Monday 17 June 2013

Mamas & Papas Mylo travel system

 Ola!
I've been a busy bee since my last post, I'm now 6 months pregnant and once again I'm plunging into the expensive and extensive world of baby products! Warning this is a long review I've gone into lots of detail as I know how important knowledge is when buying a pushchair!
My amazingly clever and beautiful first born is now a nearly independent three year old so I had disposed of the pushchair's (I had/have an addiction to finding the perfect wheels...!!) and moved onto the world of scooters and bikes! No more! I was offered the chance to snap up the Mamas & Papas Mylo Pushchair Preloved at an irresistible £35 and the rest is history! I must say when it arrived it looked nothing like the pictures on here, it had a Black hood and cream seat and was in need of a service and jolly good clean and the lovely people at Mamas & Papas spares department supplied me with a new hood, seat cushion, harness, Strap pads, bumper bar, back panel and basket for a reasonable £55 and I was left with a rather gorgeous looking set of wheels! I decided to write this post after looking for reviews and finding very little out there on what the Mylo is like and so buying this was a bit of a punt as I didn't really know what to expect but here is my verdict! 
Whats it like?!

Once the pushchair had been cleaned and made beautiful I got to have a really good look and with my trusty assistant, my son, we tested it out!!
The first thing to say is the seat is HUUUUUGE! Its very roomy and my tall robust 3 year old son fits in the seat with no problem so this will last if its suitable for your needs. The seat itself is nicely padded, and looks stylish and modern. The five point harness gives a nice secure hold to your little one and is reasonably secure with a reassuringly stiff release button to thwart any little Houdini's! It  has a leather covered gate opening bumper bar that can be removed if you wish. The bumper bar is one of the little touches on this particular pushchair that just screams quality the Handle bar is exactly the same, Black Leather with the M&P logo embossed on it and they just give it an air of luxury. 
The hood is very impressive it extends to give almost full coverage and I think if you got caught out without the raincover it would keep your little one dry. I must add that this is the newer style hood, the original hood that came is considerably smaller and does not extend so fully so please bare that in mind if you too buy Preloved that it has recently had an update the shopping basket also has changed but more on that later!
The Mylo can Parent face or outward face and is easy to swap around it has two paddles under the seat that you pull up and then it just lifts off and you replace in the desired direction. It also reclines and the footrest can also be altered. Its pretty fool proof and easy to do and is well designed for any flustered mums or dads trying to get it apart with a screeching child in tow (we've all been there!!) 
The shopping basket is a waste of time its not particularly big this is the latest version so the style you will get on the newer Mylo's the older version is a triangular bag like thing that sits in the same place is slightly smaller but has zips both side that enclose it. It too is useless!! Attaching it takes about an hour and you will end up red faced swearing and cursing the damn thing although I'm sure they now come already attached for this very reason when purchased new. As I said waste of time you wouldn't want to put say four pints of milk in it if you'd popped to the shop as I just don't think its very strong, you can just about fit the raincover in it but it hangs out the other side, other than that a blanket a coat and maybe some wipes would go in but you really wouldn't want to put anything heavy in it as its so flimsy I could see it ripping or falling off. 
An optional extra you can buy is The Mylo saddlebag in grey which attaches to the frame on the back between the rear wheels and gives you a bit more of a sturdy storage option. This I would put my milk in and not worry about it falling off!! Its deceptively roomy has lots of pockets/ sections, an insulated bottle holder, a zip section and I think you could easily use it for short trips out as a changing bag as you could fit the essentials in and even a few of your bits like purse and keys. It retails for around £30 but is well worth it in my opinion. 

The Raincover I have is the newer style that can be used both on the pushchair and the optional extra Carrycot which is a nice idea so you don't end up with two bulky covers to store as it is bulky and not compact at all but I think its features make up for that and indeed so does the design. It covers the whole seat unit and has a zip that runs along the edge of the hood which if you go in a shop or on a bus you can just unzip and voila your LO is no longer in a bubble and means you can just leave it in position and use as and when. As I said before you can squeeze it and only it into the shopping basket but that would be all you could put in there and I really can't think where else you could put it when out and about as its huge! But its huge for a reason my three year old with his size 9's fit under it feet inside so you really will get use out of it, it also feels like its well made and of a high quality which is important as to replace these are around £39 so you wouldn't want to fork out that too often!




Being a cheapskate I bought the Carrycot in a different color to the Purple the rest of my pram is, this is called Raspberry Ripple and Plum and I bought this colour purely because the matching carrycot was £200 new and this was £35 preloved!! I personally can't justify dropping £200 on something you use for such a relatively short time especially if bump is anything like her big brother who outgrew his carrycot by 3 months and hated lying flat, But I love it! You can buy a new mattress that is suitable for sleeping on for long periods and a Stand  that means you could effectively use it as a Moses basket and it is a good size. It also is adjustable inside so you can have the mattress slightly sloping, ideal if your LO has reflux or has a cold. It also on the bottom is rounded so it can be gently rocked if you take it off and put it on the floor you can also pull out two little feet that stop it rocking which is a really nice touch.The hood can be pulled up by the head for ventilation and you can also buy a mosquito and sunshade for it.  If I'd known how big it was and had a spare £300 to buy all the extras I would have bought it new with the stand as I do think its worthwhile especially  if you use it as a Moses basket too or if you go away its a ready to go travel bed! Other nice touches are the magnetic apron and the little leather carry handle on the hood for lifting it off.

I also have the Mylo footmuff which again is well designed easy to wash and reasonably sized. Nice touches are the magnets that hold it round the bumper bar when the tops folded down and there is a zip that extends it at the bottom to make it roomier for the bigger child oh and best thing is that you don't have to unclip straps etc to put it on it Velcros on around the harness so any accidents food spills sick etc means it just pulls off and you can throw it in the wash no problem. These retail for around £89 new.
I did buy the Matching Changing bag but I hated it. It was mahoosive and hung awkwardly on the frame so I quickly flogged it on, but that's just me and I know others love its size you could actually squeeze in the kitchen sink and the quality was really good it just wasn't for me. They retail for around £80.
I've added some Photos of it folded up so you can see what it looks like, it is quite bulky you can fold it in one piece the best way to do this is to have it parent facing as its slightly more compact when folded as one however it will fold either way. The fold itself is so easy you just twist the folding part where the seat connects to the frame and it folds you can do it one handed easy peasy. I personally find it easier to store as two bits as the seat unit pops in the cupboard and I leave the frame up with the carrycot on in the kitchen! I've also put a picture of the break on, this is brilliant it just kicks on or off is flip flop/bare feet friendly and again just well designed.
            
                               
Conclusion!
I love the Mylo! Its got flaws like all pushchairs and its not perfect but it is good looking and its really well designed with some well thought out touches such as the fold the seat removal and then just the little things like the bumper bar and the handle bar. I think realistically if you live in a rural place it may not be for you as its not designed for fields or rough terrain however it does push really well, I tried it out with my son we went for a walk around the neighborhood and I managed to get his royal self up and down curbs with no problem. I also like the extras that are available I don't like the prices but then I'm happy to search out Preloved Facebook and eBay bargains or wait for Sales. If you're not and you prefer to buy it new I think to get everything including the stand car seat and all accessories you could be looking at around £1000 which I personally feel is too much to spend but then I'm a pauper!! That said I have seen Mamas & Papas do some amazing deals and sales so I think if you do want it new hold out or if moneys no object splurge!! Either way its a beautiful pram and I've in the past bought Bugaboos, Quinnys, Maclarens, Phil & Teds, Silver Cross and all sorts of other prams and pushchairs in my pushchair addiction but when this arrived I got rid of everything and kept just this so we'll see when bump arrives how it pans out but I'm optimistic that it'll be great choice and now I just need to save up for the stand and all the other tempting little extras that keep calling to me from the Mamas & Papas website!!
Hope this helps anyone who's interested in the Mylo feel free to ask any questions I'll try my best to help
xxxx






Tuesday 23 October 2012

Septembers JolieBox


Here is my first Jolie box!! 
My first impressions were initially a bit wary as they had issues with the dispatch email and then the news they'd been bought by Birchbox left me wandering had I joined too late as previously I've seen consistently good reviews BUT!!! I'm impressed!! 
I won't bore you with what I got because this review is really late owing to my total lack or organisation this month the only thing different in my box was an extra gift of the So Susan Wide Awake Face Palate a little welcome gift from JolieBox so thank you for that much appreciated!! 
My favourite items in the box were the Balmi Lip Balm which I received in mint flavour. I love this its cute, Its round and the balm inside is molded to the lid so is round too!! Easy to apply and so far no dry lips just nice soft moisturised lips which is nice! Has a little thing to attach it to your keys if you should wish but mine fits snuggly in my pocket.
The second item I loved was the Twistband. I received two one silver one yellow and I love them! However I don't love the price.
 I think £10 for six of these is extortionate. They are basically Elastic trim or foldover elastic as its sometimes called, which you can buy two meters of in your favourite colour for about £2 on ebay and if you go to your local haberdashery store maybe even less. Thats what I did I bought 2 meters of red,blue and black and have made a huge pile of these bands for less than they want for six........ nuff said!
I like the packaging of Joliebox, the little drawstring bag is a nice touch and reuseable I hate that glossybox and the others always fill the space with that shredded tissue its very wasteful and this is a nice alternative. I also really liked the little magazine that comes with it, It had interesting and relevant articles in it so yes big thumbs up.All in all a good first box and I've just received Octobers box so I shall be uploading that soon.

                                          
                                         

Saturday 22 September 2012

Septembers GlossyBox


This month's GlossyBox Theme is Rising Stars and the box was deigned by Maggie Li and I have to say its beautiful!
In my box I received Lady GAGA's Fame Fragrance sample, Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum and 5 Minute Facial two sachets of each, Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream, Olay regenerist Wrinkle relaxing complex and L'Oreal Mythic Oil Full Size with two sachets of the complimenting Shampoo and Conditioner.
I'm only going to talk about the products I like this month as it's a bit boring to waffle on about the dead weight in the box so here are my happy products!
I love the hair oil right up my street I got a small sample of this from Whatsinyourhandbag and loved it and still haven't used all of that and now I have this huge bottle!! Hair Oils are worth spending money on if that's your thing as they last for ages and for me they leave my hair sleek shiny and smelling great! So very happy with my Mythic oil!!
The  Rodial Glamoxy Snake Serum is amazeballs! I don't like the name I think its gimmicky however that s**t works!! It does sound like something that would be papped falling out of Victoria Beckhams handbag but it's great and its not extortionate £29 for 10 sachets isn't the most expensive face cream and I think for a quick fix this stuff is great!
What did you get in your box? Are you happy? Let me know your thoughts!!
This month I dropped Shesaidbeauty's box and moved over to Joliebox so my next review will be all about that little adventure!


Wednesday 5 September 2012

September SheSaidBeauty Box


After last months box I had high hopes for Septembers offering and whilst its certainly better its just all a bit meh! I don't want to sound like a snob BUT!!! Collection 2000?? I just don't identify with this brand, the primer is ok, the fixer smells rank and in all honesty I have better quality products to do both of those jobs. 
The DHC oil I already have and also received the same sample in Augusts Glossybox so I'm happy to have it but its a bit of a bore to get the same samples across the boxes. 
The Ginvera Green Tea Whitening Marvel Gel and Amie spring clean cooling clay mask are two products I am looking forward to using especially the mask so those were my favourite samples from this month. 
The Popchips were ok but a bit of a strange thing to have in a beauty box however they were a bonus item so can't grumble.
After rooting through my box I sat back and then looked back at my other boxes from she said beauty and came to a conclusion. This box would have impressed me about 10 years ago, the products in it are affordable and this month for example was a really good month for skincare three of the samples I loved but the collection 2000 products just really leave me cold. 
I'm at the stage now where I will happily spend good money on good products and especially with Skincare and this box just isn't delivering those kind of products to me. 
Sooooo!! I cancelled my subscription. Not because SheSaidBeauty is terrible far from it their delivery service and the customer care is amazing and GlossyBox could take notes on how to handle criticism and work PR from them. However its just not a good fit for me. The products don't excite me and don't make me want to rush out and buy whereas GlossyBox I get that at times and I just think their box is a little more grown up. So SheSaidBeauty is no more for me. I'm still mourning the loss of Carmine so I've now signed up for Joliebox as it seems to get good reviews and the products look to be more up my alley. Hopefully their September offering will be a good one!


Friday 17 August 2012

Hello Fresh


This month I tried out a new food delivery service called Hello Fresh! I found this company via an email from GlossyBox giving a 50% discount on my first box so I though why not!
The concept is that you get a box of fresh ingredients delivered to your door every Tuesday with the recipes included and each meal takes roughly 30mins or less to prepare and cook following the fool proof recipe cards included.
The costs vary depending on how many meals and how many people you are cooking for I went for the 3 meal box for two people which would normally cost £39 but I paid £19.50.
As promised my box arrived mid morning on Tuesday, I was impressed with the packaging, if you were out or it had to be left somewhere you wouldn't worry as its well packaged in lambs wool and ice packs!! 
Once opened everything I needed to make the meals was present and correct and the recipe cards are clear and easy to follow plus as a welcome gift I got a bar of Dark Chocolate.
I've now cooked all three recipes and produced three delicious meals that both I and the other half enjoyed.
Having finished the box I was in two minds about the concept.
I liked the fact that the ingredients were fresh and seemed of a good quality. I liked that there was no waste you use everything supplied and importantly I liked the recipes I recieved.
What I didn't like was that you have no choice over what you get other than you can choose between vegetarian and non vegetarian. This service will be of no use to someone with a food allergy and if you receive your box and you don't like the menu....tough!!
I'm not a fussy eater but there are things I'm not keen on and my other half doesn't eat Lamb so should any unwanted meals crop up its a waste of food and money.
I do think they should have some kind of user profile or system such as Graze where you can let the company know clearly what you can't or don't want to receive.
The other point is the price. £39 isn't outrageous for three meals lets be honest you would spend more than that if you went out, but at the same time I could easily pop to my local supermarket and buy three meals I know I'd like for the same price and be content that my family is going to eat what I'm cooking?!
That all said I did really enjoy my box, the recipes aren't what I normally cook and it was nice to have new ideas as I'm sure like many people I do get stuck in a rut making the same meals every week so it made for a refreshing change to try something new.
I was also lucky in that we all liked what was supplied so it meant it was excellent value for money.
All in all I'm not sure I'll continue with this service, however I think this would make a great gift to new parents or would suit someone who has no fussy eating habits and is up for trying something new! 
Check them out at www.hellofresh.co.uk if you fancy a try!



Augusts GlossyBox

It was a pleasant surprise to actually receive this months Glossy Box during the Month its intended!! Normally we get them right at the end of the month which always bugs me when they take payment at the beginning of the month!! Anyway here is my box, I haven't really looked at any other blogs to see whether I have the "best" box or not and to be honest I've given up with that, some months this box is amazing others not so but again I digress! 
My goodies were the Alessandro Pro White nail polish, DHC Deep Cleansing Oil 30ml, All for Eve Eves balm 7g, Vera Valenti eye palate, Lipcote lipstick sealer and Glossybox's own lipstick in glossy pink! The theme of this box is International Superstars with each product allegedly having cult status in their native country.
The stand out product for me is the Cleansing oil from DHC, I buy this anyway as it really is amazing stuff! Wash your face as normal then cleanse with the oil and you'll be embarrassed as to what it pulls out your skin! Its also reasonably priced and a little goes a long way you can buy 30ml upwards from only £3.60. I love DHC anyway as you get samples sent through with your catalogues and orders, their website clearly lists everything you need to know about their products and yeah they're just yar!
I also love the Eve's Balm, I like the fact it has a mirror in it (I know vain!) and its for a good cause so you can't knock that.
The Glossy Box lipstick is ok the claim that its £9.50's worth seems a little exaggerated but its ok not a terrible colour and its an extra so can't complain! 
I wont waste my time or yours talking about the eye palate... shocking sums it up! The Lipcote is from about 1989 and stings like a bitch I also remembered why I don't use it because the brush gets tainted by your lippy then you end up with grim looking fluid in your tube!! The nail polish is ok small size makes yellow nails look white and bright...again can't moan its ok!
I have seen on GlossyBox's facebook page lots of people bitching about how shite the box is but I have to say it's not the worst box I've ever got, She Said Beauty's box this month was an absolute shocker, in comparison I really liked my Glossy box it contained one of my favourite products and it had a reasonable bonus item so another good month for me! 
                             

Wednesday 1 August 2012

August's SheSaidBeauty Box


So as usual I get the email saying my box is on its way and then the door knocks and there's the postman with it in his hand! 
I really wanted to like this months box I'd seen the sneak peek and whilst it didn't blow me away it looked ok however in reality its a pretty poor offering.
In summary I got a mini tube of toothpaste, Redkin colour extend lotion (my hairs not coloured?!) Balance me Lip Salve...really wanted to try this but when I did it just tasted rank and smelt weird and was just a fail for me, Blotting papers....no words...!! Probably the vilest nail foils I'll never try and a tiny tiny bottle of cologne that I hate!! 
It wasn't a good month for me with She Said Beauty there actually is nothing in this box I will try, the toothpaste I already tried from two other boxes and what can I say its just toothpaste??!! The rest was just pants and not for me. This is the first Beauty Box that I've ever received where nothing in it at all has grabbed me but I guess that's the way it goes and hopefully this months poor offering is because they saved pennies for next months awesome box....maybe wishful thinking but we can all dream!