Hey Owlets,
I’ve seen this trend going around Youtube recently where people talk about the things they’ve bought over lockdown and rate their purchases. I know I haven’t done trendy posts for a good few years but with the launch of my new websites coming up it’s allowing me a bit more freedom to post whatever I want instead rather than focusing on what’s going to do well. In all honesty I’m not one of those people that buys a lot of things - I tend to save my money and then treat myself to a trip or a more pricey object that I really want later on. Instead, I wanted to bring back a little 2016 Owlet with an updated version of favourites, sharing things that have come into my life that I’ve absolutely loved, and some that I haven’t as much - because let’s be real, everyone enjoys hearing about the fails, don’t they?
Nintendo Switch - £250
Let’s start off with the biggest purchase I’ve made in around 5 years that wasn’t for The Owlet. Throughout the whole of lockdown I’d been seeing people posting about buying a Switch and I really wanted one but couldn’t justify the price. There had been two of us working on The Owlet for several months meaning I’d been able to increase my income, so I decided to treat myself in time for Jack going back to work so I could have something relaxing to do when he was out of the house for 15 hours at a time and I’d finished my work for the day.
I got mine second hand on eBay for around £250 with some games (normally £400 new, plus games), and let me tell you, it’s worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY. When I first got it I was making a point of giving myself an hour to play Animal Crossing every evening and it really helped me relax. Now we’re a few months post lockdown and Jack has a job with set hours which has made me much more productive so I’m not using it anywhere near as much, but I still love it. I spent a little extra to get the version that plugs into the TV and it was so worth it - I play it probably every few days on my own, but we use the Switch together most days. If you’re on the fence about getting one then I highly recommend it - my favourite single player game so far is obviously Animal Crossing, but the best two player is hands down Super Mario Odyssey. There’s also a lot of free demos and games to download from the shop without buying the subscription which just adds to how much I love it.
Pixi Milky and Retinol Lines (Gifted)
I’m not really sure how or why, but a while ago I got added to the Pixi press list and I’ve had a steady flow of parcels arriving at my house since. My skin takes a while to decide if it likes something so I’ve mainly given updates on my stories. Most of them were good but nothing was hugely stand out for me until the last few launches - in fact I’ve loved three of the products so much that I ran out and bought more!
The first is the Retinol toner - if you struggle with little bumps under your skin then trust me, you need this! It’s something I’ve always suffered with and not really known how to fix it, but I find my skin feels noticeably smoother the morning after using the toner and if I carry on using it daily (I try to but I’m a very lazy skincare user!) the bumps almost entirely go away within the week. It’s absolutely brilliant, and having gone through the whole tube I’m about to buy a replacement. The Pixi overnight retinol oil from the same range is great too, although I find the oil is a little heavy for my skin so I use it a few times a week rather than the recommended daily application.
The second line to pay attention to is Pixi’s Milky range. Again, most of the products from this launch were fine but didn’t do anything spectacular. The hydrating milky peel, however, - WOW. If you haven’t tried this you need to! I struggle with dry skin, acne, visible pores and under-skin bumps, and this mask has made everything better. I don’t use it routinely, but whenever my skin looks dull or just a bit “meh” and I can’t put my finger on why, I pull this mask out and in 5 minutes I’m glowing! It’s part mask, part manual exfoliant but it’s really gentle and leaves my skin feeling soft and looking glowy. Highly recommend!
Exercise Bike - £20 from Facebook Market Place
I’ve given you two great products to start with, so now let’s get down to something that was maybe a waste of money. It’s not entirely - it’s kind of a grey area. In case you don’t know, I’ve had a bad hip from a fall probably about 6 or 7 years ago. Most of the time it’s fine but when I exercise too much it starts to really hurt. Throughout last summer I was walking around 8 miles a day and then I was in so much pain that I could barely move. The most frustrating thing is that with working from home, my daily walks were my only opportunity to get outside and I wasn’t physically capable of walking as far as I needed to for my mental health. A cheap exercise bike came up on Facebook marketplace and I thought that could be a good idea as it might be less strain on my hip than walking.
The issue isn’t necessarily with the bike, but maybe more how I use it. The bike handles are flat and perfectly fit a tray, so I tend to sit at the bike with my laptop and work while I cycle absent-mindedly. This results in me cycling around 10-20 miles having already walked somewhere between 5 and 8 miles in the morning and I end up in enough pain that I then can’t use the bike for several days at a time.
Maybe if I cycled 5-10 miles instead I could do it every day, but that’s just not how my brain works. So is it a waste of money? I don’t know, maybe? I’m not intending to sell it on as I do use it, but the way I use it causes an issue.
Necklaces from Daisy London (Gifted)
One of the things I’ve noticed with being in lockdown for so long is that I’m so glad to finally be outside that I couldn’t care less what people think of me, which has meant I’ve experimented with my style a lot more. If you’re a regular viewer of my Instagram stories you may have noticed that my Owlet necklace that I’ve worn every day for the last 3 years has had some company.
A while ago Daisy London got in touch and offered to send me a few pieces to try and, despite being permanently attached to my Owlet necklace, there were several designs on their site that I’d seen and fallen in love with so I said yes!
Now, being totally honest with you they were a little hit and miss. I ordered 3 necklaces that would’ve totalled around £400, but I don’t feel like I actually received £400 worth of jewellery. Let’s start with the positive - I chose this octagonal necklace from the Estee Lalonde collection and I love it! It’s a beautiful dainty piece that sits exactly where I imagined it to and pairs perfectly with my beloved Owlet necklace so I feel like I’m switching things up when I’m really not. Does it feel like £149 worth - in all honesty I’m not sure, but I’ve worn it a lot and it’s not broken or tarnished yet so I guess so?
The other pieces I ordered, however, were a massive let down. You know I’m obsessed with all things sea, so the fact that Daisy London had a shell collection absolutely sold me. I completely fell for the shell necklace, also priced at £149. It did feel more well made and was a little heavier, but my main cause for disappointment with this necklace was that the pendant only had the design on one side. It just felt a little lacking in detail and I found myself constantly having to readjust because it would flip onto the blank side as I was wearing it. It felt like something you could’ve picked up on the high street that’s weighted to feel expensive, rather than something that’s genuinely high end.
Finally, the third piece I chose was another from the Estee Lalonde collection - the Goddess Medallion T-Bar necklace. I don’t know what I was expecting, but what I received wasn’t it. This was the most expensive piece at £269, and in my mind it was going to be a really luxe-feeling piece with a little weight to it that was well made - I was so sold on this necklace that I had an outfit pre-picked out in my mind to wear it with, which made the disappointment hit even harder when it arrived. The necklace was very light - in all honesty it just felt very cheap and I was left confused as to why on Earth this was priced so highly. I haven’t worn it once since trying it on and will probably give it to a friend if they like the look of it.
So, should you buy from Daisy London? Honestly that’s up to you. They have a great returns policy (30 day free returns plus a 6 month warranty on every piece) and accept Klarna which is where you pay in 3 interest-free instalments so you can buy several pieces to try on and send back any that you don’t like without having the full cost missing from your bank account. It really does feel a little hit or miss so if you want to buy something from them that’s probably the best way to do it. In terms of value for money, that’s something you need to decide on. They’re quite an Instagrammable brand which I find usually comes with a premium attached - they also have very unique designs so if something really catches your eye then you won’t find it elsewhere. Otherwise, I’m not sure I’d recommend them. All of their jewellery is sterling silver, but for comparison I regularly shop at a jewellers in Bristol that sells sterling silver necklaces for around £50. Being brutally honest, unless you spot a design that you can’t live without I would rather take my £150 to a local small business or independent jeweller and know I’m getting something that’s brilliant quality and supports someone’s dream.
Marco Polo Print - Free
Having accidentally written a full review within this post, I wanted to keep the last one short and sweet. They say that the best things in life are free and this is very much true in this instance. In case you missed my post, my beloved cruise ship (MV Marco Polo) was sent to the scrapyard and it broke my heart. I tried to negotiate with them to buy something from the ship but they were impossible to deal with and I ended up having to admit defeat. Through the kindness of a stranger on a ship-scrapping Facebook group who had worked on board when she was in service, I received a copy of her blueprints. I printed these out and framed them to add to my travel-themed desk area. Her deck plan has pride of place in the centre so I see it every day when I sit down to start work. Even though it’s a little bittersweet knowing that she’s being torn apart as I write this, it makes me smile every day because it brings back all of the incredible memories I have from my time on board. It was such a kind thing for a total stranger to do for me and it has honestly brought me so much joy.
I’m going to stop there before this post gets any longer. I hope this has helped you or at least entertained you a little. If it has, let me know in the comments or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Also, I would love to hear what things you’re pleased to have added into your life or regret purchasing. If you enjoy this let me know and I might make another soon!
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