Spilling The Tea On Sleep with Pukka Herbs

I haven't been sleeping right for months - but even as I write that, I wonder, surely everyone has the same complaint, since we're living in a global pandemic. I have no trouble getting to sleep, but staying asleep is the hard part. I wake up at least twice nightly. With this in mind, when Pukka Herbs reached out to ask if I'd like to take part in their Sleep With Ease programme, I said "sign me up!". 

Image: PukkaHerbs.com

I've been a big fan of herbal teas for a long time now, even going so far as getting myself known in an old office workplace as the one with the "smelly tea"! 

Before we get into this, I will preface the rest of this blog post with the following: I work from home for a company that deals with US timezones almost exclusively, I exercise gently (I miss the gym!), and I have gone to great lengths to ensure my bed/sleep environment is exactly the way I prefer. I've been trying to read more so that I can unwind without any screen time, but it can be quite hit and miss. 

Now, with all that said, I have been incorporating the Night Time tea into my routine for the past week and here's what I've noticed. 

I loved the smell of it, first off. A good smelling tea is a really pleasure, though I usually opt for more fruity and spicy (think ginger, not chilli!) teas, this one was incredible with lavender and chamomile notes. I found it very palatable, not very strongly flavoured at all, which is a good thing in the evening if you ask me. Taking some time, even ten minutes, in the evening, to sit with a cup of tea, drink it mindfully, and clear my head helped me to se the intention of a night of restful sleep. 

Since Pukka Night Time tea has Valerian Root in it, which is a natural sleep aid, and it actually helps anxiety. If you check out Velerian Root on t'internet, you'll sometimes see it mentioned as a sedative, but I didn't find this tea made me particularly sleepy. It helped me to relax in a mindful manner, but it didn't knock me out. I'd say if you were to chew on the actual Valerian Root you'd miss your alarm, but in tea, it's much milder. 

To that end, it's worth mentioning that in the last few days, if I felt stressed with work, I would step away, make a quick cup of this tea and sit for a few minutes to decompress. It helped to take some time away from my dual-monitors and work environment, take some breaths, sip something delicious and gather myself. 

All tucked in for bed! 

Combining this tea as a de-stresser during my work days and with a pre-bedtime ritual of turning on some soft lighting, and either watching a movie or reading in bed has helped immesurably - even when I read true crime, not what you'd call relaxing content!  

Drinking the Night Time Tea has made it so that I'm much more mindful in my bedtime routine and I don't feel like I'm simply finishing a list of tasks, taking a restless nap and then waking up to repeat the cycle. It unwinds me so that I'm not waking up between 2am and 4am nearly as much as I did. 

I hope that this was helpful to you guys! I'd highly recommend trying the Pukka Night Time tea, and combining it with a mindful bedtime routine for a more restful sleep. Give it a few days, create a habit, and sweet dreams. 

My favorite mug! 

You can snag it on Holland and Barrett HERE if you fancy picking up a box - safely, given lockdown! 

Let me know how you get on, if you try it out. 

Love you guys

Amy 

xo

This post contains items sent to me by Pukka for review - All opinions are my own. 

Christmas Gifting For Him with Thomas Clipper*

I've got a special one for you today! The good folks at Thomas Clipper sent me a sample of their new Rough And Smooth Soap Set. The thing is, I think it would be much more fun to have Mr Wench review and give his opinion on them! 

Before we get into it, let me give you some at-a-glance facts: Given the state of the world, people are shopping small and local. Founded 2014, Thomas Clipper is a small team based in London. Their scents and soaps are developed in Grasse, the heart of French fragrance country. Mountain soap is vegan, uses organic ingredients, and handmade in the UK. Mountain soap is hand poured in runs of just 5 soaps at a time, 

Made by people, not machines, this artisan soap is chock-full of natural organic ingredients like Italian volcanic pumice and smells incredible with notes of Vetiver (a scent I adore enough to have in the form of a gorgeous candle) and aromatic spices. 

Let's start from the outside: I was very pleasantly surprised when the parcel arrived and it was completely packaged in recyclable materials. Even the soaps themselves were packaged in such a way that negates the need for cellophane! Given that Christmas is a time that creates so much extra waste, it's amazing to have a gift option without plastic. 

Inside the box, these soaps are really minimal in their design, and since they're solid, they deliver exceptional functionality. These are the hallmarks of modern luxury - travel friendly and compact at home. As someone who works in designer luggage, I appreciate any product that you can pop into your suitcase and take with you places, without fear of leaking, immensely! 

The guys at Thomas Clipper believe that after a day exploring the peaks, ‘Mountain’ prepares you for an evening relaxing into a red wine by a roaring cabin fire. 

Rugged and refined, Vetiver, guaiac and cedarwood provide a seriously smokey base with zingy bergamot

and aromatic spices, bringing freshness and balance. 

Now, lets here from Mr Wench! 

"It smells really good. Super clean smelling, just light enough on the senses to not be overpowering but speaks of rich man or competent man or similar. There’s something about this type of scent that just resonates with me as a man that I can’t get enough of. Thankfully we are in COVID season so I have had no end of hand washing and of lovely smelling hands as a result! My bathroom area is quite dominated by this smell now but it’s not a bad thing it’s actually quite nice. The effect on my hands has been un-noticed, they’re not dry and not itchy in any way. I don’t feel like it’s imbalanced my skin in and the scent sticks for a long time. 

The shape of the bar (such a small detail really) is actually a nice design choice, embossed with the logo on one side the soap shape is quite chunky and pointed. This isn’t a bad thing however, this just feels more like a handful when using it which for my hands is great! I think in my hands it fits well enough. The same is true for the shower scrub which I’ll mention in a moment but other soaps tend to slip quite easily in my grip with their oval shapes thus having something almost brick shaped is actually refreshing!

The shower scrub is a different game, smelling much the same as the Mountain Soap, in that it smells great. It fits in my hands well and doesn’t slip in the shower in my grip with its big block shape (though the run off is quite slippy on the shower floor I found out!). It was however, quite scrubby. I wasn’t prepared for that feeling at first. On the first use I felt like my skin was rubbed a little too roughly and ended up having to smooth it out after a couple strokes with lathering actions. My skin afterwards felt and smelled amazing, no two ways about it which had me thinking maybe the scrubbing wasn’t that bad. For the second use I have to say I’m glad I gave it another chance, the scrubbing was much less gritty on second, third+ washes and much more enjoyable. It is in fact possibly the exact type of exfoliator style scrubber I have been wanting for a while now. I was super happy to use in the shower each time I had it and have enjoyed the product over all.

Packaging wise few small comments worth pointing out, it’s minimalistic which pleases my man-tendencies as the product isn’t screaming at me to pick it up with loud garish colours. The wrapping is simple and the product is good enough to stand on its own legs in the testing. All in all, I rate these soaps highly, easily an 8.5/10. I am even considering this as a Christmas gift for other guy friends and family in my life." 

So there you have it, hopefully myself and Mr Wench have helped you decide on some amazing body products for the loved ones in your life! 

*Contains gifted items from Thomas Clipper. All opinions belong to myself and Mr Wench.