Category Archives: vaping

The Big Vaping update post

09th December 2018
Back at the end of October I wrote my first update on my attempt to quit cigarettes by means of vaping with some help from my friends at e-cigarette direct. If you read that post you may recall it wasn’t going as well as I had hoped, and I was intending to come back a month later (and in fact it is now just over a month) and be able to say I had made better progress…
and have I? Yes, yes I have! I made the decision on the 30th October that I wasn’t going to buy any more cigarettes, if I didn’t have a pack “just in case” then I couldn’t talk myself in to having one and it seems to have worked. I did have on lapse at the end of November when coupled with a few g&ts I did cave in to the lure of a cigarette but I can honestly say it was the most disgusting thing, and I am actually baffled as to how I made it a habit for so long.

I would say I am out of the danger zone now, I find cigarettes repulsive and I have no desire to go back to it. I’m not sure vaping makes me a non-smoker though, I can’t make up my mind on that one- but I do feel it’s a far healthier compromise and certainly making a financial impact if not a health one.

I’ve also been very, very fortunate to have the support of the e-cigarette direct team who got me set up, and have sent out numerous juices for me to try- the latest of which I’m sharing some thoughts on below.

Nasty Juice wicked haze* short fill (£15.99) is a blackcurrant and sparkling lemonade flavoured juice- despite loving the drink that inspired it I did find this a bit sickly sweet for me, however, Bob (who if you remember rightly has also switched cigarettes for vaping) loved this and it was his default juice for a while.
I prefer the 10ml bottles of juice for when I am out and about as they are more convenient so I was excited to try the selection from Double Drip* (£3.99 each). Out of the three flavours I was sent, twisted ice cream was my favourite by a long way- uncannily reminiscent of a favourite summer ice-lolly (I got through boxes this year) it made the darker winter days seem that bit brighter. These juices are an 80:20 vg-pg ratio meaning they produce a lot more cloud than I am used to, I don’t think I’d seek out this ratio too often going forward, but the flavours are delicious and I’d be keen to try more.
Mostly Bob and I have been buying shortfill juices and mixing them up to suit our nicotine needs then decanting them for portability. The idea of shortfills was daunting at first as they seemed quite complicated to put together, but actually they aren’t really, as illustrated in this video from the e-cigarette direct team.

As ever, if anyone else reading this is a vaper and has any product recommendations or experiences to share then please do leave them in the comments. I’ll continue to share my journey and product reviews on the blog as and when, hopefully with continued progress to come- next step is weaning down the nicotine content!

Posted in vaping

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Black Friday Deals from E-Cigarette Direct

21st November 2018
Anyone who has been following my blog recently will know that I’ve been working on quitting the cigarettes by way of vaping with the fabulous team over at e-cigarette direct. Today they got in touch with me to announce some epic Black Friday Deals that will be available soon so I thought I’d share the wealth for any other vapers out there as you really don’t want to miss these.

All of the information you need is available on the Black Friday section of the website, and whilst you’ll need to be patient for a couple of days yet, here’s an idea of what is in store:

– 30% off all marked prices
– 50% off selected products
– free shipping over £10.00

If you sign up for an account with them you’ll also get £5.00 credit to spend on your first purchase, so I highly recommend that you do.

I’ll be back with another post in the next week or two about how my journey is progressing, and I’ve heard rumour of some exciting new product launches, so watch this space!

Posted in vaping

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Review: Squid Ink Short Fills from E-Cigarette Direct*

07th November 2018
Another week and another vaping post, I’m not going to lie, I’m turning in to a bit of a vaping geek (and I’m totally ok with that). Following on from my post last week about how I was planning to fully embrace the vaping and finally ditch the cigarettes, today I bring to you a review of the latest short fill juices I’m trialling courtesy of my friends at e-cigarette direct, a curious sounding brand called Squid Inc.
Bob and I have both really taken to short fills, we find them much better value and we can tailor the strength to suit us by adding as much, or as little nicotine as we like.

The Squid Ink short fills are 50ml each and cost £14.99, which seems to be the standard price point- you then need to factor in another couple of quid per bottle of nicotine.

The range comes in four flavours, a brief summary of each one, and our thoughts on them below:

St Clements: A super zesty citrus mix of orange and lemon. It seems odd to describe a product like this as refreshing, but this really is. I don’t typically like citrus flavours in anything (except a gin and tonic) but this grew on me quite rapidly. It wasn’t my favourite in the range, nor Bob’s, but it’s still pretty good and certainly much better than some juices I have tried.

The Pearl Ruby: The name of this certainly piqued my interested, and it was the flavour that appealed the most to me based on description. Milk and Raspberry with a subtle hint of caramelised almonds, this was hands down my favourite of the four. Sweet enough, but not too sweet, with a smooth and subtle flavour that I really enjoyed.

Caribbean Crush: Tropical fruits with menthol doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. I’ve never been a big fan of menthol cigarettes as I always found them harsh, but mixed with this punchy tropical blend this was a unique experience that certainly wakes you up in the morning. Again, not my favourite in the range, but certainly one I’d get again.

Barb & Cuss: A classic combination of rhubarb and custard, this tasted so realistic it was uncanny. This was Bob’s favourite of the bunch by far, and my second best next to The Pearl Ruby. I’m a big fan of rhubarb flavoured anything so I knew this would be a hit and if it hadn’t been for the slight edge on sweetness from the raspberry milk blend it would have been my top pick.

A few more weeks and I’ll post my next update in the quitting smoking process…it doesn’t really feel like quitting to be honest, vaping doesn’t feel like a nicotine replacement therapy, when actually, it kind of is. But if it’s a step away from the cigarettes and step towards a nicotine free life then that can’t be bad, right?
Any fellow vapers out there? Sometimes I feel incredibly isolated, more so by writing about it, so please do come forth!

Posted in brands I love, lifestyle, vaping

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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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Review: Gloop Shortfill from e-cigarette direct*

08th October 2018
Disclaimer: I know these posts won’t appeal to everyone, so if you have a problem with vaping, or reviews of vaping products then shift yourself along now.

I’m a little bit ahead of myself with this review as my post about my latest foray in to vaping is still a couple of weeks away, but I couldn’t wait to share these awesome new Gloop Shortfills from my friends at e-cigarette direct who have once again stepped in to help me kick my cigarette habit.

So, what is a shortfill? I honestly had no idea until the super friendly James introduced me to this brand, which was developed in house.
Basically a shortfill is a way to get around the 10ml cap on e-liquids which contain nicotine. A shortfill is exactly as it sounds- a larger bottle (typically 50-100ml) of nicotine free “juice” with space left to add your own nicotine to your required strength. The nicotine is sold separately in 10ml bottles and there are various calculators online which will help you tailor your liquid to your exact needs.

I was very kindly sent the full range of Gloop shortfills, plus the required nicotine so I could try out both the concept, and the new range for myself.

The range comes in four flavours- blueberry donut, sticky strawberry cake, hazelnut cookie and caramel latte and cost £14.99 each for a 50ml bottle. I was a little bit nervous about mixing up my own juice but with the help of Bob and our good friend google we figured out the perfect ratio for us and set about trying the range.
The packaging of this range has instant appeal, both the box and the bottle are very easy on the eye and look fun, rather than super scientific.

The flavours of these are fantastic, they really are. I think finding your perfect e-liquid is definitely trial and error but I feel like I have struck gold with this range. There’s a really good balance between the fruit element of the juices (or the caramel/hazelnut) and the cake/coffee/cookie. Often one over dominates the other but the Gloop team have balanced it perfectly.

Bob and I are both really taken with the blueberry donut flavour and it has become our go-to, but we’re happily mixing and matching across the entire range. The liquids are a 70/30 VG:PG ratio and go through strict safety tests both in-house and in government controlled labs.

The fact that these pack such a flavour punch has really help me stay away from cigarettes, and I’m actively not craving them anymore, preferring instead to reach to my vape. Some liquids I have tried have had the opposite effect so this really does speak volumes about how well the e-cigarette direct team have done here.

The nicotine shots cost an additional £2.49 per bottle and you probably would want at least one bottle per tube of Gloop. That makes each shot around £17.49, comparable to two packets of cigarettes- and it lasts so much longer.

My journey back in to vaping has been driven by several factors- firstly new reports around the safety of vaping vs. smoking, secondly moving house and needing to save money (and I am spending considerably less already), and thirdly by jumping on to the Stoptober bandwagon. If you’re also looking to quit the cigarettes and use vaping as your method then check out the Stoptober section of the e-cigarette direct website for deals, and an eye opening calculator in to how much you can save.

I’ll have a full post coming soon on my first month of serious vaping- if you have any questions you want answered then leave them in the comments below, and if you have any tips or recommendations then I’m all ears.

Posted in vaping

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