Firstly I must apologise, as this review is a little late since I’ve been suffering from a bad chest infection and been totally unable to concentrate long enough to blog. I must say however, that the amazing

Firstly I must apologise, as this review is a little late since I’ve been suffering from a bad chest infection and been totally unable to concentrate long enough to blog. I must say however, that the amazing Choi Time tea I was sent to review was wonderfully soothing and I reckon it helped nurse me back to health rather effectively!

The teas arrived in a gift set as shown in the photo (from the Choi Time website) along with some brochures with useful information about each type of tea. By far the best thing about these teas is that once you’ve finished your cup / pot, you can keep adding hot water to produce cup after cup of lovely tea without having to add more of the pearls / flowers to the mix. You can get an entire relaxing afternoon’s worth of tea out of a spoonful of flowers!

The three teas I received were:

Jasmine Green Tea Pearls – My favourite of the three, these make a delicious, fragrant tea that’s fragrant and delicious!

Giant Flowering Tea Bulb – These things are impressive, they open up into a big flower that sits in the bottom of your cup, and taste divine! This one changed the most throughout the brewing process, starting off quite strong, and finishing very smooth and delicate after a few dilutions. 

Chrysanthemum Flower Tea – I swear this stuff helped me get rid of my chest infection! Slightly bitter in taste which I rather liked (but it also tastes lovely with a drop of honey) this one has loads of health benefits and I think makes a nice morning drink. 

All in all, I absolutely loved these, and I’m planning on trying the rest of the range soon!

I think everyone who reads this blog probably realises I’m a huge caffeine fiend, and that I love a good cup of fresh coffee. When I received the opportunity to receive a bag of coffee fromPhoto Credit

I think everyone who reads this blog probably realises I’m a huge caffeine fiend, and that I love a good cup of fresh coffee. When I received the opportunity to receive a bag of coffee from Kopi, who deliver a different bag of gourmet coffee every month – a bit like GlossyBox for the caffeine-addicted, I couldn’t resist! 

In their words:

Kopi love coffee. Our premium bean habit warms us up, wakes us up and inspires us to shake things up. Too long we’ve put up with one-size-fits-all coffee from supermarkets and only danced around posher brews. Until now.

Kopi are dedicated to bringing you really good single-estate coffees from around the world. Beautiful, freshly-roasted brews you won’t find in the usual places – delivered straight to your doorstep, once a month.

We also share our insider knowledge on how to get the best out of your coffee – how to make it, how to enjoy its perkily unique characteristics – and reveal some of the remarkable stories behind each one. All for the price of two grande lattes and a banana muffin.

The full-size bag of coffee arrived in a box that, as advertised on their website, will fit through most letterboxes. It came in a resealable bag with the date of roasting on it so you can be confident of getting a nice, fresh cup! I was particularly impressed with the information booklet that came with the coffee, featuring tasting notes and brewing instructions as well as information on the provenance and growers of the coffee. 

Their first coffee, which I received, is a single-estate coffee from Antigua in Guatemala, and is a medium-strength coffee with tasting notes of dark chocolate, nuts and vanilla. I like my coffee quite strong, so the first cup I brewed according to the instructions provided, was a little weak for my tastes, but I added a little extra the next time and brewed it to my own strength preference and it made a really good cup! Not really a morning pick-me-up, I’d drink this more as an afternoon treat, perhaps with a good dollop of double cream for extra indulgence. 

All in all, this looks like a fantastic service for coffee-lovers, and would make a lovely gift for the caffeine fiend in your life. It’s a little pricey, at between £7 – £9 depending on which subscription you choose, but these aren’t coffees you can buy a bag of in your local supermarket. The only real quibble I have with them is that they aren’t certified fair-trade. This is explained on their website:

We always pay premium prices for premium coffee to premium growers – far above their cost of production or the Fairtrade minimum. While we fully support the Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance and Soil Association initiatives, not all our coffee is organic or Fairtrade certified and here’s why:

1. Fairtrade only certifies co-operatives. This excludes many superb growers and smaller farms who like to sell direct – this means lots of high quality small family farms would be excluded if only Fairtrade stamped ones were selected
2. Fairtrade is tied to the commodity price to secure a minimum to the growers. The market price for a long time (18+ months as of October 2011) has been consistently well above the minimum price.
3. We strive for a symbiotic relationship between ourselves and the growers to create a sustainable business model for everyone involved.

http://www.kopi.co.uk/sourcing

It sounds like they do strive to adhere to fair trade practices, however I must admit the lack of any formal credentials to prove this does make me slightly uneasy, and I’d welcome a slightly clearer explanation on their website to prove that the growers get fair compensation etc. as the current explanation is a little buzzword-heavy. 

I can assure you however, that the coffee is excellent! 

Full Disclosure: I did receive this product for free, however all reviews on this blog reflect my honest opinion on the product or service in question. 

The September beauty boxes are both out (I’m thinking of subscribing to Feel Unique’s box too, so I can compare them all, though this may be a terrible idea given my limited funds at the moment) and [...]]]>

The September beauty boxes are both out (I’m thinking of subscribing to Feel Unique’s box too, so I can compare them all, though this may be a terrible idea given my limited funds at the moment) and it now seems a little clearer which direction each box is going in. 

My September GlossyBox contained a combination of full-size products, and large samples that last a while (the smallest being the StriVectin SD sample which contains two weeks’ worth of Eye Concentrate).

These were:

• HD Brows: Eye and Brow Palette – My favourite item in the box and a full-size item that I will use frequently and definitely re-purchase. 
• L’Oréal Professionnel: Mythic Oil – Again full-sized and a really lovely product, though use it really sparingly, I went a little overboard with it the first time I tried it and had to re-wash my hair and try again. 
• Nuxe: Huile Prodigieuse – This is really lovely, and a really generous size that’ll last for ages as again, it’s one to use sparingly. I’ll be trying it on my face once I’ve run out of my beloved Trilogy CoQ10 serum. 
• Mary Greenwell: Plum Eau de Parfum – A 1.5ml sample that a lot of people have said is a little strong and “mature”. I actually quite like it, but I do have very similar taste in perfume to my mother, so that might explain it! This is the only product in the box that I hadn’t heard of. 
• StriVectin SD: Eye Concentrate – This is the product I really wanted to try out, and I was so excited to receive it in my box! However… I know how much the full-size tubes cost, so I’m saving it for when I need to look my best for a job interview or similar!

Most of these items are at the higher end of the high street market, and relatively well-known. The samples are generous and for me, the GlossyBox fulfils the role of supplying products I’ve been interested in trying, but either hadn’t got around to purchasing yet, or can’t justify investing in without testing first. The box also has a theme – “5 Future Classics” which I think fits it quite well. They’re certainly items that, although in some cases not yet, will soon be quite easy to get hold of and are already gaining popularity. 

The Boudoir Privé samples on the other hand, were much smaller, and the nail polish and perfume were the only brands I recognised. 

My Boudoir Privé box contained:

• Tropic Skincare: Body Smooth – A small but lovely sample that will probably last for a few applications if only used on the hands. 
• Agent Provocateur – L’Agent – The standard 1.5ml size sample. I liked this a lot, but I was expecting a slightly more obscure fragrance in my Boudoir Privé box, not one that can be tried at any department store. That said, I hadn’t tried it, and it is really nice. 
• Macadamia: Hair Repair – Less pricey than the other products in the box, but something I haven’t tried before that I look forward to using. 
• Colbert MD Nourish: Eye Cream – This is another one I’m saving for days when I’m actually leaving the flat, but it sounds absolutely lovely, and is definitely one of those high end samples I look forward to receiving in Boudoir Privé boxes (retailing at £90.00 per 15ml)!.
• Zoya: Nail Polish –  Absent from the above image as I’ve been using it and I totally love it! These beauty boxes have encouraged me to start painting my nails again – I neglected them for a while – and I’ll definitely be buying more Zoya colours. 
• Cargo Cosmetics: Boogie Nights Eye Pencil – A pretty standard black, slightly glittery eye pencil. Nice, but nothing particularly special. 

I had mixed feelings about this box, and I actually prefer last month’s. I see Boudoir Privé as a way to try high-end and / or foreign brands I haven’t heard of before, and I think last month’s box did that better, but I still received some lovely things and I’m happy with both boxes. 

If you’re looking for a lot of product for your subscription charge, I think GlossyBox is definitely the way to go, but bear in mind that you’re likely to have heard of most of them, and I’m expecting at some point to receive an item I already use. Boudoir Privé on the other hand, is an excellent way to sample more obscure products, but the samples aren’t as large as those in the GlossyBox. 

It’s the battle of the £10 monthly beauty boxes! Ever since I heard of the US-only Birch Box, I’ve loved the concept of a subscription beauty-sampling service that sends you a box of lovely surprises every month. [...]]]>  

It’s the battle of the £10 monthly beauty boxes! Ever since I heard of the US-only Birch Box, I’ve loved the concept of a subscription beauty-sampling service that sends you a box of lovely surprises every month. Whenever I read a blog post describing the wonderful products inside their latest box, I was so jealous, so when I heard of GlossyBox, a similar service that recently started up over here, I signed up immediately and then signed up for Boudoir Privé when it was announced a short while later. 

So far I’ve received two Glossy Boxes and one Boudoir Privé box, so this review is based only on the August box from each company.

First up is Packaging. 

As you can see from the photo above, both boxes come in a branded outer-box that’s nice and sturdy to keep the contents safe and secure in the post. 

Boudoir Privé

GlossyBox

Both boxes are pale pink, high quality heavy card and will be great for storing small items once the products have been used. The GlossyBox has a lift-off lid whilst the Boudoir Privé box is one of those magnetic ones that you lift up from the front, if that makes sense. 

There is quite a big difference however, in the contents.

The GlossyBox, above, features big well-known names. Mine contained:

• Murad – Time Release Blemish Cleanser
• Ahava – Mineral Body Lotion
• Daniel Sandler – Jumbo Jet Mascara
• KMS California – Colorvitality Shine & Shield
• Rebel Nails – Nail Wraps

Which I thought was a lovely touch. 

Boudoir Privé boxes are really well thought-out, containing a real head-to-toe selection of samples in six categories: Bodycare, Makeup, Haircare, Lifestyle, Skincare and Fragrance. Some found it a little odd to receive tea in what they thought was going to be a beauty box, but I thought it was quite fabulous! The Bloom tea was also one of the two brands in the box that I’d heard of before (the other being Sachajuan) and I’ve almost purchased some on numerous occasions so it’s great to get to try them finally (I love tea!). 

The sizes in the Boudoir Privé box are smaller, they’re all what are described on the website as “deluxe size samples” but they full-size products are more expensive on the whole than those in the GlossyBoxes, and do seem to be nearer the luxury end of the market. 

I absolutely adore both boxes, and I think I’m going to continue subscribing to both for the moment. The sheer amount of product you receive for the money is excellent, and so far I haven’t received a single product I haven’t been excited to try. 

GlossyBox Pros:

* You get a lot of product for your money * Excellent selection of well-known brands * Purely cosmetic products, if that’s what you’re after * 

GlossyBox Cons:

* More expensive than Boudoir Privé because you have to pay P&P * It’s more likely that you will receive products that you’ve tried before *

Boudoir Privé Pros:

* A fantastic way to try high-end products you might not have heard of before * Free P&P * Really well-thought-out boxes for proper head-to-toe luxury pampering * 6 Different products to GlossyBox’s 5 *

Boudoir Privé Cons:

* You may not find these brands in high-street shops very easily * Smaller product sizes * Not all the products are cosmetics (although personally, I like this!) *

Have you tried GlossyBox or Boudoir Privé boxes? What did you think? 

… I’m back, but more of that later, first a belated review, for which I must apologise profusely to Nougat London who were lovely enough to send me some of their fabulous hand cream. So sorry it’s late!

I was absolutely delighted to be given the opportunity to review a hand cream I’d never tried before, so when I was offered some Nougat London Tuberose and Jasmine Nurturing Hand Cream to try, I jumped at the chance. The cream is packed full of essential oils and Cocoa Butter and elegantly packaged as you can see below:

Consistency-wise, I think this cream is just right – light enough to spread evenly across the skin, but thick and rich enough to soak in quickly. The scent is very “girly”, sweet and floral, and it lasts for ages. I think people who like Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb perfume will love this, The Boy commented that it “smells of pink”, I found it summery and lovely!

When applied, I was worried at first that it looked a bit greasy, but it sunk into my skin immediately and I was able to use a touchscreen phone within around a minute of applying it without covering it in smudges (quite a feat!) It left my hands feeling nicely moisturised and although it didn’t quite match up to some thicker, richer hand creams in terms of allowing my hands to recover quickly from being soaked with detergents etc., as a daily hand moisturiser to apply morning and evening and keep by the computer to use as required, I can’t fault it! Incidentally I also used it after showering when I ran out of body butter, and received several compliments on my perfume, even though I wasn’t wearing any!

If I were to rate this, I’d give it a nine out of ten – the only reason it’s not getting a ten is because it’s not quite “hardcore” enough for my annoyingly dry skin when I’ve done the washing up! The rest of the time however, it’s fabulous and smells positively delicious!

(I’m slightly obsessed with the Retro Camera Android app at the moment!)

I recently received a 1L Sigg Classic water bottle courtesy of Purekit.com. I jumped at the offer, being one of those people [...]]]>

(I’m slightly obsessed with the Retro Camera Android app at the moment!)

I recently received a 1L Sigg Classic water bottle courtesy of Purekit.com. I jumped at the offer, being one of those people who needs to have a convenient supply of water in front of me or I forget to stay hydrated until I’m gasping for a drink! I usually re-use plastic bottles, but all the news reports about leaching chemicals etc. has started to concern me of late and I’d been meaning to purchase an aluminium bottle for a while.

The first thing that struck me about it is that although it looks big and rugged, like it’ll stand up to being knocked about in my bag, but it really is light as a feather! I don’t think it weighs any more than an empty plastic water bottle to be honest, and it’s far more robust. The Boy said aluminium water bottles can give drinks a slight metallic taste, but the polymer coating on the inside of the Sigg keeps the water tasting fresh, and it seems to keep it cool for longer than a plastic bottle does too.

I’ve only used it for water so far, but it can be used for fizzy drinks and juices too, and for those of you who suffer from hangovers, I’ve checked, and can report that a Berocca tablet does fit down the neck!

Basically, I love it, I haven’t bought bottled water since receiving it!

I do quite a bit of Online shopping, as I don’t have the time or the energy to trawl around all the shops at the moment, so I thought I would write some reviews of the Online stores [...]]]>

I do quite a bit of Online shopping, as I don’t have the time or the energy to trawl around all the shops at the moment, so I thought I would write some reviews of the Online stores I use, since I always find them helpful myself.

Warning: May Contain Ranting

La Redoute has, in the past, been my go-to Online shop for basics – plain sweaters, t-shirts, leggings, etc. as they sell good-quality products at great prices, and there’s always a plethora of codes available to get discounts, free delivery and / or free gifts with purchase. I’m a total sucker for bargains. My last two orders however have made me seriously reconsider whether or not I ever want to be a La Redoute customer again.

Order 1 - I ordered some sale and some full-price items and used a discount code. I received my order confirmation email that said my order was received and was being processed. I waited. A few days later I sent an email to Customer Services since I hadn’t received any notification that my items had been despatched yet. I waited again, and heard absolutely nothing for several days.

I eventually called them, and was kept on hold for 25 minutes. The person I spoke to was very polite, but obviously had very little information available to her. She told me they had re-resigned the site and that some orders were “stuck” because of this. By this time one of the items I wanted was sold out, and she couldn’t release the rest of the order, it had to be placed again. Thinking that everything was fine, I no longer had a note of the code I used, and she couldn’t do anything about that except offer to get the real customer services department to ring me back. Between 9 and 5.   When I pointed out that I have a job and can’t wait around for phone calls in the office, all she could offer was that they would leave me a message and then I can phone back the next evening. I decided to call it quits and cancelled the order as by this point I was exasperated and had no desire to wait in yet more queues punctuated by the worst hold music I have ever had to endure.

Order 2 - Several weeks later, I received a letter apologising for the problems, offering me a generous discount. Now, although I realised that this was a letter they’d probably sent out to thousands of customers, I thought they were at least trying to inspire confidence in their customers and that hopefully they were now equipped to handle orders properly.

No. Such. Luck.

I placed another order, getting some great bargains. I asked for delivery to my work address (nowhere on the site did it say this was not possible) and it accepted the address without any errors. Order confirmation was received.

They then despatched the order to my home address. No communication, no warning, they didn’t ask me if it was ok, they just sent it out. I emailed them about this and of course, heard nothing.

Called customer services, more of my precious time wasted sitting on hold, but, polite and apologetic as ever, the woman I was eventually put through to assured me that the order would be cancelled, as it had not yet been despatched. This was on a Tuesday. That Thursday I received a reply to my email, telling me that the order was on the way out and that they would try and get the couriers to stop and return it.

At this point I was furious, and asked to be taken off all mailing lists etc.

Guess what? The items arrived. All of them, even though there were three separate parcels, they didn’t appear to attempt to cancel a single one.

It was with great reluctance that I admit, I kept the items and paid for them. They were what I wanted, and I didn’t really have the time to post them back and shop around for alternatives (plus at this point I wasn’t even convinced that I would get a refund from them, given how disastrous the order had been thus far).

In a nutshell: La Redoute produce some great basics, at brilliant prices, however they don’t seem to give a damn about their customers. Despite being assured that I would be removed from all their mailing lists, I am still receiving regular email from them, although admittedly I do not appear to have received any advertising through the post for a while (and they send out a lot of postal offers etc.)

I will not be ordering from La Redoute again, and would not recommend them to anyone. I don’t know if this is the case for their French Online store, or any others they have, but the UK customer service is among the worst I have ever experienced.

Yes, you read that right! I can’t speak for people in other countries, but for those of us living in the UK, it’s hard to find a home-delivery cupcake company if you don’t live in London.

A couple of days ago I [...]]]>

Yes, you read that right! I can’t speak for people in other countries, but for those of us living in the UK, it’s hard to find a home-delivery cupcake company if you don’t live in London.

A couple of days ago I had a real craving for cupcakes and, lacking the time to make any, decided to investigate bakeries that deliver to me. There were a few options, but they all hand-deliver and delivery would cost more than the cakes I wanted to order, so not particularly practical unless it’s for a celebration and thus, a nice large order.  So, on a whim, I decided to look on eBay and actually found quite a few bakers willing to send cupcakes through the post.

So, being the girl that I am, I picked the cheapest and placed an order for these beauties! Now, ordering cupcakes for postal delivery is not for those who are easily upset by excessive packaging! These were individually wrapped in clingfilm, boxed, then the box was inside another box full of bubble-wrap. They still arrived a little squashed, but completely fresh and ready to be eaten!

I’d already eaten one by the time I remembered to photograph them

The verdict? Yummy! Sweet and delicious with the best buttercream I’ve had in ages, certainly better than I could have made (I always lose patience when making buttercream, and mess it up) and arrived two days after I placed the order (baked on the 26th and posted yesterday). I totally recommend Redcaz‘s cupcakes to anyone who fancies a little indulgence by mail! She does other flavours too, and larger cakes, as well as lots of craft items I haven’t even had time to look at yet, but I just wanted to post and really recommend these! I meant to save a couple for breakfast tomorrow, but I ate 4, the boy thoroughly enjoyed the other two, and if I wasn’t trying to be healthy at the moment, I’d get straight Online and order another flavour to try.

Can you recommend any mail-order cupcake sellers or other purveyors of delicious baked treats?

My apologies for the photo – bare legs, creased skirt and all, I wanted to take a photo before I started wearing them whilst they were still new and shiny!

It has come to my attention of late that [...]]]>

My apologies for the photo – bare legs, creased skirt and all, I wanted to take a photo before I started wearing them whilst they were still new and shiny!

It has come to my attention of late that I live quite a sedentary lifestyle. I don’t go jogging, a gym membership would be a terrible waste of money for me as I’d barely ever have time to go, but I was recently presented with the opportunity to try out a product that would help me make the most of the exercise I do get, wandering to the shops, the bus stop etc.

I was sent a pair of Sketchers Shape-ups, trainers that profess to shape you up whilst you walk, with a rounded sole and inserts to help maximise muscle tone and promote good posture. I hoped that these shoes would help to tone up my legs and bum, as well as working my back muscles, hopefully helping my scoliosis too as I’ve heard good things from other people with scoliosis who have tried similar products.

The first time I wore them they felt a little… odd. The rocking sensation when you walk takes a while to get used to, but the accompanying DVD that shows you how to walk to get the maximum benefit soon put my fears of falling flat on my face to rest.

Looks: These aren’t style statements it has to be said, they’re big, chunky and a little reminiscent of the mid-90s platform trainer trend, but when worn the thick sole isn’t as obvious as it looks like it may be in the box. They made me think of “skater” trainers, and I’m thinking of swapping out the white laces for some bright red ones. That said, I did rather like the addition of subtle glittery spots of decoration!

Comfort: These things are wonderfully comfortable on the feet! They’re so padded that even with feet as narrow as mine, they felt secure on, and just tight enough to prevent rubbing.

Do They Work? Well, if the pain in the backs of my legs the first few times I wore them is anything to go by, definitely! They certainly take time to get used to, and new users are recommended to wear them for short walks at first, as they do work muscles that don’t usually get much attention, especially when the wearer is as lazy as me! Still, after wearing them for a couple of weeks I am finding it is becoming much easier, I’m used to walking in a different way and even when wearing other footwear I find myself able to keep going for longer without having to rest my legs.

Overall, I’m really pleased with these and I intend to keep wearing them on a regular basis – they certainly seem to have started working for me and I hope to see things continue to improve!