Saturday 25 May 2013

Veet Easy Wax Bzz Campaign

I was recently invited to my latest Bzz campaign for the Veet Easy Wax, I usually shave and have done for many years however I have occasionally been professionally waxed and have tried out the Veet Wax Strips in the past but found they did not work for myself. So I was pretty excited to try the product out and see how it would work for me! 

The Easy Wax kit is an electrical roll-on device which heats the wax cartridge so that the wax can then be applied and removed with the use of paper strips. The Easy Wax's advised heating time is between 20 and 40 minutes and plugs into the mains electricity when heating. It also comes with a handy stand to keep the devise upright when warming  the wax and during use to avoid excess spills and mess.


Here is what was came in my Bzz kit, including the Easy Wax Electrical Roll-On device with leg cartridge and the separate bikini and underarm cartridge. The kits also came with strips to remove wax, perfect finish wipes and user instructions.


As I do not have much hair on my legs I decided I would test the bikini and underarm cartridge rather than the leg one, I left my under arms unshaven for about a week and a half previous to using the Easy Wax so I had enough growth to be removed by the wax.


Here is immediately before and after me using the Easy wax. Saying that the Easy Wax did not remove all of my hair and I did have to tediously remove all the hair left with tweezers! So this is after tweezing also.


I left the devise to heat for 20 minutes at first but the wax was no where ready to be used so I had to leave it for at least another 10 minutes until it was usable  it was still quite difficult to apply though. Overall I found the process extremely painful and even when keeping my skin taught and following the instructions fully I have been left with extremely irritated skin.


I found the wax came out quite thick and made a mess of the cartridge, I was more annoyed that the wax was not removing all the hairs though. After a lot of time and pain I decided to throw in the towel and tweeze the hairs the wax was not removing as I did not want to leave my underarms uneven.


After my armpits were finally hair-free they felt absolutely raw, I have never had a bad reaction to any wax products I have used but the Easy Wax felt as it it had removed more skin than hair! There was redness after the initial wax which I thought would fade as the night went on however my underarms have gone on to scab and have been extremely sore. I don't know if I have had an adverse reaction or it is just a bad product but I definitely won't be recommending the Easy Wax or using it again! 

This damage was caused when I made sure to follow all of the instructions and waxed as safely as I could by keeping skin taught and pulling in the right directions. But this experience has put me off waxing altogether I will be sticking to my trusty razor to avoid any possible pain and discomfort. Even now 5 days since waxing my under arms are sore and peeling, at least my E45 lotion is coming in handy to try and keep them moisturized.

All of the views expressed are my honest opinion and I hope if you decide to give the Veet Easy Wax a go you have a much better pain-free experience! 

If you'd like to look into becoming a Bzz Agent yourself check out: www.bzzagent.co.uk/

Friday 17 May 2013

College Zoo Trip

Anyone who knows me might know that at the moment I am just coming to the end of my college year which is exciting stuff. At the age of twenty I have nearly finished my first year at college and will have got my National Certificate in Animal Care. Before coming to college I was actually a childminder so it was quite a change going back to education, but now I just have three more practical sessions before I finish for the summer!

As a little treat for finishing our theory classes a few weeks early one our lovely tutors John organized a trip to the zoo for our NC Animal Care groups, which was a really nice way to round off the year and to spend some time with my friends from college before we go our separate ways for the summer.

Our trip took place at Edinburgh Zoo which I hadn't been to for a good few years so it was nice to see all of its changes and see some new animal additions such as the pandas. The day stayed pretty nice for us luckily other than having to dodge a few rain showers but nothing hot tea and giggles couldn't fix! Here are some of my photos from the day I hope you enjoy them.

Here is one very sleepy chimpanzee 
The little goat just didn't want to look at the camera!
 My lovely friend Jordan sitting on an eagle, luckily it sat still :D
Clever little ants taking their wild garlic to their nest using the roap
Indian one horned rhino boys having a sleep 
 Tortoises having some dinner
 The penguins in their new and improved enclosure
One of the sun bears waiting to be fed
 A very inquisitive sun bear
 Surely its time to eat?
 Spot the sleepy baboon
 Huddled up having a snooze
 Yang Guang making use of his comfy hay
Tian Tian showing off her possible baby belly!
 Tian Tian looking very pretty
 Having a root around for something yummy!
 The lookout lemur sat in his bush
 Three little pygmy hippos under the heat lamp 
Sleepy little mongeese 
 Tiny little monkeys looking as cute as ever
 Peek-a-boo!
 Outdoor enclosure for the capuchin and squirrel monkeys to play
 A jaguar bum!
The painted hunting dogs enjoying their dinner

Overall I really enjoyed the day, I got to spend time with all the lovely people I have met over the year and saw some really cool animals. Trust me to fall asleep on the bus on the way home though. I will miss everyone tonnes, fingers crossed we all get on to the HNC and will be reunited after the summer!

My First Graze Breakfast Box

As some of you my have already read I recently received my first Graze Munch box a few weeks back now I liked trying the healthy snacks but then a friend sent me a free code to try the breakfasts so I jumped at the chance! I usually just have my corn flakes or rice chrispies so cereal is usually my go to food in the morning so it will be a nice wee change to try out some porridge instead.


Here is what my box looked like, it was very nicely presented like my last Graze box. I like its natural feel and how the colours make it feel more of an organic product. The box included my 4 choices of porridge along with a how to cook leaflet which contains full nutritional information.


I was given 4 different flavors of porridge to try including Apple and Cinnamon, Cherry and Almond, Blackcurrant and Cranberry and Walnut and Pecan each with honey to mix in too. I used to love having porridge for breakfast when I was younger but always had always eaten it with a lot of sugar so it wasn't too bland, so I was glad that the honey was included in the punnet to sweeten it up and add to the fruit and nuts already included in the punnet.


The first porridge I tried was the Walnut and Pecan along with the honey and I actually really enjoyed it, it wasn't overly nutty and the honey made it lovely and sweet. I wasn't really sure how much milk to use so it was a bit of trial and error to get the amount I needed so it wasn't too sticky. I did wish the instructions on the milk in the leaflet were a bit cleared on that front. But I did really like it and definitely would try it again!



Yum yum, 
that didn't take long to finish.





The second porridge I tried was the Apple and Cinnamon punnet, I had a college trip to the zoo that day so needed lots of energy to tackle all those Edinburgh hills! The Apple and Cinnamon punnet had oats, apple slices and raisins along with the the honey, I didn't expect I'd enjoy it so much with it having the raisins but it was actually really nice I didn't notice the raisins that much and again the honey pulled it all together and made it nice and sweet! 


So far I am really enjoying the Breakfast box from Graze, they have proved to be a yummy and filling way to start the day! I will be sure to update when I get a change to munch my way through my last two porridges which are the Cherry and Almond and the Blackcurrant and Cranberry!

If you are already a member of Graze and would like to try your first Graze Breakfast box free use the code RF5T5NJ to get hold of yours. I would highly recommend giving them a try!

Thursday 9 May 2013

Right Guard Xtreme Invisible Bzz Campaign

Recently I was lucky enough to be invited to my second Bzz campaign this time for Right Guards's Xtreme Invisible anti-perspirant deodorant! I was pretty excited to be asked to test a deodorant as I have always battled with sweating and I only have a handful of roll-ons that actually keep me dry. 

So lately I have been using the Right Guard spray over my go to deodorant spray which is Lynx Attract for Her which I love for its scent but I still don't find I am not kept as dry as I'd like, so normally I stick to using a roll-on which I find I feel a lot drier and more confident wearing. So here are some of my first impressions and my thoughts of the product so far!

Here is what I received in my Bzz kit along with a black card to compare 
Right Guard Xtreme invisible along size my other sprays.

Right Guard Xtreme Invisible claims to protect from three different types of stain including white marks, oily stains and yellow stains which can be an embarrassing problem and a big strain on your clothes budget! After Right Guard's claims I was excited to see how it stood out next to some of the sprays I have used in the past with the use of the black card that came along with the Bzz kit. 

I compared alongside my favorite deodorant Lynx Attract for Her and Garnier Invisi Mineral which I have used during exercise in the past. I was pretty surprised with the results Right Guard Xtreme Invisible was not the least pigmented on the card.

Here are the comparison results!

So clearly Lynx Attract for Her left much less of a mark compared to the Right Guard Xtreme Invisible. The Garnier Invis Mineral however left a much more prominent mark which I expected as it comes across as much heavier to wear. So after the comparison I am a bit on the fence as to whether there will be less white stains than when I use my Lynx Attract, but time will tell!

As for the smell and protection I find the smell a bit chemically compared to my regular deodorant and the smell did not seem to last for any period of time which I did not like, as being a person who suffers with heavy perspiration I want something that is going to keep working throughout the day and keep me smelling nice as well as staying dry and not having to feel self conscious of sweat patches.

Saying that so far I have not felt like I was protected while wearing Right Guard Xtreme Invisible and I have found I did sweat large amounts while wearing the product and have been left feeling conscious of sweat patches and possible odor.

I will continue to use the Right Guard Xtreme Invisible for the rest of the campaign and fingers crossed it will grow on me, but at the moment the benefits of saving my clothing aren't outweighing the fact I want to be kept dry and smelling nice throughout the day!

If you'd like to look into becoming a Bzz Agent yourself check out: www.bzzagent.co.uk/

Friday 26 April 2013

My First Graze Munch Box

Today I got my first Graze box in the post which was totally exciting! A friend had given me a code to redeem so I could have my first box totally free with no strings attached! So I didn't have to worry about being tied into a contract or anything which was fab. You had the choice between a nibble box or a nutrition box and I chose the nibble as there seemed to be so much choice and a few cheeky puds to try!

This is what my box looked like when it arrived, very plain and simple which I really liked.

I couldn't wait to have a look inside and see what yummy snacks I had been given but sadly the postman came just before I was due to leave for college so I had to wait until I was done there to get home and take a peek!



Here's what the box looked like inside with four tasty treats to choose from and information both about Graze itself and nutritional information. My snacks included slightly sweet popping corn, the inspired by jaffa cake mixture, the my thai dippers and the seedsational seed mixture. All of which I was very happy with but it is yet to have the taste test! I was especially looking forward to the popcorn as I have been fancying popcorn for a while now but had never got round to picking any up.

I loved that there was a booklet of the full nutritional information as I am currently on a calorie controlled diet! So I am always very wary of eating things if I don't know their contents so it was awesome to have all the nutritional information available so put into my calorie counter on myfitnesspal. As well as calories Graze list carbs, protein, fab, fibre and sodium contents which are always handy to keep track of. The wee booklet also had the use by dates for all of the items not that they were going to last that long haha!

The first of the snacks I tried was the Inspired by Jaffa Cake Mixture which is a mix of Belgian dark chocolate buttons, orange raisins and roasted hazel nuts. I really enjoyed the snack as a whole however I have never been the biggest fan of raisins but they were surprisingly nice I liked the orange flavoring they had! The mixture of the three different things was definitely nice and refreshing though as the dark chocolate was very rich and the raisins packed with flavor so it was nice to have the hazel nuts as a happy medium. The smell was amazing exactly like jaffa cakes which was really nice. For the whole punnet the Inspired by Jaffa Cake mix was 208 calories which easily fit into my day as a little snack.


The next snack I tried was the Seedsational seed mix which I felt very mixed about. I usually love all types of seeds but the flavoring on these really put me off, after eating just a tiny amount I felt sicky so decided to give them a miss! I'm sure anyone who likes flavored seeds would enjoy them but I am more of a plain eater and am easily made sick by tastes that don't agree with me so I definitely would not like to try these again! The Seedsational mix is 203 calories per punnet and is high in vitamin E.


The third snack I tried was the My Thai which I did not like at all! The baked soy bites were really hard and I did not enjoy the taste at all, I can't really explain the flavor of the soy bites but they just weren't for me! The sauce was meant to be sweet chili however it was more chili to me haha it was way too hot for me! Again it just wasn't a snack that wasn't for me and I would not want to try it again.



The last of my snacks was the slightly sweet popcorn which was the snack I was probably looking forward to most as I haven't had popcorn in forever and sweet popcorn is my favorite! So I am pleased to say the good old popcorn didn't let me down, it was so yummy and I even managed not to burn it! It wasn't overly sweet which was nice and there was a good amount in the bag as I was expecting just a few pieces from the tiny packed it started off as. For the whole bag it was only 118 calories so I was really happy with that, I wish I could have popcorn every night now haha.



Overall I felt the box has been a bit hit and miss! I have really enjoyed the sweet snacks but sadly the two savory snacks I have not enjoyed or continued eating. I am looking forward to seeing what other yummy snacks come my way from Graze though but will have to reconsider my bin list! There is a link below if you too would like to try your first Graze box for free, its well worth a try and I would highly recommend getting one even if its just the first free one to try.

If you would like to try your first Graze box free follow this link to get started! http://www.graze.com/uk/p/WGJGJTG

Thursday 11 April 2013

E45 Lotion Bzz Campaign

As some of you may or may not know I recently joined an awesome site named BzzAgent! BzzAgent are one of the leading word-of-mouth media and marketing companies. They give you the opportunity to fill out surveys and have the chance to take part in many cool campaigns for products which you can try for free yourself.

Most campaigns come with samples and coupons to share with your family and friends so they can have the chance to try out the product too and spread the word!

I have been lucky enough to be invited to my first campaign which was the E45 Lotion Bzz Campaign which is right up my street, as with a mixture of dry and oily skin it is hard to find products that work all round! I have tried E45 creams in the past when I was suffering from very dry skin however I always found it very greasy and only really felt comfortable using it at night when I wasn't going to be going out. So I was very excited to try out the lotions and see how they worked for me!



I was so excited when my E45 kit arrived, it included the official Bzzguide which told me everything I had to know as well as two full size lotions and ten sample packs to give away to family and friends! The full size lotions included the E45 Moisturizing Lotion (Perfume Free) and the E45 Nourish and Restore Body Lotion which is lightly fragranced.


I was really impressed with the consistency of both lotions unlike the heavy greasy feel of previous E45 products I have used in the past they were relatively light and fast drying so I was not left with the nightmare greasy hands that nobody likes to be stuck with!

Although the E45 Moisturizing Lotion is perfume free the lotion does still have a slight scent although I didn't really notice it without having a good sniff The E45 Nourish and Restore has a slightly feminine scent however it did not stop my brother and a few male friends having a go! The fragrance is not over powering at all which is nice as I do not like my lotions to be too heavily scented.

Now to the nitty gritty... did I like the lotions?

The answer would be yes! I have been using the E45 Nourish and Restore body lotion on my arms, legs and body and the E45 Moisturizing Lotion on my face, hands and feet.

The Nourish and Restore has left my skin feeling silky smooth and was especially nice after shaving as I usually suffer from particularly dry legs after having to use shaving foam. I was very happy with the fragrance and the fact the lotion was quick to dry. I usually have fairly sensitive skin but had no problems with the Nourish and Restore, it seems kind and gentle which is a must for any product I use.

The E45 Moisturizing Lotion I found very easy to use it wasn't too creamy so was easy to apply fast on the specific areas. It also was very quick to dry and left my skin feeling moisturized and soft. I have used the product on my face which I am usually very wary to try new products due to high sensitivity but had no problems at all and the lotion did not cause me to break out like some more oily moisturizers. The biggest area which needs moisture is my feet, suffering with bad circulation leaves them dry and unhappy so I was very happy when I found the cream made a big difference and my feet are looking a lot better in only a short period of time.


My feet still have a bit of a way to go, but hopefully as I use the lotion they will only get better!

Overall I was really happy with both products and will definitely look into buying the full sizes in the future. All the people who have tried sample so far have had a really good experience too so I would be happy to say I would recommend with the E45 Moisturizing Lotion and the E45 Nourish and Restore Body lotion.

I am really chuffed that I got so much out of my very first Bzz Campaign and can't wait for more in the up coming future! I still have a few samples left so please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to try some out. The sample packs include three samples of the E45 Nourish and Restore and a coupon that entitles you to money off one of the full size products.

I hope you have enjoyed this review and have found it helpful, I have loved trying these new products and look forward to using them into the future. Hopefully I'll be back soon with more product reviews so watch this space, have an awesome day!

If you'd like to look into becoming a Bzz Agent yourself check out: www.bzzagent.co.uk/