Posts Tagged ‘products’

Blissmobox: Splendid Spa

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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This was a special offer box for Valentine’s (yeah, yeah it was ages ago… I’m getting close to caught up!) and I chose the Splendid Spa one because I wanted to treat myself. I’d seen this offered before and I didn’t get it, so this was perfect. At the $20 price point, I felt like it was a decent deal.

blissmobox valentine's day sale box choices splendid spa & relaxation and night lovin' blissmobox valentine's day sale box choices naturally his and fair trade favoritesThere were four boxes on sale for the Valentine’s blissmobox special.

I got an even better deal when they accidentally sent out a different box (Skin’n’Hair Care) and then had some customer services issues that ultimately led to me getting refunded. I can’t remember the details, but there was quite a bit of confusion and ultimately I still got what I wanted though I almost didn’t receive this box.opened blissmobox valentine's 2013 special deal with contents displayed

collage of choice organic teas box of twenty included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxChoice Organic Teas, Jasmine Green Tea – I’ve got a major backlog in tea, so these are still neatly packaged waiting for me to break them in. I do enjoy the fragrance of jasmine tea and these will be great to bring along when I’m traveling. I love that they’re organic since the flavor probably tastes better that way. I’m also considering keeping these as a gift or to use as part of a giveaway basket eventually.

collage of hellomellow energy shifting spray in relax included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxhellomellow, energy shifting spray in relax – Misting myself is so much fun! A little spray of this on my face is perfect to help soothe me. I tried to use it to help me sleep but that didn’t work out so well, so I think this is best suited for a refresher in the daytime when I want a little bit of calming scent. This is a brand I’ve long been interested in and I definitely want to try out more of their line.

collage of level naturals shower bombs box of four included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxLevel Naturals, Shower Bomb – Wow, so minty! These will definitely wake you right up and help unclog any stuffed noses. Sometimes I like to get a whiff of them just to clear up my sinuses. I’ve been saving them to use when I start work and need to wake up early in the morning! I really feel like half would be plenty for a shower, so I’m going to get a good 8 showers out of this.

tin of scentsbyeilena nail rescue cuticle creamScentsbyEilena, Nail Rescue – At first I thought the card was for this product since it was stuck to it, but it turns out that it was an info card for hellomellow, so ignore the background in the picture! This is sealed so I didn’t want to open it until I’ve used up some of my cuticle oil. It’s a very small brand that I think might no longer be in business unfortunately. I’ve never understood what healthy vs. unhealthy cuticles look like so I can never tell if these things work.

collage of olive remedy cuticle cream included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxOlive Remedy, cuticle cream – Hmm, interesting that they chose to include two cuticle creams in one box! I mean, how much could one person possibly use? I think the concept of this one is really cool, using olive oil for their main ingredient. That’s new to me since I generally think of it as something you eat or perhaps rub into your hair. Apparently it’s great for sensitive skin though, so even babies could use it! Not that their cuticles need any conditioning…

collage of dream water sleep aid in snoozeberry included in valentine's 2013 blissmoboxDream Water, Snoozeberry – I think this might have been the very first Dream Water I received. Since then I’ve gotten many from various boxes and I think I still have 4 more to drink. They’ll come in useful as I try to recover from jetlag and get into work mode. I’ve found that one bottle feels like a lot and I only drank 3/4 when I tried it. I’ll force myself to guzzle the whole thing this weekend and see if it knocks me out or what.

Normally there’d be more info on these brands, but this time there was just a welcome message.

blissmobox splendid spa & relaxation info sheet

365great Day 170: Treatsie

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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 170: treatsieI’ve been subscribed to Treatsie for a few months now and I’ve been enjoying the sweets they send. I love how you get to dabble in a bunch of delicious treats to find what most appeals to you. I’ve tried some really tasty stuff that I definitely plan on repurchasing and their site makes it super easy! After all, part of the point of these subscription services is to introduce you to new products and brands that you’ll fall in love with and become a loyal customer of, right? I enjoy how Treatsie consolidated the shopping experience for the products featured in their boxes, so you don’t have to hunt down each company’s website or locate them in a nearby store (if available). I can just order directly from their site without all that hassle. So kudos to them for first making it easier to discover artisan confections and then making it so simple to purchase any of them! Making things easier is always a great idea.

[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 August review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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The sweetest box out there has made its way to my doorstep, in my suitcase, and now to my tummy! Here’s what came in my latest Treatsie box:

treatsie box artisan candy subscription

The Treatsie box. So nice for repurposing!

treatsie august box first look

First look at the August box.

treatsie august box contents with chocolate bar, caramels, and lollipops

Treatsie is $15 per box and comes with artisan candy from 3 brands. That usually means 5 or 6 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

treatsie august box with this charming candy blackberry + hibiscus and watermelon~basil lollipopsThis Charming Candy blackberry + hibiscus and watermelon~basil lollipops: What cool flavors! I really like how they use some more unique pairings that you wouldn’t typically find in a candy. I tried the watermelon basil and it reminds me of a watermelon basil lemonade I had at a Gogobot event. The flavor is a wonderful blend of sweet and refreshing, perfect for the summer months! I’m really looking forward to the blackberry hibiscus as well, which I think will be a nice sweet and slightly tart taste. Super cute candies for slowing down with. I can definitely relax with one of these and take a few minutes to stop what I’m doing.

treatsie august box with seattle chocolates birthday cake batter milk chocolate truffle barSeattle Chocolates Birthday Cake Batter milk chocolate truffle bar: I’ve seen these around and planned on trying them at some point, so this is perfect! Apparently you could get one of three flavors and I’m pretty happy with this one. I wouldn’t have minded the S’mores flavor either! There’s a layer of confetti cake mix in the center of this chocolate bar, giving it some grittiness and a crunch. The chocolate is rich and creamy and the bar as a whole is super sweet. Just a small piece at a time will satisfy that sweet tooth!

treatsie august box with slade grove creative gourmet watermelon infused and vanilla latte caramelsSlade Grove Creative Gourmet Watermelon Infused & Vanilla Latte caramels: Wow, just when I thought I’d seen some pretty creative caramel flavors (like coconut milk caramels), I’m proven wrong. I never would have thought to include watermelon flavoring in a caramel! It’s pretty cool – kind of like eating a caramel AND watermelon taffy in one. The vanilla latte is a strong flavor and in not a coffee fan so I’m passing this on to someone else.

Did you get this box too? What did you think?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

365great Day 168: scarves

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Learn more about 365great here.

365great challenge day 168: scarvesI never fully appreciated the usefulness of scarves until more recently. I didn’t really start wearing scarves until I studied abroad in England. There, the brisk air made it almost necessary to step out with something wrapped around my neck. Still, I stopped wearing them once I returned stateside. Now that I’m going to be back in an office that is quite chilly, I think I’ll be breaking out the scarves again. What a perfect way to keep warm without putting on a full blown parka and looking insane in the hot months. Plus, I can wrap it around my shoulders like a shawl if I want to feel like I’m wearing a jacket without actually wearing one. I can even use it as a light blanket on my legs if they get cold! A scarf can be so versatile without really weighing you down. And with all the different materials they’re made of, the sizes and shapes, as well as the colors and patterns, you’re bound to find something you like! Isn’t that great?

On My Mind, episode 10

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Linking up for Thursday Thoughts with Jennifer of Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!

cat sitting on shelf in pantry among various food products

Hehe, how fun it is to find a cat in my pantry.


a. ~I miss having cats around. It was really nice to have Missy and Molly at home and I’ve been thinking about when I could possibly bring Missy out east with me. I’m afraid Molly might flip out if we moved her so it’s probably best for her to stay put. At some point if it seems like I’ll be home constantly, I definitely want to consider moving Missy and even getting her a friend. I’ll have to see how this job pans out – while it looks like I will be working out of the Reston office for the most part, there is still the slight possibility there might be some travel involved. If that’s the case it would be too much trouble to find care for the cat(s) while both Panda and I are gone for work. I also want to wait until we move to the condo so I can minimize the number of moves the cat would make. I’m really looking forward to the day I get my kitty back!

b. ~My visit home was too brief. I felt like I just got back and got some stuff done and it was already time to pack up and head out. I guess that’s how it will be now when I return home to my parents’ place. I arranged to meet with my former coworkers down in El Segundo and got a chance to see how much the company has changed. They’ve hired a ton of new kids (mostly fresh college grads) and seem to be constantly changing the seating arrangements of different departments. Some of the old business focuses have died as new ones picked up and overall they’re expanding quite well. A few people have left and they now have a New York office open as well. Oh, and there are quite a few girls now! Pretty amazing since I’m used to being either the only female or one of just two or three.

c. ~I got a chance to visit a friend in the Little Tokyo area of downtown and had a wonderful time out there. It’s a great place to live if you want easy access to that region, which has a ton of delicious food. We had udon at a place where you can watch the noodles being made and then stopped by a tea room where I got two baggies of tea. I was also introduced to this thing called a cronut, which is a cross between a croissant and a donut. You get the light fluffy layers of a croissant in a donut shape, fried and covered in sugar granules. They offer a couple of different flavors, with the sauce/jelly/custard not just topping the cronut but also piped inside. It’s pretty fabulous and I’m going to have to eat a lot more. I could definitely get used to that sort of living, though I don’t like being so crowded in to one giant building when it comes to my living situation. It is really nice to be able to go to high traffic areas like that and not have to worry about parking though!

chef at japanese restaurant chopping line of udon noodles

Chopping up a line of udon noodles!

bags of loose leaf tea bought from chado tea

Treated myself to two of the loose leaf teas sold at Chado.

collage of cronuts croiisant and donut cross

I got the blueberry flavor. Yuuum!

d. ~I’ve done too much walking in shoes not meant for long distance. I really need to get around to buying a pair of sneakers! Ideally I’d get those Nike FlyKnit ones, but I don’t need something so high performance. What’s most important is a pair of shoes that my feet won’t hurt in. Even though my flats have padding, it’s not enough to keep my feet from throbbing after wandering the streets for miles. I’ll have to go try out these shoes to see if they soles are comfortable enough for walking and walking and walking in. While I’m open to other options, I would really fancy getting a pair of these! Might actually motivate me to go running now and then. 🙂

american eagle skinny jeans in plastic packaginge. ~I bought some American Eagle jeans (and a pair of slacks) at a steal and I’ve been enjoying having more than one pair of skinny jeans. In fact, I’m probably going to be on the lookout for a few more. For the longest time I always got jeans with flair legs because I thought my calves were too big for the skinny jeans. This might have been true in past years, but lately I’ve slimmed down and have normal legs now. So, my newest thing will be skinny jeans! I have a dark blue pair and now this lighter blue pair with ripped knees. I’ll need some more shades of blue in various styles and maybe a black pair as well.

Alright, that’s it from me for today. What’s on your mind these days?

Escape Monthly August: Napa Valley Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Woo hoo! I got the very first Escape Monthly box last week and it turned out great. When I heard the destination for this box would be Napa, I was a bit concerned it might be too focused on wine. Since I don’t drink, that wouldn’t make a very fun box for me. Luckily, it had a great mix of food, skincare, relaxation products, and travel info. I had to rush off before I could get proper pictures of all the products, but here’s an idea of what it all looked like:

blue escape monthly box with white lettering

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

first look at inside of escape monthly box with blue and white chevron pattern and welcome sheet

look at inside of escape monthly august napa valley box with info card and products showing

escape monthly august napa valley info card listing products with prices(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

I love that they really took the time to write out messaging that fits with their theme and explain how each product can contribute to your experience of this destination. The variety is great, though I think another snack item might have been nice since the products were rather spa-heavy. Still, I liked that there were bath items, skincare items, household items, a food item, a drink item, and of course a tour book of the region. I definitely feel a lot more prepared for what Napa Valley has to offer and I am definitely set for creating a relaxing experience in the comfort of my own home!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Napa & Sonoma – A very handy thing to have when preparing a trip to the region!
Napa Valley Wine Soap – How cool is this? Made with grapeseed oil and local products – perfectly incorporating relaxation with the wineries.
all natural loofah bath sponge – I’ve wanted to have one of these for ages and kept telling myself I’d grow them, but now I don’t have to!
deluxe floating bath candles (set of 2) – Pretty little flower candles in my favorite color… you know I’ll be making good use of them. I feel so motivated to take a bath.
100% Pure Juicy Sugar Body Scrub – Yes, yes yes! I love trying out this brand and I can’t get enough of scrubs.
Cookie Zen Cookie & Cork Pairing – Well, I’ll skip the wine part and jump straight to the munching on cookies part!
7th Heaven natural face masks – Another brand I’ve been interested in so I can’t wait to use this mask. I’ve been meaning to use masks more!
Mixture Luscious lip balm – I’m looking forward to smelling what scent this is. Lip balms are always useful and I’ll probably throw this in a purse or car so I can have it handy.
mystery soap – So when I get back to my box, I will check on the brand, but there was actually another soap in this box. It was a smaller bar of soap and might be the bonus item mentioned in the info card.
Suki lotion sample – This is a brand I learned about through Yuzen and I’m always happy to try their products. Adding this to my samples baggie that I’m working through!
$50 NakedWines.com gift card – Here’s the wine portion of the theme! I won’t be using it but for those looking to create that Napa experience this would certainly help. If you’d like the code let me know and I can share it with you. Terms do apply so I’ll let you know about those if you’re interested.

My favorite product is the 100% Pure Juicy Sugar Body Scrub, which combines my love of scrubs with my fascination with 100% Pure, which I’ve received sample lotions of before. I can’t wait to try it out when I get a chance! I’m also really happy that there was a loofah included since that’s just the type of bonus accessory item I was hoping for. I’ve gotten tons of food and beauty products from subscriptions and I always appreciate when I get an item that works well with them but is more of a tool. It allows me to enjoy my products that much more!

Did you get an Escape Monthly box? What do you think of their introductory Napa Valley destination box? If you’re interested in signing up, they’re still offering 20% off for the lifetime of your subscription with code ESCAPENOW. Oh! And each month some lucky subscriber wins a trip to the destination!! How amazing is that?? 🙂

 

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

365great Day 166: pillows

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

365great challenge day 166: pillowsI’ve got a bit of a love affair with pillows. I love them in all shapes, sizes, fabrics, and uses! I mentioned body pillows before, which are awesome for their huggability, but really any type is good in my book. I have super fun moshi ones like the star and round one here, not very practical but too cute to pass up ones like the Tootise Roll one, and functional ones like a sweet kitty pillow with built-in speaker for listening to music. I like smooth ones and fuzzy ones and coarse ones and stretchy ones. I use them for my head or to hug or keep my lap warm or to pad my butt. They’re such a versatile product! You can find them on beds and couches (and in my case, strewn all over the house). I love when my bed is just covered in them so I can grab whatever suits me at any moment. They’re like little clouds of awesome that you can use to be more comfortable or just to decorate a space. For such a simple product, that’s great!

365great Day 165: rocking chairs

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365great challenge day 165: rocking chairsWhat a fun concept it is to sit and rock yourself back and forth. While I enjoy rocking chairs, it’s more about that soothing motion for me so I’m a big fan of gliding chairs and hanging chairs as well. Perhaps it’s comforting because it’s sort of like bobbing in the ripples of the ocean. The rhythmic motion sort of lulls you into a gentle trance, peacefully rocking away your stresses. Rocking chairs are a great place to sit and forget about your day. Somehow whenever I’m in one I appreciate the world around me a bit more and I get super into staring out into the distance or people-watching. It’s also a great time to curl up with a book or even take an afternoon nap. I always envision them sitting in a perfect patch of sunlight, the warmth of which is relaxing. I’m totally going to have a set on my porch someday because they’re so great for chilling out in!

365great Day 161: AcuHoop

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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

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