Having bought my flat on a budget I decided that Ikea was my best bet for some affordable furniture - whilst I managed to scavenge some living room furniture from my parent's house it was my bedroom that was desperately in need of the essentials: a bed, some drawers and a wardrobe (the latter being either temporary or permanent depending on what I could find). So I took a trip to Ikea one S...

  I have always liked Timberland boots and had decided many weeks before I walked into the Timberland shop that I was going to own a pair sooner rather than later.  However, it was only the recent stint of freezing weather conditions which made me aware of the true benefits of owning a pair - so much that I decided to write this review. However, despite being so functional in terms of...

Having been in flat for the best part of about 18 months I am ashamed to confess that up until recently my DIY excursions had been limited to painting and decorating.  That has all changed following the Christmas arrival of my Bosch Wireless Power Drill.  My poor flat will never be the same again, with the emergence of various holes all over the place!   Having already put u...

With the winter chill really kicking in I decided to invest in a portable oil-filled heater that I could move around my flat when a little extra heat was needed.  I chose the DeLonghi model because it was stylish and functional, and would provide more power than a small fan heater.  I had also bought a fan heater a couple of years ago and whilst it was much cheaper it did not las...

As a guy I am finding it very weird writing a review on Body Shop Coconut Body Butter - or any cocoa butter for that matter!  In my defence it was actually my girlfriend who recommended that I try it as I have often suffered dry skin in the winter time, which gets very itchy and irritating.  So I used hers whenever I stayed over at her place, and eventually walked into my local B...

If you are looking for a pair of compact, high quality headphones then you cannot go wrong with the OMX 50 VC headphones by Sennheiser.  Being an avid runner a good pair of headphones is important to me on my 6:30am runs - something that will produce a high quality output whilst fitting comfortably in my ears. The robust, over-ear loop style of these headphones is perfect as they stay in p...

I was recently given a Blackberry Pearl mobile device for work, as changes to my job description meant more travelling between regional offices.  If I am totally honest I was a little disappointed at first; being in London I often see people with the larger Blackberry models (the ones which are so big that there is absolutely no mistaking what it is) and I preferred one of those as opposed...

As a keen runner I was thrilled to receive a Polar F11M Fitness Watch for Christmas, and had it not have been for the cold weather and excessive Christmas dinner I would I have gone running with it the following morning!  I was particularly pleased with receiving this product because I would have never purchased it due to the cost, and would have settled on a standard running watch for a f...

I have to admit that I have been a little slow in picking up on the whole electric toothbrush revolution, but having seen the impact that an electric toothbrush has had on my mother's teeth I made a resolution to begin the New Year by transitioning from my beloved manual model.  I didn't realise that choosing an electric toothbrush would be so difficult as there area range of model...

While I am a big fan of technology and all things "gadgety" I also believe that splashing out a lot of money on something high-tech will not always guarantee quality and reliability.  This belief held true 2 weeks ago when I decided that my little bachelor pad needed a sleek filter coffee machine for the kitchen.  I was prepared to spend a bit of money as the machine that I ...

When I decided to replace my Sony mini hi-fi system I decided that I wanted to spend a little more money on something that would last me a long time - my previous system was a Sony mini hi-fi and had lasted 10 years, so with this in mind my new system had a lot to live up to! I had always heard good things about the Denon brand; it is known for reliability and sound quality, although it often c...

When I went looking for a vacuum cleaner I wanted something that was portable and powerful.  I eventually settled on a Samsung VCC8442V Cylinder Vacuum Cleaner and I am very pleased with this purchase for a number of reasons.  First of all it is very compact and lightweight, which makes it easy to carry around from room to room, and even easier to store away once finished.  Despi...

Last year I decided to invest in a good quality satchel (or "man-bag"!), one which would look both professional enough to use for work and trendy enough to still look fairly youthful and stylish.  I found this bag in a Ted Baker store and instantly loved it.  I am a big fan of Ted Baker as a designer and whilst it is not the cheapest brand on the market it definitely offers ...