Tag: New Year

Danilo Calendars

Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Home & Garden, secret santa, Stocking Fillers

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

In an age dominated by smartphones and digital reminders, you might think that calendars have lost their charm. However, paper calendars still have their place, especially in our house – I still like a paper calendar in the kitchen where it’s easy for the whole family to glance at upcoming birthdays, appointments, holidays, or even reminders for car insurance and MOTs.

With such a wide variety of calendars available it’s easy to choose one to perfectly match the recipients’ interests. Whether they’re passionate about cookery, enchanted by nature or devoted to a football team there’s a Danilo calendar to suit every personality.

The Planet Earth II Official 2025 Calendar showcases stunning photographs of the natural world, capturing the beauty and wonder of the iconic BBC series. Each month offers a breathtaking new image, with ample space to jot down important dates making it the perfect Christmas gift.  

RRP £10.99

Perfect for the home or the office the RHS Flowers desk easel calendar makes a great stocking filler or even a Secret Santa gift. Celebrating Women in Horticulture, it features exquisite illustrations by renowned artists like Lilian Snelling, Lydia Penrose, and Caroline Maria Applebee. The spiral bound month-to-view design is not only functional but creative – the beautiful image for each month is also a postcard that can be removed and kept or posted to a friend.

RRP £7.99

The Star Wars Desk Pad Weekly Planner is a must for any Star Wars fan. This weekly desk pad makes planning the week ahead a breeze with plenty of space for notes, deadlines and reminders. It’s a practical yet fun choice for fans of the galaxy far, far away!

RRP  £6.99

Quenched Drinks

Drinks and Mixers, Family Life, Food & Drink, Gluten Free, Spring, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

This year I have decided to take part in Dry January and whilst we’re only a few days in I’m enjoying discovering lots of great new drinks like these delicious sodas from Quenched. New to the market and bursting with flavour, Quenched sodas are available in three lightly sparkling flavours, Lime & Soda, Orange & Soda and Blackcurrant & Soda.

All three are bursting with flavour and are more on the side of sparkling than fizzy, which allows the flavour to develop nicely in your mouth. The sodas all taste incredibly natural, the lime and orange ones are incredibly zingy and the blackcurrant one has a pleasant sharpness. My favourite of the three was the lime, it tasted so fruity and natural, whilst also being nice and refreshing.

All three drinks are 100% natural and have no additives, preservatives or artificial sweeteners and with less than 69 calories per 330ml can, they are a great choice if you have overindulged over the festive period and are now on a New Year diet!

I’m really impressed with these drinks and will definitely be buying them again. Once Dry January is over I think they will be the perfect accompaniment to gin!

A pack of 12 costs £14.99 and if you can’t decide which flavour to go for there is a multipack containing all three flavours. Available from Amazon or Quenched Drinks here.

Nanogen Hair Thickening Shampoo and Conditioners

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, health, Home, Women

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

Take a few moments to think about how 2024 could be different for you. Small steps, rather than grand gestures or resolutions that won’t last are the key to improving your health, your self-esteem or wellbeing.  One way of taking a small step to make yourself feel better in 2024 is switching to more targeted products in your beauty care.  Nanogen shampoos and conditioners help thicken your hair (for both men and women) over time.  We were sent a lovely selection to try over the Christmas holidays, taking us into 2024 with luscious, healthy looking hair!

The range at Nanogen includes Shampoo for Women, Shampoo Luxe for Women, Hair Thickening Conditioner for Everyone, Shampoo for Men and Shampoo and Half-Conditioner for Men. If that sounds like a lot to choose from, don’t worry, they’re all explained on the Nanogen Shampoo & Conditioner page: https://www.nanogen.com/collections/shampoo-conditioner

Starting with the Nanogen Shampoo for Women, the 240ml tube of shampoo goes a long way with just a small 5 pence-piece sized portion which washed my shoulder-length hair perfectly. The shampoo feels luxurious and not only cleans beautifully but has a silky texture, which no doubt helps the thickening process.  After using the Shampoo for Women, I went straight to the Conditioner for Everyone to finish the nourishing process. The Conditioner for Everyone is universal, meaning anyone can use it and even children will probably find it easy to use because it’s so soft, it takes away tangles without you even knowing it. It’s very lightweight, so as well as its moisturising properties, it washes out easily and doesn’t make your hair really heavy. If you need to, you can add products afterwards but I just let my hair dry naturally.

The Shampoo Luxe for Women is super, super hydrating and probably good for when your hair is in need of some TLC long term before using the other Nanogen products as part of your daily routine. It feels amazing because it’s so rich, and again, you don’t need very much of it to make your hair feel soft. Its intensity is comforting because you know that as soon as you let the conditioner work its magic, then your hair will be softer once it dries. Over time, I found that after a few washes and letting it dry naturally, my curls were more defined and my hair smoother, as well as being less flat. I’m looking forward to seeing how my hair looks after a few months of using the Nanogen products!

Nanogen aren’t just for women, but there’s the Shampoo for Men and Shampoo and Half-Conditioner for men too. Both products work to thicken men’s hair, which obviously can be thinning for different reasons to women but men can still use Nanogen to thicken their hair as well as have a bit of luxury. Unlike other hair thickening products aimed at men, Nanogen doesn’t have a chemical fragrance and you can feel that the Shampoo and Half-Conditioner isn’t abrasive but instead, more nourishing.  The men’s products also make excellent gifts!

Taking 2024 by the horns, Nanogen shampoos and conditioners for thickening hair are a lovely treat to help improve the condition of your hair, make it fuller and allow you to enjoy healthy hair again.

Available from £7.95 at: https://www.nanogen.com/collections/shampoo-conditioner with 20% off your first order if you subscribe.