Tag: new year new you

NEW Plant Based Range at Costa Coffee

chocolate, coffee, Family Life, Food & Drink, health, Lunchbox Fillers, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

Whether you’re an old hand vegan or starting out on your vegan journey this January, Costa have a surprising amount of food items on their menu which are perfect for you. We were sent out to our local Costa Coffee to see what was available and check out the new items on the menu.

For 2024, there are their new Hot Milkshakes. In three flavours, White Chocolate and Strawberry, Salted Caramel Coffee, and Chocolate Hazel they are thick like a milkshake, but made with warm milk and topped with different flavoured sprinkles, dependant on what flavour you order. They’re a cross between a hot chocolate and a milkshake, especially with the Light Whip cream on top to make it extra indulgent.

We tried items from the Plant Based menu, including this Plant Based Saucy Chicken Fajita Wrap.  It doesn’t contain chicken at all; every ingredient is plant based, but the substitutes taste like chicken and even have a chicken-like texture.  They’re slightly lighter than the meat version though, with the ‘chicken’ pieces as you would imagine, a tortilla wrap, roasted peppers and a spicy tomato sauce.  We paired that with a beautiful Chocolate Tiffin Cake, which although it’s not plant-based, it is vegetarian.  If you’re not into chocolate for New Year, then there’s a new range of cakes (which are also vegetarian) such as new Banana Loaf Cake and new Orange and Raspberry Victoria Sponge.  Anyone who remembers the Lemon Drizzle Loaf Cake will be very pleased to see that it’s back on the menu and as delicious as always! 

Lastly, there are the assortment of Costa drinks. It sometimes feels like you could have a different drink every day of the month and still not try all of them in their different configurations of milks, toppings and additions but the staple drinks we all love are still there – namely coffee.  We tried a Salted Caramel Frappé which was made vegan with coconut milk instead of cow’s milk and the whipped cream on top was vegan too.  The drink is laced with Salted Caramel and topped with tiny caramel pieces which not only add to the flavour but add a gorgeous texture as well.  I found that the Chicken Fajita Wrap, Chocolate Tiffin and Salted Caramel Frappé were all very filling and no different to a meat-eating lunch I would normally choose. 

Costa Coffee Plant Based items are available in store and you can see their menu and prices here: https://www.costa.co.uk/menu

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.

Wahl Aqua Blade 10 in 1 Multigroomer

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him

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

It’s the same every year – what do we buy the men in our lives? Male grooming is big business and beards are very much in fashion so the Wahl Aqua Blade 10 in 1 Multigroomer will make a great Christmas gift for all those men who like taking pride in their appearance.

Wahl are well known for their hair clippers and this small re-chargeable trimmer has 4 interchangeable heads and 16 guide combs allowing you to trim, shave, edge clip and detail. It can be used for haircuts, beard trimming, shaving, body grooming and it even has a head for removing unwanted ear and nose hair.

It’s quite compact and feels comfortable in the hand due to the sides of the trimmer having ribbed rubber, allowing for a good grip when using it wet. This is Wahl’s closest trimmer shave at just 0.2mm and the extreme precision ground T-blade keeps beard lines sharper for longer. The finished cut is excellent as the blades are sharp meaning they don’t tug or pull when cutting. My son was very impressed with it and found it was excellent for trimming his beard and around his ears as it is less cumbersome than his own clippers.

The trimmer has an impressive run time of 180 minutes meaning you won’t need to charge it if you’re away for the week. The LED battery indicator tells you when the battery is running low and the quick charge feature is very useful if you forget to charge your trimmer, giving 3 minutes of cordless use from a 1-minute charge.

The storage pouch keeps everything together nicely, there’s lots of bits in this set so it’s good to have a pouch to keep it in as it will prevent losing bits in the bottom of the drawer or the bathroom cabinet.

This is a great set for anyone who likes to do their own hair at home or those who like to keep hair tidy in between visits to the barbers. Easy to use and with a long charge this set would make the perfect gift for any man in your life this Christmas.

RRP £104.99

B.fresh Juices

Drinks and Mixers, Fitness, Food & Drink, health, Vegan, Vegetarian

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

New Year – New Me. At least that’s my intention!

I’m trying to increase the amount of fruit and vegetables that I eat and as a glass of juice counts as one of the 5 a day I was really pleased to receive a selection of delicious mixed juices from B.fresh. The fresh, cold pressed juices and juice shots are made from 100% natural ingredients, with no added sugars or sweeteners and are produced on their farm in Shropshire.

The three juices I tried are

Happy Greens

Get Up and Glow

Strawberry Shines.

The Happy Greens drink has an apple base with kale and spinach. I really loved this one, the earth tones of the spinach and kale were perfectly balanced with the natural sweetness of the apple juice.

The orange, Get Up and Glow, cleverly mixes carrots with orange juice and apple with a hint of turmeric for that on trend health boost. Packed with antioxidants and vitamin C a glass of this juice is a great way to start the day.  

The Strawberry Shines drink combines 35% strawberry with apple, carrot cucumber and beetroot, I was expecting the strawberry flavour to be stronger but the flavour that stood out more was the apple with the strawberry coming in as a very pleasant aftertaste.

Each 250ml bottle counts as one of my five a day and with no added sugar makes a great healthy start to my day. I’ll pop one in my bag for a lunchtime treat too!

Available from the B.fresh website from £3.65 per 250ml juice

Wahl Peaky Blinders Clipper & Beard Trimmer Gift Set

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, health

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

Like many others I started cutting my husband and son’s hair during lockdown, my first attempts weren’t great and it’s a good job they weren’t leaving the house but after watching a few YouTube videos and with three heads to practise on I quickly improved. With the cost of living crisis my barbering skills are being called on again so I was really pleased to receive the Wahl Peaky Blinders Clippers & Beard Trimmer Gift Set.

Wahl are known for their hair clippers and this is a great set containing everything you need to keep control of your hair and beard. Male grooming is big business now and with beards very much back in fashion along with shorter hair styles, cutting your hair at home makes more sense than ever before.

The mains voltage clipper is very solidly built and not being limited by battery power will run as long as you need it to and as is always ready to use. The clipper has a long power lead and includes a thumb operated fade blade to get that modern crisp look. There is a choice of 12 attachment combs offering cutting lengths between 0.8mm and 25mm with left and right tapers so whether you want a close cut or something a little longer you can achieve it with this set. 

The clippers are extremely comfortable to hold and give a nice clean cut without pulling or tugging the hair. They move through hair nicely and don’t get clogged up and are very easy to use either by yourself or on someone else’s hair. 

They can be used for cutting hair, trimming sideburns and beards and for trimming around the ears and neckline. 

The battery powered trimmer is handy for smaller areas, my son found it particularly useful when trimming his beard and around his ears where the main clipper was a little cumbersome.

The set even includes a cape in the set to protect clothes whilst your hair is being cut. When not in use you can store everything away neatly in the stylish grey bag.

Also in the set are the following items to give you the full barbers shop experience at home

Scissors

Barber Comb

Fade Brush

Barber Cape

Blade Oil and Cleaning Brush

Storage Bag

Style Guide

This is a great set for anyone looking to purchase clippers for the first time or as a replacement set. It has everything you need to maintain the sleekest look in town – just like the Peaky Blinders!

RRP £100 but currently on offer for £50 on the Wahl website