NOTD - Illamasqua Devotee

Hello Lovelies

Today I have another NOTD (nail of the day) post for you, and as always with my NOTD posts, I will let you know which shade of nail polish I used and also give you a review of the polish as well, I find it useful to know how a polish wears as well as how it looks and hopefully you will too. 

The shade of nail polish I wore for today's NOTD is an Illamasqua nail polish in the shade Devotee, my lovely friend Ashleigh bought me the polish for my birthday and she clearly knows me well because the shade is perfect for me. 

Devotee is a beautiful bright pink shade, it has a satin finish to it so it isn't quite matte but it isn't glossy either, it has a slight sheen to it. Illamasqua describe the polish as a candy pink with a rubber finish, I haven't ever heard of a rubber finish before but there's a first time for everything I suppose, I would describe it as a satin finish. I always apply a top coat over the polish, as I prefer a glossy finish but it can be worn without if you like the finish of the polish without a top coat. 

I applied 2 coats of Devotee allowing each coat to dry fully in between and then I applied a coat of the Maybelline 3D plumping top coat, I wouldn't recommend the Maybelline top coat as mine has started to go thick and gloopy and I still have quite a lot left so I wouldn't buy it again. 

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Before applying top coat

In the photograph above I haven't applied any top coat, I wanted to show you the finish of the polish before I applied the top coat, as you can see it isn't fully matte it has a slight sheen to it. All the photographs below are the polish once I had applied a top coat. 

With top coat 

The polish looks completely different with the top coat applied, I personally prefer a glossy finish but it is a nice polish without the top coat, it's purely down to personal preference. 

I get around 5-7 days wear time out of Devotee which is brilliant, it applies well and the polish has a standard size brush applicator. The polish isn't streaky, it applies well and is opaque in 2 coats, it has an average drying time and is easy to remove with nail polish remover. 

I really like this polish and would definitely recommend it, it is a beautiful shade and looks lovely on both the fingers and the toes. It is a gorgeous shade for the spring/summer and is a shade I am going to get a lot of wear out of over the coming the months, it really is stunning. 

You can find Devotee on the Illamasqua website for £14.50. 

Have you tried this shade? Or any other Illamasqua nail polishes? Do you have any shades you can recommend to me? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

Sephora Cream Lip Stains

Hello Lovelies

It's no secret I have a bit of a thing for liquid lipsticks and over the last few months I have acquired quite the collection, I have many different brands of liquid lipstick and one of those brands is Sephora, for my birthday back in February, I received 2 of the Sephora Cream Lip Stain liquid lipsticks. There is quite a lot of hype surrounding the Cream Lip Stains in the blogging world so I was super excited to try them, and now I've used them quite a few times, I thought it was time I shared my views on them with you, and let you know if they live up to the hype. 

The 2 shades I have in the Cream Lip Stains are 03 Strawberry Kissed and 07 Cherry Blossom.

03 Strawberry Kissed

07 Cherry Blossom

Strawberry Kissed is a lovely bright pinky red shade with a matte finish, and Cherry Blossom is a mid  toned pink with a matte finish. The packaging is quite typical of lip gloss packaging with a clear tube and black lid, the shade number is on a label on the bottom of the tube and is quite difficult to read as it's so small, I had to squint quite a lot to read the shade numbers. 

The Sephora Cream Lip Stains have a flexible doe foot applicator and apply really well, they are nice and easy to apply and not messy at all, I find some liquid lipsticks can be quite difficult to apply and quite messy too but these apply really well. The lip stains have a sweet vanilla scent to them, it doesn't linger and isn't off putting either. The formula of the lip stains is highly pigmented and in just one swipe I am left with a lovely opaque finish, they are insanely pigmented. The wear time of the lip stains is incredible and I get around 7 hours wear time from Strawberry Kissed and around 6 hours wear time from Cherry Blossom, both lip stains wear off the lips nicely and evenly and leave behind a faint colour stain on my lips. They both feel very nourishing when applied and dry to a matte finish in around 30-60 seconds, they don't leave my lips feeling dry at all throughout the day and I didn't experience any cracking or flaking with either shade.   

The swatches above were photographed straight after application and as you can see they have a shine to them when first applied meaning they glide on the lips effortlessly and then dry to a matte finish. 

Overall I love the Sephora Cream Lip Stains and will definitely be picking up some more shades, they are incredibly pigmented, the wear time is excellent and they feel lovely on the lips, not drying at all which can be the case with some matte liquid lipsticks. I would definitely recommend the cream lip stains they are brilliant and they definitely live up to the hype surrounding them. There are 15 shades to choose from if the two shades I have aren't your colour, there are some lovely shades to choose from and next on my wishlist is definitely Coral Crush. 

If you would like to try the Sephora Cream Lip Stains you can find them on the Sephora website HERE for $14.00 which is around £9.50, it is easy to order from Sephora and they ship to the UK, the customs charges are included in the delivery so there is no nasty customs surprises on delivery, the delivery is super fast too. 

Have you tried the Sephora Cream Lip Stains? Or have you ordered from Sephora? Chat with me in the comments and let me know, and also let me know if you have any product recommendations that I can pick up from Sephora next time I order too. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

Currently Loving - Random Favourites

Hello Lovelies

Today I have my current random favourites post, I have a few different categories including TV and Film, Food and Drink, favourite Blogger and favourite Youtuber amongst other things, so without further ado, I shall crack on with the post. 

TV & Film 

I haven't watched too many films recently, but one film I have watched was The Boy, it was really good and if you are a fan of horror films I recommend it, I say horror, it is more creepy/thriller style really, there's no gore it's just a bit jumpy and creepy but it was really good with a brilliant twist at the end. 

For TV I have been loving Super Vet on C4, it's brilliant and follows the vet Noel Fitzpatrick who really is a super vet, he performs some incredible procedures and is a very clever man, there are some sad parts but also lots of happy endings too, if you like animals I think you'll enjoy Super Vet. I also loved Scott & Bailey, we have watched it since the very 1st series and loved it and we were sad to see it come to an end recently, I hope they bring it back one day. Another drama we love is In The Club on BBC1, it's back for a second series and follows the life of a group of couples who met at an ante natal class whilst pregnant, it's easy watching but really good, I highly recommend it. We also love Line Of Duty, that is in it's 3rd series I think and we hadn't ever watched any of the other series but my mum has and she recommended it to us and she said it didn't matter if we'd missed the other series' because this was a completely new series with new story lines. We watched it and we are hooked, it has actually finished on TV now, we recorded it and are watching it back but I know series 1 and 2 are on Netfix and hopefully series 3 will be on iPlayer. We have also been enjoying The Secret Life Of Puppies on C5,  this show is so cute! It follows the lives of a group of puppies from birth through their first year of life, there are all different breeds in the group including a cocker poo, a boxer, a labrador, a basset hound and a collie, I forget them all but they are all very cute indeed. Lastly something we watched recently is a documentary series called Women Who Kill with Piers Morgan, it probably sounds a bit odd but it was really interesting to watch, so far theres been two episodes and it's on ITV, the first episode is all about a girl who at 16 initiated the murders of her parents and 2 brothers, it was fascinating but at the same time unbelievable that someone could do that, we have recorded the second episode so have yet to watch that but if you like documentaries, I'd definitely give it a go. 

Music 

One song I can't get out of my head at the moment is by 99 Souls, The Girl Is Mine, it features Destinys Child and Brandy, you may already know that myself and my daughters are huge Beyonce fans so it was inevitable I'd like it I suppose but it's really catchy, I even have it as my ringtone on my phone. You can listen to it by clicking the image below. 

Apps

I have downloaded 2 apps recently, one is Buffer (Apple here & Android here) Buffer is really good for scheduling tweets, I was previously using Hootsuite but after the lovely Christina said she'd started using Buffer and it was easy, I thought I'd try it and I much prefer it to Hootsuite, it is much easier to attach images etc than Hootsuite and never fails to post the tweet which is something Hootsuite does regularly. Another app I downloaded is AliExpress (Apple here and Android here) I haven't actually used this app yet but someone I know does their own gel nails and they always look incredible, she has gems on them sometimes and glittery polish and they look lovely. Lissy had been having acrylic nails but her nails became very damaged so she had them removed and is trying to grow her nails at the minute because she wants to be able to do her own gel nails, we were asking where my friend gets her products from and she said AliExpress, she said it comes from China I think so takes a while, but she's been using them since just before Christmas, she bought a Sensationail kit from Boots  but found the polishes too expensive and someone told her about the app so she started to order from them and has done ever since, she hasn't had any problems with them at all and highly recommends them. 

Websites

I haven't discovered any new websites recently I'm afraid but I have still been loving Boots for their free delivery to a store, it's so handy for me, I don't go out shopping and do all my shopping online, so it's brilliant for me. I can order from Boots online up to 7pm and it's at my local store the next day so Simon or the girls or my mum etc can pop and pick it up for me. I also ordered from Look Fantastic recently, they are a brilliant website and never let me down, I have shopped with them for years and their service is brilliant, it's free UK delivery and items only take a couple of days to arrive, I did order off Superdrug recently but wasn't impressed that the delivery took a week, it was free as I'd spent £10 but I think a week is a bit much, Look Fantastic is free delivery and it takes a couple of days so there is no need really, it could have been a one off so I'll see what it's like next time I order, it's been a while since I've ordered from them. 

Food & Drink

A drink I've been loving is Sainsburys own high juice cordial in Apple and Alphonso Mango, it is really nice, I have it with ice in and it is really refreshing, I'm not really one for cordials and only like a certain few but it is lovely. Simon does all the cooking and has started to make his own perinaisse, he makes his own take on Nando's and he usually buys the Nando's perinaisse from Asda but he said for the last month they haven't had any in stock so he bought mayonnaise and some of the Nando's sauce, he mixes it together to make a sauce,  it doesn't really taste like perinaisse but I think it's nicer and it's a cheaper way of doing it too, worth a try if you usually buy the Nandos perinaisse. 

You Tuber 

A you tuber I recently found is Steve's Vlogs, I found Steve's channel through my lovely friend Emma. Steve makes daily vlogs of his life, he has a partner Rachael and 5 lovely children, Jasmine, Sophie, Liam, Lacey and Chloe. As a rule I don't watch vlogs apart from my friends Emma and Khila and a couple of other people I know,  but I went over to Steves channel after Emma mentioned him and really enjoyed his video's and I've been watching ever since, he's a really nice man and his family are lovely too, it's nice easy watching and nice to catch up on their day.

Blogger

My current favourite blogger is the lovely Ioanna who writes the blog Hearting, she is lovely and I really enjoy her blog. We tend to like the same things and she has been responsible for some of my recent haul purchases. She writes about beauty, baking, lifestyle and photography, she takes the most beautiful photographs, her images are stunning. She also owns some amazingly adorable Guinea Pigs who feature on her blog and Instagram feed, they are so cute, go and check her out, you won't be disappointed.

So those are all the things I'm currently loving, do you like any of the same things I've chosen? Or if not what are you currently loving? Let me know in the comments, it's nice to chat :)

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x 

A Spring Beauty Haul

Hello Lovelies

Today I have a beauty haul for you, I have picked some things up over the last couple of weeks and today thought I'd share with you what I bought. 

Superdrug

The first thing I picked up from Superdrug are the Nip+Fab Glycolic Daily Cleansing pads, these were on offer for half price and are something I use regularly so I picked some up, I did want to try the night time ones but they were out of stock unfortunately, however they are on offer again so I might have to have a cheeky purchase. If you would like to try them they are available on the Superdrug website here for £8.59 (was £12.95).

Next up from Superdrug is something I have been waiting to launch here in the UK and it is one of the new Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid Lipsticks, I am loving liquid lipsticks at the moment and heard so many good things about these from American beauty bloggers, I was really excited for their UK launch. I chose the shade Coral Courage, which looks in the tube like a bright coral shade, I can't wait to wear it. You can find the Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid Lipsticks on the Superdrug website HERE for £6.99 but Superdrug currently have a 2 for £10 on Maybelline products, so a good time to try one or two.

Boots

I picked up two of the new Barry M Coconut Infusion nail polishes in the shades Aloha (top photograph) and Flamingo, there are some lovely shades available in the range but I chose Aloha which is a bright pink shade and Flamingo a coral/orange shade, I am so predictable aren't I? I always go for pinks and corals during the spring/summer months. I've read some mixed reviews on these so I am looking forward to trying them out and seeing what I think, you can find the Barry M Coconut Infusion nail polishes on the Boots website HERE for £4.99, Boots currently have a buy one get one half price offer on Barry M products. 

Look Fantastic

I had a 20% discount code for Look Fantastic so decided to have a browse on their site, I love Look Fantastic for beauty items, they have a fantastic range and their customer service is excellent, I have shopped with them for years and never been disappointed. The first thing I picked up was one of the new Essie polishes from their spring 2016 range in the shade Lounge Lover, it is a gorgeous peach/coral shade, surprise surprise, I wasn't too enamoured by the collection to be honest but Lounge Lover stood out to me immediately. 

Next up I picked up the Pixi Glow Mist, I have read great things about the Pixi skincare and in particularly their mists on one of the blogs I read regularly Beautylymin, so when I saw that Look Fantastic stocked Pixi and they had their mists in stock I chose the Glow Mist, I am hoping this helps my foundation to look a lot better, my skin is extremely dry at the moment and I am struggling to wear any sort of base because they all look patchy and cling to my very dry skin looking horrible, I am hoping this will help. 

Boots & Superdrug

Last but by no means least I picked up 3 more of the Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid Lipsticks for a giveaway I am hosting, I asked on my Instagram account which shades people preferred and the general consensus was nude and bright pink so I chose both the nude shades and a bright pink shade. 

The shades are L-R Nude Thrill, Nude Flush and Electric Pink, I love all three shades and wish I could keep them for myself, but I bought these especially for my giveaway.  If you would like to be in with the chance of winning one of these beauties I will leave the link to how you can enter at the end of this post. 

So those are all the beauty items I picked up recently, I will as always be reviewing all my purchases on my blog so keep an eye out for those if you are interested in seeing how I get on with the things I picked up. Which item out of everything I purchased is your favourite? 

To enter my Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid Lipstick giveaway, click onto this link.  

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x  

A Spring Giveaway - Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid Lipsticks - ENDED

L-R Nude Thrill, Nude Flush, Electric Pink

*This giveaway has now ended & the winners have been notified, thank you for taking part, more giveaways coming soon*

Hello Lovelies

I haven't held a giveaway for quite a while and since I am super excited about the launch of the new Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid lipsticks I thought it might be nice to give some away to my readers.  I asked on Instagram which shades people preferred for the spring/summer and nude and bright pink shades came out on top. There are 2 nude shades in the collection so I chose both the nude shades and the bright pink shade which are all perfect for the spring and summer. 

The shades I am giving away are Nude Thrill, Nude Flush and Electric Pink, I have one of each shade to giveaway meaning there will be 3 winners. The giveaway is international and will run for 4 weeks, all entries are via the Rafflecopter widget below and I will be choosing a winner at random via Rafflecopter. 

The Rules

1. You must be following my blog via Bloglovin (click here for a link) 

2. You must be following me on Instagram (click here for a link) 

3. Leave me a comment on this blog post telling me which shade you would like to win and why so I know which shade to allocate should you win, if you're happy with any shade that's fine just let me know in the comments please.

4.  There are some bonus entries on the Rafflecopter form.

5.  For extra entries re gram my Instagram picture about the giveaway using the hashtag #mammafulzobloggiveaway you can do this as many times a day as you wish. 

To enter the giveaway you must use the Rafflecopter form below, there are three mandatory steps to follow on the Rafflecopter form, these are clearly stated and easy to follow, plus there are bonus entries so please make sure you read the Rafflecopter form and the terms and conditions very carefully as all entries will be checked. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions 

✿ All three of the mandatory steps must be completed on the Rafflecopter widget. 

✿ This giveaway is open internationally, I paid for the prizes myself and it cannot be substituted or exchanged. I will be posting the prize to the winner myself, however I cannot be held responsible for items lost or damaged in the post or any customs charges/fees imposed.

✿ Three winners will be chosen at random via Rafflecopter and the lucky winners will win one of the three Maybelline Matte Vivid Liquid Lipsticks on offer – Entrants under 18 must seek parental permission before entering this giveaway as I will need your home address for posting.

✿ There is no purchase necessary to enter this giveaway.

✿ ALL entries will be checked and verified, with any incomplete, false or duplicate entries being removed from the giveaway entirely.

✿ The winner be notified by the email address given and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, an alternative winner will be selected via Rafflecopter’s randomiser.

✿ This is not a sponsored giveaway.

So I suppose all I have to say now is, Good Luck everyone and thank you for entering my giveaway.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

NOTD - China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Hello Lovelies

Today I have another NOTD (nail of the day) post for you and today's NOTD is inspired by the recent sunshine and warmer weather we have had in the UK. China Glazes' Flip Flop Fantasy is the perfect spring/summer shade, it is a bright neon coral shade and when I say bright, I mean bright, but it looks lovely and is one of my favourite spring/summer nail polishes.

I used 3 coats of Flip Flop Fantasy, allowing each coat to dry fully in between and once fully dry, I added 1 coat of my holy grail top coat, the Orly Glosser top coat. 

The finish of Flip Flop Fantasy is a matte/satin finish, it isn't quite matte but it isn't quite satin either, I would describe it as matte with a hint of satin, I do like my nails glossy though so I always use a glossy top coat so I have a nice shine to my nails. 

As you can see, it is a very bright polish but I really like it, it looks nice against my pale skin but also looks incredible when I am tanned and I think it would suit any skin tone, it's a lovely polish for both fingers and toes and perfect for sunny days and holidays. 

I adore China Glaze polishes, they have an amazing shade range and bring out the most spectacular collections but my only negative is that they chip easily, I cannot get more than 2 days from a China Glaze polish on my fingers and considering I don't use my hands much at all and I speak all my blog posts, emails and text messages using voice dictation, so it's not brilliant. I do love their polishes so it doesn't put me off at all and I have re purchased many shades including Flip Flop Fantasy. The China Glaze polishes do last longer on my toes, don't you find toe polish always lasts a while longer than on fingers? But my fingers are usually chipped within 24 hours unfortunately, if you can cope with the easy chipping you may experience, then I would highly recommend checking out China Glaze polishes if you haven't already and in particular, Flip Flop Fantasy, it's very bright and not for the faint hearted but it is stunning for the spring/summer, now wheres that sun?! 

If you would like to try Flip Flop Fantasy by China Glaze, you can find it on the Nail Polish Direct website HERE for £3.95 including free UK delivery, I always buy my China Glaze polishes from Nail Polish Direct, plus other polishes, they are a brilliant company and I haven't ever had any problems when ordering from them. 

If you would like to try my holy grail top coat, the Orly Glosser top coat, you can find it on the Look Fantastic website HERE for £11.10 including free UK delivery, please don't let the price put you off, a bottle lasts me and my daughters well over 18 months and there is a massive 18ml of product in the bottle, it's incredible. 

Have you tried Flip Flop Fantasy or any other China Glaze polishes? Do you have any spring/summer polish recommendations for me? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always 

Zoe x

Vichy Normaderm Night Detox

Hello Lovelies

You may have seen in my recent beauty haul post (see that post here) that I picked up some items from one of my favourite places to shop online for beauty products, Escentual and since Escentual had a discount on all French pharmacy brands throughout April, I decided to take advantage and order a few things, one of the things I picked up was the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox. 

I love Vichy as a brand and have yet to be disappointed by any of their products, so I had high hopes for the Night Detox but not only because of my love for Vichy but also because one of my good friends Gemma had recommended it to me too. My skin has been terrible since the beginning of this year, I have suffered with so many blemishes it's unreal, I have never really had a problem with spots, even as a teenager I just never got them, maybe it's something to do with me having super dry skin but I've never had a problem until the beginning of this year when I started to get big cystic type spots, mainly on the lower part of my face but I do sometimes get the odd one between my eyebrows too. 

I think the sudden blemish party my skin seems to be having maybe something to do with me suffering from PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) because I have heard of some other people who started having a problem with blemishes in their 40's who also suffer with PCOS, but other than that I can't think of any reason at all why my skin has suddenly gone haywire, it is also severely dry and dehydrated too, so as you can imagine, it's not a pretty sight. 

What Vichy Say About the Normaderm Night Detox

Target the causes of oily skin as you sleep with the purifying Vichy Normaderm Night Detox moisturiser.

Normaderm Night Detox is ideal for both teenagers and adults whose skin produces too much sebum over night, which can lead to blemishes and greasiness. Designed to regulate your complexion during these crucial twilight hours, the lightweight fluid offers oil-free, targeted care that’s even suitable for sensitive skin.

The supercharged formula tightens pores, evens the skin’s texture, reduces imperfections and enhances radiance for clear and purified skin upon waking. Though powerful and effective, Normaderm Night Detox is kind to the skin, with an infusion of Vichy’s famously soothing thermal spa water.

Apply every night to clean and dry skin, avoiding the eye contour area. Tested under dermatological control, paraben-free, hypoallergenic and non comedogenic.

My Thoughts

I apply the Normaderm Night Detox to the areas of my skin where I have the blemishes before I go to bed, if I can feel a blemish under the skin, I will pop some on, I also put it on blemishes that are already causing a problem and area's of scaring too. You can apply the Night Detox all over your face, this is how it is meant to be used, but because my skin is super dry and not at all oily or greasy I find it best to apply it just where I need it. 

The Night Detox has a nice light texture to it and it sinks into the skin well without leaving any residue, it is white in colour and has a nice light consistency, it also has a very light scent to it that doesn't linger. 

The first time I used the Night Detox, I had a lump where a huge cystic spot was developing, it was mostly under the skin and was sore to touch. I applied the Night Detox to the spot and also to some area's of new scarring from other blemishes I'd recently had. I was stunned in the morning when the lump was no where near as sore and had gone down dramatically, I continued to use the Night Detox on the spot/lump and within 3 or 4 days it had disappeared completely and the area of scarring I used it on was also looking much better. I was so shocked and didn't expect such fast results, I have used the Night Detox on every blemish or lump I get since purchasing it and I get brilliant results every time and I have noticed that I don't seem to be getting anywhere near as many blemishes or under the skin cystic type spots in the area's I've been using the Night Detox so I am going to start applying some every night along my jawline and in other area's I suffer with the blemishes. I have also noticed a change in the scarring on my face too, it has reduced a lot in the area's I have been applying the Night Detox so I am really pleased with the results so far and I am so happy I took Gemma's advice and purchased this. 

I use the Vichy Normaderm Hyaluspot during the day on my blemishes and scarring and love this product too, but I think the two products combined are making a huge difference to my skin and I am extremely pleased with the results. 

If you suffer with blemish prone skin and scarring I would highly recommend the Normaderm Night Detox, it really does do exactly what it says on the tin. 

You can find the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox on the Escentual website HERE for £13.15 (was £15.50) 

Have you tried the Vichy Normaderm Night Detox? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

An Easy DIY French Manicure

Hello Lovelies, 

I love the look of a French Manicure, it's a classic look that goes nicely with any outfit choice, it looks great on both fingers and toes and can be worn all year round. French manicures can be quite tricky to create but today I'm going to share with you my easy DIY french manicure, and believe me, if I can do it, anyone can! 

Products Used

First of all I start with my Nailene white tip pen.

I have used the Nailene French Tip To Go white tip pens for years, they are so easy to use and look great, the pen has a squared off nib meaning it's easy to create that white tip. The pens come in white and pearl white but I prefer the white one. I usually apply 2 coats of the white tip pen to the tips of my nails. 

Next Up I use a pale pink, and this time I used Essie Madamoiselle.

I usually use the Rimmel Brit Manicure in 445 English Rose for the pale pink/nude base, but I received a set of Essie polishes for Christmas and Madamoiselle was part of the set and I thought would make a nice base for a french manicure so I tried that out. I have to say though, I do prefer the Rimmel polish. I used 2 coats of the Essie polish over the top of the white tip pen, allowing each coat to dry fully in between. 

Next up I added a little bit of sparkle but if you prefer not to add sparkle, miss this step out.

For the sparkle I used Leighton Denny Angel Dust, it gives a lovely subtle sparkle and looks lovely over a lot of polishes and I like to use it with a french manicure sometimes just to add a little something. I use 1 coat of this. 

And lastly it's time to add some top coat. 

I used the Maybelline 3D plumping top coat, using 1 coat of the top coat. This isn't my favourite top coat and unfortunately it isn't one I would recommend as it has gone thick and gloopy when I have around half the bottle left and I need to throw it away, so I wouldn't recommend this top coat. My favourite top coat is the Orly Glosser top coat, I have used it for many years and love it. 

The Finished Look

Where To Buy The Products Used

Nailene White Tip Pen - available from Fragrance Direct for £4.99 including UV top coat or if you would prefer the pearl white, it is available from Superdrug for £5.25 including UV top coat. 

Essie Madamoiselle - available from Boots for £7.99 or if you prefer you can use my favourite, the Rimmel polish in 445 English Rose, which is available for £4.49.

Leighton Denny Angel Dust - available from Beauty Expert for £11.00 including free delivery.

Maybelline 3D Plumping Top Coat - available from Superdrug for £4.99 or if you prefer you can find my favourite, the Orly Glosser top coat on the Look Fantastic website for £11.10. 

So that is how I create a super easy DIY french manicure, the Nailene pen really is super easy and makes such a difference, I have tried other white tip pens but none have been as good as the Nailene. I think it looks lovely and often like to wear a french manicure especially when I can't think of what shade of polish to wear. I have a french manicure on my toes quite a lot too as it goes with any outfit and if we suddenly get some nice sandal wearing weather, I know my toes will be suitable for sandal wearing and look nice too. 

Do you like french manicures but are put off by trying to use a white nail polish? Have you used the Nailene pen? And do you have any tips for a super easy DIY french manicure? Let me know in the comments. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

FOTD - Face Of The Day

Hello Lovelies

I have a post today that I've never written before and it's a FOTD or face of the day post, I have seen these on many a blog and was recently asked if I could write a face of the day post myself. If you're not familiar with what a face of the day post is, it's basically where I share with you the products I've used to create a make up look and explain why I like them and if I would re purchase them and then show you a photograph of the finished make up look at the end of the post. So here goes, I shall crack on with my very first FOTD post. 

The Products I Used

1. Smashbox Photofinish Hydrating Primer £28.00 - I adore this primer and have re purchased it many times and will continue to do so, if you suffer with dry or dehydrated skin or like me both of these things, this is a brilliant primer. It makes such a difference to the way my base looks, you can read my full review of the primer here if you wish and you can find it HERE if you would like to try it. 

2. MAC Lip Erase £15.50 - I cannot believe this product doesn't get any love on blogs, I haven't ever seen a blog review of the Lip Erase apart from mine which you can read here if you would like to. The lip erase basically neutralises the colour of your lips meaning when you wear a lipstick or other lip product, the true shade comes off on your lips. I have very blue lips due to some medication I take and when I wear lipsticks they never look the correct shade on my lips because the blue in my lips throws the shade completely so this is a fantastic product for me, and will be brilliant for anyone with highly pigmented lips, so many people asked me about this after I wrote my review, it's such a shame it isnt mentioned more on blogs. Lip Erase is a pro product which means it isn't unfortunately available on MAC counters, but you can order it online HERE if you would like to try it. 

3. Bobbi Brown Corrector £19.00 - This is brilliant if you have dark under eye circles and a tiny bit goes a long way, I find this is best applied with my ring finger and then blended out with my Beauty Blender. I have a full review of the corrector on my blog here if you would like a more in depth review and swatches,  I use the shade Light to Medium Bisque which is perfect for me, it is nice and compact and easy to pop into my makeup bag, I have re purchased this and will continue to do so. If you would like to try it, you can find it HERE. 

4. Estee Lauder Sheer Tint Release £40.00 - I like to use this as my base during the spring/summer, it is a tinted moisturiser and gives a nice glow to the skin and evens out my skin but doesn't provide coverage as such, I use my concealer in the areas I need some coverage. The sheer tint adapts to your skin tone so is a universal shade, if you are very pale this may be too dark for you, but saying that it is fine for me and I am fair, I am usually the second shade up in foundation for reference. Sheer tint also smells lovely and fresh and is nice and hydrating, if you just want a bit of colour and something to even out your skin tone this is a lovely option and I have re purchased it many times and will continue to do so, however I do want to give the EE cream a try too so if you have tried that please let me know in the comments what you think of it. If you would like to try the sheer tint, it is available HERE. 

5. Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base £19.50 - This is my favourite eyeshadow base and one I have re purchased many times and will continue to do so, it is a brilliant eye primer to wear under eyeshadows, the colours of the shadows are more prominent when using this and I don't have any creasing or fading at all even after many hours of wear. I have recommended this to so many people and everyone who has bought or tried it after my recommendation has loved it, I used to use the Urban Decay eye primer but this is so much better in my opinion, the shadows look brighter and the colour payoff is much richer and stronger, it is a brilliant product and one I will always use and recommend. I do have a full review on my blog here if you would like to read it, or if you would like to pick one up, you can find it HERE. 

6. MAC Select Moisturecover Concealer £15.50 - This has been my favourite concealer for a long time, I love it for under my eyes, it doesn't crease at all and isn't cakey, it's a nice consistency and lasts all day and I highly recommend it if you have fine lines around and under your eyes as it doesn't settle at all, I do have a full review here. I also use the MAC pro longwear concealer (£17.50) but stupidly forgot to add it to the photograph, that is a fabulous concealer also but it does settle into my fine lines under my eyes where the select moisture cover doesn't, I also have a full review of the MAC pro longwear concealer on my blog here, I have re purchased both concealers many times and will continue to do so and if you would like to try them, you can find the Select Moisture Cover HERE and the Pro Longwear HERE. 

7. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade (Blonde) £15.00 - This is excellent and has completely changed the way I do my brows, I really like it and will re purchase when I run out, however a little goes a very long way so that may be some time, it's a brilliant product and one I highly recommend, I do have a full review here including swatches and a photograph of me wearing it. It takes a little getting used to but I couldn't imagine not using it now. If you would like to try it, you can find it HERE.

8. MACnificent Me Times Nine Palette £30.00 - I love this palette, it has a lovely mix of shades in, the times 9 palettes are really good value and have now been reduced in price to £25.00 so even better, I use this palette a lot, it's really handy. Unfortunately it was a limited edition palette so I don't have a link but I would recommend the times 9 palettes MAC stock in their permanent range, I have the Amber one and it's great, see my full review of that here. 

9. Estee Lauder Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length & Volume Mascara £21.00 - This mascara is the best mascara I have tried, it is fantastic and gives my very pathetic eye lashes length and volume and basically does exactly what it says on the tin. Everytime I wear it and upload a selfie to my Instagram account, I get comments on my lashes and asked which mascara I am wearing. It is brilliant and I wouldn't normally buy a high end mascara as I feel high street/drugstore ones do just as good of a job but this really is something else and I will re purchase it in a heartbeat. I do have a full review including before and after photographs of my lashes here if you would like to check that out and if you would like to try it, you can find it HERE including free delivery. 

10. MAC Blot Powder £20.50 -  I use the shade Light in the Blot Powder, I have used this powder for years and re purchased it many times and will continue to do so, it is a nice finely milled pressed powder that despite me having extremely dry and dehydrated skin, doesn't look cakey at all, finding a powder that doesn't look cakey with my skin type is really hard but the Blot Powder is lovely and if you have skin like mine, I would recommend giving it a try. If you would like to try it, you can find the Blot Powder HERE.

11. MAC Royal Sunset Blush - This has to be one of my favourite blushes of all time and unfortunately it is a limited edition product so I don't have a link, it is a stunning blush and one I wear so much throughout spring and summer, I don't want it to run out but so far I haven't hit pan and I've had it for over 2 years now, I think it will be 3 years in summer so I'm not doing bad considering how much I use it. MAC blushes are excellent and extremely pigmented, I highly recommend them, they are expensive but they last forever, as you can tell from this one of mine, it has been used to death but I've not made a dent in it. 

12. Nars Audacious Lipstick In Kelly £24.00 - Nars lip products are brilliant and this is no exception, from the application to the wear time I can't fault it at all, the shade is a bright coral/red and it's lovely for the spring/summer but can also be worn all year round, I do have a full post here if you would like a more in depth review, these are expensive lipsticks but as a treat or a gift or if you just like to buy high end products, these are fabulous lipsticks. I would love to try more of the shades and since the shade range is huge with 40 shades to choose from, there is something for everyone. You can find the Nars Audacious lipstick in the shade Kelly HERE.

13. Smashbox Photofinish Primer Water £20.00 - I use the primer water as a finishing spray once my makeup is done, I find using a fixing spray helps to stop my makeup looking cakey and helps to stop it clinging to my dry skin, at the moment my skin is horrific and the worst it's ever been, I have no idea why but it's getting me down and it looks horrible no matter what products I use, I spritz the primer water over my face as the very last step to stop my makeup looking cakey, I don't think it particularly does much if I'm honest and I wouldn't buy this again, I do have a full review here where I explain in more detail why I wouldn't buy it again. However if you would like to try it, it is available HERE.

The Finished Look

So those are all the products I used to create the makeup look for my FOTD post, I hope you like the look and enjoyed the post, as I said it is the 1st time I have written a face of the day post but it was requested so I thought I would give it a go and I hope you liked it, especially if you requested it. 

Have you tried any of the products I used in my FOTD post? Or would you like to try any of the products I used? Please let me know in the comments and if you have any makeup recommendations for me, please let me know, I love chatting with you in the comments and hearing your thoughts. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x