March « 2014 « ((little fat notebook))

Petit Vour March 2014 review

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: beauty, boxes, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions, vegan

21 March 2014

My very first Petit Vour box arrived! I like what I see and will keep them around for awhile.

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!).

Laface Hydrating & Firming Body Lotion – This applies pretty well, but I’m not really into the scent. My skin does feel really good after applying it and it’s noticably softer and more hydrated. I’d have to use it more to see if there are any firming effects.

Lotus Wei Balancing Serum – Sweet! I’ve had other Lotus Wei products, but not the serum yet and I love serums. This scent is very calming and it’s supposed to promote inner peace. It applies a bit greasy, but very little goes a long way and I just kept rubbing it in. There’s a slightly cooling sensation on more delicate skin.

I.C.O.N. India Oil – Oh wow, this smells nice. There’s something very cultural feeling about it and I enjoyed getting the dryness out of my hair. I’ll have to make more use of this during the rest of these dry months. Feels great!

NCLA Nail Wraps & nail file – Well, these are… bold. I’ve never tried nail wraps before, so I sure hope I can apply them ok. I definitely appreciate getting the nail file too, since I don’t usually use them and would not have access to one. I think I’ll have fun with these even if they’re totally not my style. I never knew you’re supposed to apply clear nail polish first! Good thing I read the instructions.

California Naturel Skincare Set – The packaging on this is super cool, but then it opens to three little samples. Still pretty cool, but I thought it might be more exciting. There’s a cleansing gel, balancing complex, and nourishing cream. The gel is for all skin types and cleansed pretty well. Didn’t notice anything particularly different about it. The complex is for combination to oily skin and it immediately helped with my oily face. It’s quite watery but I love it! Finally, the cream is for dry to normal skin and I wasn’t a huge fan of the scent. Pretty good at moisturizing though.

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!]

Treatsie March 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, caramels, chocolates, pictures, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, treats, treatsie

20 March 2014

This month, the new premium version of Treatsie (which you’d get if you signed up after they changed their pricing) had a deluxe TCHO bar in addition to what I got. These bars are larger than the set of minis I have and include fun flavors like Galactic Gelato and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

CocoaPlanet Salted Caramel and CocoaMint chocolate bars: I didn’t understand the “pearls of flavor” until I bit in and found wonderful little pockets of caramel or mint scattered throughout the salted caramel and cocoamint bars/discs. It’s a nice round chocolate “bar” and there are directions on how to make hot chocolate with it. I think that’s a fabulous idea! I enjoy eating them as is too.

Big Picture Farm Cocoa Latte, Maple Cream, Chai, & Sea Salt & Bourbon Vanilla caramels: I’m not sure about the two with coffee and alcohol flavoring, since I like neither, so I think I’ll share them with someone else. I loved the chai, which tasted wonderfully of chai and gave me a nice warm sensation. The maple cream tasted like a pretty normal caramel to me and it wasn’t until I’d been chewing it for awhile that some of the maple and cream was noticeable. If subtle was their intention, they got that down.

TCHO Minibar Assortment: These are packaged beautifully and each comes with a fun description of the taste notes: there’s the PureNotes dark chocolate – extremely rich and “chocolatey,” the SeriousMilk “classic” milk chocolate with caramel notes, the PureNotes dark chocolate with layers of “fruity” notes, the PureNotes dark chocolate with light and “bright” notes, the SeriousMilk “cacao” milk chocolate with lush and fudgy notes, and the PureNotes dark chocolate with subtle “nutty” notes. Well, I know exactly what to expect with these! I’ve enjoyed the flavors I tried and I think these bars are a perfect little treat.

I’m still glad I’m locked in for the original box for now. I was plenty happy with the contents of this box and don’t feel too bad about missing on a large TCHO chocolate. Do you like the contents of the box this 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 purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

How to store your lightning charger

laelene Posted in how to guides，Tags: advice, apple, customer service, how to, iphone, pictures, technology

19 March 2014

For awhile, I’d given up on using the charging cable for my iPhone 5. It started to come apart and I had to tape it at the end near the lightning head. It would only work at certain angles and I had to either hold it in place or very delicately position it with the phone on a surface. So, I bought another charger from a third party, which I loved. Unfortunately, it wore down over time too and stopped working recently. I started using my Apple-made cable again, but it was always a precarious situation and I could never be sure my phone was charging.

Finally, this weekend I was talking to Panda about it and he mentioned the possibility of getting it replaced. I figured I have nothing to lose, might as well try, right? So while his brother was in town, all three of us went out to the mall and found a guy at the Apple store. When I showed him my cable, he started to tell me about how normal wear and tear is not covered on the warranty and since mine was all taped up, he couldn’t replace it. He said he personally goes through them all the time (um, that’s not saying anything good about your product…) and then he shared some tips on how to preserve your lightning charger and minimize wear on it:

1. Always ensure the cable is straight when plugged in, both on the end plugging into your device and on the USB end. The connection to those areas are the weakest, and consistent bending causes them to rip.

2. Make sure you pull the cable from the firm plastic head and not the actual cable. This will reduce strain on the cable.

3. Never loop your cable a few times to store it, since this bends the ends. Instead, fold it over twice, then loosely knot that, as shown in the picture. This keeps the ends from bending, once again protecting the weakest points.

example of recommended way to store lightning charger cable as shown by apple store rep

Did you know this is a better way to store your cable?

Now this is all fine and dandy, but why didn’t they explain it to me when I got my device? It’s kind of too late now. Panda’s brother immediately asked to speak to the manager and as we explained to him how the tips were helpful (but way too late), I suggested that this is the type of thing they as an organization can educate us on when we buy a device. Panda asked whether the fact that my issue is not covered in the warranty was outlined, so the manager pulled up the agreement and looked for where it said that. It was pretty ambiguous with language about normal wear and tear (which means what, exactly?) and he must have been in a helpful mood, because he decided to replace my cable *this one time* (they always say that).

Luckily, some persistence (and getting to the right person who could actually make an executive decision), a peppering of questions, and a polite but disappointed demeanor seemed to do the trick for us. I got my new cable, no other questions asked, and now I am better educated on how to take care of it. Hopefully, you’ve now learned something that will help you from damaging your cables too!

Homegrown Collective February 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beeswax, boxes, face scrubs, honey, lip balms, pictures, reviews, subscriptions, sugar scrubs, wood butter, wood polish

18 March 2014

I’m so thrilled about this GREENBOX! Honey is such an awesome theme and this one also incorporates beeswax. Not only are there items for your skin, there’s a really cool wood project too.

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.

Project #1, honey lip balm: This sounds lip-lickingly good. Honey in my lip balm seems like a great idea for soothing, creamy stuff. The honey dipper is so cute! I’m not sure if I want to get it all sticky and wet. For the tubes, I’m thinking I can decorate them and make my own blinged out versions. Sharpies and gems at the ready!

Project #2, honey sugar face scrub: What a simple, wonderful scrub. I’ve known that honey is good for killing bacteria and I could certainly use that for the acne on my face. It’s a strange sensation to put something so gooey on my face and it’s amusing that it’s such a sweet concoction. I’m a sucker for a scrub!

Project #3, beeswax wood butter: Now that I have a home, I am always looking out for ways to add personality to it with home goods. Coasters are certainly a welcome project to make and having a wood butter to help care for wood is fantastic. I’m looking forward to polishing things up! [update: check out the completed project!]

Then there’s the info card explaining the bee theme for this box:

If you want some of these kinds of projects for yourself, subscribe to the Homegrown Collective now!

Ridiculous things he does

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: behavior, goofball, panda, pictures, silly

17 March 2014

Upon approaching a tight right turn: “Is this the turn?” *slows down slightly, but nowhere near enough to clear the turn*

“Oh, missed it.” *keeps going* (this happened multiple times, same turn)

Upon reaching the doors of a restaurant, tries to open the left door. It’s locked and I open the right side door. The next time, he does it again. The third time… I warn him, but upon exiting, he tries to use that door again!

Upon seeing an ambulance approaching behind his car, he drives on the right lane until it’s getting close and then gets into the left lane. The ambulance is like 75 feet behind us as I get him to quickly return to the right lane and slow down/pull over a bit.

Upon driving down a road where a blinking yellow light became solid, it doesn’t phase him. As it turns red, I comment on stopping. He stops just in time, as an ambulance and firetruck rush out of the fire station. He didn’t even know the emergency light was a legitimate signal.

Every time, these things make me roll my eyes and go “ai yah” to myself. Hehe.

Ipsy March 2014: The Destination Beauty review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, ipsy, makeup, pictures, products, reviews, subscriptions

16 March 2014

Wow, quite possibly the worst bag I’ve received to date. Not a single item that I would use or plan on keeping. I’m also not sure why there were only 4 items this time – that’s never happened during my subscription. I might have to consider cancelling this and going exclusively with Beauty Box 5, which has been impressing me far more.

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.

be a bombshell eyeshadow quad in bora bora – I do like this palette better than the other one I could have received, but that’s the only upside. I mean, how else can I make it clear on my profile that I don’t want eye products? I indicated in multiple places in my profile, but IpsyMatch doesn’t seem to work.

Vita Liberata Luxury Tan Lotion – I’ve never tried tan lotion and I’m really not interested in it. There were three other items I could have gotten instead of this and I would have preferred ANY of them. This is the only item I don’t want – bleh.

bareMinerals marvelous moxie lipstick in Get Ready – Adorable little lipstick, but not a product I use. I’ll go for lip gloss, lip balm, even lip stains, but lipstick just doesn’t work for me. The other item I could have gotten instead is a lip gloss… why didn’t I get that? 🙁

Chella eyeliner pen in Indigo Blue – What a cool color, but way too bold for me. I might try eyeliner on a night out (which happens like once a year), but not something quite so bright in color. I could have gotten a BB cream or nail polish instead and I would rather have received either. Hopefully I can trade for something I’ll use.

The bag itself was decent and I like the concept of featuring artists, but everything inside was disappointing. If you want to trade, check out my FSOT list.

Beauty Box 5 March 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, beauty box 5, body butter, boxes, facial pads, hand creams, makeup bases, nail creams, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, soaps, subscriptions

15 March 2014

Time for the March Beauty Box 5, with the theme of spring cleaning. The focus of this one is to achieve clean, gorgeous skin and I’m loving the items included!

Beauty Box 5 is $12 per box (or as discounted as $99 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 5 cosmetic products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. You also have the option of buying it as a gift your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

The month of spring cleaning!

beauty box 5 march 2014 information card

Info on the products with prices of their full sizes.

Jane’s Pick All Natural Soap: They didn’t mark the variation on the sample pack, but based on the pictures on the site, it looks like I got Kind (orange, tangerine, vanilla). It’s a sweeter scent than I would have imagined but I like the lightness of the scent it leaves behind. It foamed up quite well and didn’t dry out my hands! That’s a win in my book.

Tree Hut Shea Body Butter: I got this in a blissmobox awhile ago and I love it! So happy to get another one, since I was just running out of it. The Coconut Lime scent is fabulously refreshing and the texture is amazingly bouncy in a way no other lotion is. I love how it absorbs in the skin and is not greasy at all. Plus, it’s supposed to have anti-aging properties to keep my skin in tip top shape.

Bellapierre Cosmetics Makeup Base: I’m not really sure how to use this since I’m not a makeup user, but I think it can help lighten the redness of my breakouts. I tried a bit and even though it looked a lot lighter than my skin tone, I think it blended in quite well. Could be good to use before I apply my BB cream, which I’ve found rubs off during the day and leaves my face looking redder.

H2O Plus Hand and Nail Cream: I love this brand and this hand cream smells so good. It also absorbs really well and doesn’t have any greasiness. I like that this is for hands and nails, so I don’t need to worry about a separate nail or cuticle cream. It feels great on my hands and keeps them nice and soft. I hope they sell travel sizes, because I’m going to want to bring this around with me!

Swissco Dual-Sided Facial Pad: Yes! These types of facial pads are a new staple for my beauty routine. I currently have one on the shower and one by the sink, but I’m delighted to have another one as they wear out and I want to replace them. I’m starting to be quite a fan of the brand in general, after the exfoliating gloves we got in the Jan box and now this facial pad.

What an awesome box this month! I love skincare products and each of these will be great for my skin. They did a wonderful job with the theme and including quality products that I would absolutely get more of. Which product stands out to you? If you sign up for Beauty Box 5 by 3/31/14, you can even opt to swap the April box for a 60-day 24ClearIt kit (valued at $59.95). It’ll come with five items as outlined below and I’m totally opting for it. Anything to try to get rid of my acne!

365great Day 365: perseverance

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, behavior, blogging, perseverance, persistance, pictures, skills, traits

14 March 2014

I’m nothing if not stubborn. A year ago, I promised myself I would do this 365great project daily for the next 365 days. And so I’ve kept my eye on the goal, pushing through until now. It’s been quite an experience, constantly looking at the world around me and thinking of what I could highlight. There were days where I couldn’t find a good picture of what I wanted so I pushed it back or skipped it altogether, opting for something else that I could post a picture of. There were days where I had been so busy I barely had time at the end of the day, but I got a post together anyway. It was definitely challenging, but I’m happy to say I completed my project, not a day missing. Of course it wasn’t perfect and sometimes I was *technically* a little bit into the next day, but I always got one done for each day, no matter what was going on. Perseverance is a useful trait that can get you through all kinds of situations and you’ll come out proud of what you accomplished. It’s a great skill to practice, but boy am I glad it’s over.

Now I can soak in the glory of a year’s worth of greatness recognized. I still plan on putting out 365greats, but only periodically as things come up. After all, I think it’s a fabulous way to highlight what I find great. I still have a ton of things I’d like to mention anyway, so I’ll slowly get around to sharing them. Might as well spread the love!

365great Day 364: containers

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, home, organization, pictures, products, storage

13 March 2014

I’m the type of person who needs help with organization. Usually my work and personal spaces accumulates stuff until I can barely put anything down. The clutter builds until I either do a massive overhaul or find myself surrounded by mountains of things balancing precariously on top of each other. I guess it doesn’t help that I’m a packrat, so rarely do things get thrown away…

Well, lately I’ve really been getting into cute little containers to help with the issue! It started back during the holiday season, when I saw a set of fun little tray-like paper baskets at the dollar store. My nightstand was brimming with personal care items like lotions, lip balms, hair clips & brushes, and a bunch of snacks. The drawers beneath were pretty full themselves, and I liked to have these common items readily available so there they were, all squashed onto the little surface area I had by the bed. Once I got the baskets, I was able to save on so much surface area! It was pretty amazing, so I then opted for some larger ones to use on my “desk” (the ironing board) and things have been fabulous ever since. I’m still a packrat with way too much stuff there, but at least all that stuff is more condensed and only taking up about half as much space as before. This easy way to de-clutter and organize is what makes baskets great!

Flight fear

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: experiences, flying, pictures, planes, travel, videos

13 March 2014

The past two days have been a bit of insanity, sometimes even bordering harrowing. My travels started Tuesday around 3 am EST (3 pm in China). I got to the Beijing Airport for my flight at 5:30 and arrived in Chicago about 13 hours later. Along the way, I experienced possibly the worst bout of turbulence that I’ve ever been through. The shaking of it made me run through scenarios: the plane wing breaking off (could the pilot still keep us somewhat upright?), falling from the sky (how should I brace for impact?), surviving the crash and attempting to stay warm and alive on the ground (how many layers of clothes could I put on?)… yeah, I’m a little freaked out from the Malaysia missing aircraft mystery and thinking of all kinds of awful possibilities.

view over arctic landscape from plane window

Somewhere over the arctic regions we got hit by some major turbulence.

In Chicago, I waited three hours to board the plane to Dulles and made it back slightly nauseous, but ok. We went home for a brief break and I slept three hours before crawling up just before 5 am to go back to IAD. This time I took a flight back to O’Hare to transfer to Louisville. We landed in some pretty fresh snow powder and then I watched as my 9:30 CST flight got delayed to 10:45, then 12, then 12:15, then 12:30, then 12:45…

plane landing on snow from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

And as I waited, nearly all the flights turned to delayed or cancelled. I got in touch with the partners I was going to visit and then sat back, hoping I’d still make it out in time. I finally got to Louisville at 3:30, checked out my rental car, and made it to the office at 4. I had booked a flight out at 5, but when I arrived I saw it’d been delayed until 6, so that gave me some time. I met with a few people before hightailing it back at 5. I returned the car and asked about my flight, which was going to Cleveland (now at 6:20). The delay would cause me to miss my connection, but luckily for me, an afternoon flight straight to Dulles was delayed by 4 hours and scheduled to leave at 7. I went to wait for that flight and made it back to Northern Virginia by 9:30.

fluffy cloud coverage with pastel colors in sky

Getting up in the sky, things were beautiful.

vibrant colors of fading sunset over cloud coverage

The sun set and we continued in the darkness.

Our approach to the runway turned out to be one of the most nerve-wracking 25 minutes of my life. We made a giant loop around the airport as we slowly came down, tilting left and right, shaking a bit, and making me feel like I’d developed motion sickness. I actually had to grip the hand rest to steady myself a bit and feel more secure in my seat. Once again, I thought about ways to survive falling out of the sky. I even imagined crash landing on the freeway or breaking our fall in a forest. I did not feel well! It was quite the series of flights giving me plenty of scares. I usually feel really secure on a plane, but this time around I was nervous leg after leg. I’m ready to stay grounded for awhile.

$fractured light on scratched up window of plane$

Finally on the ground, the sparkles of lights got fractured by the scratches on the window. Rather pretty.

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((little fat notebook))

Petit Vour March 2014 review

Treatsie March 2014 review

How to store your lightning charger

Homegrown Collective February 2014 review

Ridiculous things he does

Ipsy March 2014: The Destination Beauty review

Beauty Box 5 March 2014 review

365great Day 365: perseverance

365great Day 364: containers

Flight fear

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