Did you know that a quarter of us prefer to sleep on our backs and find this the most comfortable position to be asleep? Snuggledown the experts in sleep found this is their recent sleep survey. The benefits of a good night's sleep are too numerous to mention, we all know what we feel like after a particularly disrupted night sleep. Did you also know that whilst we are snuggled up in bed our bodies renew cells, fight infection and our brains recharge for the day ahead?

Have you heard of Snuggledown? Since their beginnings in Scandinavia in 1901, the birthplace of the continental quilt, they have been leading the design and manufacture of quality duvets and pillows around the world. They sell a range of duvets and specialist pillows including the side sleeper pillow, the orthopaedic pillow and king size pillow.

Did you know that sleeping on your back with arms by your sides keeps the spine well aligned? Snuggledown have now created the Snuggledown Back Sleeper pillow, especially designed to support the shoulders and nape of the neck.

Well I was sent this back pillow to try, and was curious how it would make me feel any different. I do actually prefer to sleep on my back, my husband on his front.
With the warm nights recently I have been having difficulty sleeping, I keep waking up and I don't feel rested after a night's sleep. So I used this pillow to see if my sleep pattern could be improved. I was hopeful but also didn't want to get my hopes up too.

Well I can now say that, yes, it made a big difference to my night's sleep, I was susceptible I don't mind telling you but WOW it certainly did help.

How did it help you may wonder? The pillow felt like it was supporting my neck and top of my spine comfortably all night. It is a very 'full' pillow with deeper sides than the average pillow, which in turn provide fullness right to the edge. The 100 % cotton cover lets your skin breathe and you will be pleased to know it's also fully washable. If you like to sleep on your back I would certainly recommend this. Often pillows loose their 'bounce' but I feel this one will last a long time. My pillows in the house are old and thin and the difference to my sleep in using this back sleeper pillow was really amazing.

If you want to buy this pillow it's available from BHS, Amazon and Very amongst other stockists.

*PR sample

With the summer coming up on us thick and fast, so do the occasions  - weddings, a visit to the races, christenings, graduations, that special prom, meals out and family get togethers, and so do the fashion dilemmas - what to wear on that special day?

I know I can always rely on Coast to provide some stunning dresses, with a touch of glamour, elegance and drama, perfect for when you wish to make an entrance.



Did you know that John Lewis is a stockist of this fab occasionware brand and they have a particularly good section of smart dresses?

I have two Coast dresses myself, one is a stunning black dress that has simple styling and will take me from a summer party to a Christmas party. The other is a beautiful Coast Maxi dress in Coral perfect for a wedding on the beach or a visit to Ascot. 

I love shopping and I am always looking for my next party dress. Whilst I was browsing the Coast Dresses, a few of these beautiful dresses caught my eye.

I love travelling. I don't like flying, but I love travelling! The whole process of planning a holiday can be almost as exciting as going on the holiday itself to me, sad I know :)

I have recently come back from holiday to the USA. The flight was SOOO long and I never got comfortable especially on the long journey back at night. I could have done with the Slumberdown travel pillow then I can tell you!

Slumberdown are a great company that produces duvets and pillows. They have been manufacturing & selling these items for over 40 years and use a UK factory to produce their products. 

They have also produced a very useful travel pillow, and not any old travel pillow either - a memory foam travel pillow.




This travel pillow would be very useful for flying or for use when you are a passenger in a car on a long journey. The memory foam moulds to your neck to make it a very comfortable fit. It's super support too when you want to catch 40 winks.... The car cushions for driving provide tailbone pain relief, offer back support, and allow cooling airflow to reach your backside.

The cover is removable for washing which is a good idea, and it is very light in weight, great to pack in your hand luggage for a plane journey. It also comes in black or red.





Soon the memory foam travel pillow by Slumberdown is to go on very special offer at larger Tesco stores at a bargain price of £5! The dates for this special offer is 29 July to 7 August. Normally this would retail at £10 which is still a super price for this quality, but at £5 you can't go wrong. Just in time for those summer trips. If you have children why not buy more than one so you know they will be comfortable on the journey and not grumpy when they get there. The pillow is adult size but would also be suitable for children although perhaps too big for the youngest toddlers and babies.

So if you want to try a travel pillow or want to replace one of those uncomfortable blowup pillows for your travel plans, why don't you check out the Slumberdown memory foam pillow today.


* I was given the pillow to review but the opinions are entirely my own

Have you ever had that dilemma when the weather gets lovely and warm but you still want to be cosy in bed? Most people I know these days have duvets on their bed and often feel one duvet is enough for all weathers. But Slumberdown have come up with a great idea. Their all weather duvet is actually two duvets for all seasons - how cool is that!

Have you heard of Slumberdown? Slumberdown have been manufacturing & selling high-quality bedding, pillows, duvets and mattress protectors for over 40 years. Slumberdown also have the latest innovation in its production facility, and over £1 million per annum is invested back into its UK-based factory, with the aim of increasing efficiencies and improving product quality for its customers.

Slumberdown focus on all aspects of performance, from quality, comfort and just as importantly the affordability of their products. They have an assortment of ranges including Ultrabounce, Anti-Allergy, and All Seasons. 

The All Seasons duvet is perfect for all weathers. The two duvets are 4.5 tog and 9 tog. 4.5 is perfect for Summer and 9.0 is perfect for Spring or Autumn. But what happens if it is cold outside you maybe wondering? Well, the 
'All Seasons' duvet pack allows you to attach the both duvets together with a simple popper button system so you have the perfect warmth for winter.

I have a teenage son, and when I was given the opportunity to blog about the Lumie Clear therapy pod in conjunction with him I jumped at the chance. My son has typical teenage skin, with white spots, hard lumps and red areas. He was keen to try the Lumie Clear.

About Lumie
The company has been making medical devices since 1991 and are suppliers to the NHS as well as major retailers such as Boots and John Lewis.  They are well known for researching and developing light therapy pods for Seasonal Affective Disorder

The Lumie Clear is certified to the medical device directive and was developed with leading dermatologists as a new treatment for mild-moderate acne. It offers an alternative to acne creams and prescriptions. Using blue and red LEDs, Lumie Clear emits blue light to kill the bacteria that cause acne and red light to soothe inflammation and heal the skin. In clinical trials, this made a real difference to the skin within four weeks and, after 12 weeks, the skin was 76% less inflamed and 56% clearer.

The Lumie Clear can be used to treat your face, back, arms, or any areas affected with acne. 


The instructions to use the Lumie are very straightforward. Most people either hold it close to the area they are treating or use it on a stand. It has an in-built timer, which stops after 15 minutes so there is no worry of having a longer dose than is needed. Goggles are supplied with the unit and you must use them if you are using the product near your face. You can still read, listen to music and do other things when using the device and J listens to his iPod. It advises you to stop using the device if you have an adverse reaction. J did not report any issues with using the machine, and no irritation was noted. 

My son has so far used the pod for two weeks. In this time he has seen an improvement in his skin but I feel a greater improvement can be seen if the pod is used for at least 4 weeks. The improvement he has seen includes less inflammation and redness of his skin, particularly around his nose and forehead.  

It does take a time commitment to use the unit every day, but I feel if you have acne then the Lumie Clear can help and is certainly worth the commitment in time and money. 

I have been given a Lumie Clear to trial for this post ( (in conjunction with my son) but the opinions are entirely my own and his.