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

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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

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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

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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!]

iPhone 6 in pictures

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I’ve had my iPhone 6 for a week and a half now, but I’m already so used to it that I hardly recognize the iPhone 5. I’m absolutely loving it and I’m so happy with the whole experience. Here are some pics of it, along with a few side by sides with my old iPhone.

iphone 6 white box front of iphone 6 in space gray back of iphone 6 in space gray closeup of camera on iphone 6 in space gray iphone 6 power button on right side of phone iphone 6 volume controls on left side of phone empty open box of iphone 6 iphone 6 earpods and lightning charging cable and plug iphone 6 info cards from box collage of front and back of iphone 6 info card with basic instructions iphone 6 and iphone 5 in respective boxes with lids backs of iphone 6 and iphone 5 in boxes

Beauty Box 5 September 2014 review

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Another ok but not fabulous box for me. I like that they include nail polish a lot but it’s not really in shades I’d use. I do appreciate the hair products they include, since I like to switch up my hair routine.

Beauty Box 5 is $12 per box (or as discounted as $99 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 5 cosmetic products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. You also have the option of buying it as a gift your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

september 2014 beauty box 5 contents beauty box 5 september 2014 information card

Nicka K New York Eyelight Crayon in Charcoal: This color is far too dark for me so I hope there’s someone out there who’d like to trade for it! If it had been a lighter color or something fun like a pop of color, I might have tried it. I’m curious about the crayon application so it’s a pity it’s not suited for me.

Natural Style by FUBU Deep Conditioner & Co-Wash: I haven’t tried this yet, but I love the smooth feel of using conditioner so I look forward to it. I’m still working through other samples I have at the moment.

Sally Hansen Toe Spacers: Haha, it’s always so awkward to have things between your toes. These will be useful next time I want to paint my toenails. I’ll have fun strutting around with my toes all fanned out.

My Beauty Spot Nail Polish: Oops, I can’t seem to find this polish now. I hadn’t decided if I was going to try it or trade it, but at this rate it looks like it will be neither. I think this would have been a nice polish to use for when I want some color, but nothing that stands out too much. If I can figure out where I put it, I’ll give it a shot.

Dr. Lin Acne Spot Corrector: This is my favorite product from this box and I’ve used it a few times. It feels nice, doesn’t dry out my skin, and seems to calm down my acne issues. They haven’t completely gone away, but using this has helped things from spiraling out of control as they often do.

The theme for this box was “balancing act” and I think overall it works. It’s not that important to me that boxes follow a theme though, so no big deal! Which items do you like most from these?

[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!]

Treatsie September 2014 review

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A great variety this time around and all tasty stuff in this Treatsie box! The items had a more fall feel, just in time for the cooling season.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 2-3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link to get your first box FREE!

treatsie september 2014 box contents with quince & apple tart cherry and white tea preserves, j&m triple chocolate cookies, and bequet confections caramels

Quince & Apple Tart Cherry and White Tea Preserves: Hmm, this is an interesting flavor I wouldn’t be able to describe! It’s lightly tart and not overly sweet like many preserves. I like that it’s a more subtle flavor and I’ll have to find something to spread these on. It’s so cool that it’s made with tea and jasmine flowers.

J&M Triple Chocolate Cookies: Wow, they cooked these perfectly. The chocolate flavor, the crunchy texture, and the soft bits of chocolate chips is a wonderful combination. It’s a rich flavor and not the dry crunchy cookie, but perfectly made for enjoyment. I shared these with my coworkers and we couldn’t get enough of them.

Béquet Confections Classic Soft, Celtic Sea Salt, and Salted Mocha Caramels: We received these at the office last holiday season, so imagine my surprise when they showed up in this box! I love these caramels and was totally addicted to the bags we got last year. I sure hope we get more of these at the end of the year. They’re tasty and there are a ton of great flavors.

I’m happy with the selection and I look forward to getting more of those cookies. What do you like best from this month’s box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

[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!]

iPhone 6 saga

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iphone 6 and boxes being opened at vapiano's

My opening trail.

Every time, no matter how much I seem to be prepared to order my new iPhone, it’s always a complicated process. Things seemed to go smoothly with AT&T about half an hour after pre-orders were supposed to open up at 3:01 EDT on Friday, 9/12. I had set an alarm for 2:40 and decided I could wait around. I ended up falling asleep until past 3:30. I thought I might have missed my window when the Apple Store app wouldn’t let me purchase. I soon discovered the Apple site was down so I went ahead on the carrier side. I placed my order, but was paranoid about whether I got it in and everything worked out. Thank goodness for that, because I went to the Apple site and pretended to go through the ordering process from them when their site finally came up two hours later than expected. When it got to the stage where it needed information from AT&T, they couldn’t get a response, so they actually reserved a phone for me. All I had to do was complete the order by a certain time.

By the time I woke up for work a few hours later, I finally saw a confirmation email in my inbox. That set my mind at ease, in addition to my backup plan with the reserved phone through Apple. Just as I was feeling good about things by Saturday, I got an email from AT&T with further details on my order. Instead of the anticipated 9/19 ship date I expected, they were now projecting 9/23-10/2! I was not pleased with this news, so I immediately set about activating my Plan B. I called AT&T, cancelled my order, made sure my line showed up as eligible for an upgrade again, and went to place my reserved order (with guaranteed shipment on 9/19) via Apple.

activating iphone message on brand new iphone 6

Activating phone…

Alas, once I got to the billing part, I ran across an issue that led to three live chats and a bunch of service calls to both Apple and AT&T. You see, Apple forces you to ship to your billing address. This would have been fine had it been set to use the billing address I had updated with Apple. What I did not expect is that it latched on to the AT&T billing information and would not allow me to change it! That information was still under my old information in LA, since part of the account is for our Uverse service at home there. Even after making the update in my account, my reservation didn’t update. I didn’t want to lose the delivery date I had locked in and I certainly didn’t want my phone shipped clear across the country, so I spent the rest of Saturday and much of Sunday figuring this all out!

Ultimately, it was as simple as completing my order through the reservation and then calling in to Apple support to have the shipping information fixed. If only they had come to that solution before I jumped through all sorts of hoops to order. Even after that, I was anxious about my shipment. I kept checking to make sure the shipping information remained updated and that the shipment date still said 9/19. Over the course of the next week, all went well with that and by last Friday I was tracking my shipment. Luckily, Panda wasn’t working that day, so he was home to sign for the package when it arrived around 10:30 that morning.

I was so excited and eager that I had him meet me for lunch and bring the phone so I could get started with it right away. I even did my unboxing at Vapiano’s while waiting for our food! I love how it feels and I actually find it less likely to drop than my iPhone 5 (and 4 and 3G). In fact, I’m happy that I’ve yet to drop it so far. Setting it up was super easy once I was on wifi. I’ll show some comparisons of it with my old phone sometime.

 

Tarantula happy dance

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It always amuses me that tarantulas weave their web by doing what looks like a happy dance. This one just got a cricket to eat and is repairing parts of her web.

tarantula dance from Mary Qin on Vimeo.

Love With Food Smile, Your Snacks Have Arrived September 2014 review

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I haven’t been super impressed with LWF so I actually cancelled my subscription, but since I bought the 6-month one, I’ll still be getting a few more boxes through the end of the year. Three of the items were exact repeats from a previous box! Definitely not what I want to see.

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

contents of september 2014 love with food box including seven snacks info card with details for september 2014 love with food snacks collage of offer cards included in september 2014 love with food box(click to enlarge and read messaging)

It took me awhile to get that the theme was about smiling. I guess they couldn’t come up with a fall theme. The repeat items were the Skeeter Nut Free Cinnamon Grahams (great crunch and taste), the YumEarth fruit snacks (tasty, but small sample), and the 180 Degrees Nutty Rice Bites with Blueberries (not my thing).

The Desert Gardens Spinach Dip Mix should make a nice. I’m really looking forward to brewing the Revolution Tea Southern Derby Sample Pack at work. There are three flavors included: Honeybush Caramel Herbal Tea (whoa, intriguing), Tropical Green Tea, and Southern Mint Herbal Tea. I certainly love drinking tea and I love their bags.

I tried the Vintage Italia Marinara Pasta Chips and loved their strong taste! Panda complained about the garlic smell, but I’m all about that tomato flavor. These taste a bit grainy, like they’re made with whole wheat (they’re actually made with semolina flour – no idea what that is). As for the Terre Di Puglia Tarallino Snack, it was not as tasty as I had hoped. I found it to be rather bland, though the cookie shape is cute.

I’m pretty pleased with the non-repeat products here, so I really wish I’d been introduced to more snacks. I’m most excited about the tea! What did you like in this box? Any favorites?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box at the special offer price and wanted to share what I got!]

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