Homegrown Collective September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I’m super sad I missed out on the August Homegrown Collective box. Mitchell of Homegrown kindly reached out to me when my annual subscription was about to end and offered me a discount. I was waiting for a new credit card I wanted to use to renew my subscription and I guess the payment didn’t make it in in time for last month’s box. I’m happy to be getting boxes again though!

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 melt & pour homegrown collective box with the info sheets on the inner lid contents of the homegrown collective september 2014 box with melt & pour theme

Project #1, charcoal & cedarwood soap: I’m a huge sucker for soaps of all types and I can’t wait to make these! This charcoal one will be particularly useful for me since I’ve recently gone through yet another round of annoyingly large and painful breakouts. I just can’t seem to keep my acne at bay. This soap will be great at helping to calm down all that craziness. Before I knew what the little jar of black charcoal was, I thought it was just an empty jar painted black on the inside. I opened it to look inside and nearly spilled the powder everywhere! Whoops.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project charcoal & cedarwood soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for charcoal & cedarwood soap

Project #2, dead sea salt & lavender soap: This will be a more standard soap and I just love that I’ll get to mix in those dried lavender flowers. That’s going to be fun to use! I think I’ll probably cut the luffa in half and use one piece for this soap so I can get some exfoliation from it too. What fun! I love lathering up in the shower and this soap will certainly make it enjoyable.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project dead sea salt & lavender soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for dead sea salt & lavender soap

Project #3, oatmeal, luffa & tuberose soap: Another great soothing soap that will be good for my skin. I really enjoyed my oatmeal soap from a brand I discovered at Green Festival DC 2012. I hope this soap foams as well as that one did! I’ll be using the other half of the luffa in this soap. I’m also really happy to have a grater, so now I can use it for future kitchen needs if they arise. As always, I love the tools that come with these projects.

the homegrown collective september 2014 project oatmeal, luffa, & tuberose soap info card the homegrown collective september 2014 products for oatmeal, luffa, & tuberose soap

I have a ton of soaps I’m working through but I always want more. These are totally going to have a cool factor because I get to make them myself! I had been meaning to get a soap-making kit and try it out sometime, so this will be a great start. There’s pride in being able to make something!

the homegrown collective september 2014 melt & pour info card

Honestly, you should be getting the Homegrown Collective for yourself, pronto. I’ve been with them a year and I still can’t get enough of the cool home projects they’ve sent to help me live a greener life.

[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!]

Chalkfest

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Gosh, I meant to share this a month ago right after Chalkfest occurred in Reston, but somehow the time just flew by! There are always a ton of activities happening in the town center and this was one that my company, Canvas, decided to participate in. They got a space for our graphic designer to to add her contribution to the event. Check out what she drew starting the day before the event and a bunch of other chalk art from that day:

chalkfest reston space on ground for professional artist drawing

This is the space for Canvas, right as things were getting started.

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of colorful owl in progress

A few hours later, I took a break from work to check in on things. Making good progress!

aerial view of chalkf art drawing of owl for chalkfest reston

As my colleagues were leaving work for the day, they stopped to admire the drawing.

Here are some of the entries from people of all ages and artistic abilities… what’s your fav?

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of woman's portrait chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of festive cultural people and halloween items chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of woman in dress and hat chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of star wars characters

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of dolphins and maze

On the right, the maze was drawn by a 42 (or was it 47?) year old man, which was amusing.

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of green and red snake or dragon

Someone went rogue and drew in the pathway, just to make their mark.

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of silhouette of girl blowing dandelion chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of alice in wonderland scene

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of rainforest animals

This was one of the professional artist entries. I believe it won first place!

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of colorful owl with canvas logo

Woo hoo! The Canvas owl got third!!

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of cat holding light saber riding unicorn over rainbow chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of landscape picture on artist's chair of landscape drawn for chalkfest reston chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of flower design with candle in middle

high score of 8058 in game of threes on ipad

We wandered into the Apple Store for a break and discovered the game of Threes. I’d say we did pretty well.

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of octopus holding astronaut bear chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of host rcc

lady walking around reston town center with snake at chalkfest reston

There was a random lady walking around with her snake, which attracted a fair share of folks.

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of silhouettes of buildings in dc

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of starry night trampled over rudely by inconsiderate people

It was so sad to see people had trampled all over this and messed it all up! #rude

chalkfest reston chalk art drawing of crunch fitness logo

Fabletics Seychelles Outfit (Cayman Top + Rocha Legging) review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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I’ve been experimenting with sheer, so when I saw this Seychelles outfit, I had to try it out. With both the top and bottom incorporating a bit of sheerness, it’s definitely more risque than I’m normally comfortable with. The leggings are just so different I love it!

Fabletics is just under $50 per outfit credit and comes with a 2- or 3-piece set of athletic wear. Each month, three outfits are selected for you to choose from at the 1 outfit credit price point. You can always get other outfits at their VIP pricing of $50-80 (2- and 3- pieces available) or buy any individual item separately. Outfits are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that earns you money towards free outfits.

Get your first outfit for half off with my referral link! All fitted Fabletics items are chafe-resistant and feature four-way stretch for comfort and movement.

collage of front, back, and zip pocket of fabletics cayman top in white

Cayman Top in White

As always, I love the comfort of their designs. This top is super fun and definitely allows for wearing a showy sports bra underneath. When I’m at home, this is a great one to lounge in that offers a little more warmth than a tank top. I like how there’s a little zipper pocket to stick your keys in. The sheer back works nicely to show a bit of skin without totally exposing the back. Love it! Retail value for this is listed as $29.95.

collage of front, back, and hidden pocket of fabletics rocha leggings in black

Rocha Legging in Black

Such a unique design with the use of mesh here. I enjoy the look and feel of these. It’s kind of my little secret, but then people might get a glimpse and wonder if they just saw that right. I do feel like these fit a bit tighter since it’s less elastic all around. They’re almost like compression pants. Totally cute and great to wear out to be different without screaming different. The listed retail value for this is $49.95.

This outfit is another hit with me and I’ve enjoyed wearing both articles multiple times now. This whole sheer thing is still something I’m new to, but I’ve been liking it so far. Try out an outfit for yourself! Sign up for Fabletics to get your first outfit for just $25.

[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 outfit and wanted to share what I got!]

Escape Monthly September: Puerto Rico Box review

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Time to go to a warm climate full of festiveness. This time around, the box got updated with a new look inside and out. They’re also changing how they’re awarding the monthly prize to a subscriber (before it was a random ticket in the box and now it’s based on votes on FB or something).

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

new exterior design of escape monthly box inner lid of escape monthly box with new design and messaging escape monthly september puerto rico box products showing escape monthly september puerto rico box info card escape monthly september puerto rico box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

Nothing in the box was amazing, but I feel like I got a good sense of Puerto Rico from the selections. There are a lot of cute things!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to San Juan, Vieques, & Culebra – Everything about Puerto Rico is new to me, so this will definitely be my go-to whenever a trip to that area is on my radar. I don’t even know these city names and I haven’t a clue what to do or see in this country.

Coqui pin – This is a cute little frog that isn’t useful for much, but symbolizes the region and love. I’d totally love to see them hopping around in front of me and I’m curious if they’d lull me to sleep at night the way crickets do.

El Isleno Plantain Chips – I was never much of a plantain person, so I’m hesitant to try these. I think they’ll be fine, but nothing that would make me want more. I do appreciate the look at a local snack and I’m sure plantains are far more popular there than they are with me.

Yaucono Cafe Puro Puerto Rican coffee – As a non-coffee drinker, I have kindly donated this to Panda’s pile of coffee to drink someday. I’m thinking I might want to just take it to work for someone else to enjoy.

Dulzura Borincana’s Coconut Pineapple candy – These were not at all the color or texture I expected. I thought they’d be white rather than yellow like the pineapple part of the flavoring. I also expected more of a hard candy, but these are like coconut shavings put into a little chewy bar. I didn’t really taste the pineapple. It’s an okay candy, but not something I’d reach for.

Mi Madre Natural hot sauce – I’m a bit nervous about this. I’m a lot better with spicy stuff, but I can’t bring myself to try this yet. I think I need to make a sandwich and drizzle some on so the bread can help absorb some of the heat.

Caribbean Vela Coconut scented candle – This is a fabulous candle that burned really easily. I like how it became clear when melted. I burned through the whole thing in just a few days of enjoyment. The jar is nice and I’ll keep it to put other things in. I’d totally love to have more of these.

Puerto Rican souvenir mini hat  – I’m pretty sure one of my coworkers has this exact type of little hat! It’s cute and I tried to put it on Smokey (she was not amused). After that I guess it’ll go up on a shelf.

tiny straw hat on cat's head

Smokey would not cooperate and sit with the hat on.

cat sniffing tiny straw hat before taking a bite

She sure did love sniffing it and trying to bite it though.

This was a very food-centric box. I liked being introduced to some flavors I’m not as used to, but I would have loved to see something I can use for my body, whether lotion, shampoo, scrub, or otherwise What do you want from this Puerto Rico Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): RICOESCAPE, CARIBBEAN, or LONDON for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

In October we’re off to London!!! I love Britain and I can’t wait to see what will be brought from there. I sure hope to feel like I’m back there visiting.

escape monthly september puerto rico box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of london

[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!]

The most adorable bowls

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Since I’ve been volunteering at the Natural History Museum consistently, I decided to check out some of the nearby places that I’ve been meaning to try. A few months ago, I went to get boba at Teaism. Since then, I’ve eaten there, gotten more tea, and shopped around in their store next door. That Teaism Shop is my new weakness. I’ve bought fancy chocolates there and now, these freakin’ adorable bowls. If I keep going, I’m sure I’ll end up with a variety of teas and accessories as well. I love the size of these, which encourage smaller portions. Plus, the little animals are impossibly cute. I’ll definitely be making these my primary bowls of choice from now on.

set of three mini bowls with a pink bunny, yellow monkey, and blue pig designs small bowl with cartoon monkey design inside small yellow bowl with cartoon monkey design on side small yellow bowl with back of cartoon monkey outline on side small bowl with cartoon pig design inside small blue bowl with cartoon pig design on side small blue bowl with back of cartoon pig outline on side small bowl with cartoon bunny design inside small pink bowl with cartoon bunny design on side small pink bowl with back of cartoon bunny outline on side

October anniversary

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Today Panda and I celebrated our official 6th year together. It’s the first time our anniversary has occurred in October (because it’s the Friday of Zero Week at UCLA), which certainly felt weird. Usually it falls on the last or second to last Friday of September! I had a really busy day at work and tried to leave early, but barely made it out on time. We had our reservation for The Melting Pot at 6 and met there.

melting pot spinach artichoke cheese fondue with bread, chips, vegetables, and fruits for dipping

We started off with the spinach artichoke cheese fondue.

melting pot house salad with house dressing

I got a house salad.

melting pot california salad

He got a California salad.

melting pot entree in mojo cooking style with atlantic salmon, pacific white shrimp, and sauces

Then it was time for the entrees. I got Pacific white shrimp and he got Atlantic salmon.

sixth anniversary gift from the husband

When I returned from the restroom, I found a gift waiting for me! 🙂

I love the way Panda wraps gifts. He always finds some cute piece of paper from an ad or something at home and uses that. This time he carefully chose this design from a calendar! The sides were taped with fun cartoon stickers.

peas in a pod ceramic anniversary gift

What a cute set of chopstick rests and pea pod tray! Hehe.

I wanted to get the current limited edition chocolate fondue with white chocolate, peaches, and almonds, but Panda was full and didn’t want to stay for another course. We compromised by getting a half-dozen box of the chocolate-covered strawberries to go. At home, we opened up the HeatDish he got a Costco a few weeks ago. It’s starting to get cool outside these days. I had to break out my space heater at work, start wearing scarves, and today I even used my heated seats and steering wheel for the first time this season. Fall has arrived and I’m hoping I don’t get sick or freeze.

Petit Vour September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Looks like they teamed up with Logical Harmony again (see last time) for this month’s selections. They also updated the look of their box! Not only is the color different, but the box is slightly taller and less wide than before.

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!).

new petit vour box with darker pink color

The box looks a little different now, with a darker shade of pink.

contents of petit vour september 2014 box with root science moisturizer, lily lolo mineral eye shadow, ellovi tinted lip butter, yarok leave-in conditioner, and info card with beauty & the box theme petit vour september 2014 box info card with item details collage of front and back of root science products info card

Root Science Skincare Facial Moisturizer – Whoa, I did not expect this to be an oil. Is that a new thing? Seems to be pretty popular nowadays. I don’t think I’d go out in the day with a moisturizer like this, but at night it’s a wonderfully healing option. This one has a somewhat nutty, lightly herbal smell. I love how rubbing in oil warms up my face.

Lily Lolo Mineral Eye Shadow in Mudpie – I wish I was into eye shadows, because I’m getting quite the collection of them. This will be going up for trade soon. I don’t think I would have used a color like this even if I did apply eye shadow. It’s so dark! I do like the branding though and I’d love to try something of theirs eventually. I really wish they would have chosen some other type of product since they already included eye shadows from this brand before.

ellovi tinted lip butter – I would have been more excited about this if I hadn’t received the lip butter from this brand in another box. Not counting that, this is a great product that I’m glad to have. I’m glad that I got the tinted version from them, so now I have both the plain and tinted ones to use! I’m a fan of tinted lip balms since it helps add a bit of color to my lips without being obvious and they’re very hydrating too.

Yarok Leave-In Conditioner – Looove this! My hair has never stayed silky for so long and had so much smoother ends. I sprayed some on after showering and let my hair air dry as I always do. It had great results and it smells good too, kind of lemongrassy I think.

Another great box with some really quality products that I look forward to using. I’ll be trading one item, but definitely using the others. Which products did you like best?

[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!]

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