Archive for Rants and Raves

| 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: , , , ,
| 20 December, 2012
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Steve’s Leaves & Meerkats

Steve's Leaves

I bought a bag of Steve’s Leaves in Sainsburys the other day – Pea Shoots & Baby Leaves as it happens. When I got back home I googled him and became seriously intrigued by Steve’s Leaves site and blog. I had no idea there was so much to know about watercress. I quote from his site…”Steve began his PhD in the nutritional physiology of watercress in 1980 after deciding that studying the genetics of sphagnum moss wasn’t for him”! Sounds yawny, tastes fab!

I love Dorset Cereals although they are not our ‘everyday’ cereal – I’d eat way too much as they’re so nice and a box wouldn’t last any time at all. Their porridges are good but personally I’d prefer to make my own porridge, stir in a banana whilst its cooking and sprinkle blueberries on it before serving! Yum! Dorset Cereals Cherry & Almond Granola is my all-time favourite. Register on their site. I did and am now a flipping addict of their Spin The Bottle Competition. Do you know anyone who’s ever won because I never do. Not fair!

Tweezers with Attitude from Alida are brilliant tweezers and cheap too. The Meerkat tweezers pictured are adorable and I can imagine them appearing in many a Christmas Stocking this year!

Category: Rants and Raves | Tags: , , , ,
| 10 October, 2012
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My Fave Products At The Moment

SPAtopia and Kings & Queens beauty productsThere are so many lovely body lotions out there right now that it’s really difficult to pick a favourite. But the SPAtopia Argan Oil Body Butter is so rich and creamy that it has to be one of the best on the market.

It sinks in quite quickly which I like because it’s a right pain when you apply body lotion after a shower only to find that it stays on the surface for ages. This happened to me with a Voya Body Lotion this morning! Arghhhh!

I’m also loving Kings and Queens Queen Isabella Cinammon Orange Body Milk. Again is sinks in really well when you apply it and it doesn’t leave your skin feeling all greasy. I used it after a bath last night and I could still smell that orangey scent when I woke this morning! And my legs and elbows do feel very soft.

One of the few shower gels I really will buy again happens to be the Kings and Queens one with the same cinammon orange scent as the body milk above. Like most of us ladies I wear perfume every single day but the day before yesterday when I used the Kings and Queens Shower Gel, I kept the perfume off as I smelt so nice (even though I say it myself) after I came out of the shower!

Angela Langford Balancing Act Moisturiser

I chop and change with moisturisers all the time and have very little brand loyalty. If I think something might be better than what I’m using at the moment, then I have no hesitation in buying it to try out. The Angela Langford Balancing Act Moisturiser is one such gem of a product that I happened across recently. It sinks in well, does not make my sensitive skin flare up and leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturised all day. The added bonus of it being such a natural product with no nasties should not be underestimated.

GWDIHW Nail WizardAnd if you’re looking for something to keep your cuticles soft and give your nails a bit of TLC, then you need look no further than the Gwdihw Nail Wizard which is in my handbag all the time or sitting on my lap when I sit down to watch TV. Well if I have an opportunity to condition my nails, then I want to make sure I have my fave nail product to hand!

Other Products I Love can be see here.

Category: Health and Beauty, Rants and Raves |
| 24 August, 2012
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Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser

Liz Earle Cleanse & PolishI’d heard loads about the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser and couldn’t wait to try it out.

I started using the new ‘regime’ on a Thursday and by the Saturday 2 of my 3 daughters were using it too. (Daughter Number 3 would never use something I recommended on principle :) ). I honestly don’t think I could rave enough about this fantastic product! The girls now have their own products and I know for a fact that at least one of them will probably never use any other cleansing method again!

Liz Earle’s cleansing regime is simple. Rub the cream into your face and neck, including over the eyes, then wet the cloth in hot water, wring it out and wipe the cream off your face.It takes all my make-up off (including mascara!) easily and according to the ‘blurb’ on the pack, the polishing action also lifts away ‘dead skin cells to reveal smooth, soft, radiant skin’! A kind of modern version of what my Nan used to do with her Ponds Cold Cream, I suppose, even down to the recommendation to splashing your face with cold water when you’ve finished.

Liz Earle Cleanse & PolishIf you Google ‘Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish‘, you’ll see that it’s won a zillion beaty awards. It’s got quite a strong eucalyptus scent which might not be up everyone’s street, but I find the smell quite invigorating and a refreshing change. You’re meant to use the cream with the pure muslin cloth supplied, but even though there are 2 in the pack, mine always seem to be in the wash. I sometimes improvise with a clean, hot cotton flannel  – Shhhh, Don’t tell Liz!

Category: Health and Beauty, Rants and Raves | Tags: , ,
| 16 August, 2012
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I Love……

Right now I’m loving so many things but the weather’s definitely not one of them!

AustraliaAustralian Bush Flower Essences Replenishing Night Creamn Bush Flower Essences Replenishing Night Cream might be a right old mouthful to say but it’s worth saying it and it’s well worth buying it. It packs a powerful punch of moisture into your skin overnight but it doesn’t make your skin feel all greasy and congested. It’s my new fave night cream at the moment.Barefoot Botanicals Rosa Fina Hand Cream

And the hand cream I’m using at the moment is Barefoot Botanicals Rosa Fina Anti-Ageing Hand Cream . It smells lovely and is a really nice creamy texture. You need to rub it in for quite a while but I tend to use that time to push back my cuticles anyway and massage the cream into my nails to nourish them. I’m not sure if it’s the Best Hand Cream I’ve evr used like my fave Akin Hand The Midwife of VeniceCream but it comes a pretty close second.

I’m reading and enjoying The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich right now. It’s an easy read – a beach book I suppose – although I haven’t been on a beach reading it, just stuck here at home in a very wet Cardiff. It’s been interesting reading about labour and birth in the 1500s The whole thing was perceived so differently then. The midwife of the title even has to hide her ‘birthing spoons’ (a kind of forceps which she has made) because they could be seen as the tools of witchcraft! Only a couple of chapters left now……

The Thumbs Up ? Not Rated
Editor’s Rating
Value Not Rated
Quality Not Rated
Ambience Not Rated
Staff Not Rated
Facilities Not Rated
The WOW! Factor Not Rated

Category: Books, Health and Beauty, Rants and Raves | Tags: , , , ,
| 28 June, 2012
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Alfa Romeo Giulietta

I think we’ve kind of decided which car to buy. It’s not a yellow one, as anyone who knows me might have thought, but hey when it’s a joint car there’s got to be some compromise involved. So here’s the big question….

Alfa-Romeo-Giulietta-Red

Red or Black?

Alfa_romeo_giulietta_black

And in case you’re not into cars, it’s an Alfa Romeo Giulietta. To be honest I’d never heard of them even till last week. But after months of arguing over discussing which car to buy, at last we seem to be on the home strait………. Will keep you posted and let you know which colour we end up with!

(Luke at Lookers in Cardiff is being very patient with us while we make our mind up!)

Category: Rants and Raves | Tags: , , , , ,
| 27 April, 2012
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Tula Bags

Tula Originals Nappa Medium Across Body HandbagI’m not usually a Bag Lady (so to speak) but I saw a really cute bag in John Lewis today and I suddenly ‘got’ the whole women & their handbags thing.

My own collection of bags seems paltry compared to all the other women I know but that might well change.

To be honest I’d never heard of Tula Bags until today although I am familiar with their big sister Radley. Tula bags look to be of a similar high quality so will last for aeons but at the same time they are not so expensive that you need to work overtime for 3 months to cover the cost! In fact you can get a Tula from as little as £39 – pretty reasonable hey?

Pink Ostrich TulaI got back home after my morning in town and had a quick nosey at the various Tulas I could find online and there are absolutely loads of them – all different styles to suit most tastes and ages. There are plenty of on-trend, block, bright colours like the emerald green and the fuchsia berry ones here and as ever buying a bag in one of these shades will update your wardrobe in an instance!

tan-Tula-duffelBut if classic neutral’s more your bag, then there are lots of Tula bags in varying shades of cream/beige/taupe/tan etc. too. I really like this Duffle Bag on the right – not a bit like the one I had to go on school trips in primary school fortunately!

And do you know what in this Jubilee-Olympics year, it’s flipping good to see that classic British craftsmanship is still alive & kicking!

 

Category: Rants and Raves, Shopping and About Town | Tags: , , ,
| 21 April, 2012
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Aldi Carino Provive Hairspray

Aldi Carino Provive HairsprayMost of you have heard me rave about Aldi chocolate in previous blogs and so it will come as no surprise to you, to hear me shout from the rooftops, how brilliant Aldi Carino Provive Hairspray is!

I’ve just bought my second lot of it and I still can’t quite believe how good it is. It’s the only hairspray I’ve ever bought which is as good as the Elnett one. Thing is though it’s only 79p for a whopping great 400ml so is way, way cheaper. In fact I’ve got to be honest, I thought they’d mis-priced it when I first saw it in Aldi!

I buy the green can which is a Natural Hold and it’s also ‘flexible’ so doesn’t make your hair all stiff & tacky. I used to buy the Elnett hairspray in the white can but at £5.99 a shot it’s significantly more than the Aldi Carino Provive Hairspray. I might carry on buying the mini Elnett for nights away etc., as it’s a useful size but otherwise Aldi will have me as a hairspray-buying convert forever.

Category: Health and Beauty, Rants and Raves | Tags: , , , ,
| 12 April, 2012
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Travelex Cash Passport – Avoid Avoid

When is a travel card not a travel card?  When it’s a Travelex Cash Passport!

Avoid Travelex Cash Passport

Warning! - Avoid Travelex Cash Passport like the plague!

Why would ANYONE choose to use a Pre-Load Travel Card?  Come on, think about it!  If you were about to go off travelling around the world to far-flung and exotic locations, where beautiful scenery, breathtaking, heartstopping experiences and lifelong memories are there for the taking, you’d want a system whereby you could minimise your charges, have the best flexibility, and have easy and secure online re-loads.  What more could any seasoned traveller want!

Being the ever-sceptical and thorough individuals we are, we spent literally WEEKS looking for what would be the best solution for a daughter who was about to go off on a gap-year voyage to include several countries including USA, New Zealand and the Far-East.

Everything started well: cards arrived, were activated and loaded with a few hundred pounds worth of funds.  Tearful goodbyes at the departure gate heralded a brave new world for a 19 year-old daughter.

All went swimmingly, USA under her belt, she moved on to NZ and was having a whale of a time until it was discovered that all of a sudden no more money could be loaded onto her card.  Wonder why that was.  A few phone conversations with Travelex informed us that there is apparently a limit that can be loaded onto their card online.  A limit of a measly £1500!!!  Thereafter the card is blocked from any further reloads for a period of 60 days, by which time she was supposed to be back home, tucked up in bed.

Now between you, me and the grapevine, £1500 doesn’t get you much when you’re in the business of travelling around the world, seeking all those experiences you’re not going to have once your nose goes against that grindstone of University and Career.  So there she was, in some one-horse town in southern New Zealand with an empty card and no means of re-loading it.

For heaven’s sake, I can’t believe it even now as I type! A ‘Cash Passport’, marketed to the public as the perfect solution to using a card while travelling abroad, that has a re-load limit online of £1500.  Unbelievable!

The purpose of this blog is to warn anyone who is thinking of getting a Travelex Cash Passport travel card for a once-in-a-lifetime trip….. DON’T.  You will be left stranded in the middle of your trip with no option to re-load funds online.  The customer service staff at Travelex kept insisting that ‘It’s in the Terms and Conditions’, but when pressed, were unable to locate it themselves and we were certainly unable to find anything that informed us of such a limit on reloads.

DON’T DO IT!  Look for an alternative card and tell all your friends not to use it.  It’ll leave you stranded halfway through your trip with an empty account and no way to re-fill it.  Think instead about something like the FairFX or CaxtonFX cards instead.

Category: Rants and Raves, Travel, Holidays and Hotels | Tags: , , ,
| 13 February, 2012
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Valentine’s Day Love Hearts

Love Hearts TinAt a risk of sounding a bit Bah Humbug, I am one of those people who think Valentine’s Day is all a bit of an over-hyped ‘thing’ in the calendar.

When you’re in a relationship, it’s nice to have special days and February 14th is as good a day as any I suppose. But what annoys me is the way restaurants and hotels put their prices up and every Tom, Dick & Sally jumps on the Hearts & Roses Bandwagon.

I am a ‘romantic’ and I do like to make sure we do ‘something special’ around Valentine’s Day but I kind of just treat Feb 14th as a reminder date to make an effort to do something fun/nice or eat/drink something fun/nice etc. Doesn’t have to actually be on ‘the day’. Got to say I love these Love Hearts in this cute retro tin. Fun & not too expensive.

You can have a lovely Romantic Day & show your other half you love him/her without buying hugely-expensive cards and without buying anything with the word Valentine on it. It’s cheaper & actually shows you’ve made more of an effort to be original. We’re going away on Friday for the weekend – just us, a bottle of bubbly and a hot tub at The Sherwood Hideaway – can’t wait!

Happy February 14th Everyone and Yes Nigel I DO Love You, massively (even though you get right up my nose sometimes….). mwah, mwah… xxxxxx

Category: Rants and Raves | Tags: , , ,
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