Nivea Post Shave-Balm: not your everyday primer

There has been precisely a million and one reviews on the Cooling Post Shave Balm by Nivea Men being used as a primer. I have seen a mixed range of good and bad reviews of this. Most reviews claim that it makes your make-up last a lot longer and works better than a lot of primers. Often to be described a cheap beauty hack. I am very open minded to trying out cheap products.So when I saw this in Superdrug I couldn’t pass it without buying it and decided giving it a go.

The product comes in an awkwardly large bottle - mine always seems to be really cold does anyone elses? It doesn’t have a dispenser just pours out the lid which can be a little temperamental since the product is a little watery and too much is easily poured out.

 The first thing I noticed about this balm is that the smell is incredible! It has this really refreshing aftershave smell. It isn’t too over-powering but smells like a freshly washed man! The consistency is a very thin and watery. A little goes an extremely long way so you definitely get your money’s worth in that respect. .

When I apply this I found that it is very moisturising and soothing which is something I always look for since I have extremely sensitive and dry skin. It doesn’t contain any alcohol which is always a massive bonus as it aggravates my skin. 

I always end up patting mine dry as it takes a little too long to do so on its own. It ends up drying on the skin a little tacky creating a dewy base for your foundation.

 I thought I would have an issue with foundation sliding off since it had dried very shiny but it applied well just like any other primer. I really like mine with BB creams since it almost creates a thicker coverage for it and adds more moisture. I did find that made my skin shiny throughout the day and felt the need to apply to more powder which is unheard of for me but I don’t really mind since it meant my skin stay moisturised under the foundation. It kept my foundation on well non-the-less.

Overall I do really like this a primer on days where I feel I need more moisture under my foundation. I don’t think I would use it daily and completely cut out all primers, but I enjoy having it as an option. I feel like it does a good job of keeping my skin moisturized and dewy but not so great at smoothing pores. I bought mine for just under £5 but since then I have seen it go down in price. I’m guessing this is because it’s doing so well. I have seen it as cheap £3 in places like Asda. Definitely give it a go if you are curious like I was.

Have you given this a go? What did you think?

xxx

My not-so-little-anymore sister is having her prom coming up very shortly. Seeing her getting prepared for it takes me back to when I had mine. It’s a very stressful and exciting  time for a 16-year old; The stress of finding the right dress, what make-up to wear, your prom date?The list sure does go on. Luckily for my sister, as having someone who experienced prom, she has me to guide her the right way and avoid these if she will let me! Haha. For me, I  had never been to something where I could dress up like I could for this, and I was itching to go all out. However it is very safe to say that my prom experience was very far from perfect and there’s a couple of things which I wish knew beforehand.

Prom is not a big deal.

I know for my prom, I was extremely excited. Sure, I had doubts in my head and was wondering if it was going to be as good as it looked in the all films. But it actually ended up in being a humongous anti-climax. That’s not to say don’t get excited. Please do! But just realise that it’s probably not going to be as amazing as it traditionally is in films. It’s literally going to be a few hours of your life where you’re going to be doing the same things you do at school (minus the dancing) with the same people. What I am saying is try not to stress, prom isn’t as a massive big deal as you think it will, so try not put so much pressure on your for it be so perfect.

Plan your Make-up.

I did my make-up myself for prom and I really really hated it. I know this has contradicted what  I have just said about not being perfect, but I really did despise my entire face.  I did my make-up myself and back then I really had no skill in that department. I knew basic stuff like how to do ok eye shadow, but nothing really prom-worthy. With no idea what I wanted my make-up to look like I was sat down at half 3 in the afternoon staring into the mirror struggling on where to start. I ended up just piling on the eyeshadow and foundation because back then the rule more is less didn’t see fit to me. I also having never experiencing false eyelashes decided to go for the biggest most extravagant lashes I could find. Silly me. In the end I really hated it. I should have 100% , done a run through, done some research or had it done professionally. I mean it wasn’t a complete disaster, I just didn’t feel comfortable with what my face looked like. If you are having your make-up done by professionally do a run through with them. I have heard of way too many people who have had it done professionally and didn’t like the outcome.

Why does nothing match?! haha!

The Prom Dress.

I think finding the prom dress may be the most exciting bit. It can also be a bit depressing when nothing fits or doesn’t live up to your standards. You’re going to find some you hate yourself and some that you love yourself in. It’s a slight rollercoaster. It’d probably best to start searching for your dress early, that way you can make the most of your time and figure what kind of shape dress you would like and colour etc. Looking back my dress wasn’t fantastic and I wish I had gone for something a little longer, but I did end up wearing mine for two weddings that same year so I suppose that made it more versatile in a way. In my school everyone seem to find it a massive scandal if you had the same dress as someone else. There was even facebook page where you were supposed to post your dress to make sure no one got the same one! Which seems so ridiculous now! One of my friends and me pretty much wore the same dress and neither one of us cared. Also for some reason I made non of my shoes and bag match the dress. What a complete fashion disaster! Okay, so it wasn't the end of the world but it's just another thing to add to the list!

So that’s mostly all the things I wish I had thought out thoroughly about my prom. I know prom’s just  a little bit of fun, but in some ways it got made in to such a big deal by others and in my own head. I know exactly what I do differently if I was going to do it again.

Have you had your prom yet? What would you do differently about yours? If not what are you most looking forward to?

My Free Graze Box

I don’t really think anyone can say no to free food. I know I could definitely not resist when I got the chance to get myself a free box using one of the many codes that they advertise. The whole 4 healthy-ish snacks every 2 weeks situation has always interested me and I have come close to signing up to graze in the past, but I have always backed out for various reasons. PS this isn’t sponsored in any way.

One of those reasons being that I am allergic to nuts and unfortunately, I don’t actually how bad my allergy is (and to be honest I don’t really want to find out!). I do know that my allergy can allow me to not die if I eat food which has been close or packed near nuts.How kind of it. The website does make it clear that it’s not very suitable for those with allergies. However to my surprise I found out that I could actually  set dietary requirements. This meant I could exclude nuts-based foods from my Graze Box order entirely! Fabuuulous!

They also have a lovely little system where you can sift through the various different snacks and choose whether or not you think you would like them.  If you have had something in the past and would like it again you can hit the love button and you would be more likely to receive it again. You can change the box’s nutritional requirements too. From a sugar count tailored box to a pure ingredients box. I chose the light box which meant my snacks would be 150 calories or less and trust me, this did not make them any less tastier.

So, onto the contents!

First of all, can we just appreciate how cute the boxes are! I plan on reusing this to put my father’s day gift in!

Hapas Tapas:  So this is roasted corn and broad beans and they’re so moreish! It had the same kind of crunchiness as crisps and had a slightly tangy spicy taste to it!

Vitamin C crush: This one was my least favourite I’m not the biggest fan of dried fruits. It was very interesting to try dried coconut and I did find myself craving them again! A very nice little sugar fix when you want something a little more healthy.

Banoffee Dippers: Oh my goodness! I’m still in shock at how these are only 147 calories! They are seriously SO yummy! The banana dippers are like a wholemeal shortbread and the toffee sauce is kind like a golden syrup texture and I could not get enough of them! Mmmm. Definitely the sweetest and definitely my favourite.

Triple Berry Smoothie: Like I said I’m not the biggest fan of dried fruits but ooo those strawberries and oo those chewy banana slices. I would be happy to receive these again and I have realised I really enjoy the snacks that I can eat in little bits and literally graze over.

I was very happy with my Graze box and decided to continue on it with it, as a little every 2 week treat. I have various different codes for anyone that wants to try it out. You can get your 1^st box free and then cancel if you wish. I was completely intending to cancel mine after the first one, but I loved it too much. It’s oddly pleasing getting a box of snacks delivered through your door.

Let me know if you used any of the codes. What was your favourite snack?