Lush Valentines Day 2022 First Impressions

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I recently went to my local Lush store and saw that the Valnetines Day range had dropped. I grabbed some of the products in this lovely range so I thought that today I would talk to you all about the range. 

Bath Bombs: 

Big Aubergine 

Who doesn't love a good 9 inch... bath bomb? This bath bomb has been out in a slightly smaller form but no matter what size this bath bomb is, its one that is adored by all. This bomb contains Bergamot, Ho Wood and Litsea Cubeba Oils, Tonka Absolute and Fresh Aubergine. The mixture of oils creates a sort of smoky creamy sherbet scent to me. If you are familiar with the scents at Lush then you may know this scent by the name of '29 High Street'. I think that this is a great bath bomb for Valentines Day for a gift or as a treat yourself gift. I think for myself, I would cut this bomb up just as I can't fathom spending £10 on a one use bath bomb. Priced £10. 

Love Bug 

Are you my Love Bug? This bath bomb looks so adorable and will definitely perk you up if you're having one of those meh days. Some of you may remember this bath bomb under their previous name 'Love Boat'. This bomb contains Sicilian Lemon, Sweet Orange and Rose Oils. I know that I said that Big Aubergine was reminiscent to sherbet in terms of scent but to me this one is definitely more sherbet reminiscent. I think where Big Aubergine had a sort of smoky note to it, this one has definitely a sort of light citrus note to it. In previous years, Love Boat reminded me more of a direct citrus scent where as Love Bug reminds me of a soft sort of citrus note. A pastel sort of version but in scent form if that makes any form of sense. I quite like this one and I think when it gets a bit warmer, this bomb would be perfect to use. Priced at £5. 

Mr. Loba Loba 

You're my Lobster! I instantly saw this bomb and thought of that very well know Friends scene! This bomb contains Benzoin Resinoid. Tonka Absolute and Almond Essential Oil. To me this is a very creamy smelling product. I quite enjoy creamy scented products from Lush as they have a soothing element to them without being one note like some other creamy smelling products that I have smelt before. To me, the Almond is there to boost the other oils up and doesn't really provide much of a scent but the other two oils create a sort of creamy, slightly sweet, slightly fruity scent which I really enjoy. It's cute, smells great and is fun for everyone. What's not to love? Priced at £3.50. 

Bubble Bars: 

Kim The Carrot 

Kevin's 15 minutes of fame has gone. Now it's time for Kim to shine! Okay, I have no idea if Kim was inspired by Kevin but well my mind instantly connected the two. I am not sure if the design was intentional which I mean it probably was because well Lush love to create a discussion, but, Kim can be shown to be nearly flashing something when her legs are crossed... Anyway, this bubble bar contains Benzoin Resinoid, Vanilla Absolute, Fresh Carrot Juice and Fresh Ginger Root. These oils combine to create a sort of creamy scent. To me, this bubble bar smells of those little candy cigarette sweets that everyone used to enjoy when they were younger. I know that this contains Ginger Root but as someone who loves Ginger as a ingredient in food and beauty products, I could not detect the Ginger Root at all! All in all a cool product with a nostalgic scent. Priced at £6. 

Shower: 

Temptation (I Can Resist Anything But Temptation)( Shower Gel 

Trust me, if you know me at all I can resist nothing... I love that Lush have shortened the name of this product online because I have trouble saying my name sometimes never mind the full title of this Shower Gel. This product contains Cinnamon Stick, Red Rose and Ginseng Infusion, Organic Apple Juice, Myrrh Resinoid, Orange Flower Absolute and Cinnamon Leaf Oil. To me, these ingredients combine to create a sort of Autumnal Red Apple scent to me. Sort of what you want to smell in a burning candle at the beginning of Autumn when the weather is getting cold. If you are familiar with scents from Lush then you may know the scent in this Shower Gel through the Apple Crumble Bubble Bar. All in all, a great shower gel that I will definitely use when I want that sort of mixture of spice and fresh Spring like Apples. Priced from £7 for a 100g bottle. 

Strawberry Heart Shower Jelly 

Everyone beats to their own drum! I love when Lush create a shaped Shower Jelly and this lovely slightly thematically dark Heart is no exception. I mean who doesn't want a squishy heart that only cleanses and nourishes the body but also that they can squeeze when thoughts of past lovers creep into their head? This product contains Fresh Strawberry Juice, Sicilian Lemon, Lime and Ho Wood Oils and Jasmine Absolute. To me, this concoction of oils creates a sort of fresh Strawberry Laces scent to me. I know that Strawberry Laces aren't fresh nor do they have a fresh scent to them but this product reminds me of a more real and slightly grassy smelling Strawberry Laces. I love everything about this product. The shape, the smell, the thoughts of pretending that this a real heart... Priced at £5

Soap: 

New Rose Soap 

Mmm... Smells like Rosebuds... This soap contains Lavender, Brazilian Orange, Ylang Ylang and Rose Hip Oils and Rose Absolute. This scent was out last Valentines Day in the form of Love Me Do Bath Melt. To me, this scent smells kind of like smoky and slightly wet fresh Cotton which I am not going to lie isn't my most favourite scent. Although I sound like I am slating it from the scent alone, I can grasp why some may really enjoy this scent palette especially in a soap format and I urge you all to go and smell it for yourselves. Priced at £7. 

Lips: 

Hot Lips Lip Mask & Scrub 

Who doesn't love a big pair of juicy Cherry Lips? I am a bit hesitant when it comes to products such as lip masks and sheet masks due to having barely a shred of dexterity and the products being so fiddly all of the time. However, this mask was easy to put on. I always need more nourishment when it comes to my lips due to my lip piercing so I was hoping this would do that and it really did! This product contains Davana, Lime and Almond Essential Oils which creates a lovely sort of Cherry Bakewell/Cherry Lips scent. This product also contains Bamboo Stem Extract which helps to scrub the lips through rubbing some of this product all over them. I think that this is such a creative product for Lush and I definitely think that you should all try it. I absolutely love it. Priced at £3. 

Have you checked out the new Valentines Day range from Lush? Let me know down below or on my social media channels. 

Check out Lush. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

The Chocolate Smiths 99 Ice Cream Bizarre Bar Review

 Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that today I would talk to you all about some amazing chocolate that I tried recently. 

The Chocolate Smiths are a small business based in the heart of Newcastle who create innovative inventive Chocolate bars that no one could ever think of. I have followed them for years on Instagram and with my anxious indecisive mind I have always wanted to get some of their products so I decided that finally I would. The best short way to sum up The Chocolate Smiths is that they are an amazing team who are living the dream of having their own fabulous chocolate factory in Newcastle that you can view thanks to Instagram stories. 

The texture of this bar was amazing. When I took a bite of this bar, the first sort of textural component that made me excited to eat more of this bar was the snap of the chocolate. I'm one of those people who likes to have fridge cold snappable chocolate rather than room temperature Chocolate. However, I tried some of this as soon as the parcel arrived and even at room temperature, the Chocolate was snappable  which I adored. That sort of snap contrasted with the creaminess of the fillings that were inside this bar was amazing. I love a good bit of smooth and crisp against each other. Furthermore, this sort of crisp versus cream texture war carried on after due to the wafter pieces that are also in this product. The wafer provided a different sort of crisp which I loved. A sort of more crunchy crisp if that makes any form of sense. I always look for different types of textures in my Chocolate products and boy this didn't disappoint me at all. Not only did this bar provide all of the textures but also provided all of the aesthetics that you could ever want in a Chocolate Bar. 

The taste of this bar was beautiful. The first flavour profile that jumped onto my tongue was the Chocolate itself. Slightly creamy but not rich. I realised that creamy but rich sounds simplistic but what I mean by that is that this bar has a sort of creamy note to it without being sickly which I loved due to having some mass produced bars that are so creamy that I can only have a couple of squares before I don't want to touch it for a fair while. Once the chocolate flavour calmed down, next on the flavour train was the filling. I love Raspberry. To be honest, the raspberry and vanilla filling was why I was drawn to this bar in particular. The Raspberry and Vanilla worked well together. I know when some hear Raspberry and Vanilla, they imagine those split flavour yoghurts but this was nothing like that. The Raspberry added a sharp burst to the whole bar and made you wanting more and more where as the Vanilla to me added a bit more of that creaminess but in a completely different way than the Chocolate did. I really enjoyed this bar as it kept surprising me. Finally on the train of taste was the Wafer Cone pieces. Oh my god these were amazing. These shards of cone added a salty edge to the bar and well all I will say is that if you know me at all then you will know that I am a lover of sweet and salty flavours together. This bar definitely took me on a ride and I loved it. 

Would I buy it again? Yes. I think that this bar is definitely one of those that you buy when you need a pieck me up. I know that some may say that £4.99 is a lot for a Chocolate Bar and it may be but you can tell why it is that price when you take a bite of this bar as you can see, feel and taste the love and craftsmanship the has gone into this bar. 

If you haven't checked out The Chocolate Smiths then please do by clicking on their name in this sentence as it will send you to all of their amazing and creative chocolate products. 

What's your favourite Chocolate Bar at the moment? Let me know down below. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Subway T.L.C (Tastes Like Chicken) Tikka Review

 Hey everyone! 

I recently had to go out to run some errands. Whilst on my little trip outside, I decided to grab one of the new T.L.C (Tastes Like Chicken) Tikka Subs from Subway UK. I thought that today I would talk to you all about my thoughts on this new Vegan Fast Food product. 

'Introducing our new plant-based T.L.C.® Tikka, unbelievably delicious. Packed full of flavour with traditional Indian spices, loaded with crispy veggies.' - Subway UK. 

As you know, Subway is the land of imagination and choices. I decided to choose Hearty Italian bread, Vegan Cheese Toasted, Red Onion, Mixed Peppers and Gherkins with Garlic Aioli as the components that would be helping the Vegan Tikka sing when it came to consuming this sandwich.

The texture of the TLC Tikka itself reminded me of a very succulent strip of Chicken. I will probably use this reference many times throughout this post, but, imagine a piece of the ready cooked chicken that you can get for picnics and such in the supermarket but more succulent. I love that Subway have decided to ensure that these TLC pieces were in strip form rather than in chunks as it made for a more easy eating experience in my opinion. The soft and succulent TLC pieces contrasted with the crisp vegetables and slightly crunchy bread is what really made this sandwich an amazing product to consume. 

When I wrapped my mouth around this perfect product, the first flavour that jumped onto my tongue was the slightly spicy yet slightly sweet Tikka flavouring. To me, it reminded me of a classic Tikka flavouring that you can find in many products around the UK but with a little bit more sweetness to it. It made me think that Mango or something fruit based had been added to the Tikka paste as it had a slightly fruity yet slightly sweet tang to it. This flavouring was the main star of the show. However, once this flavour had flown from my tongue, the flavouring of the TLC came through. To me, the flavour notes of the pieces themselves reminded me of a sort of a savoury broth. Not too strong in flavour, but enough to add a bit of umami to the pieces and Tikka flavouring that coated them. Finally, the last flavour that hit my palette was the mixture of sour and heat from the mixture of Onion, Gherkins and Garlic Aioli. The Peppers did add a bit of sweetness but I noticed that the sweetness mainly didn't stand out unless it was paired with the TLC pieces. This mixture of sour and heat was amazing against the slightly sweet bread. I love anything that has a Garlic kick to it so it made me enjoy this superb Sub even more. 

Would I purchase this again? Definitely. I would get it again and maybe change some of the vegetables that go into it up a bit. The Tikka pieces themselves were great and I would love them to be around all year round! I'm glad that Subway are adding more meat free options and hopefully the T.L.S (Tastes Like Steak) comes to all stores soon. Definitely a bright burst of flavour that we all need during this very cold January! 

Have you tried the T.L.C Tikka? Let me know down below! 

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

McDonalds UK McPlant Review

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post. I tried the McPlant from McDonalds recently and I thought that today I would talk to you all about it. 

'A vegan burger made with a juicy plant-based patty co-developed with Beyond Meat® featuring vegan sandwich sauce, ketchup, mustard, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and a vegan alternative to cheese in a sesame seed bun.'

The texture of this burger was amazing. I sometimes do think that the burger meat at McDonalds can vary and can sometimes be a little dry but this patty was anything but dry. It was succulent and honestly did feel very much like the texture of a succulent burger to me. It reminded me very much of a succulent burger or a Swedish meatball sort of texture. Even though this burger provided lots of succulency, it did also contain some crunch which was a pleasant surprise. The mixture of the crunchy Pickles and onions ensured that this burger wasn't one dimensional unlike some of the other meat free burgers that I have tried before. 

When I took a bite of this burger, the first flavour profile that hit my tongue was the meaty and slightly smoky plant based patty. This particular patty was slightly subdue when it came to tasting of 'meat' and smoke but still packed a kick. The flavour of the burger patty itself wasn't too strong and allowed the other components of the burger sing in harmony with the patty. When this flavour died down on my tongue, the vegan sauce was the next to board the flavour train that was flourishing in my mouth. This particular sauce contained notes of sweet and sour due to containing a plethora of sauces and powders. Due to this combination of sauces, it meant that every bite that I took was a different tasting experience. Last but not least, the fresh vegetables and cheese jumped onto my palette. The mixture of fresh and sour vegetables mixed with the creamy and slightly sweet Vegan Cheese made for a concrete combination. I love sweet and salty or sweet and sour so the mix of creamy cheese and sour pickles is definitely one that I enjoyed. 

Would I buy this again? Definitely! For someone who is lactose intolerant, finding a fast food product that doesn't completely upset my stomach and tastes great is very rare. The taste of this burger is sensational and surprise surprise, I have enjoyed this burger a fair few times now and I have enjoyed it every time that I have tucked into it. I am definitely glad that times are changing and more establishments are catering to a plant based audience. 

Have you tried this burger? From what I know, this burger is at limited stores until the beginning of this month (January 1st) and will be rolled to all stores throughout early January so that everyone can enjoy it during Veganuary. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x