Category: Stocking Fillers

Royal British Legion Champs de Fleurs (Rosé) Champagne

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Drinks and Mixers, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Stocking Fillers, 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

The Royal British Legion are the country’s largest Armed Forces charity, with 180,000 members, 110,000 volunteers and a network of partners and charities. In 2021 they celebrated their 100th birthday and to mark the occasion they partnered with Eminent Wines and launched a trio of champagnes, the RBL100 range, which includes these three champagnes.

Reveille (Brut) – A name inspired by the music which follows The Last Post and Two Minute Silence at Remembrance services. £45.00

Champs de Fleurs (Rosé) – translates from French to ‘fields of flowers’, in reference to the fields of poppies that flourished on the Western Front following the First World War, which lead to the red poppy becoming a symbol of Remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.

Centurion (Blanc de Blanc) – A name, quite simply, in reference to 100 years of the Royal British Legion.

They kindly sent us a bottle of the Champs de Fleurs (Rosé) champagne to try which has a lovely illustration of poppies on the label and I think it would make a lovely Valentine’s gift. The champagne is pink in colour and fizzed up nicely in my tall flute and there were plenty of bubbles which popped satisfyingly on my tongue. When I tasted the champagne it has a crisp, clean flavour and the lively delicate bubbles leave your tongue tingling.

This February The Royal British Legion are suggesting you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a Poppy instead of a Rose which I think is a lovely idea, not only do you get a lovely bottle of champagne you are helping to support The Royal British Legion with 10% of the bottle price going to the charity.  

 I am sure your Valentine would be thrilled to receive a bottle on Valentine’s Day and if you are lucky they might even share it with you!

 Available from Eminent Wines

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer

beauty, Birthday Gifts, cruelty-free, 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 however all thoughts and opinions are our own

I’m the first to admit that that I’m not the best at taking care of my hair and it’s currently not only long overdue a cut but dry and frizzy too. I was therefore really pleased to receive a pot of Philip Kingsley Elasticizer and to see if this cult product could transform my unruly mop of hair.

Originally designed for Audrey Hepburn back in 1974, this classic hair product was created to deep condition her hair after being damaged by weeks of styling on set. Fast forward almost 50 years and it is still a best seller and loved by many, including Kate Winslet, Georgia May Jagger and Cate Blanchett.

Developed by leading trichologists it can be used in a couple of different ways – as an overnight conditioner to treat very dry, brittle or damaged hair and as an intensive anti-frizz treatment. 

As it is a pre shampoo product it is really easy to use, simply wet your hair and then apply in sections to ensure all your hair is covered. You then cover your hair with a shower cap (don’t worry there’s one in the box) or a warm towel and leave it to work it’s magic for 10-20 minutes. The heat created helps open your hair’s cuticles enabling them to absorb the nutrients in the mask.

I tend to wash my hair in a morning and have found if I apply the Elasticizer just before bed I get the best results as it has all night to soak into my hair. Once applied I use a turban style towel that fastens with a button, rather than a shower cap, which also helps to protect my pillowcase overnight. In the morning all I need to do is rinse it off and then shampoo and condition my hair as normal.

I have noticed that once my hair is dry it feels much softer, smoother and the dreaded frizz has gone. My curls are now much bouncier and healthy looking and it has been so easy to fit it into my haircare routine so no more bad hair days for me!

Available in 4 sizes –  75ml, 150ml, 500ml and 1000ml starting from £19.50 from the Philip Kingsley website here

Forward After 50 by Rebecca Ronane

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

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

I recently celebrated by 50th birthday and unlike some of my friends who were dreading the big  5-0, I am actually embracing growing older. I’m not quite sure where 50 years have gone and I’m certainly not ready for slowing down anytime soon – if anything I’m doing more than I ever have and I try to think more about myself than I did, which is a lot easier now my children are older. I’m really enjoying this new phase of my life as I’ve much more confidence than I did in my 20’s and a bit more money (well I did until the cost of living crisis hit!)

Whilst I already have a forward-thinking attitude, I still learnt a lot from Rebecca Ronane’s new book – Forward After 50. This inspiring book shows women than there is so much to look forward to and just because we are 50 it doesn’t mean we’re over the hill. Rebecca offers inspiring and practical advice to help make these changes happen.

The book is split into two parts – Part 1 explores ageist views and how your values and beliefs can shape your life and Part 2 explores how you can invent yourself by reviewing your work, time and independence.

Each part is split into chapters with plenty of humour to keep you going, along with inspirational quotes to help you on your journey. I especially liked the chapter in part 1 about Mindset – I have always been a people pleaser and the book gave me the confidence to start saying no which was difficult at first but the more I say no the easier it has become. Initially I felt guilty but now I find it quite liberating and wish I had read Rebecca’s book sooner as I have wasted so much time doing things I didn’t want to do for fear of upsetting someone.

Rebecca fills the reader’s mind with all the tools they need to reinvent themselves and helps them to realise that there is life after 50. In-short it’s a book I’ll be referring back to regularly to reinforce and remind me that its ok to say no, and it’s ok to be selfish and to chase those dreams whilst I can.

RRP £12.99 available from Amazon


ARRAN After The Rain Bath Salts

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Gifts for Her, Gifts for teachers, health, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, 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

Arran Sense of Scotland is based on the beautiful Isle of Arran, if you haven’t visited Arran, I recommend that you do – the island is beautiful and the breath-taking views from the summit of Goatfell are definitely worth the climb! Their skin care products and home fragrances are inspired by the unspoiled way of life on Arran and the intoxicating fragrances aim to help reconnect you with nature.

The latest addition to their iconic After the Rain collection is the After The Rain Bath Salts. A carefully crafted blend of natural sea salt and Epsom salts, they are fragranced with Lime, Rose and Sandalwood and are formulated to revitalise skin, relax the mind and aid restful sleep. As a perimenopausal woman I struggle a lot with sleep, often waking several times a night, so I was very interested to see if the salts could help.

I added a good handful of the salts to a hot running bath and the salts quickly dissolved, filling the whole bathroom with comforting scents of Lime, Rose and Sandalwood. The salts created a heavenly experience to unwind in, especially when teamed with candlelight and I was soon laying in a relaxed state feeling the warm water over my body. All my worries seemed to melt away and when I finally dragged myself out of the bath I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I even slept all night, waking up feeling energised and rested which was amazing.

If getting a good night’s sleep is top of your list of priorities, this product is definitely worth trying. Using the salts and following a simple sleep routine has worked wonders for me and has enabled me to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep and soothed my aching body and tired mind.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching why not treat your loved one to a bottle of these amazing bath salts?

RRP £16

Vistaprint

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Mother's Day, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts

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

Valentine’s Day is only a month away and you may (or may not!) have started thinking of gift ideas. Whilst the traditional gifts of chocolates, flowers or fragrance are always well received I always think a personalised gift means a lot more as the recipient will appreciate the thought that has gone into creating it.

Vistaprint have a huge range of products on their website that would make superb Valentine’s gifts including photo books, canvas prints, mugs, cushions and my favourite – a fleece blanket to snuggle up with rather than turning the heating on!

The website is really easy to navigate with all the personalised gifts on one webpage. Each gift has clear images and the prices are clearly shown. Once you have selected your gift it is really easy to create your masterpiece. Simply choose the photos you love and Vistaprint will turn them into personalised artwork and gifts that you and your family can enjoy for years to come.

I created a photobook which was really easy to do – there is a choice of 8 different sizes and once you have decided you are ready to start creating your photobook. I found it very easy to add photos and once I had selected them I just clicked the upload button and the photos were quickly uploaded. I was amazed how fast this process was, the last time I created a photobook I remember this stage taking ages so this was a definite improvement. Once the photos are uploaded you can use Vistaprint’s “Smart Selection” which removes any duplicates, blurry or out of focus pictures so you only have the best pictures in your album.

Once you are happy with your design it is then straightforward to finalise the order, just choose either standard or premium glossy paper and you are ready to go. Vistaprint have a range of delivery options including free economy delivery on orders over £40.

Ordering was very easy, once the order had been placed I received a confirmation email with estimated delivery dates and a second email once my products had been despatched. I actually received my gifts before the estimated delivery date which was quite impressive.

Now that it has arrived I am thrilled with my photobook, it looks very professional and I know my husband will love it. I will certainly use Vistaprint again as after seeing the quality of the photo book I am really interested in trying some of the other photo products that they do. With such a wide choice I just need to decide which ones!

Photobooks start at £7.49 and there is currently 40% off so get those Valentine’s gifts ordered soon!

LensPen Smarty Smartphone Camera Cleaner

Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home & Garden, Mobile Phone, Stocking Fillers, Tech

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

If you’ve received a new smartphone for Christmas, or take a lot of photos on your camera you’ll know that the smudge factor is real when it comes to the camera lens. I hate it when I take what I think is the perfect photo, only to find that when I view it, there is that misty blur on all the photos because the lens isn’t clean. It’s the price we pay for handling our phones all day, but there are ways of reducing the smudges.

LensPen Smarty Cleaner for Smartphones is a tiny yet useful gadget for cleaning your camera lens on smartphones. Suitable for all makes of camera phone, the pen is only 4cms long and can fit in your pocket, or in the bottom of your handbag without even noticing it’s there! The cap screws loose to reveal the head of the pen which is a carbon cleaner. There’s no detergent or alcohol involved, just a pad which is small enough to fit through any camera phone casing and erases away all the grime.

I tried this on my iPhone, especially as I frequently get blurry smudges and I can’t clean them away easily with just a tissue or corner of my shirt. The LensPen is small enough to fit, comfortable to use and with minimal effort, it dissolved away the greasy fingerprint on my camera lens.  To prove it works, I used it on the front of my camera phone on the touchscreen. The pen does indeed eradicate fingerprints anywhere!

Available online from $5.99 at: https://www.manfrotto.com/us-en/lenspen-smarty-smartphone-cleaner-black-ln-smarty/