Monthly Archives: July 2016

Jul 17 2016

REVIEW: Emjoi MICRO Pedi Gift Set with Manicure and Pedicure Kit

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I’m not a total foot-phobe like many of my friends, but I’m not in love with mine either. I have an abnormally large gap between my big toe and the rest of them, making them look a bit square and well… clubby. It doesn’t stop me flashing them though and I practically live in sandals now the sun is out.

Pedi

To be honest, the only times I really think about my feet are in bed. I’ll go to rub Craig’s leg suggestively then stop myself when they snag the duvet cover and give off a little scratchy sound that drives me mad. I can’t complain too much about this - I mean I hardly go to any effort to keep them in good nick - I’m too embarrassed of them to have a professional pedicure, and home remedies and pumice stones don’t seem to work . They’re victims of a life-time of knee-high boot / high-heel confinement, and barefoot gardening.

Before

My biggest issue with my feet is hard cracked skin around my heels. I’m on my feet a lot with the children, so I’m not surprised I’ve built it up, it probably cushions them from countless potential Lego injuries too, but I’m fed up with them looking like some kind of craggy rock formation. So when I was asked by Pedi Reviews to review the Emjoi MICRO Pedi Gift Set with Manicure and Pedicure Kit (quite the mouthful, I know) I said yes straight away.

At an RRP of £80 (yet sold in a number of places for £29.99), this is not likely to get your credit card twitching in your wallet, yet it’s made some pretty big waves press-wise. I remember watching my very first MICRO Pedi advert all those years ago and mentally slapping it on the Christmas present list, but Craig is pretty useless at gift-buying and I completely forgot to buy it for myself. Now I have one of my own I took to good old Google to furnish me with some tips on how to get the best out of it, and was shocked to discover that many other hard-hoofed MICRO Pedi owners weren’t impressed.

MicroPediHead

I’ll address these criticisms head-on, if only to smash them down.

Most complained that the roller stopped performing its magic if any pressure was applied to it, or that the batteries gave out midway through a session. Yet most were having a justified whinge that the MICRO Pedi was the most expensive on the market, yet had mineral rollers rather than diamond (apparently the latter is tougher and longer-lasting).

Not wanting to let any of that put me off, I took a long bath and dried my feet thoroughly for sanding treatment. The award-winning Emjoi MICRO Pedi Device is one of the most powerful hard skin removers on the market - how could this go wrong? It uses a coarse anti-bacterial mineral roller which spins 360 degrees some 30x per second to effectively buff hard skin into oblivion, so I approached the whole thing optimistically.

MicroP1

The device itself is well made, sturdy and sits comfortably in your hand. It isn’t a heavy item either weighing in at 340g. Inserting & removing the heads is as simple as pushing a button. To switch on, you push a central button in and up (to prevent it accidentally switching on in your hand luggage - I found this smooth to operate however some I’ve heard the odd grumble from other users (I suspect this is where the button has clogged with dead skin which is a grim reality for any device of this nature). I’ve also been forewarned (quite stridently) that you should take real care removing / replacing the battery cover as this isn’t robust enough to withstand bashing shut & prising open with the regularity it requires. This is a load of tosh though and it works just fine.

After

Strangely enough, my experience has been nothing but glittering for my little MICRO Pedi. I think the secret is to resist the urge to apply pressure and just watch the telly with your foot over a bin whilst lightly skimming over the gnarly bits. Your first session will be long, yet not unpleasant (if you don’t look inside the bin. Yeah - don’t do that) and you may need replacement heads fairly quickly if you’re dealing with peaks like Everest. I spent some 3 hours playing with mine for my first session and it was actually really relaxing

When you’ve got your feet looking gorgeous, you’ll want to maintain them. Handily this set comes with a spa-like quality coconut extract MICRO Pedi Ultra-finishing Cream which does a grand job of moisturising your feet for hours on end and soothing any redness (this smells absolutely gorgeous too). From then on, whipping out your MICRO Pedi every few days will keep everything sweet down there with rollers lasting a few months between replacements - it’s then that this bad boy will go from money-guzzler to worth its weight-in-gold.

NailFile

You also get a pedicure adaptor and five miniature attachments, designed to deliver salon quality results; a Cuticle Tool, a Fine Shaping Tool, a Shaping Tool, an Emery Tool and a Buffing Tool. Some of these tool are better than others with the cuticle tool and buffing tools being particular stand-outs, and the emery tool less impressive. I won’t pretend that I haven’t achieved better results with manual buffers (this wasn’t so hot at ironing out ridges for example), but given this requires far less effort, I’m more likely to give this a fortnightly outing get my nails looking Instagram-worthy.

Nails

This set also comes with toe separators, a surprisingly good manual professional nail file, a pretty little bag to stash it all away in, and nail clippers. Plenty in there to keep a busy mum lightly buffed and looking fab come the school run. I’m impressed how much is included for the price (although batteries and a replacement head wouldn’t have gone amiss) & it would make an ideal pressie for someone beauty-conscious.

I’m yet to come across any of the negatives anyone else has, so am glorying in the fact their feet must have been far uglier than mine prior to treatment. I would point out that you might want to consider third party replacement heads from Amazon as the cost really would mount up if you were MICRO Pedi-faithful (so to speak).

Overall I’m a little in love with it. I haven’t had such soft feet since toddler-hood and I actually really enjoy using it. I’m now totally sandal-confident and can lay on my back barefoot at the park without positioning my bag over my feet. I’m also now enjoying pedicures for the first time in my life as I know my feet are among the prettiest they’ll see walk in from the high street.

For more reviews and home manicure and pedicure tips, from Emjoi and beyond, check out Pedi Reviews

 

Jul 15 2016

Confessions of a Brit Abroad

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Us Brits are renowned for racking up some pretty impressive rap sheets when we get a bit of foreign sun on our backs. Traditionally it’s thought we literally dump our bags in our hotel room, strip down to our tankinis, don some sunnies, and head straight for the nearest bar. Fast forward ten hours and we’re on our backs on the street, bloodied, sunburnt and covered in our own vomit - before we’ve slept under newly pressed sheets for the first time.

But just how true is this?

The guys at Auto Europe have undertaken a survey to better understand British traveller’s holiday habits, and it seems we’re not the lager louts many think we are. They’ve grilled some 2,000 of us about our holiday escapades, culminating in this revealing infographic which does a pretty neat job of challenging some of the more sensational preconceptions about Brits Abroad.

£1,850ish for a holiday seems more or less fair to me. Craig and I tend to spend significantly over this sum now we’re parents, and our alcohol budget is constantly nibbled away at as the children profess undying love for bits of over-inflated tat. You might therefore think that 56 drinks over the course of a week is wildly optimistic, yet sadly we usually manage to double this after dealing with the stress of several tantrums, and hours spent ensuring our children don’t get swept out to sea.

Intimacy-wise, I bet those 8% who lose track of the time spent without their kit on aren’t parents. Craig and I are usually too knackered (or indeed drunk) to manage much more than a quick fight before bedtime. I can’t say we’ve ever made it to a sunbed by 10am either - trying to find a Greek alternative Coco Pops is no easy feat, and it takes at least 30 minutes to apply sun cream to any one child.

Social media would be a fine thing too. We usually manage to check ourselves in on Facebook at Terminal 5, but don’t have the time to sit editing tomato sauce from the mouths of our babes to make pics Instagram-worthy. Craig will manage to keep his inbox in check, but that’s only because he averages about 6 emails a day (mostly asking if he’d like a few extra inches, or whether he’d like a spa day for 70% off - NOOOO Groupon. Get lost.) whereas I’ll receive some 300 in an hour.

Holibobs

I totally get the whole diet-thing though. I can’t pretend I’m swerving burgers for salads on the Costa del Sol. I’m usually way too drunk to translate anything that isn’t served with frites on holiday.

Yet life wasn’t always like this.

Although life before children now seems like a bunch of sepia Polaroids, it did actually exist. In fact, red-eyed photographs of you aged 16 on the beach, quickly become your most liked on Facebook as you were some 4 stone lighter.

Most of us did in fact lose our purses on a girly holiday and have to ring our parents to bail us out. Most of us have managed some sort of a one-night stand on holiday too (even if you can’t now remember his/their name/s) … I find it helps to tell yourself they were bronzed, God-like and way out of your league to help overcome any wine-shame.

Somehow though, the best of these pre-child experiences, don’t quite seem to measure up to the worst of those spent with Craig and the kids. When someone has seen you cut in half to liberate a screaming mass of bloody baby, you somehow don’t feel anxious about how your cellulite-ridden thighs look in your swimming suit anymore. If I’m overlooking his receding hairline, he’ll just have to get past the fact my toenails aren’t painted. There’s a sort of quiet easy confidence that comes post-baby that means you never lose your shit if you forget to pack your hair straighteners either - as long as your two-year-old has that cute dress you impulse-bought from H&M.

Dex

Suddenly, it’s the sunset moments spent at a rickety plastic table trying to coax your toddler into eating what has been described as (and must therefore be taken as read to be) chicken breast nuggets, that stand-out to you. You forget you had a killer stress-headache and instead remember how the sun bleached your child’s hair that little bit lighter, that their face was that little bit browner, and you were that little bit more in love with them - now that’s what this Brit does abroad.

This is a collaborative post with Auto Europe - come and share your greatest holiday memories (so far) using the hashtag #AEMemories
Jul 8 2016

How to undermine your blogging credibility in 5 easy steps

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BloggingCredibility

I read a lot of blogs. Some I read with a sense of brooding envy, others turn me off quicker than Marco Pierre White Jr’s leopard print trousers. My own blog is by no means perfect, but I try to keep in mind all the dross I’ve read in the past so it’s an attractive welcoming space for brands who want to collaborate, and for family and fellow bloggers to see what we’ve been up to.

A great blog will straddle a fine line between diversity and focus; that’s to say it’s easy for those looking in to see what you’re interested in, but there’s been real care taken to present these themes creatively. I can’t say I’ve ever hit this model of perfection, yet I do try to swerve some of the bigger blogging pitfalls that crop up all too regularly on other blogs.

The fact is, it’s very easy to undermine your blogging credibility, and some people do a truly excellent job of it on a regular basis. It’s almost as though they want to get called out publicly by Twitter’s grammar police and spend an eternity languishing at the bottom of their own mother’s to-read list. If this is you, then do I have a treat for you? Read on to discover 5 easy steps to royally f&*k up your blog:

DO tell yourself that a B in GCSE English means you can swerve spellcheck

I can forgive the odd error here and there, but when someone writes about ‘there holiday’ to Skegness I want to strip them of their internet connection & send them back there for a few years. Even spellcheck counts this as an abuse of the English language and proffers a green squiggly underline to alert you to your idiocy. Do you notice? Of course not, as you don’t even bother to drop your content into Word.

DO tell the world what a twat your ex is

I almost don’t want to include this one. When someone gets laid more than Scotty T and wants to tell me about it, I’m usually the first to subscribe to their blog. The same goes for a blogger who is going through a particularly tumultuous divorce and allows herself to get a little too candid with the details. We all love a popcorn moment to break away from the monotony of nipple cream reviews.

Yet failing to ask yourself how appropriate you’re being can result in you becoming the subject of gossip. Other mums will gossip about you in hushed tones at the school gates. Other bloggers will DM one another with links to your content and a wide-eyed emoji. Brands you have collaborated with will send emails to their PR houses asking them to take you off outreach mailers.

Remember that your mum, your neighbour, your daughter’s teacher, your ex and Aaron from Sony might be reading it; not only will word eventually get back to that person you’re defaming (landing you in a whole heap of shit - especially if you’ve been casual with the truth), Aaron isn’t likely to offer you that 4KTV in exchange for your thoughts either.

DO throw a diva strop in response to outreach

Work for free? Do you realise how long it takes to write a post?

… all responses I’ve seen banded around in Facebook groups in response to a PR who has cheekily tried to get you to write about their client’s latest press release without a budget.

Capture

Remember that Anna from Social Piglet might be a 16-year-old work experience placement let loose with a keyboard & email account. The truth is that all brands will ask their PR houses to mail their marketing contacts with their latest 2 for 1 promotion. Blogger outreach is most probably the furthest thing from their minds - rather they’re after a 240mm by 240mm ad placement in the Tameside Tribune.

Instead just be courteous. You don’t know what opportunities there might be for a more mutually beneficial collaboration in the future. Acting shirty and throwing your rate card around like you’ve forgotten who you are, won’t score you any points in the PR world and you’ll get yourself blacklisted. Anna might then have the last laugh when her agency signs Hyundai and is looking for family bloggers to work with.

Remember that you are merely one blogger sharing space with an ever-growing tribe of other bloggers. Even when your DA pushes dangerously close to 40, and you can afford to tell your boss to shove his job, you’re still competing with Sharon from Bognor.

DO accept a guest post on holidays for the over 50s if you’re 30

When your name makes it on to a few SEO databases, Fabio from Payday Loans for Morons will soon hit you up fishing for a link or two for $45. It can be very tempting to take on the odd bad assignment - I know I have. Just try and bury these deep into archived content so they don’t appear on your homepage.

As much as you tell yourself you’ve managed to craftily squeeze in a link about commercial underfloor heating in an otherwise natural post about renovating your home on a budget, you haven’t. I’d never begrudge anyone a quick £ or two, but try not to dilute your brand identity so readily.

DO use thinly disguised statuses on Facebook to beg for PR contacts

We’ve all seen these right? Be it querying the features of the latest iCandy pram with Toni on Twitter, and @ing the brand to hint that you’re desperate to review it, or asking all your mates on Facebook for the PR contact for Kiddicare to resolve a customer service issue, it looks a little lazy.

I’m not suggesting you should pander along and wait for brands to come to you. Hell no. If you’re hankering after a new docking station for your iPad, although you should never expect anything for free, tweet a few brands on Twitter and ask for their PR contact. In most cases, it isn’t the brands job to screen requests so they’ll be only too happy to defer you to their PR house. If you’re prepared for a few disappointments along the way, there is a chance your hard work might pay off.

Don’t be tempted to give fellow bloggers email addresses for PRs without seeking their permission either. Some brands will have very specific criteria for blogger collaborations (some of which might seem completely pernickety to you) and they won’t thank you for it. For example, Skoda might be looking for a single mum in Berkshire between 35-40 years-old, with children aged under 5 years, who blogs about feeding her family on a budget, and the steps she is taking to reduce her personal debt. I know. I’ve been that person in an agency searching for this mythical blogger.

So there you have it. 5 easy ways in which to destroy your credibility. This isn’t a definitive list so do feel free to chuck a few more at me. As always, I can take it as well as I dish it out, so feel free to call me out.

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