Foodie News

On a recent trip to a local Morrisons’ restaurant, I was disappointed to see a change in the presentation of their sandwiches. Formerly served on a little red and white checked tray, with a salad garnish and mini pack of crisps, the sandwiches are now being presented on their own on a brown bit of card! However, on closer inspection, it was revealed that each pack of sandwiches came with a free pack of Morrisons’ crisps, although salt and vinegar was the only flavour available. I miss the cheerful tray and salad garnish, and quite liked the fact that the mini crisp packs allowed for a little treat without overindulgence. The sandwiches themselves are still good, however, with my favourite being the selection featuring egg and cress, cheese and tomato, ham, cheese and pickle and prawn – one of each for £2.49.

Admittedly, I do like a bit of chocolate cake!

After my recent comments about food products that are sporting the word ‘joy’ in their name or slogan, I would like to draw your attention to Cadbury’s Mini Rolls. One of the many slogans currently printed on the wrappers states, “Mini roll, big joy”. Is this meant to be a statement about what will happen to me if I eat too many? I do like a bit of chocolate, but still...

What’s happened to Tesco Strawberry Milkshake Powder? It used to have such a lovely, authentic strawberry taste, containing what appeared to be strawberry pips, but now it’s just bland! The ingredients have obviously changed, though the packaging and price remain the same. It’s very disappointing and I will definitely not be buying the product again.

I do enjoy the odd Lotus Biscoff caramel biscuit, but I don’t’ think that I can bring myself to try the spread of the same name. I mean, can I really imagine having the flavour of the biscuit spread on my toast?

What are your latest foodie loves and hates?

The Madness Of May

Let’s face it, May did turn out to be a bit of a mad month – the election was a complete madness in itself! The final result was a bit of a shock to many, not at all keeping with the forecasts; you can read my response at the-election-my-response

Having felt thoroughly disillusioned and fed up with certain issues, I’ve started a new blog as a platform to inform and campaign on certain issues, see www.purelypeoplepower.blogspot.co.uk to read more. Introducing this new blog means that my existing #OfstedNoConfidence campaign twitter.com/hashtag/ofstednoconfidence will move to this new site, and I have also started a petition calling for a review of Ofsted, which you can sign by visiting https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/call-for-independent-review-of-ofsted  Shoppers’ Joy can will now revert back to its original use, which is to showcase product and service reviews, consumer issues and general shopping-related chat.

And so in other news...

This month I reviewed both Travelodge and Pontin’s, having experienced recent short stays in each, both of which seem to have undergone some improvement. Travelodge certainly seem to be upgrading their hotels, and whilst Pontin’s accommodation could do with a bit of an update, other facilities on offer are good. I’ll be interested to see how both progress.

In one post this month, I mentioned that my weekly shopping habits have recently changed, with more visits to Morrisons being the norm. I’m now using Sainsburys’ much less, partly because I now live further from a branch than I did before, but also the miserly lot have reduced the number of Nectar points that they’re awarding! Hadn’t you noticed? They’re now only giving one point per pound spent, instead of two, but the value of points remain the same – so basically you’ll have to spend £2 to get just 1p back! And there are no longer points awarded for re-using your own bags. Not a good move Sainsburys!

Finally, I was thrilled to hear that culottes are making a comeback. I think they’re great, offering the look of a skirt but with the comfort and practicality of trousers. I owned quite a few pairs back in the 80s, and I know they say you shouldn’t wear a fashion trend if you sported it the first time round, but I just couldn’t resist picking up a pair sitting on the sale rail in New Look. At £7 they were an absolute bargain, I just couldn’t resist!

How did May shape up for you?

A Move To Morrisons

Since moving to a new, more rural location last year, my shopping habits have changed somewhat.

At my old home, I did my main grocery shopping at the local Tesco Extra, with smaller top-up shops at Sainsburys’ and the Co-op, but all that has changed since the move.

My current nearest Tesco is rather smaller than the Extra at which I once shopped, with far fewer product lines on the shelves, making it impossible to replicate all my most common buys. Although the store can meet a lot of my needs, it falls short on others.

Similarly, I have neither a Sainsburys’ or Co-op within easy reach, so have needed to look elsewhere. Attempts at buying groceries in Aldi failed dismally, I couldn’t get on with their products at all, and although I like Lidl better, the journey to the nearest branch is too far to justify any savings. And when it comes to grocery shopping, I’m not a fan of doing it online, as I like to scrutinise the meat, carefully select the fruit and veg and take the time to mull over relevant offers.

Therefore, my weekly shop now tends to be divided between the smaller Tesco, and Morrisons’, as there is a large branch of this store near to said Tesco.

On my first few visits to Morrisons I tentatively tried a selection of own brand products, as well as selecting some well-known labels that were on offer. I decided that many of the products were of good quality and therefore represented good value, an opinion further enhanced by the introduction of the Match and More card. This loyalty card price-matches your purchases not only with other leading supermarkets, but also with Aldi and Lidl, converting any extra money that you have paid on your comparable Morrisons’ shop to points, which then accumulate until you have sufficient to be awarded a £5 voucher. Despite targeting many own brand and offer items in my shop, I always seem to earn points, and have received several £5 vouchers, further reducing my shopping bill.

In addition to this, Morrisons have been sending me a variety of additional money-off vouchers through the post – they’re really making an effort to gain custom!

I’ve now also become a fan of certain of their own brand products. Here are a few of my favourites:

Morrisons Laundry Gel (Bio) 540ml (up to 18 washes) for just £1.75 – just as good as the Ariel version in my opinion and much cheaper!

Morrisons Pure Fabric Conditioner £1.50 (up to 42 washes) is a great bargain buy that leaves my laundry really fresh.

Morrisons Bolognese Sauce 725g for 99p, we actually preferred this to many other makes that we have tried.

Morrisons Chilled 100% Fruit Juices, 1-litre bottles, 3 for £3 (£1.29 each), not only are these really tasty, but there is such a great range of flavours. In addition to the normal apple, orange and pineapple, I love the apple and mango, Clementine, apple and pear and red grape and berries.

I’m also a big fan of their deli items, such as vegetable samosas and olive selections, and am pleased to see that their meat tends to be sourced from British farmers.

It would definitely seem that I’ll be doing much more of my weekly shopping in Morrisons in the future.

Merging Into One

I’ve recently heard about a couple of companies that are about to be ‘swallowed up’ by larger ones, which is bound to have an effect on consumer choice.

The Competitions and Markets Authority (formerly the Competition Commission, in turn formerly The Monopolies and Mergers Commission) is supposedly meant to strengthen competition in the marketplace, thus protecting consumer choice. Why is it then that in some areas our choices are becoming increasingly more limited?

One of the big issues at the moment, I feel, is that of mobile phone providers. I used to be a customer of Orange, which merged with TMobile (referred to in our household as Torange), which then became part of EE. It has now been announced that EE are to be bought out by BT – just the company I do not want to provide my service!

One of my concerns is that my current, excellently priced SIM deal will change. Originally taken out with Orange, but honoured by EE (although that stopped providing it to new customers) my immediate concern is that this will be scrapped. But from a wider point of view, I realise that if I’m not happy with the new service, there will be very little choice of other providers available. With it appearing that O2 is about to be taken over by the owner of the ‘3’ network, that leaves only Vodafone as a mobile provider on its own.

With our choices of mobile provider basically down to three, where is the incentive for the remaining companies to offer the best deals? With competition rapidly dwindling it certainly makes their life easier, but not ours!

Also in the news is the plan for Poundland to buy out 99p Stores – another bad move I believe. Certainly in my area, the 99p Stores are much better than the Poundland equivalents, stocking better products in a more welcoming environment. Of course, that may not be the case nationwide, but it’s still nice to be given the choice of where to shop.

Time and again shops and companies are being taken over by larger concerns, reducing competition and limiting our choices. Competition is healthy for businesses. It encourages them to deliver the best possible customer service, product ranges and consumer care. Insufficient competition can create complacency, resulting in poorer deals for customers and severe lack of service and care.

I’ve always believed that if I don’t get good service from a company, I should take my custom elsewhere. But if my choices are limited, where do I turn?

Annoying Packaging

You know the feeling. You get out that new pack of oh-so-tempting biscuits, finally locate the end of the ‘pull strip’, grab it and pull – and it promptly disintegrates in your hands, along with half the contents of the packet.

Or you buy your child a new toy for a present, which they simply can’t wait to get their hands on, but you realise you need a degree, not to mention a whole tool kit, in order to remove all the wires, tags and mini-screws that are there for product presentation, as opposed to any benefit to the consumer.

OK, so this may all seem like a bit of an exaggeration, but let’s face it, a huge amount of product packaging is both frustrating to open and wasteful.

During the recent festive season I was appalled at the over-the-top packaging containing my grandson’s toys. Not only was every one of them extremely tedious to open, but the packaging comprised of a number of plastic and metal fixings that could prove rather dangerous to small children! He’s 18 months old for goodness sake, he wants toys that he can get out and enjoy with minimal fuss and certainly without a choking hazard!

And as for the boxes of chocolates and biscuits! Whilst most were quite straightforward to open, I was incensed that some manufacturers printed the ‘selection menu’ on the bottom of the pack. We were then torn between reading the selection first and trying to remember what our chosen biscuit/chocolate looked like (makes a fun memory game) or holding the box aloft and performing a minor contortion to view the pictures without spilling the whole contents of the box. What’s wrong with printing the selection on the inside of the lid or on a piece of paper inside?

When designing product packaging, companies could bear in mind the phrase ‘user-friendly’ and stop and think about the ease of opening, the ability to reseal if appropriate, recyclability of materials and practical use.

It’s great that so many manufacturers have cut down on plastics used and, in some cases, reduced the size of packaging, but could they now please think more about ease of use as opposed to products looking pretty?

Next festive season I’d like to enjoy a biscuit without performing a weird limbo dance and present my grandson with his toys without leaving a trail of plastic ties in my wake!

Celebrity Endorsements

Advertisements can often be controversial, but I do despair at the amount of celebrity appearances and voiceovers in TV commercials, which must cost a fair whack, money probably better spent on the products themselves – or reducing their prices!

I’ve touched on this subject before, see good ads, but I’m becoming increasingly irritated by the cheesiness and pointlessness of these so-called celeb endorsements. Do I care what Cheryl is (supposedly) using on her hair, which yogurt Nicole Scherzinger (allegedly) prefers or that Victoria Wood appears to extol the virtues of a Dyson? Does it make me more likely to buy these products? Actually, no.

In fact the insincerity of some of the celebrity ads makes the products appear less credible to me. Their only use is to play a game of “Name That Celebrity” – can you recognise that famous voice in the background?

Random kittens in blog,
Much like random celebs in ads

I mean, do we really imagine that Peter André regularly pushes a trolley around his local branch of Iceland and that Mel Giedroyc really believes that “You’re better off at Asda”? The amount of different Asda ads featuring our Mel’s voice in the course of one week probably earns her enough to be far more extravagant with her weekly shop!

Personally, I’d prefer more ads featuring ‘real people’, which would be more cost-effective to make and more believable. It’s not really the TV advertising that encourages me to buy a product or visit a certain shop anyway, but introductory offers for products and loyalty incentives in the shops.

The odd advert can be quite entertaining, with some of the recent Christmas ones certainly worthy of a mention. I loved the Waitrose ad with its traumatic tale of the girl preparing the gingerbread stall and the John Lewis commercial with the lad and his penguins. But whilst the Sainsburys’ World War One ad was a poignant piece of film, I rather wish it hadn’t been an advert at all, just a short film to make us all think.

So does seeing or hearing a celebrity on a TV ad make you more likely to buy a product, or do you think there presence is just a total waste of money?

I Love My Loyalty Cards

Like many shoppers, I was quite incensed to hear that Sainsburys’ are halving the amount of Nectar points that they award to customers as of April next year. They will only be awarding one point per pound spent, as opposed to the current two (two points are only worth 1p ).

It’s true to say that Nectar points always have been slightly inferior to those awarded by Tesco Clubcard, with the exchange rate of the latter being four times their face value when converted to Days Out vouchers, and each point being equal to 1p .

There are some shoppers (misguided in my opinion) that question the value of loyalty cards, but I believe that any reward you are given for shopping is better than no reward at all.

Less effective than a loyalty card

The argument goes, that if stores are operating reward schemes, they subsequently have to set their prices a little higher to offset these incentives. However, I would refute this, as many good value items I buy are purchased in shops that offer reward points.

Many of the products that I purchase in places such as Tesco and Superdrug, are not only cheaper or at least comparable to those offered at other shops, but earn me points. Over the years I have acquired so many points under the Clubcard scheme, that we have been able to pay for several family days out each year, including trips to expensive theme parks, which we would not otherwise have afforded. Even if I have occasionally paid a few pence more for the odd product or two, I have received this amount back umpteen times over. It’s true to say, that if I could have bought some items slightly cheaper elsewhere and put the pennies I’d saved into a savings account, I would not have accumulated anywhere near enough to pay for the equivalent number of fun outings.

I regard all loyalty cards (and I can boast a considerable collection) as mini saving schemes that allow me to enjoy life’s little extras. Unless prices are considerably higher in a shop that offers a good value scheme, I am unlikely to shop for identical products somewhere that does not offer me these extra benefits.

So my message to Sainsburys’, and any other stores planning to reduce or withdraw their points schemes, is that this may result in a customer-cutting exercise as opposed to your intended cost-cutting one!

The Quest For Ginger Preserve

It’s really annoying when you start using a product and really enjoy it, then suddenly it disappears from the supermarket shelves.

That’s exactly what’s happened to is Duerr’s Chunky Ginger Preserve, which I’ve previously blogged (see here ). I just loved its spicy tang, which helped to wake me up when spread on my morning toast. But since its disappearance I’m mourning its loss.

I had been buying it at Tesco, but as I could no longer find it in the store, or in any other local supermarket, I decided to email Duerr, who replied within hours, so a big thank you to their customer service department.

I was pleased to learn that they have not discontinued the product, although Tesco have withdrawn the brand from their shelves. Duerr urged me to write to Tesco to complain about this move, which I am in the process of doing, and would encourage other Ginger Preserve fans to do the same. Send your letters to:

Tesco Customer Service Centre

Baird Avenue

Dundee

DD1 9NF

In the meantime, Duerr tell me that I may still be able to pick up the preserve at larger branches of Asda (which sadly does not seem to apply to my local branch) and they apparently make Sainsburys’ Ginger Preserve for them, although I have not managed to find this as yet either.

However, in recent weeks I have managed to buy some Asda, Chosen By You, Ginger Preserve, which whilst not quite on the par with Duerr’s, will suffice until I manage to get more of my preferred variety. The Asda version is too jelly-like in consistency and therefore not so easily spreadable.

Have any of your favourite products disappeared from the shelves in recent times?

My Autumn Beauty Buys

As I get older, I prefer a more subtle approach to make-up, using products that give me a healthy glow as opposed to emphasising every little flaw. The latest additions to my make-up bag certainly reflect this trend.

 

I’ve recently discovered No7 Stay Perfect Superlight Foundation SPF15 from Boots, which gives me a light, dewy coverage that evens my skin tone without looking unnatural. It’s a great little product and a little goes a long way.

Staying with No7 products, I’m now using their Stay Perfect Smoothing Eyeshadow in Bronze and Nude to add a subtle sheen of colour to my eyelids, rather than using a product that is too full on and heavy. The liquid formula glides on with the sponge applicator, and the tubes are handy and light to carry in your bag.

I do love the way No7 have developed this “Stay Perfect” range, if only the transformation to my face was that good! Anyway, I do like the products and are happy to recommend them.

 

I like to add a touch of colour to my cheeks, but don’t like heavy powder blushers or dark shades, so I was pleased to discover Limited Collection Cream Blush from Marks and Spencer. I’ve chosen dusky rose, which gives me a healthy glow, and I really like the way the product glides on, blends easily and doesn’t look overdone.

As the weather gets cooler, skin needs a little more TLC, especially I find, on my hands. My new favourite product is Hand Therapy Anti-ageing Hand Cream from Superdrug. With UV filters, Vitamin E and Co-enzyme Q10, it has a light non-greasy formula that is easily absorbed and just a hint of scent. My hands will thank me for it!

What beauty buys are you investing in this autumn?

Say No To Thai Chicken!

OK, so I’ve mentioned before how fed up I am that so many chicken products are made using poultry that isn’t British. (Read the most recent of these rants here) But I struggle to understand why so much chicken from sources such as Thailand and Brazil is still used in food manufacture.

Supermarkets rallied a little following last year’s horsemeat scandal. The amount of fresh meat sourced from the UK rose, be it somewhat slowly in some stores, and many beef products, such as lasagne and pies started to be made using British Beef.

However, many chicken dishes sold in supermarkets are still not produced using British chicken, or even chicken sourced within the EU. Sainsburys’ fresh kievs, goujons etc are all made from British chicken, which is clearly stated on the label. However their frozen ready meals use chicken from Thailand (even their roast dinners that include a whole chicken breast) and Tesco frozen ready meals also use chicken from Thailand and Brazil.

Of course, you wouldn’t notice this at a glance. The chances are that you have been buying these products without even realising the source of the chicken, as the finished meals are actually produced in the UK. To check what you are buying you have to read the small print on the back of the box, where the country of origin is stated.

But at least supermarket own brands are honest and state their sources, even if not in the most obvious place. Some of the big brand names that manufacture frozen meals and meat products do not state the country of origin at all. I have studied boxes produced by Sharwoods, Heinz Weightwatchers and the like, but can find no mention of where their chicken has been sourced. In order for us to make an informed choice as shoppers, we have a right to be provided with all this information, and I therefore believe that it should be law to clearly state the origin of a product’s main ingredients.

In the meantime if I read that the chicken in a product is from Thailand or Brazil, then I don’t buy it. If a product does not state its country of origin, then I still don’t buy it. I want to know that all meat and poultry that I buy in any way, shape or form is British, not only so that it conforms with food safety standards, but I don’t feel we should be importing such items from halfway across the world. Think of the global footprint!

What do you think?

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Starting The Year Anew

Following my success using Avon Anew Smoothing Eyeliner, I decided to try a couple more make-up products from the Anew range.

Having reached a ‘certain age’ I am conscious of needing products that give my skin a bit of a boost, and bear this in mind when buying cosmetics and skincare items, so I’m loving the Avon Anew range.

 

The first new product I’ve tried is the Youth-Awakening Eyeshadow and Primer Kit, a handy little pot that has a cream primer on the bottom, an eyeshadow duo on the top and even comes with a handy little mirror in the lid. I love this product! It is convenient to use and compact to carry around. The eye colours are subtle and feel smooth on my lids. I’m currently using Shimmering Walnut, but you can also choose from Smoky Violet and Spring Green. The product normally costs £10, but is currently on offer for £6.50.

The other Anew product that I’ve recently tried is the Lip Restoring Colour Balm, which glides on easily, conditioning lips whilst giving them a touch of colour. With a choice of four shades currently (a couple of shades were available pre-Christmas that I can’t find now), this product sells for £9, but personally I wait for an offer to come up. In fact, you can currently choose a balm for free when you spend £15 or more on Anew Beauty products.

I’m now planning to try some more Anew products as so far so good!

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What’s happened to ‘Which?’

Several years ago, my husband decided to take out a subscription to ‘Which?’ magazine, as at that time it published some good product reviews relative to our lifestyle.

Out of my league

However, recent editions of the magazine have wandered off the point somewhat, reviewing products including £1000 coffee grinders as opposed to items such as £75 vacuum cleaners.

Indeed many of the products reviewed appear more geared towards those with a very affluent lifestyle as opposed to us mere mortals trying to scrape together an honest wage. You are far more likely to read about products by Miele and Smeg, than Beko and Bosch, despite these brands offering appliances that perform well. It seems us ordinary folk are no longer the ‘Which?’ target audience.

The one exception to this rule is their amazing verdict that Aldi is the best supermarket. Are they kidding? All the branches I have ever tried have been poorly laid out, offered limited product choice and were staffed by some very unhelpful individuals. To me Aldi is bottom of the supermarket scale.

Accordingly, hubby decided to cancel his membership to ‘Which?’ – a process that actually deserves a review all of its own.

Simple but serviceable

Prior to ringing the subscriptions department, he had cancelled membership with another company, a process that had taken approximately one minute. The ‘Which?’ operator had other ideas, however.

The conversation lasted for over 10 minutes during which time various incentives (none of any use) were offered to continue with the subscription, numerous questions were asked (and opinions given) and a large amount of ‘sales speak’ was employed.

By the end of the conversation my husband had indeed managed to cancel his subscription, but was left looking rather shell-shocked, feeling that he had just undergone some rigorous debriefing session.

So my Shoppers’ Joy award for the most harrowing ‘end of subscription’ experience goes to ‘Which?’ magazine. Well, it’s about time the reviewers were reviewed.

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What’s With The ‘Man Food’?

There have always been products that are labelled ‘man-sized’, but the whole ‘man’ element in product marketing seems to have grown. A strange concept in an ever more politically correct world.

‘Man-sized’ tissues have been around for as long as I can remember and I’ve never really questioned whether they should just have been termed ‘large’ instead. But just because a product is a little larger than average does this warrant it being called ‘man-sized’, especially in these days of equality?

We don’t even have policemen these days – we have police officers. Firemen have been replaced by firefighters and many other terms have been adapted to include the word ‘person’ instead of ‘man’. Should this trend extend to products too?

In the 70s, Yorkie jumped on the bandwagon (or haulage truck), showing a lorry driver tucking into one of their chunky chocolate bars on their TV ads. In their more recent adverts they took the ‘not for girls’ approach, which was quite fun and tongue-in-cheek, rather than a serious ‘man’ campaign. Most recently Yorkie have introduced ‘Man Size Buttons’ but I do find this a bit odd.

Whilst snacking on a pack of McCoys crisps I noticed that they were being referred to as ‘Man Crisps’ and that’s when I decided this whole man thing was going a bit far. What do the manufacturers hope to achieve by awarding a product the title ‘man’?

It doesn’t make me want to buy a product more, if anything slightly less. I thought perhaps I was missing the point so I decided to ask a few men if the products were more appealing to them when the term ‘man’ was applied. The response I received was a resounding, “No!”

OK, so maybe I didn’t hold a huge national survey, so my results may not have been entirely accurate, but the opinion was that people bought products because of their taste, rather than their image. The men I talked to buy a chocolate bar regardless of the packaging or name – they don’t feel that there’s anything ‘unmanly’ about chocolate in the first place! The same approach applies to crisps.

I notice that the people who come up with these names and slogans never award a product the title ‘girl’ or ‘woman’, should we feel hard done by? Well no, I would feel more patronised if a product was emblazoned with such labelling.

Of course, I’m not counting products in all of this that are made expressly for either men or women, such as deodorants, shaving cream or perfume.

Maybe it’s time to think of some new names and slogans to replace this whole ‘man’ thing. Any suggestions?

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Avon Solutions

I’m always on the lookout for products that help me in my quest to keep my skin looking young, and used to be a big fan of Dove ProAge Neck and Chest Beauty Serum. However, this disappeared from the shops with the emergence of their All Over Body Serum, which I don’t use, as I prefer Dove Firming Lotion to moisturise my body and would prefer to target my neck area with a specific product.

I was interested, therefore, to see Avon Solutions Ageless Bloom Neck and Chest Treatment SPF15 in a recent brochure. This is a light cream aimed at helping to firm and tone this delicate area whilst helping to reduce age spots, sun damage, lines and wrinkles. I really feel this is making my neck and chest area softer, smoother and a bit less crepey.

I’m also aware of trying to minimise sun damage to my face, so was pleased to see that Avon Solutions Truly Radiant Tint Release Moisturiser is SPF20. This is a white cream, but actually subtly tints the skin when applied – I didn’t fully notice this until removing my make up and seeing the evidence on the cotton wool! (Yes I do know the clue was in the name) It’s designed to even out skin tone and give you a healthy glow, whilst offering sun protection – a great light, summer product.

What new skincare products have you found?

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Body Creams

I always make sure that I use some form of body moisturiser on a daily basis. The main all-over product that I use is usually Dove Firming Lotion, which is light, easily absorbed and keeps my skin in good condition. However, for drier areas I apply a richer body cream.

One of my favourite body creams is Nivea Soft a light, yet deep moisturising product with a hint of the classic Nivea scent. However, I was recently tempted by Avon Naturals Cherry Blossom Moisturising Body Whip, as I expected it to have a gorgeous smell. I was somewhat disappointed when I came to use it however, as the product was thinner, verging on watery, and less luxurious than I had imagined, whilst the scent was far too delicate – I could barely smell anything. This product just doesn’t work for me.

Another body product that caught my eye recently was Wilko Mango Body Butter from Wilkinson, which comes in a really eye-catching orange tub and smells absolutely gorgeous. It's rich, without being too heavy and is easily absorbed into the skin. I'd previously avoided buying body butters, believing they would be too greasy, but I actually love this one.

Which products would you recommend?

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Eye Care Products – Update

I previously wrote about the changes in packaging for Boots No7 products, explaining that I felt their Stay Perfect Smoothing and Brightening Eye Base and Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover had suffered from the changes.

I have now tried some alternatives to these products.

I have swapped the eye base, which is now in a smaller pot and less user-friendly in my opinion, for Avon Eyeshadow Primer, usually costing £7, but bought on offer for £4. This has a lovely creamy texture that is easy to apply, a little goes a long way and my eye make-up really does seem to last all the longer for it.

Meanwhile as a replacement for the No7 eye make up remover, which had changed from a handy pump dispenser delivering the correct amount, to a wide-necked bottle from which the product flowed at an alarming rate, I have bought Garnier Simply Essentials Soothing Eye Make Up Remover. Not only is this easier to use, as it has a much smaller opening in the top of the bottle, meaning I only have to use a few drops at a time, it also costs much less at just £2.99 a bottle as opposed to the increased price of  £8.50, (I only ever bought it with a No7 £5 off voucher, sometimes issued at the till), now charged for the Boots version.

Finally, some months ago I recommended, Skin Therapy Cotton Wool Pads (Oval, Large), 65p for 50 at Wilkinson. However, whilst I used to find these quite absorbent, more recently the pads seem to be thinner, meaning that I have had to use two in place of the normal one, and therefore pay £1.30 for 50 actual uses. I have now changed to Tesco Loves Baby Cotton Wool Pad Squares. Ok, these are dearer at £1.65 for 50, but they are really thick, soft and absorbent and great for removing make-up, so I strongly recommend them. 

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May’s Blog Review

Finally spring arrived, blossom filled the trees, flowers bloomed in the garden and the sun made a welcome (if sporadic) appearance. For me personally, May proved to be a busy month, with the birth of my grandson (first grandchild) for which I was present, even cutting the cord, being the highlight.

On the downside, the Hypermobility class that I attend at my local physiotherapy department is being reduced from weekly to monthly sessions, which will affect so many of us suffering from the condition (for information on Hypermobility Syndrome click here)

On my blog I once again looked at a diverse range of products and services, highlighting the good and bad and making a few recommendations.

I was disappointed with the change of packaging for some Boots No7 products, which I believe has meant less content in some cases, and inferior packaging in others, making it hard to use a measured amount of product, thus causing wastage. Next month, I will be suggesting alternatives to two of the No7 products that I was most disappointed with – the Stay Perfect Smoothing and Brightening Eye Base and the Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover.

Some of the more serious issues I touched on were visiting the dentist and health screening. It was lovely to hear from JR of the Mohali Dentist Clinic who commented ‘The Dreaded Dentist’ was an ‘impressive post’ with ‘minute details mentioned and clearly expressed’.

I also pointed out that you do not have to pay to get an EHIC card for your holiday. If you find a website trying to charge for this service, ignore it, be sure to visit www.nhs.uk/ehic where you just complete a simple form to receive your card – no fee involved.

Thank you to you all for visiting my blog. There’ll be lots more going on next month, so keep reading!

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Tinted Moisturisers

Although I use a foundation that offers good coverage during the winter months, once we get into late spring and summer I often swap to a tinted moisturiser, as hopefully my skin improves somewhat with the arrival of sunshine.

For the last couple of years I’ve used Boots No7 (Triple Protection) Tinted Moisturiser but due to the changes to some of the products in the range, which to my mind have been for the worse, this year I thought I’d try something new.

My latest make-up buy is Olay Complete Care Touch of Foundation, which offers the benefits of an Olay moisturiser, with the addition of Max Factor foundation, to enhance your complexion rather than smother it.

I really like this product; it’s light, easily absorbed and leaves my skin looking and feeling smooth and fresh. A great product for the summer, but unfortunately sunshine isn’t included.

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Changing Product Packaging

I’m always a bit sceptical when I notice that a product’s packaging has been drastically changed. Is the product inside the same, or has that been changed too, either for the better or worse? Has the size of the product sneakily been reduced? Or has the packaging been made to look more stylish in order to justify a price increase?

I was formerly a big fan of Boots No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing and Brightening Eye Base, but when I went to buy a new pot, I found it came in a smaller compact. The smaller packaging means that there is no longer room to include the handy little applicator that used to be provided. OK, so this wasn’t the greatest of applicators, but it was useful to remove all of the product from the edges of the pot. It’s true; it’s actually easier to blend the creamy base over the eyelid with a finger, but the reduced pot size, means smaller surface area of the product (sorry if I’m getting a bit technical), which in turn means I can’t get a good ‘sweep’ at the eye base to apply it.

The real question is, however, am I actually getting less of the product, or does the smaller packaging just create this illusion? I can’t really answer that, as unlike many other make-up brands, No7 doesn’t state the weight on the packaging.

I’m also disappointed with the new bottle for No7 Beautiful Skin Eye Make Up Remover as the old version used to come with a pump dispenser, but now it’s just in an ordinary bottle. The dispenser allowed me to get just the right amount of remover on a cotton wool pad, but with the new version I invariably end up with too much. Is this just a ploy to make me use the remover more quickly, so that I have to buy it more often? Well, it won’t work. I’m off to find a new brand – I’ll let you know how I get on.

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Does Size Matter?

Over recent years product packaging has been getting smaller, sometimes because the products inside have become more concentrated and at others to reduce waste packaging as a ‘green’ measure. However, some products are now available in smaller sizes purely to cut costs and maximise profits – they are sold for the same price (or more) as their originally larger counterparts.

So which products are being sold in smaller sizes with good reason, and which are helping the companies concerned to maintain their profit margins?

Recent additions to the toiletry aisles are compressed deodorants. These 75ml aerosol cans are available from Dove, Vaseline and Sure and claim to last as long as the larger 150ml varieties. They are priced the same as the larger cans, so as long as they do last the same length of time, they will make no difference to your purse, but will help the environment by generating less waste from packaging. I’ve just bought a compressed version of Vaseline Aloe Vera, so time will tell what my verdict is on that one.

I tend to use Ariel Excel Gel, but this has been doing an incredible shrinking act over the years. Available is two sizes, the larger one currently claims to last for 24 washes. This was previously 28 and prior to that 32, whilst the price has not gone down accordingly. Give Ariel their due, however, at least the number of washes is displayed on the front of the bottle, so we can keep track of what is happening. I recommend that with this type of product you do check the number of washes as opposed to amount in mls, as this indicates whether it is the concentration of the product that is different as opposed to just the volume.

Many manufacturers state that they would rather reduce product sizes as opposed to increasing prices, but this still means we are effectively paying more per 100g, 100ml or whatever of a product. The initial outlay may remain unchanged for these items, but they will not last us as long.

All that we can really do as shoppers is to keep an eye on product sizes as well as prices and buy the items that work best for us.

However, I would like to see more companies reducing their packaging without compromising their products. Reduced packaging in some cases will also reduce production costs, savings that can then be passed on to the consumer (well, we can dream). After all, how many packets do you open, that contain more ‘space’ than product?

What are your thoughts? comments@shoppersjoy.co.uk