Beauty, Bargains and Beyond

I am often tempted by offers that appear on my Facebook page, but I am never quite sure if they are a scam or if they are genuine. Occasionally, I take up an offer ( Ultra Violette , We Are Wild Natural Deodorant ), and I was tempted by the trio of cleansing bars from Gruum  where you only pay postage for £20 worth of products. For £3.95 you receive: 1 Brightening facial cleanser - charcoal & orange - 45g 1 Body bar - orange and grapefruit 45g 1 Shampoo bar - nourishing coconut - 50g The bars are all made in England, are 100% plastic free, vegan & cruelty free and packed full of natural ingredients.  I thought they were all great products and I love that they are plastic free (they were delivered in a cardboard box with minimal packaging and a perfect size for the products that they contained). The bars are all generously sized and last an absolute age. They are great to take on holiday as well as they don't take up much room.  You can read more about this company...

I managed to get my hands on the newly released Lacura Vitabase Moisturising Primer from Aldi which is supposed to be a dupe of the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base. It costs £5.99 for 50ml whereas the Bobbi Brown product costs £48.50 for 50ml. That's a big difference especially at times like these when every penny counts. The big question - is it any good? I actually really enjoyed using this primer. I have dry skin and this thick creamy primer really suited my skin. It contains vitamin c, vitamin b, vitamin e, shea butter, sodium hyaluronate & geranium oil and I found it very hydrating on my skin and it provided a great base for my makeup. My makeup stayed on all day and didn't go patchy or dry. It also has a fresh grapefruit and geranium scent which is really refreshing, but don't worry its not an overpowering smell. If you have dry skin I really recommend this product. It looks like its only available in store, so be quick as I'm not sure how long it will ...

     *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. Did you know that St. Moriz was now available at Primark?  I didn't until I was kindly sent some products to try out.  I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of the range when I next visit a Primark store.  I don't know about anyone else but we might have had the usual British bursts of hot weather, but my tan is nowhere to be seen.  Even in summer I really need the help of a self tanner to get my glow on. The Medium Instant Tanning Mousse * has a unique blend of active tanning agents which are enriched with Coconut Oil to help to keep your skin silky smooth and your tan looking flawless. The instant colour guide will help you achieve a streak free finish and an instant bronzed glow which will develop over 4-6 hours to leave you with a natural-looking golden tan. Its easy to apply, just exfoliate skin and ensure any existing tan is removed, moisturise dry areas of the skin (knee...

     *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. I am not a fan of doing laundry and one of my pet peeves is how messy it can be to use liquid detergent. Its almost guaranteed that I will spill some of the detergent down the front of the washing machine as I attempt to pour it into the washing machine drawer. The great thing about Dr Beckmann Magic Leaves Laundry Detergent Sheets* is that they are so easy to use and there is absolutely no mess. Simply pop one sheet (or two if you are a mucky pup) into the washing drum and put your dirty clothes on top and then do your normal wash (the sheets work from 20 - 60 °C). The sheets will dissolve in 60 seconds and will provide a deep clean and a long lasting freshness. The sheets are lightweight, easy to store and would be a great option to take with you on holiday if you are planning to do a wash. Its easy to work out how much to use, whereas I always find that I use too much liquid as I can't be bothered to...

     *I received this product for free but the opinions are my own. E-Motion* is a another great toy/learning tool from GEOMAG.  It can be used by itself or added to other GEOMAG sets and the only limit is your imagination.  Its as much for kids as it is for adults.    E-MOTION* has 32 pieces which consist of magnetic balls, magnetic rods and panels to make up different spinners.   It comes with an instruction book which you can follow if you prefer or you can just play around and see what you can build.  I liked that you could follow instructions first as it helps you understand what type of things you can create initially and then you can just see what you can come up with just using your imagination.    It also comes with a storage box which is ideal so you can keep all the pieces together when you are finished playing with them.   If you are looking for a toy that helps with fine motor skills, learning by pla...

     *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. I am big fan of The Humble Co and what they stand for so when I was offered the chance to try some more of their products I was more than happy to do so.  One of the first things you see when you sign onto their website here  are the words  striving to make sustainability the norm and  eco-friendly and innovative everyday products that doesn't compromise on functionality and quality.    Which I hope we can all agree is a company worth supporting.  I love the fact that you can get everyday products such as toothbrushes that are sustainable so that little by little more and more plastic can be removed from our lives. The Humble toothbrush * has a handle made from 100% biodegradable, sustainably-grown bamboo and the bristles are made of nylon-6 bristles. The packaging is eco-friendly, the box and inside wrapper are made from recycled materials, and can be thrown out with...

Hi all I just came back from a much needed and long awaited (thanks to the Covid years) holiday in the Sunshine State of Florida.  Anyone who is familiar with Orlando, knows how hot and humid it can get so here are some of my favourite products to take on a summer holiday.  USB Handheld Fan - this was a new product to me and it was really handy to take around the Disney and Universal parks during the heat of the day.  Its small enough to carry in a small bag and means that when you are out and about and missing the delights of air-con, you can whip out this fan and get an instant cooling breeze on your face or back of your neck.  I wouldn't go on holiday without it now.  Its easy to recharge using a USB cable back in your hotel room on a night. Mine cost £12 from a little shop in Leeds, but they are available in lots of places like Amazon or in supermarkets. Cooling Towels - Another new product to me and a total life saver when you are flagging in the heat. I...

  *I received this product for free but the opinions are my own. Dantoy is a Danish brand developing childrens toys for over 55 years and they have a great philosophy - they believe that play is essential for developing a sense of imagination, social skills and sharing. The Dantoy Ice Cream Kit* does just that. Is there anything better on a hot summers day than ice cream? I think not and lets face it I'm British so I love an ice cream even when the weather isn't even warm.  This Ice Cream Kit is super cute. Its Bioplastic which is made from sugarcane, 90% biobased, 100% recyclable, 100% renewable raw material and is made in Denmark. This set is durable and sturdy and its dishwasher safe. The Ice Cream Kit is a 12 piece set and comes with 3 cones and 3 different scoops and swirls of ice cream, a cone holder, a scoop and 2 cup cakes which you can take apart to make up cups of ice cream.  Your kids can spend a happy time dishing up pretend ice creams and cup cakes and let th...

Being that we are currently in the middle of a heatwave in the UK right now, SPF is a must (although I do wear SPF even when it's not sunny). I hate how greasy some sunscreens make my skin feel and it's hard to reapply without getting grease everywhere and staining my clothes. One of my favourite sunscreens is Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen as it's lightweight, completely invisible and does not make my skin look greasy.  It's easy to reapply throughout the day and it doesn't clog my pores. It even doubles as a primer before makeup, because it leaves a lovely smooth base.  It contains UVB high protection, it's SPF 30 and it's also water resistant and oil-free so this product is great for all skin types. It doesn't leave a white cast on my face and is fragrance free. It's not cheap at £32 for 50ml, but it's a product that I repurchase again and again. You can also buy a 15ml version for  £15. I like Unseen Sunscreen so much that I bought a couple of ...

      *I received this product for free but the opinions are my own. I have reviewed a few Geomag products which have all been great educational toys and I was recently sent Magicube* to try out.  Magicube is a new range of Geomagworld products which is a toy building system made up of brightly coloured magnetic cubes that attach to each other on all 6 sides. This is a great toy for ages 1-5 where they can use the 25 pieces in 4 different shapes to build 3D models of anything they want, just let their imagination run wild and see what they come up with. It also includes magnetic wheels so they can build cars or trucks to play with. This is a toy that can help children to learn whilst they are playing and helps develop their fine motor skills whilst having fun. Magicube is Swiss made and 100% recycled plastic (rubber wheels excluded). Overall this is a great toy for young children and you can read more about it here . The Geomag 204 Magicube Shapes Little World 25-Pie...

     *I received these products for free but the opinions are my own. I was recently sent a couple of products that would be perfect when you just need a fun gift for someone in your life.  The Camera Pencil Sharpener* is one of those products you don't know you need and makes a perfect gift for that hard to buy for person.  Its from Kikkerland and is available to purchase from Amazon for £13.99.  Funnily enough I was wondering if I even had any pencils to sharpen when I got this product, but I found I had loads that I wasn't able to use as they hadn't been sharpened for ages, because guess what I couldn't find a pencil sharpener anywhere in the house.  Never mind a gift for someone else I love this product it works great giving a perfectly sharpened pencil, but the best thing is it reminds me of the old school pencil sharpeners I had at school back in the day as it works the same as those did but looks cool as its in the style of an old school camera...