Graze box~snacking reinvented

Helloooo

For months now, I've been seeing the graze box adverts on TV. Its a new way of snacking where you get random snacks delivered to your door step. To be honest, I didn't see the problem with going out and buying your own snacks. However, there is something extra special about packages being delivered to your door, I for one, like to pretend that someone sent me presents.

Anyway so, the advert was for a free graze box and I thought, why not? I went online to try and order but was hesitant when they asked for my bank details. I put off ordering for a while and it's only in Ramadan that the hunger hit me so badly that I decided to check out what graze had to offer. 

I ordered my free box about a week ago and it arrived today. Although, you can't choose what you would like your box to contain, you can choose things which you wouldn't like for example olives and bin them. I binned one meat containing product. Part of the excitement I think, is in what you will get in the box as its a total surprise, you can however, rate certain foods and tell them that you would like to try it soon.

My box contained cheddar gorge, Mississippi BBQ pistachios, Jaffa cake flapjacks and triple berry smoothie. 

Cheddar gorge: (cheese cashews, salsa corn sticks and herb crackers). This was a tub of savoury snacks which were delicious. I especially loved the crackers, they reminded me of something I must have had as a child, kind of reminiscent of Bombay mix. The corn sticks were very similar in flavour to the original flavour doritos but a tad fancier. I usually love cashew nuts but I think these cheddar cashews were washed away by the more intense flavour of the crackers and the corn sticks. Overall though, I loved this snack, I will forever crave more herb crackers (weh).

Mississippi BBQ Pistachios: (smokey BBQ pistachios) 
I have to say this snack was a bit of a miss with me. There was nothing wrong with it but there wasn't anything amazingly right about it. It was just a handful of pistachios with a hint of BBQ flavour. I expected them to be really mouthwateringly smoky and all I got was a sprinkle of flavour. Its like expecting to swim with dolphins and ending up sitting in a fish foot spa. I will however, say that, for some who don't like strong flavours, this is probably really nice as its not overpowering. I shared my graze box with my mum and she loved the pistachios. I feel like I could have just bought a bag of pistachios because the flavour was pretty much non existent. This snack in my opinion was a tad boring.


Jaffa cake flapjack: (rustic rolled oat flapjack with orange and chocolate)
I have to say that these were my absolute favourite from the box. Loved them!!! My, most loved flavour combo is chocolate orange and I love Jaffa cakes but there was something about these flapjacks that was simply out of this world. The taste of the orange isn't very strong but the flavour plays havoc with your palate. I can smell the orange more than I can taste it, simply delicious. My only complaint is that there are only three and I could probably do with about three hundred. When I ordered my box I saw these on the website and rated them, asking graze to send me these soon and if you want them in your box, make sure to ask for them! 
  
Triple berry smoothie: (1 of your 5 a day- dried strawberries, blueberries, cranberries and banana).
When I first tried this snack, I wasn't greatly impressed. I mean its just dried fruit, nothing special. I would like to add that it is very healthy and still really tasty so I'm not knocking it. Just dried fruit, nothing special however it is yummy none the less. I enjoyed the dried strawberries and definitely will  pick them up from my supermarket next time I go. I am still a huge fan of fresh fruit and will not be converting to dried fruit any time soon. I would like to add that my mum enjoyed this snack the most so maybe there's just something wrong with me?

I had the chance to cancel any further graze boxes as they cost £3.99 each but I really want to see the other snacks graze has to offer. My first box was free and my fifth box will also be free, so feeling kind of spoilt, I mean who doesn't love free food?! After trying all the snacks my favourites where the flapjacks and the cheddar gorge, but my mum loved the pistachios and the fruit. It just goes to show that graze does have something for everyone and if you don't like a particular snack you can tell graze online and so they wont send it to you again. Definitely worth a try.

If you guys would like to give it a go, you can use my voucher code to get your free graze box. It is soo easy to cancel after your first box, so you don't have to pay for anything. If you do enjoy it as much as I did you will get your fifth and tenth box for free with the others costing £3.99. Happy snacking!!

Peace be upon you

Merutopia xo

p.s for every free box you order, I'll donate £1 to charity courtesy of Graze :)

Contemporary Henna

20.35pm

Hellooo

I've always thought of henna as being too much for everyday wear. I mean, its wonderful for occasions but, lasts a couple of weeks depending on the brand used and in my opinion can look unsightly after a while. There was however, a trend for the black henna about four years ago but that has been known to cause adverse skin reactions in some people. Black henna was definitely something I would wear as opposed to the orange-stain leaving brown one, that is, if there wasn't a chance of having my limbs covered in blisters.

For the past week, I've noticed a sudden increase in more modern designs. Henna designs that are actually cool and have come a long way from my nan's design of a large blob in the middle of her hand surrounded by a many smaller blobs. These designs are actually cool. Desi Perkins (YouTube make-up guru) has recently posted a photo of her henna which, is similar to Rihanna's hand tattoo and so I think its safe to say that henna has well and truly been bought to 2014. I have also seen photos of henna in more original places such a pregnant tummies and the heads of cancer patients going through treatment which I think is adorable. Since Eid isn't too far away now, I thought I'd share some of these, more original, designs that I found so that you too can be unique and stand out from the crowd of aunties. Enjoy my loves!!

Peace be upon you

Merutopia xo

Desi Perkins' henna inspired by Rihanna

I love the asymmetry of this design, definitely gives it more of an edge.

This has a more middle-eastern tribal woman feel. 

still keeping the traditional henna design but adding a modern twist with the more angular patterns.

This is Bollywood meets English rose.

Bold and beautiful. With the flame like finger accents and the feminine daisies scattered around the edge, this is a stunning paradox

At home eyelash extensions

18.02pm

Hellooo

I have had eyelash extensions twice before, put in by my aunt at home, who had no special training. So I thought, if she can do it, I'm sure I can. I equipped myself with knowledge from YouTube and a reassuring video told me that I would definitely lose my eyesight. So with that good news, I went onto eBay and placed individual eyelashes and a random semi permanent eyelash glue into my hypothetical shopping basket.

Was I about to pay for a glue that would glue my eyes shut preventing me from seeing my future grandchildren? That very thought had sent me back online, to watch yet more home tutorials. One video suggested using an 'Ardell' branded semi permanent eyelash adhesive as it is very safe and effective. So I placed my orders and eagerly awaited their arrival. 

I sat down today in front of the window with my three times magnified mirror, sterilised tweezers, a piece of foil with a drop of glue and some individual eyelash hairs on a tissue and began the process. If you have the time and patience I would 100% recommend doing your own eyelash extensions at home. It is so much easier than it sounds, the glue does not irritate your eyes whatsoever and the end results are amazing. My sister who is usually sceptical about everything I do, was amazed and begged me to do hers too. I would especially recommend this in the summer or on holiday where you want to enjoy the sun and not wear much make-up. 

Purchased items:

• 4 x Wonder lash faux mink semi permanent individual eyelash extensions  from eBay £4.99 each (but I got one for free). The people I bought mine from had a "buy three get one free offer" so I got one pot for free. These four pots will last me for years, I bought two C shape pots in 10 and 12mm and two B shape pots in 10 and 12mm (the supplier makes choosing your lashes easy so do not worry if it sounds complicated here).
• 1 x Ardell LashTite individual eyelash adhesive semi permanent (in clear rather than black) £3.85. This will also last you a very long time as I used only 4 drops for both eyes. 

Method: 

• You'll need some cotton buds and Vaseline to coat your bottom eyelashes and prevent the extensions sticking to these.
• You can sterilise your tweezers with rubbing alcohol but I used antibacterial hand wash and boiling water ( I did this the night before). 
• Use the tweezers to place some eyelashes onto a tissue. I used the C shaped eyelashes, the 12mm ones for the outer corners to give a wispy look and the 10mm ones for the rest of the lash line. 
• Place one drop of glue onto a piece of foil and use the tweezers to dip the hair in a tiny amount of glue and stick them as close to the lash line as possible. The glue dries almost instantly so the hair will stick straight away. You can use your tweezers to shape the hairs and move them so they stand correctly. 
• I started from the outer corner and worked inwards, filling in the gaps until I got my desired look. 
• At one point, I dropped an eyelash with glue on the end of it into my eye. I expected pain, I expected a visit to the accident and emergency department I even expected that I would lose my eyesight. Surprisingly, however, I felt absolutely nothing. The glue is ophthalmologist and dermatologist tested, but obviously don't go squirting it into your eyes because that could (or will definitely) be dangerous.

After-care: 

1. Do not use oil based cleansers or make-up on your lashes.
2. Do not rub your eyes.
3. Try not to get your eyelashes wet for about 48 hours, you can clean your eyes gently with a make-up removing wipe, but make sure that it is oil free.

This is a long-term solution to those of you who are not blessed with thick long eyelashes. Given that you take good care of them, they should last about 2-4 weeks, I'll keep you guys updated on how I'm finding them and I'll post photos soon on instagram. A disclaimer however, is that the eyes are a sensitive area and so you should always be careful around there, make sure you do your research and buy the correct glue. If anyone has a questions feel free to contact me on the comments below or through my email. Hope this helped :)

Peace be upon you

Merutopia xo

First Ever Blog

22.25pm

Helloooooo

This is my very first blog, in case the title didn't give it away... my sister is repeatedly sneaking looks at what I'm typing and half sniggering, telling me that this will be nothing more, than a huge embarrassment for the both of us and she is probably right.

I am writing this blog because I spend more money than I should, mainly on health and beauty products and once I have bought said item, I am very opinionated and want to offer my fellow sassy sisters (and brothers) advice on whether they should part with their cash for that item.

I want to write reviews on basically most aspects of my life so that one day I can look back and cherish the way in which I wasted so much time on this blog and so much money on products which I obsessed over for a whole ten minutes before ordering online. Speaking of time, I have a lot of that now, I've recently realised that sometimes in life, if things are not going well, it is okay to take a step back from the people and the situations that don't make you happy. We live in a world where people underestimate the power of a smile, do the things that make you happy and strive to be a good person.

Peace be upon you
Merutopia xo