Yearly Archives: 2017

Gift Guides: Girly Gadgets from Mobile Fun

08th November 2017
If anything, my love of gadgets has grown over the last twelve months and I’ve added quite a few to my collection. Most recently I was sent some girly gadgets from Mobile Fun (who partially kickstarted my collection last year) and I thought I’d do some mini reviews of the products as they’d all make great gifts for gadget girl you know.
First up we have the drop and play wireless speaker from Olixar*. This genius little product allows you to play music wirelessly via your smartphone without any need for Bluetooth or a Wi-Fi connection. You quite literally plop your phone on top of this speaker and it amplifies the music without compromising on quality. At £12.99 this is a great stocking filler and portable enough to put in your handbag for a party or for taking away on holiday.
This next product is the ultimate girly-girl gadget- the Hyper Pearl Compact Mirror Universal Power Bank* is, as the name would suggest, a compact mirror and power bank in one. It’s small and lightweight so you’re not carrying a dead weight around with you, and the fact you can touch up your makeup and charge your phone with one product is perfect for someone like me who otherwise chronically over-fills her handbag. This costs £21.99 and is capable of fully charging your phone, it comes with a protective pouch, and handily the mirror also lights up so you’ll never be unable to check your teeth for lipstick (trust me, this is essential if you’re me!).
This Olixar universal Smart Phone Photography Kit* has been a big hit with both Bob and myself. For £19.99 you get a neat black roll wrap containing a 3-in-1 lens kit, a pocket sized selfie stick, a mount and a tripod. We’ve had greqt fun testing this out taking pictures of our kitten, upping our selfie game and generally being idiots. Definitely a product for anyone seriously in to Instagram or who just wants to experiment in the capabilities of smart phone photography.
Last but not least we have another power bank- this time the Kit 4,100mAh Portable MFi Lightning Power Bank* in Rose Gold. I’m a fiend for power banks as I have an irrational fear of being stranded without phone battery and this one is great. This little powerhouse can fully revive your iPhone or iPod and will give your iPad a serious boost should you find yourself in need. It also looks super sleek with it’s Rose Gold finish and would make for the perfect stocking filler for pretty much every female I know. It costs £19.99 and thanks to it’s lightning charge connector will bring your device back to life instantly. It also boasts a long standby life which was it’s real selling point to me- I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve gone to use my old portable charger only to find it’s all out of juice.
What are your must have gadgets? I’m always on the lookout for new ideas. If you are looking to up your tech game then I highly recommend Mobile Fun, I’ve used the multiple times outside of blog reviews and have always been impressed by their competitive prices, range of products and speed of service.

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Posted in brands I love, gadgets, gifts, lifestyle, review, shopping

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Follow the River

06th November 2017
One of my favourite things about blogging is getting to champion small and independent companies, helping to spread the word and watch them flourish. I was recently contacted by Follow The River, a clothing company based in Shropshire which started in 2015. Their range of Men’s and Women’s apparel is 100% organic and printed using water based inks. Everything is made in factories that use renewable energy and fair trade labour- I love a brand who care about where their products come from and how they are made, especially when their products are genuinely gorgeous and excellent quality as well.

Hoodie c/o Follow The River | Jeans: Monki | Wellies: ASOS

This is such a great hoodie! The fit is impeccable, I went a size up for a looser fit but it hangs like a dream and looks sleeky rather than bulky as some hoodies are prone to doing. It’s so soft as well, always a bonus! It costs £40 which is comparable to many a high street retailer, the difference here being that you can be assured that your new cosy sweat is as organic and fairtrade as humanely possible.

It’s not just hoodies you’ll find on Follow The River either- there’s t-shirts, vests and jumpers for both men and women all made to the same high standard and with quirky designs that make for the perfect gift for anyone who likes to be comfortable and ethically conscious.

I couldn’t resist photographing this jumper with my glittery (and LED soled) ASOS wellies which I bought for my trip to Scotland, a complete gimmick I know, but they make me so happy!

Let me know in the comments if you’ve discovered any small brands that deserve some love, I highly recommend Follow The River for quality, value and ethics. The packaging also deserves a mention, there’s no plastic here, nope, you can expect your purchase in classy brown paper packaging that adds to the overall experience.

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Posted in brands I love, fashion, gifts, lifestyle, outfits, personal style

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The October Degustabox

04th November 2017
Another month and another delivery from foodie subscription service Degustabox*. Unless you are brand new to my blog (in which case, Hi!) you’ll know this is a regular feature. As with last month I’ve done my absolute best to try everything in the box, but time constraints and wanting to get a post up in a fairly prompt manner means that there are a couple of things I’m yet to sample. I’ll pop up some mini reviews of these on social media when I do try them for anyone who is as curious as I currently am to know what they were like, I’m getting really quite adventurous with my food trying lately so with each month the arrival of this box brings a whole new level of excitement!
This month I’m kicking off with the box’s sweet treats- always my favourite part! First up was a new take on a blast from the past- any one remember KP Choc Dips? I absolutely loved the white chocolate ones but they were a rare treat due to them not exactly being healthy. Nuttiva have bought out a new take- chocolate hazelnut spread (that boasts zero palm oil and 97% less sugar) paired with crunchy breadsticks. Not going to lie, I still prefer the old school favourite best, but these are a tasty and healthier alternative, although pricey at £1.70.

Continuing on the chooclate and hazelnut theme we have giant cookies from Michel et Augustin- melt in the middle cookies packed full of chocolate chips, fresh butter and free range eggs as well as a delicious chocolate and hazelnut filling. Delicious, but again pricey at £1.60 for a pack.

I’ve been wanting to try these Pulsin Kids’ Fruity Oat bars ever since seeing them on Twitter. These might be designed for kids but also make a healthy snack for work- chocolate orange is a can’t go wrong combination and these are really delicious, one of your five a day and low in sugar- £0.59 each with other flavours available.

Finally, in the spirit of Halloween comes a Misfortune Cookie from Pechkeks. These appeared in a box last year too and I still think they are bloomin’ genius. A tasty cookie containing a tongue in cheek misfortune message, a great novelty gift idea at £1.50 each.

Feel Good Drinks are a brand I buy regularly for taking to work. Simple water based blends made with 100% natural ingredients. I really like these as an alternative to fizzy drinks on my desk at work, and at £1.20 a bottle they are comparable in price. The Strawberry and Mint is a particular favourite.
Hippeas are one of my go-to savoury snacks, with serious flavour and a decent punch of protein and fibre they are vegan friendly and utterly addictive. I was sent the “in herbs we trust” flavour which isn’t my favourite from the brand but still entirely edible- my favourite from the brand is definitely the sweet & smokin’. They cost £2.29 for a share size bag, but seriously they really might as well be marketed as single serving!
I’ve been trying to make more effort to take lunches in to work with me rather than nipping to the shops and spending a fortune on impulse snacks. Kabuto Noodles are a long standing favourite and the thai green chicken curry is another welcome addition to the range. They cost £1.99 per pot which is much cheaper than my usual sushi fix and much more warming on these chillier days.
I’ve also been really enjoying the cous-cous pouch, mixed with some protein (chicken, chickpeas, tofu, prawns) this makes a tasty lunch which is easily portable too. £2.29 per pouch and microwaveable in just one minute!
I’ve really been getting in to cooking lately so I was quite excited to see these sauces from Lee Kum Kee- there’s a sauce for tomato and garlic prawns (which worked wonderfully with the cous-cous. I haven’t tried the honey and garlic spare rib sachet yet as I’m not a ribs person but between Bob and my Dad it’ll get tested in no time. The sauce pouches cost £0.85 each.
Millions are one of my favourite sweets ever, and the vimto ones are absolutely delicious- it’s the perfect combination of two classics and this little gift jar (£2.99) didn’t last long!
Another tasty treat was Pip’s Real Hot Chocolate Co real hot chocolate coins- real Belgian chocolate handwrapped and perfect for warming up after a long and frosty stroll. They cost £1.50 each and would also be a great addition to a cosy night in Christmas hamper.

This month’s box also included some Heinz No Added Sugar Hoops and some LoSalt both of which I absolutely failed to photograph for some reason. I’m not one who really pays attention to their salt or sugar intake (woops!) and in fact I’m quite the salt fiend. The Hoops were ok but I prefer the original but I appreciate these would be much better for kids or those who have to watch their sugar intake. The LoSalt is quite palatable, it’s hard to tell the difference between that and regular rock salt. It costs £1.75 for a 350g tub.

For those who don’t yet know, Degustabox* is a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money.
On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £7.00 off of your first box (making it just £5.99!) by entering the code 6HZJ8 at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

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Posted in food, review

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Gift Guides: Ideas for Him under £30 with Red Candy

02nd November 2017

Every year when I sit down to write my gift guides I find loads of ideas and inspiration for the women of the world but really struggle when it comes to the men. Thankfully there are websites such as Red Candy who come to my rescue by supplying a whole host of fun and affordable gifts and gadgets to appeal to just about every male I know.

I’ve worked with Red Candy several times over the year and they’ve been kind enough to once again supply me with some items to feature in this gift guide. I used Bob as my inspiration when browsing this time and picked out some quirky gift ideas, all costing under £30 which I knew would appeal.

The first item I picked out was this Diplodocus Dino Mug* which I’ll admit was as much for my benefit as it was for his. I’m a sucker for a good mug and this one, with it’s hidden ceramic dinosaur was right up both of our streets. At £11.99 this might be more than I usually pay for my mugs, but as a gift (and for the sheer novelty factor) it’s worth every penny.
I fell in love with this Planter Bot* the second I saw it and knew it would make the perfect home for the lonely looking cactus lurking in Bob’s house. I also know that my brother would really appreciate this, he’s a fan of anything robot or comic book related and this fits in to both of those categories. This little chap costs £13.75 and if you wanted to pad out the gift a bit you could always pick up a cactus or succulent to go in it.
Coasters are always in short supply around these parts and the second I saw these Cosmos ones* I knew they would be the idea addition to Bob’s home. He’s a massive space nerd (by his own admission) and absolutely loves these- at £10 for a set of four they also work out quite bargainous too.
As well as the items I picked out for this post I’ve also popped together a few more ideas for budget friendly gifts for guys as Red Candy is a real treasure trove for shopping for blokes. This barely even scratches the surface of what’s available so do make sure you check them out if you’re having a struggle- and it’s not just for guys, I’ve compiled myself a massive wish list of things I’d like to add to the home (both my parents and Bob’s!)

clock | lamp | terrarium | mugs

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Posted in brands I love, christmas, gifts, lifestyle, shopping

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Gift Guides: The personal touch with Martha Jackson jewellery

31st October 2017

I love to give gifts with a personal touch, especially when there are custom options available. My best friend has an unusual first name and I remember when we first knew each other it was near impossible to get anything with her name on off the shelf so it’s always a pleasure to get her something personalised, and the novelty never seems to wear off for her.

I was recently given the opportunity to create a custom necklace from Martha Jackson, a new to me website which sells a whole host of engraved gifts for him and for her. I knew straight away that I wanted to make something for my best friend and after careful consideration I picked out the vintage heart locket.

Necklace c/o Martha Jackson

As you can see from the photos the attention to detail on this locket is just stunning. The engraving sits neatly on the back of the locket and is some of the clearest jewellery engraving I’ve seen.When creating your jewellery there are several further customisation options available- from a choice of fonts through to the length of the chain and whether you want to add an additional charm, or gold or silver letter. You can also include a free gift message with your item.

The service from Martha Jackson was incredibly swift, they offer a standard delivery time of 2-4 days and my necklace arrived within 48 hours of placing the order. Standard delivery is free on all orders but there are express and nominated day options available for an additional cost as well as international shipping.

The locket came packaged in a neat, branded white box ready for gifting and was safe and securely packaged.

The vintage heart locket costs £37, although if you want a longer chain or additional charms/letters then this does increase. For the quality and craftsmanship involved in the item I think this represents really good value, and my best friend, who’s name by now you’ve probably gathered is Trudi is absolutely delighted with her new necklace.

I’ll definitely be returning to Martha Jackson in the run up to Christmas both for creating gifts for my nearest and dearest as well as compiling my own wish list. I’ve got my eye on a rather stunning spinning ring and shall be dropping some serious hints as the big day nears.

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Posted in accessories, brands I love, fashion, gifts, jewellery, shopping, sponsored, wish list

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