Exciting vegan treats! :D - needsweets.co.uk review

Continuing from my last post which you can see here. I did a mini review of need sweets I'm going to talk more about the website I love whenever I'm in the mood for something sweet. 

Ever since I became vegan due to a medical condition I thought I'd have to give up things I like such as marshmallows, gummy bears, Rice Krispies etc. Until one day I stumbled across needsweets, a website where vegans can indulge and go to heaven and back on the same day! (No ticket necessary) 

I also think the logo looks cute too! Say hello to the need sweets mascot, Sweety the cow:

Today I forgot to have breakfast and felt a bit run down until a parcel arrived! :D 

It was full of yummy goodness and I was so excited I finished almost half the box. That's how good it was! I enjoyed every bite and thought I had to review it. 

I'll link you to all the products mentioned in this blog which will open in a new window so you won't have to lift a finger! 

First off I'm going to start with the Sweet and Sara Bark Rocky Road. I managed to take a picture of it before it completely disappeared and this is what I got: 

It's a combination of marshmallows covered with organic Belgian chocolate with roasted almonds all in one bite! When I ate this I was enticed by the crunchy nuts against the soft, chewy marshmallows and smooth chocolate. I love how the textures contrast and compliment each other beautifully. This would be great for occasions where you'd perhaps want a treat on the go because it's like a convenient chocolatey camp-fire treat.

As you can see from the picture above, the marshmallows, almonds, and organic Belgian chocolate are beautifully layered and I know I might be making you hungry, but once you get this on your door it won't last more than a day!  

Fizzy fish - Normally I don't like fizzy sweets because it gives me a headache and feels strange but these were just fine. When you pop one in your mouth you have this subtle fizz that's not too overpowering and it really re-creates the childhood memories of fizzy sweets without the horrid after effects. I love how they're so colourful in the pack because it really brings them to life. 

Flying Saucers -  This was a tuck shop favourite at my school back in the day. They would melt in your mouth and leave behind a sugary residue on your tongue that would liven your taste buds afterwards. I don't know why but they always seem to go missing ... 

American Hard Gums - I missed not being able to have soft, chewy, sticky jelly sweets when I turned vegan due to the gelatine found in them. I was disgusted to know what it was truly made of and was put off until I discovered these. They remind me of a thicker version of Rowntrees fruit pastilles but in a different shape. In my honest opinion they are the same consistency as a normal jelly sweet and you wouldn't know that it's vegan unless someone told you so that gets a thumbs up from me all the way! 

Sweet and Sara Rice Crispy Treat - Again, the same story as the American hard gums. The gelatine in the marshmallows of Rice Krispies put me off but that doesn't mean there aren't alternatives just like this treat has proved. It's slightly tougher than the original Rice Krispies but still drool worthy. I couldn't believe how good it tasted and it's totally guilt free. I even got my parents to taste them and they hadn't the slightest clue they were vegan until I told them. 

Sweet and Sara Marshmallows - These are the most versatile to use out of them all. You can use this in any recipe that calls for marshmallows and I promise you no-one will suspect a thing! I've tried all the flavours and my favourite one is the cinnamon flavoured one because it smells sooo sweet and I looove sweet things. Meantime in my kitchen.... 

Some were angry, some were horrified, and some were gone! 

Sweet and Sara Original Smores - An organic Belgian chocolate utopia! can it get any better? Just looking at it is a privilege let alone eating it. The creamy marshmallow and crunchy graham cracker enrobed in that Belgian chocolate really hit the spot. These pictures are actually print screens from my video which is why my finger looks blurry in the second photo so head on over there to see it in action. 

Even though I didn't get it in the parcel my favourite out of them all is the Sweet and Sara toasted coconut smores. 

This really hit home for me and reminds me of my Mauritian roots, it's like a classic American treat with a tropical twist. My childhood consisted of tropical fruits like coconuts, pineapples and some rare fruits which can't be found in the UK. Coconuts and mangoes are my top favourite fruits because I used to drink coconut water and snack on mangoes as part of the Mauritian tradition which is why I believe this treat has a personal reference to me and a special place in my heart yet it's easily available thanks to needsweets. 

Anyway I've had fun reviewing these products and I hope you found this blog useful. Don't forget to check out my video here. 

See you next time! 

Nina x 

A guide to online shopping - Avoid being ripped off and what to do if you think you have

One thing I can tell you from my unhealthy shopping addiction is that it has given me the experience and knowledge about shopping online and ways you can shop safely with ease and pleasure whether it's online or not. 

So one day I placed an order from this website http://sweetvegan.co.uk/store/ for some vegan marshmallows (because normal marshmallows contain animal gelatine) and I'm vegan. I was happy until three weeks later my order never came. I tried to contact the store using every means whether it be email, skype or phone and no matter how many times I tried there was still no response. I even contacted the post office and waited another week and still no avail. They didn't even know nothing was sent in the first place! 

I phoned PayPal and they said I should sort it out directly with the seller which I then mentioned that there was no response no matter how or when I contacted them. Eventually got my refund because PayPal have a policy where you can claim your money back within 45 days of purchase and if it wasn't for that I don't know what I would have done! They also started an investigation on the seller and even marked their balance as negative just to give me my money back. 

How to spot a fraudulent website 

Now taking a look at their website you'd think it's pretty legitimate but take a closer look and you'll find on the contact page it doesn't have any address to a physical location. When I reported them to the Office of Fair Trading they told me it's illegal and means that if any problems arise or if you wanted to report them, you wouldn't be able to because a physical address is needed to track them down. 

Source: http://www.sweetvegan.co.uk/contactus.html

Also another way to find out whether the website is legitimate is to contact them by any means you can and see if they respond. It can be anything from a phone call, email, Facebook or any other means of contact (except a letter) because the idea is to see whether you can get an instant response. If they don't respond, it's a bad sign and you shouldn't even think about buying anything from them. If you get nothing but voice-mail every time you call why should you invest your money in them if they can't invest their time in you? 

Refunds 

You as the consumer are legally entitled to a refund if a product or service doesn't meet your needs. In this case a website shouldn't make you think otherwise. After looking at the refunds section of this website I was absolutely appalled at what I saw! 

Source: http://sweetvegan.co.uk/store/index.php?act=viewDoc&docId=5

Once I placed my order I thought there was no hope of me getting my money back until I contacted the Office Of Fair Trading which is who you should contact if you ever have any problems with any seller. Just make sure you know the physical location of the seller if you ever have any problems and your issue can be resolved. 

Tips

• Do your research. If you are in any way curious or suspicious about a website then I recommend checking their ratings. This is a sure fire way to make sure you're getting value for your money and be as cautious as you can. If a majority of people have had a negative experience with the seller then steer clear. Here are some examples:

When I typed in "sweet vegan reviews" on Google I found  this blog and it seemed like sweet vegan only respond to other companies and not individual customers. The blog owners seemed to have found a different side of sweet vegan when a string negative comments came flooding in making this blog a middle man by the looks of it. - http://www.veganoo.net/2013/04/review-sweet-vegan-try-me-marshmallows.html

This post backs up my statement about having no contact whatsoever. The customer states sweet vegan haven't replied to their emails or phone calls.  http://veggies.co.uk/2012/11/08/sweet-vegan-marshmallow-taster/

What certainly rings alarm bells is this post from a blog actually warning people about buying from sweet vegan. http://vegetariankids.co.uk/vegetarian-marshmallows-review/

• Like I said earlier contact the company by every means. If you can't get hold of them instantly by phone or within a week by email, don't buy anything from them.

• Use a protected method of payment. By this I mainly mean Paypal because they are a well known method of secure online payment so by buying through them you are protecting yourself from any scams as long as you phone Paypal within 45 days of purchase for a refund if anything goes wrong. 
• Don't forget to mention extra details like the fact the seller is not responding to any forms of contact e.g. phone, email etc. This is because Paypal will tell you that you must contact the seller directly and if you leave it, you will not get your refund and justice won't be served! 

By the way...

If you're looking to buy vegan marshmallows online from any seller I highly recommend Need Sweets they are amazing. I had a craving for sweets and when I placed my order I got it in two days! 

I couldn't be any happier and their service is great because they respond to your tweets immediately so click here to check them out on Twitter.

I ordered a variety pack of marshmallows, an original smore and a toasted coconut smore and all of them were heavenly!

Toasted coconut smore 

I even toasted my coconut smore in the oven and it was delicious! 

After this whole experience, I decided to make a video about it so click here to see it and subscribe to my channel while you're over there :)  

I really hope you found this post useful and now know what to do if you ever get stuck in this kind of situation. Thanks for reading my post this week I'm glad you came over. So tell me, do you know of any fraudulent websites? or have you ever been scammed? Tell me about it in the comments below and I'll be sure to read them.

Happy shopping! 

Nina x

My holiday in Mauritius January 2014

I know it's only been three months since I last went on holiday but what can I say? I had a great time and felt really connected to my Mauritian heritage. Of course I want to go back!

I initially went for two weeks but then extended it to three because I had to get my Mauritian passport which by the way never happened. If my application was earlier I don't think I'd have been in this situation. I had two weeks in my hands and the passport takes three weeks to get. Also the lady who deals with foreign passports in the immigration office wasn't there which held me back big time.

Becoming a Mauritian citizen is tough especially for me since I'm classed as a foreigner to them even though my parents are Mauritian. The reason for this is that first of all I was born in London therefore making me British but secondly and most importantly, the fact my parents didn't apply for my Mauritian passport when I was younger.

The first time I visited my native island was when I was around five years old and man did I pick up the language quick ;) I've been bi-lingual from an early age and my parents didn't even show me how to speak Creole (the native language of Mauritius being mostly French). It has helped me in so many areas of my life it's unbelievable. I can speak to my relatives who can't speak English, other people in Mauritius, and even French people (although they may not understand all the words). Also not to brag, but I even aced French without revising, what an easy A it was ;) Although now I'm not sure whether I can speak because it's been a while and I don't normally make the effort unless I'm with French people as a sign of respect (Mauritians typically give the French the most priority).

Anyway Mauritian Creole is pretty easy to speak and it consists of three quarters French mixed with Afrikaans I believe (or some other kind of African language). Unlike French there are no conjugated verbs and I guarantee I could teach anyone how to speak Mauritian Creole in one month! Even less if they're French haha    
However if French is your first language, you have the upper hand and be lazy because everyone will understand you anyway (My French cousin does it and I'm so jealous! She doesn't have to think about what she says and they'll understand her).
In some ways I think it challenges me and pushes me to learn something useful which is what I like. I can also put it on my CV as a language skill because who doesn't think being bi-lingual is useful? You never know when you need it and learning never stops!

So far:

Managed to de-bug my computer and clear a virus


Need to book vaccination before holiday

Nails

From the last video I did (before my computer got a virus) which was easy ways to take care of your nails, I decided to give you guys an extra pointer. Don't use too much nail polish or remover in the space of a week!

I say this because I recently cut one of my nails really short because I believed it was too weak to grow strong again if it did, it would probably break off. So I thought it would be fun to track my nail's growth every week. I know nail growth varies from person to person but I've never really thought about how long my nails could grow in a set amount of time. Also it'll be like a mini experiment for me (which as you know I love doing) especially when it comes to nails ;)

I won't be posting everyday because that might be a bit annoying seeing posts of my nails day by day but I will update you in every post from now on and include pictures for comparison.

So yesterday (5th of April 2014) when I clipped my nails short due to the brittleness of it I didn't think it was because of the excessive nail polish and remover (which was acetone free by the way) that I was using. I'm a nail addict and I've always prioritised that over everything else, even my skin!

I love watching anything to do with nails like manicures, pedicures, nail art you name it! If it's anything to do with nails I'll be there and be square.

Without further ado, here's how my nail looks now (yes I know very short) but I reckon I'll see results on day 7. I've always thought my nails grow quick but I may be wrong.

I estimate about two weeks for the white part of my nail to grow to a decent length and I'm really hoping it'll achieve at least a quarter of a centimetre if not half before then. I have a wedding to attend to in Mauritius at the beginning of May and want killer nails before that. I'm even thinking about the length of my nails before my holiday vaccine and that says a lot! 

I googled how long it would take for nails to grow back and according to the results I found, it would take approximately one month. However if you were to lose your whole fingernail (god forbid) then it would take six months. This is how I came to estimate the time it would take before my holiday. 

I've also been counting down the days and I have 3 weeks and two days before my holiday, two of which my nails have to grow in! 

Goals for this week: 

Take pictures of index finger finger at least once a day without forgetting so I can make comparisons.

Workout more frequently - Right now I'm doing twice a week and could do with three or four times. 

Make a holiday check list - Remember what happened last time on holiday to make a better check list of what I do and don't need. 

Update

I can safely say that my estimate of two weeks was close enough. It actually took eleven days rather than seven for the whites of my nails to grow back. I forgot to take pictures past day 3 so I made a collage just for comparison: 

I had hope on day four when I saw that thin white line starting to form and from then onwards my nail started to grow normally. When I cut my nail short I realised I took them for granted when I had a sudden urge to paint my nails (and we all know how obsessed I am with nails). 

I painted them using my Konad Double Sided nail stamp set which I bought from Amazon. I've had it for two weeks so far and I'm having a blast! 

To create this look I used OPI nail polish in Alpine Snow and 4 In The Morning from the Gwen Stefani collection. The design I used was from a nail plate called Cheeky from their vibrant collection. The name of the plate is CH16 and I used the swirly pattern at the bottom between the cupcake and the hearts as you can see below:

I wanted something that represented Easter and that was the best I could come up with so I paired it up with colours that really contrast with each other like black and white but you can use any colour you like. I would personally suggest using colours like yellow, baby blue, white and maybe gold for a real Easter feel. 

One last thing before I go - If you want really unique nail plates I recommend MoYou nail plates. They're from London and at only £5 per plate it seems expensive at a glance but if you look closely, the plates have different designs all in one plate and offer a variety of tools such as their large nail stampers so that you can pick up more surface area from a plate if you wish. 

If any of you are new to nail stamping take a look at this video and you'll know exactly what this post is about. 

So how do you like to do your nails? Plain and simple or with nail stamps? Maybe even some nail brushes? Let me know in the comments below and I'll be sure to read them. 

Tata!

Nina x 

Computer troubles :(

For the last two weeks I've been having the worst time ever. I get all these adverts popping up on websites I go on and they won't go away! 

I even ran my firewall to see whether it could detect a virus (which right now is a paid version of Norton 360) and I'm not impressed. I ran something called a "power eraser" tool which apparently does a deep root scan of your computer and it did absolutely nothing. I never thought Norton 360 were any good but have heard that Kaspersky is one of the best firewalls around. I'm so buying it as soon as my Norton subscription expires. It's pathetic and if you ever wanted to call them to remove the virus themselves they charge you for it. A bit of a waste of time buying the firewall then ay? 

Ever since this virus took over my browser has constantly been crashing for the littlest things and annoying adverts have been playing constantly. Worst of all, when I tried to upload a video last week it didn't work because my editing software totally backfired at the last minute. I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen but it did, it crashed and said it couldn't find the files even though I clearly had the video I just filmed on my computer! 

Luckily my dad's calling over a computer repairman to fix it and hopefully afterwards I can upload more videos without the hassle. Right now I'm looking into using my IPad and iMovie which I hope will be of decent quality although not as good as the HD camera my dad gave me to film on. 

After much consideration I also ordered a video editing software called Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum Production Suite 11 which will hopefully broaden the range of video techniques I can use. I read almost all of the reviews on it and they seemed very positive so decided it might push me in the right direction. I was getting quite bored of Windows Movie Maker anyway so decided to hunt for something decent on Amazon (which I by the way can't resist). 

With a bit of luck my videos should look more professional more effortlessly. It seems good from the description at a glance but at the end of the day it all boils down to how good of a job it does when I'm editing. I can't wait till it comes in the post I only ordered it this week :D  

Right, before I get too excited I'll trot on with my dilemmas so see you next post! 

Love Nina xXx