The New Impulse Collection

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

There is something about wearing scent that lifts your mood. I love spraying on perfume in the morning and have a number to choose from depending what mood I am in. Scent can raised my confidence and make me feel better about the day ahead. Impulse is a brand I have always been familiar with, their adverts with the slogan “Men can’t help acting on Impulse” always stuck in my head. Impulse is a body mist that is easy to carry around in the handbag to use when needed.

Recently I learnt that Impulse have developed their new Impulse collection of scents. Impulse worked with world-renowned fragrance experts, including Dior and Calvin Klein to produce the new range of eleven fragrances. I was delighted to be asked to try these out.

I was sent five scents from the range of eleven, True Love, Tease, Very Pink, Romantic Spark and Secret Smile which is a limited Edition. Also available are Sweet Smile, Temptation, Loving Words, Hint of Musk and Glamour.

I love the design of the cannister, they look smart and eye catching whilst being feminine. They are the right size to fit in my handbag and they have an easy to use swivel open top. The top presses down to release a fine spray.

I tried out the scents on different days for variety. I loved the Secret Smile limited edition scent which is a mix of raspberry and gardenia. It is perfect for a sunny spring day with its light floral notes and hint of fruitiness underneath. It is a limited edition which is just coming into stores in May so get it while it is available.

Tease was a much more down to earth fragrance with a mix of red fruits and wood. It is an appealing smell that is not too heavy. True Love is a lovely floral scent with notes of freesia and tangerine which really lifted my mood. This is perfect for a Spring day. Very Pink is a mix of pink grapefruit with a base of vanilla, an exotic scent that will take you into the night time. Finally Romantic Spark is a mix of wild violets with woody notes of white sandalwood which was really fresh.

I loved all these scents and will wear them on different days depending how I feel. As they are RRP £1.99 you can have a variety without feeling that you are spending too much. Impulse is found in most supermarkets.

Disclosure: I was sent some Impulse fragrances to try out in order to do an honest review.

Mini Ninjas: IPad App Review

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

With half term coming up shortly I was pleased to be asked to review a new app for the IPad, Mini Ninjas. In the game you start off as Hiro, the smallest of a gang of Mini Ninjas who have set out to defeat the Evil Samuari Warlord. The other Mini Ninjas have all been captured so it is up to Hiro to save the day and free his friends.

Hiro starts off running along a scrolling screen, he has to jump over obstacles, fight off enemies and on the way collects coins and ingredients for special potions. Hiro is able to use Kuji magic which allows him to form a protective bubble around himself, create electrical storms or possess animals to sneak past enemies.

The action is fast paced, you tap on the screen to make Hiro jump or attack and it is great fun seeing him take on the enemies. On the way you get to pick up animals, which follow you about. You also get to release your trapped friends. If you do this you can play as a different Mini Ninja and get to use their abilities.

All the Mini Ninjas have different skills. As well as Hiro you can be Suzume , who has a magic flute that attracts collectables, Kunoichini, who has a staff to allow you to do massive attacking jumps, and Futo, who has a massive hammer which will smash rocks and everything around.

In the latest version of the game you can also take on the abilities of your animal companions which gives you even more skills to use to defeat your enemies. You get the power ups from the Dojo Shop in the game when you have enough coins. Then you can use the moves of Panda, Fox or Crane. Panda is powerful and wise with strength like no other allowing you to knock aside enemies with ease. Fox is agile and swift allowing you to pounce out of danger with ease and Crane is graceful but deadly with aerial abilities which help to avoid flying enemies.

The coins you collect also allow you to customise your ninja in the shop as well as buying other power ups to help you on your quest. The game is fast paced and enjoyable. My son spent ages playing and is much better than I am. It is really addictive and great fun. Square Enix, who wrote the game, are planning a cartoon of Mini Ninjas in the future and I can see this becoming a big hit with kids.

Mini Ninjas is RRP £0.69 and is available from the App Store for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. You can download it here: https://itunes.apple.com/app/mini-ninjas/id577106023?mt=8

You can also find more information on the Mini Ninjas website: http://eu.square-enix.com/en/games/mini-ninjas-mobile

Disclosure: We were sent a code for the app in order to do an honest review.

Chill Factor Squeeze Cup Slushy Maker Review

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

As a kid I always used to love slush drinks and now my son loves them as well. Now the weather is starting to get a bit warmer it is nice to have a cold drink when when it gets a little hot. I was recently sent the Chill Factor Squeeze Cup Slushy Maker to try out. This is an easy to use slushy maker that does not use batteries and even kids can use. I was delighted but I was not at all sure that it would actually work.

Inside the box is a squeeze cup with a lid and a straw that also acts as a spoon. This one is a nice green colour but it also available in red, blue and yellow. The outside cup is made from a very soft plastic that is very squishy.

The lid unscrews easily and inside there is a plastic liner. This is filled with some sort of liquid. The idea is that the cup is placed inside the freezer for four to six hours until the inside liner is frozen.

Once it is frozen you then pour your chosen drink into the slushy maker. The drink needs to be cool before you pour it in so I chilled a jug of orange in the fridge. The orange is then poured into the slushy maker, the lid screwed on and the cup is squeezed. Amazingly it really did work, as the cup is squeezed you can see the ice forming and you end up with a cup full of slush.

We were really impressed at the result and it was so easy to use. My son loved making his own slush and tried a number of different drinks which all worked well. The cup is really easy to clean as well, you can unscrew the top and the inner lining comes out allowing it to be washed thoroughly.

Chill Factor Slushy Maker is available from Character Options, you can find more information at http://www.character-online.com/products/Chill-Factor/Chill-Factor-Squeeze-Cup-Slushy-Maker/ It is RRP £12.99. Chill Factor Slushy Maker is a great way to make a refreshing drink this summer.

Disclosure: I was sent a Chill Factor Slushy Maker to do an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Ozeri Pronto Digital Kitchen Scale Review

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

I love cooking and find it helpful to have an accurate set of scales. I was recently sent this Ozeri Pronto Digital Kitchen Scale to try out.

They are a digital kitchen scale and will weigh things up to 11 lbs (5050 grams) and they are accurate up to 0.05 oz (1g). They come packed safely in foam inside the box. The scales are powered by two AAA batteries which are supplied. A spare set of batteries is also supplied, which is a nice touch. The batteries are really easy to install, you do not need a screw driver for this.

The scale looks elegant with its chrome weighing platform and the black inset round the buttons. The weighing platform is large enough to hold a big bowl comfortably.

There are two buttons beside the display. The unit button toggles between grams and ounces whilst the tare button resets the scale to zero. This allows you to put a bowl on the scales and then reset them so the weight of the bowl is not taken into account. When the buttons are pressed they click to confirm.

The display is clear and easy to read from different angles. The scales will automatically turn off when they have not been used for two minutes which saves the battery. The Ozeri Pronto Kitchen Scale is a nice compact size and are easy to store when they are not in use. They are also very easy to clean, which is a definite plus as when I am baking I do tend to get flour everywhere. These are a nice easy to use scale which do exactly what you want them to do.

RRP £19.95 (but only £8.95 on Amazon)

Disclosure: I was sent some Ozeri Pronto Digital Scales in order to do an honest review.

Calin+ Yoghurt Review

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Dragons and Fairy Dust

Our family loves eating yoghurt and when we were asked if we wanted to try Calin+ yoghurt we were happy to give it a try. I was sent a voucher but I carried it around for quite a while as our local supermarket didn’t stock it. I was in the other day and I found some so added to my basket.
There were three flavours to choose from, Strawberry, Vanilla, Cherry or Apricot. I picked up the Vanilla flavour to try. The pots are a decent size and the yoghurt has a nice consistency, it is not too runny. Calin+ also has a lovely taste, the vanilla is not too strong or sweet.

I was pleased to learn that Calin+ is free from artificial flavours and contains real fruit. It is also less that 125 calories per 125 g pot and is less than 2.3 g saturated fat. What makes Calin+ different from other yoghurt is that it contains 100% of your daily Vitamin D needs as well as being rich in calcium.

Vitamin D is a vitamin that we normally get from the sun. Given the lack of sun in Britain it is not always possible to get enough vitamin D. Calcium is used to make bones healthy and vitamin D helps the body absorb it. If we do not get enough vitamin D it can effect our bone health and this is a tasty way of getting more in our diet.

The whole family loved the yoghurt, although looking at the website it does mention it is not suitable for children under 10 due to the amount of calcium it contains. It has been designed to meet an adult’s daily calcium allowance and children need less per day. My son is twelve so he was quite happy he was allowed to have some.

Calin+ is RRP £1.99 for a pack of four yoghurts and it is available inTesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s this month. You can find more information about Calin+ on their website: http://www.calinplus.co.uk

Disclosure: I was sent a voucher to buy some Calin+ yoghurt to do an honest review.