URBAN OUTFITTERS HOME MUST HAVES

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PURE AURA NATURAL AWARD WINNING DEODORANT

Crystal Spring kindly sent me out their Pure Aura Salt Of The Earth natural deodorant to review.

The deodorant is:

• Lavender and Vanilla scented
• It contains 15 natural botanical extracts and oils
• It's free from Aluminium Chlorohydrate, Parabens and Triclosan 
• Its made from 100% natural ingredients
• Its made with aloe vera 
• Its is not tested on animals
• It is multi award-winning 

and for all those reasons I was excited to try it.

Sweaty Betty
As someone who sweats when their cold (yes everyone seems to think thats weird) as well as hot deodorant is something I cant live without, as I'm sure many of us can't. So first I stopped using aerosols after reading the risks of using them, then I moved onto roll on which never seemed to work for me. It would get me through a normal day but if I had been cold or hot that day it just wasn't enough, for all you people who hardly sweat your the lucky ones but I just wont go anywhere without a deodorant in my bag. Next I tried Dove deodorant antiperspirant sticks and finally after 23 years I found a deodorant that actually really worked and would last all day but I then found out about all the toxins and health risks that came with these deodorants I've been using my whole life. That's when my quest to find a alternative/natural deodorant began.

Trials & Tribulations 

First I tried Bionsen stick deodorant which was aluminium free and this just didn't work like the Dove stick I was re-applying through out the day and it had a confusing smell to it which I ended up associating with me thinking I smelt sweaty but it was just the smell of the deodorant (my friends who use this also said the same) so it was time to move on. I then tried a Lush solid and powder deodorant which were frankly awful they didn't work at all, all they did was smell nice. This left me feeling disheartened about finding a natural deodorant which worked for me. So having the opportunity to try out the Pure Aura Spray was super exciting although I was was worried it would be as awful as the Lush one but that's not the case! 

The Verdict
So first up the smell of the spray is unlike any other deodorant I've ever smelt, I really like it, its quite strong at first and then it becomes more mild just like any other deodorant really.  Its in a spray bottle and comes out as a liquid which is a first for me as I've never tried one like this before. It can feel a bit sticky after applying it initially as its drying but then the stickyness goes away and actually its far less sticky that and stick or roll on. I can happily say that the Pure Aura Salt Of The Earth spray is certainly the most effective natural deodorant I've tried, I'd be lying if I said it worked as well as the Dove stick but some days I did get away with just one application which compared to the other natural ones was super impressive.

I'm beginning to give up hope that I'll ever find a natural deodorant thats as effective as the Dove stick but I'm glad I've found Crystal Spring as I now have a alternative. I think I'll be using the Pure Aura spray regularly from now on but on the days I know I'm going to be working out or might get to hot or cold ill have to use the Dove stick. Although I feel like giving up hope I wont as Pure Aura do also have a stick deodorant which I will have to try as this might just be the answer to all my prayers.
If your not the sweatiest of people I have all the confidence that this deodorant will work for you and get you away from the horrid toxins that live in all the the non natural deodorants. You can shop Crystal Spring here please let me know how you get on or your thoughts if you try them out.

Have you ever tried a natural deodorant?

Do you want to try one?   

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PINK PARCEL

Pink Parcel

Pink Parcel are a monthly subscription box that send you out a box when its your 'time of the month' the box contains tea, tampons, pads, something sweet, and beauty products. The beauty products inside the box change every month. As far as I'm aware they have four delivery dates so you can choose the nearest to your period. Pink Parcel very kindly sent me out their April box to review. 

To see what was in my box this month you can watch my unboxing video here ...

Thoughts

So over all I really like the idea of this box, I love that it gives you some bits to cheer yourself up in amongst the mood swings. The 'Something Sweet' idea is brilliant, I'm certainly always raiding he cupboards for sweet things all through out my period and I can confirm that the chocolate marshmallow was the first to go from this box.

I like the surprise element to the 'For You' box containing beauty products, I used to love getting one of those lucky bags every week as a child, its like getting a surprise present from yourself. Although I am happy with the products I've received in this months box I cant say they overly thrilled me I'd seen in previous boxes people had got OPI nail varnishes or benefit makeup, I'm all for trying out new brands but there wasn't one I'd heard of. Maybe I was expecting to much as I had seen all these brands I know of popping up in previous boxes, I'm sure everyone is going to get boxes that one month you love and the next your not to impressed with but that goes with any subscription box where the products aren't all stated. With that being said I think they give you the option to take a peek into whats inside the current months box on their website. This will spoil the surprise of whats in your box but if you really didn't like the it I'm guessing you could cancel your subscription or ask not to receive that months box I'm not 100% sure.

The box costs £12.99 and month including Postage and packaging, the eyeshadow pencil (i-smoulder) included in this months box costs £18.50 so already you can see the box is well worth the money. I guess the thing with any monthly subscription box is you just have to hope that you'll like at least one thing in it so it was worth while.

To take a look at how it works or subscribe to Pink Parcel visit their website here, you can get your first box for just £9.95.

I'd like to say thank you again to them for sending me out a box to review and that these are all my own genuine thoughts and opinions.

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MISSGUIDED SPRING WISHLIST

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THAT NIVEA AFTERSHAVE BALM THAT EVERYONES RAVING ABOUT

A Fairly Short & Sweet Review 

You may or may not have heard about the trend of using Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm as face primer? Well there are loads of people raving about it saying its super good to use a primer. The balm contains no alcohol so shouldn't dry out your face and is sensitive to skin. I wanted to give this a try as I'm all about affordable solutions when it comes to beauty. I think the reason it blew up all over social media is because of the cheap price tag, people pay up to like £40 + for high end primers and £25 for the popular Benefit POREfessional (which i am yet to try) so at £5.35 if the Nivea Balm works your winning.

So I first tried this on my legs when doing my 5 Steps To Smooth Legs post on my legs and it was great my legs were sooo smooth I loved it. I think ill defo be using it on my legs from now on especially if I have a dress occasion . Its quite a runny consistency I was expecting it to be quite thick I think maybe because I associate the word balm to be quite thick or solid. It has a manly smell though so if you don't want your legs to smell like mens aftershave this is not for you! hahaha (although the smell does go away)

So after I used it on my legs and the results were great I was super keen to try it on my face and so I did the next day. I applied it to a freshly washed face and allowed it to dry before putting on make up. If I remember correctly I applied two layers as my skin was dry that day. By the end of the day I had noticed no difference in my make up i.e smoother look, staying on longer but I thought hey my skin was dry today ill try again tomorrow.

I tried again for the next few day but honestly I really didn't notice a difference, I didn't even find the balm very moisturising, I'd always need a few layers. I was testing how it was as a primer and as a primer it failed in my opinion. This could be because I have dry skin, maybe this would work well for a oily skin type but I cant help you there.  To be honest I don't really see at all how people have been getting so excited about this product claiming it works wonders as a primer :s Unfortunately I've not come across a primer yet that's not a total waste of money! I much prefer the deodorant sticks to sprays or roll ons as they are much thicker and I think they work much better. So if I could design a primer I think id make it like a ACTUAL balm/of the same consistency as deodorant sticks, behold we have 'A Primer Stick'. Well maybe theres one out there who knows?  If anyone knows of a primer that actually works please link it in the comments below.

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5 THINGS THAT WILL GIVE YOU MORE ENERGY

Don't skip breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, its not a saying for no reason! Breakfast is my favourite meal I get so hungry in the mornings I cant cope without it! I'd also be so tired all day if I didn't eat breakfast, I find if I have a big breakfast my energy lasts longer than a small one, a breakfast bar just doesn't cut it! Some people say they don't feel like eating in the morning and that's because your not eating in the morning ... therefore your body is not telling itself its hungry at that time of the day.  Forcing yourself to eat can be off putting or make you feel a bit sick but I can assure you after the initial few days of eating breakfast your body will start to automatically feel hungry at that time and you just like me will be a big lover of breakfast and its energy boosting powers.

B12 Boost oral spray
A few months ago I went into Holland and Barrett I was feeling tired a lot and light headed I thought I may need a iron supplement but after speaking to the guy in there he advised me to take this B12 Boost oral spray so I thought id give it a try and I love it! You can take up to four sprays a day so it keeps giving you little boosts all throughout the day.  Here's what it provides you with:

Nutritional Information

Product Information
Per Dose (4 Sprays Contains):
Vitamin B12	1200µg
Chromium	40µg
Green Tea Extract	16mg

Warning: its super tasty be careful not to get carried away spraying!

Routine
Establishing a good routine is vital for your energy levels especially keeping up with regular sleeping and eating times. Going to bed at the same time every night will make your body tired around the same time each night and give you a good nights sleep to re-energize for a new day. You must have at some point kept to some sort of a routine with sleep and did you ever find your body just naturally woke itself up? Ive had it before where I've woken up with literally a few minutes before my alarm goes off ... now that's good routine right there! I always find oversleeping actually makes me more tired and obviously so does not getting enough.

Early Exercise
Exercising gives you a boost of energy so getting some early exercise in can keep you going for the day and have your more focused. Exercising late in the day or evening can actually keep you from sleeping as your energy levels would have risen which will also then affect your routine.

Snack on bananas or nuts 
The natural sugars of a banana give you energy lots of athletes swear by bananas for boosting energy levels. Nuts are packed with both protein and fibre which help boost your energy and also keep it stable, they also provide a source of magnesium also linked to boosting energy. Both these foods are slow burning and provide a source of sustainable energy, you could also try a organic peanut butter snack as a alternative. Don't go crazy on the snacking though as over eating can make you sleepy, so maybe start off with one banana or one handful of nuts at a time.

Do you have any tips for boosting energy?

Have any of these tips worked for you before?

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5 STEPS TO SMOOTH LEGS

First of all I'd be a total liar if I said I constantly have smooth legs because I don't, far from it especially in winter! (poor boyf) but on the occasions I do want super smooth legs I follow these steps ...

Step 1: Run a warm bath

Getting in a warm bath will help open your pores which will give you a closer shave. Avoid hot water as it can dry out your skin and increase the risk of razor burn.

Step 2: Exfoliate
Exfoliate your legs using any method of exfoliation you choose (mitt, loafer, scrub, brush) use circular motions on the skin against the hair growth this will also help open the pores by getting rid of dead skin. Exfoliating can also reduce the chances of getting in grown hairs.

Step 3: Shave
Shave your legs against the growth of the hair, rinsing the razor after each stroke. Using a good razor is obviously going to make all the difference, disposables simply wont do. I have used a few mens razors in my time which have proved to fit the bill. The razor is using in these pictures is Gillette Venus Swirl Razor with "FlexiBall technology has been designed to contour better to tricky areas, like knees and ankles (vs Venus Embrace), with 5 Contour razor blades that individually adjust to every curve."

As well as choosing a good razor its important to look after your razor. When you've finished shaving you should rinse your razor thoroughly ensuring no hair is left on it. Some razors come with a blade protector if yours does ensure this is on when the razor is not in use, leaving your razor wet and unprotected can cause the blades to go all rusty. The Gillette Venus Swirl is a good razor but one downfall is that it doesn't come with a blade protector. Make sure you change your razor head as soon as it goes blunt.

Step 4: Rinse with cool water

After shaving rinse with cool water to close your pores. Then once out of the bath or shower pat you skin dry, don't rub as it might dry out your skin.

Step 5: Moisturise
The last step is to moisturise. Moisturising when the skin is damp can help locking moisture. If you have sensitive skin you may not be able to moisturise straight away (if your pores go red and bumpy) you may have to wait a little while for your skin to desensitise before moisturising. if this is the case for you, you could try adding a little baby oil to your bath after you've shaved as this should leave them with some moisture and stop them from drying out until you are able to moisturise them properly.

What tips do you have for getting smooth legs?

What products have worked for you getting super smooth legs?

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