Like last year, I have a number of specific goals that I want to achieve this year and my hope is that I can be just as successful with these as I was with my goals for 2015.
2016 New Years Resolutions
1. Lose a further 3 stone by May 23rd, 2016 - this is on top of the six stone already lost and will not include any weight that I may have (okay - definitely have) put on over Christmas. To clarify, this will be a total loss of 126.2lbs and I want to have achieved this on or before May 23rd.
2. Go Home to Bermuda - Fraser and I have been planning to go back to my home country of Bermuda for a couple of years now and I would like to commit to going back in 2016, ideally at the end of May and on completion of my weight loss goals
3. Visit a Mortgage Advisor - Fraser and I also have big dreams to buy a home next year. I don't want to make that a goal since finding the right home and exchanging on that home will take time and will be out of my control. However, I would like it if we could take the first step and visit a mortgage advisor to get an agreement in principle if possible, or understand the areas we need to work on to make that happen.
4. Save a further £3,000 - Some of my savings will be spent on Bermuda but I would like to continue my good budget habits by committing to a further saving of £3,000 in 2016.
The list isn't as extensive as last year's but I hope to continue some of the habits that I've developed this year (drinking water more, reading books) without having to set specific goals for them. I hope that this time next year, I am able to report success against these goals too and look forward to all the challenges and good memories that 2016 will bring me.
Tabitha
Xx
Thursday 31 December 2015
How To Keep New Years Resolutions
They're something we make every year and are quite often broken by the time we hit February. In fact, an article from Forbes suggests that just 8% of people keep their New Years Resolutions and manage to achieve them. It's easy to scream out "New Year, New Me" on January 1st but the real work has to start then too alongside an honest dedication to your goals.
Long term followers of my blog (hi, Mum) will know that I set myself some pretty specific 2015 New Years Resolutions this time last year and I'm delighted to confirm that I kept and achieved all six of these goals. You can read more about my progress on these in this post from Tuesday. I truly believe that the only reason I was successful with these resolutions versus every other year I've made them is because I was so specific with the goals. They weren't vague like my 2014 resolutions or easy to procrastinate on. They were very specific as well as published on a publicly available domain too. This meant there was an element of pride attached to achieving these as no-one likes to publicly fail.
The Forbes article from above agrees with this sentiment, stating that New Years Resolutions should be 'tangible'. There has to be a way to measure it. If it's to lose weight, you need to commit to losing a certain amount and measure this through a scale. If it's to fit into a smaller size of clothing, be specific with how small that size should be and measure this with a tape measure and some kind of log. All six of my resolutions were designed to be very specific. I turned "drink more water" into "drink at least 2L of water a day" for example.
These resolutions have to be achievable too, which means being realistic with yourself. I could have set myself an ambitious goal of 10 blog posts a month, but that would only have set me up for failure. If I fail at something, I know its very easy for me to throw in the towel on all of it so setting realistic/achievable goals was very important to me.
Finally, I think the biggest help in sticking to these goals was to regularly check in with myself. At the end of each month, I would check myself and my progress against the goals I had set. I'd look at my weight records, my savings etc and review the progress I'd made with these as well as my daily water/reading goals too. If I could see room for improvement, it was a lot easier to pick up the slack at the end of each month rather than trying to do a rush job in November. It's a lot like keeping on top of doing the dishes each day. If you do them on the day, it takes 10 minutes vs a half hour job if you leave them for a few days. Just be honest with yourself and your progress along the way and it's easy to keep up with your goals.
I hope that this post helps some of you when it comes to setting your goals for the new year. I'll have a separate post going up today with my 2016 goals. In the meantime, I recommend this motivational video to inspire you when you need it:
Have a wonderful and fortune filled 2016 <3
Tabitha
Xx
Long term followers of my blog (hi, Mum) will know that I set myself some pretty specific 2015 New Years Resolutions this time last year and I'm delighted to confirm that I kept and achieved all six of these goals. You can read more about my progress on these in this post from Tuesday. I truly believe that the only reason I was successful with these resolutions versus every other year I've made them is because I was so specific with the goals. They weren't vague like my 2014 resolutions or easy to procrastinate on. They were very specific as well as published on a publicly available domain too. This meant there was an element of pride attached to achieving these as no-one likes to publicly fail.
The Forbes article from above agrees with this sentiment, stating that New Years Resolutions should be 'tangible'. There has to be a way to measure it. If it's to lose weight, you need to commit to losing a certain amount and measure this through a scale. If it's to fit into a smaller size of clothing, be specific with how small that size should be and measure this with a tape measure and some kind of log. All six of my resolutions were designed to be very specific. I turned "drink more water" into "drink at least 2L of water a day" for example.
These resolutions have to be achievable too, which means being realistic with yourself. I could have set myself an ambitious goal of 10 blog posts a month, but that would only have set me up for failure. If I fail at something, I know its very easy for me to throw in the towel on all of it so setting realistic/achievable goals was very important to me.
Finally, I think the biggest help in sticking to these goals was to regularly check in with myself. At the end of each month, I would check myself and my progress against the goals I had set. I'd look at my weight records, my savings etc and review the progress I'd made with these as well as my daily water/reading goals too. If I could see room for improvement, it was a lot easier to pick up the slack at the end of each month rather than trying to do a rush job in November. It's a lot like keeping on top of doing the dishes each day. If you do them on the day, it takes 10 minutes vs a half hour job if you leave them for a few days. Just be honest with yourself and your progress along the way and it's easy to keep up with your goals.
I hope that this post helps some of you when it comes to setting your goals for the new year. I'll have a separate post going up today with my 2016 goals. In the meantime, I recommend this motivational video to inspire you when you need it:
Have a wonderful and fortune filled 2016 <3
Tabitha
Xx
Wednesday 30 December 2015
2015 Book Reviews
As part of my 2015 New Years Resolutions, I set myself the goal of reading 10 books this year. It's not too ambitious a goal given the average reading speed. It was more about making time for it and trying to make it a priority in my life. I've read some fantastic books this year as a result of this goal and I thought it might be worth sharing a summary of these books in case you're looking for any reading inspiration.
'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett
This is one of my all-time favourite films so I thought it was about time I read the book that inspired it. I'm glad that I did since, like most books, it was far better than the film. I loved that the different sections were written like the characters would talk with Aibileen's sayings and Minny's blunt attitudes. It's a truly beautiful story and I can't think of a single flaw in the writing or the story.
10/10
'Shanghai Girls' by Lisa See
I'm not sure what attracted me to this book in the first place. I hadn't had it recommended to me in any way. I just saw the cover and read the blurb then decided it would be the perfect book to transport me to another time/part of the world. I wasn't wrong. This is the story of two sisters in Shanghai during the war who go from being wealthy model girls to poverty stricken runaways from the Japanese bombings at the time. It is a tremendous story which I would recommend to anyone looking for something different that is set in history without too much of the history coming into it.
10/10
'A Year of Losing the Dating Game' by Samantha Bye
I read this on recommendation of a colleague as it was actually written by someone we work with. It's a short book but I can honestly say that I couldn't put it down. It's the tale of a single women in the modern dating world with references to Tinder and one night stands. It's a very honest and true representation of what it's like to meet people in this day and age so it turned out to be quite a refreshing read. Moreover, it made me more grateful than ever that I've found someone as wonderful as Fraser and that it was before the invention of Tinder too.
10/10
'The Almost Moon' by Alice Sebold
This was a random download onto my Kindle years ago on the basis that I'd enjoyed The Lovely Bones a few years back. I decided to read this without looking at the blurb so dived straight into a story without knowing a thing about it. I won't lie to you, it's not a lighthearted story. In fact, it's about a woman murdering her agoraphobic and dementia-stricken mother by suffocating her with a towel and follows the 24 hours after this happens. There are lots of flashbacks to her childhood which help to shape the background of what led her to take such an action. Ultimately, you end up questioning whether or not her actions were justified. I like any book that inspires you to question your own moral compass so would thoroughly recommend as a result.
10/10
'When You Are Engulfed in Flames' by David Sedaris
After the heavy read above, I decided that something light would be good across the summer and picked up this book. It's a collection of short stories or 'essays' by David Sedaris capturing various anecdotes from his own life. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud because of a book as hard as I did while reading this. It is so well written with such perfect comedic timing that I ended up looking for interviews with David Sedaris on YouTube once I'd finished it just to see if he was as witty in person (I was not disappointed).
10/10
'Lucky' by Alice Sebold
I then decided that I could manage another heavy read and went for this auto-biographical memoir from Alice herself where she describes her experience of being raped. The story starts with the event itself and then follows her recovery afterwards and the years following as she works with the police to capture and convict her rapist. It explores the experiences of a raped girl in the justice system of the time and how (shockingly) the attitudes towards rape victims haven't seemed to change in the 20 years since the book was published and the 40-odd years since the attack happened. I think that this is a very important read for anyone. Alice Sebold strikes the perfect balance between humour (as a coping mechanism afterwards) and the grave seriousness of the event itself.
10/10
'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel
I can appreciate that I am years behind the curve on this one, but again it was a case of seeing the film first (thanks, Channel 4) before deciding that I had to see the film. The book was more incredible than the film and was another one that I was hooked by almost instantly. My only complaint was that I hated the Canadian author character. I think this was a leftover from the film where the very English Rafe Spall tried to do a Canadian accent which felt like nails on a chalkboard to me. I couldn't shake this image even when reading the book. However, those parts are minimal and (again) it was a book that led me to question myself and my own beliefs which I loved.
10/10
'Before I Go To Sleep' by SJ Watson
This was another random Kindle download which I really enjoyed reading. It's about a woman who loses her memory each night when she goes to sleep (self-explanatory from the title) but there's a thriller element in that she slowly starts to discover (by keeping a journal) that she's being lied to each day. The story is about her discovery of what is truth and I really enjoyed the character's journey through the book. I was delighted to see that they'd made this into a film but the key element - the journal - had been turned into a video diary which I thought was a bit shit. I've yet to see the film and may decide not to given how much I enjoyed the book.
10/10
'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert
Again, I'm late to the curve with this one and it was another book read as a result of my enjoyment of the film (Julia Roberts can sell me anything). I loved this book, I really did. I wasn't expecting much from it but actually it contains a lot of wisdom without being overly preachy. Some of the jokes were a bit flat in places but overall there were some very good lessons to be learned from her experiences and I found these very useful when trying to overcome some stress at work towards the end of the year so would definitely recommend this.
10/10
'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender
This is the story of a young girl who can taste the emotions of the people making the food she eats. It sounds like a load of bollocks but actually the story is quite enjoyable as it follows the dysfunction in her family as well as a young girl trying to find her place in the world. However, I can't fully enjoy this book because the author has decided to remove the inverted commas from the writing so that there's no indication when someone is speaking. She said that this was an 'aesthetic' choice but I really don't like it. It makes it really difficult to read for me because you'll be halfway through a paragraph before realising that the character is actually speaking the lines rather than it being her internal monologue. Apparently blurring the inner and outer monologues is the point of doing this but I really didn't like it and it made the book difficult to read for me. For that reason, it will be the only book that I mark at less than 10/10 this year.
6/10
I hope that this has been useful to some of you when looking for a new book to read. I can't wait to get my teeth into some new novels next year and see where these take me. I don't think I'll be able to get through quite as many but I'll certainly try. Please leave any book recommendations in the comments below for me to take a look through as well :-)
Tabitha
Xx
'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett
This is one of my all-time favourite films so I thought it was about time I read the book that inspired it. I'm glad that I did since, like most books, it was far better than the film. I loved that the different sections were written like the characters would talk with Aibileen's sayings and Minny's blunt attitudes. It's a truly beautiful story and I can't think of a single flaw in the writing or the story.
10/10
'Shanghai Girls' by Lisa See
I'm not sure what attracted me to this book in the first place. I hadn't had it recommended to me in any way. I just saw the cover and read the blurb then decided it would be the perfect book to transport me to another time/part of the world. I wasn't wrong. This is the story of two sisters in Shanghai during the war who go from being wealthy model girls to poverty stricken runaways from the Japanese bombings at the time. It is a tremendous story which I would recommend to anyone looking for something different that is set in history without too much of the history coming into it.
10/10
'A Year of Losing the Dating Game' by Samantha Bye
I read this on recommendation of a colleague as it was actually written by someone we work with. It's a short book but I can honestly say that I couldn't put it down. It's the tale of a single women in the modern dating world with references to Tinder and one night stands. It's a very honest and true representation of what it's like to meet people in this day and age so it turned out to be quite a refreshing read. Moreover, it made me more grateful than ever that I've found someone as wonderful as Fraser and that it was before the invention of Tinder too.
10/10
'The Almost Moon' by Alice Sebold
This was a random download onto my Kindle years ago on the basis that I'd enjoyed The Lovely Bones a few years back. I decided to read this without looking at the blurb so dived straight into a story without knowing a thing about it. I won't lie to you, it's not a lighthearted story. In fact, it's about a woman murdering her agoraphobic and dementia-stricken mother by suffocating her with a towel and follows the 24 hours after this happens. There are lots of flashbacks to her childhood which help to shape the background of what led her to take such an action. Ultimately, you end up questioning whether or not her actions were justified. I like any book that inspires you to question your own moral compass so would thoroughly recommend as a result.
10/10
'When You Are Engulfed in Flames' by David Sedaris
After the heavy read above, I decided that something light would be good across the summer and picked up this book. It's a collection of short stories or 'essays' by David Sedaris capturing various anecdotes from his own life. I don't think I've ever laughed out loud because of a book as hard as I did while reading this. It is so well written with such perfect comedic timing that I ended up looking for interviews with David Sedaris on YouTube once I'd finished it just to see if he was as witty in person (I was not disappointed).
10/10
'Lucky' by Alice Sebold
I then decided that I could manage another heavy read and went for this auto-biographical memoir from Alice herself where she describes her experience of being raped. The story starts with the event itself and then follows her recovery afterwards and the years following as she works with the police to capture and convict her rapist. It explores the experiences of a raped girl in the justice system of the time and how (shockingly) the attitudes towards rape victims haven't seemed to change in the 20 years since the book was published and the 40-odd years since the attack happened. I think that this is a very important read for anyone. Alice Sebold strikes the perfect balance between humour (as a coping mechanism afterwards) and the grave seriousness of the event itself.
10/10
'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel
I can appreciate that I am years behind the curve on this one, but again it was a case of seeing the film first (thanks, Channel 4) before deciding that I had to see the film. The book was more incredible than the film and was another one that I was hooked by almost instantly. My only complaint was that I hated the Canadian author character. I think this was a leftover from the film where the very English Rafe Spall tried to do a Canadian accent which felt like nails on a chalkboard to me. I couldn't shake this image even when reading the book. However, those parts are minimal and (again) it was a book that led me to question myself and my own beliefs which I loved.
10/10
'Before I Go To Sleep' by SJ Watson
This was another random Kindle download which I really enjoyed reading. It's about a woman who loses her memory each night when she goes to sleep (self-explanatory from the title) but there's a thriller element in that she slowly starts to discover (by keeping a journal) that she's being lied to each day. The story is about her discovery of what is truth and I really enjoyed the character's journey through the book. I was delighted to see that they'd made this into a film but the key element - the journal - had been turned into a video diary which I thought was a bit shit. I've yet to see the film and may decide not to given how much I enjoyed the book.
10/10
'Eat Pray Love' by Elizabeth Gilbert
Again, I'm late to the curve with this one and it was another book read as a result of my enjoyment of the film (Julia Roberts can sell me anything). I loved this book, I really did. I wasn't expecting much from it but actually it contains a lot of wisdom without being overly preachy. Some of the jokes were a bit flat in places but overall there were some very good lessons to be learned from her experiences and I found these very useful when trying to overcome some stress at work towards the end of the year so would definitely recommend this.
10/10
'The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake' by Aimee Bender
This is the story of a young girl who can taste the emotions of the people making the food she eats. It sounds like a load of bollocks but actually the story is quite enjoyable as it follows the dysfunction in her family as well as a young girl trying to find her place in the world. However, I can't fully enjoy this book because the author has decided to remove the inverted commas from the writing so that there's no indication when someone is speaking. She said that this was an 'aesthetic' choice but I really don't like it. It makes it really difficult to read for me because you'll be halfway through a paragraph before realising that the character is actually speaking the lines rather than it being her internal monologue. Apparently blurring the inner and outer monologues is the point of doing this but I really didn't like it and it made the book difficult to read for me. For that reason, it will be the only book that I mark at less than 10/10 this year.
6/10
I hope that this has been useful to some of you when looking for a new book to read. I can't wait to get my teeth into some new novels next year and see where these take me. I don't think I'll be able to get through quite as many but I'll certainly try. Please leave any book recommendations in the comments below for me to take a look through as well :-)
Tabitha
Xx
Tuesday 29 December 2015
2015 New Years Resolutions: My Results
At the end of 2014, I set myself some very specific goals for this year and I am delighted to confirm today that every single one of these goals has been achieved and surpassed in some cases. It's been a fantastic year as a result and one I'm proud of too. The full post about these goals is here but in summary, I had the following goals:
2015 New Years Resolutions
1. Read 10 books
2. Update the blog 4 times a month
3. Fully pay off overdraft
4. Lose 6 stone
5. Have a dental check-up
6. Drink at least 2L of water a day
1. Read 10 books
I'll admit that I slacked on this one a little bit until about halfway through the year where I learned to utilise my lunch hour for reading rather than binge watch Netflix. However, I managed to achieve this one in the end and have a post coming out tomorrow with a short review of each book read. This goal felt second nature for me in the end because I really do love to read, it was just a matter of making this more of a priority.
2. Update the blog 4 times a month
This one was a struggle. Again, it was about making it a priority but I found that I ended up writing all four posts in one day with them all releasing towards the last few days of the month. It was an ambitious goal but one I'm proud that I kept. I can still say that almost no-one actually reads this blog but it felt really good to do a bit of writing and force myself to make time for it too.
3. Fully pay off overdraft
I'm going to say that this is definitely one of my achievements that I'm most proud of. It was difficult to do but I have not only managed to clear the £2,000 of debt I was in through my overdraft but actually put away savings in excess of that amount too. I scrimped like a trooper of course, but most of this came down to being very fortunate with overtime hours at work. In fact, since January of this year, I have been starting at 07:00 every morning right the way through to my last week before Christmas break. This included at least one five hour Saturday shift a month. This meant an extra 10 to 15 hours a week at work which definitely made a difference in my ability to save as well as the quality of my work too. Win-win all round!
4. Lose 6 stone
I did it! On 22nd of November this year, I got down to my lowest weight and a total of 84.4lbs lost which is the equivalent of 6 stone (84lbs or 38kg). I managed this through the simple act of calorie counting using the MyFitnessPal app. It's a free app that I believe most people have heard of or used before, but it just makes keeping track of my food and drink so easy that it became second nature. I've still got a few more stone to go until I reach my goal weight but this 6 stone chunk has been such a massive chunk off that I'm well on my way to this goal.
5. Have a dental check-up
I actually felt a bit ridiculous once I'd had this check-up. I can't imagine why it was such a big deal or why I put it off for so long. I'm not scared of dentists (well, not that much) nor was I worried about the cost. Again, I think it was a case of making it a priority which is something this resolution forced me to do. So in May, I called up my local dentist's office, got myself registered and went to see the dentist. I needed one filling and had my teeth polished to perfection by the lovely dentist there. In November, I saw her again for another polish. I intend to keep going every six months as recommended and feel that I've set up a new healthy habit that is easy to keep.
6. Drink at least 2L of water a day
I actually bossed this one. I've never been more hydrated in my life and I feel so much better for it. I've got a little cup at work that I was getting through several times a day. I tried to stick to plain water where possible. However, I found this sugar-free 2-calorie squash in Aldi that doubled my water intake because it was so delicious in November. I'm fairly confident I've been doing 3 or 4 litres a day easily, particularly as I found I was less hungry the more hydrated I was and it was therefore easier to stick to my calorie goals too.
All in all, it has been a very productive and very rewarding 2015. I definitely feel like having specific goals really helped me keep my resolutions and I'm genuinely so pleased with myself. I've had a tremendous year and I'm grateful to everyone that supported me with these goals.
Tabitha
Xx
2015 New Years Resolutions
1. Read 10 books
2. Update the blog 4 times a month
3. Fully pay off overdraft
4. Lose 6 stone
5. Have a dental check-up
6. Drink at least 2L of water a day
1. Read 10 books
I'll admit that I slacked on this one a little bit until about halfway through the year where I learned to utilise my lunch hour for reading rather than binge watch Netflix. However, I managed to achieve this one in the end and have a post coming out tomorrow with a short review of each book read. This goal felt second nature for me in the end because I really do love to read, it was just a matter of making this more of a priority.
2. Update the blog 4 times a month
This one was a struggle. Again, it was about making it a priority but I found that I ended up writing all four posts in one day with them all releasing towards the last few days of the month. It was an ambitious goal but one I'm proud that I kept. I can still say that almost no-one actually reads this blog but it felt really good to do a bit of writing and force myself to make time for it too.
3. Fully pay off overdraft
I'm going to say that this is definitely one of my achievements that I'm most proud of. It was difficult to do but I have not only managed to clear the £2,000 of debt I was in through my overdraft but actually put away savings in excess of that amount too. I scrimped like a trooper of course, but most of this came down to being very fortunate with overtime hours at work. In fact, since January of this year, I have been starting at 07:00 every morning right the way through to my last week before Christmas break. This included at least one five hour Saturday shift a month. This meant an extra 10 to 15 hours a week at work which definitely made a difference in my ability to save as well as the quality of my work too. Win-win all round!
4. Lose 6 stone
I did it! On 22nd of November this year, I got down to my lowest weight and a total of 84.4lbs lost which is the equivalent of 6 stone (84lbs or 38kg). I managed this through the simple act of calorie counting using the MyFitnessPal app. It's a free app that I believe most people have heard of or used before, but it just makes keeping track of my food and drink so easy that it became second nature. I've still got a few more stone to go until I reach my goal weight but this 6 stone chunk has been such a massive chunk off that I'm well on my way to this goal.
5. Have a dental check-up
I actually felt a bit ridiculous once I'd had this check-up. I can't imagine why it was such a big deal or why I put it off for so long. I'm not scared of dentists (well, not that much) nor was I worried about the cost. Again, I think it was a case of making it a priority which is something this resolution forced me to do. So in May, I called up my local dentist's office, got myself registered and went to see the dentist. I needed one filling and had my teeth polished to perfection by the lovely dentist there. In November, I saw her again for another polish. I intend to keep going every six months as recommended and feel that I've set up a new healthy habit that is easy to keep.
6. Drink at least 2L of water a day
I actually bossed this one. I've never been more hydrated in my life and I feel so much better for it. I've got a little cup at work that I was getting through several times a day. I tried to stick to plain water where possible. However, I found this sugar-free 2-calorie squash in Aldi that doubled my water intake because it was so delicious in November. I'm fairly confident I've been doing 3 or 4 litres a day easily, particularly as I found I was less hungry the more hydrated I was and it was therefore easier to stick to my calorie goals too.
All in all, it has been a very productive and very rewarding 2015. I definitely feel like having specific goals really helped me keep my resolutions and I'm genuinely so pleased with myself. I've had a tremendous year and I'm grateful to everyone that supported me with these goals.
Tabitha
Xx
Sunday 29 November 2015
My Aldi Swap
I started this month with a challenge to myself. For most of this year, I've been living on frozen food from Tesco. At the start of each month, I'd order a month's worth of frozen food. It was convenient, but for almost a full year I'd found I was eating pretty much the same thing.
Tabitha
So for November I decided to drop the monthly shop and try a fresh weekly shop at Aldi. I hoped I would save money but also eat fresh nutritious food.
I got exactly what I hoped for. Not only do I save over £40 a month when you compare the items to the Tesco equivalent, but I also saw a big whoosh of weight loss to boot!
I felt inspired to Instagram the vast majority of my meals (yes, I'm that sad) so here's some of my favourites:
Xx
My Little Box | November 2015
Just like Birchbox, I should start by saying that I've cancelled my subscription to My Little Box this month. This is an even bigger surprise to me because just a couple of months I was so in love with this box and really enjoyed receiving it.
The apron is cute, sure. But where the hell is the sweet?! There's a sweet hand cream that is a bit marshmallowy but this will be cream 10,000 received from My Little Box now. Not forgetting there was a hand cream in the last box as well. How dry do they think my hands are?
However, the last few months of boxes have just been so disappointing. It's like they reached their first anniversary of being in the UK and just gave up. This gets mentioned in their Instagram comments a lot, but it's hard to enjoy the UK boxes now when the French and Japanese versions are always so much better.
It was a little tin instead of a box and I got very excited about what might be inside. Then I saw this:
Then there was a little perfume that smells like Poundland's own cat piss.
Finally there was that shitty foamy face wash that long time readers will remember I HATED when Birchbox sent this a few months ago.
I'm not even going to list the contents, I'm that disappointed. It's just too much money each month to justify when the contents are this cheap.
So very disappointed!
Tabitha
Xx
Birchbox | November 2015
I'm going to preface this post by saying that even though this box was a lot better than last month's, it still wasn't good enough to retain my custom and I have now cancelled my Birchbox subscription.
I know, it's a big shock given how much I loved their boxes just a few months ago. But I, like many of their customers, have very little patience when I don't feel like I'm getting my money's worth.
Birchbox November 2015 Contents:
So Susan Featherlash Mascara | £18
Lord & Berry Silhouette Neutral Lip Line | £9
Delarom Creme Acquaconfort | £34
Pure & Light Organic Revitalising Facial Exfoliation | £25
Beauty Protector Beauty Cream Body Lotion | £8
Thumbs Up Rosa Nail Wraps | £6.99
So Susan Featherlash Mascara
This is a lovely light mascara for days when you want a more natural look. It does flake off though so it's a bit of a pain by the end of the day.
Lord & Berry Neutral Lip Liner
I tried this out but I'm not convinced that it made a difference at all. That could just be where I don't tend to find that my lipsticks bleed/smudge if I don't wear a lip liner.
Delacrom Creme Acquaconfort
I can't remember if I've tried this or not so this definitely didn't make an impression.
Pure & Light Organic Revitalising Facial Exfoliation
I actually really liked this but there was only enough for two uses. It smelled of light citrus and had enough exfoliating grains that my skin felt amazing afterwards.
Beauty Protector Beauty Cream Body Lotion
The smell of this was amazing but it was a bit too oily for my tastes.
Thumbs Up Rosa Nail Wraps
I haven't tried these yet as they're a little more Spring than Festive but I definitely think they're cute.
I'm not saying I'll never go back to Birchbox, but I don't think I ever really recovered from the horrific October box and it has tarnished this box for me.
Tabitha
Xx
Review | Maybelline Super Stay
We are well into Autumn and nearly Winter now so all manner of dark berry shades have been gracing my lips. While I can get away with a darker lip, I fully intend to.
By far my favourite dark berry shade is this absolute beauty of a product by Maybelline. This is their Super Stay 24 Ultimate Red lip colour in Always Crimson (575). I swatched this on the back of my hand in Boots and couldn't get rid of it without severe scrubbing so this is definitely a product made to last as long as it promises.
I tried it on my lips for the first time today. The first layer was perfect and I shouldn't have touched it, but being a fool, I put the balm on before it had dried properly and then tried to put another layer on top to even the colour that I had smudged. It still looked amazing but it did flake off when I ate lunch so I definitely recommend one layer that you allow to fully dry.
The colour is gorgeous and there's a massive range from light nudes and pinks right the way through to the darker vampy shades that I enjoy most.
10/10 - Highly Recommend
Thursday 29 October 2015
My Little Box | October 2015
As mentioned in my Birchbox post, the My Little Box from this month was a little disappointing. You know I've always enjoyed every box I received but this one let me down.
The theme is "creativity" though I see none of that in the contents. They're usually really good at including little accessories/activities with their boxes so this should have been an easy feat for them.
Instead, I've got a box of skincare - something I've said before that I have absolutely no interest in receiving.
My Little Box October 2015 Contents:
Baija Hydrating Cream | £12.90
Polaar Genuine Lapland Hand Cream | £16.90
My Little Beauty Creme de Minuit | £15
My Little Box Wire Wrap Beads | £16
My Little Box Tote Bag | £15
Yep. Three creams, plastic beads and a tote bag. Officially my least favourite box that I would send back if I could. Add to the fact that this box was late so they had to send out a replacement. I wish they hadn't bothered.
The Baija cream is okay - like a big standard Shea butter scent wise and texture wise.
The Polaar cream had barely any scent at all. Rubbed in nicely without too much of a sticky feeling.
The Minuit Creme was a lovely scent and was soft on the skin.
The creams themselves were good quality but I'd prefer them to have been spread out across the next three months rather than all at once.
I'm hoping next month will be a LOT better to make up for this. Two bad subscription boxes really is bad luck.
Tabitha
Xx
Tuesday 27 October 2015
Afternoon Tea at Patisserie Valerie
Fraser and I have wanted to go for Afternoon Tea together for a long while but neither of us had much experience with it. I'd only been one other time and it was so incredible that I wasn't sure how we'd follow it.
When a friend pointed out a voucher on Amazon Local for an Afternoon Tea For Two at Patisserie Valerie priced at just £19, I decided we should take advantage of the offer. You simply purchase the voucher and visit almost any Patisserie Valerie with the code. We chose to visit the Covent Garden branch at around midday.
The staff were friendly and we were seated right away. It wasn't long before our Afternoon Tea tray arrived and it definitely wowed straight away. There was so much food!
It comes with:
10 x Finger Sandwiches in Salmon & Cream Cheese, Chicken & Pesto, Ham & Mustard, Egg & Watercress, and Cucumber
2 x Mini Bell Pepper Quiches
4 x Scones (2 currant, 2 normal)
Clotted Cream
4 x Pots of Tiptree Jam
2 x Mini Eclair
Mini Victoria Sponge
Carrot & Walnut Cake
Summer Berry Mousse Cake
Chocolate Cake
It was incredible! The scones were our favourite as they were fresh out of the oven and still warm. The quiches were warm too.
The mini Victoria Sponge was lighter than air. I picked up my half after Frase cut if and my fingers had dented the sponge with only the slightest touch. It was like touching a cloud and it tasted phenomenal.
The sandwich fillings were very generous and delicious. The bread was little bit old, like the sandwiches had been made first thing this morning but neither of us minded.
I would highly recommend this afternoon tea experience for a traditional feel with quality cakes :-)
Monday 26 October 2015
Birchbox | October 2015
I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in a Birchbox in all the time I've been subscribed.
This month's theme is "Back to Basics" and I think that's the problem with it. I don't sign up to £12.95 a month in subscription fees for "Basics". I sign up for a treat to myself, a surprise, something to get excited about. This box fell short on so many levels.
There it is. In all its disappointing glory.
Birchbox October 2015 Contents:
Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner | £12
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat | £9
Bioderma Hydrabio H20 | £10.20
Regenerate Enamel Science Toothpaste | £10
Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Shampoo | £11.50
Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturising Conditioner | £12
Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner
This could have been great but it's far too big for me and ended up colouring my whole lid with one stroke. The colour was long lasting and as strong a black as a gel liner though so that was good. I just prefer a thinner nib.
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
A colleague of mine assured me this is a great quality brand but a top coat polish falls a bit flat in my opinion. I've not had a chance to try it yet as I'm almost always wearing gel nails right now - perhaps I'll be wowed then.... I highly doubt it.
Bioderma Hydrabio H20
Oh wow. Another cleanser to add to the litre of micellar water I have on the go. Thank goodness, I was so worried I would run out in 10 years time.
Regenerate Enamel Science Toothpaste
Tooth.....toothpaste. You read that correctly. I really wanted to give this a fair chance so I tried it this morning hoping that it might be so incredible that I forget the awfulness of this box. It's not even as good as the Colgate on my shelf. It didn't leave my teeth feeling clean- just a little fuzzy and less minty than usual.
Beaver Professional Shampoo and Conditioner
First of all, the conditioner satchets look like something out of a magazine so I felt like that was pathetic. Next, I tried the shampoo and I can honestly say that it made zero impact on my hair. Not only did it fail to lather up more than a spit bubble's worth, but it also had the faintest whiff of a scent to it that I've ever experienced. Perhaps it's just me, but I like a shampoo you can smell with a hair swish far more than a shampoo you have to inhale hair into your nostril to catch a whiff. Disappointing and not worth the price tag.
All in all, a horrendous box that got me so wound up that I hovered over the cancel subscription button. Were it not for my goal of posting here four times a month and needing material, I probably would have gone through with it.
My Little Box arrived late this month (my Graze box disappeared too so I'm thinking the Royal Mail in my area are suffering some issues) so I've only just received it today. It was equally disappointing so I'll get some pictures together and post on that this week. Not a great month box wise :-(
Sorry for the phone-written post and if the picture quality is low - hoping to restore my laptop soon!
Tabitha
Xx
Disaster Strikes
So I decided to upgrade my laptop to Windows 10 and now every time I log on the screen goes black :-(
I'm working on fixing it (somehow) but it means I am struggling to complete my blog posts this month.
I'm going to post them but please forgive the low photo quality as I'm uploading from the app and it's had terrible photo upload quality in the past.
Saturday 26 September 2015
Beauty Discovery | Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter
I mean, just look at it. It's stunning.
I was in Superdrug checking out the Revolution stand after an old friend (holla, Charlotte!) SnapChat me asking if their brand was any good. I spotted this little beauty and after a quick swatch I fell in love.
This is the Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights and it is £3 from Superdrug or the Revolution website itself. The shimmer on this is actually stunning and I would pay a lot more than £3 for it. It is just gorgeous so I had to write a post to shout about it.
I haven't stopped wearing it since I bought it and even looking at it on my shelf makes me happy. I thought their Iconic Pro palettes were impressive enough so seeing this be such a winner too makes me want to go out and buy their whole range. Especially given it's so cheap as well.
10/10 forever - highly recommend!
Friday 25 September 2015
My Little Box | September 2015
Ah, My Little Box - you never let me down. Every month, this is the box that I look forward to receiving most. If memory serves, they've been available in the UK for about a year now and in that time the contents have just got better and better.
This month's theme is My Little Fashion Box which ties in nicely with London Fashion Week here in the UK.
My Little Box September 2015 Contents:
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter | £21
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream | £15
Alfa-K Nail Decals | £4.35
American Vintage Scarf | £17.69
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour | £16.21
Cointreau & Recipe Book
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter
I used this on dry pin-curled hair to try and help hold a style for longer. I'd say it definitely made a difference and the spray smells gorgeous too. I've yet to try it on damp hair which is mostly because I've been seriously un-arsed to wash my hair lately, but it promises effortless beach waves without the stickyness.
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream
I'll admit that I groaned a little bit when I saw a BB Cream in here. It's been a good few years since the BB cream trend really kicked off over here and I've yet to find one that isn't too orange on my paper white skin. However, I gave this a swatch and it seemed to blend really well. I tried it on my face yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It applies like a dream and the shade - while orange against my skin initially - blended beautifully. Obviously its not designed to be a full coverage but it just evened everything out so effortlessly. Plus its SPF 20 so ideal for protecting my skin too. Definitely a convert to this.
Alfa-K Nail Decals
These look really cute. I haven't tried them yet but next time I'm feeling a bit creative I'll give them a go.
American Vintage Scarf
I love this scarf! Simple design but it will match most outfits that way. The quality of the fabric is really lovely too. It's a square scarf so perfect for warmer Autumn days or coming into Spring next year.
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour
I always love the My Little Beauty additions and this month was no different. The lip colour is a perfect match to my skintone and it applies beautifully. It dries matte so lasts quite a while though it did start to flake off a little bit after 5 or 6 hours. Not on the lips as much, but onto cup rims etc. It reapplied really nicely though so that was a bonus.
Cointreau & Recipe Book
Legitimately. They sent Cointreau.
How much cooler can a monthly beauty box get? The little recipe book that comes with it is filled with fizzy Cointreau cocktail recipes which is a really nice touch. But lets be honest, I'll be pouring this into hot chocolates and getting tipsy in front of X Factor until Christmas.
I know I say this every month, but I already can't wait for next month's box to arrive. New post tomorrow on an AMAZING new highlighter that I've discovered so check back then. Otherwise, hit the subscribe button on the top left of the page and be my best friend forevz.
Tabitha
Xx
This month's theme is My Little Fashion Box which ties in nicely with London Fashion Week here in the UK.
My Little Box September 2015 Contents:
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter | £21
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream | £15
Alfa-K Nail Decals | £4.35
American Vintage Scarf | £17.69
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour | £16.21
Cointreau & Recipe Book
Kerastase Couture Styling Spray a Porter
I used this on dry pin-curled hair to try and help hold a style for longer. I'd say it definitely made a difference and the spray smells gorgeous too. I've yet to try it on damp hair which is mostly because I've been seriously un-arsed to wash my hair lately, but it promises effortless beach waves without the stickyness.
La Roche-Posay Hydreane BB Cream
I'll admit that I groaned a little bit when I saw a BB Cream in here. It's been a good few years since the BB cream trend really kicked off over here and I've yet to find one that isn't too orange on my paper white skin. However, I gave this a swatch and it seemed to blend really well. I tried it on my face yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It applies like a dream and the shade - while orange against my skin initially - blended beautifully. Obviously its not designed to be a full coverage but it just evened everything out so effortlessly. Plus its SPF 20 so ideal for protecting my skin too. Definitely a convert to this.
Alfa-K Nail Decals
These look really cute. I haven't tried them yet but next time I'm feeling a bit creative I'll give them a go.
American Vintage Scarf
I love this scarf! Simple design but it will match most outfits that way. The quality of the fabric is really lovely too. It's a square scarf so perfect for warmer Autumn days or coming into Spring next year.
My Little Beauty Red Dingue Lip Colour
I always love the My Little Beauty additions and this month was no different. The lip colour is a perfect match to my skintone and it applies beautifully. It dries matte so lasts quite a while though it did start to flake off a little bit after 5 or 6 hours. Not on the lips as much, but onto cup rims etc. It reapplied really nicely though so that was a bonus.
Cointreau & Recipe Book
Legitimately. They sent Cointreau.
How much cooler can a monthly beauty box get? The little recipe book that comes with it is filled with fizzy Cointreau cocktail recipes which is a really nice touch. But lets be honest, I'll be pouring this into hot chocolates and getting tipsy in front of X Factor until Christmas.
I know I say this every month, but I already can't wait for next month's box to arrive. New post tomorrow on an AMAZING new highlighter that I've discovered so check back then. Otherwise, hit the subscribe button on the top left of the page and be my best friend forevz.
Tabitha
Xx
Thursday 24 September 2015
Birchbox | September 2015
First of all, where the f*ck has September gone? I'm either too busy at work to notice time flying by or just getting older and appreciating the moments less. Either way, I'm losing.
I received September's Birchbox a couple of weeks back now. So long ago that I've lost the information leaflet - or else I chucked it out with bitter disappointment that I (yet again) did not receive the box design of my choice. At least it's been long enough that I've had a chance to use most of the samples I received this month.
Birchbox September 2015 Contents:
Laura Mercier Face Polish | £26
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler | £16
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot | £15.50
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser | £8
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray | £16.75
Birchbox Birchbrush | £5.99
Laura Mercier Face Polish
Being a massive fan of the primer from Laura Mercier (which is close to running out - kill me) I was very excited by this sample. I tried it out and it's just as amazing as I'd worked it up to be. It's so rare that expectations are met like this. The scrub itself has a very tiny exfoliate in it which makes it feel like a luxurious liquid sandpaper. Aggressive as that sounds, it's exactly what my oil-slick skin needs and I was gutted when the sample finally ran out. I would pay £26 for the full size of this once I marry rich and can afford to.
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler
I've been using this as a leave-in conditioner rather than rinsing out. According to the bottle you can do either. I can't say I've noticed it makes any kind of difference to my tangled hair but it definitely makes it smell nice. Equally though, a bit of Tresemme would do the same so I wouldn't be buying this.
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot
I'm still not sure what this product is supposed to do. Perhaps the information leaflet had some kind of magic instructions or my skin is just too greasy for it to cope. I am definitely still oily and can't say that this 'mattifying' product made a lick of difference. Likely going straight in the bin the next time I have a product cull.
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser
I enjoyed this body wash as is definitely smelled good. Usual complaint about the packaging this company use being such hard plastic that you can't squeeze any product out though. Lovely change to the current Grapefruit Body Wash from Body Shop routine but I don't think it's worth £8 a bottle.
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray
Loved the colour of this and the formula goes on great. That said, it didn't last very long on my lips and I ended up with a coral outlined lip and nothing else. Good if you're used to applying lip colour back on regularly, but I prefer a longer lasting product personally.
Birchbox Birchbrush
I love my Tangle Teezers so I was really excited to see this addition to the box. Particularly as I've been considering a handbag sized Tangle Teezer purchase and this has saved me about £13. Perfect compact size and non-tug bristles make this one a win for me.
There was definitely a good range of products in this month's Birthday themed box. It's a shame that most of them didn't suit my tastes but there were a few highlights so not a bad box.
I've received My Little Box in the last couple of weeks too so be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll have a post on that one. Subscribe using the link to the top right if you want alerts of all my new posts.
Tabitha
Xx
I received September's Birchbox a couple of weeks back now. So long ago that I've lost the information leaflet - or else I chucked it out with bitter disappointment that I (yet again) did not receive the box design of my choice. At least it's been long enough that I've had a chance to use most of the samples I received this month.
Birchbox September 2015 Contents:
Laura Mercier Face Polish | £26
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler | £16
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot | £15.50
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser | £8
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray | £16.75
Birchbox Birchbrush | £5.99
Laura Mercier Face Polish
Being a massive fan of the primer from Laura Mercier (which is close to running out - kill me) I was very excited by this sample. I tried it out and it's just as amazing as I'd worked it up to be. It's so rare that expectations are met like this. The scrub itself has a very tiny exfoliate in it which makes it feel like a luxurious liquid sandpaper. Aggressive as that sounds, it's exactly what my oil-slick skin needs and I was gutted when the sample finally ran out. I would pay £26 for the full size of this once I marry rich and can afford to.
John Masters Organic Citrus & Neroli Detangler
I've been using this as a leave-in conditioner rather than rinsing out. According to the bottle you can do either. I can't say I've noticed it makes any kind of difference to my tangled hair but it definitely makes it smell nice. Equally though, a bit of Tresemme would do the same so I wouldn't be buying this.
Benefit Porefessional License to Blot
I'm still not sure what this product is supposed to do. Perhaps the information leaflet had some kind of magic instructions or my skin is just too greasy for it to cope. I am definitely still oily and can't say that this 'mattifying' product made a lick of difference. Likely going straight in the bin the next time I have a product cull.
Beauty Protector Beauty Wash Body Cleanser
I enjoyed this body wash as is definitely smelled good. Usual complaint about the packaging this company use being such hard plastic that you can't squeeze any product out though. Lovely change to the current Grapefruit Body Wash from Body Shop routine but I don't think it's worth £8 a bottle.
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip Pencil in Cray Cray
Loved the colour of this and the formula goes on great. That said, it didn't last very long on my lips and I ended up with a coral outlined lip and nothing else. Good if you're used to applying lip colour back on regularly, but I prefer a longer lasting product personally.
Birchbox Birchbrush
I love my Tangle Teezers so I was really excited to see this addition to the box. Particularly as I've been considering a handbag sized Tangle Teezer purchase and this has saved me about £13. Perfect compact size and non-tug bristles make this one a win for me.
There was definitely a good range of products in this month's Birthday themed box. It's a shame that most of them didn't suit my tastes but there were a few highlights so not a bad box.
I've received My Little Box in the last couple of weeks too so be sure to come back tomorrow when I'll have a post on that one. Subscribe using the link to the top right if you want alerts of all my new posts.
Tabitha
Xx
Tuesday 1 September 2015
Haul | Primark Homeware
Living near such a big Primark is both very convenient and very dangerous for my purse. Right now, Primark is having a "Home Event" and the homeware stock has taken it up a notch as a result.
I've always loved Primark for my basic home essentials like a candle or some simple bedsheets. Lately though, there's a section bigger than my apartment dedicated to their homeware range and I've been unable to resist picking up some decorative bits.
My favourite purchase has to be the big LED star light. It's battery operated which is a bonus to me and the star itself is a dark shiny metal material which makes it look so much more expensive than the £10 it cost. I wasn't expecting a lighting miracle from it, but I popped two AA's in it and actually the lights are quite bright!
I also spotted that Primark have partnered with YouTube's Gabriella (@velvetghost) and have a brand new range in store with her. It's (unsurprisingly) cat themed and very cute. I'd have bought it all if I had the space but decided on this adorable mug with the little cat whiskers on it because you can never have too many mugs.
Primark also have a range of new frame designs which I loved. Lots of rose-gold and copper themed frames but I fell in love with the one pictured above. It's the perfect sized frame and I love the 3D geometric type design. I bought two of these and they were an absolute bloody steal at just £2 each. Near these were a range of canvas prints so I picked up the "Today is going to be a good day" one for £3.
Of course, I couldn't come out of the Home section of Primark without picking up some candles. The first one I picked up was the Lime scented one from their 'Soda' range. I had purchased the Orange Soda candle for my sister a few months ago and loving all things lime-scented, I had to buy myself this one. It smells like a lime mojito and comes in a glass jar with a lid. It was £3 for something that is going to burn for 30+ hours so definitely a bargain.
Still on the candle front, I also picked up a little tealight holder with an Earl Grey design. I just thought that a tea-themed tealight holder was too cute and at £2.50 was another amazing bargain. Especially since it comes with a tealight inside it.
Finally, I spotted a little glimpse of upmarket Primark with the candle pictured in the centre (above). It's a frosted glass jar with a wooden top and inside is the most amazing smelling White Cardamom & Sage candle. It smells like something you could buy at Jo Malone but at a fraction of the price. This one was £4 but I could easily have spent triple that with how good this candle smells!
All in all, very impressed with my local Primark stock right now. It was always a gamble as to whether you'd find good stuff in there before but lately they have been stepping up their game. It's like they've had a re-design and become a new shop altogether. I look forward to future homeware purchases from Primark going forward :-)
Tabitha
Xx
Thursday 27 August 2015
Review | Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet
When I first saw the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet on the shelves a good few months ago, I thought it was a gloss type formula rather than a liquid lipstick. It wasn't until I saw a few reviews on this that I really knew what it was.
I was in Boots the other day (again, shocker) and I saw that there were testers out for the product. I swatched a couple of them and fell in love with the Peach Club shade. From the swatch alone, the formula was smooth and highly pigmented so I bought it.
I've now tried it out a few times and can firmly say that I love it! The colour is absolutely gorgeous. I've never really owned a peachy/coral shade like this before and was pleasantly surprised at well it goes with my pale af complexion.
The formula goes on really smooth and velvety as the name would suggest. Unlike other matte lipsticks, it doesn't dry to a chalky texture. Instead, it feels more like a balm. It's not entirely transfer-proof but it does stay in place all day without need for further applications despite eating/drinking.
The only negative is that when you first apply the product, it does not smell good. It smells distinctly of acrylic paint or some kind of burnt polystyrene. Not pleasant but the smell soon dissipates as you apply the colour and it certainly doesn't taste anything like that scent.
All in all, a solid 9/10 for this product and I can't wait to swatch a few more shades and pick up some more colours! They're £8.99 each at Boots right now and there's a 3 for 2 offer on all Bourjois cosmetics at the moment so its the perfect time to give them a try if you haven't already :-)
Tabitha
Xx
Monday 24 August 2015
Review | Graze Box
There's a little group of people where I work that get Graze boxes sent each week and I've been eyeing them enviously for a little while. One morning, I saw one of their competitor's adverts claiming they were more exciting to receive.
I checked them out but sadly it only ended up driving me to the Graze website where I was successfully converted into their latest customer. Very bad marketing on the part of the competitor company of course, but I was excited to get started with Graze.
For those that might not know, Graze is a snack delivery company. You subscribe to them, chose your delivery frequency and they start delivering you snacks from their 100+ range. Each box contains four snacks and is delivered on a Monday. The snacks are designed to be as healthy by packing in fibre, protein and nutrients into as few calories as possible. There's a huge range available to be sent, from soup to jerky.
The first thing I did was go through their snack list and tell them which ones I want sent soon (basically all of them in the end) and if there were any that I wanted to 'Bin'. Once the snacks arrive and you've tried them, you can tell them if you loved it, liked it, or never want it to be sent again (the Bin option).
Last Monday, my first box arrived and I fought the urge to try all of the snacks in one sitting. I managed to make them last the week and have to say, I'm already in love with this subscription!
My first box arrived with the Sour Cream & Garlic Crostini, Honeycomb Crunch, Louisiana Wild Rice & Beans and Wholegrain Banoffee Dippers. I think the dippers are always going to be my favourite thing to receive since the entire range looks delicious.
The portion sizes are perfect and if you're counting calories you can opt for their "Light Box" to be sent which contains snacks with less than 150 calories. I tried each of these snacks across the week and have rated them all as "Love" on the website. In fact, I've been raving about Graze so much that I even convinced my boyfriend to sign up too :)
My next box arrives today and I can't wait to see what's inside ;-) If you're interested in Graze at all, check out the Graze Website for more information on the snacks they have.
Tabitha
Xx
I checked them out but sadly it only ended up driving me to the Graze website where I was successfully converted into their latest customer. Very bad marketing on the part of the competitor company of course, but I was excited to get started with Graze.
For those that might not know, Graze is a snack delivery company. You subscribe to them, chose your delivery frequency and they start delivering you snacks from their 100+ range. Each box contains four snacks and is delivered on a Monday. The snacks are designed to be as healthy by packing in fibre, protein and nutrients into as few calories as possible. There's a huge range available to be sent, from soup to jerky.
The first thing I did was go through their snack list and tell them which ones I want sent soon (basically all of them in the end) and if there were any that I wanted to 'Bin'. Once the snacks arrive and you've tried them, you can tell them if you loved it, liked it, or never want it to be sent again (the Bin option).
Last Monday, my first box arrived and I fought the urge to try all of the snacks in one sitting. I managed to make them last the week and have to say, I'm already in love with this subscription!
The portion sizes are perfect and if you're counting calories you can opt for their "Light Box" to be sent which contains snacks with less than 150 calories. I tried each of these snacks across the week and have rated them all as "Love" on the website. In fact, I've been raving about Graze so much that I even convinced my boyfriend to sign up too :)
My next box arrives today and I can't wait to see what's inside ;-) If you're interested in Graze at all, check out the Graze Website for more information on the snacks they have.
Tabitha
Xx
Sunday 23 August 2015
My Little Box | August 2015
This month's theme is 'gypset' - an adjective meaning someone with a passionate soul, an adventurous mind and a bohemian nature (according to the My Little Box definition that arrived with the box). The contents were suitably bohemian in nature with a definite festival feel.
My Little Box August 2015 Contents:
So Susan Colour Hybrid | £14.50
Korres Body Milk | £10
Antik Batik Bucket Bag | No Price Listed
My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets | No Price Listed
My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed
So Susan Colour Hybrid
I swatched this when my box first arrived at the office and was both impressed and full of regret at the same time. One tiny, minuscule drop of this goes a very long way and it is deeply pigmented. The colour I received is quite a bright fuchsia which might be nice on the lips. However, this product is designed to go on both cheeks and lips. I didn't want to put it anywhere near my face with how pigmented it was already so I tried to blend out a pinprick amount on the back of my hand instead, and it was still too pigmented. Fantastic staying power though so it will be great for my lips.
Korres Body Milk
If this looks familiar to anyone, it's because it came in April's Birchbox. It still smells amazing and works a treat so I'm happy to receive it again.
Antik Batik Bucket Bag
I love that this box gets sent with accessories as well. This bag is so cute! Perfect for a little beach trip or to accessorise a bohemian style outfit. The quality of the fabric is really lovely and I love the design so this one was definitely a win for me!
My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets
I love the idea of these. As much as I love wearing my Invisibobble in my hair, I feel like a knob when I wear it on my wrist. These are well elasticated hair bands that have a cute design on them too so another accessory win from this month's box.
My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed
I'm not a big wearer of bronzer usually but I'm going to a wedding next weekend and will be trying out a fake tan for the first time (eek!) so this may come in handy to help my face match my body! It's a really lovely colour with only the tiniest bit of shimmer in it and a mirror in the lid so very practical. If nothing else, it can join the collection of bronzers I have been sent that get used as eyeshadows :-)
That's it for this month's My Little Box. I'm already looking forward to September's boxes from both My Little Box and Birchbox. I review these boxes every month so make sure to subscribe to this blog via the links at the top right of the page to receive a notification of when I do :-)
I'll be back with a new post tomorrow on my latest box subscription/obsession: Graze.
Tabitha
Xx
My Little Box August 2015 Contents:
So Susan Colour Hybrid | £14.50
Korres Body Milk | £10
Antik Batik Bucket Bag | No Price Listed
My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets | No Price Listed
My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed
So Susan Colour Hybrid
I swatched this when my box first arrived at the office and was both impressed and full of regret at the same time. One tiny, minuscule drop of this goes a very long way and it is deeply pigmented. The colour I received is quite a bright fuchsia which might be nice on the lips. However, this product is designed to go on both cheeks and lips. I didn't want to put it anywhere near my face with how pigmented it was already so I tried to blend out a pinprick amount on the back of my hand instead, and it was still too pigmented. Fantastic staying power though so it will be great for my lips.
Korres Body Milk
If this looks familiar to anyone, it's because it came in April's Birchbox. It still smells amazing and works a treat so I'm happy to receive it again.
Antik Batik Bucket Bag
I love that this box gets sent with accessories as well. This bag is so cute! Perfect for a little beach trip or to accessorise a bohemian style outfit. The quality of the fabric is really lovely and I love the design so this one was definitely a win for me!
My Little Box Hair Tie Bracelets
I love the idea of these. As much as I love wearing my Invisibobble in my hair, I feel like a knob when I wear it on my wrist. These are well elasticated hair bands that have a cute design on them too so another accessory win from this month's box.
My Little Beauty Bronzing Powder | No Price Listed
I'm not a big wearer of bronzer usually but I'm going to a wedding next weekend and will be trying out a fake tan for the first time (eek!) so this may come in handy to help my face match my body! It's a really lovely colour with only the tiniest bit of shimmer in it and a mirror in the lid so very practical. If nothing else, it can join the collection of bronzers I have been sent that get used as eyeshadows :-)
That's it for this month's My Little Box. I'm already looking forward to September's boxes from both My Little Box and Birchbox. I review these boxes every month so make sure to subscribe to this blog via the links at the top right of the page to receive a notification of when I do :-)
I'll be back with a new post tomorrow on my latest box subscription/obsession: Graze.
Tabitha
Xx
Sunday 16 August 2015
Birchbox | August 2015
This month's Birchbox theme is Beauty Junkie and blissfully contains not one but two make-up samples! Make-up samples are my favourite so I'm delighted with the August theme.
Birchbox August 2015 Contents:
Rituals Fortune Scrub | £10
Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus | £17
Huygens Exfoliating Cream | £17.90
Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo | £13.95
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer | £15
Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches | £2.95
Rituals Fortune Scrub
I love the smell of this! It's sweet orange and cedar wood scented so smells fresh but luxurious. It is a shower scrub combining body wash with exfoliator. The texture of the scrub itself is very fine grained so is gentle enough for daily use. This is the perfect everyday exfoliator to achieve smooth summer skin.
Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus
The first of this month's make-up samples is this blush from Lord & Berry. I loved the bronzer from Lord & Berry sent a few months back so I was excited to try this blush. They've tried to pick a shade that will be flattering for most skintones but this blush is highly pigmented so I'll definitely have to be light-handed with it. I loved how easily the formula blends though.
Huygens Exfoliating Cream
Another exfoliator in this month's box but this one is for my face. The formula is made with rice powder particles to leave a smooth complexion without irritating the skin - perfect if you've got sensitive skin. It smells like mint and citrus so it feels really fresh on the skin. I'm going to replace my usual daily scrub with this sample until it runs out and see what difference it can make to my skin.
Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo
This sample leaked a little bit so it was a little bit messy the first time I opened it. But the mess is worth it for the effect it has on my hair. I don't use a massive amount of product on my hair if I can help it but even occasional use of leave-in conditioner can leave hair feeling flat. This shampoo removes that product build-up and leaves your hair fresh and full of body again.
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer
The second of this months make-up samples is this bronzer from theBalm. I have always loved the samples Birchbox sends from theBalm and this one is no different. It's a gorgeous colour that I would happily use as both a contour or eyeshadow. It's a long-wearing formula so it should last all day.
Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches
I haven't been able to test these yet since it is (blissfully) very rare that I get a spot these days. I love the idea of these though and really hope they work. The pack contains 21 single-use patches so this full size sample should last a good while. At £2.95 for 21 patches, it would be a bargain to repurchase if it works too.
I liked this month's box and thought the addition of the emoji stickers was very cute. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox for yourself, check out the Birchbox website for more information, Otherwise, I'll continue to un-box and review the contents here on the blog so be sure to follow by email at the top right of the page or on Bloglovin' :-)
Tabitha
Xx
Birchbox August 2015 Contents:
Rituals Fortune Scrub | £10
Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus | £17
Huygens Exfoliating Cream | £17.90
Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo | £13.95
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer | £15
Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches | £2.95
Rituals Fortune Scrub
I love the smell of this! It's sweet orange and cedar wood scented so smells fresh but luxurious. It is a shower scrub combining body wash with exfoliator. The texture of the scrub itself is very fine grained so is gentle enough for daily use. This is the perfect everyday exfoliator to achieve smooth summer skin.
Lord & Berry Blush in Lotus
The first of this month's make-up samples is this blush from Lord & Berry. I loved the bronzer from Lord & Berry sent a few months back so I was excited to try this blush. They've tried to pick a shade that will be flattering for most skintones but this blush is highly pigmented so I'll definitely have to be light-handed with it. I loved how easily the formula blends though.
Huygens Exfoliating Cream
Another exfoliator in this month's box but this one is for my face. The formula is made with rice powder particles to leave a smooth complexion without irritating the skin - perfect if you've got sensitive skin. It smells like mint and citrus so it feels really fresh on the skin. I'm going to replace my usual daily scrub with this sample until it runs out and see what difference it can make to my skin.
Kebelo Clarifying Shampoo
This sample leaked a little bit so it was a little bit messy the first time I opened it. But the mess is worth it for the effect it has on my hair. I don't use a massive amount of product on my hair if I can help it but even occasional use of leave-in conditioner can leave hair feeling flat. This shampoo removes that product build-up and leaves your hair fresh and full of body again.
theBalm Cosmetics Balm Desert Bronzer
The second of this months make-up samples is this bronzer from theBalm. I have always loved the samples Birchbox sends from theBalm and this one is no different. It's a gorgeous colour that I would happily use as both a contour or eyeshadow. It's a long-wearing formula so it should last all day.
Formula 10.0.6 Overnight Success Spot Minimizing Patches
I haven't been able to test these yet since it is (blissfully) very rare that I get a spot these days. I love the idea of these though and really hope they work. The pack contains 21 single-use patches so this full size sample should last a good while. At £2.95 for 21 patches, it would be a bargain to repurchase if it works too.
I liked this month's box and thought the addition of the emoji stickers was very cute. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox for yourself, check out the Birchbox website for more information, Otherwise, I'll continue to un-box and review the contents here on the blog so be sure to follow by email at the top right of the page or on Bloglovin' :-)
Tabitha
Xx
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