Cashmere Bed Socks – A Review

Jun7

I am a fairly rubbish sleeper. I am one of those people unable to wind down properly and has a head buzzing with thoughts in the middle of the night.

Tips for good sleeping I regularly read about are:

Wind down properly before getting into bed. Do things that will help you relax like having a bath with soothing oils or reading a good book. Try to avoid things like being glued to your phone in bed. This is probably something I should follow!

Make sure your place of sleep is comfortable and has a calming atmosphere. This includes having a comfortable bed, bedding and curtains or blinds that black out the light.

When I was asked if I’d like to review something to improve my relaxing and sleeping experience I was intrigued about what it would be. I was sent a very beautiful pair of cashmere bed socks from The White Company.

They definitely add to a very relaxing evening. They were extremely comfortable and feel decadent on your feet. Seeing that they were cashmere I did wonder whether they would be on the fragile side when walking about but I was pleased to find they’re of a very high quality.

From having a look at The White Company website I understand they are available in grey too. I personally prefer the soft pink ones and think they would make a very nice present for someone.

If you are after a bit of TLC for your feet in the evening I would definitely recommend these.

The products for this review were provided by Silentnight free of charge. Support your local stores – for beds and mattresses in the north-west visit these independent stockists.

UGG Boots – A Review

May29

I have always been a bit of an admirer of UGG Boots but not owned a pair before thinking they were fairly expensive for what the price gave you. For a few years I had a pair of similar looking tall boots by another company and they served me well.

I was recently asked if I would like to review a pair of UGG Boots and chose the Classic Tall ones in chocolate brown.

I think the first thing that struck me about them was how they are visibly of very quality and have been put together with a lot of care and attention. Even the packaging the boots came in was beautiful and had been well thought through.

The stitching is a running feature in the Classic Tall Boot and contrasts nicely against the chocolate brown colour.

It is instantly comfortable and I was surprised at how warm they were. They will be perfect for winter and you know they will last for years to come.
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I also liked how the UGG logo is visible but not overbearing.

They are a gorgeous pair of boots that I think I will really enjoy wearing. If you are after a pair of sturdy long lasting boots I would highly recommends them. They are very versatile in terms of creating different looks too and I love how practical they are without looking chunky or bulky. I think they will serve me well through the next few years.

I received a pair of UGG boots to review. All opinions are my own

Anisha Goes To Bangladesh – A Book Review

Apr25

We were recently sent a book to review called Anishas Adventures in Bangladesh. It is written by Moinul Islam and illustrated by Calvin Innes. It is published by My Little Big Town.

Anishas Adventures in Bangladesh is about a little girl who gets a magical present on her birthday. Her grandad gives her a necklace that turns her pony into a flying pony! And together they go on an adventure to see Bangladesh.

This is a very colourful and different book. The illustrations are gorgeous and captured both the nieces and Little Zs attention.

It is filled with pictures and little facts about Bangladesh combining educational fact with fun reading. It also explains how some words are pronounced in Bangla, again in a fun and simple way.

Obviously it is too young for Little Z but he enjoyed sharing the book with my niece and declaring that the little girl in the book was my niece and not Anisha.

This book is suited to children of 5+ and would make a great read for any child that loves general knowledge.

You can get more information about the book via www.anishasadventures.com

This is a review.

Bunnykins Royal Doulton Feeding Bowl and Spoon – A Review

Jan28

Every so often we get something to review and as soon as lay eyes on it think “ooh that’s lovely”. This was our reaction when Hello Baby Direct kindly sent us a feeding bowl and spoon to review from the Bunnykins Royal Doulton range.

The packaging is gorgeous and you can install see the product is too. If I’d done this review earlier I would have said it would make an ideal Christmas present. This particular consists of a dinner sized bowl, ideal for a toddler or slightly older child and with a spoon that is a proper spoon i.e not one of training flat spoons that hardly fits anything on it.

Little Z was very impressed too. I think it was the pictures of the rabbits and very vibrant red colours on the box and kept shouting “open! Open! Open!” until I obliged.

One thing I was a bit hesitant about is whether it was smash more easily than other plastic dishes that we own. After all, Little Z is not averse to testing the strength of things by chucking them around. I’m happy to say he’s only tossed it onto our wooden floors once so far because he likes the “babbits” and it didn’t smash.

I wouldn’t have previously thought to give feeding dishes as presents to people with newborns or toddlers but this is a beautiful Royal Doulton set that I think would impress anyone; adult or toddler. It’s excellent quality and you can feel its quality just by holding it really.

It is easy to clean and dishwasher safe (top rack only). Note, it is not microwave safe.

Overall I would definitely recomend this. The Bunnykin range has other products and they are very reasonably priced. There is a cup I think I *need* to have. I would thoroughly recommend it for your own toddler or as a lovely gift for someone.

We were sent the Bunnykins feeding bowl set to review.

E45 Review and Eczema Advice

Jan14

Eczema unfortunately tends to make a very unwelcome visit this time of year. And with the varying extremes of weather during the cold months its hard to keep eczema under control. I know this because the OH and a lot of the nieces and nephews suffer from it. Emollient creams and washes are one of the mandatory household items.

So when I was asked if I would include information about an online eczema advice guide I was happy to.

What they say…

E45 and the National Eczema Society have created www.eczemaadvice.co.uk which aims to help parents manage their child’s eczema more effectively.

Eczema can have a devastating effect on family life and many mums admit that managing the condition makes them feel helpless and in need of more support. The new resource is free and has the following benefits:

Personal guidance from a specialist nurse from the National Eczema Society

Video advice from a dermatology nurse on how to effectively apply emollients

Emollient application reminders

Children’s symptom tracker to help you with your child’s eczema management

E45 have also created a simple 3 step treatment plan in-line with NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) and NES guidance that is outlined on the website.

I was sent two products, both of which are excellent and I would highly recommend.

E45 Emollient Wash Cream
A gentle but effective non-drying cleanser that soothes your skin and helps prevent dryness by helping your skin retain its natural moisture. Free from soap and detergent, E45 Wash is gentle enough for everyday use and a detergent free alternative to soap. E45 wash is suitable for washing dry, uncomfortable skin conditions and is non-drying, non-foaming and perfume-free.

E45 Emollient Bath Oil
E45 Bath is an effective yet gentle bath oil, clinically proven to soothe and moisturise dry skin. Tested by dermatologists to help with dry skin conditions, E45 Bath creates a lasting barrier that protects against moisture loss. E45 emollient bath oil is a highly-effective bath oil clinically proven to soothe and moisture dry, uncomfortable skin.

(Please note that advice should be sought from your doctor if you have strong symptoms of eczema)

We were sent E45 products to review.

Cottage Croquet Set In a Bag – A Review

Nov22

Big Game Hunters are a company that specialise in big family games for the garden. They recently sent us a Cottage Croquet set to review.

The set contains 4 beautifully crafted mallets that are light enough for a child to hold (suitable from age of 6 upwards) and each provide a grip which is ideal for anyone that may be overly eager on their swing. The quality of the mallets are what impressed me straight away. They are excellent quality and sturdy, yet a light enough weight for this to be suitable for the whole family. Also included are 4 brightly coloured balls and all the associated pegs and hoops.

Little Z couldn’t participate in playing this as the mallet was almost the same size as him but he did enjoy trying to steal the brightly coloured balls and declaring they were “mine!”.

The whole kit fits into a nylon waterproof bag making it easy to transport and store away.

We really enjoyed playing with the set although we haven’t had a proper go with the hoops yet. That’s on our list once the weather gets better. Incidentally all equipment does clean easily after a roll around the park.

Overall we were very impressed with this set and would recommend it for a family that are looking for a garden activity for a variety of ages.

We were sent the cottage croquet set to review. No payment was received. All views are my own.

Arbonne – A Review

Nov13

I’m not one for much every day make up and usually stick to the concealer to keep my panda eyes at bay. I was, however, lucky enough to have my make up done by Arbonne International at the recent MADs awards and there was a tiny part of me that wasn’t sure what to expect for the final result. They did a brilliant job and, more than anything, it felt good and I didn’t feel like I was “caked” in it.

So when I was asked if I’d like to review some products I agreed. I was sent a berry blusher and an eye liner in an olive shade.

I was a bit unsure about the olive eye liner, having only ever worn black any time I put it on. Not being very adventurous I’d decided at first glance that I wouldn’t like it very much. Having tried it on though I was pleasantly surprised. Its not olive in the “green” sense but a very dark shade which looks off black and provides a hint of difference to the normal eye liner that most people wear. There is also a shimmer in it which means I wouldn’t wear it every day but it would be perfect for an evening out. It glides on really nicely and isn’t too inky which means a novice like me doesn’t end up drawing all over my own eye lid by accident.

The blusher is also shimmery and not something I’d probably buy myself. I always lean more towards matt shimmer-less shades but again this is, again, ideal for an evening out. I think I vaguely remember this being used on my own skin for the MAD awards and I loved it! Its probably a shade I need a push to wear out a few times before I got used to it. It was pinkier than it looked in its case but applied well and is a lovely colour.

It takes me some time to venture away from the one or two brands I usually use but I would definitely go for the eye liner. Simply because it applies so easily and well and I’ve always found it hard to find a good eye liner. The blusher was very nice too but the eye liner just tipped it slightly for me.

(I was sent the blusher and eye liner to review. All views are my own).

Red Hot World Buffet – A Review

Aug30

Until recently the Red Hot World Buffet is somewhere thats always been on my list of restaurants to visit. For one reason or another its never happened though so when I got asked if I would like to visit and review it I thought Oooooh yes please!

The Red Hot World Buffet is a restaurant that boasts 300 dishes from different world cuisines including Indian, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican and Italian. I love buffets in general but there is always a small part of me, when I first visit, that wonders whether the catering will be for the masses i.e. mostly frozen ok-ish quick and easy food. I expected a bit of that with our visit here too.

How wrong we were. We visited the restaurant in Manchester and the first thing that strikes you is how organised it all is. We were seated straight away and the staff couldn’t be friendler or more helpful. I found the service was excellent and plates were cleared away very quickly without being annoying or giving the impression of hovering around to see what the customers are doing. There is not the rush of buffets and the venue is quite large so creates a relaxed atmosphere in a place where people are to-ing and fro-ing with their dishes.

The food area looks huge at first glance and we found ourselves walking around it all just to familiarise ourselves at first. The thing that stuck out for me the most was the presentation. Everything is laid out with so much care and detail. It is obvious that presentation is an important feature of the restaurant and it works very well as a distinguishing feature when compared with other buffet restaurants.

I tried a few things mainly from the Chinese, Italian, Indian and Japanese counter and everything is very nice and flavourful. The one thing I didn’t quite enjoy was the Thai Green curry but everything else was very very nice. I could have spent the whole day visiting the noodle counter having different stir fries made for me. There are a lot of stations that provide a made to order service and I love these. I resisted the urge to be too adventourous but even the straight forward musroom risotto turned out to be lovely.

The desserts area is very impressive. Each portion is small but its a good way to encourage you to try other varieties (or simply help yourself to more of the same!).

I think from our whole trip I only had one negative which in this case were the toilets. Whilst they were very clean, I thought they could do with a massive coat of paint on the doors. The restaurant is so modern looking and well presented its a weird contrast when you walk to their bathrooms and see something that needs a bit of decorating. Its a minor thing but if you happen to be visiting you’ll know what I mean.

The friend I took along is a bit of a connoiseur when it comes to restaurants and she was visibly impressed, even using the word “brilliant”. I would thoroughly recomend this to anyone that loves buffets and good food. It is very family friendly and has a good choice of kids counters too, although there is enough kid friendly dishes in each of the cuisines. I would definitely go back for more. The confirmation for us was well and truly nailed as we walked out and saw the queue had stretched to the outside doors.

We were paid to review the Red Hot World Buffet. All opinions are my own.