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Goodies Co. October Taster’s Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, food, goodies co, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions

29 October 2013

This was my favorite box yet! Not only did it come with a ton of items, I’m interested in every single one. The selection was pretty broad, with everything from a hearty soup to a sweet dessert treat. This box included Progresso Artisan Rustic Tomato with Chicken & Dumplings soup, happysqueeze Greek yogurt super strawberry organic superfoods, Caffe D’Vita Enchanted Chai Spiced Tea Latte, Special K Nourish hot cereal, Guylian Artisan Belgian Chocolates, SunRype raspberry fruit strip, Enjoy Life Cinnamon Bun soft baked bar, and an Orion ChocoPie fluffy biscuit.

I’ve never had soup from a box, so the Progresso Artisan soup should be interesting. It looks good and the perfect kind of hearty you’d want on a chilly night. I had the happysqueeze Greek yogurt strawberry mush thing this morning and quite liked it. I could definitely tell it was an apple sauce sort if base. It was fun and super easy to suck/drink it and I’d get some to have on days when I need a boost. I can’t wait to try the Caffe D’Vita Tea Latte. It looks delicious and I’ve never tried anything like it before. All the tea lattes I’ve had so far have been from coffee shops so I’d love to make my own. I thought the Special K Nourish hot cereal was an oatmeal thing, but then I was surprised when it had some salty undertones. It tasted decent but I’d prefer it sweet. When it came to the Guylian Belgian Chocolates, I had to hold back from gobbling up both pieces. I like the little bit of grittiness in these treats and the luxuriously smooth texture. The SunRype raspberry fruit strip was a nice fruit leather that isn’t too sweet. I didn’t find it very easy to tear though – that would have made it even more fun to consume! The Enjoy Life soft baked bar had a lovely texture that was soft with crispy bits. The flavor was a bit overwhelming for me, with something I couldn’t quite place. If you like very fragrant stuff, this would be excellent for you. And to round it all out was the Orion ChocoPie fluffy biscuit that was delightful. It’s very soft with a marshmallow center that is sort of firm and a soft crumbly biscuit sandwich. I enjoy these and finished it right away.

All in all a wonderful box that had yummy products I’d totally purchase. Loved it! What do you think of this selection?

Escape Monthly October: Hawaii Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bath salts, boxes, chocolates, escape monthly, face cream, facial buff, food, hawaii, lip balms, lotions, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, snacks, subscriptions, teas, travel

27 October 2013

Ah, as the weather cools down, it’s a great time to think of warmer escapes. This month’s Escape Monthly theme is Hawaii and it’s a nice way to get your mind off the coming winter months. Too bad I didn’t win the trip as well, but Panda and I might just vacation there again next year anyway!

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

I think we can all agree that Hawaii is a pretty fantastic place. Those who have been want to return and those who haven’t have it on their bucket list! Luckily, I’ve been twice in my life and had great memories both times. This box covered some great items made locally and definitely highlighted more tropical flavors. I like the range of products included! Totally feeling that island vibe.

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Big Island of Hawai’i – This is perfect for a future trip, since so far I’ve only ever been to Oahu and the next trip to Hawaii will definitely be to another island. When I decide to go check out the Big Island, I’ll be well-prepared. There’s some great information in here and I love that there’s a section for honeymooners so Panda and I know what we can do for a romantic vacation.

Royal Hawaiian Orchards Papaya Lime Macadamia Crunch – I generally find some tropical fruits like mango and papaya to be too strong for me, so I was skeptical of this snack even though it looks fab. After tasting it, I can’t say that I’d want more but it was interesting to try. The lime did help quell some of the papaya but overall the flavor mashing was still too strong for me. Plus, they’re nutty and I’m not much of a nut fan as it is.

gentle scrub facial buff – Oftentimes, these fun products are one of my favorite items in the box and this is no exception. I totally need a facial buff pad like this to help work away my acne scars and help prevent buildup for future breakouts. Absolutely love it and I’ll be using it the shower when I wash my face.

Personal Paradise Coconut Lime body lotion – This lotion smells wonderful and absorbs well. I’m totally going to be using it after I wash my hands. It absolutely reminds me of being out in Hawaii and I enjoy the scent that wafts up after I apply it.

Tub & Scrub Hawaiian bath salts in Oregon Rain – Haha, was it purposeful that they went with the Oregon Rain scent? I wonder if that’s a coincidence or if they meant to tie it in to the previous box’s theme. Whatever the case, it smells refreshing and soothing all at once. I’m drawing up a bath right now to go try it out! Can’t wait. 🙂

Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt – Freakin’ adorable packaging makes this cool already. It’s so cute I almost can’t bear to open it… but I will eventually. I’ll try it out next time we cook and then I’ve got to find a way to repurpose the jar once I’ve used it up. I’m a sucker for good packaging.

Tiesta Tea Immunity Maui Mango – This is actually a tisane rather than a true tea, since all ingredients are just fruit and flower parts, with no actual caffeine content. It looks really fun but I’m hesitant to open it to try since it has mango and I’m just not into that flavor. However, the pineapple and orange might mask much of that flavor so I’m curious how it’d taste. I’ll probably try it eventually.

seashell lei – This is a cute little necklace that will be decoration somewhere. I don’t have much use for it, but I’ll keep it around and bring it out for any tropical themed needs in the future.

Honey Girl Organics Face & Eye Creme and Night Creme – I totally saw these when I was out in Hawaii and was super curious about the brand! I’m really glad I get to try them out now. The face & eye creme is really rich and thick. I’d probably use it more at night. The night creme is fascinating… it kind of melts with your body heat and seems greasy but is like this layer of softness. It feels really healing!

Ostara Organics lip balm in Cuppa Java – Well, since this is supposed to be a coffee scent, I’m going to save it for someone else. I don’t drink coffee and I’m not a fan of the smell, but there certainly are plenty of people who do like it. In fact, maybe I can give this to Panda since he needs to use more lip balm especially as the winter approaches.

Ola body butter in Coconut – I didn’t want to break the seal on this one just yet, but I’m totally using it this winter. It seems like the perfect product to keep my skin hydrated in the bitter cold. I love the size too, which is easily portable and will last me for quite a few uses. Funny how a tropical thing can be so fitting for very non-tropical conditions.

Hawaiian Host Dark Chocolate Covered Macadamias – Mmm, yummy! This is a nice snack with rich flavors, just enough sweetness, and a wonderful crunch. It’s a great way of highlighting macadamia nuts in a delicious treat. I’d totally eat more of these.

So what do you think of this Escape Monthly box? Have you been to Hawaii before? If you want Escape Monthly for yourself, sign up, and try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): ESCAPENOW for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription, TROPICALESCAPE for 20% off, GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

And a preview of next month:

[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 won this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Treatsie October 2013 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, chocolates, food, pictures, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, sweets

24 October 2013

Trick or Treatsie!

Treatsie is $15 per box and comes with artisan candy from 3 brands. That usually means 5 or 6 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

This time it was Halloween-themed! So cute.

treatsie october box with halloween-themed tissue paper and sticker inside

Even the tissue paper and sticker inside were themed.

treatsie october box contents with chocolates, chocolate bar, and toffee

I was too excited to try it all that I forgot a picture of all the items together, so this is the best you’ll get!

Alma Chocolates Thai Peanut Butter Cup & Salted Lavender Caramel: These are super cute little chocolates that are reeeeeally rich. The peanut butter cup was very smooth and definitely wasn’t your normal American peanut butter flavor. I’m not sure I could eat these normally since it was so creamy. The salted caramel is delicious and I wish I could eat more but it’s very strong too so half a piece is already more than enough. These taste like high-quality treats and I’d totally get more caramels.

Taza Chocolates Organic Stone Ground Dark Chocolate Crispy Crunch Bar: This is an excellent crispy chocolate bar. It’s like a healthy version of Nestle Crunch bars. I didn’t even know they used brown rice in these! This is more of a dry taste, probably due to the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the crispiness of the rice.

Craftmade Toffee Almond Toffee with Milk Chocolate & Caramel Corn Toffee with Milk Chocolate: O.M.YUM I looove toffee and these are just fabulous. The perfect kind of sweetness and crunch with extra bits to balance out the flavor. The almond one is good but the caramel corn one is heavenly. Amazing! I must get more of the caramel corn one. Noooom…

I like that Treatsie’s back to focusing on chocolates as the weather cools down. These are all wonderful fall candies that I can see myself eating with a nice mug of hot chocolate and a book by the fireplace (not that I have a fireplace). What do you think of these snacks?

Conscious Box October review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, eco-friendly, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, snacks, subscriptions

20 October 2013

Got my last free Conscious Box this week, which rounds out the two 3-month subscriptions I won. I’ve gotten a ton of products to try over the course of the past six months, most of which I still need to get around to. It’s been fun getting Conscious Box but I won’t be subscribing. I’ve got a backlog of stuff to try!

Conscious Box is just under $20 per box (or as discounted as just over $203 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with many samples from about a dozen brands. Choose from their Classic, Vegan, or Gluten-free box. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

This was the lightest of all the boxes and I realized after seeing everything that there was no drink this time, which explains the weight difference. I just ate lunch so I’m too full to try the snacks, but I’m really interested in the Organicasaurus Cheddar Cheese baked organic corn snacks. I mean, they’re dino-shaped. What else do you need? The mini breadsticks from Crum Creek look really flavorful, but kind of on the dry side. I’d imagine they’re sort of like eating pretzel sticks. I’m saving the gnufoods Fiber Love Cinnamon Raisin bar for an afternoon pick-me-up at work one day.

My supplements collection has grown a ton and I’ve still yet to break a single one in. :-/ I’m just not in the habit of it, but I’ll try to get around to it. The Eat Green Tea pouch is really interesting since I’ve never eaten tea before. It is a plant, so why not, right? But it just seems kind of weird. I have at least one other pack sitting around waiting to be consumed. Same goes for the Allimax allicin capsules. Those are supposed to be good for a variety things ranging from colds and flus to fungus and wounds. With a ton of people getting sick around me, I’m definitely going to try these. Popping one now! Then there’s the FruitsMax chewable supplements that will give me my daily fruits serving without having to chow down on so much fruit. I hardly ever eat enough fruit, so this will be useful.

Most of the rest were skincare items, which I have a TON of. I don’t think I’ll need to go shopping for them for many years, if ever again. All of these were new to me, so that’s good! I like exploring new brands. There’s the Acure gotu kola stem cell + chlorella growth factor day cream with its super-fancy sounding ingredients that I look forward to trying. There’s the lotus moon vitamin B hydrating gel facial moisturizer that seems really rich and maybe more like a serum. There’s the honest shampoo + body wash that I’ve heard about and have wanted to try. I’m definitely not used to one product for my hair and body. Then there’s the Seventh Generation natural skin serum and body lotion, which I wish were larger samples. Both look great and I’ll be adding them to my stash to try soon. Finally, there’s the Goddess Garden Organics Tangerine Lavender daily lotion with SPF 15 that sounds fabulous – I love tangerine and lavender.

And for the miscellaneous stuff: a Bottle Bright effervescent tablet for cleaning water bottles that I’ve also gotten before and haven’t tried yet. I don’t really use water bottles these days and the mugs I drink out of are pretty easy to clean. The LifeTree concentrated dish soap in Citrus Fresh will be perfect to try with the next batch of dishes. Who wouldn’t want something gentle and biodegradable to be going on their dishes to clean them? Finally, there’s a BioBag for you dog owners out there, which is perfect for your walks. As for me, I’ll just use it to put food scraps to compost one day. Good stuff!

And that’s it! I really need to start grouping all this stuff into boxes so I can start using them more effectively. Right now they’re scattered everywhere so I don’t always remember what I need to use. What’d you think of this box?

Ipsy October 2013: the Art of Beauty

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, reviews, subscriptions

15 October 2013

My Ipsy bag arrived unexpectedly today – I don’t remember getting a shipment notification, so I wasn’t sure if it was on its way yet. Always a nice surprise to see that pink envelope! I’ll update with a better picture when I get a chance to take a daytime picture. I’ll have to wait til the weekend for the video, if I do it. By then it may be too late as I’m sure there will be tons of videos. We’ll see!

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.

First item out was the La Fresh Oil-Free Face Cleanser 10-pack, which was outside the Ipsy pouch since it might not have fit with everything else already in it. I enjoy this brand and these wipes are a perfect way to refresh my face without a fully-involved face wash. They smell lovely and this smaller pack is perfect to bring along on my travels. Face wipes are one of my new favorite things, so I’m sure I’ll make good use of these when my other packs run out.

Once I opened the Ipsy pouch, I found the Nourish Organic Coconut & Argan Body Lotion tube. It smells like a cookie or something similarly warm and sweet. I like it! The consistency is light, but it’s not drippy and it’s a rich hydration. It leaves my hands feeling a little stickier than usual, but not actually sticky, if that makes sense. I enjoy it and I’ll be keeping it by my desk to use. Once I’ve used up the tube I’ll decide if I want to repurchase.

Next up is the bigsexyhair Blow Dry Volumizing Gel, which I shall be trading since I don’t blow dry my hair. Pity, since I’d like to try a volumizing product but I don’t even have a hair dryer, nor do I want to learn how to use one. This bottle is nice and full for plenty of opportunity to figure out if it works for you. It has a nice fresh smell that would be refreshing. If I don’t find someone to trade with, I’ll give it a shot, but I’d really like to try the Spray Clay Texturizing Clay that other subscribers got.

The Buxom Lip Polish in Dolly came in a silvery pack and it’s a fun fat and squat sort of tube shape. The cap was screwed on suuuper tight – I nearly couldn’t get it open! It smells like a candy kind of like candy corn and goes on really nicely. There’s an invigorating cooling minty sensation once applied. If you like that sort of tingling sensation, this is really fun. I don’t know if it made my lips appear plumper, but that’s not important to me.

Finally, I dug to the bottom and pulled out my Zoya nail lacquer! I got the Giovanna shade, which is a deep green, sort of teal-ish. If I didn’t know what other colors they had, I’d be pretty happy with this, but knowing that there’s a purple shade makes me want that. Still, I’m thinking that I might want to resist always getting purple, so I’m still deciding if I want to keep this or try to trade for Neve, the blue-purple one that Ipsy also offered this month.

What do you think of this month’s products? This time IpsyMatch did pretty well again, though since I am already familiar with La Fresh, I would have enjoyed trying a different product. Still, Ipsy doesn’t know that so I’d say it was a good match.

Blissmobox: Body Bliss

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, blissmobox, candy, chocolate bars, creams, eco-friendly, facial masks, food, green, health, lotions, pictures, products, reviews, snacks

10 October 2013

Still catching up on my Blissmoboxes (only 3 more after this I think). I got this box back in early April – it was offered as a spring special and since I missed it the first time I decided to snag it on sale.

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

blissmobox spring sale box choices including beauty bundle ii, body bliss, and naturally hers

The three choices for the spring blissmobox sale.

This spring sale caught my attention with the first two choices, but since I already had half of the beauty bundle II option I went for the body bliss. I wanted to try the Own brand and getting that Pangea Mask is a great deal!

Tree Hut, Coconut Lime shea body butter – This turned out to be my absolute favorite item from this box. It also ranks pretty high among all products from all boxes I’ve gotten. I was surprised since I’m not usually a coconut person, but the combo of that with lime is an amazing scent I really enjoy. I also love the texture, which is firm and somewhat elastic. You barely need any of this to get a lot of results and it applies so well. I plan on trying many of the other scents they have.

Own Skin Care, Dual Protecting Day Lotion with SPF 30 – I’m still saving this one to use when I’m low on my current face lotions. It’s a brand I’ve wanted to try so I’m really glad I got it and I wonder how effective the bio-activating formula is. They’ve got a cool concept. I wonder what’s going on with their site though – it’s down for me and I can’t tell if it’s temporary or if they shut down?

Pangea Organics, Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry Facial Mask – I got a sample of this in another box, so I decided to trade this for some other products. It’s a wonderfully large size that would last for a long time. This is another brand I’m interested in so I definitely love getting their products, especially since they’re a bit pricey for me. Yay for saving on the retail cost of this item!

Scharffen Berger, Extra Dark Chocolate bar – This is a nice dark chocolate bar that isn’t crazy bitter. It’s got a smooth texture and I found this size to be super cute. Who needs a giant bar at one time anyway? I think I’ve seen these in Whole Foods but I haven’t bought any yet. At 82% cacao, it’s their highest concentration of cacao so if you’re into something less strong, you can opt for many other options.

100% Pure, vanilla bean nourishing body cream – I have a bunch of these packets that I’ve yet to use. The name is simple and the branding makes me feel like it’s a green product. The small packets are great for throwing in a bag for use when you’re out and about. I can see this being enough for my full body or many uses for my hands and arms.

What do you think of this selection? Have you tried any of these products? What’s your favorite?

Homegrown Collective September 2013 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, diy, eco-friendly, green, pictures, projects, reviews, subscriptions

08 October 2013

I got the Homegrown Collective September GREENBOX about a week ago, but am just getting around to reviewing it! I enjoyed this “Back-to-school: sustainable laundry 101” theme a lot because it is so useful – I mean, everyone’s got to do laundry, right? (I hope.) Here’s the unboxing video for those who prefer that.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

inside of homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid and white homegrown collective sticker on brown paper wrapping

They stuck the info sheets on the lid and changed up the sticker this time.

contents of the homegrown collective september 2013 box with laundry theme

All sorts of laundry goodness. Yes, I already used the wool ball, which is why it looks worn.

Project #1, soap nuts: This is a nice project because it’s as easy as tying the bag and throwing it in the wash! These soap nuts are so cool and I wonder if someone has accidentally tried to eat them. Do they taste soapy? I’m not about to test it out, but I am curious.

the homegrown collective september 2013 project washing with soap nuts info card

Yay for a sustainable way to wash clothes.

the homegrown collective september 2013 products for washing with soap nuts

This will clean my clothes?! Amazing.

Project #2, olive oil castile soap: Wow, this soap can be so versatile, cleaning everything from clothes to yourself. Mix it with washing soda + salt to clean your laundry or just rub it on your skin or hair to wash clean! Simple – nice and easy.

the homegrown collective september 2013 project mixing olive oil castile soap info card

A slightly more involved laundry soap solution.

the homegrown collective september 2013 products for mixing olive oil castile soap

What exactly is washing soda? Baking soda?

Project #3, dryer ball & essential oil: I totally wasn’t expecting the ball to be so soft and large. It’s totally fun! All you have to do is add it to your dryer load so it can soften your clothes and prevent static. They also included a bit of essential oil with a super refreshing minty scent, which you can dab on the dryer ball to make your clothes smell fabulous.

the homegrown collective september 2013 project using wool dryer ball and essential oil info card

A ball to beat your clothes soft, hehe.

the homegrown collective september 2013 products for using wool dryer ball and essential oil

Fun fuzzy ball and the invigorating essential oil too.

Project #4, laundry soap & bleach alt.: Once again, an effortless project where you just use the pre-made products. I wonder how they make this laundry soap and bleach alternative, versus what’s out in the market these days. I’d like to make some myself!

the homegrown collective september 2013 project using bleach alternative info and summary card

A summary of the contents and the intro to the bleach alternative.

the homegrown collective september 2013 products for using bleach alternative

What an adorable spoon!

Did you get this The Homegrown Collective box? What do you think about the theme?

Hello Fresh Week 37 Delivery review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, cooking, experiences, food, panda, pictures, reviews, subscriptions

05 October 2013

Towards the beginning of last month, I finally got around to trying the Hello Fresh deal I’d gotten on LivingSocial. The delivery came one day when Panda was still out on a business trip, so I saved everything and hoped it would all last in the fridge. Lesson learned: next time freeze the meats right away. I was pretty surprised when it showed up on my doorstep because it wasn’t due until the next day. When it comes to planning for cooking, sometimes that can make a big difference so I sure hope that doesn’t happen all the time. They were right in the middle of changing up their shipping schedule though, so I’ll let this one slide.

Watch the unboxing if you’re interested! (Interested in trying Hello Fresh? Use my referral code to get $20 off your first order: 9CAMJS)

Hello Fresh is just under $70 per box and comes with 3 meals of 2 servings each. That’s less than $12 per meal serving. Boxes are sent weekly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral code that gives $20 off to both the person you referred and for your next order.

It’s a pretty large box!

hello fresh box interior with insulation padding on all sides

The inside is well-insulated with a ton of frozen packs to keep things chilled.

hello fresh welcome letter and large black recipe cards

I got a nice welcome card, the three recipe cards, and a promo card from one of their partners.

hello fresh chili rubbed chicken with barley avocado salad ingredients

The ingredients for the chicken dish.

hello fresh garlic skillet meatballs and baby new potatoes ingredients

The ingredients for the beef dish.

hello fresh lemon pepper shrimp scampi and roasted pepper over linguine ingredients

The ingredients for the shrimp dish.

collage of hello fresh chili rubbed chicken with barley avocado salad recipe card

The first dish we decided to cook was the Chili Rubbed Chicken.

collage of hello fresh chili rubbed chicken ingredients and meal being cooked

It was fun to cook chicken for the first time – I never knew it cooks so fast!

collage of hello fresh barley avocado salad ingredients and meal being made

The salad was something I never would have thought to piece together myself.

hello fresh chili rubbed chicken with barley avocado salad dish finished product

The final product! Pretty good, eh?

collage of hello fresh garlic skillet meatballs and new potatoes recipe card

The next night we went for the meatball recipe.

collage of hello fresh garlic skillet meatballs and new potatoes ingredients and meal being cooked

All kinds of stuff I like to eat!

hello fresh garlic skillet meatballs and baby new potatoes finished product

And the end result with a nice mix of veggies and meat.

collage of hello fresh lemon-pepper shrimp scampi with roasted pepper over linguine recipe card

And finally, it’s shrimp and pasta time!

collage of hello fresh lemon-pepper shrimp scampi with roasted pepper over linguine ingredients and meal being cooked

Oh yum. My first time making pasta with more than just tomato sauce!

hello fresh lemon-pepper shrimp scampi with roasted pepper over linguine finished product

I really enjoyed this dish, though I’d probably sub spinach for the peppers next time.

Overall I found all the dishes pretty easy to make, though the instructions assumed a bit more knowledge about cooking than we had. 😛 I enjoyed the shrimp dish the best, partially because I’m a seafood lover and partially because it was the least adventurous dish. While it was cool to try something like the barley avocado salad, I don’t know if I’d ever really look to make it again. I do like that I have more experience under my belt and got to a try a variety of dishes. I’ll definitely get Hello Fresh again, but maybe only once a month or so. Thankfully, they make it really easy to manage deliveries within your account so it’ll be smooth sailing from here.

[This post contains affiliate codes. 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!]

iOS 7 review

laelene Posted in reviews，Tags: apple, ios, iphones, pictures, reviews, technology

02 October 2013

I’ve been running iOS 7 for about two weeks now and it’s been quite a change. Overall I really enjoy it, but there are definitely some issues that need to be worked out and new things to get adjusted to. Here are some of the highlights:

ios 7 geotargeted reminders feature with ability to change geofence radius

Geotargeting with the radius of your choice! Anywhere from 328 to 7.92 million feet, haha. I wished for this back when iOS 5 came out and now I have it!

New, more gentle and pleasant ringtones.

Liking the new graphics – simpler, cleaner, brighter.

collage of ios 7 photo collections, new multitasking look, and safari tab browsing

New organization of photos into collections, more useful multitasking view with easy swipe to close, and better view of Safari tabs. All nice changes, but take some getting used to!

The Control Panel makes it easy to get to useful features. Finally, convenient access!

ios 7 weather app with sunset and sunrise indicators

I like knowing when sunrise and sunset are.

Being able to block callers will be helpful.

ios 7 text message times visible on right

If you pull to the left on the text messages, you can see the time of each, thank goodness.

ios 7 correct siri's pronunciation of words feature

It’s great to be able to correct Siri’s pronunciation.

The compass now offers a hidden feature: inclinometer! Now you can figure out what perfectly balanced is.

And a few things that aren’t so great:

For some reason the new keyboard is different enough to make my typing worse.

The apps keep having to reload when I move between them. I thought they were supposed to work in the background…

ios 7 lock screen with new keypad design

The screen fades too fast and I never tap it in time. Of course when I tried to get a screenshot of it fading I got the full brightness instead, but you get the point.

Have you updated to iOS 7? What do you think? Or what’s keeping you from making the change?

Escape Monthly September: Oregon Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, brush, candles, coffee, escape monthly, food, lip balms, lotions, nuts, oregon, pictures, products, pumice, reviews, snacks, soaps, subscriptions, teas, travel

25 September 2013

I was pretty surprised when my Escape Monthly box came last week. I somehow had it in my head that they ship later in the month, but I guess they go for mid-month. That’s perfect since most other subscriptions come at another time so they help bridge the gap and prevent a dry spell. I didn’t win the trip this month, but alas, there’s always next time. 🙂 Check out my unboxing video and then read below for more!

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

Ah, the great Northwest. I’ve barely ever been there (through a few airports a few times) and I definitely want to visit after this box! They included a lot of fun products locally made in Oregon, which is fantastic since that’s what subscribers were asking for. They covered mostly food and beauty this time, but I still felt the variety was good. I like how they highlighted so many things Oregon is known for – most of which was all news to me!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Oregon – Looks like these handbooks are going to be a staple in our boxes. They’re nice and very informative – right up Panda’s alley (he totally got similar books from the library before our UK trip). I do like one subscriber’s suggestion to offer the option to get these as ebooks. It’d save them quite a bit of weight and allow us more portability.

Doug’s Nuts – Normally I don’t like nuts, but hey it said “crazy good nuts” so I had to try them. I like the combo of sweet and salty, which made this one of the best nut blends I’ve tasted. I’m still not crazy about nuts, but I can definitely see myself munching on these from time to time. I’ll have to see what Panda the nut-lover thinks of this blend. He’s usually happy with some cashews so I wonder how he’ll like the sweet undertones.

Metolius Tea and Apothecary – Ooo what a fancy mix of ingredients! I’ve never had a tea with coconut before so that was pretty exciting. The blend smelled wonderfully of coconut and lavender, which is strangely complementary. I’m not used to my tea coming in such small bits, so probably should have used a strainer to brew it. Can you imagine me blowing on it trying to get a hole in the floating parts so I could drink it without consuming the tea too? Well, that’s how it happened and it was quite the spectacle, lol. I like the fragrance of this tea as I’m drinking it! Definitely smell the lavender.

Molly Muriel Volcanic Bliss soap – Yes, yes, yes! I’m a sucker for anything that’s detoxifying and/or has tea tree oil and charcoal. This soap hits all those and more, like neem oil, which is a new ingredient I just learned about at Green Festival over the weekend. I like the branding of this company and I definitely want to try more of their products! Of course I need to work through just a few dozen other soaps first… 😛

Oregon Orchard Hazelnuts – Holy cow, what a special concept. Hazelnuts encased in cherry-flavored milk chocolate? Cool! I’m always wary of cherry-flavored items but this one wasn’t so bad. Pairing it with hazelnuts creates this crazy blend of flavor that lingers in my mouth. What a fun treat. I’m sure most people would love them! Once again, I’m not that into nuts, so while this snack is fascinating I’ll probably just have this pouch and be done.

Oregon Rain Portland Rose Lotion – How cute that they make this lotion with rain that fell in Oregon! I can smell a bit through the seal and I like the sweetness. I don’t want to open it just yet until I use up some other lotions, but I do look forward to trying it eventually.

Portland Bee Balm – Aww, it’s awesome that this is made with local beeswax and includes peppermint for a refreshing cooling sensation. I’ve got a major backlog in lip balms, so I won’t open it just yet. Always good to have a stash though! I’m going to start keeping a lip balm in my purse, car, at my desk, and by the bedside. You never know when your lips might feel dry!

Primitive Lights Beeswax Cinnamon Roll Votive – What an adorable design!! I feel bad burning it so I think I’ll let its cinnamon scent fill the room for awhile before lighting it up eventually. It has an amazing sweet spicy scent that is perfect for the upcoming winter months.

Grounds For Change coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker, but this one actually smells decent! I’m saving it for Panda’s brother, who’s a big coffee drinker. I like that it’s fair trade and carbon-neutral. Definitely conscious of the environment and the welfare of the growers.

wooden pumice brush – I love the bonus items! Is it sad if I say that’s one of my favorite parts of Escape Monthly? Well, honestly I’m all about these accessory type items, like this pumice brush and last month’s loofah. It’s exactly the sort of stuff I want and need and don’t get in other boxes.

What do you think of this Escape Monthly box? Have you been to Oregon? If you want Escape Monthly for yourself, sign up, and try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): ESCAPENOW for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription, TROPICALESCAPE for 20% off, GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

And a preview of next month:

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((little fat notebook))

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