Tea

Five Under £5 for October

- Vicki 8 Comments
Bath and Body Works Candle Dupe

Five Under £5 for October

October is my favourite month, mostly because it is my Birthday month and this year to celebrate turning 38 we are heading to Amsterdam for a week. I am so excited to be heading back to my all time favourite city. I have missed a couple of months of Five Under £5 posts but I am back with a bang this month & I think I have a pretty good selection of things for you.

If you want to get involved and link up your monthly 5 Under £5 finds then head over to Julia’s blog at Rainbeaubelle and join in.

Primark LED Lights £1.50

I have a few of these string fairy lights from Primark – they’re battery powered which I like otherwise I tend to go out & leave them all turned on and panic I’m going to burn the house down. I use these all over the house just to make it feel more cosy and they look so pretty. I can’t go into Primark without buying at least one box.

YOGI Tea – Classic £2.99

Yes, yes I know that almost every month I include a tea, but what can I say I am a tea addict. This Yogi Tea is my latest obsession. I spotted it in TK Maxx and its actually a tea tin full of delicious Yogi Tea Bags, all individually wrapped. It reminds me of Chai Tea because its full of spices & cloves – its a great tea to welcome Autumn in (my favourite season).

YOGI TEA Classic is the tea that Yogi Bhajan originally served to his yoga students. This unique blend is a combination of the traditional Ayurvedic spices cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper. Heart-warming, relaxing, delicious, spicy and wonderful. Best enjoyed in the Indian tradition: sweetened and with a little milk or milk substitute. The essence of this tea is: ‘Comfort and abundance’.

Vaseline ltd edition LULU Guinness £2.99

These Vaseline tins are great to throw in your handbag, they’re so durable and stand the test of time. I have used up so many over the years and love it when they release their limited edition lip therapy tins. This October Vaseline have teamed up with British designer Lulu Guinness to release this super cute LuLu Doll Face tin. Now that we are heading into the colder months my lips get so dry & Vaseline is a great way to keep my lips looking their best and Its such a great affordable option.

Bath and Body Works Candle Dupe

B&M Marshmallow Fireside Candle

B&M is like Aladdin’s cave, you just never know what you are going to come out with, I saw quite a few bloggers talking about their new Autumnal candles being great dupes for the popular (and very hard to get) Bath & Body Works ones. I think there are 6 scents in total and they have always been sold out when I visit, but I did manage to get my hands on the Marshmallow Fireside one which smells so damn good. Its perfect for the darker nights and has such a cosy but sweet scent. It seems to burn quite clean and for a £2.99 candle it kicks out a good amount of scent. I am still on the hunt for the other scents & really want the Radiant Red Maple and Pumpkin Pecan Waffle.

The Vegan Kitchen E Book £5.00

You might not be aware but in my house we eat a plant based diet and have done so for 3 years now. I knew that Gemma from Hello Gemma had been busy writing her E Book for quite a few months and so I was super excited to finally be able to purchase it a couple of months ago. Gemma is a fellow Vegan and is a bit of a wizz in the kitchen so it’s no surprise that her E Book is nothing short of fantastic. Its so well written and the accompanying photographs are beautiful. You get a 40 delicious plant based recipes as discussing some of the ethical and environmental reasons for adopting Veganism The Vegan Kitchen also gives an insight into why Veganism is so important, dispelling myths and misconceptions along the way. Even if you’re not Vegan but like to eat healthy this is a great E Book and its always lovely to support a fellow blogger.

Five Under £5 January 2016

- Vicki 8 Comments

Five Under £5 January 2016

I had so much fun taking part in the December Five Under £5 and was lucky enough to win Julia’s picks which was so exciting (I secretly wanted that phone case so badly). If you want to join in and link up with Julia from Rainbeaubelle then head on over to her post and get involved. I love seeing all the bargains that everyone finds.

So first up is a magazine I promised myself a few years ago I wasn’t going to just buy all the glossy magazines each month because they generally went unread and thats a waste of money but also because the content isn’t always great and they seem to be filled with more adverts than content. Saying that I have come to really enjoy Hello Fashion each month, its a relatively new magazine (I think it started last year). There are so few adverts in and the content is really good. I buy this every month and I’m never disappointed, oh & it is only £1 which is fab.

I burn candles like a crazy lady and I like reusing the glass jars which they come in too, so when I saw ASDA were selling these monogrammed candles for just £2 each I bought a few. The candles them selves are unscented but the jars are ideal to reuse with tea lights and are the perfect size for the small Yankee Candles too. I couldn’t resist.

Jan 2016 Five Under £5

Tea is my drink of choice, I always have a cup on the go. For 2016 I’m trying to drink more caffeine free tea and although these are not a new discovery for me I have stocked up on them to see me through January. This Raspberry & Peach Tea is from Lidl and its so refreshing, sometimes I leave it to cool & pop a few ice cubes in so its more like an iced tea. Either way its lovely and Lidl have quite a few caffeine free fruit teas (of which I have them all). Oh & a box of 40 bags is only 89p. If you have any tea suggestions leave them below – I love discovering new teas.

My January 2016 Five Under £5

I spied this old style plastic milk bottle Home Bargain and thought it would be good for smoothies and juices (which I drink a lot of). I bought two and they’re pretty cute. I am sucker for this kind of thing even if I really don’t need them, it was less than £2 for two so a complete bargain.

Last up is this postcard from Paperchase, I can never walk past that shop without going in and I never leave empty handed. I do like their postcard selection and in particular their positive slogan ones, I have quite a few pinned up on my office wall & fridge just little positive reminders each day. You could also frame them which I think would look really good. They are inexpensive & cost less than £1.

Let me know if you take part this month, I’d love to see what your bargain discoveries have been.

Catching Some Zzzz’s

- Vicki 4 Comments
The answer to a good nights sleep

Welcomin Sleep

Before I moved house I was having real trouble getting off to sleep & it was starting to get that I was still awake into the wee small hours & that’s not good for being productive or my state of mind. I was finding it difficult to switch off and I was waking up still feeling exhausted which had such a knock on effect to my day. I was making mistakes and generally feeling run down. So I thought I would share with you what I have found helps me most nights to nod off quicker.

  • This is such a simple one but I was so guilty of always being glued to my laptop. So I have banished all forms of technology from my bedroom – so no watching YouTube in bed, online shopping or scrolling through Twitter. I found having screen time late at night meant my brain wasn’t switching off & the light from the screen was often too bright and stopped me feeling sleepy. So having no devices in bed has meant my brain feels less stimulated and I am able to feel more restful.
  • Instead of using my laptop in bed I have got back into reading in a big way, I used to be the biggest bookworm until other areas of my life took up my more of my time so it’s been so good to get back on the reading wagon. Reading always makes me sleepy, and I love reading actual books, I do have a kindle that I use more if I am out of the house but reading books just feels so much better & it’s a great way to wind down and take time away from computer screens. If you have any book recommendations let me know in the comments.
  • Clipper Sleep Easy Infusion, I’m a complete tea addict and my friend Hayley & I always swap tea discoveries (rock & roll). I don’t have many drinks with caffeine in as I don’t enjoy coffee & a lot of my teas are caffeine free. I have found that drinking a specific night time tea really helps me feel calm and sleepy. This tea smells soothing and doesn’t taste too strong or bitter. It contains Cinnamon, Chamomile (25%), Honeybush, Lemon balm (5%), Valerian root (5%), Natural orange flavour. I think this tea tastes like Christmas & so is perfect for those cold Autumn / Winter nights & its become part of my nighttime routine to have a cup of this whilst reading my book in bed, it seems to be doing the trick.  
  • I have had so many people recommend the This Works Can’t Sleep range so to try it out I bought this little Can’t Sleep Kit from Feel Unique for less than £10 and I’m so glad I did. It comes with a mini pillow spray & a roller ball for your pulse points & I have been using them both for almost 2 weeks and what a difference they have made. It contains essential oils of Lavender, Vetivert and Wild Camomile which all smell calming and I instantly associate with a relaxing good nights sleep. I think they do a great job of helping you drift off & are very soothing. I know want to try the candle from this Can’t Sleep range. I have heard people say they use the roller ball in stressful situations like on airplanes and when they feel a little overwhelmed, I think it does have a very calming, restful scent so I am going to pack it in my carry on next time I fly
  • I’ve also been using an energy-saving bulb in my bedroom lamp so it isn’t as bright and feels more relaxing, I also like to have my fairy lights on my bed because they are also a nice light and make me feel calm and relaxed. So I have been making small changes and it has been helping. My husband likes to go for a walk an hour or so before bed so I might go along with him and see if that helps too.

Let me know if you have any tips for getting a good nights sleep. Or if you do any of the things I have mentioned.

Earlybird Tastebox Review

- Vicki 4 Comments

Earlybird Tastebox Review

Tastebox Artwork

Earlybird TasteBox* is a fairly new weekly snack service with a difference, much like Graze (which is the most well known healthy snack service) you get a selection of healthy snacks each week & they pop through your letterbox in a slim brightly coloured box. The slight difference is you also get two tea bags to enjoy and each month there is a new illustration to enjoy / inspire you.

One more addition they will be adding to the box is music, Tastebox will be introducing you to a musical talent each month. I think this will be in future boxes as it wasn’t included in my box but I think its a great idea, I love discovering new music.

Earlybird Tastebox Snack Info

So the most exciting part of the box (in my opinion) are the snacks, you get five healthy tasty snacks, one portion for each weekday. All my snacks were well under 200 calories & four of the five were vegan.  I work from home and lets just say I ate most of the snacks within 2 days (too yummy). In this box I received

Berry Berry Nice

This is strawberry mixed with flame raisins, golden raisins and cranberries. One portion is equal to one of your five a day? This was a lovely sweet snack, I really like dried fruits and I liked that it had strawberries mixed in too. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.

Koh Tao

Delicious rice crackers with a touch of garlic, kaffir lime and chili, all the way from Thailand, where they produce some of the world’s best rice. These are a very light snack at only 85 calories, I enjoyed these a lot & would quite happily ate a much bigger bag. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.

Milky Berry

These are a mix of cranberries, blackcurrants and white chocolate. I ate the fruit but couldn’t eat the white chocolate – although it smelt so good! I wouldn’t opt to get this snack again because its not Vegan.

Salt ‘N Pepa Cashews

These were so morish & I think my favourite snack out of the five. They’re such a simple snack but so tasty- just cashews roasted in salt and pepper seasoning. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans

Señor José

This was unusual but very tasty –  broad beans mixed with giant corn, soft corn and a chilli seasoning. Señor José is only 130 calories per bag. It’s a perfect low calorie snack to curb hunger cravings between meals. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans

English Breakfast Tea & Mint and Lime Tea – I am familiar with the former & drink it daily but Mint and Lime is a new one to me. I am not the biggest fan of mint but the lime made it quite a refreshing tea. I wouldn’t be in a rush to try it again but I am excited to see what other teas come in future boxes.

If you want to see an overview of all the current snacks <—– just click there. They have 50 to pick from.

Tastebox snack selection

Tastebox Snacks

For my first box I was very pleased, the tea’s were good and all apart from the Milky Berry snacks were Vegan friendly so that pleased me. I’m someone that loves to snack and this kind of subscription service is right up my street, healthy but satisfying. Like I said I ate all the snacks within 2 days (greedy) but that just goes to show how tasty they are.

If you would like to try it out your first box is just £1 and your subsequent boxes will be £4.50. You can cancel your subscription at anytime and Early Bird Tastebox also allow you to Pause your subscription too which is very handy if you’re away from home or on holiday and you don’t want to return to a backlog of snacks that may have past their best.

‘To Pause, you temporarily stop your current subscription and will not be charged for your chosen paused time period. You may still access your account and use it as normal’.

TasteBoxes are delivered on Mondays – either weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending upon your subscription.

If you’d like to try a free box, enter jaffa-8212 at checkout

Products that are marked with an * have either been sent to me for my consideration or I’ve received at events. I’m under no obligation to review them on my blog. However if I do, the reviews are 100% my own and these were just too delicious to keep to myself.