Category Archives: Reviews

October 2017 Jewellery Box UK Purchases and Review

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Jewellery Box UK – My October Purchases

I love to buy jewellery for friends and family as gifts, there is something about finding the exact thing that you know they would like. When you order it and it arrives all boxed up and beautiful… This blog post is about an order for myself, but I am not ruling out a Christmas Gifts based order before the year is out. Jewellery Box UK have an excellent range and their website is easy to navigate and search.

Upon previous orders from this company I have been impressed with the quality and the choice. So when I wanted some new “every day” earrings (as I like to call them) I knew which website to search.

This time my order arrived inside the Jewellery Box UK personalised envelopes. A professional way to keep the stock separate in transit and you know that all the products are brand new and sealed within their plastic.

Another feature that wasn’t apparent last time I ordered was the addition of the Jewellery Box packaging, bits of cardboard attached to the items.

Having graduated lobe piercings on both of my ears I often purchase earrings that go together, in order for them to look symmetrical. I particularly like sterling silver jewellery and usually choose this metal for my sensitive skin too.

Upon browsing for my usual 2mm, 3mm and 4mm silver ball studs though, I noticed they were now selling a sterling silver and rose gold plated ball stud at a 3mm size. Intrigued, and because I had a discount code, I added them to my basket.

And as you will notice on the image above there is one other earring set, I chose some very tiny arrow earrings. For a very personal reason to me, mainly to cut a long story short, the arrow represents moving forward, and I am currently going through a difficult time in my life, one that requires courage and by wearing my earrings they remind me of how strong I can be if I only believe in myself.

Final Review of Each Item and Links

I only have one small criticism about the order. I don’t like to keep my earrings, after use but between wears inside any plastic, once worn they need to breathe. There wasn’t an option to perhaps purchase a small earrings box to place them in, or add one for free to an order over a certain amount. The order does come in those amazing envelopes and that’s wonderful to send out and also to gift to people, but when it comes to storage, I am now running low on things to put my many earring styles in to. You wouldn’t want to bend any of them.

Also, an option to purchase a small silver cleaning cloth with a large order, for a small discount might be a good idea too? I like to clean my silver jewellery every couple of months with a professional silver cleaning cloth, it helps to maintain them and also keeps them looking shiny. Just a few thoughts for you Jewellery Box, I hope you don’t mind my honesty. The products you sell are amazing quality and I love the amount of choice, but the products need caring for once you’re home using them…

I will now outline each item, the price advertised on the website (correct on the date I published this post) and also give a link to that specific item. As well as my final review scores I will be writing out some relevant information about each item that I know some of you would be wondering about.

Sterling Silver Ball Stud Earrings Set – 2mm, 3mm and 4mm.

Appearance 5/5 (Shiny and Look Great Set Together)
Quality 5/5 (925 Stamps Ensures Metal Quality)
Pin Length 10mm
Backs – Butterfly
Weights 0.42 Gram (2mm) 0.46 Gram (3mm) 0.56 Gram (4mm)
Price £5.95
NB. You can also purchase these sizes individually and in varying metals.
Link


Small Sterling Silver Arrow Stud Earrings

Appearance 5/5 (Beautifully detailed for such small earrings).
Quality 5/5 (Straight and Well Made, Proportional and Straight with 925 stamp).
Shape – Arrow – 9mm by 3mm by 2mm
Length 11mm (Front to Back)
Backs – Butterfly
Weight 0.6 Gram
Price £3.55
NB. The earring pin attaches at the arrow point end of the earring.
Link


Rose Gold Plated Sterling Silver 3mm Ball Stud Earrings

 Appearance 5/5 (Shiny and A Good Size for most lobe piercings)
Quality 5/5 (Straight and Well Presented with the 925 Stamp Clearly Visible)
Length 14mm (Front to Back)
Backs – Butterfly
Weight 0.5 Gram
Price £3.95
Link

Thank you very much for reading this review post today. If you enjoyed this then please leave me a comment letting me know, I would really appreciate the feedback. Jewellery Box UK is an excellent online shop to find gifts, they also do regular discounts and a 10% off your first order when you sign up to their newsletter.

I hope you will find something nice for you or a loved one if you take a look. Remember this is not my first review from this great company, click Jewellery Box on my main page categories to see more.

✩ Sabrina ✩

 

Snacks That I Am Loving Right Now

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Snacks That I Am Loving Right Now

So I am a huge snack lover! I might not look it as I’m naturally slim, but I love my chocolate, crisps, yogurts and fruity snacks! Among other things! I do eat a banana and a bowl of strawberries or raspberries most days, but what else do I snack on. Well today I am telling you honestly, that for the past several months, these are the products that I have been buying and munching on…

On the blog today I wanted to share with you all some of my favourite latest buys and eats! Some of which I have been eating a lot of to maintain my current weight due to health reasons. For someone like myself getting the necessary five fruit and veg a day plus ensuring my calories, just isn’t enough. So I also choose healthy snacks such as these as my in between treats.

I just wanted to state that I am by no means encouraging people to eat poorly, because we all need to eat healthily, but you can make room in your lifestyle for tasty treats and indulgent items such as the products I’m going to be talking about today. Everything in moderation alongside a diet rich in vitamins and drinking plenty of water. Light exercise if you cannot get to a facility to do so. And remember, we are all built differently, so don’t compare yourself.

Now, where were we? Ah yes, my current favourite snacks!

1. Nomadic Oat and Yogurt Pots – These Cereal and Yogurt Pots are Divine!

Tasty, Great Textures and Great as a Snack or for Breakfast! You can get them in Tesco! There are currently 4 varieties, Chocolate, Strawberry and Blackcurrant and Blueberry. They are all delicious, I have tried them all. Not only are they convenient for a quick breakfast but they are also a wonderful snack between meals. They contain bio-live Irish Yogurt and come in several flavours.

I prefer the chocolate one out of them all, but really enjoy the strawberry too. I tend to mix the two pots together and then throw some sliced banana on top or some raspberries. Both work extremely well with both flavours.

They even come with a folded spoon inside for those of us who have to eat on the go!

If you want to know more about Nomadic and their other great products check out their website here.

2. Pop Chips! Wow have you tried these?

Delicious, Light and Melt on the Tongue with Amazing Flavour! I have found them in most large supermarkets and they come in a few flavours now too, but the sour cream and onion is my fave. They are Gluten Free and contain nothing artificial whatsoever! With only 95 calories a bag you can afford to be naughty with these.


3. Perkier Bars! Tasty and Gluten Free as well as a variety of other cool and healthy things!

Not only do these taste great and there are many varieties, but they are Gluten Free, Dairy Free and don’t have any artificial colours or preservatives in either. I got a sample to try through work, but you can purchase these delicious bars in health food shops and big supermarkets stock them in the ‘Free From Ingredients’ isles. The one I had was this (see images below) a Quinoa Bar with Goji and Cranberry. It was naturally sweetened by adding pineapple juice and contains a natural source of vitamins and antioxidants.

4. Pringles – New Sweet Chilli Flavour

I adore the majority of Pringles flavours, but this new one is absolutely delicious! With a great flavour and crunch and then the aftertaste of chilli, phew! So Yummy! You will have to of course try for yourself and make up your own mind, but if you like tasty with a kick, these are for you!


5. Cadbury Chocolate Yoghurt Pots – Various Side Treats

Have you tried one of these yet? Most supermarkets sell at least one variety. There’s Buttons, Flake, Chunks, at certain times of the year they do special pots like Oreo, Mini Eggs or Freddo Faces! (There have been others too!) A delicious treat for any time of the day, and nice if you want to increase your calcium intake but don’t want to eat anymore chocolate. A tasty Dessert with extra Cadbury pieces on the side!

And that concludes my current snacks!

Thank you for reading this short blog post today, I hope you have all enjoyed an insight into my current snacking habits. Do let me know on social media or via a comment if you decide to try any of these items after reading my review. Thanks! And remember folks, everything in moderation with your fruit and veg to be munched on as well!

✩ Sabrina ✩

October 2017 Treatbox Reveal

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Hello and Welcome to the October Treatbox Reveal with Sabrina of Severn Wishes.

Happy Treat Box Day Everyone, Today is the First of October, Autumn is Here! Let us begin with the Reveal…

This month the tissue paper is a lovely burgundy red colour, definitely one shade that you see on some types of trees as this time of year unfolds…

The little sticker holding it all inside this month reads “Bear Hug”.

As I open the October Calendar print and read about the contents of this box I am noticing a strong fruity smell emanating from underneath the tissue paper. It is a much heavier box than the last couple that were delivered too. Without saying too much we have a Home product, something we can use, something we can eat, something we could send or keep and something to look at and enjoy…

So without further ado here is my photo reveal of all of the items contained in this month’s Treatbox. Happy Autumn!

The full list of items available this month is;

Calendar Print for October
Copper Wire Fairy Lights (3m and 30 lights)
Two Greeting Cards with Autumn Feels “Hello You” and “Sending Lots of Hedge-Hugs”
Tea Light Candles Set – 3 Hour Burn Time – 15 Pack – Mine were “Wild Berries”
Milk Chocolate Caramel Crunch from Butlers “Purveyors of Happiness” a milk chocolate bar with caramel and crunchy hazelnut pieces
Sticker Sheet – 20 Autumn Animal Drawing Stickers
Home Item is a Grey Hoop it reads “You Are Loved”
Print for October Reads “Pumpkin Spice Everything Nice that’s what Autumn is made of”


Here is a selection of my photographs of this month’s box, I hope you enjoy seeing the items up close and if you have any questions leave me a comment 😉

My Favourites

My favourite items from this month’s box are definitely the Greeting Cards and the Stickers. Both are unique and unusual items that I will enjoy using and sending. I plan to eat the chocolate bar within the next few days and when I do I will pop my thoughts about it on one of my social media probably on Instagram. The print is extra special this month because it’s been designed with more colour and is very relate-able to the chosen theme.

My Overall Opinion

The October box contains several well-made and thoughtfully considered products for the Autumnal theme. I liked that so many of the items were Treatbox originals too! When you get things delivered that you cannot get anywhere else it’s excellent! There are some things you could gift if you didn’t like them. I honestly don’t mind that we have received another set of fairy lights. I use them in every room of my house in jars and vases and also for my blogging. It’s also been nice to try a new company product, the Butlers chocolate, I am looking forward to it 😉

Are you thinking of ordering a TreatBox for yourself or for a gift for someone?
Then you can find Treatbox subscriptions and build your own box at their website https://treatboxuk.com/

If you aren’t sure on whether to try a TreatBox for yourself or not I would say order a one off box, and then if you’re happy with it you can always subscribe afterwards. Check out my previous posts on the Treat Boxes I have received so far, in this unique category of my website called ‘Treatbox’ especially for these box reviews and reveals – Severn Wishes – TREATBOX

Thanks for reading this months box reveal today, if you have any of your own thoughts you would like to share with me or if you have purchased a box after reading one of my reviews then I would love to hear your from you, so why not leave me a comment below.

Also if you have any questions about any of the items contained in this month’s Treatbox then please get in touch I am more than happy to answer them for you, if I can.

If you enjoy the Reveal Video that I record of this Treatbox every month then please click the link to see this latest one here.

Until the next time Severn Wishes followers, thank you for joining me for this reveal today, and I hope you have all enjoyed it.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Little Books of Calm Colouring Reviews

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Today I am reviewing the “Calm Colouring” Books series created by David Sinden and Victoria Kay. Calm Colouring is an activity that I partake in regularly, it really helps me to relax. And when the images are as beautiful and as intricate as they are in these books, you’ll see why in a moment.

So why do I use them? As some of you regular blog readers will know, I have suffered with some anxiety the past few years that stems from my surgery and other health issues. I deal with it in several ways, but on days when I just need to lose myself in something, I found that adult colouring books really have helped.

My family bought me the first book, “The Little Book of more Calm Colouring” and I loved it so much that I ordered the first one of the series off Amazon which is called, “The Little Book of Calm Colouring”.

Inside are pages of hand illustrated designs where each one has an inspirational quote on the left and a picture to colour on the right. For example here is one quote from Leonardo Da Vinci, “To enjoy – to love a thing for its own sake and for no other reason”. As seen in my image below.

These portable relaxation books are so wonderful, and because they are only 11.5cm by 14cm they can be carried with you should the occasion arise. You can use pencils, pens, literally anything you like to colour in the designs. Something non saturate-able would be best though. The pages aren’t really thin but if you press too hard then strong pen colour will stain through.

The quotes contain many famous sayings and inspirational words from some of the worlds most incredible people. William Shakespeare, Confucius, Aristotle, William Blake, Emily Dickinson and Oscar Wilde to name only a few.

The act as reminders that sometimes patience and calm can be all that we need in order to mentally work through a situation. This book combines the beauty of adding colour to drawings that are sometimes both symmetrical and complicated, but also creating that depth of thought processes so that we may be lost in ourselves for a moment.

My Review Scores

Content 5/5
Appearance 5/5
Usability 5/5
Value for Money 5/5
Quality 5/5
Accurate 5/5

Not only is the content excellent, the quality is also great. They are both portable and easy to use. The books do exactly what they are intended for, and I think at less than £5 for one of these books they are good value for money. All you need to buy are the colouring implements.

Thank you for reading this review today, I really hope you have enjoyed it, and feel free to search for these books online if you’re considering buying one for yourself or for a friend. I know mine are useful and inspiring, exactly what you need to alleviate stress after a long day or to distract at an anxious time. I bought one of my books off Amazon so I know you can still get them on there.

✩ Sabrina ✩

NYX Slide On, Glide On, Stay On, Eye Liners Review Part 2

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NYX Slide On Eye Liners, Part 2! Because “Oh Yes!” I Bought More!!!

I loved my first three eyeliners so much that I decided to get some more colours. I also wanted to experiment with photographing them as well as making up a variety of eye looks too.

I now own seven shades of the NYX Slide On and Glide On Eyeliner. These range from a basic brown and gold shade, right through to the vibrant blue and green.

Here are the numbers and the names of the seven eyeliners I have bought.

SL6 Esmerelda
SL10 Purple Blaze
SL12 Azure
SL13 Jewel
SL14 Sunrise Blue
SL15 Brown Perfection
SL16 Golden Bronze

The new colours are perfect for creating looks that stand out, especially with the blue shades.

I decided to get mine from a local Boots Store, I love saving up my points from them you see!

Playing around with some of the colours… I drew a heart on my arm, can I get an aw?

You can tell on my fairly pale skin just how much these colours stand out, and they compliment one another well too.

The reason I decided to draw the heart on my arm is to show how vibrant the shades are next to one another. The liners have colours that vary so that you’re not getting some similar ones when you purchase them you get a specific shade, for example the two shades of blue are entirely different, as you can see in my photograph.

Here are some of my different looks that I have created recently with these liners. I have uploaded others to my Instagram from time to time as well.

Above; Subtle Natural Makeup Look; while using SL15 and SL16.

Above; My take on a Mermaid Look while using SL10, SL12 and SL14.

Two separate occasions using the darker shades to create these looks.
Top one is mainly SL15.
Lower one is mainly SL16.

Now I’m going to show you some more photographs of the liners themselves, they look great in their vibrant and accurately coloured casings!

These are now my “go-to” eye liners and I haven’t used any other brand since getting them. If you see me with my makeup done online, look for the tags to see if I used the NYX ones!

These eyeliners are so easy to apply, I absolutely adore using them. I sometimes blend them on my eye lids using my Spectrum Brushes too…

During my last review I scored these Eyeliners a massive 5/5! Here are my scores below for this review, now that I have had time to test them more thoroughly and while using more shades.

Quality of Items 5/5
Effectiveness 5/5
Appearance 5/5
Value for Money 4/5

The only point that these liners loose out on this time, is a Value one. Because when I went back to buy more the prices had all gone up, by quite a lot actually. So I was gutted but I still ended up purchasing them, that is dedication, and it is all because of the NYX Quality!

Thank you for reading this review today, I really hope you have enjoyed it.

✩ Sabrina ✩

NYX at Boots Website

September 2017 Treatbox Reveal

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Hello and Welcome to the September 2017 Treatbox Reveal with me,
Sabrina of Severn Wishes.

Happy Treat Box Day Everyone!

It’s that time again, a new month already, where are these weeks going? I think I say this every time, but August has gone particularly fast for me compared to the other months so far. Before we know it, it will be a certain time of year beginning with ‘C’!

It’s September 2nd today as I am photographing this wonderful Treatbox for you all to see, and I hope to upload this post on the 3rd…

This month the box theme is… Unicorns!!!

The tissue paper is a gorgeous shade of light blue. And the smell! Oh the whole box smells divine! A mix of sweet fruit and coconut I think…

“You’re Pretty Magical” the little Unicorn says…

As I open up the calendar print on top and begin to read about the contents of this box I realise there are several of the items that I will enjoy photographing and also enjoy using! Though not a crazy unicorn fan I do like them, I loved riding horses as a child. Does anyone remember the film “The Last Unicorn?” it was a great movie but also incredibly sad!

So without further ado! Here is my photo Reveal of the contents of the September 2017 Treatbox.

Here is the full list of items available for this month. Remember there are sometimes variations in colours and quotes usually! This month we have received 8 things but some of them we have more than one. So we really have around 12 items.

Calendar Print for September
White Chocolate Disks x 4 or 5
Blank Blue Notebooks with Unicorns and Dreams and Wishes x 2
Unicorn Horn Large Print
“Do What You Love Every Day” Plaque
Hand Made in Bali Dream Catcher
Unicorn Pin
Bath Bomb


Here is a selection of my photographs of this month’s box, I hope you enjoy seeing the items up close and if you have any questions about anything please leave me a comment.

My Favourites

My favourite items from this month’s box are the pin, because it is of great quality. I also love the Dream Catcher, it is so well made. The notebooks are lovely and unique looking, useful as usual too, thanks to Zoe!

I like that I have gotten the “Do What You Love Every Day” Plaque, because a few treat boxes ago I received the Coaster version of this quote! Check out this photo below showing both the old and new items together. Isn’t that cool?!

My Overall Opinion

There are some really nice items in this box including ones that are homemade and or unique. I like that we are supporting an ethically sourced item this month and supporting a community in Bali who make them. The sales of Treatbox go to helping make sure these people earn money for their work as we know the products are handmade but source and sold ethically.

I like that it is an unusually filled box this month, with loads of people being into the fantasy trend and unicorns seem very in at the moment too. I’m not unicorn crazy but I’m also not against it, so it’s nice to receive items that I will use without being embarrassed by them being too childish for example.

Are you thinking of ordering a TreatBox for yourself or for a gift for someone?
Then you can find Treatbox subscriptions and build your own box at their website https://treatboxuk.com/

If you aren’t sure on whether to try a TreatBox for yourself or not I would say order a one off box, and then if you’re happy with it you can always subscribe afterwards. Check out my previous posts on the Treat Boxes I have received so far, in this unique category of my website called ‘Treatbox’ especially for these box reviews and reveals – Severn Wishes – TREATBOX

Thanks for reading this months box reveal today, if you have any of your own thoughts you would like to share with me or if you have purchased a box after reading one of my reviews then I would love to hear your from you, so why not leave me a comment below.

Also if you have any questions about any of the items contained in this month’s Treatbox then please get in touch I am more than happy to answer them for you, if I can.

If you want to watch my video reveal you can check it out on my channel here.

Until next time then Severn Wishes followers, I thank you for joining me for this reveal today, and I hope you have all enjoyed it.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Birchbox August Box Reveal and Review

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Having taken note of several Birchbox reviews and recent boxes I have been waiting for the right time to sign up and I chose this month for two reasons. The first is because they had a fabulous deal on with free gifts, and the box also contains a Spectrum Brush that is only usually available inside the set of its colour…

So I have had delivered a one off Birchbox to Reveal its contents and Review honestly for you all this week. This unboxing is the contents of the August Box, which has a theme of Mermaids. The box itself is beautiful, a detailed scales design of Blues, Greens and Purples, with a golden trim.

I will tell you honestly why I wanted this box, and it’s more for the Spectrum Brush than any of the other items. Though I was pleasantly surprised by the actual box design quality and the other contents, and I will of course try any product once, and plan to do so with what Birchbox have chosen to send me.

The Birchbox measures 18.2cm in Length, by 12cm Wide and 5cm Deep. The design really stands out against my white backdrop as I begin to photograph the unopened contents.

Now it’s time for the Reveal! Let’s open my Mermaid themed box!

The free gift that I managed to get with my order was a fabulous summery and rather stripey makeup bag, and a Nails Inc Nail Polish. The bag is lilac and yellow and measures 22cm by 16cm. It is adorned with a yellow rope and pink trim that includes zip and the word Birchbox in a clear plastic. The Nails Inc Nail Kale Polish is in the colour of Regal Close and is a nude shade.

Nails Inc is a good brand that I have tried and tested before. I was happy that I was receiving something that was well known. The makeup bag reminds me of Summer with the shades of its stripes. They are two free gifts that I will certainly enjoy.

Here is the full list of the items that I received in my Birchbox. I will be looking at them individually, and photographically, in just a moment.

Spectrum Clam Brush A05

Seba Med Clear Face Mattifying Cream

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray

LOC Eye Shadow Stick

Merci Handy New Wave Love & Hand Gel


Spectrum Clam Brush A05

The A05 Brush by Spectrum Collections is designed for applying blusher or bronzer with precision. It is a beautiful brush that is part of the Spectrum Atlantis Collection, usually only supplied inside the Glam Clam. A turquoise handle and a brush end with bristles of lilac and pink, this makeup brush is finished with a rose gold ferrule.


Seba Med Clear Face Mattifying Cream

This Seba Med Clear Face Cream is designed to be free from oils, it is the ideal PH for the skin at 5.5. A non-greasy and shine-reducing cream, this is meant to be moisturising for oily skin. Containing Aloe Vera and Hyaluronic Acid to keep your skin hydrated and smooth, without clogging pores. This travel size at 10ml is great for a handbag or for travelling.

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray

The Oribe Spray can add texture and shine by adding a tousled waves to the hair. It has added proteins and vitamins to give the hair a boost, and can be applied to wet or dry locks. It contains ingredients that have a natural dose of UV protection and natural oils like sunflower and others such as marigolds and amber, to ensure the hair gets nourished. This can is a 37ml size, ideal for going away but be aware this might not be allowed in aeroplane luggage due to being an aerosol.

LOC Eye Shadow Stick

A Birchbox Exclusive, the LOC stick is a precise eye liner shadow pencil which claims to have 11 hours of crease free staying power. It is a compact size but I think from the swatch that I did it will go a long way. In my opinion it is an ideal base for other eye shadow colours to be built up on. Mine was named “Out of your Shell”. The One and Done Eye Shadow Stick is supposed to be easy to apply and comes in a travel size at 1.35g.


Merci Handy New Wave Love & Hand Cleansing Gel

A handy sized sanitiser which is great for handbags or travelling. A simple item but a rather useful one. I received this blue one, called New Wave. I like that it smells nice, it even has glitter inside it for a touch of glam, and it is also supposed to nourish your skin while killing bacteria because it contains Vitamin E and emollient beads. It smells like fruity and clean all at the same time, and is a ‘handy’ 30ml size.

My favourite items from the box are the LOC Eye Shadow Stick and the Spectrum Collections Glam Clam A05 Brush.

My reasons are because I will definitely use these pieces. I wanted the brush so badly to use in blogging and in my makeup. The other items I will all use and/or test, so I just see them as a bonus. I quietly hope that I can use them all despite my sensitive skin.

Here is another image of my items that were inside my August Birchbox.

And below is another shot of the free nail polish and the makeup bag.


Overall I am pleased that I did this Reveal, If I am very happy with any of the individual products then you will no doubt see individual reviews of the items.

Thank you very much for reading this blog post today, I really hope you’ve enjoyed this reveal and of course all of my detailed photography.

If you’re interested in some Birchbox products then please check out their website, they have a shop and you can subscribe to the boxes if you wish to.

Birchbox

If you liked this but want to ‘See’ more then check out my unboxing video, reveal and honest review of the box over on my YouTube Channel.

Thanks Severn Wishes followers, until next time!

✩ Sabrina ✩

A Uniqlo Store T-Shirt Haul – Featuring Designs from the UTGP 2017 in Association with Nintendo

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A Uniqlo Store T-Shirt Haul – Featuring Designs from the UTGP 2017 in Association with Nintendo.

Luckily on a recent visit to London my husband wanted to go shopping down Oxford Street. He absolutely loves the work shirts available in Uniqlo. So I agreed to go along with him and give him my opinions of course.

What I didn’t know was that the brand was running a collaboration with Nintendo, where people had designed these awesome T-shirts. Based on Nintendo Video Games and various Characters too, the T-shirts were both for male and female and some were even unisex, at a cost between £11 and £15 each.

Of course I browsed and I couldn’t have left London without getting a few of them. (For those who don’t know it I’m a very keen gamer!) So here are the items in question, with the collaboration details and then I will review them for you.

T-Shirt Design One – Pikachu on Black

My husband bought me this one, he knows I adore Pikachu!

T-Shirt Design Two – The World of Nintendo

This tee brought back so much of my childhood, Mario, DK and hours of fun!

T-Shirt Design Three – Splatoon

I chose this one because of the colours and the googly eyes were fun!

So this T-shirt design contest is held by UNIQLO and people from around the world create and submit original T-Shirt designs based on Nintendo characters. The designs varied with Donkey Kong, Pokemon, Super Mario Brothers, Kirby, Splatoon, Star Fox and of course a Nintendo favourite The Legend of Zelda, all making appearances. All the T-Shirt Characters of course belong to ©Nintendo. A final 25 entries made it to the process of being made, and have been distributed worldwide, with the Winner being a man from Japan who did a Mario inspired design.

For the UT Grand Prix for 2017 and they received more than 16,000 entries, a new record high for the competition. By offering these unique and exciting designs for both men, women and children from its UTGP 2017 Nintendo collection, UNIQLO hopes to bring more joy to the world by giving people the chance to own these one off designs. With the standard being so high this year I cannot wait to see what people come up with for the next one!


There are very few of these wonderful T-Shirt Designs left now, because I went a couple of months ago, and sadly I just hadn’t gotten around to reviewing the items. Anything that is still available can be found in the Summer Sales in stores and online you can fin them here on their website.

Each tee is 100% Cotton, super soft and the designs are all well made and have consistent good quality. The colours are still good after several washes, and I am really pleased I got more than one. There were a few designs that were already sold out, and I am quite disappointed that I didn’t get to buy them. I grew up playing Pokemon on my Gameboy Colour, so I would have adored all of the other Pikachu Tee’s (Numbers 10, 11 and 24 on the list) and I personally think the Mario Star Tee (Number 21) is awesome too! As you can see by the list of pictures I have compiled, the T-shirts are all excellent. I didn’t even see some of these when I went to London in May! Wished I had!


Overall I am happy that my husband wanted to go into Uniqlo that day, otherwise I never would have seen these T-shirts! So it’s thanks to my Ed, I now have them in my wardrobe. For me I wear them as casual tee’s, for doing shopping in, gaming in and general wear. But nevertheless I think they do bring some joy, the comfort and the quirky designs, so I guess Uniqlo have succeeded with their aim, with me anyway.

Soft and well made, these tee’s wash and wear well. So far the colours have remained strong and bold. Because it’s cotton it can be washed on a cool cycle helping the environment. I am a size 6-8 and chose a Small, the sizes fitted well. They are good value for money most definitely. And finally I would like to add that they certainly do look unique.

Thank you very much for reading this blog post today, I really hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this contest and the designs for this year. As well as my personal review of the items of course. Until next time, thank you.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Oh and I hear that UTGP for 2018 will be a Marvel theme competition!!! :O How awesome is that?!

Using BooHoo Shorts and Iron On Patches to Create my own Unique looking Embroidery Style

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Using BooHoo Shorts and Iron On Patches to Create my own Unique looking Embroidery Style Summer Shorts

In the blog post today I am going to be explaining how I managed to make these awesome, unique, and I have to say pretty cool looking embroidery style shorts.

(The Sunflower, Palm Tree and Eye were already sown on).

The original shorts are from BooHoo, I will pop a link to them at the end of the post…

(All the Patches I have had in my Treat Boxes and Artemis and Xena Box!)

The Iron On Patches have all been from past Treat Boxes, the first one I received is from a whole year ago! And it has been sat in a drawer waiting to be used.

I saw the shorts ages ago when I placed an order, to replace an old black pair. And then I had an idea! Seeing as they already had a couple of patches sown on to them, why not add to them! I decided exactly what I was going to do… and this is the result!

If you ever did this as a child, then you had a great childhood! Picking an iron patch in the local shop, taking it home and choosing an item of your clothing for it to go on to. Usually a denim jacket in the 1990’s with patches covering the back! But I wanted to spruce up these already great shorts! I hope you like what I did!

Here are the Treatbox Iron On Instructions and a closer look at the beautiful Rainbow patch that we had last year in our August 2016 box.

Here is a closer look at the Flamingo and Pineapple which were in the July 2017 box.

Recommending to use a handkerchief or an old pillow case to place over the patch while you are ironing is not only a tip but a definite necessity.

This lovely Cup Cake Iron On Patch came out of the Artemis and Xena Box I had earlier on this year in March.

Getting down to the ‘How To Do This’ Part of the blog post now, and basically just be creative! Make sure that you get patches that are good quality, and make sure you choose both areas of the fabric that are easy to iron on to, and choose a fabric that can be ironed on a high heat without it getting damaged!

Otherwise just follow the instructions carefully and make sure you do this with an adult if you’re of a young age.

My final tip is to play around before ironing anything on, you might change your mind. Imagine wearing the item and where the patches will be when you do. Once you’ve made a final decision why not ask someone in your family for their opinion, it couldn’t hurt. And remember this is a creative and fun activity you can do as a family if you all wanted to participate.

Review of BooHoo’s Polly Palm Embroidered Denim Shorts

Comfort 4/5
Value for Money 3/5
Appearance 4/5

Now I’m going to show you a photo of me wearing my finished shorts! I’m really pleased with the way that they turned out.


Here is a link to the boohoo shorts BOOHOO, and don’t forget to check out my category for my Treat Box REVEALS, the Treat Box shop link is also here if anyone wants it SHOP.

If anyone has any questions please feel free to leave me comments, I’m happy to answer them.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

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Revisiting the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault

A good many months ago now, I was extremely lucky enough to win this Urban Decay Vault, but I haven’t had much time to photograph and use the products inside it. So on the blog today I am revisiting this incredible Eyeshadow Vault, showing off some new swatches and new images I have made of its contents.

There are twenty wonderful pots inside this vault, and they are all gorgeous eyeshadow shades. I am going to show off some brand new swatch images, and then just a whole lot of random shots that I love. I have experimented for hours with photographing the pots and also added some of my spectrum brushes in some photographs too, to bring a whole lot of awesomeness to my blog today!

The Swatches

10 pots are Original Collection shades and 10 are Moondust Collection shades.

The Original ones are in the Dark Grey Pots. Here are my swatches.

Blackout
Lounge
Mildew
Mushroom

Last Call
Scratch
Busted
Sellout

Rockstar
X

The Moondust Collection are in the Silver Pots. Here are my swatches.

Scorpio
Zodiac
Vortex
Moonspoon

Solstice
Space Cowboy
Dark Force
Interstellar

Shockwave
Cosmic

What I loved most about photographing these eyeshadow pots was the variety in the colours. They are wonderfully designed with such detail.

I really hope that you will enjoy these next four photographs, I spent many hours composing and shooting, and this is what I have come up with.

I hope I have done the Urban Decay Urban Eyeshadow Vault justice with my work. Leave me a comment if there is a particular photo that you really like so that I know, thank you.

The Vault

A Little Mixture

Stack and See

An Incredible Set


You can purchase Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pots from their website, they range from £14 – £15.50 each. Check the range out by clicking here.

Thank you for reading this blog post today. Let me know if you enjoyed the revisited swatches and my photographs. And don’t forget to check out the original post if you want more general information, it can be found right here.

✩ Sabrina ✩