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Thursday 1 July 2021

Support The Clare Elise Podcast on Ko-Fi.

Yes, I'm back blogging again! 'HOORAY.'



If you follow me on the socials you'll know already that I've set up a sparkly podcast. I set the podcast up back in October 2020 and released my first ever podcast episode in November 2020. Since starting the podcast I've chatted to 25 sparkly businesswomen and each has shared with me their personal business journey. 

I'm passionate about supporting small businesses and whenever I can I shop on the high street at independent grocery stores, card shops and bakeries etc. I also love buying funky accessories and sparkle from small online businesses. 

I grew up surrounded by small businesses within my own family and know what it takes to set up and manage your own biz. I decided to set up my podcast so that I could share peoples stories and find out more about what happens behind the scenes within small biz. I also set up my podcast during the pandemic as a way to support up and coming small sparkly businesses/brands. 



Right now, I don't have a sponsor however I am looking for one so if you're interested in sponsoring my podcast then do get in touch.

I do however have a Ko-Fi page and Ko-Fi is a great way to support creatives. At the moment as mentioned above I don't have a sponsor and I do this for the love of it and because I'm passionate about sharing stories and supporting small brands... However, there are running costs and it does take me weekly many hours to record, produce and edit this podcast. So therefore I decided to set up a Ko-Fi page so that you the lovely listener can support me and my sparkly podcast if you so wish by buying me a coffee on Ko-Fi. LOL, and you know how much I LOVE COFFEE! 😀 

But yeah on a serious note if you've subscribed to my podcast and you listen to my podcast each week. THANK YOU. I so appreciate it. Just like small businesses do a happy dance each time they get a sale I do a happy dance around my kitchen every time I get a new subscriber or another listen to the podcast. 

If you do wanna check out my Ko-Fi link I pop it below and if you yourself are on Ko-Fi give me a follow and I'll follow you back. 💖

https://ko-fi.com/clareelise

Wednesday 30 June 2021

YourZooki a review

You can now take Vitamin C from a sachet whilst on the go...


Now I know that dissolvable Vit C has been around for years however, I recently discovered YouZooki which is Liposomal Vitamin C and this stuff is a game-changer!

As you know I'm a singer and years ago I used to tour all over the UK & abroad singing. I was gigging most nights and this often meant that I caught colds and that my voice would then suffer. I got fed up with struggling through gigs and getting ill all the time so I added a high dose of Vit C into my daily routine and since then I've never looked back. I use to be one of those people who always caught lots of colds. As soon as it turned to Winter I would stock up on tissues and get ready for a snuffly nose. Then I discovered that taking 500mg to 1000mg of Vit C daily really helped. It helped my immunity AND it also helped me with my skin. At first, I thought that maybe I was imagining the whole skin thing however, I stopped taking Vitamin C daily and soon noticed a MASSIVE difference in my skin. 



I first discovered YourZooki in Boots. I spotted one of these little sachets on the shelf and out of curiosity I brought one and tried it. YourZooki is Liposomal Vitamin C you can take this form of Vitamin C either straight from the sachet, mixed into food or with water.  I've been taking mine daily now for just over a couple of weeks and find personally that I like to take it mixed into water although I have tried it on its own directly from the sachet and to be honest, it tastes perfectly fine so you could easily take this whilst on the go. 



When you mix YourZooki Vitamin C with water it makes the water look a little like milk I thought I'd share this with you because when I first used YourZooki and saw the water change as I popped the orange gel into it, it actually made me wonder if I'd done it right! When I tried YourZooki Vit C with water for the first time I found the taste a little strange however now that it's part of my daily routine I'm used to it and it doesn't taste bad at all.  

The thing that makes this so different from some other Vitamin C's is the fact that it is Liposomal Vitamin C. Your Zooki explain what this is a little better than I can so here's the explanation that's on the pack. ' We wrap Vitamin C inside "Liposomes" - tiny bubbles built from phospholipids that mimic the body's own cell membranes. Liposomes are designed to readily pass through the walls of your cells to deliver Vitamin C on a cellular level - making it easier for your cells to absorb Vitamin C before it is excreted by the body. Once Vitamin C has been delivered, the liposomes break down and the phospholipids are used by the body to make new cells.'

From what I understand after reading more about this is that by taking Vitamin C this way in this Liposomal form it's absorbed quicker and better by your body.



Overall review of Your Zooki Vitamin C.

I like it! YourZooki Vitamin C is Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Soy-free and Vegan which I think is fab. Both dairy and sugar is a big thing for me when it comes to choosing vitamins for either me or my little person so seeing that YourZooki Vitamin C doesn't contain either 'happy days!'.
YourZooki Vitamin C is 1000mg of Vitamin C with 6.7mg of Vitamin E.
It took me a few days to get used to the taste however now I'm fine with it and just to make it clear it doesn't taste bad at all it tastes orangey. 
Vitamin C is great for/helps with immune health, energy, skin, psychological function, oxidative stress and collagen formation. As I mentioned earlier in this post I'm a fan of taking Vitamin C daily and personally I've noticed that when taking this my skin looks better and I don't seem to have as many breakouts and I also feel like I have more energy. Hooray! 
You can buy on the YourZooki site a box of 30x15ml sachets and they cost £39.99. Also, you can buy a 7-day trial pack for £9.99 and if you continue after this with a monthly subscription you get charged just £34.99 a month for a 30x15ml pack. (Prices correct as of June 2021)

This is just my personal review and as with any supplements make sure you check with your GP or healthcare professional before taking things.

Next up another product from YourZooki this time it's Turmeric Zooki Micellar Curcumin. This contains 750mg of curcumin. When you buy one of these boxes you get just 14x15ml sachets and this is Tangerine flavour. Again this is Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free and Vegan. 

Here what Micellar Curcumin is as explained on the side of the box by YourZooki. 'We wrap Curcumin in MICELLES - tiny bubbles of phospholipids designed to shield, protect and deliver Curcumin through the digestive system and into the bloodstream. 


It's the same as the Vitamin C you can take this either directly from the sachet, mixed with water or you can add to smoothies or yoghurts. 




I once again take this with water and once stirred it turns the water an orangy, yellow colour. This supplement has an orange flavour and as with any Tumeric product or as with Tumeric itself you need to make sure you don't spill it anywhere as it might stain surfaces.  

YourZooki Tumeric is a new product to the YourZooki range and you can read more about it here.

What is Curcumin used for? 
It's a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. So it's helpful for inflammation within the body. 

As I mentioned earlier in this post before taking supplements like this make sure you check with your GP or healthcare advisor.

What do I think of YourZooki Tumeric?

I've only been taking this for a short time so it's maybe a little too soon to know if this has benefited me. However, I'm impressed with the product itself and it tastes nice and it's easy to take daily.

If you want to find out more about YourZooki and read about the product range check out > 




(These products were gifted to me by YourZooki and this post contains affiliate links.)



















Monday 17 May 2021

Why I love Leonie Dawson.

 I discovered Leonie Dawson about six years ago after trying to find a planner for the New Year. Since then yearly I've invested in her workbooks and planners and I would say that they've been worth every penny.  Each year I've started the year inspired and full of sparkle thanks to this awesome lady.


Leonie Dawson is a vibrant and colourful character who brightens up your day. Her website is filled with colour and amazing courses. One thing that I do really like about Leonie is the fact that her products are reasonably priced which makes learning new things through her courses affordable.

If you're looking to fulfil your dreams and grow then check out her eCourses below...

Sales Star Masterclass

40 Days To Create + Sell Your E-course

40 Days To A Finished Book e-course

Two great courses for self-care...

Soul Care In Uncertain Times: 4 weeks of mini-retreats to create purpose and calm from chaos

Anxiety Balm





Want to check out all Leonie has to over click below... 

CLICK HERE FOR LEONIE DAWSON'S COURSES




(Affiliate links included within this post.)

Saturday 26 December 2020

Probio7 and why I love probiotics!

I've talked a lot about probiotics here on the blog and on my YouTube channel over the years. I figured I'd share with you why I find probiotics helpful for me and introduce you to some of the Probio7 range as maybe you're looking at trying out probiotics for yourself. (If you're taking medication or you have health issues always speak with a Doctor or health professional for advice before taking probiotics or vitamins.)


I've taken lots of different probiotics over the years. I've taken probiotics in yoghurt drink form, powder probiotics, tablet probiotics and liquid probiotic. I'm not gonna lie it was a matter of trial and error when it came to finding the right probiotics for me and it did take me a bit of time to find out what worked for me. I've also used different types of probiotics at different times depending on my overall health but hey I'll talk more about that as I continue writing. 

I've taken probiotics for lots of different reasons. I first developed an interest in probiotics many years ago. I was in my early twenties gigging lots and feeling really tired.  I started taking a multivitamin and found that helped a little however soon after I found out that I was low on iron so I had to take an extra iron supplement as well on the advice of the Doctor. I read more about probiotics back then and started to try different types. I started off with the yoghurt drinks and to be honest I didn't really notice much difference in my health so I gave up on those. I then tried out some powder form probiotics, these were ok however I think this was just one certain strain of probiotic and it didn't seem to suit me. I gave up on probiotics then for a while and only really started to look at taking them again seriously when I was in the Middle East. I think it was the mixture of new food and environment that made my stomach churn, I felt unwell and was suffering really bad with gut health issues. I went to see a health advisor at a local store and he was super helpful and talked me through all the different ranges. At this time all the probiotic tablets were stored in a fridge (this isn't so much of a thing now which makes keeping probiotics fresh pretty easy!) I soon learnt more about all the different strains of probiotic and started to take one daily and my hubby did as well.

I'd always had gut health issues. However, I decided to ignore them for quite a time! (Don't do this always speak to the Doctor!) I was having bouts of diarrhoea, stomach cramps and I often felt bloated. 

Skip years and years forward and not too long after having a little person I found myself really poorly crying on the bathroom floor and at a total loss. I'd been so busy working part-time and being mum I'd forgotten to take care of me. My body decided to give me a wake-up call and those niggly gut health issues that I'd just ignore and dismissed soon became a real problem and I was officially diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. I had to take medication for a while however since feeling better I've found that taking probiotics has really help keep me feeling ok. 



My go-to probiotic now is Probio7 Advanced. At the end of 2019, I was really quite sick with a bad chest infection and I had to take several courses of antibiotics. When I finally started to recover and pick myself back up I felt like I needed to look at my vitamins and probiotics again and that I needed to look to rebuild my immunity and overall health. Again after lots of reading and research, I decided to take Probio7 Advanced and have personally found this probiotic super helpful in keeping me feeling well and feel it's played some part in picking me back up and that it's helped me feel a lot better in myself. Alongside taking a probiotic I take a multivitamin and a vitamin c supplement. (As mentioned before it's always best to chat with a health professional or a doctor before taking any supplements or vitamins especially if you're on any other medication.)



My hubby and my little boy also take probiotics however not maybe as often as me. I've found probiotics really helpful for my little boy also who's five as sometimes certain foods upset his tummy. We recently started taking Probio7 Kidskalm. This probiotic comes in powder form so I just add it to his milk or cereal in a Morning. I don't tend to give this probiotic every day only as and when I feel he may need it. Although, I believe you can actually give this daily. 

Probio7 do quite a range of probiotics and recently they've added to their collection a probiotic that has added Vitamin D.

If you need more advice regards Probio7 probiotics their website is super helpful as you can read all about their product range and also you can easily reach out to them for advice. They also do probiotic subscription on there.

https://probio7.com/

Check out my latest podcast...

The Clare Elise Podcast and a chat with Rebecca Traylen about gut health.


(This article is a collaboration with Probio7.)







Friday 27 November 2020

Blue Coffee Box

The lovely people over at Blue Coffee Box coffee recently reached out to me and asked if they could send one of their coffee boxes my way! Of course, I jumped at the offer as I LOVE coffee. 

I've actually been struggling recently to find a good blend so was more than happy to give their coffee subscription a go.

So here's what I got in my Blue Coffee Box: two 227g bags of specialist coffee along with printed cards that share information about the blends.

The cost for the Blue Coffee Box is £15.49 a month with postage for two bags of coffee. However, they also do a Blue Coffee Bag subscription and that's just priced at £7.99 for just one bag of coffee a month with free postage (prices right at the time of posting  - Nov 2020). Here's the cool thing though Blue Coffee Box has offered my readers a £3.00 discount at checkout if you use the code CE3.

The great thing about this coffee box subscription is that you can choose what type of coffee you'd like to get whether it's whole bean, cafetiere, Aeropress, or espresso coffee. I went for cafetiere as I have an old skool coffee machine. I received two blends of coffee in my gourmet coffee box. One was Monte Bonito (Moon Roast Coffee) - Colombian. It says to expect notes of Orange Blossom, Nutmeg, and Toffee. The second bag of coffee comes from Peru it's Wilmer Martinez Terrones (Coffee Central Roasting CO) this one says to expect notes of Almond, Cherry, Vanilla, and Brown Sugar. 

I was impressed with both of the coffees in this box they both had a slightly different taste. Both of these bags will get used for sure. For the price, you do get a lot of coffee and I have to say I did enjoy trying some different blends. The good thing I think about a coffee box subscription is it gets you to try something new and it helps you to find blends of coffee that you might not have ever heard of before. Something that's also great about this subscription box is the fact the coffee is ethically sourced speciality coffee that's been bought by the Direct Trade method. If you wanna give the subscription a try remember to use my code at check out CE3 to get a £3.00 discount. 

Find out more... https://www.bluecoffeebox.com/  




(This coffee box was gifted - Thanks to Blue Coffee Box)

Saturday 15 February 2020

Review: Kitchen 7 at JW Marriott Muscat

The JW Marriott just opened recently, it's not too far from the airport here in Muscat which makes it perfect for those flying in and out for business. However, don't let that put you off as it's also a very family-friendly hotel and you're guaranteed a warm welcome from the moment that you step through the door.



The hotel itself has a fresh, sleek and stylish feel to it and as soon as I walked into the lobby I fell in love with this pretty centrepiece (it was just so sparkly!!!).





The JW Marriott kindly invited us down to the hotel last Friday (7th Feb 2020) for lunch at the newly opened Kitchen 7 restaurant.


Kitchen 7 is bright and vibrant with both indoor or outdoor seating. The restaurant has large glass windows which look out onto the outside seating area and the garden, this makes it the perfect place to chill on a weekend.



The menu is really varied and it's fair to say that there's pretty much something for everyone on there. The team in the restaurant were really attentive and helped us by sorting out food for our little boy who has a dairy allergy. They were really great, It seemed like nothing was to much trouble for them.

It's tough sometimes keeping your little person entertained ESPECIALLY when they're desperate for food and super excited! The Kitchen 7 staff thought about this and kindly gave our little boy a Pirate activity pack. He absolutely loved it and even I as a parent was super impressed with its contents. There were loads of great things in there, there were colouring and activity books, finger puppets, a facemask, door hanger, a puzzle and games.

Something that I REALLY liked though was the 'Family by JW Adventures in Architecture book'. My little one also really liked this as in there was a list of places and spaces around the hotel that you had to find, he really enjoyed finding his way around the hotel with his checklist after lunch and he managed to find and tick off the lobby, fitness centre, elevator and restaurant during his first visit!



I was super impressed with the food and the drinks. The mocktails were so refreshing and the food was cooked to perfection. The sushi was beautifully presented and tasted amazing, the butter chicken was delish, and the desserts were fab. Sometimes our boy can't enjoy dessert as many places don't serve anything dairy-free. However, Kitchen 7 had sorbet as an option and my little person really enjoyed it!


It would be great to see Kitchen 7 eventually doing brunch on a Friday... Whether or not this will happen in the future I guess we'll have to wait and see. Location wise it's easy to get to and price wise I felt the cost of items on the menu was pretty fair. Will I be going back again? For sure!

Thanks, JW Marriott for a great family afternoon. 

UPDATE:

JW MARRIOTT ARE NOW DOING A BRUNCH...









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