Aqua Zinger by Zing Anything

To say that I'm not a fan of drinking water is an understatement - back in my teens I was hospitalised a few times with severe dehydration simply because I couldn't bring myself to drink water unless infused with super strength coffee or in the form of a 2 litre bottle of Coca Cola.

This was not good, actually pretty life threatening and while I have got better and cut out the Coca Cola and started to drink at least one litre of water a day, the Aqua Zinger has been a god send.

Available for under £20, the Aqua Zinger fell into my possession thanks to a competition run by Zing Anything and Chloe at Clo's Beauty Spot blog.

This is what the Zing Anything website has to say about the product:

'As most of us know, we need to drink more water, but even in concept it can come off as a chore. The Aqua Zinger offers a fun new way to enjoy drinking water and reduce food cravings.
With the Aqua Zinger you can drink significantly more water and still satisfy your palate, as well as your body’s need for hydration and energy.

The Aqua Zinger water bottle works by subtly infusing water with flavours. From cucumber to lemon and lime, to blackberries, kiwi, strawberry, raspberry, peach, ginger, or even mint and basil – your Aqua Zinger can infuse them all.

Mix and match and get creative; the flavours and ingredients are only limited by your imagination.
The Aqua Zinger has the unique ability to create all-natural beverage options that are light and refreshing.'

So easy to use is the Aqua Zinger that a simpleton like myself can manage to infuse fruit into water which with anything remotely technical is a hurdle that has to be overcome. I first of all tried infusing lemon, and duly added half a fair sized lemon to the bottom and left for an hour.

After unscrewing the lid and pouring out some of the water it was obvious that thee fruit juice had mixed with the water - I could see little bits of lemon floating around in the water. More importantly I could taste the lemon but it was a subtle infusion, not too bitter and certainly not overpowering. It also tasted a lot better than the flavoured water you can buy in the shops.

I've tried lots of different flavours since receiving the Aqua Zinger and none have left me thinking I needed the flavour to be stronger. Personally, my favourite is orange and lemon, it blends brilliantly and the flavours linger on the tongue. It's also an excellent way of taking on board some much needed vitamin C.

Each grind of the fruit section should deliver two drinks that are free from artificial sugars and ingredients and that to me makes this a great little gadget that has got me drinking even more water on a daily basis - so fear of dehydration reduced (bonus) and vitamins pumped into my body (bonus). 

While this isn't something I would ever have thought to buy I wouldn't be without it now. It fills up a bottle of flavoured water for me to take onto the underground in the morning. Usually I spend around £3 a day on bottled water while travelling to and from work - even if I spend £1 a day on fruit to infuse I'm making a clear saving, not using up so many plastic bottles and have tastier drinks. 

On a value for money test this pays for itself in just weeks and would be ideal for someone like me who detests drinking plain water, someone (not me) who treats their body like a temple or will appeal to people who just like fruit flavoured water. Winner!

RECOMMENDED

View Post

Clinique Happy for Men

It's been a while since I posted - I was going to take a bit of a break throughout August as I go and soak up the sun but my blog draws me back. 

Happy by Clinique wasn’t something I’d wanted to try but after a friend encouraged me to buy a bottle on the assurance that it was ’the best ever’ (vague to say the least), I parted with cash and took the plunge. 

Coming in an orange card box, the bottle looks tacky to say the least, oval in shape, the overall first impression was "eurgh" but the looks were indeed deceiving.

On removing the lid I was greeted with a fruity citrus aroma that reminded me more of a bowl of oranges (hence the colour of the bottle I'd say) and upon inspecting the notes, this is marketed as a refreshing masculine scent made from a blend of lemons, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit and is recommended for day wear around the office.

Source

The full notes to Happy are:

• Head: Lime, green notes, mandarin orange, lemon and sea notes;
• Heart: Freesia, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley and rose;
• Dry down: Cypress, musk, guaiac wood and cedar.

Taking the blend of ingredients into account it wasn't surprising that my first impression of the fragrance was one of a very acidic, fresh and citrus aroma. As stated earlier, the overbearing initial fragrance is oranges, but once applied it fades quickly and after around 30 minutes the entire fragrance is subtle, the lime and jasmine begins to stand out over the other ingredients. 

Over the course of the day, the lime fades and lemon and oranges are again the predominant fragrances.

This is not what I would call a masculine aftershave, but it is still lovely.

I can't stress enough how subtle this is. Without actually sniffing at area's I had sprayed I wouldn't have known I was wearing this. Saying that however, it is a sign of a good quality aftershave and that it blended well with my skin and can’t actually smell it.

Bearing in mind I couldn't smell this after an hour you would think that quite a large amount of the aftershave would be needed for a day in the office. You'd be wrong, three to four sprays from the 50ml bottle is all that is needed for well over 12 hours of smelling gorgeous.

At under £30 for 50ml, this is a real bargain and is an ideal stocking filler for that man in your life.

Clinique Happy:

• Smells gorgeous
• Is reasonably priced
• Long lasting
• Refreshing
• Will get you noticed for all the right reasons
• Is a versatile fragrance, ideal for office wear, but personally I prefer to wear it when out on the town.
• The only faults I could find with this fragrance were the actual bottle design which to this day looks completely out of place. It is neither unique nor pleasing to the eye and after shaving it stings like no other aftershave I own. I put this down to the actual citrus and alcohol ingredients, but it is seriously sore for a few minutes after applying.

Taking everything into account, and the fact that you will get noticed wearing this it can only receive the thumbs up from me. 

RECOMMENDED

View Post