Holiday Vox Box 2012

The Holiday Vox Box made it just in time for Christmas! It included 5 items and a coupon code for an online shoe service.

First up we have the $25 Off Your first pair of shoes from SoleSociety.com. I used to be subscribed to ShoeDazzle.com and LOVED it! I reviewed the website and found about 5 pairs of shoes that I would love to have. Each of the pairs were $49.99 which is not a bad price for a good quality shoe....but I have no idea if these are quality shoes or not. I am debating getting a pair of flats for the spring. I will update here if I do decide to order them

Feel free to use the code INFLUENSTER25 for your first pair of shoes and make sure you double check that you cancel the subscription if you do not want to continue to be billed!

The first item I tried was this NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in Nude New York. The last product that I tried from NYC was terrible....but this lip gloss was great! It was a great sheer and glossy nude, had a nice flavor, and the texture of the polish was thick with out being sticky or runny. This is definitely a drugstore brand cosmetic that I would by and at $2.49 it is a steal.

I was soooo excited to see this Goody Quikstyle Brush in my box! I was looking at this in Target and thinking "I would like to try that, but not for $11.99! What if I hate it?" So to receive it in my box to try was fantastic.When I first tried it, admittedly I was afraid of it getting tangled in my hair but it slid through my wet locks like butter. The brush is very light weight and I love the vents on the back that let the air all the way through the brush. I usually blow dry with a round brush, so my end result had some kinks in it but with practice I think it will work great. I am eager to see what will happen to the microfiber fingers when they get product build up on them. So far so good though!

Yummm, oatmeal! A Quaker Real Medleys Summer Berry Oatmeal+ cup was in my box and I think its a great idea! This durable little cup was dented when I opened my box, which means that this on-the-go breakfast will be durable enough to bang around in my tote and maintain its structure and won't bust open. I love that the fruit was already mixed in and does not need to be packed separately. Each cup  is $1.79.

A set of Nail Dress by Kiss! And not only are they leopard print but they are for fingers and toes! These look incredibly fun and I could not wait to take these for a spin. With 28 of them, not only could I try them out on the whole nail, but I have enough left over for accent nails in the future. These go for $6.99 for the set. Since these do not have texture, they went on really easily and stuck to the nail well. After filing the extra off the free edge was smooth and there was no lifting. It was a little difficult to get them to stick to my smaller toe nails, but still easier than painting my little nubs.  I really like these strips! Especially for accent nails.

I got one of these EBoost packets in my last Vox Box, but I was excited to see the pink lemonade flavor! This was a much better flavor than the orange and is a nice pick-me-up alternative to coffee in the afternoon.

 

I liked all the products in the Holiday Vox box and I can not wait until the next one! Sign up here to start getting your own Vox  Boxes to review!

 

Jenn

The World Didn't End!...Festivities Continue

Oops! The world didn't end Mayans :) I mean, did anyone really think it would? I know here in my area people were still going to work, buying Christmas presents, and preparing for the New Year. I can only assume if any one seriously believed it was ending they would have quit their job at least a month ago and demanded to spend the last month of their lives with their families and preparing their souls.....well, thats what I did anyway (LOL).

My family celebrated my dad's birthday, which was a lovely dinner out. It was nice to have my brother back home from school so I could joke around with him. He made these beautiful danishes from a recipe on his culinary school's website and they were delicious! He halved the recipe and we have still been eating danish for breakfast for about 4 days.

In anticipation for Christmas, I tried to get a good picture of all 4 of the dogs with the antlers, but was only successful with the boys. Tucker, as you can see, was non-plussed by the whole ordeal.

Bentley could not even be bothered to stop chewing on his elk antler so that I could get a picture of him...

...until he heard some one in the kitchen. Then he decided he must go investigate.

My mom found the best Christmas ornaments this year! These were just a few of the selection that she ordered. They all open up so you can put goodies inside of them.

The halls got decked, the tree was trimmed, and mom and I had a good laugh doing it. I think we almost knocked the tree down twice and mom got bored at one point and just started throwing bows and mistletoe into the tree like she was a street artist.

Bentley was following us in circles around the tree the entire time. At least this year he did not walk around smacking ornaments off the tree with his tail... he reserved that behavior for when we lived in the apartment I guess.

As presents began to apprear under the tree, Tucker had an identity-crisis and thought he was a present. We found him like this a few times, just waiting for us to open him I guess. Even when we bent down and snuggled him on the floor, he refused to get up....It could have been he was not feeling well because he snuck onto the counter and ate the majority of the mint chocolate cookies that mom made.

Christmas day came and everyone got things they wanted....and things they did not expect. I got a set of Bose headphones that I picked out with mom and expected, however I was not expecting this Official Guide to Dysfunctional Parenting. As I was reading this, I wanted to laugh, and cry, because it basically epitomizes my childhood. Some people may take this as a sign that my "parents are trying to tell me something"...they sure are! You may think that they want grand kids, but I brought them home a grand-dog when I moved home and they seemed none to happy. I am feeling a sense of relief that I will be reaching 28 in less than a week and still have no kids.....and no boyfriend. Well, I will be beginning 2013 with an uncomplicated personal and professional life! Here is to doing it right this year :)

I bought the family the game Cards Against Humanity and we had a blast drinking apple pie moonshine and cracking up at the responses to the game. All the other dogs settled into a comfortable spot, got a bone, and had some alone time....not my dog. As we are playing, he paced around the table and drooled on everything. I think next time we play he is going to be the "Rando Cardrissian" the instructions call for. After 2 games and too many laughs to count, we settled into the couches to watch The Departed.

Bentley and I tucked ourselves into bed a little later. It was a lovely Christmas. Family only, no intruders. The dogs got along for most of the day and I even caught Bentley and his arch-nemisis, Taylor, snuggling on the couch for a little bit.

For Christmas this year, I gave myself my degree. I finished up everything on December 14th and I am just waiting for the paper to come in the mail. For my birthday present, I am going to finish up my application and pay the fees for radiologic technology school. I am hoping that when people return to work, some one who comes across my resume at one of the many places I have applied takes pity on me and gives me a job. That would be a great birthday present (especially because I am tired of hearing I am over qualified or I have no medical experience). My birthday is in 5 days and I will be 28... ugh. So close to 30.

 

 

Happy holidays everyone!

Jenn

 

December's Goodies Box

The weather outside is becoming frightful, but the mail is still running and bringing sub boxes! I got the December's Goodies box in and loved that the box had a "Winter Wonderland" theme. They suggested reusing the box to give a gift in, but I think it will be great to collect my Christmas presents in :)

The theme this month is "Naughty or Nice" and the items chosen  were both healthy and non-healthy foods. I think the theme is fantastic and I love the card they included.

I dove right into these Snyder's Naturals Garden Veggie Crisps since I have enjoyed them before. Honestly I think these are better than regular potato chips! They are not greasy, they have that great crunch of a crisp, they are lightly salted and have 40% less sodium than regular chips.  I highly recommend giving these a try in lieu of your regular Lay's potato chips! This large 1.25 oz bag is considered 1 serving and comes in at 160 calories.

This sleeve of Rocky Mountain Popcorn Company Cinnamon Sugar was just "okay" for me. It was covered in granulated sugar and cinnamon which made it nice and messy (now I get why they say 'grip 'n pour' on the lower right side of the bag) but I felt that the popcorn was stale. It was kind of chewy and not crispy and crunchy like I prefer.

Barefruit Apple Chips sounded like glass chips rolling around in this bag, but when I tasted them it was just like dried apple with a dash of cinnamon. Personally, I am not fond of any dried fruits, but these were not bad and had a nice crunch. Each bag contains one apple and the only ingredients listed were apple and cinnamon. Can't beat that! If I see these around in other flavors, I may give them a try to see if I like them. These would be great to throw in a lunch bag or take on a car trip.

This box of World Table Chocolate Caramel Cookie Thins was a hit in my house. The cookie thins are a bit salty so with the chocolate it is a nice sweet-salty indulgence and the texture is great. It is like it falls apart and melts in your mouth all at once. This box goes for about $5.

OMG you have to get your hands on Effie's Homemade Oatcakes! These were rich, buttery, flaky and absolutely delicious! I was shocked when I reviewed the ingredients and found that every one of them was a real ingredient and not a chemical! I ate these for breakfast with my coffee and it perfect. If I see these around I will definitely be picking them up.

Sun Cups Sunflower Butter Milk Chocolate and Mint Cup- I tried the sunflower butter and milk chocolate cup first and it was AMAZING! It was smooth, creamy, not too sweet, and melted in my mouth. The mint cup had a gooey, minty center  and was fabulous. I can not pick which one was better! The packaging is compostable and most of the ingredients listed were organic. One pack with 2 cups goes for a whopping $3.50.







Goodies had a fantastic box to wind up 2012. If you have not joined yet, please do as boxes are still only $7 a month!  I have a feeling 2013 will be bringing more great products!

Jenn

Fall & Winter 2012 Book Review

I don't know if I have mentioned this, but I have a problem with books. I can't put them down when I am reading them, if I find a good sale (like when Borders was closing) then I buy them in bulk and don't even really look at the summaries, and after I have had my way with them I save them all like I might actually read them again.

This last semester of school, I was flying though some books and I thought I might list some of them and give a short review :) These are not listed in the order I read them.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling was in my October PopSugar Box. It was the first book I had read by Rowling (yep, I never read Harry Potter) and this book was underwhelming. It is supposed to be an adult book, but most of the book focuses on the teenage characters. It took foreeeever to pick up momentum and it wasn't until the middle that the story really started to move forward. The story, the characters, and even the place this story takes place just gave me this really grungy, dirty feeling. The ending is very sad and unexpected- this is not a "feel good at the end" kind of book.

A friend from the hospital that I volunteer at is loaning me the books from the JR Ward Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The first book she loaned me was Dark Lover and she told me "you have to read this, you are going to love it!" I read through it in less than a week and it was fantastic! It was a different take on vampires (I like when each author makes up a different vamp history) and the characters were vibrant and lovable. The story line has a good mix of sci-fi, romance, mystery, and thriller. The great thing about this series is you don't have to read them in order! Each book is kind of a stand alone and based on each of the brothers and references the other characters, but not enough to confuse you or make you feel like you missed part of the story. This one is about the "brother in charge" so it was a good one to start with. There is a list of words in the beginning of the book with definitions, but don't let those scare you off. They are just terms used in the book and the definitions are there in case you need/want more of an explanation.

After I returned the first one, my friend then loaned me Lover Eternal which was just as good! This one is about one of the brothers who falls in love with a woman that is very sick. Again, the characters are great and the story really draws you in. You can not help but love all the guys in the brotherhood and the descriptions of the "bad guys" makes them totally creepy! The ending is both heart-breaking and happy and makes you want to grab the next book.

Single in Suburbia by Wendy Wax was kind of a let down for me...but it was my fault. I went in thinking this book would be about a working professional woman in the suburbs that is having trouble finding the right man....but no. It's about a woman who's husband leaves her and they are going broke so she does everything she can to provide for her children and in the process she finds, essentially, the perfect man. I would have know this if I read the back of the book! I totally could not relate to this book as I am not divorced/separated/or dating and I do not have children. I have another book, Hostile Makeover, which is in my next book rotation.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire- I confess, I have never seen the play so I figured I could read the book. Elphaba is one dark girl! Who knew? This was a pretty good read, in the sense that I liked the back story on the Wicked Witch of the West. This is not anything like what I expected after seeing the Wizard of Oz movie. I think the story was pretty interesting and and there are very interesting events that happen that surprised me.  Maguire has a great imagination and is able to create these vivid pictures with his descriptions of the people and places.

Fairyville by Emma Holly- See that price sticker remnant in the corner? This book was on clearance at BAM for like $4....and now I know why. It is a quick read, and thank goodness for that because it has such a dumb story line. A woman who is psychic and sees fairies and wonders why she is single....not to mention there is a quote about Holly being a great erotic fiction writer and the first sex scene in the book is a gay sex scene between two men. Later in the book, the hetero-scenes were not nearly as graphic or detailed so it really made me wonder about the author. I didn't really like the ending and I could have done with out having this book in my rotation.

I have a love/hate relationship with reading P.C. Cast books. I either love them or hate them.  I hated this book Goddess by Mistake. The girl ends up back in time or in another realm or something and she ends up married to a half man-half horse guy and there are some awkward scenes of the girl riding the guy's back and getting off. I was never into horses as a girl..... I liked the aspect of the story line where the woman ends up leading her people better than the woman she switched places with and it has a feel-good ending though. If you want good ones by Cast, read Goddess of the Sea and Goddess of Spring. Both of those are fantastic because the story lines are good and the characters are enjoyable. Goddess of Light is in my next book rotation and I am hoping for the best.

I also read Goddess of Love and really liked this one as well. It about Venus and it is funny, a bit sad, unpredictable, and has a great ending. I read this one in 2 days and I was giggling the whole way through. Some very racy sex scenes in this one!

OK! I think those are all the ones that I read in the last 3 months! I am not reading Demon's Kiss by Maggie Shayne. It is in a trilogy and I am about 1/3 of the way in. So far I like it! Again, another author gives her take on vampires and I am really enjoying the characters. It says this is a romance book, but I have yet to hit any of "that" content. In case you were wondering the other 2 in the series are Angel's Pain and Lover's Bite.

If you have any suggestions of books that you love and you think I should read, please let me know in the comments below! I got a Kindle Fire HD for my graduation present and I am dying to download a book on it that I don't already own in paperback!

 

Jenn

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 2012 Glossy Box

December's Glossybox is here! It is the last box in 2012 and they definitely went out with a bang.


This is another beauty box with the theme of making you look great for holiday parties and they included a piece of jewelry as a gift for subscribers.

I love how they used festive print tissue paper in the packing! It was very adorable. I think there was supposed to be a red ribbon around it as well, but  mine was wadded up amongst the packing materials....oops!

 First up is this gorgeous polish from Zoya called Storm. This is my first Zoya polish so I was very excited to try it. I painted some on the information card (which is white) and 2 coats made it opaque. The glitter really stands out! It reminds me of a starry night. Here is the link to the Zoya website where this retails for $8.

Next product I was excited to try is this Bath & Shower Oil in Madurai Jasmine & Mogra From Forest Essentials Luxurious Ayurveda. I love using oils after I shower for moisturizing since they tend to be more light weight than lotions and they don't become slimy if you sweat. This oil has a very zesty/floral scent and spreads nicely into the skin and is absorbed quickly. My skin felt soft, dewy and hydrated for hours after I applied it! I could not find the value of this 3.38 oz bottle, but the info card says 6 oz is $22...so let's guess that this is around $10.

I like seeing hair products and I am always in the market for a new styling product. This Dry Styling Heat Protect Spray from Oscar Blandi sounds like a product with a purpose. The instructions say to spray into hair either before blow drying or on dry hair before styling with heat tools. It has keratin and is supposed to reduce breakage, provides shine and even holds the style! It has a very strong, breathtaking smell right out of the can but quickly dissipates. This is half the size of a travel size can ($11)  so I am going to guess that this goes for $5.

There is a sample of the Pleats Please by Issey Miyake fragrance. The name makes no sense to me and the way they have the words is confusing to read. This is a very floral, frilly, feminine scent. Its very sweet and girly. I think this would be a great fragrance for the spring or summer.

There was also a sample of ECRU New York Acacia Protein Oil (for hair). This product can be used in both wet and dry hair and it is supposed to moisturize hair and reduce drying time while it protects your hair from heat damage.

Yey! Another product from Heartland Fragrance Co. and it is White Ginger Epsom Bath Salts! I loved the loofa-soap that was included in the October box and I was excited to try something else from the brand. I read on their website that soaking in Epsom salt is supposed to increase magnesium levels which will improve sleep and concentration and relieve stress by flushing toxins from the body. They suggest soaking in an Epsom salt bath for 12 minutes on a weekly basis....I sense a New Year's resolution coming on!

Last up is the gift from Glossybox! This ring from Stylemint.com came in a little black velvet bag and definitely makes a statement. While it is not my style, it fits my middle finger so I figure I will wear it and see what happens. It is silvery and sparkly and it was a lovely gift from Glossybox.

And there we have it! The last Glossybox for 2012 and what a box it was! There were 7 fantastic products in generous sample sizes. I can not wait to see what is in store for 2013!



Jenn



PopSugar Luxury Box 2012

It is finally here! The PopSugar Luxury Box made it to my house a day earlier than UPS predicted...I have to love that! I bought this as a graduation gift for myself and it arrived less than a week after I found out I passed my final classes. Yay!

I was so excited while I was unwrapping this that I drove my mother insane :) She kept saying "get to it already!" so of course, I took my time unwrapping everything so slow it was painful.

Everything was individually wrapped in black tissue paper which was great. I would have been disappointed if I opened the box and BAM! everything was right there. I love the suspense!

I started with the smallest item first and so I picked the Heather Belle Cuff. This was a disappointing start to my lux-box :( As you can see in the top left the cuff was misshapen. Some one bent the ends in to the cuff to stuff it in a black velvet bag that was too small and completely ruined the shape. I had to basically unfold the cuff and reshape it. The edges on this cuff are rough, like it wasn't sanded down. Ugh. You can see the cuff on the Heather Belle website here and it sells for $52....wait, what? Really? I would have been more satisfied with just about ANY of the other bracelets on that page that retail for less than that. Not a great start for this box...

Next gift I unwrapped was this Mini Chocolate Bar Library from Vosges. Too cute! The foodies at PopSugar are doing something right! This set of 9 different mini chocolate bars is valued at $25. The bars each have very exotic ingredients like pink pepper corns, grey salt, bacon, chipotle chilies, hemp seeds, Indian curry powder, wasabi, black sesame seeds and green tea. The first one I tried was the Black Pearl bar- ginger, wasabi, and black sesame seeds. The first taste that hits you is the nutty from the seeds (they are whole) and then I got a tickle at the back of my throat which I think is the wasabi. I did not pick up on the ginger...maybe next bite ;)  I am so excited to nibble on every one of these!

Yay! A Nail & Lip Duet from Deborah Lippman!  I have never had a Lippman polish before so I was excited for this inclusion in my lux-box. My colors are Let's Do It (pomegranate sheer lipstick) and My Old Flame (classic creme red polish). I love the box and presentation and while I am not usually a red person, I tried out these colors for the holidays and fell in love with them. The lipstick was sheer and very complimentary to my skin tone and the nail polish was very bright and cheery and resisted chipping for days. This set is valued at $38 and I am now a Lippman product fan!

I knew this was a candle before I even opened the tissue paper :) This Candela by Tocca in Kyoto smells kind of fruity and kind of flowery. I opened the box and read that it is scented with peaches/apricots and the Kinmokusei flower from Japan. The candles are hand poured and come in this gorgeous white glass holder accented with blue and gold. I can't believe it, but this candle actually smells even better when burning! This candle is valued at $38 and boasts a 60-hour burn time.

 

I opened this and immediately loved the simplistic design for this bottle of soap! This Liquid Hand Soap from Compagnie de Provence in Savon de Marseille Extra Pur Figue comes in this large, glass bottle and has the bold French words right on the bottle. I am in love :) The soap is scented with figs, cedar, vanilla, hyacinth and anise and it is made in a cauldron! It is hypo-allergenic, made with natural glycerin, and free of animal-by products and dyes. The soap and bottle are both eco-friendly. I use the tiniest bit of soap (about half the size of a pea) and it was plenty to scrub my hands and up to my elbows and envelop me in a sensuous aroma. This is valued at $24 and will last me for.ev.er.

 This was the second disappointment of the box. This After Bath Moisturizer by Epicuren in Rose Petal could have been a great inclusion for this box, but I really dislike anything rose scented :( I gave this one a whiff and it sure is rosy.  I was so excited because in the information booklet it said Tahitian Vanilla! It had a nice creamy texture on the skin and soaked in quickly and did not leave me feeling greasy. My skin stayed dewy for hours after apply so there is no doubt in my mind that this is a quality lotion.  This bottle is packed with vitamins and antioxidants and is valued at $34.

 

And last surprise was this Clutch from Jewelmint.com. This cute little clutch bag has a very cool top! It looks like a bottle top, but once you lift the cap you can expand the neck to stash all of your goodies. This is definitely a great bag for going out because there is no way your lip gloss or credit card is falling outta there! And I love the vintage look this clutch has. Unfortunately I couldn't find this online anywhere but I know that everything from Jewelmint is $29 so I am going to assume that this falls in that price category. I used this to hold my ID, credit card and2 lipsticks for my dad's birthday dinner. Sadly, it could not fit my iPhone. I am excited to have more reasons to use this!

 

There you have it! The PopSugar Lux-box's total value was around $240 and all products that were included were from brands that were completely new to me. I was really disappointed in the cheap quality of that cuff and the way it was smushed into the little bag and the rose petal scent of the body lotion. The scent, I know, is chosen at random and out of their control :( but it was still a let down. The other items chosen were fantastic! I love the unique clutch, I finally have my very own Lippman polish, the candle smells wonderful, I always appreciate creative chocolate-combos, and I love the French hand soap! Happy graduation to me!

 

Jenn