June Birchbox

I got my Birchbox this month and didn't once check the spoilers so it was a complete surprise when it got here :)

The theme was Brazil and the bag colours were gorgeous!

The first item i took out was this make up applicator, i've seen them around and heard great things but i've yet to try it, the best thing about it was that it comes with a hard soap in the box to clean your sponge with, i usually wash my muslin cloths and dip my brushes but neither would be suitable for this so it was a great combination.

The soap is a hard bar and you just wet the sponge, rub it over the soap, lather it up and rinse it clean, then air dry it so it's easy and quick. No excuse for dirty applicators.

The 'extra' has s far been little foodie items so it was a surprise when i found this cute little sandal keyring, it put it straight on my keys and it's brightened them up :)

Next was....yes you quessed it, another!! nail varnish, i was a little dissapointed in the size of the bottle as it really is diddy, however since i have more than enough and i didn't see it really fitted in with the brazil colours i gave it to my daughter, it's cute and girly and it'll last much longer on her tiny nails.

I got another oil, i don't normally like oils and i don't tend to use them at all but this Caudalie bath and body oil smells so nice, if anyone can tell me what the scent is i'd be happy to compensate with a little gift, i really need it in my life, it didn't leave me greasy and it's a great alternative to lotion in this heat.

I got a sample tube of coola classic face cream, i thought it was a sun lotion for the face which got me excited but it only has spf, not uva/uvb protection so it's just more of a daily cream, i'm not a huge fan but it'll do for my travel bag.

And i saved the best until last, i'm often great at picking the wrong shade of lippy, i go too bright, too coral or too heavy but this is perfect, it looks very mauve but gots on almost nude, it adds just a hit of colour without over powering and i'm in love, i'm even considering it as my wedding lippy!

I hope you all got fab boxes and i'm excited for the next installment, if you don't have BB and want to sign up you can here: http://birchbox.co.uk/?raf=36177 the boxes are £10 but if you use my link you'll get £5 free to spend in the online store (no minimum spend) or use them towards your second box, cancel anytime and send it back free if you aren't happy with it. 

TJ x

Mays Use Ups

Last month i didn't have so many use ups but this month i'm on a mission to start on some bigger bottles and get some usage out of them, i'm putting a hand cream on every surface and topping up my shampoos with other shampoos.

So I have a lot of freebie and BBox in's for this month but i'm hoping to out way them with my outs.

I used up the following:

Avon - Soft pink bubble bath, the great thing about avon bubble baths is they are super sized, smell great and last ages! sadly i get a little bored so normally have 3/4 on the go at the same time so to get them gone i've started mixing them up in the bath with some bath salts which i never use. It was nice but i don't often by the same fragrance twice.

I finally used up the Tresemme Keratin Smooth shampoo and conditioner, i'm still not impressed, they are suppose to help keep hair frizz free and straighter for up to 7 days but i had to re-straighten every day, would not buy again but it may work for thinner hair.

Cetaphil restoraderm body wash - this stuff was great to begin with but i didn't use it up by the use by date and it started to smell funny and left my skin a little dry, i wouldn't by it again because of that but anyone with flaky skin and bathes a lot it's great.

Creightons Perfect Brunette shampoo, this was a poundshop buy a few months ago before i realised my hoarding addiction, it left my hair clean but dull so i'll try something else next time.

Solutions plus+ pure pore-fection, ideal cheap wash but do not use after the use by date, i had a reaction to it and it was the worse i've ever had, it's a really good wash for those with oily skin otherwise.

Avon Skin So Soft hand cream - My mum works for Avon so i end up with all sorts of half used or on offer items through the year but at christmas i always get a self made hamper with a food spray i never use and a hand cream i don't like, thank fully this one wasn't so bad, i find them nice and thick but they get bitty if i rub it in too much it's more of a leave to soak in cream.

Paul Penders AM moisturiser - i really dislike this cream, i don't like to bash companies but who ever suggested it was ok to be sold with the scent it has needs words, it contains aloe and lavender and the smell lingers on your face and burns your nose, i wouldn't buy this and i'm put off from trying other products.

Aveda invati thickening conditioner, i used this on my daughter and it was fab, it left her hair thick and bouncy, the curls seems to hold better and it was super soft, if she wasn't so young i'd buy it for her.

Lastly i used up a Loreal casting creme gloss conditioner which always leaves my hair lush and shiney, it smells great and i wish they sold it in a big bottle :)

I used up a Lush bath bomb 'butterball' which was oily and creamy and smelled amazing, it left my skin soft and well oiled and it wasn't such a lasting scent that it took away from my body cream, i'd buy again and look at others.

That's it for this months UU's i'll be posting up some Lifestyle pages and some In's for this month including a scented nail polish <3

TJ x

Craft Boxes and free codes

Over the last week i've learnt about more weekly, fortnightly and monthly boxes than i ever knew existed so i thought i'd better share some findings.

Firstly i found the Toucan box which is a fortnightly/Monthly box that comes in 3 sizes with extras.

The first is a petite box which is shipped out every 2 weeks and contains 1 activity for the weekend, great if you have a grandchild or a single child and nothing to do over the weekend. the box is £3.95 + 0.98p postage

The second is a Grande box which has 2 activities and a book in it and is shipped once a month, great for 2 children or a grandchild that doesn't spend the whole day doing the project. This box is £9.95 + £2.95 postage

The last is a Super box with 4 themes in it and is shipped once a month, ideal for 2 weekends for 2 children or 1 child/grandchild per week for the month. This box is £16.95 + £2.95 postage

I got the Petite box to try and it came with 1 activity, it's my little ones birthday next week but the following week we have nothing to do so i'm looking forward to using this.

This one is a bag to make and keep all the seasonal stuff we collect through the months like our leaves for print painting.

You can pick this up by going to https://mention-me.com/m/ol/nxk-tiffany-callan and getting your first one free, you can cancel after you've applied for it so you won't be charged 2 weeks later for your next box.

Then i got the The weekend box which i have to say is amazing!

This box comes in just 1 subscription, a 4 activity pack box for 4-6 year olds and it sent every 2 weeks, it includes something to cook, something to read/write, something green and something to make, they also send you an email a few days before you get your box to let you know of any ingredients needed for your 'something to cook'

The cost is £7.50 per box but they charge £15.00 for the month instead of 2 charges in the month which is handy, you can also pause 1 or 2 boxes or swop to one box per month instead of 2 so there are lots of options to suit you.

The whole box is bursting with fun.

Below is what i got in my box

Each 'something to:' is in it's own package and all the sheets are clearly labelled and coloured so your children can have lots of fun without needing constant watching

Use the code: 

TIFFANY7122 and get a free box from https://www.weekendboxclub.com/

Have fun with your children and let me know if you got a free box.

TJ x

Pink Parcel - The Monthly Box For Your Monthlies

This box was mentioned to me a few weeks ago and i was so excited to start my 'monthlies' just to get my box, normally us women dred the cramps, the headaches and the general 'meh' feeling so to have a little box of loveliness turn up a few days before to stop me feeling so rubbish was wonderful.

When i first opened my box, which conveniently fitted through the letter box, it had what looked like 2 boxes and a bag, i wasn't sure what was in each so it was a real surprise.

During my info filling on the site i was asked which tampons i'd prefer, i went with the Kotex click as they are quite cute looking if that's possible.

 When i emptied the larger box it was actually 2 large boxes and a smaller box plus the bag, the packaging was beautiful and kept everything a surprise the whole time :)

First i emptied the bag and i found a little bundle of tampons in their bright packaging and found the bag was great for popping in my handbag, then i moved onto the two larger boxes.

In them i found more tampons which i guest are the weeks worth that women need plus a few? (i'm not a big tampon user so it seems like a years worth when i opened them)

The i opened up the smaller box and it was so much in a little box i nearly squealed with excitement, first the tea bag and chocolate which every girl needs, I also got a lovely body spray, lip balm and eye cream which all totaled more than the cost of the box and two sachets of skinade which is said to be collagen in a bottle.

All in all i love my Pink Parcel, i plan to keep my subscription ongoing for the next month but sadly i'll cancel the month after, not because of the box, it's really great but sadly i'll have so many tampons i won't know what to do with them all and it just seems wasteful so i'll wait a few months then rejoin unless the lovely people at Pink decide to start offering sanitary towels soon.

As a great alternative to the beauty only boxes which seem to be going down hill just lately this is a great pick me up and i'll be recommending it to many of my friends.

TJ x

Itsu Noodle Pot

I'm always looking for things to make life easier and when you on a shoot with nothing but a kettle or your out of the house all day you don't want to get caught snacking, especially with a wedding dress to fit into soon so when i popped into waitrose and saw these noodle pots i knew i had to try them.

I've just been introduced to fresh egg noodles and gnocchi which i never thought i'd like and i loved so i thought Udon noodles were worth a try.

So the pot consists of noodles, a paste and a packet of dried courgette and tomatoe and other than hot water it's everything you need :)

So you put the noodles into the pot, add the paste and the dried veggies and voila, add your water to the fill line and your done.

It didn't look like much and i didn't hold out hopes but after a little stir and 3 minutes for the veggies to soften it was yummy! It was like spicy tomato soup but with the noodles made it filling without it being too fattening and i wasn't hungry again for ages so it's definitely better than a sarnie and a packet of crisps which is normally my shoot lunch.

So the next time your passing waitrose pop in and have a look at what they have to offer, they do some great pasta and fruit pots aswell as meal kits for quick and healthy meal ideas.

Waitrose is a win for me :) (albeit it an occasional and expensive one)

TJ x

Green Earth Pan by Ozeri

The lovely people at Ozeri Products sent me this lovely green frying pan to review and i was happy to help, kitchen ware is once of those things where i often forget to look for new items whilst out shopping and then when my dinner starts sticking to the pan i wish i'd remembered.

The pan wasn't huge but it was a great size for 6 sausages of enough chicken for 4 wraps (which is what i cooked first) so it's a great every day pan, the depth is what i likeds the most, most pans have a slight rim on them but this had more than that, i found hot oil didn't spit out so much and when turning chicken over none fell out like it often does with my old pan.

It fitted great in the middle of the ring and cooked evenly all over including the bits on the outside which normally don't cook as quick, the heat spread over the pan and it heated quickly and stayed warm for longer so i didn't need the hear up full to cook it quickly.

The handle is rubber coated which means it doesn't get hot and the pan is none stick so it's all round perfect for every frying need.

All in all i love this pan and i will definitely be adding to my collection over the coming months and replacing my old 'no longer none stick' stuff for Ozeri pans.

To get your Ozeri Pan you can go here:

Ozeri Green Earth Textured Ceramic Nonstick Frying Pan

Today's Haul

Over the last few days i've been house bound with an allergic reaction to a brand i've not used before on my face so when the postie came today with my Birchbox box and the new Green Earth pan i was super excited, then my other half told me to slap plenty of cream on my face take my meds and go and spend some money :D

I'm looking forward to reviewing my new pan tomorrow, it's so bright and cheery and the rubber handle is great.

This month my BB was crammed with great products and best of all i got the most wanted product - the liz Earle cleanse and polish.

I also got a hot cloth, benefit's they're real mascara which i'm sure most love but it's not for me, a shampoo and conditioner, a hot bath oil and a orange/coral polish

The colour is a great thick shade and below is after one coat.

Then we went shopping for our little ones birthday and got some Xmas gifts whilst there, i got the below for less than £40 and RRP would of been that for just 4-5 of them, I picked them all up from The Entertainer and i'm really please with the quality and variety in store and online.

TJ x