My First Blog Q And A

Hello Lovelies

Today I have something a little different for you, it is my very first blog Q&A. I have been asked a lot recently if I could do a blog Q&A so I took to Instagram and asked if anyone had a question for me. I will write the user name of the person who asked me the question, then their question in bold text and then my answer underneath. 

Q - LauraTFP - What's your holy grail high end and high street product? 

A - Ooooh this is such a hard question and a good one too,  as you know I am very indecisive but I have chosen and for my high end holy grail product I'm going to choose the Smashbox Photo Finish Hydrating Primer I couldn't apply my foundation without using this first, it makes such a difference and is a brilliant product. My choice for my holy grail high street product was a harder one to choose and I'm going to cheat and choose 2 and they would have to be the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara and the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. 

Q - Bethaniearnison - If you could have a bag by any designer what would it be and why?

A - Another tough choice but I would have to say it would be the Chanel Large Classic Flap bag with silver hardware, I would love to own a Chanel bag and I think the classic flap is timeless and as the name says classic too so it isn't something that would date. Unfortunately at £3,725 I doubt very much I will ever own one unless I win the lottery but it's nice to dream. 

Q - dani_halfpenny - If you had your own makeup line, what would you call it? 

A - I'd love to have my own make up line, how amazing would that be? There are so many things I have thought of, things like Valentines because I was born on Valentines day or Mamma's Make Up but I think I would just simply call it Zoe but the O would be heart shaped so it would look something like - Z♡E but better, is that very boring of me? 

Q - helenannhill - What's the biggest lesson you've learned in life?

A - Hmm this is quite hard but I'd say to trust my instincts, that worrying doesn't change anything and there isn't any point worrying about money when you haven't got any. 

Q - heather_2208 - What's your favourite musical?

A - Unfortunately I haven't seen as many musicals as I'd like to, so I'm going to choose an on screen favourite and an on stage favourite if that's ok? I would say my on screen favourite has to be Dirty Dancing, I would love to see that at the theatre too and my favourite on stage would be Blood Brothers, I do have a wish list of musicals that I'd love to see on the stage though. 

Q - littlemissstyleguru - What other brands would you love to try that you haven't already? Like a wish list of brands to try. 

A - Oooh, off the top of my head I'd say I would love to try Colour Pop Cosmetics, LA Splash, Kat Von D and Kiko but I'm sure there are loads more I'll think of when I've finished this post. There are some products from brands I have tried that I haven't yet tried but would love to for example the ABH liquid lipsticks and the Sephora liquid lipsticks and I'd love to try more from Too Faced and The Balm too, but as I said there's probably loads more I'll think of, theres so much choice. 

Q - hmariet - How did you get into nursing? What was your career path? Any Advice? I'm interested in going into nursing in the future. 

A - I wish I had some great pearls of wisdom for you in answering this question but unfortunately I didn't ever have a desire to be a nurse or a calling etc, a few people told me that they thought I'd make a good nurse and I was at a bit of a loss career wise and decided to go for it and once I did I never looked back, it was the best thing I'd ever done, I adored my job, advice wise I'd say go for it, it's an amazing career, it isn't easy but the good far outweighs the bad. I have so many amazing memories and if I was cured tomorrow and back to being a healthy person I would go back in a heart beat there isn't anything else I'd want to do. I would say not to have too many expectations because every day is different and there will be bad days and days when you want to scream but then there will be days when you feel euphoric because a very poorly patient leaves for home well again or a patient who has had cancer and been very ill pops in to see you to let you know they're doing well, it is truly amazing and if you want to do it, go for it, its different every day and you can go through every emotion known to man in 1 shift but it's worth it I promise. If there is anything specific I can help with please feel free to email me on mammaful@gmail.com. 

Q - piperfun100 - If you could have dinner with 5 Youtubers or 5 people off Instagram who would you pick? 

A - I'm going to choose 5 people who I don't chat to/know in person or haven't ever met before because then I could get to know them. The first one is Beyonce, I am a huge Beyonce fan and would love to meet her so having dinner with her would be incredible. Next I'm going to choose Sam & Nic from Pixiwoo, I have watched Sam & Nic for many years and still enjoy their video's and my eldest daughter is a make up artist so I would love to chat to them about make up and the industry in general. Next up I'm going to choose Sali Hughes, I got Sali's book Pretty Honest for Christmas 2015 and since then I have enjoyed watching her "in the bathroom" series, she is a journalist and writes about beauty and skin care and is really interesting, I'd love to meet her. The last person I am going to choose is Sara Walker, Sara is the first person I ever watched on you tube and although she hasn't made any video's for a while I would love to meet her, she always seemed so down to earth and lovely, I'd really like to meet her and chat to her.

Q - lucyy_elizabeth - How to deal with depression? And what to do if you feel rubbish all the time and want to be alone and don't feel like socialising etc? 

A - Firstly I would say the most important thing is to seek professional help and if you do see a medical professional for depression and don't feel like the treatment you're receiving is helping then tell them and ask if there is anything else they can offer you and tell them how you're feeling and that you want to be alone. Depression is a horrible illness to suffer from and I completely understand, social withdrawal is a side effect of depression and often we feel like we want to be alone and not see or talk to anyone but it can sometimes become a viscous cycle unfortunately, I wish I had the answers for you lovely, I do have personal experience of depression and anxiety and am not doing well myself at the moment so I do understand, but I know if I withdraw from my loved ones I often feel worse, I would suggest speaking to your GP and also tell your loved ones how you are feeling about things too. I'm so sorry I'm not much help lovely but I hope you feel better soon and get the help you need. 

Q - itsmekim84 - If you could have a beauty makeup day with 5 celebs, who would you choose and why? 

A - I'm not really "into" celebrities and I'd much rather spend the day with my daughters and some friends but if I had to choose I'd choose Beyonce because I'm a huge fan, Katie Price because I think she'd be interesting and good to talk to, Princess Kate (not a celeb but still "famous") I'd love to chat to her and meet a real life princess, Rylan Clarke, he makes me laugh and I think he'd be lots of fun and Emma Willis because I could talk to her about big brother, she is the image of my mum when she was younger so I'd love to show her a photograph of my mum and how alike they are. 

Thank you all so much for your questions I really enjoyed doing my first blog Q&A.  If you would like me to do more blog Q&A posts let me know and if you have any questions for a future Q&A please leave them in the comments for me and I will include them in my next Q&A if you would like to see more. 

Thank you to everyone who took part. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

Favourite Beauty Products Of 2015 - Skincare

Hello Lovelies 

Today I have the next category in my 2015 beauty favourites and it is skin care, I am asked a lot about skin care and asked a lot if I can post my skin care routine and I am going to do that soon but for today I am going to share with you my skin care favourites of 2015, for reference my skin type is extremely dry and dehydrated and is sensitive and eczema prone. 

Cleansers & Make Up Removers

The Vichy Purete Thermale Beautifying Cleansing Micellar Oil is a product I wouldn't ever have picked up but from the first time I tried it, I loved it. My eldest daughter describes it as "the make up remover of life" which is a pretty good way of describing it. I am not a huge fan of oil based products but I really like this, I apply a small amount of this to my face and rub it in and then remove with a flannel (face cloth) which I run under hand hot water and wring out. The cleansing micellar oil removes all my make up effortlessly and is a great product, it doesn't leave any residue at all and leaves my skin feeling soft and fresh and it smells incredible too. I use this purely as a make up remover and then use a separate cleanser afterwards. I do have a full review of it on my blog which you can read here if you would like to and if you would like to purchase the Vichy Purete Thermale Beautifying Cleansing Micellar Oil you can find it on the Escentual website HERE.

The Eucerin 3 In 1 Micellar Cleansing Fluid is a 3 in 1 make up remover, cleanser and toner and again is a product I would most likely have overlooked but I really like it, I don't like micellar water cleansers as a rule and when I received this one I thought I would hate it and it would dry my skin out but it doesn't at all. When I use the micellar cleansing fluid I use it both morning and evenings, it removes all my make up including waterproof mascara effortlessly and leaves my skin feeling lovely and fresh, I do still use an acid toner after using this as I would use 2 toners anyway but I don't use my separate hydrating toner, I use this and then an acid tone and then my usual routine. I don't use the Eucerin every day but it is brilliant for mornings and evenings when I'm not up to washing my face and I can rest easy in the knowledge that my skin is clean and fresh. You only need a small amount, a little goes a long way, it really is a fantastic product. I do have a full review of this on my blog which you can check out here if you would like to or you can purchase the Eucerin 3 in 1 Micellar Cleansing Fluid on the Look Fantastic website HERE for £6.75 (was £9.00) including delivery. 

The Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter is a lovely product and is my go to cleansing balm, my all time favourite cleansing balm is the Emma Hardie Cleansing Balm but at £38 per 100ml it is too expensive and when I saw the Body Shop camomile cleansing butter I wondered if it would do the same job as the Emma Hardie for a much more affordable price, I had a 40% off code and picked my 1st tub up for just over £7.00 and the first time I used it I loved it. It smells lovely and melts into my skin wonderfully, I rub it into my skin and remove it with a flannel (face cloth) which I have ran under hand hot water and wrung out, it removes well and does remove all traces of my make up, however I use it as a cleanser and not as a make up remover, but it can be used for both. I do have a review of the cleansing butter on my blog here which goes into more depth and shows the cleansing butter itself. It's a lovely product and a great price at £13.00, I have re purchased it many times but have yet to pay full price as I buy it when it is on offer but I would pay full price for it in a heartbeat. If you would like to try the Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Butter, you can find it on the Body Shop website HERE for £13.00. 

Toners/Toning Products

I like to use an acid toner after cleansing and then a hydrating toner after the acid tone and my go to acid toner of choice throughout 2015 has been the Nip And Fab Glycolic Fix Exfoliating Facial Pads they are amazing! I had used the Pixi Glow Tonic for years and I originally bought the Nip and Fab pads to try as a cheaper alternative to the Pixi Glow, the first time I used them I loved them. I get great results from them, they leave my skin feeling soft and smooth and looking bright, they help with my dry skin and fine lines and I highly recommend them especially if you have been using a more expensive acid tone, I would say to give them a try, you won't be disappointed. Again I do have a full post on the Nip And Fab pads here and if you would like to purchase them they are currently on offer on the Superdrug website for a fantastic price of £6.45 HERE they were originally £12.95 so it really is an amazing offer. 

I use the La Roche Posay Serozinc as my hydrating toner after using the Nip and Fab pads, it is a spray toner and leaves my skin feeling soft and refreshed. It is also really good for blemish prone skin and has always been really helpful when I've had breakouts, Serozinc doesn't have a scent and is a fine mist which dries quite quickly and prepares my skin nicely for my serum which I use after it. I have been using Serozinc for a few years now, being a blogger I do try other products but I always go back to Serozinc, it is suitable for oily skin too and is aimed at oily and blemish prone skin but I find it great for my very dry and dehydrated skin too, it is soothing and refreshing and leaves my skin feeling lovely. If you would like to try Serozinc, you can find it on the Feel Unique website HERE for £8.50. 

Serum

I love a good serum and in 2015 I discovered the brand Ole Henriksen after being sent some of their products for review, I had always wanted to try the brand and was excited to try the serum since serums are something I find make a difference to my skin, I feel if you have a good serum you don't necessarily need to use an eye cream and I take my serum and then my moisturiser around my eye area, it works for me and is something I started to do after never being able to find a decent eye cream and I have found it works better for me but you do need a good serum. The Ole Henriksen Truth Serum is a lovely product, I use it in a morning,  it sinks into my skin beautifully and leaves it feeling soft and plumped and looking bright and I noticed a difference in my skin from the first time of using it, the truth serum has a light orange scent to it that doesn't linger. If you would like to try the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum, you can find it on the Escentual website HERE for £12.75 - £55.25 depending on size.

Whilst I do love the Ole Henriksen serum, my ultimate favourite serum is the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum, it is an incredible product and one I will continue to re purchase, it isn't the most affordable serum I have tried but it certainly isn't the most expensive either and a little product goes a long way meaning it will last a good amount of time. I absolutely adore this serum, it is light but fantastic and if you have dry and or dehydrated skin this is a product you should definitely try. The first time I used it my skin drank it up and felt incredible immediately, as I said I take this around my eyes too, it feels extremely soothing on the skin, sinks in effortlessly and leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated. It has a light fresh scent which doesn't linger and is all in all an incredible product. I do have a full review of this on my blog here and if you would like to try the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Serum, you can find it on the Feel Unique website HERE for £22.50. 

Moisturiser

I have used the Darphin Hydraskin Rich moisturiser for many years now and it still remains a favourite, I have tried many different moisturisers over the years but I always go back to the hydraskin rich. My skin is extremely dry and dehydrated and this moisturiser never lets me down when my skin is at its worst, over the last 7 or 8 months my skin has changed and I'm having a lot of problems with it being extremely dry but the hydraskin rich has been fantastic in keeping my skin hydrated and moisturised. It is as the name suggests a rich moisturising cream but it does sink into my skin well and and I am not waiting for it to dry as I am with some rich moisturisers, although it is a very rich texture it sinks into my skin nicely, it has a light fresh scent that doesn't linger at all. If your skin is dry but not extremely dry, try the Darphin Hydraskin Light moisturiser, I also love the light and use it when my skin is less dry, both are wonderful products and I have recommended them so many times and so far everyone who I have recommended them to, loves them too. I do have a blog post on the hydraskin rich here if you would like to check that out and if you would like to purchase the Darphin Hydraskin Rich, you can find it on the Look Fantastic website HERE for £35.00.

The Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Cream is a lovely night cream, it has a light gel texture but is extremely hydrating, it sinks into my skin with ease and leaves it feeling soft, smooth and very hydrated, the night cream works overnight leaving my skin looking much brighter in the morning and feeling very soft. Before receiving the night cream I used my Darphin moisturiser as my morning and evening moisturiser which worked well and still does and does a fantastic job both in the morning and evening but after using the Ole Henriksen night cream for the first time I loved it and now use it as my night cream around 3 times a week, I limit the times I use it as it is expensive. It is a lovely product and I get fantastic results from it, my skin is softer and smoother and my fine lines aren't as obvious which is brilliant. I have a full review of the night cream, if you would like to read it please click on this link. If you would like to purchase the Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Cream you can find it on the Escentual website HERE for £39.95 (was £47.00) 

Overnight Treatments

I have been using the Estee Lauder Advance Night Repair 2 for 2 years and cannot believe I haven't ever written a blog post on it, I use the advance night repair 2 or 3 times a week as the last step in my skin care routine, it sinks into my skin well and works over night, it leaves my skin looking brighter and feeling smooth and hydrated and also helps with my fine lines. I really like the advance night repair, it is a very expensive product and I received mine as a gift but I would purchase it as I feel it is worth the money and it does what it says on the tin, it doesn't have a particularly nice scent and I can't put my finger on what the scent is but it isn't over powering or off putting at all. I only need to use a tiny amount of the advance night repair and use it around 2 or 3 times a week, I've had my bottle for 2 years and am still using it so although it is expensive it lasts a long time, I am coming to the end of my bottle now but it has lasted me for 2 years which is great. It's a lovely product and really makes a difference to my skin. If you would like to try it, you can find it on the House Of Fraser website HERE for £50.00. 

I received the Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Treatment as part of the 3 Little Wonders Set, a set containing 3 large sample size products. As soon as I tried it I liked it and I noticed a difference to my skin immediately, my skin looked brighter, felt softer and I noticed a visible difference in my pores. The pot I received was only a 7g pot but it lasted really well as I used it sparingly, used with the Ole Henriksen night cream I spoke about earlier in the post, it delivers incredible results and although I have now ran out of the night treatment I will be re purchasing it. The night treatment is a fantastic product and if you are looking for a product to use over night to help with fine lines, skin renewal, hydration and balancing skin tone I would highly recommend trying it. You can find the Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Treatment on the Escentual website HERE for £35.70.  

So those are my favourite skincare products of 2015, I haven't included face masks in this post, I tried quite a lot of masks throughout 2015 and some I loved but had only started to use at the end of the year and couldn't form an opinion but my most used and favourite masks will be in my skincare routine post.

It was hard to choose products for this post as I try so many different products being a blogger and have tried some amazing products over 2015 but I chose the products that I either always go back to or that wowed me from the first time I used them and I have continued to use. Do you use any of the same products? Or would you like to try any of the skincare products that made my favourites?

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

 ✿ Post contains PR samples or gifted products 

My Wishlist Wednesday - Stationery

Hello Lovelies

It's Wednesday again which means I have another "Wish List Wednesday" for you and today's wish list is a stationery wish list, I love stationery, there are some lovely items around at the minute and these are the things I've been wishing for.

1. Pretty Little Liars Themed Planner Stickers - £1.99 - Available HERE - I was very late to the party with PLL and only started to watch it in late October of last year after my youngest daughter telling me she thought I'd like it, she was right, I love it and these stickers are perfect for any PLL lover and planner user and will be great for reminding me when the next episode is on. 

2. Kate Spade New York Spiral Note Book - £12.00 - Available HERE - I love Kate Spade stationery the items are all so pretty and I really like this notebook, I love the gold spot detail on the front and the bright pink inside covers, I have memory problems and notebooks are really helpful for me and this is such a pretty one. It is also available in black and white stripes with a green inside cover if the gold spots and pink aren't your thing.

3. What Would Beyonce Do Pencils - £5.00 - Available HERE - I am a huge Beyonce fan and I love these, they're a bit of fun and made me smile and I think they are great for any Beyonce fan, I think my girls may pinch one of these each too.  

4. Make Up / Cosmetics Planner Stickers - £2.50 - Available HERE - I adore these planner stickers, I don't really know where in my planner I'll use them but they are so lovely that I'll find a place, I think they'll be purely for decorative purposes but they are so cute I just have to have them, if you have any ideas where I can use them, let me know. 

5. Kate Spade New York Contacts Book - £22.00 - Available HERE - I adore this address book, I am in desperate need of a new one and this looks so lovely, I do have space in my planner for writing addresses but I like to have a separate address book to save me writing out addresses every year/18 months when I replace my planner.

6. Valentines / Love Themed Planner Stickers - £2.00 (£2.30 glossy) - Available HERE - I love these, I love anything with hearts on, my mum blames me being born on Valentines day for loving heart related items but these are perfect for me, they're so lovely and will look really nice in my planner but if you don't use a planner these would be really nice to use to make your own Valentines card or to decorate your Valentines card envelope with, I love them!

So those are all the things I'm currently wishing for stationery wise, I am loving planner stickers at the moment as you can probably tell, because of my illness my memory is awful and even writing lists or notes, I still forget things all the time but the stickers really help both me and my family and friends to help us remember things, they all have access to my planner because they care for me and they all enjoy sticking the stickers in too, if you can recommend any stickers you think I would like or find useful please let me know. 

Do you like stationery? What things are you loving at the moment? 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

Personalised Gift Idea's With I Just Love It

Hello Lovelies

Both Valentines day and Mothers day are fast approaching meaning we are all on the hunt for gift ideas and with it being less than 2 weeks until Valentines day which coincidentally is my birthday and Mothers day swiftly following in March I wanted to tell you about some lovely items I recently received from a company called I Just Love It which would be perfect when choosing gifts for either Valentines day, Mothers day or a birthday. 

I Just Love It is an on line company who sell the most incredible personalised gifts, there are hundreds of products to choose from, it's a fantastic site and you really cannot go wrong when looking for a gift for any occasion, the site is easy to use with drop down boxes showing different categories such as occasions where you'll find special days such as Valentines day and Mothers day and other occasions for example Fathers day and under each category is the date which I think is really helpful especially if you like to plan in advance. There are also categories showing gifts for her, gifts for him, gifts for kids, birthdays, what's new and home wear there really is something for everyone making it really helpful when choosing a gift for a friend, loved one or for someone you're admiring from afar maybe for Valentines day. 

I love personalised gifts I think they are very special and show a lot of thought too, I chose three items from the I Just Love It website and although the things I chose are personal to me I think they would make lovely gifts for either Valentines day, Mothers day or a birthday. 

My Family Keyring - £12.99

I absolutely adore the My Family Keyring, and as soon as I saw it I knew I'd love it. You can choose from boy or girl charms and both the boy/girl charms and the heart charm can be personalised with any name. I chose 2 girl charms as I have 2 daughters and each charm has the name of my daughters and then the heart has Simon's name on it.

It was quite hard to photograph due to winter lighting issues but hopefully you can make out the engraving on each of the charms. The Left says Lissy and the right Cole. 

Again it was quite hard to photograph but you can make out the engraving on the heart, it says Simon. The keyring is very special to me and I think it would make a lovely gift for either Mothers day or a birthday or even for Valentines day if you and your partner have children. You can find the My Family keyring on the I Just Love It website HERE for £12.99. 

Teddy Bear A4 Unframed Poster - £4.99

If you are a long time reader of my blog you will already be aware that bears are very special to me and my family and when I saw the Teddy Bear Poster poster I fell in love with it, I love that the bears are cuddling and love the names and love heart too it is perfect for Simon and I and even if you don't like bears it would make a really lovely Valentines gift or even birthday or anniversary gift. You can choose to have the poster in A3 size and it is available to have framed too, all options are shown when ordering. You can find the Teddy Bear Poster HERE for £4.99 (unframed). 

Personalised Wooden Crate - £29.99

I love this little Wooden Crate, you can choose to have any message on them and they come in 6 different colours, they're really lovely and so useful too. Our bedroom is full of boxes and jiffy bags full of products and items I am sent from companies and PR's to review on my blog, when products and items arrive they go on a pile I have for things that have just arrived and then I have a "to photograph" pile, then a "to try" pile and then a "to blog about" pile, so as you can imagine there are piles everywhere! This crate will mean that I can put the "to blog about" beauty products in it making things a little tidier, beauty products are only small so I will be able to fit quite a lot in the crate. You can use the crate for many different things, it would make a cute little toy box or storage for anything really, and would make a lovely gift too. I love mine and although I still have piles everywhere the bedroom will be a little tidier than it was. You can find the wooden crate on the I Just Love It website HERE for £29.99. 

I would highly recommend checking out the I Just Love It website when looking for a gift, they have an amazing range of personalised gifts for all occasions, all my items were packaged really well and I had no problems with delivery, they really are a brilliant site. To check out their website click this link. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

✿ Post contains PR Sample or gifted item