The danger of ‘buy with 1 click’…..

Recently, I have become quite  very obsessed with internet shopping.  To the point where hardly a day goes by when I’m not clicking away and ordering something on-line.  Whether it’s a pair of shoes that are only available on-line , a bargain yoga dvd (?), or some second-hand books off Amazon (I impulse-bought an Eva Fraser facial exercise book for 1p yesterday – how random!), there is always something that ‘tickles my fancy’!!

That’s the problem with the ease of on-line shopping.  And boy, do these retailers know what they’re doing.  Especially Amazon. Oh, Amazon with their tempting, conniving ‘buy with 1 click’ button. The impulse-buyers nemesis.  I see something that merely interests me…and I’m buying it!  As well as the fitness dvd’s and books, I’ve ended up with arts and craft stamp sets, heart-shaped hole punchers, a CD full of ‘running songs’ – I don’t run! a stack of multicoloured tissue paper,  a karaoke dvd, an Easter outfit – for my dog! It’s quite ridiculous, and has to stop.

There are some things though that I  genuinely really want, I’ve heard the hype, I’ve read the reviews, and I still want them.  But with 3 children to clothe, feed and entertain, a car and house to maintain and a wedding to save up for, I simply can’t justify them and have to make do with alternatives…Things like these:

This is what I would LOVE…..
£283.80

This is what I use. They do have nearly the same ingredients though.
£2.50

I am longing for one of these….
£38

But I make do with this. How 90′s, eh?
£1 (from the pound shop)

And last but not least,

The famous Shu Uemura Eyelash curlers.
£20 ok, not extortionate, but can I justify them?

I think these are great for the price. W7 curlers.
£1.99

Hmmm, come to think of it, if I stopped buying crap and second-hand books (on face exercise of all things) even if they are only a penny, maybe I could afford these expensive things.  I’d love to know if any of you use, or have tried the more luxurious options and whether you thought they were actually worth the money.  What do you lust after, but make do with the cheaper options?  Also, are you randomly seduced by the ‘buy with 1 click’ button?  Or is it just me?

Chelsea Doll Jewellery – (my new obsession)

Unlike most women, I’ve never really been able to pull off accessories. I wear a simple white gold necklace and ring that I had for my 21st birthday, and of course, my engagement ring and that’s it for me as far as jewellery goes.

I feel that statement necklaces look silly on me (something to do with my lack of neck, I presume), jangly bracelets get on my nerves and, though I’ve always loved a cocktail ring, I’ve never bought one.

Until now. After catching up on Art Deco Gal’s brilliant blog, I fell in love with a black and gold swallow necklace she had featured (it goes well with my new tattoo), unfortunately that exact one is no longer made, but through searching I found some fantastic jewellery websites which sold some amazing and very affordable pieces.  I literally could not stop myself ordering some!

If you’ve read before, you’ll know, I love vintage, so I think these Art Deco inspired pieces are amazing.  I don’t know what the quality is like of the jewellery – that’s why I had to order some, obviously.  So I shall let you know

There are hundreds of styles to choose from on the Chelsea Doll website, but these are some of my fave’s:

Art Deco Ring
£13 

Art Deco Brooch £8

Art Deco Earrings
£10

Art Deco Seashell Necklace
£12

I also like quite simple pieces, so I think these are pretty cute as well:

Silver Twisted Earrings
£5

Metallic Black Bead Ring
£5

Vintage Gold/Brown Necklace
£7

For the more quirky of you, there are  hundreds of styles to choose from.  I think these are brilliant!

Teapot Ring
£7

Pumpkin Carriage Double Ring
£10

 They also do a huge  bridal collection, of which I have fallen in love with sooooo many pieces.  Especially the 1920′s inspired bridal headpieces.

 They are all simply beautiful.  I am sure I will be ordering, closer to the time…

But, for now, my small order has been placed  - free delivery in UK as well! Bonus! I cannot wait for my bits to arrive, and to let you know what the quality is like.

A quick follow up:  My jewellery arrived within 3 days, wrapped in pink tissue paper and in a black card gift box.  It was even better than I had expected.  It is beautifully made, and amazing value for money.  I’ve had loads of comments, especially on the necklace I bought, and I can’t wait to order from them again.

Moon Dough Review

A week ago, we FINALLY got our hands on the Moon Dough package we were being sent, which was seeming to be rather elusive to us due to missing the delivery (twice) it being returned to sender, then resent, missed again and then finally re-delivered, received and ready for review. Phew.

So here it is – The Moon Dough Snack Shop

 To say the children were excited is an understatement.  This is the first play thing we have been sent to review, and the girls took their reviewing role very seriously.

As you can see, this is a Moon Dough popcorn and ice-cream maker, and as Saturday is Film Night, it was the perfect day to have a play.  In the pack, you get the popcorn making machine, a pretzel mould, 2 ice-cream cones, 2 popcorn boxes and 3 small packets of Moon Dough.  The children, and myself….and the other half, (and the grandparent who visited later) were fascinated by the feel of the dough.  It felt like polystyrene – very light, but it was soft and pliable, like Play Doh…but not sticky – it was just so strange.  We loved it and could not stop squishing it.

The set was very easy to put together and the girls managed to do it themselves.  To make the popcorn, you have to squash the Dough into the top of the machine and turn the handle.  They did struggle with this, as the handle kept coming off, but with my help we got there in the end and produced plenty of popcorn to go around.

The ice-cream making part was very easy to use, Frankie really enjoyed pushing the dough through and filling the little cones, and of course, having the obligatory taste.  (He always has to sample the Play Doh too, every time we play.)  For the purpose of this review, I also had a taste….and nothing to report.  It doesn’t taste of anything, but it’s a bit gritty.  For those of you who also like to taste their kids play things, some dietary info – it is wheat free.

Although, we all had a lot of fun with the actual pop corn and ice-cream making aspects of this kit, in all honesty, we all preferred to just sit there and roll, squash, mould and generally feel the Moon Dough.  It really is quite mesmerising….don’t judge me.  The simple things in life please me.

The Moon Dough can get a little flaky and messy, but it is really easy to clean up and the really great thing about it is that it doesn’t dry up.  We’ve played with it almost every day after school and a week later, it is still as it was on the first day.  The only thing I would say, is that you don’t get much Moon Dough included in the pack. Especially when we’d shared it out between the four of us.  You can mix colours together to make additional colours, which does work but takes some effort.

All in all, I really do think that this is a great product and would definitely buy more for the children.  The girls agreed that they’d both be asking Santa for some of the other available kits for Christmas.  As for Frankie, it is aimed at ages 3+ and he’s 2, but he really did love just sitting there flattening out and rolling up the dough. Again and again and….. again.  Simple things, eh? He’s just like his Mum. Bless.

This review is my honest opinion of the product we were

to review.  

Read All About It! Teeth Whitening That…..

WORKS!!!!

So, as some of you may know I’m getting married next year, and already I am worrying about having my photo taken.  And, yes, I have considered having groomsmen man the church entry and fleecing the guests of their camara’s and phones, but my mum says that’s not appropriate….it’s my wedding!!!

Anyway, one of the things that bother me, is my teeth.  They’ve never been sparkling white, even as a kid they were a creamy-ish colour, but since having my children and gaining most of  my energy from caffeine, they certainly have a dull, must I admit, yellowy hue. Ew.

I don’t wear any colour of any sort on my lips as I always find it makes them look worse.  So started my search for some affordable teeth whitening.  I’d considered the Crest Whitening Strips for some time, but I read many mixed reviews and thought it was a lot of money spend (around £26) on something that seemed a bit hit and miss with people.

Enter this:

I found this on Amazon for £8.99 plus p+p, and it had some fantastic reviews.  It seemed the most common problem with it was that it caused some sensitivity.  So, for £8.99 I just had to give it a go.

I have been using it for 4 days now and wow! what a difference.  Seriously.

It does recommend that you leave it on for 20 minutes twice a day, but until today, 10 minutes per day is the longest I’ve left it on.  For no other reason other than it doesn’t come with a gum shield so I find it difficult to keep my lips from touching my teeth and my face gets tired from doing a kind of Elvis/demented horse grin.

Anyway, the results were pretty good after the third day, then today while the girls were in school and the boy was napping I decided to attempt the full 20 minutes.  I. Am. Delighted.  My teeth are not ‘Hollywood’ bright, nor would I want them to be, but they are certainly whiter than I can ever remember.  Even the Mr. noticed as soon as he got home – which is a novelty let me tell you.  He’s failed to notice a different hair colour on me before. True story.

So all in all – a fabulous product that really works and EXCEPTIONAL value for money.

The only thing I would say is to adhere to the advice on the box and apply with a cotton bud.  This allows for ample precision to avoid gums, as I found that it does sting quite a bit when it’s left on gums or lips.

Other than that – give it a go, and let me know what you think.

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