Feel Good Brews

Over Christmas I received a lot of different varieties of teas that I’ve really been enjoying trying out.  I’m still a massive coffee gal at heart, but there really isn’t anything better than jumping into bed with a nice cuppa tea at night!

Tea Pigs

Like I said in my January Favourites post, I’ve been adoring the Tea Pigs Spiced Winter Red Tea that I purchased after trying out a sample in my pix’n’mix box.  It’s the perfect tea for when you’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth, but you’re not too sure what for.

PG Tips

Now I’m that person who tries and tries again to enjoy a cup of green tea, and every single time I’m left even more disappointed than the last by the bitter taste and odd flavour.  I want to like it, I know it’s good for me, I just can’t bring myself to do it.  However, PG Tips have made this problem disappear for me, as they’ve upped the green tea game with their new strawberry cupcake flavour!  Although the green tea flavour is still very much present, it really does taste like a sweet cupcake, especially with a trusty splash of agave nectar in there too.  I picked these up from Morrisons for £1 a couple of weeks back, but I’ve since seen them in Home Bargains too for just 89p!

Clippers

I won’t go into too much detail here because I did already speak about this lovely brew in my routine for good sleeppost, however what I will say is that if you’re a fan of cinnamon and enjoy a night time tea anyway – this very well might be the brew for you!

Daily Cultures

I’ve been a fan of these guys for a little over a year now, but over Christmas time I was lucky enough to win one of their Instagram competitions – which resulted in them sending me over a whole month’s supply of their yummy peppermint tea.  Each brew is loaded with probiotics to help heal your gut naturally, and so seeing as peppermint tea is great for soothing stomach pains anyway, this has gone down a right treat over the last few months with my boyfriend and myself.  I like to reach for this on days when I’m feeling poorly or even if I’m just feeling a little bloated, it always makes me feel better within a couple of hours of drinking, and it’s one that I like to keep in my handbag too… just cause you never know when you might need it!

Cuppanut

I treated myself to the coconut and turmeric flavour back in November when I had a 1/3 off voucher to use in Holland and Barrett.  Unsure how I was going to feel about the stuff at the time – I had actually picked it up as mum had told me she liked the look of it  - I was actually pleasantly surprised by Mr Gareth Gates tasty creation!  It’s a really nice sweet and coconutty taste with a lovely almost creamy sensation to it too.  The turmeric isn’t at all noticeable other than in the colour, which I guess isn’t a bad thing as I’m not sure how I was going to feel about it.  I’m looking forward to trying out the other Cuppanut brews that Holland and Barret have to offer too!

What's your favourite brew at the moment?

Until the next one,

January Favourites

That’s it, we are a whole month and a bit into 2017 already, and if I’m being completely honest, I’m not feeling it so far.  It’s been a pretty crappy start to the year, but here are my January favourites that have seen me through the month!

Tea Pigs Spiced Winter Red Tea

This has been my all time favourite brew this chilly January, it’s basically a cinnamon tea – but it’s mixed with loads of Christmassy spices that creates a delicious blend for a tasty brew.  It’s been my go to tea on a few evenings now, ever since I got one of these in my Pick ‘n’ Mix box at Christmas time.  So far, it’s been the only one that I’ve felt the need to go out and repurchase since then, so I think that is saying a lot!

The Body Shop Lip Balm

Another item that I received at Christmas was the Body Shop Christmas scented lip balms, in both Vanilla Chai and Frosted Berries.  Now had I been in store myself and seen these, I know I wouldn’t have picked it up as I prefer a lip balm stick opposed to the ones where you need to use your fingers to apply.  That being said, I’m so pleased that I was gifted these because they’ve honestly been amazing for my lips, I really love them!  They last for hours on end, they keep my lips hydrated and pretty without being sticky, and best of all, they taste pretty good too!

Superdrug Vitamin E Range

I’ve been super impressed with the quality of the Superdrug Vitamin E range this last month, although I have been a fan of their products ever since I went cruelty free in the summer, and I’ve loved their day and night cream for years now.   These creams work really well at giving my thirsty skin a little extra moisture both morning and night, and they never feel sticky or heavy on applications either.  This last month and a bit I’ve really fallen for their body butter, it’s super gentle on my sensitive skin and just works wonders at tackling the dry patches when my eczema breaks out.  It’s a super quality body butter, and I’m talking The Body Shop quality, at just £2.99 a tub!  Another products from the range that I’m really liking is the micellar water which I’ve been using both day and night to remove any leftover make up from my face and to just give my skin a little bit of an extra cleanse before applying my moisturisers.   What I’ve been loving the most about this is that surprisingly it’s actually feels really hydrating on my face, it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry or tight after I’ve used it – which is a problem I tend to have with a lot of micellar waters that I’ve used in the past.  All in all, I’m so impressed with the whole range and would absolutely recommend that you give it a try yourself!

So although pretty late compared to everyone else’s January Favourites, these are the goodies that have seen me through the month and have gave me a little bit of joy too!

Have you tried out any of the above?

Until the next one,

Night Time Routine For Good Sleep

Having entered one of the most stressful years academically that I’ve had in a long time, it’s become vital that I get a good night’s sleep to ensure that I’m able to perform to my best abilities in everything that I do.  Working part time alongside my studies, I often find myself either up super early or working till late at night, meaning that my sleeping pattern can be all over the place, making it that little bit harder to get up for uni or to study.  Over the last three months I’ve been on a mission to help myself get a better night’s sleep, and whilst doing so I’ve come across a few handy tools that have aided the process along the way!

Deep Sleep Spray

Now this had been a staple product of mine ever since I treated myself to the sample packs back in October.  At Christmas my parents gifted me a large bottle of the stuff, and so I was so delighted that my good night’s sleep would long continue!  What I really like about the stuff is just how subtle it is, yet how it manages to work above and beyond what is expected.  I like to use around three sprays on my pillow before bed, and like I said in my November Favourites post, although it doesn’t send you straight to sleep right away, it does send you into a beautifully deep slumber when sleep does approach.  Having been using this for months now, I can truthfully say that I always get a better night’s sleep when this is on the go.

Sleepy Lotion

Although this has vanished from the Lush stores until the Christmas range is upon us once again, their sleepy lotion is another product that really does help me get a better nights sleep.   I was gifted one of these in a Christmas gift set, which was perfect timing as mine had just run out!  Although not a particularly large tub, I only use a little bit each night, and so I’m sure this supply will last me well and truly until the kitchen decide to make a batch – we hope!  Sleepy lotion smells of lavender and gingerbread, which might sound like an odd combination, but trust me, it really works.  I like to rub about a fingertips worth into my temples and pulse points, and I just find that it’s just a really soothing smell to fall asleep with.  It’s totally not necessary, but definitely one of my comforts now!

Clipper Sleep Easy Tea

During the colder months I have become a total sucker for herbal teas, and have completely fallen in love with this one.  Packed with cinnamon, lavender and chamomile, this gorgeous blend really does help me unwind and fall into a deep slumber as best time approaches – especially on those days were I’ve been super busy or have had a super stressful day.  It’s both a sweet yet subtle tea, and really does taste delicious… It’s the cinnamon that does it for me!

These are the three staple products that I find helps me get a really good night’s sleep – and with dissertation hand in approaching faster with each and every day, I think that these will be the products that really help me pull through!

What's your trick for a good night's sleep?

Until the next one,

What I Got For Christmas

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope this year brings everyone much joy and happiness, although 2016 wasn’t necessarily a bad one for me, some of my nearest and dearest didn’t have such a great year – so I’m glad to be moving into the new year and look forward to seeing what it brings for one and all!

I love reading though everyone’s “What I Got for Christmas” posts, mostly because I like to have a nosey but also because I like to see what people make of the products they were gifted – I like to get others opinions when reading these posts too.  So I thought it would be fun to do my own Christmas post and share some of the beautiful things I was gifted this year.  I was so totally spoilt once again, and I’m feeling super loved from everyone around me.

Nugg Masks

Martin picked me up the cutest little Nugg face mask gift set which I’m delighted with.  I got one of these in a beauty box a while back and I loved the way it made my skin look and feel, and so having a few to try out now means that I can give them all a go and decide what ones work best for my skin.  The exfoliating and revitalizing ones have been a hit with me so far, so I reckon the other two will be no different either!

Sweet Cecily’s

Both Martin and his parents were sweet enough to pick me up some bits from Sweet Cecily’s – a cute little store who lovingly create hand crafted skincare goodies.  Martin gifted me the cocktails lip balm set which both smell and taste delicious!  Mines contained the Gin & Tonic, Mojito, Pina Colada and Espresso Martini balms, but if you check out their site they have a whole bunch of other flavours to choose from too!  His parents gifted me the almond and avocado face cream – which I’ve been using every single day and have to say that it is wonderful!  My skin feels hydrated and nourished every time I apply it, it smells good enough to eat and I only need to use a small amount (I place my fingertips on the surface of the cream and use what’s there!)  It’s a super thick and creamy consistency, however it isn’t greasy nor sticky in the slightest. They’re both really nice products, and I’d recommend that you try them out yourself!

Zoella Goodies

My sisters and parents totally showered me in Zoella goodies this Christmas after I wouldn’t stop raving about how much I adored her Bake My Day lotion and fragrance.  Between everyone I was gifted a solid perfume, gingerbread bath fizzers, the mini fragrance set and a Gingerbread Village candle.  They all smell absolutely beautiful, and I can’t wait to give everything a go and work my way through it all.  My favourite scent is still the Gingerbread/Bake My Day, however Sweet Inspirations very closely follows now!

Friendship Collar

I was beyond excited to have opened up a Friendship Collar from my lovely sister Kayleigh for me and my pugger Hulk on Christmas morning.  I spied them online a while ago, but didn’t actually think that I would be lucky enough to receive one so soon!  It makes my heart full that me and Hulk are matching every day now, and I think they are super cute too!

Tea Pigs

 A colleague at work was filling me in on the Tea Pigs pick and mix boxes that they had online, so naturally I went and had a look!  You can choose 15 tea variations online, and they’ll send you out the cutest little tea boxes that contain two of each flavour.  Martin selected a bunch of tasty ones to gift me including the chocolate tea and sweet mint – both super yum!  I’m intrigued by the sounds of the chilli chai and popcorn flavour, and I’m looking forward to tucking into them soon!

The Library of Fragrance

Another item that I was so super pleased to have received on Christmas morning was the Cinnamon Bun fragrance from The Library of Fragrance.  It SERIOUSLY smells good enough to eat!  From the sweet smell of cake, icing and cinnamon they have completely managed to master the exact scent of an actual yummy cinnamon bun!  I’ve been wearing this at night as a bed time fragrance, however I will absolutely rock this fragrance on my everyday outings too.

This year I’ve been gifted a lovely selection of goodies form my wonderful friends and family, and I only hope that they enjoyed their gifts from me as much as I have enjoyed theirs!

Have you tried out any of the above items yet?  What was under your tree this Christmas?

Until the next one,

Taylors of Harrogate Tea

After seeing an advert on Facebook a few weeks back which was offering free samples of Taylors fruit teas, I decided to chance my luck and fill out the form.  I love a good fruit tea, and the ones that the Taylors website had shown looked awesome.  To my surprise, I received the cutest little package from them just a week and a bit later.  Inside contained a sample of the Sour Cherry tea, Green Tea with Sweet Mint and Sweet Rhubarb. 

I tried out the sweet rhubarb first with a tea spoon of agave nectar.  I know that fruit teas should be sweet enough already, but to me they taste just ever so slightly bitter.  I always add a little just because that’s the way I like it.  I enjoyed this cuppa right before bed – and found it very nice!  Although ever so slightly bitter as you take a sip, it soon turns sweet and tasty – and unlike some teas it doesn’t turn really bitter as you make your way down the mug. 

The sour cherry tea was by far the one I was most keen to try, so you can imagine my excitement when I found one in my little package!  My excitement was not let down either, this was by far my favourite tea of them all.  It tasted just like real black cherries, and turned ever so slightly sour as you sipped, which was a really nice and different twist to the tea!  I will definitely purchase a box of sour cherry again when I can source a local supplier – it makes the perfect alternative to my normal night time cuppa, it was super tasty and a real good price at £3 a box!

Last but not least I tried out my Green Tea and Sweet Mint tea bag, which I wasn’t really sure that I would enjoy as green tea is not really my thing.  This one however was actually really nice (with a little sugar I should add) and actually left me feeling really refreshed!  The sweet mint really helped to get over the normally bitter taste I find with green tea, so much so that I would actually serisouly consider purchasing this over peppermint tea in the future! 

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

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

Until the next one,

Early Bird Subscription Box

After cancelling my graze boxes last year after I found them to become a little repetitive and a tad expensive for the contents, I was keen to try out a new snack subscription that was relatively healthy and wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg.  I came across Early Bird after their adverts had been popping up on my Facebook for a few weeks.  I thought that the subscription was very similar to Graze to begin with, but after further investigation I discovered that the snacks were completely different and each box came with a unique tea bag!  I do like a tea, and I’m trying to be better with my snacking, so I signed up for a box to try out.  What I really like is that from the get go, they let you know that there is no commitment.  Early Bird had an offer on when I subscribed, which made the first box half price for £2.48 – and you can pause or cancel your boxes at any time before your next one is sent out, fab!   I’ve paused mine for now as I wanted to try it out before I made the commitment, but I have a feeling my next box may be in the post sooner than I had anticipated…

Flat Pack Brownie

I’m a sucker for a brownie, so this one caught my eyes first!  It’s made from three ingredients: pecans, dates and chocolate buttons – all foods which I very much enjoy!  The best part about this snack was that when you eat all three together, it really does taste just like a chocolate brownie, and a good one at that!  The dates were super soft and caramel like, and the pecans were chopped up nice a fine so that they didn’t over power the taste or texture.  The mylk chocolate was daily free, but still super creamy and delicious, I could easily eat them on their own!  I’m definitely rating this snack, and I seriously wish that I could order a box full of them!

Raspberry Coconut Jelly

I’m mad about coconuts, but not a great raspberry lover – so I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to feel about this one when I opened up the pack.  I’m happy to report that it was really delicious and actually pretty filling.  Made up from raspberry fruit drops, coconut chips and raspberry coconut chips, the three work together incredibly to make a delicious crunchy-fruity treat.  The fruit drops tasted just like little sweets, I think I could quite happily eat them on their  own in bulk if I’m honest!  The raspberry coconut chips were to die for too – not too fruity, but enough flavour to make them stand out and to make me wish I had a bag of them alone to munch on!  My fingers are crossed that I will be getting this one in my box sooner rather than later.

Unfortunately, after I received my Earlybird box, I went to visit a nutritionist and had an allergy test done (I will share more later, when I know what I’m doing… haha) – anyway it turns out that I need to cut gluten and dairy out of my diet for at least six weeks.  So despite how delicious it looks, and how much I was looking forward to trying it out – I was unable to try the Cacao Chia Pud!  My mum is however very excited by this, and I’m sure she will fill me in on how it good it is when she gives it a go!

My final snack was a punnet of ABC Nuts, which consisted of cashews, almonds and brazil nuts.  I’m not a great nut lover, unless they’ve been seasoned by my mother (chilli or salt and vinegar are my faves), but these will not go to waste, as now my diet is so limited that I need to make the most of the foods I can enjoy.  In the future, I will remove the nuts from my preference list, as I would much prefer to receive a more unique snack sent to me in my boxes!

And as for the tea - mint is my thang!  I'm saving this beauty for when I'm in need of some freshening up.  I find that peppermint tea is really good for when I'm feeling bloated or crappy - so I can't wait to try this one out.

Overall, I am really impressed with the great selection of snacks that Earlybird have to offer.  I’m really happy to find that they offer dairy and gluten free snacks – and I look forward to trying out some more over the next couple of months!

If you fancy trying out the Early Bird snack box, you can get your first box half price by using my friend code:

laure-7409

Until the next one,