Ever since she was a toddler Nerys has been drawn to sparkly things.  She’s always loved looking through her Nana’s jewellery and putting glittery clips in her hair.  So when the lovely people at Molly Brown got in touch to ask if we would like to take a look at their jewellery and choose something for Nerys I immediately said yes.

Molly Brown is a jewellery company based in London who make beautiful pieces of jewellery for children.  I spent what felt like hours browsing the website, because I just couldn’t decide which of the gorgeous pieces I thought Nerys would like the most.

In the end though, with Steve’s help, I settled on the pearl station necklace.

As soon as we opened the box that arrived from Molly Brown I was smiling.

Out came a simple yet pretty pink gift bag, tied up with a lovely chocolate brown bow.

Molly Brown have actually had their gift wrapping be described as the best in the industry, and honestly I can see why.  It just looks and feels beautiful and high end.

Inside the bag was the presentation box, in the same pretty pink as the bag and tied up with the same chocolate brown ribbon.

I love the sense of ceremony you get from untying all the ribbons, it just adds a little special something to the whole process!

As soon as we opened the box I knew we had made the right choice by picking the pearl station necklace.

It is just beautiful.

And Nerys couldn’t wait to get her hands on it!

The necklace chain is made of sterling silver, and you can adjust it to 12″, 14″ and 16″ so it really can grow with Nerys.

Dotted along with necklace are freshwater pearls that are as pretty as they are classic.

I really love how this necklace seems so timeless, by which I mean that I think it looks lovely as a necklace for a child or a teenager to wear, but I would also quite happily wear it myself now!

And that is essence behind all the Molly Brown collections.

They are all designed to be simple yet sophisticated, so that they will last a lifetime.

Nerys absolutely loves her necklace, and was so excited when we let her wear it out to Singleton park for our little photo session in the botanical gardens.

I think she feels really quite grown up having a necklace of her very own, and she’s been loving taking it out of its box and admiring it and then carefully putting it away again.  And while this is a piece of children’s jewellery, it is very grown up in my opinion.  It’s definitely not play jewellery, it is a beautiful necklace, made with high quality materials, including a small and ever so slightly fiddly clasp.

So while Nerys is still so little I think we’ll keep it for special occasions, or for when we’re playing at home and she can put it on while I am around to keep an eye on her.

As she gets older though I’m sure she will love to wear it was much as she can, because it is so classic I think it would go with pretty much any outfit.

The pearl station necklace is so well made, the quality is lovely, and the little finishing touch of the Molly Brown tag adds just a little bit of fun and personality to it which I love.

We have all been really impressed with the necklace, and with Molly Brown in general.

The attention to detail is very impressive, from the beautiful packaging to the lovely handwritten note tucked inside.  Any child with an interest in jewellery would be absolutely thrilled to receive a parcel from Molly Brown.

If you’re ever looking for a special gift for a child, perhaps for their birthday or for a christening, then Molly Brown is a great place to start.  They offer necklaces, bracelets and earrings in several different styles, so no matter who you’re buying for you’re bound to find something suitable.

And whatever you decide to choose, it’s bound to be a gift they treasure forever.

Disclosure:  We were sent the pearl station necklace from Molly Brown for the purpose of this review, but all words and opinions are my own.

Ever since they first saw Despicable Me Rhys and Nerys have been big fans of the minions.

We’ve had some plastic plates with minions on for about a year now that still get used all the time, and they make us all smile every time we see the happy little minion faces on them!

So when I was asked if we would like to review a proper china dinner set from Arthur Price, featuring the minions, along with a themed set of children’s cutlery, I jumped at the chance knowing the children would love them.

The ‘sea of minions‘ children’s set contains a china bowl, plate and mug.

As soon as I opened the box I was impressed with the quality.  These are a pretty big jump up from the plastic plates we’ve been using up till now to get our minion fix!

The designs on the bowl, plate and mug are vibrant and colourful and perfect for any Despicable me fans out there.  All the items are microwave and dishwasher safe too which makes life easier for us parents.

Nerys couldn’t wait to test out the set and kept looking round the kitchen to see what she could ask for that involved using the different items!

The bowl is perfect for cereal in the mornings, and the mug is the perfect size for little hands.

I was a bit concerned at first about giving a bone china mug to my three year old, but actually it feels nice and sturdy and she absolutely loves drinking her apple juice from it!

After checking out the crockery we moved on to the children’s cutlery set.

The set contains a knife and fork and a big and little spoon.

The cutlery is a lovely size for little hands, and is chunky with a good weight to it so it feels really nice to eat with.

Each item has a picture of a minion on it and a little catchphrase too, which really adds to the fun factor of the set.

I really love the idea of the children having their own set of cutlery to use, that’s a step up from the more babyish bits and pieces we still have in the kitchen drawer.

Being from Arthur Price I get the feeling that these bits will stand the test of time and will hopefully end up in either Rhys or Nerys’ kitchen when they’re older, in the same way that we have the cutlery Steve used as a child in our kitchen now.

Arthur Price have been around since 1902 and have supplied Royal families and Heads of State, so you can trust that they are all about quality!  The cutlery set is made of the finest stainless steel and even comes with a 15 year guarantee, that’s how confident they are in the longevity of their products.

The only issue I can see us having is that the children might fight over who gets to use these Despicable Me things at meal times.  I may well end up having to buy a second set to keep the peace!

If you have a little Minions fan in your life then either of these sets would make a lovely gift for them.

You can buy them directly from www.arthurprice.com or you can get them Amazon via the links below.

Disclaimer: We were sent the children’s plate, bowl and mug and crockery set for the purpose of this review but all words and opinions are my own.

The following are affiliate links.

If you were to spend some time looking through photos of me, you might notice something.

There aren’t that many of me in profile.  

If a picture is being taken of me I try to look straight at the camera if I can, because I don’t really like the way I look in profile.  I don’t quite have a double chin, but I do have a a bit of jowly look going on.  There is just very little definition along my jawline and it’s something I’m quite conscious of.

So when I was asked if I wanted to try out something that might help, I thought it had to be worth a try.

And so I was sent a Sensse facial contour definer and toning derma roller.

The roller arrived really quickly and was well packaged which is always a plus.

When I opened the parcel I found the derma roller presented in a simple yet smart box, with information printed on the back about the benefits of using the product.  The Sensse facial contour definer is described as being a ‘mini face workout’, and claims to give a tightening effect to the skin on your face and to add definition along the jawline.

I was pleasantly surprised when I took the roller out of its box, to find that it has a lovely weight to it.

It’s a pretty rose gold, and looks and feels like a quality product.

Although, I still feel a bit funny about leaving it out on my bedside table because it does look a little like something else that you might prefer to keep tucked away!

The thing is, it might look a little, interesting, but it is actually a really great design.

It’s ergonomic and fits really nicely in my hand.  And the two massage rollers are positioned at the perfect angle to fit any face shape.

So, what does it do?

Well you roll it upwards, along your jawline, from your chin to the bottom of your ear on one side, then the other side.  And repeat this a few times, to get a tightening effect and to get some definition along your jawline.

I found the instructions a little bit unclear, so did this about 5 times on each side of my face in the morning after cleansing and moisturising, and again at night, before bed.

The roller can also be used on the rest of the face to give a really nice massage effect; relaxing facial muscles, reducing puffiness and improving blood circulation.  I’ve been using it on my cheeks as well as along my jawline and it does feel really nice.

I think it has helped improve the condition of my skin a little bit, and after using it for about two weeks I think there is actually a difference along my jawline.  I’ve always been quite chubby-cheeked and as I’ve reached my mid thirties I’ve definitely hit jowl territory.  So I’m really happy to see that this little roller has made a bit of a difference, and I’ll definitely keep on using it and see if keeps on tightening things up!

I will add that I have also started doing a workout dvd 3 times a week over the last couple of weeks, so that may also be a factor in this slight tightening along my jawline.  But I really do think the Sensse definer has played a big part in the improvement.

I have honestly been pleasantly surprised by the Sensse facial contour definer.

It looks really pretty thanks to the rose gold colour, and the weight to it makes it feel lovely to use.  It glides really smoothly over my skin, and I like to think that it is helping my face cream to be absorbed properly.  I also quite like the ritual of using it twice a day.  I don’t often take that much time to pamper myself, but this is a really quick and easy way to feel like I’m taking a bit of time to look after myself and my skin.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what results it gives me after another month or two of use.

Competition

If you fancy giving the Sensse facial contour definer a try then you should enter my competition to win one!

There are various ways you can enter, so take your pick or do them all to increase your chances of winning – good luck!
Win A Sensse Facial Contour Definer & Toning Derma Roller #5

Disclosure – I was sent the Sensse facial contour definer for the purpose of this review, but all words and opinions are my own.

We do our fair share of messy activities in our house.

Nerys in particular likes to bake with me, especially fairy cakes and chocolatey things like brownies.  And both Nerys and Rhys like arts and crafts activities, especially if they involve paint and glue!

I’m much more laid back about mess now that I have 2 children, but do still like to try and protect their clothes from paint and cake mix and the like.

So I was really happy when the lovely people from Messy Me asked if I would like to review one of their oilcloth aprons.

The aprons come in either a star print, in 4 different colours, or a really pretty vintage floral design.

I asked Nerys which one she would like and, unsurprisingly, she chose the star print in dusty pink.  All the colours are gorgeous though, and I was actually quite pleased that Nerys knew which one she wanted because I think it would’ve taken me a while to pick one!

The apron we chose arrived quickly in the post, neatly wrapped up in tissue paper and sealed with a Messy Me sticker.  So I knew straight away what the parcel was, and could hand it over to a very excited little girl to open up!

Straight away I was impressed with the quality of the apron.

I love the fact that it’s made from oilcloth as it feels really durable and like it can stand up to a fair bit of wear and tear.  There was a handy little care guide included with it, which I thought was a nice touch and quickly answered my question about whether I could machine wash the apron or not (yes, you can occasionally).

After letting me have a good look and feel of her new apron, Nerys was keen to try it on and test it out!

The apron is 46cm long and 33cm wide, and is designed for children aged 3-5.  I would say this sizing is spot on, as Nerys is 3 but is tall for her age, and it fits her just right.

She had a fab time testing it out while she did some painting.  Now, normally she paints with child-friendly, easily washable paints.  But on this occasion she was using a tester pot of the kind of paint you would use to paint a wall.  Long story, but basically Rhys had to make a model of a house for school and we bought some wall paint for him to use for that, and Nerys wanted a pot of her own.  Some battles aren’t worth fighting, so I let her pick a pot of purple paint.

All of which means we really did get to test out the apron, and it did a fab job of keeping that purple paint off her clothes!

I was also really easily able to wipe the paint off the apron with a sponge and a bit of soapy water.  All in all, I was very impressed.

Nerys is very happy with her Messy Me apron, and seemed to be nice and comfy in it.  The neck strap is a really good length for her, and the waist ties are just right for keeping it on securely.

And the dusty pink fabric is just so pretty!

If you’re in need of an apron for your child then I would highly recommend one of these from Messy Me.  And if your children are younger then you should definitely go and check out the Messy Me website and see their fab range of bibs, splashmats and high chair covers.

Any one of those things would’ve been amazing to have while we were in the baby-led weaning zone a few years ago!