AD / Gifted - Gus And Bella Box July 2019 Edition - Treats For You And Your Cats*

It seems to be an almost unwritten rule that you shouldn't work with children or animals, well in my case my cats are my children, and believe me this blog post has tested every ounce of my patience. I do forgive them though, I've had cats ever since I was a tiny little girl, and my 3 despite their many indiscretions really are my babies, all be it babies with whiskers, four legs and tails!

Okay, I probably do sound a little bit crazy, but I don't think there's anything wrong with that, any pet owner will tell you that their pets, aren't just animals they actually become part of the family, and their health and happiness is as important as any human in the household.

Someone who would agree with that statement entirely is Emily McMahon. Inspired by her experience of finding ways to both entertain and care for her two London born and bred, indoor cats, Gus And Bella. Emily created the Gus And Bella Box, which is specially designed to "deliver happiness to both cats and their humans".

I'm a huge lover of the subscription box idea, and being the crazy cat lady that I am the Gus And Bella box just ticks so many boxes for me. Not only does it contain a variety of high quality treats and wellness items for your furry friends but also contains cat themed treats for us human cat lovers. Every box contains 2 to 3 cat themed products from humans, 3 to 4 treats for your cats, the Gus And Bella Guide To Healthy Happy Cats, as well as the chance to win fabulous prizes with a random golden ticket giveaway.

Like most subscription boxes now there a variety of different subscription options, the best value option is to sign up for a monthly subscription option which costs £26.95 a month with £2.95 tracked P&P, but if that sounds like too much, you can also opt to receive a box every 2 months for £28.95 with the same P&P. If you aren't a cat fan though (why? what's wrong with you?) but someone you know is, you can also buy a one off gift box for £30 with the same tracked P&P.

The first box which is the July box is just hitting doormats now and Emily and the team were kind enough to send me a box to review.

 The box itself is made of a nice, sturdy cardboard, it can be easily closed and sealed back up so it's definitely one that you could reuse. The first things that you find when you open the box are two leaflets. The first one tells you about the box and the contents, and the second leaflet is The Gus & Bella Guide To Healthy, Happy Cats. This particular edition is all about having a healthy happy cat this summer and includes tips on how to keep you cat cool in the warm weather, and how to make your own kitty pool.

Underneath the leaflets, the contents of your box is securely wrapped in a large sheet of tissue paper. There were actually two layers of products in the box separated by a whole pile of white shredded paper. My boys especially have a thing for shredded paper so I'm not sure if it was the box contents itself or the shred that sparked Charlie and Max's interest - I'll let you decide ;)

Sass & Belle Set Of 3 Cutie Cat Lunchboxes

I think the thing that I really like about the whole Gus And Bella concept is the fact that is contains goodies for both yourself and your cats. Every Gus And Bella box will contain cat themed self care, beauty or lifestyle treats for you. Loving cats as I do I have loads of cat themed things around the house, from mugs, to aprons, t-shirts and even a couple of Sass & Belle cushions. I love Sass & Belle and their cute and quirky, home and lifestyle ideas and the first edition of the Gus And Bella Box contains two Sass & Belle items from their Cutie Cat range. The first item in the box was a set of three mini lunchboxes, the largest one is is just big enough for a sandwich or a pasta salad, and the two smaller ones are perfect for fruit or veg snacks. They are microwave safe without the lids and retail at around £6 for the set.

Sass & Belle Cutie Cat Picnic Bag 

The box also contains a coordinating lunch bag, also in the cutie cat design. It features a black and white cat design on a peach and pink background, and it has two peach, fabric carry handles. It's has an insulated foil lining, so all you need to do is add a cool pack, and this little bag is perfect for picnics and even for brightening up your work or school lunch. It has a recommended retail price of £5.

Candy Kittens Eton Mess Gourmet Sweets - 24g

I think all subscription boxes should contain sweeties, and in keeping with the cat theme, this box contains a packet of sweeties from one of my favourite brands Candy Kittens. Now I'm not that familiar with Made In Chelsea, but if you are Candy Kittens is the brain child of MIC alumni Jamie Laing. The gummies are gluten free and are suitable for vegetarians. These particular ones are strawberry flavoured and contain only natural colours and fruit juices, in the this real strawberry juice and coconut water. The peach ones are my real love but these are pretty nice and their shaped like cats! I can't find this particular size bag online but their 54g Pop bag retails at £1.

Test Your Cat - The Cat IQ Test By E. M. Bard

If you have pets how clever do you think they are? Mine definitely have their derpy moments and at times I think Charlie especially is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic but there is no doubt cats are very perceptive, and they figure things out pretty quickly. This next item is something for both you and your cats. This 128 page paperback book contains a series of questions and tasks, so you can find out just how clever your cat really is. I'm definitely going to do this with my 3 and who knows they might surprise me! This book has a recommend retail price of £5.99

Now the rest of the box is especially for the furry members of the family, although certain things like this teaser may cause happiness elsewhere depending on how acrobatic your cat is..

Rosewood Jolly Moggy Teaser Collection Premium Catnip Toy - Patchwork Fish Teaser 

When they were younger Charlie and Tallulah loved this type of toy, chasing things and jumping in the air, now they've reached feline middle age and beyond though, they are a lot more sedentary and not quite as playful, but they still have what we call their mad half hours where they'll run round and play with anything in the their way. Still being a kitten though Max loves toys and especially teasers like this, he'll chase them, roll around, and even do somersaults if the mood takes him.

Compared to some of them that we already own this is a nice quality one, it has a shorter, thicker, sturdier wand, that has a nice velour feel. It features three nicely designed and made, patchwork fish, that contain kitty crack itself catnip. Apologies that the video isn't the best but if you have Instagram keep on my account over the next few days, to see how Max really does love his patchwork fish!

As well as treat for us and toys for the fluff, the Gus And Bella Box also gives you the chance to to make better food choices for you cat. A lot of the cat food that we buy contains somewhat questionable ingredients but Gus And Bella promises to give you the chance to try some high quality, natural and grain free cat food brands. Cats can be notoriously picky and awkward when it comes to food, so this a great chance to try before you buy

Hi Life Chicken Breast Treats - 10g

Chicken, every cat I've ever owned has worshipped the poultry god, cooked, raw, in nuggets, or cat food, they don't really care - they just eat it, but what about freeze dried? These treats contain nothing but 100% natural, freeze dried chicken breast. There is nothing added just small bite sized pieces of chicken. Being a vegetarian I really notice how bad some cat treats smell but there was no real scent from these and the proof is in the eating I guess, Tallulah was a huge fan, and I had no complaints from the other two either. This 10g retails at around £1.59 and I will definitely be tracking some more of these down for the chicken eaters!

Purr And Miaow Complete Gently Steamed Chicken With Trout Fillets In Broth - 85g

As well as the treats July's Gus And Bella Box also contained two wet food pouches I haven't managed to try these on the babes yet but I will post "their thoughts" to Instagram when I do . This pouch from the fabulously named Purr And Miaow contains real meat and fish, with no sugar, no grains, no hidden ingredients and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. This pouch has an estimated RRP of 89p

Blink! Roasted Chicken & Tender Duck Complete Cat Food - 85g

Now I've seen a few ads for Blink! on Instagram so I'm quite curious to see what the monsters think about this one. Made in Northampton this pouch contains real, natural shredded fillets of meat, it contains no meat, derivatives, and again no added sugar, salt or grains. I can't find a price for the individual pouched but 8 x 85g pouches retail at around £7.50.

Pawsecco Freeze Pops - 50ml 

The final item is something a bit unusual. I saw a few bottles of the liquid Pawsecco in various supermarkets before Christmas but this is especially for summer! Basically what it is, is a ready to freeze ice lolly not for you but for your pets. Suitable for both cats and dogs these are ice lollies that are created with veterinary experts to help your pets stay refreshed in the summer heat. Obviously they're alcohol free, and they contain no grapes, but they contain lots of safe herbal extracts. I'm going to wait until it's bit warmer to try this out but if I can't persuade them to have a taste (because it isn't chicken!) then you can melt them into a bowl and they might drink it that way. If you fancy trying these for your pet then they retail at around £5.99 for 6 x 50ml lollies.

I've got to say that I love both the concept and the execution of the Gus And Bella Box. A box with cat themed items on its own would be perfect for a cat lover like me but team it up with treats for my hairy children and everyone is happy. I love the whole idea of trying new and more natural cat food brands, and I like the idea of, and the health and happiness information in the Gus And Bella Guide To Healthy, Happy Cats. 

I'm definitely going to consider subscribing myself and if you're a crazy cat person like me, and you fancy trying a Gus And Bella Box either for yourself or as a gift, then use my code LOULOU5 before 14th August to get your box for a special price starting at just £24.90 depending on which subscription option you choose. You can find out more about Gus And Bella and how to subscribe on their website.

If you have any questions please let me know , and if you're a cat own leave me a comment below and tell me about your cats x 

*Press Sample

Collaborative / Partnered Post - Small Steps To Help Improve Your Smile*

Confidence comes in many different forms. Whether it’s losing weight so you’re more comfortable with your body image, grooming yourself more elegantly or even trying to improve your posture, there are many things that we can do that will help to improve our confidence. and one of the most important things is smiling.

In my case though that's pretty ironic, as some one with facial nerve paralysis my smile more often than not was the one thing that destroyed my confidence. I spent years hating the fact that I was "different" and hating my "crooked", non symmetrical smile. I still have days now where I look in the mirror and wish that I was "normal', but now I try to embrace my smile, and it's uniqueness.

Smiling is a beneficial thing that helps us in many different ways, but like me, there are a lot of people who are just unhappy with the way that they smile. More often than not the reasons aren't as dramatic as mine, it's usually because they don't feel that their teeth are perfect. They could be unsightly, misaligned or even not as white as they could be. Some people may have lost teeth, and others might be really conscious about the smell of their breath - there really are so many reasons why people don't like flashing those pearly whites - So in this post, I'm going to show you a couple of steps that you can take to help you improve both your smile and your self confidence.

Source

1. Don’t try to do everything alone, speak to a specialist

There are far too many home remedies and tricks on the internet that simply don’t work, or that are in fact can be quite dangerous - so step away from that bottle of bleach and talk to someone who actually knows what they're doing!. Before trying those at-home methods of cleaning, and whitening your teeth, it's best to speak to a specialist such as Stella Maris Dental to get a proper clinical assessment before you decide to make any major changes to the way you approach your dental health or try something that you saw on the internet.

2. Upgrade your daily dental hygiene routine

There are many different ways to keep your teeth clean at home, but you might want to take a look at your regular dental hygiene routine to ensure that you’re taking good care of your teeth. You should be brushing at least twice a day; once when you wake up and once when you go to bed. If you’re serious about improving your smile, then you’ll also want to brush after meals to ensure that no food debris is laying around. Regular flossing will also make a huge difference because it cleans even those hard to reach areas where you just can't get a toothbrush.

3. Avoid coffee, tea and wine

Sorry to be a killjoy but it's a fact that these drinks can easily stain your teeth and should be avoided where ever possible. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you have to remove them completely from your diet, but if you’re able to cut down on them then you’ll see a drastic improvement in the sparkle of your teeth. Seriously though, if you're like me and you need that odd glass or red or that daily caffeine hit in your life then rinsing your mouth or having a light brush after consuming one of these drinks will help keep those stains at bay.

4. Have something to smile about

Let’s face it; forcing a smile is difficult and often kind of weird. If you genuinely have something to laugh and smile about then it makes it a lot easier for you to genuinely pull off a smile that you can be confident about. As a result, you want to surround yourself with positivity and give yourself something to smile about. Believe me though I know that isn't the easiest thing to do, and on some days it might be pretty much impossible but how ever much I struggle I try to find something good in every day, there should always be something that will make you smile, be it a memory, a good cup of coffee, or even a funny meme, sometimes the good things just take a bit of finding.

Smiling comes with many benefits and improving your confidence is just one of them. I hope that this post has helped you understand how you can take some small steps to help you to restore your smile and improve your teeth so that you can use it as a way to not only improve your dental health but also as a way to boost your confidence, and your self esteem.

*Collaborative / Partnered Post 

Unboxing Glossybox UK - June 2019 Edition - Summer Soiree*

Well, surprise, surprise I'm playing catch up again, life's got in the way again this week so I'm completely behind schedule but hopefully I can make it up to you, in the next few weeks, with a whole barrage of new posts :)

I've got quite a few unboxing posts to come but I thought I'd start off by talking about one of my favourite subscription boxes at the moment, Glossybox. Now from the photographs in this post, this particular Glossybox doesn't look that special, it's just the traditional pink and black box with the same pink and black, ribbon, paper shred and tissue. Nothing new or original there, but what you probably cant see from my pictures is the slightly different size. I was one of a number of Glossybox subscribers who were given the chance in June to trial a new size box  - it might look the same but it's actually a bit smaller and not quite as deep. I don't mind either way, I guess a smaller box could mean smaller products inside but it will be interesting to see if the box size does change in the future.

June's box was all about celebrating summer, and the contents was created to help you get ready for all of those summer occasions and events. I don't have really have any occasions or events planned over the next few months, but I think that I will still got a lot of use out the products in this box - Want to know what's inside? then read on x

Avant Skincare Pro Perfecting Collagen Primer Touche Eclat - 30ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £85

The first item in the box is something that was hinted at in May's addition, a make up primer from high end, cruelty free British skin care company Avant. I hadn't heard of Avant until I received a tube of their fabulous all in one eye, and night cream in the January addition of Glossybox (read my thoughts here), and it was love! It makes my skin feel like silk but unfortunately at £92 it is way, way out of my budget.

That's why then I was quite excited to be able to try another product from the range. This a lightweight primer promised to mattify and soften the skin, and to reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It contains Cetiol Sensoft to balance and soften the skin, and Isododecane to prevent patchy skin, and the evaporation of moisture, and to maintain skin elasticity.

The product itself is a white in colour, and has an almost serum like, cream gel feel, it's very runny so you have to be careful not to squeeze out too much at once. It has a slight scent but nothing too obvious.

Like most primers you apply it to the skin when your moisturiser has fully absorbed. It dried down quite quickly and a slightly mattifying in fact was visible all most straight away. It didn't feel too heavy or mask like and it didn't feel drying on the skin. I tried with a couple of different foundations and even with the thickest of consistencies I didn't notice any pilling or roll off. I think my foundation did last a tiny bit longer and my skin definitely seemed less oily.

I'm not a huge fan of heavy, greasy, or silicone primers, so this one was right up my street - it did the job and it didn't make my skin feel as though I was wearing a mask - I would definitely consider buying it again but it's so price prohibitive and there are so many similar and cheaper products on the market now that I'd probably save my money and go else where. The only place that I can find this product is direct from Avant, and whilst the packaging is different the product is the same, so if you fancy giving this a go, then you can expect to shell out about £85!!

Unwined By Hask Brut Rose Inspired Color Protect & Hydrate Deep Conditioner - 50g - Full Size - RRP £3.99

I first came across Hask as a brand many moons ago now in Primark, alas they no longer seem to stock this American hair care brand but its good to know that they are still alive and kicking, with an ever expanding range, that is readily available from Superdrug.

In June every Glossybox subscriber received one of three intensive hair masks and the one I received was specifically designed to protect and maintain hair colour. Like all of the other products in the range this mask is free from sulfates, parabens, gluten and artificial colours, and their products are also free from animal testing. The products in this particular range contain wine extract which is packed full of antioxidants which help to rejuvenate, strengthen and soften the hair. This particular mask also contains something called resveratrol which is found is grape skin, grapeseed oil, and rose and strawberry extracts.

After a brief and relatively unsuccessful flirtation with home hair colours (post coming soon!), I've actually been to the hairdressers today, the greys are covered and I now have fabulous, deep, dark red wine locks so I will be trying out this mask in due course to help maintain my colour x Keep an eye on my monthly empties posts to read my thoughts, but if you fancy trying this yourself then it's only £3.99 in Superdrug. 

Model Co Lip Creme Matte - Peachy Nude - 4ml - Full Size - Est. RRP £15

Next up a product from a subscription box, and magazine freebie favourite brand, Australian company Model Co.

I'm not going to lie but I can't actually find too much out about this product, other than it's both vegan and cruelty free - According to Glossybox it's a new launch and it promises long lasting highly pigmented colour.

The shade on offer in June's Glossybox is Peachy Nude, and that's probably a good call for the colour description too. It's definitely more of a brown nude, with definite peach tones. I'm not convinced this shade works on me particularly but hey ho...

Products like this need to applied pretty well in order to look amazing, and I don't always think that sponge applicators cut it - I know my lips aren't the perfect shape but with applicators like this, and darker shades I always feel like two year old trying to stay between the lines, feathering and smears eat your heart out! Other than my less than perfect application technique (people always blame their tools heehee!) that actually feels quite nice when you first apply it -  it has a nice fruity scent and taste and it feels quite smooth and creamy, give it a minute or two though and you can feel the moisture been sucked out of your lips. It darkens slightly as it dries down, and when it does it literally clings to every line and imperfection on your lips.

It's not horrible by any means, and it's definitely not the most drying matte lip colour that I've ever used but I whether it's down to the colour or the texture I just don't think I'm a fan. On the plus side it does wear incredibly well, I almost never end up having any lip colour on to take off at the end of the day but I did with this one, shame about the butt hole lip type fading though.

So I'm afraid this product isn't really for me but if you fancy trying it yourself then I'm afraid you'll need to scour the net - I can't find this particular product anywhere apart from on ebay and I think we can guess when they came from...

Sleek Make Up Face Form Contour & Blush Palette - Light - 20g - Full Size - RRP £9.99

From something that I didn't get on with, to something that I most definitely did! This fabulous palette from Sleek actually comes in four shades, but from what I gather there were only two available in June's Glossybox - Fair and Light. I would have been happy with either colour to be honest but I received Light and I couldn't be happier.

Officially called a blush and contour palette, this compact palette contains 3 good sized shades - a matte bronzer / contour powder, a gorgeous shimmery champagne illuminator / highlighter, and a shimmery golden peach / pink blush.

I knew on sight that this palette could be a winner, and that was confirmed with one, quick swatch. All of the colours are soft, and silky smooth and the pigmentation is amazing. The shades blend easily into the skin and into each other. You can use the whole kit together or you can use them, as individual components, and you can even use the bronzer the champagne shades on your eyes.

This is a lovely kit that is perfect for your handbag or your travel bag - you can use it in so many different ways and the shades are perfect for paler skins. I've lost count of how many cheek products that I have in my collection but even with all the competition in my stash, this product has still became one of my most used make up items over the last month. As I say it comes in four shades, so you're bound to find one to suit. It retails at around £9.99 and it's available from Sleek stockists including Boots and their own website.

Meech N Mia Eyeshadow Chubby Stix #054 - 2.2g - Full Size - RRP £12.99

Subscription boxes really can be a mixed bag and you never truly know anything about a product until you try it. When I saw this chunky gold eyeshadow pencil in my box I was really excited - I love the convenience of products like this and I love trying new brands like Meech N Mia.

Meech N Mia, who don't test their products on animals, claim that this is a highly pigmented, smooth and blendable pencil with a rich creamy texture, but are they right?

I love the ease and the convenience of pencils like this, they're great when you're in a hurry or you're feeling a little bit lazy, all you do is just swipe the pencil over your eyelids, maybe blend a bit if you have time, and you're ready to go. I had high hopes for this one but it just didn't cut the mustard. It wasn't the softest or the creamiest of pencils and it whilst it was easy enough to swatch it on my wrists, applying it to my eyes was a different story! I found I had to press quite hard to get any colour payoff, and I definitely as though it was dragging and pulling on my eyelids - it just wasn't soft enough or creamy enough - once I managed to get some colour it did last quite a while but with all of the pulling and dragging it just wasn't worth it - I'm going to try sharpening it a bit or even heating the tip to see if that improves the texture - I won't give up on it just yet but I can't say I'm hopeful and for £12.99 I don't think I would repurchase. The only retailer I can find this at is direct from Meech N Mia.

So that was late review of June's Glossybox, and even though I didn't get on with a couple of the products it wasn't a bad box - the value was definitely there and the Sleek palette in my opinion more than made up for any disappointments elsewhere. Let me know your thoughts on this box this comments and if you fancy trying July's box which contains a bottle of Moroccanoil, then click this link to find out more x 

*This Post Contains Affiliate And Non Affiliate Links