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Hong Kong haul

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: art, bags, boxers, cards, chopsticks, clothing, family, food, free, gifts, hong kong, jackets, jewelry, pastries, pictures, pouches, presents, purses, shopping, snacks, tea, tea sets, totes, travel

07 November 2014

Check out the awesome things I acquired in Hong Kong last month – some were gifts, some were free, and some I purchased. I’m very pleased with what I got! You’ll probably want to see some of these in more close-up, so feel free to click on the images to enlarge. 🙂

pandora bracelet and christian dior coin purse with pandora bag

Fancy gifts from the relatives!

3d holiday cards, tissue box cover, scarf, hong kong dollars, and red envelopes

More stuff from the relatives, including a tissue box cover, scarf, and red envelopes.

pizza express bag, ovolo hotels go bag, and drawstring bag with slippers inside

Free stuff from the hotel and Pizza Express. Two totes and a drawstring bag with slippers.

collage of black wristlet pouch with three compartments and clear purple pouch for toiletries

The very first items I bought were these pouches. I love the three compartments on the black one and the translucence of the purple one.

collage of chopstick set in box with two pairs of chopsticks and chopstick holders

At Ngong Ping, I got to choose chopsticks and chopstick holders. Panda and I both chose our own chopstick holders so they don’t exactly match! 😛

collage of glass teapot and mini cups set with pack of six blossoming teas

I’ve fancied a glass tea set for awhile and I’ve always wanted to get blossoming teas, so this package was too much to pass up.

collage of hong kong mtr map microfiber cloth

At first I saw generic ones and bought one, but then we found this one with the MTR map, so I immediately exchanged for it.

uniqlo purple down jacket and gray fuzzy hooded jacket

I have officially discovered Uniqlo and looove their jackets. These two are my favs for fall.

When I saw these while shopping for gifts, I just had to get them for Panda. Smokey will love them!

empty box of flaky almond pastry treats from macau

We got these for our coworkers from Macau, but I forgot to take a picture before they were all devoured.

collage of five 3d cards that pop open to ferris wheels, eiffel tower, ship with sails, and dragon designs

Last but not least are these awesome 3D cards that I got my friends who helped catsit Smokey (and of course I snagged some for myself too).

Petit Vour October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, body butters, boxes, eco-friendly, lipsticks, makeup removers, perfumes, petit vour, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

01 November 2014

Just in time for Halloween came some thrilling items for the October box! I was amused that the order I pulled out the items in happened to match exactly to the order the items are listed on the info card. Spooky coincidence? 😉

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!).

Pacifica Devocean Natural Lipstick in tenderness – This was exciting because I’d seen the emails from Pacifica about them and was definitely curious to try. What a great discovery when I found one lurking in my box this month! It’s creamy and hydrating, but I’ve learned I can’t apply them when my lips are chapping or they amplify that look. I like this neutral shade, but was surprised to find it’s actually more pigmented than I thought (based on the shade rubbing off on my mug). On my lips, it blends in well, so this must be similar to what my natural shade is.

Flo + Theo Body Butter in Lemon Orchard – First of all, I love that this tub is filled to the brim. I applaud them for including as much product as the container would allow. Second, I just love the scent. It’s refreshing and soothing – just what I want when I’m applying this to my skin. The consistency is super thick and it’s firmly packed in there, so just a little bit of rubbing melts enough on my fingers to really get into my dry skin. I can definitely use this to keep my elbows nice and soft all winter long.

Forager Botanicals Natural Eau de Perfume in Woodland – Maybe I don’t understand perfume, but this is a tiny vial and it was only about half full! They could have gone for 2/3 full to make me happy. I don’t wear perfume, so I guess ultimately it doesn’t matter how much there is, but still. The scent is pretty light when I tried a little bit. It’s a nice warm, subtle woody scent that reminds me of a fragrant Chinese wood that you’d find in an antique shop or something. This is what I think of when I’m reminded of my grandma, Buddhist temples, and other sacred/important Asian things. It’s pretty calming for me, so I might just use it for aromatherapy.

S.W. Basics Makeup Remover – I haven’t tried this as a makeup remover yet since I haven’t been wearing makeup, I can see it being great at dissolving away whatever you might have on. I did rub a drop or two on my face, since it can also be a light moisturizer after removing makeup. It feels good and my face is certainly not going to dry out! It makes my skin super soft too, which is awesome. This bottle will last me for awhile and I’m glad that so little can give me plenty of coverage.

While I wasn’t sure about the perfume at first, now I think I’ll keep all these items for my own use. Most of them were immediate hits! I’m really enjoying this subscription and it’s so awesome that all these brands offer such eco-friendly items. What do you think of this box?

[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!]

Our first Halloween

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: candy, costumes, experiences, fun, halloween, holidays, kids, panda, pictures, play, smokey, work

31 October 2014

It’s our first Halloween as homeowners and you can tell by the massive bags of Sour Patch Kids we gave out (along with Rice Krispy Treats too). The Sour Patch Kids were a hit with pretty much ever kid who came to our door. I think we had a total of twenty-some-odd visitors over the course of about half a dozen doorbell rings. A mostly quiet night, but that’s probably partly due to our neighborhood still being new and many condos still standing empty. It wasn’t easy to tell whether people were home and/or living in each unit, plus with our condo style, the doors are down a sidewalk between the walls of our buildings. The other style condos in the area have the front doors all along the front facing the street, so it’s easier for the kids to run from one to the next.

We made sure to turn on our front door light and we lit up fairy lights in one of the windows facing the road. Inside the front door, we lit up the tiny pumpkin I got from my recent HelloFresh box. Panda originally wanted to shine a light on it to cast a shadow like the bat signal, but the shadow was either too small or too blurry, so we decided to light the mini pumpkin instead. Next year we’ll have to make sure we carve a pumpkin and light it up out by the end of our sidewalk to get more people to our door. It also took use some time to hop off the couch and run down the stairs, so maybe we can read books on the stairs or something to be closer to the door.

Overall it was a fun Halloween, not too crazy, but it had its moments (especially at work). Here are some highlights:

laughing girl dressed up as waldo for halloween blending in with whiteboard with red stripes drawn on

This idea for Where’s Waldo sounded much better in our heads, but still provided for some great amusement today.

halloween trio dressed up as lumberjack with axe, shark, and waldo

In no other scenario would you find a lumberjack axing a shark attacking a Waldo. What fun!

mini pumpkin held in the palm of the hand

Fits in the palm of my hand.

light shining on mini pumpkin inside window by door

Our makeshift lighting for the “pumpkin signal” that didn’t quite work.

mini pumpkin inside window by door lit up by lamp

From the outside, I think you get the idea that we’re open for business, right?

cat chewing on bag of candy in basket of halloween candy

Smokey tried to dig in as soon as the kids were gone and the doorbell stopped ringing.

Love With Food Monster Mash October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, food, pictures, products, reviews, snacks, subscriptions

29 October 2014

This box was better than the last, though it still didn’t blow me away. The graphics for the card were cute as always, but I found many of the snacks to be ho-hum.

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)

I didn’t feel like the treats were particularly monstery or fallish, but whatever. I don’t need them to have a theme. My favorite so far has been the Calbee Snapea Crisps that were surprisingly easy to power through way too quickly. Before I knew it, the whole bag was empty and then I saw them at Costco and decided to get a bag. I might get sick of green peas after that, but I liked the light crunch and saltiness of this snack. The Surf Sweets jelly beans were very sweet. Veeeery sweet. I can probably eat only 3-4 at a time. The flavors were nice, but I could have done with a less concentrated sugar taste. I’ve also tried the Flamous Falafel Chips, which are strangely salty – just a hint – and then not. My taste buds were confused. The J&M Cheese Straws were not the sort of taste or texture I like. They reminded me of shortbread, yet were strongly cheesy. I couldn’t finish the bag.

I’m very hesitant about the rest. Justin’s Honey Almond Nut Butter and Chocolate Almond Nut Butter hit a bunch of things I’m not usually a fan of: almond anything, nuts, and [insert nut] butter. Sooo I’m not even sure if I should try them. Perhaps I should give them to a coworker and have a taste, since I at least like honey and chocolate. The Clairesquares Buttery Shortbread Square looks super dense and heavy. I feel like it’d be great for when I’m starving, but boy does it look rich. I’ll have to tread carefully. Finally, the NutryVitta Bananinha bar combines two other things I don’t generally eat: bars and bananas. I might try it for breakfast one of these days when I’m really hungry, or for an afternoon snack. I doubt I can eat more than one or two bites at a time though.

I’m glad there were no repeats of products again. I definitely discovered at least one treat I’d eat again, but the rest have proven to be a bit of an adventure for me. What’s your favorite from 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 at the special offer price and wanted to share what I got!]

What I love about the iPhone 6 & iOS 8

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: apple, devices, iphone 6, pictures, technology

28 October 2014

It’s been well over a month since I’ve had my new iPhone 6 and I’m very happy with it. Since this came with iOS 8, some of the new features might actually be from the operating system, so older iPhone users can update to iOS 8 to also get some updates functionality. Not only is it physically more comfortable to hold and use, there’s a lot of other things that make this iPhone better than ever. Here are some of my favs:

–touch ID – easily the thing I most looked forward to ever since it was introduced for the iPhone 5S

-easier on the eyes (larger screen really helps!)

–double tapping the home button brings down the screen for easier one-handed use

–new calendar (probably an iOS 8 thing) includes option to use current location for calendar entry location, add travel time, and great view of month and upcoming events of the day on single screen

–camera video options now include slo-mo, time lapse, and timer

–native keyboard options allow you to change the default keyboard to a third party one! I installed Fleksy and Swiftkey – so much better, though I wish the shortcuts I set worked with them (learn how to set your own shortcuts)

–battery usage shows me which apps suck the most energy on my phone!!

And other ones to note:

-location-based lock screen app suggestion

-email notifications (get notified when there’s a reply to an email thread)

-hiding email drafts (pull the draft down and keep working, then tap New Message below to resume drafting)

-AirDrop (not even new, but so useful for sharing files across devices quickly)

-scan a credit card to enter the info rather than typing it all yourself

-Siri taps into Shazam so you don’t have to pull up the Shazam app to figure out a song

-messaging details now include options to mute, share location, and quickly browse media you’ve sent to a person

-all kinds of photo editing options and even the ability to hide photos

Beauty Box 5 October 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, boxes, pictures, products, reviews, skincare, subscriptions

27 October 2014

A much better box for me! I never thought I was a fall girl, but I’m starting to find I like fall clothes, skincare, and other trends and habits. Maybe I like colder weather more than I realize? This tool is a great new item to have and I look forward to using it on my next product that’s nearly used up.

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.

Chapstick Hydration Lock: This is great! I like the dual head and the formulas offer lip protection much like a standard chapstick. The day side is the type of lip product I’m used to from them and the night side offers a lovely tangy scent that I just love. I like to layer them both just for fun and this is a cool new take on a familiar product that I appreciate getting to try.

Bellapierre Cosmetics cheek and lip stain in Pink: I’m still debating if I’d use this often enough to justify opening it or if I should just trade it. It’s a pretty deep pink and could work well to offer that flushed look without looking like there’s all this makeup going on. I have so many other products I might not get around to that would achieve similar results, so I don’t know if I’ll try this or swap it.

Extend Your Beauty cosmetic tool: Again, it’s the tools that I love most about these boxes. This handy tool will help get every last drop from the bottle, which will help a lot since I try turning my nearly-empty products upside down, but it doesn’t always work out so well. This will be a lot faster and more effective for sure.

Nanacoco Nail Polish in Romantic Cruise: This is a nice polish and a shade I’d use, but not super often. I do have similar shades, so I’ll have to compare and see if they’re too similar. I do like blues, especially the pastel ones. I like the thick formula so it doesn’t drip much.

Lashem Picture Perfect instant wrinkle reducer: I can’t say I have wrinkles to worry about yet, but the tip about using this a primer is helpful so I might give that a try. I don’t mind helping keep wrinkles at bay either, if this can help with that. It won’t be an issue for me for quite some time, but better safe right?

This box’s theme was “effortless allure” which works for me. While I would have looked for a more sultry nail color, the products sure work towards a simple look that isn’t too overstated. What do you think of the items in this box?

Julep October 2014: The Black Magic Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: beauty, candy, halloween, holidays, lip crayons, masks, nail art, nail polishes, pictures, products, skincare

26 October 2014

I got this box before my vacation, but it was missing an item. I reached out and requested they send me an extra product too since this isn’t the first time this has happened. I received those while away, so now I have the review ready! I knew right away I wanted the night mask, so that narrowed down my choices. I happened to like both shades offered in the Classic With A Twist box, so I opted for that. For the first time, I also loved a ton of their add-ons, so I got an extra polish, nail decals, and the lip crayon.

Julep ranges from just under $20 to $40 per box 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 (skips are earned every six months for subscribers Dec 18th, 2013 and later). 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 october 2014 black magic collection box contents

October’s Classic With A Twist Black Magic Collection box with add-ons

set of julep polishes in casper, logan, deann, catrina, and karmen

Polish colors in Casper, Logan, DeAnn, Catrina, and Karmen.

I had to get Casper because it’ll glow in the dark! Logan and DeAnn came with the box and the last two were bonuses for ordering three add-ons. I already have Catrina from another box, so I’ll trade that.

julep plush pout lip crayon in aurora pink

Plush Pout Lip Crayon in Aurora Pink
I wanted this back when they first offered it, but didn’t like the box selections. Now I have one and it feels good (smells great), but that shade is way bright for me!

Night Shift Sleeping Mask
I’m a fan of this one for sure. It’s super hydrating and soothing.

julep black cat nail decals and bag of candy corn

black cat nail decals and candy corn
The decals were missing originally, so I had them send me two sets. So cute, though I wish some cats faced the other way too.

julep black magic collection card, discount offer card, quote card, candy corn info slip, and bonus card

The Black Magic Collection cards.

A sneak peek at their new mascaras.

julep night shift sleeping mask info card

Info card for the Night Shift mask.

This was a fun box that I liked putting together. I paid just over $40 for it and got a ton of stuff! I’m excited to do some glow-in-the-dark nails with cats. Those decals will work great in other situations too, especially for this cat lover. 🙂

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).

Homegrown Collective olive oil & vinegar infusion project

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, reviews, subscriptions，Tags: cooking, food, home, homegrown collective, pictures, projects

21 October 2014

I’ve been meaning to share the infusions I did from the May Homegrown GREENBOX, so here they are! This was a simple project that wasn’t super messy and didn’t require too many components – mostly just time. I chose to do the cold infusion method since it’s easy to let things just sit. I didn’t read their instructions online, so I missed the memo on the apple vinegar at the end, but I still like my results!

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

First, I laid out all the ingredients.

balsamic vinegar infusion project ingredients

I decided to infuse the vinegar with the japones peppers and rosemary.

balsamic vinegar infusion in jar with japones peppers and rosemary

I hope I put enough in there!

I chose the lemon peel and basil leaves for the olive oil.

olive oil infusion in jar with lemon peel and basil leaf

Everything floating happily.

olive oil and balsamic vinegar infusing in jars by window

Infusing time! I let it sit for over three weeks.

infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar with extra flavor in jars

All ready and in their brand new jars. 🙂

The olive oil flavor is more subtle and doesn’t appear too much different, especially when I’m using it as part of cooking. The balsamic vinegar was definitely stronger due to the peppers! Overall I’m happy with the level of infusion for the vinegar and I’d do a second round of infusion for the oil next time to get a stronger flavor since the ones I chose were milder to begin with. This was a nice project and I’ve been using these as my go-to items when I need these ingredients for cooking.

Homegrown Collective September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: body, boxes, homegrown collective, pictures, reviews, skincare, soaps, subscriptions

10 October 2014

I’m super sad I missed out on the August Homegrown Collectiv e box. Mitchell of Homegrown kindly reached out to me when my annual subscription was about to end and offered me a discount. I was waiting for a new credit card I wanted to use to renew my subscription and I guess the payment didn’t make it in in time for last month’s box. I’m happy to be getting boxes again though!

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, charcoal & cedarwood soap: I’m a huge sucker for soaps of all types and I can’t wait to make these! This charcoal one will be particularly useful for me since I’ve recently gone through yet another round of annoyingly large and painful breakouts. I just can’t seem to keep my acne at bay. This soap will be great at helping to calm down all that craziness. Before I knew what the little jar of black charcoal was, I thought it was just an empty jar painted black on the inside. I opened it to look inside and nearly spilled the powder everywhere! Whoops.

Project #2, dead sea salt & lavender soap: This will be a more standard soap and I just love that I’ll get to mix in those dried lavender flowers. That’s going to be fun to use! I think I’ll probably cut the luffa in half and use one piece for this soap so I can get some exfoliation from it too. What fun! I love lathering up in the shower and this soap will certainly make it enjoyable.

Project #3, oatmeal, luffa & tuberose soap: Another great soothing soap that will be good for my skin. I really enjoyed my oatmeal soap from a brand I discovered at Green Festival DC 2012. I hope this soap foams as well as that one did! I’ll be using the other half of the luffa in this soap. I’m also really happy to have a grater, so now I can use it for future kitchen needs if they arise. As always, I love the tools that come with these projects.

I have a ton of soaps I’m working through but I always want more. These are totally going to have a cool factor because I get to make them myself! I had been meaning to get a soap-making kit and try it out sometime, so this will be a great start. There’s pride in being able to make something!

Honestly, you should be getting the Homegrown Collective for yourself, pronto. I’ve been with them a year and I still can’t get enough of the cool home projects they’ve sent to help me live a greener life.

Chalkfest

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: art, chalk, coworkers, drawing, events, pictures, reston, work

08 October 2014

Gosh, I meant to share this a month ago right after Chalkfest occurred in Reston, but somehow the time just flew by! There are always a ton of activities happening in the town center and this was one that my company, Canvas, decided to participate in. They got a space for our graphic designer to to add her contribution to the event. Check out what she drew starting the day before the event and a bunch of other chalk art from that day: