Review: Wassen Collagen Drink For Radiant Looking Skin

Having turned 50 last year I have recently been boosting my skincare regime (such as it is these days since I had kids!) with collagen drinks.  Collagen is the main structural protein of the various connective tissues in our bodies and skin and makes up from 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content. This makes it important, not just for glowing skin but the overall health of our bodies.

My 51 year old face!

When we are young, our skin stays plump thanks to collagen which holds the skin together, giving it smoothness and elasticity.  As we age though, collagen production slows and existing collagen can get damaged through sun exposure and bad skin habits.  In other words, we start to wrinkle and sag!

My usual brand of collagen drink, Collagen Gold is expensive - at £35.99 for 10 bottles, although it contains a mix of additional vitamins and minerals, so I was interested to find that Wassen International have launched their own Collagen Drink which contains 5g of Peptan© hydrolysed
collagen.

Wassen's version contains 100mg of Vitamin C, 15mg of Vitamin E and 2mg of Manganese which protects your cells from oxidative stress.  It differs from other collagen drinks in that it comes as a powder in an individual sachet which is mixed with 50ml of water to give a pleasant tasting orange drink.

This is a big bonus because I find my usual collagen drink catches the back of my throat and stings slightly so I always have to gulp it quickly.  No such problems with the this version. Wassen advise 1 sachet per day preferably for 8 weeks or longer to see the full benefit but they do not make any grand claims of plumper skin or wrinkle reduction within this time-scale.

The biggest plus of the Wassen Collagen Drink for me is its price point - £19.99 for 10 sachets - a whacking great saving of £16 every 10 days which makes this collagen drink more accessible.  Yes Collagen Gold has a greater mix of vitamins and minerals but nothing which could not be easily supplemented by an over the counter multivitamin.

I will say that, having taken Collagen Gold for a while (some 3 or 4 months) I have seen some improvement in my skin so it will be interesting to see if the Wassen Collagen Drink has a similar effect.  I think taking collagen is one of those things the benefits of which will take at least 3 months to see, despite claims of plumper skin from rival products within 8 weeks.  I am interested in the effect collagen will have on my health as a whole, not just on hopefully reducing my 'laughter lines'!

Peptan© Collagen, according to Wassen International (who have 35 years of research behind them), supports the following:-

• younger looking skin
• moisture levels
• smoothness
• prevention of deep wrinkle formation
• improved suppleness
• bone density
• joint health
• post exercise recovery
• weight control (as a satiating macronutrient)

As you can see, it potentially has far greater benefits than just a skincare supplement, particularly for those of us who are peri-menopausal (that's probably you if you're over 40 by the way).

If you are interested in adding collagen to your skincare and supplement regime, I think Wassen's Collagen Drink is an ideal starting point.

For more information and to buy, go to www.wassen.com where there is currently a 50% off offer or www.boots.com where the product is currently on a 3 for 2 promotion.

Read more

Father's Day Gift Guide - Gadgets & Gizmos

If your dad is techy, geeky or IT mad, here are a selection of gifts which will make him happy.

CoPilot GPS - the award winning sat nav app.

This app was voted by Which? as the 'only best sat nav app' in 2014 and it has some very useful key features to take the stress out of those daily commutes and weekend family trips to help make driving an enjoyable experience. For instance:-

Calcuate Fuel Costs – calculate your estimated fuel costs for a trip before you leave, so you’re well prepared for the journey ahead.

Google Local Search – search the internet to find your favourite nearby stores, local businesses or services to navigate to, call or check out the user reviews.

Find My Car – CoPilot works offline, so you won’t have to worry about racking up mammoth data roaming bills.

Voice Command - CoPilot now responds to voice commands for hands-free control. Just say, “CoPilot, take me home,” or “CoPilot, take me to work,” and the app will do just that.

CommuteMe - This takes the hassle out of the daily drive by intelligently learning a driver’s preferred route to and from work. It then automatically scans the route for traffic to avoid delays and provide an accurate arrival time. If a driver starts to prefer a new route, CommuteMe recognizes the change and proactively adapts.

The app is also very easy to gift by simply going to iTunes and searching for CoPilot GPS. Once you have selected the appropriate version of the app, scroll down and you’ll find ‘’gift the app’’ you can then send the code to an email address with a personalised note to your dad.

CoPilot is available on IOS, Windows Phone 8 and Android! CoPilot GPS have recently partnered with leading Road Safety Charity, Brake about safer use of mobile technology when travelling by car. They have a video about their partnership you can watch here.

The app is usually priced at £19.99 for UK maps and £33.99 for EU maps (which is also available in HD for £34.99) and available on iOS, Android and Windows.

Further information is available HERE.

TabletTV (from £64.99)

TabletTV is a simple device which lets you watch Freeview TV channels via your tablet anytime, anyplace and for free.

There is no reliance on 3G, 4G or WI-FI, all you need is a TV signal, tablet and the free TabletTV app (available to download from the App Store). You can even record live TV and watch it later on – ideal for keeping the little ones quiet during long car journeys or flights.

TabletTV allows you to:-

- watch live television absolutely free on your tablet in most European Countries* without any cables, satellite or internet

- one-touch-recording so you can record and catch up on your favourite shows whenever you like

- a home network feature allowing you to easily flick between the TV and internet, so you can join in conversations on social media without interrupting your viewing

It comes in two tuner models: the mains tuner (￡64.99) enabling your tablet to act as an extra screen and a portable tuner (￡69.99), which easily slips into a coat pocket or bag while you are out and about.

TabletTV is available to buy via the TabletTV website www.tablettv.co.uk or Amazon.co.uk - no subscription required.

Amazon Fire HD 6 and HD 7 From £79

If your dad likes apps, entertainment and surfing the web, he’ll love one of Amazon’s Fire tablets. The Fire HD 6 and HD 7 offer dads the perfect gateway to millions of songs, movies, TV shows, books, apps and games, it even has front and rear-facing cameras - ideal for Skype or a cheeky selfie with the kids.

Amazon Kindle £59 

If dad likes to relax with a good book, Kindle offers on demand access to over three million books, magazines and newspapers. With a touchscreen display that reads like real paper and built-in Wi-Fi that means dad can download books in 60 seconds, Kindle is super simple to use and the perfect gift for any dad who loves to read.

Monster Superstar Backfloat High Definition Bluetooth Speakers RRP £11.95

From pioneering audio brand, Monster, the Superstar BackFloat is engineered to keep pumping out high performance Pure Monster Sound, even whilst floating on water! It can be used at the pool, in the shower or just use it as a speaker. It's available in Black/ Neon Blue and Black/Neon Green.


Or there's the iSport Bluetooth Wireless Superslim™ in-ear with Bluetooth RRP £129.95 - super slim, low profile wireless in-ear headphones which feature a comfortable easy-to-wear patented sport clip which stays in your ear promising a perfect and comfortable fit. It gives total noise isolation with exceptional wireless sound quality which will keep the user focused on the most intense workouts and extreme outdoor sports.

Monster products are available from www.shopmonsterproducts.co.uk and selected retailers nationwide.

One For All's new Smart Zapper (£34.99)

This will turn dad’s smartphone into a universal remote control. It is an advanced ‘bridge’ that sits on the coffee table and translates Bluetooth Smart signals into Infrared.  It will convert his tablet or smartphone into a universal remote control for all his home cinema equipment. Just use it in conjunction with the free Nevo iOS or Android app and full zapper functionality can be configured on his smart phone or tablet in under three minutes! Stockists: Maplin or www.oneforall.co.uk. The Nevo app is free from the Google Play Store or the iTunes App Store (search for Nevo under ‘Universal Electronics’).

TomTom Golfer (£179.99)

If your dad is golf mad then the TomTom Golfer could revolutionize the time that he spends on the course. It will help him to plan his game and quickly make informed decisions using the full screen graphics of hazard and green distances. It has one-button control and easy to navigate through menus. The TomTom Golfer comes pre-loaded with course data from over 34,000 different courses and is available from American Golf, Direct Golf, John Lewis and Argos.

TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio GPS Sports Watch - £209.99

The TomTom Multi-Sport Cardio GPS Sports Watch is equipped with a built-in heart monitor so there is no need to wear a bulky chest strap. He can track progress against goals and know that he’s in the right heart rate training zone whatever he wants to achieve. There are five different intensity levels from ‘easy’ to ‘fat burn’ to keep dads of every level challenged! With different colour straps to choose from including red/grey and turquoise/red, dads can ensure their gear is always as fashionable as they are. Available from Sweatshop, Runners Need, Up & Running and John Lewis.

So there you have it.  Gifts to suit the most techy of dads! I'm not letting the Husband see this.

PR samples were received from CoPilot and TabletTV

Read more

Our Father's Day Gift Guide

It's Father's Day on Sunday 21st June and as usual the hunt is on to give a special gift that your dad will appreciate - particularly if, like mine, he claims not to want anything and demands that you don't go to too much trouble.  You know, of course, that if you were to ignore the day, there would be ructions.

Here are a few ideas to suit varying budgets and levels of  dad-fussiness.

Personal Grooming Gifts

Gillette and Braun have a great range of shaving products for your dad.  The Husband tried the Braun WaterFlex WF2s Blue Shaver. Wet & Dry (Boots.com RRP £159.99) and was impressed with the close shave it gave, even in the shower.  It has a contour adaptive swivel head and is fully waterproof. It also has an Optiblade foil, which Braun say is their "most advanced foil with ergonomically sized holes that cut hair deeper than ever before".  The shaver has a rechargeable Li-Ion battery which fully recharges in one hour for 45 minutes of cordless shaving and an LED display to show how much battery is left. There's even a convenient 5 minute quick charge function for fast and easy shaving.

He tried the shaver with some new products from The Real Shaving Co. - their new 3 step system of products including the Daily Face Scrub, the Sensitive Shave Cream (or Sensitive Shave Gel) and the Sensitive Anti-Ageing Moisturiser.  I had a lovely morning teasing him about his new found metrosexual tendencies, but he liked the products and the combined effect of the Braun Shaver and his new 3 step routine gave him a face far softer than mine!

The Face Scrub has gentle exfoliating beads with added almond oil and cocoa butter whilst the Sensitive Shave Cream contains Allatoin to sooth the skin.  The Sensitive Anti-Ageing Moisturiser has an advanced soothing formula with Q10.  The products retail at £3.99 for the Face Scrub and  the Shave Cream (or Shave Gel) and £4.99 for the Moisturiser and are available from Boots.com.

Sweet Treats & Boozy Gifts

How about some Lily O'Brien's Desserts Collection Chocolates (£6.00) - one of a range of chocolate collections from the Irish chocolatier?  This tempting collection contains 18 chocolate mini desserts including Creme Brûlée, Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Infusion, Passion Fruit Posset, Banoffee Pie and Hazelnut Torte.

There is also the Lily O'Brien's Ultimate Chocolate Collection (£5.00) which includes 16 Chocolates such as Double Chocolate Truffle, Simply Chocolate, Le Crunch Chocolat, Sticky Toffee, Hazelnut O'Brien, Caramel Macchiato, Death By Chocolate, Zesty Orange Chocolate, Lemon Meringue Pie and Praline Perfection. Indulgence overload!

Pocket money options include the Lily O'Brien's Dark Chocolate Stem Ginger Batons (£2.50), dark chocolate infused with real pieces of stem ginger in a handy re-sealable snacking pouch, Lily O'Brien's Milk Chocolate Creamy Caramels with Sea Salt Discs Sharing Pouch (£2.50), or the Lily O'Brien's Le Crunch Chocolat Pouch (£2.50), buttery crispy crumbs of caramelised French biscuits mixed with creamy milk chocolate.  Lily O'Brien's chocolates are available in selected supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's.

Or what about a dram of luxury single malt whisky?

We tried Laphroaig Select (£34.99 from retailers such as Morrisons, www.thewhiskyexchange.com and www.masterofmalt.com. It has a deep smoky taste but a surprising gentle sweetness. We also tried The Ardmore Legacy (£29.99) from retailers such as Tesco and Morrisons.  The whisky is a great introduction to peated single malt whisky, having a full bodied and smooth taste that is dry, spicy and has notes of creamy vanilla, smoky charcoal and savoury spices.

If wine is more to your dad's taste, why not try Lindeman's, Australia's number one heritage wine brand. Available at all good supermarkets nationwide including ASDA, Morrison’s, Waitrose, OCADO and off licenses, the brand's Bin Range has been spruced up with the new Lindeman's logo and a nod to Dr Henry Lindeman's philosophy that "the one purpose of wine is to bring happiness". He sounds an eminently sensible chap.

There is the Lindeman’s Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc with fruity tones of green apples, which complement fresh flavours, like salads, making it a perfect choice for barbecues. Then there is the Lindeman’s Bin 35 Rose, a soft, fruity wine or Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay, a medium variety ideal for a celebratory family lunch, or on a sunny evening – if he doesn’t want to share. We tried the Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz which has berry plum flavours and a touch of spice, a perfect complement to a roast or just for easy drinking with bread, cheese and olives.

For further information about Lindeman’s and the rest of its Bin Series, just visit www.lindemans.com.

After so much indulgence why not give Dad this V neck compression ToneTee T-Shirt from Highstreet.TV? (£9.99).  It's a control base layer which has body-shaping qualities.  It's made from 360 degree high tech fabric which targets key problem areas which will help Dad look visibly slimmer and more athletic looking.

The Husband found it surprisingly comfortable and it did seem to have a slimming effect on what Caitlin and Ieuan refer to as the "daddy podge".

Well, we girls have to get our own back, don't we?

PR samples were received for the writing of this post.

Read more

Snack-time Treats With The Fabulous Bakers

The Fabulous Bakers from Oxfordshire have just reformulated their cakes, muffins, flapjacks and bars using natural ingredients with no artificial additives.  So, I duly recruited my crack panel of taste testers (oh alright, the kids) to give them a whirl.

Individually packaged and ideal for popping in lunchboxes and serving up as elevenses treats, we tried the Double Chocolate Mini Muffins, the Fabulous Bars of Berry Good Things and the Fabulous Mango & Pineapple Bars.

The Double Chocolate Mini Muffins have a lovely gooey chocolate ganache centre and like the rest of the range are suitable for vegetarians.  Each muffin contains around 123 calories.  They are, however, very moreish.  The 8 x multipack of mini muffins retails at £1.50.

The Berry Bars and Mango and Pineapple Bars are part of The Fabulous Bakers new range of oaty cereal bars (there is also a Banana Brunch Bar).  There are also popcorn bars in "Raspberry & White Chocolatey" and "Apricot, Almond & White Chocolatey". Cupcakes and flapjacks complete the completely reformulated range. A 4 pack of the Bars retails at £1.79.  The Fabulous Bakers products are available at Asda, Ocado and, shortly, Sainsburys.

True to their word, The Fabulous Bakers' products taste natural and not synthetic or overly sugared. We found they made a great change from our usual biscuits.  I'll also be popping a couple of muffins into Ieuan's lunchbox for his school trip to Barry Island (or Barrybados as we know it locally).  Is there anything more exciting to a kid than a packed lunch?!

And I like The Fabulous Bakers' philosophy of #Fabulous World Actions which you can read about at thefabulousbakers.com. For example they support Inner-City Bee Habitats and have a "Reduce, Cycle, Recycle Initiative".  The box the muffins came in was made of 70% recycled cardboard.

You can learn more about The Fabulous Bakers at facebook.com/fabbakers or on Twitter @fabbakers.

Read more

Review: Ed's Easy Diner, Cardiff

Ed's Easy Diner in St. David's Shopping Centre, Cardiff.  A little bit of Americana here in the UK, although Ed's started in Soho, London over 25 years ago.  Its interior lures you with shiny chrome and a red and white colour scheme.

There are neon lights a plenty, a retro jukebox from which you can select your favourite 50's classic (and the money goes to charity) and the chance to blow the diet and indulge in comfort food as pleasing to families as I suspect it is to students suffering from the night before.

Leaving aside the risk that listening to "Tell Laura I Love Her" might dampen your enthusiasm for giant portions burgers and steaming hot fries, the atmosphere when we went (a Saturday lunchtime) was buzzing. Incidentally why do so many of the 1950's classic love songs involve dying horribly in accidents?  Just a thought.

I may be hiding in this picture somewhere

What I love about Ed's is that is does not pretend to be something it is not.  Aside from a nod to 'gluten free' and a small selection of salads,  this is food to expand the waistband and reassure you that ice cream does indeed solve many of life's little problems.

The staff (clearly unaffected by the more mournful ballads) were cheerful and upbeat.  There was a queue outside and a fast turnover.

Drinks arrived swiftly (diet coke, sparkling water, lemonade and milk) in generous sized glasses, whilst the kids were kept occupied by the obligatory kids menu / puzzle sheet.

The kids menu differs from the others we have tried (for example, Prezzo and Carluccio's) in that menu choices are priced individually.  A Junior Burger, Puppy Dog (junior hotdog) or Chicken Tenders are £4.45 and come served with a choice of Fries or Salad.  Desserts are Junior Sundaes (two scoops of ice cream with a choice of sauce) at £1.95 or there are junior milkshakes (£2.05) or a choice of soft drink and milk.  This is slightly more expensive in that drinks are not included but the main and dessert comes to a pretty average £6.40.

Caitlin had the Chicken Tenders and Ieuan chose the Puppy Dog.  Both dishes arrived piping hot with generous portions.

Ignoring the fact that Dr. Ranj would probably have palpitations if such a meal were a regular occurrence, the kids dug in.

The Husband chose the monthly special burger - a Cajun Burger (regular at 5oz) at £6.95 with an extra order of classic fries - £2.95, onion rings at £3.45 and coleslaw - £1.

In his usual style, this was made short work of.  The quality of the burger was perfectly acceptable and a step above the standard burgers served by other well known fast food restaurants. The salad garnish was fresh and the cajun mayo was well spiced.

I had the Pulled Pork Sub Plate - £10.95 - BBQ pulled pork in a large sub roll, chunky fries, BBQ sauce and coleslaw.  The roll was smothered in cheese sauce.

This was absolutely delicious.  The pulled pork melted in the mouth and the onion rings are deliciously sweet.  I could have done with marginally less cheese sauce but the BBQ sauce was tangy and the coleslaw fresh.

On to desserts.  Ieuan has a passion for chocolate brownies so he had an adult size portion of Brownie Points (chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and Hershey's Chocolate Sauce) - £4.65, whilst Caitlin and I had a strawberry Junior Sundae each (£1.95) and the Husband had his favourite, pancakes with maple syrup and ice cream at £4.95.

Obviously I couldn't leave Ieuan to eat all this unsupervised and I can report that the brownie was moist and gooey and just the right temperature.

The ice cream and strawberry sauce were good quality and did not have a synthetic taste.

The Husband reports that his pancakes were hot, tasty and went down a treat.

We had a great time at Ed's Easy Diner.  It's a fun dining experience, ideal to give the kids an occasional treat.  The place was clean and the staff were lovely.  One small comment, there are no toilets (you know me by now!) on the premises, however, a quick scoot back out into the shopping centre and round the corner brings you to the public toilets which were, on this occasion, full of young girls preparing themselves to see One Direction later in the evening.  Ieuan was most impressed by this.  We would certainly visit Ed's again although I really hope someone has told Laura he loves her by then.

Further information can be found at www.edseasydiner.com.  We visited as guests of Ed but the opinions in this review are our own.

Read more

3 Summer Travel Essentials For Your Handbag & Competition

Here are 3 small, but incredibly useful additions to your summer holiday medicine kit.  They are all ideally sized to throw in your handbag as you rush out of the door after the kids on summer day trips too.

First up is a product to soothe your headache - Arkopharma’s Migrastick .

Arkopharma's Migrastick

This is an all-natural alternative to conventional painkillers which uses 100% pure and natural essential oils to help relieve pain caused by headaches and migraines. Simply roll over temples, forehead or nape of neck using circular massage movements.

The Migrastick with its roller ball

I was a little sceptical, I admit but it has a refreshing smell and is surprisingly cooling and long-lasting when applied to the temples.  I think it would certainly help soothe a brewing headache when you are miles away from a pharmacy.

A note of warning though,  you cannot use this product is you are pregnant, breast-feeding or if you suffer from epilepsy.  And, it's not for use on children under the age of 12.

Migrastick is small enough to have on you at all times. It’s also reasonably priced at £6.29 and is available from Boots, Holland & Barrett and selected independent pharmacies and health stores nationwide.

If you suffer from traveller's tummy or are feeling a bit nauseous from too much sun, try The Ginger People’s new Gin Gins CARAMEL – Tasty ginger and caramel sweets. They contain a massive 30% ginger per sweet.

Working mainly in the digestive tract, ginger helps to boost digestive fluids and neutralize acids, making it an effective alternative to anti-nausea medication, without the possible unpleasant side effects. These are ideal travel sweets to keep in the car's glove compartment to calm wobbly tummies without having to break out the travel sickness pills.

Gin Gins from The Ginger People

They taste like a zingy, ginger, more chewy version of Werther's Originals and certainly have a kick to them. The ginger may also help mums to be fighting morning sickness. Gin Gins Caramel costs £1.55 for a 31g box and is available from Holland & Barrett stores nationwide.

Finally there is Zap-It!  I don't know about you but mosquitoes and midges seem to love biting me in the hot weather. They have a way of putting a real dampener on things when you’re outside, with their dive-bombing and blood-sucking antics. So whether you’re back-packing through South America, camping at a festival, out for a run or just barbecuing in your back garden (guess which one I do the most of!), Zap-It! is a handy gadget in your armory against those big, angry red bites. It can be used as and when required by all the family, but not on babies less than 2 years of age.

Zap-It! will stop the itching and reduce the swelling of the bite (but note: it will not remove toxins or infection).  You simply place the flat end of the gadget on to the bite on your skin, hold the Zap-It! between your first 2 fingers and squeeze the button with your thumb.  Press the button quickly, 5 times or more as soon as possible after being bitten for fast relief.  The Zap-It! will also work through light fabrics.

Each Zap-It! will relieve up to 1,000 bites - enough for many years of bites or itches! It is available in different colours from selected health stores, pharmacies, garden centres, all Asda shops and Superdrug, and retails at £5.95. Zap-It! is also available online from Amazon or www.ecobrands.co.uk.

I have 3 Zap-It's to give away.  Just complete the rafflecopter widget in the usual way! The giveaway ends at 11:59 on 12th June 2015.  UK entries only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*PR samples were received for this post.

Read more

Ever been bullied for bringing your kids up vegetarian?

I've written before about the difficulty of fitting in with the various school playground cliques.

You can be ostracized for the strangest of reasons.

For instance,  a friend of mine, "P" found herself roundly criticized for being vegetarian.

Even more 'scandalous' was the fact that "P" was bringing her son up to be vegetarian.

Source:  popsugar.com

On an unseasonably hot afternoon at a children's party at our local playcentre (all echoing hall, dank toilets and uninspired menu choices - actually, make that one menu choice, one hot dog sausage in an unbuttered white roll), matters came to a head when the little boy in question said, quite reasonably, that he could not eat the sausage.

Nobody had thought to ask about 'special dietary requirements'.

"P" was not actually with her son at the time, having dropped him off and left him in the care of a group of women she considered to be her friends.

Despite the fact that there was a bowl of fruit on the counter, any item of which would have been suitable to stave off the poor child's hunger pangs, the mums in question later roundly berated "P" for her inconvenient food choices and told her "there was nothing her little boy could eat".  

This was said in a way which implied that raising a child to be vegetarian was likely to stunt their growth as well as cause untold problems for others at children's outings and parties.

The fact that "P"'s little boy had left the party hungry and had probably been made to feel, at the very least, different, totally escaped them.

This was the beginning of the end of "P"'s friendship with this particular group of women.

Actually, I think the real reason they found fault with her was that "P" was bright, bubbly and outgoing.

One of the kind of people who bring sunshine into a room.  

Petty though this incident is, it shows, I think, that some people will go to any lengths to isolate those who threaten them - a measure, doubtless, of their own insecurities and low self -esteem.

And for the record,  it is safe to bring up children as vegetarian or vegan, provided you make sure that their diets contain the necessary nutrients.

You can find advice from the NHS here.

Have you ever been excluded for the way you feed your kids?  

Read more