arrived in plenty of time to see them arrive, their car pulled up and the driver let them out and then a photographer came from nowhere and took them off for a photograph, we wondered who he was and thought he was from school but he was actually from a local newspaper so they were all really pleased about that. 

Lots more photographs were taken outside the venue and it was nice to see Hannah look so happy chatting and laughing with her peers and having lots of photographs taken too, there were hundreds of people outside milling around watching, it was lovely. 

Just before Hannah went inside she came to say goodbye to me and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me she loved me and I looked down and there on the floor between us was a big feather, Cole picked it up and gave it to Hannah and myself, Hannah and Cole all burst into tears, I knew Donna would be there for Hannah and I think the feather proved it, Hannah put the feather into her handbag and off she went into her prom. 

Once Hannah had gone in it was time for us to go home so my friend, myself, Cole and Lissy started to walk back to my friends car which was on the car park belonging to the venue, we were walking back slowly and all together walking closely and all of a sudden Cole shouted "mum" and my friend said "Zoe" and Lissy said "Oh my God Mum, stand still" I thought a car was coming and was going to knock us over or something so I stood still and Cole, Helen and Lissy started touching my hair, and looking up, and there out of nowhere were the purest white feathers twirling down on me, they were so white and fluffy it was surreal, none of them landed on anyone else even though we were all walking closely together and I was holding onto Lissy, they were just on me, they were in my hair and on my shoulder it was so so surreal and we all agreed that had I been alone nobody would have believed me. I don't really know what those feathers meant but when Donna was dying we had a conversation about me not being able to cope without her and she said she would always look down on me and always be there, so I said "but how will I know?" and Donna told me how she had seen it on the TV that when people died they left white feathers for their loved ones so they would know they were around, so I like to think that my feathers on Thursday were some sort of message from Donna for me. 

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom
The feathers that fell on me.

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom
My 3 gorgeous girls.

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom
My 3 beautiful girls.

Prom Queen - Hannah's School Prom
Hannah & her best friends.

I'm sure you'll agree that Hannah looked incredible, her friends also looked stunning and they all had a wonderful night, on Friday Hannah and one of her friends came to see me at 1pm and stayed until 7.30pm telling me all about prom and I told Hannah about the feathers and showed her them, I have kept them in a little bag and Hannah has kept the big one we found and put it in her memory box that her mum made for her. 

It was an absolute honour and a pleasure to be there for Hannah throughout the whole process of her prom and on the day/night too, and I wouldn't have had it any other way, I wish more than anything that my beautiful Donna was here to see Hannah, she would have loved everything about prom, the shoes, the bags the makeup and hair, Donna was a real girly girl and she would have revelled in it all and I know wherever she is she will have been looking down and loving every minute and she would have been extremely proud of her little girl, and although she couldn't be with Hannah in person she was definitely there with her, watching over her and feeling so so proud of her. 

Life is very cruel sometimes and I wish more than anything Donna was still here, I miss her so much but if any good can come out of a horrible and heartbreaking situation it is that I have the most incredible relationship with Hannah as do my girls and Simon. I lost my best friend in 2007 but gained a little girl, another member of our family and I will always be there for Hannah no matter what, I love her very much and I hope that wherever Donna is she is pleased with the relationship we have and she thinks I'm doing the right thing for Hannah and looking after her the way she would have wanted me to. 

I hope you enjoyed seeing some photographs of my beautiful Hannah from her prom, she looked incredible and I am so very proud, she is growing up into a beautiful young lady both inside and out, just like her wonderful mum.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x 









SaveSave
SHARE:

Saturday 25 June 2016

L'Oreal Nude Magique Cushion Foundation Review

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review

Hello Lovelies

You may have seen in my recent big beauty haul post that one of the items I purchased was the L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation in the shade Rose Vanilla (04), I have been using the foundation over the last few weeks and in today's post I am going to share my thoughts on the foundation with you.

I have extremely dry and dehydrated skin and like to wear a light coverage foundation with a dewy finish in the summer time, I don't like to wear a heavy base and don't like the feeling of makeup on my skin anytime of year but especially over the summer when hopefully, depending on the great British weather I will be feeling warm. 

When my order arrived and I saw the foundation said "dewy glow foundation" on the lid of the packaging I was hoping this would be the case and was also hoping that the shade 04 would be a good match for me since I completely guessed my shade when ordering, I chose the shade Rose Vanilla 04 which is the 3rd shade up from the palest shade, Porcelain 01. There are 7 shades in total starting at 01 then 03, 04, 06, 07, 09 and 11 which I find a little strange but hey ho, maybe there are more shades available in the USA and that's why the numbers go up in a random order? This isn't a problem though, I chose 04 Rose Vanilla as I assumed having Rose in the name, it would be suited to my pink toned skin. I knew Porcelain would be too light and assumed Vanilla maybe more suited to a yellow toned skin so went for Rose Vanilla and I have to say it is the perfect shade for me, my guess was a very good guess. 

I really like the packaging, the pinky/lilac mirrored lid and pale pink casing is right up my street with pink being my favourite colour, I really like it. The packaging opens up and there is a sponge applicator with a lilac ribbon across it, this is housed in pale pink plastic casing which lifts up to reveal the sponge/cushion holding the foundation, this is covered with a hygiene sticker, there is also a mirror in the compact which I have found is a really good sized mirror. 

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review

The first time I applied the foundation I found that using the sponge provided was an adequate application method, but I preferred to use my Beauty Blender by dipping it into the cushion and then applying the foundation to my face. I have also used a brush to apply the foundation, dipping my brush into the cushion and that was also fine, but my favourite way to apply the foundation is using my Beauty Blender. The foundation applies beautifully and provides a light but build-able coverage, if I want a nice light base I use one layer of the foundation and for more of a light to medium coverage I build the foundation up, the foundation doesn't cover imperfections or my freckles but I don't mind my freckles showing and I cover any blemishes I may have with concealer and use my usual under eye corrector and concealer for covering my dark under eye circles. 

As always when testing a foundation for the first time, I take a before and after foundation photograph and also photograph my makeup once it's fully finished including eye makeup, powder, blush and lipstick. 

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review
Before Foundation 

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review
After Foundation (wearing only foundation)

L'Oreal Nude Magique Foundation Review
Finished makeup look

The foundation feels lovely on the skin, it is weightless and doesn't feel as though I'm wearing makeup at all. I have to say I adore this foundation, I haven't liked a drugstore foundation as much before, it is absolutely lovely and I can see why everyone seems to love it at the moment. The Nude Magique applies effortlessly, blends beautifully onto the skin and provides a beautiful dewy and flawless finish with an SPF of 25. I like that I can wear the foundation lightly or build it up a little for days when I want a little more coverage but nothing too heavy. I bought the foundation to use as a light finish summer foundation, but I will wear this all year round, building it up to a medium finish over the winter months. 

The foundation wears well and looks flawless all day, I don't have any problems with it wearing off in any areas and it looks lovely from application until I remove it, which is usually around 10 hours. I am super happy with my purchase the only negative I can find is that because this is a cushion foundation and the product is absorbed into the sponge I think the foundation may possibly not last as long as a standard 30ml bottle of foundation and for £14.99 it will be a shame if it doesn't, L'Oreal  suggest flipping the cushion over when you feel the foundation is running low to access more foundation. I suppose only time will tell if it does last as long as a standard bottle of foundation and I will of course update you on that as and when mine runs out. 

All in all this is a lovely foundation and if you're looking for a foundation that provides a light to medium finish with a healthy dewy glow, this is definitely the one to try, it applies effortlessly, looks flawless all day and feels lovely on the skin, I love it! 

You can find the L'Oreal Nude Magique foundation online at Boots HERE for £14.99 (L'Oreal currently on a 3 for 2 offer) or at Superdrug HERE for £14.99 (Beauty club members £5 off and L'Oreal currently on a 3 for 2 offer) 

Have you tried this foundation? Do you love it as much as I do? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x








                                                   







SHARE:

Friday 24 June 2016

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL


Hello Lovelies

I imagine hair removal is the bane of most women's lives, that's certainly the case for me and my daughters, it is just so inconvenient isn't it? Having to shave, wax or epilate at least once a week and that's if we're lucky, some of my friends have to shave their legs daily which would really get me down. But I was recently very kindly sent the Philips Lumea Prestige IPL to trial and review on my blog and I was intrigued at this different type of hair removal, to be honest before I received the IPL I didn't know an awful lot about IPL hair removal but having found out more, I am very excited to trial the Philips Lumea Prestige IPL and to tell you more about it too and share my results with you. 

What Is IPL?

The Philips Lumea Prestige uses Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technology, known as one of the most effective methods to continuously prevent hair re growth. The Philips Lumea emits high intestity light pulses that are applied to the skin and absorbed by the hair root. The pulses of light stimulate the hair follicle to go into a resting phase, as a consequence, the hair sheds naturally and re growth is prevented, leaving behind continuously silky smooth skin. 

The Philips Lumea Prestige IPL 

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL



Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

The Contents Of The Philips Lumea Prestige IPL Box 

✿ The Lumea Device

✿ A Charging Plug 

✿ An Instruction/Information Booklet 

✿ A Face Attachment

✿A Bikini Line Attachment

✿ A Body Attachment 

✿ A Storage Pouch

✿ A Cleaning Cloth

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

I have never used an IPL before nor have I ever had laser hair removal at a beauty salon, I have always shaved my legs and for the last couple of years or so I have had my legs waxed, so for me this is a whole new experience. I was really excited to try the Lumea Prestige as it is something completely different for me and something that I feel will also be very beneficial, I have multiple medical conditions and the side effects of those conditions mean that I haven't been able to shave my own legs for a long time and this is why I have them waxed, but having them waxed isn't easy for me and can be a lot of hard work and also painful so being able to use the IPL or for one of my daughters or my partner being able to use it on me will be brilliant, so not only is it good from the perspective of hair removal, but if you or someone you know also struggles with their own care the Lumea could be ideal for you/them too.  

Using The Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

The Lumea cannot be used on certain skin types or hair colour, this is the chart on the Philips website that shows if you have very dark skin you cannot use it or if you have blonde, red or grey hair. I have dark blonde body hair with white skin so according to the chart, I should be fine to use it.  

Philips Lumea Prestige IPL

Before using the Lumea for the first time it is advisable to carry out a skin test, to check your skins reaction to the treatment and to determine the correct light intensity setting for each area of your body.

The skin must be prepared before using the Lumea by removing the hairs on the surface of the skin, this allows the light to be absorbed by the hair parts below the skin surface to ensure effective treatment. You can shave, wax or epilate but you must not use hair removal creams as the ingredients may cause skin reactions when using the IPL. If choosing to wax, wait 24 hours before using the Lumea to let the skin rest and ensure all possible wax residue has been removed from the skin. Make sure your skin is clean and dry and free from any oily residue and if you use false tan, make sure all the false tan has disappeared before using the Lumea.

Before use it is advisable to clean the attachments and the light exit window and fully charge the device, the Lumea takes approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes to charge fully, you should charge the device every 3 to 4 months even if you do not use the device for a longer period of time. Whilst charging the charging light flashes green.

The Philips Lumea Prestige is Philips top of the range Lumea device and comes with 3 different attachments, one for the face, to be used on the upper lip, chin and sideburns. One for the bikini line, no explanation needed, and one for the body which can be used on several areas below the neckline such as the underarm, the legs, the stomach and the arms.

There are 2 treatment methods, stamp and flash and slide and flash and depending on which area of the body you are treating will depend on which treatment method you use. The stamp and flash method is ideal for treating small or curvy areas such as knees and underarms and the slide and flash method is ideal for treating larger areas like legs. 

The recommended treatment time for each area is -

✿ Face - 1 Minute
✿ Underarm - 1 Minute
✿ Bikini Line - 4 Minutes
✿ Lower Legs - 8 Minutes

For the first 4 to 5 times you use the Lumea it is recommended that you use the Lumea once every 2 weeks to make sure all the hairs are treated, after the first 4 to 5 times it is recommended you touch up every 4 to 8 weeks, this is to maintain the results and to keep skin smooth and hair free for months, the time in between treatments may vary as it is dependent on your individual hair growth, some of us will notice hair re growth faster than others in different parts of our bodies.

After using the Lumea you may notice a slight redness to the skin and the skin may prickle/tingle or can feel warm, this is completely harmless and will calm down very quickly. Dry skin and itching may also occur due to shaving or due to a combination of shaving and the light treatment, you can if you wish use an ice pack to cool the area or a wet face cloth/flannel. It is fine to use lotions, creams and deodorant to the areas you have treated but if you have experienced any skin irritation or redness after using the Lumea, wait until this calms down before applying products and if you find using a product after treating an area causes irritation, wash the area with water.

Once you have finished using the Lumea, switch it off and allow it to fully cool down then dampen the cleaning cloth provided with a few drops of water and use it to clean the light exit window, the outside surface of the attachments and the red filter glass inside the facial attachment allowing all parts to dry fully before storing them away.

What To Expect In My Next Post

I cannot wait to start using the Lumea, it is going to be around 8 to 10 weeks before I start to see any results I would imagine, since I will be using the Lumea every 2 weeks for the initial phase of my treatment (4 to 5 times) but I will be back with a full update to let you know how I have found using the Lumea and the results of my hair loss and re growth.

Since purchasing a Philips Lumea Prestige is, I would imagine a considered purchase I have tried to write a very detailed and informative post for you today, but if there is anything you feel I have missed or if you have any questions, please feel free to ask me in the comments section below, and if you would like to know anything specific before I write my update post, again please ask me in the comments section below and I will be sure to include your questions and answer them in my next post.

Do you own an IPL device or have you tried one? Do you own the Philips Lumea Prestige IPL? I'd love to know, chat with me in the comments and let me know.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

✿ Post contains PR Sample or Gifted Item








SHARE:

Tuesday 21 June 2016

Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment - Update And End Of My Three Month Trial

Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment - Update And End Of My Three Month Trial

Hello Lovelies

I have very thin hair, I suffer from Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and one of the side effects is hair loss,  I also think other medical conditions I suffer from and possibly the medications I take don't help my hair loss either. My hair loss is worst when my hair is brushed when it is wet, I lose a lot of hair then but I do find I'm covered in hair pretty much all the time and being blonde and wearing a lot of black is a real giveaway when you suffer from hair loss, plus my partner also constantly pulling my hair off him.

I was asked a few months ago if I would like to trial the Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Hair Treatment for three months and I jumped at the chance hoping it would help with my hair loss and thinning hair.  

I have now come to an end of my three months trialling the Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment  and am going to share with you the results now the trial has ended. I did write a post when I was half way through the trial to let you know how I was getting on and to share my half way results (you can read that post here

Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment - Update And End Of My Three Month Trial

Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment - Update And End Of My Three Month Trial

What is Nioxin Night Density Restore?

The Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment promotes hair density by reducing hair fall associated with scalp surface oxidation, it includes Nioxydine24 a technology that helps promote hair density. Working during your body's natural, nightly regeneration process, the solution helps fight against oxidative damage (known to contribute to hair loss) and delivers a host of powerful antioxidants, including vitamin E, ginger root extract, caffeine and biotin. These potent ingredients target oxidative damage and help neutralise free radical attacks for healthy scalp maintenance, the treatment is suitable for all hair types, leaves no residue on the pillow and is infused with a soothing fragrance for night time. 

Using The Treatment

The Nioxin Night Density Restore comes with a pipette style applicator making application super easy,  4 drops of product are applied to my scalp every night in 4 different areas of my scalp, the front, back and both sides and then the product is massaged into my scalp before I go to bed. The treatment smells lovely and fresh but the scent isn't over powering and it doesn't linger and the treatment doesn't leave any marks or residue on my pillow overnight. In the morning my hair can look oily, it is worth mentioning though that I do suffer with extremely oily hair, Simon, my partner has used the treatment to see if his hair would be oily the morning after too and it wasn't at all so I can only assume my hair looking oily in the morning is down to me having very oily hair anyway. I have also had the treatment applied when my hair is wet after washing and then had my hair dried as normal, this didn't leave me with oily hair and my hair felt lovely and soft but it was slightly oily the following morning, again this isn't out of the ordinary for me anyway as my hair is very oily naturally but I did want to mention it in order to give thorough and accurate information. I haven't experienced any irritation at all whilst using the treatment, I have very sensitive skin and extremely bad eczema and am allergic to a lot of products but I haven't had any problems at all with the Nioxin. 

Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment - Update And End Of My Three Month Trial

The Results After Three Months

After using the Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment for three months my hair feels thicker and I don't lose anywhere near as much hair when my hair is brushed when it is wet or throughout the day, I am not covered in hair all the time anymore, I do find I have a couple of stray hairs on me but it is nothing like before. I had noticed after 6 weeks that my hair felt thicker and I wasn't losing as much hair when my wet hair was brushed but my hair definitely feels much thicker now and the amount of hair I lose when my wet hair is brushed has reduced a lot since the halfway mark. There is a definite noticeable difference since using the treatment and I am absolutely thrilled, my hair brush used to be full of hair when my wet hair was brushed and I could pull out a handful of hair from my brush after every use and now it is a completely different story, the amount of hair in my brush has reduced a lot, and there is much less than half the hair in my brush than there used to be which is fantastic.  Not only does my hair brush not resemble a small animal after each use anymore but my hair actually feels a lot thicker and it looks thicker too, I am absolutely thrilled, I have hated my thin hair for so long, it looked so thin and lank and I used to get so upset about it but now it looks so much better and I am really pleased. 

I also had some hair breakage at the front left side of my head, this is due to using straighteners I assume, the hair wouldn't grow and for months and months I have had some short pieces of hair at the left side of my head and I noticed recently that it has grown quite a lot so I can only assume that is due to me using the treatment too, I am really pleased because previously the hair wasn't growing at all and all of a sudden it has started to grow, I haven't used any other hair treatments apart from the Nioxin and I haven't changed my shampoo so the hair growth must be down to the treatment so not only is my hair thicker I have an added bonus of my broken hair growing which is fabulous and unexpected.  

I am absolutely over the moon with the results after using the treatment for just three months, it is a simple treatment to use and smells lovely too and the results speak for themselves. I didn't expect to see any sort of results to be honest with you, my hair loss is due to medical problems so I thought there wouldn't be any improvement but after 6 weeks I had noticed a difference and I was thrilled and now after three months there is even more of a difference and I am really pleased, I will continue to use the treatment, I have plenty left, that is another great thing about the treatment, because I only use 4 drops each night there is still lots of product left meaning the bottle will last me a long time. 

I can't express enough how pleased I am with the results of my three month trial, I used to say my pony tail felt like a rats tail because it was so thin, but it doesn't now, it is much fuller and not like a rats tail anymore. I am really pleased and I would highly recommend the Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment if you are suffering with thinning hair or hair loss, it has really helped me and I am more than pleased with the results as I'm sure you can tell. 

If you would like to try the Nioxin Night Density Restore Overnight Treatment, you can find it on the Beauty Expert website here and retails for £31.99 (rrp £39.99) 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x


✿ Post contains PR Samples or Gifted items


SHARE:

Saturday 18 June 2016

OOTD - Casual Saturday Outfit

OOTD - Casual Summer Outfit www.mammafulzo.com

Hello Lovelies

After asking recently on Snapchat for blog post suggestions, so many of you asked if I could feature more OOTD (outfit of the day) posts on my blog and today that's exactly what I have for you, an OOTD. 

Today's outfit is a casual outfit that I wore on a Saturday, it's comfortable and casual but I think looks nice enough to maybe go for some lunch or to do some shopping, I actually wore it to go and visit my brother with Simon and my parents but the outfit could be worn for various occasions I think, it's casual but not too casual. 

OOTD - Casual Summer Outfit www.mammafulzo.com

My Outfit

Cardigan - Next 

White Thin Strap Vest - Next 

Denim High Waisted Leggings - River Island 

River Island also sell plus size denim jeggings 

Nude Ballet Pumps - Asda George 

Statement Necklace - River Island 

I hope you liked today's OOTD post and my outfit, I have a fashion haul coming soon so I will have some new pieces to show you and will feature those pieces in some OOTD posts too if you would like me to? And if you have any specific OOTD posts you'd like to see please let me know and I will continue to show you some of my regular outfits like the one in today's blog post if you have enjoyed it.   

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x


  

SHARE:

Friday 17 June 2016

Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil And LIPSstick

Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil And LIPSstick

Hello Lovelies

It's no secret I love lip products, so when I was kindly offered the chance to try a couple of lip products from the brand Saturated Colour I said yes please. I have to admit I hadn't heard of the brand before I received the email but after researching the brand for this post they are definitely a brand not to miss and I couldn't wait to try the products I received. 

About Saturated Colour

Saturated Colour is a vivacious cosmetics line focusing on high quality lip products, initially. All Saturated Colour lip shades have been carefully selected to compliment all skin tones, keeping it simple, theres something for everyone. SC offer an addictive range of affordable lip products using nourishing formulations ensuring you have highly pigmented lip colours that guarantee to wow. For the daring and also not so daring customer, SC will appeal to every cosmetics taste. 

The products are all cruelty free and selected lines are vegan friendly, but all information will be in the product description of each item. 

Saturated Colour offer a 15% student discount and a 25% pro discount which is available to makeup artists, beauty therapists, if you're working full time with makeup or anyone studying in the beauty industry, you find out more about the student and prod discounts available on their website. 

The creator of Saturated Cosmetics Danielle says " My vision was to create a fashion forward, wild colour cosmetics brand that offers unique innovative twists along the way"

The Products
The products I received are the Multitasker Pencil in the shade Magnetic Melon and a matching Mini LIPSstick in the same shade. 

Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil And LIPSstick

Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil And LIPSstick

The Multitasker - Lip Eye & Face Pencil

The Multitasker is a pencil that can be used on the lips, eyes, eyebrows, face and body and comes in an amazing 20 shades. When I was asked to choose a shade I really was spoilt for choice and actually chose 2 shades and said I would be happy with either, so I was really pleased to receive Magnetic Melon, a bright orange shade. 

Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil - Magnetic Melon

The shade range is extremely varied with 20 shades from pinks and peaches to blues and browns, the pencil can be used for so many different things, whether you just want a lip liner to wear alone or under lipstick or you want to create vibrant body or face art, there really is something for everyone, the Multitasker is a fantastically versatile product and the price is amazing at just £3.50.  

I have used the pencil as a lip liner to line my lips, I have filled in my lips with it and wore it as a lipstick, I have used it as a blush and used it sheered out and used it on my eyes. The pencil is extremely pigmented, super soft and applies like a dream, I did wonder how I would apply it to my cheeks and eyes and if it would feel sharp but there wasn't an issue at all, on my cheeks, I used the pencil on it's side and created stripes on the apples of my cheeks and a little further up and blended the product with my duo fibre 130 brush from MAC, it blended beautifully on my skin and lasted all day without fading, it looked lovely and is a stunning blush shade. I have since applied the pencil in the same way to my cheeks but blended it out using my fingers or my Beauty Blender and both times it looked lovely so it's all down to personal preference how you blend it out as all the methods I tried worked really well for me. 

I like to wear coral on my eyes sometimes during the summer so I put some of the pencil on the back of my hand and sheered it out with my finger so it was more of a coral shade and used a combination of my finger and an eyeshadow brush to apply it to my eyes, it applied well and the pencil lasted all day without fading or creasing, it is worth mentioning that I do always use an eye primer before applying my makeup. 

The LIPSstick

Saturated Colour  LIPSstick in Magnetic Melon

The LIPSstick

The LIPSstick also in the shade Magnetic Melon is stunning, I don't own an orange lipstick and did wonder if I would like it, it is a lovely bright orange shade, perfect for summer but a shade I would wear all year round and despite my reservations about the shade being right for me, I love it! The lipstick applies beautifully and feels extremely nourishing on the lips,  it is super soft and extremely pigmented giving a vivid opaque finish in just one swipe, the finish is semi matte and the lipstick is extremely long lasting. I have used the lipstick on it's own and worn it over the Multitasker pencil and both times the wear time was incredible. The lipstick fades away nicely from the centre of the lips so I wasn't left with an unsightly ring around my lips, and it removes with ease with my makeup remover, makeup wipes or cleanser without the need for scrubbing.  

To buy the Multitasker Pencil and the matching mini LIPSstick it is just £5.00 for both products which is an incredible price. 

Swatches

Swatches of Saturated Colour Magnetic Melon

My Overall Thoughts On Both Products

The first time I wore both products I wore the Mulitasker on my cheeks as a blush and wore it all over my lips with the LIPSstick over the top and I was absolutely blown away by both products, the pigmentation of both products is incredible, they both applied effortlessly and the pencil blended out beautifully on my cheeks. The wear time of both products was amazing, the blush lasted all day until it was time to remove my makeup, it didn't fade at all. The wear time of the lipstick was absolutely incredible, I applied it at 9.40am and when I removed my makeup at 8pm I was still wearing the lipstick, it had faded away a little but it was still very evident I was wearing orange lipstick, I hadn't eaten anything but I had been drinking bottled water throughout the day and my friend visited for a few hours so I had been chatting a lot, I couldn't believe that over 10 hours later the lipstick was still very much on my lips, it is incredible. 
To be honest I wouldn't ever have picked up one of the Multitasker pencils but I would definitely buy more in different shades now I have tried the Magnetic Melon, they are a brilliant product and so easy to use, they would be fabulous for travel too.  I also think the pencil would be perfect not only for regular makeup looks but also for body and face art looks for Halloween or festival looks too and they would be ideal for makeup artists to have in their kits for the same reason. 
In the photograph below I am wearing the Multitasker Pencil on my cheeks as blush and all over my lips with the LIPSstick worn over the top, this was the first time I wore the products. 
Saturated Colour Multitasker Pencil And LIPSstick

Both products are absolutely incredible and come with a fantastic price tag, if I had tried the products without knowing the brand or price of the products I would definitely had thought they were high end makeup products that came with a high end price tag. I am so impressed with both products and cannot recommend them highly enough, they are incredible and I would love to try some more shades in both the Multitasker and the LIPSstick, they are incredible and if you haven't tried them yet, I seriously recommend you do so, you will not be disappointed. 
Have you tried any products from Saturated Colour?
Thank you for reading, much love as always
Zoe x

✿ Post contains PR Samples or Gifted Items

SHARE:

Tuesday 14 June 2016

NOTD - Essie Summer 2016 Lounge Lover

 Essie Summer 2016 Lounge Lover www.mammafulzo.com

Hello Lovelies

Today's post is a NOTD (nail of the day) post and today's NOTD is one of the Essie polishes from their summer 2016 collection in the shade Lounge Lover. 

When Essie launched their summer 2016 collection I knew instantly that I would purchase the shade Lounge Lover, it is right up my street. I'm sure you know by now that I adore coral nails for the summer months, so I couldn't resist picking up Lounge Lover. 

To achieve today's NOTD I used 3 coats of Lounge Lover allowing each coat to dry fully in between, I didn't use a base coat as I have run out of mine and am currently researching base coats before I purchase a new one so please let me know if you have one you recommend. Once the Lounge Lover polish was fully dry I added a coat of my Orly Glosser top coat which has been my top coat of choice for many years now, I have re purchased it so many times and love it. 

 Essie Summer 2016 Lounge Lover www.mammafulzo.com

 Essie Summer 2016 Lounge Lover www.mammafulzo.com

 Essie Summer 2016 Lounge Lover www.mammafulzo.com

Lounge Lover is a gorgeous coral shade and is perfect for the summer months, it is beautiful and I love it, I received a lot of compliments when I wore it for the first time and one lady asked me if my nails were gel nails because of the shine and how opaque the finish was which I think is a great compliment. 

The polish was easy to apply but I was very surprised to find the brush wasn't the usual wide Essie brush and instead was a standard nail polish brush and was how the old school Essie brushes used to be, this wasn't a problem at all but something I think is worth mentioning as the brushes on Essie polishes are usually the wide brush. The polish applies well, and dried in a average drying time and then removed with ease with my Superdrug acetone free nail polish remover. 

I was super happy with my nails, they looked lovely and summery and they lasted really well, I absolutely love the shade of Lounge Lover, it is so beautiful and I know I will be wearing it a lot over the summer, it lasted really well and the polish wore for 6 days before chipping and me needing to remove it. I do think my Orly Glosser top coat contributes to the longevity of my nail polishes but Essie polishes do tend to last well on my nails anyway. I haven't worn the polish on my toes yet but I imagine it will look just as lovely on my toes as it does on my finger nails.

If you like coral nails you will no doubt love Lounge Lover, if you do like the look of it and would like to try it for yourself, you can find it on the Superdrug website HERE for £7.99 or on the Boots website HERE for £7.99, Essie polishes currently buy 1 get 2nd half price.

Have you seen the Essie Summer 2016 collection? Which shade is your favourite?

Thank you for reading, much love as always 

Zoe x






SHARE:

Saturday 11 June 2016

A Great Big Beauty Haul

A Great Big Beauty Haul www.mammafulzo.com

Hello Lovelies

I have been doing some online shopping recently and thought I would share with you what I have been purchasing, so today I have a beauty haul, it's quite a big one so I shall crack straight on with it. 

Most of the items I bought are from Boots and Superdrug with the exception of one item but I will let you know where I bought the items from and as always I will link all the items for you.

Lip Products

A Great Big Beauty Haul

All the lip products I purchased are from Boots and the first thing I picked up is one of the new L'oreal Infallible Sexy Balms in the shade 204 Never Stop, the Sexy Balms come in either Bold or Sheer and the shade I have is one of the bold shades, it looks in the bullet like a lovely bright coral shade and I can't wait to try it, I also bought Lissy the same one as she has a very similar taste to me and it was 3 for 2 on L'oreal so I picked one up for Lissy as well. Also from L'oreal I picked up one of their Colour Riche Made For Me lipsticks in the shade 373 Magnetic Coral, I have been looking at this lipstick for around 2 years now and never actually purchased it, so when I saw there was a 3 for 2 deal on I thought I would bite the bullet and buy it, again it is a coral shade, which is no surprise for me, and I can't wait to try it. The last lip product I picked up from Boots is one of the NYX Slide On lip pencils in the shade SLLP03 Pink Canteloupe, I have a lot of coral lip colours and one of my favourites is Betty Bright from MAC and I think this will go perfectly with that but also look lovely on it's own. 

L'oreal Sexy Balm Lipstick is available for £4.99 currently 3 for 2. 
L'oreal Colour Riche Lipstick is available for £6.99 currently 3 for 2.
NYX Slide On lip pencil is available for £5.50.

Nail Polishes 

A Great Big Beauty Haul

All the nail polishes I picked up are from Boots and the first polish I picked up is the Maybelline Super Stay 7 Days Gel Nail Colour in the shade Rose Attraction, I have heard a lot of brilliant things about these nail polishes so I have high hopes for this one and I really like the shade too, it looks perfect for summer.  Next is a re purchase and it's the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine in the shade Grapefruit, I bought this shade last year and wore it to go on my holidays and loved it,  it is such a lovely bright pink/coral shade and every time I wore it last year I got lots of compliments, it is such a lovely shade and I was disappointed when it ran out so a re purchase was a must. The last polish I picked up is another re purchase and it's an Essie polish in the shade Cute As A Button, I love this shade, it is a gorgeous coral shade and again perfect for the summer. Boots had an offer on their Essie polishes and if you bought any Essie polish you got a mini Essie polish in the shade Sugar Daddy free, Sugar Daddy is a lovely pale pink shade and is a shade I have looked at previously, so I was pleased it was a freebie! 

Maybelline Super Stay 7 Day Gel Polish available for £4.49 currently 3 for 2.
Barry M Gelly Hi Shine available for £3.99 currently 2 for £5.00 
Essie Polishes available for £7.99 currently buy 1 get 2nd half price.

Other Items

A Great Big Beauty Haul

Also from Boots I picked up one of the new L'oreal Nude Magique Cushion foundations in the shade Rose Vanilla, this was on offer for £9.99 instead of £14.99, I was intrigued by the foundation and haven't ever tried anything like it before so thought I would give it a try, I will of course have a full review of it up on my blog very soon. 

A Great Big Beauty Haul

I also picked up some of the baby Extra Large Cotton Wool Pads from Boots, I much prefer the large square baby cotton pads to the usual oval cotton pads as they are much bigger and ideal for removing makeup or applying toner. 

A Great Big Beauty Haul

Next I picked up some Micellar Cleansing Facial Wipes from Superdrug, I use face wipes to remove my makeup before I start my skin care routine and these are excellent and are my favourite face wipes, they were a recommendation from my lovely friend Gemma last year and I have been using them ever since. 

A Great Big Beauty Haul

Also from Superdrug I picked up a pack of 2 cushioned nail files, I have yet to find a really good nail file so if you have any recommendations I would love to know. I haven't tried these as yet so I'll let you know how I get on with them but I'm hoping they'll be ok, they were £1.50 for the pack.

A Great Big Beauty Haul

Last but by no means least I re purchased the Pixi Glow Tonic from Look Fantastic. I have used Pixi Glow for many years but hadn't purchased it for a couple of years as I have been trying other products but my skin has been so terrible recently I thought I would go back to an old favourite and see if it helped, I'll of course let you know if it has once I've been using it for a couple of weeks. You can purchase the Pixi Glow Tonic on the Look Fantastic website for £18.00.

So that is everything in my beauty haul, there was rather a lot of stuff, so I apologise that this was a long one. I will be reviewing everything in today's haul post so if there is anything you would like more information on, keep an eye on my blog and feel free to let me know in the comments if there are any products you would like a review on sooner rather than later. 

What item was your favourite in today's haul? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x 












SaveSaveSaveSave
SHARE:
Blogger Template Created by pipdig