Product Review - Future DayDreams

A couple of weeks ago, I was indulging in my daily ‘comping’ addiction on Twitter, feeling rather down and blue with my chronic pain.  I think that the comping fairy decided to take pity on me that day and granted me a fantastic little win from Vanity Van.  The prize was a fabulous little selection of goodies from a company unbeknownst to me at the time called Future DayDreams. 

This small UK company offers a fantastic selection of products for outdoor activities including eco gadgets, festival fundamentals and camping products - all of which are carefully chosen from a variety of ethical, UK-based suppliers. Whether you are a Glastonbury Goddess or a New Forest nymph, everything you could possibly need for a Great British day out is available at Future DayDreams - regardless of what the temperamental British weather has in store! The three prizes that I received reflect this company’s diverse range of outdoor goodies.

Rain, anybody?

Firstly, and without a doubt my favourite of the prizes, is a Hot Fuchsia Pink Clear Dome Umbrella.  Well, the little girl in me came racing out on seeing the pink banding, handle and tip!  I could not wait to open it up and not being one for the old adage, ‘It is bad luck to open an umbrella indoors’, I did so straightaway.  And boy, does it look impressive opened up!  It gives a total of 30 inches coverage (measured from the middle, across), thus ensuring you will stay nice and dry on even the crappiest of days.  I know this for a fact, having been caught up in a rather dramatic rain shower last week!  


However, its practicality is not confined to its size.  Perhaps the most obvious practical aspect of this umbrella is the fact you can see through it.  Whether you are traipsing amongst the crowds on a muddy field in Glastonbury or dodging your way amongst commuters in central London, this umbrella is a must in ensuring you do not bump into everybody, causing aggro and grief along the way.  In addition, my lovely mum also pointed out another great feature of the umbrella, which I am ashamed to say that I did not notice.  By being dome-shaped unlike ‘conventional’ umbrellas, you greatly reduce the risk of poking someone in the face when you are dashing through the crowds.  


At £7.99, this gorgeous and practical umbrella is excellent value for money.  If you are averse to pink though, fear not! There are a total of 13 different colours to choose from, including a more conventional black for the straighter-laced amongst us and cheery yellow for any budding Little Miss Sunshine!  And if you are still not convinced by this product (though I think you all will be), just remember that this is the type of umbrella used by our dear old Queen.  If it is good enough for someone like Lizzy who is used to the best things, it is good enough for a schmuck like me!

Changed perceptions!

Another of the prizes I received was a Snowflake Peruvian hat.  Now, I have to admit that my view of this type of hat, prior to receiving it, was that it is a cultural symbol of the great-unwashed.  However, even if that is actually the case, I must say that they are onto something!  


On wearing it, the first thing that struck me was the coverage that I was getting over my ears.  It is often a part of the body that one neglects in the winter.  I have been out countless times, wearing a hat to ensure I retain my body heat as much as possible, but still feeling miserable because the cold wind ends up biting at my ears.  With this hat though, there is no danger of that.  And just to provide that extra element of toastiness for them, as well as the rest of your head, the hat is fleece-lined.  I must admit that my initial negative perception of this style of hat altered completely, purely down to its sheer practicality.  However, I even had to relent and accept that it really is rather cute.  With its knitted pom pom, plaited sides and detail of large snowflakes and different-sized hearts, a smile did burst through my cynicism. The hat is very fairly priced at £4.99, and there are four different styles of it on offer, each with up to six different variations.

Beer, me!

The third prize in my collection, but by no means least, is the dinky Liquorice Allsorts Can Cooler.  I remember that I entered the competition purely because of the yummy appearance of the product!  As I have mentioned before, when it comes to anything to do with sweets, I am conditioned like one of Pavlov’s dogs. 
However, beyond the exterior of Bertie Bassett’s love children, this product is immensely practical.  


The Koozie, as it is also known, is insulated with neoprene, the material used to make wetsuits.  As neoprene is an insulating material, it ensures that your chilled beverage of choice will stay cold in your Koozie until you have chugged it down.  When I tried it out, I found that my can of coke was still well chilled four hours later!  However, why just use it to keep drinks cold?  Owing to the insulation, you could use the Koozie to keep your baby’s bottle warm on a long day out.  This certainly saves on the potential hassle of asking a member of staff in a pub or restaurant to warm up your little one’s bottle for you.  And herein lies the beauty of using neoprene in the Koozie - you can fit a variety of different can and bottle shapes into the cooler because of its ability to stretch.  


In total, there are five different patterns of Koozie from which to choose, and all of them are available in two different sizes.  The longer, slimmer size is ideal for anyone going to a UK picnic concert this summer as you can take a chilled bottle of your favourite tipple to enhance the evening! Priced at £3.49 (both sizes) this practical little gem shows just how consistently good the prices are at Future DayDreams.

Fierce and practical!

Not only am I really thrilled with the products that I won from Future DayDreams, I am also glad to have found out about the company itself.  I probably never would have done so, had it not been for the Twitter competition.  I have no doubt that I will be making a purchase from Future DayDreams in the near future.  I am impressed by both the amazing selection and the prices of the goodies on offer for lovers of the outdoors.  In fact, I must confess that I have my eye on these fantastic wedge wellies (right). Kate Moss wore this style of welly at Glastonbury a few years ago with a pair of hot pants.  However, I will not be replicating her to a T for fear 
of committing crimes against humanity with my prominent derrière! 

Items reviewed from http://www.futuredaydreams.co.uk/

Hot Fuchsia Pink Clear Dome Umbrella £7.99

Snowflake Peruvian Hat £4.99

Liquorice Can Cooler £3.49 

                                                                

Competition Review - Kandee Shoes

Have you ever wanted to indulge in a sweet craving without the guilt-associated calories?  If so, take a look at the sweet wonders available at this ‘Kandee’ shop.  You’ll be spoiled for choice – it has Lemon Sours, Black Jacks and Chocolate Limes amongst its delicious selection.  And the best part is that they are calorie and fat free - a breakthrough not even imagined by Weight Watchers!

Okay, so maybe I have eked out the analogy of Kandee Shoes being like candy.  However, this is the very simple yet ingenious concept that has inspired the enigmatic designer behind the brand, Josh Wayman.  He envisioned a world of shoes inspired by candy in terms of colour, texture and shape and the result is fun, bright and deliciously yummy shoes.

I am writing this review as part of a competition being run by Kandee Shoes to find out why people love their shoes.  Firstly, in my case, I think there is a conditioning aspect.  I start salivating on reading the names of the shoes and then, I’m in love with them.   Quite frankly, I feel like one of Pavlov’s dogs!

Lime Sours - Om nom nom!

However, names aside, the sheer delectability of the shoes makes me drool.  How can you not look at these Lime Sours and think ‘I NEED THOSE IN MY LIFE!’?  Not only do they look beautiful but for wannabe fashionistas, they are so versatile.  Imagine wearing them to a cocktail party with an LBD or teaming them up with a white vest top and skinny jeans for a causal afternoon with the girls.  You could even go all retro and wear them with an amazing 60’s dress like this one from Candy Says.  In short, they will become an essential part of your wardrobe.

Right, so you have your heart set on this pair, you have imagined what they will look good with and you're ready to purchase? Yes?  NO, because sweetness itself starts making your credit card quake with fear.

Glacé Cherry

Part of Kandee Shoes’ Special Edition Collection for Spring/Summer 2011, Glacé Cherry boasts great quality, as well as being stunningly beautiful.  The exterior is gorgeous crystallised suede whilst the insoles are made of lambskin.  For those who fear wearing large heels, the six inch heel is balanced out by a two-inch platform heel.  In all honesty, I would feel like a bad-ass version of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz strutting my stuff in these babies.  Screw Kansas!  I’m clicking my heels three times and saying ‘There’s no place like a party!’

Kandee Shoes are not all about funky heels though.  For those of you who are not into teetering on your footwear, it also has a choice of flat, ballet-style shoes inspired by liquorice.  With three delicious flavours to  choose from, Bertie Bassett himself would be proud!

Cult by Kandee

However, Kandee’s range is not just limited to scrummy shoes. Oh no! There are also yummy bags on offer!  The star of the Spring/Summer 2011 collection is CULT BY KANDEE.  The top panel of the bag is covered in crystals, the cheetah print front is made from cowhide and the quilted back panel and sides are real lambskin.  And just to show that the Kandee label is not just a pretty face, it has four protective gold feet on the base to ensure your bag will stand up when put down.  So whilst you’re having a drink, the bag can scream ‘Look at me!’ to the world.  At three hundred nicker, most of us, including me, can only dream about a bag this scrumilicious.  However, as Emerson once said ‘The invariable mark of a dream is to see it come true’!

Kandee shoes is a fantastic, young, fresh brand that has developed out of an ingenious concept of making shoes inspired by candy.  The result is a range of shoes and accessories that are bright, fun and which look good enough to eat.  

I LOVE Kandee Shoes for these reasons and I have no doubt you will do too! 


Products Reviewed from http://www.kandeeshoes.com/

Lime Sours £129.00

Glacé Cherry £149.99

Cult by Kandee £299.99

Product Review - Drink Me Chai Vanilla

In the course of my daily ‘comping’ on Twitter at the start of the year, I came across a competition for Drink Me Chai.  As is often the case with competitions, I enter them, follow the competition runner and do not think very much of it beyond that!  However, Drink Me Chai also tweeted about the opportunity to try their product for free.  I saw lots of people requesting a sample and despite not knowing or bothering at the time to find out about it, I joined the bandwagon and blindly requested a sample!  A week later, I received a sample of Drink Me Chai ‘Vanilla’ in the post and finally decided to look into what I was about to sample.

On its website, Drink Me Chai states that its product is a ‘...lusciously sweet, exotic blend of spices, tea and skimmed milk....based on the original ‘latte’ invented in India more than 5,000 years ago’.  This had me rather intrigued.  My theory is that if such a concept has survived for so long, there must be something to it.  The product was created by Amanda Hamilton who, having discovered chai in India, wanted to develop it so that it would remain authentic to its roots, yet suit the palette of the UK market.  After starting her venture six years ago, Amanda can now boast to being the founder of the number one instant chai company in the UK, supplying most of the UK’s top supermarkets and coffee chains.  Impressed by both the product concept and the growth of this British company, I was really eager to try it.

Vanilla Chai, available in 250g or 1kg tubs

On opening the packet, I was immediately struck by the indulgent creaminess of vanilla and cinnamon.  I tried it in its most simple form – by adding hot water into a mug with the sample serving (which is 4 teaspoons).  That delightful sweet, creamy scent increased three-fold on adding the hot water!  I took my first sip and my initial reaction was that it has the consistency of tea but with a taste not unlike hot chocolate.  It certainly tastes as creamy as it smells.   The vanilla is quite strong but without being so overbearing that one cannot taste the accompaniment of the cinnamon.  In short, I was really impressed and knew I would be hooked.  In fact, I popped into my local Tesco the next day to buy a tub!

When I brought the Drink Me Chai home, I asked my partner to try it.  At work, he is a coffee fiend - normally numbering eight cups with two sugars a day!  I wondered how someone of his beverage persuasion would respond to Drink Me Chai.  He also loved it - so much so that he has bought a tub that he keeps at work.   I am glad to know to his caffeine levels are being decreased by substituting a couple of cups of coffee with an indulgent mug of Drink Me Chai, which is 99% caffeine free.

Personally, I like to have Drink Me Chai either mid-afternoon, when I start craving something sweet or last thing at night, when I want a warm drink to help me relax.  I find it works especially well in the afternoon as it saves me dipping into the cookie jar! 

The standard tub size in Tesco’s is £2.28 and provides approximately 10 servings.  This may seem a little dear but first of all, if you look at its calorific and fat value (111 calories and 4.2grams fat per serving), it is certainly not intended to be drunk multiple times a day.  Secondly, if you compare the price of a mug of Drink Me Chai against the purchase of a Latte in well-known coffee houses, 23p a cup is an extremely attractive price.  In fact, it is a tenth of the price.  Therefore, I consider it good value for money.

A lovely chai latte

In fact, not only does Drink Me Chai offer good value for money - it can also be used in different ways too.  In the coming spring days, if you fancy something a little cooler, you can make up a Vanilla Chai Milkshake.  However, if you are more of a ‘Latte Lovely’, you can go all cosmopolitan and make up a Chai Latte!!  If you need more inspiration though, Drink Me Chai will send you a free recipe booklet to broaden your chai repertoire – just contact them at info@drinkmechai.co.uk

I can safely say that I am a chai convert, and I am looking forward to sampling the other flavours in the Drink Me Chai range: Spiced (regular and fair-trade), Peppermint, Mango and Chocolate. 

Drink Me Chai (Vanilla) £2.28 for 250 grams, available at Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado

Drink Me Chai (Spiced) £2.03 for 250 grams, available at Waitrose, Ocado, Asda and Sainsbury’s

The complete range (including the 1kg tub) is available at http://www.discountcoffee.co/ but the prices are steeper, so be warned.

Product Review - Busy Bee Candles

When I first started entering competitions on Twitter about four months ago,  the last thing I envisioned was that I was to become a customer of a delightful Welsh company called ‘Busy Bee Candles’.  Simply, my intention was to win things, not spend my money! 

In the process of my daily ‘comping’, I entered one of Busy Bee Candles’ competitions to win some fragrance bars, not thinking very much of it.  However, after Busy Bees posted a picture of one of their Rottweilers in a subsequent post, being the great soppy I am for dogs, I started to talk to them about their pets.  My immediate impression was, ‘What charming, friendly people!’  This was enough to make me actually bother to peruse what they had to offer at their website www.busybeecandles.co.uk

I discovered that Haith and Dee, who have been making their own candles for their friends and family in Wales for years, have a vast selection of scents that can be bought in the form of candles, wax tarts, fragrance bars or essential oils.  In fact, the range of scents currently numbers seventy five – a collection that is not to be sneezed at!  Having been spoilt for choice, and after a lot of umming and arring, I decided to plump for one of their premium candles – Tutti Frutti.  The premium candles take a little longer to arrive than the others in their standard range but this is because they are made to order.  Personally, I think it is worth it knowing that the candle is being made especially for me!

The divine Tutti Frutti candle

When the candle arrived, I was really struck with it.  It is housed within a hexagonal jar with a screw top and it is a cream candle with green, pink, orange and yellow elements running through it.  This varied visual appearance is no accident.  This candle, like all the other premium ones in their range, is designed to produce different scents at different times.  As I have found out over time, it does not fail to disappoint in this respect.  At one point, I was inhaling delightful, delicate vanilla, a short time later, it was the crisp tartness of apple and later, it was the summery freshness of peach and strawberry.  I was really impressed by the ability to actually discern the scents.  The strength of the candle is just right and remains consistent for all the scents – no one scent is more intense than the other.  I normally burn it in my bedroom and it can be clearly smelt coming up the stairs.  I bought the candle approximately a month ago and I think I have about a week left.  I burn it every day, often at 3 hours a turn so this candle will have given me over 100 hours of burning time.

Haith and Dee are very generous.  I was thrilled to receive a free fragrance bar with my purchase – something which they give to all customers who mention ‘Twitter’ at the checkout.  The free bar I received was Baby Powder, something I would not have chosen myself.  However, it was really delightful.  It is a very strong scent and perfectly replicates a well-known brand of baby powder.  On burning it downstairs in the dining room, I could still smell it clearly when I was in the bathroom upstairs!  It really covers the whole house beautifully.  The small fragrance bar I received is very cost effective at £2.95 for at least 25 hours of fragrance.  If you do not own a burner for your fragrance bar, Haith and Dee offer a selection to purchase at very reasonable prices.

I was so impressed with both of these products that I have made a subsequent purchase!  Haith and Dee often have special offers at the weekend on Twitter and so, I took advantage of the ‘Spend £10 and get a mini candle free’ offer.  I purchased 3 fragrance bars – Bramley Apple, Sweet Pea Arbour and Antique Sandalwood and was advised to try Mint Choc Shock as my free candle.  I was rather sceptical as I thought this candle could be far too sickly a scent.  However, I was willing to give it a go as it was not costing me anything!  And boy, was I glad that I took Busy Bees’ advice.  It is a delightful smell and is not at all sickly.  The chocolate is quite a strong aroma and the mint is clearly discernable but without being in danger of overpowering the chocolate.  In my opinion, the scents are correctly proportionate in achieving its name ‘Mint Choc Shock’.  This mini candle will provide you with approximately 12-16 hours of burn time. 

As yet, I have not got around to lighting my other purchases, but when I do, I will be sure to post a review!

Haith and Dee know their craft and they do it extremely well.  The other thing they know is how to treat people.  I actually do not feel like a customer, I feel like a friend.  They have a genuine interest in their customers and the people they talk to on Twitter.  In fact, they have built up quite a reputation because of their approachability, their friendliness and sense of humour!  I am thrilled to have discovered such a Great British company through Twitter. 

With Mother’s Day shortly around the corner, Busy Bees’ range is sure to put a smile on your mum’s face.  If you cannot afford a large bouquet of spring flowers, why not try a Spring Bouquet candle?  And do not forget, Easter is also approaching!  If you have a lovely friend who is currently a member of Weight Watchers, why not buy them a Chocolate Fudge Brownie candle instead of tempting them with a chocolate egg!

Products reviewed from www.busybeecandles.co.uk

Tutti Frutti Candle (Large) £14.95

Baby Powder Fragrance Bar (Small) £2.95

Mint Choc Shock Candle (Mini) £4.50

About Me!

Before I commence my blog of product reviews, I thought I would post the rather obligatory 'About Me' post, so you can get to know me.  I'll try to bore you as little as possible, so strap yourselves in!

* I am 27 years old and I am currently undertaking a BA in History.  My hope is that after completing my BA, I will go on to do an MA and PhD.  My interest, in fact, my obsession, is Victorian history.  My dissertation is focused on that period, and I am examining the effect of the Obscene Publications Act of 1857 on 'serious' literature between 1857 and 1900.

* I love studying languages, especially the 'Romance' languages and how they relate to one another.  I speak Spanish and Maltese and can read ancient Latin.  My French could be a lot better but I managed to ask the locals a few questions on a trip to Paris in January '10!

Rebel, my pride and joy!

*If there is anything I love more than Victorian history and languages put together, it is animals.  I love every animal critter (even if I am a little scared of mice!).  I currently have an 11 year old Westie, called Rebel.  He is my pride and joy!  My ultimate dream is to set up an animal rescue called the 'Wonky Donkey' animal sanctuary.  I have been know to get into serious arguments in order to defend an animal's welfare!

* I love being at home more than anything.  I'm not a 'night on the town' kind of girl.  I'm at my most happiest watching an episode of House MD in bed with my gorgeous partner and my dog.

* Sadly, I have been blighted by chronic pain for the last 8 years following reconstructive bowel surgery for Ulcertaive Colitis.  I have been to see tens of specialists but have yet to achieve a diagnosis.  I do not think a day goes by in which I do not cry in pain.  I try to stay as strong as possible, even though I often fail.  However, my partner and my dog give me a reason to fight on.

Well, that's me.  I hope I did not anaesthetise you too heavily with my ramblings.  Now it's time to get on to the real objective of this blog!  First up will be a reviews of Busy Bee Candles!