Milton Antibacterial Products

I recently received some Milton antibacterial products to review - Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes, Milton Antibacterial Fabric Solution and Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel.

Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel - Our family are regular users of hand gel anyway, so we were looking forward to trying this. When using it, I've noticed it has a very strong smell - it smells like it can kill germs, if you get my meaning? It's easy to use and it's quite small, so it fits in your bag or pocket easily to carry around when out and about. The only thing about it that I didn't like quite so much as others I have used, is that it is very runny - unlike other gels I have used that are thick gels, this one was too easy to squeeze out that bit too much onto your hands and spill some as you do it. On the other, I found that this left my hands feeling soft and cared for after use compared to others which didn't.

Milton Antibacterial Fabric Solution - If, like me, you don't normally think about it, a product like this actually gets you thinking... Normal soap powder/tablets don't get rid of the germs (bacteria/fungi) in your clothes - it simply gets them clean - and that is two different things. You add this fabric solution to your wash (in the bleach or condition compartment of your washing machine as well as your normal soap powder and fabric softener if you use it) and it actually works to kill germs on your clothes. This is quite a difficult item to review - because there are no visible results. I mean you wash clothes, you can see the soap powder has done its job and got rid of the dirt, but as you can't see the germs on your clothes, there's no way to see if after using the fabric solution, that they have gone. The fabric solution is easy to use - you add 20ml to your normal wash - you take off the lid, squeeze it and it fills it up - it's really quick and easy to use. It's strong smelling, but that smell does not transfer onto your clothes. It doesn't affect your colours in any way. You can use it any wash, including cold wash for it to be effective.

Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes - Well, for starters this is a good size pack of wipes. They clean well when wiping surfaces, so I assume they equally get rid of germs well, but as with the fabric solution, it is difficult to ascertain just how well a job it is doing, because you can't actually seethe germs unlike the dirt which you can see.

Milton products can be found in the baby aisle at pharmacies and supermarkets, or you can buy online from www.milton-tm.com.

The Milton Antibacterial Hand Gel retails at £2.19 for 100ml, or £5.21 for 450ml.

The Milton Antibacterial Fabric Solution retails at £5.73 for 1l.

The Milton Antibacterial Surface Wipes retail at £2.29 per pack.

Jabra CRUISER2 Bluetooth Speaker

I was pleased to have the opportunity to review the Jabra CRUISER2 Bluetooth Speaker...

The Bluetooth device is lightweight and easily transportable. It has a clip which made it really easy to attach to sun visor.

Connecting your phone to the speaker with Bluetooth is extremely easy to do - as easy as connecting to any other Bluetooth device. It takes just a couple of seconds.

Receiving a phone call through it is very simple - you just tell it to answer the call (it has voice guidance) - it even tells you who is calling! This is quick and easy and does not take your attention away from driving in the slightest. It is also very easy to adjust the volume of the call and saves your attention for driving. Talking on it is just like talking to a passenger in your car.

You can also play the songs from your phone through it which was really good too. It is a very innovative product in my opinion - it definitely makes taking calls whilst driving a lot easier. It's the ultimate handsfree kit really!

The Jabra CRUISER2 Bluetooth Speaker retails at RRP £69.99 - you can find out more information at http://www.jabra.com/uk-cp/pages/default.aspx.

Giovanni Rana Pasta Meals

I was lucky enough to receive a Giovanni Rana Tortellini meal to review...

The exact meal I received was "Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in tomato sauce with cherry tomatoes, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings".

Looking through the packet, it looked very appetising indeed. And the description (as I've noted above) made my mouth water even more! It was very quick to cook in the microwave - a total of just 3½ minutes - it needed a stir after 2 minutes, but that was easy enough.

When I removed the lid when it was finished, the smell was gorgeous and it looked good too. The filled pasta was very nice, and the cherry tomatoes were delicious, though I wish there would have been a few more in there. It was a really nice combination of things together though - a very delicious taste and delicate flavour. The texture was just right too. All in all it was a very delicious meal. It was very full on calories however considering the size of the meal - it contained 488kcal which I'd consider a lot for a meal of that size, but then if I wasn't on a diet, I wouldn't be counting the calories, so I am probably just being superficial. I would very much like to try the other meals in the range at some point too.

The new filled pasta range comprises:

• Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in tomato sauce (with cherry tomatoes, spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings)
• Tortellini filled with Spinach and Ricotta in a basil sauce (with courgettes and cheese shavings)
• Tortellini filled with Prosciutto Crudo in Alfredo sauce (with peas, smoked ham and Parmigiano Reggiano shavings)

These meals are available from Sainsbury's stores nationwide, and selected ASDA stores at RRP £2.99 each.

Nakd Snack Bars

I was lucky enough to receive some Nakd snack bars to review...

I received three flavours - Berry Delight, Pecan Pie and Cocoa Orange. Because they are snack bars, I was expecting crunchy, oaty type things, but in reality, these snack bars are quite different.

The snack bars are soft, chewy and cake like and each bar provides you with 1 of your 5-a-day too as well as being gluten, wheat and dairy free - so they are suitable for almost everyone. They are fairly low calorie too at 135kcal per bar.

The Berry Delight was my favourite - it very much tasted of fruit and I really could taste the berries coming out in it. The Cocoa Orange was my second favourite - there was just the right amount of flavour - it was much like a cup of cocoa with some orange syrup in - very scrummy! My least favourite was the Pecan Pie, but I did not dislike it - I liked that a lot too, I just preferred the other two! The Pecan Pie had a lot less flavour/taste than the other two, but I was impressed that the bits in it weren't really big and crunchy.

Nakd snack bars are available to buy from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, independent health food shops and www.eatnakd.com at RRP 72p.

Ambrosia Snacks

I was very lucky to receive some of the new Ambrosia Custard Coated Apple Flakes and Ambrosia Custard Coated Banana Flakes to review here on my blog...

When I was offered the opportunity to review them, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect - I was maybe expecting fruit flakes in custard in a tub or something from the name of them. What they actually are, is small chunks of fruit coated in solid custard.

I'm not really a fan of dried fruit which I was expecting it to be, so I was very pleased when I realised that was not the case with these - instead being nice, soft chewy pieces of fruit which are really quite delicious. The custard tastes more like white chocolate to me, and although I'm not a big fan of white chocolate, the snacks are very delicious. My hubby says they taste very much like custard on the other hand, so he disagrees with my white chocolate opinion!

They are very filling as a snack and as I am on a diet as you all know, I was very pleased to see that a pack only contains 95 calories!

I really like these and will definitely buy them again in the future. My hubby likes them a lot and so does our 8 year old son, David. In fact, David wants to take some in his packed lunch to school he likes them so much!

Although a banana is my favourite fruit, the custard coated apple flakes were actually my favourites! Though they are both nice. They have a very nice taste and texture to them. They fit perfectly into a lunch box too and don't take up a lot of space.

The Ambrosia Custard Coated Apple Flakes and Custard Coated Banana Flakes are available at Sainsburys and Morrisons stores nationwide from £1.89 for a multipack of 5x 20g.

RetarDEX Oral Spray

The lovely people at RetarDEX sent me a full size RetarDEX Oral Spray to review here on my blog. So here goes...

Well, the spray comes in a small and very easy to carry around container - ideal for putting in your bag or pocket.

It is for freshening your breath. I gave it a go and I liked it - I was a little worried about what the taste would be like, but it very much reminded me of a packet of mints. I went out after using it and the taste remained dominant for a couple of hours, which is really good (and definitely beats how long mints last!) and my hubby and son said my breath still smelt fresh in this time - it lasted a lot longer than expected.

It is very easy to use - a quick spray or two is all it takes. I used it again last night after eating a pile of raw red onion and it actually got rid of the smell and lingering aftertaste too!

It's alcohol and sugar free which is fantastic as they are both things that would put me off it. It does stuff you wouldn't even think about too, such as it having a secret ingredient that works to break down the bacteria and food debris that cause bad breath. It's a little miracle in a spray bottle!

I really cannot find anything negative to say about it - it far surpassed my expectations!

RetarDEX Oral Spray is RRP £3.05 and is available from Boots and selected Sainsburys, Tesco Waitrose, Booths, Ocado.com and all good pharmacies and dental surgeries.

Super High Power Spanx Shapewear

I was lucky enough to be chosen to review the new shapewear called 'Spanx' from Tightsplease and I had the chance to try them out yesterday...

Most often, I wear shapewear with a dress as the last thing I want is my flabby layers showing through my dress! I often have the problem, however, that they only go to your waist which leave flab hanging over the top. I also find they squash flab mid-way on your thighs too because of the seam band.

My first impressions when I took the Spanx shapewear out of the packet was "Wow! They're small - how am I going to fit into them?" - they were the size I had requested, but they looked about the size of a kid or a very slim person. I expected they would stretch, but looking at their original size, I thought to myself, "No way are these going to fit" - I am astounded and really pleased to say they did - I was very shocked - you would not believe just how much they stretch!

I love the fact that they go right up to your chest - it meant that all the flab was held back with no big belly hanging over the top like usual shapewear does. The lack of leg band on the seam also meant those thigh bulges were a thing of the past too. I'd read the claims of what the shapewear could do, but I had my reservations, as the ones I have used in the past have left me disappointed. I can honestly say that this wasn't the case with the Spanx shapewear.

They are very comfortable to wear - when sitting, I was not in any discomfort and when walking around they were very comfortable. I also found them very 'airy' which was good as I find wearing shapewear and lycra undergarments often leaves you uncomfortably sweaty and prone to chafing. This wasn't the case with these. I was very surprised as lots of things make claims about how great they are, but very rarely live up to your expectations.

The only negative aspect for me was the name 'Spanx' - it's a really bizarre name and just makes me think of all things kinky (not that I think things like that a lot! It's just what springs to mind when I hear it).

They are fantastic value for money at £33 and are available in black or fleshtone depending on what you prefer and in a wide variety of sizes - you can buy them from Tightsplease here.