Face Paintoos - Review

(AD/Gifted - We received this item for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

My children absolutely love getting their face painted. As soon as we've got an invitation to a birthday party, they're already thinking about what to ask the face painter to do.

Unfortunately, mummy is not creative at all so me trying to paint the kids faces at home ends up being a shambles.

Face Paintoos by Interplay eliminate the faff and mess of face painting and make it so simple that anyone could do it.

We received the Party Pack and inside there were 5 'Wild Animal', 5 'Pet' and 10 'Magical' face tattoos. You also receive a sponge for application and 30 individually wrapped removal sheets.

As soon as the kids had a look at what there was to choose from, dog lover E typically chose an Dalmatian and C went for a leopard.

Firstly you need to cut each part out and apply them individually working from the top of the face down. You remove the plastic sheet and apply to the correct area of the face, similarly to a temporary tattoo. It works in the same way; you dip the sponge in water, sweep it over the paper of the transfer then hold each bit down with the sponge for around 15 seconds. By this time, you should be able to remove the paper and the design should be on the face.

Parts of this I found a little tricky, especially on E because her face is quite small. The proportion was slightly off but it worked better with C as he's older and bigger. A few times I found that I hadn't held the sponge on long enough so it would lift, particularly around the bridge of the nose, but patting it gently with the sponge seemed to restick it.

All in all, they do remove the faff and I think they'd be great if you were having a small party and were planning on doing the face painting yourself. C and E didn't keep them on very long because they felt a little tight on their face but weren't opposed to trying them out another time when we have an event to go to.

Removal wise, we needed to use two wipes each due to the size of the design then rinse with soap and water as the wipes feel a bit slimy. We had no reaction to the wipes or actual transfers which I was very pleased about.

Face Paintoos retail at £19.99 and are available from Very and all good retailers.

My Mermaid Lagoon Charm Shell - Review

My 3.5 year old daughter E is what I like to call an "all-rounder" as much as she loves superheroes and getting messy, she also loves dresses, princesses, unicorns and mermaids.

Interplay have recently brought out My Mermaid Lagoon Charm Shells with three different mermaids to collect; Storm, Calypso and Serena. E was very excited to receive the Calypso set as she has beautiful pink hair which is E's favourite colour.

Calypso lives in her own oyster shell which fits perfectly in your pocket. Each shell contains, in addition to the mermaid, a key (which really works to lock the shell), 30 beads, a sea turtle charm, two split rings and a 40cm stretch cord so you can make your own mermaid charm bracelet.

As E is of such a young age, I hadn't really done many crafty activities other than sticking and creating pictures so it was nice to involve her in making something that she could wear afterwards and I felt like she was more excited by this. She did need a fair bit of help as the set is recommended for ages 4+ but she had lots of fun threading the beads onto the cord.

Calypso can sit inside the shell and her seat can be removed for hiding treasures underneath - something I think E will use if she has an item that she doesn't want her brother getting his mitts on. 

As I mentioned before, the key really works to lock the shell and I think it's a great idea to attach it to the bracelet as it's so tiny, it would definitely get lost easily in our house if it wasn't! E is able to use the key to lock and unlock the shell herself and has been enjoying pretending that her mermaid is going for a little swim then coming back home to her shell. It's a very well-made, sturdy toy and I really like the crafty element to the set. I definitely think we will be picking up the other two mermaids in the range to give Calypso some friends.

My Mermaid Lagoon Charm Shells retail at £9.99 and you can find them at all good toy shops.

You can also find out more information at the Interplay website or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

(We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

 

Fuzzikins Craft Campervan - Review

When my son C was small, one of our favourite things to do were crafts. His younger sister E is much more into playing and imaginative play and wouldn't really sit long enough to do crafts (plus she gets a bit frustrated when she can't do things by herself!)

Fuzzikins have released another collectable kit - the Fuzzikins Craft Campervan to their existing range which you may have spotted sponsoring Disney Junior on weekday afternoons. As soon as E saw the cute little cats, she was in love and couldn't wait to enter the Fuzzi world of fun and imagination!

The Campervan set comes with four colouring pens, two Fuzzikins cats, some colouring sheets and a sheet of stickers to customise the van. The Fuzzikins cats do have a fuzzy feel to them, hence the name, and E was excited to get colouring and "make them look pretty." You need to be careful when colouring as the pens do need time to dry so it's quite easy to get the colours all over your fingers. I may have used the hairdryer to speed up the waiting time as three year olds can be impatient!

After we had finished colouring for the first time, E spent hours creating little scenarios between the cats inside the campervan; making them drive to the beach or swimming pool. There is a seat at the steering wheel for one of the cats to drive, a table with two chairs so they can eat together and also a bed that pulls down above the table, complete with blanket to snuggle them up together. 

The campervan itself is a carry case so we have even been bringing it in the car to keep the kids occupied. At first glance, the handle may just seem like a regular handle but you can actually remove it - it's a surfboard! As if that wasn't enough, the cats are completely washable and reusable so you can use it as many times as you like.

It's such a beautifully designed toy and I love that whilst encouraging creativity, it is also great for imaginative play. The Fuzzikins Craft Campervan is available to buy from Interplay and Amazon for only £19.99.

(We received this item for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)