Author: ramblingmads

I am a thirtysomething from London, with a cat, a husband, bookshelves which keep threatening to crush me under their load and chronic health conditions. Basically your average over stressed millennial. Welcome.
exercise, lifestyle boxes, reviews, yoga

Yogi Surprise – first box

ramblingmads

I have been trying to get back into yoga, it’s good for your body and also your mind, so I was delighted when Yogi Surprise started shipping internationally.

image

A box of treats and yoga tools – hopefully this will inspire me to practise more.

Mind Over Lather – mat cleaning spray in lavender mint – this smells heavenly and will hopefully prevent that sweaty rubber smell yoga mats give off after a while.

Natural Fitness hemp yoga strap – yoga straps help you get into some of the asanas or poses that are a little trickier if you’re not super flexible. Unfortunately they can also be expensive, so getting one in this box is great.

image

Bearded Brothers Fabulous Ginger Peach Energy Bar – the first ingredient is dates, which unfortunately means I will be passing on this – I find they overwhelm all other flavours and if I want to live on dates, I’ll buy Medjool ones from the little grocers on the corner.

Yoga Gangsters essential oils energy mist – I spritzed this on for the all important sniff test – it smells good but I didn’t feel instantly more energetic. Though apparently you should spray into the air and inhale deeply – I don’t think my asthmatic lungs will be too keen.

image

Gaiam Yoga Gloves – these grippy gloves help you keep yourself from slipping on sweaty palms and can be used without a mat. Great for practicing on the go.

image

Finally a beautiful bonus treat – a jade tree of life bracelet

image

image

This was in a little cloth bag, and is worth more than the box cost.

Jade encourages love, inner peace, balance and harmony, while the tree of life represents knowledge and wisdom. All things I could do with.

If you want to win a yoga retreat, they host a monthly prize draw on their social media pages, all you have to do is take a selfie of you and your box that’s fun. I guess a yoga pose with box is what they’re after.

image

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, nail polish, nails inc, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – Capital Beauty Box

ramblingmads

This is absolutely jam packed with goodies, seriously, look at it!

image

There are 10 items in the box, full and sample sized.

image

Dr Organic Dead Sea Mineral Mask – this has popped up in several different boxes over the last few months, and according to my guinea pig/mother (she loves getting freebies from me) it’s lovely stuff. Will have to give this a go myself.

Colab dry shampoo in Paris – beauty writer and my guru in all things skin, Sali Hughes (buy her book – it’s fab) recommended the Colab dry shampoo ages ago and I picked up London in Superdrug, which is practically scent-free. Paris has a floral fragrance that reminds me of those So… and Impulse body sprays that were all the rage as teenagers. Still I’m sure my perfume will mask it.

image

Hawaiian Tropic Satin Protection SPF 30 – I am a sunscreen obsessive, I have Northern European ancestry which means I am so white I’m practically translucent, and slather myself in sunscreen daily. I’ve used this one before and find it works quite well.

Carmex Moisture Plus lip balm in Berry. This has SPF 15, vitamin E and aloe vera. Carmex do make good products, so I reckon this will do the job.

Malin + Goetz trio – a travel sized cleanser, moisturizer and lip moisturizer, all in a handy travel bag. This brand is new to me, but the lip moisturizer in particular attracts me. I have very dry, prone to cracking lips and hopefully this will do the trick.

image

I love perfectly peachy bath & shower gel – possibly the most disappointing item – a sachet of shower gel from a brand that I’ve seen for sale in Poundland –  not exactly too pricey to be more generous. It’s a special packet with advice from Coppafeel about breast cancer awareness – something I doubt most people would read as they shower.

Fudge Urban Hair Art Sprays – spray in hair colour that washes out. I remember having something similar in the 90s. I got Violet Haze, which I don’t see myself using (not exactly office appropriate) but it could be fun for a party.

MUA Mega Volume Mascara – I like MUA but I am very fussy about mascaras so this probably won’t get used by me (my mum hasn’t bought one in years, I keep her supplied).

image

Nails Inc Gel Effect Nail Polish in Soho Place – a turquoise polish from my favourite nail brand, named after one of my favourite areas of London – it’s a win!

And finally, possibly the box’s star item.

image

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Poptastic – 12 different coloured shadows, which considering I promised to stop wearing the same colour every day is going to come in handy (I am that lazy, making complex make up decisions first thing is too much).

What did you think? Have you bought this box? Do you think you will? Comments please.

image

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, my little box

The ‘My Little Box’ fiasco

ramblingmads

image

One of the beauty boxes I’ve liked over the last few months has been French My Little Box. But things have gone somewhat awry.

The money for the boxes is taken at the beginning of the month and the box shipped about 2 weeks later. Except June’s box, for many, has failed to materialize.

An email was sent out about a week after the payments went out, saying there had been a delay with one of the items for the box and it would be a bit late. I’m not sure why they didn’t just substitute a different item.

A few boxes seem to have made their way across the Channel (for example – Which Beauty Box UK was able to review one a few weeks ago), however an awful lot of people (including me) have received nothing.

Emails to customer services go unanswered, there is no phone number, Facebook comments are ignored (the number of disgruntled customers would scare me if I was them), money has been taken out for July’s box in some cases, but nothing.

I know there was a strike at Calais, but an email to apologise, maybe the promise of an extra item in the next box, something to appease your customers would be great. Instead radio silence and pictures like this:

image

on social media. The insensitive nature of a beach photo in the wake of the Tunisian tragedy aside, as someone who has worked in customer service for years, I can tell you this is not good.

This is how you lose your customer base, as they go to your competitors, and they have plenty (Birchbox, Glossybox, and many more).

On my account, and on many others, June’s box is ‘processing’, not that that seems to mean anything. One lady on Facebook said her account said ‘delivered’ but nothing has been!

They seriously need to look at their supply chain and work out where they went wrong, the switch from Royal Mail to Hermes doesn’t seem to have helped either, and fix it pronto.

***Update – got an email this afternoon from ‘Colette’, the customer services head apparently. Now the claim is that my box got lost in the post but they’ve dispatched another one. Recently MLB switched from Royal Mail (never had a problem) to Hermes (normally a good company) but they’re blaming their problems on the postal system. Still says ‘processing’ on my account so we shall see***

ramblingmads

life

Too darn hot…

ramblingmads

I am descended from warm blooded Nordic people (my dad looks like a grumpy Viking) and am not suited for this silly weather. Today it was as hot as last summer in Cyprus, but minus the handy swimming pool to cool off in.

image

I need a paddling pool, is that weird? I remember being a kid and spending hours in the garden in my cossie, splashing about and running around.

That or I’m going to do a Monica and sit in the fridge, even if there’s no Netflix and OITNB in the kitchen. It’s too hot.

image

ramblingmads

adventures, challenges, exercise, life, refuge, upcoming

Regular update – sponsor me

ramblingmads

You are going to see a fair few of these posts over the next few months.

I am doing dreaded exercise but as it’s for a good cause, I am actually happy to do.

image

Walk4 Refuge is in September but I want to exceed my fundraising target so please, sponsor me and help women and children fleeing domestic violence.

Www.justgiving.com/madeleine-walk4

Thank you. Your support means a lot.

ramblingmads

lifestyle boxes, reviews

Happy Mail box

ramblingmads

A box full of adorable goodies was waiting for me in the letterbox today. It comes from I Heart Homes, a shop I discovered on Facebook.

image

The items in the box are lovely and worth a lot more than the £10 the box cost.

I got a sweet butterfly bookmark, Sass & Belle bird brooch, a poster, bird pegs, a keyring, flower pen and a little plaque with a bee on it.

image

image

ramblingmads

books, reviews

Book Review: Navel Gazing by Anne H. Putnam

ramblingmads

This is subtitled ‘One Woman’s Quest for Size Normal’. That alone annoyed me before I’d even begun reading this book.

image

What is size normal?

Anne Putnam had a gastric bypass at 17, in a quest to reduce her body weight of almost 300 pounds.

This book is full of so much self loathing, whinging and misery, it’s a miracle I made it through
As someone who’s struggled with her weight since my teens, I know what a nightmare it can be, but I’ve never thought of resorting to something so drastic.

In today’s world, of body positivism, plus size bloggers, #effyourbeautystandards and more clothes available, the focus is less on weight than on health. You can be healthy at any size, BMI is no indication of that, it wasn’t designed to do so.

In the end, like the majority of rom coms, it is the love of a good man that stops the self hatred and allows her to see her body in a new light. What a cliché.

I don’t recommend you read this book unless you enjoy a good eye roll and some tutting. I really wanted to track the author down, grab her by the shoulders and give her a good talking to. 

ramblingmads

reviews, theatre

Easily Offended?

ramblingmads

Took my boyfriend to the theatre tonight for his birthday. We went to see The Book of Mormon.

image

We saw Avenue Q a few years ago, and this is by the same team (who also wrote South Park – which I can’t stand).

BoM is very, very funny but not for anyone who doesn’t like swearing, or sexual references. Basically, if you’re easily offended, skip this and see something else (Les Mis, Cats, Phantom, all good).

The story is that of two Mormon missionaries from Utah who are dispatched to northern Uganda for their two year mission – to convert and baptize the natives.

A lot of the jokes revolve around the fish out of water scenario these 19 year olds find themselves in. However, others are very crude and based on American stereotypes of Africans. There are jokes about Aids, poverty, FGM (I didn’t find these funny), warlords, rape (again, not so funny) and dysentery.

Fans of South Park will know this crudity, and find it amusing, and while I laughed at some of the jokes, others really grated. South Park has never been something I would choose to watch, I really don’t think it’s funny or clever.

I think it depends on your comedic taste and level of sensitivity to near-knuckle humour, as to whether this show would be for you.

The man sat in front of me laughed so hard at times, I was a bit concerned as he was bright red.

image

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, make up, reviews, skincare

You Beauty Burt’s Bees Limited Edition

ramblingmads

image

Came home from the office to find this beaut waiting for me. The You Beauty Burt’s Bees Limited Edition box and it’s a good ‘un.

Seven products and all but two are full size – only £19.95!

image

Peach & Willow Bark Deep Pore Scrub

Orange Essence Facial Cleanser

Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream

image

Lip Crayon in Hawaiian Smolder

Hydrating Lip Balm with Coconut & Pear

The two sample size products are;

Facial Cleansing Towelettes

Intense Hydration Night Cream

image

There’s also a £10 coupon for the Burt’s Bees website.

I’m a fan of the natural ingredients Burt’s uses, and have been eyeing up their website for a while. Looking forward to ordering some more goodies with my voucher and treating my skin with these lovely products.

ramblingmads

beauty boxes, latest in beauty, make up, nail polish, reviews, skincare

Latest in Beauty – The Glamour Summer Edit

ramblingmads

As you may have noticed I’m a LiB fan, and especially of their Glamour collaboration boxes. This took a while to get here, but it’s packed with great brands for the summer.

image

Nails Inc is one of my absolute faves, and a full size gel effect polish is a huge yes, there are three shades and I got Kensington Passage – a vivid pink that’ll really pop on my toes in the sandals I haven’t bought yet!

Vita Liberata is a brand that seems to be everywhere this summer – I don’t normally bother with fake tan as I just go orange but this bronzer powder and brush set are a great idea and claims to leave you with a natural looking glow for up to a week.

image

L’Occitane shampoo & conditioner with essential oils. I’ve had these before and they’re great travel size products. Lightly scented and leaves hair shiny.

Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in Fuchsia Libre (3 varieties available). Has SPF 15, says it’s waterproof and hydrating. Might be a dupe for my beloved, but pricey Clinique chubby sticks. I haven’t road tested it yet.

Balance Me Super Toning Body Polish – if I’m honest body polish sounds like a fancy way of saying body lotion that you wash off. My legs need a boost before I expose them so I’ll give this a go as other products from this range have been quite pleasant.

image

Pixi Glow Tonic – I rarely use toner, still not entirely convinced it has a point. This is alcohol free and hypoallergenic, both are a bonus in my book.

Caudalie Divine Oil for body, face & hair. I’ve tried to like face oils but my skin breaks out, however my hair adores them (my hairdresser was impressed at how healthy my hair has become after using argan oil while it’s wet), so this will end up on my hair not my skin.

Eucerin SPF 50+ Sun Fluid Mattifying for face. Suitable for sensitive skin. I am very keen on good sunscreen, but apparently anything over SPF 30 is the same. Also most SPFs are tested on animals and until I can determine whether this was, I might just stick to the ones I know are not.

image

Seekers of the Sun temporary tattoos – another box that thinks we’re all still six and want to adorn ourselves with these ridiculous things! They look good for about five seconds. However I did see on Instagram that someone has used some to make nail art and that sounds intriguing.

image

All in all a good mix of full and sample sized items, they’re are also discounts available for all the brands included. Will definitely be having a play with most of this box.

image

ramblingmads