Ozeri Sport 4x3 Pedometer Review*

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a pedometer from the Ozeri range so I picked the Ozeri 4x3Sport Pocket Pedometer, which you can buy here for just £19.99. It comes in 3 colours; grey (as pictured) yellow or red. 

The design is sleek and modern and the display is very easy to read and understand. The pedometer comes with an instruction booklet which I recommend you read as it did take me a while to figure out how to turn it on, and I could have avoided the confusion by reading the booklet - silly me!

Set up on the other hand was very simple and I followed the step by step guide. The display also shows the time which I think is really handy and you don't often get this with your standard pedometers.

This pedometer can count up to 1 million steps and has a 30 day memory so you can see what you've done throughout the month. The Ozeri Pedometer easily clips onto a belt or a waistband and is barely noticeable. I wear mine at work clipped onto my belt.

When it comes to accuracy, I think if you correctly work out the length of your stride and input this in accordingly then the pedometer is fairly accurate. I had mine set up wrong at first as I guesstimated but once I corrected it, I noticed a difference. I compared the distance in Km reading to the distance traveled by working it out on a GPS and it was pretty much spot on.

The Ozeri Sport Pedometer also comes with a lanyard, I find this great for attaching it to myself in the gym so it doesn't fly off. The feature of having a sports timer is also valuable for gym workouts.

Overall I think this is a great product if you're looking at tracking steps and it can really keep you motivated seeing how far you've gone. It's great fun setting yourself challenges and trying to complete your goals. You could even get your friend one too so that you can challenge each other.

To buy the Ozeri 4x3sport Digital Pocket 3D Pedometer with Tri-Axis Technology & 30 Day Memory for only £19.99 click here.

*I was sent this item free of charge for the purpose of a review. All opinions expressed are my own and I was not influenced in any way. Photography by Jimmy Scribble.

November 2014 Glossybox

This month’s Glossybox didn’t give me the WOW factor but I’m anticipating a good Christmas edition so for now I am going to stay subscribed and hope that next month’s is a bit more exciting! Please link me your Glossybox posts, I love seeing what other people have got.

Lollipops Make Up – Eye Pencil

I knew that this would be in my box this month due to the spoilers we received last month, and was happy to see a full sized item in my box, worth €14. I’ve recently lost my black eyeliner so this has soon replaced it. I personally think all black eyeliners are the same whether I spend £1 or £5, they all seem to last the same on me. I like that this is retractable, and I also really like the packaging, it feels quite sleek. This also smudges out really well so will be perfect for creating a smoky eye. 

 

Burt’s Bees Lip Shine

I received another  full sized item worth £6.99. I’ve never used anything from Burt’s Bees before but liked the sound of this. I got this in the shade smooch. Apart from being a bit sticky, I quite like the subtle colour of this product when applied to the lips. I'm not a huge fan of the 'taste' or scent of this, it reminds me of those free lip glosses you used to get in magazines back in the day, but I'll keep using this.

H20+ Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment

I have never heard of this brand before, but decided to give it a try. This gel aims to provide deep hydration and reduce the appearance of fine lines. I can't say that I experienced much in the moisture department but I loved the soothing cooling feeling this gave my skin. The texture reminded me of Aloe Vera after sun. I'll use this up until it's gone but at the moment I am yet to see any changes.

Monu Skincare – Refining Capri Facial Oil

I own about a million Monu products, all from glossybox so every time I see this packaging in my glossybox I feel a sense of familiarisation as I know these products work for me. This facial oil aims to balance oily skin and de-congest pores to ensure breakouts remain a thing of the past. I don’t have particularly oily skin or get regular breakouts so I was a bit dubious about trying this in case my face became a bit too oily. I decided to use this as a night treatment before bed but I haven't yet seen any major results.

OGX – Argan Oil of Morocco Shampoo

A great sized sample (which I immediately put into my gym bag). I have seen this brand around but I haven’t tried the products. I actually really like this shampoo, it did make my hair feel really soft and shiny and I wish I had the conditioner to go with it. I noticed the differences after using this about 3 times and I'm near to the end of my bottle so this may be a possible repurchase!

This month’s box also contained a spoiler for the December box – a cheek and lip stain from Bellápierre worth £12.99. To be honest, I’m not overly impressed.

To sign up to Glossybox, click here.

Coffee Cake Recipe - Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

Do you know any coffee lovers? Struggling to decide what to get them for Christmas? Why not make them some Coffee Cupcakes. I've made cupcakes so many times on this blog, and I am sure you're bored of hearing what recipe I use, so you can find the basic recipe here. I simply adapted this by adding a teaspoon of diluted coffee granules to the mix. These keep for a few days so you can prepare these a couple of days before Christmas if you wish and they should be good to go.

 

I used this roasted hazelnut flavour coffee which gave the cupcakes a really nice flavour. I also used a spoonful of this (diluted) into the buttercream, they were gorgeous.

I iced the cupcakes using my usual method. You can find a video tutorial for this over on my Youtube channel.

I added walnut halves to the top. Walnuts go great with coffee cakes, I chose to only add them to the top in case my recipient didn't like them and could then easily take it off.

November Top Picks - Beauty & Lifestyle.

Every month I plan to do a favourites post but I never actually get round to it so I thought I would do a post about some of the thinks I have been loving this month.

Nescafé Café Menu Gingerbread Latte

Bit of a random thing I have been loving this month, but I really have been enjoying these sachets. They’re so easy to prepare, you simply add hot water! The flavour is so nice and I even prefer these to Starbucks Gingerbread Latte’s! I keep a couple in my drawer at work and have been having one in the afternoon. They’re really getting me into the Christmas Spirit! I got these from Sainsbury’s. Speaking of Christmas spirit, I have also been loving listening to Christmas songs! My iPod comes everywhere with me and I either have my headphones in or plug it into the AUX cable in my car and sing away!

Nuxe Crème Fraîche De Beauté Mask

 I talked about this in my October Glossybox review and I have been using it weekly since. I absolutely love this product. This has been making my skin feel so smooth and soft and I’ve found it to be a great addition to my skincare routine. It’s even gone on my Christmas list because I’m going to be gutted when I run out.

E45 Moisturising Lotion

I received this E45 Moisturiser in a giveaway and although this is such a simple product it has really been working well for me and I can’t believe I haven’t picked one up sooner. My skin really struggles to stay hydrated in the colder months, especially my arms and legs and to be fair it’s probably due to me neglecting them but I have been using this E45 cream for a few weeks now and my skin is hydrated and not flaking. I also suffer with slight eczema on the tops of my arms and I have noticed an improvement in the redness and texture of my skin. It’s also only £2.75 for 500ml from Boots at the moment – bargain!    

Barry M Showgirl Extra Lengthening  Mascara

I received this in a blog swap I took part in from the lovely Jess and I have been using this as my every day mascara since. It really does lengthen my lashes and paired up with the Younique Fiber Lash kit these are the perfect combination for lovely dark long lashes. I will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out. 

Tweez'em Stainless Steel Ingrown Hair , Splinter Tweezer By Majestic Bombay!*

The last product on my top picks this month is the Tweez'em Tweezers by Magestic Bombay. I recently got sent these tweezers to try and I absolutely love them. I don’t get a lot of ingrown hairs but these tweezers can be used for anything. These are really great for plucking eyebrow hairs, especially those really fine ones close to the line which are hard to reach. These tweezers have a really sharp defined point to them which is small enough and sharp enough to grab even the smallest of hairs, or hairs that have started to grow into your skin. I also love how bright these are, I am always losing my stainless steel tweezers but these are very hard to misplace. You can find this product for just £10 and I really think they are worth the money.

*I was sent the Tweez'em Stainless Steel Ingrown Hair Splinter Tweezer By Majestic Bombay for free for the purposes of a review. All opinions are my own and I was not influence in any way.

Snapfish Calendar Review - Ideal Personalised Christmas Present*

Every year for Christmas my mum ALWAYS asks me to buy her a calendar so when Snapfish offered me the chance to create a personalised calendar, I jumped at the chance knowing this would be the perfect Christmas present and a lot more personal than your standard shop bought calendars.

What I loved about Snapfish was how easy the website was to navigate. Snapfish offer unlimited free photo storage so I uploaded loads of photos to use in the calendar before I got started.  They have a wide range of personalised photo gifts and there literally is something for everyone.

I went onto the main calendar page on the website here and couldn't believe the available options. Snapfish have 4 available calendar styles in 9 different sizes. I decided on the slimline kitchen calendar for my mum priced at just £9.99. When I clicked on this option, a range of designs came up which can all be customised. On this occasion I simply chose the basic design and got started with adding photos.

The process of creating a calendar couldn't have been simpler. You add your photos to Snapfish and then drag and drop them into the relevant photo areas. There is even an option to auto-fill all photos if you’re in a bit of a rush. You can then edit your photos by cropping them, rotating them and even adding different filters such as black and white.

This is a great size for the kitchen and the photos have been printed at a really high quality.

Once I added the calendar to my basket and checked it all over for any spelling mistakes I decided to create another calendar.

I then designed a calendar for my boyfriend. I decided to go with a slightly larger one and got the 12x12 classic wall calendar  at only £18.99. This process was very similar to the last, however this time I decided to customise the calendars with a chalkboard theme. The great thing about the Classic Wall Calendars is that for no extra charge you can personalise certain days, for example on our anniversary, I added a little photo of the two of us. I think this is a really nice touch and a great way of adding a visual reminder of certain events such as birthdays/holidays.

I then ordered myself a 30”x20” collage poster calendar for £14.99 which was the easiest to create out of all 3. You simply choose your photos (up to 30) and the website fits these into a lovely collage for you. You can then shuffle the photos around, change them, add a featured photo or leave them as they are. You can then customise the colour, I chose pink to match my bedroom or you can even use your own photo for the background. This size is perfect for the back of my bedroom door.

Overall I had a really good experience with Snapfish and will definitely be using them again for personalised photo gifts because the quality and customer service is outstanding. The prices are really good value for money and it means you can give someone a present that is that extra bit special. Delivery was quick however my only gripe is that each calendar came in 3 separate packages which was a bit strange, but I suppose it kept them all separate . 

Thank you Snapfish!

*I was provided these calendars free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.

The Allotment Diaries - Day 1

My mum has recently got herself a little allotment which I have been roped into helping out with and I thought it would be interesting to do some posts documenting the progression of how it’s coming along. The plot that we got is currently in a complete mess. It contains a shed which was full of rubbish, and randomly a cooker?! The amount of litter on the plot was insane, so the other day me and my mum went to have a bit of a clear up armed with a roll of bin bags.

In total we cleared around 14 bin bags and that was purely litter and didn't contain any of the garden/allotment waste still to clear. It already looks a lot better and the shed is clear of rubbish now. Out of those bin-bags, 7 of them I filled with empty beer cans! I have no idea if these have come from the previous plot owner, but either way it was so good to get them cleared from the plot. There was also a lot of broken glass, empty food packages, plastic, seed packets and all matter of other rubbish.

The aim is to get all the foliage and vegetation cleared so we can start from scratch. We plan to grow vegetables, fruit and even some sunflowers! My boyfriend has made a really nice planter out of an old pallet which we are going to put on the plot and grow sunflowers in.

The plot definitely has potential and I did manage to take a few nice photos of some of the plants that have somehow managed to survive on the plot. There’s even a small pond and I saw a toad and a frog, so it will be nice to keep this! I can’t wait until it starts taking shape but there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.

I’ll keep you updated with all of the progress!

E45 Skin Care - I won a prize!

I recently took part in a giveaway run by Jess for some E45 skin care goodies! And I can’t believe that I actually won! I never win anything! 

The prize was to win a bottle of E45 Moisturising Lotion and two of the E45 Overnight Repair & Protect Hand Creams.
 

As an eczema sufferer myself, I have always been familiar with E45 lotions and I have tried out many of their products however these 2 were completely new to me.

The colder weather has been playing havoc with my skin, and I often find myself waking up in the middle of the night because I’m scratching at my legs so these couldn’t have come at a better time. 

The first item I received was the E45 Moisturising Lotion. I have been using this product every day since receiving it and love what it has been doing for me. I no longer wake up scratching my legs, and although there is no physical difference in the texture, my legs must be a lot more hydrated. The best thing about this is that it is perfume free and can be used all over the body. I can see this being a staple item for me in the coming months.

The second product I received was the E45 Repair & Protect Overnight Hand Cream. I have been using this just before I go to bed and letting it do its magic overnight. This cream is also non-perfumed and really nice to use. It's not sticky and after only using this for a couple of weeks, I have already noticed a difference in my hands, they feel a lot smoother and I can also see this being a great product to have over winter.