Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

Escape Monthly September: Puerto Rico Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Time to go to a warm climate full of festiveness. This time around, the box got updated with a new look inside and out. They’re also changing how they’re awarding the monthly prize to a subscriber (before it was a random ticket in the box and now it’s based on votes on FB or something).

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.

new exterior design of escape monthly box inner lid of escape monthly box with new design and messaging escape monthly september puerto rico box products showing escape monthly september puerto rico box info card escape monthly september puerto rico box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

Nothing in the box was amazing, but I feel like I got a good sense of Puerto Rico from the selections. There are a lot of cute things!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to San Juan, Vieques, & Culebra – Everything about Puerto Rico is new to me, so this will definitely be my go-to whenever a trip to that area is on my radar. I don’t even know these city names and I haven’t a clue what to do or see in this country.

Coqui pin – This is a cute little frog that isn’t useful for much, but symbolizes the region and love. I’d totally love to see them hopping around in front of me and I’m curious if they’d lull me to sleep at night the way crickets do.

El Isleno Plantain Chips – I was never much of a plantain person, so I’m hesitant to try these. I think they’ll be fine, but nothing that would make me want more. I do appreciate the look at a local snack and I’m sure plantains are far more popular there than they are with me.

Yaucono Cafe Puro Puerto Rican coffee – As a non-coffee drinker, I have kindly donated this to Panda’s pile of coffee to drink someday. I’m thinking I might want to just take it to work for someone else to enjoy.

Dulzura Borincana’s Coconut Pineapple candy – These were not at all the color or texture I expected. I thought they’d be white rather than yellow like the pineapple part of the flavoring. I also expected more of a hard candy, but these are like coconut shavings put into a little chewy bar. I didn’t really taste the pineapple. It’s an okay candy, but not something I’d reach for.

Mi Madre Natural hot sauce – I’m a bit nervous about this. I’m a lot better with spicy stuff, but I can’t bring myself to try this yet. I think I need to make a sandwich and drizzle some on so the bread can help absorb some of the heat.

Caribbean Vela Coconut scented candle – This is a fabulous candle that burned really easily. I like how it became clear when melted. I burned through the whole thing in just a few days of enjoyment. The jar is nice and I’ll keep it to put other things in. I’d totally love to have more of these.

Puerto Rican souvenir mini hat  – I’m pretty sure one of my coworkers has this exact type of little hat! It’s cute and I tried to put it on Smokey (she was not amused). After that I guess it’ll go up on a shelf.

tiny straw hat on cat's head

Smokey would not cooperate and sit with the hat on.

cat sniffing tiny straw hat before taking a bite

She sure did love sniffing it and trying to bite it though.

This was a very food-centric box. I liked being introduced to some flavors I’m not as used to, but I would have loved to see something I can use for my body, whether lotion, shampoo, scrub, or otherwise What do you want from this Puerto Rico Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): RICOESCAPE, CARIBBEAN, or LONDON for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

In October we’re off to London!!! I love Britain and I can’t wait to see what will be brought from there. I sure hope to feel like I’m back there visiting.

escape monthly september puerto rico box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of london

[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 most adorable bowls

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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Since I’ve been volunteering at the Natural History Museum consistently, I decided to check out some of the nearby places that I’ve been meaning to try. A few months ago, I went to get boba at Teaism. Since then, I’ve eaten there, gotten more tea, and shopped around in their store next door. That Teaism Shop is my new weakness. I’ve bought fancy chocolates there and now, these freakin’ adorable bowls. If I keep going, I’m sure I’ll end up with a variety of teas and accessories as well. I love the size of these, which encourage smaller portions. Plus, the little animals are impossibly cute. I’ll definitely be making these my primary bowls of choice from now on.

set of three mini bowls with a pink bunny, yellow monkey, and blue pig designs small bowl with cartoon monkey design inside small yellow bowl with cartoon monkey design on side small yellow bowl with back of cartoon monkey outline on side small bowl with cartoon pig design inside small blue bowl with cartoon pig design on side small blue bowl with back of cartoon pig outline on side small bowl with cartoon bunny design inside small pink bowl with cartoon bunny design on side small pink bowl with back of cartoon bunny outline on side

October anniversary

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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Today Panda and I celebrated our official 6th year together. It’s the first time our anniversary has occurred in October (because it’s the Friday of Zero Week at UCLA), which certainly felt weird. Usually it falls on the last or second to last Friday of September! I had a really busy day at work and tried to leave early, but barely made it out on time. We had our reservation for The Melting Pot at 6 and met there.

melting pot spinach artichoke cheese fondue with bread, chips, vegetables, and fruits for dipping

We started off with the spinach artichoke cheese fondue.

melting pot house salad with house dressing

I got a house salad.

melting pot california salad

He got a California salad.

melting pot entree in mojo cooking style with atlantic salmon, pacific white shrimp, and sauces

Then it was time for the entrees. I got Pacific white shrimp and he got Atlantic salmon.

sixth anniversary gift from the husband

When I returned from the restroom, I found a gift waiting for me! 🙂

I love the way Panda wraps gifts. He always finds some cute piece of paper from an ad or something at home and uses that. This time he carefully chose this design from a calendar! The sides were taped with fun cartoon stickers.

peas in a pod ceramic anniversary gift

What a cute set of chopstick rests and pea pod tray! Hehe.

I wanted to get the current limited edition chocolate fondue with white chocolate, peaches, and almonds, but Panda was full and didn’t want to stay for another course. We compromised by getting a half-dozen box of the chocolate-covered strawberries to go. At home, we opened up the HeatDish he got a Costco a few weeks ago. It’s starting to get cool outside these days. I had to break out my space heater at work, start wearing scarves, and today I even used my heated seats and steering wheel for the first time this season. Fall has arrived and I’m hoping I don’t get sick or freeze.

Petit Vour September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Looks like they teamed up with Logical Harmony again (see last time) for this month’s selections. They also updated the look of their box! Not only is the color different, but the box is slightly taller and less wide than before.

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!).

new petit vour box with darker pink color

The box looks a little different now, with a darker shade of pink.

contents of petit vour september 2014 box with root science moisturizer, lily lolo mineral eye shadow, ellovi tinted lip butter, yarok leave-in conditioner, and info card with beauty & the box theme petit vour september 2014 box info card with item details collage of front and back of root science products info card

Root Science Skincare Facial Moisturizer – Whoa, I did not expect this to be an oil. Is that a new thing? Seems to be pretty popular nowadays. I don’t think I’d go out in the day with a moisturizer like this, but at night it’s a wonderfully healing option. This one has a somewhat nutty, lightly herbal smell. I love how rubbing in oil warms up my face.

Lily Lolo Mineral Eye Shadow in Mudpie – I wish I was into eye shadows, because I’m getting quite the collection of them. This will be going up for trade soon. I don’t think I would have used a color like this even if I did apply eye shadow. It’s so dark! I do like the branding though and I’d love to try something of theirs eventually. I really wish they would have chosen some other type of product since they already included eye shadows from this brand before.

ellovi tinted lip butter – I would have been more excited about this if I hadn’t received the lip butter from this brand in another box. Not counting that, this is a great product that I’m glad to have. I’m glad that I got the tinted version from them, so now I have both the plain and tinted ones to use! I’m a fan of tinted lip balms since it helps add a bit of color to my lips without being obvious and they’re very hydrating too.

Yarok Leave-In Conditioner – Looove this! My hair has never stayed silky for so long and had so much smoother ends. I sprayed some on after showering and let my hair air dry as I always do. It had great results and it smells good too, kind of lemongrassy I think.

Another great box with some really quality products that I look forward to using. I’ll be trading one item, but definitely using the others. Which products did you like best?

[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!]

iPhone 6 in pictures

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , , ,
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I’ve had my iPhone 6 for a week and a half now, but I’m already so used to it that I hardly recognize the iPhone 5. I’m absolutely loving it and I’m so happy with the whole experience. Here are some pics of it, along with a few side by sides with my old iPhone.

iphone 6 white box front of iphone 6 in space gray back of iphone 6 in space gray closeup of camera on iphone 6 in space gray iphone 6 power button on right side of phone iphone 6 volume controls on left side of phone empty open box of iphone 6 iphone 6 earpods and lightning charging cable and plug iphone 6 info cards from box collage of front and back of iphone 6 info card with basic instructions iphone 6 and iphone 5 in respective boxes with lids backs of iphone 6 and iphone 5 in boxes

Beauty Box 5 September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Another ok but not fabulous box for me. I like that they include nail polish a lot but it’s not really in shades I’d use. I do appreciate the hair products they include, since I like to switch up my hair routine.

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.

september 2014 beauty box 5 contents beauty box 5 september 2014 information card

Nicka K New York Eyelight Crayon in Charcoal: This color is far too dark for me so I hope there’s someone out there who’d like to trade for it! If it had been a lighter color or something fun like a pop of color, I might have tried it. I’m curious about the crayon application so it’s a pity it’s not suited for me.

Natural Style by FUBU Deep Conditioner & Co-Wash: I haven’t tried this yet, but I love the smooth feel of using conditioner so I look forward to it. I’m still working through other samples I have at the moment.

Sally Hansen Toe Spacers: Haha, it’s always so awkward to have things between your toes. These will be useful next time I want to paint my toenails. I’ll have fun strutting around with my toes all fanned out.

My Beauty Spot Nail Polish: Oops, I can’t seem to find this polish now. I hadn’t decided if I was going to try it or trade it, but at this rate it looks like it will be neither. I think this would have been a nice polish to use for when I want some color, but nothing that stands out too much. If I can figure out where I put it, I’ll give it a shot.

Dr. Lin Acne Spot Corrector: This is my favorite product from this box and I’ve used it a few times. It feels nice, doesn’t dry out my skin, and seems to calm down my acne issues. They haven’t completely gone away, but using this has helped things from spiraling out of control as they often do.

The theme for this box was “balancing act” and I think overall it works. It’s not that important to me that boxes follow a theme though, so no big deal! Which items do you like most from these?

[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!]

Treatsie September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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A great variety this time around and all tasty stuff in this Treatsie box! The items had a more fall feel, just in time for the cooling season.

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!

treatsie september 2014 box contents with quince & apple tart cherry and white tea preserves, j&m triple chocolate cookies, and bequet confections caramels

Quince & Apple Tart Cherry and White Tea Preserves: Hmm, this is an interesting flavor I wouldn’t be able to describe! It’s lightly tart and not overly sweet like many preserves. I like that it’s a more subtle flavor and I’ll have to find something to spread these on. It’s so cool that it’s made with tea and jasmine flowers.

J&M Triple Chocolate Cookies: Wow, they cooked these perfectly. The chocolate flavor, the crunchy texture, and the soft bits of chocolate chips is a wonderful combination. It’s a rich flavor and not the dry crunchy cookie, but perfectly made for enjoyment. I shared these with my coworkers and we couldn’t get enough of them.

Béquet Confections Classic Soft, Celtic Sea Salt, and Salted Mocha Caramels: We received these at the office last holiday season, so imagine my surprise when they showed up in this box! I love these caramels and was totally addicted to the bags we got last year. I sure hope we get more of these at the end of the year. They’re tasty and there are a ton of great flavors.

I’m happy with the selection and I look forward to getting more of those cookies. What do you like best from this month’s box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

[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!]

Love With Food Smile, Your Snacks Have Arrived September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I haven’t been super impressed with LWF so I actually cancelled my subscription, but since I bought the 6-month one, I’ll still be getting a few more boxes through the end of the year. Three of the items were exact repeats from a previous box! Definitely not what I want to see.

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.

contents of september 2014 love with food box including seven snacks info card with details for september 2014 love with food snacks collage of offer cards included in september 2014 love with food box(click to enlarge and read messaging)

It took me awhile to get that the theme was about smiling. I guess they couldn’t come up with a fall theme. The repeat items were the Skeeter Nut Free Cinnamon Grahams (great crunch and taste), the YumEarth fruit snacks (tasty, but small sample), and the 180 Degrees Nutty Rice Bites with Blueberries (not my thing).

The Desert Gardens Spinach Dip Mix should make a nice. I’m really looking forward to brewing the Revolution Tea Southern Derby Sample Pack at work. There are three flavors included: Honeybush Caramel Herbal Tea (whoa, intriguing), Tropical Green Tea, and Southern Mint Herbal Tea. I certainly love drinking tea and I love their bags.

I tried the Vintage Italia Marinara Pasta Chips and loved their strong taste! Panda complained about the garlic smell, but I’m all about that tomato flavor. These taste a bit grainy, like they’re made with whole wheat (they’re actually made with semolina flour – no idea what that is). As for the Terre Di Puglia Tarallino Snack, it was not as tasty as I had hoped. I found it to be rather bland, though the cookie shape is cute.

I’m pretty pleased with the non-repeat products here, so I really wish I’d been introduced to more snacks. I’m most excited about the tea! What did you like in this box? Any favorites?

[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!]

Julep Jewel Heist Mystery Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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I skipped the September box, so I was looking forward to a mystery box that I might want. When I saw the Jewel Heist one, I was intrigued enough to order it! I would definitely have loved to win the whole birthstone collection. I only have one of those colors right now.

Julep mystery boxes are just under $25 per box and come with a mix of polish colors and beauty products. These are one-time orders and do not require a subscription.

julep jewel heist mystery box email with $100+ worth of products for $25

julep jewel heist mystery box contents including mask noir, double duty makeup brush, green tea blotting papers, gel eyeliner, lengthening mascara, and polish in alma

Great selection of items overall, though that polish color is ick.

julep mask noir peel-off mask with power cell complex

Mask Noir
Yes! This has been on my wishlist, so I’m very happy to get it. I love masks.

julep double duty makeup brush and polish in alma from trina turk fall '12 collection

Double Duty Makeup Brush & polish in Alma
I had no idea what kind of brush this is meant to be, but I love having another tool to use. Turns out it’s two brushes in one! As for the polish… it’s from 2012 and it’s not an attractive color at all.

julep green tea facial blotting papers

Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers
I’m a fan of these even if I always forget to use them. They smell amazing and I’ll try to make good use of them!

julep ink gel eyeliner in jet black

Ink Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black
Oh, dilemma. I’d like to try this, but I’d never use this much and I don’t even have a brush to apply it with. Should I trade or try?

julep boho glam lengthening mascara in espresso brown

Boho Glam Lengthening Mascara in Espresso Brown
This came in a previous mystery box, so it’ll go up for trade. They must have a lot of overstock!

I definitely like the value of the box and the selection of items overall, even if I wouldn’t use them all. I sure wish they’d picked a better polish color (and one not so obviously from years ago). I certainly would have loved to win one of the prizes this time!! Oh well, here’s to next time.

Estimated value: $121 (Mask Noir $32, Double Duty Makeup Brush $28, Nail Color $14, Green Tea Facial Blotting Papers $10, Ink Gel Eyeliner $22, Lengthening Mascara $24) or $96.80 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!]

Fabletics Temps Outfit (Omemee Tank + Salar Capri) review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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So I had some credit sitting around in my account and I wanted to redeem an outfit with those points. I ended up coming across the Temps outfit and going for it. I figured I could use another top that also works for casual wear and an extra pair of capris to round it out.

Fabletics is just under $50 per outfit credit and comes with a 2- or 3-piece set of athletic wear. Each month, three outfits are selected for you to choose from at the 1 outfit credit price point. You can always get other outfits at their VIP pricing of $50-80 (2- and 3- pieces available) or buy any individual item separately. Outfits are sent monthly unless you choose to skip (which is very easy to do). They offer a referral program that earns you money towards free outfits.

Get your first outfit for half off with my referral link! All fitted Fabletics items are chafe-resistant and feature four-way stretch for comfort and movement.

collage of front, back, and inside of fabletics omemee tank in pink grapefruit heather

Omemee Tank in Pink Grapefruit Heather

This tank is all at once casual yet dressy. While it’s not dressed up exactly, the look and feel of it is fancier than most tanks. I enjoy the asymmetry that gives it more character! The built-in bra makes it an easy choice to throw on whenever. Perfect for hanging out in at home or running errands. I like how much freedom the shoulder blades get in this one, so no amount of sun salutations would affect the back. I definitely like these types of tops for my yoga practice. Retail value for this is listed as $34.95.

collage of front, back, and hidden pocket of fabletics salar capri in pink grapefruit stripe

Salar Capri in Pink Grapefruit Stripe

I was really hoping this shade would be vastly different from the Salar leggings I have. Turns out it’s pretty much the same, so now I have them in legging and capri styles. I’m not too sure how this works for me, but I’ll keep it around and see if I find myself wearing capris more. I do like the new mesh being used for the hidden pocket. It’s a fun little detail that I certainly appreciate. I kind of wish they had another color I liked in my size when I chose my outfit. Listed retail value for this is $39.95.

This outfit was very grapefruit-y! I love the top and I’ll probably use the bottoms, though maybe I’ll try to trade them. Most likely I will just wear them around the house on weekends. Interested in trying an outfit too? Sign up for Fabletics to get your first outfit for just $25!

[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 outfit and wanted to share what I got!]

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