I had a craving for smoked salmon again, after eating a delicious sushi roll with some of that recently. For the longest time, I wouldn’t eat it because I shied away from what I thought was raw meat. I’m still confused as to whether smoked salmon is considered truly raw since it’s been treated, but I like it enough to not really care. I love the cool, moist texture of it and the salty but not overwhelming taste. Last time I craved it, I ate a ton as part of salads. This time, I opted to pair it with cucumber on bread. Since I didn’t want a creamy sauce, I just added lime juice, salt, and pepper on top for extra flavor. Then today I saw this offered at Ikea and I couldn’t resist. Yum! It’s a great little snack to enjoy.
Yuzen Spring 2014 edition review
Aww, it’s finally Yuzen time again! I actually got it over a week ago, but with the move and filming the video for them, I kept forgetting to get still pictures. This lovely box for the spring provides a wonderful assortment of products for treating yourself. They smell great and feel wonderful too. I’m ready for all this snow to finally end and feel like spring is on its way! The box I’m showing here came in a red organza bag and has white tissue paper for Valentine’s. If you get this later in the quarter, you’ll probably receive the spring one with a white organza bag and yellow/lime green tissue paper. That’s what you’ll see in the video I filmed for Yuzen’s YouTube channel, which will be up soon. 🙂
Yuzen is $33 per quarter (with boxes sent Feb, May, Aug, and Nov) and comes with around 7 or 8 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent quarterly with no option to skip, but you can get one-time gift boxes too. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.
Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product! You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.
Lotus Wei – Infinite Love Mist: So very suitable for the month of love. I actually have this mist already, from way back in the early days of Yuzen. It’s a sweet scent with a hint of tartness, which makes sense since it’s a blend of mandarin, rose, and honey. These are meant to be sprayed around to surround you with the type of scent that will enhance your experience of love for yourself and those around you. You can use it as a pillow mist, spray it as you enter a room, or just spray it around your body. Inhale, relax, and feel the love! Use code YUZEN by 4/30/14 for 20% off at Lotus Wei.
Acure – Radical Resurfacing Facial Treatment: I am pretty excited about this product, if it can help even out my skin! I have acne scars and some random dark spots that plague me, so I’m hoping this will help. I’ve never heard of lemon probiotic or chlorella growth factor, but I do believe plants have powerful abilities to heal and harnessing that certainly sounds good. I’ve heard of natural remedies using lemon to brighten skin, so this probably works similarly. At the very least it feels so hydrating and smells sort of tangy like ginger. I’m loving this as a moisturizer on its own, even though it goes on under one. Use code YUZENLOVE for 25% at Acure.
sumbody – sum fizzer: This large block of fizzing fun is in their Coconut Cream scent (though I don’t know if they were sending out other variations too). I tested a small piece and it fizzes very well! Can’t wait to incorporate this into a bath. My skin felt great after using the water with the fizz in it and I loved the light scent it left! It’s not too strong on the coconut, but definitely gives you a tropical feel. I think you’re supposed to use the whole one in the bath, but I’ll probably split it up between a few uses. I’m loving this! Use code Yuzen2 by 5/1/14 for 20% off at sumbody.
sumbody – bath melt: I broke off a quarter of this to use in my bath this weekend and I enjoyed the use of goat milk in their Milky Rich variation. It reminded me of a luxurious bar of chocolate and I was almost tempted to eat it! Inside the foil you’ll find a little piece of paper telling you more about the product and how to use it (they had one for the fizzer too). It took some swirling of the water to get this dissolved and then I could see the oils that were released. It was almost like taking a milk bath, which I’m sure my skin was happy about. Use code Yuzen2 by 5/1/14 for 20% off at sumbody.
Sranrom – Calm Down Hand Cream: Anything inspired by Thailand has got to be good. This lotion is thicker than most, but not quite a body butter. The lemongrass and lime scent is so refreshing and soothing all at once. I love it! It’s very enriching and perfect to combat the dryness that winter brought on. I got a good laugh when I saw the scent name of Calm Down, because I tell Panda to do that all the time. When I showed him, he had a chuckle too and I think I’m going to give him a tube to use. He worries too much and needs some calming! Use code YUZEN20 for 20% at Sranrom.
Sranrom – Compassion candle: I’m really enjoying all the refreshing scents in this box, like this lemongrass, lemon, and spearmint candle! It’s beautifully made and smells wonderful. I used it while soaking in a bath and it was a great calming prescence. It burns cleanly and comes in such a cute little glass container! What a lovely way to enhance the mood in any room. Use code YUZEN20 for 20% at Sranrom.
Balanced Guru – Balm Me Up Body Balm: I was surprised at how solid this body balm is when I first opened it. It’s actually quite soft though, and melts with your body heat. It’s a very strong tangy scented product that is super buttery. It’s absolutely wonderful for your elbows, knees, and other rough patches of skin. Just a thin layer took away all trace of dry skin for me. I can see this being perfect for getting through the cold months, though the scent can get overwhelming for me so I can only use a little bit at a time. Use code YUZEN by 4/30/14 for 20% off at Balanced Guru.
Chocolove – Cherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate: I just got my first intro to Chocolove in my Escape Monthly box and what do you know, it’s showing up here too! This flavor is just what you’d want around Valentine’s and I enjoyed it, but I’ve got to admit I’m not a huge fan of anything other than fresh, ripe cherries. Nevertheless, the chocolate is delicious and they have plenty of amazing flavors to choose from! Definitely a brand that I’ll keep my eye out for when I’m out shopping.
essio – aromatherapy shower kit: Finally, there’s a discount code for Essio’s aromatherapy for the shower. It’s a little arm contraption that you put on your showerhead and then you swap in little pods with different essential oil aromatherapy scents. I met the founder at a LOHAS event that I was helping Yuzen out at and I liked the idea, but was not at a point in my life where I was treating myself to such luxuries. However, I’m thinking that now might be the time, since I’ve really gotten into skincare and taking care of my body. Thankfully, I have until June to decide on this! Use code YUZEN20 by 6/30/14 for 20% off at Essio.
So there you go, a lovely way to kick off spring by healing your skin from a tough winter’s beating. What did you like most in this box?
*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. I now receive the boxes for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). 🙂