Come Round with Brioche Pasquier #MacaronManicure Party

This weekend saw both Valentine's Day and the lesser known Galentine's Day, the day before Valentine's Day when the girls are supposed to get together and celebrate their love and friendship for each other.  I must admit I knew nothing of this day but when Come Round asked me to hold a Brioche Pasquier #MacaronManicure party I jumped at the chance of having the girls round.

I received a large box of goodies for the party including balloons, banners and napkins along with lovely little manicure items, nail scissors, emery boards, nail varnish and bags for my guests to take home afterwards and most importantly the Brioche Pasquier Macarons.

They came frozen but defrosted nicely in the fridge, I must admit I did try one straight from the fridge and it didn't taste of anything, but once they'd been on the plate for a few minutes the flavours really did start to come through.

They come in a choice of 6 flavours, vanilla, coffee, lemon, chocolate, pistachio, and raspberry which coincidentally was the same colours as the nail varnish!

 

Brioche Pasquier macarons are currently available from Ocado at £12.99 for 36, so that's just 36p each for a delicious macaron.

 Everybody enjoyed painting their nails and eating macarons ( even the boys! ) Everyone had their own favourite flavour and equally unfavourite flavour ( the coffee one created a debate ).
I really liked the green pistachio ones and managed to nab the last one!

I think I will buy a box of macarons in the future when I'm in the mood for a classy party, they go well with either a cup of tea or a glass of wine!

Disclosure: I received a party pack containing Brioche Pasquier Macarons and manicure items in exchange for this review. All words and pictures are my own.

Laser Quest Preston

Last night Squiggle, myself and a friend were invited to the press launch night at Laser Quest Preston.

The PR Bit!
It has now been open since the end of January and is marketing itself as the ultimate sci-fi action adventure for all ages.

Whether you are 6 or 66 the venue offers an adrenaline pumping experience as you chase your opponents around the Laser Quest labyrinth which is filled with smoke, lights and great music.

Each player is kitted out with a futuristic body pack and a laser gun. You score points for hitting your target but lose points if anyone hits you.

The games can played as a team game or solo with every man, woman and child fending for themselves.

Games last 20 minutes and every player receives a scorecard at the end with details of where they scored and lost points.

Childrens parties can be booked for kids aged over 6, each party includes 2 action packed games of Laser Quest, food, party bags, unlimited squash, use of the partyzone. and free gifts for the birthday boy/girl.


Our Opinion
We were taken into a side room and shown a short video about how the laser packs worked and the rules of play and then led into another room where we put on our body packs. The teams were split into 2, the red team and the blue team, we were told to go into the area smoke poured in, disco lights were flashing, the music was cranked up and then the game began. Squiggle was apprehensive at first and stuck close to me, but soon got the hang of the game and was quickly off on his own shooting at anything that moved. There were lots of good hiding places and advantage points to shoot and score points from. The Call of Duty girl inside me came out a little bit and I think given the chance I would have been rolling on the floor and leaping over walls, but that wasn't allowed!
As soon as it was over Squiggle wanted to go again - he loved it. He wasn't on his own, I loved it, and my friend loved it. After a short break for refreshments we went in again, and Squiggle was off like a pro!

For more details visit www.laserquestpreston.co.uk

or visit them at

Unit 1B, Aqueduct Mill, Aqueduct Street, Preston, PR7JN

Disclaimer: We were invited to Laser Quest Preston and took part in 2 games in exchange for this review.

Review: Sure Compressed Challenge

As you may already be aware I am a BzzAgent, and before Christmas they kindly asked me to take part in the Sure Compressed Challenge.

If you're aren't already aware there is a range of new smaller cans of deodorant in the shops, and the challenge was to see if they lasted just as long as the full size cans.

Sure compressed deodorants squeeze the same amount of protection into smaller cans - using 50% less gas and 25% less packaging. They claim they will last just as long and work just as well as the full size cans.

I was sent a Sure Cotton Dry 250ml can and Sure Compressed Cotton Dry 125ml can. The challenge was to use them both at the same time, one under each armpit and to see if they both provided the same level of protection and if they both lasted the same length of time.

My first impressions were that the fragrance was nice and both cans kept me dry all day. There was a difference between the spray head on both the cans and I felt that the larger can was easier to use as it didn't require much pressure on the spray. The smaller can needs more pressure to get the spray to work and having arthritis in my hands and fingers I did find the smaller can harder to use.

Although both cans provided me with the same level of protection, I felt the deodorant from the large can went on better as the smaller can left me with a lot of white powder residue which then rubbed off onto my clothes and left me with streaky white marks.

Up until this point I was convinced that Sure Compressed just wasn't as good as the standard size cans and my feelings weren't changed by the time I reached the end of the challenge, which incidentally was a whole week after the Sure Compressed deodorant had run out. Yes, the standard size can had lasted longer.

I won't be switching to buying the Sure Compressed on a regular basis but due to the size it does make a handy addition to my handbag when on a girls night out.

Disclosure: As a BzzAgent I was given a 250ml full size can and 125ml compressed can of deodorant to carry out the challenge.

Eureka! & Little Live Pets

We were invited to the children's museum Eureka! in Halifax on Saturday to be part of the launch of the Little Live Pets.

Little Live Pets come in a range of beautiful butterflies and birds and there are 6 of each to collect. When stroked, the birds chirp and tweet, plus they have a record feature which allows you to record yourself for about 10 seconds and they will repeat and mimic you. The butterflies are quite lifelike and will sit in the palm of your hand fluttering their wings.

The Little Live Birds are £9.99 RRP on their own or you can buy a birdcage for £19.99 which includes a special edition bird. The Little Live Butterflies are £12.99 on their own or £22.99 for a butterfly house, again with a special edition butterfly included.

All the children at Eureka! were quite taken with both the birds and the butterflies, but Squiggle and I really loved the budgies, the green one in particular reminded me of Joey, my budgie, when I was younger. Squiggle thought they were just ace, and best of all they won't make a mess in the house ( or be looked at like dinner by the cat!! )

Afterwards we were allowed to explore Eureka!, despite it having been open for the last 22 years, I have never been, what have I missed out on. I turned into a child myself and ran around and interacted with Squiggle and the other kids. I thought it was ace!

Part of the museum is set out like a town, with a bank, a shop, a post office and a garage with petrol station and workshop.

Our first port of call was of course to the bank, where we quickly printed our own Eureka! money to play with and attempt to bypass the security system and break into the vault!

Ever wanted to sit on £1,000,000

Then with our ill gotten gains we went and played in the shop. Squiggle decided that he was going to charge £9999 for a loaf of bread and milk, despite what the till said. I think he will go far in economics when he is older!









Next we popped into the garage and helped to fill a car up with petrol. There is a replica petrol pump which the children can put into the car and the dial goes up as thought hey are filling it. I was quite impressed that petrol was only 50p a litre and will be taking my car there in the future! There was also a nice bed of tyres, for those "tyred and exhausted parents" to take a quick nap on!!

Finally we called in at the post office and Squiggle tried his hand at being a postman, delivering parcels and letters to the various doors. Even though his uniform drowned him I think he quite suits it!

After the town, we moved into the house and went through all the rooms, the kitchen, the living room, the bedrooms and the bathroom and learnt how things work. Squiggle loved the bathroom and spent ages switching the shower on and off and flushing the see through toilet, just to watch it fill up and flush it again!













Upstairs in the museum is the 'All About Me' area where we learnt about the human body. Before we began our journey we picked up a passport and then took part in various activities to learn more about Squiggle. We measured how tall he was, how far he could stretch, how far his stride was, how much he weighed and a lot more. It's a good idea because if you have the Eureka annual pass you can compare just how fast your child is growing up between each visit.



We finished the day by visiting the Soundspace area and spent a lot of time making a lot of noise!

Eureka! is aimed at children 0-11, the ticket prices are FREE for under 1's, £4.25 for children aged 1-2 and£11.95 for everybody else, but if you take your ticket to the annual pass booth you can upgrade to an annual pass and return as many times as you want for the rest of the year.

I'd like to thank Little Live Pets and Eureka! for inviting us to a great day out.

*Disclaimer: I was invited to the Little Live Pets launch and received free entry to Eureka! for the purpose of writing this post, but all views, opinions and photos are my own.

Review: Nair™ Argan Oil Shower Power Cream

Having suffered from psoriasis for many years, I find shaving a painful experience with cuts and nicks all the time on my legs, when I heard Nair^™ Argan Oil Shower Power Cream was going to be the latest BzzAgent Campaign I jumped on board, eager to try it out.

Photo courtesy of Bzz Agent

I have tried hair removal creams in the past but they made my skin sore and irritated, but Nair^™ Argan Oil Shower Power Cream was different. It was a lot kinder to my skin.

I did think it was quite smelly and messy to apply. The instructions said to spread a thick layer over the skin using the spatula, but all it did was to move the cream around my legs, so I ditched the spatula in favour of rubber gloves and found it far easier to apply by hand.

The spatula left uncovered patches!

The product says it can be used in the shower but prolonged exposure to water should be avoided as it will wash the cream off. Hmm how to shower without getting wet, well I struggled, I tried to shower standing at an angle but the cream still started to wash off so I decided to jump out and wait a bit longer. The cream can be left on for up to 10 minutes before it needs to be removed.

The spatula did do its job at removing the cream after the allocated time, but although the cream comes off the skin easy I did find that it wasn't easy to then wash it off the spatula and the cream just landed in blobs in my bath. It also didn't wash down the plughole easily, so I had to make sure I thoroughly cleaned the bath before the next person used it!,

But on the plus side, thanks to the Argan Oil, Jojoba Oil and Cocoa Butter, my skin felt like it had undergone an intensive moisturising treatment, they were smooth and soft, something that my legs have never been in my life! I enjoyed about 3-4 days fuzz free days before I noticed the hair was regrowing.

Photo courtesy of  Bzz Agent

I would probably use it again when I need nice cut free legs, ie for a wedding or holiday but wouldn't use on a regular basis as it's too time consuming and such a faff to use.

Disclaimer - I was sent a full size sample of  Nair^™ Argan Oil Shower Power Cream to try out in return for a review. All words and opinions are my own, professional photos are courtesy of BzzAgent and have been credited where appropriate.

GoodReads Book Review: Bottles and Pots by Jacqueline Pye

The Good Reads website is a great place to hang out and read and write reviews about books or take part in pre release giveaways and get the chance to read and review books either before or just after they are released.

I have been lucky enough to have been chosen to receive a copy of Bottles and Pots by Jacqueline Pye.

My well read copy

Bottles and Pots is a collection of short stories and longer pieces that really got my brain ticking. They are dark tales of murder, betrayal and mind games. Some of the short stories are barely a page long but really set the scene and had me thinking about them long after I had finished reading them. The longer stories are filled with twists and turns that left me second guessing at the outcome often which I didn't expect.

The book is only 90 pages long and easy to read, once started I found myself hooked on turning the pages and didn't stop till I reached the end.
Like most compilations there were a few stories that didn't appeal as much as others, but that's personal choice.

My favourite two stories were The Enemy and Cobwebs, because they both resonate with two of the things I detest in life - clowns and spiders!

Have you read it? What did you think? Which story/stories did you like?

Disclaimer: I entered and won a competition to receive a copy of this book to read and write a review for the Good Reads website.

Review: Always & UNESCO

I was sent a new Bzz Kit this month to review.

Always have teamed up with UNESCO to help support girls get an education. Their aim is to help empower women all around the world, so for every pack of Always sold, Always will donate a school lesson to a girl. For the past two years Always have supported girls in Senegal.

In the UK Always are planning to donate more than 7 million lessons to support girls education. Why? should I get involved I hear you ask - well, educated women and girls can earn up to 15-25% more wages than uneducated women and girls, and it is shown that when women and girls earn income in these poorer countries, they reinvest 90% of it into the health, education and well being of their families, much more than their respected male counterparts. For us going to school is a way of life, as is our monthly period ( well for us girls anyway ), so why not switch brands and help give the gift of education to someone less fortunate.

The campaign is going to run util March 2014 and thereafter until UNESCO marked packs have sold out.

Ok, so onto the product.
The first thing that hit me when I opened the box was the sweet fragrance of  flowers. As I took out my items I saw that one of the boxes was Always dailies discreet 30 incredibly thin scented panty liners.

I was also sent sent 2 packs of Always Ultra with odour neutralising Actipearls.

The Always Ultra are bigger than regular sized towels and I found they were better at preventing leaks, the dailies discreet were quite small and flimsy and to be honest I wondered what the point of them was, but they held their shape and stayed in place all day.

Both packs smell really fresh, I don't know if they mask odours because I've never suffered with that problem, they do the job they are designed for and I'm happy with that. Plus I've noticed that by keeping the Always Dailies Discreet in my underwear drawer, the fragrance has been passed onto my underwear so they smell lovely and fresh when I get dressed in a morning!



Disclaimer, although I was sent the products to create a buzz about, all words and photos are my own.

Review: E45 Lotion

Right, let's see how this goes, my first proper online blog review of a product. Firstly I will disclose that I'm a BzzAgent and I have been sent some of the new E45 lotions to try, review and spread the word about - whether it be good or bad!

A little bit about BzzAgent first, it's free to sign up and once your profile has been completed you will be eligible to join trials of products. They send you free stuff, you try it and then share the deals and samples with your friends, in return they just ask you to create a buzz about the product and then return to their site to fill in details about what you thought of the product, who you've spoken to about it and what they thought and then you just simply wait for the next campaign to come along and do it all again.

I was sent a bottle of E45 Moisturising Lotion and a bottle of E45 Nourish & Restore Body Lotion.

The Moisturising Lotion is good for every day use, it does what it says on the label which is soothes, softens and relieves dry and sensitive skin. It's fragrance free and is very easy to apply. It quickly soaked into my skin and wasn't greasy or sticky. I applied it once in the morning and it kept my skin soft and smooth till bedtime.

The Nourish & Restore Body Lotion is also great for everyday use. It claims to restore skin suppleness within 3 weeks. I was very impressed after the first use. My skin wasn't as red looking and felt soft and smooth for 24 hours. I have even tried it on my face and it's got rid of the dry skin I had on my nose and forehead after 3 days of use. It's lightly fragranced and reminded me of baby powder. Again it was easy to apply and soaked nicely into my skin without feeling sticky or greasy.

I'm normally very fussy about body and moisturising lotions because I suffer from psoriasis and so I have very dry, red scaly, itchy skin. But even after only 3 days use of the Nourish & Restore Body Lotion, I think I have found something worth sticking with.

If you would like to try a free sample of E45 for yourself then click here

E45 can be found in all good retailers and comes in a variety of sizes.

Have any of my readers tried this or do you use something else?
Leave me a comment and let me know what you use to look after your skin.


Disclaimer, although I was sent the products to test, all words and photos are my own.