As you all know I am partial to a bit of online shopping, this is how I have done all my Christmas shopping this year and it is so much easier, I have looked for discount codes or used Coles NUS discount and it has been much better, I first started online shopping when I had had my operation and couldn't go out and then as my health deteriorated I found online shopping a godsend to be honest, the only thing I don't like is the delivery charges but you can't win them all can you? It is so much easier, especially when sales shopping, theres none of that pushing and shoving and queueing and millions of people all squashed into the shops, it is much nicer to sit on your sofa with a glass of Baileys and a mince pie and browse in peace.
All shops now have a "January sale" but more and more shops are starting their sales earlier and earlier most beginning on Boxing day, but I have done a bit of research for you all and found that some sales have started now and some start tomorrow (Christmas Eve) so I thought I would let you all know my findings.
River Island has started it's online sale with stores starting theirs on Boxing day the link for River Island is www.riverisland.co.uk
Harrods sale has started online too with some massive savings on fragrance, I have had a little peep and some perfume sets are half price which is an excellent saving, especially if like me you have lots of birthdays coming up in February, their link is www.harrods.com
Oasis have started their sale already, their link is www.oasis-stores.com
ASOS have started their sale too and their link is www.asos.com
Debenhams online sale is now on with it starting in stores on Boxing day their link is www.debenhams.com
Office have an online exclusive sale with up to 50% off the link is www.office.co.uk
New Look have a footwear sale on now with some great bargains the link is www.newlook.com
Miss Selfridge have a sale online on shoes and accessories the link is www.missselfridge.com
Next start their online sale tomorrow (Christmas Eve) at 3pm and their in store sale starts at 5am on Boxing day, Next always have some great bargains so this is one to watch, their link is www.next.co.uk
I have been told by one of the sales assistants at my local Selfridges that Selfridges sale starts on Christmas Eve this year not Boxing Day as it normally is, but this may not be accurate, I thought I would tell you as they are bound to advertise and if like me you like to online shop you can always head over using this link www.selfridges.com Selfridges like Harrods always have amazing offers on fragrance and beauty, they usually have some fantastic deals on the Laura Mercier Christmas collection so watch out for that if your a fan.
I hope you have found this post helpful, I know a lot of you really enjoy my discount voucher posts and although this is a little different it is still along the same lines, and we all like to save money don't we? Let me know if you grab any bargains, and happy sales shopping!
Do you know of any good online sales? Would you like more of these posts?
Thank you for reading, and much love
Zoe x
Sunday 23 December 2012
Wednesday 19 December 2012
Red Lips Anyone?
For years and years I have always worn quite pale pink or neutral shades of lipstick, then a couple of years ago I bought Russian Red by MAC but never really had the courage to wear it, I would wear it put on lightly and then smudged out with my finger but I never ever wore it properly for want of a better word.
In September my nephew was going to be baptised and I had bought a lovely maxi skirt with a print on and the print had a burgundy colour in it so I wore a burgundy coloured vest top to go with it, on the day of the baptism I was applying my make up and Nichole asked me if I was going to wear a dark red lipstick as she thought it would look nice with my outfit, I said no it wouldn't suit me but Nichole said she thought it would so I tried on one of her dark red lipsticks called Media by MAC and it looked really lovely which was a complete surprise to me.
A couple of days later when I was applying my make up I decided I would try on my Russian Red lipstick to see what I thought and I was pleasantly surprised and really liked it, so I wore it to film one of my You tube video's, I got quite a few comments asking me about the lipstick, what it was and how nice it looked etc that I decided I should be brave and wear it more, so I did, I wore it a lot and I got lots of lovely compliments so I decided I would look for a dark red lipstick as I'd liked Media so much when I wore it. I looked in MAC and loved the look of Darkside but at £14.50 for each lipstick and Christmas only a few weeks away, I decided to look for a cheaper option.
I went into Boots and saw the Kate Moss range by Rimmel London and they had a lovely dark red colour, shade 107 and the price was much better at £5.50 so less than half the price of the MAC one but still lovely, and the packaging is nice too, I know this isn't important to everyone but I do love nice packaging, I was thrilled and bought it. I think reds and deep red/burgundy's are really lovely for the winter months and the lipstick looks so lovely, and is so striking that I find I don't have to make much effort with my eye make up and sometimes I have just applied a wash of a neutral eye shadow and some dark brown eye shadow under my lower lash line and a bit of mascara and then this lipstick and it is a lovely look for the winter months especially.
It is a matte formula but not drying at all, I am lucky and don't suffer with dry lips but it didn't dry my lips out at all, it stays on for hours even with eating and drinking and looks lovely, I really like it, I apply the lipstick straight from the bullet and don't use a liner with it, it looks really nice and is a lovely deep red colour. I have received lots and lots of compliments when wearing it. For the last few weeks I have worn this lipstick all the time, I am so glad I bought it and would certainly consider buying more of the Kate Moss range, the colour is lovely, the application is lovely and it lasts for hours and is a really reasonable price, just what I want in a lipstick.
In September my nephew was going to be baptised and I had bought a lovely maxi skirt with a print on and the print had a burgundy colour in it so I wore a burgundy coloured vest top to go with it, on the day of the baptism I was applying my make up and Nichole asked me if I was going to wear a dark red lipstick as she thought it would look nice with my outfit, I said no it wouldn't suit me but Nichole said she thought it would so I tried on one of her dark red lipsticks called Media by MAC and it looked really lovely which was a complete surprise to me.
A couple of days later when I was applying my make up I decided I would try on my Russian Red lipstick to see what I thought and I was pleasantly surprised and really liked it, so I wore it to film one of my You tube video's, I got quite a few comments asking me about the lipstick, what it was and how nice it looked etc that I decided I should be brave and wear it more, so I did, I wore it a lot and I got lots of lovely compliments so I decided I would look for a dark red lipstick as I'd liked Media so much when I wore it. I looked in MAC and loved the look of Darkside but at £14.50 for each lipstick and Christmas only a few weeks away, I decided to look for a cheaper option.
I went into Boots and saw the Kate Moss range by Rimmel London and they had a lovely dark red colour, shade 107 and the price was much better at £5.50 so less than half the price of the MAC one but still lovely, and the packaging is nice too, I know this isn't important to everyone but I do love nice packaging, I was thrilled and bought it. I think reds and deep red/burgundy's are really lovely for the winter months and the lipstick looks so lovely, and is so striking that I find I don't have to make much effort with my eye make up and sometimes I have just applied a wash of a neutral eye shadow and some dark brown eye shadow under my lower lash line and a bit of mascara and then this lipstick and it is a lovely look for the winter months especially.
It is a matte formula but not drying at all, I am lucky and don't suffer with dry lips but it didn't dry my lips out at all, it stays on for hours even with eating and drinking and looks lovely, I really like it, I apply the lipstick straight from the bullet and don't use a liner with it, it looks really nice and is a lovely deep red colour. I have received lots and lots of compliments when wearing it. For the last few weeks I have worn this lipstick all the time, I am so glad I bought it and would certainly consider buying more of the Kate Moss range, the colour is lovely, the application is lovely and it lasts for hours and is a really reasonable price, just what I want in a lipstick.
The Kate Moss 107 Lipstick
It is a lovely dark red colour ideal for winter
And heres a swatch of the lipstick
Do you like to wear red lipsticks? Or are you like I was and always go for neutral lip colours? What are your favourite lip colours or red lip colours? I have uploaded a Top Ten lipsticks video to my You tube channel if you'd like to check that out, the link to my channel is www.youtube.com/user/mammafulzo
Thank you for reading, much love
Zoe x
Sunday 9 December 2012
Essie Winter 2012 Collection
I really like Essie nail polishes as some of you may already know. I have been buying them for a couple of years now from www.beautybay.com but since Boots and Superdrug started to sell their diffusion line it has been much easier to pick up Essie polishes, and I now own more than I ever have, Essie and Orly are my favourite nail polish brand and I cannot resist new colours when they come out.
Essie have recently released their winter collection for 2012 and there are some lovely colours in the collection, the only one I am not too fond of is the Wheres My Chauffeur? colour, it is a minty greeny/blue colour and these colours do not suit me at all, I love the other colours in the collection though and yesterday whilst I was shopping with Cole we went to Boots to look at the new collection, I have already looked at them on Beauty Bay but wanted to see them in the flesh too, I loved the colours apart from the minty green one. They had all the colours in Boots in the full size polishes and they also had a box set of 3 of the polishes out of the 5, the box contains Leading Lady, Snap Happy and Beyond Cozy. Since I love all 3 of these colours I bought the box set, the polishes are not full size they are 5ml but sometimes I think this is better if buying Christmas colour nail polish, and to me 2 out of the 3 are Christmassy so I didn't want to buy the full size, it is a shame they didn't have She's Pampered in the box set too as I really like that one but you can't have everything I suppose. The box set was £9.99 for 3 5ml bottles and full size Essie Polishes are 13.5ml and £7.99.
If you want to see the full collection, they have it available in the full size polishes on Beauty Bay with free delivery, here's the link http://www.beautybay.com/essie/categories/winter2012/ Essie polishes are £8.50 on Beauty Bay.
Anyway I shall stop rambling on as usual and show you the polishes I bought!
Essie have recently released their winter collection for 2012 and there are some lovely colours in the collection, the only one I am not too fond of is the Wheres My Chauffeur? colour, it is a minty greeny/blue colour and these colours do not suit me at all, I love the other colours in the collection though and yesterday whilst I was shopping with Cole we went to Boots to look at the new collection, I have already looked at them on Beauty Bay but wanted to see them in the flesh too, I loved the colours apart from the minty green one. They had all the colours in Boots in the full size polishes and they also had a box set of 3 of the polishes out of the 5, the box contains Leading Lady, Snap Happy and Beyond Cozy. Since I love all 3 of these colours I bought the box set, the polishes are not full size they are 5ml but sometimes I think this is better if buying Christmas colour nail polish, and to me 2 out of the 3 are Christmassy so I didn't want to buy the full size, it is a shame they didn't have She's Pampered in the box set too as I really like that one but you can't have everything I suppose. The box set was £9.99 for 3 5ml bottles and full size Essie Polishes are 13.5ml and £7.99.
If you want to see the full collection, they have it available in the full size polishes on Beauty Bay with free delivery, here's the link http://www.beautybay.com/essie/categories/winter2012/ Essie polishes are £8.50 on Beauty Bay.
Anyway I shall stop rambling on as usual and show you the polishes I bought!
The Box Set of 3 Polishes (apologies for the box, they were all damaged)
Leading Lady
Snap Happy
Beyond Cozy
Left to Right - Leading Lady, Snap Happy and Beyond Cozy (3 coats of each colour)
I love all 3 of the colours and definitely think that Leading Lady and Beyond Cozy are more Christmassy colours, Leading Lady is a lovely dark red with tiny glitter particles through it, the glitter particles really do stand out but it isn't glitter overload if you want more of a subtle look, Snap Happy is a lovely orangey colour, bordering on a red but not quite if that makes sense? I think this colour could be worn all year round, and Beyond Cozy is a lovely sparkly polish and layered up using 3 coats it gives a really nice festive feel, it would look lovely as an accent nail to gold or silver nails as it isn't really one or the other, it has a slight champagne colour to it I think, it is a lovely polish, I am going to try it over other colours and see if it works, I will let you know how I go with that.
Do you like Essie polishes? Have you bought any of the Winter 2012 collection or the box set? Which one is your favourite?
Thank you for reading, Much Love
Zoe x
Saturday 1 December 2012
My 10 Favourite Christmas Decorations available on the High Street
Can you believe it's the 1st of December already? Where has this year gone? I know a lot of people including my sister are putting up their Christmas trees and decorations today, I don't actually put my Christmas tree and other decorations up until the second week of December, I have a funny ritual that the house has to be spring cleaned from top to bottom first, odd I know but it's just something we do in our house, and Father Christmas loves a clean house does he not? But since so many people are putting up their trees and other decorations today I thought I would share my favourite 10 decorations I have found and loved on the high street this year.
We have lots of decorations in our house, from things my girls have made over the years to some lovely bought decorations, we have personalised ones, cute ones, classy ones a real mix of everything, when I have my tree up and house decorated I will post some pictures on here for you all to see if you would like? And even though we don't really need any more decorations, every year the girls choose a decoration each that they like, this is something we have done since Cole's first Christmas, obviously she didn't choose her own decoration then, I chose it until she was old enough to choose her own and we have done the same thing with Lissy since her first Christmas. This year the decorations they chose were, a Polar Bear for Cole, surprise surprise, she loves Polar Bears and collects anything to do with them, she named him Snowy, in fact all her Polar Bears are called Snowy! And Lissy chose a red squirrel, she has named him Terrence, cool name for a squirrel don't you think? Both their decorations are from Marks and Spencer. For the last few years Lissy has chosen a Daschund decoration as she loves them so much but this year she went for the squirrel because he made her laugh, he is a funny little thing I have to admit.
I love shopping for Christmas decorations, and when we were looking for decorations for the girls to choose I saw some really lovely ones in some of the high street shops and thought I would share my favourite 10 with you, if you haven't shopped for decorations yet or like me you just like to look, you might see something you like in my favourite 10. The best way to show you I thought would be to put a photograph of them and then write under each photograph where they are available from and the price. I hope you like my favourite 10.
We have lots of decorations in our house, from things my girls have made over the years to some lovely bought decorations, we have personalised ones, cute ones, classy ones a real mix of everything, when I have my tree up and house decorated I will post some pictures on here for you all to see if you would like? And even though we don't really need any more decorations, every year the girls choose a decoration each that they like, this is something we have done since Cole's first Christmas, obviously she didn't choose her own decoration then, I chose it until she was old enough to choose her own and we have done the same thing with Lissy since her first Christmas. This year the decorations they chose were, a Polar Bear for Cole, surprise surprise, she loves Polar Bears and collects anything to do with them, she named him Snowy, in fact all her Polar Bears are called Snowy! And Lissy chose a red squirrel, she has named him Terrence, cool name for a squirrel don't you think? Both their decorations are from Marks and Spencer. For the last few years Lissy has chosen a Daschund decoration as she loves them so much but this year she went for the squirrel because he made her laugh, he is a funny little thing I have to admit.
I love shopping for Christmas decorations, and when we were looking for decorations for the girls to choose I saw some really lovely ones in some of the high street shops and thought I would share my favourite 10 with you, if you haven't shopped for decorations yet or like me you just like to look, you might see something you like in my favourite 10. The best way to show you I thought would be to put a photograph of them and then write under each photograph where they are available from and the price. I hope you like my favourite 10.
Polar Bear Tree Decoration £4.00 from Marks & Spencer (All M&S decorations are 3 for 2)
Santa Tree Decoration £4.00 from Marks & Spencer (Also 3 for 2)
Knitted Christmas Tree, Tree Decoration £2.50 from Marks & Spencer (Also 3 for 2)
Red Squirrel Tree Decoration £4.00 from Marks & Spencer (Also 3 for 2)
Snowball Tree Decorations £7.00 for pack of 3 from Next
Santa Suit Tree Decorations £6.50 for pack of 4 from Debenhams
Crochet Angels Tree Decorations £2.97 for pack of 4 from Tesco
Birds On A Branch Tree Decoration £4.00 from Accessorize
Sausage Dog (Daschund) in Tartan or Houndstooth £6.50 each from House of Fraser
Santa's Laundry Garland £12.50 from Debenhams
So that's my favourite 10 Christmas decorations available from high street shops, did you spot Terrance and Snowy in there? All the decorations shown are available on line and in store and House of Fraser are having a 2 day event until tomorrow the 2nd of December with money off and the decorations had 50% off making the sausage dogs £3.25 instead of £6.50, Debenhams also have a 20% off deal at the moment so the garland would be £10.00 instead of £12.50 and the Santa Suits would be £5.20 so if you are interested in any of those it is a good time to buy them. I love the angels and think £2.97 for a pack of 4 is a great price, and the snow balls are so cute from Next too, I think I might have to get some of the snow balls and angels for our tree.
Did you see anything you might like for your Christmas tree in my favourite 10? or do you like the garland? I love the garland but don't have anywhere to hang it. Do you choose a new decoration each year or did you as a child? Do you have a theme in your home? Let me know. I hope you liked my favourites and this post made you feel Christmassy and festive and if you are putting your Christmas tree and decorations up today or tomorrow, enjoy it and email me a photograph if you like, I'd love to see them.
Thank you for reading, much love
Zoe x
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Is oily hair a problem for you?
For years now I have suffered with oily hair and it drives me insane, if I don't wash my hair every day it is oily and looks like I have poured a bottle of olive oil all over my head! I hate it, it is such a pain and I have tried everything on the market, I am also a connoisseur of dry shampoo I have tried so many, and I have found one I like but it still isn't the same as having clean hair, I can only wear my hair down when I have just washed my hair, even if I wash my hair at night it will be too oily in the morning for me to wear it down and I have to put dry shampoo in it and then put it up in a top knot or pony tail.
In the summer I was on the website Feel Unique buying products for my holiday to Greece and I thought I'd look at the shampoos for oily hair as I am always on the look out for something new to try, I saw that the Phtyo range of hair products had 20% off and they had a couple of shampoos for oily hair, I have read quite a lot of good things about Phyto as a brand so I looked into both the shampoos they had which were for oily hair and then went on to look at some reviews on line also, I decided to buy the Phyto Phytocedrat Purifying Treatment Shampoo as it was on offer and the reviews on line were all positive but to be honest I didn't hold out much hope as in the past other shampoos I have tried haven't worked.
The shampoo came and the first thing I noticed apart from that is was in a metal bottle was the smell, it isn't a smell I like to be honest, it does smell a bit lemony but also a bit herbally, that's the only way I can really describe the smell, I like fruity smells and sweet smells and this is none of those, but it wasn't so bad it put me off, and I decided to use it that evening in the shower. The directions for use are to massage the shampoo into the scalp and then leave for 2 minutes before rinsing it off, my hair does get quite knotted when I have towel dried it but I can brush it out easily so it isn't really a problem. The consistency of the shampoo is really thin and runny and I have to take the lid off then hold the lid and the bottle in my hand and cup my other hand, pour the shampoo into my cupped hand and then put it on my scalp, it is so runny this is the only way to apply the shampoo to my hair, the colour of the shampoo is a browny colour so not very appealing but that doesn't matter if it works does it?
The day after I used the shampoo my hair wasn't as oily as it normally would be but it wasn't clean enough for me to be able to wear it down, I spoke to my sister about it as she is a hairdresser and she said that with a lot of the shampoos for oily hair sometimes the hair can get worse before it gets better and to persevere with it. I carried on using the shampoo and was a bit disappointed with it and thought it wasn't really doing much and then one day forgot and picked up the shampoo I had been using previously which was an Alberto Balsam Apple shampoo, I washed my hair with it and dried it and went to bed, in the morning my hair was so so oily it was unreal, making me realise that the Phytocedrat shampoo was actually working.
I have re purchased the Phytocedrat shampoo twice more since and I have to say it really is good, I can wash my hair now every other day which for me is fantastic, for example I washed my hair yesterday morning and dried and straightened it and this morning my hair doesn't need washing, I will wash it tomorrow but if I didn't have an appointment tomorrow I could probably just dry shampoo it and put it up which before would never have been possible, I am really pleased with this shampoo and cannot recommend it highly enough, the smell and consistency aren't the best but it really does do the job, and the best bit is it doesn't contain silicone or parabens. Here's what Feel Unique say about the shampoo and a photograph I took of my bottle of shampoo.
This antiseptic shampoo regulates the scalp and prevents the spread of oil, providing ultra-oil absorbing benefits.
The botanical active ingredients used in Phyto PhytoCedrat Shampoo (essential oil of citron, tormentil, geranium, nettle, rosemary and sage) regulate the sebaceous glands and decrease sebum secretion. The scalp is perfectly clean and the hair feels lighter and is beautifully shiny. Hair no longer requires frequent shampoos. Helps prevent the rebound effect. May be used on both natural and colour-treated hair.
Hair is left bouncy, soft and shiny.
Directions for use:
- Wet hair, apply shampoo
- Massage gently into a lather
- Leave on for 2 minutes
- Rinse thoroughly
- Repeat if necessary
Active Ingredients
- Essentials Oil of Lemon.
- Geranium Extract.
- Extraction from 9 Plants (48%).
Silicone and Paraben Free
The botanical active ingredients used in Phyto PhytoCedrat Shampoo (essential oil of citron, tormentil, geranium, nettle, rosemary and sage) regulate the sebaceous glands and decrease sebum secretion. The scalp is perfectly clean and the hair feels lighter and is beautifully shiny. Hair no longer requires frequent shampoos. Helps prevent the rebound effect. May be used on both natural and colour-treated hair.
Hair is left bouncy, soft and shiny.
Directions for use:
- Wet hair, apply shampoo
- Massage gently into a lather
- Leave on for 2 minutes
- Rinse thoroughly
- Repeat if necessary
Active Ingredients
- Essentials Oil of Lemon.
- Geranium Extract.
- Extraction from 9 Plants (48%).
Silicone and Paraben Free
I am really impressed with this shampoo and would recommend it to anyone who suffers from oily hair, it has worked wonders for me and I will continue to use it, it is expensive at £11.50 for a 200ml bottle but Feel Unique are always having promotions and offering discount codes so I buy it when it has money off.
Have you tried the Phytocedrat shampoo or any other shampoo for oily hair? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations for me for my oily hair?
Thank you for reading, much love
Zoe x
Thursday 22 November 2012
I'd Love That........My Wish List
If you have been watching my you tube video's or following my blog for a while, you'll know I have a teeny weeny on line shopping addiction, ok ok I'll admit it then, it's a mahooosive on line shopping addiction! Since becoming medically retired and basically being bored out of my brains most days, I find myself looking on line rather a lot, and funnily enough my fingers always end up taking me in the direction of my favourite on line shopping sites. I have been trying to be good though with Christmas on the way and me being so behind, but there are a few products I would really really like so I have made a little wish list of them and I thought I would share it with you.
River Island Watch
River Island Rose Gold Watch With Diamante Detail £30.00
MAC Cosmetics Lipstick In 'Darkside' £14.00
Shu Uemura Loose Powder In Colourless £26.50
MAC Cosmetics Perfectly Plush Brush Kit In Mineralize £39.50
MAC Cosmetics Pro Sculpting Cream In 'Pure Sculpture' £17.50
River Island Watch
I love River Island watches, I have been buying my watches from River Island for a few years now, they always have a watch in stock that I love and I have had my white one for a good while now, and I had the same one in black before I bought the white one so the rose gold colour of this watch is totally different, although it does have the diamante face, as all my watches have had for the past couple of years or so, I think £30 isn't too bad for a watch, it is more expensive than I would normally spend, my other watches have all been around the £20 mark, but I think it's worth it.
MAC Lipstick in 'Darkside'
Recently I have been loving red or dark red lipsticks, usually I go for nude or pinky toned lipsticks but after trying one of Coles dark red lipsticks on I realised I really liked the look of it and have been getting more adventurous when choosing lipsticks, I really like the look of Darkside, it isn't too dark and is a lovely plum colour, I have a lot of blue in my lips due to medication I take and really struggle with lipsticks, but after trying Darkside I loved it.
Shu Uemura Loose Powder
I have extremely dry skin and struggle so much to wear any sort of face powder, but due to medication and always being very hot I am constantly shiny, this is not a good look and I have tried loads of face powders over the years from drug store to very expensive high end products, at the moment I am using the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder, it is ok but I don't love it, for £3.99 it's not too bad, but I thought this before Cole used the Shu Uemura powder on me when doing my make up, it is absolutely gorgeous, I love it, it doesn't look cakey, it's the nicest finish I have had to my skin ever, I was so impressed by it and received a lot of compliments on my skin when wearing it, it is a bit pricey at £26.50 but considering the amount I would use I'm pretty sure it will last a while.
MAC Perfectly Plush Brush Kit
I really love the MAC 130 brush but this brush kit is such good value for money, the 130 brush alone is £29.00 so for another £10.50 you get an extra three brushes, which for MAC brushes is excellent value! I love MAC brushes, they are the best brushes I have tried (and I've tried lots) they last well and clean nicely, the 217 and 224 brushes are in my opinion the best blending brushes out there and the 130 is lovely for applying foundation or cream blush or even for blending out the Pro Sculpt Cream.
MAC Pro Sculpting Cream
The Pro Sculpt Cream is lovely, Cole used it on me when she did my make up a few weeks ago and I loved it, I think I would have to practice with it a few times but I really liked the look it gave, and know once I'd got used to it, I'd use it a lot and now Cole gets a big discount on MAC products, it would be rude not to get the odd thing from MAC wouldn't it?
So there is my wish list, what do you think? Is there anything you would like on my wish list? Do you have a wish list and if so what is on your wish list?
Thank you for reading, much love
Zoe x
Wednesday 7 November 2012
Essie Nail Polishes
As you will know from my last post, I love painting my nails, I file then paint them every week with a different colour and really enjoy doing it, during the summer months I'd say that most of the time I have a french manicure just because it's easy and goes with everything but in autumn and winter I love more muted colours that seem to go well with everything, for the past couple of months I've been loving Essie polishes, I love Essie as a brand and I'd say along with Orly they are my favourite brand, they last for a week without chipping, although I do always put an Orly top coat over them, they look lovely and have some amazing colours, there really is something for everyone, and now they are available at Boots and Superdrug it is much easier to pick them up, although I do still buy most of mine online.
Recently I have been wearing the same five Essie polishes a lot, I always reach for one of them when it comes to my Sunday night nail painting, the five colours I love are, Angora Cardi, Bordeaux, Chinchilly, Merino Cool and Smokin Hot. They are all quite muted colours apart from Bordeaux which is a rich deep red, here's how Essie describe each colour, I have added a photograph of each polish too.
The photographs were taken in natural light and do reflect the actual colour of the polish, I would agree with Essie in the most part, apart from with the description of Smokin Hot, they lost me a bit there to be honest. I always thought graphite was a more deep dark grey and Chinchilly is more of a taupe/grey and definitely not a deep dark grey. I would definitely say all the colours apart from Bordeaux are more muted, they are all lovely colours and perfect for autumn and winter, I always get lots of compliments when I'm wearing any of the colours and if I wear them when filming for Youtube I often get asked what nail polish I'm wearing.
Essie retails at £7.99 which I do think is a little expensive since they are a high street brand, at the moment they are three for two on the Superdrug website and there is free delivery which is a great deal, unfortunately the colour I want isn't on there, so I miss out, you win some you lose some I suppose. The next Essie polish I want to buy is called Miss Fancy Pants, it is a nice taupe colour and again I think it will be nice for the coming months and go nicely with lots of my clothes.
Have you tried any of the Essie nail polishes? Which are your favourites? What other brands of nail polish do you recommend for me to try?
Thank you for reading
Zoe x
Recently I have been wearing the same five Essie polishes a lot, I always reach for one of them when it comes to my Sunday night nail painting, the five colours I love are, Angora Cardi, Bordeaux, Chinchilly, Merino Cool and Smokin Hot. They are all quite muted colours apart from Bordeaux which is a rich deep red, here's how Essie describe each colour, I have added a photograph of each polish too.
Angora Cardi - A creamy deep dusty rose
Bordeaux - A deep red wine
Chinchilly - A sleek granite grey
Merino Cool - A sensuous autumn mulberry
Smokin Hot - Break the rules with this stone-cold fox grey that burns hotter than any flame
The photographs were taken in natural light and do reflect the actual colour of the polish, I would agree with Essie in the most part, apart from with the description of Smokin Hot, they lost me a bit there to be honest. I always thought graphite was a more deep dark grey and Chinchilly is more of a taupe/grey and definitely not a deep dark grey. I would definitely say all the colours apart from Bordeaux are more muted, they are all lovely colours and perfect for autumn and winter, I always get lots of compliments when I'm wearing any of the colours and if I wear them when filming for Youtube I often get asked what nail polish I'm wearing.
Essie retails at £7.99 which I do think is a little expensive since they are a high street brand, at the moment they are three for two on the Superdrug website and there is free delivery which is a great deal, unfortunately the colour I want isn't on there, so I miss out, you win some you lose some I suppose. The next Essie polish I want to buy is called Miss Fancy Pants, it is a nice taupe colour and again I think it will be nice for the coming months and go nicely with lots of my clothes.
Have you tried any of the Essie nail polishes? Which are your favourites? What other brands of nail polish do you recommend for me to try?
Thank you for reading
Zoe x
Monday 5 November 2012
My Gel Nails - A Gelish Manicure
I love painting my nails. Every week, usually on a Sunday I paint my nails, this is something I really enjoy doing from choosing which colour to use, filing my nails and then painting them. My nails grow really fast and are quite strong, I am lucky in that respect I suppose, but it means that even when my nails haven't chipped I still have to take off the polish and re paint them weekly due to the unsightly re growth I get.
Just after Lissy was born, a friend of mine bought me a voucher for a manicure at my local beauty salon. It was a 'new baby' gift, she decided rather than buy a baby gift she would treat me to something nice for myself, it was a lovely idea and I was thrilled as I'd never visited a beauty salon before, I have now been a client of that salon for over 15 years. I love having a manicure, I also have pedicures, eyebrow and leg waxing but that's another post entirely. I have got to know all the ladies who work at the salon along with many of their other clients over the years, and I thoroughly enjoy going for my treatments. I've never been the most adventurous of people where choosing a nail polish colour is concerned and more often than not in the past would choose a french manicure, but over the last couple of years I have been choosing more colours and think I have now worked my way through most of the pink, coral and red colours at the salon!
Emma, the lady who does my nails told me about a new treatment they were offering called Gelish, a manicure using a gel nail polish rather than regular nail polish. She explained I could either have a full manicure with Gelish or just a file and polish using the Gelish, I opted for my usual manicure, and loved it, from the first time I had a Gelish manicure I loved it and knew it was something I would have often, I loved how long the polish lasted on my nails and how shiny they looked all the time. It's also great because I can paint over the gel with my own nail polishes as long as I use an acetone free nail polish remover to remove the polish, this doesn't damage the gel, so I have the best of both worlds.
When having a Gelish manicure the manicure part is exactly the same as my usual manicure the only difference is the polish used. With Gelish, after the initial manicure is done, my nails are buffed and then a base applied, I then put my hand under a UV lamp for a few seconds, then Emma applies the Gelish polish in which ever colour I choose, at the moment I have Rosy Red a lovely true vibrant red, once the colour is applied I then put my hand under the UV lamp again and then a top coat is applied and again I put my hand under the UV lamp, my nails are dry immediately, I don't have to wait for them to dry, Emma applies a little cuticle oil and I'm done. My nails always look amazing when I have had a Gelish manicure and last for 3 to 4 weeks, I have had around 10 Gelish manicures up to now and my nails always look brilliant and have never chipped once when I have had a Gelish manicure, I always go to the salon to have the Gelish removed by Emma, she removes the Gelish polish by soaking my nails in acetone and then removing the polish by buffing my nails, followed by my usual manicure.
I usually leave it around a month in between having Gelish manicures, when I first started to have the Gelish manicures I had them all the time for around 3 months but I noticed my nails did start to break more easily, so I started to leave a gap in between and now my nails are fine and very healthy. I would say that if you had gel nails continuously your nails would weaken and break more easily but gel doesn't damage the nail in the same way as acrylic nails do. I had acrylic nails a few years ago and they completely ruined my nails.
I have taken some photographs of my nails during the 19 days I have had my Gelish polish on my nails to demonstrate how much re growth I have, like I said my nails do grow extremely quickly and re growth won't be the same for everyone as everyone's nails grow at different rates.
The Day After Application
Nine Days After Application
Nineteen Days After Application
As you can see the re growth is quite bad now and I am glad I am going to have the Gelish polish removed later this week. My nails are still really shiny and do look nice and from a distance the re growth isn't noticeable at all, but it is driving me mad! I have always been really pleased with my gel nails and will definitely continue to have them done, although since Cole is such an amazing nail artist I do only tend to have gel nails for special occasions now. I still go to the salon for regular manicures because I enjoy the experience of visiting the salon, especially since I have been medically retired and cannot get out much, it is a treat for me to go to the salon and chat with Emma and also the other clients. I really can have my cake and eat it, I have a daughter who is an amazing nail artist and can do my nails for me at home when I want and I still go to the salon for manicures as a nice morning or afternoon treat.
Have you had a Gelish manicure or any other gel nails? What did you think of it? Would you have it done again?
Thanks for reading,
Zoe x
Tuesday 30 October 2012
The Pet Tag - My Dog Oscar
Since making video's on Youtube for Cole whilst she is away doing her course, a few people have asked me if I can film the pet tag video featuring Oscar my dog, he is often heard walking round the lounge during my filming and lots of people wanted to see him. Oscar is an old doggy and sleeps for most of the day and is also suffering with doggy dementia, he is totally deaf and going blind, so I thought rather than making him sit with me whilst I try and film the pet tag I would do it in blog post style and insert photographs of him, then I have done the pet tag but not on camera as I feel it would be unfair to Oscar.
The Pet Tag:
1. What is your pet?
He is a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel
2. What is the name of your pet?
Oscar
3. How old are they?
Oscar is 12, he will be 13 on March 18th
4. Where did you get your pet from?
I got Oscar from a breeder near St Helens, she has been breeding Cocker Spaniels for many years, I researched many breeders and she was the most ethical and caring breeder I found, she also bred for temperament as well as show purposes although I have never shown Oscar in any dog shows.
5. Why did you want to get this particular breed/species?
I spoke to my local vet and asked what breed of dog were good with children as at the time Cole and Lissy were 3 and 9 so I wanted a nice friendly dog, not too big and not too small, that would be good with children.
6. Do they know any tricks?
No unfortunately not, Oscar can sit on command using hand signals but that is about it, I did have an ex police dog handler to 'train' Oscar as puppy and after a few weeks he told me I was wasting my money as Oscar was so hideous he was un trainable, how embarrassing!! He pulled on the lead, he wouldn't walk nicely at the side of me off the lead, wouldn't lie down etc so as for tricks, I have never bothered to even try and train him to do any!
7. Do they snuggle/give kisses?
Yes, Oscar is very snuggly, he loves to be stroked behind his ears, and cuddled, he cuddles up with Simon every night, they lie on the floor of the lounge together all snuggled up, he also likes to have his tummy ticked, that's Oscar not Simon!
8. What are some of the things they do to make you laugh?
Since Oscar is old now and sleeps for most of the time, he doesn't do much now, but when he was much younger if the TV programme Teletubbies came on he would come running into the lounge and sit looking at the TV through the whole of the opening song, as soon as the baby laughed he'd be there watching, it was so funny. He also loved watching football on the TV, he would sit glued to it for ages but then when he saw the ball would cry and look behind the TV cabinet trying to see where the ball had gone. Oscar needs to be groomed and cut and when he has been for his grooming and the lady brings him home he comes and sits near each of us in turn so we can tell him how beautiful he looks, it is so funny, he's such a vain boy!
And that's the end of the tag, I hope you enjoyed reading it, I know it wont have the same effect as filming it and uploading it to Youtube but I have to do whats best for Oscar and he really wouldn't like to have to sit there on camera with me. He is old, and totally senile and does some very strange things now like lick the walls, and he can also be incontinent, but he's our Oscar and we love him very much.
Do you have any pets? What funny things do they do to make you smile? Here's some photographs of Oscar I hope you like them.
I love this close up of Oscar Sleeping |
Oscar wearing his new scarf Christmas 2011 doesn't he look handsome? |
Sunday 28 October 2012
Welcome to Mammaful Zo
Hello
My name is Zoe, and this is my very first blog post, it is a tad nerve wracking to be doing this! I suppose I should tell you a little bit about me and what my little corner of the internet is going to be about.
First and foremost I am a mum or mamma as my 2 lovely daughters call me, they are 21 and 15 and called Nichole and Alicia or Cole and Lissy. Most of you will know Cole, she is the reason I am doing this, Cole or Coleyyyful as you probably know her has a Youtube channel and a blog, and is at the moment studying hard to become a qualified hair and make up artist, she began her course at the beginning of September and finishes mid November, the course is so intense so she is extremely busy and has no time to blog or make video's that she asked her Youtube subscribers if they would like me to make some video's for them in her absence. I had appeared in a couple of her video's previously and quite a few people said they would like me to make the video's, so for the last month or so that's what I have been doing and I have enjoyed it more than I ever thought I would.
Coles subscribers have got used to me making video's now and have asked me to make my own channel and also a blog, at first I said no as I couldn't imagine I would have anything to talk about on a blog or to a camera a couple of times a week, but then again one of the only things I am good at in life is talking, so I thought I'd give it a whirl and see how it goes, so here I am, and I don't mind telling you, it's a scary prospect!!!
I love the make up and beauty world, online shopping, watching rubbish but fun tv shows, reading trashy magazines and lots of girly things like that, if you like the same sort of things then I hope your going to enjoy reading my blog, thank you for reading my first blog post, fingers crossed I get better at it in time!
Zoe x
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
©
Mammaful Zo: Beauty, Life, Plus Size Fashion & More | All rights reserved.