Category Archives: review

The Christmas Purrfect Box

06th January 2016
The team at Purrfect Box were kind enough to play Santa to my feline friend this Christmas and sent us the Christmas box to review. It arrived a week or so before the big day and we’ve had a lot of fun playing with it since then so although this review is somewhat tardy you can be rest-assured everything is well tested!

The Purrfect Box is a monthly subscription which costs £19.90 a month, or £15.90 per month if you take out a years subscription. The contents of the box are guaranteed to be worth at least £30 with 4-6 premium products inside so it’s a pretty sweet deal, especially as each box is catered to your feline’s needs and preferences. Let me know if you decide to treat your feline friend to a box; I’ll be picking up a few on a one off basis throughout the year, I can’t afford it on a monthly basis but as an every so often treat I think it’s wonderful especially as I’m moving out of the parental home very soon and won’t be seeing Mae on a daily basis anymore *sob*.

Pretty much every product in this box was a hit with Mae, the only exception being the Simon’s Cat bowl which was too deep for her stumpy little neck. It’s such a great bowl though, I LOVE Simon’s Cat and it now has a new home with Ben’s beast of a cat, Tobias.

Particular favourites were the food sachets from Iams which didn’t make it as far as being Christmas dinner and the festive chew toy which gets carted around the house all the time. The catnip stocking was a brilliant addition and this was given to Mae on Christmas Eve in attempts to chill her out a bit (it failed, but was very much enjoyed!).

I think we’ve found a new favourite treat for Mae in the mini-nuggets by Trixie, she goes mad for these although we’re yet to get the hang of the training lark!

As you can see it was a box filled with festive cheer and if I could only ever treat Mae to one Purrfect Box a year it would absolutely be the Christmas one again.

Have you given Purrfect Box a try before? I’d love to hear your thoughts… and did you buy presents for your pets?

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Posted in brands I love, Mae, review

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New Year Hair Army with #BootsBeautyBox*

04th January 2016
I have mentioned many a time on the blog that I am more than a little bit clueless when it comes to styling my hair. The biggest decision I tend to make when it comes to style is whether to spend time trying to tame it with straighteners or let it dry naturally and embrace the madness. It’s not that I’m not bothered about how my hair looks, far from it in fact! I’ve just never found the right array of hair styling products that help me achieve a look that lasts more than five minutes.
Boots.com obviously knew of my troubles as before Christmas they sent over their #BootsBeautyBox which was packed full of their favourite styling products to help me look half decent over the festive period.

Inside the box of tricks included lots of new to me products such as the Bastiste Stylist Oompy My Locks XXL volume spray for creating and caring for a big “do”. There was also a bottle of L’oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil , TRESemme Make Waves Creation Hairspray, Umberto Giannini Curl Friends scrunching jelly, Toni and Guy Creative Style Spray Wax and finally (what a box eh?) L’Oreal Elnett Precious Oil Hairspray.

I did let Mum pick out and keep a couple of products from the box. She is a bit of a volume fiend and has been delighted with both the Batiste XXL volume spray and the Elnett Precious Oil Hairspray- a nourishing upgrade to her long time favourite.

With what was left I decided to create a quick and easy tousled look for Christmas Day. I used a good spritz of the creature style spray wax all over before using my straightener to create loose waves. I set the style with the Tresemme make waves spray and was pleased to see my style last through from present opening, a post dinner nap all the way through to eventually calling it a day.

Obviously this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these product’s potential so do let me know how you’d use each one and if you’ve given any of them a go before…I’ll post results of any further experimentation on here and my social media (assuming I have any degree of success that is.)

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Posted in beauty, hair, review

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Degustabox- the November edition

09th December 2015
The November Degustabox has been one of my favourite boxes in a long time and that really is saying something. I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone. Carry on reading if you want to learn more about the fabulous contents of November’s box.
First out of the box was a new product from Belvita– the soft bakes are perfect for breakfast on the go, or for a snack during the day. Soft, delicious “cookies” filled with wholegrains, fibre and vitamins and flavoured with either red berries, chocolate chips or golden grains I’m a big fan of these despite not being overly keen on berry flavoured products. RRP £2.79 per pack although I’ve seen them on special offer in many supermarkets lately.

With Christmas on it’s way I’m starting to stock up on condiments (I am the condiment queen). The inclusion of some orchard fruit chutney by Branston and some baby beetroot from Bourne & Wallis was very welcome. The chutney is wonderful with cold meats and cheese and I doubt the jar will last until the 25th and the baby beetroot is perfect for adding to salads made up of leftover cooked meats. Yum!

Food Thoughts organic fairtrade 100% cocoa powder was another timely arrival as I have kickstarted my Christmas baking over the last few weeks. Wonderfully rich and with no added sugar this makes a mean chocolate cake.

I’m not a cider drinker despite hailing from the West-Country. This dry and crisp Apple Cider from Rekorderlig was enjoyed by my dad though and got the thumbs up from him as an alternative to the much loved classic drink.

Jelly is a must have for any party in my household and it’s even better with the addition of glitter! Hartley’s glitter jelly in strawberry has a wonderfully festive feel to it perfect for any party dessert and the new Black Cherry jelly is delicious and would make a brilliant black forest trifle or some other such pudding.

I think by now people are well aware of how much of a popcorn fiend I am so it goes without saying that one of the first products I homed in on this month was the Butterkist discoveries salted caramel flavour. A brilliant twist on the sweet and salt combination (although the original sweet and salt is still a favourite and this bag didn’t hang around long.

Crackers are a must over the festive period and Ryvita have some great products for serving up dips and cheese. The green and black olive are divine, really tasty and come in handy snack packs so you don’t get left with soggy, stale leftovers. The cheddar and cracked black pepper thins are great for dipping- salsa, humous and soft cheeses are all great accompaniments and they are also a new favourite to dip in to a bowl of steaming hot soup.

Last but by no means least were a couple of treats from Nim’s Fruit Crisps and Divine. The fruit crisps are 100% fruit and dried to perfection. Full of fibre and vitamins these are great for afternoon snacking when the sugar cravings hit and perfect for satisfying a sweet tooth. The Divine dark chocolate with raspberries was a lovely end of the day treat with a strong cup of coffee by the side- a long time favourite chocolate brand it was great to discover this flavour combination.

Have you tried any of the products in the November box? I’d love to know what you thought of them. If you fancy giving Degustabox a whirl for yourself you can claim an impressive £6.00 off of your first box when you use the code BLDEG15. Let me know if you decide to give it a whirl.

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Posted in food, review

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Mae Reviews: The November Purrfect Box

28th November 2015
After the success of previous packages from Purrfect Box it was hard to tell who was more excited about another delivery from them a couple of weeks ago. The Purrfect Box is a monthly subscription which costs £19.90 a month, or £15.90 per month if you take out a years subscription. The contents of the box are guaranteed to be worth at least £30 with 4-6 premium products inside so it’s a pretty sweet deal, especially as each box is catered to your feline’s needs and preferences. Let me know if you’d decide to treat your feline friend to a box- I’ll be picking up a few on a one off basis throughout the year, I can’t afford it on a monthly basis but as an every so often treat I think it’s wonderful!
In typical Mae fashion she wasn’t been at all co-operative in the taking of these photos so you’ll just have to take my word for it that she really enjoyed her box once again. There was a fantastic array of products in the box, from treats to toys and pretty much all of it was greeted for what one assumes was enthusiasm from my feline fiend.

A particular favourite in this month’s box were the lovely paw print blanket from Sauvagine which is keeping Mae nice and toasty warm in this recent spell of chilly weather. She’s never really been much of a cat for blankets and beds but this one appears to have changed her mind somewhat as she’s spending a good deal of time hiding under it and looking rather smug.

One product that I really rated were the wipes by Camon as I’ve lost count of the times where I wished such a thing existed. Utterly ideal for when a certain someone comes flying in after a dig around in the garden and for removing the evidence that she’s been walking through leftovers on a dinner plate again.

As ever the toys in the box were brilliant fun for both Mae and for myself. The treat roller is an endless source of amusement to me and frustration to Mae as she doesn’t want to work hard for her treats (and often I relent and give her a few extra, oops!). The only product that she didn’t like was the Cat Pudding from GimCat. She’s a bit funny about textures and for some reason wouldn’t even go near the packaging for this- but worry not, a visit up to Ben’s family saw this enthusiastically lapped up by their three cats so I’d say it’s still a success.

Have you given Purrfect Box a try before? I’d love to hear your thoughts…and watch this space for more “Mae Reviews” type posts, she’s getting quite in to this blogging lark.

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Posted in life stuff, Mae, review

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Degustabox- The October Edition

13th November 2015
This month’s Degustabox post features a special guest, Mae! Try as I might I couldn’t get her to leave me alone when I was taking these photos and although I try not to encourage her around human food much, at least it was covered eh?

I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone.

There was a huge selection of products in this month’s box, most of which were 100% new to me.

Chip Strips were one of the products I was most intrigued by. I’m a big lover of savoury snacks and these are addictive. Perfect for sharing (if you’re that way inclined) these are excellent as a side for lunch or as a vessel for scooping up dips. The paprika flavour was my favourite, it reminds me of eating paprika crisps on the beach in Spain!

Cirio products have featured in Degustabox before and is a brand we always reach for in this house when it comes to tomatoes and passata. Italian is one of my favourite cuisines to cook and these products really add to the experience.

Lorina is a new product and brand to me and although I’m not a lover of non-diet soft drinks I poured myself a glass of these and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! A premium French lemonade flavoured with coconut and lime, this is delicious straight from the fridge and I’m sure it would be even more amazing with a dash of rum!

Geeta’s: I’m not a curry girl so I passed these Geeta’s products on to my Dad who loves to cook up a korma. Both the korma sauce and the chutney got the thumbs up from him and when he likes something you can be rest assured they are pretty damn good!

Kabuto noodles are something I have tried before and really enjoyed. Despite being a dried product these taste super fresh with a strong hint of coconut and chilli. I like to take things like this to work during the colder months and although a bit of a luxury at £1.99 pack it’s still cheaper than a shop bought sandwich!

The Snack Organisation sounds like my kind of organisation! I’ve had these rice crackers before and always pick up a pack when I see them in a supermarket. These are a gluten free lighter alternative to crisps and come in some really tasty flavours including my favourite sweet chilli. Bonus points for them only costing £1 from Tesco and Sainsbury’s! The freeze dried fruit snacks weren’t quite to my taste but I probably should had added them to some yoghurt or something rather than eating them straight up!

Two more snacks that are new to me were the Nudie coconut chips and some nuts from Liberation Foods. The coconut chips are something I was a little scared of trying although they sound right up my street. Made from 100% natural ingredients, free from trans-fats and gluten as well as vegan friendly these are a good all rounder and surprising flavours such as Salt and Vinegar work really well- I’m not sure what I was expecting from these but they were a revelation! The nuts I had to pass on to my Dad as I can’t eat them. The oven baked cashews and peanuts were another hit with him and I’m pretty jealous that I can’t try them for myself.

9Bar provided us with the product of the month and is an older brand given a brand new look. Packed full of good energy from sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and hemp seeds and topped with carob these make for a brilliantly healthy boost when the mid-afternoon slump kicks in.

Have you tried any of the products in the October box? I’d love to know what you thought of them. If you fancy giving Degustabox a whirl for yourself you can claim an impressive £6.00 off of your first box when you use the code BLDEG15. Mae gives it her seal of approval too!

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Posted in review, snacking

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