Valuxxo Skin Revive (AHA) Face Scrub Bio

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

The key to radiant, glowing skin is regular exfoliation and I find using a face scrub twice a week is the best way to remove all the dead skin cells, leaving my face not only smoother and clearer but more radiant too. I’m currently using the Skin Revive (AHA) Face Scrub Bio from Valuxxo which blends Alpha Hydroxy Acids with nourishing botanical oils to refine, brighten, and renew your complexion.

Enriched with Lactic and Salicylic acids, the face scrub encourages natural skin renewal, unclogs pores and helps keep skin clear and free from blemishes. The face scrub also contains mango butter which helps to keep skin hydrated too.

The scrub is applied to wet skin, you only need a small amount and massage it onto your face for between 30 to 60 seconds before rinsing off with warm water. The face scrub is in a handy 70ml tube and it is really easy to squeeze it out of the tube. The fine grains feel a little gritty when you’re massaging them into your skin, but they don’t feel too harsh or leave my skin feeling irritated afterwards.  

After the first use I was quite surprised to see the difference in my skin, there was a definite glow and my face felt incredibly smooth – just like it feels after you have been for a facial – but at a fraction of the cost! After using it twice a week for a month my skin is not only more radiant but it’s softer too and my pores are a lot less noticeable.

This is the first time I’ve tried a Valuxxo product and I’m really impressed, I can’t wait to try some of their other products now.

RRP £24 available from Valuxxo here

Annabelle Minerals Pressed Powders

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Spring is here! Which is another excuse to start looking at your make up collection and trying out some new pieces from Annabelle Minerals. We were sent some pressed powders (which I’ve never tried before) to see how we like their summer shades and award winning foundation.

Annabelle Minerals work to the theory of natural make up to bring out your own natural beauty. The ingredients nourish the skin and help prevent clogged pores, inflammation and excess sebum.

The Annabelle Minerals Pressed Powder Foundation comes in a beautiful metal compact with mirror and a separate sponge applicator.  The Pressed Powder Foundation is a concentrated powder which has a slightly different colour to their loose counterparts so it’s worth trying it out first – I put too much on the sponge and found that I had applied the foundation too thickly so I had to reverse the coverage. With a bit of time though, you can soon get the coverage as well as the colour. This is why it’s won the Global Green Beauty Awards in 2023!

The photos show my face without any make-up and then half my face with the Pressed Powder Foundation. As my skin is very light and it’s the beginning of spring, I have the shade Natural Light but with refills online and 20 shades available at Annabelle Minerals’ shop, you can change your shade throughout the year.  You can see the coverage that just one application of the Pressed Powder gives, and with some blending and a proper base (I didn’t use any primer or foundation this time) you can see that the age spots and some of the blemishes are evened out.  The make-up itself feels really light especially as you don’t need much of it to make a difference.  Having the second colour (I was sent a refill of Natural Fair) you can blend both colours together to match your skin tone or the tone of the contour look you’re trying to achieve.

The Pressed Powder is a really good idea because of how concentrated it is and how easy it is to apply. It’s not a liquid foundation so you can take it on a plane with you but it’s so light that you don’t need much and can apply it quickly, in the knowledge that it gives great coverage.  It allowed my skin to breath as well, giving a lovely glow as all Annabelle Minerals products too.  A lovely new product to add to the handbag this year!

Pressed Powder Foundation (in Natural Light colour) £23.90 at:

https://www.annabelleminerals.com/en_gb/face/1387-1923077-pressed-powder-foundation.html#/486-options-metal_compact/501-foundation_shade-natural_light

Nanogen Hair Care

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Treat yourself to a little luxury haircare as well as using the Nanogen features to repair and restore hair growth, giving you nourished locks for the summer!

Nanogen are experts in haircare but have also designed shampoos and conditioners for both men and women to give you thicker hair. We were sent a selection of products from their online range, for both men and women to try out. We were also sent the new Hair Growth Factor Treatment Serum which launched earlier this year, but more on that later!

The Nanogen shampoos and conditions work together to create thicker hair. As with any beauty products, you get the most out of them if you use all the products in the range, so I was eager to try out the Nanogen Shampoo Luxe for Women and Nanogen Conditioner. There is also the Nanogen Shampoo for Women (in the purple bottle) which I kept as an in between shampoo for when I was at the gym, but they all compliment one another.  The Nanogen Shampoo Luxe is especially rich and adds to the hair thickening experience which is what Nanogen are striving for.  This shampoo is silky and soft but still does an excellent job of cleaning and you don’t need much to get your hair squeaky clean, which is how I like it. 

The Nanogen Conditioner (which is for everyone not just for women) is where the magic happens. Like any conditioner, it needs to go on for about 2-3 minutes but I have a timer in my shower so I like to keep it on longer, as a type of mask.  The conditioner is also softly smooth and you can feel that the texture is fortified with lots of good nutrients that are going straight on your hair. The combination of both the Nanogen Shampoo Luxe and the Nanogen Conditioner leave hair soft, but over time it also keeps hair thicker by adding nourishment and stimulating growth.

We were also sent the Shampoo for Men and Shampoo and Conditioner for Men (2-in1) which works much the same, and has a different fragrance for men. The Shampoo and Conditioner for Men also works brilliantly if you are sharing shampoo and conditioner with your other half and are camping or taking cheap flights where the luggage is limited!  The 2-in-2 also continues with the Nanogen treatment if you can’t take all of your bottles with you and creates a stop-gap for you to be able to keep up the good work until you get back to your usual Nanogen bottles.

We were also sent the Nanogen Hair Growth Factor Serum which was launched earlier this year. Using all the best Nanogen hair technology, the serum works on the scalp to stimulate hair growth over time so that as one hair is lost, another starts growing in its place as soon as possible. The Nanogen Hair Growth Factor Serum does this in 3 ways: Stimulates new cell growth, regenerates hair follicles and reduces hair shedding by increasing collagen around the hair follicle. The serum contains Pea Sprout Extract (to stimulate hair cells), Europaea Bark Extract (to revitalise hair follicles) and Peptides, including Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 to create more collagen around hair follicles.

With all this science involved, it still takes a few weeks or even months to show a difference as it’s working deep in the hair follicles for your hair to be able to grow, and as with all hair growth, it takes time!  You can add the serum at any time though, not just during your hair wash and as the serum is non-greasy, you can add it during the day. Just use a full pipette amount of serum on your scalp and massage in. It’s not greasy so you can add it after you’ve styled your hair or at the beginning of the day and you can use it every day to give a more consistent approach.

I have been using it for this week and yes, it’s easy to apply and to massage in and it’s not greasy. It’s more like a tonic and you don’t need very much of it but the pipette means you can direct the serum to the area of the scalp which you think might need it the most. I’m looking forward to my hair looking thicker over the summer and coming months as well as stronger and shinier.

Shampoo, conditioner and Hair Growth Serum available online at:

Hey Doodle Toot Toot Honk Colouring Mat

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

We’re half way through the school holidays and it’s never stopped raining! Luckily our mini reviewers love colouring so have spent a good half hour or so each day quietly colouring in the vehicles on the Toot Toot Honk Hey Doodle MiniMat.  

The reuseable silicone mat comes with three coloured pens and unlike paper it doesn’t move about when you’re colouring it. The pens are lovely to use, they glide smoothly on the silicone and don’t bleed into one another when the colours are used next to each other. All the colours are nice and bright and when the mat is coloured  in it looks quite  impressive. If they do make a mistake it doesn’t matter as they are easily erased by wiping them away with a damp cloth.

 There are 5 different Minimats available – Toot Toot Honk, Dinoroar, Aussie Animals, Sugar & Spice and Into the Wild and each one is printed with illustrations that fit the theme along with either letters from the alphabet or numbers that can be traced over.

Once the mat has been coloured in the ink is easily removed with a damp cloth and you’re ready to start again. I did find you do need to apply a little pressure when removing the ink, especially if it has been left for a couple of days, so you may need to help younger children do this.

As well as being great fun, Hey Doodle colouring mats are better for the environment as they remove the need for endless sheets of paper that get thrown away afterwards.

Aimed at children aged 2- 7 these are a great way to keep the children (and adults) entertained during the school holidays. They also make great birthday gifts too!

RRP £14.99 available here

SJCAM C300 Action Camera

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

In this digital age it seems everyone is documenting their lives on social media and for those who enjoy the great outdoors then an action camera is an essential for recording all those adventurous activities. Designed to be mounted, whether that’s on the handlebars of a mountain bike, a helmet when climbing, skiing or canoeing or on a chest mount for hiking and trail running, they are great for capturing the action in places where you need to have your wits about you and your hands free. They also tend to be more robust and waterproof meaning they will survive your adventures and capture the action no matter what the conditions!  

We’ve been trying out the SJCAM C300 Action Camera over the last couple of weeks and have been really impressed with it.  The key features are

  • Waterproof up to 30m with waterproof case
  • 4K resolution and 20MP lens
  • Remote control bracelet to easily control recordings and taking photos
  • Immersive first-person view with the clip to position on your chest
  • Adopts extra-large aperture to increase light intake by 40% to for low light shooting
  • 1.3” Dual touch colour screen and 154° wide-angle lens to take pictures from the best angle
  • App control

Included with the camera are two batteries and a selection of mounts including one that claims to be waterproof to a 30m depth! I’m not a fan of water so I won’t be putting this to the test but I’m sure lots of people will find this a great feature. There is also a USB cable, instructions and a cleaning cloth.

The camera can be paired with either of the batteries, the smaller 1000mAh battery gives a compact size that will fit into the waterproof mount but only has a single display. The larger battery at 2800mAh gives much longer recording times and a second display on the rear of the camera but does not fit into the waterproof mount. Instead, it does offer a standard ¼” tripod mount which allows me to use some of my other camera mounts.

Controlling the camera is easy, there is just a single button on the body which doubles as the power control and the shutter button, other settings are accessed using the 1.3” touch screens. They worked well but I certainly wouldn’t want to use anything smaller! Swipe from the top gives options such as playback or switching display whilst video settings are changed by tapping an icon at the bottom of the screen. A swipe from the left switches quickly from video to photo, a feature that I use quite a lot – it allows me to grab a quick picture without swapping cameras. 

Another option for controlling the camera is to connect your phone to its WiFi and use the SJCAM app. This allows quick access to all the image and camera settings plus you can take control from a distance. The app also allows images and videos to be transferred to your phone although I prefer to connect to my PC with a USB cable and transfer files that way.

I don’t tend to carry video cameras in my hand, preferring a tripod or other mount but I did take some handheld video and was very impressed with how easy it was to frame the shot using the dual screens and also how steady the video was using the gyroscopic stabilisation. It definitely worked well and smoothed out the jerkiness you get when holding a video camera.

A much more realistic test came when I mounted the camera in its waterproof case to my bike (I purchased a go-pro mount for my Garmin GPS mount). I’m not a fan of wearing a camera on a helmet but video shot from my bike in the past has always been very unstable. After a two hour ride, I was very pleased with the results, the video was crisp with good colour and most importantly smooth. My only gripe is that the default video clip length is just 3 minutes which makes transferring and editing the video a bit of a pain. This is a setting that can be changed to a more reasonable 10 minutes.

This weekend I’ve been working in the garden so thought I’d try out one of the other modes, timelapse video. I setup the camera using one of the mounts strapped to a fence post and then got to work. Over the day I moved the camera a few times and looking back at the footage I’m really happy with the results, I’m much more likely to use a timelapse that condenses hours into a few minutes than try editing a day long video down into something more interesting.

When you are not using the camera for adventurous activities it can also be used as a dash cam to record when you are driving, this will be great for all those scenic routes but is also invaluable in the unfortunate event of an accident.

There are also a couple of other modes that I haven’t had chance to try yet such as slow motion video, starry night and even a fishing mode!

I’m very happy with the camera and its performance and I’m looking forward to taking it on lots of adventures this summer!

RRP £129.99

My Beautiful Laundrette

Disclaimer: We received free tickets to see the show for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

If you were around in the 80’s then you may remember Hanif Kureshi’s Oscar-nominated film  “My Beautiful Laundrette” an unlikely love story featuring Omar, a young Pakistani and Johnny, a white skin-head and fascist gang leader. The popular film has now been adapted for the stage and we went to see it last night on the final leg of the tour at The Grand Theatre in Blackpool.  

In 1985, Omar was played by Gordon Warnecke and it is great to see he is now part of the stage version – this time playing Omar’s father, Papa. Once a noted journalist he is now a shadow of his former self having turned to alcohol following his wife’s suicide. He asks his brother Nasser (Kammy Darweish) to find work for his son before he goes off to college and before long Omar (Lucca Chadwick-Patel) finds himself working at his uncle’s rundown laundrette. Whilst out with family friend Salim, they are set upon by a fascist gang but when the gang leader Johnny (Sam Mitchell) recognises Omar – his old school friend – he stops the altercation and the pair rekindle their friendship and Omar persuades him to help  transform the laundrette into a thriving business. 

Set in Margaret Thatcher’s 80’s Britain the ground-breaking film explored violence, racism, homosexuality as well as the friction between the new generation of young British Pakistanis and their parents, who were struggling with the different views on gender equality. 

Whilst Nasser reflects the age of prosperity and the Thatcherite reforms, the 80’s was also a decade of violence and unrest and we felt Paddy Daly was brilliant as the racist thug Ghengis, his costume and attitude bringing back memories of news reports of the time.

Despite the gritty subject matter there is plenty of humour in the play with some excellent one liners and double entendres dotted throughout the performance. The whole cast were excellent with all of the actors portraying the characters so well, especially Lucca and Sam who had a great on stage chemistry.  

The play had a real 80’s feel, the Pet Shop Boys music and fantastic costumes – especially the sharp pink suit of Salim transporting us straight back to our youth! We really enjoyed the show and were pleased that the stage version hasn’t lost any of the impact of the original film.  

The current tour is at its end, with a final performance Blackpool on 6th April so be sure to grab a ticket now before it is too late!

Tickets from £19.50 with concessions and group rates available, plus extra special offers for Grand Theatre 1894 Club Members.

Tickets are also available at £15.50 for 18 to 26-year-olds as part of the national ticket scheme to encourage young adults to experience all forms of live theatre.

To book tickets call the Grand Theatre Box Office on 01253 290190 or visit www.BlackpoolGrand.co.uk for full listings, bookings and further information.

Rumi Cosmetics

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

As I’ve got older I’ve changed skincare products to suit my ageing skin but I’ve never thought about changing my make up, that is until Rumi Cosmetiques got in touch and offered to send me a couple of their products to try.  The family run company was founded  back in 2020 and they “strongly believe in creating beauty products for mature women that highlight their natural beauty instead of trying to cover it”

Mascara is the one item in my make up bag that I can’t live without, I love how it darkens and defines my lashes, making my eyes stand out and now I’m getting older I actually feel quite naked without it. The VolumeCare + Mascara is a 2-in-1 mascara that not only colours your eyelashes but it also conditions and nourishes them to give the appearance of longer, thicker & healthier eyelashes that are less likely to fall out or break. I have incredibly sensitive eyes and generally can only use a couple of brands, so I was really pleased to discover this mascara didn’t irritate my eyes at all and I could wear it all day without any signs of irritation.

When applying the mascara, I noticed an instant boost in length and volume with my lashes separating really well, it was easy to apply and build the colour and it didn’t clump at all. I was really impressed with the staying power of this mascara, it stayed put all day and looked just as fresh after 14 hours as it did when I first applied it. At the end of the day it was easily removed with a cotton pad soaked in my usual eye make-up remover.

RRP £31 available in Natural Black and Dark Brown

I don’t often wear eyeliner as I struggle to get a neat line, but following the handy tips on the website I actually found the LushLine+ waterproof eye liner really easy to apply, it was soft enough to give a smooth line without dragging my skin and it gave a strong defined line to my eye make up. I especially liked the built in sharpener meaning you never have a blunt eyeliner which makes it much easier to apply. The  eyeliner is smudge proof and waterproof and like the mascara lasts all day.

RRP £24 available in Natural Black, Natural Grey and Dark Brown

The PowerBrow+ Tinted Eyebrow gel comes in three different coffee themed colours, Espresso, Mocha and Latte which will suit most colourings. I’ve noticed that as I’ve got older my brows have become a little thinner but I’ve not used make up on them before  so after watching a couple of YouTube videos for guidance I had a go at applying the product on my brows. The brush is very easy to use and glided easily over my brows. It was quite easy to fill in the sparse areas and define the shape of my brows. The brush evenly distributed the colour and I was amazed at the difference it made to my brows.  

The gel also contains active ingredients that nourish and thicken your brows with every stroke so I’m hoping with continued use I will see an improvement in them.

RRP £26 available in Espresso, Mocha and Latte

I’m really impressed with these products, I would never have considered switching my make up now I am older, but these products are fantastic and really lift my eyes, they are kind to my sensitive skin and are now an essential part of my make up bag.


Sharp Tokyo DR-P420 Radio

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

I’m a real fan of the radio and as well as listening to it in the car I also enjoy listening to it at home on my portable FM radio.  As an avid radio listener, I was very pleased to be given the opportunity to try a Tokyo DR-P420 from SHARP as not only is it much newer and nicer looking than my ancient radio, a DAB radio offers a much wider choice of radio stations.

The Tokyo DR-P420 is a small, portable radio which offers both digital and analogue radio along with Bluetooth streaming. It can be powered by 4 AA batteries for portable listening or from a USB supply using the provided cable.

Setting up the radio is really simple, the radio automatically searches for radio stations and then up to 20 favourites can be stored for both DAB and FM radio. Three of the favourites can be recalled using buttons on the panel, the rest with an extra button press. The time is picked up automatically and is displayed when the radio is in standby.

When you’ve had enough of the radio, you can also stream music from your phone using Bluetooth 5.0 and the buttons on the front panel can then be used to play, pause and skip tracks as well as controlling the volume.

Whatever you’re listening to, the sound quality from the single speaker is excellent and is loud enough to fill most rooms. If the rest of your family don’t appreciate your choice in radio stations or music then don’t worry as you can also listen through headphones as there is a headphone socket on the rear of the radio.

The radio now has a permanent spot on my desk but it can also be used as a clock radio when powered from USB. Two different alarms can be set with options for weekday or weekends, and each allows a choice of alarm with either a radio pre-set or buzzer to wake you.

I really love the Sharp Tokyo DR-P420, it is easy to set up has excellent sound quality and with all the extra stations I’m finding I’m listening to the radio even more now!

Available in Black, Steel Blue, Blossom Pink and Snowy White

RRP £39.99 available from Currys, Robert Dyas, Amazon and The Range

got2b got CURLZ Hair Products

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

I have naturally curly hair which is currently quite dry and frizzy and in desperate need of some TLC so the arrival of a parcel containing a couple of Schwarzkopf got2be got CURLZ products couldn’t have come at a better time!

The got2b gotCURLZ Coil Refreshing Cream is a lightweight 2 in 1 hair styling and care cream which moisturises and revitalises curls without weighing them down. Infused with coconut oil, castor oil, argan oil and shea butter this cream works by defining and sealing single coils to shape the hair. It can be applied to towel dried hair or a small amount can be used to refresh curls in between washes.

The cream is quite thick but as it’s in a wide screw top pot it is really easy to scoop out. I used a small amount on my shoulder length hair, raking it through to make sure it was evenly distributed before scrunching it in. I then dried it with my diffuser and I have to say I am really pleased with the results – my normally dry, frizzy mop of curls was magically transformed into beautifully defined bouncy curls. As well as looking amazing there was less frizz and my curls lasted longer, meaning I didn’t need to spend as long each morning refreshing them.

The cream is also great for defining curls between washes, a small amount scrunched into the ends of my hair was all I needed to define my curls and leave them looking good until the next wash day.

RRP £7

The got2b gotCURLZ Hydrating Beach Waves Spray is great for adding a little texture to my hair and I’ve been using this between washes to revitalise my hair. Infused with coconut water and ocean minerals it not only smells amazing but leaves my hair lovely and soft with a summery tousled look.  

It can be used on both damp and dry hair although I tend to get better results when I use it on dry, day old hair as it revives my curls and gives my hair a little body. It’s easy to use, simply spray onto dry hair and tousle or if using on wet hair you can leave your hair to dry naturally or use a diffuser.

RRP £7

Both products are Curly girl method approved and are suitable for Vegans too. If you have a Boots Advantage card there is currently an offer to save £1.50 per product here

Avani Hair Growth Oil by Hair Veda 

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Hair Veda have taken a range of natural, organic oils and created an oil blend to promote hair growth in those with moderate hair loss. 

With the antibacterial and antimicrobial oil properties, the scalp is cleaned and nourished to provide the best conditions for hair to grow.  The anti-inflammatory properties increase circulation to the scalp which in turn increases growth of new hair, and the oils themselves condition the existing hair to leave it shinier and glossier with less frizz. The Vitamin C rich oils enrich hair growth and the oils also help prevent dandruff and further hair loss.

Containing Jojoba oil, Cedarwood oil, Thyme oil, Rosemary oil, Lavender oil and Lemon oil among other natural ingredients, the combination of the oils helps the scalp grow hair again after hair loss, plus strengthens new strands and your existing strands.  To reap the full benefits of Avani Hair Growth Oil, leave it in for a few hours and let it work its magic like a hair mask and over several weeks, you’ll start to see a difference.

The instructions say to warm up the oil first to have the maximum benefit, which I did by placing it near a warm radiator.  Then, using the pipette provided, drop it into sections of the scalp and massage into your hair roots. With the remaining oil on your hands, run it through the length of your hair to give a protective, nourishing coat. After a few hours, you just have to wash out with shampoo and then you can condition and style as normal. I find though, that you don’t need to shampoo more than once, the one shampoo application is enough to clean your hair and doesn’t strip out the good work of the oil.

Results are not immediate – not for hair loss anyway.  What you will find is that after a few hours of your locks marinating in the Avani Hair Growth Oil, the smell is divine from all of the different oils in the blend, and your hair from root to tip is nourished.  Your hair is nourished over time with each application so after you shampoo and condition, there’s a slight improvement each wash.  The hair loss improves slowly with each application too, with your hair regrowth being stronger so that the strands of hair withstand the daily combing, styling and pollution of everyday life.  Over months and years, this all adds up to healthier, stronger and more luscious hair!

Available online from £29.99 at: Hairveda

Powerful – book by Maisie Hill

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Be The Expert In Your Own Life

Maisie Hill has written books specifically for women in different stages of life, and Powerful is her latest update in how to navigate tricky feelings, situations and the psychology of life.  Although the book contains a lot of tips and tricks for women, the information and advice speak to men too.  

As yourself if you procrastinate? Do you know why? What about people pleasing? Or being defensive? Do you even know you’re being defensive or do you assume defensiveness is a typical part of relationships and communication?  Perhaps these are questions you don’t ask yourself very often, but with each chapter dedicated to another topic, Maisie Hill talks you through what each emotion is, gives examples and most helpfully, gives bullet points on how to deal with them.  Around all of the information, Hill explains why we have such emotions and in some cases where they come from.

The book is released on 9 May 2024 and uses a lot of the most up to date counselling theories and readings which are used today and talked about on social media.  If you’ve not been interested in self-help books before then Powerful is a great place to start. The introduction talks about how your nervous system deals with emotions, stress and triggers from our lives which is the foundation of the book before you get into the detail in each chapter.  Maisie Hill has written books for women specifically and really seems to have her finger on the pulse with the topics most women are facing nowadays. People pleasing is a big problem among women, and understanding why we do it is the key to solving the issue plus changing our behaviour so that we can enjoy all the relationships in our lives.

The book can be picked up and chapters read in isolation, which is particularly easy when there are so many bullet point tips in each chapter that help you create boundaries and adapt to situations.  I would recommend reading the introduction though, and the book as a whole is a great base when you read it cover to cover, then keep it for reference.  Some of the chapters are quite long, so it would help if you had some peace and quiet to read the whole book before you delve in at a later date!

Available from 9 May 2024 for £15.99 at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powerful-Expert-Your-Own-Life/dp/1472978927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DSMDDD17KYOK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8IyM0bbTIe6zG863X8uM8IVTXjMHyXLcBHaU8LS4QXFCLGOscgn7b7eKANRE-s4v.NZbjWKqfCmx0pxCQirS9vhTbbEGMea2dRZmhHxY3xaU&dib_tag=se&keywords=powerful+maisie+hill&qid=1711718650&sprefix=powerful+maisie+hill%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1

Pabobo Mimi Bunny Musical Stars Projector

If you are looking for a gift for baby’s first Easter then the Mimi Bunny Musical Stars Projector from Pabobo is the perfect choice. As well as being super cute, Mimi Bunny is a great addition to nap or bedtime as she not only plays a gentle lullaby but lie her on her back and she projects a pretty starry sky onto the ceiling which babies and toddlers love to watch, it certainly had the desired effect with our mini reviewer who nodded off in no time at all!

Mimi Bunny can either be set to a single colour of star or can cycle through the 3 colours (green, blue and orange). The light display is quite impressive and certainly captured our mini reviewer’s attention. As well as the light display there is a lullaby button with two different volumes to choose from. The stars and lullaby don’t have to be played together, you can choose projections or lullaby or both together. The lights and sound turn off automatically after 22 minutes which is really handy when settling a baby or toddler as you don’t want to go back in the room and risk waking them!

Mimi Bunny is lovely and soft and perfect for cuddling, close up the lights are more of a soothing glow than a bright light which allows a child to still fall asleep whilst cuddling the bunny. Don’t worry about it getting grubby you can easily remove the projector part and the plush toy can be put in the washing machine on a gentle cycle at 30°.

As Mimi Bunny is the size of a standard cuddly toy she can easily be taken on holiday or when visiting family or friends this Easter, enabling you to keep your bedtime routine even when away from home.

The projector does require 3 x AA batteries which aren’t included.

RRP £36 available from Matalan

Hay-Band for Hay Fever suffers

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

I wish I could tell you that I tried out the Hay-Band in some tropical climate, in the middle of summer when all the pollen is in the air and the humidity is a scorcher, but alas, it’s only March here in England and the pollen is only just getting started! However, I am a hay fever sufferer and it does start around this time of year for me, probably with tree pollen from the blossoms. 

I am not good with medications; antihistamines make me drowsy even if they’re the non-drowsy type, so I have to reply on lots of other methods to keep the pollen out, including air purifiers indoors and washing my hair daily to keep levels low. Hay-Band works on non-medical principals – the acupressure points from Chinese Medicine.  The pressure point is called LI-11 and is on either arm, and works to alleviate allergy symptoms.  

The Hay-Band is an elastic double band with a plastic pressure button in the middle. The acupressure point is at the end of the elbow crease when you bend your arm, so it’s at this point you need to slide the band onto your arm and position the button in the right place. There’s a really clear video on the Hay-Band website here: https://hay-band.co.uk

You can wear the band discreetly at all times, and it can be preventative or used when symptoms start.  There are no side effects, so you can use it all times, even in bed at night but it is not advised to be used when pregnant.  If the symptoms aren’t waning, then you can make little adjustments to where the button lays on your arm to hopefully help. The Hay-Band can be re-worn over and over and is washable too – it won’t affect the button position if you put it through the washing machine!

I found that putting the band on was a bit tight as I have quiet muscly arms and the band is only available in one colour and one size so far (15cm – 40cm circumference). Once it sits on your arm, you hardly notice it’s there but I think once the button hits the right place when your allergies are flaring, you suddenly feel it. It would be perfect for children or people who have to work without having to take drowsy medication and of course, as soon as you take it off the effect will stop working so if you don’t get on with it, there’s no harm done.

I can’t wait to use it when summer is finally here, and in conjunction with other non-medical methods it should work perfectly especially when out and about or needing to work. Just pay attention to the tan lines it may create if you wear it on holiday…

Available online for £13.09 at: https://hay-band.co.uk/buy

TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Combine a watch, sports monitor and health monitor with the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch for a stylish wear this summer.

Smart watches have come a long way with most of us using them on daily basis and replacing the mechanical watches that only tell the time and the date at best. The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch contains multiple functions and the latest technology and at less than £50 it costs roughly the same as a cheap watch but with all the benefits.  We were sent one to try this week and to see how well it worked and I tracked it during my Park Run and gym sessions to see how well it worked and whether it gave me what I wanted.

The first aspect of the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch is the screen. It’s 1.83 inches, square and has the touch functionality that makes it distinguishable from the old-fashioned watch. The coloured screen shows information it gathers from throughout the day including date, time, bpm, steps, calories and your sleep information.  Touch and hold the screen to see other displays that are available such as a conventional clock face (if you prefer to see analogue time rather than digital) and a sports display showing your number of steps, distance and calories. The other displays give a variation on the health data and time but in different configurations, depending on how you like to see your summary display.

The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch also has a microphone and Bluetooth to connect to your phone (it works with both iPhone and Android) and allows you to call from it.  Connecting to Bluetooth was easy – once the Smart Phone was charged, a QR code comes up and allows you to download the app. The app then takes you through the Bluetooth pairing easily. This makes workouts and running easy as you have free hands and can accept or make calls from the touch of the screen. The Smart Watch also notifies you of new messages and allows you to view older messages that come into your phone. If you swipe the face of the smart phone, you can view all sorts of information if you are link your phone via Bluetooth including the weather, stress levels and activity.

The health monitoring is up there with the best of the smart watches as just by wearing it, your heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen saturation level and activity tracking are stored.  Particularly interesting to me was the blood oxygen saturation level so that I can compare it at rest, night and when exercising as I’ve never had this facility before.  The distance and steps is not new to me, but it was refreshing having it on a different display and being alerted whenever I got to 3 kilometres. On the app though, you can change any of your goals, so I was able to change it to 5 kilometres once I had used the watch for a while.

The watch arrived with no charge at all so I was able to see how long it took.  The cable is included in the pack and works as a magnetic point at one end to attach to the watch and the other end is a USB so you can plug into any socket or any laptop to charge.  It took about 1 ½ hours to charge fully and you can see the percentage charge amount on the display screen. The first full charge lasted about 6 days which is longer than my FitBit and longer than my iPhone, but with different variations of use, the battery will last longer.

The app gives more detailed information on all your stats and includes data such as menstrual health, blood oxygenation and standing amount. One of the areas I was most interested in was the ability to record a specific exercise and see individual information. You can set the watch so that when you press the side button, it comes up with your favourite sport (in this case it was Outdoor Running) and it will calculate your time, steps, bpm and other information relating to your exercise. The more detailed information is on the app which you can look at later. 

The TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch has all you need of a watch, the information that you see on your phone and a detailed health monitor, all in one small device.  It’s easy to use, and when you get into the settings and how it works it’s really easy to set up and to make it work for you the way you want it to. For my Park Run, it gave me all the information of my FitBit plus Blood Oxygen Saturation which is new to me, and very interesting.

I would highly recommend the TOZO S3Ultimate Smart Watch as an alternative to the more high end watches which cost a lot, lot more and do the same job just as well. It looks stylish too with the black face and black strap, and dare I say it, looks like it’s a lot more expensive than it is!

Available on Amazon at a discount at the moment but usually £49.99: 

Savyll Non-Alcoholic Cocktails

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Bring on summer! Well, even if summer never falls upon us (it’s looking that way!) you can still enjoy these mocktails from Savyll which launched recently.

The cans of non-alcoholic cocktails in flavours Mojito, Bellini, Paloma and Moscow Mule have won the 2022 Great Taste Award for their taste. We were sent a selection of each flavour to try and thanks to their very low ABV, we enjoyed these over lunch!

The name Savyll came from the phrase, “To be savoured by all” and with these drinks being non-alcoholic, it means everyone can enjoy them.  The cocktails, which come in 250ml can size are each made of all natural ingredients, are vegan friendly, gluten free and have less than 5 grams of sugar per 100ml. Kept fresh in the cans, the drinks are all fizzy and faithful to the cocktail names they bear with the Bellini being my favourite.  Each of the drinks has the flavour and effervescence but none of the hangover the next morning – not that you would notice because each of them has that ‘kick’ that makes them a cocktail.

The Savyll cocktails make great accompaniments to picnics and days out, or for anyone who isn’t sure about a cocktail but still wants to enjoy the flavour.  They are a completely different alternative to the soft drinks on the market, which feel more grown-up, and look like alcoholic treats as well so you won’t feel left out. I felt that the flavours weren’t over powering like some mocktails are, and they had the carbonated factor which made them easier and more fun to drink.  They contain less than 0.5% ABV so are classed as non-alcoholic but have a very small trace which might be important to some people who want to avoid alcohol completely.

This summer, Savyll’s cocktails are there to help you celebrate, enjoy and savour the taste of good beverages and all without the alcohol.

Available from £8 for the selection pack: https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/savyll-beverage-co-non-alcoholic-cocktails-4x25cl

MGA’s Mini Verse Make It Sets

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

If you are looking for a non-chocolate Easter gift for an older child or even an adult that enjoys making dolls house accessories, then these MGA’s Mini Verse sets are a great choice.   

The range of pocket-sized miniatures are packaged in plastic balls that are cracked open just like an Easter egg. Once opened you discover a selection of miniature ingredients and accessories along with a step by step guide of how to make them. The sets use a resin which makes the items look more realistic and this needs to be set under UV light – if you have a nail lamp you can use this otherwise just leave it in a sunny spot until the resin has hardened. Once finished you can display the items on a shelf or Iike us, you can put them in a dolls house.

Whilst the contents are mini the attention to detail is amazing, from the working appliances to the detailing on the food and even mini wicks to add to the candles.

Whilst we’ve enjoyed making the food and lifestyle items the Mini Appliances range is our favourite as you actually use the plastic appliances to make the mini drinks. Each machine has working features enabling you to dispense coffee from the coffee machine into the mini cups or dispense mini ice cubes from the Soda and Juice mini machines prior to setting the resin under UV light.

Each package is a surprise, so you won’t know which set you have until you open it but with 60+ Make It Mini Lifestyle sets, 70+ Make It Mini Food Sets and 8 Make It Mini Appliances available it’s unlikely you’re going to end up with duplicates any time soon but if you do you can always swap with friends.

The recommended age is 8+ which is about right as some of the sets can be a little fiddly.

Mini Food RRP £7.99

Mini Lifestyle £9.99

Mini Appliances £12.99

Available from Smyths

Baileys  Easter Eggs

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Easter Eggs aren’t just for children and when I’m choosing eggs for adults, I like to buy something more luxurious like these Baileys Easter eggs which not only look stunning but are scrumptious too.

The Baileys Salted Caramel Easter Egg is a hollow creamy milk chocolate egg that is flavoured with Baileys and crunchy caramel pieces. The chocolate is nice and thick and the salted caramel pieces go really well with the chocolate. The egg comes with 5 salted caramel truffles which are absolutely delicious, the thick chocolate and the Baileys caramel filling are a winning combination – it’s just a shame there’s only 5!

RRP £8 available from Ocado and selected retailers.

The Baileys Strawberries and Cream Easter Egg is made of white chocolate with strawberry pieces and has a lovely speckled appearance. The chocolate is lovely and creamy and the hints of strawberry prevent it from being too sweet and sickly. There are 5 Strawberries and Cream Truffles which have a milk chocolate shell and a soft strawberries and cream centre with a hint of Baileys.

RRP £8 available from Ocado and selected retailers

The Baileys Easter eggs make a great gift or why not treat yourself – I won’t tell!!

Love Raw Easter Box

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

These days there is so much choice when it comes to Easter Eggs and no matter what your taste there is an egg for you. Some of my friends and family are vegan and there’s also a couple with dairy intolerances so it’s fantastic to see such a good selection of plant based chocolate this year, meaning they don’t need to miss out on this chocolately tradition.

Love Raw make the most delicious plant based chocolate and they have just launched a limited edition Easter box, although you’ll need to be quick as it’s only available from the 22nd to 24th March!

Inside the box are the following products

1 x Nutty Choc Ball Box containing 9 individually wrapped balls.

Nutty Choc Balls are a crunchy hazelnut coated in a delicious vegan cream and then covered in a crisp wafer shell and finished with Low Raw’s iconic m:lk choc and hazelnut pieces. They are absolutely scrummy and it’s probably a good job there’s only 9 in the box!!

3 x White Choc Cream Wafer Bar
Each bar contains a deliciously crispy wafer, oozing with Love Raw’s signature cre&m® filling and generously smothered with vegan white chocolate. Whether you’re vegan or not you need to try these!

3 x Milk & 3 x White Choc Peanut Buttercups
Each cup oozes smooth, creamy peanut butter and is covered in Love Raw’s iconic m:lk® and white choc. In my opinion peanuts and chocolate are a winning combination and Love Raw are definitely on to a winner with these.

RRP  £29.99 available here

Puma and Modibodi Period and Leak-Proof Underwear

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Things have changed a lot with period underwear recently. Have you seen the huge range of products at Modibodi and especially their range with Puma sportwear?

The new Puma X Modibodi Seam-free range is designed to eliminate the need for tampons and sanitary towels. The extra-absorbent lining is the equivalent to 3 tampons in this size (the one featured is moderate-heavy absorbency)

The Puma Active Seam-free collection is now VAT-free in the UK.  With the combination of not having to pay for tampons and sanitary towels and the ability to wash the Puma X Modibodi underwear, the collection saves you a lot of money every month.  It might seem like a novel idea to have the whole garment as leak-proof but it’s more practical than you think.  These period pants are made of a recycled fabric with re-enforced areas that are super absorbent and don’t require a sanitary towel, or if you prefer, you can use a tampon and be completely sure that there will be no leakage.  To help the environment, all the material used is recycled too!

I was sent a black pair to try, which is ideal for in the gym or running.  The Puma X Modibodi collection was created out of a need to not have bulky underwear for doing sport, going to the gym or for athletics so it makes sense that they are designed with heavy use in mind.  This pair of Active Bikini Briefs are a size Large (roughly size 14-16) and made of very stretchy material so you can wear them for sports easily.  They’re also seam-free, which makes them so inconspicuous under Lycra or shorts!  The seams are re-enforced as well so that there is a lot of movement. 

I particularly like that in this seam-free edition, the absorbent material at the front comes up really high so that you can be sure there is no leakage and the material is really soft too.  There’s actually loads of movement in the stretchiness of the material so you can move about easily, or as I lift weights, this is great for not riding up, or down when you’re bending.  They create a nice shape under sportswear too.

I don’t know why this idea hasn’t been used a lot in the past because it’s really handy having this underwear spare in your gym bag, or being able to wear them at the gym and not have to worry about leaking.  It takes a bit of getting used to not having a towel or tampon there but it’s really just the same as any other underwear, and you can wear it as a non-VPL pair of knickers at any time, not just on your period!

The Puma Active Seam-free collection is available in bright pink or light pink too, so you can match them to whatever outfit you’re wearing whether that’s at work or in the gym.

Usual price £21, on sale now at £18.90: https://www.modibodi.co.uk/products/puma-x-modibodi-seamfree-active-bikini-moderate-heavy-onyx-grey

Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

With spring here, most of us are thinking about the Spring Cleaning jobs we have to do, especially as its warm enough to open the windows and get some air into the house! This year I really need to concentrate on getting a proper clean done before the really hot weather when it’s so humid so I was delighted to be able to review the Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer.

The Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer is a mid-range cleaner which means it isn’t the heavy duty, really expensive carpet cleaner you typically hire for a weekend. Instead, this is a cleaner which can clean a whole carpet or just spot clean heavy use areas and then be put away until you need to use it again 6 months later.  This is reflected in the cost, which is usually £119.99 but is on offer at the moment for £79.99.  

The carpet washer comes mostly assembled with just the handle to put together with the 3 screws included. You’ll need to read the instructions and have a screwdriver handy to attach it but it literally takes a minute to assemble. The rest of the carpet washer comprises of the body (mostly assembled) and a detachable water tank and dirty water reservoir.  They fit together with a click so again, it doesn’t take long. There’s a 5 metre cable to the washer which makes it easier to move around a room and probably fits most UK room sizes.

Using the detergent provided, I filled up the clean water tank with warm tap water.  The tank clips back into the midsection and once you make sure the dirty water reservoir is properly attached (I didn’t and water went everywhere!) then you’re good to go.  Make sure you dry vacuum the whole area first with your usual vacuum cleaner to get rid of large particles. You can decide whether you want to do a whole room or just the busy areas as it does leave the carpet wet for at least a day.  If you have small children around or pets it might be best to do a few rooms and then go away for a weekend without people walking on it and let it dry. Alternatively, you can do smaller areas in the summer when everyone is at work and the heat of the day will dry it quicker.

There is definitely a knack to how you use the washer, and it took me a while and a bit of YouTube to find out how to do it.  The Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer washes as you push it away from you and then vacuums up the water as you pull it towards you.  You have to compress the trigger on the handle as you push it away to deploy the water and detergent otherwise it doesn’t work. It is the backward motion of the washer that vacuums up the dirty water otherwise the water sits in the carpet and takes ages to dry.  It takes a few tries on each stretch of carpet to clean and then vacuum the water for the washing to be really effective.  Think of it like mowing a lawn – long straight lines at a slow, even speed but instead of just going over the line once, you have to drag the washer backwards over the same line several times.

It took a while for me to get used to the noise too. It is incredibly loud so I would suggest doing the cleaning when the neighbours aren’t home and especially when no one else in the house is on a call or asleep! Ear defenders or noise cancelling headphones were a must for me.  The washer isn’t particularly heavy so you don’t need to be super fit or have a lot of strength to use it. The clean water tank isn’t that big (maybe 1 litre?) so that brings the weight down but I found that I had to fill it up several times just for my small landing carpet. As you clean, you can see the dirty water being sucked up into the reservoir so you know it’s working, and it becomes a challenge to see the state of the water at the end! To remove the reservoir, just unclip using the blue bar and remove the plug at the back. Be warned though, if you pick it up at the wrong angle, the water runs out through the inlet and not through the plug!

How did it work? Well after I went over the carpet a few times with an empty water tank and just vacuumed up most of the water, I found that it had cleaned the carpet plus it wasn’t soaked as I imagined.  It took about 36 hours to dry, so not the next day but the day after it was dry enough to see that there was a difference in the colour of the carpet as well as the stains.  

Tower Aquajetplus Carpet Washer

Pros:

  • Much cheaper than the hire carpet cleaners and lighter to lift
  • Easy to store as it’s the same size as a vacuum cleaner
  • Gives a very good clean of carpets and doesn’t take long to dry afterwards
  • Great for spot cleaning or heavy use areas and whole rooms if you have time

Cons:

  • Very noisy!
  • It takes a while to work out the knack of how to clean in one direction and vacuum in the other
  • Works better on smaller areas
  • Fiddly to get the clean water tank and dirty water reservoir lined up without water going everywhere.

Available from £79.99 at: 

https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/carpet-washers/tcw5-aquajetplus-carpet-washer

Thorntons Easter Eggs

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Whatever type of chocolate you love – be it dark, milk or white you can always rely on Thorntons to have an egg with your name on it! This year they have a fantastic selection of eggs to choose from which are bound to delight both young and old this Easter.

The white chocolate Bunny Easter Egg and Milk Chocolate Unicorn Easter Eggs will go down a treat with the little (and not so little) this year. The hollow 151g eggs are beautifully decorated with a moulded chocolate image, the white chocolate has a super cute bunny on the front whilst the milk chocolate egg has a fantastic pink and white chocolate unicorn. The chocolate tastes delicious, it’s  lovely and thick and creamy and simply melts in your mouth.

RRP £4.25 at selected supermarkets and Thorntons.com.

The Happy Bunny (90g) is a great choice for smaller children and is available in both a white chocolate and milk chocolate version. The cute little bunny with white and green chocolate decorations was a big hit with our mini reviewers who despite loving the sweet faces soon demolished them!

 RRP £2.74 at selected supermarkets and Thorntons.com.

Adults may prefer the Thorntons Classic Easter Egg (150g) which comes with 5 chocolates from the Classic collection – Gooey Caramel, Triple Chocolate, Strawberries & Cream, Crunchy Praline and Fudge Brownie. There’s a nice assortment of chocolates so everyone should get their favourite. The chocolate is smooth and creamy and this egg was a real winner with the Review Studio team.

RRP £5.48 at selected supermarkets.

If your budget stretches to double figures, then the premium Continental Easter Egg (257g) is the one to go for. Decorated with swirling loops of white and dark chocolate this large egg comes with 8 Continental chocolates – there are two of the Seville Caramel and Viennese Deluxe  chocolates (to share or not is the question???)  and one each of the Sicilian Mousse, Alpini Praline and Salted Caramel. The egg not only looks impressive, it tastes lovely too and with a mix of white, milk and dark chocolates they have all tastes covered.

RRP £11.77 at selected supermarkets.

Thorntons Easter Egg are a lovely indulgent treat for chocolate lovers young and old and with an egg to suit all budgets they are the perfect choice this Easter – and whilst you’re buying them as gifts treat yourself too – it is Easter after all!

TOZO Tonal Dots T12 Wireless Earbuds

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

The TOZO Tonal Dots T12 Wireless Earbuds are some nifty headphones which for the price, do everything you expect them to do and more.  We were sent a pair to review this week, which are perfect for the summer and those sports activities that are starting again soon.

The TOZO Tonal Dots T12 are wireless stereo earbuds which come in their own carry case which acts as a charger case too.  The charge case has a digital display to show you how much charge the headphones have, so that you know to charge them or that you have up to 15 hours of full charge left- which is pretty much a whole plane journey or 2 weeks plus of running, gym or walking.  I haven’t needed to recharge them yet, but judging by other TOZO earbuds, it shouldn’t take long with a USB cable fast connection.

The Tonal Dots are easy to connect with Bluetooth 5.3. Yes, you need a phone or appliance with Bluetooth 5.3 but most of us do nowadays, then connecting is easy because my phone (and laptop) could ‘see’ the TOZO headphones when they were in the charge case and kept the connection. There’s a great range to them too; I could walk all over the house and still be connected and the connection didn’t drop at all. Even going outside was no problem. These TOZO Tonal Dots T12 are great for sports because of the distance they connect over, but also because they are waterproof and sweatproof! You can wear these swimming, although I haven’t tested them yet, but with a long connection range it means you can be at the gym and still connected to your phone nearby, or at the pool and your phone be on a lounger somewhere. 

There are 16 preset EQs with the Tonal Dots so that you get the sound you need with whatever music or even audio files you listen to, but you can personalise it too. I liked the quality of the sound with these TOZO earbuds, and how easy it is to change the presets. The Smart Touch control is a must on earbuds, and they work perfectly on these headphones, plus are quickly responsive.

The carry case and compact design make them perfect for travelling and for sports. The wireless charging also makes them easy to charge on the go, so that hotels and planes can charge for you whilst you are travelling or getting unpacked.  The waterproof quality makes them doubly useful and at such a low price (and currently on offer at some places) means you can keep them for work or children are going to love them for their ease and quality but without such a high price.  Perfect birthday presents too!

Available from £39.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TOZO-T12-Headphones-Cancelling-Waterproof-Black/dp/B0C8NNCWGL/ref=sr_1_3?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.ZiSbXPGeasQZix3NSt-dCoSV0TYrPr5_RFgDTIrue3r0xNMQ4v9cRQrcLO-dJa1G7BplSvG5Y8yzzcqzSeFDd66dWqNgjUA9NIs06yPPqkPzgp-tBG22WG46R2Ce3Nlidqpk6tZnDicuCEJF7KZo3Q.reyIJ45G6hWblS4_hEZaHAypzEL7pFgOVfszDcE42Ic&dib_tag=se&keywords=TOZO+tonal+dots&qid=1710172852&sr=8-3

HJ Hall Pro Trek Socks

Spring is in the air and with the Easter holidays fast approaching it’s the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and explore the countryside. There are many forms of outdoor exercise that you can do but my favourite is hiking, a great all-round exercise that is suitable for everyone and best of all doesn’t require a lot of expensive equipment.

If you are planning on starting walking then my advice is to invest in some decent socks, it really is amazing the difference a good pair of walking socks makes, having cushioning in the right places and wicking materials to draw moisture away from your feet is really important, helping to keep feet nice and comfortable and also prevent blisters – every walkers nightmare! I’ve been trying out a couple of pairs of HJ Hall socks over the last month and I’m really impressed, they’ve kept my feet incredibly warm and comfortable (and blister free) and I’m looking forward to covering many miles in them this year.  

The Mountain Climb socks are a heavyweight sock with extra padding on the heel, toe and Achilles tendon areas. Made with an ultra durable, moisture wicking, scientific wool blend, the socks offer warmth and long lasting comfort and are the perfect choice for colder days. The socks are lovely and thick and keep your feet nice and toasty when the temperature drops. They are comfortable to wear, the arch support and ankle bracing keep the socks from moving about on your feet and they are a good length, coming up higher than the back of my walking boots. The socks are also long enough to tuck into trousers if you wish.  This sock is the perfect choice if you’re looking for a heavy duty hiking sock, especially if you walk a lot in cold weather as they will keep your feet warm in sub zero temperatures.

The Adventure Trek are a middleweight sock, they are thinner than the Mountain Climb socks and are suitable for both boots or shoes. The breathability is excellent thanks to the mesh zones that run across the top of the sock and along with the cushioning underfoot they are very comfortable to wear in both warm and cold weather. The socks hug my feet nicely and I have worn them on both long and short hikes with no discomfort. Whether I’ve been on the fells, the park or a recent trip to London, when we walked an average of 12 miles a day, they’ve never slipped, sagged, or bunched up and my feet have been comfortable all day long.

I would highly recommend the HJ Hall socks for anyone who enjoys walking and hiking, they are good value for money and your feet will certainly thank you for putting them in socks as warm and comfortable as these are. So whether you’re exploring the local fells, conquering mountains or walking the dog make sure you have a pair of HJ Hall socks on your feet. Happy hiking!

Mountain Climb Socks RRP £16.50 available in sizes 4-7, 6-11 and 11-13

Adventure Trek Socks RRP £15 available in sizes 4-7 and 6-11

The Ned Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Fleur de Lise Rose Wine

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

If you’re wondering what wines to buy for the Easter weekend then we have a couple of suggestions that are bound to go down a treat, either as gifts or enjoyed with a meal with friends and family.

Rosé fans will love the Fleur de Lise 2022 rosé from the Saint Mont region of France. In a distinctive tall bottle with attractive label the fruity dry rosé has notes of raspberry and redcurrant and is lovely and crisp on the palate. Best served chilled, the wine is great as with grilled meat, fish and salads. It also goes surprisingly well with chocolate – it is Easter after all!!.  

ABV 12% RRP £9 available from Ocado

The Ned Marllborough is a Sauvignon Blanc wine from the Marisco Vineyards in the Southern Valleys region of New Zealand. We enjoyed a glass with our roast chicken dinner, but it will go just as well with seafood. The wine is lovely and crisp with hints of lime, herbs and gooseberry and we found it to be nice and refreshing to drink. I’m hoping the weather warms up a bit by Easter as it will be nice to enjoy a glass or two with friends in the garden whilst the children are doing their Easter Egg hunt!

ABV 13% RRP £11.99 available from Waitrose

Thumper Soft Plush Toy

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Easter is just around the corner and our mini reviewers are going to love going on Easter Egg Hunts with their own Easter Bunny – this adorable plush Thumper the rabbit, from the popular Disney film Bambi.  

Measuring 25 cm tall, the soft toy looks just like the animated film character, with those huge eyes and floppy ears and is so soft and tactile that you can’t help but stroke and cuddle him.  He is the perfect size for little hands to hold and will make a great companion for little ones this Easter.

The toy is suitable from birth and when I examined the stitching it’s faultless so there’s no need to worry about curious little fingers playing with this toy.

Easter is the perfect time to buy a cuddly bunny as bunnies and Easter go hand in hand and is a nice alternative to chocolate eggs.

RRP £14.99 available from John Lewis