My Mini Haul - Boots!

I went out to do the weekly food shop but couldn't resist popping into my local Boots store beforehand!

It is ideally (or maybe not!) located right next to ASDA so it was a temptation i couldn't avoid..

I haven't bought beauty/make up items for a while and thanks to Click's Reserach survery panel i had accumulated £8 in Boots vouchers- (they are brilliant and i would highly recommend joining them! Not only do they send you frequent beauty/skin products to test, they will reward you with £4 in Boots vouchers each time yuo complete the end survey!)

I also had a £2 voucher off for Venus & Olay that i had accumulated from a recent product test on behalf of SuperSavvy Me

So i couldn't wait to go in and spend my hard-earned cash!

After exploring the make-up section, i found an entire shelf dedicated to Models Own products! I was so excited as i love them and hadn't seen one in a Boots store before now!

I discovered some amazing new products and i wanted to try them all! Unfortunately, my spending budget didn't stretch that far!

I discovered the Models Own Fruit Pastel Nail Polish collection! 

There are 5 scents available and each is a corresponding colour: Apple Pie, Grape Juice, Strawberry Tart, Blueberry Muffin & Banana Split! They are sounded so yummy and i wanted to buy them all, but i thought it better to try just 1 to begin with.. (sadface!)

I also came across the Models Own Artistix Nail Beads collection too. These come in the following colours: Gold, Black, Neon Pink, Neon Green & Neon Orange.

After around 20 minutes.. i decided to go for the Apple Pie scented Fruit Pastel nail polish and also the Neon Green Artistix Nail Beads. I thought i might do a green combo when i go out on Saturday night!

After being lucky enough to test the Venus & Olay combination razor, i couldn't wait to use my coupon to buy another one! These are currently Half Price in Boots - Reduced from £11 to just £5.50! My coupon was for £2 off so i unbelievably got this razor for only £3.50!

It really is an amazing product and urge you all to try it! I have sensitive skin and was worried that it might irritate my but no sign at all, just simply smootha nd moisturised skin as promised! This even comes with a 'Love it or your money back' guarantee!

Boots also had a pretty amazing deal on Rimmel products - get a FREE Scandal-eyes Mascara with Rimmel purchases of £10 or over! I will be indulging in this deal when i go to a larger Boots store and have more time!

Whilst i was in there i also managed to use the little Advantage Card machine to check my points. To my delight i have: 368 points which i'm sure will be well spent on my next visit! I also came across an Advantage Card deals section that i hadn't before. I clicked across the 7 deals, mostly being 10% off different types of products but the last one caught my eye.

It was offering: 100 points when you buy ANY Lipstick or Mascara! (Valid until 11th June)

I promptly printed it off and think this will fit in really well with my planned Rimmel purchases!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

REVIEWS FOR THE ABOVE PRODUCTS WILL FOLLOW LATER THIS WEEK!

ASDA Blueberry Muffin flavour Milk Limited Edition Review

I was doing my weekley food shop in the local ASDA when i came across the flavoured milk drinks.

I have tried the banana and chocolate ones before and found them to be really nice in flavour. I saw a sign for a 'Limited Edition' one and at only 50p! i just ahd to get one and try one!

The thing i love about the ASDA 'Chosen by You' milk drinks is that they actually taste quite natural. The flavours are still quite intense but taste very similar to the natural produce that they're compared to. Such as; the banana milk drink actually tastes like homemade banana milkshake and Not sugary and artificial!

The messages: HIGH IN CALCIUM and BRITISH MILK are written clearly on the front of the bottle and they come in handy 330ml serving plastic bottles so they are a much more suitable size for children.

Ingredients (as listed): Semi-skimmed milk, sugar, skimmed milk powder, Stabilizers,  Concentrated Blueberry juice, Natural colours & flavourings

Although the flavours are usually very close to the natural products they represent, i was a bit optimistic about this one as i don't think i have ever tried a drink that is meant to taste like a cake before!

The colour was a gorgeous deep blue-purple which made it look very attractive and was part of the reason i picked it up in the first place!

The purple banner on the product and the tasty looking muffin and milk picture on the label also helped!

I couldn't believe it when i took the first sip - i actually felt like i was consuming a real blueberry muffin! It was quite a strange feeling at first, thinking that i could taste it without biting into something! But it was absolutely gorgeous!

I could actually taste the cakey-mixture and fresh blueberries like they were freshly baked!

I will definitely be picking a few up as they are Limited Edition!

They are available on the ASDA Groceries website for 50p each.

Grab them while you can!

Green Gables Notebook - The Gifted Penguin Review

I received an email a few weeks back from The Gifted Penguin mentioning that they were having a sale..
So naturally i clicked straight over there to take a look!

The Gifted Penguin sells a vast range of products from Jewellery, to Homeware, to Retro Sweets! They provide brilliant customer service and delivery is only £2.95! But free with orders over £50!

I came across a notebook made by the company The Green Gables which are an eco-friendly British brand and design studio of Gabrielle Treanor. She hand draws all the illustrations found on the company's products and then develops them digitally to create the gorgeous patterns and effects. They supply stationery, gifts and decorations.

The notebook was simply packaged, but still looked absolutely gorgeous! In a see-through packaging and a sticker reading 'From The Gifted Penguin'. It also had a paper banner wrapped around stating the company and the name of the product. It was simple but elegant and i loved it!

The wrapping is actually made of Compostable & Bio-degradable Plastic (corn starch) which i was really impressed with! I love anything that i can recycle and that is healthy for the nature and earth around us!

What attracted me to this notebook was the simplicitya nd uniqueness. The front of the notebook is plain white, but covered with multi-coloured hand-drawn typewriters stating all the things you could use the notebook for!

The ones listed are;

doodles,

ideas,

dreams,

lists,

musings,

thoughts,

ponderings,

plans,

sketches.

This really touched me as i could imagine how many thoughts and how much work had gone into creating this product,  as well as the passion of Gabrielle Treanor who draws everything.

It got my mind working instantly, thinking about all the things i could use it for myself. Those probably combining atleast a few of the ones listed on the outside design!

The inside were completely plain pages - the centre-fold is pictured above - which just shows how easily the book is held together. The paper has that crisp, new feel and a slight roughness that makes me know it is all naturally produced.

I absolutely LOVE this notebook and will definitely purchase more from both The Gifted Penguin and The Green Gables companies in the future!

It will be staying firmly by my side and might even appear in my other posts for noting references!

World Meningitis Day! 24th April 2013

Meningitis: Keep Watching

What is Meningitis?

Meningitis is an inflammation of the lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It is caused when germs infect the fluid which circulates around the brain and spinal cord. Septicaemia is the blood poisoning form of the disease, which can cause shock, multiple organ failure and tissue destruction.

Meningitis and septicaemia can affect anyone. However, the majority of cases occur in children under five years with those under one year most at risk1,2. 

What is World Meningitis Day?

Wednesday 24 April 2013 will mark the fifth anniversary of World Meningitis Day (WMD), a day dedicated to raising awareness of meningitis and supporting those who have been touched by the disease. 

Why get involved?

•  Bacterial meningitis and septicaemia kill more children under five than any other infectious disease in the UK , with babies most at risk .
• The leading cause of bacterial meningitis is meningococcal disease . 
•  Children aren’t protected against all forms of meningitis and parents should therefore remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms of meningitis.
• “One of the biggest myths is that children are protected against all types of meningitis through vaccination and this is, in reality, not the case”, says Dr Nelly Ninis, Consultant Paediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital London and supporter of the Meningitis: Keep Watching campaign. “Children are only protected against some types of meningitis so parents must be aware of the signs and seek urgent medical help as this disease can maim or kill within hours.”
• Anyone can catch bacterial meningitis at any time. As many as one in ten of those infected will die and up to one in five survivors will be left with after-effects including brain damage, amputations and hearing loss which may require ongoing care .

For these reasons alone it is vital that information about the very real threat of meningitis is spread to other parents.

How can You get involved?

1. ‘Meningitis: Keep Watching’ is a campaign spearheaded by Meningitis Research Foundation, Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK with support from Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited, encouraging parents to remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms of the disease. 
2. Go to the ‘Meningitis: Keep Watching’ Facebook page at www.facebook.com/meningitiskeepwatching and Like / Share the page and the tab applications including our new Pledge to Protect quiz.
3. Share the posts and case studies from the Facebook wall or get in touch to speak to someone who has experienced this disease. 
4. Visit the YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/meningitiskeepwatch where you can watch our short film and embed it into your blog for others to watch.
5. Help us to share the campaign as widely as possible using the hashtag #meningitiskeepwatching
6. Champion the work of meningitis charities in the UK, who are dedicated to supporting families affected by the disease. For further information on meningitis as well as a number of educational resources, please visit the charities’

Websites:
http://www.meningitis.org/ 
http://www.meningitisuk.org/
http://www.meningitis-trust.org/ 

Further Information

Symptoms of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia
Sudden and aggressive, meningitis and septicaemia can kill within 24 hours of symptom onset4. Symptoms can often resemble the flu, making it easily misdiagnosed in its early stages, even for experienced healthcare professionals . 

Symptoms may appear in any order and some may not appear at all. They may include some or all of the following :

• Fever
• Vomiting
• Severe headache
• Painfully stiff neck
• Sensitivity to light
• Very sleepy
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Non blanching rash (doesn’t disappear under pressure)

Key Facts

Bacterial meningitis and septicaemia
• can kill in less than 24 hours, even with treatment4
• kills up to one in ten of those infected4
• leaves up to one in five of survivors with after effects including long term disabilities, such as brain damage, amputations and hearing loss5
• is the leading cause of death from infectious disease in children under five in the UK1, with babies most at risk2

Children are currently not protected against all types of meningitis, so it’s important that parents Keep Watching for the signs and symptoms.

Downloadable Resources

Meningitis Research Foundation, Meningitis Trust and Meningitis UK have a number of resources available for parents to download, including handy symptom checkers. These can be found here:
http://www.meningitis.org/news-media/download-resources
http://www.meningitis-trust.org/meningitis-info/signs-and-symptoms/babies-and-toddlers/
http://www.meningitisuk.org/meningitis/advice/awareness-resources 

References

1 Office for National Statistics. Mortality statistics: Deaths registered in 2010 (Series DR) Office for National Statistics. Mortality statistics: Deaths registered in 2010 (Series DR) Table 5.1 Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/vsob1/mortality-statistics--deaths-registered-in-england-and-wales--series-dr-/2010/dr-tables-2010.xls Accessed April 2013.

Health Protection Agency. Epidemiological data webpage. Available at: www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/MeningococcalDisease/EpidemiologicalData/ Accessed April 2013.

Meningitis Research Foundation. UK Facts and Figures (webpage). Available at: www.meningitis.org/facts Accessed April 2013.

World Health Organization. Meningococcal meningitis. Fact sheet #141. November 2012 update. Available at: www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs141/en/ Accessed April 2013.

Rosenstein NE, et al. Meningococcal disease. N Engl J Med 2001;344:1378-88;

Meningitis UK. Bacterial meningitis. Available at: http://bitly.com/RDEqhF Accessed April 2013.

Meningitis Research Foundation. Meningitis symptoms. Available at: www.meningitis.org/symptoms Accessed Apr 2013.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=daoakjAju9o

Toy Collector's Fair - NEC, Birmingham on behalf of Groupon

After checking my ridiculous amount of daily emails.. i came across one from Groupon offering me a £5 discount on any of their current deals!

I happily quickly went to check out the Groupon website to see which deals might appeal to me.

Sonic has been wanting to go to the Toy Collector's Fair at NEC, Birmingham for quite some time now but we never seem to find the time to actually go..

Luckily, Groupon had an amazing deal on being:

2 Adult tickets for Toy Collector's Fair, NEC Birmingham for only £6!!

These are usually worth £6 each so they were already 50% off..

So teamed with my amazing £5 voucher on behalf of Groupon i hav managed to buy 2 Adult tickets for this event for only £1!

I can't wait to go now and to review the whole experience! Thankyou Groupon for this amazing deal!

Walking & Exploring.. a day in the sun

I woke up this morning to gorgeous sunshine and i just wanted to get up and get out!
So after eating a bowl of Rice Krispies and walking our gorgeous Mister Stig.. we decided to just go walking and see where we ended up!

We bought some bread and followed the canal for around half a mile, i saw some beautiful flowers i haven't seen since i was little! We also attempted to feed the ducks but they didn't seem to want any bread today! I think they're too busy trying to have little fluffy cute ducklings!

So we kept walking and eventually came to a bridge that we'd never seen before by a big water pipe.. we crossed over into what looked like a nature reserve, it had a small metal fence and a crossroads leading to the left and to the right..

We decided to go right and followed it down past a pool filled with reeds and a few ducks (which i bet is where they're having the ducklings!) and came across a gap in the fence which led into a sort-of clearing filled with arched trees.. i absolutely love nature! So i couldn't wait to start exploring..

It didn't take long to find something beautiful and amazing..

After consulting the satnav on Sonic's Iphone.. we discovered we were infact in Moorcroft Wood - in Walsall.
I could've honestly stayed there all day! It was absolutely beautiful and i couldn't believe how clear the water was.. you could honestly see right through it to the bottom!

We sat for a bit, enjoying the sunshine and the beauty of the place but then we got a bit hungry and decided to start heading back..
We also decided that next time we'll take a little picnic with us so we can stay all day!

We finished off by enjoying a nice cold pint of Guinness at The Gospel Oak on the walk home - lovely bliss for a sunny day!

Swizzells Matlow NEW Squashies range Review!

I've always loved classic sweets.. Especially the Swizzells Matlow brand! All my childhood favourites; Love Hearts, Double Lollies, refreshers and Drumstick..

AND NOW THEY'RE BACK IN A BRAND NEW WAY!

I was so excited when i receieved this amazing parcel on a gloomy, slighly overcast day.. i felt like my dreams had come true!

I was lucky enough to be sent 1 big bag and 1 small bag of each of the new Squashies range to Review.

As you do, i decided to start on the big bags as a treat! I shared them with Sonic, and also my parents as i couldn't possibly eat the all on my own!

Love Hearts Squashies

I have always loved these, so dived in for them first!

They are round in shape and obviously 'squashy'! They have white bases - the sort you find on Haribo hearts, and are brightly coloured on the top. The Love Hearts come in 5 colours; Green, Yellow, Purple, Orange and White.

They are around twice the size of orginal Love Hearts but still have the classic originality of the hearts and messages on the top! The only difference is this time the messages are the same colour as the hearts so don't stand out as much. (i just think this makes them more fun to read!)

My first one read: 'Crazy Man' and reading it almost instantly took me back to childhood memories or reading them and laughing with my friends.

They do have a distinctive flavour which is tangy and juicy and they are very enjoyable to eat and the chewiness is half the fun!


Double Lollies Squashies
I have very fond memories of these so couldn't wait to try the new version!

They are shaped in little domes and thinking about it, f you put a stick in one they would definitely have the resembellense of double lollies! Most of them are 2 combined colours, such as pink on top and orange on the bottom and also green on top with purple underneath and there are also plain white ones.
They are Squidgy in touch and are coated in sugar which gives a rough texture. They are quite chewy when you bite into the centre and the flavour really comes out! There is a strong, intense flavour that seems to emerge from the middle that definitely resembles double lollies! They have that slightly 'chalky' aftertaste too that i definitely remember!


Refreshers Squashies
My memories of these is that you always got them in party bags!

These come in the 2 classic colours of yellow and pink and in the original rectangular shape too! They are quite firm in touch and shape, they are also coated in sugar to create a rough texture. You can definitely feel this when you bite into the sweets but it doesn't feel unpeasant, and they are very juicy! The flavour spreads around your mouth easily.

The pink ones are quite mellow and sweet, whereas the yellow ones are much more tangy and strong with a hint of lemon. They defiitely remind me of refreshers and the flavours are pretty much spot on!

Drumstick Refreshers

Drumsticks were probably my favourite growing up as they were so chewy but soft at the same time!

These instantly reminded me of Drumsticks as soon as i looked at them! The colour combinations were perfect white topped with pink and also reversed, pink topped with white. They even smelt like an original Drumtick lolly and i can imagine that the flavour would be tricky to get spot on!

They are soft to touch and have a smooth texture, they have a seemingly light flavour when you first put them in your mouth, but then when you chew - a stronger, more distinctive flavour comes through which is about as perfect as you can get to the original! 

I enjoyed all of these very much and i really felt like a kid again when tastng them and tasting all those original yummy flavours! I think as a New range that they are absolutely brilliant - defiitely a lot less messy than the original too as you don't have all the extra packaging and stickiness!

I will definitely be buying these for a treat and also for trips as they  are great for the whole family!