Graze Box Review

Popcorn and The Walking Dead // Pretzels and Maths HW // Yoghurt with Granola for dessert // I ate the flapjack without photoing it :(

I've been considering ordering a free Graze box for a while now and finally got round to it just before Halloween, so thought I'd write a review. The site is lovely and it's super easy to set up an account and go through the snacks and rate them as 'Bin', 'Try' 'Like' or 'Love'. There's even a 'send soon' box to tick if you really want a certain snack.  Each snack also comes with little badges such as 'Light', 'High in Fibre' or 'High in Protein'. These features all make it super easy to really tailor the box to your likes and your dietary needs. Each month you get three of these snacks for £3.99, including delivery.

The box arrived very promptly after being dispatched, on the Monday as they said it would, which impressed me to begin with. The next thing I was impressed with was the packaging, it's secure for your food whilst being efficient and not wasteful, plus how gorgeous is the box!  It's just so autumnal and pretty that I've added it to the wall above my desk. 

In my box I received the Black Pepper Popping Corn, Pretzels w. Chocolate dip,  Strawberries and Cream Granola Topper and  Original Protein Flapjack. Also included were some flyers introducing me to Graze, some free box codes for friends and the nutritional information of the snacks.

The Original Protein Flapjack was my favourite of the four snacks I received because it was simply delicious. The slightly crunchy texture of the seeds in the sweet chewy flapjack is literally so good. I also found the portion size for the flapjack very impressive, especially considering that the  portions are specifically designed to be light.

I really wasn't sure about the Black Pepper Popping Corn when I first opened the box, but I love salt and pepper flavoured crackers (Jacobs cracker thins are amazing) so got quite excited for it and was not disappointed when I tried it. It's a really interesting flavour and definitely something different which I'd recommend. I love the fact that you pop the corn yourself as well, I'm not really sure why, but I think it's because it means that you get a nice big portion; which once again surprised me at how light it was.

I took the Pretzels w. Chocolate dip to college with me and ate them in an effort to avoid doing my maths homework during my free period (it worked perfectly, for about 5 minutes) and really enjoyed them. They were delicious and crisp and there was plenty of chocolate dip even though I wasn't sure there would be. The dip itself basically tastes like nutella which was great and the portion size was actually really filling.

My sister had her eye on the Strawberries and Cream Granola Topper and I told her I'd let her have it, but then completely forgot and ate it myself, so she wasn't best pleased! It was very nice, especially with some strawberry, it made a great light sweet treat in the evening or would be great for breakfast.

Overall my experience with Graze had been brilliant, my favourite thing about it is that they provide healthy, portion-controlled snacks that aren't simply fruit and nuts, they also have cakes, flabjacks, popcorn etc that taste delicious.

If you too like what you see, use the code 4CWXTC7HB to get your 1st, 5th and 10th box FREE! 

My Little Gypset Box: August

My little box posts really are my favourite posts to photograph even when as with this particular box I don't loveeee the contents. Also I apologize for how late this is going up but It arrived late anyway then I was on holiday and then I got rather busy so sorry. I knew when I saw this theme that it wasn't gonna be one of my favourites but I'm still quite pleased. I was disappointed in the non-beauty items this month, whilst I liked the Hair Bobbles and they are useful to me (there was 4 but I'm currently wearing one!), I really didn't like the Bag. Whilst it had a pretty pattern on it, I just don't think I'll ever use it. However I did really enjoy the beauty items this month. The print was also really cute and I liked the quote. I got a Korres Body Milk to add to my growing collection of body moisturisers that I've received from My Little Box. It smells so nice and makes my skin feel lovely and soft. From there in house line I received a beautiful Bronzer Compact. How cute are those little yellow umbrellas?! Unfortunately the bronzer does look a little orange on my skin, but to be honest, almost every bronzer does. It has a lovely large mirror and also I like the fact that it is quite matte. I do however love the So Susan Colour Hybrid lip and cheek tint. It's a gorgeous colour and it buffs into the skin really well. However you have to make sure to only use the tiniest bit because it really is rather strong. Unlike a lot of double use products it isn't super drying on the lips either so can genuinely be used on both the cheeks and the lips.

I'd still recommend this subscription even with the occasional disappointing product because overall the quality really is great.

July My Little Box: My Little Roadtrip Box

Once again I'm finding myself wanting to type about how this is my favourite box that I have received but since I start nearly every My Little Box post with that, I'm instead going to tell you how after 5 boxes I am still consistently loving the items I receive and highly recommend this subscription service. I honestly think the two things that make this subscription stand out is the fact that you don't only receive beauty products which I think could get boring quite fast, particularly if they aren't items you would use and secondly the fact that so much thought is put into the theme of each box each month. 

This month was themed all around traveling and road trips and was so up my street because I have a serious case of wanderlust. I want to go everywhere and see everything, I really don't understand why you wouldn't. Top of my list are Istanbul, Paris and Marrakech at the moment. 

The first product in the box was the Garnier Micellar Water which is one of the few high street micellar waters I haven't tried so I was pretty excited to find that. A good makeup remover is obviously a travel essential and micellar waters are so much better then wipes, though they may be easier to transport; they're so much more effective and don't dry out your skin like wipes do.

From the My Little Box line I received a gorgeous After Sun Sorbet. A good moisturiser is always necessary when travelling and this one just smells so amazing, reminiscent of sun lotion and thus smells just like holidays to me. It's a gorgeous gel consistency that is so cooling on the skin and really is very moisturising.

When I first saw the Essie Nail Polish I wasn't too sure about the colour (DJ play that song) as I'm not usually a fan of pinks/purples but when I tried out I really liked how bright and summery it was. It's a nice change to the usual pastel colours for summer.

For the non-beauty items My Little Box have partnered with Bic to provide a Bic Stylus Pen which is super useful for when I'm switching between researching things on my tablet and writing notes on actual paper (Writing things on tablets and phones is never quite as satisfying for me). They also send a super cute Postcard Book which you can write about your travels in and then post home to yourself full of memories or maybe send to a friend to let them know all about your adventures. I'm heading to Edinburgh with my family later in the summer for the Fringe Festival and think this is a great idea for then because I can write about all the shows I see and all the tourist-y things I do and then post it home to myself full of tickets and other little mementos and stick it into my Smash Journal when I get home.

The Flash Tattoos were an excellent on-trend addition to the box and as you can see in the photo above I wore the bird ones on my collar bone (Inspired by Tris from Divergent! )when I attended a party and they stayed on remarkable well and lasted for almost 2 days. I cant wait to use the others over the summer, especially the wave one.

The last non-beauty item in the box had me beyond excited. Although I'm not actually going anywhere but Edinburgh and maybe London over the summer, I had been lusting after all the gorgeous travel organisers in Paperchase so when this Travel Organiser landed on my doorstep how could I not be ecstatic. It has loads of pockets perfect for keeping your passport, plane tickets, maps, attraction tickets, currency, any mementos that you pick up along the way plus anything else at all really. It also came in the cutest little box that said 'never stop exploring',  the packaging in these boxes is just so cute I always keep it but I just don't know what to do with it!

The Magazine was once again a big fold out poster which I'm not a huge fan of, though I'm not a huge fan of the magazine as a whole, I personally don't find it that interesting to read except for the odd article. The interview this month was quite interesting though I miss the old style of magazine that I got in my very first box which was a proper glossy style magazine.

Once again I'm going to recommend this subscription service if you're looking for a regular delivery of exciting beauty and lifestyle items that won't disappoint! 

PS I did not realise how long that was, congrats if you stayed till the end!

June 'My Little Box' Unboxing

Of the four boxes that I have received, I think this may be my favorite, which is such a relief after the disappointment of last month's Provence Box. I love the idea of a holiday in the French Riviera and I just love the turquoise and blue tones in the box, the products themselves are also lovely, though I do usually get caught up in the packaging and presentation.

The rather strange thing this month was the Foldable Plant Pots that came in the box, they have pretty designs printed on them but are altogether rather random, not that I'm complaining because my succulent Friedrich (I like to name things okay? Okay.) needed a new home as he was currently living on my desk in a red christmas plant pot. The larger one I'm using as storage to organise all my body lotions, face masks and scrubs etc in  my bathroom. By organise I of course mean that I just plonked them all in there.

The second lifestyle product which I absolutely adore are the Sarah Lavoine Sunglasses. Unfortunately My sister also took a liking to them and I actually had to steal them back from her in order to take these photos! Though I guess I probably should let her have them since I already have like 5 pairs of sunglasses. They look black in these photos but they have a purplish brown tinge to them and the shape of them is just so pretty.

The first beauty product was a Loved by Sarah Lavoine Nail Polish in a beautiful dark blue turquoise colour, it's opaque in one stroke and lasts without chipping for a few days.

From there in-house beauty range I received the My Little Beauty Sea Salt Body Scrub which smells like the sea and makes your skin feel so soft. As a sidenote it also tastes like the sea, don't ask how I know.

When I saw the Loreal Keratase Keratine Thermique Hair Milk I was a little upset because I got a Keratase product in the first box and it was a very disappointing conditioner. It did nothing for my hair but make it feel weird, however I have been putting this on my hair whilst its damp and then waiting till it's dry to straighten it and its feeling and looking quite healthy for now, so we'll see.

The My Little World Magazine was lacking the usual nail tutorial which was disappointing and the rest was pretty average as usual. Once again it was a fold out poster this time adorned with pictures of a woman frolicking on the beach making me insanely jealous. 

So although that look a bit of a turn at the end, I was really pleased with this box overall. Of all the subscription boxes I've looked into, this definitely seems to be the most consistently interesting and useful one about.

May My Little Box Unboxing

I've been meaning to write this for ages now, oops. But to be honest I was a bit disappointed with the May My Little Box, whilst the theme did seem interesting the products weren't great. But saying that, May's box came with my favourite of the My Little Beauty products which was an Amazing Eyeshadow Crayon in a beautiful metallic brown colour that looks great with my blue eyes, it lasts well and is super pigmented and is great if I just want a sweep of colour over my lid which I can then blend in with a brush. The other beauty products that came with it were from L'occitane, which are  a brand I've never tried due to the price and have to say I wasn't particularly impressed with them, whilst all the products smell great and have gorgeous packaging they weren't particularly interesting or special for me. I gave the Rose Hand and Nail Cream to my friend because she loves rose flavoured things and I have been using the Verbena Leaf Soap daily to wash my face and it has a lovely citrussy smell and feels nice on my skin. However the Shower Gel and Body Lotion I haven't really used, I think I'm going to save them for a trip because of their size, but they are right about the shower gel, it smells so summery and just like holidays somehow. Moving on to the lifestyle products, I was very disappointed in the Magnets and have given them to the charity shop as I won't use them yet liked the Golden Cuff. Though I elected not to use the embroidery string as I think the gold looks perfectly elegant and pretty on it's own. The highlight of the Magazine this month was the nail art though I haven't tried it as it looks rather hard! The rest of the magazine was quite boring though really, and the poster that it folds out into was pretty useless.
Overall it was quite a disappointing box and if next months is similar, I may have to unsubscribe.

April My Little Box Review

So this month's theme was the My Little Dream Box, I thought this was a much more interesting theme than last month's. I loved the design on the box and the little cloud with the quote will look so cute on my wall next to my Eiffel Tower. The theme is honestly the thing I love most about the box, the fact that everything ties together just makes it so much more special in my opinion. And the bags, the little drawstring bags are just so adorable! I really need to find a use for them asap (along with the boxes).

Each month you get one beauty product from their in house beauty range, 2 beauty products from other affiliate companies (which come in the little drawstring bags), 2 lifestyle products and a magazine. The magazine has interviews with interesting people from around the world and always includes a nail art tutorial. This month it was a tutorial for ombre nails which I love doing plus the magazine folded out to make a giant poster of a girl and a peacock.

I still haven't decided if I like the Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion as it has a really strong ginger smell which whilst invigorating as the name suggests, is just rather overpowering. However it made my skin feel super soft and smooth when I tried it out.

Loved by Lou Lesage Rouge Balm is a very sheer red lipbalm which will be perfect for keeping in my school bag for when my lips need a little something. It feels moisturizing on the lips, if a little sticky but leaves a nice natural sheen and tint.

The Bonne Etoile Necklace came packaged in the cutest little paper cloud that had been sewn together with the quote ' Once upon a dream...' printed on it. It was so exciting to open! Its such a pretty little necklace and I love the fact that it's in French because it means that not everyone can read it. My only complaint is that I would prefer it if it had a black cord because black is basically the only colour I wear.

The second lifestyle product this month was a very cute Stamp and Ink Pad, it has 12 options on it, 4 of which are in French which I had to ask my friend to translate! They range from 'To Do' to 'Wow!' and 'Merci Beaucoup'. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be doing with it, but it should be useful for scrapbooking :)

I used the My Little Beauty Repairing Hair Mask straight after I opened the box and was quite pleased with it, it was definitely one of the better hair masks I've tried as it left my hair feeling clean but nourished however it wasn't a 'wow' product. Nothing will ever compare to the Mark Hill hair mask I use though. However it does smell lovely, quite sweet but fresh, very shampoo-ey if that makes sense, quite a typical smell.

So overall I'm still very pleased with the service that My Little Box delivers and can't wait for next months. What's your opinion on monthly subscription boxes?

June Favourites

1. L'oreal Telescopic Mascara- Definitely one of my all time favourite mascaras.
2. Heros Of Olympus Books- Finally got round to reading the second one and am loving it.
3. Vaseline- My lips have been so chapped at the moment and I tried using my Maybelline Baby Lips but they are seriously the most over-hyped product ever and I think that they are practically useless. So anyway I decided to try out the old classic and it has been working great especially since I have been flying.
4. Fringe Kimono-My current favourite piece of clothing, its the perfect summer piece and its so easy to just throw on and you instantly win in the style stakes. 
5. Metcalfe's Skinny Topcorn- I saw this featured on A Yellow Brick Blog a couple weeks ago and really wanted to try it and I have to say it is delicious! I seriously can't believe how nice it tastes considering how few calories it has in it.
6. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation- My favourite foundation to date , it matches my skin tone well, is light but gives good coverage and looks dewy but not oily on my skin as most foundations do. I also got it for £6 at the Birmingham Rag Market rather than £11 in Boots so I was very happy!
7. Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturiser-I have been using this for a while now, I've gone through 2 tubes of it and it's really helping to make my skin look less oily.
8. Benefit Porefessional Primer- I recently brought Elle magazine because this primer came free with it, I was very disappointed with the mag but definitely not with the primer. It lived up to all my expectations.