Posts Tagged ‘pictures’

Toothpaste preferences

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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No, I’m not talking about what brand of toothpaste you like to use. Perhaps more accurately I’m wondering about your toothpaste tube squeezing preferences.

collage of toothpaste tubes squeezed randomly versus neatlyYou see, I’m a bit OCD about my toothpaste tubes and they must be neatly squeezed toward the top of the tube, with the empty part flat and usually folded over. I don’t know how I developed this particular preference since my parents don’t appear to do it. It drives me crazy when I use a tube that is just a misshapen glob, where squeezing it causes the toothpaste not just to come out the top slowly, but sometimes even pushes some of it further back into the tube. Panda’s the type to also let his toothpaste tubes run wild and I’ll find it looking like the one on the left. I then carefully squeeze everything towards the lid and flatten out the bottom. Usually I’ll use a rubber band to keep the flap folded over so his next squeeze doesn’t undo my work.

Am I weird to be so picky about this? I can’t help it; it’s just something I have to fix. What is your toothpaste tube squeezing preference? Do you even have one?

365great Day 161: AcuHoop

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 161: acuhoopBack in high school, my best friend Katana and I would drive out to Chinatown on a whim and hang out there for the day. We loved browsing Saigon Market (umm why is there a Saigon market in Chinatown??) for all the random trinkets, clothing, and even pets they had. We bought matching clothes, phone charms (back when phones could have charms dangling off them!), and even betta fish. Once when we were shopping around for qi pao (Chinese evening dresses), we happened upon a stand selling AcuHoops. You could get the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6-lb one. We found it to be quite hilarious and I decided I wanted to get one sometime. I believe it was my first year of college that I actually went through with it and chose the 3-lb one. It’s funny because I can’t hula hoop, but when you have a heavy weight like the AcuHoop, I actually got the hang of it quickly! Soon enough I was able to keep it up for over an hour at a time. I trained myself to be able to rotate it clockwise and counterclockwise so I wasn’t always putting the same force on my opposing sides. What fun it was! It’s still one of my favorite ways to “work out” and it really does help trim your mid-section. I think it’s really great! 🙂

Blissmobox: Skin Essentials

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Ok, so I’ve been holding off on reviewing this box because I couldn’t find pictures for it… and then a few weeks ago I realized I don’t remember receiving it at all. Oy! It just so happened at around this time I had gotten two other blissmoboxes and then I lost track of how many I was supposed to receive. Then I went home, where I had this box sent and I had a bunch of mail to go through and somehow this one fell through the cracks. Luckily, my mom was able to hunt it down for me! So here we go…

the choices for february's blissmobox: snack favorites (deluxe value), skin essentials, and baking & pantry favorites (deluxe value)

The three choices for the February blissmobox.

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

This was the February box and I chose the Skin Essentials one because I was really in the mood for some pampering skincare products. I started to move away from the food selections once I really got into trying all types of cleansers and washes and creams and lotions.

opened blissmobox february 2013 with contents displayed

collage of weleda wild rose smoothing facial lotionWeleda, Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion – I’m so happy I got this! I have been wishing for some Weleda to try out. I saw a really cool sample pack they sell at Whole Foods and ever since I’ve been curious about this brand. This all-natural product has no synthetic preservatives, fragrances, or chemicals. I can definitely feel good about putting this on my face. I’m not a huge fan of rose-scented skincare, but I do like how this feels so I’m going to have to try out their other products. It absorbs really well and is really refreshing to apply. This particular one helps target fine lines, but I don’t have that issue yet so I think their Iris Hydrating Facial Lotion might be a better fit for me.

collage of episencial soothing creamEpisencial, Soothing Cream – This is perfect for me and all my skin issues lately even though it appears to be a baby-focused brand. I’m going to try this on my burn that still itches a bit at times. I love how gentle it is so you can use it on babies too (lol it actually says for ages 0-150!). Seems like a great thing for diaper rash and other such conditions. It’s even got probiotics, which I’ve never seen in a cream before. I don’t want to open it just yet since I have a few other products for similar uses, but I’m looking forward to testing it. With calendula, I’m sure that it will be plenty effective for healing and soothing. It’s vegan, phthatlate-free, petrochemical-free, paraben-free, gluten-free, and cruelty-free.

collage of fisika ash-bay laurel soapFisika, Ash-Bay Laurel soap – This looks so fascinating, with its unique gray shade and ingredients like ash and laurel. Those aren’t ones I commonly see and I really look forward to sampling this soap. It will help exfoliate your skin so it’s perfect for rough patches. The ash softens water, the laurel essential oil fights premature aging, and the lavender is antiseptic. Seems like this is great for cleaning not just your body! It’s also paraben-, petrochemical-, and phthalate-free.

collage of nature's gate grape seed targeted eye treatment eye creamNature’s Gate, Grape Seed Eye Cream – I’ll be saving this for future use as well, though I did try a little bit. Feels great and I couldn’t smell anything so it should be good for those sensitive to fragrances. I really like the packaging – it just feels good to use. It has amazing ingredients like white tea, olive, aloe, argan, flaxseed, blackberry, and of course grape seed oil. It’s free of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, fragrances (ah I was right about that!), PEDs, petrolatum, and animal byproducts.

collage of nature's gate biotin strengthening shampoo, biotin strengthening conditioner, and acai velvet moisture body wash samplesNature’s Gate, Biotin Strengthening Shampoo + Biotin Strengthening Conditioner + Velvet Moisture Açai Body Wash samples – These are some nice samples. I’m not going to use them just yet since they’d be perfect on the road and I currently have a ton of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash to use up. They’re all sulfate free, which is a big thing these days. In addition, they are free of parabens, phthalates, and cruelty (among other things). What they do have is a whole lot of oils that are great for your hair and skin and a bunch of vitamins for boosting the health of your hair and skin. I’m still a huge fan of solid shampoo, conditioner, and soap, so I’ll just use these up but probably won’t buy them.

I liked this box a lot since I get to try plenty of cool brands that I’d be interested in learning more about and it covers all your skin needs, ranging from body to face. The products cover a wide range of skin needs as well, with everything from new skin to aging skin. What do you think about this box?

If you’d like more info on these brands, you can click below to enlarge the photo and read more.

blissmobox skin essentials info sheet

365great Day 160: home

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 160: homeHome is what you make of it and to me the strongest association I’ve had for it as of late is my parents’ place in SoCal. This is the longest we’ve ever been in a single place, albeit on and off for many years. And now that I’m a new Virginian, I feel like LA is my old home – the one I can keep coming back to, where my family, friends, and alma mater are. Since the new place out east doesn’t quite feel like home yet, the best home in my mind is currently this house I’m back visiting for the week. Nearly all my stuff is here and much of my personal and social connections are too. It was nice to come home after a long day of traveling and hang out with my mom and cousin, be temporarily reunited with my cats (Missy shown here), and return to this house. When I see Missy sprawling like that I know I’m home, chillin’ and enjoying all that it has to offer. That’s a great feeling.

Traveling light

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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Wow, it feels so great to be flying with a half-empty suitcase. I have no crazy heavy bag on my shoulder (and can you believe it actually is a bit sore? Must be some sort of ghost feeling) – all I have is a clutch and my suitcase. I have so little with me that things are falling around in my suitcase. There are no toiletries, no change of clothes, no bulging bags. It’s really refreshing to be free of all that stuff.

traveling light with half-empty suitcase and clutch

Instead what I do have are my gadgets (phone, tablet, laptop) and chargers, gifts for my family from our Orlando trip, and my wallet. That’s pretty much it! Now on the way back it’s going to be a completely different story; I’ll have tons of things I want to transfer from my parents’ to my now home. So for now I will savor the ease of traveling with a minimal bag, not having to worry if I overstuffed my bags or if my shoulder will break off from the strain of carrying it.

365great Day 159: Julep

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 159: julepI’ve actually never purchased a product from Julep, but I’ve certainly been eyeing them for awhile. My first encounter with them was with a focus group study I was a part of, where I got to try out a bunch of their hand and nail care products. From there I got a chance to experience more of their products as I began to do trades and swap items for them. So far I’ve managed to try nearly all of the products that I’m interested in, including the green tea blotting papers that Brandy gave me and the nail polish remover and gel top coat that I received in a trade. Of course I’ve also tried a couple of their nail polishes at this point, including a crackling one! I love how they’ve been churning out all kinds of beauty products in rather unique packaging. I’m holding out on getting the free intro box until they refresh what’s offered in that box and I’m looking forward to seeing what they offer! Already it’s great how they’ve branched out beyond nail care and I’m sure there’s plenty more expansion to come.

[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.]

Yuzen Spring 2013 edition (February – April) review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The fall box is on its way and many people have received them, but I happen to be leaving before it gets delivered to me so I can’t open it until after my vacation. Sad times! Let’s cheer me up by reviewing the spring box!

Yuzen is $26 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.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them 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). :)

collage of unboxed spring 2013 yuzen boxes

Two of the variations you could have received.

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.

collage of red flower italian blood orange little flower candle included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxred floweritalian blood orange little flower candle: Back in the October box, we were first introduced to red flower with their cream and wash. Then in December we got a super cute ocean candle. This time around I got the blood orange once, which is a scent I really enjoy. I lost track of how many hours it lasted me, but it definitely meets the 15 hour burn time that is advertised. That’s pretty awesome for such a small little candle. I really enjoyed using this and it was a nice little size to even bring on a trip.

collage of nova monda heart-shaped truffles included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxNova Mondatruffles: Nom! Truffles always feel like such a luxurious treat and the texture of these was divine. The heart-shaped one was cacao nib and the other one was sea salt flavored. Both were delicious in their own way and the cacao nibs and sea salt grains offered a nice little bit of crunch to the otherwise smooth and creamy treats. These were super cute and tasty!

collage of juara avocado banana moisture mask included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxJuaraAvocado Banana Moisture Mask: Avocado and banana in a face mask? Yes please! I mean if I wasn’t so lazy I’d try to make this myself, but hey since it’s already here… I enjoy using this mask – it gives me a warming sensation on my face that is really soothing and I feel great after rinsing it off. My skin is always soft and super hydrated afterwards. For some with more sensitive skin, you might not like the slight tingling but otherwise I think anyone would enjoy this mask.

collage of kneipp deep sleep mineral bath salts included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxKneippDeep Sleep Mineral Bath Salt: I really enjoy the smell of these, which is quite relaxing. I don’t understand why they’re so blue though – is there a reason for that? I barely need a tablespoon of these salts to dye my bath water blue. I haven’t tried to see how well it helps me fall asleep, but I like it just because it’s a fun bath product. It’s interesting how I rarely take baths (maybe once every other year at best) but I love bath products. I mean, I almost never use them so what’s the fuss right? I guess I’m just weird like that. But hey, once we’re in the new condo I definitely want to take more baths.

collage of spa technologies marine repair cream included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxSpa TechnologiesMarine Repair Cream: This facial cream is lovely! It feels great, smells great, and makes my skin supple. It’s not greasy and absorbs well, which makes me feel refreshed and protected all in one. I really enjoy using this, though the price point is scary. I don’t know if I could ever spring for something so pricey, but maybe as a treat to myself one day… the good news is my current samples will last me awhile!

collage of jane iredale mini lippies included in the february-april spring 2013 yuzen boxJane Iredale – Lippies including Just Kissed Lip Plumper in Tokyo, Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain, and LipDrink: These are adorable!! They are an excellent size, perfect for traveling with and there’s plenty to see if you like them or not. I don’t wear lipstick so I only tried it once for a special occasion and it was nice. Can’t tell if my lips were plumped or not, but I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t really stain my lips or cheeks so I haven’t used the stain much either. Maybe I’ll start trying it since I want to look good at work. As for the LipDrink… I didn’t feel like it was very moisturizing. Granted, I only tried it once so maybe I just caught my lips on a bad day.

NaturopathicaEspresso Mud Body Scrub OR Oat Facial Polish: [don’t have closeup pictures, oops] I really enjoy Naturopathica! I won a set of facial products from them because I was introduced to their brand by Yuzen. That’s pretty awesome because I never would have known to enter otherwise. You would have gotten one of these items in your box, depending on how early or late you subscribed and got your box. The scrub is kind of hilarious to use because of the mess I make in the shower. As I scrub myself (particularly my back), bits and pieces of it go flying every which way. Next thing I know it looks like I am rinsing off the evidence of a mud wrestling competition! The oat polish is suuuper moisturizing and feels great on my face. The beads are large and I enjoy knowing they’re scrubbing away at my skin. My face is always soft after using that.

EOVEau de Parfum: [another product I forgot to get closeups for] I’m not a perfume person, so I haven’t tried this sample, but it’s a typical trial size vial. It’s a warm scent for those of you who like a bit more floral and citrus scent. This one will be added to my trade list for anyone who might be interested in trying it. I get plenty of scents from all the skincare products I use and I see no need to throw on even more smells. I don’t want to walk around oozing fragrance so I just skip perfumes altogether.

As always, an excellent box introducing me to so many new brands and amazing products. I can’t wait to see what the fall box has in store! This will have to tide me over until I am able to open up my boxes next week. Yuzen always puts a smile on my face. 🙂

365great Day 158: reusable bags

laelene Posted in 365great,Tags: , , , , , ,
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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 158: reusable bagsI’m a fan of bringing my own reusable bag with me whenever I can, especially to Target for that 5 cent off bag discount. I’ve definitely saved on a TON of plastic bags since I started toting them around and I get to use whatever fits my mood (and needs)! Sometimes I use super cute small ones that are perfect for bringing my wallet, sunglasses, and phone in. Sometimes when I know I’ll have a lot I want to bring back to the car, I get a giant bag complete with reinforced bottom. I’ve got red ones and blue ones and orange ones and green ones… some say Target, some say Kaiser, some say Bliss, and some say Green Festival! I love switching it up between them and have pretty much stopped using purses since all I need is one of these bags. It’s amazing all the brands that are giving them out these days, so I don’t even have to buy them! Save money and the environment? Pretty great!

The click

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , ,
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canvas logoYou know when you hear something – a philosophy or idea – that just clicks with you? It strikes you to your core, makes you nod subconsciously, and might even put a smile on your face. I’ve been getting that lately with Canvas, my new employer! I love their approach to business, I love what their product/service provides, and I love getting to know my coworkers. It’s surreal in a sense and I keep wondering how in the world I deserve to be here… am I really good enough? I must be since they hired me and I did feel really confident throughout the interview process; I did a ton of research and know so much about the company, its products/services, and even its people. But still, every time I think about what a great match we are, I am amazed that I am here. It’s a wonderful feeling.

Today I had a day of training with some other noobs; I learned a lot and it also reinforced my values. That feeling just can’t be replaced. When your values and goals align so well with your company’s you know you’re in the right place. I found myself loving it when we went over the Canvas Way and how the “why” of what we do is far more important than the “how” or “what” (not that you don’t need those too). That’s exactly the approach I’m trying to use when I describe Canvas to people – it’s not just a company that transforms paperwork into digital forms. Oh no, Canvas is a company revolutionizing the way businesses operate by streamlining processes and removing inefficiencies because (and here’s the Canvas why) “we believe that by helping organizations and individuals share information, we can radically transform how people around the globe connect.”

I mean, think about it: when you are able to collect and share data in real time you save time and energy. No more data entry just to get information on paper forms into a database! When you are able to dynamically capture information beyond what paper allows (like pictures, GPS coordinates, and barcodes) you become more effective.  No need to upload pictures and add them to files. No more confusion about where a service technician was at a certain time. No more calculating the wrong price of a part or forgetting what was fixed/replaced. All this information and more can be quickly captured and stored in the cloud. No more lost forms! Beyond all this, Canvas is a fantastic solution for consumers too. In fact, I plan on using it when I move to the new condo so I can track where all my stuff is with pictures to ensure I can find exactly what I want.

Ah, but I digress. What I really wanted to say is that I am really excited about this position and how my role within the company will change and grow. I believe wholeheartedly in their philosophies and approach to how they operate. It’s a wonderful feeling when you’re empowered and encouraged and challenged. I haven’t really felt that sort of motivation from my self-employment. It’s definitely time for me to get back into the work force and do all that I can to push Canvas forward!

365great Day 157: cornbread

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365great challenge day 157: cornbreadOh how I love cornbread. One of my favorites can be found at Boston Market. It’s just the right combination of soft and sweet, yet crispy and crunchy. It’s very fragrant and always the perfect complement to the chicken pot pies that I get there. I love how it’s filling like bread but then sweet like a dessert. I feel like I’m getting more out my meal that way. I prefer moist ones to the crumbly type and I always enjoy having some corn pieces hidden inside. I just had some last night that was really delicious too – came served straight out of the skillet! I can eat them as breakfast, a snack throughout the day, or a side to my meal. I’m going to have to try making it sometime, just so I can have the experience of pulling it out from the oven piping hot. That would be so great.

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