Feather & Down 'Sleep Sets' Christmas Gifts Sample Reviews

 

I really wasn't sure how I was going to write this review, I desperately wanted to test the products as I've not been sleeping. You may have read from the other reviews that my darling dad was taken ill 10 days ago. Sadly he passed away Thursday 4th November and I am devastated. Every journey is personal and I've found that my tears come and go during the day however, they are always there at night. It's the time when I stop rushing around and I just can't sleep, when I wake up the first thing I do is think of my dad. I'm surviving on chocolate and caffeine, which obviously makes it a lot worse.

Anyway, when I had my weekly page in the press I wrote a feature on 'How to get a good night's sleep'. Here's some snippets if you are suffering as there is much that you can do to help, and many of these tips I did take away and have used myself.

• Make sure your bedroom is just for sleeping. Remove tv's, any blue light, LED clocks and computers. Try and put your phone to sleep mode at least 2 hours before, this will turn off the blue light on the phone.
• Get the best quality mattress you can afford. We spend a huge proportion of our life sleeping so it makes sense to invest in one that gives you most comfort.
• Make sure your room is not too hot or cold. An ideal temperature is 16-18 degrees centigrade.
• If, like me, you suffer with restless legs try a magnesium salt bath before bed. Magnesium is known to aid restless legs. Another good investment is a weighted blanket, the heaviness is ideal for those who have autism and for those who suffer with restless legs and cramp.
• Nicotine is a stimulant - if you can't give it up, then try not to smoke near bedtime.
• Make sure your room is free from clutter, invest in some relaxing candles but don't fall asleep burning them!
• If you have a lot on your mind, keep a notebook by the side of your bed. Sometimes writing down your thoughts and 'putting them away' can help you get some shut eye. 
• Exercise is vital for a good night's sleep. However, try not to exert yourself before bed. Keep active during the day and try yoga or a gentle walk before it gets dark.
• As with exercise, nutrition plays a huge part in getting a good nights sleep. Avoid high fat foods, caffeine, protein shakes and supplements (many contain caffeine) and alcohol.
• Contrary to what we've been told, dairy products can help sleep as cheese, milk and yoghurt help the brain to use tryptophan to produce more melatonin.
• Fish such as tuna, salmon and halibut contain vitamin B6, which is vital in production of serotonin and melatonin, both of which are needed for optimum sleep.

There are several products on the market that can help with sleep such as:-

Feather & Down Sweet Dreams Pillow Spray 200ml & Eye Mask Duo £12 exclusive to Boots

This beautifully presented set comes in a 'Christmas cracker' box, making it an ideal stocking filler or present for the tree (no need to wrap)! Containing a Pillow Spray 200ml and a deep, blue, satin eye mask, it's the perfect duo for a good night's sleep. Lavender has long been known to aid in deep restful sleep, and one spritz of this on your pillow is enough to scent the sheets without being over-whelming. The spray also contains relaxing chamomile, again known for it's restful qualities. The mask is cooling and instantly de-stresses and is the perfect accompaniment for travelling. Whilst not marketed for, the spray can also be used to help anxiety, simply spritz onto a cotton cloth and take a few deep breaths, ideal before exams, driving test and anywhere where you feel stressed. 

Feather & Down Sweet Dreams Ultimate Sleep Set £15 www.feather&down.com and www.creightons.com

This wonderful set also contains all you need for a perfect night's sleep. It's a calming ritual in a box and contains Sweet Dreams Soap Bar 150g, Pillow Spray 100ml, Body Lotion 100ml and Melting Shower Cream 75ml. Starting with the Melting Shower Cream, massage into the skin under a warm shower and take a few deep breaths, as this will instantly release shoulder and neck tension. Follow with a massage of the Body Lotion paying attention to the feet to relax and nourish tired tootsies. The gift set is ideal for nurses, teachers, new mums, mums to be, tired dads just about anyone! The soap contains Brassica Napus Seed Oil, commonly known as Rapeseed oil that is an ideal emollient for dry skin. It also contains Camelina Sativa Seed Oil, an oil that contains vitamin E and omega oils so ideal for nourishing dry skin.

The brand has amazing reviews and I agree with the 83% who said it gave a better night sleep. Whilst I desperately need these sets, there is someone who needs it more and that's my darling mother. 

Eylure London Pro Magnetic Faux Mink Lashes Sample Review

 

A little while back I wrote a review on Eylure lashes as I've never worn them before and wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I do understand now just why it's such a huge successful market to be in, as not only do they save time, they don't fall off - at all.

Anyway I was very intrigued to test the Eylure Pro Magnetic lashes, I have wanted to for a while and so was delighted when Eylure sent me some samples. Now I was going to write this review up as part of 'beauty glamour' over Christmas however, I have a very impatient 18 year old daughter aka HRH, whom is simply the 'false lash queen'. She lives, breathes, sleeps, gyms and rarely takes her lashes off. Unfortunately like myself, she is allergic to the glue in most semi-permanent lashes and so, like myself, if wants to wear them, she has to wear every day, regular false lashes. So as you can imagine when she saw what I was reviewing, she was bugging me every few seconds as to whether I'd reviewed them. 

Well she can wait - after all patience lends to wisdom etc!  Now before I begin this review let me tell you that I am very long sighted, wasn't wearing glasses and didn't have my magnifying mirror on me. HRH took the before photo and wanted to apply the magnetic liner however, I firmly told her she wasn't going anywhere near my eyes (not going by her track record of spilling coffee)! So as you can see from the photo before, I have very sparse lashes and very short lashes. I chose to test the 'Faux Minx Accent' as they were the lightest ones sent to me (and I need break myself in gently). 

         

It was super easy to apply the magnetic liner to my eyes. HRH butted in and told me that it's better for me to apply the liner under the lash, but I wanted to do it 'the correct way, not necessarily her way'. One quick flick lined my eyes and then I simply waited a few seconds and the lashes just stuck to my lids. Now I obviously didn't apply 3 coats of the liner as per the instructions on the box, as that would be too simple for me (and my daughter doesn't get her impatience from the trees). However, I have to say that I have been testing these all day and they haven't budged! Amazingly, they've lasted a dog walk, clearing up some leaves outside and the steam from the kettle about 7 times. So I'm guessing had I applied them with the 3 coats of liner, they would be lasting me through my gym session as well!

Simply apply 3 layers of magnetic glue, allowing each coat to dry in between (approx 20 seconds).

This is just one coat.......

Voila - amazing natural lashes that last all day!

Absolutely fantastic value for money as whilst £20 you get 15 wears from them, making them around £1.30 per wear! To remove simply gently peel off and I used eye makeup remover to remove the magnetic liner! 

I'm excited to test the rest of the range (some designs shown in main photo) - as you can see I'm not the best at applying lashes but these are an absolute doddle to apply. You can check out the range at www.eylure.com and to see video applications from 'professionals'. To purchase I would suggest going to www.boots.com as they do have offers on, especially through Christmas. 

Joe & Seph's Gourmet Popcorn Sample Review

 

After a very stressful day of visiting my dad in hospital and then taking my eldest to have her booster jab (she's needle phobic), I've just got home, chucked their dinner on and flaked out on the bed. I'm too tired to eat and to be honest don't really feel up to eating as feeling rather sad about my dad. I've made myself a cuppa and as I'm an emotional eater, I'm craving something sweet. As I'm trying (not very well), to lose a few pounds I don't have chocolate in the house however, I've just remembered that I have a boxful of Joe & Seph's popcorn to review. I'm not often in a 'popcorn' mood as I associate it with the cinema and I wasn't sure if it would hit the 'spot'. Ha the joke is on me - how wrong was I!!!

OMG if you've never tried their popcorn then you are definitely missing out. I was expecting the kind of popcorn you may buy in the supermarket, you know the large bags of mixed sweet and salty (not mentioning any names), the kind that's artificial and where one can lose the odd filling. This is absolutely nothing like that. It is simply melt in the mouth balls of the softest corn that I'm ashamed to say is so moreish I've nearly finished a whole bag writing these 2 paragraphs. 

The kids both want to try some however, I'm afraid there won't be any left by the time I've finished this review. Certainly not of the Toffee Apple & Cinnamon! The combination is absolutely spot on, it has just the right amount of caramel without being sickly sweet and finishes in the mouth with a small burst of cinnamon. 

The company is the brain child of Joe, whom together with the help of his wife and 2 sons started experimenting with recipes in 2010. There are now over 50 flavours to choose from and I can tell you with combinations such as Milk Chocolate Popcorn Bites, Gin & Tonic Popcorn (I have to buy this), Marmite (oooh I'm going to love that one), Cheese on Toast and many more, you're spoilt for choice!

Whilst I am not going to test every single flavour right now (I was lucky enough to be sent a few to test), I can tell you that they won't last long in my household. Something for everyone whether you like savoury or sweet! Containing no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives and for the coeliac in us they're gluten free! Each bag is 80g and each bag is filled to the top (again unlike other brands that often seem just half full).

Once again I've found an alternative to the Christmas stocking chocolate orange. In fact as soon as I've uploaded this, I'm going to place these upstairs in my little present shack for my kids and for my friends (who are all huge foodies and I know they're going to love these). On the back of each packet it states 'If you don't love this popcorn......I'll eat my hats!

You can buy Joe & Sephs Popcorn online at joeandsephs.co.uk. Each standard bag is £4 and here's the thing - I wasn't even sent this popcorn to review, I've just seen the note in the box and it was sent it as a gift due to a last minute cancellation for a press day! However, it's so good I simply can't not recommend it! Oh and if you want other reviews check out the 2034 five star ratings on their website. 

The Body Shop Christmas Sets Sample Reviews

 

It's Friday night and the dog is sitting next to me in my study pawing me for attention, there's a pumpkin outside ready to be carved and my daughter has just yelled out 'I love you' as she's off to work until 1am at a cocktail bar near us. I have a mountain of washing to do, the dishwasher to empty and as usually 'broken record' I'm shattered. However, I can't focus on Netflix and Maltesers, in fact I can't relax at all, as a small pile on my desk are some of The Body Shop's Christmas sets and quite honestly I can't think about anything else. My darling dad is very unwell in hospital and so whilst I'm tired, I need this focus and so I'm going to immerse myself into a fantasy of sweety, fruity, citrusy, scrummy, yummy, 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' bubble filled with pampering products, courtesy of The Body Shop. 

What I love about The Body Shop, and yes I know I do rave about them, is that there is something for everyone and something suitable to everyone's budget. I love the fact the gifts can be given split into separate gifts, great if you're on a tight budget. I also love the fact that my 13 year old son will easily nick my 18 year old daughter's mango flavoured lip balm. Anyway enough babbling here's my round up of some of their best treats this year.

Slather & Glow Face Mask Gift Set £18

This is the perfect set for anyone who loves a face mask! Containing 3 of their best selling exfoliating masks in a decent 15ml pot (each one will give you at least 2 uses) are:-

Himilayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask - contains Moroccan Lava Clay, known for having detoxifying and soothing properties.

Nicaraguan Coffee Intense Awakening Mask - contains Euglena Gracilis Extract, a single organism (alga) found in stagnant ponds and whilst, yes this sounds gross, it's actually full of minerals and vitamins that help firm the skin. 

Chinese Ginseng & Rice Polishing Mask - contains Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil, aka Sesame seeds known to be used for their good source of Vitamin B and for helping reduce inflammation.

Also included is the cutest Christmas tree fabric headband to keep pesky hairs from sticking into the masks and make rinsing easier. This is the perfect set for anyone who has over-indulged, burning the candle at both ends or is simply shattered and needs to get some radiance to their face.  

Fizz & Festivity Bath Bomb Gift £10

I think this is my favourite of all the gifts as I love the element of surprise. One quick tug of the string and the star shaped box opens up to reveal an abundance of individually wrapped bath bombs, with a 'Ramie Bath Lily' body puff included. The surprise doesn't stop there though, as each bath bomb (Moringa Bath Bubble x 2, Pink Grapefruit Bath Bubble x 2, Coconut Bath Bubble x 2), explodes and fizzes under the warm tap, filling the bath with coloured water and smelling like a tropical paradise. The set is ideal for everyone from ages of 5 to 85 and will be sure to bring a smile to the recipients face!

Love & Plums Essential Gift £22

Packaged into this gorgeous, festive, 100% natural jute (hessian) style make up bag that needs no wrapping up under the Christmas tree are 4 fruity body products which, will make you want to jump straight into the shower and leave you smelling good enough to serve up as the cranberry condiment next to the turkey! In this set is:-

Love & Plums Shower Gel 250ml - revitalising and awakening, this shower gel contains Prunus Domestica Fruit Extract, a light yellow oil that helps improve the skins barrier function. As it is light, it's excellent for sensitive skin. 

Love & Plums Body Yoghurt 250ml - giving 48hour hydration, this contains Sweet Almond Seed Extract that helps give radiance to the skin as well as keeping it soft. 

Love & Plums Body Butter 50ml - for a whopping 96 hour hydration, a little goes a long way thanks to rich and nourishing Shea Butter.

Love & Plums Hand Cream 50 ml - containing all 3 of the above ingredients as well as Soybean Oil and Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Babussu oil - nut oil), this not only keeps hands soft but nourishes dry nails and cuticles. 

Create Your Own Christmas Pouch from £4

These fun and festive Christmas pouches are made from 100% jute, a natural fibre that is extracted from the bark of the white jute plant. It is typically grown in West Bengal and once spun gives a hardy thread with a golden shine and hence is called the Golden Fibre. I love these bags as they're multi-purpose and can be filled with Body Shop products to tailor make a gift, and also reused year after year. I also love the fact as above that they take the time out of gift wrapping as will sit perfectly under the tree! 

Gifts & Goodies Tote Bag £7

Taken centre stage of the photo is the 100% cotton Gifts & Goodies Tote Bag. The perfect bag to take with you on your shopping trips, strong and roomy to fill up with your Body Shop goodies, hold your market goods or simply to keep folded up in your day bag. It's an ideal gift for anyone and the seasonal print will ensure it's used year after year! I tested it out at the gym and it held my spin shoes, towel, water bottle, purse and my skipping rope! 

Lovely & Clean Lemon Hand care Gift Set £20

Don't be caught out by surprise if someone gifts you and you haven't anything to gift them back. Take out the embarrassment when a friend drops by with a gift, and keep one of these sets handy (pun intended) in your cupboard. It really is the ideal gift for anyone! Containing full sizes of Lemon Purifying Hand Wash 250ml, Lemon Protecting Hand & Body Lotion 200ml and Lemon Cleansing Anti-Bacterial Hand Sanitiser 100ml. It's scent as you can imagine is uplifting and clarifying, and smells like freshly squeezed lemons. Personally I couldn't part with such a gift and it's now sitting in my downstairs toilet. Not only that but when using the lemon hand-wash it makes the toilet smell zingy and fresh! It's purifying, cleansing, anti-bacterial and with ingredients such as Citrus Limon Peel Oil, it brings the senses alive. I'm not the only one to love this gift - check out the 5 star reviews on their website! 

Creamy & Christmassy Body Butter Trio £15

Say what you will but there is no-one, really no-one that does Body Butters like The Body Shop. The Body Shop invented Body Butters and try as I may, I have never found a formula that has beaten theirs for instant and long-lasting hydrating. 

This gift is the perfect gift to introduce someone to their Body Butters. It contains 3 tins of whipped, creamy butter in 50ml sizes. Fragrances include sensual and floral Joy & Jasmine, fruity Love & Plums and gentle Kindness & Pears. Each unique and each divine in scent, not over-powering just deliciously light (I know I'm sounding a bit 'Nigella' here, but I really can't stress enough how beautiful these are). Personally I'm not going to gift these as one gift, I will split them up and give one each to my dear friends. As for the texture - well the butters are based around Community Fair Trade Shea Butter from Ghana. A little from their website:-

'Shea Butter has been used for generations to help Ghanaian women protect their skin from the dry Saharan winds. Its rich texture and high fat content makes it intensely moisturising, which is good for the skin and good for the community.  Every 200ml tub of Shea Body Butter is packed with the butter of 36 shea nuts'.

An ideal gift for anyone, especially those who love to swim, exercise outdoors, be outside or are stuck indoors with air conditioning or heating. Used all year round these are probably my favourite type of product from The Body Shop.

Soothe & Smooth Almond Milk and Honey Essentials Gift £22

If you know someone who suffers from dry and sensitive skin then this is the gift set for them. Containing a coffret of 250ml Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Caring Shower Cream; 200ml Almond Milk Body Yoghurt; 30 ml Almond Milk Honey Calming & Protecting Hand Cream and 100g Almond Milk & Honey Soothing & Caring Cleansing Bar.

Firstly I can guarantee you that if you get the hand cream out and apply it in public - Lakeside Shopping Centre, New Look as I did, you will have someone turn around and say to you 'oooh what's that it smells absolutely gorgeous'. Secondly, you will send them on a mission to find said product then realise that the Lakeside branch is actually closed for refurbishment - still I did point the lady to the website too!

The almond and honey scent is utterly nurturing, it's like smelling a new born baby and it's gentle sweet fragrance is instantly shoulder dropping. Ideal before bedtime, this really is like having a bath in Horlicks, it's creaminess is simply divine. 

I would say this is the ideal gift for a new mother, teacher, NHS worker anyone who needs some TLC. As a single mum of special needs kids, who's dad is in hospital, who's mum needs caring for and a dog, this is the gift set that I'm keeping for my stocking (yes, I really do gift myself each year). 

Ingredients include as you would expect Almond Milk (from Spain), an ingredient that instantly nourishes and soothes dry skin; Helianthus Annuus Seed oil (Sunflower Seed Oil), that naturally calms inflammed skin; Butyrospermum Parkii Butter aka Shea Butter, hydrating and moisturising and Glycine Soja Oil, an oil that is known for containing essential fatty acids and is anti-inflammatory.

Feels & Festivity Hand Cream Trio £15

Finally, I will finish the Christmas review with a selection of their hand creams. Containing 3 of their Christmas fragrances in Kindness & Pears, Love & Plums and Joy & Jasmine. For £15 once again I would suggest breaking this gift into 3 and gift as the perfect Secret Santa present. Each hand cream contains Shea Butter to intensely moisturise dry, chapped hands and flaky nail beds. With all the anti-bacterial gel we shall be consuming over winter, I think everyone should have one of these to hand (there goes that pun again). Merry shopping! 

Check out more of The Body Shops Cruelty Free and Vegan gifts at www.thebodyshop.com

Dove Foaming Bath Soak Renewing Care Sample Review

 

I'm feeling pretty down at the moment, yesterday my dad was rushed into hospital from his care home with aspiration pneumonia - something I'd not heard of but now know a lot about. Having spent the evening holding his hand and telling how much I love him, I came home feeling utterly drained. The reason why I am writing about this, is that later I shall be taking my mother to the hospital and then pending on how dad is, I'm going to make sure my son is ok on his Xbox and run a warm bath. It almost feels wrong typing about my dad in such manner as a blog, but if you know my style of writing from the  press days, you'll know I find it incredibly cathartic and that I write as I speak.

So whilst I told my 'Dove' PR yesterday, that the review wouldn't be going out until after I had finished Christmas gifts, I do want to use it for my bath tonight. Dove is a brand that I have and will always use. It's the one brand that evokes memories of my youth, when I wanted comfort after a stressful day at work. Back then I used the original Dove and to this day I still love the nurturing sense it gives.

I was sent the Dove Foaming Bath Soak in Peony & Rose Scent £5.99. Often people presume that because these larger brands are stocked in supermarkets, chemists etc that they skimp on quality. Not so - whilst this foaming bath does produce lots of foamy bubbles, it contains no nasty drying sulfates. Not only is it 100% made with plant based cleansers, it's also cruelty free. 

Ingredients include:-

Sodium Coco Sulfate - made from the fatty acids of coconut oil and responsible for creating that creamy lather. 

Cichorium Intybus Root Extract - Chicory, used in skincare to improve skin barrier function, helping it protect against pollution and sun damage.

Geranoil - this is where the fragrance comes from, an oil derived from plants such as rose and geranium.

As you can see from the tiny amount I put into the sink for the photo, it does produce a decent amount of foam and, if you're like me, a bubble bath is frustrating without the bubbles! For under a tenner, I was surprised just how good and how far along Dove have come. I shall look forward to testing more of their range, and whilst I wasn't going to mention Christmas in this review, I have to say it's a welcoming stocking gift for anyone in need of some old-fashioned pampering. You can purchase Dove from Boots instore or here at www.boots.com