Bumblezest - Refresh + Relax CBD Ginger and Turmeric Sparkling Water

Full disclosure, these products were sent to me as a press item by the company, however, all views given are my own. 

Recently, the lovely Dan and Emily from Bumblezest, got in contact and asked if I would be interested in trying out a new drink addition to their line.....now I had previously heard of Bumblezest via their tonic water being included in a monthly membership box from ilovegin.com, but aside from this, the company was new to me but I was keen to know more and was thrilled to be given the opportunity to sample yet another of their products. 

Fast forward a week and in the post I received another of their tonic waters, and a 'Refresh + Relax" Ginger and Turmeric Sparkling Water. Full disclosure....I'm not normally a fan of sparkling water at all!! I truly cannot stand the taste of carbonated water given the few that I have tried over the years (usually in error having picked up the wrong bottle of still/sparkling) .... so needless to say I was tentative. Its an acquired taste isn't it? Right? Honestly, who actually truly likes the stuff...it tastes like TV static!

So....I was going into this with a slightly jaded view, lets just say that!

Packaging wise, Refresh + Relax is gorgeous! A sleek and matte, slim can...great start! Now lets talk about the elephant in the room.....the massive great cannabis leaves printed on the front, along with the letters 'CBD'! Yes....these drinks contain cannabis sativa... at a level of 10mg, and no, it won't make you high. THC is the illegal chemical within cannabis which will cause the effects most commonly associated with it....and these products contain just 0.2% which is well within EU regulations for food and drink. This is partnered with a whole bunch of other delicious and all-natural ingredients, used in plentiful doses rather than just wafting them over the product so as to be able to claim their inclusion on the packaging. 

So first up we were looking at Refresh + Relax weren't we, as usual I went off on a tangent and completely lost my train of thought...right.... so this one is a low-sugar, low-calorie sparkling water with ginger, lemon, turmeric, cinnamon and a drop of maple, which is, and I quote, 'designed to give you a fiery and refreshing pick-me-up'. Bring it on! 

Well they weren't wrong about fiery! That kick of ginger is right there from the get go and mellows to a beautiful warmth which is just delicious! The citrus edge keeps it fresh with just enough sweetness from the maple to keep that 'pins and needles' taste of the carbonated water at bay. Refreshing yes.... relaxing...it was 10am and I have two children....let us say no more on that. 

I will say, as someone who has a high pressure lifestyle (I work in finance, have two kids, run a Beaver Scout group and direct a pantomime) and drinks a fair amount of alcohol and coffee....that I could seriously do with drinks like these which give you a little, all-natural boost, hydrate and taste bloody good all at the same time. fantastic stuff Bumblezest, I look forward to trying more of your products (they have such a great looking range of drinks which I can't wait to get my mitts on!). 

I will be doing a post on the tonic water separately as I do tend to waffle on and otherwise these posts end up being ludicrously long! 

Emma-Louise

We do not claim miracles however some of the possible effects of BumbleZest include, and are not limited to: weight loss, increased; metabolism, motivation, energy, stamina and immunity, improved; skin and hair complexion, cellulite, digestion, post workout recovery, joints and arthritis, anti-aging, sleep, detoxing, cleansing and hangover assistance, decreased; anxiety, stress and bloating.

Bumblezest 

Blogger Evening at Lush Bournemouth

Recently I was invited to attend a bloggers evening at my local LUSH store, Bournemouth, to check out the new lines for Valentines, Easter and Mothers Day, as well as learn a little more about the company itself...

If you don't know if you have a LUSH store local to you, step outside your front door and if you have one within a 25 mile radius, you'll be able to smell it!
Alternatively you can head over to their website and use the store locator. Either or.

If you've been living under a rock since 1995 and aren't aware of the Poole, Dorset-born company, pioneering natural, cruelty-free hair and beauty products with a sustainable and planet-friendly ethos....well I've just covered the basics in the first half of this sentence so we are pretty much all caught up now aren't we.

I could waffle on about the founding of LUSH happening just down the road from where I grew up, or the figureheads behind the brand, or the all-natural basis to LUSH's approach to beauty, hair and skin care products...but all of this is readily available on the company Wikipedia page or a simple google-search away, so lets not waste one another's time now shall we.
What I will say, however, is that I am somewhat blown away by LUSH's efforts to reduce, and eventually eliminate single-use plastics in the cosmetics industry. Just think for a moment, how many bottles of shampoo you get through a year, how many toothbrushes, how many bottles of foundation or plastic wrapped soaps...the list is endless and not everyone is proactive in recycling these plastics. LUSH is pioneering a movement toward alternative packaging within an industry which sorely needs this change!

Our initial discussions on arrival at LUSH Bournemouth, for our 'invite only' blogger event, featured, in part, much of what I have just touched upon, and the fantastic staff were keen to inform us of LUSH's valuable work in making strides toward sustainable and planet-friendly alternatives when it comes to packaging. If you have ever been into a LUSH store, you will no doubt have noticed what I never fail to pick up when in conversation with staff...that these team members truly believe in the company and the work they are doing. This is something LUSH should really pride themselves on, the passion their staff exhibit is not only apparent, but infectious.
I was impressed to hear that not only is the wrapping paper used on the gift sets, recycled, but as is the ribbon which is made from recycled plastics, and there are also fabric and natural alternatives for wrapping available. The minimal plastic packaging LUSH offers is fully recyclable and a vast majority of products are offered without a plastic option at all, for example the solid shampoo bars, facial oil moisturiser bars, bath bombs and soaps.

Speaking of bath bombs, these are perhaps what LUSH is best known for, and somewhat synonymous with the brand. We were able to trial a few of these to see the gorgeous visual and aromatic effects of them in water, before being welcomed to assist in making our very own fresh face mask from scratch. Water was served in LUSH's famous recycled black pots and a selection of vegan chocolates offered around. Hand massages and a demo of a vast variety of products rounded off the evening.

Valentines being the upcoming holiday (when we attended), 'love' was the theme of the evening and the products being featured definitely veered toward this.... I would love to have seen more of the Mothers Day and Easter range whilst there, but have since popped back in to check these out for myself anyway.

The products which really stood out to me from the evening, and from LUSH themselves are LoveBoat bath bomb which was not only visually epic, but the scent was just incredible... I actually received one of these as a gift from the staff so I look forward to giving this a go again at home!
Full of Grace naked facial oil bar, which is a revelation -  simply rub the bar between your hands until the warmth begins to melt it, and then massage the oil into your face before bed for baby-soft skin. Utter bliss.
Gor-geous facial moisturiser which is my absolute favourite facial moisturiser, although the price point on this product is ludicrously high and my allergies mean that I'm restricted on which of LUSH's moisturisers I can use as it is. However, this cream is AMAZING.... seriously! I have fairly combination skin with some parts prone to extreme oiliness and some dry and flakey...fun! And this awesome stuff deals with the lot, AND sits beautifully under my foundation and doesn't make it slide!
Bluetooth toothpaste jelly...which I can't actually attest to its effectiveness...but was so intrigued that a purchase had to be made and this one will definitely feature on my social media soon when I've given it a try...the premise is fab!

I want to say a resounding thank you to the incredible staff at LUSH Bournemouth for putting on a great evening for us, we were truly spoilt.


Emma-Louise

The Sensory Garden at Westquay Esplanade

Edit: This post had originally been sent out back in the summer, I am releasing it now on my personal account, but is applicable to an event which happened back in August.

Recently, my two children and I were invited to attend a pop-up event at Southampton's Westquay Shopping Centre, in the form of a Sensory Garden featuring a Gin Bar (I was sold at this point...), a range of workshops and masterclasses, and an array of visual and interactive delights for both parent and child. Enticing to say the very least, and as a bonus, this would be the very first event my children had been invited to attend with me, for which they were extremely grateful as they have both been very keen to follow in Mommy's footsteps and start their social media and blogging accounts. Find them over at @torynandbraydenwinters on Instagram.

Situated on Westquays Esplanade, The Sensory Garden features a 'Tea Garden' hosted by the Garden Society, and mobile bars - Jim & Tonic and Tap It. Plenty, in fact, to keep the grown ups happy. Meanwhile, the children can explore a variety of instagram-worthy set ups, tailor made for beautiful photos aplenty. A flower-adorned greenhouse filled with an edible mist of indeterminate flavour is strewn with beanbags, outside this sits a bed frame wrapped in yet more flowers, serving no particular function other than visual appeal, and a cracking backdrop for yet more photos for the 'gram. Step across from here into the 'Fairy Garden', lined with teepees and filled with edible bubbles (possibly strawberry...), this was most definitely a highlight for my two boys, who spent 99% of their time there, chasing bubbles around the entire garden, mouths open and arms outstretched (making for some utterly hilarious out-take photos).

The boys and I happened to attend just as an open air performance of 'Little Women' was taking place, so we sat and watched some of it... I say watched, as this was all we were able to do...listening was not an option unless, I would hasten a guess, you were sat directly in front of the performers and no more than five paces away. The costumes and facial expressions were fabulous however, so this killed at least 20mins and gave me an opportunity to sit and enjoy a G&T. 

We rounded off our experience with the boys running through the water fountains (not part of the sensory garden, these are a permanent fixture at the Esplanade) which were too much of a temptation for my children to bear and defying all odds...did not result in them soaked through to the skin, more of a 'lightly moist'.
All in all we had a fantastic time and look forward to see more pop ups on the Esplanade, head down and check them out when you get the chance.

Emma-Louise