I love the smell of Whole Foods. It’s comforting to me, that mix of herbs and fresh food mingling. Their use of warmer colors in their stores is also a welcoming sight – none of that harsh whiteness of other stores. For a grocery story, I want a more homey feel and the combination of how their stores look and smell totally give me that impression. I’ve spent my fair share of time there, demoing a variety of products back when I was a product demonstrator. I’ve been to almost every single Whole Foods in the Greater Los Angeles region. There’s always so much to discover and I could spend ages in there finding new products to try. I also find grocery shopping can be such a cute thing, romantic even (yeah, I’m weird), so I love watching people shop. I also have great memories of delicious lunches at the El Segundo location. I miss that.
365great Day 283: Whole Foods
Julep Naughty & Nice Mystery Box review
When I saw this offer come through my inbox, I decided it was finally time for me to buy something from Julep. The first time I ever got any of their products was for free to test and since then I’ve acquired some more through trades, but never actually bought from them. The Naughty & Nice Mystery box promised a $125 value box with two colors, Brenda and Aviva, guaranteed. I’m thrilled with what came in it and I’ll definitely keep an eye out for other mystery boxes.
Julep mystery boxes are just under $25 per box and come with at least 2 polish colors and many other beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.
I just couldn’t resist.
Hello Julep. (And hello my lovely new kitchen counter!)
I was very happy with this first look. Plenty of great products!
A wonderful assortment of products.
Rock Star Hand Creme
Cute little travel size tube with a lid that twists to allow the lotion out through a hole on the bottom – interesting design.
Kajal Eye Glider in brown shimmer and carbon black, with sharpener
This double-tipped eye liner has one end in brown, one end in black and comes with a sharpener. Perfect, since I needed one of those.
Blank Canvas Mattifying Face Primer
I wasn’t thinking about getting a primer, but as it turns out I think it’s exactly what I need.
Lip Gloss in timeless
This is a nice subtle color and the tube is quite large! It’ll last me a long time and it smells fabulous.
Polish colors in America, Joanna, Nellie, Aviva, Alaina, and Brenda. All the shades I got lined up… looks so lovely.
Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers, Luxe Care Hand Creme, and Luxe Repair Skin Serum samples
All great samples to try!
Estimated value: $171.10 (Rock Star Hand Creme $7, Kajal Eye Glider $22, Blank Canvas $28, Lip Gloss $17.60, Nail Color @ $14 each: $84, Blotting Papers $5, Luxe Repair samples $6.50, Luxe Care samples $1) or $136.88 at Maven prices (20% off)
Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).
[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 282: wedge salads
For some reason, eating my salad like this gives me infinitely more pleasure than a normal salad. Somehow wedge salads feel more fun, more sophisticated, more unique. It’s amazing how the difference between cutting something up into pieces or leaving it mostly intact can vary so greatly. This particular wedge salad is my absolute favorite, probably because it doesn’t involve blue cheese. Caesar salads are a classic and putting the wedge salad twist makes it pique my interest. I liked that satisfying crunch from cutting off a bit to chew on and it felt far neater than a normal salad. Who knew cutting my food could be so entertaining? And hey, it’s like the lazy solution to a salad. Don’t want to cut up the leaves into bits? Just tear them off whole and drizzle cheese, dressing, and croutons! Easy. It’s a great way to enjoy your food in a refreshing manner.
Fun festivities!
Today was a chill day, with a couple of wonderful moments. Panda and I ran some errands and got a chance to swing by the condo so I could take some pictures while it’s still relatively empty. It’s still so weird to think this brand new place is ours. We then went off to the gift-wrapping event that the rental office was throwing at the clubhouse. Turned out to be quite a nice event! And I spent the day reading Fifty Shades Darker, which I just finished. I finally caved into the whole Fifty Shades of Grey hype and it’s been a nice distraction from real life. More on my thoughts when I finish the last of the trilogy. For now, here’s a peek at my surprisingly amusing day.
We arrive at the event and check in. They have a nice tree set up!
It’s nice and festive everywhere you look.
All sorts of gift-wrapping items were strewn all over the place and catering from Carrabbas kept us full as holiday shows like Elf played on TV.
Panda wrapped up a gift for my cousin and I found the boy in the back to be hilarious.
On our way out, we helped them clear some of the Carrabbas. I laughed hysterically as one of the guys looked at our dashboard inquisitively. Oh what fun!
The dash, my lap, and the passenger floor were taken up by all our plates and stuff so Panda had to drive with my newly delivered packages on his lap!
365great Day 281: gifts
While I’m generally not into gifts and presents, they’re still fun to get sometimes. The surprise element of getting something combined with the mystery of what it is can be a fun and exciting experience. I enjoyed the white elephant exchange at work today and it reminded me of some of the joy that comes along with gifting. I was careful with what I chose and I’m sure it will be appreciated by the recipient. Some people went with silly gifts for a laugh, others went with totally random stuff and it was interesting seeing what it all was. You can find some funky items out there! It’s also really nice to get gifts for those who usually do without, which is why Panda and I will be donating a toy to kids each year. Ultimately it comes down to the experience of sharing time or care (for me at least), and that’s why gift-giving can be so great.
Canvas Christmas
It was holiday party time at our office today! We did a white elephant and then hung out at a place with pool, shuffleboard, foosball, darts, and other such games.
White elephant time!
The most creative gift of the bunch.
I ended up getting a Lez Zeppelin t-shirt… apparently some women sing Led Zeppelin songs.
And the rest of the night was spent drinking, eating, gaming, and chatting.
365great Day 280: Eiffel Tower
La Tour Eiffel. What a breathtaking sight. It’s funny that this giant metal structure could be so strikingly beautiful. Climbing up it is even more awesome and I wish I could go sip tea atop the Eiffel Tower every day. When I finally got a chance to go to Paris, I made sure to go to the Eiffel Tower a few times. Yes, once just wasn’t enough. Ever since I decided to take French in middle school, I’ve wanted to go to Paris. And there I was, at my personal mecca and I loved it. I could stare at it for days, admiring how it shines in the day and lights up at night. If you ever find yourself in Paris, be sure to take the stairs up this unique structure. It’s a much better experience that way and the view is great up there.
365great Day 279: swans
The closest I ever came to swans was in Lake Geneva, as I waded in those beautiful crisp waters and they peacefully swam around. I saw one brave woman swimming there and the swans were totally cool with her going by. These creatures are magnificent and have such an elegant look with those curved necks. While most people think of the white ones when they envision swans, the black ones are pretty gorgeous too. It’s also fascinating how they transform from these ugly little gray fluffy balls into these amazing white birds. The way they blossom into adulthood is transformational. Being able to spend time in such a serene environment amongst them was really great.
Weary
Have you ever wanted to just give up?
Sometimes I really question myself. I put on my brave face and even fool myself for awhile, but then it resurfaces, that uncertainty. The child who often didn’t feel that connected with her peers. The girl who never really fit in. The woman who thought it’d be easier by now.
Why do I place such importance on the opinions of those who really don’t matter? Why can’t I revel in the love and appreciation I do have? We always want what we don’t have, don’t we? When I think about it, it’s silly, really. Wasting all this time and effort and heartbreak on the unimportant things. Expending so much energy worrying and forcing those closest to me to suffer the pouty moods. Why do I let it get to me so? Why can’t I stop caring?
I am worn, I am weary. I don’t want to trudge along like this. I used to be so happy; I used to be so carefree… and I wish I knew how to shake off the sadness and return to that place. So I write. I write and I write and I write. Then I read a little. And I sit and think until my brain protests. So I spill it all out as drafts of posts I may never share, or I put pen to paper and smell that intoxicating scent of ink. Maybe I can purge my mind that way. Maybe.
I just want to have fun again.
365great Day 278: fish spas
When I was traveling in Thailand, I found a fish spa to go try. I’d started to hear of them while working in Singapore, but they were generally too pricey for my taste. Then I found this one at their night market and I just had to give it a go. These little fish nibble at your skin and eat the dead skin cells. It’s a bizarre experience, all those little mouths pecking at you. At first it was very ticklish and I had to take my feet out a few times from the over-sensitivity. Once I got used to it, it was a hoot. These spas are supposed to leave your skin softer since the dead skin cells are removed. I certainly felt like my feet were softer, but that could have just been from soaking in the water. Either way, it was a really fun time – odd, but great and I think everyone should at least try it once.
