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Escape Monthly May: Rocky Mountain Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: bars, bath bombs, boxes, chocolates, escape monthly, food, keychains, lotions, pictures, products, reviews, root beer, skincare, snacks, soaps, subscriptions, sunscreen, travel

29 May 2015

For the first time, there was no brochure/info card insert – instead it was sent digitally! I’ve embedded it below and also included a link to where you can view the PDF in detail if you’d like. I’m a fan of less paper waste and if this box is an indicator of the quality of future boxes sans paper insert, I’m totally happy.

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.

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

escape-monthly-rocky-mountain-box-info-card-pdf

(view the file to read in detail)

When I first opened the box, I was totally impressed! Not only did it smell fantastic, but it had so many items that it truly felt like a treat. I’m all about more medium-sized (and value) items rather than a larger one that may have monetary value, but isn’t something I like as much. Or maybe I just really like what this theme meant in terms of curation! I could have done with digital versions of the info cards in addition to the already-digital brochure they always have.

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Montana & Wyoming – Well, this doesn’t quite match up to the listed handbook, but it looks like it covers more than that one would have so I don’t mind. I’ve been to Yellowstone before, but haven’t really explored the rest of the national parks or either state. I think it’d be fun to do a road trip in that area to admire all the nature. I love scenery and animals!

Rocky Mountain National Park commemorative keychain – This is a nice, quality keychain that is very well-crafted. It’s so nice that I’m going to have to store it rather than actually use it on my keychain. I don’t want to wear it down!

NAAWK EcoPack sunscreen – I love this packaging, which is so perfect for traveling through national parks and wilderness. Just clip it to your belt buckle or backpack and you can reapply sunscreen throughout the day. What a cool pack!

the Spirit Goat Goat’s Milk lotion in Bear Lake Raspberries – This is a rather unusual scent for me (in a good way). I’m not sure I’ve had a raspberry lotion before and I love it! There’s a mild sweetness that is really nice and not in your face. It’s such a fresh sort of feeling. My skin feels wonderfully soft after applying.

Rocky Mountain Root Beer – I heard something moving in the box as I was carrying it and it turned out to be this bottle. I opened it pretty much as soon as I took the picture and it was a nice treat to enjoy. I love the glass bottle and that it wasn’t super sweet. Sometimes sodas are just too much, so this is a nice alternative.

Kate’s Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Stash Bar – While I don’t really like bars or peanut butter, this one looks quite good. I will definitely make good use of it next time I need a boost, whether from travel or exercise.

Salus Bath Bomb in Mountain Mint – How perfect that I got shower bombs from Yuzen and now I have a bath bomb to try too! This strong mint scent is sure to be a nice cooling experience. I hope it helps soothe aches too.

Dirty Diana Preserves – I’m hesitant to try this due to the cherries. I typically only like fresh cherry flavor. I’m also not quite sure how to use this… as a spread? To cook with? We’ll see.

Sierra Nevada Soap Company Rosemary Lavender soap – Ah yes, this was emanating relaxation as soon as I opened the box. I love the scent and will add this to my soap queue near the front. It’s fun that there are chunks in there – I like a soap with some added texture.

Wild West Howdy chocolate bar – This bar has dark chocolate and almonds. It’s a very hard chocolate that is a perfectly balanced so it’s not bitter, but not crazy sweet either. The almond bits are smaller and don’t steal the show.

I’m thinking I need to move near the Rockies at some point in my life. I love eco-friendly stuff and the clean, fresh feeling these products give me. Which products from the Rocky Mountain Escape Monthly box would you want too? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): YOURESCAPE or ROCKY for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

Coming up is Vancouver for some Canadian goodness. I’m excited for that and I wonder if any packaging will change since I just noticed their new logo.

[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 perks of Gogobot Pro

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: free stuff, gogobot, pictures, swag

27 May 2015

Back in early 2013, I noticed a post from a friend who was sharing her Gogobot swag. I was immediately curious and got hooked to reviewing on the site. Not long after, I was thrilled to learn I’d made Pro! When you are an active member of their site, you can get selected to Gogobot Pro, which means you get awesome swag, a badge on your profile, and invitations to exclusive events (with themes like Spring Break, 500 Days, and Tron Party).

When you earn the status, you get to keep it through the rest of the calendar year. The following year, you’re re-evaluated and if you don’t make the cut, you can make up for it and get back in later in the year. So far I’ve made it each year since and I can’t believe I haven’t officially shared the sweet swag that they’ve sent me, so here’s a quick look back at the past three years!

gogobot pro 2013 canvas tote bag, beach towel, and flip flops

The first year it was beach themed. I love that tote bag and use it for all my travels.

gogobot pro 2014 sunglasses, pen, luggage tags, bottle opener, screen wipe sticker, and pin

I was renewed for 2014, but the gear was taking time so they sent these knick knacks while we were waiting.

gogobot pro 2014 duffel bag and water bottle

Finally, months later we got our stuff! I’ve used that water bottle as my main one for volunteering and trips. The duffel bag gets used for small getaways.

gogobot pro 2015 backpack and travel mug/tumbler

At first I didn’t make it this year, but I diligently posted again and was re-instated! I just recently got the backpack, which I now use for work. The mug is really cool and ceramic inside.

Time and time again I’m impressed by the unique products chosen and the quality of the items! For example, that tote is super sturdy and has a nice outer pocket to throw things in or the larger compartment that zips up for safe storage of your stuff. The water bottle is a self-sealing one so it’s easy to use with one hand when you need a quick grab and sip. The backpack has many compartments and I nearly missed the special zipper on the side for you to slide in your laptop! And the mug’s interior is ceramic, which is something I haven’t seen before. I just wish it held more liquid inside, but it’s still awesome.

Gogobot is such a cool brand that really knows about getting super fans who can become advocates and ambassadors! I hope to continue to be a power user for years to come, decked out with really nice gear to travel with. 🙂

Petit Vour May 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, dry shampoo, lipsticks, petit vour, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions, sugar scrubs, toners

24 May 2015

After canceling some subscriptions, there was a gap in deliveries for awhile and I was antsy for the next one. Happily, this one arrived over the weekend to satisfy my thirst.

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!).

MUN No. 11 Anarose rejuvenating rose toner – I’ve never seen a toner sample in one of these packets before, so I hope it isn’t too drippy. I should use more toner, so if I like this I might get the full size of it. Sometimes I can’t tell what all these different types of skincare items are for.

nyl. organic shimmer scrub – What a fun concept to make a sugar scrub glittery. I like that it will add a subtle enhancement to my skin and it smells amazing! This will make me very happy in my next bath. It’s just the right kind of thing for the summer. 🙂

LippyGirl Vegocentric vegan lipstick in Snog Me – I’d describe this shade as a sort of deep cranberry or raspberry. I like that it looks like any lipstick you’d get normally, but it doesn’t have that odd smell that non-vegan ones seem to have across the board. I’ve got a ton of lip products in rotation at the moment, so this pretty tube will have to wait.

Zabana Essentials shimmery dry glow shampoo – I love dry shampoo. This bottle is the perfect design to dispense it in little spurts and not giant globs. It’s going to be a shimmery summer since this also has a bit of glitter in it! I have two other dry shampoos I’m using so I’ll be adding this to the lot. This one will probably be the go-to fora day out in the sun.

Again, great curation to help us find cruelty-free products. I can’t believe they’ve only been around 2 years and I look forward to what else is to come. Which of these do you want too?

[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!]

Kocostar Nail Therapy review

laelene Posted in reviews，Tags: healing, nail care, nails, pictures, products, reviews, treatments

22 May 2015

I did a trade a long time ago where I got this Kocostar Nail Therapy treatment. They also do foot and hair therapy packs. When I finally got around to trying them, I was chillin’ on my computer at night. Check it out!

kocostar nail therapy treatment pack on fingers

At first I made a n00b move and tried to squeeze my fingers in at odd angles. Then I realized they were meant to be torn apart!

kocostar nail therapy treatment on fingers and being removed

Ah yes, that feels much better.

I let them sit on my fingers for well over half an hour. They smelled great and had a soothing blend inside. I loved that the exterior is plastic of sorts, so I could safely type and do things without rubbing gunk everything. It was a lot of fun just to rub my fingers against each other, since the covers are so smooth. When it came time to slip them off, my fingers were soft and felt great. I massaged the rest of the lotion into my fingers and it was like a mini spa for my hands. I don’t know if it strengthened my nails, but it certainly did soften my cuticles and leave my fingers feeling wonderful. If I saw these in a store I’d definitely get another set! I also want to try their foot treatment.

AdoreMe Daniele robe review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: adoreme, clothing, nightgowns, pictures, products, reviews, robes, sleepwear, subscriptions

17 May 2015

After getting lingerie from AdoreMe, I discovered a ton of other things I wanted – namely swimsuits and evening wear. I’d played to win free money towards a purchase and ended up with a code that saved me $30! I decided to apply it towards the purchase of this nightgown, which was just the right combination of comfortable yet classy.

AdoreMe is just under $40 per store credit for intimates, sleepwear, or swimwear. Credits are charged monthly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). Each month, bra and panty sets available in your size are selected for you in the showroom. You can always get other items at their VIP pricing of $40-50. They offer a referral program that earns you money towards purchases. Use my referral link to get your first outfit for $25!

The Daniele robe.

Daniele

VIP: $39.⁹⁵ (Regular: $49.⁹⁵)

72 reviews, 5 stars

Mid-length robe
Belt tie closure
Rayon / Spandex

Wrap yourself up in our jet black Daniele, an exceptionally soft modal robe with ecru lace-trimmed cuffs! This drapey style puts a sophisticated spin on your everyday cover ups. Looks great over satin slips and colorful sleepwear.

This robe is sooo soft! It’s the perfect one to wear in spring and summer, as I begin to want more lightweight and cooling clothes. The lace accent at the wrists is a nice touch, making this an elegant look. I also like the length of the robe, which extends just above my knees, so I can easily lean over or lay down without worrying about it hiking up. The little belt that comes with it allows me to tie it into place and there are even strings on the inside to keep it even more secure.

I am a big fan of this robe as a casual nightgown. It keeps me warm without overheating and I feel like I can be seen with it on the porch, if I want to step out for a bit. It’s extremely comfortable and a really great fit. No wonder it has a ton of reviews and a solid five stars on the site!

[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 product and wanted to share what I got!]

Bruising

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: body, bruises, pictures

15 May 2015

For some reason, I seem to bruise really easily. It’s been that way as long as I remember and every few weeks I’ll discover a bruise that just appeared without me knowing. I’m quite certain that with most, I did not just bump into something and forget about it. After all, these bruises come in the most random places (mostly on my legs). Sometimes it’s the back of my calf. Sometimes it’s the middle of my thigh. Occasionally I get them on my arms too.

And if I ever do bump into something, oh boy. It’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll have a bruise emerge the next day. I didn’t realize this extended to small jabs too – I had my blood drawn recently and my arm was sore for days afterward, in addition to the bruising that came up! It was nearly two weeks before it completely faded and the flesh wasn’t tender anymore. Who knew a needle would create such problems for me? I guess I should have known, since the last time (maaaany years ago) I did get some bruising as well. I guess I have delicate veins?

Are you sensitive to bumps, scrapes, and bruises too?

Home Chef May 6 Delivery review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, carne asada, chicken, cooking, food, home chef, homemade, japanese, korean, meals, mexican, pictures, pork chops, potato chips, reviews, sandwiches, skewers, slaw, soba noodles, subscriptions, tilapia, yakitori

13 May 2015

I don’t browse Facebook much anymore, but when I was a few weeks back, I saw an ad offer for Home Chef. For $30 off, I was totally willing to give it a try! Their soba dish caught my eye since our recent one from Hello Fresh was soooo good.

Home Chef is just under $10 per serving and comes with your choice of up to 8-9 meals of 2-8 servings each. They also offer a breakfast option as well as fresh (seasonal) fruit. Shipping is $10 for orders under $40 and free for orders over that. Boxes are sent weekly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that gives $30 off to both the person you referred and your next order.

collage of home chef cinco de mayo special carne asada with pico de gallo, spanish rice, and seasoned black beans recipe card

Our very first meal from the box was Panda’s choice. He loves Mexican food!

collage of home chef cinco de mayo special carne asada with pico de gallo, spanish rice, and seasoned black beans ingredients and meal being made

Cooking the steak to our liking was the hardest. Panda also hurt his fingers cutting the jalapeno.

home chef cinco de mayo special carne asada with pico de gallo, spanish rice, and seasoned black beans finished product

The meat and salsa were yum! I liked how the salty beans and the more bland rice blended for a base. I wish the rice absorbed more flavor from the spice though.

collage of home chef japanese chicken yakitori with baby bok choy slaw recipe card

Next up was something lighter.

collage of home chef japanese chicken yakitori with baby bok choy slaw ingredients and meal being made

I’m so proud that Panda pretty much made this all on his own. I just had to help with making sure the chicken didn’t stick to the pan.

home chef japanese chicken yakitori with baby bok choy slaw finished product

I was surprised at how soft and juicy the chicken was and that the bok choy slaw was to my liking. Nice!

collage of home chef bbq korean pork chop with sesame-cucumber soba noodles, radish sprouts, and green onion recipe card

The main reason I got this box was this dish!

collage of home chef bbq korean pork chop with sesame-cucumber soba noodles, radish sprouts, and green onion ingredients and meal being made

Oh yes, loving these ingredients. I’m totally shaving more cucumber like that in the future.

home chef bbq korean pork chop with sesame-cucumber soba noodles, radish sprouts, and green onion finished product

Delicious, just as I hoped. I’m a fan of this recipe.

collage of home chef pan-fried tilapia po' boy with remoulade and cajun potato chips recipe card

Finally, we felt this was a fitting lunch for the weekend.

collage of home chef pan-fried tilapia po' boy with remoulade and cajun potato chips ingredients and meal being made

Panda took charge again and did most of the work for this one. I helped with a few tasks here and there.

home chef pan-fried tilapia po' boy with remoulade and cajun potato chips finished product

This actually turned out to be way more filling than we expected. I totally want to make our own potato chips now.

As you might have noticed, we opted for four dishes this time. What I like about this subscription is the flexibility in adding as many as you want, and even having the option for a breakfast recipe as well as getting some fruit to supplement your meals. I’ll definitely keep an eye on their recipes and order again the next time I like the upcoming menu.

Yogi Surprise May 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: decorations, food, foot rub, home, jewelry, necklaces, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions, teas, vegan, yoga, yogi surprise

11 May 2015

I’m seeing some familiar brands! There are some nice reusable items too, that will last a long time to come. Let’s get ready for summer with this box…

Yogi Surprise is just under $36 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – use my referral links from this post) and comes with yoga gear, skincare, food, and other lifestyle products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you free boxes.

Luv Superfoods almond beegan-bites – These look like fun little chocolate cups, though I’m hesitant to try them because they’re raw and vegan so I’m not sure about their flavor. I will definitely eat them though, since they should really pack a nice punch of energy.

Moon Valley Organics Peppermint Foot Rub – Much like the Rejuvenating Rub that came a few months ago, this is a minty tube of cream that smells great. It melts with your body temperature and just a little is enough to cover a lot of skin. I don’t quite feel the mint on my feet so I would have liked more of the cooling effect, but it sure does leave my feet nice and soft.

Star Essence Yoga Mind Mouth Mist – Haha! I had just mentioned the mouth mist I’d gotten when we got a different spray from this brand in my very first Yogi surprise box. So now I have another one, which works since my original is back at my parents’ home.

Tea Tibet Harmony Spiced Tea – Oh yay! Definitely excited about this tea since I don’t usually have spiced ones and I enjoy tea of all kinds. I’ll take this to work to drink since it’s always cold there and I end up drinking a ton of hot water or tea throughout the day.

Tibetan prayer flags – These will be a nice decoration to put up in one of the rooms. We don’t really buy things to put up or on display, so this will help spruce up the place.

Yogi necklace with Om pendant – I don’t typically wear large pendants like this, but I’ll try it out and see how I feel. I can always gift it to someone!

I’ll try to make good use of all the items here. We’ll see how it goes – I can always share if I’m not a fan.

Homegrown Collective April 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: almonds, eco-friendly, food, green, homegrown collective, milk, pictures, projects, reviews, seeds, sprouts, subscriptions

07 May 2015

Hmm, I guess they reverted back to printing out inserts. This box is similar to a combination of two previous boxes (my very first one with sprouts and one with almond milk). I like that sprouts are completely different ones and the focus was a unique theme of raw foods.

The Homegrown Collective GREENBOX is $39 per box + $9 shipping (or as discounted as $429 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with fun and easy projects to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program you can apply to join.

Project #1, growing sprouts/sprouting: Wow, there are so many different sprouts to try! I’ve really only had bean sprouts and alfalfa sprouts before (pretty sure brussel sprouts aren’t actually sprouted). I’ll have to test each of these to see which is tastiest. Maybe they all are, and that would be great. These would be super easy to throw in a salad or atop my regular meals. Seeds are powerful things and I have no doubt that sprouts offer great health benefits.

Project #2, chocolate almond milk: While I am not a fan of almonds, especially anything made from them, I’m curious how a chocolate milk would be. I started to try to make the original one I had from the other box, but I left the almonds sitting too long and it grew mold so I had to throw them away. I haven’t quite gotten around to retrying just yet, but I will!

These are simple projects yielding all sorts of edible results. I would have liked to see one project using some of those seeds and making a face mask or something from them. Otherwise, this box was good, with a variety of easy plants to deal with.

Interested? Subscribe to the Homegrown Collective get your own projects!

Julep May 2015: The Set Sail Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, brownies, nail art, nail decals, nail polishes, pictures, products, reviews, stickers, subscriptions

05 May 2015

It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten a box from them and I seem to alternate between mystery boxes and one of their monthly themed ones. This time around, I didn’t want an eyeshadow so I thought I might skip the month again, but I found myself drawn to the High Seas Box. There’s something about the patriotic, summery colors and the nail decals that I couldn’t resist. It was also the perfect opportunity to snag the brow gel that I had my eye on, using some points!

Julep ranges from just under $25 to $40 per box based on tier (or as discounted as just under $20 to $35 per box when prepaid three at a time) and comes with combinations of nail polish colors, skincare products, and beauty products (depending on your style profile choice). They offer plenty of upgrade and add-on options too. Boxes are sent monthly unless you choose to skip. You also have the option of gifting your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you $15 store credit per referral.

julep maven may 2015 set sail collection box contents

May’s Set Sail Collection High Seas box with add-on

Polish colors in Ilsa, Brigitte, and January. While I might have a pretty similar shade of red, I’m quite sure I do not have a blue or white that is just the right shade for this American combo. I look forward to some awesome nail art or French manicures with Brigitte!

gold anchor nail decals
I’m a sucker for these and they were a pretty big reason I went with this box. I can totally see myself doing fun designs with them for Memorial Day, Independence Day, etc. Stripes, polka dots, and anchors all the way!

lock down your brows Iconic Brow Gel in clear
I was surprised at the small size of the brush, but it’s perfect for brows. Other brow gels I’ve used have larger brushes more similar to mascara and they end up putting too much gel on my brows. At first I couldn’t tell if there was even enough gel on the brush, but it works wonderfully to tame any stray brows without looking like there’s anything there.

julep set sail collection card, discount offer card, and refer friend card

The Set Sail Collection cards.

The Set Sail Collection quote card.

I’m very pleased with the brow gel I got with points – totally worth it! The combination of colors and the decals was really well-themed and right up my alley. I had considered trying their new “Surprise Me!” box, but I couldn’t quite take the risk blindly like that. Hopefully I can track down someone’s review and see if it might be worth a try another month…

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

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