Before Chocolate is a Hot Chocolate like no other

Posted on December 17, 2024 by Sabrina

When I was approached by Before Chocolate to product review for them I was very excited. It is rare to find a chocolate product that is dairy free and made to a standard that is so exceptional. Today on my blog I am going to talk about my experience and taste testing of this delicious brand.

About Before Chocolate

Established in 2019 by Harry and Mandi. A UK based company with high standards for producing a chocolate that is not only good for you, containing natural ingredients, as well as no allergens. But their mission was a simple one, to create a product that was chemical and additive free, that tasted like real chocolate should.
They work closely with the Cacao growers they use to find the finest beans for their products. Harry is an EU Organic Superfood importer, and Mandi is a mother of two who has always had a passion for real chocolate.
Before Chocolate is made from South American Fino de Aroma Cacao beans. And are Winner’s of 17 Great Taste Awards. They have also been featured on ITV.

Some Words from Before Chocolate and how they create their Artisan Hot Chocolate

Our chocolate products are a result of our collaboration with some of the world’s best cacao growers and chocolatier’s. Our range is inspired by the finest traditional superfood ingredients, multi-generational chocolate-making expertise and a desire to go back to the roots of chocolate making.

Chocolate as we know today is industrially processed, contains refined sugar, E numbers and many other nasty ingredients making it nutritionally poor. We’ve simply taken chocolate back to its origins; simpler, healthier and more natural than modern day chocolate as we all know it today. Our cacao-rich super smooth chocolate is made up of high quality organic wholefoods, ethically sourced directly from the very best farmers around the world.

We’ve kept our ingredients list as short as possible with just single origin Peruvian and Ecuadorian Organic Cacao, Organic Coconut Sugar (15%) and with added superfoods such as Camu Camu, Turmeric, Maca, Lucuma and Chia seeds.

Before Chocolate products are allergen-free, vegan, organic, free from refined sugar and most importantly taste delicious. Great for all of the family, convenient healthy treats on the go or to simply have as a healthy snack at work. Now you can enjoy your chocolate, guilt free knowing its actually a better alternative. Before Chocolate represents simple, clean and natural ingredients. Exactly how Chocolate should be enjoyed.

What’s In Before Chocolate Hot Chocolate?

Organic Cacao Paste
Unrefined Muscovado Sugar
Organic Light Agave Nectar

Cacao solids are 51% of the packet. I was given 135g bags which turn into 5 portions (regular mug size).

The Products I Have Reviewed

When I was sent the hot chocolate pouches I could tell from the packaging that it was made to a high standard. Everything was clearly labelled with all the information that you could wish for. From the ingredients list to everything you needed to know about the product that was inside, including how to prepare it. The pouches are also resealable with a wonderful enclosed lip, this allows you to use just what you wanted and save the rest for another day.

I found that the bags contained 5 portions per bag, but liking my hot chocolate quite strong and also using a large mug I decided to add a little more into my saucepan than the recommended 3 spoonful’s, I used four. We had 4 portions of drink from the Original pouch, and 5 portions for the Orange and Spiced flavours.

I invited some family members over for the afternoon where I made everyone a hot chocolate of their choice using Almond Milk (we are a dairy free household) and I found it was simple to prepare. Using my favourite milk saucepan I poured in enough almond milk for the mug chosen and waited for it to simmer. Then I began stirring in the wonderful rich Cacao from the Before Chocolate packet. I used a silicone whisk to ensure a smooth finish. I made each drink one at a time for the different flavours, and then we sat around drinking them.

The overall view was that each one was certainly smooth and rich in flavour, I had personally never had a hot chocolate with such defined flavour. I actually think my choice of almond milk really complimented it. The before chocolate drinks were like velvet across your tongue, strong chocolate flavour and a nice after taste.

Original

This has to be the smoothest hot chocolate I have ever tasted, rich and delicious. A few minutes after I had finished it I did find myself in need of a glass of water, I think due to the richness. It was an indulgent and decadent treat for my taste buds. Knowing it was good for me, even though it tasted divinely naughty with its strong chocolate taste made it even better. Halfway down my mug I decided to squirt a little dairy free cream on the rest, and that complimented it very well too. The overall view was that it was a hot chocolate ideal for any time of the day or night, and it was ready in only a few minutes.

Orange

Well if you like orange flavours this would be the choice for you. As my mother said as she tasted hers “it’s like drinking a liquid chocolate orange”. Again a deliciously smooth feeling as you drink it, and full of flavour throughout every mouthful. It was even mentioned between us that you could make this and pour a little over ice cream or other desserts. Something we might have to try with the little bit left in our packet!

Spiced

A delicious chocolate flavour with a lightly spiced taste. It’s smooth and that hint of spices is so warming alongside the hot chocolate and its created warmth from the saucepan. This one is particularly good for this time of the year, ideal for the festive season, definitely one for adults to enjoy more so.
Although you could add portions of half original and half spiced and your children would likely love the smooth lightly spiced flavour of this hot chocolate with the rich smoothness the finished product provides.

I used my milk saucepan and almond milk to make our delicious hot chocolate drinks

Sabrina’s Serving Suggestion – Dairy Free Whipped Cream and Vegan Dark Chocolate Curls

Where Can I Buy Before Chocolate

Buy direct from Before Chocolate online. The website link below this sentence will help you to find out more and you can view the current range of products that are available to purchase as well.

The Website for Before Chocolate

Would I recommend it?

Yes I would recommend it. Not only is the hot chocolate incredible taste wise, but it is better for you than a high street or supermarket variety of hot chocolate. I would rather be putting this Cacao made version into my body than anything that has added sugars, E numbers and chemical additives in it.

Before Chocolate ingredients are actually good for you, they are delicious, it’s vegan friendly and it’s made with it’s growers in mind too – good karma! Overall it is an inviting and indulgent chocolate delight, a warming and comforting drink in the colder weather. The fact that it’s made in a way that is not harmful to your body just makes me want to drink it more, it tastes naughty and rich and yet it’s so good! It’s a win win for everyone.

Product Packaging Quality 5✩
Product Quality (Taste and Flavour) 5✩
As Advertised Online 5✩
Product Variety 5✩
Ease of Preparation 5✩

5✩ Overall I rate it 5 Stars 5✩

Thank you for reading my blog post today, I hope you have enjoyed learning about this brand and perhaps I have inspired you to try it. I also have a little video on my social media below if you’d like to watch that.

Instagram / Facebook / YouTube

Thank you for visiting my blog, I hope you have a wonderful day.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Indulgent, Inviting and Deliciously Rich

✩✩✩

Collaboration: I have been provided with these hot chocolate pouches from Before Chocolate in order to complete this honest product review. I would like to thank them for the opportunity to showcase their fabulous brand across my platforms. I have loved taste testing them over the last few weeks and it was also nice to get my family involved as well. Thank you Before Chocolate, I have thoroughly enjoyed trying your delightful drinks and will be telling everyone I know how good they are.

All words, photography and opinions in my blog are my own, unless otherwise stated.

Please do not copy any information without my written permission but feel free to share the link to my blog with people you know if you believe this product would benefit them knowing about it.

If you have any questions or would like me to review a product for your business, please get in touch via my contact tab across the header of my blog homepage. Thank you, Sabrina.

Argos Testers August 2024 – Eufy G50 Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Mop

Posted on August 12, 2024 by Sabrina

Hello! I’m Sabrina! I am an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of an online review. I thoroughly test the products and take photographs of them before submitting my findings and honest thoughts over to Argos. Sometimes I even do a video, and these are shown on my social media channels. This latest campaign I was asked to test out a Eufy Robotic Vacuum.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

I have written this review about a product that I have been supplied for free, in order to test and then review it. This is my experience with said product and it is my honest review about the product listed below. I have already submitted my review to the Argos Website, and it has been accepted on to live public view when this blog post has been published. Please see my review on this screengrab below from the Argos website. All words and photography within this article are my own.

Product Information

Name: Eugy G50 Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Mop
Measurements: Height 8.1cm Width 32.5cm Depth 32.5cm
Noise: 53 dB
Colour: Black and Blue
Connection: AC Docking Port for Charging and Bluetooth Wireless for the Vacuum Device
Charging Time: 5 Hours (to full charge)
Weight: 3.52kg
Running Time: 50 minutes to 120 minutes (depending on mode)
How To Use: Eufy App connects via your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to the Vacuum, App activates modes
RRP: £200 (correct as of August 12th 2024)
Details: Featuring a 4000Pa strong suction, 600ml dust bin with an easy to remove button and slide action, along with dynamic navigation to methodically move around your home, this hoover can even go under tables and cabinets so long as they are taller than 8.1cm. Mop feature is an attachable cloth pad and a 200ml water tank to be used on wooden floors and sealed tiles. There is a detangling roller brush with a comb that removes hair, simply use the app to start the cleaning process and use the comb to remove what is left.

Product Link Argos Website

Please see my photographs below which show the product in use over several of the floors that I detailed within my product review. The eight floors and mats that I tested the Eufy G50 on are as follows;
Wooden Floor, Stone Tiled Floor, Linoleum Floor, Low Pile Rugs, Medium Pile Carpet, Medium Pile Rug, Fluffy Rug and Play Mats (Foam), as well as Runners and Door Mats.

Dust, Crumbs, Cat Fur, Human Hair, Cat Litter, Pollen, its all captured and compacted in the dust bin beneath the robot vacuum. I was very impressed.

Remove the hair by sending the device into brush cleaning mode and any remaining can be removed using the tool provided in the box, good as new ready to go again (below).

Overall I would recommend this product to anyone who is able to use the appropriate app so that it can function effectively, and especially for those who cannot do a lot of housework, whether that be a physical or a mental reason. All you need to do is make sure it is flat on the floor after being charged up and linked to your Wi-Fi and phone. Then use the app to control the vacuum, it’s simple to use with an easy diagram and large touch screen button. The cleaning function is great, and simply turn the hoover off to open the dust bin with an easy push button. I loved how easy it was to set up and use.
The product is excellent, not too noisy and I also thought the functions were fab (via the app). The only thing that was a little annoying is the 5 hours of charging time for between 50 and 120 minutes of cleaning time. This is fine if you don’t have a large house to clean, but with a maximum of 120 minutes of run time that may not be enough for larger properties. Despite that I have loved testing this Eufy G50 and he is now my friend and I shall have to name him going forward I think…

Thank you for reading this product review today, if you have any questions about this product then please let me know, I’m happy to answer them if I can, comment below. For anything else please refer to the Argos website the link to which is just above at the end of the product information.

Please check out my Instagram page for more photography and video too!

Thank you for visiting my blog today, have a great day.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Argos Testers Product Review BaByliss Turbo Smooth Hair Dryer with Diffuser

Posted on August 5, 2023 by Sabrina

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

I have written this article about a product that I have been supplied for free, in order to test and then review it. This is my experience with said product and it is my honest review about the product listed below. I have already submitted my review to the Argos Website, and it has been accepted on to live public view when this blog post has been published. Please see my review on this screengrab below from the Argos website. All words and photography within this article are my own.

Product Details

Name: BaByliss Turbo Smooth 5572U Hair Dryer with Diffuser
Colour: Black
RRP: £32.00
Product Details: High Powered Hair Dryer with 2200W for Fast Drying Capability. Customised Drying with 3 Heat Settings and 2 Speeds. Large Click on Diffuser and Slim Concentrator Nozzle included. 1.95m Power Cord. Ionic Frizz Control, Ceramic and Ergonomic Design. Weight 0.6 kg.
Argos Website: LINK

My Honest Opinion

Overall I would like to rate the 5 stars.

Quality 5✩
Features 5✩
Design 5✩
Attachments 5✩

My Honest Opinion of the Product

As a woman who has naturally curly hair finding a hair dryer with a large diffuser is essential. This dryer is excellent and has enough diameter within the attachment to suit even the biggest of natural curls. The diffuser has plenty of sections on it and was wide enough for me to dry entire sides of my head in one go. There is a nozzle attachment too but I don’t ever use those with my hair style. The diffuser also clicked on very well, and didn’t come loose at all during the duration of my drying. I have never had a hairdryer with such precision parts that fitted together so perfectly.

I was impressed with how fast it got my hair to dry and also the lack of frizz that I got after using it. It is ergonomically designed on the handle and really comfortable to hold whilst you’re using it. I haven’t needed to use it on maximum setting because medium heat and speed was plenty for my hair, but if you had thicker hair I’m sure it would be just as excellent. The buttons are simple to use and slide up, and the cooling burst button is very handy too.

What was also brilliant was the fact that every item inside the box was wrapped in paper and not plastic, it made it easy to recycle the packaging and was a big tick for me in regards to being environmentally friendly. I would recommend it to other curly haired humans and think it’s a really excellent product.

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

If you have any questions about this set hair dryer then please leave me a comment below or on any of my social media posts and I will do my best to answer them with the knowledge that I have gained from reviewing this product. For anything else please refer to the Argos website which you can find on the link I posted above in Product Details.

Thank you for visiting my blog, have a great day.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Argos Testers Product Review of LEGO City Set 60365 Apartment Building

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Sabrina

Hello! I’m Sabrina! I am an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of an online review. I thoroughly test the products and take photographs of them before submitting my findings and honest thoughts over to Argos. This latest campaign was to test out brand new LEGO Sets, and because we need to choose something we haven’t reviewed before, I chose the modular construction LEGO. Not sure what that is? Keep reading my review.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

Product Details

Name: LEGO City Apartment Building Modular Construction Set
Set No: 60365.
Ages: 6+
RRP: £75.00
Pieces: 688 pieces, including 6 mini figures, a bicycle and a mobility scooter.
Description: Modular Rooms for easy reconfiguration and imaginative play, including roof terrace and swimming pool. Mixed age mini figures add to the play ability and the reality of the set. Excellent additional features such as stickers that add fun to some pieces like the signage and television set.
Argos Website: LINK

My Honest Opinion

Overall I would like to rate the LEGO Apartment Modular Construction set 5 stars.

Quality 5✩
Features 5✩
Design 5✩
Originality 5✩
Playability 5✩

My Argos Tester Review

What a fantastically versatile set of LEGO. My son loved helping me to put it together and all the instructions were clear, nothing was difficult to fit together. The idea of the modular rooms is fantastic, we have never had LEGO like this before and it makes both play and reconfiguring so easy, even for little hands. I personally loved the diversity in age regarding the mini figures and their facial expressions and hair styles are great, they have changed a lot since I grew up with LEGO. Little features such as the drinks machine, dumbbells and bicycle are incredibly detailed. Every room has that basic layout that you would find in an apartment and I really liked the nice part usage with pieces I had seen previously being used as other things such as a post box as a cooker or fridge.
Something else that’s great about LEGO city is that it can be attached to other sets and the layout can be altered to fit accordingly. The bicycle path goes underneath when you build it first of all, however you could rearrange the rooms so that it’s not an L shape but a rectangle and the bicycle lane can go in front of the building instead. It’s great that imagination can also now lead to our choices in how the final build looks like, the modular rooms are such an excellent feature and I hope we continue to see this type used in upcoming LEGO sets.
Overall it took less than 4 hours to build, and I believe it will create countless hours of fun because there is so much left to the imagination whilst ensuring you have everything you need to start off with. A great first LEGO City set for any budding building I think, and a wonderful addition to a growing city of play. My son’s favourite aspects are the bicycle and the shop. As a parent I loved the design for its rearrange ability which will keep my son entertained for longer because after a week we can swap things around and it’s like having a different set then. Great for the imagination for those of any age.

Summary

Overall this LEGO City Set has hours of replay ability because of the fact it’s a modular construction, it’s so cool! By moving the rooms around you can create an entirely different layout, even move them every other day if you wanted to change it up. I feel like if my son was getting tired of the set I would simply reconfigure the layout and create a new look of the apartment for him.
More LEGO should be made like this to give users more choices on how they want the end result of the build to look like. As LEGO say “rebuild the world” and you can certainly do that with this box of bricks, and really easily too! Whoever designed it is ace!
I also loved the diversity in the LEGO figures, with different ages and jobs and many various faces, they are great new additions to the LEGO world. And the hair styles too, brilliant to see new ones!
I have nothing bad to say about this set, I give it 5✩ across the board. I would actually love to see more modular LEGO so that sets could be rearranged with ease and built on a similar scale.

Thank you for reading this product review today, I hope you have enjoyed seeing what we thought of this set. I have no doubt that we will have many hours of fun creating LEGO scenarios with the figures and the apartment block.

If you have any questions about this set then please leave me a comment below or on my social media posts and I will do my best to answer them with the knowledge that I have gained from reviewing this product. For anything else please refer to the Argos website the link I posted above.

Thank you, have a great day.

✩ Sabrina ✩

#LEGO #SevernSabrina #SevernWishesBlog #ProductReview #ArgosTesters #ProductReviewer #Photographer #Writer #Review #Reviewer #Toys #Play #Fun #LEGOcity #LEGOcityset #Argos

Argos Testers Review of the Breville VBL248 Blend Active Personal Blender in Pink

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Sabrina

Hello! I’m Sabrina! And I am an Argos Tester, this means that I often get items sent to me for the purpose of an online review. I thoroughly test products and take photographs of them before submitting my findings and honest thoughts over to Argos. This latest campaign was to test a brand new Breville Blender and I jumped at the chance to do so, mainly because I hadn’t replaced an old blender when it broke around three years ago.

#ArgosTester #ArgosTesters #ArgosTestersCommunity

Product Name: Breville VBL248 Blend Active Personal Blender in Pink (also available in Green)
Product Price: £23.00
Product Link: Argos Website

Product Information: Two 600ml Plastic Bottles BPA Free. Two Super-Seal Leak Preventing Lids with Carry Straps. 350W Blender Unit. Stainless Steel Bladed Bottle Base (Screw on Top), Blades Suitable to Crush Ice and Frozen Fruit. Only Suitable for Cold Liquids and Food Stuffs. One Touch Easy Blending. Bottles are Marked with ml for Ease of Use. Base Unit also available in Green. 0.6 Litre Capacity. Base requires Mains Electricity Supply.

Description from Argos:

Enjoy smoothies, juices, protein shakes and more on the go with the Breville Blend Active. This single-serve blender features a powerful 350W motor that smoothly blends frozen berries and ice with juice and other liquids. The blending occurs in the top of the bottle so nothing gathers in the base, while the one-touch action delivers perfect results in seconds; ideal for busy weekday mornings before you head out to work, school or the gym.

Make healthy, delicious smoothies, frozen juices, protein drinks and more.

One-touch blending action delivers perfect results in seconds; a quick and easy way to your 5-a-day.

My Honest Opinion

I have really enjoyed testing this gadget, and as someone who eats a lot of fruit anyway, it was nice to consume my five a day in a different way for a change. I enjoyed coming up with various smoothies and shakes over the several days of testing this product. I only had one minor issue with it and that was the electric cable from the base unit was a little short, but that’s also my bugbear due to the fact I don’t have many plugs in my kitchen as is. So I have since rearranged my counter top now so that my Blend Active can remain at easy reach. I did my first go on the top of my oven hob which wasn’t going to be practical, so I moved things around. I have used the Breville Active every day so far since I received it. It wasn’t as noisy as I thought it might be, and it was so quick to set up and easy to use too.

The bottles are really nice to hold, and the ml on the sides allows for ease of preparation of the smoothie and also tells you how much you’ve created and drank respectively. You could divide one full smoothie of 600ml into three 200ml glasses and give them to your children in a morning. Or you may wish to consume the entire bottle yourself at home or on the go, the decision is totally up to you.

Due to getting a limited word count when I submit my Argos Review I always like to elaborate some more on my blog. So to answer some of the questions other people have had online; yes the device is only mains powered so you will need access to a plug in order to use it. The blending button needs to be held down in order to blend or to pulse your chosen ingredients, however it also doesn’t take very long at all to blend those items, I think the longest that I did one smoothie (with Vegetables in) was for around 45-50 seconds. Usually 30 seconds was plenty enough time for the fruit I was using to become smooth. If you don’t like fruit seeds you could strain your smoothie through a sieve, into a jug and then pour it back into your (rinsed bottle or spare second) bottle, however it is convenient to simply smoothie up and drink. Finally yes it is going to have some noise to it being a mechanical device, but I have a mini food processor half the size and that is way louder than this Breville blender, so overall the noise for me wasn’t an issue, plus if you’re only making noise for a single minute tops, it’s not going to disrupt the neighbours is it.

Overall I would like to rate the Breville Blend Active 5 stars.

Performance 5✩
Features 5✩
Noise 4✩
Design 5✩
Additional 5✩

Performance is excellent and the quality of the end result is consistently very good.
Features are great such as the leak proof lids and the ml on ergonomic large bottles.
Noise is very good for a loud gadget, it’s not quiet but it’s speed makes up for the noise.
Design is great, a compact base unit and everything fits so well with arrow indicators to help.
Additional star is for BPA Free Plastic and the Recipes in the Booklet to get you started.

Thank you for reading this review, I hope you have enjoyed it. You can purchase this product or read more about it by looking online from Argos, I have left the link in the product description above.

If you have any questions about this Personal Breville Blender then please leave me a comment below or on my social media posts and I will do my best to answer with the knowledge I have gained from reviewing this product.

Don’t forget to check out my social media to see this in action too!

Thank you.

✩ Sabrina ✩

If you are looking for the ideal Stationery Gift this Season then why not check out the Gift Company Journal Sets

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Sabrina

Hello and Welcome to another of my Product Review Collaborations! This month I am ecstatic to be working with Gift Company again, as I review their wonderful Journal Stationery Gift Sets.

I am thrilled to be bringing you this collaboration with Gift Company this November, I have been asked to review some of their incredible value Gift Sets! Each set of products has been sent to me in order for me to complete this honest testing and review. I wanted something versatile and unisex and this was what we decided upon.

On the Gift Company website there are four sets to choose from, they include a Robin, Cat, pair of Giraffes and a Bee. I chose the three sets that contained exactly the same items so that I could compare their design and quality. Overall I have been very impressed with them, so let’s take a look at what’s inside each of the decorative display boxes for this stationery set.

Here are some of my photographs to show the quality of the stationery up close.

The gift set is very well presented inside the box which is also decorated front and back with the design that you chose.

Each of the Journal Gift Sets contains:
1 x Journal (with blank date headers to fill in as you please)
A Selection of Cards and Envelopes both personalised with set picture
1 x Shopping List Notepad with a Magnetic Back
1 x Notebook on a Ring Bound Coil
1 x Decorative Bookmark with black tassel
1 x Black Ballpoint Pen

Cat Journal Gift Set LINK
Robin Journal Gift Set LINK
Giraffe Journal Gift Set LINK

My Honest Opinion

Overall these Gift Sets are of extremely high quality, the way the set is designed means that you receive the decorative box as well as the six individual items inside it. A set has every product made to a high standard, be it the manufacturing and final finish of the product, as well as the paper within them, it’s a decent thickness of all the paper products. The image that you decide upon for your set is bright throughout the products and the font on the quotes is easy to read and is clearly defined.

You could choose to gift the set as is, or you could split the set up and divide it into smaller gifts, you can give the journal and pen to one person for example. While offering the cards and envelopes to another loved one. Perhaps you have a family member who always does the food shopping, this list would be perfect for them. Is there an avid reader in your family as well, because this decorative bookmark would be a great addition in their Christmas box.

Considering you get six high quality items and a decorative box for only £10, I think it is definitely great value for your money. If you are on a budget this year, I would consider purchasing two gift sets and dividing the items between four or more different people. You could even buy a gift set and a pack of pens and give every item to a loved one, along with a pen.

You wouldn’t have to gift this set for Christmas though, it’s a perfectly acceptable gift for a variety of occasions such as a Birthday or an Anniversary too. Do you know someone who is going off to University? Or somebody who recently started a new job? A gift like this might be both useful and very well received by people who will need to use stationery items such as these.

I personally love being organised and using stationery definitely helps me to do just that. If you know of someone in your life that does the same thing, then this gift would be perfect for them. And finally as a parent, you can never have enough notebooks and a journal to keep your year ahead organised.

My Review Scores

Functionality 5✩
Product Design 5✩
Versatility 5✩
Product Quality 5✩
Value for Money 5✩
Universal 5✩

Thank you to Gift Company for the chance to do this review, it’s great to be working with you again.

For anyone who isn’t aware of Gift Company, they are a long standing British based company with shops across the country, as well as their website which houses a wide range of Gifts and Furniture too.

If you would like to know more you can find Gift Company at the following links and on social media.

Gift Company Website
Gift Company Facebook
Gift Company Instagram

You can also watch my Review Video as I show the products off, and that can be
viewed on my Instagram channel by clicking the image below.

Thank you for visiting Severn Wishes Blog today and reading my collaboration review.

Have a wonderful final few days of November 2022!

✩ Sabrina ✩

October 2022 Treatbox UK Reveal and Review

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Sabrina

Oh yes it’s time for another Reveal and Unboxing!

Today it’s the turn of the October 2022 box from Treatbox UK!

Are you as excited as I am? I love October! Autumn colours and Halloween!

I wonder how many themes are contained in this months box! Let’s open it and see!

If you would prefer to watch my unboxing video you can find it on my Facebook here

What’s Inside the Box for October 2022?

Treatbox Calendar Print – October
Treatbox Original Autumn Theme Socks
Treatbox Original A5 Print “I’m Ready for Cosy Jumpers…”
The Make Arcade X Treatbox – Spooky Craft Kit – Pumpkin
Bag of Cocoba Signature Drinking Chocolate – Eat Drink Love
Mini Book by Ruth Jones – Love Untold (Excusive First Look)
Mini Jade Gua Sha – Face Relaxing Tool in Organza Bag
Spooky Biscuit Little Ghost

Here are more of my pictures… (leaves and pumpkins were not included in the box)

What’s my honest opinion for this month?

When I first opened this box and took a peek inside I just knew I was going to love it. I also appreciate just how hard it must be to keep regular subscribers like myself, happy, due to them not wanting to constantly repeat certain items. But this month Zoe and her Treatbox team have really out-done themselves!

Where do I start?! Let’s go with my favourite item, and it has to be the socks! I’m someone who has continually said I love the socks that come in Treatbox, but this time they are extra special due to them having Treatbox sewn into the design along the base. Autumnal themed and beautiful as well makes all the difference too.

Following on from the socks to receive a brand new item is excellent, the Jade Gua Sha is a face relaxing tool to help aid the skin and blood flow. We haven’t had anything of this sort before and I cannot wait to give this a go over the coming weekend.

The usual Calendar Print and the A5 Print are lovely again this month, I like to rotate my prints around my home and I just put up the ones from the last three years of Autumn Treatboxes! I must get a photo of them all together for my social media to show you!

We also have a make-able item this month which I love! Crafting our own little Pumpkin! Yay! It’s not the first time we’ve seen Make Arcade and Treatbox collaborate however it’s the first Spooky Craft Kit we’ve had, and every kit has so far been unique and unusual and I love that! We get to make something and keep it and by making it our own it becomes personal too! Watch out on my socials because I will update you when I do this Craft kit!

What’s next? Oh yes, the huge bag of 54% cocoa chocolate! Which can be enjoyed eaten, drunk or melted. And you can even enjoy it with your Biscuit! Mine was a little Ghost and he’s so cute! Despite being smashed up in the post he will be enjoyed over the weekend too!

Finally we have the Ruth Jones mini book which is a first look chapter of an up and coming new story she’s done. Ideal to pop into your handbag if you know you’re going to be sat in a waiting room at any point this month.

Overall I think this has been one of my favourite boxes of this year so far. We have got something to eat, something to make into a drink, something to do, an item to read and something to create, an item to display and an item to wear. Plus an item which could be seen as our new self care. All of which when combined make an all rounded box or treats and will make October better for having them. With the autumn and Halloween themes combined with general luxury treats it’s a lovely box this month.

Thank you for joining me for another Reveal and Review from me, Severn Sabrina!
I loved this box it was fantastic!

Don’t forget to follow me on my social media for more updates and individual
product reviews as well as items in use too.
Search #SevernSabrina or #SevernWishesBlog

Have a great October and don’t forget to keep up to date with my socials so that
you can see when I do make my Craft Kit and use the other bits of this box too.

This month is always a great one for pictures!
I share Lifestyle and Nature Photography on my Instagram as well.

✩ Sabrina ✩

Are You Looking for Personalised Stickers? Do you want High Quality and a Unique Style? Then you should consider Sticker Market UK

Posted on June 22, 2022 by Sabrina

“Sticker Market is an online custom sticker printing provider in the UK. We are a one-stop-shop for stickers, labels, postcards, business cards, magnets, swing tags and many more.”

This month I am collaborating with the UK business Sticker Market UK. I was approached by them due to my honest reviews and already having worked with many UK based businesses. Thank you for choosing and trusting me to give your business the shout out that it so definitely deserves.

I have been really looking forward to bringing you this blog post, I have had lots of fun designing, and then testing and photographing this particular unique product. As someone who likes to stay organised I am always using stickers, be it on my wall planner, journal, calendar, reward chart for my son (the list goes on), but to be able to design and have printed my very own sticker, now that was something I had never done before.

Sticker Market provides printing for your own custom designs and can print a wide range of sizes and shapes to suit your needs. I chose Circle stickers for my set, however Rectangle and Square are available too.

Some of the types of stickers available include Art Paper Stickers (in Gloss/Matte/Uncoated). Kraft Paper Stickers. Standard Vinyl Stickers. Bumper Stickers (available in PVC Gloss/PVC Matte/Transparent Gloss/Hologram).

Sticker Market pride themselves on offering Cheap Personalised Sticker Printing in the UK and offer competitive prices. They also do Business Cards.

What Did I Design and Why?

I have designed my own personal Sticker so that I can easily organise my sons school items, water bottle, lunch box, snack box etc. It’s so much faster than writing out a label and sticking it on, it’s neater and far more legible too! Plus my son chose stars on my design so he knows that it is “his” sticker. I have also used them around my home for items that only my son uses such as his nature pot which houses all the rocks we find on walks and days out. As well as his lunch items I labelled his tray that we use for school paperwork every week.

Stickers are a fun and easy way to keep things organised and in this case so that people know what item belongs to whom etc. I chose to use this collaboration for my sons benefit, but during the product photography I found myself dreaming up all sorts of ways you could utilise this type of product.

So my final design reads “This belongs to Arlo” and my son chose stars as a symbol to make it his own.

When I realised I was able to design my own sticker it took me a few hours to consider that I was better off designing one to make my life easier. And that’s why I chose to make one to label all of my sons belongings that will be heading to school with him in September!

It took me a couple of hours to nail the design that I wanted, and then another hour to knock it out on my Photoshop software – bearing in mind I had to Google how to do a few things because I only ever use the basic editing tools for my photography like the brightness! – but making my own sticker was lots of fun!

I showed my son the final product and he read his name out loud before giving me the thumbs up. It was a simple yet effective design that I hoped he would soon learn was just for his items. After emailing it in and receiving the final proof from Sticker Market, I was very happy to go ahead and they got to printing. The whole start to finish was slick and I was well informed of the progress right up to when they shipped the box out to me.

Products in Use and Product Testing

Once the stickers were in my possession I found it really useful that they were cut individually, and not in sheets. This saves so much time and also storage space by having them in a neat little stack this way. Sheets take up so much more room I think (and yes I’m a parent with many sticker sheets and reward charts!). The Sticker is printed Bright and Bold and Sharp. My Sticker design looked just like it did on my screen from when I created it, I was very happy.

Now the time had come to get peeling and get sticking!

I gathered all of the items that I wanted to place stickers on to, and began to photograph them as well as test out the stickers durability by handling the items the stickers were attached to. I was impressed with how sticky they were on the variety of surfaces that I chose to use them on.

As you can see in my photography the Stickers I created stand out on a variety of different coloured surfaces and I was happy with their overall look. I chose my background colour so that it would stand out against many things. Knowing the lunch boxes were all blue, I didn’t want anything that would get lost against their vibrant colour. People need to bear these things in mind when designing their own stickers and think, what am I going to use them on. You might also consider whether or not you will need waterproof stickers and other aspects too.

My Overall Opinion

From start to finish this collaboration has been smooth and the customer service has been excellent. During the design process every question that I had was answered and my needs met.
Delivery was fast and I was kept up to date with regards my stickers being printed and posted. I was also sent an email with a proof of what my sticker would be like which was an excellent feature.
The quality of the Art Stickers that I chose are excellent, they are sharp and the colour is bold, the text is easy to read and the sticker itself is printed smoothly, there are no definitive lines from the printing process. I would definitely use Sticker Market UK in the future if I wanted any stickers printing.

As I mentioned earlier I was imagining lots of ways these Stickers could be utilised in daily life, so here are nine ways I have come up with, in which you could use Sticker Market products.

1. Weddings – Personalised Stickers for Wedding Favour Bags or Gifts or even sealing Invitations
2. Birthday Party – Design your own Stickers for a special birthday party or for Party Invitations
3. School – Whether you’re a teacher or a parent you could design a personalised set of stickers for your child/children or for saying “Great Work” to your class.
4. Keeping Belongings in Check – you might have several children with similar items, by designing their own stickers that they can attach to various items, nobody will argue again over what is there’s.
5. Holiday – Going on Holiday? It’s a good idea to mark up personal items and stickers are a fast way to do just that.
6. Small Business – Do you send out products as a small business? You could get business cards or seal packaging with your own unique stickers printed by Sticker Market UK.
7. Journals / Planners – You could design yourself a motivational sticker “You’ve Got This” and stick them where you need extra motivation to achieve, you can design many possible combinations.
8. Calendars – Need Stickers with peoples names on OR activities such as Swimming or Music Lesson, to save time writing it all out you could use stickers to keep track of your busy schedule.
9. Work Space – People in the office always stealing your stapler or holepunch? Not anymore because you can get your name put on some unique stickers and then put them on everything.

My Product Testing Ratings

Overall Appearance When in Use 5✩
Overall Product Quality 5✩
Customer Service 5✩
Delivery 5✩

I have based these ratings over a week worth of product testing including the sticker holding in place while objects are used and handled. I am satisfied with the durability and overall look of the stickers and rate this service as a 5/5.

Where Can You Find Sticker Market UK

If you want to find out more and browse products and current prices for yourself then please visit any of the following links I have supplied below. The website is your first port of call, because you can see exactly what is currently trending and any offers available. You can also contact Sticker Market directly from the website for any queries you might have.

The Sticker Market UK Website is Available HERE
The Sticker Market UK Facebook Page HERE
The Sticker Market UK X (Twitter) Feed HERE
The Sticker Market UK Instagram Reel HERE

Below are some examples of the types and styles of Stickers available at Sticker Market UK.

Sticker Market Quote “Premium Experts in sticker printing with endless product labelling possibilities. Premium quality custom stickers at the cheapest price.”

How I Created This Review

I have been provided with a sample of Stickers in order to provide this Review. Product Testing and Honest Reviews are what I pride myself in giving my readers. Compared to other collaborations this blog post is slightly different, I was first asked to design the sticker that I wanted. That way it was more personal to me, as if I were an actual customer. So I did this, emailed it over and then this design was printed and sent out to me in order for me to test it. I got to keep the product (stickers) in exchange for this honest blog post and the product photography. The company outlined below contacted me directly for the purpose of this review.

Sticker Market, 8 St James’s Square, London, SW1Y 4JU.

Thank you for choosing to read Severn Wishes Blog today, I hope that you have found this review interesting and insightful. I certainly learned a lot more about the types of stickers that were available nowadays through exploring what Sticker Market UK had to offer.

I hope to see you again soon for my next product review, you never know what I might be asked to test next! How exciting!

Have a wonderful final few days of June 2022!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Product Review of the Maybelline Fast Gel Nail Lacquer in Wicked Berry Shade 8

Posted on May 31, 2022 by Sabrina

If you LOVE Purple Nail Shades THIS is the one for you!

Hello and Welcome to my Product Review today!

This Spring I became part of the UK Maybelline Team of Bloggers who Review products that are brand new out in the country. Maybelline New York is one of the leading brands worldwide for make up. I am grateful to have the chance to write reviews for them. Today I am reviewing the Fast Gel Nail Lacquer.

To see my other Maybelline Reviews after you’ve read this one, please click the Maybelline Category on the homepage of my blog.

I have been sent this sample for free for the purpose of providing a written review and photography across my social media platforms. I am always honest in my critique and review a product solely upon my own personal experience of using it.

Day Number One – Two Coats – One Hour After Application (Above)

Day Number Three – Minimal Chipping – Slight Loss of Shine (Below)

About this Product

Name: Maybelline New York Fast Gel
Shade: No.8 Wicked Berry
Size: 6.7 ml

Day Number Seven, Minimal Chipping on all but one Nail, still shiny as you can tell by the reflection on the nails (Above).

✩✩✩

My Overall Opinion of the Product

I have been impressed by the quality of this product overall, and the staying power was excellent. I tested this Nail Lacquer over 7 days, taking periodic photographs to watch the progress. I painted a clear gel base to my nails before applying the Fast Gel from Maybelline, but I chose not to paint a clear top coat on my nails for two reasons. One was so as to test this product without an additional layer and two was so that the colour and shine of the original product was in no way altered.

Overall Appearance in Use 4✩
Overall Product Quality 4✩
Colour Choices 5✩
Staying Power 5✩

The Fast Gel did lose its original heavy glossy shine by Day 7, but some shine still remained on them (see image above), and they certainly looked good from a distance. If you wanted perfect nails for a whole week for example then I feel this Gel Lacquer would definitely go the distance, providing it was applied correctly and if you also applied a top coat too. I chose not too, and I feel they would have lasted a week or longer intact if I had done the top coat and if I didn’t do any gardening (LOL) that is how my middle nail became so chipped.

✩✩✩

Thanks for reading my Product Review today, there are plenty more just like this across my blog, why not check out the categories because I review all sorts of things.

Have a wonderful day!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Product Review of the Maybelline Skin Perfector 4 in 1 Matte Makeup

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Sabrina

Hello and Welcome to my Product Review today!

This Spring I became part of the UK Maybelline Team of Bloggers who Review products that are brand new out in the country. Maybelline New York is one of the leading brands worldwide for make up. I have been reviewing a few items, and today it’s the turn of the Vegan Instant Skin Perfector 4 in 1 Whipped Matte Makeup to go up on my blog.

To see my other Maybelline Reviews after you’ve read this one, please click the Maybelline Category on the homepage of my blog.

I have been sent this sample for free for the purpose of providing a written review and photography across my social media platforms. I am always honest in my critique and review a product solely upon my own personal experience of using it.

You can see Video content of my Reviews on my Facebook or Instagram

I was pleasantly surprised with this makeup because a little of it on your finger or brush goes a long way. It was so soft and easy to apply to my skin with a great match! Light was the colour I was matched with online, and it blended in well and minimised the look of redness, blemishes and even my dark circles somewhat too.

I highly recommended this product if (like me) you don’t have much time in your morning routine for applying makeup, As a single mum I need something that I can apply fast but without compromising on its effectiveness. With having a 4 in 1 application this cream saves me lots of time in a morning, and since the initial review I have frequently used it and applied it after my daily SPF moisturiser. I feel like there is barely anything on my skin, and I found my skin felt breathable compared to some makeup which can feel physically heavy set in the pores of the face. The Vegan formula is also something I can really get behind and I’m always trying to go Vegan friendly when it comes to makeup.

The 4 in 1 Matte Makeup was also easy to remove, I use a Garnier Face Wash and then a Garnier Micellar Water to remove any makeup that I apply.

I would recommend for people to at least try this makeup for themselves and see if they get as good a match, it has true to skin shades and self adjusts to fit your unique tone. I have sensitive skin, and I had no reaction to this makeup.

BEFORE
&
AFTER

As you can see in my images, before I had quite a lot of redness in my skin, and afterwards that redness is reduced and so are my pores.

Overall Appearance in Use 4✩
Overall Product Quality 5✩
Skin-True Match 5✩
Staying Power 4✩

Now that I have used this product for a few weeks I will say it is excellent, easy and fast to apply, saving me lots of time, and a great match to my skin, no reactions and a good staying power. It did go a little cakey one time when I was outside a lot of the day and I think that may have been the wind drying out my skin. Other than that one occasion its been a fantastic product. I would recommend people still applying their usual SPF face cream about 15 minutes prior to putting on this matte makeup. SPF is so important and the extra moisture will undoubtedly increase the makeups staying power.

About the Skin Perfector Matte Makeup

Vegan
Whipped Matte Makeup
Available in 6 Self-Adjusting and Skin-True Colours
Contains a 4 in 1 formula of Primer, Pigment, BB Cream and Powder
4 Benefits in 1 of Blurring, Concealing, Evening the Skin Tone & Mattifying the Finished Look

Wishing all who have read this review a happy and healthy remainder of April!

Thank you for visiting Severn Wishes Blog today, I hope to see you again soon!

✩ Sabrina ✩

Severn Wishes Blog

Sabrina is a Lifestyle, Parenting and Product Review Blogger. A Writer, Photographer, Reviewer, Home Cook, Crafter & Nature Enthusiast. You will find a bit of all those categories here on Severn Wishes Blog, Welcome to Sabrina's Lifestyle Blogging & Honest Reviews.

Tag Archives: Product Tester

Before Chocolate is a Hot Chocolate like no other

Argos Testers August 2024 – Eufy G50 Hybrid Robot Vacuum and Mop

Argos Testers Product Review BaByliss Turbo Smooth Hair Dryer with Diffuser

Argos Testers Product Review of LEGO City Set 60365 Apartment Building

Argos Testers Review of the Breville VBL248 Blend Active Personal Blender in Pink

If you are looking for the ideal Stationery Gift this Season then why not check out the Gift Company Journal Sets

October 2022 Treatbox UK Reveal and Review

Are You Looking for Personalised Stickers? Do you want High Quality and a Unique Style? Then you should consider Sticker Market UK

Product Review of the Maybelline Fast Gel Nail Lacquer in Wicked Berry Shade 8

Product Review of the Maybelline Skin Perfector 4 in 1 Matte Makeup