ToyTester TV

We were invited to Hamleys, St Enoch Centre as part of ToyTesters.tv. The kids were super excited, as was I! We were greeted by Nigel Clarke, top Toy Tester and children's TV presenter, and his crew who had been busy all day doing demonstrations in-store. 

There were loads of toys for us to try and my son was immediately engrossed by the Real FX car racing. The slot-less track, which you can see in the photo below, is really quick to put together and I was amazed at the capabilities. Advanced artificial intelligence helps keeps the cars on the track and there is in-game commentary that tells you to take pit stops. If you're on your own, you can also race against the second car which will manoeuvre the track by itself. It's genius! At just under £100 I think this is great value for money and will give hours and hours of play, even for the big kids!

The littlest, who loves to craft, was keen to try the 3D drawing pens, IDO3D. I personally thought these were a bit fiddly and it's certainly something that little ones would need assistance with. You need to draw onto greaseproof paper and then cure the gel with a UV light. With a bit of patience though, it looks like you can create some really impressive artwork.

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The other toys that we loved were the interactive Thunderbirds Tracy Island which had been set up with the Thunderbirds ships and the Power Ranger Dino Charge.

The new Tracy Island is very interactive - lots of sounds and flashing lights. The sounds are from the original series too! This is on Hamley's Top Ten Toys for Christmas 2015 (yes, I've mentioned the C-word and it's only August!). My two loved this playset despite not having seen the revamped Thunderbirds TV series.

There's a new series of Power Rangers called Dino Charge - which I hadn't previously heard of - but the kids seemed to enjoy the concept of combining the dinosaurs to create a Megazord. My son was drawn in by the Dino Charge Deluxe Morpher - you insert a Dino Charger cartridge, spin the barrel to charge it up and then pull the trigger to hear battle sounds and various phrases about morphing into Power Rangers. We were given the morpher away with us, and my son has been playing with this since but my daughter isn't as keen. Whereas we were also given a Thunderbird 2 to take home (we're very lucky!) and both of them have been playing with this lots - I can see why the Thunderbird playset is on the Hamley's Christmas List for this year.

The final toys that we tried were the Teksta Scorpion and Little Live Pet Mice. The Teksta Scorpion is basically a robot scorpion that you control from a wristband, which to be honest was a little creepy as it made it's way across the floor towards me. I much preferred the cute little electronic mice which raced round a track. 

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Not all the toys are available yet, but they will be soon at Hamleys, St Enoch Centre.

Do you fancy being a Toy Tester? You can apply here!

Disclaimer: We were given a selection of toys to take home with us, but as always opinions are honest and are our own.

Beauty - New Complexion Rescue from bareMinerals

I was invited along to bareMinerals boutique at Buchanan Galleries today to try the new Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ahead of its nationwide launch next month.

Prior to trying the product, I had spotted it was listed in Marie Claire's '2015's Beauty Game-Changers' (April edition). I was even more excited to try after this accolade! According to Anna & Ally, the tinted moisturiser has been very well received by the press. And now I understand why.

For me, the bareSkin serum foundation which I previously reviewed is just too difficult to get right in the 2 minutes I have to put my make-up on in - it takes time to blend in using the special brush. It's a great product and is a fantastic colour match but for a busy working mum, it's not for everyday use. Definitely more for when I'm going on a (rare) night out and can spend time getting my make-up just right.

However, the Complexion Rescue ticks all the boxes. Great colour match, quick to go on (you can even use your fingers with this one), a natural finish that doesn't leave your skin feeling caked, and despite it being a tinted moisturiser, it does provide a little coverage. I didn't even need any concealer on my problem chin! I was suitably impressed, as was the littlest who came along with me!!

Now for the science! 

Regular readers will know that I have a PhD, but you may not know that the topic of my PhD was emulsions!

A traditional emulsion has water on the inside and oil on the outside. Whereas Complexion Rescue is the opposite. It has mineral-infused water on the outside encapsulating hydrating humectants and pigment which helps lock in moisture when it contacts the skin giving instant hydration and quick absorption. (Hopefully that makes sense to you!)

The product is cooling on the skin when you apply it and it blends really easily, absorbing quickly to give an even skin-tone. So much easier than the bareSkin and ideal for those busy mornings when I've got the kids, or when I'd just rather have an extra 5 minutes under the duvet!! Complexion Rescue also has an SPF 30 so it will save you having to apply a separate sunscreen. 

This is me after my mini makeover. I'm wearing the Complexion Rescue, but no primer, concealer etc was used.

The girls sent me a colour-matched Complexion Rescue to try at home (I'm shade vanilla) as well as a few other products. Watch this space for a post on products for dark undereye circles...this is a big problem of mine and I'm always on the lookout for make-up that will help minimise their appearance.

Complexion Rescue will retail at £26 for a 35 mL tube and will be available from April 2015. You can sign up on the bareMinerals website to be notified when it is available to purchase.

I received a tube of Complexion Rescue and a few other products from bareMinerals to try. As always, opinions are my own and are honest.