28 Sept 2011

Hotter Shoes Autumn Collection

Hotter Shoes Autumn Collection




Charisma Boots
Women's Fringed Sheepskin Boot
  • £125.00
Perfect to snuggle up over winter trousers or woolly tights, new Charisma will keep you cosy and warm in style. Fashionably fringed suede, lined in premium quality sheepskin for warmth and softness, on a hard wearing yet incredibly light sole with a textured underside for enhanced grip.
Available in Black or Brown.
  • Shape-holding heel stiffener
  • Cushioned sheepskin footbed
  • Hard wearing light sole
  • Free protector spray
  • Slip On
  • Heel height: 26mm, 1 inch
  • Removable insoles
  • Width Fitting: Standard

Available in sizes 3 - 9

I really like the look of these boots, the sheepskin inner keeps your feet warm in the cold and cooler in the warmer days.  I like the idea of the removable insoles for washing and freshening up if required.
The most brilliant part of the boots compared to another famous brand is the shape-holding heel stiffener.  I find that other styles flatten at the heel and it looks like you are walking wonky whereas Hotter Shoes has redesigned this product and fixed the design flaw.


Charisma Boots are available from October.
http://www.hottershoes.com/en/Occasions/Daywear/51671_charisma-boots


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Heaven Boots
Ladies Blissfully Warm Boots
  • £85.00
So cosy, with its faux fur lining, Heaven is easy to pull on over jeans, thanks to clever elastic detail on the side buttons. Perfectly partners with the season's sheepskin jackets for an on trend sleek look that keeps you blissfully warm.
Available in sizes 3 - 9 including a selection of half sizes.
These boots come in Black, Brown or Plum.
  • Room for toes to wiggle
  • Stipple tread soles
  • Elastic detail on side buttons
  • Slip On
  • Heel height: 23mm, 1 inch
  • Removable insoles
  • Width Fitting: Standard

http://www.hottershoes.com/en/Occasions/Daywear/52185_heaven-boots
Again brilliant for winter and colder weather these boots are very smart looking so excellent for all occasions.

My favourite part of these boots is that they are also available in Extra Wide fittings: http://www.hottershoes.com/en/Extra-Wide/Extra-Wide-Boots/EW-Casual/52219_heaven-extra-wide-boots

Visit Hotter Shoes for more styles and fittings.  Highly recommended, I have a pair of shoes and sandals from this company and they are still going strong even though I have worn them constantly.


www.hottershoes.com

Radox Bath Smoothies

Radox Bath Smoothies


Ladies, relax and unwind in a luxurious tub of fruity bubbles!

Following on from the success of the delicious Radox Shower Smoothies range, Britain’s favourite bathing brand brings you a new bath time treat with the launch of Radox Bath Smoothies.

Radox Bath Smoothies has taken the natural ingredients found in the Radox Shower Smoothies, and blended them into a luxurious, smooth cream designed to deliver a sumptuous bathing experience that will leave you smelling good enough to eat!

Choose from three tantalising variants based on the original Shower Smoothies range; Spirit Booster, Soul Soother and Tropical Tranquillity and create your own perfect bath time!

Product Information

Spirit Booster is a rich and creamy mix of yoghurt, cranberry and elderberry, to boost body and mind.
Tropical Tranquillity is a divine combination of coconut, crushed almonds and myrrh to indulge the senses.
Soul Soother incorporates chamomile, blackcurrant and cranberry to calm the mind.

The bath smoothie pours easily from the bottle, but isn't too runny so that you end up with a bathful of foam.  I found that about a tablespoon of smoothie made the water creamy and the bathroom smelling wonderful.   After bathing my skin was smooth with no skuddy feeling, it also smelt fresh and fruity for a good few hours after my bath.

A massive positive point it that with some bath products I get thrush, so far I have had no soreness or itching from using Radox Bath Smoothies, obviously all women are different so use with your usual caution if you are sensitive to bathing products.

Available from Boots, Superdrug and selected Supermarkets.

RRP £2.99

16 Aug 2011

Veatable Bar

The Lunch Box Super Snack
World’s First Vegetable Bar Launches

Trying to find lunch box food that is healthy AND kids will want to eat is a bit like searching for the Holy Grail, but the hunt could finally be over!

It sounds too good to be true, but the Veatable Bar is the world’s first vegetable snack bar; it’s made from diced and roasted vegetables, is 100% natural, gluten and wheat free, suitable for vegetarians, contains only 99 calories per bar, is high in fibre and counts as one of your five-a-day.
The bar comes in three flavours; Sweet Roasted Vegetable, Tomato Pizza and Thai Sweetcorn - making it a ‘super snack’ for kids and adults alike.

The Veatable Bar is the brain child of husband and wife team, Howard and Helena Beveridge, and was created as they were so frustrated at how hard it was to find a healthy, great tasting savoury alternative to crisps and biscuits.

At first the couple were just making the bars in their kitchen for themselves and their family, but soon they found that everyone who tried them was loving their intriguingly tasty snacks, and they realised they had something really special on their hands.

“Our snacks were unlike anything else around – entirely natural, savoury not sweet, fresh from the fridge not the cupboard, soft and chewy, not crunchy. We realised we’d found a great way to keep hunger at bay without setting off those awkward cravings for more sugary, fatty snacks.” - Helena Beveridge

Veatable Bars finally make healthy snacking, for yourself or your family, easy and tasty. So, if you’re looking for a scrumptious way for your family to meet their five-a –day then Veatable Bars are a must for any lunch box.



I have copied and pasted the press release above as it holds so much vital information, the bars are a great idea and a wonderful alternative to other types of snack bar - however ... we as a family unfortunately didn't like them.
I'll admit we are not the most healthy of families so I was a bit dubious of asking my family to try them, so I just put them in the fridge and sat back and waited.

The colourful packaging drew them in, I could hear my husband rumidging about in the fridge umming and ahhing over 'Tomato Pizza or Thai Sweetcorn'.  He went for pizza, unwrapped and took a big bite!  Bad move for Andy as his face changed and he spat it out.  I told him not to tell Emma and sent him off with a cup of tea and a cereal bar.   Soon Emma was lurking around the fridge, she chose Thai Sweetcorn which surprised me as she isn't normally a 'spicy' child, the yellow packaging on this bar is a lovely colour and from the outside it does look very appetising.  Emma was a little more cautious and sniffed it first and nibbled off a corner, it was then her face changed and she gave the bar to me with a 'What is that!?!' look and poured herself a drink.

It is such as shame as the bars are a brilliant idea.  Now that schools are clamping down on crisps and chocolate in lunch boxes they are an excellent alternative, easy to store and pack, eye-catching and clean to eat.  The nutritional value of each bar is fantastic and they count towards your 5-a-day.  They are just not for us.

I will point out that you have to keep them chilled, the packaging looks great but the bars look vaguely similar when unwrapped and they do all smell near on the same as well.  The bars we sampled did not have a very long shelf life  as they are a fresh product - so be aware when buying that you have to consume them quite quickly.

Our bars did not go to waste, we found that our Labrador liked them so she polished them off for us, being healthy they were a great treat for her too and she thought she was getting a new snack from the fridge.  My advice is to try them - just because they weren't for us ... your family may love them :)

For more details visit www.veatable.co.uk
To buy ask at your local health store or visit www.garlandsorganic.co.uk and look in the savoury snack section.

4 Jul 2011

JML Sale

JML are having a flash sale from 12.30 until 2.30pm this afternoon.

If you go onto www.JMLdirect.com you will find that there is 25% off everything for those 2 hours. 

That’s 25% off everything !! Quick !!

23 Jun 2011

Tefal Actifry


Tefal Actifry

I have looked at the Tefal Actifry in the shops and umm'd and arr'd about buying one, would I use it? do we like chips that much? luckily for me I have had the chance to try one out ... and I have to admit - I love it!

The Tefal Actifry makes real chips using only 1 spoonful of oil.  When you compare this to a regular deep fat fryer you can see how much healthier the Tefal Actifry is.  The food is crisp on the outside, yet fluffy on the inside - but not dripping with oil or full of fat.


The actual parts of the Tefal Actifry are very sturdy and well made.  All parts (the basket, paddle and spoon) can be put in the dishwasher to clean, I just pop mine in the washing up bowl and give them a rinse as being non-stick they clean really well.   My only complaint is that food can get trapped in the underneath parts of the paddle, but if you get a scouring sponge the bits of food come out easily.


The unit works by blowing hot air over the food in order to cook it.  As the air blows it picks up a mist of the oil which 'frys' on the outside of the chips (or onion rings, wedges, roast potatoes etc..) and crisps the outside.  As the food cooks a large paddle turns the food slowly so that nothing gets squashed but all food is evenly cooked.  I am very impressed with the paddle as it rotates the food not only around the bowl but also turns the food so that the bottom batch comes to the top etc...

We have had chips most nights since trying the Actifry, I was worried at one point that we would get sick of them, but Andy insists that as we have not had 'real' chips for years its a treat to be able to eat them whenever we like and not worry about weight gain 

I have tried various variety's of chips in the unit, frozen thin cut 'french fries' cooked quite quickly and tasted good, frozen crinkle cut chips took 20 minutes to cook but tasted a little dry.  We have all agreed that the best chips have been from fresh potatoes - I found that soaking them in water while peeling and chopping, then drying them with kitchen roll before cooking in the Actifry made the best chips.  They took around 20 minutes to cook, but were crisp and fluffy - very tasty!

You can use any oil of your choice, I prefer to use olive oil but vegetable is fine. 

Now what really surprised me was what other products you can cook in the unit, you get a good recipe book with the product but there are also other recipes online if you do a quick search.

Chicken With Pineapple

• 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips (about 1 cm x 3 cm/1/2 x 11/4 in)
• 1 spoon cornflour, plus extra to coat the chicken strips
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 spoon sunflower oil
• 1/2 spoon ground ginger
• 1/2 spoon mild curry powder (or choose medium, if you prefer)
• 250 g (9 oz) canned pineapple pieces (drained weight) in natural juice, drained (reserve the juice)
• 2 spoon light soy sauce
• 250 ml (9 fl oz) cold water
• 1/2-1 spoon light soft brown sugar, or to taste
• 2 spoon reserved pineapple juice
In a large bowl, lightly coat the strips of chicken with a mixture of cornflour, salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the ActiFry pan, then drizzle the oil evenly over the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes.
Mix the ground ginger, curry powder and pineapple pieces with the soy sauce in a bowl, then pour this mixture evenly into the ActiFry and leave to marinade for 5 minutes. Add the water and sugar. Mix 1 ActiFry spoonful of cornflour with the pineapple juice in a small bowl, until smooth. Add this to the ActiFry.

Cook for a further 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked and tender. Serve with cooked, seasoned basmati rice.
Roquefort Dip
  • 200 g (7 oz) Roquefort cheese, crumbled
  • 3 spoon milk
  • 115 g (4 oz) crème fraiche
  • 1-2 spoon snipped fresh chives, plus extra to garnish
  • Salt and ground pepper
Place the Roquefort cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the milk and mash together until well combined, then stir in the crème fraiche.
Stir in the snipped chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.
Spoon the mixture into a small serving bowl, garnish with extra snipped chives and serve with cooked potato wedges or chips.

Variations
Place all the ingredients, except the snipped chives, in a blender or food processor and blend until well combined. Stir in the chives, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve as above.
Use other blue cheese such as Dolcelatte, Gorgonzola or Stilton in place of Roquefort.
All in all I am very impressed with the Tefal Actifry, I have used it most days and looks pretty swish on my worktop.  A highly recommended product!

For more information:
The RRP for the product is £199 
 www.tefal.co.uk

Fab JML Birthday Giveaway

JML are celebrating their 25th birthday!!

To celebrate, they are offering one winner from my blog a prize package of 4 of their most popular products !!


Now Closed


WINNER: LEGS21 :)


Winner contacted via Twitter






Fast Fit Ironing Board Cover

Great fit and very hard wearing according to 
online reviews. 













Doktor Power Magic Eraser

I have one of these and its brilliant - I use it to get rid of mucky finger marks on paintwork












Ped Egg 

To create salon soft skin on your feet








Sit Right

Align your spine when sitting to help improve 
your posture. 












How to enter:  

You must LIKE JML's Facebook page in order to enter, as its their 25th birthday they would like to gain followers on their page to help them celebrate.  
Plus they may be releasing great deals and offers for their birthday and you'll hear about them first via https://www.facebook.com/JMLDirect so its good to be involved.

Please LIKE their page and then comment below to let me know.

Additional Entries (optional), please leave separate comments below to let me know if you have also completed any of the following:

2 x extra entries:  Wish JML a Happy Birthday on their Facebook wall and tell them I sent you https://www.facebook.com/alittlebitofeverything?ref=ts 
1 x extra entry: Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter.
1 x extra entry: Follow my blog.
1 x extra entry: Follow my FB Page 
1 x extra entry: Comment on any of my previous blog posts (let me know where you posted).


Remember to leave me a way of contacting you if you win for example your Twitter ID or Email Address
  [please space out the address so that its safer eg.. peter at neverland dot co dot uk].


Good Luck !!

Giveaway closes on the 4th July 2011

22 Apr 2011

Curvaceous Beauties Shambles Not Sexy


Curvaceous Beauties - Never Again!

I am a plus-size, so to buy nice underwear and sexy nightwear I find it quite hard to find clothing that either fits properly or actually looks nice.

On the Internet I stumbled across Curvaceous Beauties a plus size lingerie and sexy nightwear store ... bingo! I thought and placed an order.

I placed my order online and paid £37.93 via Paypal for ....
1 x Suspender Chemise - Plus Size -  £29.99
1 x Sexy Sheer Stockings - Colour: Black - £4.99
P&P £2.95

Then sat and waited patiently for my order to arrive ... I was actually quite excited as I haven't treated myself (or Andy!) to some sexy undies for well... urm ... ever!

Anyhow - my order came and I was very disappointed.  For a plus-size garment it was poor fabric, yes it fit around my middle but the cup sizes were very very small (there was no way that my big bazookas were going to fit in them).  So I repackaged the dress without even having to open the stockings packet and put them both back into the postal bag to be returned.

Here is where the fun starts!

You have to have a 'code' to return items.  I emailed twice for a code and telephoned - it is always an answerphone but at this point I didn't leave a message.
My emails didn't get a reply for over 10 days! by this time I had already returned the package with my order number and copy of the emails inside.

Basically you have to contact them for a 'return code' as stated on their website ... all the code is is your original order code but written on the outside of the packaging that you return your goods in .... how pathetic! why not just put that on the website.

So .. order returned Recorded Delivery (at my own cost) I sit and wait for my refund. 
They do state on the website that it can take up to 30 days for the refund to be processed - I understand this as with the items they sell they have to check every items for wear or use, plus you can only return certain items due to hygiene etc... which is great and a good point for the company.

After nearly a month I telephoned them just to check they have received my package as I have had no contact from them - I left a message on the answerphone - no return call from them.  So I emailed and someone emailed back stating their 30 day rule - no problem.

Today I received my refund .... £29.99 ???? my original order (minus postage) was £34.98
Where has the other £4.99 gone ??

Well I have emailed (again) to ask why I have been shortchanged.  After 2 lots of postage coming to around £6 in total ... why charge me a further £4.99 ?

I am not happy - which is why I am writing this blog review of the company to warn other plus-size ladies about what bad customer service I have received ..... I would have been better off shopping on eBay!

If/When I get a reply I will update this blog post (22/04/11).

The moral to my post is - DO NOT USE  www.curvaceousbeauties.com for your sexy pants - shop elsewhere.