Tag Archives: Review

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells by Rachel Greenlaw 

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 As the nights get darker and Autumn draws in it’s the perfect time to curl up with a book. There is no book more perfect for a wintry evening than The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells. Modern magic meets perfect prose. I read this in one day. It is an absolute masterpiece and one of my favourite books of the year. It incorporates magic in a modern way that feels natural.You will love meeting the Woodsmoke women as much as I did. An evocative and compelling story about lost love and the magic of coming home. Absolute perfection.

The Woodsmoke Women’s Book of Spells follows Carrie Morgan, who expects trouble when she returns to Woodsmoke after ten years. What she does not predict is the beautiful stranger who walks into her life with the first frost. 

Cecilia Ahern also loved it: ‘It captivated me from the very first page. It reminds me of why I love writing and why I love reading. It’s magical and grounding at the same time, otherworldly and natural. I absolutely treasured it from beginning to end.’

Rachel Greenlaw grew up in North Cornwall, surrounded by wild moorland. She studied English with Creative Writing at Falmouth University before moving to the Scilly Isles. She is an expert on life on a remote island.

Simba Hybrid Mattress Review

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You sleep on a mattress every single night so buying a good one is important. Nothing is more important than sleep. Spending money on a good mattress is money that will never be wasted. It’s good for your body, your day when you are rested, and not being awake at night.

The Simba Hybrid Mattress is a fantastic mattress. Comfortable, cool and just the right amount of soft and firm. It contours to your body like a glove. It arrives in a box and expands in a few hours. Then you are ready to go. It smells a little at first so you might want to open a window. The Simba Hybrid Mattress is a dream to sleep on. I couldn’t recommend it enough. It is fantastic technology for a perfect night’s sleep.

Hybrid® Original Highlights

  • Our original Hybrid mattress. Our first ground-breaking design, over ½ million happy customers so far.
  • More springs, more comfort. Double the Aerocoil® springs of the Hybrid® Essential, for better spinal alignment & pressure relief.
  • Cooler sleep. Open-cell Simbatex® foam provides cooling airflow.
  • 100% edge-to-edge support. SupportCore™ base prevents roll-off at the sides.
  • Breathable cover. Soft, knitted cover with zip-off top for washing or replacing.
  • Made in the UK. With UK sourced materials, in zero-waste factories.
  • 100% recyclable. And designed with 68% less foam.

HIGHER AEROCOIL® SPRING COUNT

Extra springs, extra comfort

  
More contouring   
More cooling action   
Anti-motion transfer 

Made from titanium alloy. For strength in a tiny size.  

The Hybrid® Original features 2,000 of our titanium alloy Aerocoil® springs, the maximum we can fit in a single layer (and a big step up from the Essential). You won’t feel them, but they provide the tailored full body support and soothing pressure relief that’s already helped over half a million happy customers sleep better.  

They work in three, clever ways:  

Contour: each spring compresses individually in response to body weight; they’re also zoned for optimum pressure relief and contoured support  

Cool: they gently push fresh, cooling air through the mattress as they compress  

Control: their conical shape means they compress inwards, limiting transfer of movement.  

The Hybrid® Original also features our unique SupportCore® base, with another 1,000 pocketed barrel springs to ensure 100% edge-to-edge support.

The Simba Hybrid® Mattress

Under Her Roof by A. A. Chaudhuri Book Review

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The Final Party by A. A. Chaudhuri was one of my books of the year when it was released last year. Fantastic writing and a brilliant plot made her one of my new favourite writers. When Under Her Roof dropped through my letterbox I was excited. Taking a very real issue (housing) and making a twisty stalker thriller that grips from the first page. It’s perfect for fans of dark thrillers. If you liked You you will love this. I didn’t see the ending happening. The novel is gripping and dark. Under Her Roof is a fantastic thriller that is tense and keeps you guessing all of the way to the end. I was fully immersed from the first page and the book has stayed with me. A. A. Chaudhuri has made her name as one of the best thriller writers today. Brilliant.

It seems too good to be true…

When struggling writer Sebastian finds a room to let in a palatial Hampstead residence he cannot believe his luck. The rent is ridiculously cheap and he immediately feels a connection with his beautiful widowed landlady, Adriana.

It is.

Things take a dark turn when he finds out what happened to the last lodger. Could this be why the house is a fortress of security, and why Adriana seems so fragile? Adriana doesn’t want to talk about the death and sadness that seem to follow her wherever she goes and Sebastian has secrets of his own.

Now someone is watching their every move and there is nowhere to hide.

This house of light becomes a dark nightmare as the threat ramps up – what does the watcher want? And how far will they go to get it?

A gripping, twisty thriller perfect for fans of B.A. Paris, Shari Lapena and Lucy Foley. If you were hooked by Netflix series You or The Watcher then you will love this. Out June 13th.

Under Her Roof is available to preorder here.

Solid Beauty Bars The Ultimate Travel Essentials

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I adore beauty bars. None of the guilt of plastic, and all of the beauty benefits. They are perfect for traveling because they can’t explode in your bag or leak. Hurray!

Solid Beauty Bars – The Ultimate Travel Essentials

When it comes to travelling, the struggle to streamline and squeeze in all of our beauty essentials can make packing feel like a mean feat – especially with carry-on restrictions and tight luggage allowances. Hack your summer holiday packing and forgo the liquid hassle altogether with solid beauty bars from Eco Warrior.

These compact, job-specific, plastic-free, solid cleansing bars are not only kind to your skin, hair and the planet, but also help to take the stress out of packing – replacing bulky and heavy liquid bottles, you can simply pop your Eco Warrior bars in your hand luggage, without the risk of any leaking or spilling. From washing and exfoliating, to shaving and shampooing Eco Warrior has all your cleansing needs covered…in solid form. It’s time to hit the bar this summer!

eco soap, beauty bar, beauty, review, soap, shampoo, face

Mini-Bars with Bottle for Everyday Cleansing
Eco Warrior Mini Cube – £8/ 4 x 30g
your essential face, hair and body cleansing routine in mini form – pocket sized perfection for cleansing away from home.

Shampoo Bar – with a blend of Orange & Ginger essential oils to stimulate the scalp and Pink Clay to deeply cleanse and hydrate, this solid shampoo cleans, conditions and moisturises hair. Why take two bottles into the shower when one mini-bar will do?
Sensitive Facial Bar – with a Chamomile & Calendula essential oil blend, this nourishing facial bar is gentle enough to use on sensitive skin and good to use all over the body.

Exfoliating Bar – Fragranced with a pure Citrus essential oil blend, this solid, moisturising body scrub is made with oatmeal – a natural, soothing exfoliant to help gently buff away dead, dull skin cells, for soft, smooth, supple skin.

Shaving Bar – a luxurious, naturally lathering bar with Coconut Oil and Shea Butter, fragranced with a pure blend of Bergamot and Lime essential oils to moisture, and soothe the skin pre, post and during your shave.

Targeted Cleansing Bars
Eco Warrior Clear Skin Bar – £4.50/100g
for those with oily, acne-prone skin this clarifying and richly moisturising black cleansing bar contains Charcoal to reduce excessive sebum, Grapeseed Oil to nourish and soothe dry, sensitive skin, with an antibacterial Tea Tree essential oil blend.

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Eco Warrior Sensitive Scalp Shampoo Bar – £5.50/100g
for a uber-gentle, scalp sensitive cleanse this shampoo bar contains a blend of White Clay and Clary Sage Oil to gently and naturally cleanse and moisturise your hair and scalp.
fragranced with a clearing, pure essential oil blend of Mint and Eucalyptus to help keep the scalp happy and heathy.

Vegan, cruelty-free, sustainable, biodegradable, recyclable and plastic-free – Eco Warrior bars have major impact on cleansing, minimum impact on the environment. And as you’ve come to expect from this certified B Corporation collection – totally from detergents, SLS, sulphates, alcohol, parabens, sorbates, silicones, and synthetic preservatives.
littlesoapcompany.co.uk

Eco Warrior bars are available from Ocado, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and littlesoapcompany.co.uk
@eco_warrior_soap | @little_soap_co

One contour palette for every Tiktok contour hack

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Tiktok has quickly become our favourite way of finding new beauty and makeup hacks, including #contour videos that have amassed 1.8billion views!

There are lots of unique application techniques for contour out there including, patchwork, dotting, mapping, underpainting, and the most recent viral trend one contour spot.

Whichever contour hack you wish to try next to sculpt your cheekbones, or define your nose, it’s handy to have one product to achieve all contour goals.

Introducing the Contour Cream Base Palette from OPV Beauty (£27)

Available in two gorgeous colour stories; Soho and Chelsea, every skin tone is catered for. Each palette comes with 8 highlighter and 7 contour shades that are gorgeously pigmented and easily adaptable for structured full face looks, or to achieve a chiseled yet natural makeup.

TIPS FROM THE FOUNDERS


Founders, and sisters, Opeyemi and Bukola Adeyemo, share their tips on how to use the OPV Beauty contour palette to achieve looks you’ll love.

“If you’re a newbie to the contouring world, we recommend sticking to a contour palette as these are easy to use because they include all that you need (no more, no less) to conceal, contour, sculpt and highlight your complexion like a pro. Cream contour palettes, whilst working for everyone, are the best option for dry skin types. They have a more natural looking finish and help you achieve a soft sculpted look in the summer months.

To use a contour palette, start with your foundation and concealer as you normally would. Then with the darker contour shade for your skin tone, use an angled makeup brush to apply the product where you want to draw shadows. Mostly we see this being used under cheekbones, along forehead and jawline, and along sides of nose. Blend your contour lines into the skin using a damp beauty sponge, a buffing brush or a stippling brush.

To highlight your face, apply the lighter shades on the tops of the cheekbones, down the bridge of the nose and on the chin. The great think about a contour palette is the variety of shades, meaning that you can blend colours together to find the perfect match for you skin tone. This is the best way to create shadows and light to sculpt and define your face.”

The Contour Cream Base Palette is available at opvbeauty.com for £27.

My Baker launches new whimsical and magical cakes with delivery within 24-48 hours

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My Baker, who sell delicious artisanal cakes made by a network of independent bakers, have launched a brand new children’s cake range of 28 cakes and cupcakes suitable for a party big or small.  Bored of seeing the same cakes at every birthday party? My Baker’s range offers unique and exciting designs that can be delivered in 48 hours (24 at a push), meaning mums and dads who are running around getting the final details for a party can tick one major item off the “to do” list with a minimum of fuss.

And if you’ve any last-minute concerns or questions before placing your order, the team’s “Cake SOS” phoneline is manned 7 days a week, 10am to 6pm.

The cakes, that are always made freshly to order, go beyond your wildest imagination; the range includes a safari cake, a roaaaarsome dinosaur cake, a rainbow cake and many, many more.

“By offering such a large range, we’re pretty much catering for every age and every interest, from dinosaurs and diggers to rainbows and unicorns.  We know that the demand for beautifully designed, delicious, freshly baked children’s cakes that can be ordered and delivered across the UK is there.  We are excited to launch this line and can’t wait to see our cakes at birthday parties across the UK’ says My Baker CEO, Mark Sinjakli

Three of the new designs which the team at My Baker are predicting will be most popular include:

The Dinosaur cake; a towering cake made of layers of light sponge, covered with a generous coating of buttercream, and featuring your favourite dinosaur, and even an egg or two.

If you’d rather a more whimsical cake, the Somewhere Over The Rainbow cake is the one for your child. Cutting though the generous coating of sprinkle-covered vanilla icing will reveal six layers of vivid rainbow-coloured sponge, fit for any birthday celebration.

A party isn’t a party without a balloon or two!  My Baker’s Eat Until You Pop cake is adorned with balloons ready to get any party started.  Available in blue, pink, yellow or green buttercream, this cake will add the ‘wow factor’ to any birthday party.

The cakes are available in a variety of flavours including red velvet, vanilla, salted caramel, chocolate and many more, and most can be adapted to suit all dietary requirements. The cakes start from £78 and can be delivered widely across the UK within 48 hours, with next-day delivery available within the M25 as standard. A next day service may even be available in other locations on request (please call to confirm before ordering). For more information or to browse the full range of children’s cakes, head over to the website.

They also have delicious cupcakes which we heartily recommend.

New Indulgent Ice Creams To Celebrate Our Chocolate-Loving Queen’s Sweet Tooth

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Her Majesty The Queen has a particular fondness for chocolate and so, as the entire nation prepares to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, we took one for the team and reviewed some new indulgent ice creams which would appeal to her sweet tooth. These innovative ice creams have a delicious combination of creamy flavours, making them the perfect treat for Jubilee picnics and street parties.

Extrême’s Cookie Cones

The world’s first ice cream with a cone made entirely from mouth-watering, oven baked cookies! Leading this revolutionary new product to market, Extrême has combined two much-loved treats into the ultimate indulgence. The cookie cones are made of real cookie dough which is oven baked, formed into a crunchy cookie cone and then filled with smooth ice cream. Now available in three delicious ice cream flavours: rich caramel, creamy vanilla and smooth hazelnut, all topped with cookie chunks, chocolate swirls and caramel sauce.


Extrême Cookie Cones are now available in Tesco as well as other selected stores. RRP £4 (pack of 4).

Nuii New York Cookies & Cream


Satisfy your appetite for adventure and transport your taste buds to New York, with this new and indulgent ice cream from Nuii – New York Cookies & Cream! Bursting with exciting textures and flavours to entice all the senses, Nuii New York Cookies & Cream consists of heavenly chocolate cookies crushed and folded generously through indulgent and creamy ice cream; encased in premium milk chocolate combining even more cookie crumbles.


Nuii New York Cookies & Cream are now available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Morrisons, Co-Op and others. RRP £3.90 (pack of 3).

Cadbury Darkmilk ice cream stick


One of the nation’s favourite chocolate bars, Cadbury Darkmilk, has now been transformed into a decadent ice cream. Darkmilk is a creamy vanilla ice cream with the richest creamiest chocolate centre, encased in an intense, smooth chocolate coating with a rich full flavour. Cadbury Darkmilk ice cream is an exciting new product that appeals to the adults in the household, satisfying the desire to taste a darker, richer chocolate.

Cadbury Darkmilk is now available in major retailers including Tesco, Sainsburys and Morrisons. RRP £3.00 (pack of 4).


Leaping into Summer with LeapFrog and VTech

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We love VTech toys at Frost. They are so imaginative and great for learning.


LeapFrog Ironing Time Learning Set (18+ months)

£18.99 | Smyths Toys Superstores

Children can press into learning about shapes, colours and counting with the motion-activated Ironing Time Learning Set™! This interactive iron plays songs, silly phrases and sound effects when kids move the iron back and forth. Join the iron in 10+ learning activities! Count to five or sing along to the alphabet song as you iron the included play clothes. Turn the temperature dial to hear about colours, fabrics, and low, medium and high heat.

2-in-1 Touch and Learn Tablet (2+ years)

£23|Argos

Children can flip and twist their way through learning this summer with this two-sided, screen-free, pretend tablet. Cleverly switching from portrait story mode, to landscape activity mode, children can read along to their favourite stories and enjoy 14+ touch-sensitive interactive learning areas covering shapes, animals, numbers, emotions and early science concepts.

VTech Toot-Toot Drivers Airport (1-5 Years)

£34.99 | Argos

Fly in to Summer with the Toot-Toot Drivers Aiport. Let’s get ready to fly to your destination! Spinning cloud lets you fly the jet around the control tower! Launcher will send the jet speeding down the runway! Also includes Toot-Toot Jet, 4 SmartPoint™ locations, spinning radar, wind meter, runway lights & more.

VTech Marble Spiral City (4+ years)

£24.99| Smyths Toys Superstores

This exciting colour coded play set features all the pieces you need create a wild Marble Rush™ city. With 5 marbles included and 62 building pieces to assemble, there is plenty of fun to be had for both beginners and pros! Watch as the marbles rush around the swirling funnel, corkscrew and out of the launcher! This play set is compatible with other VTech® Marble Rush™ items! Includes easy to follow assembly instructions!