Category Archives: review

The Beauty Sleep Elixir from Beuti

17th December 2018
Despite my best intentions, this year my skincare regime has been seriously lacking, and whilst we might be rapidly approaching the last weeks of 2018, when I was sent a product loved by the likes of Rita Ora and Iggy Azalea to try I figured it’s better late that never and set about trying to up my game.

The Beauty Sleep Elixir* by Beuti is the first product to launch from the UK based brand. It’s a brand new complexion booster with anti-inflammatory properties, made up from 14 plant-based oils (I’m not going to list them all here, but highlights include Caribbean coral extract, chia seed oil and neroli flower oil).

This little bottle of golden oil is designed to tackle “inflammaging” – a condition where your skin ages due to inflammation over a prolonged period of time. This can be caused by every day things such as sun exposure, pollution or simply using the wrong products for your skin (definitely guilty on all accounts here).

You can either pop on a few drops of this elixir under your makeup, or use it over-night to allow your skin to renew itself, with the promise of younger, brighter looking skin I couldn’t wait to try it.

I’ve been using the Beauty Sleep Elixir for just over a week now, mainly under my makeup in the morning as it’s all I can do to remove my makeup before bed, let alone pop any products on (I know, I know). I’m not going to share a before and after, mostly because my face is looking a bit…bruised thanks to a brutal wisdom tooth extraction, but I 100% noticed a difference after just the first day.

It’s going to take a lot to get my poor, neglected skin back in tip-top condition, and that’s going to be one of my main goals for 2019, but things are definitely looking better. I’ve shrugged off that dull, grey tone that comes from spending too much time in an office with central heating, and overall things just look smoother and dare I say it…more youthful. This isn’t a cheap product, it costs £42 for a 30ml bottle, but a tiny bit goes a long way- literally one pump works beautifully under my makeup, and probably two pumps would do a nighttime slathering.

You can get your hands on this wonder oil at lookfantastic although you’ll have to wait for it to come back in to stock as it sells out pretty much as soon as it hits the website.
One thing I have learnt from my experiments with skincare is that it does pay to invest, and I’ll genuinely be buying more of this when my bottle runs out.

Has any one else tried this product? And what are your best tips for getting in to a solid skincare regime? This girl needs all of the help she can get!

Product gifted to me for blog consideration, terrible skincare habits, puffy face and opinions are entirely my own.

Posted in beauty, brands I love, review, skincare

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The November 2018 Degustabox- getting festive

05th December 2018
It feels like an absolute age since I last did a Degustabox* post, although in reality I only skipped one month and that was due to the chaos of moving house. It’s good to be back, and with a bang as November’s festive themed box was a great one, packed full of fantastic products (although I’m not 100% sure how festive it really was!)
I’m a year round soup enthusiast and I was already familiar with this month’s product of the month- organic chunky tomato and organic lentil vegetable soups from Amy’s Kitchen. I prefer fresh soups when possible, but when it comes to tinned ones Amy’s Kitchen is a brand I trust and gravitate towards. They are pricey at £1.80 per can but totally worth it, full of flavour and 100% organic- my favourite is the lentil and vegetable with some fresh crusty bread for dipping.

I say this every time but my savoury tooth trumps my sweet one most of the time and I’m always down for trying new products. Emily Veg Crisps sweet potato sticks are a fairly new addition to the Emily range, and my favourite product in their range from here on out. The sea salt stands out by a mile for me, I prefer simple tastes, but the chilli and lime are also delicious. Find this in stores for around £1.00 per pack.

Jack Daniels and I go back a long way, and most of my night out horror stories involve JD and diet coke in some capacity (or in one memorable incident, a litre of JD straight…I was later fished out of a wheelie bin). I’ve avoided it for several years now, being a more sensible woman than I once was, but I like the idea of being able to get it in a single serving can- Bob and I have these stashed away for over the festive period. £2.00 per can – an ideal price for keeping dignity intact.

I’m rarely without a bottle of tabasco sauce in my cupboard- it’s just so versatile! I love it on a salad or pizza, mixed in to scrambled eggs and I’m betting it’s a great way to spice up a festive prawn cocktail! This year the brand are celebrating it’s 150th anniversary- the perfect excuse for a tabasco infused Bloody Mary!
I’m not quite sure what stock pots have to do with Christmas other than they are a great store cupboard addition and one I always keep on hand. I use them a lot in soups, and find the pots much easier to use than stock cubes. Kallo have the added bonus of being fully organic and free of nasty MSG and artificial ingredients- worth the £1.80 price tag.

Moving on to some more festive items, first we have Jules Destrooper Almond Thins & Belgian Chocolate (£2.19). These are utterly divine with a cup of strong coffee so great for serving when guests come round. They are also luxe enough to be at home in a festive food hamper.
Reese’s are also on to a festive winner with their peanut butter snowman (£3.00) which I passed straight on to my dad now he’s discovered how good the peanut butter cups are! This is a great stocking filler idea, or an indulgent treat to yourself after a long day Christmas shopping!

Oh a healthier note we have a coconut bar from Nick’s (£1.45). This is a naturally sweetened coconut bar covered in milk chocolate, with no added sugar this is basically a more virtuous version of a Bounty. A classic combination and a good idea for popping in to the stocking of someone trying to be good.

I’m puzzled as to what a kid’s breakfast product has to do with Christmas but whatever! We haven’t actually tried these as they aren’t really our thing- if you have given these a whirl I’d love to know your thoughts.

I also haven’t tried the Cranberry Marshmallows from Mallow and Marsh yet as I haven’t seen these in any shops near me and I want to put some out at Christmas as Bob and I are hosting both days (are we mad?!) I’ll pop a review up on social media over the festive season though – I love this brand and I know they’ll be good!

Finally we have The Bees Knees non alcoholic sparkling wine- this is a vegan friendly alternative to sparkling wine, made from grapes and green tea. It’s vegan, gluten-free and low in sugar and calories and definitely the kind of thing I’ll be keeping on hand over Christmas.

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 £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.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

Posted in food, review

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Christmas Treats from Niederegger

15th November 2018

Christmas is approaching at an alarming pace- one minute it was July and I was on a beach in The Algarve, the next my brain is being forced in to thinking about all things festive, and more so than ever this year as Bob and I are going to be hosting Christmas for the first time.

I had a burst of inspiration the other weekend and managed to get most of my shopping done, but I still need to pick up some bits for the harder to buy for folk in my life and I’ve spent rather a lot of my spare time (of which there is not a lot of) browsing for ideas.
Luckily, by nature of being a blogger I also get alerted to great gift ideas, such as this gorgeously festive hamper of products from the masters of marzipan, Niederegger.

Hamper c/o Niederegger via Chocolates Direct

Marzipan is one of those confectionaries that divides opinion; the marmite of the sweet world I suppose. I for one love it, especially when it comes coated in chocolate- I remember one trip to Austria where I survived solely on dark chocolate and marzipan for days!

This festive hamper of treats contains both classic Niederegger products and seasonal treats. £25 gets you:

1 x 110g classic dark chocolate covered marzipan bar (my favourite!)
1 x 100g assorted mini marzipan loaves (espresso, pistachio, pineapple and orange all coated in dark chocolate)
2 x 40g dark chocolate coated sticks- selected from 3 flavours (I got cherry and walnut, both of which I highly recommend)
1 x 125g bar of flavour of the year (which is apple strudel in case you were wondering)
1 x 100g dark chocolate covered santa (which I am not sharing with anyone)

The hamper comes gorgeously packaged making it an instant gift in the making, or ideal for leaving out for guests to pick from over the festive period- this is the intention with what is left of mine, but based on my near-constant raiding of it (little and often is the key with marzipan I find) there won’t be any left!

What festive foods have caught your eye this year, and are you a marzipan lover, or a hater?

Posted in brands I love, christmas, food, gifts, inspiration, review, snacking

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My Vaping Journey (part one)

29th October 2018
It’s been a little over a month since I started my journey in to serious vaping with a little (lot) of help from my friends at e-cigarette direct. Quitting smoking has been high on my agenda once more, and something I have had in my mind as something I would do as soon as I felt my anorexia recovery was complete.

Well, my recovery isn’t quite complete, but my motivation was high, so I gratefully accepted the opportunity to pick out some kit and wean myself off cigarettes- hopefully for good this time.

Tank wise, I got Bob to help me pick out a good set-up as he’s also joining me on this journey and has a lot more experience of vaping than I do. We decided on the Wismec CB80* which is designed to give an experience as close to smoking a cigarette as possible as I knew this is what I would struggle with the most. We also picked out two different types of coils* so we could see which I preferred.

Getting the kit set up was super simple, and it looks and feels substantial whilst remaining lightweight and portable enough to come with me where ever I go. Another big plus for the tank I chose was that it charges via USB as well as supporting rechargeable batteries, meaning I am less likely to run out of power, and therefore reach for a cigarette.

Picking which vape juice to choose was another minefield. There are so many flavours and strengths available that I just did not know where to start. In the end, after consulting with Bob we decided to jump in with some high strength nicotine as although I didn’t smoke that many cigarettes (between 5 and 10 a day) we thought starting high and weaning down would be our best bet, and it meant that Bob, a heavier smoker than I was, could share.

These little bottles of juice are great for carting around on the go and means you don’t get stuck on one flavour consistently. As you can see, I’m definitely attracted to the sweet flavours! Vampire Vape’s Heisenberg was hands down my favourite though.

In terms of juices I’ve found I much prefer shortfills, I thought they would be more complicated as you have to mix them up yourself, but I think they represent better value for money, and I’ve generally found the flavour experience much better (and you can make it up as strong, or weak as you like). I’ve been spoilt really though as I was sent the set of Gloop shortfill which I reviewed a few weeks ago, and I have another bunch just arrived to try out and review (coming soon!).

I can’t fault the service, or value provided from e-cigarette direct, and I find their website, and blog a really valuable resource when it comes to learning more. This infographic around vape juice is definitely worth a read if you’re looking to learn more!

I guess the big question here though is how am I doing?

Well, in all honesty, I’m not quite there yet. I still find myself wanting the feel of an actual cigarette and I am still caving in, albeit much less than I used to. The savings are clear to see on a financial level, and I resent paying out now for even one packet a week. Today is actually the day where I feel ready to say “no more” and just stop buying the damn things. Everything about the vaping experience is better, apart from the fact it feels so big and clunky at times. But I need to learn to live with that, and so I will.

Whilst I certainly don’t intend for my blog to become solely focused on vaping you will find a couple more reviews coming up, and a progress update on how I’m doing in a few weeks time.

Now I’ve moved house and I am settled in I’ll be looking to return to blogging in a way I haven’t for quite some time. I’m looking forward to getting back in to the swing of outfit photos, general life musings and updates, wish lists, food, you name it, I’m probably gonna cover it. I’ve felt detached from the blogging world for some time now, not sure if I still fitted in, and during that time away from it I’ve realised that really, it doesn’t matter. This is my place to say, and share what I want to say and share. The fact I’ve had such fantastic opportunities, that any one even bothers to read it, is just one big old happy bonus.

All products in this post were sent to me free of charge. All opinions, and decision to post are mine and mine alone.

Posted in blogging, brands I love, lifestyle, review, vaping

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The September Degustabox*

02nd October 2018
I honestly wasn’t sure I’d get a review up on this month’s Degustabox*, time has completely run away with me and I now find myself in the midst of moving house with not a lot of time for doing anything but work, packing, relocating and occasionally sleeping.
Obviously I have managed to find some time to share my thoughts on the September edition of Degustabox. It will probably be a quicker read than usual though, with normal review service to resume next month.
These YES! Fruit and Nut bars are new from nestle and look so good! Unfortunately I haven’t been able to try them myself due to the nuts but I handed them out amongst family and friends and they were well received, especially the dark chocolate, almond and sea salt variety. These cost £1.20 each and I’ve already spotted them in Sainsburys.
I used to love Reese’s peanut butter cups before aforementioned allergy began. I reluctantly handed these over to my Dad who had never tried them before (how?!) and he now considers himself a fan. Chocolate and peanut butter is one of the best combinations in life and I miss these sorely! Widely available in most supermarkets.
These Dr Karg’s organic wholegrain snacks were another product I passed to my Dad as he loves other products by the brand and is more familiar with them than I am. He really enjoyed these as a healthier snack option and said they are full of flavour and texture- as well as all important fibre and whole grains!
I’ve been wanting to try Indie Bay Snacks pretzel bites for ages. Made with spelt flour opposed to more commonly found flours, these pack protein and crunch in abundance as well as full on flavour. I was a bit taken aback at first as they don’t taste like pretzels as you know them, but they are truly addictive once you get your head around them.
Unfortunately Pablo got to these Jules Destrooper butter crisps before Bob and I could and destroyed them, a true shame as this brand does biscuits excellently and I vaguely remember having had these, or similar at some point in my youth and loving them. If I manage to get my hands on another box I’ll report back (for the record Pablo appeared to enjoy them!)
This Oreo hot chocolate went straight to Bob as he’s a lover of both key components. Once you get past the black tinged colour this smells so good! You’re never going to get the exact flavour of a biscuit in a drink but this certainly tries hard. A little tip though- infinitely better made with milk or half milk/half water!
I love Mallow & Marsh products and whilst raspberry wouldn’t be my first choice of flavour for a sweet treat, especially combined with chocolate (I don’t really like fruity chocolate) these are still super good! The vanilla variant of these is a regular treat to myself- this brand really knows how to do it’s marshmallow treats!
Another product that has found it’s way in to my yoghurt- again not my kind of thing, but having binned of hemp milk a few too many times I decided to give these a go, and I’m glad I did. They have a slightly nutty flavour and add really good texture. High in protein and omegas 3 & 6 they are a good snack option for grazers like me, or a great addition to sweet and savoury dishes.
The drink selection is where I have fallen short this month as I’ve only managed to try the juicy fuel cola. I don’t usually drink non-diet drinks but this has no added sugars and is 100% natural ingredients. Whilst I’m not ready to ditch my pepsi max I did enjoy this and it made a nice change!

Both the milk and Jack Daniel’s Cider is awaiting testing by my willing (but absent this week) volunteers. If you’re interested in reviews for either of these products let me know and I’ll try and pop some up soon.

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 £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.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.

Posted in brands I love, food, review

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