As you can see from the title, this post is going to be pretty self-explanatory. Usually when I finish a jar of Nutella, I get rid of the jar as quickly as possible and rush out to buy another. Only this time I decided to give it a purpose, and turned it into a cute makeup brush holder! This is super easy to do and requires no level of skill whatsoever, so I thought i'd share it with you guys :)

It really couldn't be simpler, all you need is a clean, empty Nutella jar! I left mine in soak overnight and then washed it out the following morning. 

It's quite surprising how many brushes this can hold, and it definitely makes a change from those plain, rather boring brush holders you see in some shops!

I'll admit this is probably not to everybody's taste, but personally I think it looks quite quirky and has a retro feel to it :)

What do you think? I'd love to know your thoughts! 

Chloe 

-x-

First off this is NOT a sponsored post, I just wanted to share my honest opinion of Graze with you :)

Just two days ago, I received an email from Graze telling me that my first ever Graze Box was in the post. This excited me massively, it's something I've been wanting to try for a very long time as the whole 'healthy snacking' idea really appeals to me. I think it's fair to say that in this day and age, when the majority of us feel peckish, we reach for the nearest, most convenient foods to satisfy our hunger, and often stop to think about what is actually going into our bodies. 

It requires a whole lot of willpower to steer your trolley past those aisles in the supermarket that are crammed with cakes and biscuits, and it can sometimes feel impossible to break those pesky sugar cravings. However there is a solution, and it comes in the form of a cardboard box that is only slightly bigger than A5 size. 

Upon signing up, you're free to select which box you'd like to receive from a variety of different types that contain snacks ranging from sweet to savoury. I opted for the 'nibblebox' which essentially means you get to try a little bit of everything. Within each box there are always four different portions of food, all packaged individually to allow you to simply pop them into your bag if you're on the move. I was particularly impressed with the amount of thought that must have been put in when designing the packaging. Not only is the box perfectly sized to fit through your letterbox, but the personalised welcome booklets that are included really make you feel like a valued customer and it makes each box feel especially tailored to you and your needs.

From the four snack packs I received, I found the 'Graze's Chocolate Orange' pack was by far my favourite. It included a mix of orange chocolate raisins, milk chocolate buttons and jumbo raisins... it was SO yummy.

As a lover of all things sweet, I would have to say that my second favourite was the 'Rhubarb & Pear Compote'. This pack included tiny bits of chopped up rhubarb along with dried pear and cranberries. I felt that the flavours all complemented each other really well and it was a perfect snack to  satisfy my sweet tooth.

If you're more of a fan of savoury snacks, you would probably really enjoy the 'Jalapeño Hot Chips', which contained flax tortilla chips and a jalapeño jam dip. I'm a bit of a wimp with anything hot and spicy, so I ended up finishing the tortilla chips before the dip... oops. On the plus side, I would definitely say that this snack is a perfect alternative to the saltier, unhealthy tortilla chips out there. There's no need to feel guilty afterwards as surprisingly this pack only contains 68 calories!

Last of all were the 'Black Pepper Pistachios'. The portion size is very generous if you're a fan of nuts (ha ha) but unfortunately I'm not too keen on pistachios, and adding black pepper to them didn't really appeal to me. However as with the rest of the snacks mentioned, this is yet another really inventive snack that has been well thought out and I feel that the whole 'nibblebox' in general definitely has a little something for everyone. Even those with allergies or intolerances can choose from a variety of snacks and you are given the option to 'bin' anything you don't want to try.

Graze also provide nutritional information with each of the snacks you receive which is both interesting and essential if you're on a calorie-controlled diet.

All in all I really enjoyed receiving my first ever Graze Box and think that anybody who is currently trying to watch their weight or simply wants to find healthier foods to snack on should give one a go. Instead of depriving yourself from snacking, Graze encourage you to do so by sending you these healthier alternatives that taste just as good (if not better) than those regular snacks that are loaded with hundreds of calories.

If you haven't signed up for a Graze Box before, I have a code which entitles you to receive your first box for FREE (It isn't one of those sneaky scams, I promise!) The best part of all is that you don't have to pay for any more than one box if you don't want to, you can cancel at any time. It does sound too good to be true, (which is exactly what I thought at first) but I can assure you that you don't have to pay anything for your first box :)

Although if you do decide to try more than one box, the code below also allows you to receive your 5th box for free!

Code: C53NC4RHP

Chloe x

*This post is NOT sponsored in any way, I just wanted to share my honest opinions of Graze with you guys :)

I'm sure we all know how important it is to regularly keep our makeup brushes feeling fresh and free from the many products we paint our faces with on a daily basis, but when you have more than a handful of brushes to wash, it can turn into quite a monotonous task to say the least. 

I'll be the first to admit that I don't stick to a strict brush-washing schedule.. in fact, the majority of the time I just look at my brushes and think, "oo-err, these could do with a good wash". But in a bid to be more organised, I'd like to commit myself into washing my brushes every Sunday to keep any bacteria at bay.

Washing makeup brushes using shampoo and conditioner is my preferred method; believe it or not it can be rather satisfying seeing the  foundation-coloured lather make its way down the plug hole. Simply squirt a small amount of shampoo into the palm of your hand and swirl your brush around in small, circular motions. After it has started to lather up, place the end of the brush under the tap to rinse away the shampoo - being careful to avoid getting the ferrule wet (the metal bit containing the bristles, to put it simply!)

After rinsing away the shampoo, I like to use a small amount of conditioner to soften up the bristles and to make sure all of the makeup is thoroughly washed out of the brush. If you've used your brushes less than a handful of times, this step probably won't be needed, but I always like to give mine a through deep clean (and they smell amazing afterwards).

Voilà, the end result!

..You could say I'm quite the fan of Real Techniques brushes!

Once washed, your brushes are ready to be towel-dried and left to dry out. 

Top tip: If possible, it's best to leave your brushes in a vertical position to avoid any water getting into the ferrule and weakening the glue that holds the bristles together :)