Models Own Hyper Gel Nail Polishes ~ My Thoughts

Hello Lovelies, 

As you may have realised, I have a bit of a problem when it comes to buying nail polish, I love nail polish and rarely do I have bare nails, in fact those 9 weeks of wearing a plaster cast and not being able to paint my nails almost killed me, so much so I took to painting my nails and enduring pain to do so because I was having withdrawal symptoms from not painting my nails on a weekly basis. 

Goodness knows how many nail polishes I own, but this still doesn't stop me buying more, and if you watch my hauls on my You Tube Channel you'll know that there is always a nail polish or 2 in every haul I upload.

At the end of January Models Own hit a milestone of 250,000 likes on their Facebook page and to celebrate they held a 50% off sale off everything on their site including their new range of polishes,  the HyperGel range, the range wasn't due to launch until the 19th February and me being impatient and a lover of all things nails, I thought this would be the perfect time to try out some of their HyperGel polishes and also some of their nail art pens (review coming soon) I've never tried any Models Own nail polishes before but since I love having gel nails done at the salon and the look they give I was super excited to try these and with the promise of gel effect nails and on sale for half the price I was sold.

What Models Own Say About HyperGel ~

HyperGel! 10 brand-new mega-shine shades that are highly pigmented. Enriched with lotus flower oil, the gel-like finish gives the professional shine of a salon manicure. The collection is completed with limited edition colour caps, topped off with colour-matched high-shine swatches on the lids that reflect the gel effect finish of the polish so you can select the perfect shades!

I was so excited to try the HyperGel range, I love the effect of gel nails and have had quite a few gel manicures at my local beauty salon, I love the shine and longevity of a gel manicure but my salon charges £27 so the £2.50 sale price was amazing and to be honest I didn't think £5.00 full price was too bad if the polish lived up to it's claims. I had read quite a few blog posts featuring the HyperGel polishes prior to the Models Own sale and in every post I read, the bloggers had written about the amazing shine the polishes gave, how easy to apply they were, the fantastic longevity of the polishes and how most of the colours only needed a one coat application. I don't normally conform to "blogger hype" because when I have in the past it has never ended well and I haven't had the same opinion as my fellow bloggers, but I thought at half price I'd give the polishes a go. I chose 3 polishes from the range, Cerise Shine, Pink Veneer and White Light. 

Cerise Shine 

Swatch in natural daylight, 2 coats.

Pink Veneer

Swatch in natural daylight, 2 coats.

White Light

Swatch in natural daylight, 2 coats.

My Thoughts ~

The first colour I tried out of my 3 was Cerise Shine, and the first thing I noticed about it was how odd it felt to apply, almost like when a nail polish is on the turn or going gloopy, it felt thick and sticky and didn't apply easily at all. There is no way I could have done just 1 coat, 1 coat was streaky, so once my first coat had dried I applied a second coat, again it felt odd to apply but did apply easier than the first coat. I let both coats dry and was quite happy with the finished colour. 

My nails with 2 coats of Cerise Shine. 

The finish is glossy but no more glossy than other polishes I own, but one thing I did notice was the polish bubbled, you may be able to tell from the photograph above especially on my middle finger. None of the other brands of polishes I own bubble and I always make sure each coat of polish I apply is dry before applying another coat as I know that not allowing polish to dry in between coats can cause bubbling, so I was a little perplexed as to why this had bubbled. The bubbling wasn't too bad though and was something I could cope with so it didn't bother me too much, but something that did bother me was the polish had chipped less than 24 hours after application and bearing in mind I am suffering from a medical condition and can't do anything apart from the odd bit of typing if I am writing a blog post, and it is literally a small paragraph or few lines every now and then because I can't manage any more than that. I was very surprised that the polish chipped so quickly, to compare to other polishes I own, I can get 7 days from an Orly polish and usually only change my polish because I fancy a change of colour after a weeks wear.

My right hand 24 hours after applying.

The chipping isn't horrendous but I expected more. I decided to try the Pink Veneer next but was so appalled at how it looked once dry I had to take it off after a couple of hours,  I had caught my ring finger nail and smudged it but I would have lived with it had it not dried like this. 

Pink Veneer

As I said I caught my ring finger but the bubbling was horrific with this shade, I had to remove the polish so unfortunately I can't tell how how well it wore and longevity of the shade but I imagine since the formula is the same the wear time would be similar to the Cerise Shine. 

Overall I was extremely disappointed with the HyperGel polishes, in my opinion, they don't look like a gel manicure. The wear time wasn't great at all and even if it were, the bubbling I experienced was so bad I couldn't have worn a polish looking like that. I've been painting my nails for many years now and I always receive compliments on my nail polish application when I post a photograph to Instagram or write a post on a nail polish or nail art. I am not a novice when it comes to applying nail polish, but I hated the way the HyperGel applied, it felt gloopy and sticky and despite other blog posts I have read there is no way on earth that one coat would have given an opaque finish. 

On this occasion I wish so much I had not succumbed to "blogger hype" I don't like anything about these polishes at all and from now on I will use them for nail art purposes only, dotting for example, if I use them at all, but I certainly won't be painting my nails with them. Cole also tried the Pink Veneer polish and she found it chipped in under 24 hours and also bubbled, although the bubbling wasn't as bad as on my nails, it still bubbled and she wasn't happy at all and said she wouldn't buy any more colours and won't be using the ones we have again. I am thoroughly disappointed in my HyperGel polishes and will not be purchasing any more colours, I am just glad I only wasted £7.50 and not £15.00 on them. That will teach me to listen to hype I suppose!

If for any reason you would like to try the HyperGel polishes they are available from Models Own here. 

What have you bought after succumbing to hype and regretted? Please let me know it will make me feel better!

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x

Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm

Hello Lovelies, 

If you're a regular reader of Mammafulzo you'll know how much of a skin care junkie I am, I love skin care, and am always researching new things to try, I'd seen the Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm on the John Lewis website and so I researched it more and liked what I read so I picked some up from the Merumaya Website. I have been using the Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm for  months now and although I really love it,  I do like to research other brands and their skin care items and try new things and of course I am always on the lookout for a cheaper alternative to products I use. 

About The Merumaya Cleansing Balm ~

Merumaya Cleansing Balm is a paraben free cleansing balm which is not tested on animals, it contains Echium Oil providing Omega 3,6 and 9 to improve lines and wrinkles and improve the skins elasticity. It also contains Mangosteen Fruit Extract which is rich in vitamins and provides anti oxidant protection and Sweet Almond Oil to provide a velvety finish to the skin. 

Merumaya is a balm cleanser which when mixed with water turns into a milky consistency. Merumaya recommend a double cleanse method, using the first cleanse to remove make up and the second to clean the skin. 

The Merumaya cleansing balm comes in a 100ml tube.

Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm is suitable for all skin types. 

The Box. 

The tube inside.

Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm.

My Thoughts ~

I used the Merumaya cleansing balm in the exact same way as I use my Clinique balm, I applied it all over my face including my eyes and then ran a flannel (wash cloth/face cloth) under hand hot water, wrung it out and then removed the cleanser with the flannel, you can mix some water with the balm to create a milky type consistency if you prefer. 

The cleanser removed all my make up including my waterproof mascara and left my skin feeling silky smooth and really clean after just one cleanse. I have extremely dry skin and at the moment I am really suffering with my skin as it is possibly the driest it has ever been, I also have very sensitive and eczema prone skin, but the cleansing balm was brilliant and didn't irritate my skin or eyes at all, and left my skin feeling very smooth without any dry patches. The scent of the balm is unlike anything I've had before, it is kind of a floral and fruity mix, it's a nice pleasant scent and not overpowering at all. 

I liked the fact that I didn't need to use a lot of the product, a little goes a long way and it rubbed in effortlessly, wasn't at all greasy and removed my make up with ease and without the need for rubbing.

Overall I absolutely love the Merumaya cleansing balm, it is an amazing product, it removes all my make up effortlessly, it doesn't leave a film on my skin, it smells great, it's kind to my extremely sensitive skin and didn't irritate my eyes at all. My skin is left feeling silky smooth without any dryness at all, something which at the moment is unheard of for me. I prefer the consistency of the Merumaya to the Clinique balm, it isn't a "set" formula, it squeezes out of the tube with ease and I think will last longer than the Clinique due to the small amount needed. 

Price wise Merumaya wins too, the Merumaya is £14.50 for 100ml of product and the Clinique is £21.00 for 125ml of product making the Clinique £16.80 per 100ml. But to be honest I would still re purchase the Merumaya over the Clinique should it be more expensive because I love it so much. 

I am extremely impressed with this product and will 100% continue to re purchase it and would love to try out some other products from Merumaya, if they are all as fantastic as this one I shall be a very happy Mamma! 

Move over Clinique, Mamma's found herself a new cleansing balm. 

If you would like to try the Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm it is available from the Merumaya website for £14.50 with £3.95 for 1st class recorded delivery postage or John Lewis for £14.50 with £3.00 for 5 working days postage. I bought mine from the Merumaya website and it arrived within 48 hours of me purchasing it.

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x

My New Favourite Phone Cases

Hello Lovelies,

Recently on almost every You Tube Video I upload where my iPhone is visible I am asked where I got my phone cases from. The phone cases in question are my Moschino-esque phone cases, one is a rabbit phone case and one is a teddy bear phone case.

I had seen someone with a genuine Moschino Gennarino Bear iPhone case and I fell in love with it but since I just don't have the funds for one, I took to my little friend Google and searched for something similar, you can imagine my delight when I found some inspired by cases that looked extremely similar to the case I wanted.

I had wanted the bear case but after seeing other options (rabbit, panda, clutch) the first case I bought was the Rabbit one, I bought it just after Christmas from a UK seller on e-bay, it arrived within a couple of days despite the postal service being a little off with it being the Christmas period, I loved the Rabbit case so much I caved and ordered the Teddy Bear case a couple of weeks later so I could alternate between cases,  and who doesn't need 2 amazingly cute phone cases? I showed my girls the cases online and Cole fell in love too so I ordered her the same ones, Lissy on the other hand wasn't keen as she prefers sleek looking cases.

My Rabbit Case

My Bear Case

The inside of the rabbit case.

The inside of the bear case.

Both cases are made from a rubberised material so I'm guessing would offer some sort of protection should I drop my phone. There are holes for the camera and the so I can mute the phone should I wish, and there are buttons where the volume controls and on/off button is. 

Overall I'm really happy with both the phone cases, my bear one came with a small black mark on one of the "paws" as you can probably see from the photograph above but it doesn't bother me at all, apart from that I have no complaints. 

Unfortunately both the sellers I bought my cases from no longer list the phone cases but I have searched on e-bay for you and found 2 UK sellers and other than that there are quite a few sellers from Hong Kong and China who also stock them, obviously delivery time will be longer.

I found the Rabbit case from this UK seller for £8.29 including delivery and the Bear case from this UK seller for £8.99 including delivery should you want to order one for yourself. 

I hope this post was helpful for all the people who asked about my phone cases, let me know if you buy one and which one you get. 

Thanks for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x

RMS Beauty Raw Coconut Cream

Hello Lovelies, 

As you know I love skin care products and have had the same skin care routine for a while now but I do love to try new products and I am forever researching new skin care products to try, especially since my skin has become incredibly dry over the last couple of months and even my usual routine is struggling to sort it out. 

I first heard about the RMS Raw Coconut Cream from reading the lovely Caroline Hirons blog post on it and I was intrigued. 

I ordered my coconut cream from Beauty Bay it was £12.50 for 70g including delivery, I was running low on my Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm and thought I'd give the RMS a try and from reading reviews on it, it seemed a similar concept to the Clinique, it doesn't work out any cheaper at £12.50 for 70g and the Clinique being £21.00 for 125g it's roughly a similar price but I thought I'd give it a go. 

The Packaging.

The product inside. 

About The Product ~

This is a 100% natural product it is pure certified organic raw, unrefined Virgin coconut oil, which untouched by any heat or chemical treatment means it is left in it's raw state. Coconut oil is an amazing product, it is anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti microbial. It helps to remove dirt and bacteria from the skin and is great for any skin type including acne prone skin. 

As well as a make up remover/cleanser it is also great as a moisturiser, for our eye lashes, makes an amazing hair mask, it's fabulous for the hard skin on our feet, knees and elbows and can also be used as an underarm deodorant. 

My partner Simon suffers from dermatitis on his hands and has been using this on his dermatitis and is has cleared up a treat, it was really sore, the skin was broken and bleeding and the dermatitis had spread from the palm of his hand to his fingers, I suggested rubbing some of the coconut cream onto his hands before he got into bed at night and it cleared up after around 3 days of using it. So this really is a great multi purpose product. 

To store the coconut cream I would recommend a cool place as the product will melt in higher temperatures so definitely not one to be taking on holidays abroad or storing in a warm place, mine is fine in my bathroom storage but my storage unit is away from the main bathroom area, you can keep it in the fridge if you'd rather but it should be ok if kept in a cool place. 

My Thoughts On The Coconut Cream ~

The coconut cream is a hard/set consistency, it smells divine, I love the smell of coconut, if you don't this definitely isn't for you at all. I found the consistency more "set" than my Clinique balm but once I'd started to rub it into my skin it softened quite quickly. 

I wanted to give the coconut cream a fair trial so used it in exactly the same way I use my Clinique balm, I took a bit of the coconut cream and rubbed it all around my face including my eyes and then removed it with a flannel (face cloth or wash cloth) that had been run under hand hot water and wrung out. 

The cream removed all my make up including waterproof mascara which I was very happy with but it did leave a film like feeling on my skin, nothing a second cleanse can't sort out but something I wasn't too keen on. Since this product is made from coconut oil it does break down into an oil once rubbed into the skin and your hands are left with an oily residue from rubbing the product in. 

Overall, I liked the product and it's make up removing qualities but I wouldn't use it as a morning cleanser because of the film it leaves on my skin, I don't like the way my skin feels after using it, I also really didn't like the oily residue it left on my hands and I had to wash my hands twice before actually removing my make up to remove the oil from my hands but I suppose really I didn't think too carefully or I would have realised that because it is made from pure oil, of course it would break down into an oil, definite blonde moment there Zoe! 

I won't be re purchasing the coconut cream again purely because of the film it leaves on my skin and the oily residue on my hands but that said it is great for removing make up and like I said earlier in the post it has worked wonders for Simon's dermatitis, and I am going to give it a whirl on my feet too the next time Cole gives me a pedicure. 

This is a great all round product and a fantastic make up remover it just isn't for me, but if you like oil based products and don't mind that oily hand feeling, I would definitely give it a go, it certainly is a good product to keep in your bathroom cabinet. 

If you would like to try the RMS Coconut Cream, it is available here priced at £12.50 for 70g including delivery. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always, 

Zoe x