My life seems to be one big wish list at the moment, shopping is at an all time low as any spare money was either spent on our holiday, or is now being saved for Bob’s 30th Birthday and of course, our wedding. I’m totally ok with this though, I’m lucky enough that I get treated to things every now and again (thanks Mum and Bob!) and I certainly don’t have an empty wardrobe, so I’m quite content with a lot of browsing and sharing my favourite finds on this little piece of the internet.
I’m not sure I can pull of yellow, but this AngelEye midi dress is stunning. I’m obsessed with browsing this site, so much gorgeousness at pretty reasonable prices, this dress is £48 and would be perfect for the new season.Palava is a brand I found purely through social media and they have some of the most gorgeous dresses around. I instantly fell for the Beatrice walking zoo dress– I mean, how could you not?
Joy has featured on the blog many, many times before and I still absolutely love this shop, they have some of the best dresses around and most of my favourites come from there. Red is another colour I’m not sure I could pull off, but this Louche midi dress jumped out at me regardless.I think I can probably justify the purchase of this Happy Planet Planter* from New Look as it’s only £6.99. Fake plants are essential in our house due to Pablo’s tendency to eat everything he shouldn’t and this is just adorable!Another New Look find is this Pink Playsuit* . It might feel like Summer is almost over, but I think a pair of nude tights could see this last through September and I love this girly take on the utility trend.I really wanted this Oasis midi dress to wear to a wedding we went to a few weeks ago. I couldn’t justify buying anything new, but I’m still obsessing over these pink polkadots!
So there we have this week’s lust-list, I always say I want to make this a regular feature again and maybe now I’m feeling a bit less jaded about my blog I actually will stick to my word. Most of my browsing this last few days has been wedding related- would anyone be interested in some wedding themed wish lists? And what’s caught your eye lately?
I’ve had Three as my mobile phone network provider for over five years now. I made the switch from my previous provider after getting frustrated with the lack of coverage in my area, lack of plans that suited me and the absence of an easy to use way to track my usage and access support.
Three ticked all of these boxes, and have continued to do so in the years that have followed.
I’ve always been impressed with the three app, it’s always been user friendly and readily accessible meaning I can check my usage on the go, and access help and support regarding my phone and my contract whenever I need to.
This proved especially useful recently when we were on holiday. I had already gathered from using the app that our destination was covered by the Go Roam service (another major selling point of the network for me), and it was super easy to access the relevant information explaining what my limits were.
Thanks to being able to access and check in on my usage whenever I needed to I was able to see exactly where I was in terms of these limits; with the cost of overseas phone usage being rather high this was invaluable when it came to making sure I wouldn’t be hit with a hefty bill when I got home. It didn’t entirely go to plan as coming home we had a layover in Canada- a destination not covered in Go Roam. My mobile phone data kicked in at the airport in Calgary, and despite my switching it off within 30 seconds, the background apps that run amassed a huge bill entirely disproportionate to what I’d done (i.e. nothing but quickly turn my data off!) I’m not complaining though, I was able to use the app once back in England to see exactly how much it had cost me, and was then able to get in touch with customer services to rectify the situation- which they did, immediately with a very gracious and satisfactory outcome.
There are other winning features to the app too- you can view and amend your plan, buy add-ons, sort out your next upgrade and utilise the live chat feature too.
Overall I’ve been decently impressed with the App, and with the network as a whole, there will always be people who disagree but right now I can’t think of a bad word to say about the service they provide.
Hot on the heels of the amazing lemon super-food butter from Dr Botanicals came another delivery; and based on the success of my first experience with the brand my hopes were high!
The Cocoa & Coconut Superfood Reviving Hydrating Mask promises to be a 10 minute miracle for your skin. Made with 100% natural ingredients including cocoa butter and coconut oil, this hydrates and revives dry and tired skin (that’d be mine!) without being heavy or sticky as some masks tend to be.
I’m not a massive fan of masks, I find them a bit claustrophobic due to the often heavy texture and I’ve never found the results worth the anxiety they provoke. Buoyed on by the success of the delicious lemon cream I bravely put a light layer of this on and waited.
10 minutes passed without palpitations; this is light enough that it didn’t feel uncomfortable and it sits gently on the skin. It was also easy to remove (another bug-bear of mine) and afterwards my skin was more hydrated than I remember it being and I felt much fresher, and dare I say slightly younger looking.
I’ve now got this stashed in my fridge, as per recommendations ready for the next application…yep, my usual use it once and forget it attitude has been banished for this product, I have every intention of finishing the tube and then purchasing a new one!
You can get this product from the Dr Botanicals website for £5.94 at the moment – usual price £9.90 as well as from all of the well known online beauty retailers.
Do you have any other mask recommendations for me? Or more Dr Botanicals recommendations…I’m so loving this brand right now, I want to try it all!
Somewhere between the haze of getting home from our holiday and going back to work, the June 2019 Degustabox* arrived. This box genuinely excited me; there were products in there I’d heard of and wanted to try, as well as some new but interesting looking ones and I wasted no time in getting stuck in.
The brightly packaged “Mavericks” snacks are marketed as healthier snack for kids. There are no kids in this house, but I’m always on the lookout for healthy snack options and these fitted the bill nicely. The little strawberry cookies were especially good- fruity little biscuits that reminded me of shortbread. Yum! You’ll find these sold at Sainsburys. Bob has slightly more mature tastebuds than I do and he enjoyed the SavourSmiths Rosemary and Truffle crisps- a very luxurious snacking experience. There was also a mystery product in the box “lentil, corn, pea and black bean tortillas”. I have no idea who makes these but they need to become mainstream. These are right up my street and totally addictive.
Whilst I don’t have any dietary restrictions myself, it’s nice to see the free-from market expand as much as it had. The Free From Kitchen Co chocolate bars are perfect for all sorts of allergies and intolerances, the salted caramel one is excellent- and I’m not usually a fan of that flavour.
I’m a long time fan of Trek products so I’m always delighted to see something new from them. The dark chocolate and sea salt protein nut bars are a wholesome and substantial snack boasting 10g of plant-based protein, less than 5g of sugar and a hefty whack of fibre. I highly recommend these if you are looking for a filling but nutritious snack on the go.
Sweets! Randoms are a long time favourite in this house (although I haven’t forgiven the brand for discontinuing tooty frooties!) There’s not much I can say about these that hasn’t been said before- delicious! There were also a couple of gummies from Smith & Sinclair- gin & tonic and mandarin fizz. These are a massive luxury at £15.00 for 8 but contain 8% alcohol and are really rather yummy (but eat five and you’re no longer legal to drive). Another brand I am a big fan of is Garbanzo. I’ve been munching their flavoured roasted chickpeas for years so was beyond excited to see some new, luxury flavours in their range. These sharing bags are perfect for social gatherings as an alternative to nuts, and each flavour is equally delicious as well as incredibly healthy. The June box had a BBQ theme and these products were the perfect match. We actually took them to a BBQ the weekend after the box arrived and both the salad dressing from Newman’s Own and the Chilli Mayonnaise (flavoured with Tabasco) went down a storm.
I was only brave enough to try one of the three drinks in this month’s box and that was the Watermelon and Strawberry Cooler from Lucozade. This is a fresh summery twist from a classic brand, and whilst I’m not a fan of sugary drinks as a rule, this was nice. The other drinks included were DRGN Tumeric Superdrink inspired by the Far East, and Kolibri Botanical Drink which has a curious two part design. Both of these were far too sophisticated for my tastes- if anyone has tried them I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s 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 £5.00 off of your first box (making it just £7.99!) 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.
You all know how much I love my jewellery so when a company called Abelini got in touch asking if I wanted to review a piece from their huge collection, I was of course interested. Actually this is my second time working with the brand recently, the first being over on my instagram
Abelini is a British brand with a heart. They only use ethically sourced diamonds to create beautiful pieces that are delivered to your door; or you can visit them in their showroom in Hatton Garden, London.
I picked out this beautiful pendant from their huge selection of necklaces. It’s such a pretty, and sophisticated piece and perfect for the number of special occasions I’ve got this summer; weddings, engagement celebrations etc.
It’s also just about subtle enough to add sparkle to an every day outfit, and I’ve found myself wearing it an awful lot already.
As I mentioned at the start of this post, this has been my second experience working with the brand and I have been nothing but impressed. Both items I’ve received have been securely packed in a sleek black box, and immaculately presented. It’s obvious to me when a brand cares about what they do, and clearly Abelini do.
They sell everything from engagement rings to diamond studs, all in a variety of metals and finishes. If you’re in the market for some sparkle I recommend checking them out.
Even the notoriously diva like Mae approves! And no, I haven’t moved back to Mum and Dad’s, Bob and I are happily residing together and getting excited by wedding planning. I was however cat sitting and made full use of the plentiful props and excellent lighting that their house provides.
