Valentines Nail Art ♡

Hello Lovelies,

Since I had my 'Easy Christmas Nails' series here on my blog where I created 10 easy nail designs suitable for the festive period, I have been asked frequently to do more nail art on my blog and more recently I have been asked to do some Valentines nail art. At the moment having my plaster cast on my left arm it is really difficult to paint my nails and difficult to blog too, hence the lack of posts since I broke my wrist on December the 16th, but not one to shy away from a challenge, I dug out my nail polishes and dotting tools last Monday and decided to have a go at some designs for a Valentines nail art post. 

This is what I came up with...

This was my very first attempt at love hearts and ladybugs so please excuse any mistakes. 

I put this photograph up on my Instagram and the most favourite design was the bottom right and top right with the ladybug coming in a close 3rd place. As I said this was my very first attempt at love hearts but I found them quite easy once I got the hang of it, so I thought I would show you how I created both a love heart and the design at the bottom right, and what I used to create it. Since the ladybug isn't particularly Valentines Esq I thought I would include him in an up and coming nail art post. 

So here's how I created the look.

What I used ~

Orly Bonder Base Coat & Orly Glosser Top Coat 

L-R Orly Haute Red, Essie Blanc & Barry M Silver Glitter

How I achieved the look ~

First of all apply a base coat to your nails, I use the Orly Bonder base coat and have done for years, it is quite expensive at around £9-£11 pounds but it lasts forever and is wonderful, in our house, theres 3 of us using it and Cole uses it on clients and a bottle lasts us around 9 - 12 months. I always recommend it to everyone and if you'd like to try it, you can find it here.

Next apply 2 coats of your favourite Red nail polish, mine is Orly Haute Red and is currently on sale for £5.12 here which is a bargain price. Orly polishes are amazing and they don't contain any nasties which is even better and they come in a huge 18ml bottle. 

2 Coats of Orly Haute Red

Next it's time to do the heart design, and to do this I use a dotting tool, as shown in the photograph below, but you could use a cocktail stick or tooth pick or the end of a bobby pin. 

Dotting Tool available in a pack of 5 here for £2.49 inc P&P

Take your dotting tool or whatever you're using and some of the white nail polish, I find it easier to put a little polish on a piece of paper or a saucer. Use your dotting tool and draw 3 dots in an upside down triangle shape on top of the red polish, wherever you want the heart.

3 dots of white polish

Whilst the White polish is still wet, so we need to work quickly, use your dotting tool to join up the dots and create your heart shape, it is quite easy to do, it is basically filling in the triangle and rounding off the top to create the top of the heart. If it's easier, you can draw a couple more dots in, in-between the 3 you have already done and an extra one in the middle. 

Once you have got the hang of the hearts, place them wherever you want on the polished red nail and let them dry. When they are dry carefully apply some of the silver glitter polish over the top of the White hearts. Allow to dry fully and then apply a top coat of your choice. 

My favourite top coat is the Orly Glosser top coat, again I have used this for years and I love it, whenever I paint my nails or upload a photograph of my painted nails to Instagram I always get lots of comments on how shiny my nails are, a bottle of this top coat lasts for months in our house, at least 6 months and I highly recommend it. If you'd like to try it, you can find it here for £8.35. 

You can use the same method for hearts using any polish you like for any colour, the photograph below shows a white polish with pink dots to create pink hearts.

So that is the finished look and also how I created it and how I create hearts. I hope you found this quite easy to follow. Let me know if you re create this nail art look, please feel free to tweet me a photograph or tag me on Instagram or Facebook, all my links are at the top right of my blog page. 

If you would like me to do any more nail art looks, please feel free to ask me, I'm not the best but I'll have a go and as I always say, if I can do it, you can do it :) 

Have a lovely Valentines day ♡

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x

Lush..... Most Definitely Lush

Hello Lovelies,

When something happens and I think "wow that was amazing" I feel I should share it with you, and recently I had probably the best customer service I have ever had from a company/brand and since every month I have my "Mamma's Monthly Moans" series on my You Tube Channel where I tell you about all the rubbish things including bad customer service I've had, that have happened to me over the last month I wanted to share with you something good that happened too.

Before Christmas Hannah mentioned to me that she was excited for the Lush January sale, but was worried she wouldn't be able to go and grab her bargains as her dad isn't too keen on the sales.  I couldn't take her either because of my injuries and Cole was busy working so I told her to text me a list of things she wanted when she had had a look online at the sales items and I would order her the things she wanted and have them delivered here for her. She was very excited. Around the 20th of December Hannah and her friend came to spend the afternoon with me, she had finished school for Christmas that day and exchanged gifts with her friends, she had a bag full of Lush products, her and her friends are all mad on Lush and spend all their pocket money in there when they go on shopping trips so Hannah had received quite a few Lush things for Christmas from her friends and she couldn't wait to show me, needless to say she wasn't waiting for Christmas to open them.

Hannah has been a huge fan of Lush since she bought her first product, a Mint Julips Lip Scrub in August 2012, since then she has bought masses of bath bombs and tried other flavours in the Lip Scrubs amongst other things. Every time she goes shopping she buys something and she spends hours on the website creating wish lists for her next shopping trip.

The day after Boxing Day Hannah text me with her list of products she wanted from the Lush sale, she wanted one of the Christmas gift sets and a couple of bath bombs. I placed her order and it arrived on January 7th 2014. Hannah couldn't wait to come and pick her parcel up, she was so excited, she took the box home and said she was going to use one of her bath bombs that night. A little later on Hannah text me to say that 2 of her bath bombs had broken in half and the snowman bath bomb from her gift set was missing a face as it had come off, she was upset about it and said that it said in the parcel to email Lush if we weren't happy, so I promised I would email and tell them what she said.

I emailed Lush customer service with our order number and I explained that Hannah loved Lush and it was our first experience using their site and that I had ordered the products for her because she is 14  so as her 'adopted mamma' I had ordered the products for her. I wanted to give Lush a bit of background info as I didn't want them to think I was just a moaning customer who was annoyed about my bath bombs being broken, it meant a lot to Hannah, it was her first online order and she was so excited and then really fed up when her things weren't as she expected.

A few days later I received an email from a lovely lady called Lorraine who apologised for the products arriving broken and said she would replace the 2 bath bombs but the gift box was now out of stock that had the snowman bath bomb in so she would send a Bunty gift box instead. I was absolutely shocked that they were replacing the items and kindly sending a gift box too, I replied to the email and said thank you and how kind it was of Lorraine to do that. I thought we would get an email of apology which I could print out for Hannah I wasn't expecting anything like that and to replace the bath bombs and the snowman would have been extremely generous but to send a full gift set is out of this world! I decided not to tell Hannah, I wanted it to be a surprise as I knew she'd be over the moon.

The day after a parcel came from Lush and I couldn't believe what was in it, not only had the 2 bath bombs been replaced, there was another snow man (complete with face) and 2 more bath bombs and the Bunty gift set!

The Parcel

Inside the parcel

The Bath Bombs

The Bunty Gift Set

How amazing is that? I couldn't believe how kind both Lorraine and Lush had been, I opened the parcel and took these photographs and then put it all back in the box and text Hannah to say I had a surprise at my house for her. When Hannah opened the parcel she was absolutely thrilled, she was so happy and couldn't believe it, she was a very happy little girl and couldn't wait to use everything, she spent ages showing me each product and telling me all about them and what happened to each one as it was in the bath, we spent ages looking at each item and smelling them too, then we had a look online and she showed me all the things she has on her wish list. 

I wanted to mention Lush and tell you about their amazing generosity, I think Lush definitely deserve it. So many companies don't get the recognition they deserve and a lot of companies have terrible customer service and get bad name because of it but both Lush and Lorraine went above and beyond to make Hannah happy and they certainly did that, this has to be the best customer service I have ever had from a company, and I wanted to let you all know how kind Lush had been with Hannah. 

I told Hannah I was writing this post and asked if she wanted to say anything and she said " Thank you Lorraine and Lush, I really love everything and can't wait to use it all" and she had the biggest smile on her face too when she said it, she is absolutely thrilled to bits.

Thank you Lorraine and Lush, you have made my lovely girl very happy and I really appreciate it more than you know, Hannah hasn't had the best time and any little bit of happiness means the world to her and to me too and I am extremely grateful to Lush and to Lorraine for their amazing kindness. 

Thank you so much from me and from my lovely Hannah. 

Do you know of any companies that deserve a mention because of their amazing customer service? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x ( and Hannah x) 

                                                              

Pearl Drops Instant White ~ A Review

 Hello Lovelies,

Teeth whitening is something that I would say is definitely on the increase but since it can be quite a pricey procedure at dental surgeries, more and more of us are searching for a cheaper alternative that we can use at home. Today I have a review of a toothpaste which claims to whiten teeth by 2 shades in just 7 days, and costs less than a fiver, interested? I know I was.

I am not the only one in our household that has an interest in having whiter teeth, my daughter Alicia or Lissy as we call her has a keen interest tooth whitening too and when I received the Pearl Drops Instant White Toothpaste she was keen to try it, so I asked her if she'd like to be my guinea pig, and she said yes.

Pearl Drops Instant White Toothpaste *

Pearldrops Instant White claims -

~ Has instant shine and gloss for a brighter smile. 

~ Has Pro Shine Complex, the latest breakthrough in teeth whitening.

~ The 4D whitening system goes beyond regular whitening toothpastes, using a unique blend of polishing agents to help lift stains and plaque, accelerating whitening by up to 2 shades in 1 week. 

~ For teeth so white, they shine.

~ Helps prevent stains forming.

~ Out of 50 people (self assessment) 81% said the toothpaste made their teeth visibly whiter, and 77% agreed it boosted shine and lustre.

~ It is gentle and safe for everyday use.

. 

The Shade Card 

Lissy checked her teeth against the shade card and we decided her teeth were around a 5, so already quite white anyway. She used the toothpaste 3 times a day as directed for 7 days. 

The Bottle

The Tooth Paste

The toothpaste is bubble gum pink in colour and Lissy said it tastes just like regular toothpaste with a minty flavour. One thing Lissy did notice is that her teeth felt sensitive at the tips of her teeth after she had been using the toothpaste for a couple of days, this continued until she had finished using it, it wasn't something that bothered her or was very painful but something she noticed especially if she breathed in cold air or had a cold drink. 

After using the toothpaste 3 times a week for 7 days we checked Lissy's teeth against the shade card and her teeth were a 2 so they had gone from a 5 to a 2, which is 3 shades whiter, a fantastic result. 

Lissy and I were both really impressed with the difference, I was very sceptical to be honest when I read the claims of 2 shades whiter but both Lissy and I were pleasantly surprised. This isn't a long lasting teeth whitening product but for a wedding or any sort of special occasion where you want quick results without much effort this product is a definite must have and for the price I think it's a great product. I am going to try it too so I will let you know how I get on and if I have the same results as Lissy, my teeth are a lot less white to begin with than Lissy's so it will be interesting to see the results I get. 

I would definitely recommend this product, it gives grey results fast with little effort. Both myself and Lissy have tried the Crest 3D Advanced Whitening Strips but neither of us liked them, they tasted horrible, and we didn't see any difference despite using them every day for a week and we were both left with painful and sensitive teeth. 

Have you tried the Pearldrops Instant White? What did you think? Are you interested in teeth whitening products? 

Thank you to my gorgeous Lissy for being my guinea pig, she's a lovely guinea pig don't you think? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always 

Zoe x

*pr sample, all opinions and words are mine and Lissys. 

The Babyliss Powerlite 1900W Hairdryer - A Review

Hello Lovelies,

If you watched my What I Got For Christmas video on my You Tube Channel you will have seen that I received a new hairdryer as one of my lovely gifts from my gorgeous girls. It's the Babyliss Pro Powerlite Hairdryer 1900W in the colour hot pink.

In the box (front) 

Back of the box

About 4 weeks before Christmas my old hairdryer blew up in my hand, I had been using the Mark Hill Little Hottie for just under 2 years and it was fine, but without warning it just blew up, smoke, sparks the lot, to be honest it frightened me to death! Needless to say the hairdryer went to hairdryer heaven aka the bin and that was the end of that. 

Because of my medical condition I find it very hard to dry my own hair and it is something I very rarely do but in case I ever needed to I found the Mark Hill brilliant, it was really small, really light and was almost as powerful as a bigger hairdryer, I never ever blow dry my hair, if I dry it, it's literally a quick blast of my hair and I'm done but it did the job and I loved it, well until it almost electrocuted me that is. 

After my hair dryer died of death my lovely girls decided they would get me one for Christmas, I had no idea I was getting one so it was a lovely surprise. They took lots of time looking online at light weight models and in the end searched a forum for people in pain and suffering from medical conditions and disabilities. On the forum they found that lots of people had recommended the Babyliss model so they searched online for it and once they'd realised it came in pink they were sold. It does also come in Dark Grey and Black if pink isn't your thing. 

I was/am so touched that they went to so much trouble to find the right model for me, I could never use a regular sized hairdryer because of the weight of them, I can't lift my arms above my head and holding a heavy dryer too is impossible. As I said 99% of the time I don't dry my own hair but sometimes needs must or I get that stubborn independent streak I have and just want to have a go. 

The hairdryer came with a little booklet of instructions, a little brochure of Babyliss products and a nozzle. 

It's fairy self explanatory from the controls on the handle but I did read through the instructions just to be on the safe side, I didn't want anymore hairdryers exploding in my hands. It states on the box that the hairdryer has 6 heat/speed settings, and a cool shot button. Now this might just be me but I thought that meant 6 heat settings and 6 speed settings and a cool shot button, non? 

As you can see from the above photograph, the hairdryer has 2 speed settings, 3 if you're including stopped or off and 3 heat settings, so rather misleading to say 6 heat/speed settings don't you think? I did. There is however a cool shot button as described. 

I have used my hairdryer and it's a great model, it is more powerful than my Mark Hill one but it is heavier, after all it is a larger model so that is inevitable I suppose. As I said I don't ever blow dry my hair, I literally blast my hair dry, brush it and go so I was able to manage, as I said it is slightly heavier than the Mark Hill one and I wouldn't be able to use it for any length of time, for example if I did want to blow dry my hair it would be too heavy but so would the Mark Hill model and I wouldn't be able to lift my hands above my head anyway so it isn't really an issue, but just for blasting my hair dry it was fine although slightly heavy. 

Overall this is a great hairdryer for people who struggle with a regular size and weight model and who just want to blast their hair dry and go, if like me you struggle to lift your arms above your head and find it difficult to hold heavy objects I wouldn't maybe recommend this for blow-drying your hair but if like me you're only going to use it very rarely and for a quick blast off it is ideal and because this is a powerful model it dried my hair a lot quicker than the Mark Hill did. 

If you would like to try this hairdryer you can find it Here for £31.14 including free delivery. 

Whilst searching for products to link in this post I came across This which is amazing and I am definitely going to purchase asap for the times when I need to dry my own hair or "blast it off" as my sister says. 

Have you tried a light weight hair dryer? What are your thoughts?

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x