Posts Tagged ‘body butters’

Prospurly March 2016 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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It was a battle getting the key to work on the mailbox compartment for packages at our place. For some reason the postperson always puts my packages in box #2, which takes about 5 minutes to get open each time. I was then very happy to find this box, which had some heft to it.

Prospurly is just under $45 per box (with code for 10% off your subscription – use my referral links from this post) and comes with artisan foods, bath & body items, home products, and other sustainably crafted items. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you free boxes.

prospurly march 2016 box open with products showing prospurly march 2016 info card with intro message on inside of box prospurly march 2016 info card with product details

Tops Malibu Flying Magic Butterfly – How adorable! You wind this up and place it inside a book or card so when someone opens it, a little butterfly shoots out. Make sure you point the butterfly towards the top of the card or book so it doesn’t hit the person. I found it shot out more than flew out, but was really fun to play with.

Essential Living Foods coconut chips – Oh my, what a massive bag of coconut chips! I definitely have to take this to work since I’m still working on the one I got from Yogi Surprise. I can barely remember to eat yogurt for breakfast, much less add these chips to them, so this is going to be slow going. With my colleagues’ help, they can make quick work of these. This was the surprise treat in the box, which seems to be a new thing they’re doing.

Vicara Good Morning essential oil – I’ve never had essential oil with ginger, so this is a unique one for me. It vaguely reminds me of some dishes we cook with ginger, in a good way. It’s not overwhelming as you might think and there’s a warmth to the scent that I wasn’t expecting. I like it!

Menagerie Charcoal face wash – This is fabulous! Tea and charcoal? Just the kind of ingredients I enjoy most. I love how this smells and the very slippery texture it has. It’s fun to use and I definitely need some more charcoal in my life.

Nuun All Day healthy hydration – These are perfect for me to bring to work. Who doesn’t like watching bubbles? Plus I could use a boost in vitamins and hopefully energy too. I haven’t been sleeping well lately so it’s hard to have energy late in the afternoon.

Enchanted Storybook Japanese Cherry Blossom bath bombs – I got a whiff of these as soon as I opened the box for pictures. They have a nice sweetness to them and a gentle fragrance that I enjoy. It’s going to be fun to use these in the bath! They also happen to be my favorite color. 🙂

Enchanted Storybook Japanese Cherry Blossom body butter – I’m not really sure what a body butter vs a lotion should be, but I’m used to body butters being thicker in consistency. Since this is not as thick, I’ll use it more like a lotion. It almost has a perfumey quality to it and I really enjoy smelling my hands after applying it. It absorbs really well and instantly softened my skin.

Crystal’s Candles beeswax votives – You know, I was just reading about how beeswax candles burn clean so this is perfect timing. They’ve got a slow burn and should last awhile. I look forward to using these and I wonder how much of a scent they will give off. We’ll see!

Happy birthday to Prospurly! I wish I’d known about them from the start because I really would have enjoyed it all along. Oh well, I’m happy to have a subscription now! What do you think of this month’s box?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Escape Monthly October: California Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Wow, I can hardly believe it was well over a year ago that the other California box came. I’ve got to say, this box introduced me to some great products that I quite enjoy!

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city/region. Each box comes with a guide for that area. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral commission program.

escape monthly october california box products showing escape monthly october california box info card escape monthly october california box info card opened with fact sheet showing escape monthly october california box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

As before, I like the skincare items that were included. Guess there are a lot of those great brands out west. The other stuff is pretty cool too and overall this box has more things I’ll use.

Here’s what came in the box:

Frommer’s EasyGuide to San Francisco – This is only the second Frommer’s book that they’ve used. It’s got a ton of maps that will be useful in finding things. I’ve only ever explored SF on my own of things I’d heard of, so I’m curious what the guide will recommend.

Goldrush Sourdough Starter – This is packaged to be mailed like a postcard, which would be a fun thing to do from CA. I love sourdough bread and I’ve never thought about making it, so this should be exciting! I might even take this home to LA with me this Thanksgiving to try it out in my mom’s bread machine.

California Mango cleansing gel and hand & body lotion – As I’ve recently learned, mango skincare products smell amazing. These generous tubes will last me a very long time! I’ll smell fabulous coming out of the shower. The lotion almost smells a little bit coconuty, which is also a super tropical sort of scent.

sisal pouch – I’ve got small pouches with smaller holes for the solid shampoo and conditioner pieces that are too small to use alone and now I have the perfect pouch for my soap! I recently got a cute wool soap that’s meant to do a similar thing. I can also use this as a glove to scrub my body with if I want a rougher exfoliation.

Torn Ranch milk chocolate truffle bar – I just got a bunch of chocolate in Europe, so I’m saving this one to eat later. The truffle bar sounds rich and wonderful – can’t wait to try it!

loofah pad – I’m all about exfoliating, so I’m happy to have this to use in the shower. I might even make soap and pour it around it to make loofah soap, like this one cool bar I once got from Hawaii.

Napa Organics face mist and face oil – Ooo, now these look like luxurious products. I love mists and toners, so this toner mist is just perfect to use after washing my face. I swear the oil smells like some sort of honey (clover honey maybe?) that I’ve had before. It has a nice earthy element to it and feels like it could be a healing tonic with medicinal qualities.

travel wallet – Too bad I didn’t get this before our travels, or I could have used it to keep some money and cards stored away. I think it could just fit my passport in it as well and definitely plane tickets, which would have been nice to help me organize all my stuff.

I think a lot of the focus here was on NorCal products, so I hope that there’s a SoCal or LA or San Diego box in the future, to learn more about products from my neck of the woods. No idea what the next destination is but I’m hoping more Asian countries will show up. There are amazing things to be found out there. What products from this California Escape Monthly box do you like most? If you want to sign up, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get a code for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Petit Vour July 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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More great products to help you through the hot weather. I can see each of these contributing a healthy summer glow.

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour july 2015 box with nubian heritage mango butter, luxe de mer toner, routine. de-odor-cream, aila nail lacquer, and info card with cruelty-free summer theme petit vour july 2015 box info card with item details

Nubian Heritage Mango Butter – Well, mango isn’t typically my thing but the scent is this is amazing. The consistency is a bit grainy at first and then when I let it melt on my skin and rubbed it in, it was very hydrating. It absorbs nicely to leave behind soft skin without greasiness.

Luxe de Mer organic rosewater toner – I love the cooling tingling that I get from applying this. It makes me feel so refreshed and confident that my inflammation will be soothed. It smells wonderful too!

routine. de-odor-cream – A clay deodorant? That’s cool! I thought it was powdery when I saw it, but it’s a nice creamy texture. I didn’t need much to rub in and it felt nice. I haven’t ever really needed deodorant, so I’m sure this will work for any perspiration I might have.

Aila nail lacquer in Doolish – Coral is a great summer shade. I do have some similar ones so I might share this (or my others) with someone. This nail polish is easy to apply, though you definitely need two coats to get a nice solid shade throughout.

I’m a fan of these products and will definitely consider repurchasing some of them. The only reason I’d trade the nail polish is because I have coral shades already, but we’ll see. Which of these items do you like most?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Petit Vour February 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Is it almost spring? This makes me ready for the new season, with fresh products that can make me feel great going out.

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour february 2015 box with balancedguru body scrub, ellovi body butter, my daughter fragrances, lily lolo mascara, and info card with love is bold, love is kind theme petit vour february 2015 box info card with item details

Balanced Guru Scrub Me body scrub – I’m really into gritty scrubs, so the texture of this is awesome. The strong coffee smell isn’t my thing and there’s like some minty-ness that hits you too. I can see this being very refreshing and giving you a nice jolt awake.

Ellovi Mint Chocolate body butter – Oh my, this body butter is nice. It melts so easily and spreads the way an oil does. It absorbs quickly into the skin and hydrates well. The mint chocolate smell is fantastic and whimsical!

My Daughter Fragrances in Always Loved – This is a super rosy scent that is warm and sweet. I almost never wear fragrances but I tend to gravitate towards more citrus-inspired ones, so I would have loved to try their Joyful scent instead (orange, lime, grapefruit, jasmine – now that’s what I’m talking about).

Lily Lolo Black Natural Mascara – After many years, I started to wear some mascara again and I’ve not even gone through one tube yet! This one will have to wait. I think this one will be really nice for general daytime wear.

I’ll share the fragrance with anyone who wants it, but I’ll keep and use everything else. I feel like I had just gotten the last box and already another one came. These months are going by fast! What items do you like from this box?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Petit Vour October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Just in time for Halloween came some thrilling items for the October box! I was amused that the order I pulled out the items in happened to match exactly to the order the items are listed on the info card. Spooky coincidence? 😉

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour october 2014 box with pacificia devocean natural lipstick, forager botanicals natural eau de perfume, flo + theo body butter, sw basics makeup remover, and info card with beauty thrillers theme petit vour october 2014 box info card with item details

Pacifica Devocean Natural Lipstick in tenderness – This was exciting because I’d seen the emails from Pacifica about them and was definitely curious to try. What a great discovery when I found one lurking in my box this month! It’s creamy and hydrating, but I’ve learned I can’t apply them when my lips are chapping or they amplify that look. I like this neutral shade, but was surprised to find it’s actually more pigmented than I thought (based on the shade rubbing off on my mug). On my lips, it blends in well, so this must be similar to what my natural shade is.

Flo + Theo Body Butter in Lemon Orchard – First of all, I love that this tub is filled to the brim. I applaud them for including as much product as the container would allow. Second, I just love the scent. It’s refreshing and soothing – just what I want when I’m applying this to my skin. The consistency is super thick and it’s firmly packed in there, so just a little bit of rubbing melts enough on my fingers to really get into my dry skin. I can definitely use this to keep my elbows nice and soft all winter long.

Forager Botanicals Natural Eau de Perfume in Woodland – Maybe I don’t understand perfume, but this is a tiny vial and it was only about half full! They could have gone for 2/3 full to make me happy. I don’t wear perfume, so I guess ultimately it doesn’t matter how much there is, but still. The scent is pretty light when I tried a little bit. It’s a nice warm, subtle woody scent that reminds me of a fragrant Chinese wood that you’d find in an antique shop or something. This is what I think of when I’m reminded of my grandma, Buddhist temples, and other sacred/important Asian things. It’s pretty calming for me, so I might just use it for aromatherapy.

S.W. Basics Makeup Remover – I haven’t tried this as a makeup remover yet since I haven’t been wearing makeup, I can see it being great at dissolving away whatever you might have on. I did rub a drop or two on my face, since it can also be a light moisturizer after removing makeup. It feels good and my face is certainly not going to dry out! It makes my skin super soft too, which is awesome. This bottle will last me for awhile and I’m glad that so little can give me plenty of coverage.

While I wasn’t sure about the perfume at first, now I think I’ll keep all these items for my own use. Most of them were immediate hits! I’m really enjoying this subscription and it’s so awesome that all these brands offer such eco-friendly items. What do you think of this box?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Ipsy Mystery Glam Bag review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The Ipsy mystery bag I got with my ipsyPoints finally arrived and it was ok for me. I’m not super impressed, but I definitely appreciate what I got and the value for the points.

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products like this bag!

ipsypoints mystery bag items including coastal scents medium shadow brush, pop beauty eye shadow trio in naturally bare, klorane smoothing and relaxing eye patches, starlooks eyeliner in amethyst, and pacifica indian coconut nectar body butter

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush – As a fan of tools, this was a nice item to receive, even if I don’t know how/when to use it. I’ll try it out with some different products and see how I prefer to use it. I would have given this choice an A+ had it not been for the fact that the info card it comes with is clearly meant for when this was sent out to some folks earlier this year. The discount code on the back expired May 6th, though I wonder if they kept it active?

Pop Beauty Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare – Totally going up for trade. Eye shadow palettes will never get used up in this girl’s stash, so I’ll see if anybody else out there would like to get it. The colors are nude enough that it wouldn’t look super obvious if I did use them, but why go through the effort when I’d rather not put stuff on my eyes?

Klorane Smoothing and relaxing eye patches – I like this brand for its gentleness. I just know these will not cause irritation and I can trust them on my eyes no matter how sensitive. The next time I am not well-rested, these will be put to the test. I look forward to it!

Starlooks eyeliner in Amethyst – I’m not surprised that there’s a repeat item for me here, but I’m glad it’s just one. I wasn’t sure I’d even use the first one I got, but I ended up caving because I love purple and amethyst so much. Every now and then I’ll add a little sparkle to my eyes with this eye pencil, using it like a very sheer eye shadow. It’s going to take me a lifetime to use up just one though, so this shall go up for trade eventually.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter – Yes! I have a mild obsession with Pacifica, but I also refuse to buy their stuff just yet, so anything I get from subscriptions is appreciated. While there are plenty of other scents I would like to try more, I love how this one reminds me of summer, vacation, and relaxation. Who wouldn’t want that in a bottle? The mailbox got really hot the day this bag arrived and the bottle was super pliable, but it’s ok now and I hope the formula wasn’t affected.

I certainly wasn’t thrilled about the bag they chose to use, so that’ll go up for trade. I like the one I have enough to use it, but I really don’t care for a second. Overall I’m pleased with the value from the bag but I’m glad to have unsubscribed. One thing I didn’t like is that they made me confirm I wanted to unsubscribe no less than 4 times! And was it the fourth or fifth time that they made me receive an email and click a link in there to confirm again?! What an awful experience to end on. Irregardless, they just haven’t been hitting the mark enough, so it’s time to let other brands divert my attention. Stay tuned to my eDivv shop for these trades to eventually get added.

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just earned this bag with points and wanted to share what I got!]

Petit Vour August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Time for Beauty 101 this month. I could have used a bit of help with the eye pencil and face cleanser/mask. The tips that were included on the card were nice!

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour august 2014 box with beauty without cruelty eye pencil, earth body cleanser and mask, harvey prince fragrance, mi-me lip butter, rosemira body butter, and info card with beauty 101 theme petit vour august 2014 box info card with item details

Beauty Without Cruelty Natural Mineral Eye Defining Pencil in Black – I don’t really know how to use this. It applies well on my hand, but when I try to use it on my eyes, I can’t seem to get it to make a mark. Perhaps it’s that outer layer being all new and stuff? The point was super sharp and now that I’ve dulled it a little, it’s a bit softer but still not coming off easily.

Earth Body Brighten Cleanser & Mask for Age Defense – This is cool! I like the powder form that allows you to get more bang for the amount. In that sense, it’s a really generous sample. It smells earthy, a bit like clay and herbs. I tried mixing it with water in my palm, but found applying it to my face after wasn’t so easy. Next time I’ll try wetting my face and rubbing a bit of the powder on. It feels nice and my skin is so soft after that!

Harvey Prince fragrance in Journey – Wow, they sure like this brand. This is already the third time they’ve been included. I’m not a fan of this scent – it’s too strong for my preferences. It does smell rather exotic and is a great blend of spices and flowery tones. I wouldn’t wear this kind of fragrance so I’ll be trading it.

Mi-Me Tangerine Hydrating Lip Butter – What adorable packaging. The lip balm tube fits perfectly into a little test tube. This is truly a lip butter that just melts onto your lips and is so soft and hydrating like no other. The tangerine scent is wonderful and I like that this is just the kind of item I can keep with me to always save me from chapped lips.

Rosemira Organics Sweet Coconut Body Butter – Hmm, this is a really small sample size, especially for a body butter. I could understand if it was for the face, but this would not really give me more than a use or two for my body. It’s super buttery and a little does go a long way, but what a tiny container! It’s funny, I don’t smell the coconut part but the sweetness and citrus-y scent makes it through. I do enjoy the scent a lot.

I only plan on trading one item this time and I’m glad to see five items again, even if one sample was way small. The variety of items is always nice. What items do you find most intriguing?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

The Body Shop hauls

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, reviews,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Awhile back, Panda saw a Groupon for The Body Shop and he bought it for me to use. After visiting the store and purchasing some items, I decided to get the Groupon myself for another run. We paid $15 each for $30 worth of stuff. I now have a nice little collection of products from them, which I’m really enjoying. Let me share my two hauls!

the body shop tea tree oil cleansing wipes, bottle of tea tree oil, and vineyard peach body butter

Haul #1

The first time around, I was really focused on the tea tree oil products because of my incessant acne. Of course I also had to try one of their body butters! That’s what drew me to the store in the first place. The moment I smelled the Vineyard Peach, I knew I had to have it. It reminds me of white peaches from China, so fresh and juicy and lightly sweet. Have you ever seen those flat peaches? Between those and the peaches featured in the Journey to the West, that’s exactly what I think of here. Since they offer buy two get one free, I got either the Tea Tree Cleansing Wipes or Tea Tree Oil for free. I can’t quite remember the pricing, though the wipes were around $12 and the body butter was full price at $20 (I wonder if I should have gotten the 3 for $30 deal instead).

I’ve nearly used up the wipes and I’m probably halfway through the tea tree oil. I think they’ve definitely helped calm down my skin and I always feel so great after using them – like my acne is really being tackled. They have a slight tingling sensation upon application and smell medicinal. Meanwhile, I’m saving the body butter for when I’ve used up some more lotions, but I couldn’t resist trying out the bit that got on the lid and it feels fabulous. Just a little bit applied into my skin perfectly and left me with a whiff of peach.

the body shop mandarin & tangelo body, room, & linen spritz, special edition blueberry body butter, tea tree oil skin clearing lotion, and brazil nut body scrub

Haul #2

The second time, I was looking for more variety and actually was hoping to get more of the cleansing wipes, but they were all out. I opted for the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion instead. If I can’t wipe my face with it, why not apply it after cleansing? I originally got the Brazil Nut Cream Body Scrub and special edition Blueberry Body Butter as the other items, but since the body butter was on clearance for $10, it didn’t count towards my buy 2 get 1 free option. Sooo I browsed around and added the Mandarin & Tangelo Body, Room & Linen Spritz – turns out to be a most excellent choice!

I remember the scrub was $20 or so and I think the lotion and spray were somewhere around $12-15? So far I’ve used the lotion, which is great for offering that healing feeling without the stickiness of the tea tree oil itself. I’ve also been spraying the spritz around and I love it! I’m so glad I had to choose another item, or else I might not have discovered it. I’m putting the body butter away for now since I have a ton of other items, but I really wanted blueberry because they’re my favorite fruit. I know, total sucker here. As for the scrub, I was really drawn to the unique Brazil nut ingredient. I think it’s kind of almond-y? Plus the scrub has small scrubby bits and large scrubby bits, which is super fun!

If you’re looking for a deal on The Body Shop stuff, they’re currently running their Christmas in July promotion: 40% sitewide and free shipping!

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