Silent Sunday 28th July 2013

Popband Review

Let me intoduce to you the great hair styling accessory that is Popband!  Unlike most (if not all) hair ties, they promise not to crinkle, crease or otherwise create a bump in your hair whilst wearing them, so you can sweep your hair up out of the way and then when your hair is released, it's still super straight!

Too good to be true? Well, I tried these on a journey to London via train.... warm weather, crowded train, 2 changes to contend with and on arrival, the promise of a nice meal out with my sister so my barnet *must* be perfect and presentable!

So off we went, hair duly straightened and tied back with said popband.  Five and a half hours later, on arrival at London Euston, I removed the popband, quick brush of the hair and voila, I was ready for the evening ahead!  To be perfectly honest, there was a very slight 'bump' where the band was but after about 10 mins, this dropped out to nothing noticable!

And to add to the beauty of the popband, I then wore it around my wrist for a bit of glitz to finish off my outfit.  They are pretty enough to wear as an accessoryand come in a huge range of colours and styles.  Have a look at their Facebook page here and see what you think!  They often have flash sales and discount codes available, but they are cheap enough anyway!  They most definitely aren't going to snap or fray and leave you in the lurch when you really *do* need you hair tied back.

With the addition of head bands and poplaces to the range, there's definitely something for everyone's style and situation!

'Dobble' card game review

Thanks to the great guys and gals at Esdevium Games Ltd, we were able to review the great new game 'Dobble'! At a first glance, this is a very unsuspecting round tin full of picture cards. A clever take on the traditional 'Snap' game played by millions around the world.

 

The game consists of 55 cards, each with 8 pictoral symbols per card from a bank of 50 images in total.  The 'snap' aspect comes in very cleverly in that there is only one identical symbol per pair of cards.  Difficult to believe and I can't begin to work out the stats involved(!) but that's the beauty of the game... there's ALWAYS a match, it's just a question of who spots it first!

In the pack,there's instructions for 5 mini games along with a quick beginners round so that everyone can get a grasp of the game.  We've played a fair few times since receiving the sample pack... and enjoyed every go!  Each time it's a different game, as the cards come out in different sequences.  We played with my 6 year old and (very competitve!) 9 year old and both children played the game well.  It really is down to who spots the match first, quick reflexes and an eye for detail.

Every player is actively involved throughout the game and no-one is 'out' so this avoids boredom setting in for younger players who always seem to be 'out' early into most other board games we have played!

A plus point for us as a familiy are that the game is extremely portable - everything fits inside a handy tin which is definitely rucksack or picnic basket sized... at a push, I'd even say it was handbag sized!  Perfect for a journey on the train or for taking away on holiday camping or similar!

Also, a further positive note is that the cards do not have any written word on them, so if your child cannot read too well yet, they still will be able join in!  And, as a bi-lingual Welsh/English family (also learning Spanish to boot!), this is a great way to practice vocabulary as a family!

Dobble is available at all major retailers including Amazon, RRP £12.99.  It's suitable for 2-8 players, game time approx. 15mins and appropriate for age 6 years+.

And now just for fun, comment below with the match you spot in the image above!  Also, you can pop over to their Facebook page here and join in with the 'Dobble goes Travelling' photo album!  Where will you take yours!?