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Edifier W820NB Active Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

Birthday Gifts, Children, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Tech

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

Being a bit behind with the times, I don’t own any Bluetooth headphones. I’m still on the wired earphones which came with my iPod, even though I know I could use wireless headphones on any of my gadgets! Edifier sent us the W820NB Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones from their extensive range for us to try this week, and so far, I’m impressed!

The first thing you notice about the headphones is the noise cancelling. I put them on around the house and the ambient noise from the road outside and the planes overhead was eliminated – they really are noise reducing, even without anything playing on them!

The controls on the headphone are on/off switch, volume up/down and a Bluetooth button. With such simple controls, it was very easy to set them up to sync with my laptop, so much so that I didn’t actually need to read the instructions. All I had to do was turn on the headphones and press the Bluetooth button until the light flashed. My laptop found the headphones within a few seconds of being set to ‘discoverable’ so it didn’t take much effort at all. I was able to play anything from my music online, streaming or YouTube onto them.

The sound quality is excellent. With the headphones also being noise reducing, it was a surprise to hear how good they were with stereo sound and I couldn’t fault them. I had to use a combination of the laptop sound as well as the headphone volume buttons to get the volume as high as I wanted it, but that’s only a matter of practice. The range was also excellent with there being no disconnection on the Bluetooth wherever I was in the house which made a difference. The headphones are nice and lightweight as well so can be taken on holiday (they’re perfect for flights or working out) and have a titanium diaphragm for longevity.

To skip to the next song or ahead in a podcast for instance, you hit the volume button up/down and hold, the Power button is for pausing. The headphones can also be used for taking calls by Bluetooth although I haven’t tested this yet. Using the Multi-function button (with the Bluetooth symbol next to it) you can change between noise cancelling, gaming mode and use it for Bluetooth pairing.

My only gripe with the headphones are that they don’t come with a bag or pouch of some kind so that you can transport them easily or put them in an overhead locker on a flight. There is a cable which comes with them for charging, but you won’t need to charge them very much as there’s a 49 hour playtime on each charge. The cable is a USB connection so will charge from most sockets if not your computer.

The more I play with these Edifier headphones the more I like them, and am surprised by how good they are. I have found several times when I can walk around the house with them connected via Bluetooth and still listen to my laptop, tune into a radio station or eventually be on a call and not lose any of the quality I’m used to with more expensive, wired headphones.

https://www.edifier.com/product-w820nb.html

Currently on sale at Amazon for £69.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-W820NB-Hybrid-Cancelling-Headphones-Black/dp/B09FF244QP/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2T9TA5A4TJKYB&keywords=w820nb&qid=1681726589&sprefix=w820nb%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-3&th=1

Wickedly Welsh Chocolate for Father’s Day

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers

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

Chocolate Lovers listen up… there’s a new chocolate in town (the Welsh town of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire) where the team at Wickedly Welsh have created a fabulous chocolate hamper for Father’s Day, which you wont’ be able to resist!

You can be the biggest chocolate lover in the world and still find some joy in this hamper. The starring role goes to the varied chocolate flavours which is what Wickedly Welsh are famous for. Boasting three large slabs of chocolate, two whisky bite sized chocolates and two love spoons, there’s plenty here to keep Dad happy, and saves you putting together a gift hamper of your own!

Starting with the chocolate slabs, the three flavours are Moreish Milk Chocolate, Coffee & Biscuit and Welsh Sea Salt & Caramel, each of about 90grams in weight. If your Dad is Welsh, then he’ll love the Milk Chocolate slab with the Welsh Dragon design, but all of the slabs are one piece, not squares. We suspect this is so that Dad doesn’t have to share them with anyone else! We loved all flavours, but the Sea Salt & Caramel was a particular favourite. The sea salt is actually Halen Mon Sea Salt, a locally sourced ingredient to make it a Welsh taste sensation.

Also in the hamper are two Milk & Dark Love Spoons. Welsh Love Spoons are a symbol of love, and these 40 gram bars are no exception. If you don’t want to tuck into a large slab of chocolate, or want to take a snack with you, these Love Spoons are a brilliant choice.

Lastly, the pack also contains two of Wickedly Welsh’s most popular individual chocolates in a cute presentation box. If you’re new to Welsh chocolate or the way Wickedly Welsh present their wares, you’ll do worse than try these first. They’re stunning, and so moreish I bet you, or Dad, won’t be able to stop at just these two. They’re great tasters for the rest of the range that’s available online, and not just on Father’s Day.

The quality of the chocolate is superb with the ingredients sourced locally and all are 100% natural. Whether or yourself or as a gift for someone else, Wickedly Welsh chocolate is an excellent gift choice.

Available from £24.99

Manchester Gin Mystical Unicorn Pink Gin

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Drinks and Mixers, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers

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

This is an alcoholic drink and is not suitable for children.

You don’t often find the words ‘unicorn’, ‘marshmallow’ and ‘gin’ in the same sentence, so when they’re all combined to create the Manchester Drinks Co Mystical Unicorn Gin Liqueur, there has to be some kind of pink magic involved too!

You are not hallucinating, and it is not every day that I get to try gin with added glitter, but the Manchester Drinks Co have created a range of gins with flavours like Bubble Gum, Toffee Apple and this enchanting small batch gin which is infused with candy floss and marshmallow to create a sweet, fruitful liqueur. There really is glitter in this concoction, which you can see when you shake up the bottle.

The Mystical Unicorn Gin Liqueur has a 20% alcohol volume and can be drunk on its own or with lemonade and ice. You can try it with other mixers or as a substitute in cocktails, which the bright pink colour and sparkly glitter texture lends itself to very well. When drinking this on its own though, it’s strong! The sugary taste really goes to your head quick so I would suggest drinking it with a mixer, or having just one before you go out one night! It looks particularly good on the table after dinner, and girls will love this for Hen Nights or Girls’ Nights Out.

Have a look at the range of other gin liqueurs from Manchester Gin Co available online, and I can guarantee you’ll be adding them to your cocktails soon.

James Martin Kitchen Collection by Wahl

Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Home & Garden, Mother's Day

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

Whenever anyone asks me what I’d like for my birthday or Christmas I always struggle to come up with anything. I’m not one for trinkets or jewellery and unlike a lot of people I know I am actually quite happy with something practical like kitchenware. I really enjoy cooking so it is nice to be treated to better versions of the small kitchen appliances that I use regularly. Wahl recently sent me a selection of kitchen appliances from their James Martin range which look super cool in my kitchen and are a welcome upgrade to my existing kitchen gadgets. My food processer is at least 20 years old and well past its prime and my hand mixer is even older so it was really exciting to discover both of these products in the parcel from Wahl.

The 300W electric hand mixer is a substantial and reasonably heavy little mixer. It comes complete with stainless steel beaters, dough hooks and a whisk which all came in useful when I was making lunch on Easter Sunday. The beaters were used for the batter for Yorkshire puddings and for making chocolate brownies, the dough hooks for hot cross buns and the whisk for the whipped cream.

The mixer is a good weight, not too heavy to use, but just heavy enough that it feels solid in your hands. It has a rubberised handle which makes it comfortable to hold and is a huge improvement on my old mixer. The mixer has 5 speeds plus a turbo boost and is a fantastic little gadget. It has a button to press for the quick release of the beaters which saves you getting your hands covered in cake mix, you can just eject them into the washing up bowl or they can go in the dishwasher.

RRP £32.99

I wouldn’t be without a food processor, mine is a real work horse making light of chopping, grating, liquidising and making vast quantities of pastry. With a houseful at Easter the James Martin Compact Processor with Spiralizer Attachment really came into its own and I’ve spent the last few days slicing, mixing and juicing to create a range of culinary treats that went down a storm with my family. Delicious soups, buckets of coleslaw, healthy smoothies, even crushed ice for drinks, this little workhouse was the star of the show making mundane tasks like chopping vegetables and grating cheese a breeze. The spiralizer was an added bonus and any vegetable that went near it was spiralized by my son!! This was an innovative way to encourage him to eat more vegetables!!

The set includes a processor bowl with stainless steel blade, a disc for slicing and grating as well as a spiralizer attachment and a 1.5L blender with filler cap and easy to clean removable blades. The blender is a good size and perfect for making smoothies and liquidising home made soup. The parts are all dishwasher safe which is a huge plus.

The food processor is nice and sturdy and sits nicely on my worktop, it has suckers on the bottom which help it stay firmly in place when in use . I use mine a lot so I keep it on top of the worktop but it will easily fit in a cupboard.

It has a powerful 500 watt motor with two speeds and a pulse setting and the compact size means it is doesn’t get in the way when it is sat on the worktop not being used.

RRP £74.99

The James Martin by Wahl Grind and Chop is such a handy little gadget and I don’t know how I have managed to overlook this piece of kitchen equipment. It’s one of those products that once you start using one you don’t know how you managed without it – especially good with a houseful of guests!

Stylish and powerful it has a 70g capacity and is perfect for grinding coffee beans and making curry paste with a simple press of the lid. With a 200W motor it makes short work of smaller jobs – instead of throwing away bread that is past its best, I use this to make breadcrumbs which I can pop in the freezer for my next recipe.

Use the grinder for dry ingredients and the chopper for wet or oily ones, no need to worry about working out which cup is which as they are both marked up. It comes with a handy recipe book with spice mixes to grind and accompanying recipes. The Spicy Tandoori mix was a favourite with my family.

There is no fiddling with this gadget as the blades are fixed in the cups and all you need to do is sit it on the base, pop the top on and press it down to start chopping. I like how easy it is to use – it can be operated with just one hand. Once you’ve finished chopping you simply lift the top off and use your ingredients.

The Grind and Chop machine looks very smart on the worktop, the brushed stainless finish being very on trend right now. To carry out basic chopping and grinding with no fuss you really can’t beat this gadget.

RRP £36.99

Whan you have a houseful of guests extra cooking facilities are a big boost and the James Martin Healthy Table Top Grill has been invaluable to help feed all the hungry mouths. With a variable temperature control and ridged and flat cooking areas it sits nicely on the work surface and has been used most of all for bacon butties at various times of the day as well as grilling chicken and meats for sandwiches and buffets.

It has a good sized cooking area and can easily cook enough food for a family in one go. It has a drip tray for excess oil and non-stick removable grill plates and it makes cooking easy and healthy.

Cleaning up afterwards was effortless thanks to there being less burnt-on grease on the non stick plates and the fact that the grill plate can be removed so it can be washed in hot soapy water by hand.

I can see this being an incredibly useful gadget and it will be great to take away in the caravan this summer so we can cook healthy meals outdoors.

RRP £59.99

Tomy Toomies Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs

Baby, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Toys

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

Easter treats don’t need to be made of chocolate and the Toomies Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs from Tomy will make an eggcellent gift and delight younger children this Easter.

The five brightly coloured eggs (blue, green, pink, purple & orange) sit in a plastic incubator and to hatch the eggs you simply take the lid off the incubator and press the yellow button to make the eggs spin, the faster you press the quicker it goes until it pops and the shells go flying. Inside the eggs you will find 5 cute dinosaurs – Stegosaurus, T-rex, Triceratops, Pterandon and Raptor which rattle when you shake them, adding to the excitement.

There is so much to learn with this toy, the plastic eggs are bright, vibrant and bold and are a great way for children to learn their colours as well as helping with logic and fine motor skills. Our mini reviewers loved watching the eggs spin and hatch and we also spent time learning the names of the dinosaurs. The eggs are also perfect for Easter egg hunts – our mini reviewers enjoyed hiding them all over the house!

The Spin & Hatch Dino Eggs are a nice Easter themed gift which will provide hours of entertainment this Easter and for many years to come.

Suitable for children aged 12 months to 4 years

RRP £14.99 available from Amazon,Argos, The Entertainer, John Lewis, Next Online, The Range, Selfridges, Toymaster, Tesco, The Works and other independent toy shops

Joe & Seph’s Popcorn Ultimate Night In Gift Box

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home, Home & Garden, Lunchbox Fillers, Mother's Day

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

Whenever I buy Joe & Seph’s Popcorn, my friend Lisa always asks me, “Have you got any more of that posh popcorn?” so when we were offered the Joe & Seph’s Ultimate Night In Gift Box, I knew we had to review it!

The box is priced at £12.50 with three different flavours of popcorn; Salted Caramel, Caramel & Belgian Chocolate Popcorn and the slightly different Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites. The Bites are different because they are cups of chocolate with a piece of popcorn set in them. These were particularly nice because the chocolate and popcorn worked together well, and we had them in the fridge as little snacks to eat throughout the day! The chocolate was particularly good quality too which made them more of a treat.

The Salted Caramel and Caramel & Belgium Chocolate Popcorn were for us to enjoy after dinner on a Friday. Both of the flavours are favourites of mine so I was keen to try them. The Salted Caramel is not as ‘salted’ as you might think, but more caramel. I love Joe & Seph’s popcorn because it’s not sticky at all, and the Salted Caramel flavour is no exception. You can pick it up and hold the popcorn without it melting in your hand or feeling sticky which makes it much easier to handle as well as easier to share. The quality of the popcorn itself is much better than your cinema popcorn because there are minimal kernels and unbaked pieces of corn. In fact, there’s no un-popped corn pieces at the bottom of the bag, so all you get is proper, fluffy popcorn!

The Caramel & Belgium Chocolate Popcorn was my favourite of all the flavours. Layered in a light coat of chocolate, you can taste the Belgium chocolate straight away, and the second flavour is the delicate caramel. The see-through grab bags are easy to share, but just as easily pour into a bowl due to the shape of the bag.

The Joe & Seph’s Popcorn Ultimate Night In Gift Box arrives in a presentation box to your doorstep, after being handmade and packed in London, but the boxes can be sent to anywhere in the country. Ordering on the website, you can also add a 60 character message, which makes it a great gift for anyone who loves popcorn, chocolate or snacks in general. I think this Ultimate Night In Gift Box works as either a Girls’ night in with some Prosecco, a movie and a bit of gossip, or as a gift for a teenager’s birthday, along with the Amazon gift card they all crave!

Joe & Seph’s Ultimate Night In Gift Box costs £12.50: https://www.joeandsephs.co.uk/gifts/gift-box-ultimate-night-in

KIND Caramelised Biscuit Nut Cereal Bar

Family Life, Food & Drink, health, Lunchbox Fillers

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

I’m a big fan of cereal bars. They’re great for snacks at home, or in your bag to go to work and children love them. KIND have a variety of cereal bars of different flavours, but all of them are high in fibre, high in protein and have no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They’re gluten free too!

The team at KIND send us a box of their new Caramelised Biscuit Nut flavoured KIND bars to try, which have the same high fibre, high quality ingredients. The main food factor in these Caramelised Biscuit Nut KIND bars is nuts making up 81% of the bar overall. They actually contain peanuts, almonds and cashews with added spice biscuit and caramel. The result is a sweet, slightly sticky cereal bar with a honey coating and nutmeg and cinnamon flavouring. Despite the cinnamon, they don’t taste ‘Christmassy’ at all, more like the coffee biscuits you get in cafes when you order a latte.

I really enjoyed the KIND Caramelised Biscuit Nut bars and found them really filling as either a snack or part of a lunch. They have the added bonus of being high in fibre and have all the nutrients you find in nuts but with all of the flavour. The bars are great for protein too, although at 226 calories it’s not really a health bar, but will pack in the energy if you need a sugar rush in the afternoon.

As with all KIND bars, these became addictive! Everyone in the office loved them for both their flavour and texture, which is more for adults than children due to containing nuts. If you’re a fan of KIND bars, you’ll love these too!

More details at: https://www.kindsnacks.co.uk/products/kind-bars/caramelised-biscuit-nut

Purchase from Ocado, Waitrose and other stores from £1.30.

Nanogen Haircare

beauty, Fashion, Women

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

I have recently had a dietry deficiency which caused my hair to thin, plus it won’t grow very long now so it seems to be getting shorter and shorter with each cut I have! Nanogen Haircare has a solution to thinning hair which includes shampoo and conditioner, Hair Fibre Locking Spray and hair fibres. Intrigued, they sent me some samples to try along with instructions.

Nanogen’s products are designed to thicken your hair in as little as 30 seconds. With 20 years of experience and a variety of products and also boast a wealth of information on their website as to how to care for you hair and how to make it look instantly thicker.

Starting with the Nanogen Hair Fibres, choose your hair colour online: https://www.nanogen.com/pages/what-shade-are-you The Nanogen Hair Fibres are designed to bounce light from the transparent fibres to make your hair appear thicker and more like natural hair. Choosing your shade of hair colours allows the Nanogen Hair Fibres to blend in with your natural colour, and a mix of shades often makes the blending much easier. I have medium brunette hair so I was sent the shades No 05 Medium Brown and No 06 Light Brown.

Once I had styled my hair for the day, I took the darker colour to my roots, sprinkling the fibres onto where my hair needs thickening. Lightly patting the fibres into my hair to make them more even, I then applied the lighter shade of Nanogen Hair Fibres and patted the area again to even out the distribution. Essentially, that’s all you need to do, but if you want to change the thickness, or the tone of the colour, you can repeat the process to get the desired look. As with all products, practice is the key. I was also advised that ‘less is more’ with building up the thickness and colour, so keep trying at small intervals until you get the look you like.

To keep your new thicker looking hair water resistant and to fix in place more, Nanogen also have the Hair Fibre Locking Spray, which I used on my hair before I went out.

If you’re a bit nervous about using thickening products on your hair straight away, Nanogen has other haircare products that might also benefit you. I was sent the Shampoo Luxe Thickening Hair Experience for Women and Conditioner for Everyone. I love trying out new haircare products, so this was another way for me to get thicker hair and also love pampering myself a bit more. As with most shampoos and conditioners which are designed to do a bit more than just clean and condition, it takes a few washes for the condition of your hair to change. Having said that, after one wash I could feel that my hair was coated more rather than stripped back which is what most High Street shampoos do. The hard water in my area doesn’t help the condition of my hair either, so the protection of the conditioner helps.

After a week of washing my hair with the Nanogen Shampoo Luxe Thickening Hair Experience and Nanogen Conditioner for Everyone, my hair began to feel stronger and dried less frizzy when I left it to dry naturally. The fragrance of the Conditioner for Everyone is to die for too – I loved conditioning my hair with it and the scent it left!

I was also sent the Nanogen Shampoo and Half-Conditioner for Men, which lathers up to exfoliate the scalp as well as lightly conditioning. The conditioning aspect of the product is from panthenol and glycerine, which is to prevent hair feeling weighed down. I don’t normally use 2-in-1 shampoos and conditioners so I had a good opportunity to test it when I went away for a night and didn’t know what the haircare products would be like. It has a similar fragrance to it as the Nanogen Shampoo and felt like it was just as nutritious as the separate shampoo and conditioners.

From fretting about my thinning hair to suddenly having a 30-second fix and being given a long-term solution with different shampoos and conditioners, Nanogens has given me both confidence and hope, and more healthy looking hair. Thanks Nanogen!

All products available from £9.95 at: https://www.nanogen.com/collections/all

Sylvanian Families Easter Celebration Set

Birthday Gifts, Children, Easter, Gifts for children, Spring, Toys

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

Our mini reviewers had an early Easter treat this week when we received the Easter Celebration Set from Sylvanian Families. Presented in a beautiful Easter themed pastel coloured box the set includes two bunnies called Serena & Romeo Marguerite who are both dressed in beautiful Easter outfits complete with matching marguerite brooches and Easter bonnets. The set also includes a selection of Easter accessories, eggs and sweets so the bunnies can have a festive Easter egg hunt.

Serena is wearing a beautiful yellow and green dress and pink hat and Romeo is wearing a purple suit with a matching hat. The clothes are well made and can easily be removed and our mini reviewers, who already have a collection of Sylvanian family figures, loved swapping the outfits around with their other figures. They also enjoyed having an Easter egg hunt with the bunnies, one would go out of the room whilst the other put the sweets in the three mini Easter eggs and then come back in and look for them.

As a parent, the thing I love about Sylvanian Families is that the toys encourage children to use their imagination and it is lovely watching and hearing the escapades the figures get up to!! I used to love collecting and playing with my Sylvanian Family figures (which I still have ) and it is lovely to see my children enjoying them too.

Our mini reviewers loved this set and gave it a huge thumbs up! It is a great addition to their ever growing Sylvanian families collection and will provide hours of entertainment for them over the Easter holidays.

Aimed at children aged 3 and above this set would make a lovely Easter gift. It is available from the Sylvanian Familes website here

RRP £21.99

Ayluna Shampoo for Dandruff & Dry Scalp

beauty, Family Life, health, Home, Home & Garden, Women

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

Dandruff and dry scalp shampoos used to be medicated and foul fragranced concoctions, only available over the pharmacy counter. Nowadays, there are alternatives including the Ayluna Shampoo for Dandruff & Dry Scalp.

Ayluna, although effective at beating dandruff and moisturising a dry scalp actually contains organic rosemary and juniper wood oil which banishes the dandruff and dry skin. The combination of herbs adds a more delicate, but strong scent to the shampoo which lathers up beautifully in the shower. Surprisingly, the Ayluna Shampoo doesn’t contain silicone or paraffin, no synthetic colourants, nor artificial scents or preservatives. The smokey, aniseed fragrance is completely natural from the herbal ingredients.

When used in the shower to wash my hair, it was very potent and filled the room with the scent of the oils, but struck me as not being overly feminine, so it could be used by anyone in the family. You don’t need much shampoo to lather up either, and I felt that afterwards, the dark colouring of the mixture enhanced my dark coloured hair as well as leaving it with the herbal fragrance.

I don’t have particularly bad dandruff but occasionally, when I’m stressed, it flares up. At the moment though, my hair is very clear from using the Ayluna Shampoo and making sure it rinses out thoroughly and leaving my hair squeaky clean.

Ayluna Shampoo for Dandruff & Dry Scalp is a perfect alternative to the over-the-counter medicated shampoos that really put me off with their fragrance and harsh chemicals. Ayluna does the job just as well but has a much more friendly after-scent.

Available online at:https://www.ayluna.com/products/hair-care/shampoos/index.htm

See the Ayluna website for more details at: www.ayluna.co.uk

PLAYin CHOC Chocolate

Birthday Gifts, Children, eco friendly, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, Lunchbox Fillers, Mother's Day, Plastic free, Stocking Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

Anyone looking for chocolate gifts will love the PLAYin CHOC organic chocolate range. Made from Peruvian Cacao it has no dairy, no gluten, no nuts and is totally vegan. The business was started by Maya back in 2016 when she wanted to create dairy-free chocolate using the simplest ingredients; cacao, coconut and vanilla. Maya also wanted to promote awareness about the planet’s biodiversity and offer an ethical alternative, so all of the PLAYin CHOC products are plastic free.

Beyond how award winning this chocolate is (It has won the Great Taste Award in 2022 for both their dark and milk chocolates, among other accolades), the range is something to behold in terms of fun. Just a quick look at their website and you can see the chocolate gift boxes available, all of which include their winning chocolate, but also have models which children can build based on the theme of the gift box. There’s Endangered Animals, Woodland Animals, Dinosaurs, Rabbits and a Christmas box. There’s some lovely 12 and 24 day advent calendars available at Christmas time too!

For the adults, PLAYin CHOC also have 60gram tablets of 6 pieces of chocolate. We were sent the Peruvian Cacao Milk Chocolate and Peruvian Cacao Dark Chocolate to try. Each chocolate is wrapped in compostable material (it looks like plastic but it’s not) so you can store them easily or even add them to a lunchbox for a quick chocolate treat.

My favourite was the Dark Chocolates. You can really taste the cacao in them, and there’s a strong flavour from the coconut as well. I really enjoyed the fact that there were no added extras to the chocolate, it’s a chocolate lover’s worse nightmare to be deterred from the real chocolate by additives, preservatives and unnecessary flavourings. The dark chocolate has a stronger chocolate flavour,, but the milk chocolate is milder if you’re not a big fan of dark.

If you’ve never tried PLAYin CHOC, have a look at their website for chocolate for both chocolate for the kids, as well as yourself!

Available online from £3 each at:
https://playinchoc.com/products/copy-of-justchoc-box-br-organic-peruvian-cacao-m-lk-chocolates-60g

JustChoc Box<br>Organic Peruvian Cacao Dark Chocolates 60g

FFØR Haircare

beauty, eco friendly, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts, Vegan, Women

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

We love trying new hair products so were very excited when FFØR sent us some new products to try. The Re:Nourish shampoo and conditioner and Re:Plenish hair mask has worked wonders on my dry frizzy hair (read our review here) so I had high hopes for these new products!

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with my curls, some days they look fantastic and others they go a bit wild and unkempt and the only way to look presentable is to tie them back so at least I look a little more presentable! Luckily there are so many amazing curl products available now and I always try to use products like FFØR which are free from nasties like sulphates, parabens and alcohol which tend to strip my curls of moisture.

FFØR stands for Free From, Original, Real and are an ethical company who believe in Clean Beauty, both for you and the planet. Their products are vegan, cruelty free and free from nasties and they only work with likeminded, ethical suppliers who can provide verified information about their sourcing, and who share their important values. They are also winners of the Marie Claire 2022 Hair Awards and the Global Green Beauty Awards.

I use a leave in conditioner to help moisturise my curls but have found that some can be quite heavy and leave my hair looking and feeling quite greasy. I was therefore pleased to discover that the FFØR Show off Leave In Conditioner is incredibly light and can be sprayed onto damp hair. After a couple of washes, I worked out the right amount for my curls and can honestly say my curls have never looked better. It has made a real difference to the look and feel of my hair, it is now a lot softer and has certainly helped to tame the dreaded frizz!

RRP £20

Designed to leave hair looking fuller & thicker, the Re:Vamp spray is the newest edition to the FFØR range,enriched with a blend of organic bergamont & vetivert it not only smell amazing but gives plenty of bounce and volume to my curls. The light mist isn’t sticky and gives light, natural volume to my hair, and more definition to my curls. I also noticed that the volume I got from my freshly washed hair, didn’t drop and go flat by evening and even the following day I still had some volume which I was really pleased with.

RRP £21

The FFØR Super Shine Gloss Mist gives my hair the most lovely shine. You really don’t need a lot – a quick mist over dry hair is all you need for a fantastic shine. Infused with a ethically sourced ingredients including Bergamot, Vetivert and Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Brazil Nut Oil), the mist also left my hair feeling super soft.

RRP £19

I am really impressed with these products and can’t wait to try more products from them!

Swizzels Sweet Shop Favourites and Chocolate Love Heart

Birthday Gifts, Children, Christmas, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts

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

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday and whilst we all want to find the perfect gift there’s no need to spend a fortune to show you care and these fantastic gifts from Swizzels are a fantastic inexpensive way to treat Mum.

What’s better to say I love you than a huge chocolate Love Heart? This giant Love Heart looks just like the traditional love heart sweet, just a lot bigger and made of 100% milk chocolate. With ‘FOR YOU’ surrounded by the iconic heart we all know and love it makes a lovely gift for Mum.

RRP £2.49 available here or at Home Bargains

The iconic Sweet Shop Favourites Gift Box includes a selection of some of the UK’s most well-loved sweets: Refreshers, Drumstick, Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Double Lollies and Fizzers. As soon as you open the box the familiar scent of ‘childhood’ brings back so many happy memories and the hardest part is choosing which one to have first! My favourite is the Refreshers bar – what is yours?

Currently £2.50 from Asda

The Ritual of Ayurveda Gift Set

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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 last minute Mother’s Day gift then the Rituals The Ritual of Ayurveda Gift set needs to be top of your list, it is beautifully wrapped (always a bonus when you have left your gift buying to the last minute!) and contains a lovely selection of products for your mum to pamper herself with.

From the moment I unwrapped the origami designed packaging and discovered the sturdy floral designed cardboard box I could tell that this was going to be a special gift set. On lifting the lid of the gift box, I discovered four travel sized products – foaming shower gel 50ml, rich body oil 30ml, body cream 70ml and hair & body mist 20ml – everything you need to bring a little luxury into your bathroom.

The Ritual of Ayurveda products are designed to help you achieve inner harmony and are based on the aromas of Indian rose and sweet almond oil. These products all smell amazing and are a real sensual treat.

The foaming shower gel lathers nicely and when used alongside the body cream helps carry the delicious scent around with you all day. The body oil is wonderful to apply, it glides on like silk and supercharges my skin with moisture. The oil is light and absorbs quickly, leaving behind the most gorgeous scent and leaving my skin smooth, soft and with a healthy sheen. The hair and body mist has the same beautiful fragrance and the handy sized bottle is perfect to keep in your handbag.

The Ritual Of Ayurveda giftset makes a lovely Mother’s Day gift – pure luxury & the ultimate indulgence for that special person in your life.

RRP £27

Fox’s Party Rings Choc Minis

Children, Food & Drink, Lunchbox Fillers

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

I have a very sweet tooth so was really pleased when Fox’s Biscuits asked if we would like to try their new Party Rings Choc Minis.

It’s funny how food can stir up memories – whenever I see Party Rings it takes me right back to my childhood, visiting my Grandma, where the biscuit tin in the pantry was always full of Party Rings – well, at least it was when we arrived…….

The thing I like most about Party Rings is the satisfying crunch when you bite into them and these mini Party Rings are just as crunchy as the original biscuits. The choc minis are lovely and chocolatey and great for snacking on.

I love the individual bags of party rings, they contain just the right amount of biscuits for a cheeky afternoon snack and at only 92 calories per mini bag will stave off the hunger without piling on the pounds.

I like to keep a few packets in my bag for emergency snacks, on the pretext they are for the children but in reality I might just keep them all for myself!!!

Small Sterling Silver Plain Heart Locket Pendant

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Fashion, Gifts for Her, Jewellery, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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

Mother’s Day is soon upon us and treating Mum is always high on our priority list. There may be plenty of items available out there but finding the right one, which is good quality and timeless, can take time.

Gatwards of Hitchin have a range of jewellery items available for Mother’s Day, and beyond, which are perfect choices. On offer are necklaces, pendants, rings, bracelets, earrings, silver photo frames and keyrings. Don’t worry about jewellery being too expensive as there’s a variety of prices from the £25 Silver Crossover Ring to the beautiful £49 Ti Sento CZ Stud Claw Set Earrings. If you really want to push the boat out though, there are several high-ticket items such as the 18ct Yellow Gold Memoire Round Brilliant Cut Diamond Bridal Eternity Ring for £1050.00 or Platinum Skye Round Cut Diamond Eternity Ring for a cool £3935.00!

Gatwards have sent us this gorgeous Silver Sterling Heart Locket Pendant to review for Mother’s Day. At £28 it’s very affordable but the design makes it versatile and easy to wear. Lockets have long been a way of mourning a loss, or keeping someone close to you with the position of the locket always being close to the heart.

The Gatwards Silver Sterling Locket is a plain heart locket, made in Sterling Sliver with a hinged mechanism that allows you to open the locket and add not just a photo but anything from a lock of hair or even put in a special note to Mum. The locket is smooth on both sides with minimal decoration so you could also have it engraved or embellished. It’s very delicate without being breakable and I actually found it easy to open and close again. Small children will love giving this to Mummy with its tactile face and the hinge that opens to reveal the surprise inside!

The locket arrives in a beautiful presentation box and with a gift wrap bag from Gatwards and gold wrapping paper. There isn’t a chain included, but this can be bought separately.

The Silver Sterling Heart Locket is such an all-round piece of jewellery which can be worn with almost any style and will last forever, and at £28.00 it makes the perfect gift for Mother’s Day from anyone in the family.

Small Silver Sterling Heart Necklace available for £28.00:

Edifier MP100 Plus Bluetooth Speaker

Birthday Gifts, camping, Days Out, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home & Garden, Mother's Day, Sport, Summer, Valentine's Day Gifts

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

Edifier are known for their high quality speakers, I already own a couple of their products and like them so was pleased to be asked to try the MP100 bluetooth speaker which Edifier suggests is a “great outdoor companion”.

With a rugged waterproof construction the MP100 is ideal for use outside. It is covered in a dust proof fabric and has an IPX7 rating which means the speaker can be 1 metre underwater for 30 minutes without getting damaged – so there isn’t the same urgency to put it somewhere dry when it starts raining – as often happens in this country!

It is available in a choice of three colours, Forest Green, Lake Green and Black and has a single button to control calls. There is a large loop which can be used to hang the speaker up and I found it to be quite easy to hold whilst wearing gloves. It isn’t a small device, it has a 95mm diameter and is 50mm thick, and with a weight of 185g it weighs around the same as a mobile phone. On the bottom of the speaker is a circular rubber base which helps keep the speaker from sliding around on whatever surface it is put on. The USB-C charging port, which is covered with a small rubber flap, is on the bottom half of the speaker along with the control buttons.

Setting up the speaker is easy, turn it on by pressing the power button for a few seconds, until the blue light comes on, then search for Edifier MP100 Plus in the Bluetooth settings of your device. The speaker makes an audible sound when connected and then you can use it to listen to music/audio from your device.

Built around a 5W 43mm full-range speaker the sound is great and with a claimed battery life of 9 hours is good for a whole day in the great outdoors. Now, I have to say that I’m no fan of people who play music whilst out hiking – I much prefer the peace and quiet – but for other outdoor activities, like camping or a day at the beach, it would be great. I spend a lot of time in the garden and enjoy listening to music or podcasts whilst I’m working and in the past have worried about damaging my speaker – with the Edifier MP100 Plus I no longer need to worry, I just hang it up, relax and enjoy!

Should you wish to use it for calls it has a built-in microphone and I found the sound was very clear, with noise suppression to remove unwanted background noise.

So whether you are camping, caravanning, relaxing in the garden or hitting the beach this summer make sure you have the Edifier MP100 Plus in your bag.

Innoteck Kitchen Pro Electric Kettle

eco friendly, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Home & Garden, Mother's Day, Plastic free, Women

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

Innoteck are the kitchen pros with all sorts of appliances such as air fryers, coffee makers, sandwich makers and kettles. Along with their appliance range they also have small kitchen items like bamboo chopping boards, baking trays and even photo frames. We were sent the Innoteck 1.7 litre electric kettle as a Mother’s Day gift to review to see how we liked it. We did!

The kettle comes in 4 different colours – green, white, grey and the version we were sent is black and each colour has a corresponding toaster too. The outside of the kettle is textured which makes the black body more interesting and far more stylish than the old-fashioned plastic kettles that used to adorn the worktops of kitchen but added no aesthetic.

The Innoteck Kitchen Pro stands apart from other kettles, not just because of its stylish, timeless design but because because it’s BPA-free and therefore not toxic. The main body of the inside of the kettle is made of metal with stainless steel accents and for anyone who is following the plight of plastics in the ocean, you’ll know that it’s not only the fish and wildlife who are suffering from ingesting plastic but also the human effect of eating small plastic particles when they enter the food chain. Heating water to high temperatures with plastic kettles is one of the ways microscopic plastic particles end up in our bodies.

With that information, you can see why more and more appliance makers are turning to stainless steel machines, as well as making them more recyclable.

The Innoteck Kitchen Pro kettle takes hardly any time to boil, at less than 2 minutes for a full kettle. The instructions ask that you don’t put less than 0.5 litres of water in to protect the element but the kettle can take 1.7 litres of water in all. It’s also got a circular base, which makes it easier for people like me who are left handed and need to move the kettle around to get to. The electric lead is around 50cm long too, and conveniently the element has an overheating guard if you don’t manage to fill the kettle with enough water before you switch it on and will switch it off without sufficient water.

This is a nice gift for anyone and will be used for a very long time on a daily basis in most households. Mum, or Gran, will love it for Mother’s Day.

Innoteck Kettle available for £27.99 at: https://innoteck.co.uk/product/1-7l-black-kettle/

NOMO Chocolate Easter Eggs

Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gluten Free, health, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

If you’re unable to eat chocolate due to being lactose intolerant, have an allergy to nuts or are vegan, you used to struggle to find chocolate on the High Street. Nowadays, there are a lot more options available to you though including NOMO chocolate. No More Missing Out? That’s their slogan. Does their chocolate live up to it though?

We were sent a selection of different flavoured chocolate Easter Eggs and Easter character chocolates. Although not necessarily aimed at children, anyone can enjoy them but we are also treated to an Egg & Lolly character egg for very young children. All of the chocolate are vegan and free from egg, nut, dairy and gluten.

The adult Easter egg flavours included Cookie Dough, Orange Crunch and Caramelised biscuit. Each Egg weighs 160 grams and has an extra Bunny included in the egg. The chocolate is listed as ‘an alternative to milk chocolate’ which is slightly darker than conventional milk chocolate but not bitter like dark chocolate is. We particularly enjoyed the Orange Crunch chocolate which had a distinct flavour of orange with a slight texture to it which added an interest to the confectionary. The Cookie Dough flavour is similarly textured and very sweet whilst the caramelised biscuit is as grown-up as it sounds with crunchy biscuit pieces and the sweetness of the caramel. The added bunnies (a character chocolate, each one weighing 30 grams) are similar milk chocolate substitutes but just as tasty!

The Egg & Lolly character Easter Eggs are also vegan and free from egg, nut, dairy and gluten. The 92 grams cute little eggs are perfect for younger children who won’t know the difference between milk chocolate and these free from eggs. Inside the egg there’s a chocolate lolly to enjoy, as well as some fun activities for children to do over the Easter holidays.

You can also buy the NOMO Easter Bunny separately. At 30 grams, the chocolate bunnies are also vegan, dairy free, gluten free etc and are filled with flavoured truffle in either Orange Crunch or Cookie Dough like the Easter Eggs.

Dairy free, Gluten free and egg free chocolate has come a long way in the last few years, and for anyone who needs a ‘free from’ diet, NOMO Chocolate Easter Eggs and Bunnies are so similar to the real thing, you won’t know the difference!

NOMO Easter Eggs are available at: https://nomochoc.com/collections/nomo-easter-range and health food shops.

Kelly Loves Sushi Kit

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

I love sushi, but I have never made it at home before. I’ve eaten it as take-away lunch at work, at a restaurant for dinner and I’m a fan of the raw fish too but I’ve never thought of making it for myself.

The team at Kelly Loves asked if we’d like to sample their Sushi Atelier kit for our Mother’s Day Gift Guide and even added some extra treats for me to be able to start my sushi journey. Well, when the kit arrived, I was in for a treat! The box contains a double bento box (for keeping the sushi fresh when out and about), sushi rice, wasabi, picked ginger, a bamboo sushi mat, spicy mayonnaise, a packet of 7 nori seaweed sheets, sushi vinegar and fried onions. There wasn’t much missing from the kit apart from the fresh ingredients of course!

The kit includes a postcard with a QR code to access lots of recipes of Japanese and Korean food, including different sushi rolls you can make. Using the code and a bit of knowledge of sushi, I started with the rice which thankfully has instructions on the side. It isn’t as simple as just boiling up the rice; you also have to add the sushi vinegar to flavour once the rice has been cooked and cooled. I also used the spicy mayonnaise to affix the fried onion but you can fix the onion by wetting the seaweed first too. The mayonnaise added more flavour but was very messy to use.

The instructions tell you how to cut the nori seaweed sheets in half and fill them with the rice and fillings (I chose smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado) and then roll them using the roll mat. You will need a sharp pair of scissors to cut the seaweed and a very sharp knife to cut the sushi once it’s rolled, which meant I had to sharpen my knives several times otherwise it tears through the seaweed and leave the roll in a heap!

Once the sushi is cut, you can arrange it any way you like and add the pickled ginger, wasabi and we were also sent soy sauce to dress the sushi with. When it came to serving, if you’ve never had wasabi before, it would be worth trying the tiniest (and I mean tiniest!) amount as it’s extremely hot. If you’re used to sushi with wasabi though, it’s great added with the pickled ginger, which is a generous amount in the jar provided with the pack.

Nothing beats freshly made sushi which is completely different to most shop bought varieties. I made up only half of the rice in the pack, which is just as well because as you can see from the photos, this was only half of what was available, and with the other ingredients only half being used, there is plenty left for another meal. I think this amount could feed 4 people, depending on what fillings you use.

The sushi tasted AMAZING and now that I know how to make it and how easy it is, I will be making it more often, topping up the items in the box with what I need and perfecting my rolling technique! Everything from the rice to the fried onion is of high quality and has the authentic sushi taste, all of which adds to the overall effect.

As a gift, this is a super great idea for anyone and especially any foodies, and as for Mother’s Day, it will make a fabulous present for Mum, especially if you make it for her!

Kelly Loves also has some other sushi products online including a ramune carbonated drink, which is much like lemonade. They also have spare ingredients online like the fried onion, pickled ginger and sushi vinegar. There’s also roasted sesame seeds, cabbage kimchi (delicious!) and a variety of different soy sauces online if you want to add to the gift to Mum on Mothering Sunday.

I loved this kit, not just for the quality of the ingredients but because it was all there and so easy to use but resulted in a delicious meal which my Mum really enjoyed. Despite it being the first time I made the sushi and it being a bit of a mess (see photos!) I loved making it and Mum actually commented that it was like the sushi you eat in a restaurant, which was a nice compliment. I can highly recommend Kelly Loves sushi kits for Mother’s Day gifts, and to start a love of homemade sushi for all the family!

Sushi At Home Kit currently on sale at £29.99 here: https://kellyloves.com/collections/sushi-at-home

Jasmine Silk Ultimate Silk Pillowcase

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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

Sleeping on silk has many benefits and lots of my curly haired friends have switched to silk pillowcases since discovering they help to reduce frizz. Sleeping on silk is also good for your skin as silk absorbs less moisture and dirt than cotton meaning your night cream will stay on your face and keep your skin hydrated, rather than ending up all over your pillowcase.

Although silk bedding sounds incredibly luxurious I was pleasantly surprised when I looked at the Jasmine Silk website and discovered that silk bedding doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. With pillowcases starting at £16 it is definitely worth considering, as not only is it lovely to sleep on, the added health benefits add to the attraction.

They kindly sent me one of their Ultimate Silk Pillowcases to try and as soon as I took it out of the packaging I could feel how luxurious this product was. Made from 100% Mulberry silk I love the feel and softness of the pillowcase and when I went to bed it was a delight to sleep on. It was also lovely and cool which is a huge benefit as now I am perimenopausal I am suffering from the dreaded hot flushes which are invariably worse at night, and I don’t sleep very well anymore. After a few good nights sleep I am considering getting the matching sheets too as I am so impressed with the pillowcase. When I woke up my curls were still nice and bouncy and noticeably less frizzy so not only do I sleep better my hair looked better too.

The pillowcase was a good fit on my pillow, well-fitting but loose enough to easily take on and off. With an envelope closure it looks neat on my bed. The pillowcase was easy to wash, it can be washed in a machine at 30 degrees and tumbled dried at a low temperature. I dried mine outdoors which helped reduce the creases and a cool iron quickly removed the rest.

Jasmine Silk have silk pillowcases in a variety of styles and a choice of 11 different colours and they also have silk bedding so you can sleep in luxury every night. With Mother’s Day fast approaching why not treat your Mum and give the gift of sleep this year?

Oust Descaler and Dylon Colour Catcher

Family Life, Home & Garden, Spring

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

It’s Spring time again, and that means it’s finally warm enough to have all the furniture turned upside down, the kitchen cupboards cleared out and everything spring cleaned. It’s a never ending task to keep the house clean, especially if you have children or pets at home and some of the tasks seem to fall through the net unless you make a special effort.

Take descaling the kettle for one. How often do you actually do it? In my area, which is extremely hard water, it feels like I should do it once a week and that’s with a water filter! The kettle furs up so quickly, and it’s not like you can pop it in the dishwasher to get clean. It’s not just the kettle though, the hard water affects glasses and mugs, the iron, the pipework in the house and even my stainless steel sink.

Oust Descaler can descale, well, almost anything. Starting with the kettle, the treatment sachets can descale irons, coffee machines and even showerheads. There are instructions on each of the packets on how to descale each item until all of the limescale is gone and all you need is some boiling water and a bit of time, which in most cases is no more than 6-8 minutes. I started by descaling my kettle. The instructions stage you need to boil half a kettle of water first, then leave it to cool down for 10 minutes and adding one of the Oust sachets. There’s no scrubbing to do and no hard work involved, you just leave the solution for 6 minutes to do its job, or 8 minutes if the limescale is particularly bad.

After the kettle was descaled, I emptied the contents (which were still hot) into the stainless steel sink and let Oust do its magic again. This time it took a little longer (about 10 minutes) but without and scrubbing again, and I did a bit more work on the kettle by standing it upside down in the filled sink to get to the limescale around the top of the spout. It worked a treat!

Out All Purpose Descaler comes in a bottle or as I was sent, three sachets. One box of 3 sachets costs around £1.65.

Dylon Colour Catcher Sheets are another product you hope you won’t need to use, but usually do. Colour Catcher Sheets are for laundry loads where one of the (usually bright) coloured clothes is new, or hasn’t had the colour set right before you wash it. This can be particularly bad with new pairs of jeans where the indigo isn’t washed out yet, and yes, it colours everything else in the wash, especially a hot wash.

If you have a new item of clothing, or something like a new pair of jeans which you know are probably going to run, just pop one of the colour catcher sheets in with the load of laundry, as if they are an extra piece of clothing. Much like the Oust Descaler, you don’t have to do anything, just let the washing machine do its job and clean the clothes as normal. The Colour Catcher works on any temperature of washing, so you can use it with everyday items, towels, clothes or even bedding.

Once the load is finished, you can see the Colour Catcher, if it’s needed, has absorbed the coloured dye of the garment. If you didn’t need the Colour Catcher, then the sheet stays white but sometimes picks up subtle colour runs from other garments. It’s a life saver!

Dylon Colour Catcher Sheets (24) available for £2.40 at:

https://www.wilko.com/new-dylon-colour-catcher-sheets-24-pack/p/0532867

Oust All Purpose Descaler:

https://www.oustdescalers.co.uk

Rituals

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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

I love walking into a Rituals shop, from the moment you step inside a calming aura encircles you and the hustle and bustle of the high street instantly become a distant memory. Once inside this tranquil haven, soothing music and beautiful fragrances add to the experience and with incredibly knowledgeable staff on hand to share the delightful products with you it soon becomes apparent that this is more than just a store selling beauty products. I always leave the shop with not only a bag of goodies but an over-whelming feeling of relaxation and being pampered. Taking time for yourself is very important and Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to treat yourself or a loved one to some lovely pampering products and Rituals have some lovely gifts for just that purpose.

They kindly sent me one of their fantastic gifts – the Ritual of Sakura Renewing Routine gift set. Now I love receiving a gift set, it’s so exciting opening it to discover a special collection of items and when they are as beautifully packaged as this it becomes even more of a treat. Initially I thought this box was just too pretty to open however, the alluring scents of the products proved too much and after carefully opening the origami designed packaging I discovered a sturdy cardboard box with a beautiful floral design that just shouts out to be reused.

Inside the box are;

Zensational foaming shower gel 200ml

Renewing body scrub 125g

Magic Touch body cream 100ml

Relaxing Scented Candle

I was looking forward to the rice milk and cherry blossom scented products bringing on a feeling of relaxation and enabling me to switch off from daily life, even just for a short period of time.

After using them I wasn’t disappointed – the shower gel lathers nicely with a creamy foam and used in conjunction with the body cream helps carry the delicious scent around with you all day. Using the body scrub is truly a sensual experience and real treat, it provides just enough exfoliation and I love how it leaves my skin feeling invigorated yet pampered, adding a moment of luxury to my daily shower.

If you are looking for a gift set that boasts something a little more special that your standard bath and body Sets, you must try Rituals, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!! The Rituals of Sakura gift set is a wonderful starting place to begin your Rituals journey.

RRP: £43

Stockist: Rituals stores, rituals.com & Look Fantastic

Alfa Romeo Red Eau de Toilette

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts

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

Whilst an Alfa Romeo car may be way out of your price range you can buy your loved one a taste of Alfa Romeo style with a bottle of Alfa Romeo fragrance from Agence de Parfumerie

This fragrance is packaged in a bright red box emblazoned with the Alfa Romeo logo. The deep red bottle is chunky and modern and with the chrome lid is a stylish addition to any bathroom or bedroom.

When my husband tried the fragrance the first thing I noticed was the freshness, with top notes of pink pepper, pineapple and citrus they sharpen the senses without being overpowering. With fruity middle notes and base notes of amber and tonka bean the fragrance settles down to be a more earthy scent which is very pleasant and appeals to all ages – my 21 year old son liked it just as much as my husband does.

It doesn’t have a heavy scent so is perfect both as a day or evening fragrance and it lasts well – a couple of spays will last all day.

With a RRP of £19.95 for the 100ml bottle it’s also very reasonably priced and the perfect gift this Valentine’s Day.

Available at Superdrug Sephora Debenhams Beauty Base and Aromorfia

Cabotine Rose Eau de Toilette

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

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

There’s still time to pick up a Valentine’s gift for a loved one and we have some lovely fragrances to share with you. Lasting longer than roses (and cheaper too!) Agence de Parfumerie’s Cabotine Rose EDT is a delightfully fresh perfume that looks and smells like a luxury perfume but without the hefty price tag. With top notes of cherry blossom, mandarin and pear, heart nots of mimosa, peony and pikake flower and base notes of vetiver, sandalwood and plumeria petals this floral perfume is light and feminine and perfect for every day wear. I found that I only needed to apply this perfume once during the day as the perfume is quite long lasting. I received many comments from my friends and colleagues who said how nice it is and wanted to know what the fragrance was.

The box is very pretty with a raised floral design which is also picked up on the lid of the perfume bottle which is a lovely pink floral design and looks stunning on my dressing table.

This is a lovely perfume and is suitable for all ages, at £14.95 for 100ml it is very reasonably priced for such a lovely, long lasting fragrance. It is perfect as a gift or why not treat yourself!

Available online at Superdrug and Aromorfia