Juice Beauty deal

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , ,
31 August 2014
0

When I saw an email from Juice Beauty about their new brightening pads, I was immediately intrigued. I love wiping my face with cleansing products and lately I’ve started to take note of the dark spots and unevenness I have. At their original price point, I wasn’t so sure about getting them. So, I do what I always do. I waited.

juice beauty green apple peel nightly brightening pads pre-order offer

Lo and behold, come Labor Day weekend, I see an offer for 15% off and free shipping (use code LABORDAY through tomorrow!). While I would have already gotten free shipping with this pre-order offer, that 15% is what made all the difference. While still pricier than I would prefer, I was convinced that I should at least try one jar. I’m waiting on a new credit card to arrive and I was hoping it would make it to me by Saturday so I could use it for this transaction, but the mail came and went with no card.

Today, I went to place my order and found that it was no longer pre-order status for this product. Not a huge deal, since the price is the same. The only thing I lose out on is the deluxe sample of the Green Apple Peel Sensitive – no worries, I’ve gotten plenty of samples of that from Yuzen! Instead, I got the normal sample set with my order (a trio of cleanser, serum, and moisturizer). I much prefer saving $6.75 to getting more product I won’t get a chance to use up.

I can’t wait to get these pads and try them out! If there are any Juice Beauty products you’re interested in, definitely take advantage of their Labor Day sale too. 🙂

Ipsy Mystery Glam Bag review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 August 2014
0

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!]

Biweekly, bimonthly

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
28 August 2014
0

Today I was putting together a spreadsheet to compare offerings from some companies we’re evaluating. As I was listing the frequency of something they do, I was going to put biweekly, but then I wasn’t sure how that would be interpreted. One thing that has always frustrated me (and confused me to no end) is this term with its conflicting meaning. Let’s take a look at the definition:

bi·week·ly
adjective & adverb
  1. appearing or taking place every two weeks or twice a week.
noun
  1. a periodical that appears every two weeks or twice a week.

 

I mean, is this somebody’s idea of a joke? How do you allow one single word to simultaneously mean two things that don’t jive with each other? They differ mathematically by a factor of 4. FOUR! What if I demanded my paycheck (paid out biweekly) twice a week? After all, that’s biweekly too. Then I’d get paid four times as much, given each check amount is the same. So if I agreed to pay you $100 biweekly, would you expect $10,400 by the end of a year or just a paltry $2600? That’s a staggering difference, isn’t it?? I just don’t get how this so often and so easily overlooked.

The same goes for the similarly infuriatingly vague “bimonthly” term that runs along those same illogical lines. When I say bimonthly, how do you know if I mean twice a month or every other month? There really is no true way to tell without using other phrases… and doesn’t that rather defeat the purpose of a word that is supposed to have a meaning that people understand? Can’t we assign only one definition to it or get rid of the word??! What if I said I’d meet you at noon, except noon meant either 6 in the morning or 10 at night? When would you show up?

So ultimately what did I decide to do for my conundrum at work? I used the term fortnightly.

Petit Vour August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
27 August 2014
0

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!]

Hardwood floor repair

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: , , , , ,
26 August 2014
0

Some time ago, Panda messaged me and sent this picture to show me how he had damaged the floor when he dropped the cutting board. It has a metal handle on the side, which is what I presume bashed the wood here. He quickly went out to a home improvement store to get this filler stuff and pens in two shades, since they didn’t have a match for our cherry wood color. He insisted that I do the repair since he was convinced I could do it better.

When I finally got around to it, we documented the procedure. Filling in a small hole in your hardwood is pretty easy! Now we just need to get something to make that spot glossy like the rest of the floor. Otherwise, you’d never know it was ever repaired to begin with. We didn’t even need to try to blend the two shades of wood color, so he was able to return the unused one. We’ve kept the rest of the equipment for future accidents.

2014-08-26 23.45.17

Cutting board vs. hardwood: the floor loses.

2014-07-12 12.37.03

Testing out the filler on some sample wood.

2014-07-12 12.37.31 HDR

Patching up the dent.

2014-07-12 12.37.53

Gotta protect that from the cat and vice versa!

2014-07-26 18.44.06

Now testing out the filler pen.

2014-07-26 18.45.03

Sanded it and then colored it. Now you can’t even tell where it is anymore. 🙂

Love With Food Fun at the County Fair August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
24 August 2014
0

This time around the info card became a pamphlet so they could add a bunch of extra content. There’s even a recipe in there and background info about the company. I’ve yet to read it all, but will get around to learning more as I eat everything.

Love With Food is $12 per box (or as discounted as $120 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 8 or more snack products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

contents of august 2014 love with food box including eight snacks info card with details for august 2014 love with food snacks(click to enlarge and read messaging)

Alright, summer fair! It’s been ages since I’ve been to one and I probably won’t get around to it this year. So far I only tried the Skeeter Nut Free Cinnamon Grahams that are crisp and have a fantastic cinnamon taste and the Salty Road Salty Peanut salt water taffy that has a nice peanut flavor (even though I don’t like peanuts much) and is a bit sticky. The shapes of the Skeeter cookies are adorable squirrels! I’ve tried YumEarth lollipops before and they’re nice enough. Lately I haven’t been into lollipops though.

I handed off the Love With Food Kettle Sweet Peanuts to Panda since he’ll enjoy nuts far more than me. I will try one when he eats them but I’d never buy nuts. He also got the 180 Degrees Nutty Rice Bites with Blueberries because of the nuts and health bar-like snacks these are. Also snacks that I’m not into, but will be great for him as an afternoon snack or even breakfast item. I’ve put the Smooze Fruit Ice in the freezer to enjoy later. Pineapple and coconut are not flavors I’ve tried together before, so it’ll be interesting which flavor stands out more.

Finally the Covered Bridge Montreal Steak Spice Seasoning Chips and Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers have made it into my work bag for snacking on this week. I’m looking forward to trying both and I hope they don’t disappoint! I’ve never tried chips with such a unique flavor so that will be exciting and we’ll see if it’s too strong for me. Meanwhile, the cheddar crackers should be good since that’s a snack I’ve had a variety of and generally enjoy.

Taste-wise I think this box is very promising. I’d eat more of the items if it weren’t for my aversion to nuts and bars. I’m all about sweet snacks or crackers/chips. What do you think of this box? Which item would you like to try most?

[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 at the special offer price and wanted to share what I got!]

Julep August 2014: The Wanderlust Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
22 August 2014
0

I skipped July’s box, so this was the next one I received after the Memorial Day mystery box I got about two months ago. This review is a long time coming – I’ve been sitting on the box for two weeks, but when I got it, an item was missing. I emailed them about it and got a replacement sent out – and then I saw they’d sent to the wrong address (the billing one that I haven’t used for months!). So I emailed again and they sent me another one, this one to the correct location. So finally, I have the full box to share.

While I liked the colors of this collection for their vibrance, when I saw the Happy Mani-versary special edition being offered for Julep’s 3rd birthday, I couldn’t resist. It offered this cool cleaning tool that will really help with my polishing efforts (I’m a big sucker for tools) and the Ta Da! Quick Drops I’ve had on my wishlist, PLUS a bonus polish shade that is just purple enough for me to want. The nail and cuticle serum is a nice extra to have along with everything else, though I already have one.

Julep is just under $20 per box and comes with 2 nail polish colors and a beauty product, 3 nail polish colors, or 2 beauty products (depending on your style profile choice). They offer plenty of upgrade and add-on options too. Boxes are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (skips are earned every six months for subscribers Dec 18th, 2013 and later). You also have the option of gifting your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes.

julep maven anniversary exclusive august 2014 wanderlust collection box contents

August’s Anniversary Exclusive Happy Mani-versary Wanderlust Collection box

julep mighty nail & cuticle serum, queen anne polish, ta da quick dry drops, and cleanup tool

Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum
Queen Anne polish
Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops
cleanup tool

Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum: I’ve tested this before so I might just trade it. I still have a lot of the original left, but maybe it’ll be good to have the next one ready.

Queen Anne polish: I probably don’t need any more purple polishes, but I can’t help it! This is a festive, sparkly polish that is very befitting a birthday.

Ta Da! Quick Dry Drops: This smells a bit like aromatherapy and it’s so fun to drop them on your nails. I think it works quite well! It’s not instant, but it’s pretty fast.

cleanup tool: One of the main reasons for getting this box and now I’ll have two due to the shipping fluke! It was smaller than I expected, but a nice sturdy metal and perfect size for handling.

julep wanderlust collection card and quote card

The Wanderlust Collection and quote cards.

julep gel eye glider eyeliner info card, discount offer card, refer friends card, and julep app info card

The info cards.

I’m very happy with the items in the box and the value of the combination. It’s even better that I ended up getting an extra cleanup tool out of it, which I might gift or trade. I kind of wish I’d gotten some of the polishes, but I really can’t use up that much nail polish so I’ll console myself by painting my nails with that I do have. The bonus item is a nice screen cleaner that I’ll totally have to use. I’ve already downloaded the Julep app for use and I’m glad I have an easier way to making sure I don’t forget to skip a month.

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

[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!]

That whistling gal

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: , , ,
21 August 2014
0

Today, my coworker started chuckling when I walked towards her whistling. I thought it was because of something else, but when I asked her why she was laughing, she said it always amuses her when I whistle, since she usually only hears guys do that. I’ve never really thought about that before, but it’s true enough. I can’t seem to think of a single female I know who also whistles. I haven’t considered that from the perspective of those who see me. What do they think when I whistle? Is that an oddity?

It’s interesting how something so normal to me suddenly gets this halo of specialness just because of my gender. Why don’t more women whistle? In the public eye, the women I’ve seen whistling generally do those really shrill, loud whistles to get attention. Is there a time when they’re just whistling a tune like I often do? I’m going to be more self-conscious when I whistle now. It always seemed rather natural to me to try to whistle and when I finally taught myself how, I just kept practicing. Today’s observation has brought new light on this activity. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but I’ll certainly continue my whistling ways. With so few women whistling, I might as well represent.

Beauty Box 5 August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
20 August 2014
0

This box didn’t wow me, but it had some solid items to try. I’ll keep it around for a bit longer before deciding when I might want to cancel it. I’m accumulating a whole lot of product and I really need to get to using them more!

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.

august 2014 beauty box 5 contents beauty box 5 august 2014 information card

Purlisse pur-protect SPF 30 sunscreen: This feels much like your typical lotion and smells a bit like baby powder. Certainly not the icky sunscreen we’ve all encountered, so that’s nice. I can’t tell its effectiveness with just a little use so far, but time will tell with that.

La Fresh Travel Lite Oil-Free Makeup Remover Wipes: I’m a big fan of La Fresh and I’ve bought a ton of their various wipes and even body oils. This is perfect little travel pack I’m going to bring with me on my vacations. I love wiping off everything from my face either at the end of a day (when I’m too lazy to wash) or in the morning, to help freshen up and wake up.

Nanacoco Lip Gloss in First Kiss: I like the flat angled applicator for this. The formula is more on the gooey side, so when I tried to apply just a little for less pop, it didn’t go so well. The second time around I used it normally and got great color. Lesson learned: go big and bright, or go home. I thought I wouldn’t really use this, but you know, the pink actually isn’t as in your face as I was afraid it would be.

Novex Brazilian Keratin Professional Hair Food Therapy: I haven’t had time to try this out yet, since ideally you’d keep it on for 25 minutes, shower cap and all. I’m always up for a deep conditioning treatment for my hair though! I just don’t seem to get the sort of glossiness that all those commercials talk about. I sure will keep trying and the Brazilians know what they’re doing, right?

Style Essentials Nail Polish: I’m not sure how I feel about this color. It’s a decent polish, but there’s nothing exciting about it. I think a more summery color would have been gold or blue glitter. I’ll probably make use of this more for nail art in the future.

This theme was “radiant & remarkable” and indeed, these items would bring out the radiance. Remarkable though? Not as much for me. What do you think about this 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!]

Ipsy August 2014: Beauty Schooled review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
18 August 2014
0

Ipsy can be so unpredictable with its hits and misses. This month I really enjoyed it, just as I’ve been contemplating cancelling. I’m still going to unsubscribe as soon as I get the free product I redeemed with my points. It turned out perfectly because I had nearly 1500 points and felt bad wasting 500 of them since most products are 1000 points. Luckily, when I went to check this time, there was a free mystery bag available for 1500 points! I just had to earn some more to get me to 1500 and I was able to claim it. I’m excited to see what it offers.

screenshot of ipsy mystery bag offer for 1500 points and account with 1500 points

Boom. Redeem that!

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.

ipsy august 2014 bag items with card including absolute new york you're the balm lip balm in grape, coastal scents forever blush duo samples in fresh and elegant, dr. brandt pores no more primer, lord & berry kohl eye pencil, and urban decay perversion mascara

Absolute New York You’re the Balm lip balm in Grape – This is quite a large tin that will last for ages. The purple color is fantastic and there’s a little bit of glitter in there too. I like the lightness of the grape scent, though I wish I could smell or taste it more when it was on my lips. This responds well to body heat and begins to melt into a hydrating sort of gloss. A little dab was enough to spread on my lips.

Coastal Scents Forever Blush duo samples in Fresh & Elegant – Again, why do I ever get blush when I indicated NO interest? And these are pretty small samples. Oh well, going in my trade bucket.

Dr. Brandt pores no more pore refiner primer – I totally expected this to be clear, but it has a nude tint to it. It applies well and certainly does the job of mattifying. I’m not sure if the pore refining is supposed to help heal my skin over time or if it’s just to reduce the appearance of pores when it’s on. If it’s the latter, then it did a good job. I’d consider getting this if I ever run out of the current primer tubes I have.

Lord & Berry kajal kohl eye pencil – Oh, this is fabulous. I just used a little on my lower lid to help make it look like I actually had some sort of lash action going there. It was so easy to apply and felt great. Certainly didn’t irritate my inner eye and felt perfectly fine. I’m a fan and I’d totally get this again if I ever find I actually manage to use up the endless supply of eye liners I have already.

Urban Decay Perversion mascara – For statement lashes, this will be my choice. Sometimes I want my lashes to stand out more and this one gets the job done. It does get dry after a day of use though, and I’m forgetful and rub my face a lot, so I kind of ended up with raccoon eyes later in the day. Got to be careful with that. The packaging on this is sick too. Totally slick, elegant, and cool.

This almost makes me consider keeping my subscription, but I really don’t need to keep accumulating products. I’d like to focus on actually using them for awhile. One day I’ll update my eDivv shop and put in the blush samples.

[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 bag and wanted to share what I got!]

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