FabFitFun VIP Box Spring 2014 ReviewI

Yes. Again. I told you. This week was insane. Everything I'd ordered, like a month ago, decided to show up all at once. Take my reviews and like them!!! I have to say, I super enjoy spending $35 and getting $200 worth of stuff. It's sort of an amazing deal. I get to try out a lot of things I couldn't afford or wouldn't drop that much cash on for less than the price of a single item in that box. The FabFitFun VIP box is quarterly, meaning, once a season, you get a box. I like that a lot better than a monthly box. I can justify spending the money on it since it's only four times a year. I had heard about this box, saw some spoilers on the internet and thought....well, there's a coupon too, so may as well give it a whirl! I'm SO GLAD I did. Here's two photos so you can get a better look.

In this amazing box there was:

• Kai Perfume Oil ($48) ~ It only comes in one scent and that scent contains gardenias. I am NOT a fan of gardenias, however, I am not repulsed by this. I'm trying it out to see how much I like it, but I'm not mad at it. 
• Cover FX SPF 30 Protection Primer ($38) ~ SWEET! I was JUST lamenting the lack of a primer in my makeup box! Huzzah! AND It's got SPF. Double bonus. 
• Merrithew mini stability ball and DVD ($28.94) ~ Well, I did just get a mini stability ball from my Popsugar box, but that one didn't have a dvd to go with and I accidentally threw away the straw you blow it up with, so this was a win too. 
• Dermasuri deep exfoliating mitt ($19.99) ~ This one has piqued my interest. I can't wait to try it in the shower tomorrow morning. It's supposed to be amazing and remove excessive amounts of dead skin. Like, enough so you can see it. I love gross stuff like that. 
• Cult Gaia Turband ($48) ~ These things are apparently all the rage amongst people who know what things are all the rage. It's a scarf with a wire in it and it's to be worn as a head band. I was SO happy to see I got the cherries! There were several variations in the boxes, all super cute, but this one was my favorite. These things get crazy pricey on their website. I would probably never drop that much dough on a hair accessory, but this one sure is cute!
• Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo Invisible Spray ($25) ~ Again, I'd never spend $25 on designer dry shampoo, but I oohed and ahhed over this when I opened the box. I will happily use it to maintain my straightened hair for several days without looking like a hobo!
• Level Naturals Shower Bombs ($7.99) ~ These are all tea tree oil, menthol and eucalyptus and you fling 'em in the shower and inhale the goodness. I LOVE shower bombs. There were 4 in the box too!
• The Better Chip Spinach and Kale with Sea Salt ($1.99) ~ I'll try anything once. I am not an enormous fan of kale, but I'm willing to see where this goes. 

This box was worth over $215! SO GREAT! I'm really pleased. I forgot to mention that this box is curated by Giuliana Rancic. I dig her style. You can still buy this box! And if you'd like to, drop me a line and I'll refer you. 

Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials Box

As I sit here at home on a Saturday night, a bit under the weather from the ENORMOUS amount of food I consumed at the maple sugar house, I bring you reviews of the many items I received this week from my sad, sad addiction to shiny packages that arrive on my doorstep. This time around it's the Vegan Cuts Beauty Essentials box. Now, Vegan Cuts has a monthly beauty and snack box subscription, but this was a one time purchase of some of their favorite stuff. I've been meaning to check out the vegan beauty scene and I thought for $27.95 this would be a good way to do it. Here's what they sent me:

I'm going to try to list them in some kind of order so you can match them up. Staring in the back...

• A cute canvas make-up bag that says Vegan Cuts on it. 
• Lotus Moon Vitamin B Hydrating Gel ~ this stuff is supposed to increase elasticity, reduce sebum production, inhibit inflammation, prevent clogged pores, and minimize dark spots. 
• Meow Meow Tweet Body Tonic in Geranium Basil ($3) ~ This stuff smells great and is supposed to balance and tone skin.
• Rainbow Honey Nail Polish ($4) ~ The color is a red sparkle called Persephone. Free of Formaldehyde, Toluene, and Dibutyl Phthalate. Sweet.
• Weleda Wild Rose Body Lotion ($2) ~ I love Weleda. I have a bunch of their lotions already. Everything smells AMAZING and they're very moisturizing. 
• Sunology SPF for face and body ($2)
• Soapbox Black Soap Body and Soul Wash ($0.50)
• North Coast Organics Deodorant ($3.75) ~ I'm always interested to try all natural deodorant. I've had bad luck with them in the past. I hate to smell like yucky armpit smell and have yet to find a natural deodorant that prevents it.
• Pacifica Coconut Kiss Lip Butter ($10) ~ This one was full size, which I LOVE. I am ADDICTED to Pacifica. I LOVE their blood orange scented products and will happily take anything they make.
• Earth Enrichments Lemon Soap ($1) ~ This stuff is making the box smell AMAZING. I love lemon!
• LA FRESH face wipes ($1) ~ I used one of these last night. It did a pretty good job and smelled GREAT.
• The All-Natural Face, Lip, and Cheek Color in Dusty Rose ($5.75) ~ I used this today as blush and lip color and I loved the texture and the light flush it gave my lips and cheeks
• Beauty Without Cruelty Lavender Shampoo ($1.50)

Not including the one sample I couldn't get a size on to determine value or the adorable bag, this box was worth $34.50. I'm pleased with the quality of the products and with the variety. If you're interested, I think the Vegan Cuts website is still doing this box as well as a vegan snack box, which I also ordered. Go ahead and check it out.

BeautyDNA Box

There's a brand new subscription box out there called Beauty DNA. You answer a very in depth survey about everything you're concerned about as far as your appearance goes and what your preferences are when it comes to your beauty products. For instance, I said I had sensitive skin and was concerned about fine lines. I also said I wanted products free from phtalates, parabens, mineral oil and other yucky stuff. You can even check off what your scent preferences are. You fork over $25 and they match you with a full size product that's worth at least $45 and ship it to your door within 5-7 business days. There are a limited number of spaces, since this is a beta test for this service and I DEFINITELY wanted in. They send you a great little card with your item that tells you what's in it, what it's used for, where to get it, etc. I received Ahava Dead Sea Osmoter Concentrate Serum. It retails for $60 (but is on sale on the Ahava website right now for $48). It's supposed to improve dryness and lack of radiance. It is also supposed to reduce signs of aging, which I'm all for. I got it yesterday and I've used it twice and so far I REALLY like it. What I like even MORE than that is the customer service I've been seeing on the internet. As you know, I poke around subscription sites to see what other people are getting and I've been impressed with the fact that BeautyDNA is also poking around those sites, taking peoples opinions into consideration and responding to their concerns. Well played, BeautyDNA. I like getting a full size product that I might not otherwise be able to afford. I'm going to stick this one out for awhile and see how they evolve. I'm impressed with the first month. Here's the photo of my product:

Check it out there's a little over 300 spots left!

Outfit of the Day and an outing!

I was feeling rather cute today as I headed out for a day of traditional New England fun: The Maple Sugar House. So I decided I'd share my ensemble as well as the few photos I took while we were there. It was sunny and lovely on the way up, then it snowed pretty heavily for about a half an hour and then the sun came back out and it got SO WARM. It was really a spectacular day. Complete with a trip to the coffee roasters and a candle store. I can seriously never have too many.

I almost didn't include this one, but my big coffee mug pleases me. 

Here. This one has my face in it. 

The inner workings of the sugar house. Steamy!

The view of the snow from our table.

Love this place!

Because I love a non-sequitur. Welcome to Masterpiece Theatre.

If you find yourself in New England in the early spring or fall I HIGHLY advocate finding a sugar house and getting the best breakfast you'll ever consume. It's a tradition I very much look forward to every year. Like a good little New Englander I LOVE MAPLE. SO. MUCH. The syrup I bought today was still hot it was so fresh. It doesn't get any better than that.

Petit Vour Box Review!!!!

Hello. Again. Shall I dive right into it?
I've been anxiously awaiting the Petit Vour box. It's 100 % vegan beauty products! $15 a month and wholesome vegan beauty guaranteed. They ALSO have a points program. I'm looking forward to purchasing some awesome discounted vegan beauty stuff!

• NCLA nail wraps! $18!!!! Two applications with a CUTE floral pattern. I am REALLY looking forward to putting these on. They came with their own emery board, too!
• Lotus Wei Balancing serum. It's an aromatherapy serum that you put on your pulse points to re-energize you. It smells lovely. Kind of citrus-y and kind of floral-y. Not at all overwhelming. Full size is $50 for 50 mL. This is a 10mL sample, so a value of $10
• California Natural Skin care set. This sample was three tiny pods one was a balancing complex, one was a gel face wash and one was a nourishing cream. There's no size on any of these, so I'm going to estimate about $3 for the value on these. They're less expensive, so about $1 a pod.
• I.C.O.N. India oil ~ Vegan hair serum This is the dark little bottle to the left. It's a good sized sample. 10mL. The full size is 114 mL and costs $40, so the value of this sample is $3.50
• LAFACE Hydrating and firming body lotion These are two foil packs. $80 for full size, so the value of the packs is $2.80

The total value of this box was about $37. I paid $15, so I'm not cranky about that. I am a little bummed that there wasn't a single make-up item. Bummer. I did REALLY like the nail wraps and the balancing serum. I was less than thrilled with the foil wrap samples. 

I haven't decided if I'm going to continue with this box. There were others I liked a lot more. We'll see how the points system pans out when they send me my survey. If I get big savings, I might overlook it, although there wasn't anything I really wanted to buy in this box.

Bulu Box Review

Hello all. Happy Friday. I'm happy to be writing to you a glass and a half of wine into my evening. I have tons of awesome plans this weekend that include going dancing with my fabulous friend Rebecca, and going to my favorite maple sugar house with friends. If you've never been to a sugar house for breakfast, you're missing out. I HIGHLY recommend. I digress...
This week I have received 4 boxes. Yep. 4. The first of which was my Bulu Weight Loss box. I used a coupon code and got 6 months for $30. I probably would NOT have gotten this Sub for the full price $10 a month. However, $5 was quite a good deal, IMHO.

Here lieth my first box:

• Smarty pants weight loss vitamin chews. Multivitamin, source of dietary fiber and omega-3. (1 days worth = 6 chews) $1.60
• Mestrength drink powder. Boosts metabolism, provides electrolytes. $1.16
• Body Glove Energy Surge Gel $2.09
• Tapaz 2 Go $2.99
• Helps R&R tea $0.27
• Barleans Omega Swirl oil Mango Peach flavor $0.59
• Yes! Change is Easy notecard $0.90

Total Value of the box is $9.60

I liked the variety in the box, but I was a bit disappointed by the size of some of the samples. One days worth of vitamins is not nearly enough to be able to determine if I'd like to buy the whole bottle. They do have a points system, similar to Birchbox and you can earn dollars off full price items in the shop, however their points expire after 90 days. I definitely like things intended to increase energy level, so I hope they include more of those in future boxes. 

AND YET ANOTHER POST. Have I lost my mind? It's entirely possible. I'm also planning on doing a history of St. Patrick's Day post for you as well, so put that in your pipe and smoke it! This here is my March 2014 Birchbox. I've been subscribing for 13 months now. It has had it's ups and downs, but what keeps me coming back is the awesome points system in the shop. I have saved lots of money on full sized items by leaving reviews of things I got in my Birchbox. 

Here we have:

• Coola Tinted Matte SPF for face
• DDF Ultra lite oil free moisturizing dew
• Gilchrist and Soames London Collection Body Lotion
• English Laundry No. 7 For Her Perfume
• Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cherry Tango chocolate bar
• Ojon Damage reverse Restorative Hair treatment plus

I was a bit disappointed with this box. I was really hoping for the Inika green eyeliner and the stila lip glosses that some people got this month. ESPECIALLY the green eyeliner. It was full sized and valued at $20. The body lotion made no difference to my sad dry hands and kinda smelled medicine-y/heavy floral. I didn't care for the smell at all. The chocolate was good, but not as good as my favorite chocolate bar that also has dried cherries in it. The Coola was okay and I'll probably use it at the beach, but it may as well not have been tinted because it provided zero coverage. Perfume. Ugh. I wish they'd stop sending me perfume. I have their "less than six a year" option chosen, but I am seriously picky when it comes to fragrances and loathe most everything that's out there. This was bad too. It smelled old. Like heavy and overly flowery...just not something a younger person would choose to wear. I like something that's more light and fresh. I wear Philosophy Falling in Love and I adore it and would never change or use ANYTHING else. Sending me perfume samples is a waste of a sample. There's a 99.9% chance I'm going to absolutely hate it. I haven't cracked into the Ojon yet, but even though I color my hair I use a lot of other products to keep it healthy, so I really don't have a need for a damage repair treatment. I also haven't checked out the ingredients list, but you can bet if there's sulfates in it that it's going in the garbage. This one is getting mixed reviews, but I'll try it out and see how it goes. I did like the DDF and it was an EXCELLENT sample size. It was 1 oz and the full size is 1.7 oz for $42. There are 30 mL in an ounce, so there's about 50 mL in 1.7 ounces. That's 50 mL for $42, so 30 mL had a value of $35. Not too shabby. I like the way it feels on my skin and I can always use extra moisturizing even if there isn't an SPF in it. If I hated everything else, the value of this one product makes my $10 well spent. I am probably going to purchase the eyeliner since I have some points to spend and a coupon for being with the company for over a year. Here's hoping for a better April.