Tag Archives: Review

The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith: reviewed by Nadia Tariq

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The Unsinkable Greta James is a deep burning, methodically written tale of family, ambitions and relationships, particularly of the child-parent kind. With such universal themes, Greta is guaranteed to strike a chord with every reader. I was particularly drawn to the  eponymous character, a successful indie musician in her mid thirties, who is at a turning point. Although she leads a life completely alien to us all, the author manages to build up the layers and then slowly peel them back to reveal a character with whom we can happily relate.

Following the recent and sudden death of her mother, Greta finds herself on a cruise ship among the stunning environs of Alaska, forced into the awkward companionship of her father – who is less than a fan of her life choices. The author handles this, and indeed all of the relationships in the novel, with a beautifully nuanced and sympathetic touch. For me, and I’ve no doubt for many, it was a hard relate. Throw in a love interest or two to keep the interest fresh, and the result is a definite hit.

The dialogue in this novel – and it is dialogue heavy – hits particularly hard. The fraught exchanges between father and daughter had me close to tears at points; and yet, despite the drama and the grief, I would not describe this as a sad story. It ends with hope.

Five stars all round for this quiet, unassuming belter of a novel.

Jennifer E Smith is a veteran author of young adult novels, and The Unsinkable Greta James is her first novel for adults, published by Quercus in the UK and out now in hardback form.

Frost Loves KidiZoom PrintCam For Christmas & Beyond

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I love it when my kids get creative, and I love pictures of them, so this VTech KidiZoom PrintCam is more of a present for me, albeit one that they will love. This super-smart camera lets your kids instantly print pictures of themselves, no ink required. It has over 150 photo effects and activities. What’s more it can print up to 80 black & white photos per roll. It has three games and it also records video.

What’s more it has a comic strip maker, and you can even print off your own cards and pretend money. It’s a fantastic present and I cannot recommend it enough.

Move over David Bailey, step aside Mr Rankin – it’s time to meet the next generation of photography pros with the VTech KidiZoom PrintCam.

   kidizoom , print cam, christmas, kids, camera, creative,

Just in time for Christmas, VTech has got a fresh new addition to its KidiZoom line with the VTech KidiZoom PrintCam – a children’s camera for 5+ years that lets budding photographers print their images immediately, on the go, within minutes. No more waiting to get to a printer!

 

Unleash little ones’ creativity with included special photo effects, stamps and borders, as well as 3 games, panoramic prints, and a comic strip maker! It’s just as easy to create whacky selfies with the flip up lens that allows full use of the camera without changing hand positions! You can also turn your photos into line drawings to colour or use the print shop to print games, design and print your own cards, or even pretend money and accessories.

 

That’s not all though, when combined with a micro-SD Card (not supplied), it functions as a normal digital camera, enabling children to keep their images forever, whether that’s to print them out again in full colour, or for you to save and treasure them for years to come.

 

This is the ultimate device for imaginative and curious children and will unlock a world of creative and artistic opportunity – while you hopefully get some well-earned downtime!

 

RRP: £69.99 | Available from: Smyths Toys Superstores / Argos / Very and Amazon. 

 

Give the gift of clear skin this Christmas with skin:genius

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This Christmas, give the gift of clear skin with the multi-award-winning 100% natural skin:genius range.

skin:genius

Its special-price festive pack is beautifully presented in a cotton s:g bag and includes: a 100ml Cleansing Face Wash (Best Cleanse  Forever); 30ml Leave-on Purifying Gel (All’s Well That Gels Well); 50ml Calming Moisturiser (Soothe Operator) and 10ml Spot Zapper (Hits The Spot) alongside a cotton flannel and lavender bag.  Worth £75.00, this festive bundle costs £60.00.

 

Specifically formulated to prevent and reduce acne, breakouts and spot-prone skin in teens and adults, skin:genius is packed with anti-bacterial ingredients that tackle the bacteria which commonly cause these problems.  The synergistic behaviour of its natural ingredients – including Red Clover, Nettle, Roman Chamomile, Oregon Grape, Witch Hazel, Marsh Mallow and Calendula – reduces inflammation and redness while hydrating, calming and smoothing irritated skin.

 

Rich in anti-oxidants, skin:genius products bring positive results from using high-quality, proven, natural and organic ingredients that work with the skin. Unlike many other products, skin:genius® uses a high number of quality active ingredients in lower concentrations, reducing any risk of sensitivity to the products while multiplying the benefits. This means you can attack one issue from many angles, achieving excellent results in a powerful yet gentle way.

 

Its Cleansing Face Wash, Leave-on Purifying Gel, Soothing Moisturiser and Hits The Spot all help to keep the skin clear by tackling the causes – not just the symptoms – of troublesome skin. They smell and feel wonderful and would make a super gift for anyone with problem skin.

 

Cleansing Face Wash – ‘best cleanse forever’

Bursting with Calendula, Red Clover and Lemongrass, this gentle daily face wash effectively removes impurities and excess oil, cleanses and cleans the face without over-drying the skin. Its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory action reduces rashes, redness and irritation leaving a more even skin tone.

Leave-On Purifying Gel – ‘all’s well that gels well’

This maximum strength, fast-acting gel tackles inflamed spots and reduces redness immediately, to quickly bring relief and results. Easily absorbed, it’s loaded with Oregon Grape, Nettle and Roman Chamomile to help tackle breakouts while preventing the bacteria that cause acne and spots. Its antioxidant and antibacterial ingredients help improve the skin’s immune function while reducing redness and irritation.  It works best when used at bedtime and left to work its magic overnight.

Soothing Moisturiser – ‘soothe operator’

Calming and light, this balancing moisturiser provides skin with long-lasting hydration while minimising the appearance of pores and scarring.  Babassu, Macadamia and Hazelnut nourish the skin and leave it feeling silky smooth. It is rich in vitamin E to aid skinrecovery and naturally collagen-boosting. Importantly, it contains ingredients that behave similarly to sebum which signal to your skinto stop producing this substance which, when produced excessively, leads to oily skin and blocked pores.

 

Spot Zapper – ‘Hits The Spot’

Designed to stop a spot in its tracks. You simply apply one dot of this maximum-strength, fast-acting gel as a direct hit to help restore calm. Loaded with Oregon Grape, Nettle, Roman Chamomile and Yarrow, Hits The Spot helps fight and prevent the bacteria that cause spots and breakouts. It’s also high in antioxidants to protect and soothe inflamed skin and reduce redness.

 

SAUCE IT is a new and truly exciting way to buy restaurant-quality ingredients at home

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BBC’s Matt Tebbutt opens the chef larder
for the real foodie with the launch of SAUCE IT

Just think of it as the food and drink concierge for those in the know, giving you access to the chef’s personal larder – essentially their first choice of ingredients – so you too can finally shop like a chef!

Just open our exclusive ‘little black book’ of suppliers, producers, cooking professionals and sommeliers who can offer you chef designed boxes, filled with incredible ingredients discovered over years of working in the trade. SAUCE IT gives you access so you can discover for yourself how these rigorously sourced ingredients can ultimately change the way you cook and create.
The result of years of research and tasting, every item on SAUCE IT has been trialled and tested extensively by the expert who puts their name to each recommended ingredient or product. If you are looking for the wow factor, look no further, as SAUCE IT source the impossible to find; the ingredients you won’t find in Waitrose or even famous food halls.

sauce it box sauce it box

The SAUCE IT boxes
To celebrate the launch of this exciting new concept, TV favourite Matt Tebbutt has created a new box The Weekend Collection by Matt Tebbutt. To coincide with the launch of Matt’s new book ‘Weekend’, this box contains a selection of ingredients, handpicked by Matt, and featuring in his new recipes such as the Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar used in Matt’s Anchoiade dip or the beautifully packaged ‘Las Hermanas’ hot smoked paprika made using age old methods, ideal for Matt’s Smokey chicken with sweet corn and mango salsa.
Matt commented ‘SAUCE IT is an exciting new way to shop like an award winning chef does, giving you access to all the very best produce that was once only available to the restaurant world’.

If you are a shellfish fan, you’ll love Salcombe’s finest shellfish box which includes the finest Salcombe crab and lobster from a small day boat, packed on the quayside and sent direct to you, straight from Chris the fisherman. Is there anything finer than a simply boiled fresh crab with lemon, mayo and crusty bread? For the lobster, the king of crustaceans, the BBQ is perfect! Salcombe is famous for its crab and lobster, in fact it reaches nearly every corner of the globe, and if you’re looking for fresh seafood for that family feast, our shellfish is landed by one small boat and delivered straight to your door.

For the Spanish food lover, the El Gordo box has the most amazing Spanish products; ones that you will only find in restaurants such as Barrafina or Pizarro. SAUCE IT have brought together the absolute best of the best small Spanish producers of outstanding quality. Sit back, relax, imagine you are taking in the sights and sounds of San Sebastian, and indulge in some the worlds finest ingredients, enjoyed with a glass of Manzanilla sherry, naturally!

There are also boxes from well-known chefs such as Ben Tish, Sabrina Ghayour and Jane Baxter. A selection of wine boxes are available, handpicked by the team at SAUCE IT and their black book of wine experts.

Those involved in SAUCE IT, and we suspect, our customers, are pioneers in a world of discovery, fans of independent travel and favour self-selection rather than the package choice. When you purchase a box with SAUCE IT, an order is then placed with our suppliers. For example, your Salcombe crab is in the sea right up to the time it’s sent to you, your vegetables are picked to order and the ingredients for your box are collated on the day of dispatch. We supply our chef-collated boxes direct to your door in our eco friendly packaging, avoiding singular product or environmentally damaging deliveries. You will not find expensive and unnecessary packaging with SAUCE IT, we let the ingredients themselves do the talking!

All the boxes are compiled by the country’s finest restaurant suppliers. Buying from SAUCE IT supports fabulous fishermen, awesome organic vegetable growers, higher welfare meat producers and farmers, and some amazing but small artisan food heroes. Matt and the team at SAUCE IT will also give you fantastic hints, top tips and fabulous recipes to go with your outstanding ingredients. This is undoubtedly the concept epicureans have been waiting for!

We love it!

Sprout, The World’s First Plantable Makeup Pencils

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eyeliner, plantable, eco-friendly, sustainable, These makeup pencils are pretty special, and sustainable from start to end. Recycling in the beauty industry is notoriously difficult, but here’s a clever, patented invention by eco-pencil company Sprout World, that is designed to not only reduce waste, but give something beautiful and useful back to the planet.

Simply use the makeup pencils as normal, and instead of throwing them away when they become too small to use, flip them around, stick the end (green capsule facing down) into a pot of damp soil, and ta-da – beautiful wildflowers will start to sprout within 1-2 weeks!

Sprout Makeup Pencil
Where did the idea come from?

Sprout World is made up of 70% female employees. It was during a routine discussion about the waste problem within the beauty industry, that the team flagged how the majority of people in that room used make-up pencils daily, and therefore, they could potentially play a huge role in giving a second life (and a beautiful one at that) to products that would otherwise end up as waste.

Kind to the skin and planet

Sprout Makeup Pencil
Every element of the pencil is made from natural, kind-to-skin ingredients and materials:

100% natural and ethically sourced
Made from sustainable certified wood
Recyclable sugar cane cap
Plant-based soluble cellulose cap that dissolves when planted, releasing wildflower seeds
AllergyCertified, plastic-free and paraben-free
Sprout Makeup Pencils

Available as an Eyeliner (Black or Brown) and Browliner (Brown)

Price: £10.95 per pencil / £20.95 per two-pack

Stockists: amazon.co.uk and sproutworld.com

Niacinamide for your body?

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Niacinamide is a holy-grail skincare solution to help strengthen the skin’s barrier, prevent moisture loss, improve skin tone, reduce enlarged pores and provide anti-oxidant properties to protect against oxidative damage and premature ageing. This sought-after ingredient can often be found in facial serums, moisturisers and cleansers – but when did we decide good skin days just belonged to our face?

Elevate your daily body care with MESSIAH and EVE Body Cleanser .02 (£21 / 300ml) – a luxurious blend of premium, results-driven skincare ingredients including Niacinamide, AHA’s and Pentativin, so you can enjoy brighter, clearer, smoother, softer skin…from the neck down!
MESSIAH and EVE Body Cleanser .02 (£21 / 300ml, messiahandeve.com)

messiah and eve , body cleanser, beauty, review
  • Your daily skin smoother to gently reveal fresh, radiant, supple skin – without the scrubby mess.
  • Alpha Hydroxy Acids – derived from fruit enzymes to gently exfoliate, keep skin smooth and blemishes at bay.
  • Niacinamide – improves skin tone, brightens dull skin, strengthens your skin barrier and reduces trans epidermal water loss for hydrated skin all-over.
  • Vitamin E – a skincare staple that moisturises and protects the skin
  • Pentavitin – provides instant, deep hydration and protect skin from post-shower dryness.
  • And the scent! ‘Modern Unity’ contains a mix of bespoke blended French fine fragrances, combining essential oils and botanicals of blackberry, birch tar and guaiacwood – this mysterious and unique sweet, yet woody fragrance, is the embodiment of sophistication, designed to subtly last on your post-shower skin.
  • Responsibly designed – vegan, cruelty free, recycled and recyclable.

    • messiahandeve.co.uk    | @messiahandeve

Frost Loves Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set

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Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set £34.99 from The Entertainer. Mechanics Gravity Magnetic Track harnesses the invisible forces of magnetism and gravity through original and surprising means. The spheres inside the circuit are set in motion by an innovative magnetic cannon that uses the force of attraction of the accelerating magnet. Gravity is the innovative evolution of the Geomag Mechanics line. Developed with expert players in mind, the new construction system is based on an innovative "gravity motor": this uses the weight of the Geomag spheres to kickstart the mechanisms and movements of the Geomag Mechanics structures. The motion is provided by the invisible forces of Gravity and Magnetism, without using electricity or batteries. The play experience is based on these fundamental principles of physics. Mechanics Gravity is a STEM product that can truly stimulate curiosity and inspire to learn more about science.Geomag Mechanics Loops and Turns 130 Piece Construction Set £34.99 from The Entertainer. Mechanics Gravity Magnetic Track harnesses the invisible forces of magnetism and gravity through original and surprising means. The spheres inside the circuit are set in motion by an innovative magnetic cannon that uses the force of attraction of the accelerating magnet. Gravity is the innovative evolution of the Geomag Mechanics line. Developed with expert players in mind, the new construction system is based on an innovative “gravity motor”: this uses the weight of the Geomag spheres to kickstart the mechanisms and movements of the Geomag Mechanics structures. The motion is provided by the invisible forces of Gravity and Magnetism, without using electricity or batteries. The play experience is based on these fundamental principles of physics. Mechanics Gravity is a STEM product that can truly stimulate curiosity and inspire to learn more about science.

Frost Loves Spanish Skincare brand Sepai

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With the last couple days highlighting that summer is nearly upon us, many of us realise that after the year we’ve had, our skin needs some TLC.
Spanish skincare brand, Sepai delivers ultra-performing, customisable skincare that mimics the effect of a personal trainer for your skin, with the ultimate concoction to condition your body. This bodycare cocktail hydrates, firms and revitalises skin.
I love Sepai Sublime Youth. This all-purpose rescue oil is deeply nourishing and leaves skin glowing. You can use it on its own or mix it in with your regular products. I cannot recommend it enough. It has left my skin looking so much better.
sepia , beauty, reviews