Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Do you know a Star Wars fan? Whether they’re a fan of the recent films or a die-hard fan then they’ll love the Original Stormtrooper “Brewing up a Storm -Trooper” gift set from Well Pharmacy. Containing an exclusive Stormtrooper dishwasher safe mug along with a 100ml Shower Wash it is a great choice for a stocking filler or Secret Santa gift.
Well Pharmacy are the third largest pharmacy chain in the UK and have a great selection of Christmas gifts available. If you aren’t able to get to one of their branches then you can buy online with postage starting at £3.95. These are some of our favourites that will make great stocking fillers or Secret Santa gifts.
Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.
I don’t leave the house without putting lipstick on so was very pleased to receive a selection of Sheer Shine lipsticks in the most gorgeous shades of nude, pinks and red from Annabelle Minerals.
Available in six shades, these lipsticks are a lovely creamy consistency which glides nicely onto your lips, enhancing as well as nurturing them. The colours are lovely and last well but the main benefit to me is how moisturised my lips now feel. Enriched with a blend of natural butters, oils, waxes, and vitamin E they have the moisturising qualities of a lip balm but in a lipstick formula – a winning combination which not only makes your lips look good, keeps them lovely and soft and hydrated too.
The shape of the lipstick enables a precise application, and it was easy to adjust the intensity of colour from a subtle wash to an intense full lip. We all know the packaging of lipsticks is important and these are available in a chic golden magnetic case, with a snug fitting lid and there is also a refill option too which is a great sustainable option.
The colours available are –
APRICOT – a fresh peachy nude shade that complements both warm and cool beauty types. A very versatile everyday colour that will suit most people.
BROWN FIG – a gorgeous pink caramel colour that can easily be glammed up if you are going out straight after work.
COCONUT – a warm brown hue, great if you have a tan.
DRAGON FRUIT – this fuchsia pink lipstick teamed with smoky eyes is a winning combination for Christmas party glamour.
GUAVA – a powdery pink shade that will suit all complexions.
STRAWBERRY – a stunning red lipstick that will add a touch of drama to any outfit.
As a user of more expensive lipsticks, I can honestly say that these lipsticks could easily rival any of my normal brands so are a great choice if you are looking to save a little money but aren’t prepared to compromise on quality. The choice of shades is great and they keep your lips lovely and moisturised which is very important now we are heading into the winter months.
From daytime to evening glamour, Annabelle Minerals have a great selection of makeup and skincare products that would make amazing gifts this Christmas, so whatever your budget you will easily find the perfect gift.
RRP £11.90 and the refill is £9.90 – available here
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Christmas is a time when the whole family gets together and sitting down to play a board game after lunch is now a favourite family tradition. Music games are great to play when you have a mix of ages and Spot the Intro from Cheatwell Games is bound to get everyone reminiscing about the music of their youth and all those long forgotten top ten hits that we all know and love.
The game features music from the last six decades with the aim being to guess songs from a 10 second intro and be the first to reach the finish. There are 480 double sided cards in the box giving you 960 tracks to play and we found it quite addictive so it will certainly keep everyone occupied over the Christmas period. Unlike older music quiz games that used a CD or DVD to play the music, this game has QR codes on the cards to scan with your phone, taking you to a Spot the Intro page where you can play the songs via Amazon, Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
After listening to the intro, the team have to name the song correctly to get one point with an additional point given for naming the artist. With any correct answer there is a bonus question with another point available for a correct answer. Once the questions have been answered the team then moves their counter by the number of correct answers.
The game is great fun although it’s a bit fiddly scanning the codes so that’s definitely a job for the teenagers rather than Granny!
Spot The Intro is a great game for music lovers and works really well as a team game, especially with mixed ages. It’s a great game to play with family and friends and with Christmas round the corner, it would make a great gift that also doubles up as the afternoon or evening’s entertainment.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
If you’re popping into Aldi this Christmas to get all the party food, Christmas day meal and all the trimmings plus general festivities, then have a look at the Lacura beauty range by Aldi. Every year they have something lovely and this year is no exception. We were given the West Hollywood Eye Make-Up set and Brightening Concealer to try our as part of their extensive range. Are you feeling in the festive mood yet?
The West Hollywood Eye Make Up set is 16 shades of the gorgeous Natural Radiance range, with 8 of the shades a matt colour and finish and 8 highlighting shades to compliment them. You don’t have to use the complimentary shade with each block, and you can mix and match them (I have already!) and create a whole new look but there’s enough range there to give you a whole host of choice. From the base neutral colours which would suit various skin tones to more vibrant and sparkly golds and metallics, this pallet isn’t just for Christmas but for all year, and all day too. There’s a lovely Espresso dark charcoal colour which is great for smokey eyes, and teaming it up with either a shiny top colour like Glam or Auburn would give you great ‘party eyes’ or something more subtle like the shade Toasted would make it more of a day wear colour. Whichever shades you like to use, there is plenty of choice and it glides on beautifully with little effort and doesn’t go sticky or rub off easily.
The Lacura Brightening Concealer, which is in the palest shade Lacura produce (yes, I am that pale!) is a rich concealer that needs a minimal amount to blend in. You can see from this test patch on my hand that the colour is deep and you don’t need much to give all the coverage. Depending on what you need to cover (such as under eyes, or maybe a scar) you only need the tiniest amount as it goes so far so quickly. If you do use too much though, it has a tendency to be a tiny bit chalky so start small and build up layers if you need to. I don’t think you would need to though as it gives great coverage and don’t forget it’s just a concealer, not a foundation that give all over coverage.
The West Hollywood Eye Set and Brightening Concealer aren’t on the Aldi website yet so they won’t be in stores for a while, but when they are, get them asap! The Lacura range often sells out early!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Calling all of you who need a Secret Santa this year… or who are struggling to find that little gift for Mum or Gran! The Kind Edit Co. have this beautiful Luxury Garden Glove Set and Hand Cream in a gift set, which any garden enthusiast will both love and need.
The set includes a pair of green and pink gardening gloves with elastic fit and finger grips and 125ml hand cream of bergamot, ylang-ylang, lily and sandalwood. The hand cream formula is 95% natural, hence the Kind Edit Co endorsement. You can either put the hand cream on before the gloves when you work in the garden, or apply the cream after working in the garden although you could use it at any time. The hand cream has a lovely floral aroma which is not lost on the fact that this is part of a gardening set!
I like the gloves especially because they’re very heavy duty but made of cotton, so they’re not waterproof but they are softer on the skin. They’re hand wash, which is easier when you’re working outdoors and can just leave them to soak. The hand cream is nice and rich and has a lovely fragrance so if you do put it on under your gardening gloves, it leaves them smelling so sweet!
This is a great gift for the price of £4.99 for anyone who enjoys gardening, and I especially like it as a Secret Santa gift for someone at work.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
This lovely gift set is aimed at girls but with the ten different colours, including pinks and red, it could be a lovely gift for anyone!
Chit Chat’s Nail Varnish Colour Wheel is also vegan, which is not something you find very often in beauty products especially nail varnishes. There are 10 colours (including pink and red but also blue, green and yellow) which are 3.5ml in size each. In the centre of the wheel there’s 12 different glitter colours to add to your nail colour. Whether you use the corresponding glitter and varnish colours or do something outlandish and mix up the complimentary colours, the combinations of glitter gems and nail varnish are endless, and so much fun!
The gift set doesn’t say what age range it’s aimed at, but I would guess children aged 6-10 years old, and not much younger due to the smaller parts. The wacky colours are great to experiment with but also teach children fine motor skills with the application of the brush and then the tiny gems which go over the nail varnish and stock to the surface. To make them really secure, you can use a top coat nail varnish over the top, although that isn’t provided with this set.
Even if you don’t have children in the house, this is a great kit for the colours and nail art, especially as the varnish pots are a smaller size and you can take them on holiday with you. The quality of the varnish is good too. This kit is great as a bonding exercise with an adult and child.
A stunning cover image and thought-provoking twist of a title make you want to look inside this book to see if the story lives up to the title. And for the most part it does. The story is easy to read and moves along at a decent pace, even when at times it is dealing with complex issues and ideas. The world Artificial Wisdom is set in is both frightening and believably based on the news topics of today. The characters are likeable, or not if the plot demands, and in a few cases a little too good to be true. The author, Thomas R. Weaver, takes you through the story in such a way that you care about the outcome.
In a not-too-distant future, political leaders are much as they are today and have failed in their actions to stop climate change. The world is failing, countries becoming uninhabitable from heat, flood or famine causing migration challenges and human disasters. The super-rich have built floating climate-controlled islands, to escape the unbearable heat, that are run on their behalf by a unique artificial intelligence. The nations of the world have, rather surprisingly, agreed that one person must be given absolute power to make the hard decisions and save the human race from extinction. But who will they choose?
Against this background, the book’s main character, Marcus Tully, is a journalist who believes in the truth above all else, consequences are not his problem. He is supported by a team of misfits, all with the special skills needed to help his work of uncovering the truth and exposing those in power. He is following an anonymous lead to the ultimate story. But what is the truth and is it more important than saving humanity? The death of his wife in a climate change tragedy beyond imagining has taken a toll on the man.
Artificial Wisdom is essentially a mystery set in a future built but taking its ideas from the paths unfolding in the present. Climate change has not been solved, political intrigue is still rife, political corruption is still prevalent, conspiracy theory is everywhere, information can be deep faked and artificial intelligence is evolving. The author’s writing brings the reader along with each new idea and builds the world in a credible way explaining how such things could have happened.
This is Thomas R. Weaver’s debut novel and is ambitious in its reach. Full of twists and turns but perhaps a few too many coincidences and fortunate connections. However, this aside, the story rattles along and keeps you wanting to read to its conclusion. The concepts and situations challenge you to think about what you would do in this disturbing future timeline. The ending irked me slightly as it required a character to betray principles written in stone for the rest of the novel. However overall, I would recommend this novel to those who like a good mystery novel.
Disclaimer: we received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Have you started shopping for Christmas yet? These STABILO pens and pencils make great stocking fillers or why not add a colouring book to make a lovely gift for an artistic friend or relative?
With STABILO’S instantly recognisable striped pattern on the pens the metallic STABILO Pen 68 is perfect for creating masterpieces. With a firm tip the pens make crisp, smooth lines, and move effortlessly over the paper. The metallic colours are striking, and the pens are perfect for writing, doodling or colouring and look amazing on black card.
RRP from £14.33
Children will love the STABILO Trio DECO metallic pens, with 8 sparkling colours they liven up any picture. The colours are bold and strong with a metallic shine and are great for art projects or colouring.
The pens have an ergonomic triangular grip making them easy to hold in little hands.
RRP from £9.37
The STABILO aqua colour pencils are lovely to use and the colours are bright and vibrant. Soft with a rich pigmentation the pencils glide smoothly across the paper and when blended with a wet brush give an incredible wash effect. They are the perfect introduction to watercolours as they are much easier to use than paint and ideal for detailed work.
The pencils are the same colour as the barrel making it easy to find the one you need, and I also found they sharpen nicely too.
RRP from £6.71
These STABILO pens and pencils would make a lovely Christmas gift for any budding artist – both young and old.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
As thoughts turn to Christmas I’ve been looking out for Christmas themed books to keep our mini reviewers occupied in the lead up to Christmas. We are big fans of Orchard Toys as they make fun educational games so when I saw the Countdown to Christmas Activity Book, I knew it would be perfect for the little ones this year.
With 25 fun activities including pictures to colour, wordsearches and recipes the idea is you do one activity a day from the 1st December meaning the children will have lots of fun counting down the days to Christmas. Once each activity is completed there is a number sticker to add to the page and a sticker to add to the pull out advent scene at the back of the book.
There is also a letter to Santa and if you submit a photo of it to Orchard Toys by the 18th December you are guaranteed a response.
This is a really fun book and a great way to countdown to Christmas with little ones. I would definitely recommend it and will enjoy doing the activities with our little ones this December.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
There are a host of different skincare brands and products on the market, all aimed at different ailments or even have different objectives that we find irresistible to choose. Cetaphil are the sensitive skin experts, specialising in moisturisers for face and body plus cleansers which are all aimed at sensitive skin and the ailments around it.
We were sent a batch of different products including; Cetaphil Gently Clear Clarifying Blemish Cream Cleanser, Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Blemish Moisturiser, Cetaphil Pro Tinted Moisturiser Day Cream SPF30, Cetaphil Moisturising Night Cream for Redness Prone Skin and Cetaphil Gentle Clear Triple-Acton Blemish Serum. If that’s not a full medicine cupboard full of skincare, then I don’t know what is!
The Cetaphil Gently Clear Clarifying Blemish Cream Cleanser is just what it says it is – cleans the skin gently especially after make up and when you’ve been out in polluted air. It’s cool and easy to use with white tea and aloe vera to keep pores clean but not dry them out. Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Blemish Moisturiser contains Salicylic Acid to reduce the size and appearance of pores whilst still keeping the skin fresh and moisturised. It also contains prebiotics which help keep the bacteria on the skin in balance which is important for overall health. Cetaphil Pro Tinted Moisturiser Day Cream SPF30 is probably my favourite because it’s made for sensitive skin so is ever-so-light and absorbs beautifully. The SPF 30 is a big help with day to day wear so you don’t have to think about going out in the British summer and wearing sunscreen on your face because you know that Cetaphil has the sun protection covered for you. The tinted nature of the moisturiser covers like a foundation, giving you a flawless complexion.
Cetaphil Moisturising Night Cream for Redness Prone Skin is more of a specialist product, again designed for sensitive skin but skin which is already prone to redness due to allergies, acne or general dryness. As a night cream, it’s slightly richer and takes a little while to absorb in, but also cools and calms skin thanks to the vitamin E, B3 and Pro-vitamin B5. It’s cool and gentle which can sooth any skin type regardless of whether you are prone to redness or not. Finally, the Cetaphil Gentle Clear Triple-Acton Blemish Serum is another friend to sensitive skin especially skin which suffers from breakouts. The serum reduces post-acne scaring and sooths skin, helping it heal whilst also preventing breakouts with the added Prebiotics, PHA, BHA and succinic Acid.
In combination or as individual products, Cetaphil has you covered for all of your sensitive skin problems. Find out more here:
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 fun game to play after Christmas lunch that the whole family will enjoy then look no further than Top It from Cheatwell Games. This fast thinking game is great to play with family and friends either individually or in teams. It is recommended for ages 10+ but we played it with an 8 year old and he was able to come up with plenty of answers – but it does depend on the child.
Inside the box are
75 double sided Top It Topics Cards
60 Top It Cones
18 Letter Discs
Sand timer
Score Pad
Pencil
The game is really easy to set up, there are 60 coloured cones, 10 of each colour so the players/team decide on a colour and take their cones. You then place 9 of the letter discs on the table in 3 rows of 3 and place the topic cards next to the letter cards. The top card is turned over, followed by the timer and then the fun begins! Everyone shouts out an answer that fits the topic and begins with one of the 9 letters on the table. As they shout out their answer they place a cone on that letter, if there is already a cone they “Top It” which means they place theirs on top and at the end of the 60 seconds the person who owns the top cone on each of the letters wins the points – scoring is easy if there are 3 cones they win 3 points or 6 cones wins 6 points etc.
There are also bonus points to be had if you get 3 of your coloured cones in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) adding a strategic angle to the game as getting correct answers in a row can really boost your points and earn you more points than being the top of a stack of cones.
We found the game can get quite loud and competitive as the cones stack up, especially when my family were playing! We thought it was better played as a team game as everyone can join in, both young and old. There is a good mix of topics and it was quite surprising hearing some of the answers – I’m not sure I fancy either chocolate or potatoes as a pizza topping!
Top It is a great game for the festive season particularly for groups of friends and family and whether brought as a gift for Christmas or just as an addition to your festive games’ cupboard Top It will provide lots of fun and laughter.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts an opinions are our own.
The days are getting shorter, the nights are darker and the spookiest day of the year is just around the corner. Our little withes and ghouls have been getting into the Halloween spirit with some spooktacular Halloween crafts and have been having plenty of fun with these new BloPens sets from John Adams Toys.
BloPens are really clever as they turn a felt tipped pen into spray paint – simply take the top off, put the nib into the clear plastic tube and put the coloured end back on. By blowing through the top the colour sprays out and you can create different effects by blowing harder and softer. Once you have finished your picture you can use the pens to add extra details and wording.
The Harry Potter Set (RRP £15) and the Scooby Doo set (RRP £13.38) are both perfect for creating spooky Halloween masterpieces, both sets contain 8 coloured BloPens and 6 cardboard stencils which you can use to create colourful effects on the paper. I would advise popping out the bits of the stencils before you give them to a younger child as little fingers might end up tearing some of the pieces which will spoil the pictures.
Our mini reviewers found them easy to use and before long were creating some spectacular works of art by mixing the colours to create a selection of spooktacular and magical pictures. They have really enjoyed using the BloPens and unlike a lot of crafts it’s a pretty mess free activity so there’s hardly any tiding up needed – definitely my sort of craft! The stencils can be reused so the little monsters will be able to create plenty more spooky pictures in the lead up to Halloween.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
We are all aware of the effects of hyaluronic Acid on our skin to give us glowing, tightened and hydrated appearance so the Dermatologically recommended brand Cetaphil is a lovely choice as a Christmas gift this year.
We were sent both the Daily Hydrating Moisturiser and Hydrating Night Cream this week. Both fight the 5 signs of skin sensitivity, don’t clog pores and are either fragrance free or have no added fragrances.
The Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser for sensitive skin boasts long lasting hydration that fights dryness, irritation, roughness and a weakened skin barrier. It works for 24 hours, but can be added throughout the day. The handy 88ml size is great for handbags and as it’s under 100ml, it can be taken on a flight as hand luggage to keep skin hydrated and keep away the effects of jetlag and flight dehydration. The cream itself is cool and fresh, absorbs easily and isn’t heavy at all.
Cetaphil Hydrating Night Cream is a heavier cream, designed to be absorbed into the skin during the night when the body repairs skin the most. This 50ml tub protects skin from dryness for over 24 hours, so working in combination with the Daily Hydrating Moisturiser, it will enhance the effects of each other. This cream is for normal to very dry skin, hence the richness. It’s still luxurious though, and you can feel the moisturiser seeping into your skin, and your fingers, as you apply it.
The combination of both the Daily Hydrating Moisturiser and Hydrating Night Cream give a lovely combination of daywear and nightwear creams that work together to give 24 hours of skincare. They’re so gentle on the skin as well that it’s hard not to keep them handy to just top up throughout the day to give you that silky feeling. As we go into winter, this is a lovely gift for Christmas to anyone who appreciates the change in seasons but not the changes to their skin.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
That very first tooth is a big milestone for all new parents, but teething isn’t the most enjoyable of stages as it can be quite painful, with babies becoming grumpy with bright red cheeks and constant dribbling. A good way to help relieve the pain is to give them a teething toy to chew on, as biting a teether applies pressure to the gums, which can help provide relief from teething pain. Lots of teethers also have surfaces with bumps on which massage the gums and help ease the pain.
Albert Bear from Pipetta is a cute bear shaper teether made from 100% natural rubber and is BPA and phthalate free – very important for a toy that is going to spend a lot of time in a baby’s mouth. I was pleased to discover he is made all in one piece so there are no holes for bacteria to form, making it completely safe for tiny mouths.
The teether is 12cm long and is the perfect size for little hands to grab – our mini reviewer put it straight in his mouth and it has really helped soothe his sore gums. Albert Bear feels durable and has been able to withstand a good chewing from our teething mini reviewer. The soft rubber is soothing on his sore gums and is easy to clean with a damp cloth or warm soapy water. My top tip when your baby is really struggling with teething is to pop it in a plastic bag in the fridge for a couple of hours as the coolness of the teether really helps to soothe sore gums.
Albert Bear will make a great Christmas gift for any baby, it not only looks cute it’s a very practical toy too.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
The Rubik’s Phantom is a mind-boggling, challenging puzzle related to the famous 80s Rubik’s Cube that many of us grew up with. This one is different though because it has a major difference. You can’t see the colours on the stickers unless you heat them up with the warmth of your hand. Without the warmth of your touch, all the sides are black!
Once you solve the first puzzle (ie getting into the intricate packaging) then the Cube itself looks harmful enough. It has the same black squares all the way around until you put light pressure on each one to reveal the colour. Quickly you realise that you can’t just sit and hold your finger over one sticker at a time, so you have to find ways of warming up the whole face of the Cube at the same time in order to reveal the different colours. The photo shows what the Cube looked like before touch, then after. This however, was only after I worked out how to hold the Rubik’s Cube in my hand long enough to get the full colour through.
The sides are in 6 colours (white, green, orange, blue, red and yellow) and each sticker seems to have a different ‘warm up’ time to it. Some of the stickers kept their colour for longer too, whilst others seemed to fade quickly. The trick is to get as many of the sides warmed up (and it took a good 30 seconds to get a true colour to come through) then work on solving the puzzle with one hand at least constantly on one face to keep from going cold.
The Rubik’s Phantom is one of the more challenging hand puzzles available with a 5/6 scoring for difficulty. The added pressure of remembering which colour each tile is or indeed remembering to keep the faces warm, adds to players’ cognitive memory, as well as using fine motor skills and general problem solving skills – vital if you’re to work out how to get the tiles warm enough! Incidentally, the heat sensitive faces need a temperature of 26C (79F) or above to change colour. How long it will take to complete the puzzle in anyone’s guess.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Chocolate is no longer just for children, nor is it the over-farmed, unfair trade that it used to be, or at least it doesn’t have to be if you choose the right retailer. Divine Chocolate is co-owned by cocoa farmers to give them a better deal on their wares plus improves the standard of the chocolate. It’s a win/win for everyone and their 2023 advent calendars are no exception!
We were sent two to try, the first one being the Seriously Smooth Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar. With 24 days (or nights if you’re being pedantic) of chocolate to taste, it’s the usual size and structure of an advent calendar. Slightly larger than A4 size, it can be posted and most of it is recyclable due to the cardboard involved. The windows open to reveal a Christmas-themed chocolate which appeals to both children and adults. Nothing complicated about that? Well there isn’t anything complicated, it’s just that the chocolate has secret powers… Secret powers to change lives. Let me explain more.
Every bar of Divine Chocolate helps to directly change the lives of cocoa farmers around the world. Divine Chocolates are made with only Fairtrade cocoa and sugar, so the majority of the ingredients are sourced from the right farmers who are given the right compensation. That alone should make you feel good about buying Divine Chocolate but it doesn’t stop there. All of the flavours and ingredients are natural, and they use only 100% pure cocoa butter. Additionally, Divine are helping to save the environment and habitations too by using NO palm oil.
What is the chocolate like though? Well as you would imagine, it’s smooth milk chocolate, and it has a more authentic chocolate taste because it has pure cocoa butter and contains no palm oil. No substitutions mean that it’s a richer, smoother chocolate both in texture and taste.
This is an advent calendar clearly children will enjoy but adults will too, and anyone with a conscience will appreciate that somewhere in Ghana, there is a farmer and his family whose life will be improved by you supporting Divine Chocolate.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
If you’re looking for a different card game to play this Christmas or to give as a gift, Taco vs Burrito ticks all those boxes. A game for 2-4 players, it can be played by any age (although it’s recommended from age 7 years upwards), this strategy game is for all the family. It only takes a few minutes to learn how to play and each round is only about 15 minutes long.
Invented by 7 year old Alex, the game has causes a storm with its whacky but fun cards. The game has won numerous awards including Best Family Fun Tilillywig Award, Winner of Hot Diggity Award 2021, and winner of National Parenting Product Award 2021. There’s been over 500,000 units sold worldwide already and 17,500+ 5-star awards from users. All from the imagination of a small boy whose parents started a Kickstarter appeal for funding for him, to make his dreams come true.
How to play: each player is given either a Taco or a Burrito (hence the name) as a basis of the game. Using the 5 cards dealt to you, each player either adds a weird ingredient card from their hand (such as fresh brains or chocolate covered shrimp) or an action card. The aim of the game is to build up a disgusting meal with ingredients cards that have different point values, then use the action cards to either increase the points value of your meal, or smash the value of your opponent’s meal. There’s also the Hot Sauce Card which doubles the value or your meal or that of other players when you play it against them.
As the game progresses, there’s other action cards such as the Tummy Ache card, No Bueno card (to stop the action of another player at any time), or the Health Inspector. If you get the Health Inspector card, you have to play it immediately in the game, sending all the ingredients cards in your meal to the discarded pile on the table, never to be used again. That is unless, you have the Trash Panda card, which allows you to take any of the cards from the discarded pile and add it back to your hand.
The different variation of action cards to use against the ingredients cards are what make the game fun for everyone. The cards are colourful and easy to read and for little ones, it helps develop their reading skills as well as taking turns in play. The different type of action cards take a little while to get used to so I would have an adult sit and play until they all get hang of the game rules. It’s great fun though, and everyone understood how to play with each consecutive game, so this is perfect for Christmas time board games!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Opies Christmas fruits will surprise you. Not just because of how tasty they are but because of how versatile the fruits are, especially at Christmas. We were sent 4 different fruits in their iconic round glass jars to try as part of the Christmas 2024 range, including the exclusive Fruits of the Forest which is out now. Baby Pears, Black Cherries and lastly Peaches were also sent to us. The uses for them are endless, but have you thought about giving them as gifts too?
Great for Secret Santa, or as part of a Christmas hamper, the fruits are preserved in juice and alcohol and already stoned ready to eat. There’s a minimum of 460 grams net in each jar too, which is plenty for cooking or baking with. The suggestions on the website are endless and include using them in cocktails and punches at Christmas, but I prefer eating them just as a dessert with cream or ice cream, or baking with them!
In the photos, I’ve used the Black Cherries in some homemade almond cookies. Made with butter and almond flour, the cookies are flavoured with the cherry pieces and I added some of the juice from the jar to give the deep purple colour. Once cooked, there isn’t the alcohol taste at all but instead it left the cookies soft and with the cherry fruit as the main ingredient.
Taking each of the baby pears, I wrapped them in pastry and added sugar and cinnamon to create these little desserts. They only took 20 minutes in the oven and I actually cheated and used ready-made pastry so that I could concentrate on the flavour. These freeze really nicely so that you can bring them out at Christmas or as a dessert one evening with a little ice cream, especially if they’re warmed slightly. I also used the pastry to make these gorgeous little Fruits of the Forest tarts. Some of them had pastry crust and some of them I left open to bake but they were all so colourful and so delicious that they looked fantastic for snacks or dessert!
Other uses for the fruits include making a tart with the peaches, creating a flan with gelatine using all the different fruits and my favourite way of using them is to add them as a filling to croissants, especially useful if you’re making the croissants out of a ready-made tin. Opies Fruits are great to use with kids as they’re nice and sweet and easy to handle, and if you are baking them then the alcohol burns off. The juices from each of the jars can be added to alcoholic drinks or jelly mixture too. Ever thought about Opies Fruit juice and gin lollies?
Each of the jars is packed to the brim with real fruits and Opies make sure they’re the best quality and well preserved. There’s so much in each jar that I had to put them in the fridge each time I opened them in order to use them again and again. They’re handy to keep in the cupboard too, unopened so that you can have a dessert on hand or add the juice and fruit to something you’re baking. If you’re a real Christmas food connessuier though, Opies Fruits are delicious this time of year and a gorgeous reminder of summer fruits as we go into winter.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Are you the type of family who open advent calendars in the morning before school? When coming in after school? Or do you wait until after dinner to indulge in the daily Christmas chocolate? In our house, we always had chocolate after dinner but now that I’m an adult I have to remind myself that I can have chocolate any time of the day, even when it’s not Christmas!
Cadbury make a whole range of different chocolates and this Cadbury Heroes Share Good Times is an ideal adult or teenage gift. The Heroes range of chocolates include Eclairs, Fudge, Wispa, Dairy Milk, Crunchie, Twirl, Dairy Milk Caramel, Double Decker and Crème Egg Twist. These are all the miniature varieties of the bigger bars but just as delicious and probably better for your health overall! They’re individually wrapped behind 24 windows and make up 230 grams in total of chocolate inside.
Probably aimed at older children, teenagers and adults, the variety of chocolate bars appeals to anyone who loves chocolate. Even if there’s one or two you don’t like, there are 9 different bars to choose from so you can guarantee there’ll be another one the next day that you will. If like me you don’t usually buy chocolate bars throughout the year, you’ll be surprised what’s on the market now. I’d never seen Crème Egg Twisted before, and it’s been a long time since I had a Double Decker so these brought back memories!
I really like the idea of having so many different bars in one calendar, and yes, they are much smaller than the full sized bars but they’re just the same taste, and give the same chocolate hit I’m always looking for mid afternoon. It’s reminded me how much I love a Fudge bar or Twirl and made me look forward to opening the next window in the Cadbury Heroes Advent Calendar throughout Christmas.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Younger children tend to have a short attention span so finding games that are simple enough for them to join in, don’t take forever to play and are interesting enough for older children to join in with can be tricky. BrainBox games tick all these boxes and with a huge selection of themes you can pick a version to suit your family’s interests. The games are all memory and observation card games which not only test your eye for detail but are full of interesting facts too and every time I play, I discover a new fact so it’s great for your general knowledge too!
The game is easy to play, there are 54 cards, a 10 second sand timer and a dice and the players take in in turns to draw a card and study it for 10 seconds. Once the timer runs out you roll the dice and the card is passed to the next player who asks the corresponding numbered question from the back of the card. If you get it right, you keep the card but if you get it wrong it goes back into the BrainBox. After ten minutes (or however long you want to play for) the player who has the most cards wins.
As well as memory skills the Brainbox Animals game also helps with observation as there are questions about which way the animals are facing or how many animals there are. It also helps children with their reading, our 8 year old mini reviewer hates sitting down with a book but will happily read the questions on the cards all night discovering interesting information about the animals like where they live, what they eat, how big they are and how long they live.
This is a great game to play with children and with so many themes it is easy to choose a topic that they are interested in. My children have already asked for Dinosaurs, Harry Potter and Nature and I quite fancy the World History and Around the World UK versions. Playing for ten minutes every night will really broaden their knowledge and get those facts stored in their brains in a fun way.
Disclaimer: We received this game free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Whenever we go away, whether it’s by car, train or plane, I always make sure I have a couple of travel games in my bag to help pass the time. Tension from Cheatwell Games, the top ten naming game is one of our favourite board games so were really pleased to try out the travel version this summer.
The box is very cleverly designed, storing all the cards, timer and counters and also doubling up as the score board with little buttons to pop whenever a correct answer is shouted out.
The cards are double sided, orange questions on one size and blue on the other. The orange questions tend to be easier so when we have been playing with younger children we use these but if you are playing with older children or adults you can choose either. The cards cover a huge variety of topics such as Fictional Doctors, Power Tools, Pub Names Featuring Animals and Things You Can Hang On A Wall so it is a great game to play when you have a mix of ages.
The game is easy to play, you split into two teams and the first team select the top card and place it into the card dispenser, making sure that all the poppers are raised. The topic is read out, the timer turned and the other team shout out as many correct answers as they can within the time. It sounds easy but the twist is you need to come up with the same ten answers on the card to gain points. Among the correct answers you will also get plenty of hilarious answers which adds to the fun of the game! When a correct answer is given the popper is pushed down to keep score. Tokens are awarded based on the number of correct answers (yellow =1, red =5 and blue =10). Play then swaps to the other team and continues until all tokens are used.
This is a great game to play and a fantastic addition to our travel game collection. It is now in my travel bag ready for our next trip.
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own
Now the schools are back I’m suddenly inundated by birthday party invitations, fabulous for my children but a headache for me as I have to come up with inexpensive gifts for the birthday boy/girl.
When Tomy sent me their Active Snap game my problem was solved, costing a very reasonable £5.99, this fantastic card game is a twist on the classic and much-loved game of Snap and is suitable for both boys and girls.
Like the traditional version, players take turns playing the cards and when they match, the person who puts their hand on the cards and shouts “SNAP” first wins all the cards. Active Snap is even more exciting as when you win a round, everyone else must do the activity that is illustrated on the card. With star jumps, touching your toes, sit-ups and dancing as well as many more lively activities the game is great fun to play (and watch).
Active Snap gets everyone moving and with Christmas coming up will be great game to play at family parties – everyone can play from toddlers to Granny and it might even help burn off a few calories after Christmas lunch too!!
RRP: £5.99
Suitable for ages: 4+ years
Available from Independent toy shops, Amazon, WH Smith, Hamley’s, Tesco
Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.
Now the children are back at school we are trying to limit the amount of time they spend glued to screens so we have started playing a boardgame after tea. This week we have been playing Bananagrams which is perfect for helping children with words and spellings. It’s like Scrabble in that you create crosswords using the lettered tiles, but it is much easier for younger children to play as there’s no board restricting the words you can make and no scores to keep track of either.
To begin you place the 144 lettered tiles (the bunch) face down in the middle of the table and each player takes a certain number of tiles (dependant on the number of players). Once everyone has their tiles one player shouts “SPLIT” and everyone can turn over their tiles and begin making their crosswords. Once started you can rearrange your tiles at any time to try and use all the tiles.
As soon as you have played your last tile, you shout ‘peel’ which means everyone picks up a new tile from the bunch. It can be tricky to fit all your tiles in a crossword so when you get stuck you have the option of shouting ‘DUMP’ and exchanging one of your tiles for three new ones. This can be really helpful at the beginning of the game but as the game progresses you tend to find that you keep getting the harder letters like Q and Z which everyone is desperately trying to get rid of!
Play continues until there are less tiles in the bunch than the number of players and then the first player to use all their tiles shouts “BANANAS.” The words are then checked by the other players, if they are correct that player wins but any misspelled words, abbreviations or proper nouns means the player is disqualified and the other players shout “ROTTEN BANANA” and return all the tiles to the bunch and play continues.
This is a great game and we have had lots of fun playing it, it’s a lot faster than Scrabble and great for helping children with their spelling without them realising!
The game comes in a small banana-shaped zipped bag which is the perfect size to pop in a bag for holidays or sleepovers at grandparents and it also fits nicely in a stocking so would make a great Christmas gift too.
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
Who here DIDN’T have chocolate coins for Christmas as a child? Were they part of your stocking? Perhaps Gran gave you some chocolate as part of your Christmas present along with a few notes when you were a teenager? I know I used to get a bar of chocolate at Christmas with something monetary sellotaped to it because that’s all I wanted by the time I was that age!
Cadbury have a range of chocolate gifts for every occasion and you’ll be pleased to know that their famous chocolate coins are still going strong. Available everywhere for the festive season, there’s something nostalgic about getting the coins, then trying to prise open that plastic netting that I swear is stronger than steel… only to have to spend the next half hour delicately peeling off the foil from each of the coins before devour them. I’m not sure they were ever meant to be an exercise in dexterity, but the satisfaction of getting the foil off of a chocolate coin on one go without bending or tearing it is something every child should experience.
The Cadbury Snowballs Chocolate bar and grab bag are relatively new to the range. Slightly crunchy shells are covered in a light dusting of sugar and filled with milk chocolate to give a contradictory crunch and smooth chocolate sensation. Deliciously more-ish, they’re perfect for stockings, Secret Santa or as a part present for either adults or children. Whichever Cadbury chocolates you choose, don’t forget they won’t be around for the rest of the year, so snap them up when you can!
Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.
There is so much choice on the markets for phones nowadays, and with choice comes complicated tech words, specifications and all sorts of apps which just adds to the confusion.
The IMO Q2 Pro Smartphone is an Android model, with all the features you’d want on a modern phone but without the pricetag, or the complications. For as little as £34.99 and available at High Street shops, it saves so much money compared to the bigger players on the phone market without the worry of breaking it or losing it.
As for the specifications, it has what you would want to keep a phone safe. There’s facial recognition to unlock it, so you don’t have to worry about passwords or pin codes. The phone is a standard 16GB of memory which is enough to hold the random photos we all take as well as video but also has an extra Micro SD slot so that you can add 32GB of memory if you need to. I personally find it easier to have a remote hard disk that backs up all your photos and videos so that there isn’t the worry but depending on what you need the phone for, you might prefer just using the memory on the phone.
Speaking of photos, there’s a 5MP rear camera and 2MP front camera (for taking selfies) which isn’t the most powerful phone camera on the market but it is a good quality to be able to take photos to upload to social media. As with all apps too, you can add filters to whichever social media you are uploading to, even if the photo isn’t perfect when you take it.
One of the universal problems with smartphones is the life of the battery when on full charge. The IMO Q2 Pro Smartphone has a battery life of approximately 15 days when on standby and not being used. I found that I didn’t have to charge it for several days with light use and taking some photos, which is much better than most smartphones. The speed when connecting to the internet was excellent too. The IMO Q2 Pro Smartphone is 4G, which is the standard frequency in the UK. The new 5G is rolling out now but doesn’t cover the majority of the country yet and if you have a phone that is only 5G, it won’t convert to 4G when there’s no 5G frequency. The most common frequency is 4G still.
The phone also connects to Wifi and Bluetooth for downloading information or if you want to connect another device (such as a speaker) to play any of the MP3s stored on the phone.
Usability wise, it’s very easy to navigate with just 3 simple buttons and a simple Android 11 userface. It only measures just over 12 centimetres long and 6 centimetres wide so it can fit in your pocket or a handbag, or even in the glove compartment of the car. It’s great for taking on holiday and using with a spare SIM card in case it gets lost or you don’t want to use your expensive phone on adventure days out.
Lastly, this phone is great as a first phone for children that isn’t complicated or expensive if it gets lost or broken or for older people who aren’t familiar with smartphones. It’s easy to use so it doesn’t need much explanation. The long battery life means you can charge it less frequently and it’s still usable.
The Review Studio 