Category Archives: review

Rose Quartz Brightening and Lifting Serum from SkinChemists (and whopping discount!)

01st February 2017
If you read my blog in the run up to Christmas (which now feels like a lifetime ago) then you’ll recall how impressed I was with the luxury skincare I reviewed from skinChemists. The three products I was sent then have become daily staples so I was delighted when the brand got back in touch asking if I’d like to work with them again.

This time I was sent the Rose Quartz Brightening and Lifting Serum* which promises to lift, smooth and illuminate your skin- the three things my face is in dire need of right now! With Rose Quartz as the active ingredient to buff away dead skin cells and unveil the fresh- and hopefully still youthful skin underneath, it also contains Vitamin C to stimulate collagen production and skin tightener ST (a blend of marine and plant ingredients associated with having an instant lifting effect).

It’s certainly a very pretty product- it literally shimmers in it’s sleek looking pump dispenser. As far as serums go this has a very light formulation and doesn’t smell overly rose-y which is fantastic for me as I do find the scent can be quite overpowering. I’ve been using this daily before popping on my makeup and by the second day my skin already looked a lot brighter and a week or so on and the difference is noticeable not just to me. It’s so nice to have a bit of a natural glow about me which never happens during the winter months as central heating just sucks the life out of my already dry skin. I’m noticing my fine lines less and less as well and all round I’m just much happier with how I’m looking minus my usual war paint.

This isn’t a cheap serum- it is in fact incredibly expensive at £109 for 30ml which is way out of my usual price range. I wouldn’t usually feature such an expensive beauty product on the blog, I like to keep things realistic around here BUT…

For the month of February skinChemists have reduced the price of this product (and all of the Rose Quartz range in the name of valentines and romance) to a much more affordable £29.99. If this wasn’t enough then you can also get an additional 20% off of this already generous reduction (making each product £24) if you use my code DAISYBLOG when you check out.

If you’re looking for a real boost for your skin then I really cannot recommend this enough. I know I was sent the product for blog consideration but I was under no obligation to give it anything but a passing mention and if it hadn’t have genuinely impressed me I wouldn’t have wasted my time writing the last 400-odd words about it.

Let me know if you do decide to treat yourself- it would also make the perfect valentines alternative to a bunch of roses…probably cheaper than a dozen red ones and it’ll last longer too!

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Posted in beauty, review, shopping, skincare

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Nail SOS with Essence

25th January 2017
My nails aren’t one of my strongest features. I’ve always envied anyone that can grow their nails or who have nails that hold their shape once filed. Mine seem to last less than a day after a manicure and break once they get to a certain length. They also are generally dry and ridged and if I had it my way I’d have a constant shellac manicure to cover them up!

My high-street hero makeup brand Essence have launched a range of products to care for and repair your natural nails- from hardeners and strengtheners to nourishing cuticle oils…and nothing costs more than £2!

They kindly sent over a selection of the products for me to try out and I had high hopes having yet to be failed by any Essence product…could they live up to the hype once more?
The first product I tried was the SOS Nail Detox* (£2) which is a water based polished/base coat infused with algae extract and vitamin B5. It actually has quite an aquatic scent to it and with regular use I can definitely see and feel an improvement in the hydration of my nails. It also gives natural nails a lovely glossy shine when worn as a clear polish so I’m planning on stocking up.

The second product was one of the colour & care strengthening nail polishes* in the shade “I care for you” which is a gorgeous pastel pink. These polishes come in 5 pretty shades (£2 each) and are enriched with natural ingredients to do good whilst looking good.

My nails are feeling so much stronger from using these products and at these prices I really do recommend hot footing it down to your local Wilko if you’re in need of a bit of a nail detox after the festive season. I’m also really liking the 4 in 1 nail file* (£2) which is perfect for essential maintenance on the go.

Have you tried any of these products? Or do you have any nail care top tips to share? Leave them in the comments below…

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Posted in beauty, brands I love, nails, review

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The Purrfect Treat for your pet (with a discount!)

21st January 2017
Regular readers will know that Mae and I have received quite a few Purrfectboxes* over the last year or so and have very much enjoyed exploring them and reviewing them as a little team.

Today I thought I would go back to basics a bit so that anyone new around here or anyone who is interested but not entirely sure how Purrfectbox works can find out exactly what’s what!

Purrfectbox (and it’s canine equivalent Pawsomebox) is a monthly subscription box for your pet. Designed and developed by a dedicated team of pet lovers each box contains 5-6 items from top brands and typically includes toys, treats and food. Each box costs £14.50 inclusive of p&p which represents excellent value as if you were to buy each product individually you’d be spending far more, it also gives you a great chance to try out new things and discover new favourite toys and treats.
There are various sign up options available- 1 month, 3 months or a 6 month subscription and when you sign up you’ll be asked a few questions about your furry friend to ensure they get a box that is curated to their needs. For every two boxes that get delivered a £1 donation is made to dedicated animal charities so you’re helping to give something back too!
This month Mae was especially taken with the toys although the catnip monkey lost an arm almost straight away as she got a little bit over-excited! The little pet blanket was probably the greatest success- you’ll now often find Mae draped possessively over it, or under it during one of her frequent nap times.
The food inclusions in the boxes are often things we’ve never tried before- this month for example there was a bag of roast chicken cubes which Mae devoured eagerly as well as some sachets of wet food which included chicken and papaya which was wolfed down so fast my feline friend gave herself hiccups!

If you’ve been considering a pet subscription box or I’ve swayed you with one of our many reviews then now is a pretty good time to sign up- use the discount code ukb10oii at the checkout and get a £5 discount off of your first box making it even more of a bargain at £9.50.

Be sure to let me know if you do sign up, I’d love to know what your pet makes of it.

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Posted in cats, Mae, review

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Detoxing my skin with Sukin Super Greens

19th January 2017
Detox is a bit of a buzz word for January. With people everywhere looking to undo the indulgences of the festive season it’s hard to avoid the mention of super-foods, giving up alcohol/sugar/fun and getting up at the crack of dawn to go to the gym.

None of that’s for me though, I’d sooner eat a bag of kale straight up than down a green juice and telling myself I’m doing “dry January” would only leave me wanting to neck a bottle of gin every night. Nope, the only detoxing I’m doing this month is for my skin thanks to a range of products from natural skin care brand Sukin– hopefully getting rid of the evidence of sleeping in my makeup, not getting enough day light and neglecting to stay hydrated during the month of December.

I was sent a couple of products from the range- the super greens detoxifying clay masque* (£11.95 for 100ml) which contains kale, spirulina, chlorella, parsley and baobab and promises to restore a glowing complexion. I’m not the biggest lover of face masks, generally I find them a bit claustrophobic and time consuming but lured in by the promise of glowing skin I’ve slapped this on a couple of times now and I’ll admit it’s almost enough to convert me to regular mask application. After 15 minutes and removal with warm water (bonus points for being really easy to remove) my skin certainly felt cleaner and dare I say more radiant? I think overall it’s too soon to tell if my radiance is restored as I’ve only used this twice but regardless of whether it is or not this is a lovely product and will feature regularly in my new found enjoyment of self-care and pamper time.

The second product I was sent was the nourishing chia seed oil* (£14.95 for 25ml). Chia seeds are one thing I actively avoid in my diet, the texture sends a shiver down my spine although I wish I did like them as the health benefits are well reputed. As well as the chia seeds this oil contains hemp seed oil and baobab oil which with daily use supplies your skin with a good dose of those essential omega fatty acids that chia seeds are so well known and loved for. This oil does have a slight hemp smell about it which in my eyes isn’t a bad thing as I quite like it. I’ve been using it every day at night after taking my makeup off and whilst I’m still not overly sold on the concept of oil as skincare again I have to admit it works and my skin feels amazingly soft and my fine lines are definitely less noticeable (oh the joys of approaching 30!) I’m not a fan of the feeling of oil on my skin and I never have been but with modest use and application of this product I’ve found a level I can tolerate and it’s now an established part of my daily routine.

You can buy Sukin products from lookfantastic.com, FeelUnique and Holland & Barrett among other retailers and there are several more products in the super greens range including a scrub that I plan on treating myself to soon- if anything is going to get my glow back it’ll be exfoliating with a blend of super green ingredients!

How do you repair the excesses of Christmas? Have you tried any of the Sukin products?

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Posted in beauty, review

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My Top Food & Lifestyle Apps with the Vodafone Smart First 7

11th January 2017
It’s hard to imagine now a life without smartphones, I can still remember getting my first ever mobile phone at the age of 13 and how excited I was thinking I was the height of sophistication and yet it was so very basic that I wonder what purpose it ever served, even text messages were limited in character! These days, as much as I hate to admit it I would struggle to keep everything together without my trust iPhone in hand and it’s true what they say- there really is an “app for that”, even things you never thought you could need an app for!

I was recently contacted by Vodafone about their super affordable smartphone- the Vodafone Smart First 7 which costs a mere £20 on pay as you go (which costs £15 per month so much cheaper than your standard contract). They offered me the loan of the device as a chance to explore the wide range of food and lifestyle apps available on the Google Play Store. Now I’m usually an out and out Apple girl but I was intrigued by the affordability of this model and also I was curious to see how the two rival app stores could compare.

So before I get on to the apps I’m loving a quick word on the phone itself- I’m genuinely amazed at the price of this. Whilst I might not be about to rush out and replace my iPhone with it I was impressed with how sleek it looks and how fast it runs. It doesn’t have a huge amount of memory (4gb internal but you can expand this with a memory card) but it has all of the features you’d expect from a smartphone and is very easy to use, making it perfect for anyone knew to the mobile technology world or if you’re on a budget but still want access to the benefits a smartphone can offer. Hats off to Vodafone for creating something so affordable that actually works!
I had a good play around on the google play app store which itself is user friendly and provides easy downloads. I’ve selected a few of my favourite food and lifestyle apps as despite not making any resolutions I do want to start off 2017 with good intentions!
The Headspace app is actually one I’ve been using for a while having had it recommended by a variety of health care professionals as well as friends. Initially it is free, you get a 30 day trial before needing to subscribe and in my opinion it’s worth it. The app uses proven meditation and mindfulness techniques to help you train your mind and gain some inner peace, all in 10 minutes a day to begin with. Well worth a download if you’re finding yourself feeling frazzled and stressed- I also find it great for managing anxiety.
Smart Recipes is a free app produced by the NHS to encourage smart food choices by providing family friendly easy to follow healthy recipes. It has over 160 calorie counted meal choices and helps you plan, organise and mix up your meals without spending a fortune.
Another free app I’ve been using for a while is Clue- Period Tracker and I find it invaluable. Since coming off of my pill my cycle has been irregular to say the least and I find inputting each period really does help me keep track not only of when my period is likely to arrive but also where I am in my cycle and when I am most likely to experience PMS symptoms (which is handy to warn other people to avoid me as I get majorly grumpy!). If you’re looking to start a family you can also use the app to track your most fertile days. I can’t recommend this app enough!
The Love Food Hate Waste is another easy to follow recipe app that aims to help you reduce the amount of food waste you generate (and thus save you up to £200 per year!) I’m making a huge effort at the moment to reduce how much food I waste and I really like the selection of recipes provided on this app as well as the ability to meal plan, create a shopping list and get help gauging portions which is something I really struggle with. Again this is a free app and one I use regularly.
Finally another mindfulness based app, Calm. Perfect for beginners the app offers guided meditation sessions ranging from 3 minutes long to 25 minutes. It covers a wide range of topics from anxiety through to gratitude with various programmes and exercises available.
All of these apps are also available on the Apple app store and I’ve been using them regularly on my iPhone- having had the chance to properly explore them I now wonder what took me so long!

I’d love to know what your favourite apps are, covering any topics…leave them in the comments below and let me know if you try out any of my suggestions.

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Posted in apps, life, life stuff, review, tech

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