Yuzen Spring 2014 edition review

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Aww, it’s finally Yuzen time again! I actually got it over a week ago, but with the move and filming the video for them, I kept forgetting to get still pictures. This lovely box for the spring provides a wonderful assortment of products for treating yourself. They smell great and feel wonderful too. I’m ready for all this snow to finally end and feel like spring is on its way! The box I’m showing here came in a red organza bag and has white tissue paper for Valentine’s. If you get this later in the quarter, you’ll probably receive the spring one with a white organza bag and yellow/lime green tissue paper. That’s what you’ll see in the video I filmed for Yuzen’s YouTube channel, which will be up soon. 🙂

Yuzen is $33 per quarter (with boxes sent Feb, May, Aug, and Nov) and comes with around 7 or 8 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent quarterly 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.

yuzen box with white flowers on aqua background and spring info card

Beautiful red coloring that works for spring AND Valentine’s.

yuzen spring 2014 box info card inside

Info about the products in the spring box.

yuzen spring 2014 box info card back

And the last couple of brands included.

unboxed spring 2014 yuzen box with contents shown

I see myself taking an enriching bath and then nourishing myself afterward.

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.

Lotus Wei – Infinite Love Mist: So very suitable for the month of love. I actually have this mist already, from way back in the early days of Yuzen. It’s a sweet scent with a hint of tartness, which makes sense since it’s a blend of mandarin, rose, and honey. These are meant to be sprayed around to surround you with the type of scent that will enhance your experience of love for yourself and those around you. You can use it as a pillow mist, spray it as you enter a room, or just spray it around your body. Inhale, relax, and feel the love! Use code YUZEN by 4/30/14 for 20% off at Lotus Wei.

Acure – Radical Resurfacing Facial Treatment: I am pretty excited about this product, if it can help even out my skin! I have acne scars and some random dark spots that plague me, so I’m hoping this will help. I’ve never heard of lemon probiotic or chlorella growth factor, but I do believe plants have powerful abilities to heal and harnessing that certainly sounds good. I’ve heard of natural remedies using lemon to brighten skin, so this probably works similarly. At the very least it feels so hydrating and smells sort of tangy like ginger. I’m loving this as a moisturizer on its own, even though it goes on under one. Use code YUZENLOVE for 25% at Acure.

sumbodysum fizzer: This large block of fizzing fun is in their Coconut Cream scent (though I don’t know if they were sending out other variations too). I tested a small piece and it fizzes very well! Can’t wait to incorporate this into a bath. My skin felt great after using the water with the fizz in it and I loved the light scent it left! It’s not too strong on the coconut, but definitely gives you a tropical feel. I think you’re supposed to use the whole one in the bath, but I’ll probably split it up between a few uses. I’m loving this! Use code Yuzen2 by 5/1/14 for 20% off at sumbody.

sumbody – bath melt: I broke off a quarter of this to use in my bath this weekend and I enjoyed the use of goat milk in their Milky Rich variation. It reminded me of a luxurious bar of chocolate and I was almost tempted to eat it! Inside the foil you’ll find a little piece of paper telling you more about the product and how to use it (they had one for the fizzer too). It took some swirling of the water to get this dissolved and then I could see the oils that were released. It was almost like taking a milk bath, which I’m sure my skin was happy about. Use code Yuzen2 by 5/1/14 for 20% off at sumbody.

SranromCalm Down Hand Cream: Anything inspired by Thailand has got to be good. This lotion is thicker than most, but not quite a body butter. The lemongrass and lime scent is so refreshing and soothing all at once. I love it! It’s very enriching and perfect to combat the dryness that winter brought on. I got a good laugh when I saw the scent name of Calm Down, because I tell Panda to do that all the time. When I showed him, he had a chuckle too and I think I’m going to give him a tube to use. He worries too much and needs some calming! Use code YUZEN20 for 20% at Sranrom.

Sranrom – Compassion candle: I’m really enjoying all the refreshing scents in this box, like this lemongrass, lemon, and spearmint candle! It’s beautifully made and smells wonderful. I used it while soaking in a bath and it was a great calming prescence. It burns cleanly and comes in such a cute little glass container! What a lovely way to enhance the mood in any room. Use code YUZEN20 for 20% at Sranrom.

Balanced GuruBalm Me Up Body Balm: I was surprised at how solid this body balm is when I first opened it. It’s actually quite soft though, and melts with your body heat. It’s a very strong tangy scented product that is super buttery. It’s absolutely wonderful for your elbows, knees, and other rough patches of skin. Just a thin layer took away all trace of dry skin for me. I can see this being perfect for getting through the cold months, though the scent can get overwhelming for me so I can only use a little bit at a time. Use code YUZEN by 4/30/14 for 20% off at Balanced Guru.

ChocoloveCherries & Almonds in Dark Chocolate: I just got my first intro to Chocolove in my Escape Monthly box and what do you know, it’s showing up here too! This flavor is just what you’d want around Valentine’s and I enjoyed it, but I’ve got to admit I’m not a huge fan of anything other than fresh, ripe cherries. Nevertheless, the chocolate is delicious and they have plenty of amazing flavors to choose from! Definitely a brand that I’ll keep my eye out for when I’m out shopping.

essioaromatherapy shower kit: Finally, there’s a discount code for Essio’s aromatherapy for the shower. It’s a little arm contraption that you put on your showerhead and then you swap in little pods with different essential oil aromatherapy scents. I met the founder at a LOHAS event that I was helping Yuzen out at and I liked the idea, but was not at a point in my life where I was treating myself to such luxuries. However, I’m thinking that now might be the time, since I’ve really gotten into skincare and taking care of my body. Thankfully, I have until June to decide on this! Use code YUZEN20 by 6/30/14 for 20% off at Essio.

So there you go, a lovely way to kick off spring by healing your skin from a tough winter’s beating. What did you like most in this box?

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. I now receive the boxes 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). 🙂

365great Day 338: Coldstone Creamery

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365great day 338: coldstone creameryFor Valentine’s Day yesterday, Panda and I stopped by Coldstone to get a half dozen ice cream cupcakes. We recently saw an ad they had for their fudge and red velvet ones, which looked fabulous and perfect for the holiday. I’ve often enjoyed ice cream from them, but I’d never tried an ice cream cake or cupcake from them before and I was so excited! I’m thrilled to report that these ice cream cupcakes are amazing and a wonderful way to spice up the way you consume ice cream. The chocolate crust perfectly houses the ice cream and cake pieces. You get a bit of crunchiness, a bit of softness, and a whole lot of sweetness. Ice cream is already a great dessert, but this cupcake form… oh my. Yum!

Ipsy February 2014: The Look of Love review

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Once again, 2014 is not offering me the most exciting bags from Ipsy. There’s only one item I’m really looking forward to trying. I would have loved the nail polish if it wasn’t baby pink, so I hope I can trade for a shade more suited to my taste. Similarly, I wasn’t a fan of the bag as much due to the color. I like the slight contour of the zipper and you can see a peek of the bold patterning inside, but pink just isn’t my thing.

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 february 2014 bag items with card including skyn iceland mask, j.cat false eyelashes and glue, pop beauty plump pout lip gloss in fuchsia freesia, tini beauty eyetini cream shadow and base, and zoya nail polish in dot

skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud – This is a fascinating product that I’ll be trying soon. You take the clay and put it on your face, then add the activating gel. Apparently, the combination will actually bubble/fizz/foam in a warming solution. How fun! I love things like these and a few more samples of this would have made this bag well worth it.

J.Cat Beauty Eyelashes + Eyelash Glue – I’ve never tried to apply false lashes, but I did have them put on before for a photo shoot. They seem like a fun thing to play with someday, so I might keep them around. They’re crazy long though, so I’d feel silly walking around with eyelashes like that. Maybe if there’s a need for them at a costume party…

POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Fuchsia Freesia – Ok, I really like the look and shape of this lip gloss, but it smells awful. Is it supposed to be like that? It kind of reminds me of gasoline at times and the strong odor makes it very hard for me to use this product. Pity, because I just love the packaging here. Once again, I could do without the bright pink shade though.

Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base In One in Violette – I’m so split on this product! On the one hand, it’s a lovely shade of purple, but on the other hand, it’s an eye product. I just don’t see when I’d ever use it, so I’ll probably trade it. If only this was a lip gloss tube instead.

Zoya Nail Polish in Dot – I was really hoping for the purple shade shown in the Ipsy spoilers. But of course, I got the pink (bleh). It does seem like a solid base color to use for nail art or a somewhat nude-looking color if I don’t want to draw too much attention to my polish color. Still, I’m going to try trading it first and if it doesn’t go I’ll use it.

So all in all, I was not thrilled with this bag. I would have been a lot happier if the Pop Beauty lip gloss didn’t smell funky and the Zoya polish was another shade. If you want to trade, check out my FSOT list.

[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!]

365great Day 337: Sleep Cycle

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365great day 337: sleep cycleI came across this app years ago and used it to wake up easier. Then it fell to the wayside and I forgot about it. More recently, I found myself struggling to wake up refreshed, so I decided to give it a try again. I find it to be quite effective! You basically leave it on your bed so it can use your phone’s gyroscope to determine how much you’re moving around. That’s a general indicator of the type of sleep you’re getting (the deeper the sleep, the less you move). Come morning, you give it a time frame that you want to wake up in, usually a 20-minute period. Within that time, it will start the alarm at a time when you’re most receptive to waking up, which is when you’re coming out of deep sleep and in lighter sleep. Since I started using it again a few weeks ago, I’ve actually begun to wake up before the alarm and I don’t have such a miserable time dragging myself out of bed. What a useful app this is! And it’s super interesting to see my sleep pattern over time. Best of all, waking up refreshed? That’s great.

((little fat notebook)) Inaugural Giveaway

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Hey remember when I said I was going to put together a giveaway? (Yeah, it’s been a little while…) Well, I’m finally settled into the new home and ready to get this underway! What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to spread some love?

little fat notebook giveaway prize pack with lotion, lip balm, nail polish, iphone case, perfume, eye shadow, clay mask, scrub, and dust plug

I’m a big fan of those choose your own adventure books, so I created something sort of like that. This prize pack includes:

-one travel size lotion of your choice
-one set of Softlips lip balm of your choice
-one iPhone 5 or 4/4S case of your choice
-SpaRitual nail polish set of two (in Emerald City & clear base/topcoat)
-BHCosmetics California Collection eye shadow trio
-one perfume or mist of your choice
-one Freeman Chocolate & Strawberry clay mask packet
-one Freeman Apricot Scrub packet
-one dust plug of your choice

See below the giveaway for info on the selections you can choose from. The entry period is from today (2.14.14) through 3.14.14 at 11:59 pm EST. I hope you like what I put together! Good luck!

If you win, you will get to choose from the following:

set of travel lotions including pritte body lotion and four scents of bath & body works lotions

One of these lotions: Pritte 1 oz, Coconut Lime Breeze 3 fl oz, Dahlia Rush 3 fl oz, Peony Dream 3 fl oz, or Japanese Cherry Blossom 3 fl oz.

four sets of softlips lip balms in peach mango, vanilla, pearl, and jack frosting

One of these lip balm sets: Peach Mango & Vanilla, Peach Mango & Pearl, Vanilla & Vanilla, or Jack Frosting & Jack Frosting.

lotus wei infinite love mist and bath & body works beautiful day perfume spray

One of these sprays: Lotus Wei Infinite Love Mist (10 ml) or Beautiful Day eau de toilette (.24 fl oz).

For the iPhone 5 or 4/4S case, choose from the ones listed at DeckMyPhone (wallets not included). I should have all colors, but if you happen to choose the one or two I don’t, please forgive me and choose another option.

For the dust plug, choose from metal or plastic ones in a multitude of designs that I will email pictures of to the winner.

 

Terms & Conditions:

Nobody likes too many restrictions, so I’ll try to keep it simple: No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Open to anyone 18+, though if you live in Canada I might need to ask you to tell me what 19*32-250 is equal to (due to some strange law). The winner will be selected randomly by the Giveaway Tools widget at the conclusion of the giveaway period (Feb 14, 2014 12 pm EST through Mar 14, 2014 11:59 pm EST). Winner, you get 72 hours to reply to me with your choices or I’ll have to find another winner. Prize value is approximately $50, depending on the selections you make. I reserve the right to void your entries or disqualify you for reasons including: your region doesn’t allow you win prizes like this, won’t let me ship it without a ton of hassle, or you’re found trying to game the system. Just stay cool, ok?

365great Day 336: ambiance

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365great day 336: ambianceI’ve been burning a lot of candles lately, really soaking in the mood it creates. It’s nice to have a flickering flame with that warm light to create a comforting glow. And depending on what sort of environment I’m looking for there are vastly different elements I can incorporate to achieve just the right feeling. I loved the fresh plants and lighting at this restaurant, which made everything I ate there feel more healthy and light. From the furniture to the lighting, a space is defined by how it makes you feel. That’s probably why I find it difficult to work as productively at home than at work and why I relax instantly as I step into a bath. It’s amazing how much we are affected by the cues from our surroundings and it’s really cool that we can change so much based on what’s around us. Setting the right ambiance can have great effects.

Treatsie February 2014 review

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If you upgraded to the new premium version of Treatsie, you’ll find you got more items than me. This time I got an email from Treatsie reminding me about the change and letting me know that premium boxes had an extra chocolate bar. If you got it, please do share what flavor you received. 🙂

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 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.

treatsie february 2014 box contents with chocolate bars, chocolate truffles, and hard candy

Eclipse Chocolate Salted Dulce de Leche and Cinnamon Brown Sugar bars: These are the bars that premium subscribers would have gotten a bonus one of. Everyone got the two flavors that I did here, which I think are great choices for a wide audience. The Salted Dulce de Leche is amazing! There is so much going on in that bar, with pretzel pieces, sea salt, and rich caramelized cocoa butter all in white chocolate. I love the combination of everything and it’s so unique. The Cinnamon Brown Sugar is delicious too, which far finer granules mixed in for a smoother taste and texture. This one is sweeter and rather warming, probably due to the cinnamon. Yum! I’m a fan of this brand for sure.

Raley’s Confectionary Love Mix: How cute are these hard candies? They’re a sweet fruity flavor (mix of pomegranate, cherry, cinnamon, and cranberry) with a little bit of tartness that comes in later on. It can’t be easy to make these beautiful designs, so that’s impressive. These are perfectly themed for Valentine’s and they’re a refreshing change from the typical holiday treats you’ll find in stores.

Neo Cocoa Zested Lime Truffle Heart and Almond Butter with Smoked Sea Salt Truffle Heart: Wow, these truffles are rich. One piece can really go a long way (even half a piece is satisfying!). I like the lime one because it is wonderfully fragrant and I love the taste of lime. They blended it beautifully with the chocolate for a light flavor that is yummy. The almond butter one with sea salt is a more standard sort of taste. I feel like I’m at some fancy event when I eat these!

I’m still debating about the premium box. While I really enjoyed the Eclipse Chocolate, would getting a third flavor be worth the extra cost? I might want to run out my subscription at the original pricing through 2014 before upgrading! What are your thoughts on the items in this box?

[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 335: Vapiano

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365great day 335: vapianoToday I tried Vapiano for the first time and oh em gee, I’ve found a fantastic place to go to for lunch. From walking by it, I always thought it was just another Italian restaurant. I’d seen some coworkers get pizza from there before, but I had no idea what was inside. Now I know that it’s an amazing blend of freshly cooked food in a casual yet upscale cafeteria type environment. It’s kind of like stepping into a fancy sitdown that got blended with a farmer’s market. We were handed cards upon entering and then stood in line for our chosen food items. I opted for a pasta dish, which was cooked in front of me and then the charge added to my card. I could have gotten other items and added them to my card tab, but I knew I wouldn’t finish it all so I went conservative. We also got bread to complement our meal. It was fabulous – custom, fresh, and delicious. Seating was open and there were herbs growing in little pots. They even had a tree growing near the entrance. What a great concept for a restaurant!

Winter storm Pax

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Here comes the snow! What a crazy snow event we’re expecting here in Northern Virginia. A few days ago when I first heard of it, I figured it’d be another small thing that would pass. But then they started predicting 4 inches, then it grew to 8 and 12 and now possibly 15-18 for higher elevations! I started to take it seriously and today I decided to head out of the office at 6 just to get home before the insanity. The snow wasn’t slated to start until around 8, but by 6:15 I was seeing my first flakes. Check out some pictures from the night…

snow plows idling under overpass waiting for snow

The snow plows were out, hanging out as they waited for the snow to start.

beginning of snow storm with flakes falling on road

Then it started to pick up momentum.

small drops of melted snow on windshield

It was melting on my windshield, but quickly started to stick to the ground.

light dusting of snow on driveway and sidewalk with footprints

By the time I got home 15 minutes later, there was a light dusting. I made some tire marks and left some footprints that were quickly covered.

glittery layer of snow dusting on roof of car

Such pretty snow that is shiny and sparkly! Snuggling in for the night and there’s already quite a bit of snow building up out there.

365great Day 334: gardens

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365great day 334: gardensIt’s so peaceful to wander through a garden. I love the variety of plants you can find there and of course the insects that are inevitably attracted to them. My mom loves to plant things in our backyard, making it a rather tranquil place to hang out. We have rose bushes, fruit trees, and other odds and ends. It’s a place that is teeming with life yet so calming all at once. I particularly enjoy gardens with water, benches, and shady parts to hang out by. I could sit and stroll among the plants for ages, basking in the sun or shade. I’d even climb and sit in a tree if I could. It’s very soothing to enjoy nature and decompress away from the stress of day-to-day life. What a great way to step away from our normal surroundings and relax for awhile.

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