((little fat notebook))

Escape Monthly August: Paris Box review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, condiments, cookies, food, france, hand creams, mints, paris, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, travel

05 September 2014

Ah, Paris… of course we’d some gourmet items here and leave it to one of these items to have some delays coming through customs! I was also intrigued by the very different guide book included this time around.

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

The items this time around didn’t take up much room, which made me feel like there wasn’t much there, but the value of the items is certainly higher than usual.

Here’s what came in the box:

Rick Steves’ Pocket Paris – This is a nice little guide full of colorful pictures! You might not even have to go to Paris anymore after seeing all the sights from its pages. I certainly plan on visiting Paris time and time again, so this will be a great way to help me discover all that the city (and surrounds) has to offer.

Nuxe Body Scrub & Shower Gel – Well, I didn’t get the scrub and that’s really sad for me since that’s one of my favorite skincare items. Instead, I got two shower gels, so I’ve emailed them to get the scrub sent to me. I didn’t even notice the seal on it when I first tried to open it for a whiff. I’m not a huge fan of almond, but the combination with orange flowers is really great! It smells fantastic and I can’t wait to lather up to the scent in the shower. I’ll be even happier to scrub to this scent!

Institut Karite Paris Perfume Almond and Honey Precious Hand Cream – I’m guessing that this was the product holding things up in customs. It looks luxurious and definitely fancy and Parisian. I’ve certainly enjoyed shea butter hand creams like the ones from L’Occitane, so I’m sure I’ll love this for the winter months. It’s so thick! I love that I got a scent that is rather unique and I hope the almond scent doesn’t get too strong for me after awhile. So far so good – it appears to be a nicely mild and sweet scent.

Edmond Fallot dijon mustard – There’s quite the history behind this little jar. I don’t really eat many items I’d put mustard on, so I’m thinking I might take this to work to put in the communal fridge.

Pierre Biscuiterie French butter cookies – I like that they have two plastic packs in this box, so I don’t have to worry about having to each all of them quickly. These little butter cookies are crisp and rich in flavor. The dried fruit bits offer a bit of a tangy, fragrant kick to the cookies. I’ll be finishing these off with my next pot of tea, which I think will be just fabulous.

les Anis de Flavigny French mints – The light lemon flavor of these mints is lovely. There is a bit of an aftertaste that I can’t quite place – perhaps that’s the anise (no idea what that is). It’s a bit bitter, but not outright so. I think of these more as candies though, since I don’t think they’re really freshening the breath much. Whoa! I just bit into it and definitely got the anise taste – I think they have small bits of it in the center. Now I know these must be related to those star anise dried things you cook with.

Bonne Maman strawberry preserves – I love the little jar this comes in. This was the bonus item for this box. Perfect for traveling with and a 1-2 person portion. I actually got this in another box once upon a time and have yet to open that one. I just don’t get around to eating jams, so perhaps it’s time to consider buying bread or English muffins. I’d also want to get into the habit of eating breakfast, I suppose.

I could have gone for more items, but the hand cream really elevated the feel of this box. Which item do you think is the coolest from this Paris Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): PARISESCAPE or RICOESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

For September it’s time to go to Puerto Rico! Fantastic. I’m really excited about that one since I could certainly learn more about that country.

[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 homebody lifestyle

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: behavior, experiences, family, habits, home, lifestyle, panda

04 September 2014

Family activities include Smokey getting in the way of some reading downtime.

Panda and I aren’t much for a partying lifestyle. We’re pretty big homebodies, completely content to stay at home relaxing together, enjoying takeout, and doing (or not doing) other such quiet activities. We could spend the whole night watching some shows or browsing online as we tuck ourselves in bed. It’s a nice sort of bonding for us. We may not be doing things together, but at least we are next to each other sharing our space. It’s comfortable and comforting. I’m at the stage where I’m ready to start building a home life. Suddenly I’m thinking about stuff I can get to personalize our home (guess that comes with the territory of having a home to personalize)!

I’ve always enjoyed this sort of home life, even as a teenager. Of course there have been plenty of times that I’ve gone out to various events or just to hang out with friends late into the night, but usually I just want to hole up in my room and spend my time on my computer, chatting with family, or reading a book. Back then I had plenty of homework to keep me busy for ages too. I see a lot of my peers going out to bars and parties and whatnot, but that doesn’t interest me. Similarly, more active home activities like board games or running around the house playing tag or hide and seek don’t interest me either. Maybe it’s not good that so much of my habits are sedentary, but I am in good health.

Just the other night, Panda and I were going out to eat, but on the way decided to get takeout. I enjoyed that option a lot more than sitting at the restaurant. It was really nice to have our food ready, eat at our own pace, and get some other things done while eating. Plus, I got to wear super comfy clothes that I probably shouldn’t go to a restaurant in lest I be taken for a slob. Perhaps that’s my true motivation – being able to relax without people judging me because I’m dressed so casually and never wear makeup. Home is a place to take off all those layers you throw on for the outside world, a place where the true you comes out.

Are we the only ones our age like this? Seems like everyone else always has some grand night or weekend plans coming up. Ours are just quiet – stay in most of the time, get some chores done, maybe go out to grab some food or stroll through Target, and return home again. No happy hours or late nights out or parties of any sort. It’s not that the opportunities aren’t there – in fact, Panda often turns down invitations to social gatherings with his coworkers and I often skip out on activities with my networks. We do like to plan some nice vacation getaways though!

So what’s your preference? Are you still living it up on the social scenes? Or maybe you’re like us and pretty settled into a calmer pace of life?

By and by

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: abstract, life, poems

02 September 2014

By and by
A month went by
By and by
A year.
Then,

By and by
A decade had gone

And she found herself alone,
Stuck in a job she did not enjoy
Spending her nights with TV dinners —
Numb to the years marching on.

On and on and on
They marched.

On and on and on.

Til she could no longer grasp the joy of her youth;
The triumphs, the failures.
It was just her in an empty apartment,
Wishing she hadn’t let it all go.

How did her life just float on by?
By and by, it did.

Treatsie August 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, chocolates, crackers, food, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, toffee, treats, treatsie

01 September 2014

This month offered a choco-rific selection. They arrived in perfect condition, no melting at all! It looks like last month I just didn’t get the info card, because this time it was back. For the first time, I might have felt compelled to upgrade to the current Treatsie box with the extra items. If this continues I might up my subscription before my grandfathered plan expires.

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!

Kika’s Treats Caramelized Graham Crackers in Pure Dark Chocolate: Caramelized is always a win in my book. These crackers are nice and crunchy, yet not super crumbly like the non-caramelized versions would be. They make a pretty fab snack and it’s almost toffee-like inside. They remind me of another snack that I can’t quite put my finger on. I can see these being a great accompaniment to a hot drink in the coming fall and winter.

Lambrecht Gourmet Karma Toffee: I was a bit concerned about the chocolate having a mocha flavor, since I’m not into that, but it’s not too strong. Still, I’d opt for a different flavor for future toffee needs. The toffee is not too sweet and the almond bits are a great way to offset the taste. I could use a little more chocolate to toffee ratio – the chocolate melts in your mouth and then there’s a huge chunk of toffee. I’d like more chocolate to linger.

chuao chocolatier potato chip, sweet & salty, salted chocolate crunch, and pop corn pop ChocoPods: At first I thought all their flavors incorporated potato chips, because that was the first flavor I saw. What an intriguing idea! I totally expected a chip dipped in chocolate, but it was more of little crunchy bits mixed evenly throughout the chocolate. I’m a fan of all of these! The minis are especially adorable because of their leaf shape. I really want to order more of these right away, but the Labor Day code isn’t working for them.

All off these treats were delicious, even if they weren’t my most preferred flavor. Just think how much I would have loved it with flavors matched to my palette! Which snack here do you like most? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

Juice Beauty deal

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: beauty, deals, products, shopping, skincare

31 August 2014

When I saw an email from Juice Beauty about their new brightening pads, I was immediately intrigued. I love wiping my face with cleansing products and lately I’ve started to take note of the dark spots and unevenness I have. At their original price point, I wasn’t so sure about getting them. So, I do what I always do. I waited.

Lo and behold, come Labor Day weekend, I see an offer for 15% off and free shipping (use code LABORDAY through tomorrow!). While I would have already gotten free shipping with this pre-order offer, that 15% is what made all the difference. While still pricier than I would prefer, I was convinced that I should at least try one jar. I’m waiting on a new credit card to arrive and I was hoping it would make it to me by Saturday so I could use it for this transaction, but the mail came and went with no card.

Today, I went to place my order and found that it was no longer pre-order status for this product. Not a huge deal, since the price is the same. The only thing I lose out on is the deluxe sample of the Green Apple Peel Sensitive – no worries, I’ve gotten plenty of samples of that from Yuzen! Instead, I got the normal sample set with my order (a trio of cleanser, serum, and moisturizer). I much prefer saving $6.75 to getting more product I won’t get a chance to use up.

I can’t wait to get these pads and try them out! If there are any Juice Beauty products you’re interested in, definitely take advantage of their Labor Day sale too. 🙂

Ipsy Mystery Glam Bag review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, body butters, boxes, brushes, eye pencils, eye shadows, ipsy, lotions, pictures, prizes, products, reviews, rewards, skincare, subscriptions

29 August 2014

The Ipsy mystery bag I got with my ipsyPoints finally arrived and it was ok for me. I’m not super impressed, but I definitely appreciate what I got and the value for the points.

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 like this bag!

Coastal Scents Medium Shadow Brush – As a fan of tools, this was a nice item to receive, even if I don’t know how/when to use it. I’ll try it out with some different products and see how I prefer to use it. I would have given this choice an A+ had it not been for the fact that the info card it comes with is clearly meant for when this was sent out to some folks earlier this year. The discount code on the back expired May 6th, though I wonder if they kept it active?

Pop Beauty Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare – Totally going up for trade. Eye shadow palettes will never get used up in this girl’s stash, so I’ll see if anybody else out there would like to get it. The colors are nude enough that it wouldn’t look super obvious if I did use them, but why go through the effort when I’d rather not put stuff on my eyes?

Klorane Smoothing and relaxing eye patches – I like this brand for its gentleness. I just know these will not cause irritation and I can trust them on my eyes no matter how sensitive. The next time I am not well-rested, these will be put to the test. I look forward to it!

Starlooks eyeliner in Amethyst – I’m not surprised that there’s a repeat item for me here, but I’m glad it’s just one. I wasn’t sure I’d even use the first one I got, but I ended up caving because I love purple and amethyst so much. Every now and then I’ll add a little sparkle to my eyes with this eye pencil, using it like a very sheer eye shadow. It’s going to take me a lifetime to use up just one though, so this shall go up for trade eventually.

Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter – Yes! I have a mild obsession with Pacifica, but I also refuse to buy their stuff just yet, so anything I get from subscriptions is appreciated. While there are plenty of other scents I would like to try more, I love how this one reminds me of summer, vacation, and relaxation. Who wouldn’t want that in a bottle? The mailbox got really hot the day this bag arrived and the bottle was super pliable, but it’s ok now and I hope the formula wasn’t affected.

I certainly wasn’t thrilled about the bag they chose to use, so that’ll go up for trade. I like the one I have enough to use it, but I really don’t care for a second. Overall I’m pleased with the value from the bag but I’m glad to have unsubscribed. One thing I didn’t like is that they made me confirm I wanted to unsubscribe no less than 4 times! And was it the fourth or fifth time that they made me receive an email and click a link in there to confirm again?! What an awful experience to end on. Irregardless, they just haven’t been hitting the mark enough, so it’s time to let other brands divert my attention. Stay tuned to my eDivv shop for these trades to eventually get added.

[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 earned this bag with points and wanted to share what I got!]

Biweekly, bimonthly

laelene Post in general blog，Tags: definitions, english, grammar, interpretation, language, nuances, oddities, pet peeves, vocabulary, work

28 August 2014

Today I was putting together a spreadsheet to compare offerings from some companies we’re evaluating. As I was listing the frequency of something they do, I was going to put biweekly, but then I wasn’t sure how that would be interpreted. One thing that has always frustrated me (and confused me to no end) is this term with its conflicting meaning. Let’s take a look at the definition:

bi·week·ly

adjective & adverb

appearing or taking place every two weeks or twice a week.

noun

a periodical that appears every two weeks or twice a week.

I mean, is this somebody’s idea of a joke? How do you allow one single word to simultaneously mean two things that don’t jive with each other? They differ mathematically by a factor of 4. FOUR! What if I demanded my paycheck (paid out biweekly) twice a week? After all, that’s biweekly too. Then I’d get paid four times as much, given each check amount is the same. So if I agreed to pay you $100 biweekly, would you expect $10,400 by the end of a year or just a paltry $2600? That’s a staggering difference, isn’t it?? I just don’t get how this so often and so easily overlooked.

The same goes for the similarly infuriatingly vague “bimonthly” term that runs along those same illogical lines. When I say bimonthly, how do you know if I mean twice a month or every other month? There really is no true way to tell without using other phrases… and doesn’t that rather defeat the purpose of a word that is supposed to have a meaning that people understand? Can’t we assign only one definition to it or get rid of the word??! What if I said I’d meet you at noon, except noon meant either 6 in the morning or 10 at night? When would you show up?

So ultimately what did I decide to do for my conundrum at work? I used the term fortnightly.

Petit Vour August 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, body butters, boxes, cleansers, eye pencils, face masks, fragrances, lip butters, petit vour, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

27 August 2014

Time for Beauty 101 this month. I could have used a bit of help with the eye pencil and face cleanser/mask. The tips that were included on the card were nice!

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!).

Beauty Without Cruelty Natural Mineral Eye Defining Pencil in Black – I don’t really know how to use this. It applies well on my hand, but when I try to use it on my eyes, I can’t seem to get it to make a mark. Perhaps it’s that outer layer being all new and stuff? The point was super sharp and now that I’ve dulled it a little, it’s a bit softer but still not coming off easily.

Earth Body Brighten Cleanser & Mask for Age Defense – This is cool! I like the powder form that allows you to get more bang for the amount. In that sense, it’s a really generous sample. It smells earthy, a bit like clay and herbs. I tried mixing it with water in my palm, but found applying it to my face after wasn’t so easy. Next time I’ll try wetting my face and rubbing a bit of the powder on. It feels nice and my skin is so soft after that!

Harvey Prince fragrance in Journey – Wow, they sure like this brand. This is already the third time they’ve been included. I’m not a fan of this scent – it’s too strong for my preferences. It does smell rather exotic and is a great blend of spices and flowery tones. I wouldn’t wear this kind of fragrance so I’ll be trading it.

Mi-Me Tangerine Hydrating Lip Butter – What adorable packaging. The lip balm tube fits perfectly into a little test tube. This is truly a lip butter that just melts onto your lips and is so soft and hydrating like no other. The tangerine scent is wonderful and I like that this is just the kind of item I can keep with me to always save me from chapped lips.

Rosemira Organics Sweet Coconut Body Butter – Hmm, this is a really small sample size, especially for a body butter. I could understand if it was for the face, but this would not really give me more than a use or two for my body. It’s super buttery and a little does go a long way, but what a tiny container! It’s funny, I don’t smell the coconut part but the sweetness and citrus-y scent makes it through. I do enjoy the scent a lot.

I only plan on trading one item this time and I’m glad to see five items again, even if one sample was way small. The variety of items is always nice. What items do you find most intriguing?

[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!]

Hardwood floor repair

laelene Post in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: hardwood, home improvement, household, panda, pictures, project

26 August 2014

Some time ago, Panda messaged me and sent this picture to show me how he had damaged the floor when he dropped the cutting board. It has a metal handle on the side, which is what I presume bashed the wood here. He quickly went out to a home improvement store to get this filler stuff and pens in two shades, since they didn’t have a match for our cherry wood color. He insisted that I do the repair since he was convinced I could do it better.

When I finally got around to it, we documented the procedure. Filling in a small hole in your hardwood is pretty easy! Now we just need to get something to make that spot glossy like the rest of the floor. Otherwise, you’d never know it was ever repaired to begin with. We didn’t even need to try to blend the two shades of wood color, so he was able to return the unused one. We’ve kept the rest of the equipment for future accidents.

Cutting board vs. hardwood: the floor loses.

Testing out the filler on some sample wood.

Patching up the dent.

Gotta protect that from the cat and vice versa!

Now testing out the filler pen.

Sanded it and then colored it. Now you can’t even tell where it is anymore. 🙂

Love With Food Fun at the County Fair August 2014 review

laelene Post in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, chips, cookies, crackers, food, lollipops, love with food, nuts, pictures, reviews, salt water taffy, snacks, subscriptions

24 August 2014

This time around the info card became a pamphlet so they could add a bunch of extra content. There’s even a recipe in there and background info about the company. I’ve yet to read it all, but will get around to learning more as I eat everything.

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.

(click to enlarge and read messaging)

Alright, summer fair! It’s been ages since I’ve been to one and I probably won’t get around to it this year. So far I only tried the Skeeter Nut Free Cinnamon Grahams that are crisp and have a fantastic cinnamon taste and the Salty Road Salty Peanut salt water taffy that has a nice peanut flavor (even though I don’t like peanuts much) and is a bit sticky. The shapes of the Skeeter cookies are adorable squirrels! I’ve tried YumEarth lollipops before and they’re nice enough. Lately I haven’t been into lollipops though.

I handed off the Love With Food Kettle Sweet Peanuts to Panda since he’ll enjoy nuts far more than me. I will try one when he eats them but I’d never buy nuts. He also got the 180 Degrees Nutty Rice Bites with Blueberries because of the nuts and health bar-like snacks these are. Also snacks that I’m not into, but will be great for him as an afternoon snack or even breakfast item. I’ve put the Smooze Fruit Ice in the freezer to enjoy later. Pineapple and coconut are not flavors I’ve tried together before, so it’ll be interesting which flavor stands out more.

Finally the Covered Bridge Montreal Steak Spice Seasoning Chips and Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers have made it into my work bag for snacking on this week. I’m looking forward to trying both and I hope they don’t disappoint! I’ve never tried chips with such a unique flavor so that will be exciting and we’ll see if it’s too strong for me. Meanwhile, the cheddar crackers should be good since that’s a snack I’ve had a variety of and generally enjoy.

Taste-wise I think this box is very promising. I’d eat more of the items if it weren’t for my aversion to nuts and bars. I’m all about sweet snacks or crackers/chips. What do you think of this box? Which item would you like to try most?

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