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Baylis and Harding Great Body Giveaway

June 4, 2014 by Erica Hughes 261 Comments

I’m already a big fan of Baylis & Harding‘s Great Hair range. Now though they’ve launched their Great Body range. The packaging looks similar and the quality certainly is, but as the name suggests, this range focuses on making your body look and feel great.

Baylis & Harding have kindly offered a set from the range to give away to readers of A Little Luxury For Me. Enter via the rafflecopter widget below.

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. No bulk, third-party or automated entries.

2. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 years or older.

3. The winners will be chosen by a random draw.

4. The winner will be notified by email and will have a week to claim their prize. Should they fail to respond within this time, an alternative winner will be selected.

5. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.

6. Competition closes on 18 June 2014.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bee Good

May 25, 2014 by Erica Hughes 4 Comments

Recently, the British brand Bee Good sent me a package full of goodies to try, including these rather nice Bee Good biscuits, which went down very well with my son (sadly I didn’t get a look in).

Bee Good are a new brand of British made skincare. The idea is that you can give your skin some serious TLC whilst helping to save our British bees, by using products made using their honey. Their products harness the skincare benefits of British honey, propolis and beeswax.

Bee Good was born in 2008 by husband and wife team, Simon and Caroline. As an experienced beekeeper for over 10 years, Simon keeps a number of hives in old orchards surrounding his home in rural Hampshire. It was Caroline’s interest in harnessing the excess honey and beeswax to create natural skincare products which led to the first Bee Good skincare products: a lip balm and a hand cream. To start with all the products were made in Caroline’s kitchen using centuries-old recipes and were sold at local farmer’s markets.

I got to try out Bee Good’s Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser. This cleanser provides a great way of gently yet effectively cleansing your skin every single day. I’ve used similar products, where you cleanse with a creamy cleanser and then wipe away with a muslin cloth that’s been dampened with warm water, before. It’s a really great way of getting your skin deep down clean every day. What sets Bee Good’s product apart is the creaminess of the cleanser and the lovely scent. It’s a richer, more gentle, blend that I think would be good for drier or older skins or those that simply need a little extra care and attention.

Sushi Time Birmingham Restaurant Review

May 24, 2014 by Erica Hughes 3 Comments

I’ve talked before about how we love eating sushi and sashimi, so we were very pleased to be invited along to Sushi Time in Martineau Square, Birmingham to try out their menu. What sets Sushi Time apart from other restaurants offering sushi, is the sheer range and variety of their menu offering. There are pages of sushi to choose from, so there’s something for every sushi lover to enjoy or try out. We decided to try out some of the sashimi, as well as a mixed platter, so that we could try out a wide range of sushi types.
After much consideration, we ordered some Jasmine Tea, Sake Sashimi, Maguro Sashimi and a Sake Tekka Set for 2. When the food came it looked amazing and was attractively displayed on a rack. We were slightly disappointed with the sashimi. Both the Sake Sashimi and the Maguro Sashimi lacked the succulence and flavour of sashimi at its best. That said, they were very eatable and nicely presented, but I’d probably stick to the sushi on a return visit.

Our Sake Tekka Set was a big hit though. We chose this platter because it was a mix of old favourites and some new dishes. Our Tobiko Set featured:

Banzai Roll
California Tempura Roll
Philadelphia Roll
Tekka Maki
Spicy Sake Maki
Yamakasi Roll
Nidzi Maki Roll
Hino Maki Roll

The two biggest highlights were two sushi roll types that were new to us. The Philadelphia Roll was soft, moist and moreish. Cream cheese is a wonderful addition to the sushi range, but you probably wouldn’t come across it in Japan. I think it works really well and we’ll certainly be using it ourselves, if we make sushi at home, or if we are eating at Sushi Time again. The other big win was the California Tempura roll. Again this isn’t something that’s evolve within Japan, but it is a great development. The crunch and texture of the tempura adds a new dimension to the soft sushi and we’ll certainly have that again.

If you like sushi then Sushi Time, Birmingham is a great place to visit. You can choose from a great range of dishes, or take advantage of one of their set menu choices if you are part of a group. I loved the comprehensiveness of the menu and the quality of the sushi was very high. They also offer a takeaway service if you are in a hurry or want to eat at home.

PlayEnable £30 Fitness Voucher Giveaway

May 22, 2014 by Erica Hughes 39 Comments

PlayEnable are a London based fitness and wellness class finder that can find you a class in one of over 400 venues all over London. People can find, book and participate in over 3000 different classes from Yoga to Boxing and Zumba to Ballet. PlayEnable are running an exclusive giveaway offering 5 lucky readers of A Little Luxury For Me the chance to win a £30 voucher to use at any fitness class that takes their fancy on their Marketplace. So whether you want try something new or get in shape for your holiday’s there’s bound to be something for you.

Even if you aren’t one of the lucky 5 winners – PlayEnable are offering all readers a £5 discount voucher code to use on any fitness class of their choice: Ped sans-serif;”>E5FITNESS.

Entry by the rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Competition Terms and Conditions

1. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 years or older
2. Multiple entries are not accepted.
3. The winner’s will be notified by email
4. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.
5. Competition closes 15th June 2014.

Lisa Tucci Shoes

May 21, 2014 by Erica Hughes 63 Comments

Lisa Tucci are a brand to be reckoned with this season, that’s for sure. They have created the most divine collection of shoes for summer. Now their collection is a little bit quirky and will appeal to those with a strong sense of their individual style. You can certainly find shoes that will help you stand out from the crowd.

I tried Lisa Tucci’s Venezia shoe. Coming in classic black, it will go with virtually any outfit and it’s the sort of shoe that can take you seamlessly through the seasons. It’s light and strappy enough for a summer’s day, but it wouldn’t look out of place at a Christmas party either. Buffed black leather gives the shoe a matt look, with the inside being leather lined for comfort as you’d expect from a quality shoe. Across the front there are three elasticated straps to help you put them on and hold the shoe in place. All around the shoe there are little diamond shaped cut outs. These create much of the distinctive look of the shoe, but will also keep your feet cool on a hot day. As you can see from the picture, there’s a sculpted heel which is two inches in height. Lisa Tucci think of everything and even provide a set of replacement heel tips. Easy and comfortable to wear, they won’t punish the wearer.

Lisa Tucci Shoe Sark I’ve been taking a peek through the rest of the collection and my eye was caught by the Lisa Tucci Sark Shoe. Aren’t they simply gorgeous? I’m really loving the red suede, the red heel and even the red sole. The intricate, cut away curves of design show off that soft, red suede. Think how good these shoes would look teamed with a white, lace dress.

Update 2026: I still own these shoes and they still look good.

Tesco Meat Free For National Vegetarian Week

May 21, 2014 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

This week is National Vegetarian Week (19th May – 25th May). Tesco are sponsors of National Vegetarian week and to celebrate, Tesco chefs have created a brand new range of frozen meat-free meals.

Tesco asked us to try out some of the range at home and we decided on the Tesco Meat Free Three Bean Sweetcorn and Roasted Red Pepper Burgers to serve up to the family for an easy week night dinner. We do try to eat a vegetarian meal at least once a week, so this seemed a good choice.

The burgers were succulent and juicy. Sometimes I find that vegetarian burgers can be a little on the dry side, but that wasn’t the case here. The combination of the three beans, sweetcorn and roasted red pepper was a tasty one.

There are a number of other choices within the range and there should be something to suit most vegetarians or just those that don’t want to eat meat every day. For those that a looking for a meat substitute there are hot dog sausages and chicken style pieces. If you prefer to focus on the vegetables themselves, you can pick from dishes like Chargrilled Vegetable and Quinoa Pesto Bakes or Red Onion and Goats Cheese Tarts from within the Tesco Meat Free range.

POM Wonderful

May 18, 2014 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

I was recently asked to give POM Wonderful a go and I was more than happy to oblige. POM Wonderful is 100% juice and you can find it in the chilled cabinet at the supermarket (Tesco or Waitrose). I choose to try out the pomegranate out, partly because I’d heard good things about pomegranates health wise and partly because it was something a little bit different to the usual orange and apple juices.

A deep, purply-red colour with a rich, strong, rounded flavour: there’s a lot to like about POM Wonderful. It’s a lovely grown up fruit drink and it would be perfect to substitute for wine, if you were avoiding booze for some reason. I think it would work very well as a mixer too. The only downside I can see is that you need to keep it chilled, but I think that means it’s fresher and it’s nicer to drink a little on the cool side.

STEAMCREAM Giveaway

May 16, 2014 by Erica Hughes 22 Comments

Recently, I reviewed the lovely STEAMCREAM limited edition tin that I’d been sent to try out. Now the good news is that I have another tin, one of the Elizabeth design with these gorgeous pink roses, to give away to a lucky reader.

If you’d like to win an Elizabeth STEAMCREAM tin, entry is via the rafflecopter below.

1. No bulk, third-party or automated entries.

2. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 years or older.

3. The winners will be chosen by a random draw.

4. The winner will be notified by email and will have a week to claim their prize. Should they fail to respond within this time, an alternative winner will be selected.

5. Promoter is responsible for fulfilling the prize and full contact details of the winner will be passed onto the promoter.

6. Competition closes on 30 May 2014.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

STEAMCREAM Review

May 13, 2014 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

STEAMCREAM have launched some very lovely, limited edition tin designs: Vanity and Envy. Talented Japanese artist Maki Kahori has created two stunning tin designs with STEAMCREAM. These tins have come just in time for a little pre-summer holiday skin preparation. With rich and nourishing ingredients like jojoba oil and rose absolute, the cream has been formulated to work wonders on tired, dry skin and penetrate deep into the skin’s layers where it’s needed most. STEAMCREAM also contains soothing oats along with calming neroli and chamomile oil that help to nurture skin conditions such as eczema and rosacea, so you can feel confident showing a little more skin when the sun comes out.

I picked out the Vanity STEAMCREAM tin to try out for myself. I love the deep blue chrysanthemum motif which cleverly combines traditional and modern to create a tin which will grace any bathroom or dressing table. The cream is non-greasy, soothing and gentle on my skin. It’s been a real winner in fact. Perfect for a gift if you have a friend with a birthday coming up or know someone who needs a bit of a pick me up.

HealGel Body

May 2, 2014 by Erica Hughes 1 Comment

A little tube of HealGel Body while ago I tried out HealGel Eye and I really rated it. I’m still using it now on a daily basis as part of my beauty regime. So I was excited to be trying out HealGel Body.

HealGel Body is described as an easily absorbed and delicately scented gel that works intuitively to gently nourish and repair troublesome areas of skin anywhere on your body. To help it do that it ingredients like arnica and madecassoside liposomes, which have been picked out to target distressed areas to provide a calming and regenerative effect, nurturing the skin and helping to retain moisture throughout the day.

So much for the blurb, what did I think? Well I was intrigued to see when I came to write this review, that HealGel Body contains arnica which is usually recommended for bruising. Now given my propensity for walking into things that are below my eye line, my legs often have as many bruises as my 7-year-old manages to pick up in the playground. I noticed that the bruises seemed to be healing more quickly than usual, before I spotted arnica on the ingredient list.

HealGel body has a slightly different texture and feel to most body creams. It’s an opaque cream rather than the usual white to cream colour that I’ve come to expect. When you put it on, it doesn’t seem to sink in immediately, but it is absorbed within a few seconds. It doesn’t feel very rich, but it does leave your skin feeling soft, smooth and moisturised. I must admit I found it a little odd at first because it was a bit different, but I’ve quickly warmed to it. HealGel Body is recommended to be used 2-3 times a day, but I’ve stuck to once unless I’ve had an evening bath to relax or something. HealGel products are a bit different to the norm, but they do seem very well formulated to do their job, and for me that’s what makes them stand out.