April 23, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

V&A East Museum Review: Opening Day First Look 2026

V&A East Museum Review: Opening Day First Look

Last updated: 20 April 2026

By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor

★★★★★

5 out of 5 · Ice cold

Our V&A East Museum review comes straight from opening day, Saturday 18 April 2026. And we came away grinning. London does not get a brand new major museum very often. So when this one arrived in Stratford, we cleared the diary and went.

A decade in the making, this is the V&A's newest outpost. Crucially, it is the final piece of the East Bank cultural district. And it lands with genuine ambition. Here are our honest first impressions of the building, the free galleries, the ticketed opening show and the cafe.

Published by Tristan in Art Lovers, Arts & Culture, Exhibitions, London, Reviews

Tags: Art Exhibitions, Black British music, London museums, O'Donnell + Tuomey, Olympic Park, reviews, Stratford, The Music is Black, V&A East, V&A East Museum, Why We Make

April 19, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Trading 212 Review UK 2026 — Honest Verdict After 3 Months

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This Trading 212 review reflects my own experience using the app daily for three months alongside Freetrade, my main broker.

This is our honest Trading 212 review after three months of using it alongside Freetrade, our main broker. When Trading 212 kept coming up in conversations, we figured we should give it a fair shot. After using it daily for a full quarter, the verdict is clear: Trading 212 is a perfectly fine platform trapped inside a frustratingly cluttered app. The fees are competitive, the savings rate is genuinely good, but the experience of actually using it every day left us reaching for Freetrade instead. Here is why we are sticking with the alternatives.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

Cool Factor

★★☆☆☆

2 out of 5: Lukewarm

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Reviews

Tags: Commission-free trading, finance, Freetrade, investing, investment apps, isa, reviews, Trading 212

April 18, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Honest Mobile Review UK 2026: Is It Worth Switching?

Last updated: 5 September 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 — Stone cold

Most mobile networks spend their marketing budget shouting about unlimited data and free Spotify. Honest Mobile spends theirs planting trees and donating to charity. After four months using it as our daily SIM, here's our Honest Mobile review, covering signal, pricing, the app, and whether the ethical angle comes at the cost of actually being a good network.

Thinking of switching to Honest Mobile?

Our Honest Mobile referral page has the sign-up link and any current offer.

Try Honest Mobile

Published by Stiv in Carbon conscious, Ethical Living, Reviews, Tech Hacks, Tech News, Technology lover, Travel lover

Tags: Ethical Tech, Honest Mobile, Mobile Networks, reviews, SIM only, UK mobile

April 16, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

FYTA Beam G2 Review UK: The Best Smart Plant Sensor We’ve Tried

Last updated: 16 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This review contains referral links. If you purchase through our link on the FYTA Beam detail page, you get 10% off. Our opinions remain entirely independent.

Cool Factor: 4/5

We have been searching for a reliable smart plant sensor for years. After failed attempts with Xiaomi and Parrot, we finally landed on the FYTA Beam G2. This FYTA Beam review covers four months of daily use across 13 sensors in a London flat, and the short version is: it is genuinely the best plant tracking system we have found. Not perfect, mind you. But properly impressive.

Published by Stiv in Green fingers, Green Living, Reviews, Smart Home, Technology lover

Tags: FYTA, FYTA Beam, FYTA Beam G2, indoor plants, plant care, plant sensor, reviews, smart home, tech

April 12, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

AKT Deodorant Review UK: Is It Worth the Hype?

Last updated: 12 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Cool Factor: 4/5

This AKT deodorant review is the result of three natural deodorants in two years. The first one gave me lumps. The second gave me a rash so bad I thought it was a skin infection. The third, AKT, has done neither. Ten weeks and three scents in, I've found the one I'm sticking with. Here's the full story of how I ended up rubbing a balm from an aluminium tube onto my armpits, testing half the range, and actually being happy about it.

Published by Stiv in Carbon conscious, Reviews, Self-care Champion, Sustainable Living

Tags: AKT, AKT deodorant review, AKT review, deodorant balm, natural deodorant, Nuud deodorant, personal care, plastic-free, plastic-free deodorant, sustainable deodorant, sustainable living, UK-made, Wild deodorant

April 11, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Analogue Pocket UK Buyer’s Guide 2026: Every System It Plays

Last updated: 11 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

The Analogue Pocket UK buyer's guide covers everything you need to know before spending upwards of £270 on what might be the finest retro gaming handheld ever made. This FPGA-powered device plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance cartridges straight out of the box. With adapters and community cores, it goes much further. We are talking Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, SNES, Mega Drive, arcade classics and more. If you have ever wondered whether the Analogue Pocket is worth importing to the UK, this guide has your answers.

Published by Stiv in Reviews, Tech News, Technology lover

Tags: Analogue Pocket, FPGA, Game Boy, handheld console, openFPGA, retro gaming, retro handheld UK

April 10, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Schiaparelli V&A Review: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A London

Last updated: 10 April 2026

By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

We went into the Schiaparelli V&A exhibition not knowing quite what to expect. We are not fashion journalists. We are curious culture-watchers who appreciate design, craftsmanship, and the occasional moment where something genuinely stops you in your tracks. Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A delivered that moment several times over. This is our honest Schiaparelli V&A review, covering whether this blockbuster show justifies its ticket price, what the standout pieces are, and why it deserves your attention even if you have never owned a couture anything.

Cool Factor: 4/5 (Stone cold)

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5

Published by Tristan in Artists, Arts & Culture, Designers, London, Reviews

Tags: arts and culture, couture, Dali, Daniel Roseberry, Exhibition review, fashion, London exhibitions, Schiaparelli, Surrealism, V&A

April 10, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Chiharu Shiota & Yin Xiuzhen Hayward Gallery Review 2026 – Worth It?

Last updated: 10 April 2026

By Tristan · Arts, exhibitions and creative culture

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

Our Chiharu Shiota Hayward review covers two concurrent exhibitions at the Hayward Gallery on London's Southbank: Threads of Life and Yin Xiuzhen's Heart to Heart. For £19 you get entry to both shows, and honestly, that felt like a steal. One of these exhibitions left us speechless. The other left us a little lukewarm. Together, they make for a genuinely memorable afternoon.

Cool Factor: Chiharu Shiota — 5/5 | Yin Xiuzhen — 3/5

Published by Tristan in Art Lovers, Artists, Arts & Culture, Reviews

Tags: art review, Chiharu Shiota, Contemporary art, Hayward Gallery, Heart to Heart, immersive art, London exhibitions, Southbank Centre, Threads of Life, Yin Xiuzhen

April 9, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Autopilot App Review UK: 10 Months of Copy Trading Tested (2026)

Last updated: 21 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Welcome to my updated Autopilot app review from a UK perspective, with performance as at 21 June 2026. Two months ago I was sitting on a tidy gain. Since then, I have sold out of one folio entirely, doubled down on another, and watched a third quietly surge. Same app, same dual-app setup, yet a very different portfolio. If you ever wanted proof that copy trading is a bumpy ride, this Autopilot app review is it.

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

This is a personal account of my own experience and does not constitute financial advice.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This Autopilot app review is based on ten months of personal use since 11 August 2025, copy trading through a Robinhood UK account with real money on the line. Every number, friction point and verdict below comes from my own portfolio.

Cool Factor: 2/5

Want to try copy trading via Robinhood UK?

Autopilot cannot run without a connected broker, and Robinhood UK is the account I use for it. Your capital is at risk, and the latest sign-up terms sit on our referral page.

Open a Robinhood UK account

Published by Stiv in Apps, Investing, Reviews

Tags: Autopilot, copy trading, Inverse Cramer, investing apps, investment review, Jim Simons, Pelosi Tracker, Robinhood UK, stock trading, US stocks UK

April 8, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Smart Rings UK 2026: Tested and Compared

Last updated: 8 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.

We have been wearing smart rings at CoolCuration for the past few months, and honestly, it has changed how we think about health tracking. Between the five of us on the team, we have tested every major option on the market right now. So if you are looking for the best smart rings UK buyers can actually get hold of in 2026, this is everything we have learned from wearing them day and night, through gym sessions, pub trips, rainy runs and too many late coffees.

Below, you will find hands-on verdicts for five rings, a head-to-head comparison table, a breakdown of how smart rings stack up against the Apple Watch, and a practical buying guide to help you pick the right one. Every product has been worn for weeks, not just unboxed for a quick look. Let's get into it.

Published by Stiv in Best of Amazon, Comparison, Comparisons, Reviews, Self-care Champion, Sport fanatics, Student, Technology lover

Tags: Amazfit Helio Ring, fitness tracker, health tracking, Oura Ring 4, RingConn Gen 2, Samsung Galaxy Ring, sleep tracking, smart ring vs Apple Watch, smart rings, Ultrahuman Ring Air, wearable tech