Crunchy Nut Bites Review

On receiving this latest blag I couldn't help but feel a little like one of those Crunchy Nut addicts Kellogg's are keen to show in their advertising. First a solitary card pops through my door, giving me a date and time for a secret rendezvous in order to get my precious box for testing. Then on arrival at the address, I'm asked for my card as some sort of obscure security test, and as if that isn't enough I also have to prove my address with a bill. Quite a lot of security for a box of cereal.

With box in hand I strolled away from the rendezvous point, keeping my head down and an eye-line fixed to the sky for snipers, police helicopters or undercover agents designed to stop this smuggling of boxed cereals across the Telford border. With my cereal wrapped in plain brown paper tied up with string, the whole thing was very well hidden but then I saw it. The right hand corner of the packaging was torn, exposing the orange box lid and worst of all a glimpse of a Crunchy Nut logo.

This was all that was required for paranoia to really sink in. I dashed to my car clutching the box to my chest, and hugging closely to the outline of the building so as to remain as hidden as possible. Car in sight, I winced as I saw a group of children in hoodies, clearly out to get my precious cargo. As they became distracted by conversations of Powerpuff Girls and Power Rangers (one assumes) I strolled past them, one finger over the crunchy nut logo with a melancholy grin. Obstacles avoided I disappeared in to my car, and in to the morning amber.

Quite the journey for a post office pick up.

Normally I'm not quite so afraid of the post office, but the way everything came packaged and the addictive nature of the cereal can make you feel a little protective. Especially when you find you're being sent a brand new flavour before it's even released on the unsuspecting public.

The new flavour in question is Crunchy Nut Bites - Nuts and Caramel. A hard cereal which hovers between breakfast bar and breakfast cereal thanks to its gooey, chewy, pieces of stuck together nuts and oats. This texture makes it ideal for eating with or without milk, as a light snack or a way to start your day. Personally I preferred it as a snack; the caramel flavour is very strong, and can seep out in to the milk making the whole thing rather sickly if enjoyed for breakfast. From a man who only till a few months ago woke up to Coco Pops/ Wheetos, it is especially worrying just how strong the caramel flavour is.

As a snack though, there are no real problems, everything stays together well in your hand, and there's no logical reason to end until you've finished the whole box. Which is great news for those addicted to the brand, who now find themselves with a whole new dimension of taste to enjoy.

£100 Worth of Anthony Sport

It may not look it but this is nearly £100 worth of male grooming products, ranging from Shaving Cream to Spot Cream. But in a market so crowded do Anthony Sport have what it takes to stand out from the crowd?

Seven different product types graced my desk three weeks ago, and now with some proper testing out of the way I feel I can really dissect what they’re all about. I do feel that perhaps a few months testing is required to fully get a handle on whether these will suit your particular skin type (as any changes in the early stages are likely from switching to a new brand) but at the very least I can assess these products on texture, usability and the fact my face hasn’t ballooned up twice the size yet.

Foaming Face Clenser: This white cream is simple in its use and very easy to use in order to get an initial lather going. It’s also a very big bottle where you really only need one tiny spray for your entire face. After use my face felt a little tender to touch, but it was akin to a little tingling after brushing your teeth so didn’t seem to have any long lasting effects. Good Value and effective.

Face Scrub: Ironically this is the only product in the range to have an “easy open” tab and was actually the hardest of the seven to open. Niggles aside it is one of the least rough face scrubs I have used in a long time, it doesn’t clog up the face or beard like other products do and was very easy to wash off after use. Other products seem to get bits stuck between your fingers, stubble and hair so this was a refreshing change. Oh and it also softens the skin for shaving, giving me the nicest stubble I’ve ever known.

Aftershave Repair: Sadly I wasn’t quite as satisfied with this product. It’s soapy smell was an immediate turn off for a product that really should be fragrance free or paired with a good men’s fragrance. Likewise I’m no eco warrior but the ingredients list which goes on to two columns on the back of the packet was a little off putting too.

Spot Cream: One of the hardest products to assess was the spot cream. Over my teenage years I probably tried a hundred of these and was just one of those poor saps for whom they never worked. These days I’m finally breaking free of breaking out so although the Anthony Sport range did make my face clearer I can’t guarantee if it will work for you. What I can say is if you’re a teenager looking for another option this is certainly easy to apply and quick to use. Oh and it doesn’t bleach every blue item of clothing you have like some other creams do.

Lip Balm SPF-15: For years I’ve been a constant thief of other people’s lip balms, never having one on me when it’s actually required. This sample was easy to apply and extend from its cocoon and is incredibly thick and long lasting. It’s very easy to apply too much first time around and feel like you’ve just applied some sort of clown makeup, but you’ll appreciate the thickness when your lips feel fresh in the sun hours later.

Hand Cream: With summer sadly fading away another product we’ll need in our arsenal is hand cream. It offers a slight lemony smell (which could be from the sea kelp extract – yum!) but suffers from the opposite problem of the lip balm it’s not thick enough. Whilst it is long lasting its runny texture means it flows from the bottle with no regard for how much you want to put on. A shame as it actually works well and a slight tweak to the bottle could make it great.

Astringent: To round things off we have this toner. It’s worth highlighting here that the Anthony Sport range is designed for all skin types so there’s no need for levels 1-4 or different options for sensitive skin. This isn’t a particular down fall for this toner, as you might expect and on my sensitive skin it didn’t cause any redness or sore spots.

Whilst the rather plain packaging and high cost will cause people to pass these by when placed alongside Clinique and Hugo Boss Skin there are a few good eggs hidden amongst this range of products. I’ll certainly be bringing the face scrub and lip balm in to my routine. What’s more the money they donate from each bottle to prostate cancer research is a good goal and will certainly attract the charitable consumer.

How to Blag free stuff for October 2008

Bloomin eck is it that time of the month again? Well then we’d better get right to it, here’s the best freebies you can blag for October 2008, scam free and just for you.

Although before we do that I may as well plug our Facebook experiment The ‘Join This Group, Get Free Stuff Challenge’. Letting you take on the shoes of Blagman for a day it means you can approach companies asking for free stuff and in return offer to talk about it in the Facebook group. There’s full details on this ambitious experiment here so why not give it a go?

Blag Free Books
If Amazon Search Inside wasn’t enough for you last month we’ve also discovered that self publisher website Lulu.com lets users upload their own books for free. Visit Lulu.com to see some of the best that from the world’s up and coming authors.

Blag Free Software
Whatever happened to shareware? Free software by companies is slowly being killed off as bedroom coders are realising they can make a quick quid by releasing new pay for versions of their software, Not to fear Old Version.com lists all of their free versions before they sold out and started to charge. Almost identical functionality and no need to pay anyone.

Blag Free Cosmetics~
Do these need any introduction?
Johnson’s Dreamy Skin
Olay Total Effects 7 in 1
Rimmel Lipstick
Bodyform

Blag Free Stuff for Dogs
Last but not least we have free stuff for dogs. Some Free Food and a mysterious Poo Pack can be yours right here.

And that’s a wrap, drop me an email on mike@blagman.co.uk with any more and I’ll see you on Facebook.