Goodies Co. September Taster’s Box review

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goodies co box september 2013 contents

Here’s my September Taster’s Box #3, which included a bottle of Nestle Pure Life Splash in Acai Grape, Mario Pitted Snack Olives, barefruit Fuji Red Apple chips, Kashi Sundried Tomato, Basil & Feta Hummus Crisps, Numi Savory Tea in Spinach Chive, Zone Perfect Greek Yogurt Chocolate bar, and Attiki honey. You can find my unboxing video online soon.

I was super surprised by the Nestle Pure Life Splash since I didn’t expect it to have such a strong flavor. I thought it’d be like those waters at hotels where they put some fruits in there to give it a hint of flavor. Instead it’s this sort of indescribable drink that is like drinking water with the taste of juice. Pretty good! I’m not really a fan of olives, but I gave Mario Pitted Snack Olives a chance. Since they’re seasoned with spices, I thought they might taste kind of like a pickled vegetable and I love almost anything brined! Unfortunately, I still don’t like that olive taste though I did like the firm texture of the olives. It tasted a bit bitter to me to though and I can’t say I’ll ever want to eat olives, no matter how they’re flavored. On a completely different note, the barefruit Crunchy Fuji Red Apple chips are something I really like. It’s not new to me but it’s something I enjoy so I certainly enjoy having a little bag to bring to work! Out of the apple types, this is my absolute fav too. Then there’s the Kashi Sundried Tomato, Basil & Feta Hummus Crisps, which are yummy! They have a stronger flavor than the sea salt ones I got to try for free from BzzAgent but I like them both depending on whether I want a strong taste or something more mild. When it comes to the Numi Savory Tea I must admit I’m intimidated. Spinach and chive tea?! I don’t know about that… I’ll have to try it out soon before I lose the nerve, haha. Next up is the Zone Perfect Greek Yogurt Chocolate bar that is quite good. I don’t normally eat bars, but I could see myself eating this regularly after a workout (if I ever worked out!). And then there was the Attiki honey that had me confused at first – was it supposed to go with something? I guess it’s a stand-alone sample and I’m not sure if it’s normal that mine is less than half full. It’s pretty good with a more intense flavor than the honey I’m used to. That must be the thyme they used to make the honey with!

This time the box was ok for me, with some items I already knew and a few I’m not so sure about. There were a few I do enjoy and would definitely get more of though! What did you get in your Goodies box? What are your thoughts on these snacks?

Treatsie September 2013 review

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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.

treatsie box artisan candy subscription with new shiny sticker label

This time around the label was new and shiny.

new shiny label on treatsie box artisan candy subscription

See how it reflects the light? The old labels were a paper that was matte.

treatsie september box contents with nut brittle, cookies, and marshmallow squares

Oh my yum.

treatsie september box with morning glory confections chai tea & cashew artisan brittleMorning Glory Confections Chai Tea & Cashew Artisan Brittle: Ooo, what an exotic-sounding brittle. I’ve only ever had peanut brittle, which is one of the few things with peanuts that I actually like! This is with chai tea flavor and cashews, which is very fragrant and warm. It’s such a perfect treat for the fall and the crunchiness is super satisfying. Watch out if you have sensitive teeth and can’t bite very hard! Might want to put part of a piece in your mouth to let it soften first. Or, if you like hard candies like me you can just dig right in.

treatsie september box with katherine anne confections vanilla black pepper and cinnamon sugar marshmallowsKatherine Anne Confections Vanilla Black Pepper and Cinnamon Sugar Marshmallows: The texture of these marshmallows are amazing – soft and supple yet they just melt in your mouth when you bite in. NOM! I loved the uniqueness of the Vanilla Black Pepper, which was sweet with a kick. So much fun! And of course the Cinnamon Sugar was a lovely sweet aromatic flavor for those of you who don’t want the contrast of sweet and spicy.

treatsie september box with grey ghost bakery cinnamon pecan, chocolate espresso, and molasses spice cookiesGrey Ghost Bakery Cinnamon Pecan, Chocolate Espresso, and Molasses Spice Cookies: I think one of these is the amazing smell that came wafting up as I was opening the box. Namely, the Cinnamon Pecan, but I can’t be sure because there were so many cinnamon items in the box! I love it; it totally reminded me of the fall season. The Cinnamon Pecan is a crisp sort of cookie, which is a bit crumbly. The taste is good but I like more soft cookies. I don’t like espresso flavors so I’m saving it for someone else. My favorite was the Molasses Spice that was just the right softness, sweet and fragrant, and had fabulous sugar granules. Oh yes, please.

Did you get a Treatsie box? How do you like these fall-inspired treats?

[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 September 2013: Classic Beauty

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Alright! My Ipsy bag arrived on Monday but I’ve been getting home from work kind of late so it’s always too busy at night for me to do a proper video or get pictures (plus the lighting isn’t as nice). Sooo I made sure to get those pictures taken today for this post. 🙂 Oh, and I have the video up now!

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 september 2013 bag items with card including cailyn tinted lip balm in big apple, nyx eye shadow in fantasy, it's so big volumizing mascara, freeman paper masks in rose, star fruit, and blue agave, and starlooks eye pencil in obsidian

I just wanted to note that this was the flattest bag yet, to the point that I almost doubted there was anything in the pouch before I opened it! Funny how that works.

collage of cailyn tinted lip balm in big apple from ipsy september 2013 classic beauty bagCailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Big Apple – keep. I quite enjoy the unique shape of Cailyn products. I haven’t really gotten to use the purple eyeliner I traded for from a previous bag, but I did have some fun with it (and discovered I really suck at making good lines). Now this is something I can’t really mess up! The red is more bright and bold than I’d choose for myself, but since it came in my bag I’m all for it. Totally into non-lipstick lip products these days, including lip balms, tinted lip balms, and lip scrubs.

collage of nyx eye shadow in fantasy from ipsy september 2013 classic beauty bagNYX Eye Shadow in Fantasy – trade. This one was unavoidable since everyone got one and while it’s cute, I just don’t use eye shadow. Definitely going up on the trade list, as with any other eye shadow I will ever get. I’ll give Ipsy a pass on this since it wasn’t one of the items that you might have gotten – it was one for all the bags and IpsyMatch certainly can’t unmatch you to a staple item.

collage of it's so big volumizing mascara by elizabeth mott from ipsy september 2013 classic beauty bagIt’s So Big Volumizing Mascara by Elizabeth Mott – keep. I’ve started to use a little mascara here and there for work, so this will come in handy. I’m still looking for one that is really waterproof/smudge proof since I always forget and end up rubbing my eyes. I don’t enjoy looking like a raccoon for half the day! We’ll see how this one performs. Volumizing is cool and all, but what I really need is one that will stay on my lashes until I decide to wash it off with oil or makeup remover.

three freeman facial paper masks in brightening rose, purifying star fruit, and hydrating blue agaveFreeman Paper Masks in Rose, Star Fruit, and Blue Agave – keep. These I’m excited about!! I enjoy masks of all sorts and I’ve been trying a bunch but these would be my first paper masks in a long time. I’ve never tried Freeman before so I’m excited to see what they have to offer. These masks seem really nourishing and I absosultely love that they included three different ones to try! Almost makes up for the fact that they gave me all these eye products that I don’t really use. I’m probably going to want to repurchase these at some point.

collage of starlooks eye pencil in obsidian from ipsy september 2013 classic beauty bagStarlooks Eye Pencil in Obsidian – trade. So this is the one I’m most disappointed in, since I already had to get the eye shadow that I won’t use and now I’m getting this pencil that I won’t use, PLUS it’s a product that came in a previous bag. If they had to do that, I would have been fine with a Pop Crayon since I traded mine and then decided I wanted to try one, haha. Even better would have been the Butter London nail polish, which is something I actually really want. Definitely going to try my luck trading for one of those, though I don’t know what colors people got.

Ok, so it looks like IpsyMatch either faltered a bit or just didn’t want to give me the cool high-value nail polish I would have enjoyed a lot. Well, it’s always a risk and at least I’m happy with the masks and I’ll be trying out two of the other items. Thank goodness for trading! Oh, and the bag itself is cute. I like the round zipper tab and the more subtle design. The summer bags have been more flashy and fun so it’s nice to get a change from that.

So what do you think of the items I got? What came in your Ipsy bag 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 bag and wanted to share what I got!]

Homegrown Collective August 2013 projects

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Are you ready to see the results of my Homegrown Collective August box?! I sure had a ton of fun with it. 🙂

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.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for growing alfalfa sprouts with instruction sheet

I started off with the alfalfa sprouts project.

pile of alfalfa seeds in layer at bottom of glass ball jar

I put in just enough to cover the bottom of the jar.

pile of alfalfa seeds submerged in water in glass ball jar

I then filled with plenty of water to submerge them, though I had some floaters.

collage of alfalfa seeds submerged in water after one day then getting water strained out

The next day, the water had browned and I poured it out. It was hard to get the screen on underneath the lid! It’s a tight fit. I rolled the jar and shook it so the seeds got spread around.

collage of alfalfa seeds sprouted in glass ball jar after two days

By the third day, they’d sprouted! I was so surprised I actually gasped out loud when I saw it.

collage of alfalfa sprouts growing in glass ball jar

On the fourth day they continued to grow and I tried to get the remaining seeds to sprout by giving them more space.

collage of alfalfa sprouts growing in glass ball jar filling area

By the fifth day, I noticed that they had orientated themselves upwards even though there was no sun where I kept them. Guess they just knew which way is up!

collage of alfalfa sprouts full grown in glass ball jar and removed

Just six days in and they were definitely full grown and ready to come out. I let the brown seed covers float up and dumped them out.

tray of full grown alfalfa sprouts with green heads after getting sunlight

I then let them sit out in the sun and the heads went from yellow to green. Ready to eat! I had some but gosh, this was waaay more than I could handle.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for making green tea & lavender epsom salt bath soak with instruction sheet

Next up was a lovely bath soak to pamper myself!

pile of green tea mixed with fresh lavender for bath soak in muslin bag

I put together a few scoops of green tea and some lavender flowers in the muslin bag and mixed them up.

collage of green tea and lavender bath soak with epsom salts and muslin bag filled with tea and lavender flowers in tub

I ran really hot water, put in epsom salts that quickly dissolved, let the tea bag sit in the running water, and then let the bag float around the tub.

green tea leaves and lavender flowers emptied from inside of muslin bag

After my relaxing soak, I flipped the bag inside out to get the tea out, rinsed the rest off, and let it dry for next time.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for dark chocolate pomegranate wonder cup snacks with instruction sheet

Finally, I got around to trying the pomegranate chocolate cups!

collage of steps to peel pomegranate from cutting skin to removing seeds and soaking in water

It was a slow process ensuring I got the seeds out as whole as possible, but I was rewarded with a nice pile of them.

collage of melting chocolate, drying pomegranate seeds, and putting pomegranate seeds into paper cups

I don’t have a double boiler, so I melted the chocolate with a bowl in the pot. I boiled the water too much and water got in, but it turned out ok. I nearly forgot to pat dry the seeds before putting them in the cups!

collage of melted chocolate and pomegranate seeds then pouring chocolate over the seeds in paper cups

I poured the melted chocolate over the seeds and just about overfilled the cups. I generously sprinkled the salt flakes on top and put it all the in fridge. It came out looking not much different and tasted fantastic, even with my messed up chocolate.

silicone cat-shaped ice cube tray with pomegranate seeds inside

I decided to have some fun with it and make some with my cat-shaped ice cube tray! I accidentally messed up the chocolate again so it didn’t turn out to well, but I’m totally trying again later. Nom!!

So what do you think? Jealous yet? 😉 I loved each of these projects and will definitely be doing them again. I’m also looking forward to the upcoming box!!

If you’re interested in getting it yourself, sign up here!

[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!]

Blissmobox: Spring Picnic

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This was the March box and I chose the Spring Picnic one because I had already gotten the Skin’n’Hair Care box and I didn’t need cleaning supplies. It had also been quite some time since I’d gotten a food theme from them, so I decided to take a break from my beauty binge.

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.

the choices for march's blissmobox: spring picnic, fresh & clean, and skin'n'hair care

The three choices for the March blissmobox.

I totally sucked at taking pictures for these items so I’ll just show you the overall box and share one product picture. I’d go back and take pictures of what I have but they’re not at this location.

opened blissmobox march 2013 with contents and info card displayed

dang foods toasted coconut chip flakes in palm of handDang, Toasted Coconut Chips – Ok, I had to lead with these coconut chips. They are so freakin’ addicting. In fact, now that I am reminded of them I’m totally going out and buying some more. This is the one product photo I do have to share so you can see what the flakes look like. These are bits that are on the smaller size, but you get the idea. It’s so hard to describe this snack – it’s a little sweet and you can feel the coconut oil a bit as you’re eating it, but it’s not greasy. I love the fragrance and the crunchiness that is super crisp. You’ve really got to go try these. I’m developing more and more of a taste for coconut stuff and this product really makes me a coconut fan.

KIND, Dark Chocolate & Cranberry Clusters – These clusters are hard and crisp, so they’d be great with some yogurt. I actually did buy some yogurt cups to eat them with, but I tend to like softer granola so I didn’t end up eating much. The flavor was good but the texture was too hard for my preference. It’s one of those snacks I can feel grinding in my stomach so I can only eat a little at a time.

KIND Plus, Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + Protein bars – Oh, these look yummy but I’m just not that into peanut butter. I gave them to my dad to eat and I haven’t seen them since so I’m pretty sure they were enjoyed. 🙂 I do want to try their other bars sometime.

Earth Science, Daily Sun Defense Lotion SPF 15+ – This is a nice hefty bottle of lotion that will be great for use on the entire body whenever you’re going outside. I haven’t opened it let since I have so many lotions, but I do look forward to slathering this on after a shower. It’s definitely something I’ll use more in the warmer months so it is currently stowed away.

FoodShouldTasteGood, Sweet Potato tortilla chips – I was really looking forward to these chips, but found them to be somewhat greasy. I didn’t like the texture too much and the taste was very notable. Still, I’d give them another try and I just discovered they have a new Kimchi flavor, which I’m super curious about.

CleanWell, All-Natural Hand Sanitizing Wipes – Hand wipes are super handy to have in a purse or car. You never know when you might not be able to wash your hands and you want to clean them of something. These are a win in my book! I love that they’re all natural and disinfecting.

The snacks in this box were good to try even if I didn’t like them all and I’m so glad the Dang chips were in there because they just rock. I can definitely see these items being brought along for a picnic, along with some fresh food. What do you think of these items?

Yuzen Fall 2013 edition (August-October) review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Yay it’s Yuzen fall time! I’m glad that the weather is still acting like it’s summer since I haven’t gotten enough of the warm days just yet. But hey if fall has to come then what better way than with a lovely Yuzen box? 🙂 I got this before my UK trip but didn’t have time to review it until now. As you can see, the lighting on my pictures got worse and worse as I lost sunlight. Ah, the new challenges of working away from home. So are you ready?! Here are the wonderful products from the August-October box (unboxing video coming).

Yuzen is now $33 per quarter (it was $26 before but now they started including more products with the seasonal frequency) and each comes with around 7 or 8 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent quarterly (Feb, May, Aug, and Nov) 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.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them 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). :)

This is the first time they’re using the new packaging, so I wanted to show you that first.

new yuzen box exterior box in rectangular shape with blue flowers on brown cardboard

The new box keeps the same coloring as the previous, but with larger flowers and a narrower shape.

new yuzen interior box fits perfectly into exterior box

Now there is an interior box, which fits just right into that exterior box.

new yuzen interior box in rectangular shape with white flowers on aqua background

The interior box is a nice cardboard perfect for reusing!

yuzen box fall 2013 warm red theme with red tissue paper and red and pink yuzen paper

The inside remains similarly packaged. No more ribbon tying the box together.

yuzen box fall 2013 contents in organza bag

The dimensions of the box now match the organza bag size quite well!

yuzen box fall 2013 with info cards and business cards on bottom

Each brand’s promotional material can be found underneath the products.

collage of unboxed fall 2013 yuzen boxes

Two of the variations for the fall box.

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.

collage of verve organics soul sister lavender nut sugar scrub tubVerve Organicssoul sister scrub: I love me a scrub! This is the first one I’ve gotten that is dry like this, so that was a change. They have large grains of sugar so you can rub and rub and rub. I wasn’t sure what to do with it – put some in my hand and get it wet or get the area I want to rub wet and start scrubbing. It was a new experience for me and I really enjoyed the nutty sweet scent. I do wish it was a little more held together by something liquid since it was hard to keep the grains from just falling away unused.

collage of coola organic face mineral sunscreen unscented spf 20 sample tubeCOOLA Suncareface spf 20 unscented: I’ve used their cucumber facial sunscreen from one of the earlier Yuzen boxes and I have a similar sample of the rose scented sunscreen from Ipsy, so it’s nice to have the unscented as well. I’m keeping this sealed until I’ve worked through more of my current sunscreens (which I’m not very good at doing since I always forget to apply them). If it’s anything like the cucumber one, then I will like it because it absorbs really well for a light layer that doesn’t grease up my skin.

collage of ajara skincare ayurvedic beauty tridoshic bath tea bag sachetAjara Ayurvedic BeautyTridoshic Bath Tea: This smells really healing! It’s such a pretty combination of flowers and plants that it’s a shame all of that is hidden in a muslin bag. I love that everything is organic and it’s all plants that I recognize. I just took a tea bath recently so I’m not quite ready to use this one, but if I ever have a long day where I need some healing, this will be my first choice.

collage of torie & howard organic hard candy in blood orange & honey tinTorie & Howardblood orange & honey hard candy: Yes! How could you go wrong with blood orange and honey in a candy? Make it organic and it’s even better. I appreciate the individually-wrapped pieces since I was afraid I’d find one giant clump of hard candy (you know what I’m talking about). I love the packaging and the tin can is very well made. It’s not hard to open yet the lid doesn’t fall off. Great design right there. The candies have a cute little TH imprint on them and you can throw a few pieces anywhere you want them handy, or just take the whole tin along. 🙂

collage of juice beauty organic green apple peel for sensitive skin tubJuice Beauty – Green Apple Peel Sensitive: I have the Blemish Clearing version of the peel so I did a side by side comparison on my face. One half was covered with my original one and one half was covered with this one. At first the Sensitive one tingled more than the Blemish Clearing one, but then it soothed while the BC one continued to feel warm and tingle a bit. The formula for this one is milkier/creamier, which might be part of the soothing action. It smelled creamier to me too.

collage of acure cell stimulating body wash bottle with moroccan argan stem cell, argan oil, and sea buckthornAcureargan cell stimulating body wash: I really need to try a different scent from Acure! In the January Yuzen box we got the shampoo and conditioner in almond scent, which I found just didn’t suit my fragrance preference. This body wash also smells like that so I’m going to have to pass on it and have Panda try it for me. I do like the concept of argan stem cells, though I have no clue what that means. I’m also just a little obsessed with sea buckthorn after the Sibu product in the December Yuzen box, so I wish I liked this scent.

collage of sanitas vita-rich serum bottlesanitasVita-Rich Serum: Part of their Moisturize line of products, this is a super rich serum. A single squirt was way too much for my face so it really packs a punch. I think two drops would have been more than enough for my entire face, so you can imagine that this would last a long time! Since I accidentally over-applied I had to rub it in for quite awhile. It still left my face a bit shiny since I couldn’t absorb all that, so definitely be careful when dispensing it. This is probably best used at night for your bedtime routine.

collage of sphatika with elixir of quartz crystal rose cleansing foam bottle face washSphatikaRose Cleansing Foam: Ok, this already wins because it’s a foaming dispenser. I get such a kick out of these and I really enjoy washing my face with pre-foamed cleansers. Elixir of quartz crystal sounds super fancy but of course is something I know nothing about. Nonetheless, I liked this product and found it to be very soothing. It’s supposed to be gentle enough for babies so that makes sense! Apparently the Bulgarian Rose Oil they use is rare (and hey I’ve never heard of it, so it must not be that common).

collage of sphatika with elixir of quartz crystal vitamin a night creme bottleSphatikaVitamin A Night Creme: If you didn’t get the foaming wash then you would have gotten this Sphatika product instead. It’s a rich night creme with a nice light scent I can’t quite place. I enjoyed the slightly flowery slightly herbal smell of it and found it to be very relaxing. It’s anti-aging too, which is a nice bonus. I’m so glad I got to try both Sphatika products! Being a Yuzen Ambassador rocks. 😀

What a lovely healing box we got this time around, perfect for the transition to fall. These products offer more protection for your skin as the seasons change and your skin adjusts to colder weather (unless of course you live in a tropical or desert region!). I really get a sense of warmth from this set of products that’s totally fitting for the change to autumn. I also love the new box design! The inner box is now going to house my nail polish collection and I’m sure I will find many uses as I accrue them.

Did you get this Yuzen box? Which version did you receive? What was your favorite product?

 

Goodies Co. August Taster’s Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , ,
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So ever since I first heard of Goodies, Panda and I have been signed up simultaneously. Many months we’ve gotten the exact same box so we’ve decided to cut out his subscription and just keep mine. At first we thought it’d be hard to share and we’d want to try everything out for ourselves, but we’re buried in snacks so I think sharing will be nice. 🙂

goodies co box august 2013 contents

For August, I got Taster’s Box #7, which came with Ojo Mango & Blackcurrant fortified eye care nectar, Snyder’s eatsmart naturals Garden Veggie Crisps, Poplets sea salt & butter toasted corn centers, Tangy Zangy Twisties sour candy, Orion One and Only Cookie-Cracker, and Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen Hawaiian Hazelnut liquid coffee brewstick. Check out my unboxing video to hear my initial reactions.

I was curious about the mango and blackcurrant taste of the Ojo eye care nectar since I’ve never seen that flavor combination before and I have no clue what an “eye care nectar” is. It actually reminded me of a very strong undiluted orange squash* and I’m not sure how I feel about the taste. It’s not bad, but it is different from what I’m used to. But hey, if it actually makes my eyes better I should definitely drink more of it! My first thought when I saw the Snyder’s Garden Veggie Crisps was that the flavors are the same as the Veggie Straws I was once addicted to. Once I tried them, I found them to be nothing like those snacks, which are more airy and salty. These crisps are very crunchy and somewhat tasteless. Great if you’re sick of normal greasy oversalted chips and want to still chomp on something crisp. I like my snacks super salty though. Next up was the Poplets toasted corn centers, which is kind of like eating the taste of popcorn but just the kernels. They’re a bit too hard for me and I can feel them grinding through my stomach. Very nice taste that is flavorful without being overwhelming though! Moving on to sweet treats with the Tangy Zangy Twisties, which are chewy sour candies in short segments of rainbow-colored cylinders. Yum! I love sour candies and this is a wonderful balance of sweet and sour. I love the chewiness of the twists as well. The Orion One and Only Cookie-Crackers are addicting!! There were a ton of thin cracker cookies inside and Panda and I managed to gobble through nearly all of them. I had to exercise restraint so I could enjoy some more later. They’re crisp but not too hard and what a fabulous combination of sweet and salty! I’m pretty sure I’ve had something similar from an Asian market before and I’m surprised I haven’t been addicted this whole. Definitely need more of this. Finally, there’s the Barnie’s Coffee Kitchen liquid coffee stick that I shall have to pass on to Panda since I don’t drink coffee. I like the idea of its convenience, though we’ll have to see about the flavor quality.

Overall a good box, with items I really liked and others that were interesting to try (and now I know what they’re like). Did you get a Goodies box too? What do you think of these snacks?

 

*In the UK they have squash drinks that are concentrated juices that you dilute with water to drink. To my American eyes though, that word makes me think of a vegetable. So just to clarify, I meant it in the drink sense!

Homegrown Collective August 2013 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Woo hoo! My long-awaited FIRST Homegrown Collective box is in my possession and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve had my eye on them since I first saw reviews for them months ago and I got the 12-month subscription as soon as I had a job in the bag. 🙂

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.

The August theme is “superfood-detoxifying-antioxi- …docious” (sing it to “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious*”) and it features three superfoods: alfalfa sprouts, green tea, pomegranate, and cacao as a bonus one. The projects include two food ones and a spa/luxury one! Oh I can’t wait. 😀 Also, check out my unboxing video! [update: projects were completed and you can see how I did]

the homegrown collective box wrapped in plastic layers

It came all wrapped in plastic as if something might leak. Everything was fine though!

inside of homegrown collective box with the homegrown collective sticker on brown paper wrapping

Opening the box…

the homegrown collective august 2013 info sheets in plastic insert

August theme revealed! Love their info cards.

I really enjoy how they have separate cards for each project, but make each one a different size so you can see all the labels like this. So creative and such great design.

contents of the homegrown collective august 2013 box with super food theme

All the products laid out. Fabulous!!

Project #1, alfalfa sprouts: I love a little bit of sprouts in a sandwich or salad, so I’m pretty excited about these. It takes a little less than a week so I shall report back later and share my experience. I hope they taste as good as the ones I get in my food! Then again, how could you mess it up when it’s just water and seeds pretty much, right? Haha hope I don’t kick myself for saying that later on…

the homegrown collective august 2013 project growing alfalfa sprouts

First up, the alfalfa sprouts.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for growing alfalfa sprouts

All you need is the seeds, a jar, and some mesh! Add water and let it grow, let it grow, let it grow…

Project #2, detoxify your body: I loooved the scent of the green tea and the lavender. I’m so excited for this bath soak! Not only will it be relaxing and smell amazing, I can get some detoxing done as well. Perfect.

the homegrown collective august 2013 project making green tea & lavender epsom salt bath soak

Next up is the detoxifying bath soak.

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for making green tea & lavender epsom salt bath soak

Pretty simple to use – just soak! Smells wonderful. 🙂

Project #3, cacao & pomegranates: This sounds unbelievably tasty. I love dark chocolate and pomegranate, but have never thought about making a snack like this. I can’t wait to make them and I’ll report back on a follow-up post with the results of all these projects.

the homegrown collective august 2013 project making dark chocolate pomegranate wonder cup snacks

Finally, an antioxidant-filled treat, oh yes!!

the homegrown collective august 2013 products for making dark chocolate pomegranate wonder cup snacks

Now this is the way to get me in the kitchen. I love snacks!

the homegrown collective august 2013 info sheet describing contents of box and benefits of super foods

And to round it all up, you can learn about these super foods and make sure you got all the items needed to complete the projects!

Do you subscribe to The Homegrown Collective as well? What was your favorite project from this month?

*I tried to spell it on my own and I actually got it right! Yeah, I’m proud.

[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!]

Blissmobox: Splendid Spa

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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This was a special offer box for Valentine’s (yeah, yeah it was ages ago… I’m getting close to caught up!) and I chose the Splendid Spa one because I wanted to treat myself. I’d seen this offered before and I didn’t get it, so this was perfect. At the $20 price point, I felt like it was a decent deal.

blissmobox valentine's day sale box choices splendid spa & relaxation and night lovin' blissmobox valentine's day sale box choices naturally his and fair trade favoritesThere were four boxes on sale for the Valentine’s blissmobox special.

I got an even better deal when they accidentally sent out a different box (Skin’n’Hair Care) and then had some customer services issues that ultimately led to me getting refunded. I can’t remember the details, but there was quite a bit of confusion and ultimately I still got what I wanted though I almost didn’t receive this box.opened blissmobox valentine's 2013 special deal with contents displayed

collage of choice organic teas box of twenty included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxChoice Organic Teas, Jasmine Green Tea – I’ve got a major backlog in tea, so these are still neatly packaged waiting for me to break them in. I do enjoy the fragrance of jasmine tea and these will be great to bring along when I’m traveling. I love that they’re organic since the flavor probably tastes better that way. I’m also considering keeping these as a gift or to use as part of a giveaway basket eventually.

collage of hellomellow energy shifting spray in relax included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxhellomellow, energy shifting spray in relax – Misting myself is so much fun! A little spray of this on my face is perfect to help soothe me. I tried to use it to help me sleep but that didn’t work out so well, so I think this is best suited for a refresher in the daytime when I want a little bit of calming scent. This is a brand I’ve long been interested in and I definitely want to try out more of their line.

collage of level naturals shower bombs box of four included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxLevel Naturals, Shower Bomb – Wow, so minty! These will definitely wake you right up and help unclog any stuffed noses. Sometimes I like to get a whiff of them just to clear up my sinuses. I’ve been saving them to use when I start work and need to wake up early in the morning! I really feel like half would be plenty for a shower, so I’m going to get a good 8 showers out of this.

tin of scentsbyeilena nail rescue cuticle creamScentsbyEilena, Nail Rescue – At first I thought the card was for this product since it was stuck to it, but it turns out that it was an info card for hellomellow, so ignore the background in the picture! This is sealed so I didn’t want to open it until I’ve used up some of my cuticle oil. It’s a very small brand that I think might no longer be in business unfortunately. I’ve never understood what healthy vs. unhealthy cuticles look like so I can never tell if these things work.

collage of olive remedy cuticle cream included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxOlive Remedy, cuticle cream – Hmm, interesting that they chose to include two cuticle creams in one box! I mean, how much could one person possibly use? I think the concept of this one is really cool, using olive oil for their main ingredient. That’s new to me since I generally think of it as something you eat or perhaps rub into your hair. Apparently it’s great for sensitive skin though, so even babies could use it! Not that their cuticles need any conditioning…

collage of dream water sleep aid in snoozeberry included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxDream Water, Snoozeberry – I think this might have been the very first Dream Water I received. Since then I’ve gotten many from various boxes and I think I still have 4 more to drink. They’ll come in useful as I try to recover from jetlag and get into work mode. I’ve found that one bottle feels like a lot and I only drank 3/4 when I tried it. I’ll force myself to guzzle the whole thing this weekend and see if it knocks me out or what.

Normally there’d be more info on these brands, but this time there was just a welcome message.

blissmobox splendid spa & relaxation info sheet

Treatsie August review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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The sweetest box out there has made its way to my doorstep, in my suitcase, and now to my tummy! Here’s what came in my latest Treatsie box:

treatsie box artisan candy subscription

The Treatsie box. So nice for repurposing!

treatsie august box first look

First look at the August box.

treatsie august box contents with chocolate bar, caramels, and lollipops

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.

treatsie august box with this charming candy blackberry + hibiscus and watermelon~basil lollipopsThis Charming Candy blackberry + hibiscus and watermelon~basil lollipops: What cool flavors! I really like how they use some more unique pairings that you wouldn’t typically find in a candy. I tried the watermelon basil and it reminds me of a watermelon basil lemonade I had at a Gogobot event. The flavor is a wonderful blend of sweet and refreshing, perfect for the summer months! I’m really looking forward to the blackberry hibiscus as well, which I think will be a nice sweet and slightly tart taste. Super cute candies for slowing down with. I can definitely relax with one of these and take a few minutes to stop what I’m doing.

treatsie august box with seattle chocolates birthday cake batter milk chocolate truffle barSeattle Chocolates Birthday Cake Batter milk chocolate truffle bar: I’ve seen these around and planned on trying them at some point, so this is perfect! Apparently you could get one of three flavors and I’m pretty happy with this one. I wouldn’t have minded the S’mores flavor either! There’s a layer of confetti cake mix in the center of this chocolate bar, giving it some grittiness and a crunch. The chocolate is rich and creamy and the bar as a whole is super sweet. Just a small piece at a time will satisfy that sweet tooth!

treatsie august box with slade grove creative gourmet watermelon infused and vanilla latte caramelsSlade Grove Creative Gourmet Watermelon Infused & Vanilla Latte caramels: Wow, just when I thought I’d seen some pretty creative caramel flavors (like coconut milk caramels), I’m proven wrong. I never would have thought to include watermelon flavoring in a caramel! It’s pretty cool – kind of like eating a caramel AND watermelon taffy in one. The vanilla latte is a strong flavor and in not a coffee fan so I’m passing this on to someone else.

Did you get this box too? What did you think?

[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!]

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