((little fat notebook))

Treatsie July review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: almond nougats, avenuesweets, boxes, brands, brooklynhardcandy, butter rum, candy, caramels, hard candy, key lime, mehlenbacher's, products, reviews, sea salt, snacks, subscriptions, taffy sticks, treatsie, vanilla bean, watermleon

18 July 2013

Yay, my Treatsie July box arrived yesterday! I didn’t get around to checking the mailbox until mid-afternoon on the sweltering day. By the time I opened the package, the cooling pack was soft, but it must have done its job because my treats came in pristine condition!

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.

I promptly kicked Panda out of the room where I needed to do filming and made a video of the unboxing. I remember reading that Treatsie (very smartly) does not generally send chocolates in the hottest months since they’re almost guaranteed to melt. However, soft candies like taffy and caramels and hard candies work quite well! They definitely had an excellent, tasty selection.

Also, they just revamped their site and are now offering all these products for sale once you’ve tried them and fallen in love. Excellent move! I mean, while I enjoy trying out new things, I also want to be able to get more of the stuff I liked most! Plus, there are accounts you can manage online now, so if you need to update your address or anything it’s easy as pie. Loving all the upgrades they’re making!

AvenueSweets Almond Nougats, Sea Salt Caramels, & Butter Rum Caramels: These pieces are huge, just the way I like it! Each flavor was vivid and depending on your preferences, you’d probably love each of them for a different reason. My personal favorite was the sea salt flavor – it’s truly divine and I think I might have to order a pound of them. It was rich and creamy and the sea salt was nice and distributed so you never got overwhelmed with a sudden chunk of saltiness. The almond nougat comes in next with its firmer texture and nice chewy consistency. And really the only reason the butter rum was my least favorite is because I don’t drink and I don’t like anything with alcohol. I took a nibble of this and definitely tasted some alcoholic flavoring, which does not appeal to my taste buds at all. However, if you enjoy drinking like so many do, you’d probably love this candy.

Mehlenbacher’s Taffy in Watermelon & Vanilla Bean: I was surprised at the softness of these taffy sticks – for some reason, I expected them to be firmer. Maybe because of the stick shape? Well anyway, that doesn’t matter because they are fabulous! The vanilla bean is wonderfully fragrant and the watermelon is super sweet – they’re sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! The consistency of the taffy is fantastic and it does a nice stretching when you bite and pull. I did find getting it out of the wrapper a bit of a challenge, so I think I’m going to put them in the fridge for a bit to see if that helps. If had to choose between them, I’d have to say the vanilla bean wins out by the slimmest margin. (Hey Treatsie, if you’re listening – I’d love to see you sell mixed packs so I don’t have to choose! :-D)

BrooklynHardCandy in Key Lime: Ok first of all, I adore this little jar. I’m not sure how I could reuse it but I totally will. I’m also very happy with the amount of candy in it! I’ve already gone through like 6 pieces and barely made a dent. This will last me! The candy is perfect to suck on and the flavor is sweet and refreshing. I like that it’s not too overwhelming and you can bring this along on trips when you need a sugar boost. Unlike many other candies, you don’t really have to worry about leaving these in the heat – they may stick together a bit, but it’s pretty easy to break them apart. Great for summer road trips!

I’m pacing myself so I don’t inhale the entire box in one day, but it’s hard! Between everything my absolute fav (and this is a tough one) would have to be the sea salt caramel. It’s so rich and wonderful! A veeery close second is the vanilla bean taffy. Yum!

Did you get a Treasie box too? What was your favorite item?

[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!]

365great Day 125: Couple

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, apps, couples, drawing, fun, panda, pictures, relationship, sketching, smartphone

17 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Couple is an app I discovered over a year ago, when they first started off as Pair. It was billed as an app for couples, so the name change made sense. Basically, it’s like having your own personal social media thread, just the two of you. You can share pictures, videos, draw sketches, send messages, and even do long-distance “thumb-kissing” within the app. Everything is private so it’s a great place for couples to bond and share more deeply whenever you’re apart. After all, I certainly don’t want the whole world seeing what I wrote on an open social media forum and the limited capabilities of text messaging doesn’t always cut it. I especially like the sketching feature, which has allowed us to draw out pictures and diagrams to better explain what we’re trying to communicate. For a long-distance relationship, this has been an amazing app. Here I’ve shown you part of our timeline, where I sent over a picture of the pandas that Panda got me and he sketched out a cool robot (I think it’s from the movie where cars turn into robots). I never knew he could draw like that until we got this app. The things you learn! Between the deeper connection and all the fun features, Couple is truly a great app.

7 Ways Shingles is like Menstruating

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: chickenpox, experiences, fiance, illness, infection, list, menstruation, opinion, panda, period, pictures, shingles

17 July 2013

I couldn’t help myself; I hope you don’t find this to be TMI or inappropriate, but I’ve been marveling at how having shingles is quite like getting your period. My fiance is recovering from it now and if it weren’t for the ugliness of the outbreak, I’d wish every man had to go through it just to understand what women put up with.

shingles in its early stage when it seemed like a heat rash

At first we thought it was a heat rash. I’ll spare you a look at how it looks now.

1. Shingles makes your back and belly hurt

Ah yes, that all-too-familiar feeling of a sore back, sore belly, and sometimes even sore other parts. Every month I get the pleasure of that achiness in my core muscle region and now he’s feeling it too. His back, his front, his sides… sore, sore, sore! In addition to the aches and pains in the muscles is the ache in the belly. Occasionally I’ve gotten it so bad that I can barely stand. His seem to keep him from standing too tall.

2. Shingles makes you feel weak

Shingles usually hits because your immune system was already weakened by stressors to your body, so you’re bound to feel weaker as your body fights it off and tries to recover from the stress that caused it in the first place. Similarly, I feel more tired and even lightheaded during my cycle. Perhaps I haven’t been eating enough, but lately I’ve had quite the case of vertigo.

3. Shingles makes you sleep and shower more carefully

Not only are the blistering rashes painful, as they heal, some of the fluid in the blisters is likely to ooze out (yeah, gross). You want to be careful showering so you don’t burst them all and get bad scarring plus more pain and you want to be careful sleeping since pressure on the blisters will cause them to leak more. Similarly, I’ve got to be more cautious with how I sleep and shower so I don’t make a mess too.

4. Shingles can give you a headache and make you feel sick

As if pain and achiness weren’t enough, you’re more vulnerable to getting headaches and flu-like symptoms. Of course this varies by person, but who wants to get sick sick on top of this illness? While my period usually comes and goes without incident, I’ve definitely had to deal with illness through some of them and it’s pretty miserable.

5. Shingles makes you grumpy

Ok, this might just be a byproduct of all the discomfort and pain, but I’ve definitely heard a lot more complaining, moaning, and groaning from him. Kind of reminds me of my moody self. 😉

6. Shingles can be eased with pills

You can take medicine to help you get over shingles, and of course you can also take medicine to ease the pain. Similarly, there are pills designed just for women’s periods and you can take pain medication depending on your need.

7. Nobody wants to know you have shingles

Or it will gross them out. Though, now that I think of it, maybe it’s more accurate that nobody wants to share that they have shingles. Like I said at the beginning, this might be TMI (too much information). People often skirt around things like menstrual cycles and other bodily functions. Shingles is kind of one of those things that people would probably just rather pretend you don’t have. However, I think it’s important for people who haven’t had chickenpox and weren’t vaccinated to know, though it only seems to matter with close contact. After all, you don’t want to catch it too! That’s not the same reason that people don’t want to know you’re on your period, but nevertheless they would rather not know.

So what do you think? Do symptoms of shingles remind of your own monthly challenges? Have you ever had shingles or known someone who has?

365great Day 124: libraries

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, books, free stuff, knowledge, libraries, library, pictures, reading, resource

16 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

Libraries are often not appreciated as much as they should be. In fact, they often completely disappear from my conscious mind. I forget that there’s a resource just a few miles away, where I can go to get books and DVDs and other such learning materials for free (well, for a time anyway). Then suddenly one day I think to myself, “Hey, why don’t I get a book from the library?!” It’s brilliant! Swing by and read what I want for free. Who needs a bookstore? I even got some Pimsleur tapes to try to learn some basic Cantonese since I’d never spend money on a thing like that! So yes, libraries are pretty great.

In the mail: a prize, skincare, and a ton of trades

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: beauty, boxes, candles, cats, in the mail, ipsy, juice beauty, missy, origins, pictures, prize, products, samples, skincare, swaps, trades, winnings, yuzen

16 July 2013

Yesterday was an excellent day for my mailbox. I received my July Ipsy bag, a reimbursement check, and two trades I set up last week! Before I started sending and receiving packages, I never knew how good a Monday could feel. Let me recap the items I’ve gotten in the past few weeks:

Even Missy wanted in on the box!

This box I won from Leigh of Whimsical Adventures of a Magical Mom. It was originally supposed to be a CraveBox, but then they shut down! Leigh was kind enough to put together a nice box for me anyway, one that is similar to what I might have gotten from CraveBox. Thanks lady! I absolutely LOVE that card – it is so beautiful. As you can see, the box is filled with some great items in the bath, body, and beauty departments. It’s so nicely packaged too!

I think I saw an ad for the Origins Top 10 Skincare Sample Pack, or maybe I came across when I was just browsing their site. I’ve always been interested in the Origins brand and got to try their A Perfect World face wash for an Earth Day trade a few years back. I also purchased a face moisturizer and used that all up. When I came across this sample pack, I decided it was a good deal because I get to try a bunch of their products to see which I might want full sizes of AND I get a code to use for $10 towards my next purchase, so I basically get to test these for the $0.50 in tax that I paid. That’s a pretty awesome deal! I’d share a link with you, but apparently they are no longer offering it. Sad times.

Another brand I’m super interested in is Juice Beauty. I learned of them sometime in the past year, from all the bloggers sharing their subscription boxes. When I got a chance, I did a trade for the Juice Beauty lip gloss and hydrating mist. Still, I coveted the Green Apple Blemish Clearing Peel so when I found the 30-day skin clearing kit I sprang for it. Major bonus that the kit includes a super soft bamboo washcloth – face towels are awesome! I didn’t realize at first that this signs you up for a subscription to get it sent monthly, so I’m going to have to cancel that until I’ve tried out this set and seen what it does for me.

collage of various trades including zoya polish, earth therapeutics foot scrub and lotion, butter london lacquer, lash food, cailyn eye liner, julep dd creme, lip gloss, nail polish, bliss and korres samples

What I got from the trades.

Finally, trades 5 through 9 that I haven’t shown before. A Zoya polish in Neely (from a previous trade) for the one in Julie (purple) that I really wanted. The Cailyn gel eyeliner in Iron for the one in Purple (from Ipsy June). Jane Iredale lippies (from Yuzen spring box) and the J.cat glitter palette (from Ipsy June) for Butter London nail polish and Lash Food. A Bath & Body Works lotion and Nivea lip balm for the Earth Therapeutics foot scrub and lotion. L’Occitane Hand Cream, Island Girl Hawaii cuticle oil, Pangea Face Mask, Bath & Body Works medium candle, and three Bath & Body Works small candles for Julep DD Creme, lip gloss, nail polish, and samples of bliss incredi-peel & Korres yoghurt facial.

collage of items traded for swaps including island girl hawaii cuticle oil, bath & body works candles in small and medium, pangea face mask, jane iredale lippies, bath & body works lotion, and l'occitane hand cream

Some of the items I traded out.

I’m about to set up trades 10 & 11 now so I have even more to look forward to! So now that you’ve seen what I’m getting, tell me: what have you been getting in the mail?

365great Day 123: pizza

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, food, pictures, pizza

15 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

When you need a meal that is filling, has dairy, meat, bread, and veggies, and is easy to eat without utensils, pizza is just the ticket. It’s just the sort of thing you can order for a casual party, meeting, or meal at home. Just about everyone will eat it in some form or another, depending on the toppings. The convenience and universal factor make it a sort of default solution to group situations where you can’t afford to hire a caterer. Grabbing a slice is quick and easy when you want to get something else done while eating, whether it’s watching a game or getting work done over lunch. It’s not too messy and your food is not likely to fall apart. So whenever you’re having a lazy day, reach for a slice of pizza like I did today! Great solution!

Ipsy July 2013: Beach Beauty

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bags, beach beauty, beach spray, benefit, benetint, bh cosmetics, boxes, california collection, cheek stain, coola, eye shadows, face sunscreens, fuchsia flirt, healthysexyhair, ipsy, lip stain, makeup, mineral sunscreen, palette, pictures, pop beauty, pouty pop crayon, products, reviews, rose essence, sexyhair, soy renewal, subscriptions, tinted moisturizer

15 July 2013

My July Ipsy bag arrived in the mail today! Even though I didn’t get the scrub I really wanted, I was still excited to have a package to open up. It’s been awhile since I’ve received something.

Just like last month, my first impression of the bag itself was meh, but then I grew to like it. I mean, I am really not into pink, but I do like that this bag is a fun tube shape and waterproof, so I can put items I’m afraid might leak in it and not have to worry as much. For the items I got, I’m mostly planning on trading. Does IpsyMatch ever work? It seems to completely ignore my preferences. Oh well, thank goodness for trading!

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.

Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuchsia Flirt – trade/keep. I was kind of hoping for the coral since I don’t really have lip products in that shade and I might have tried it. I’m going to try trading this and if someone happens to offer the coral one I might give it a try. If I don’t manage to trade it after awhile, I’ll probably just give it a go. I’m trying to use more lip products and this is not too makeup-y so I’d definitely use it.

COOLA Face Mineral Sunscreen Tinted Moisturizer in Rose Essence – trade. I’ve got two tubes of the cucumber sunscreen (not tinted) so I really don’t need more mineral sunscreen from COOLA. At first I was considering trying it for the rose scent, but now that I know it’s tinted I’m not interested. Not really sure why since I have been going crazy trying BB creams, powders, and even a DD creme, which seem to be similar. Plus the size is tiny which I was kind of sad about.

Benefit Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain – trade/keep. This one I was also disappointed was much smaller than I envisioned. I also didn’t realize it was so liquidy and I’m not sure I’d ever use it. If I can’t trade it out though, I think I could give it a whirl. However, there seem to be a ton of people interested in it so I think I can manage a swap.

HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal Beach Spray – keep. This is the only item I got that I’m keeping for sure! Not only is it a fun product I’ve never tried before, I just love the bottle. I’m kind of excited for this beach look since I am no longer close to a beach and creating that look would be fun. I love that it contains argan oil, so I know my hair will be well-conditioned.

BH Cosmetics California Collection Eye Shadow Palette – trade. I don’t wear eye shadows, so cute as this palette is and as pretty as the colors are, I just wouldn’t use it. I left it sealed for trading but I did check out pictures online of the colors inside – there’s a purple, gold, and bronze I think. They all look great and if I was a makeup person I’d totally love this. Alas, I do no more than put on lip balm and maybe BB cream so eye shadows are far too much effort for me!

What do you think of these products? What did you get? If you’re interested in a trade, let me know and don’t forget to see what else I have up on my FSOT list. 🙂

365great Day 122: face towels

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, beauty, face towels, pictures, products, skincare

14 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

It all started with a small face towel I received in a Burt’s Bees grab bag. It was so soft and just the perfect size. I absolutely loved it! It made me actually want to wash my face, which is usually something I dread because I really hate water dribbling down my arms and suds getting in my hair. My microdermabrasionist also told me it’s good to wash with a towel since it grabs more from your skin as compared to just your hands alone. Makes sense, what with all those little fibers. Then just last week I got another amazing, super soft bamboo face towel with a Juice Beauty 30-day skincare regimen. It’s larger than my previous towels and oh so wonderfully soft, just like those Burt’s Bees ones. Apparently bamboo towels are naturally antibacterial and antifungal, so they require less washing, plus they tend to dry faster! For someone like me who enjoys low-maintenance goods, that is great news.

Conscious Box May & June reviews

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, drinks, food, free stuff, pet care, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, snacks, subscriptions, winnings

14 July 2013

Remember when I won those Conscious Box subscriptions? Well, I’ve received two of the three-month subscription and I’m expecting that third one any day now. Then I’ll be redeeming the second subscription I won for three more months of boxes! So let’s take a look back at what I’ve gotten so far:

conscious box inner box lid with signature window and image peeking through

Conscious Box comes with an inner box with a “window” that has a pretty design peeking through.

first glance at contents of conscious box may 2013

Upon opening the two layers of boxes, a beautiful card greets me!

conscious box may contents with yesto spf lotion, herbamare, dream water, somersaults, earthpaste, ecover, healthy hoohoo, mrm relax all, healthy kids drink, zukay kvass, bija tea, ultima replenisher, mac n mo's treats discount, and ethical electric code

Everything that came in May all laid out. They sure to know how to jam pack the box!

Conscious Box is just under $20 per box (or as discounted as just over $203 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with many samples from about a dozen brands. Choose from their Classic, Vegan, or Gluten-free box. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

The box is pretty heavy and they pack it very well. It’s amazing how they stuffed so much into that box! I like right off the bat that I’m seeing products spanning all categories: snacks, drinks, personal care, supplements, household, skincare, etc. Check out my unboxing video for this to see each item.

I drank the Healthy Kids drink right away and I think it’s a great way to get kids to consume more healthy stuff. I like the vanilla taste and it’s something anybody could enjoy. I tried the small Earthpaste in lemon and I’m not sure how I feel about it so I’m scared to open the giant tube. The texture and consistency is quite different from the toothpastes I’m used to and I feel like it’s not cleaning as much because I don’t get that minty aftertaste, but really that just psychological. Still debating if I’ll sell/trade the large tube, at least until I finish my current tube.

I got Dream Water in another subscription box previously and I didn’t want to use it until I needed it so I’m still holding on to it! I do have trouble sleeping but that’s because I have all this stuff I try to work on at night. At this point I don’t have to get up at a certain time, so I’m not too worried about staying up late – I can always sleep in to make up for the sleep! I do look forward to trying this and seeing how well it works.

I’ve gotten a bunch of the Somersaults in various boxes now and I’m just not into sunflower seeds. I’ve seen plenty of people who like them, but I’m not very excited about them. I do love their extra crunchy texture but I’ll be passing this off to someone else in my household.

As for the smaller samples, I’m looking forward to trying everything out! I’m a hoarder so it will probably be some time before I actually get through them all… meanwhile they will be saved for a good time!

Overall impression: I enjoyed the variety of the box and I definitely found some new brands. I’m not sure I would have wanted to pay the $19.95, but I’m glad that I was able to try out this stuff for free! (Who wouldn’t right?) 🙂

conscious box june contents including molly muriel soap and shampoo bars, cloud star pet wash, sneakz veggie drink, flavrz drink mix, natural vitality calcium drink, son shave cream, earth friendly products hand soap, skout trailbar, nakedwines gift card, greek island labs joint mud, and stationery card

Everything that came in the June box laid out. Got too excited and didn’t take pictures of the boxing this time.

And then there’s the June box! Another well-packed box with products in many categories. I got so carried away with getting a picture and videotaping the unboxing that I don’t have any other pictures. I was most excited about the Molly Muriel bar soap and shampoo bar because I love detoxifying soaps AND solid shampoo bars. I’m currently testing a new facial care regimen and working to finish off a shampoo bar, so I haven’t tried them just yet, but I already want to buy more! I also think the Son will be great for my fiance – he was pretty happy there was a product for him!

Once again I tried the drink right away and this one was harder to get down. It had a sort of chalkiness and I don’t know if it was just in my mind, but I felt like I could tell it had veggies packed in. I made it through the entire thing but I would not be able to drink this on a regular basis. I don’t have a kid to test it on though – perhaps their taste buds are less sensitive and the chocolate is good enough for them! The other thing I’m not so excited about is the Skout bar, because I generally only like cherries fresh. I might have Panda try it if he likes that sort of thing.

I love the small travel size of the hand soap – perfect for bringing along on a trip. I’m a sucker for travel size items so of course this made me happy. I’m super curious about the Joint Mud, but I don’t have joint pain so I will have to wait to find someone who does or try it later. I find the card to be super cute and just the kind of thing I love but never buy… so maybe I will now. Cards like that are so much more fun than the ones you find at a checkout stand. That $50 gift card is no use to me (or Panda) since neither of us drink, so let me know if you’d like it. I might give the dog thing to a friend since my cats would hate to be washed.

Sorry if my thoughts are random and all over the place! There are so many small items I kind of just did a stream of consciousness thing instead of having 15 two-line paragraphs. My overall impression of this box is once again good, but still shaky on the $19.95 value. I really enjoy everything I’m getting but I also can’t see myself paying for Conscious Box. It’s a dilemma!

What did you think of these two boxes? Did you get either of them or are you getting the July one?

365great Day 121: stud earrings

laelene Post in 365great，Tags: 365great, earrings, jewelry, pictures, studs

13 July 2013

Learn more about 365great here.

A nice simple pair of stud earrings are my default jewelry item. I put them in, I forget about them, and they always go with whatever I’m wearing. Every few months when I remember that they’ve been in for a long time, I’ll swap them out for a slightly different size or shape. I pretty much always go for the cubic zirconia look since it’s shiny without attracting too much attention and the white/clear/silver coloring matches just about any color you throw its way. I can look more dressed up without having to do a thing. I’m all about low-maintenance solutions like that! A good pair of stud earrings is just great.

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