Want to know how to create my dream event? Include wellbeing, creativity, relaxation, interior inspo, and throw in some food and drink!
Recently, I was kindly invited to an event by Specsavers, all about our senses, where they managed to combine all of the above, including yoga, meditation, flower crown making, luxury skincare and hand massages, interior pieces, and gin and canapés. Plus, of course, glasses and some eye education too!
I knew I would come away refreshed and relaxed, but I wasn’t prepared for how much I was about to have my eyes opened (here all night, folks!).
Take care of your senses…
Do Yoga
There were a variety of things to do at this event, one of them being my new favourite activity, yoga. Yoga Kula in Leeds had a session for us, which involved activity, total relaxation and chocolate meditation. You read that right! It’s all about taking in everything from one bite. For the impatient among us, it probably sounds a nightmare, but I have actually done this before and it’s a good way to slow down and ensure you are not missing anything.
Give it a try. Take one piece of chocolate and hold it in your mouth, tasting and feeling it without biting. It sounds a bit strange, but I promise it’s worth it, and if you’re going to try meditation, why not include chocolate?
I really liked Yoga Kula, and wish I lived closer to the classes, as they had a really great vibe – I’m going with it.
They gifted us with an eye pillow, which is great for restorative yoga. Filled with organic flax seeds and a hint of lavender for relaxation purposes, they can help to regulate the nervous system, mood, digestion, and heart. These pillows do this through their light seed weight with the help of softly textured fabric to penetrate a nerve below the surface called the vagus nerve.
We were also gifted crystals and incense sticks. Everything you need for a perfect relaxing, restoration evening.
Make Flower Crowns
Ivy Florist have been on my radar a while as they always create gorgeous floral displays for events and are so creative with their arrangements.
I love a flower crown and making them with fresh flowers even more so! Was totally in my element creating my masterpiece and thought of nothing else while doing so. I’ve been meaning to write about this, but activities like these, known as flow activities, keep you focused without effort and your mind off other things. It was completely relaxing and strangely therapeutic.
Look after your skin.
Rituals is one of those shops that I love to browse, but never really try anything.
With their perfect set up of a hand massage and petal water bowl station for trying products, green tea and rose petals in a cast iron teapot (a weakness of mine), I was already sold on the products before trying. But, because I like to put things to the test, I did sample a few, and everything was gorgeous as expected. The one that really stood out to me was the foaming soap.
Amazingly, Rituals had given me some in a goody bag, as well as some tea samples, a canvas bag and some other samples.
I also loved the interior pieces surrounding the area. all were from La Redoute, and now obviously I have some shopping to do! My favourite was the pom pom throw, but I love the basketry features too.
Drink plenty…of gin.
Masons Dry Yorkshire Gin was the drink of choice for the evening. However, my hatred of tonic water struck again, so I was unable to have any – straight gin is not what I needed. Instead I had some of the fruit infused water, all of which was good. What is it about sticking fruit in water that makes it feel fancy? I mean to do it at home, but never do.
Do carrots really help you see in the dark?
We tried a few canapés that are supposedly good for your eyes and the classic question came up. Do carrots really help you see in the dark or is it just a myth to get children to eat vegetables?
Well…it’s a bit of both. Carrots are rich in beta-carotene (which first came from carrot roots, hence the name), which is used to make vitamin A, a vital vitamin that helps protect the cornea and aids the process that enables the eye to use light, resulting in improved vision in low light.
So if you want to kill a party ever, bring out this fun fact! Some might be genuinely curious like me so I put it in.
We tried some other eye health promoting canapés too. See the descriptions for more info.
Chorizo croutons, oysters & sour cream – omega 3 is great for eye health. 
Cracker of burnt carrot skin & rice with juiced carrot sauce & pickled carrots & creme fraiche on top. 
Flaxseed crackers with caviar – plenty of omega 3.
Framing your face
Throughout the event, there were opportunities to try new styles of frames. There are so many choices, it’s difficult to know what to go for.
Fellow short-sighted folk, is there anything worse than being asked to choose new frames when you literally cannot see the details of your face after taking your glasses off? Probably, but not in that moment. I hate trying to find a new pair without my altered super-vision! Luckily, Specsavers have thought this through and have an iPad complete with app to take picture of you, plus try on frames digitally to see what suits.
Despite this technology, I still took over an hour to find my new ones, and had to go out for lunch in between the stressful affair. Safe to say, I don’t think my local store wants me back!
I settled, and by settled I mean splurged, on a Balmain pair with rose gold twisted arms. Due to my terrible sight, I was told I’d best have a thick plastic frame, so my first choice was not an option. I get my lenses thinned, but clearly no amount of thinning down was a match for my lenses!
Luckily for me, Specsavers kindly offered me a voucher towards my specs as part of this collaboration, because after all of the options I need, I end up spending a fair bit each time.
Do you have a certain style of frame you always go for?
Eye health is not just about how much you can see.
I don’t know about you, but when I think about senses, the main ones that spring to mind are the ones I know I can influence, taste and smell. There is nothing better than that feeling of utter satisfaction from a bite of something you love (at least to me there isn’t!), or a sweet, fresh fragrance sifting through the air.
However, Specsavers have made me think slightly differently. We all know that we’re supposed to go to the opticians at least every two years, but who hasn’t missed their two year check up because they ‘couldn’t find time’ or ‘don’t need one as have perfect eyesight’?
I know I have and as a glasses wearer since I was about 10 years old, I should definitely know better.
I don’t want to get too preachy here, but I’m always an advocate for wellbeing and I have really learned from this event so think it’s worth sharing.
Opticians can catch things that other doctor’s can’t
That two year check up, despite 20/20 vision is not just about your sight, but more about your health in general.
Opticians can catch things that other doctor’s can’t, and after reading their free magazine – they clearly peaked my interest during their talk – I have seen stories of people’s lives literally being saved due to an eye test.
During your eye test, you may have noticed that they get up close and personal with lights and cameras. It’s not just so they can stare into your soul and see how dark it is in there. With your regular test, opticians can:
- Use a microscope to check the back of your eye
- Check past eye tests and see if there are any differences
- Do an optical coherence tomography (OCT) test which is like an MRI scan for your eyes, and can check the layers of your eye
- Check the optic nerve for any neurological problems
- Look for signs of diabetes or high blood pressure before usual symptoms show
Not to be too much of a nerd about optometry, but this is incredible to me. There is so much going on in one tiny piece of our bodies, yet we manage to take it for granted. When I think about eye tests, I wonder how much worse my eyesight will be, but now I know that it’s something I’ll be taking much more seriously in future.
Tips and recommendations for better eye health:
- Invest in a decent pair of sunglasses
- If using contacts, get more regular checks
- Ask for anti-reflective coating on glasses to prevent glare
- Don’t smoke – smokers double their chances of generational poor eye health and vision
- Take cod liver oil (this is good for joints too!)
- Eat leafy, green vegetables – they promote a healthy environment in the back of the eye.
This was a much longer post than I anticipated, but I found the event really interesting and managed to take away quite a lot from it, so wanted to share as much as possible.
Do you think eye health is something you’ve ignored previously, or just not thought much about? Let me know in the comments, and also let me know if this post was useful or informative for you.
Also, tag me on Insta with your frames so I can check them out. Use the hashtag #teaisforteam for a share too!
Disclaimer: I was invited to the event, given goodies there, and gifted a voucher towards my new glasses. I was not obliged to share any of the information and all content is my own.
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