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Tuesday 30 August 2016

Vegan Tuck Box

So after a couple of months of eyeing up this subscription box, this was the month that I decided to give it a go and make the purchase.  Although it did take a little longer than I had hoped to arrive in the post, when it did finally get here it made me really excited to find all of the goodies inside!

Tyrell's Sweet Chilli & Red Pepper Crisps 
These are AMAZING!  They taste just like the Sweet Chilli Sensations, but these are gluten free!  My only problem is that the bag was half full, not cool when you open up a bag of half air.  Despite this, I'll definitely buy these again because they are super good and make a change from my normal ready salted.  
Body Me Organic Protein Bar
First of all, I want to say that I love, love, love the packaging of all things – it’s super cute, looks pretty and states all the facts about the snack very clearly on the front, which I really like!  I had actually come across this brand on Twitter about a week before I received my vegan snack box, so was quite excited to get to try this one out!  I also love chocolate orange too, so that was an added bonus too.  I’m not really one for protein bars though, however as this one is organic and packed with plant protein, I decided it would make a good snack for when I’m feeling hungry but trying to be good.  The protein bar itself was really nice, not too overpowering with chocolate orange but just enough flavour to keep you going back for more!  It was a really weird texture, but again one that I actually quite enjoyed.  It almost feels powdery in your mouth as you’re chewing which might be a little off putting to some but I really liked it.  It was also a funky shape too, kind of shaped like an oval which make it easy to eat from the packet!  I really liked this one, and would pick up again for sure if I ever decide to quick myself into gear and get back into the gym life!
Loving Earth Chocolate
I was really excited to receive such a large bar of chocolate, as it’s been a while since I had a decent piece of choccy!  It was only after that I had started tucking into this that I realised that it was made from cashew nuts – however it is really, really nice!  I’ve not indulged in this in the one sitting, instead I’ve been enjoying this square by square – which obviously means that it has lasted me a lot longer – as well as allowing me to actually enjoy the flavours!  The chocolate melts in your mouth slowly in your mouth, and doesn’t leave a bitter or unpleasant taste afterwards either.  I would love to be able to purchase this again, however there are no stockists within a 50km radius that I know of yet!
Chocolate and Coconut Flapjacks
My mum had actually received these in one of her The Vegan Kind boxes that myself and my boyfriend had purchased for her for her birthday.  She offered me one a few times to try when she had them, but I politely declined seeing as these were her treats!  It made me super happy when they arrived in my Vegan Tuck Box, as they’re gluten free too and I could finally try them.  They reminded me of the breakfast bars that I used to eat when I was little at primary school, they’re very nice but also a little sickly.  I couldn’t sit and eat them one after the other for sure – and they’re pretty small bars so that’s saying something!  They make a lovely wee treat with a lovely cuppa – day or night.
I loved having the chance to try out a lot of different bits and bobs that I probably wouldn't have picked up if I saw them in the shop.  Although this definitely won't be something that I purchase myself every month, it will be one of my go to treats in the future.

What's your favourite subscription box right now?

Until the next one,

Friday 26 August 2016

Taylors of Harrogate Tea

After seeing an advert on Facebook a few weeks back which was offering free samples of Taylors fruit teas, I decided to chance my luck and fill out the form.  I love a good fruit tea, and the ones that the Taylors website had shown looked awesome.  To my surprise, I received the cutest little package from them just a week and a bit later.  Inside contained a sample of the Sour Cherry tea, Green Tea with Sweet Mint and Sweet Rhubarb. 
I tried out the sweet rhubarb first with a tea spoon of agave nectar.  I know that fruit teas should be sweet enough already, but to me they taste just ever so slightly bitter.  I always add a little just because that’s the way I like it.  I enjoyed this cuppa right before bed – and found it very nice!  Although ever so slightly bitter as you take a sip, it soon turns sweet and tasty – and unlike some teas it doesn’t turn really bitter as you make your way down the mug. 
The sour cherry tea was by far the one I was most keen to try, so you can imagine my excitement when I found one in my little package!  My excitement was not let down either, this was by far my favourite tea of them all.  It tasted just like real black cherries, and turned ever so slightly sour as you sipped, which was a really nice and different twist to the tea!  I will definitely purchase a box of sour cherry again when I can source a local supplier – it makes the perfect alternative to my normal night time cuppa, it was super tasty and a real good price at £3 a box!
Last but not least I tried out my Green Tea and Sweet Mint tea bag, which I wasn’t really sure that I would enjoy as green tea is not really my thing.  This one however was actually really nice (with a little sugar I should add) and actually left me feeling really refreshed!  The sweet mint really helped to get over the normally bitter taste I find with green tea, so much so that I would actually serisouly consider purchasing this over peppermint tea in the future! 

My favourite thing about these teas is the colours, I don’t know if it’s done deliberately or not – but the packaging is the exact colour of each tea as it is brewed!  They were all super pretty colours too, which made the whole thing even better in my eyes.

Have you tried out any of the Taylors tea range?  What’s your favourite?


Until the next one,

Tuesday 23 August 2016

Bakedin Gluten Free Brownie Mug

At the end of July I came across a fab brand called Bakedin – they create the perfect mixes for all sorts of baked goodies and send them out to you in the post for you to make at home.  I added them to my August lust list after discovering that they had gluten free mixes that can easily adapted to be made dairy free too.  I was just about to place my order on their website, when I received my Vegan Tuck Box (post to come soon) which featured one of these brownie mug mixes!  As you can imagine I was pretty excited, so I decided to leave my actual order until I had tried this one out.
Now mug mixes are easy, they don’t take much time or effort and they usually turn out pretty good.  Bakedin mug cakes are AMAZING – they take legit two minutes in total to put together and cook, and they taste FANTASTIC!  It really is so super easy, you simply melt the butter for 10 seconds, throw in the powdered mix and the splash of milk (I used plant based alternatives for both) mix together and put it in the microwave for one minute.  That’s it!  Leave to cool for a few minutes and tada – you’ve got yourself a pretty damn good dessert ready to tuck in to.
No big messes needed with Bakediin like one!
The mix turns into a delicious sponge – it’s so good that you couldn’t even tell that it was diary or gluten free.  There are no clumpy bits throughout like there normally tends to be in your regular mug cakes – just tasty spongey goodness.  The mix creates the perfect sized cake, just enough to satisfy your sweet tooth but not enough to make you feel sick afterwards or feel the need to leave any.  Every mouthful is as yum as the last one, and you find little chocolate chunks throughout the sponge which adds to the indulgence of the cake.  It’s honestly so good that it’s hard to believe that this was a quick mix fix.
I am absolutely delighted that I got to try this in my Vegan Tuck box this month, I am so in love with the gluten free brownie mug cake – and can’t wait till pay day to place my order for a pack!   I think I’m going to treat myself to one of the gluten free brownie mixes too, just because I’ve got the feeling that it’s going to be equally as good.

Have you tried out any of the Bakedin mug cakes yet?

Until the next one,



Friday 19 August 2016

You Beauty Box

After my lust list post, I went ahead and placed an order for this months You Beauty Box - the samples looked amazing and I just really fancied splurging a little bit.  I signed up for the gold membership which allows you to pick 4 products you would like to try for just £10.95 and free delivery - which is a pretty good price if you ask me!  Alongside my picks, I also recived a sample satchet of a serum, a travel sized toothpaste, a £5 off voucher for a boutique in London and a save £20 when you spend £60 or more on another online website - not bad for under £11!  Here's what I went for this month - which was actually a pretty hard decision to make as there were lots of good samples to choose from!
Nuug Revitalizing Facemask
This cute little pocket sized facemask is something that I’ve been dying to try for a while – but didn’t fancy paying a bomb for online!  I had heard so many good things about the Nuug range, they’ve got something for every skin type and have now also created a mask for dry lips (which I really need to try now!)  My box contained The Revitalizing mask – flaxseed and peppermint oil working together to revitalize and plump dill, tired skin for a radiant look.  I applied the gel like mask to my face, and as I spread it evenly it began to create a really tingly and fresh feeling all over, which I adored because I love to feel that the mask is actually doing something.   The little pot suggests wearing for 5-10 minutes for the best results, however I kept mine on for about 25 minutes.  I was having a chill morning midweek, and felt that my skin really need a little extra tlc.  This mask really didn’t disappoint, it left my skin feeling so smooth and clean, and even better the tingly sensation continued even after I washed away the gel!  I would definitely recommend washing off in the shower though, as it was quite tough and a little messy washing off over the sink.  I finished my little morning pamper with the sample sized sachet of Verso Super Facial Serum, which I really liked the feel of.  It was a thick cream/gel like consistency, and really helped my skin keep that fresh and clean feeling throughout the whole morning!


Bloom and Blossom Rejuvenating Mist Spray
I am so in love with this, it is so refreshing on my bare face, and feels really nice when I spray some onto my make up. I've found that a couple of sprays of this bad boy really helps my make up set, and I don't look like a sweaty patchy mess anymore at the end of any work shift! It smells like lemon and lime, which is one of my all time favourite scents - I just love citrus!  They also supplied a really decent sized bottle too, this 40ml spray will last me at least 2 months I reckon, as I don't wear make up everyday.  It's perfect for chucking into my handbag for a freshen up on those days when I'm non stop, and fits nicely into my make up bag too.


This Works
This is another fab product that I'm glad I got to try out, as it feels so good!  The cream it really thick, yet when you apply it to the face it turns into this really light weight cream, you can't even feel it when it's rubbed in!  I've been using this as a base to my make up, and I've noticed that it really does make my pores look a lot smaller, especially on my cheeks where I'm most conscious of them.  This is the perfect primer for you make up, or the most amazing moisturising for those days when make up just doesn't sound appealing in the slightest. 

Oils of Life

If I’m being completely honest, this particular sample was one that I wasn’t really crazy about – which is sad as it was one of the ones that I was most looking forward too.  It’s quite a small sample at around 7ml, but I’ve had three or four uses out of it now and still have some left in the bottle.  I’ve been using it at night after a shower, and it does get rid of that tight skin feeling  - however it’d not done anything special.  It’s probably something that you need to use for a long period of time to see a difference – so if it’s ever on sale I will maybe give it another go!
Overall, I'm really happy and impressed with this purchase.  The majority of the samples were great sizes, enough to get a proper feel for the product so I know now if I should splurge on the full size bottles or not.  The You Beauty Box is really flexible, you don't need to subscribe for several months at a time, and you can stop whenever you like too which I love.  I'm going to wait and see what next months box will bring - this probably won't be something that I treat myself to every month - but I certainly look forward to the next one I place an order for.

What's your favourite beauty box right now?

Until the next one,


Sunday 14 August 2016

The Makeup Range You NEED To Try

Before I decided to make all of my cosmetics cruelty free, I was always against buying dirt heap brands.  You know, the ones that only ever cost a couple of quid – no matter where you pick them up from.   I feared that they would clog up my pores and generally just not work very well.  I’ve now been open to trying out a lot more brands as of late that normally I would have avoided – as I’ve found that a lot of cheap brands actually tend to be cruelty free and sometimes even vegan.  I’ve been trying out the Natural Collection range which is available from Boots.  It’s been around for as long as I can remember – I used pick up little bits and bobs from the range when I was about 13.  Having seen a couple of bloggers online as of late posting about the brand, and whether or not they enjoyed the products, I thought I would give it a go and make up my own mind!
First off, the whole entire range of Natural Collection is priced as £1.99 apiece.  That’s £1.99 for foundation, £1.99 for mascara, £1.99 for highlighter.  AMAZING! £1.99 is right up my price range – I like products that I know work wonderfully and do not break the bank – so a good price to start with makes me curious and want to know more.  Secondly, they have nearly every single product that a girl could want or need in their makeup bag.  Although the stock in store was very sparse when I was in Boots (which actually made me think it was because a lot of people are rating the brand right now) if you order online you can get everything from concealer, eyeliner, eyeshadow and even eyebrow products!  I don’t spend a lot of time on my make up in the morning – I’m not into this whole contouring thing, nor do I wear eye shadow or any eye makeup bar mascara.  I like it all to be quick and simple, so again this brand fits my criteria really quite well!
I purchased myself a tinted moisturiser and a highlighter on my visit, as I’ve finally ran out of my Barry M and B. products that I bought a few months back.  I have been using both products every day for the last week now, and have to say that I am super impressed with both!  The tinted moisturiser sits so well on my skin, it blends in really nicely and doesn’t feel sticky nor look cakey as the day goes on.  I really can’t even tell that I’m wearing it as the day goes on, which again is something that I really enjoy.  I think that it gives me a real good coverage, it covers a lot of the red patches of my skin and most blemishes that I have right now.  It also doesn’t irritate my skin either which is fab – it is just a really lush product that does my every day basic look justice!  The highlighter stick is also fab too – although I did pick up quite a dark/pink tone for my skin, it does look really nice and gives my skin a nice glow which lasts all day.  I also like to wear some under my blusher as it gives my cheeks a really nice colour!
I’m definitely going to be picking myself up a couple of other products from the Natural Collection range when I’m in need of a makeup re stock.  I’m curious to see how well the mascara works as I like to make my lashes look really long, and I would also like to try out the concealer and press powder too!

Have you tried out any of the Natural Collection range yet?  What’s your favourite product?

Until the next one,

Wednesday 10 August 2016

Summer Berries at Tesco

This month The Orchard at Tesco invited me to be a part of their Summer Berries programme, which I was super pleased about because its strawberry season!  They kindly sent me a £3 voucher to pick myself up a punnet of berries of my choosing, and in return would like to know my honest thoughts about the product I chose.  I grabbed myself the largest and nicest looking punnet of strawberries from my local Tesco, with a dessert in mind that I found from my nutritionists website here.  I’ve been dying to try out coconut cream for a while now, so thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to give it a go!
The strawberries are the most gorgeous shade of red ever – they look really healthy and fresh in the punnet, as if I have just picked them off a farm myself there and then!  As I washed them under the tap, the sweet aroma of the strawberries filled the kitchen, which is one of my all-time favourite smells ever.  There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh strawberries.  I picked myself a decent sized portion from the punnet, and cut them into halves to enjoy with my coconut cream.  The smell grew stronger as I did this, and the juices spilled onto the chopping board – proving that I had a really delicious and fresh bunch too! 
To make your coconut cream, you simply need to purchase yourself a tin of full fat coconut milk.  Pop in the fridge overnight, and the next day your milk will have turned into a really thick cream – which is absolutely delightful with strawberries, might I add!   I added a tiny amount of agave nectar to my bowl for a little extra sweetness, however this really was not necessary because the strawberries tasted as good as they smelt!  Sometimes when I buy strawberries, I find them to look really appealing but taste rather bland or simply like water as I make my way through the punnet.  Tesco did not disappoint with these ones though, every strawberry tastes as good as the last one – and unfortunately for me, my family seem to think so too!  I went to bed with a near half full punnet last night, only to discover this morning that I’ll be needing to make another purchase sooner rather than later! 
I’m really, really pleased with these strawberries from Tesco, and super chuffed that I got to try them for free, thanks to The Orchard programme!

What’s your favourite summer berry?


Until the next one,

Saturday 6 August 2016

Bath Bomb Lovin'

With every purchase from Lush I think that I become a little bit more and more obsessed… if that is even possible.  I’ve still not tested the water in regards to the Lush Kitchen, I think that that might actually break me and my bank account!  However since trying out lots of bath bombs for dry skin, and some simply because they look really pretty, I’ve been trying out some new ones and discovered a brand new favourite.

Yoga Bomb
This is the absolute holy grail of bath bombs!  I am in love, I am obsessed, I am attached.   It’s not one that I was super crazy about trying out for a long time, because it doesn’t look particularly fancy, on the outside it actually looks really quite bland.  But don’t let that put your off!  It smells absolutely gorgeous, it’s a really nice blend of oranges and sandalwood – a really subtle yet seductive smell.  I’m not sure that this fragrance would be one that everyone would enjoy, but it definitely does it for me.  When you pop it in the bath it doesn’t create a big song and dance like some.  Yoga Bomb fizzles away nice and slowly for around 10 – 15 minutes, creating first an orange lather – then green, purple and blue swirls as it fizzes away.  It’s one that is really great to use as a proper chill time bath.  Grab some candles, a good magazine and a glass of wine and enjoy!

Big Blue
I was in the mood to try out a new bath bomb last month, so after much debating and reading up online about all the different ones, I was pushed towards Big Blue!  I liked the idea of the seaweed, although I didn’t think there would be quite so much!  As Big Blue dissolves in the water the seaweed fizzes out with it – it turns really soft and mushy and feels amazing when you rub it into your skin.  It was totally amazing, it smells really beach like although also slightly tropical… which I think is the lavender and lemon working together.  I used this one at night, with my Candy Cane Lane Yankee candle burning in the background and a couple of my favourite magazines.  Although not particularly amazing to watch, it does turn the water the most perfect shade of turquoise blue, and will be one that I will be repurchasing again and again!

There have been a couple of other bath bombs as of late that I’ve tried out and really enjoyed, however wouldn’t necessarily pick up every time I’m in need of a bath treat!  Honey Bee smells absolutely amazing and made my skin feel so, so good afterwards!  However it wasn’t the best bath bomb I’ve ever used – it sunk to the bottom of the bath and didn’t create any kind of fancy waters.  The Experimenter was another one that smells gorgeous, it created lovely colourful images in the water and fizzled away for ages.  I particularly like the shape of this bath bomb too, it allowed the colours to fizzle outwards all at the same time, unlike the round ones that you need to wait for the layers to break down.

What’s your favourite bath bomb right now?


Until the next one,

Monday 1 August 2016

August Lust List

So July was a pretty busy and rather expensive month.  Hulk needed a vet check that ended up costing a small fortune, it was brought to my attention that I was driving around with an illegal tyre – goodbye fitty dollars – and then I had three birthdays to fund.  That being said, I decided that my vegan subscription box could wait till this month (I can’t wait for it to come now though!) and decided to skip the Nakd delivery too.  It’s hard to believe that we are now in August – where had this year gone?” – and now that most of the birthdays are done for the year (there is still two to go for me) it’s time to start thinking about Christmas as I’ve lots of people to get for.  This month I have a few bits that I’ve had my eyes on for a while now, which I’ll hopefully be able to pick up throughout the month.
Beauty Box
I’ve been fancying treating myself to a beauty box for quite some time now, however over these last few months I’ve noticed lot a beauty bloggers posting about how they’ve not been overly impressed by some of the more popular boxes.  After doing my own research, I discovered You Beauty and Love Me Beauty – both reasonably priced boxed with a difference – if you’re quick enough, you get to choose what items you receive in your boxes.  Since going cruelty free though, it’s been a tough one trying to find a month when the boxes contain a good selection of suitable brands.  August looks like it could be the one though for both – so now I’ve just the decision to decide on what one I want.  Watch this space…
Multipurpose Balm
You’ve heard me whine and whine again about my dry lips and sore skin around my mouth – so this month I’m determined to find something that is going to solve the problem once and for all!  It popped up on my Facebook ads that Dr Pawpaw were on special offer in Superdrug, so naturally this is one I’m considering as I’ve heard great things about this cruelty free balm.  It’s also been suggested to me several times that I give the Lush Ultrbalm a go, as again they say it works wonders on dry skin, sore lips and simply just tired skin.  This is another strong contender as let’s face it, I do enjoy a Lush trip.  The final one I’ve seen throughout this last month was actually one featured in the Love Me Beauty Box, is the Dr Lipp balm.  Although I’ve not heard so much about this particular one, the website suggests that it does exactly what I’m looking for.  Stay tuned, as I’m going to make sure that this is the month that my lips stop hurting once and for all!
Bakedin
After one of my favourite bloggers posted online several weeks back that they had received a lovely selection of mug cakes from a company called Bakedin, I was very much interested to see what it was all about.  I thought it would make a lovely and quirky present for a couple of people, but didn’t have much hope in finding anything that would be gluten and dairy free.  I was pleasantly surprised though when I came across a gluten free brownie cake mix and mug cakes!  After an email questioning if the recipes could be adapted to dairy free alternatives – they got back to me very promptly confirming that it should work with no real problems.  I think I’m going to try out the mug cakes first, so fingers crossed everything turns out fabulously!

What are you treating yourself too this month?


Until the next one,