Protect your phone with Lux Box

Let me tell you a sorry tale of 'told you so' that resulted me me gleefully accepting the offer of the Wonderful Things Factory to try one of their luxury iPhone cases, LuxBox.

Until May I had managed to resist the urge to buy an iPhone, hell, my Samsung Galaxy 2 (yes I know it has antique value) is still going strong so why bother splashing out on a new phone? That was until I was handed an IPhone 6 as my new work phone with the wise and sage advice of "you better get a case for that as the screen will crack at the slightest bit of pressure". Fast forward (not so much) two days and carelessly throwing things into my bag resulted in cracked screen! I needed a case!

This is what theWTFactory say about the LuxBox here:

'The Wonderful Things Factory (aka theWTFactory) is working right now (literally) to create cool stuff for you to use, wear, touch, look at and experience.' 

Now, the lovely phone case you can see above was sent to me to test by theWTFactory and I have to say, I'm impressed. While $55 may seem a lot for a phone case, when you consider the cost of replacing a damaged screen it's actually just a drop in the ocean and well worth the initial outlet.

I expected it to take weeks to arrive from the good old USA but no, it took just three days. It arrived, thankfully not via Yodel (that's a rant for another time) in a secure box with minimal packaging but as soon as it was opened it just oozed class and that Christmas morning feeling was upon me. Weird, it is after all just a phone case.

Slipping it onto the phone was a breeze and initially I was surprised by how lightweight the case was. It weighs just grams and once on, you hardly notice it's there - it doesn't weigh down the phone and it doesn't add that much to the dimensions so it slips straight into the pocket with no hassle - result! 

This is a luxury phone case - it looks great, and personally I love the walnut finish on the rear of the case, it just looks so much different to the clip on cases you can pick up for a couple of pounds down on Camden Market and I for one am a very happy bunny. I would probably baulk at paying so much, but actually after dropping my phone twice since installing this (and no damage to either phone or case) I would probably pay double! 

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Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #5 - Ted Baker On Course Ted Messenger Bag

If I said you could splash out £35 and end up with not only a Ted Baker branded messenger bag that looks the part, but also have the bag empty to unveil a whole host of Ted Baker Tour de Ted products you would probably phone for the men in white coats.

Ted Baker is not a brand I associate normally with ridiculously affordable prices, I put them into the ‘treat’ or ‘luxury’ category but I have to admit I was personally blown away by my gift set. 

I’ve been using the same man bag purchased from Camden Lock Market in the week before I started to work in Camden and quite fitting that it got replaced five years later in the week that I left. To be honest, my bag needed changing, over the years it had warped and was more twisted than a corkscrew.

The messenger bag is really well made and racing green in colour I would say (but don’t trust me, I’m colour blind - check out the pictures). In terms of size, it is perfect and can fit a decent sized laptop, iPad and papers without it bulging or having so much weight in it the shoulder strap cuts through your shoulder. Internally there are a few pockets for chargers, pens etc and that’s about it. It’s a bag, for blokes, we don’t really need anything else.

The internal fabric design

Personally I would have expected to pay over £35 for a Ted Baker bag, so when I opened it to be greeted with the products below I grinned from ear to ear. While not a fan of body sprays I have to say that I like the ones in this bag, they are fresh and provide a level of assured confidence that you would need after a trip to the gym.

So what do you get?

• Ted Baker Orange Body Spray (150ml)
• Ted Baker Orange Hair and Body Wash (200ml)
• Ted Baker Green Body Spray (150ml)
• Ted Baker Green Hair and Body Wash (200ml)
• Wrapped Soap (140g)

The body washes lather up brilliantly and are good at getting off the grime and leaving skin smelling wonderful. The green version is much fresher, while the orange I find a little too synthetic. That aside, it does the job and washes and you can’t grumble at that. For me, my favourite is the wrapped soap - it has been so long since I've used soap it was like a little blast from the past and the fragrance had me reminiscing while staring off into the distance. 

What I found really surprising is that the hair and body wash didn't leave my hair feeling like straw. This is very common for me when using body washes that are allegedly also OK for washing your hair. With the Tour de Ted my hair was left feeling soft, smooth and shiny. 

This would make a great gift this Christmas - or you could break it down into several gifts for the men in your life. Available from Boots online here for £35 you can do a lot worse than this if struggling for gift ideas this Christmas.

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You can read my other Christmas Gift Ideas for Him by clicking on the links below:

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #1 - Superdry Varsity Track T-Shirt

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #2 - Starbucks Sprinkler & Mug Set

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #3 - Aromatherapy Associates Refinery Shaving Essentials 

Christmas Gift Ideas for Him #4 - Intense He Wood by DSquared2

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Honest Burger - Camden Lock Market

Confession time - I’ve become slightly addicted to finding and trying out burger joints in London. 

After an enforced break from work due to illness and suffering from extreme cabin fever I spent day after day trawling the internet looking for the best, more succulent looking places to try.

I have 10 places in my sights and aim to have them all visited and reviewed by the end of September. 

Burger at the Oasis (sadly no longer with us), a burger joint in Las Vegas sits at the top of my all time favourites while Dirty Burger is the best I’ve tasted in my adopted home city. Can I find anywhere better? The challenge is on!

I had seen Honest Burger in Brixton Village when I attended an ilumi event a few months ago, and had that not been a food tasting evening I’ve have wandered straight in and bought one. The smell wafting from the kitchen was rich and meaty while the place was packed which tends to be a good sign. 

I vowed there and then that an Honest burger needed to be consumed.

The first branch opened in Brixton in 2011 and since then a further five have opened in Camden Town, Soho, King’s Cross, Portobello Road and Oxford Circus. 

After a visit to London Zoo and with a stomach that was growling louder than an Asian Tiger we descended on Camden Lock in search of food. The many amazing stalls aside (that’s for another time - in short, it’s a foodie dream on a Sunday afternoon) had me drooling but I was on a burger mission and after searching high and low (seriously, 15 minutes) we finally found the entrance to Honest Burger. 

To say that it’s a narrow entrance is something of an understatement. If you blink you will miss it, it’s actually opposite Shaka Zulu and Gilgamesh.

Having never been to the chain before I had no idea what to expect but I had seen a few reviews that suggested I was in for a treat. What struck me first of all was how close the tables were together. While the place was empty when we arrived this wasn’t a problem but as it started to fill up on a warm afternoon it became quite stuffy inside and when I’m eating I don’t particularly like to be nearly sitting on the lap of the stranger sat at the table next to me - it’s one of the reasons I try to avoid places like Wagamama.

Browsing the menu doesn’t take long. Like Dirty Burger the choices are quite limited - a picture of the menu is below.

The menu

The staff were really attentive, they gave us time to cast an eye of the menu before taking our drinks order - I opted for traditional lemonade which looked great when it arrived in a jam jar with plenty of ice. It was so cool and refreshing and set me up for the meat treat on its way.

I ordered the tribute burger at £10 while my partner in crime had the cheese burger priced at £8.50. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but the burgers do some with fries. Again, the staff knew their stuff and were attentive, they even came back to check how we wanted the burgers cooked.

The waiting time was reasonable, a good ten minutes to sip at our drinks while watching the world go by and there is no better place to people watch than Camden Lock Market on a warm sunny afternoon. 

As the cheese burger was placed down I think I drooled a like bit with envy, especially when my burger rocked up with a film of grease covering the entire top of the brioche bun. I was so hungry even this couldn’t put me off. There were plenty of crispy fries that were perfectly seasoned and full of flavour.

The Cheese burger

After dismantling the burger to take a look I was impressed that the bacon was cooked really well and was crunchy, just how I like it. There was plenty of American cheese and the relish mixed with the mustard pickles combined wonderfully. The patty was cooked medium and again I couldn’t argue with the preparation, it looked fantastic and as I took the first bite there was a taste explosion in my mouth. The beef patty was rich in flavour and juicy without releasing a spray of grease and fat onto my shirt. 

As we entered I was really hungry but after finishing the burger I was actually so full I struggled to finish the fries. 

My Tribute burger

While I think it is slightly overpriced and I was disappointed by the seating layout, how greasy the brioche bun was I couldn’t argue with the fact that it tasted amazing and filled me right up. Chomping away on a burger where you can taste the rich beef while watching the world pass you by was a fun experience. 

I don’t think I’ll be visiting the Camden Lock branch again unless it’s empty however I will be trying the  larger Honest Burger in King’s Cross on a more regular basis, especially as it is just around the corner from my office.

Honest Burger doesn’t beat Dirty Burger or the specials at Bryon Burger but you could do a lot worse, especially in Camden Market with the ‘special’ £4 Chinese meals on offer.

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Where is your favourite burger joint? Why not let me know in the comments below?

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.

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