September Favourites – Back Into The Real World

Let’s be honest here, this year has been a total washout. For 6 months, we’ve stayed home, stayed safe, and spent many a day baking, eating, and sitting around complaining about Covid-19 and how we’ve not been able to do anything. 

Now we seem to be coming out the other side, somewhat, I decided to write up my favourites post with a bit of an angle of items for going back into the real world. I mean, I don’t know about you but I got so used to being at home, that I am not much prepared for going outdoors.

Back to school. This month sees the kids go back to school. It’s actually a big year for us as T starts high school, which has come with so many issues. Not being able to visit his new school, or even see inside it before going back, it’s a daunting process with Covid being in the way. C and J are also moving up to their next classes – years 4 and 1. 

Smiggle sent us a £50 voucher to choose some items for our children, to help with going back to school. Their vouchers can be used in store and online, but with the current pandemic, we chose to spend it online, so the boys could check out all that was on offer, and see what they liked. What I like about shopping online at Smiggle, is that they always have a new offer to get some really good bargains. In fact, when we chose or bits, there was a money off code so we ended up with a lot more for our money. 

J has been wanting a new backpack for ages and so I let him have the pick of which ever one he wanted from the junior section. His favourite was the Lift Off Junior Backpack in red. This super cute backpack is in a superhero design and comes with a pull out cape, just to add to the fun. It has 2 zipped compartments, as well as 2 bottle holders and padded adjustable straps to make wearing it so easy and comfortable.

C is really starting to think about money a lot, and loves saving it up, counting it, and seeing how much he’s collected. With it being his birthday this month, and the fact that his older relatives usually give him money, he decided he wanted a wallet to put it all in. The Flow Wallet was his pick, and he went for the green colour which has little footballs on it. The wallet itself had double note compartments, a zipped pocket for loose change and 4 card slots, as well as a clear ID slot. He likes that it has a clip so can be safely fastened to the inside of his bag. 

T needed new stationery for high school and so looked all round the site for some packs. He started off with a Neat Twin Zip Pencil Case in black and then chose some items to go inside it. He likes that this pencil case has 2 compartments so he can have his regularly used stationery in one side and other bits in the other side. To fill his case, he chose Inkball Scented Pen Pack which comes with 7 pens, Scented Twin Tip Marker in a 12 pack and a pack of 12 Scented Pencil Pack. With the rest of the voucher left, I picked out a couple of loose pencils and pens, just to give a few extra to choose from. 

Since I’ll be now travelling with T everyday to take him on the bus to high school, I wanted to treat myself to a new handbag. I mean, at the moment I’ve been using a backpack so wanted to choose something girly and beautiful looking. This ladies Allerton Suede Snaffle Cross Body Bag from Rydale is exactly what I was looking for, and I adore the colour of it. This cross-body bag is ideal for ease to use and looks good day or night. 

With a soft suede upper and a textured leather base, this ladies leather cross-body bag has two Snaffle bits incorporated on either side for an equestrian-inspired, elegant and chic look. The beautiful Rydale shield logo is styled on the front and the navy and white pheasant lining inside just matches perfectly with the stylish outer. 

For me though, working at home is something I always do, and sometimes I just want to sit at home and type in peace wearing my favourites pyjamas. These women’s Peggy Pyjama Set is the ideal nightwear set for me to wear  whilst working from home. These gorgeous and soft, 100% cotton pyjamas are from Rydale and come as a 2 piece in many colours and designs. 

I personally love the waist on these bottoms. Elasticated and drawstring, it means they can be fit perfectly to give the most comfiest fit. The long sleeve are a great length, not too short, and  the legs are a great length too. I find I usually struggle to get long legged bottoms because they’re always a little short, but these have some real room in them. What’s better though, pockets! It’s not often to have women’s clothing with pockets, so it’s great to have them and be able to use them too as they’re nice a deep. 

And when you are sat at home, now we can have visitors round, how about some new mugs from Rydale. The Wistow Mug Set are my favourites, and make a wonderful statement in the kitchen. Inspired by the great outdoors, the Country Life set I picked, has cute dogs, birds and hares on them. You can check out their range and choose the ones that are perfect for you, they have so many to pick from.

How about broadening your horizons when it comes to wine, or just inviting friends round for a couple of glasses. You can now learn all about wine, and look super smart doing it, with The Wine List, which is a way to discover wine, and develop your skills at the same time. A monthly subscription box, every month, you get another part of their monthly wine course to learn all about the different types of wine. 

The best way to learn about wine is through discovery and so trying this wine box gives scope to learn about new grapes, regions, and winemakers with a few core principles underneath. 

When starting out, the first box comes with… 

• An introduction to wine tasting
• Your first two wines worth £16 each
• Interactive tasting cards
• Your learning plan for the next 12 months

Ever wanted to learn about wine? Sign up to The Wine List for £39 per month and start your wine education today.

If you’re anything like me, then everything went out of the window when lockdown happened. No beauty places were open, no hair colouring, no salons, and I couldn’t even go to the dentist, which is still a problem now. 

To help keep my teeth brightly shining, I have been using Glo32 Teeth Whitening Strips to gently reduce stains and discolouration fast. These, you only wear for 20 minutes at a time and are so easy to do. Just peel from their backing, put over the teeth and leave for 20 minutes. When finished, remove and discard, and then rinse your mouth out to get rid of residue. These have been formulated with Coconut Oil, using no Peroxide, they are Vegan and Cruelty Free.

And lastly, for those of us who missed out on the beauty salons, we can now say goodbye to unwanted hair with Jolen Facial Hair Remover Kit. This unique two step hair removal system, delivers beautifully silky, hair-free skin, in as little as 5 minutes. Simply apply Skin Guarding Balm followed by the Hair Removal Cream and leave for up to 8 minutes. And if you’re not a hair removing type, their Jolen Creme Bleach could be ideal. The complete kit includes, creme, accelerator, mixing Cup and a spatula. Once mixed (as stated on the box) place it on the hair area and leave for up to 10 minutes before rinsing off.