Panda and I got a chance to go to Myrtle Beach and this is what we encountered along the way!
On the road from VA to SC
Yuzen August 2012 edition
Wondering about the second Yuzen box? Never fear! I’m here to show you what came in it and give you the low-down on each item. This time around, the color scheme was yellow and there were six fantastic brands included.
Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.
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.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day – Lemon Verbena All Purpose Soap Bar: As I was opening the box, I got a hint of this soap bar’s clean scent wafting up. It’s a huge full-size bar that will last me a LONG time! The wrapping was a nice smooth texture and it wasn’t glued too strongly together, so opening the packaging was actually a pleasant experience. I’d heard great things about Mrs. Meyer’s products, so I was pretty happy to get a chance to try it out. The soap suds nicely and gently cleans your entire body.
Cowgirl Skincare – Desert Recovery Cleanser: This is a fun new brand I hadn’t encountered before! The smell of the face wash is soothing and slightly sweet – maybe rose? It’s perfect for washing away whatever managed to accumulate on your face and doesn’t strip your skin of moisture. It’s meant for dry, aging, or sensitive skin but it’s useful for any type of skin. The container reminds me of elixirs from a Western (or maybe it’s just because their name is Cowgirl :-P). Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, anyone?
Organic India – Tulsi Original, Lemon Ginger, Sweet Rose, & Sleep teas: I enjoyed each one of these Tulsi teas! I’ve never heard of Tulsi before, so I was definitely intrigued by this “holy basil of India” that is incorporated in Ayurvedic practices. It’s apparently popular as an herbal remedy and has both general health and medicinal values.
It didn’t taste much different to me than normal teas, so it’d be easy to substitute them in while still enjoying the taste of tea, yet getting the added (healing) benefits of tulsi. With a name meaning “the incomparable one” how could you not give it a whirl too?
Coola Suncare – Cucumber Mineral Sunscreen for Face: Haha! Funny that just like the first Yuzen box, I happen to already use one of the products included. This is that particular product from this box and I’m more than happy for another! In fact, I happen to have one at Panda’s and one at my parents’ now so I can protect my face wherever “home” is. The cucumber scent is so relaxing and the sunscreen absorbs into the skin well, with no greasy layer to worry about. It’s perfect for your face and hands. Don’t forget to apply it to your neck too, if it’ll be exposed!
Olomomo Nut Co – Chai Bliss Almonds: Oh yum! Talk about wonderfully fragrant and oh so delicious. These almonds are covered in a sweet layer of vanilla and cardamom flavoring that is just delightful. I don’t normally like to eat nuts, but if they all came like this, I could definitely incorporate them into my routine! Plus, who doesn’t want a product made with love? (See ingredient list, hehe.)
Tilvee – Calendula & Comfrey Healing Balm: WOW. Not only do I love the usefulness of this product, it smells wonderful too! I can hardly get enough of it. It’s basically what you’d put on for anything adverse that happens to your skin, whether it be cuts and scrapes, rashes or sunburn, even plain old dry patches! Not long after getting it, I actually got a scratch and I applied it until my skin healed. Worked great, though it’s not meant for eliminating scars. Still, my skin would have scarred horribly had it not been for this healing balm. I’m obsessed and I use it on just about all skin conditions that ail me. Oh, and I absolutely love that it comes in stick form for easy application and ultimate portability!
Hawaiian blossom rain
When the rain and sun cross paths, you get blossom rain (as I learned from Beneath Blossom Rain). It’s quite a beautiful thing!
blossom rain from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Cat obsession
You know, I don’t quite get what Americans think of cats. For the most part, you hear of dog-lovers vs. cat-lovers, but it doesn’t seem to be that simple. A lot of people will tell you they aren’t really fond of cats. They find them aloof, scary even. But then they turn around and spend so much of their time enjoying cat videos and cat cartoons and cat pictures. You don’t really see the same amount of attention given to dogs.
There seems to be a bit of a love/hate relationship going on here. People love to see funny/weird media regarding cats, but they don’t actually like the creatures that much? Or maybe there are just tons of cat-lovers out there who are in denial of their status. It’s all confusing to me since I’m a cat-lover! Make up your minds people!! Either way, it seems we’re a nation obsessed with our felines, good or bad.
Rainbow steps
If you’re ever in Times Square, check out the American Eagle shop and head down to the kids’ floor!
colored light steps from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Green Festival DC 2012
This weekend, Panda and I volunteered for Green Festival and it was a grand old time! It’s the first time I’ve experienced a green conference outside of Opportunity Green and it’s quite the different experience. When we weren’t volunteering, we got a chance to go around to a bunch of the vendors/exhibitors and not only did I learn a lot, we managed to score some sweet freebies too.
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I love this idea, but the price is rather steep. Still, one day I’d like to filter my water with something so natural.
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I wish I had taken a picture of the chopstick art, but you can see their product line for yourself. The folding baskets are so clever!
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I love solid lotions (I have a strawberry one from LUSH) so I eventually caved and got myself their awesome leaf-shaped ones.
Day 1 goodies: Bright Green tote bag, Bright Green laundry detergent, Repax water canister, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Maid Brigade nail file, Maid Brigade small reusable tote, apple sauce, bananas & apple, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One soaps (baby-mild, peppermint, rose), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Nature’s Path Sunny Hemp trail mix, Clif Kit’s Organic fruit & nut bar in Cashew, Yummy Earth organic pomegranate pucker, O Organics raisins, wood chip for casting Ford Grant vote, Ford keychains, Ford Chicobag, Jarrow formulas supplements (Phosphomega, Jarro-Dophilus EPS, Bone-Up), Pharma GABA tablets, Joyful Bath Co soap Citrus Buzz, Joyful Bath Co pin, Mind Body & Salt soap, Truly-life soap, & of course a cotton Volunteer t-shirt! The orange Chicobag and pens were actually from a LOHAS event the night before.
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Let’s not forget all the marketing materials we managed to acquire, despite my best efforts to just get pictures and save paper.
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After browsing tons of booths, this is the cute gift set that really grabbed me. I don’t know why, but I’m a sucker for a nice gift basket (and that includes the “basket” itself).
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I really wanted to win this super cool bike from Repax! Apparently, so did plenty of other people. 😛
Day 2 goodies: Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Hemp Hearts hemp seeds, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One liquid soaps & bars (spearmint peppermint, peppermint, lavender), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Yummy Earth organic puckers (pomegranate, blueberry, sour apple), Bright Green laundry detergent, Truly-life soap, & a The Oink Pad pen.
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Panda and I had a little unofficial competition going to see who could bring back the most goods. This was his share of the goods!
Panda’s Day 2 goodies: Hemp Hearts hemp seeds, Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, Clif Kid Z bar crispy rice in Cookies ‘N Cream, Nature’s Path Sunny Hemp trail mix, Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One liquid soaps & bars (spearmint peppermint, peppermint, lavender, baby-mild), Yogi Chai Rooibos tea bags, Ford chapstick, Yummy Earth organic blueberry pucker, Bright Green tote bag, Bright Green laundry detergent, Repax water canister, & Truly-life soap.
Products bought: Bumboosa bamboo baby wipes, Hawaiian Moon Aloe cream, Berryplus liquid laundry soap, & Truly-life solid lotion leaves.
Entrees just aren’t my style
For a period, Panda and I were eating out consistently (something like 3 times a week). In that time, I came to a realization after he commented that I seemed to gravitate towards appetizers and desserts. Indeed it’s true that I tend to prefer appetizer dishes, soups, salads, bread, tapas, dim sum, hors d’oeuvres, finger foods, and desserts. These are generally things that come in smaller portions, don’t usually include much if any staple items (like pasta or rice), have stronger flavors, and are fun to eat. All of that make them so much more appealing to me.
Smaller dishes mean you can try out a more varied set of food and it’s all the better when you can get a sampler platter! This also fits really well into my snacking eating habit, where I can’t seem to eat much in one sitting, but I get hungry again soon after. I have to eat about 4-5 times a day, just a little each time. There are probably other reasons I can’t quite pinpoint, but non-entree dishes just feel right to me. Meanwhile, full-on main courses are over-sized (especially in America), more bland, and generally less exciting. Don’t you think so?
Neighborhood ducks
Well, you know it’s truly fall when the ducks aren’t hanging around your pond anymore. They’re fun to watch and it’s a bit lonely without them.
ducks diving from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
duck family eating from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
duck family from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Cartwheeling panorama
You know the first thing I thought of when I found out you can do panorama shots within the iPhone’s native camera app? Cartwheeling. I was curious how it’d turn out, so this weekend, Panda and I gave it a try and it turned out to be pretty hilarious. I guess next time I should go for burst mode with a 3rd party app instead. Click on images to enlarge!
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