REVIEW: Furry Reversible Jacket From Cherry Crumble (YB)

I was sent a Furry Reversible Jacket to review from Cherry Crumble.

This jacket is a gorgeous addition to any boys wardrobe and is available in age 9 months to 12 years.

The jacket is reversible - wear the check design on the outside and your child is snuggled full of warmth from the furry brown lining inside, or for bear hugs, go for the fluffy and furry brown on the outside and a stylish and cool check lining.

This jacket is perfect for the in between weather of autumn and spring and is great for keeping warm on the walk to school  or for fun times in the park. We got Marley to wear the jacket to the park to see how well wearing it was and if it provided enough warmth for the autumn.

Marley absolutely loves this jacket! As soon as he saw it, he loved its furry look and couldn't wait to wear it!

Marley said he found his jacket really warm and that it felt nice.

It is well made and hard wearing. Cherry Crumble clothing is high quality childrenswear, and there is something available for children everywhere. Marley is 4 years old, so I requested size 4-5y and it is a good fit for him with room to grow as he is only just turned 4 years old. 

Cherry Crumble has a huge range of fashionable, affordable clothing for boys and girls from 0-12 years old. Delivery is fast & efficient and shipping is available worldwide with a 4-6 day turnaround.

You need to check out Cherry Crumble on social media too...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cherrycrumblecalifornia/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherrycrumblecalifornia/

FAMILY: Hallowe'en Cakes & Trick Or Treating (YB)

Today was of course, Hallowe'en...

Me, Marley and David made some Hallowe'en brain cupcakes. They were very tasty brains!

In the evening, Marley dressed as Chucky from Child's Play and Paul and David took him trick or treating as I'm not well. Paul and David said he didn't need face paint, but I think he'd have looked much better with it!

FAMILY: Pizza Making Fun (YB)

To save time and complexity, we bought some ready made pizza bases, but Marley had lots of fun putting his own toppings on!

He put on his pizza sauce, grated cheese then lots of pulled ham and tinned pineapple - yeah, it was the cheats way, but he had fun and that's all that matters!

REVIEW: Ski Jump Game (YB)

I was sent Drumond Park's new Super Ski Jump game to review with my family...

The Ski Jump game is a fantastic game for 2-4 players, age 8+ that is loads of fun!

It's fairly quick and easy to set up - on first use, you've got stick some stickers on for the characters on the ramp, but it doesn't take long.

The game itself is very easy to get the hang of. It's age 8+ but Marley, who is 4 years old, played with us and had no problems - in fact, he won every time!

You pick which character you want from the long skiis, snowboarder, bath tub or sledge, then you choose which height you want the ramp at and try to perform a number or tricks to score the most points - more flips (while in the air) equals more points, and going under or over the banner or hitting the ramp gives you more points and you get a load of points when you land standing!

Each player gets 3 turns to try and get the most points and win. You can use a different character each time, some characters earn you more points than others based on difficulty. Paul was really terrible at it - he has no sense of timing!

You put your character at the top of the ramp, turn the handle and try and time it well when it hits the bottom to flip your character.

This game is definitely great family fun whether you're old or young! We've played it together loads since we've received it and it's already become a family favourite!

This game really is great for all ages - David (who is 16) also really loves playing it, so it would make a great gift for a teen! 

It's a fast, action-packed game that will have you all laughing, it really is a lot of fun!

If you run out of scorecards, you can download new ones here.

Super Ski Jump retails at RRP £19.99 - for more information and stockists, visit the Drumond Park website or visit them on Facebook or Twitter.

FAMILY: Halloween Arts & Crafts Fun (YB)

A short and sweet post today... Yesterday, I did some Halloween arty fun with Marley...

We started making a spider and a pumpkin...

But Marley also had lots of fun doing some painting and finger painting!

REVIEW: AQUA Carpatica (YB)

I was sent some samples of AQUA Carpatica water to review...

I drink water regularly and I don't see water as just water - you can taste the difference, so when a new water comes along, I'm always interested in trying it to see if I like it.

So, how does AQUA Carpatica compare against my favourites? I tried the Natural Mineral Water first...

I shared the 1L bottle with Paul and David to compare thoughts. I thought it was at least as good as other brands of bottled water I have tried. David said it was his one of his favourite bottled waters he has ever tried and Paul said it tasted similar to other bottled water. So we all had varying opinions. It is a water I'd buy again.

Let's talk more about the water... Well, the water itself is clear and pure when poured into a glass - it looks as you'd want your water to look - crisp and clear. The water is sourced from the Carpathian Mountains in Romania after 20 years of natural filtration during the underground journey of the water. AQUA Carpatica boasts a low mineral content and comes in BPA free bottles which are 100% recyclable. The springs from which the water is drawn are in a protected area.

As I don't like sparkling water, Paul tried out the AQUA Carpatica Natural Sparkling Water...

Paul said he really quite liked this. He's not a fan of sparkling water in general either, he said sparkling water usually tastes weird, but he said this one was different. The only one he's ever had that doesn't have that weird taste. 

AQUA Carpatica is drawn from two pristine and pure aquifers, nestled deep in the heart of the untouched Carpathian Mountains. Through a natural 20 to 40-year filtration in a location with no agriculture or industrial activity in the surrounding areas, AQUA Carpatica’s source is protected from chemicals, fertilizers, CFCs and other contaminants, meaning it is simply as natural mineral water should be; virtually nitrate free*, with a crisp and refreshing taste that provides perfect purity and nourishment from the first drop to the last.

AQUA Carpatica is available in the UK and Ireland at Ocado, Tesco, Amazon Fresh, Harrods, Whole Foods Market, As Nature Intended, Revital, WH Smiths stores and over 1,000 independent outlets throughout the UK. Prices start at RRP £0.50 for a 0.25L bottle.

The range is available in glass or BPA free bottles, both of which are 100% recyclable.

FAMILY: Baking Thomas Cupcakes (YB)

Today, I did a bit of cheats baking with Marley (cheats because it was the cupcake kit out of a box rather than from scratch)...

Marley picked the Thomas and Friends cupcakes when we went shopping in the week for us to make together at the weekend.

He used to be a nightmare baking together not so very long ago, because his attention span is so short and he can barely keep still, that hasn't really changed, but he enjoys doing it now, and therefore it manages to hold his attention, I think the reward at the end is the thing that makes it most worthwhile seeing it through for him!

He put all the cases in the baking tray...

He did a really good job of (extremely enthusiastically!) whisking up the ingredients. He managed to put the ingredients in himself, including cracking the egg (and he didn't even get any shell in it!).

With a little help from me to scrape the spoon, he spooned all the mixture into the cases.

When they were cooked, we left them to cool and then Marley had loads of fun decorating them!

And these were his finished cupcakes...

We made them this morning, so we actually enjoyed them after our Sunday roast dinner (what some people call lunch - strange!).

WIN: £10 Amazon Voucher (YB)

OK, The Random Blurb is officially back and better than ever, with more reviews, more posts, more bloggers, more competitions and soon, our first EVER Christmas Gift Guide and the Great Christmas Gift Guide Giveaway too!

To celebrate, we've decided to run a competition for you to win a £10 Amazon voucher to help with your Christmas shopping!

If you'd like to enter, just use the app below... You can do only the options you wish to do, you don't have to do them all, but more options equals more entries!

Giveaway

REVIEW: Ace Cleaning & Stain Removing Products (PB)

I gave 4 Ace products a go!

When I think of Ace, I mostly think of stain removing, but there’s a lot more to Ace than that. In fact Yvonne thought I was crazy when I poured some out and started cleaning with it.

Ace Power Mousse

Ace Power Mousse comes in a handy spray bottle. It has a sealable nozzle to prevent accidental squirts. To clean in the kitchen or bathroom - just spray. It foams as it lands, which seems to help it stay on vertical surfaces. Then just wipe with a damp cloth or sponge.

You can also spray it onto white clothes to remove stains, wait 5 minutes and wash as normal.

It does have a bleachy smell, but not overpowering. I liked using this in the bathroom, it left everything clean and shiny.

More details here.

Ace Multi Purpose

Ace Multi Purpose is also in a spray bottle. And just like the Power Mousse - just spray and wipe with a damp cloth/sponge.

This one can be sprayed onto coloured clothes before a normal wash to help on stains.

There are a number of surfaces it says not to use it for, copper, brass etc. But this wasn’t an issue for me.

Unlike the Power Mousse it smells a bit more like laundry detergent when you spray it.

I liked using this one in the kitchen and it removed some stubborn built up greasy patches down the side of the cooker.

More details here.

Ace For Colours

Ace For Colours comes in a laundry detergent style bottle. It has a non-drip ‘dosing’ cap.

You can use it to remove stains in colours, whites and delicates; in your washing machine, to pre-treat stubborn stains or for handwashing.

You can also add it to water or pour straight onto surfaces to clean with. It sort of froths on the cloth as you wipe. It did clean well, but it felt rather strange cleaning with what felt like something for washing clothes.

More details here.

Ace For Whites

Ace For Whites is for removing stains on white clothes. You can use it in the washing machine or to hand wash clothes with.

You can dilute or undiluted for cleaning surfaces, floors etc.

I've mostly used this to whiten and treat stains on our son's white school shirts.

It does have a quite strong smell of bleach.

More details here.

REVIEW: Natur Boutique Coconut Tea with Ginger and Turmeric (PB)

I had the opportunity to try Natur Boutique’s Coconut Tea with Ginger and Turmeric.

They come in a pack of 20 individually wrapped teabags which means they will remain fresh and have a long best before date of about 5 years.

"This incredible tea combines three of the most popular and beneficial natural ingredients to produce a drink that is packed full of goodness and will tantalise your taste buds.The benefits of coconut, turmeric and ginger are well documented and our expert blenders have cleverly mixed them to create a tea that doesn’t rely on flavourings or additives to produce a flavoursome sensation that will stimulate your senses."

They are made of just 3 popular beneficial natural ingredients. No preservative or additives - no added anything. Just coconut, Ginger and Turmeric. All grown in Vietnam.

The first thing I noticed when unsealing a teabag was that it smells like a coconutty curry. The teabags have a yellow ‘curry stained’ appearance. The drink is easy to make; put it in boiled water for 3-4 mins (no milk) and you don’t even need a spoon as the bag has a little string.

The tea is a yellow colour and has a slightly oily appearance. It's neither sweet or bitter. I'm not sure I can notice the ginger in it. Overall it doesn't have a very strong taste, but it's very pleasant.

I sometimes have things like green tea and I’ve enjoyed some strawberry and mint tea recently, so I can definitely see myself having this again in the future.

More details and their other products can be found at naturboutique.co.uk.

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I’ve had a little read about the ingredients and found out the following. I’d like to point out I’m not a doctor and can’t possibly verify any of the following information.

Ginger and Turmeric are actually closely related.

Ginger help digestion, reduce nausea and help fight the flu and common cold, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, is effective at reducing muscle pain, may reduce symptoms of osteoarthritis, lower blood sugar levels, improve various heart disease risk factors, is effective against menstrual pain, some evidence, reduces cholesterol, it may have protective effects against cancer, may protect against age-related damage to the brain and help lower the risk of infections.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric and has anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. It boosts levels of the brain hormones which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in your brain. It has beneficial effects on heart disease. Some evidencehas shown it may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer. Leads to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease. Can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs. It may alleviate symptoms of depression.

Coconuts are anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-parasite. Is a natural source of quick energy and enhances physical and athletic performance. Improves digestion and absorption of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Improves insulin secretion and symptoms associated with diabetes. Helps protect against cancers. Reduces risk of heart health and improves good cholesterol. Supports thyroid function. Protects against kidney disease and bladder infection. Promotes weight loss.

REVIEW: Onuga "Caviar" (YB)

I was sent a sample of Onuga to review...

Onuga is a much cheaper alternative to caviar and looks the part at a party, so with Christmas coming, it sounds like the perfect thing for some fancy looking nibbles at a fraction of the cost!

No, I've never tried actual caviar, it's out of my budget range, though to be honest, it never really appealed. So given the opportunity to try this, I was intrigued as to what it tastes like!

It's fair to say I didn't have a clue how to serve it, so I had a look around on the internet for some serving suggestions. Blini's seemed a common serving suggestion... Some recurring suggestions were sour cream and "caviar" on a blini, creme fraiche, smoked salmon and "caviar" on a blini or blinis with chopped boiled egg whites, chopped boiled egg yolks and soiur cream in individual bowls to serve alongside the "caviar" and blini's.

I decided to go with the latter. I had Marley help me make the blini's. I knew he'd have fun as he loves helping Mummy in the kitchen. I've never made them before. And they definitely didn't come out round like all the pictures I saw :/

The blini's definitely tasted better than they looked! I cooked 4 hard boiled eggs too to serve with the "caviar" and blini's. I was excited to try the Onuga "caviar" once everything was ready...

I put some sour cream and Onuga "caviar" on one blini and some egg white, egg yolk, sour cream and Onuga "caviar on another one...

The Onuga "caviar" was actually quite nice. It's got a very strong flavour, so you would have to like fish to enjoy it. I do like fish and so I thought it was nice, but it does have an intense taste so it goes perfectly with the accompaniments. I would like to try the Onuga "caviar" with some smoked salmon and creme fraiche soon too.

Onuga is made entirely from natural ingredients - smoked herring with a little added salt, honey, lemon juice and seaweed. It may not be real caviar, but at around 3% of the price of actual caviar, it's very tasty, and convincingly plays the part in your canapes.

Onuga retails at around £4 per 50g jar and is available and Sainbury's and selected delis.

REVIEW: Prevasore (DXB)

Hello 👋.
I was sent a tube of Prevasore lip balm for review. 

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What is Prevasore you might ask? Honestly this is the first I'd heard of it. Read on to find out more!

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Prevasore is a lip balm for the relief of dry, cracked lips. But it is more than just that because as well as relief it also prevents recurrence. As you will see in picture 1 it's a small tube perfect for pockets, bags or just about anything else. 

Around winter time I'm always prone to dry, cracked and bleeding lips and this isn't pleasant for anyone. This was quite the god send for me!

It comes in an easy application tube to apply straight onto the lips, the balm itself  is mint green in colour as can be seen in picture 3 and the scent reminds me of liquorice.

You apply this product whenever your lips are feeling a little dry but for the best results re-apply when it comes off.

I've been using this product for just over a week now and even after just a couple of days use I have already noticed that they are softer and when going out don't dry out with the Prevasore applied. 

I will definitely be buying more Prevasore which is priced at a reasonable £6.95 and available exclusively at prevasore.co.uk and is sent 1st Class for free.

Prevasore is marketed by Diomed Direct, the direct-selling division of a UK group of companies with 50 years' experience in developing highly effective, brand-leading products for treating a wide range of skin conditions. 

In a study of 54 volunteers (male and female, aged 18-70 years) who suffer from dry or cracked lips, Prevasore was applied multiple times a day for 5 days. 

Here are the findings after 5 days:  • 81% increase in lip hydration • 94% reduction in lip dryness  • 99% reduction in lip cracking

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REVIEW: Percol Iced Coffees (YB)

I was sent some samples of the new Percol Iced Coffee range to review...

First of all, I tried the Protein Latte. It contains 18g of protein is 100% organic Arabica. I'd have to say, being called Protein Latte, it had me a bit worried about the taste. A lot of products promoted as being a protein product, often disappoint on taste/texture. So, I was pleasantly surprised at this one tasting quite nice. I love iced coffee, but I am very fussy as to what I like and this was nice, just the right amount of sweetness too. It was surprisingly thick to drink though, which is maybe a downside for me as I like my iced coffee to be like a normal cup of coffee but it had more of a milkshake consistency. Overall, I did enjoy it though, it tasted nice, was sweet enough and a good size serving.

I then tried the Flat White. I absolutely LOVE this! Really, really love it! Again, it's 100% organic Arabica. It tastes divine and I will definitely buy this again. I love iced coffee in the summer or out and about in general. This one has the perfect mix of everything - quite a strong coffee, but with milk and just sweet enough. The taste and texture make for a great iced coffee. I've had other iced coffees and this is definitely a favourite!

Well, I'm already loving this, but other than the great taste, I must point out that this contains organic coffee, organic milk and organic sugar meaning it was farmed without artificial fertilisers and chemical pesticides - better for the environment, better for animals and insects and better for us! It is also a Fairtrade product, so ethical through and through. The 'cartocan' it comes in is 100% recyclable and at least 30% more eco-friendly than aluminium cans.

The iced coffees are available at most supermarkets. Visit the Percol website: www.percol.co.uk or visit them on Facebook or Twitter.

REVIEW: Sun-Chlorella Moisturiser (LME)

I was sent the new Sun-chlorella Moisturiser with includes chlorella in the cream!

Sun- chlorella cream is a day and night moisturiser that claims to be rich in Chlorella growth factor. The first thing that interested me in this product is the science behind it and how they explain on their website how the chlorella is used in this product and how it extremely organic and great for any skin type while always getting nutrients from this product. The packaging of the product is very clean and simple which I like as it represents the posted being plain, simple and natural, I also like the packaging as they don't have to try to hard by making the packaging interesting to a consumer  by being bright or colourful or glittery as they know the facts of the products and the product itself would interest the consumer enough. When first opening the box you find a small plastic scooper which you can apply the moisturiser with, I really liked this added feature as it makes the product very individual and different to other products on the market.

The formula of the moisturiser is of a thick and shiny consistency with a beautiful scent that excretes as soon as you open the lid; when applied to your skin the thick cream begins to feel like a smooth hydrating layer has been applied to your skin and makes it instantly feel healthier as you can feel it soaking deep into your pores, making your skin feel fresh, rejuvenated, hydrated and clear. Within days of using the product by skin became more glowy and I had a new complexion that I am now extremely happy with. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone interested in a new, effective moisturiser and I would happily purchase this myself, this is an amazing product inside and out.

You can purchase this product today at: www.sunchlorella.co.uk or at health stores nationwide.