Soph Lou's: April 2015

WEEKEND VLOGS

Monday, April 27, 2015

Chocolate Treasures is a brand new innovative company who have combined two of most women's favourite things, chocolate and diamonds! They provide a luxury box of chocolates with a hidden treasure in a miniature box wrapped in foil to cleverly look like a chocolate, which has a piece of jewellery inside which can range between £10-£250. This would make a fantastic gift for a loved one or an exciting treat for yourself. I was lucky enough to receive one of the first boxes of pre-orders from Summer who is the founder and managing director at Chocolate Treasures. Summer is behind the whole concept as she is a jewellery and chocolate fanatic who loves a surprise, so what better way to combine all of those elements together. I couldn't wait to open the beautifully wrapped box of chocolates and find out what treasure was inside.

But before I show you what my hidden treasure was I have to express who gorgeous these chocolates are! They are amazing, They remind me of the Ms. Honeys special chocolates in the film Matilda. You get an assortment of 20 Milk, White and Dark Chocolates which do contain Nuts, Soya , Wheat , gluten, Milk and Eggs. They are suitable for vegetarians and Summer also hopes that in the near future they can offer a range for allergy sufferers so that everyone can enjoy the Chocolate Treasures Box. My absolute favourite from the box is the Creme Brulee Chocolate.

Now onto to the most exciting part, The hidden treasure 'Chocolate'. This is foil wrapped and in the centre of the box of chocolates. The hidden treasure's can include either Earrings, A ring or a Necklace ranging from £10-£250. You get to chose when ordering which jewellery box you would prefer and you can also state a preference. When I asked Summer about the preference box here is what she said -

''The preference box on the website is there for customers to state what kind of jewel they would like. This could be choosing a specific colour jewel or setting, i.e. Band ring/trilogy etc. It could be that they want something simple, a small pendant/pair of earrings or something larger and more sparkly! (This is all subject to availability. Providing we have the stock, we will fulfil preferences). I love the idea of allowing people to choose something which is more unique to their own style, after all, this product is especially for them. It could also come in handy if people are buying the box as a gift. I hate the feeling of buying a present and doubting whether the recipient is going to like it, (maybe it's not quite their style) so this way, it will hopefully give the buyer more confidence. :-)''

So as you can see, Summer is so kind and is doing everything she can to ensure all her customers are 100% happy with their Chocolate Treasures Box. You can purchase your box in confidence that you will be giving this box as the perfect surprise gift for someone with this special feature.

The Hidden Treasure box is very well packaged inside a small container wrapped in foil. Inside that is a cellophane wrap with your treasure inside. My Treasure is a stunning sterling silver necklace with a round sparkly pendant. Summer is also hoping to be able to offer gold as an option in the future but for now all the treasures are sterling silver. The necklace is quite weighty so I knew it would be worth more than £10.

My new necklace is so pretty and I cant wait to wear it! I rarely wear necklaces but this is nice and dainty yet still sparkly enough as a statement piece to be worn on a special occasion. My Hidden Treasure Necklace is valued at £45 which is amazing! Its so exciting to see whats inside the hidden treasure and then to find out its worth £45 is such a bonus!

The Chocolate Treasures boxes are £24.99 , but Summer has given me an exclusive code for all my followers/ subscribers to use and enjoy which makes the box £19.99! Use the code BLOG20 when purchasing your Chocolate Treasures box from the website. I don't get commission when you use this code its simply for you to enjoy!

Let me know in the comments what you think of The Chocolate Treasures Box and The Hidden Treasure 'Chocolate' Surprise? Would this be something you would buy for someone or yourself?

Be sure to also check out Chocolate Treasures on Facebook and Twitter!

*This post contains items sent for review.

Nails

ON WEDNESDAYS WE WEAR PINK

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

fruit tea

BIRCHALL TEA HAUL

Friday, April 17, 2015

As you may know back in January I cut out most of my Caffeine in take by cutting out coffee and Pepsi from my diet. I still enjoy 1-2 cups a day of either green tea or fruit tea which is much better for keeping my caffeine levels as low as possible. As I was on the hunt for a new hot drink to start and end my day with and enjoy as much as I used to enjoy coffee, I came across loads of new Tea brands that I hadn't heard too much about and loved the look of Birchall Tea in particular. Not only is the packaging/branding so luxurious but the tea ranges that they have on offer sounded phenomenal!

Birchall Tea where kind enough to send me a selection of their award winning tea for me to review and I've really enjoyed trying new flavours I wouldn't have thought to pick up! I've only had the new teas for a few days but I couldn't wait to try out the Green Tea & Peach loose leaf tea first as I hadn't tried loose leaf tea before and it sounded so tasty! I used my Tea Infuser from The Range to steep the loose leaf tea in hot water for around 5 minutes. It was as amazing as I'd hoped, It was full of sweet fruity peach flavour with the green tea undertone. I didn't used to be a fan of Green Tea's but this one will forever be a favourite after only 3 days as its amazing! I highly recommend you try this Tea if you want the benefits of Green Tea but don't enjoy the taste.

What Birchall say about their Green Tea & Peach...

Birchall Green Tea & Peach is a traditional green tea, blended with real fruit pieces and marigold flowers. This full flavoured, aromatic green tea is a plentiful source of anti-oxidants, which are known for their cleansing and detoxifying qualities and contains less caffeine than black tea, making it a wonderful substitute that can be enjoyed throughout the day. Once steeped in hot water, our vibrant green leaves unfurl to produce a rich, deep yellow infusion with a sweet fruity fragrance that is smooth, light and rounded with delicate floral notes.

I'd never tried Peppermint tea either and as soon as I had ripped open the sealed packaging of the tea bag...WOW! The Peppermint scent is so fresh yet calming and not to mention how stunning the packaging of the tea bag is. I know what your thinking how can the packaging of a tea bag be stunning??? well its like a little silky prism with the freshest tea leaves inside. Ordinary tea bags just look so compact and bland compared to the leafy amazingness of the Birchall Tea's. This tea is described as Fresh & Invigorating which it certainly is and I love it! And its Caffeine free, which is an added bonus!

What Birchall say about their Peppermint Tea...

Birchall Peppermint is a classic herbal tea made from only the finest pure peppermint leaves. Peppermint is traditionally acknowledged to aid digestion and our luxurious single mint infusion is entirely caffeine free, making it perfect as an after-dinner digestive or as a late evening refreshment. Our pursuit of quality ensures we have only picked whole peppermint leaves for this blend and it is these that give Birchall Peppermint its deep amber infusion, vibrant, awakening aroma and cool, minty taste.

Last night I had the pleasure of trying the Red Berry & Flower Herbal tea before bed and its also another fresh, calming , caffeine free blend which is full of fruity sweet flavour. It was a bright red shade which when sipped from my clear Bodum mug is very enjoyable.

What Birchall say about their Red Berry & Flower Tea...

Birchall Red Berry & Flower is a luxuriously smooth blend of sweet red berries and refreshing hibiscus. This full flavoured red fruit tea is a plentiful source of anti-oxidants and is naturally caffeine free, so you can enjoy it at any time of day. Our pursuit of quality ensures we have expertly balanced the sweet taste of strawberry in this infusion with the richer, distinctive notes of elderberry and hibiscus flower. It is these ingredients which combine perfectly to give Birchall Red Berry & Flower its deep, rich ruby-red liquor, lush, candied aroma and intense, fruity flavour.

All of the tea's that I have tried from Birchall Tea so far have really blown me away. I thought the cheaper super market range where nice before these now there really is no going back as these teas are luxurious , fresh and full of only the best tea leaves for maximum flavour. And they are a reasonable price for such quality tea also with the loose leaf tea being £4.60 for 50g and the 20 prism tea bags being £4.20. So not as cheap as other brands but I think its worth it for the quality and flavour of this range!

I cannot wait to try the rest of the Birchall Teas which include the breakfast blend Great Rift and Great Rift Decaf, the Pfunda Earl Grey tea , the fruit and herbal infusions Camomile , Lemon grass & Ginger and Organic Red Bush Tea.

Birchall Tea have also been so kind as to offer all of my subscribers/ followers a 20% discount code off your first order untill 20th July using the code SJ0420 , I do not get commission if you use this code , its just for you to enjoy :)

Have you tried Birchall Tea, Which flavour is your favourite? Or which flavour sounds most exciting to you? Be sure to leave me a comment below the ' You might also like section'.

*This post contains Products sent for review. All opinions are my 100% honest opinion.

Candle

YANKEE CANDLE SIMPLE HOME GRAPEFRUIT

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Chokablok

CHOKABLOK THIS EASTER

Friday, April 03, 2015

ChokaBlok caught my eye back last year when I spotted their amazing chocolate bars on the shelf at Tesco. All their chocolate bars and ice creams are totally 'ChokaBlok' With tasty mouth watering treats which look totally different to many of the chocolate bars in the confectionery isle at the moment. So when I walked past their Easter Egg range I just knew I had to do a blog feature on them because...well look at them!!! Delicious right? They are something different from the normal Easter Egg and I'm sure anyone lucky enough to receive one of these eggs would be Egg'static, excuse the pun :) I'll give you a little run down of what Tesco say about their gorgeous ChokaBlok Range ...

Tesco ChokaBlok Banoffee Bonanza Giant Easter Egg - There's nothing better than banoffee pie for dessert. Unless it's a chunky milk chocolate egg packed with sweetened banana chips and chewy toffee pieces that you can eat any time. Our cheeky chefs have loaded the front too with a huge swirl of super thick white chocolate packed with more banana chips, white chocolate chunks and yes, more chewy toffee pieces.

Tesco ChokaBlok Very Berry Eton Mess Giant Easter Egg -There's nothing wrong with getting a little egg on your face. Well, so long as it comes from a chunky shell of creamy white chocolate. You get loads of fruity goodies, too. We've packed a handful of freeze dried strawberries and raspberries, decorated with a raspberry flavour pink splodge, and studded it with pieces of sweet and crunchy meringue.

Tesco ChokaBlok Choc Extremist Giant Easter Egg - Embrace your inner chocolate addict. A seriously thick Belgian milk chocolate shell loaded with dark and white chocolate chunks and chocolate covered malty balls with even more scrumptious chocolate treats revealed in a flood of dark chocolate.

Tesco ChokaBlok Billionaires Giant Easter Egg - Stand well back, somethings ticking. A thick, rich Belgian milk chocolate shell front loaded with explosive mouthfuls of chocolate coated shortcake biscuit, honeycomb pieces and chewy caramel fudge chunks, with even more treats locked into its thick, chunky shell.

Tesco Chokablok American Dreamcake Giant Easter Egg - Our chefs say that when somebody coined the phrase sweet dreams they were probably talking about this egg. A super thick shell of our white chocolate swirled with dark chocolate and packed with biscuit and chocolate brownie pieces. Even when it's gone, you'll still be daydreaming about it.

And if you not a huge chocolate fan then they also make Ice-cream and chilled treats , I especially have my eye on the Cookie Dough Mon-Star Ice Cream tub as it looks YUM!

Like I said, They sound AMAZING!!! And I cant wait to get my Easter Manicured Hands on one of these this weekend :)

Whats your Favourite type of Easter Egg? Let me know in the comments below the ' You May Also Like ' tab :) I hope you all have a Fantastic Easter Weekend!