Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December, 2013

New York Bakery Company - Orange And Cranberry Bagels

Happy Christmas Eve Eve everyone - the hours and minutes are ticking away for all the last minute shoppers out there, but that doesn't mean you can't still snap up something nice if you're quick, or plan your next post Xmas shopping trip. I thought now would be an ideal time to bring back 'Freelancers Snack Time', my feature where I review something yummy which may (or may not) be right at home on my home office desk. This time I was lucky enough to have the chance to review New York Bakery Company's Orange and Cranberry Bagels. I am a fairly recently convert to bagels as the taste of a plain bagel doesn't really do it for me, I hate onions with a passion so an onion bagel was out, and to be honest I couldn't be bothered with any special fillings. But thanks to Mum I now have a thing for New York Bakery's Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels, and they are until now, the only brand/make I have eaten on a regular basis. I was intrigued to taste the orange

Quinessence Muscles And Joints Bath Soak

It's a week full of last minute shopping ideas for Christmas here on These City Days, but these products can be bought all year round, so here's an idea with that in mind. I was recently given the opportunity to pick a product from the Quinessence Aromatherapy range. I am a big fan or aromatherapy for relaxation, and have long had lavender products to use, but this time fancied something a bit different, so like a kid in a sweet shop I browsed and came across the Muscles and Joints Bath Soak. The bath soak comes in a 200ml bottle and appealed to me because along with Cardamon, Majoram, Sea Lavendar, Irish Moss and Seaweed, it also contains Chamomile. I have never been able to stomach tea or coffee, so don't drink Chamomile tea, but have often read of it in association with relaxation and stress relief, so I figured, if I can't drink it, why not bathe in it. The bottle arrived and I tested it out that same night, and for a few nights following. Although the branding

Nutra Nail Gel Perfect Review

Me and nail polish don't always have the best relationship. I am one of those who loses patience when waiting for the polish to dry, or thinks it's dry, then gets ready for a night out, or gets on with some work, and hey presto it isn't quite dry or it chips easily. But I do like adding some colour to my nails, which is why I accepted the Nutra Nail Gel Perfect challenge, when offered the chance to review the product. Nutra Nail Gel Perfect offers a gel like manicure without the need of a UV lamp and curing process. I was sent a box containing Sugar Plum gel colour, an activator and brush cleaning solution (which I was to discover is very important). It all came in a neat little box, emblazoned with the words "sets rock solid in 5 minutes to a patent leather shine". All sounded good on first impressions, and purple is one of my favourite colours, so I was eager to see how tough the product really was. For each nail you go through a quick process of applying la

Pottery Painting At Make Do And Mend

My first ever attempt at pottery painting I would apologise for the Christmas craft overload, but I am not sorry, because there are so many great ideas about, and crafting keeps me distracted from the stress of Christmas. The other week I went along to Make Do and Mend in Chelmsford, as they had a pottery painting session on, and having been twice before, I couldn't resist painting something else festive for the tree. The sessions are run by ceramics teacher, and expert painter Mell from Potters Bar Paint Your Own Pottery , and she does a great job of teaching little techniques such as dotting, stars, and hearts, and letting everyone know what colours can be layered up together, and generally encouraging those who weren't sure what to do, and lacked the confidence to touch their chosen pottery pieces with some paint. It's pretty addictive, and relaxing sitting there coming up with my ideas, and watching what everyone This year's decoration else is doing. Eve

Kerfuffle Game Review

One of my favourite things is playing board games, right from when I was young and my parents introduced me to games such as Build A Ladybird, Snakes and Ladders, and Guess Who. Some of the family favourites me and my sister we even played some games when we were long past the age they were aimed at. With my sister having flown the next, and Mum and Dad spending nights in front of the television, none of them are quite as willing as me to play, especially when it involves anything that is too long or complicated. Luckily Paul Lamond Games is pretty good at satisfying the tolerance levels, which is why I was happy to get the chance to try out Kerfuffle, part of their family games range. Kerfuffle is a dice based game suitable for 2-4 players. If you play with 2 players you use all the dice (half each), and with 3 or more players, you have one set of dice each. There's no set-up involved, you just take the game board out of the box, divide up the dice, and you are ready to go. Th