Valentine's Gift Ideas (+ TWO giveaways!)

We are finally into February after what felt like the longest January in history and now begins the countdown to Valentine's Day. I know that choosing Valentine's gifts, especially if you've been together for a long time, can be difficult so I've put together a few items that I think would be great to gift to the one you love. If you read on to the end, I have two fabulous giveaways for you to enter too.

First up, cards! Hallmark have a really sweet collection of cards in lots of different designs and styles. Some of their bestsellers are showcased below - I love them all!

Going clockwise, we have 'To the One I Love, Love is in the Air, My Boyfriend and I Love Spooning with You. Inside the last one it says "the forking ain't bad either" very funny!

If we go clockwise again, we have a super cute Minnie and Mickey Mouse pop up style card, My Husband, For My Wife and I Only Have Butterflies for You.

Continuing on with Hallmark, they have a really cute range of couple Itty Bittys. Lady and the Tramp was one of my favourite Disney movies as a child (the spaghetti scene is iconic!) so I love that you can buy the Itty Bittys versions of the characters. They also have a cute little bride and groom so if you recently got engaged, married or are getting married soon, they would make the perfect gift. The Hallmark cards vary in price but you can purchase them here and the Itty Bittys are £6.00 each at Amazon.

I think beauty products - for both men and women - can be a great idea for a gift. You know they will actually get used and not sit on a shelf gathering dust.

Moosehead shaping dough (available from all good beauty retailers)  is a nice little gift addition for your man to perfect his hair. It's great for thick hair and leaves a matte finish.

Gold aftershave splash has a beautiful scent and it won't break the bank at only £8.95 at Amazon.

Sleek Makeup i-Art is a liquid eye colour and the shades are to die for! So easy to apply and they really make your eyes pop. Who doesn't love a metallic eye? These are available from Boots at £6.99 each.

St Moriz Dry Oil Self Tanning Mist is great if you like a natural bronzed tan. It is fast drying and leaves you with skin that glows naturally and deepens in colour throughout the day. You can purchase it from Boots for £9.99.

Scunci Bun Maker is absolutely genius. I am rubbish at doing hair and leave mine down 98% of the time so anything that is a hair hack is a winner in my eyes. You can purchase this from Amazon for £5.00.

The Sleek Makeup i-Divine Storm palette is just beautiful. It contains 12 super-pigmented, mineral based eye shadows which are designed to suit everyone. The pearlescent shades contain mica particles which highlight and illuminate. You can pick this up from Boots for £8.99.

Dove have a gorgeous little gift set which I think would make a lovely gift if your partner has just given birth. It contains bath item for both mother and baby so it's a lovely, caring present idea. You can purchase it from Boots for £12.00.

Every lady loves a pamper and getting time to herself. 7th Heaven (or you may recognise them from their previous name Montagne Jeunesse) have a pamper pack which contains everything that you need to treat yourself or your loved one.

It contains 2 hair masks, 8 face masks, a strengthen nail and cuticle masque, a soften glove masque, a soften sock masque, a flannel and headband and a pom pom. Everything needed for some relaxation time! You can purchase it from Argos for £19.99.

No outfit is complete without some gorgeous nails and lashes. imPRESS manicure have some beautiful press-on nail designs and I'm totally in love with these purple ones with a flash of sparkle.

KISS lashes are absolutely amazing and ever since I discovered them, I wondered why I hadn't tried them sooner. They do so many different styles and lash adhesive to ensure you have no fallers! You can pick these up at Superdrug.

If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, I have a giveaway for you to enter.

Want to spice things up in the bedroom this Valentine's Day? Look no further than the So Divine Kiss Kiss Vibrating Rabbit.

With three speeds and seven patterns, it's sure to have your needs covered. It even heats to body temperature (37-38 degrees) to leave you with a warm and happy glow.

You can purchase this from So Divine at a price of £64.99.

Anytime I receive a gift, I love a little surprise of sweets or chocolates. Jelly Belly have some super (pun intended) hero themed jellybeans which I absolutely love! If superheroes aren't your thing, how cute is the little bottle of bubbly? You can purchase these from Jelly Belly.

I love that the Beauty and the Beast obsession is still going strong and I'm clearly not the only one judging by my Facebook and Instagram feeds. This little jewellery box is absolutely adorable. I love that it isn't too cartoony and actually quite fancy. I love it! It's only £9.99 from Paladone.

If Beauty and the Beast isn't your man's thing, how about Snow White? This little mug and sock set, also from Paladone, makes me laugh so much with its little image of Grumpy the dwarf. Such a cute and funny little gift! This is only £12.99 from Menkind.

Bottega Gold Prosecco is a yummy Valentine's gift. It's floral and fruity on the nose and on the taste buds, it's an array of candied and exotic fruits. The gold bottle is designed to protect the wine from any light, ensuring the best flavours. This is £21.95 from 31DOVER.

The PopaBall prosecco shimmer is amazing! Simply add some into your prosecco to create the perfect uniform drink. It adds a bit of a shimmer with its raspberry flavour and rose gold hearts. What a way to make your beverage a bit more exciting! You can pick this up from 31DOVER for £7.95.

I love a bit of cheese and I don't mean the food kind! Cheesy music, quotes, movies; you name it, I'll love it. Genie Gadgets sell the best cheesy Valentine's Day t-shirts ever and I can't even begin to explain how much I love them. They really made me giggle when I opened them out and they have so many different design, images and colours to choose from! They are £12.99 per t-shirt and you can see all the designs here.

Maybe your partner is more of the outdoorsy sports type and this skateboard from Skates would be right up their street? It comes complete with a 100% Canadian maple deck, 5" lightweight pro trucks, 53mm 55DD wheels complete with ABEC 7 chrome bearings.

You can purchase it in either blue or orange and it retails at £44.95 at Skates. Want to win one for yourself? Enter via the Gleam widget below.

Skates skateboard

I'm also giving away this little bundle of lash and nail goodies. Again, just enter via the Gleam widget below.

Nail and lash goodies

T&C's (Skates.co.uk)

• One winner will win one skateboard in a colourway of their choice, stock depending. 
• Giveaway will run from February 5th until February 11th. Delivery is not guaranteed before Valentine's Day.
• UK entrants only
• 18+
• No automated entries
• One entry per person 

T&C's (Nail and lash bundle)

• One winner will win the bundle pictured. 
• Giveaway will run from February 5th until February 11th. Delivery is not guaranteed before Valentine's Day.
• UK entrants only
• 18+
• No automated entries 
• One entry per person 

(This post contains items that I have been sent in exchange for inclusion.)

PJ Masks 'Let's Go PJ Masks' DVD released February 5th!

Ever since PJ Masks hit our screens, my two children have been completely enamoured with it. If you aren't familiar with the show, it follows three 6 year old children; Connor, Amaya and Greg by day,  but by night they transform into their magical superhero alter-egos, Catboy, Owlette and Gekko!

Last year saw the release of the first ever PJ Masks DVD (Time to be a Hero) and now, Entertainment One are releasing another - Let's Go PJ Masks! This DVD follows the trio as the solve mysteries and learn valuable lessons along the way.

C and E were very lucky to be sent a preview copy and as soon as it was opened they popped themselves onto the sofa, eager to watch. The DVD runs for 72 minutes and features six super fun episodes.

Gekko and the Snore-A-Saurus
Luna Girl turns a sleepwalking Cameron into her very own human puppet. It's up to PJ Masks to save the day...but Gekko has to stop messing around first!

Catboy and the Shrinker
Romeo and Night Ninja team up to shrink the PJ Masks with Romeo's shrinker invention. When Catboy gets shrunk, he forgets that even a little guy can save the day...if he can use his small size to his advantage.

Blame it on the Train, Owlette 
When the new Fairground Flyer goes missing from the fair, Owlette is determined to get it back quickly. But if she wants to defeat Romeo's new super train, she'll need to learn that a little patience goes a long way.

Looking After Gekko
When Night Ninja steals the school bus and converts it into his very own super-vehicle, it's up to our heroes to stop him in his tracks. But for that to happen, Gekko needs to learn that asking for help doesn't make you weak.

Catboy's Tricky Ticket
Catboy only has two tickets to the Jayden Houston concert and has to decide which of his best friends to take to the show. Owlette and Gekko offer him presents to sway his decision and Catboy's newfound greed could ensure Luna Girl ruins the concert for good.

Clumsy Catboy 
Romeo plans to use his newest device to make everyone in the world so clumsy that they can't stop him from taking over the world. But when agile Catboy is the first to be "clumsified", he can't admit it and tries to save the day without any help.

I don't think either child took their eyes off the TV once while watching, they were just excited to see what was going to happen next! If your little ones love PJ Masks as much as mine do, you need to get a copy so they can't watch whenever they like!

PJ Masks 'Let's Go PJ Masks' is available on DVD and digital download on Monday 5th February or you can preorder it from Amazon right now!

(We received a copy of the new DVD and a blind bag in exchange for this post.)

My Top Online Pastimes

As a child of the 90's, I basically grew up with the Internet. I still vividly remember the first time my dad bought a desktop computer for the house, then eventually one just for me when I was a teen. I'd spend hours on the big social media sites at the time, perfecting my Top 8 friends on MySpace or giving my 'luv' on Bebo, as well as chatting to my friends who I'd just spent all day with on MSN Messenger when I got home from school.

Now, at the ripe old age of (almost!) 26, the Internet is still a very big part of my life. If I'm completely honest, I probably spend too much time with my phone held up to my face but I think that's part and parcel of being a blogger.

On an evening when my two children are in bed, I do like to sit and relax away from blog work. Most nights I'd read a chapter of whatever novel I'm working through at that moment or binge watch something on Netflix or NowTV (right now I'm loving Rupaul's Drag Race!) but I always find myself drifting back online in some way.
Here are my top three things to do online!

1) Enter online competitions
I am sure that if you're a regular reader or if you follow me on social media, you will be well aware of my obsessive competition entering. I am 100% sure that I probably annoy people with all the giveaway shares but you know what? People actually win this stuff and I fully encourage everyone to get involved.

I've won some amazing prizes in my six years of entering from an iPad mini and £1900 diamond earrings to baby items and household stuff - like my sofa!

2) Playing bingo online
I know, I mentioned that I'm only in my mid-twenties but bingo, contrary to popular belief, is not just for old ladies. I was so wary before starting because you do have to spend a little bit of money to win money and handling money/card details over the Internet did worry me a little bit.

Luckily, for the over-anxious people such as myself, websites actually exist to bring your reviews of bingo sites so you can find out exactly what the site it like, if there is a deposit bonus or if you get free spins etc. Click here for a little example of one. I think this is brilliant because it almost gives you peace of mind that the site is legitimate and you know exactly what you're getting into before you sign up and give any personal details.

3) Playing online games
I am a massive fan of games such a 8 Ball Pool or iSketch where you play against someone in a different part of the world in real time. I'm quite a competitive person and it's a nice way to relax and have fun at the same time.

I also enjoy games such as FarmVille or Café World which you can play on Facebook where you are given tasks, can build things, plant or cook things depending on the game and invite friends to send you things that you need in order to complete tasks and progress to the next level.

What do you do to pass the time online?

(This is a sponsored post.)

What are the best car video games?

I was first introduced to video games by my father at around the age of five. I specifically remember playing Super Mario Bro's and Street Fighter on Nintendo 64 and there began my love of games.

20 years later, gaming systems have changed, the gaming culture is huge and the games that are being released are getting more engaging and realistic. Driving and car racing games have always been a popular choice but which ones come out on top?

Motor retailer Lookers have conducted a survey to find out which car racing games that we, the public, love most.

Crash Team Racing
If you haven't heard of this game, where have you been?! It was released almost 20 years ago and it is a spin off of one of my ultimate favourite games - Crash Bandicoot. Ooga Booga!

In the game, you get to play as the well-known Crash Bandicoot characters and race opponents in different situations. You get the opportunity to obviously steer reverse and break, but also hop over obstacles, crash through crates like the original game, use weapons to get ahead and boost your speed with a power-packed option.

Super Mario Kart
This one is definitely my number one and I'm sure it's an instant winner on most people's lists.

The game launched in 1992 and has sold around 9 million copies worldwide to date, making it one of the world's best selling games. My son even plays it on the Wii at his grandparents house. Mario will always have a special place in my heart.

To play the iconic Super Mario Kart, you choose your character; Mario, Princess Peach, Luigi, Bowser, Donkey Kong Jr. or Koopa Troopa then take part in a manic go-kart race around multiple crazy tracks. Players can get special powers and the chance to launch shells and bananas at their opponents to throw them off course to get yourself to the finish line first.

Super Mario Kart has been so successful that there have been multiple sequels on further generations of Nintendo consoles as well as Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U.

Need for Speed
EA has produced lots of massively popular games such as FIFA and The Sims but one of its most popular titles is Need for Speed. It focuses on illegal Street racing and players are given tasks and races to complete all while dodging and outrunning law enforcement agencies.

NFS is actually the most successful racing game franchise ever! It's sold over 150 million copies and has a whopping 23 main instalments of the game. In fact, it's so well-established that there was even a film made in 2014 based on the game starring Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad fame.

The octane-fuelled driving experience game includes everything from crashing through buildings and stripping billboards to passing under trucks and taking part in cross-country racing. Players also have the ability to tune cars, change alloys, swap engines and gear boxes for better power outputs as well as stick spoiler on the back for a sleek aesthetic that's suited to the characters disdain for law.

Micro Machines
Micro Machines is another classic video game that continues to be a strong contender even when pitted against the newer, modern racing games. When playing Micro Machines, you get the chance to control a range of miniature vehicles, racing them aroused unusual tracks such as on top of kitchen tables and in gardens.

There were plenty of sequel versions to this game - and why not? The 'shrinking down' of the player mixed with the manic racing style and household themed objects equals hours of fun!

Driver
Published by the video game powerhouse Ubisoft, this game centres around a character named John Tanner. Tanner is a former race car driver turned undercover police detective. Five main editions of the game have been released since its first foray into the gaming world in 1999.

Driver was noteworthy at its time of release as it allowed players to explore each city as an open world environment and it also won the Game Critics Awards 'Best Racing Game (1999)' award.

Fun Fact: Once the single mode player has been completed, players have the ability to drive in Newcastle Upon Tyne where one of the developers, Reflections Interactive, is based!

While no means a mega seller, the game was well received and well rated on gaming websites. One of the most fun features of the game included a 'film director' mode allowing the players to shoot a movie.

What's your favourite car based video game?

(This is a sponsored post.)

Valentine's Cards from Love Layla Designs

Love Layla Designs design and print hilarious, cheeky and rude greetings cards as well as other items such as balloons, badges and calendars.

I first discovered Love Layla back in 2015 when I purchased a rather rude Christmas card for my partner Chris. The humour was just so 'us' and I instantly became a huge fan of the company. I am a liker of their Facebook page and I'm always having a giggle or tagging friends in their images because they're so funny and relatable. 

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, of course Love Layla Designs had to bring out a fantastically funny range and they didn't disappoint. I have a few of my absolute favourite designs to show you if you're on the hunt for a Valentine's Day card that's a little bit different. I will warn you, a few of them are NSFW so read on at your own discretion! 

These cards sum us up perfectly and I'm betting there are loads of other couples out there thinking the same thing about them. I'm forever eating, as soon as Chris gets home from work we just sit and mindlessly scroll Facebook and it's just a given that you irritate your partner on a daily basis when you're in a relationship! 

These ones are a little more rude but really made me chuckle when I first read them. As the partner of a bearded man who is crap at parking - hilarious! 

All of the cards are printed on high quality card, come with a red envelope and also a cute little 'IOU' type coupon inside. What a lovely touch! 

The cards retail at £3.75 each and you can view the full range here. I definitely recommend following Love Layla Designs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so you can get a little bit of funny in your new feed daily. 

(I received these items for the purpose of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)