| 24 May, 2013
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Competition to Win a Year’s Supply of Bar Keepers Friend

Bar Keepers FriendWhat is Bar Keepers Friend?

BKF apparently owes its existence to rhubarb!  Way back in 1882 a chemist from Indianapolis noticed how clean and shiny his tarnished pot was after cooking rhubarb.   Using an active ingredient that’s found in rhubarb he made a cleaner and sold it to the city’s taverns.   It worked so well that it was called ‘Bar Keepers Friend’!  The blurb here says: “BKF benefits from the unique cleaning power of Oxalic Acid (found in rhubarb, parsley and chives) and when combined with its unique mineral base and surfactant  blend, delivers a unique cleaning performance.” So there…….

Anyway, I’ve had a go at using the various Bar Keepers Friend products and am well impressed. I used the Bar Keepers Friend Power Cream on my shower tray this Bar Keepers Friendmorning and I got it all sparkling white and shiny in a remarkably short time. The Bar Keepers Friend Power Spray was put to good use cleaning my stainless steel hob and white sink and drainer – both brilliant! You can use the spray on glass too so I tried it out on my oven doors. Nice and clean but a bit streaky. However I think that was down to me taking too long to dry it off.

To Win 1 Year’s Supply of Bar Keepers Friend

You need to

Bar Keepers FriendThe competition closes on June 7th and the Winner’s name will be Tweeted and posted on My Twitter Winners’ List .

The prize is 1 year’s supply of Bar Keepers Friend – 4 x BKF Powder, 4 x new BKF Power Cream and 4 x new BKF Power Spray, ie. one bottle per month (as per photo, please note hamper is not included in the prize).

(BKF is available in Robert Dyas, Lakeland, John Lewis, Waitrose, independent homeware/hardware stores or online at www.barkeepersfriend.co.uk. It is distributed in the UK by Kilrock Products Ltd)

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Category: Competitions and Giveaways |
| 21 May, 2013
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Recent Likes and Dislikes

Aldi Carino Provive HairsprayJust a few things I’ve liked and disliked over the past couple of months.

I’ve Loved……

    • Broadchurch and The Politician’s Husband – both of which happened to feature David Tennant. Now I wasn’t a fan of the old Dr. Who before but was massively impressed by his acting in both the series.
    • Aldi Carino Provive Hairspray - This Aldi hairspray is the only one I have ever found to rival Elnett.  Elnett still has the edge but this one is still my second choice and at under a pound the Aldi hairspray is phenomenal value for such a good product.Cadbury Marvellous Creations
  • Cadbury Marvellous Creations Cookie Nut Crunch – If I was an OMG! sort of person, those would be the first words I’d say. Am a terrible chocoholic anyway and anything with Cadbury Dairy Milk has got to be good….. but the Marvellous Creations is just soooo yummy!
  • Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow really does do what it says on the box and what a pretty little box it is too! All other cream eyeshadows I’ve ever tried end up creasing in the fold but this Benefit one is brilliant. I love it and the gorgeous packaging is a bonus too.
  • I love my new bag from Next to bits. My last everyday bag was way tooNude Mini Grab Bag Next cavernous for my liking and I was constantly delving around in it trying to find stuff. It was very much a spontaneous purchase and a bargain one at that as it was only £24. I’ve just had a peek and I can see they’ve got it online too – the Nude Mini Grab Bag . It looks a bit dark in the pic I’ve taken but if you click on the Next link you can see it’s a bit lighter. Everything has it’s place in it and it’s almost impossible to lose your keys in, which is always a good sign

I’ve Disliked

  • Amie Skin Shield Daily Moisturiser SPF15 – I thought I was going to like Amie Skin Shieldthis as the words on the packaging gave me such hope. ‘For soft, hydrated skin with anti-ageing protection….. UVA & UVB protection….free from parabens etc etc….’ – sounds good doesn’t it? The thing is what it didn’t say was that it would take forever and a day to sink into my skin so I couldn’t actually put any make-up on. It literally left a white residue all over my face. One day I waited half an hour after I came out of the shower and it still hadn’t soaked into my skin so I ended up washing it off and putting another moisturiser on instead. Sorry Amie – I wanted to love you, I really did.
  • The design of the Colgate Toothpaste tubes. I haven’t bought ColgatColgate tubee for a little while but I had a voucher for the Sensitive Pro-Relief so I thought I’d buy it. The tubes are really hard to squeeze as they seem to be made of a material which springs back before you’ve managed to get any toothpaste out. Very poor design but ok toothpaste.
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Category: Health and Beauty, Rants and Raves | Tags: , , , ,
| 17 May, 2013
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Playing For Keeps

Playing for Keeps

A Really ‘nice’ rom-com!

I’m a sucker for a good Rom-Com so happily sat down last night to watch Playing for Keeps, the latest offering from Gerard Butler. He’s pretty easy on the eye and his films are rarely ‘taxing’ so getting comfy on the sofa with Mr. C. a glass of wine and a massive bar of chocolate I was optimistic that it would be a pleasant enough couple of hours. And no surprises – it was a lovely little film and the Cadbury Marvellous Creations Cookie Crunch was pretty good too.

Playing for Keeps is a movie where Gerard Butler is a down-on-his-luck ex football star who really wants to get back with his gorgeous ex-wife Jessica Biel. Playing-For-Keeps3Without giving too much away, he basically becomes the football coach to his son’s team and spends the film fending off the advances of the ‘soccer moms’ aka Catherine Zeta-Jones & Uma Thurman amongst others.

His son Lewis was played brilliantly by a boy called Noah Lomax and I think we’re going to see a lot more of him. Why are American child actors virtually always streets ahead of other child actors?

Buy Playing For Keeps from Amazon

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Category: Movies and TV |
| 17 May, 2013
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Mama Mio Try Me Trio

Mama Mio Try Me TrioThe Mama Mio Try Me Trio  promises to ‘cleanse, moisturise and protect in 3 easy steps’ (plus one hilarious optional extra step)! Basically you get the 3 skin-care products in the box but you also get a book of Face Fitness exercises called The Try Me Trio Little Book of Confidence. The exercises give you plenty of great opportunities to pull the daftest faces imaginable but in doing so, the 3 x 30 second exercises should get your face muscles as fit as your glowing skin.

I love the fact that you can buy the Mama Mio products in smaller than usual sizes so should the products not suit you then you don’t feel like you’ve shelled out a fortune to no avail. Brilliant for holidays too!

So what’s in the Mama Mio Try Me Trio?

The Mighty Moisture Day and Night Moisturiser

Eye Know All-In-One Eye Serum

Clean Slate Aloe Rich Cleanser

Mama Mio Try Me TrioThe Mighty Moisture Day and Night Moisturiser is a fantastic product. It’s light and sinks into the skin quickly which I always like. I like just having the one product too – far less to pop in a bag if going away for a weekend. In theory you don’t need serums or primers if you’re using Mighty Moisture but I generally take a primer ‘just in case’.

The Eye Know All-In-One Eye Serum is a refreshing eye product. I noticed a brightening effect but am not entirely sure I could tell if it ‘lifted’ the eye area. I always ask Mr. C what he thinks when I try any new product and he inevitably says words to the effect of ‘I can’t really see any difference but you look lovely….’. A great help. Men eh?!

The Clean Slate Aloe Rich Cleanser made my skin feel lovely and clean but unlike some cleansers it doesn’t dry my skin out. I’d go as far as to say that it’s probably one of the best cleansers I’ve used although I do love the Botanicals Cleansing Melt too!

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| 14 May, 2013
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New Forest Aromatics Candle Gift Set

New Forest Aromatics Gift SetThere are two things to say virtually straightaway about the New Forest Aromatics Gift Set – The candles smell absolutely gorgeous and the set is so cheap! The Gift Set looks like it should have cost significantly more than the £10 I paid for it. Yup – just £10!  I reckon the perceived value is more around the £20+ mark.

The candles in the New Forest Aromatics Candle Gift Set are Lavender and Herb Garden and they couldn’t be more realistic if they tried. The scent is very natural and not at all cloying or overpowering. The lavender scent lingers long after the candle has been put out. My living room still smelled lovely and ‘lavendery’ 24 hours later so I’m well chuffed with the candles.

The candle set came from a website called Vinnie & D which specialises in selling VinnieandDproducts designed and made in Great Britain. Viniie & D is a lovely site which kind of houses lots of different ‘smaller’ designers who sell slightly unusual creative pieces for you and the home. There were so many things I wanted to buy when I was browsing and what started off as a quick look for a birthday present for a family member, ended up in a marathon session!

I’ve got to say that even though I intended the set as a birthday gift,  I was so taken by the candles when they arrived that I just had to pinch them for myself! Well why shouldn’t I treat myself now and again eh?

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Category: Gifts | Tags: , , , , ,
| 8 May, 2013
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Naked Shampoo and Conditioner

Naked Shampoo and ConditionerThis last week or so I’ve been using a new Naked Shampoo and Conditioner.

I’ve been using the one which is meant to be good for fine hair which could do with a bit of Oomphh. And boy could mine do with a bit of that. Mojo, oomphh, pzaazz – I’ll take anything that’s going please when it comes to my hair!

Naked Shampoo and Conditioner

So anyway I’ve been using Naked Volume Body Building Shampoo and Naked Volume Weightless Conditioner and so far, so good. I don’t tend to use conditioner very often as lots of them make my hair too floppy but not so with Naked. Both products are for fine, limp hair and they smell really lovely and yes they do give my hair a bit more volume. The shampoo has what I would call a light lavender-like scent but according to the blurb on the front it’s made with chicory and wheat protein. The conditioner contains passionflower and grape and smells very different but equally as good.

I liked the idea of the Naked shampoo and conditioner range before I even started trying them out as all their products are 97% natural and free from sulphates, parabens and petrochemicals. Now I know the purists out there are going to be focusing on the 3% but to be honest as so many of the hair-care products out Naked logothere are stuffed to the hilt with nasties, I’m happy with 97% natural. One of the benefits of going sulphate-free for me, is that I don’t get an itchy head. Some of the cheapy (not all) shampoos really make my head itch but I don’t find that with Naked. Apparently too, using hair products which are sulphate-rich can actually weaken the hair follicles and cause Naked detox Shampooqute a lot of damage to your hair in the long-run. And with hair as fine as mine, I could do without any extraneous damage.

I was thinking of trying the Naked Detox Shampoo next as I use mousse and hairspray every day so a bit of detoxing/clarifying won’t do my hair any harm. Lots of the nasty-free beauty products are premium-priced and difficult to get hold of but the Naked range are all under £5 and are available in Boots nationwide. Can’t go wrong eh…….

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| 25 April, 2013
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Win Body Collection Ultimate Bronzing Beauty Bonanza

Ultimate Bronzing Beauty BonanzaJust in time for the Summer, I have the Ultimate Bronzing Beauty Bonanza to give away.

The Luxe Ultimate Bronzing Beauty Bonanza is a brilliant piece of beauty kit and it’s perfect if you want a bronzed and sun-kissed look. There’s a fair chance, after all, that there’s not going to be an awful lot of ‘real sun’ around this Summer to give you any colour. And obviously using bronzer to make you look sun-kissed is a far Luxe-Ultimate-Bronzing-Beauty-Bonanzahealthier way to do it!

The Luxe Ultimate Bronzing Beauty Bonanza by Body Collection contains a bronzing compact, bronzing pearls, a bronzing brush, an eyeshadow compact, a lipgloss compact, two double-ended applicators and a face applicator – basically everything a girl needs to give her complexion a summery boost.

The competition closes on May 9th and the Winner’s name will be Tweeted and posted on My Twitter Winners’ List .

You need to ReTweet This Tweet, follow @TheThumbsUp on Twitter & @hels89.  Ideally I’d like you to comment on the blog too. Please can you use the Rafflecopter Form below to Enter and you can have a few extra entries too if you follow TheThumbsUp on Pinterest and on Google+

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Category: Competitions and Giveaways, Health and Beauty | Tags: , ,
| 23 April, 2013
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The Child Who by Simon Lelic

I really enjoyed reading The Child Who by Simon Lelic and will definitely be looking out for more of Simon’s books!

The Child WhoThe book focuses on the ‘aftermath’ of a terrible crime committed by a young boy. The boy is just over the age of criminal responsibility and the question I was constantly asking myself is presumably the question on everyone else’s lips when reading it. Should the boy be tried as an adult? I was also wondering……Was he completely to blame? Should his background be taken into consideration? Is it right for the solicitor to ‘feel sorry’ for the boy? Should I be feeling sorry for him?

I don’t want to go into too much detail here and divulge all the nitty-gritty of the plot so it’s difficult to say much more really. But, if the James Bulger trial and its aftermath had you wondering how ‘children’ who commit crimes should be treated, then I can promise you that ‘The Child Who‘ will have you questioning the legal process in the same way too! It’s a gripping book which to be honest I didn’t want to end as I knew the next book I had lined-up wasn’t going to be so good.

I have just given the book to one of my daughters to read. She happens to be studying Criminology & Criminal Justice so it will be interesting to hear what she has to say.

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| 10 April, 2013
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LCN Divine Dragon Fruit 3 in 1 Express Care & Other Favourites

Korres Eye CreamThe Korres Black Pine AntiWrinkle & Firming Eye Cream is one one of my perennial favourites. It’s creamy and makes the skin around my eyes feel lovely and soft. Who knows if it’s making me less wrinklier in the eye area! I, for one, am not about to stop using any of my precious eye creams, to see how old and wizened I’d look without them! Perhaps I should though, come to think of it…….

LCN

LCN are a company that didn’t really figure on my radar until relatively recently.. Last year I wrote about their Nail Therapy Polish and I’ve just finished up a bottle of their new product for tired nails which need a bit of help! It’s called Unique and is a base coat, top coat and nail food all in one, believe it or not! It contains wheat germ oil to feed the nails and gives a fab shiny finish when used as a top coat. I sometimes just wear it on it’s own and am happy knowing my nails are shiny and healthy!

I’ve been using another new LCN product the past few weeks called LCN Divine LCN Divine Dragon Fruit 3 in 1 Express CareDragon Fruit 3 in 1 Express Care. It’s a cleanser, nourisher, exfoliater and moisturiser all-in-one. A massive claim but hey it seems to do what it says on the tube. I really love this but don’t use it every day as my skin doesn’t need it that often. I suppose if your skin was really dry then it would be fine to use daily. “The 3 in 1 contains rosehip kernel oil, beeswax and fine salt to nourish stressed skin and leave it feeling silky smooth.” according to the blurb but it’s left out the fact that it smells gorgeous. To be honest I don’t need to wear perfume after I’ve used it as it smells so scrummy.

Well done LCN.

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| 9 April, 2013
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Weleda Pomegranate Skincare Range

Weleda Pomegranate SkincareA couple of months ago, I decided to ditch all my other face products and use the Weleda Pomegranate Skincare range exclusively just to see if it would improve my skin’s appearance.

I didn’t use the Pomegranate Night Cream as I’m finding night creams too rich right now so tend to use the day creams instead. I absolutely adore Weleda’s Pomegranate Day Cream as it’s rich yet sinks in well so it’s ok to put make-up on within minutes really. They say that the cream ‘reduces the appearance of wrinkles’ but I’m never sure if that’s the case or not to be honest. My face certainly feels well moisturised and lovely and soft when I use it though. And of course there’s the added bonus with the fab Weleda that everything is natural, natural, natural with no synthetic ‘anythings’!

Pomegranate seed oil is apparently rich in anti-oxidants and essential fatty acids which help your skin to regenerate. As we get older basically our skin loses its elasticity but the Pomegranate Firming Day Cream improves your skin’s firmness and elasticity. Again this is something I can never tell from my own use but I Weleda Awardgenuinely do love the feel of the cream and feel confident enough to nip out to the shops wearing little more than my moisturiser and a touch of mascara and clothes obviously.  I suppose it does make my skin have a kind of ‘glow’!

The Pomegranate Eye Cream? What can I say? It definitely tightens the skin around the eye area and like my favourite Weleda Wild Rose Eye Cream is something I will buy time and time again!

Weleda Pomegranate Skincare Range

I’m not so much of a fan of the  Pomegranate Serum though, it’s got to be said. Yes it made my skin feel smooth and very hydrated but it also made the cheek area on both sides of my nose really red after a few days. First of all I thought I was putting too much on so started only applying it at night-time instead but the redness persisted. A week after stopping using it, the redness disappeared. Who knows if it was the serum or not as using the Weleda products happened to coincide with a prolonged bout of illness. Perhaps I’ll give it another go in a few months time.

 Read a previous review I did of the Weleda Pomegranate Skincare Range

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