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August 24, 2010

graze boxes explained

I recently decided to sign up to the 'nibble boxes' by a company called 'Graze'. If you haven't heard of this company before, they basically send you a box that has four portions of healthy snacks in, twice a week, for you to munch on throughout the week. I got my first box in the post today, and I'm in love! I've never really thought about trying that kind of thing before because I always assumed that it would be expensive and that the healthy snacks would taste bland. I couldn't have got it more wrong to be honest! Each 'nibble box' costs £2.99 with free postage and is thin enough to be posted directly through your letterbox. I am also amazed at how delish the snacks are and I'd quite happily swap a packet of crisps for a portion of the fiery crackers or roasted seeds. They are seasoned really well so they actually taste like a nice treat and the fact that they are actually good for you is just a bonus! 

Here is what I received in today's box..


The box just comes through the letterbox just like a normal letter or small parcel..
 

You can take the portions out of the box separately to take to school or college, or you can just take them all together in the box as it is so thin and light weight.

The box also comes with a serviette and a pick/spoon..

'Great Fire Dragon'
Jumbo Chilli Maize, Roasted & Salted Maize and Satay Broad Beans.
This is really yummy and has a small fiery kick, I'd rate it 8/10.

 'Green olives in citrus marinade'
These olives come without the stones which is really handy. They are fresh tasting and don't taste overpowering. I'd rate them 7/10.

'The Beach'
A mix of dried banana, pineapple and mango. Oh-my-god. These are absolutely amazing. They taste so sweet and yummy. I've tried dried pineapple from lots of different companies before and this is most definitely the best that I have ever tried, it's so sweet and chewy. The mango and the banana are equally delish, definitely a 10/10!


'Savoury Roasted Seeds'
Roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. These are really nice to snack on as they are so good for you and are a good alternative to crisps as they are really crunchy. They are seasoned nicely so they aren't bland tasting as you would expect. I'd give them a 7/10.


I'm currently on a plan where I receive a box every Tuesday and Thursday. I got my first box for free and you have the option of being able to cancel your subscription at any time. If you decide that after you have your free box that it isn't for you, it won't cost you a penny! My second box will be half price which is also really good. 

As I'm going on holiday on Friday I was able to select the 'going away' option on the website, where you can book a vacation and cancel any orders while you are away for up to 3 months! It's really easy to do and took me literally 30 seconds.


Here are all the different kinds of snacks that you can choose from (there are over 100 different options altogether, here are just a few examples)..


Fresh fruit..


Pitted olives (no stones)..



Yummy flapjacks..




Natural treats..


Crackers..



Dried fruit and nut mixes..


Seeds..



They also have a rating system:
  • 'Bin' means that if you hate something you can virtually bin it and never receive it again, this is reversible though.
  • 'Try' means that you are happy to try it and that obviously you haven't tried it yet.
  • 'Like' means that you would like to receive the snack every now and then.
  • 'Love' means that you adore this snack and would like to have it sent to you as regular as possible.
  • 'Send soon' tells 'Graze' that you would like them to send you this snack in your next box if possible.

and if you decide that you dislike a particular ingredient, like cashews for example, you get this option:


the website then goes on to bring you to a page where you can rate everything that contains that ingredient, or simply bin everything containing cashews for example.



You can click on any of the snacks for more information and to see the full list of ingredients..


To simplify everything, this is what 'Graze' have to say..



If you would like to try the 'Graze' boxes, then you can get your first box for free and the second half price. You can also cancel at any time, as I said before. Basically, you can try one of their boxes for free and cancel straight away, which will cost you nothing. Just enter my code F21VCHV3 when you sign up, simples!

Click here to go to the Graze website and have a good browse.

August 22, 2010

lancome haul and amazing offer!

Today, I took advantage of one of the best offers I have ever seen, at Lancome. I don't usually get suckered into buying things just because of the freebies, but luck would have it that I needed a waterproof mascara for my holidays and you only needed to spend £29 to get all these goodies that are combined worth an amazing £50!


Nearly full sized Tonique Eclat Toner


Sample sized version of Bi-Facil Eye Make Up Remover
This gets eye make up off really well, it is oil based so I would recommend wiping the residue off afterwards, but it's definitely one of the best eye make up removers around.


Sample sized version of Tresor in Love perfume


Tester of Genifique serum


Sample sized version of Hypnose mascara 


The sample sized version comes with a full sized wand


Sample sized version of '132 Caprice' lipstick
This applies beautifully and lasts for hours. It's a deep classic red shade and I will definitely be purchasing the full sized version!


Large sample sized version of Hydra Zen Moisturiser (I love this!)
This is so light weight yet creamy at the same time. It smells gorgeous and is just an all round brilliant moisturiser.


The Genifique serum is very water based..


Swatches of the lipstick '132 Caprice' (its slightly darker in person)


and to take advantage of this offer, I bought..

Hypnose Drama Waterproof Mascara - £20.00


I've been loving Lancome lately as I haven't tried a lot of their products up until now, and I'm really pleased with everything that I've tried so far. It is a tad on the pricey side, but you definitely get what you pay for. This offer ends on the 8th of September, so make sure you head to a Lancome store in a boots near you, sharpish! They are also coming out with an amazing new foundation called 'Teint Miracle' on the 5th of September which I have already tried a sample of and I completely love it, so keep your eyes peeled for that, too!

August 19, 2010

simga beauty on the go kit - smokey eyes

Now don't get me wrong, I love trying out new brands of make up that I haven't tried before, but I can very easily be a 'make up snob' at times, and have the nagging voice in the back of my head saying 'if it's cheap it won't be any good'. I have been proved wrong on many occasions and the Sigma beauty on the kit is one of those occasions. I was slightly doubtful at first at whether the eye shadows would be any good, but I thought that if they are the same standards as the brushes then I'm in for a treat. I don't usually wear eyeshadow unless I'm going out at night and I'm always trying to master the perfect smokey eye. The kit makes it really easy to pull of a gorgeous dark smokey eye so I was obviously really pleased. The quality of the eye shadows are really surprising and you only need to use the smallest amount to get really good colour pay off, as you can see in the swatches below.

The box comes like this:


The eye shadows are neatly packed inside:


You can keep them in their separate plastic trays or transfer them to make a palette, you can just pop them out with your finger through the back really easily:

Here are the swatches applied with a dry brush:


and here are the swatches when I used a wet brush:


The beauty on the go kits cost $36 (£22.66) but aren't currently available on the website until they got more stock in. Remeber, if you ever order from sigma.com use the link by clicking on the picture below to their website and you will automatically get a free gift.