A Great Big Thank You

Hello Lovelies

I have a bit of a different post today, but I wanted to say thank you so much to so many of you and this seemed the best way to do it. 

On Monday of this week, the 21st November 2016, I had to go into hospital, it was a planned procedure/surgery and I have known for just over a month that I had to go in. The actual surgery was incredibly painful and I am now recovering slowly at home, I was allowed to come home under the care of district nurses and on strict instructions of 24/7 bed rest, well sofa rest since I put my back out the Thursday before I went into hospital and am struggling to lie down (typical).

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who wished me well on Monday before and during my time in hospital and for the messages, emails, tweets, DM's, Instagram DM's and comments and emails I have received since I got home, it is overwhelming how many people care about me and really has helped me to feel so much better, thank you so much!

Also, last Friday I did something I haven't done in just over 12 months and that was upload a YouTube video, if you are new to my blog you may not be aware but I used to upload to YouTube 3 times a week and filmed a variety of video's, due to health problems I took a break in September of last year but always hoped to return. Unfortunately my health has deteriorated since then but I do miss YouTube, my subscribers and the community, and after lots of deliberating I decided I would give it a go again, things will be a little different but I'm going to see how it goes. 

Another thank you is to everyone who has watched the video I uploaded and for all the amazing comments I have received on the video, it is incredible the amount of support and kindness I received and so lovely to see that so many people were pleased to see little old me. 

If you haven't seen the video but would like to watch, you can check it out below, and if you would like to see more of me, please subscribe to my channel HERE. 

Last but by no means least I currently have a HUGE blog birthday giveaway, there is just 1 week left to enter and there are 8 amazing prizes to choose from. If you haven't entered but would like to, you can enter HERE. 

Thank you ever so much for all your kindness regarding my YouTube video and for all the love and kindness shown to me since my op on Monday, unfortunately I am still not well at all and the op was a complete waste of time but I will explain more about that in a health update soon. 

Thank you all so very much from the bottom of my heart, you are all amazing and it means the world to me, thank you! 💖

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

(Thank you Image from google images) 

Nails Inc After Gel Hangover Cure Ten In One Treatment

Hello Lovelies

A few months ago I had a gel manicure at a local salon, I had two lots of gel nails, one after the other and my nails were left in very bad condition, they kept breaking and peeling and were so weak. I took to Twitter to ask for advice and the lovely Allie (@Allegra_Sarah) recommended the Nails Inc After Gel Hangover Cure 10 in 1 treatment, so next time I placed a Boots order, I picked some up. 

What Nails Inc Says About After Gel Hangover Cure

This miracle treatment uses a blend of natural ingredients coupled with scientific know how to deliver a proven intense repair treatment for nails damaged by gel manicures or nails in poor condition. The powerful treatment works in 10 ways to repair and rebuild the nails.

Strength: a keratin like peptide & spinach help actively strengthen & reinforce the nail.

Regenerate: powered by vitamin & mineral rich seaweed extract, known to help hydrate & regenerate the nail.

Harden: hexanal & kale work together to harden the nail bed.

Protect: a blend of peptides help reinforce the nail & prevent breakage. Smooth: ridge fillers conceal ridges and imperfections. 

Hydrate: argan oil helps provide nourishment.

Gloss: nitrocellulose provides brilliant shine. 

Perfect: optical brighteners brighten the nail. Base: one coat works as an adhesive base coat. Treat: two coats provide an intensive treatment."

My Thoughts

The Nails Inc After Gel can be used in 2 ways, either as a base coat by applying 1 coat underneath your nail polish or you can apply 2 coats to the nails twice a week and then after a week remove the After Gel and repeat the process. 

The brush on the treatment is a wide brush which I like as I find it is easier to apply, the After Gel  dries quite quickly meaning if I am applying 2 coats it dries quickly in between. 

I have used the After Gel as a base coat under my nail polishes and as a treatment using 2 coats twice weekly and then removing the treatment and starting again. If using as a treatment I usually apply my first 2 coats on a Sunday and then apply a further 2 coats over the top on Wednesday or Thursday and then remove on Sunday and start again. The After Gel has a white colour to it and isn't completely clear so if using it as a treatment it can be seen on the nails, I thought it would be clear but it isn't, it doesn't bother me at all but if you're after something clear, this isn't.

I have used the After Gel as a my base coat every time I have painted my nails and as a weekly treatment around 5/6 times since I purchased it and my nails are a lot stronger than they were after having 2 gel manicures, one after the other. I wouldn't say my nails are talons and the odd nail does still break from time to time, but my nails aren't weak or peeling anymore, when I'd first had my second lot of gel removed my nails were very weak and so soft, they would bend easily but they feel so much stronger now. 

Since first purchasing the After Gel I was sent a Sensationail Gel Nail Kit to review on my blog and since then I have bought quite a few gel polishes and have been using the gel polishes applying them to my own nails, I have used 3 of the shades I picked up and have used the After Gel in-between using different gel shades and it definitely makes a difference. 

I did think that using gel polish on my nails would make my nails weak and brittle again but my nails are still as strong as they were and they don't split or break and aren't weak at all, I do have the odd broken nail but it was always rare for me to have all 10 nails a nice length anyway, I always seem to have a short one where I have broken one. The After Gel has definitely helped to restore my nails back to a healthy state and keeps them strong in between gel polishes I do at home and I always use it as my base coat when painting my nails with regular nail polish. 

Overall I am really happy I picked the Nails Inc After Gel treatment up, and can't thank Allie enough for recommending it to me. It is expensive but it does exactly what it says on the tin and my nails look and feel so much better, I would definitely recommend it and will re purchase when mine runs out. 

If you would like to try the Nails Inc After Gel, you can find it on the Boots website priced at £9.50 for 8ml and Boots currently have a 3 for 2 offer across beauty products, so it's a great time to pick it up. 

Have you tried the After Gel? Or do you have a favourite nail treatment? Chat with me in the comments and let me know. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always 

Zoe x 

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A HUGE Autumn/Winter Fashion Haul

Hello Lovelies

Today I have a fashion haul for you and I have quite a lot to show you so you might want to grab a drink and get comfortable before reading. I have been picking things up over the last couple of months now and today I thought I would show you what I bought. 

It's really hard to show clothing photographs on a blog I think so if you would like to see any of the items I show today in an outfit post, please let me know in the comments. Anyway without further ado, I shall crack on with my haul. 

Accessorize

Simon treated me to these Bertie Bear socks from Accessorize, bears are a sentimental thing in our house so I love to get things with bears on and I really like these socks. All the £3.50 socks are on a 3 for 2 offer at the moment which is perfect if you're looking for a stocking filler, pardon the pun. 

Primark

Left to right I picked up a burgundy striped long sleeve t shirt with a scoop neck, they have these in so many different patterns and colours, they are quite fitted so you may want to size up but they are great value at just £4.00 each. Next I picked up a grey/black leopard print cardigan, leopard print is everywhere this season and I really like it, it was hugely on trend a few years ago and I stupidly got rid of all my pieces and now wish I'd kept them, this cardigan was £8.00 and looks nice over a black vest top and worn with jeans or over a plain black dress and boots. Lastly I picked up a striped shirt in a dusky pink shade, this is also available in a blue/grey shade which is lovely but I have a blue striped shirt so I chose the pink, it was only £7.00 which I thought was a bargain and looks lovely worn open with a vest top underneath or closed, I wear it with leggings and skinny jeans as it is long enough to cover my bottom, I like that the sleeves can be rolled up and buttoned in place or worn down. 

I also picked up some Christmas earrings, these Rudolph earrings were only £1.00 and are super cute, they have a red sparkly gem for the nose and gold sparkly antlers, I also picked these up for both my daughters and they loved them. I did also pick up some black gloves in a lovely fluffy fleece type fabric, they are 2 pairs for £1.00 and they also do them in cream or baby pink and I picked the girls some of those up too. I picked my youngest daughter Alicia some tights up, they are the body sensor tights so they keep you warm when it's cold and cool when it's warm so she should be warm when travelling to university but not over heating in lectures, we had looked at the exact same tights in M&S about 20 minutes before going into Primark and they were £9.50 for 2 pairs of 100 denier body sensor tights, in Primark they are £5.00 for 3 pairs and we picked up 2 packs so paid £10.00 for 6 pairs and it would have cost us £28.50 in M&S for 6 pairs!! The lower denier body sensor tights are slightly cheaper at £3.50 for 3 pairs in 40, 60 and 80 denier. I can't link the Primark items unfortunately but they do have a website if you would like to check these things and other things out HERE.

Oasis

Oasis have some stunning pieces at the moment, I used to shop there a lot around 10 years ago but the sizing suddenly went really small and the prices went up a lot but I have been looking at their site a lot recently, they have some really lovely pieces and they also offer student discount all year round which is worth mentioning in case you or someone you know has a student discount card or uni days account. The first thing I picked up from Oasis is this Leopard print crew neck top, it has black edging around the neckline and has a keyhole fastening at the back with the same black edging and a small gold button. This top feels lovely and soft and looks great with black jeans or a black leather skirt, tights and boots, my lovely daughter Lissy picked this up for me as she knew I'd love it. 

Next from Oasis is this lovely fitted striped t shirt with a round neck, it has a sparkly stripe which unfortunately didn't pick up very well on camera but looks stunning in reality, this top looks lovely with jeans or a skirt and is a nice smart top to wear for shopping trips or visiting friends without being uncomfortable. 

Next

This photograph doesn't really do these jeans justice, but these are a mid wash skinny jean and are the most comfortable pair of jeans I have ever worn, they are sold as denim leggings but look and feel like skinny jeans just a lot more comfortable. They are available in lots of different colours and are available in sizes 6 - 22 in petite, regular, long and extra long leg length. They have pockets on the back and a zip and button fastening on the front, they look like they have pockets on the front but they are false pockets but the ones on the back are real. I highly recommend these jeans especially if you're like me and can find jeans uncomfortable. 

One thing I did find that disappointed me was I loved the blue jeans so much so I ordered a black pair in the same size which is an 18R and I also ordered a 20R, the 18R was tight on the waist and I couldn't fasten them and baggy on the legs and the 20R fastened but still felt tight but the legs were really baggy and I mean baggy, they also didn't feel as comfortable, the material wasn't the same at all, they were the exact same jeans in the same size from the same store yet they fitted completely differently and felt totally different too, so make sure you try these on and try a couple of different sizes, but the mid wash blue I can highly recommend, they are so so comfortable and they are skinny on the leg too. 

H&M

I picked up a few things from H&M, I don't usually order from H&M online because in the past their shipping has been atrocious and taken weeks and then things don't arrive that I have ordered, but they have changed their shipping service and it is so much better, you can even select next day delivery now, plus they had 20% student discount at the time so I bit the bullet and ordered a few basic bits. I ordered a black ribbed long line cardigan, it doesn't have buttons and is only quite thin but I don't like chunky knitwear as I am always quite warm because of the medication I take.

I also picked up 3 tops from H&M, L-R the first one I picked up is a black bardot top with 3/4 length sleeves, it looks lovely on and can be dressed up or down and I think it will be a really versatile piece to have in my wardrobe. The bardot tops are available in 7 different colours including a lovely striped one, they are available in sizes XS - XL and you can find them on the H&M website for £7.99. 

I also picked up 2 v neck t shirts, a black one and a dark grey one, they are just plain v neck t shirts but I have been on the lookout for some nice plain v neck t shirts for years now and my lovely friend Khila recommended these to me, she used to buy them years ago and then they stopped selling them and recently re stocked them so she recommended I try them, I did also order a white but it was only available in a larger size and was too big unfortunately so I will order that again sometime. Excuse the photograph of the creased grey t shirt, it had been in the bag and I didn't realise how creased it was, a good thing is that the creases dropped out whilst the t shirt was hung in my wardrobe. The t shirts fit well and are quite a loose fit, they cover my bottom so can be worn with skinny jeans or leggings and are a lovely soft material, they come in 7 different colours and are available in sizes XS - XL and you can find them on the H&M website for £7.99. 

Dune

Last but by no means least I picked up these shoes from Dune, they are black patent flatform loafer style shoes and I really like them, they are different for me and I was unsure at first but after asking what people thought on Instagram I was sold, they are also available in burgundy patent which is stunning but I felt black would go with more for me. 

They look great with jeans or leggings but look equally as nice with tights and a dress or skirt too, and best of all they currently have £10.00 off them making them £28.00 instead of £38.00, plus Dune also take student discount so even better if you or someone you know has a student discount card or a uni days account! If you would like to pick up the shoes, you can find them on the Dune website  priced at £28.00 (were £38.00). 

So those are all the things I have picked up over the last couple of months online and in store, I am sorry there was so much and the photographs aren't brilliant, but it is so hard to photograph pieces of clothing. If you would like any fashion posts with me wearing any of the items in this haul, please leave me a comment below, tweet or email me. Also let me know which is your favourite item in the comments below, I love chatting with you all. 

Before I go, I have a new Facebook page and would love it if you could give it a like and if you have  friends who like to read blogs or watch vlogs then please invite them to like my page too. If you would like to "like" my page, you can do so by clicking onto THIS LINK.

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x 

A Christmas Gift Idea From Happiness Boutique And A Discount Code For You Too

Hello Lovelies

If you know me well or have been a long time reader of my blog then you'll know that I love jewellery, I have some pieces of jewellery I wear every day but I also love to wear costume jewellery and in particular statement necklaces, they can completely change an outfit and I wear them a lot. 

When Happiness Boutique asked if I would like to choose one of their statement necklaces I of course said yes please, but I also thought it would be a great opportunity to share it with you as an a Christmas gift idea, last year Simon bought me 2 beautiful statement necklaces for Christmas and I have worn them so much, they are an ideal gift idea for any jewellery lover. 

Happiness Boutique are an affordable online jewellery brand from Germany, they have beautiful pieces of jewellery on their website including earrings, necklaces, statement necklaces, bracelets, rings and much more and all their pieces are nickel and lead free, they have some stunning pieces and  I really was spoilt for choice when choosing my item. 

Happiness Boutique have a great customer reward programme and you can also join in with their bi monthly giveaway which I think I will be entering too! Happiness Boutique offer free world wide shipping which is something I always look for when ordering gifts as shipping can make the price of buying a gift much more expensive.

My jewellery came beautifully packaged in a white box with the Happiness Boutique logo on the box lid, inside my necklace was wrapped in tissue and there was a business card on top, it was very nicely packaged and obvious a lot of thought had gone into the packaging.  

I chose the Shine Bright Statement Necklace, it is stunning and I chose it because I feel I can wear it all year round and it will go with a lot of outfits and colours, it is beautiful.

I love the nude colouring as it will go with so many outfits and it is so pretty, I can wear it all year round too which is a bonus as some of the statement necklaces I own are definitely season appropriate. The first time I wore the necklace I wore it with an all black outfit and I got so many compliments on it because it stood out beautifully against the black, it is a beautiful piece and I am always complimented and asked questions about it when I wear it. 

There are so many beautiful pieces on the Happiness Boutique website and if you are looking for a Christmas gift for a friend or loved one, or you want to treat yourself, I would highly recommend you check out their website, they have something for all tastes and to make your shopping trip even better, I have a discount code for you to use, simply enter the code mammafulzo at the checkout and you will receive 10% off orders over 19 euros up until the 15th December 2016. 

If you like the statement necklace I chose, you can find that on the Happiness Boutique website HERE priced at £19.72, and you can browse the website for all their other stunning items here. 

Let me know if you do choose a gift for yourself or someone else and what you chose or let me know your favourite item on the Happiness Boutique website. 

Also I now have a Facebook page, if you would like to give it a "like" you can do so by clicking onto THIS LINK. 

Thank you for reading, much love as always

Zoe x

✿ Post Contains A PR Sample or Gifted Item/Items

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