POPSugar Must Have Box- January 2013

Finally! I felt like I was waiting forever to get my favorite sub box in this month :) I was so excited to see what POPSUGAR had in store for their first box of the year.

I saw one big box and then a little section full of goodies. What could they be? Their theme for January was "getting a fresh start on that fitness resolution while still indulging in warm treats"

A stability ball! I have a bunch of these at the house already, but it is always nice to have one more. There was a card included with some at-home exercise suggestions which was nice and this will be great to keep in my room for some stretching after work. Maybe it will even inspire me to do some of the suggestions on the card in the evenings before bed!
This ball goes for $38.99 on the Merrithew.com website.

This REMIX watch was so cute! I love the all white look and since I now have to wear a watch for work, this was perfect. I was reading the cards included and there is a hidden button under the silicone case that is supposed to make the LED lights inside light up.....

....but when I pushed my button nothing happened :( No lighting up or anything. I emailed POPSugar's  customer service and I am waiting to hear back on a replacement! Last month they did great at getting me a replacement for a broken item, I hope that this time its just as awesome. Will update when I hear back!
These watches go for between $45 and $50 at RemixWatches.com

UPDATE: PopSugar sent me a replacement watch set! It had a baby blue watch in it with a fuchsia band and a baby pink band to switch it out. I have to say I am loving it! My wrist accidentally hits it all the time and it puts on a very cool light show. The white face watch part still tells time, it just does not light up. I have moved it to the fuchsia band and I am still enjoying the fashion statement it makes.

Mmmmmm I loooove any kind of lip balm so this Discovery Lip Balm from Epicuren was much appreciated. It is made with SPF 15 as well as tea tree oil for healing. It is nice and minty and very smooth on my lips. I have been using it every night before bed! They had included a lotion from Epicuren in the Lux Box in December which ended up being very hydrating.
I had a hard time finding this, but I think it goes for around $5 but I do not have a website that sells it. The product info can be found at Epicuren.com

These are the cutest things I have seen in chocolate yet! These PopBar Hot Chocolate on a Stick look so yummy! The directions on the back say to microwave some milk and stir with the bar on a stick...pretty simple! They come in dark and milk chocolate.
These go for $2.99 a piece on Amazon but you can see other awesome chocolate treats on a stick at Pop-Bar.com

And of course you can not have hot chocolate with out Mallow Bits from Kraft in Vanilla! These are what I used to pick out of the hot chocolate packs when I was a kid....but in a resealable tub instead! YUM! They are delicious and I am not above telling you that I was eating them right out of the container LOL.
While looking for the price (that is around $1.50) I found that they also come in other flavors like peppermint!

I have tried Think Thin bars before and they were sooooo good. These other versions, like Crunch and Divine were a nice surprise! I am going to pack them for a busy day at work and give them a whirl. The divine bar is like a candy bar with a healthy twist, and this crunch bar looks like a granola bar.
There are a bunch of other high protein bar flavors that I want to try like lemon creme pie and tangerine creamsicle. I hope I can find these in stores! These go for about $2 a piece.

The voucher for this month's box was for Casetagram....an app for your phone where you can use your Instagram or camera library pictures to create a case for your phone, from your phone! So neat! This was a voucher for $15. I downloaded the app and put my case together....

And here is a screen shot of my order! Of course I did a "Bentley" theme for my case. They had a TON of layouts too choose from and many effects for the pictures. With my $15 credit, it ended up being $19.95 and did not show the break down of how it got to that price on the check out screen. This could be addictive...if I could more cases at that price! When the case comes in, I will post pictures and update my review!












That is the entire box! I think that POPSUGAR knocked it out of the park again this month and curated a great box. I really love that they find items that are a bit obscure. When I show up to work with a (hopefully working) Remix watch and my very own personalized phone case, I am sure I will be the envy of the office!

Jenn

Yuzen Box- January 2013

It finally came! I felt like I was the last one to receive my box LOL. I was so disappointed to get the news that Yuzen will be a seasonal box from now on. From what I have read on their website, there will be 5 boxes this year. One box for January, and then one box per season to be sent out in February, May, August, and November. This quickly became one of my favorite boxes, and while I am glad I was able to add another monthly box to my rotation, I was sad this one would be coming less frequently.

I love the purple flower theme! I am still trying to think of ways to use the pieces of yuzen paper that come in each box. This month's theme was "new beginnings and inspired awakenings" and it was cute to see that the items in the box mostly had the same purple coloring!

I am a lip balm/gloss junkie so of course this Lavender & Lemon Hydrating Lip Balm from TilVee was the first item I tried. This balm is formulated with cocoa butter, avocado oil, rosehip seed oil, and coconut butter. That must be the secret to its smooth consistency. With the first use, my lips were more hydrated, softer, and less chapped. The more I used it, the better they felt. It comes in a large tube which I think is fantastic! This goes for $6.99 on their website, www.tilvee.com, where they sell 3 other flavors.

Cacao nibs? I will try anything chocolate! My mom and I tried some of these Dark Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs from Sweet Riot and were pleasantly surprised. Just a few of these were enough to sate our craving for chocolate and they had a nice texture. Each one of these nibs is 1-2 calories and I am digging the tin that they come in. Check out their other cacao products on their website, www.sweetriot.com.

After a nice bath, I popped open this Pangea Organics Facial Cream Italian Red Mandarin with Rose. I could smell the rose right of the bat, the texture of the cream was not too heavy which was nice, it spread nicely on my skin and absorbed quickly so my face was not sticky. These products are made with organic, fair trade ingredients, are cruelty free, and have no preservatives, artificial colors or fragrances. This 1 fl oz tube goes for $16 on their website, www.pangeaorganics.com.

Acure Shampoo and Conditioner with Moroccan Argan Oil + Argan Stem Cell. These are made with 100% plant-derived natural and organic ingredients. These smell deliciously like almond extract and these bottles are large enough that I can get at least 10 uses from them. After the first use, my hair felt great! It was softer and shinier and did not get as tangled as it ususally does at the ends. I am anxious to see if it gets better the more I use it. You can see all their products on their website,  www.acureorganics.com

AromaFloria Stress Less Bubble Bath. Lavender and chamomile, eco-friendly , no parabens, formaldehyde, or chlorine. I can not wait to take a nice long bath after my first day of work with this. It smells very organic and the lavender scent smells very spa-like.  This full sized 9 fl oz bottle goes for $16 on their website, www.aromafloria.com

This might be the product I was looking forward to trying the most. This Sleep Bed Time Ritual Oil from Essence of Vali was the smallest of the items, but packs a big punch. The directions say to add just one drop of this oil to the corner of your pillow so the essences of lavender, marjoram, cedarwood, and ylang ylang can help "ease you into sleep and comfort you during times of stress". Boy, don't I need that right now! These drops are 100% natural and made with pure essential oils. I accidentally spilled more than just a drop on my pillow case, but I did notice that I got a much deeper sleep and fell asleep earlier in the night.  A small 5mL blue bottle of this oil goes for $18 on their website, essenceofvali.com.

I think I may never have to buy another Argan oil ever again, as I get one dropper bottle in at least 1 of my boxes every month. This sample from SheaTerra is 100% pure and from a women's cooperative in Morocco. It smelled "natural" (read: gross), as they have not added fragrance or alcohol to the oil. I soaked my hands in this and put on some spa gloves to let it soak in all night. My hands felt great the next day! But they did not smell so good LOL. They offer a wide variety of products on their website, www.sheaterraorganics.com

Included with the oil dropper was this list of uses for Moroccan Argan Oil. I did not know that you could use the oil for your face as a make up remover or for wrinkles, for stretch marks or for your dry lips! It looks like I will be trying some of these ideas soon.

I am not big into watching "wellness videos". Sometimes its hard for me to get through a yoga DVD, but I think my mom might like this "I AM" DVD from GaiamTV.com. It is supposed to have tips for wellness and health. Who knows,
I may learn something useful!














That is everything from this years first Yuzen box! I am looking forward to the Spring box in February and I hope it is fantastic.

Jenn

Petit Amuse Box January 2013

Welcome to 2013! The first subscription box that arrived in the new year was the Petit Amuse Box!

This month, which is only my second, the box arrived and was in a nondescript, brown box. Last month it was adorably stamped with the Petit Amuse logo. Included this month were 4 large samples from  different companies.

 Buried in the box was this large bag of Oat Cuisine Original Granola. Yes! I love granola with my Greek yogurt in the morning and this one includes things like sunflower seeds, wheat flakes, and sesame seeds which are not in my current granola.  Each half-cup serving is a whopping 281 calories, so I think I will be cutting a serving in half. I love the packaging with the Greek or Roman themed characters on the front and bag which contains about 1.5 cups of product to try. The texture of this mix is nice and crunchy and it pairs great with Greek yogurt.

Next were these 2 fruit products from La Vigne Organics. On the left is a sample of Dried Sliced Persimmons and on the right is Star Fuyu Persimmons Fruit Leather.  This company focuses on using less mainstream fruits and they are organic. These 2 items are said to be there 2 most popular. I nibbled on the dried sliced persimmons first....yuck. Maybe it is because I do not prefer dried fruit, but this actually gave me the shivers and goose bumps. Even my mother would not eat them (which says a lot because if I hate it, she loves it).

This was the first item I saw in the box and I had to laugh. It is a Piggy Pop from Black Pig Meat Co. The pop is toffee with bits of cured bacon. Honestly, it sounds delicious....but I am the kind of person that eats a maple bacon cupcake LOL. The back of this pop is dipped in chocolate and i nibbled at one of the ears first. The toffee easily popped off and just melted in my mouth. It is salty and sweet and the smoky and chewy little bacon pieces just add to the complexity of flavors and textures. The pop is an awkward flavor to suck on, so sadly you are left with chewing.....but when you are done you are satisfied. The company owner has competed on the show Iron Chef ! If you want to try them yourself, you can order at www.BlackPigMeatCo.com 

This was a good start for Petit Amuse for 2013 and I am anxious to see the goodies they send next month!

Jenn

Out With The Old, In With The New Subscription Boxes!

Changes are coming for me in 2013! Since I am starting a new job and getting ready to start rad tech school, I figured it was time to upgrade/revamp my subscription selection.

I was very let down by my most recent Birchbox, so it was time to stop hoping it would improve and just cancel. But now I am one box less a month! What is a girl to do...

...find another box of course! So I set off into the Internet to see what I could come up with. I have been telling myself that the next box I cancel will be replaced with the BarkBox, so I went ahead and signed up for the 6 month subscription ($18 a month). This is my first pet box! I am sure Bentley will be thrilled to pieces to get special toys and treats every month.  I love that 10% of all proceeds go to animal shelters. Each month there is a different shelter they sponsor! I think that is fantastic :) i missed this month's deadline, so my first box will be February's.

I found several really fantastic sub box ideas, but I decided on signing up for The Fancy Box. This box is $30 +7.95 shipping a month and every month they send you really obscure little things based on the categories you choose. The website is much like Pinterest, but instead of "pinning" things, you "fancy" them. There is even an app for your phone! The reviews I have seen for this box are great, and I am hoping that I love it! I signed up for the categories for women, pets, home, and gadgets. I signed up in time to receive January's box so I will review that one as soon as it is in.

I figured I would also list some of the other subscriptions I came across during my search that piqued my interest:

• Julibox.com - for $40 a month you can have hand-selected cocktails sent straight to your door! Their boxes have a theme each month (they did a breast cancer themed one for October) and the box includes everything you need except for things like lemons and limes.
• SquareHue.com - for $21 a month you can have 3 nail polishes mailed to your house. Colors are curated by the season, they are all 3-free, do not contain camphor, and are not tested on animals. Part of their proceeds is currently going to stop human trafficking!

There were several others that I was interested in but they were clothing. Not only am I destined to wear scrubs for the next  years, but I have DDD's and I would be worried that any shirts sent would not fit :/

Here is to new changes in 2013 and 2 new box subs to look forward too!

Jenni

The Healthier Breakfast Sandwich

There is nothing I love more than an easy breakfast. When it is early in the morning, I want to give it limited thought or just grab and go. My staple for the last few months has been key lime Greek yogurt topped with granola or toasted coconut chips, however now that I am starting a new job I need something more portable and more rounded.
It was suggested in a group forum to make a bunch of breakfast sandwiches, bag them, and freeze them. This sounded like a fantastic idea so I tried it with a half a dozen first and it was a HUGE hit with my family. This time around I made a full dozen in about 45 minutes and figured I would share my under-300 calorie breakfast sandwich idea!

First, gather your ingredients. You will need:

• 1 dozen eggs
• fresh spinach, about 3 cups
• shredded cheese, about 1.5 cups
• 100 calorie English muffins or bagels
• ready-made refrigerated bacon or sausage

You will also need:

• a muffin pan
• parchment paper
• sandwich baggies

Let's get started! First, heat your oven to 350 degrees. While you are waiting for it to warm, spray your muffin pan with non-stick spray. I use the organic one with olive oil. Grab you spinach and start stacking the leaves and plucking off the little stems. After you have a good stack, chop the leaves in to strips. I used half of a huge bag which I thing was around 3 cups.

As you are chopping, fill your muffin cups. Each cup holds about 1/4 cup of shredded spinach which is only 2 calories. Spinach is loaded with fiber, protein, zinc, vitamins A, C, E, K, iron and calcium!

 Place one whole egg in each muffin cup right on top of your spinach. Your oven should be heated, so pop them in the oven for 15 minutes if you want runnier yolks or 20 minutes if you want firmer yolks. I prefer firmer ones :) Each egg is 80 calories (for the extra large) packs 6 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, and has vitamin B-12!

Now, start toasting your English muffins or bagels! It goes by faster if you have a toaster with 2 spots, but it is the most boring part. Each of these muffins is 100 calories.

In between the English muffins popping up, open up your BACON! I use between 2-3 strips of bacon per muffin. These happen to be 70 calories for 3 strips. I divide them up into 12 piles, and then tear them in half so they fit on the muffin with out hanging over. The next time I make these, I am going to try the Morning Star sausage patties to try to reduce the fat count.

Your eggs should be done by now! And they should look just like this. Polk your yolks to make sure they are done the way you would like and grab your shredded cheese!

Sprinkle your cheese over top of your eggs while they are still hot so it will melt the cheese. I use less than 1/8 of a cup, and for this Mexican cheese blend it is 50 calories for 1/8 of a cup so that's the count I use.  Cheese is a great source of calcium. If you use a reduced fat cheese, you can reduce your calories and saturated fat :)

While you are letting your cheese melt and your eggs cool, set up your assembly station! Grab your parchment paper, sandwich baggies, bacon, muffins, and a fork and knife to dig out your eggs. I like to take a sharpie and label the baggies (as I made some last time with no spinach so my dad would eat them).

Stack them up! The eggs should pop right out of the muffin cup and fit perfectly onto your English muffin. If you are going to eat one right now, don't forget to cook your bacon ;)

 Fold up each sandwich in parchment paper. This will help keep them from getting frost bite in the freezer. To reheat, transfer to a paper towel and microwave for 1 minute. It will taste delicious and homemade!












Admittedly, this batch ended up being a little higher in fat than I had thought,  but by having these for breakfast and not going to McDonald's or any other fast food chain you will be significantly cutting down on your fat, sodium, and preservative intake. Not to mention you will be saving money!
I have other ideas for sandwiches such as switching to veggie sausage and a reduced fat cheese and I hope they turn out as delicious as these did!

Jenn

Birchbox- January 2013

Birchbox was the 3rd box of 2013 to arrive....and what a disappointment. I was hoping they would start the new year off with a bang, but instead there was only a fizzle. The card inside claims "Best Year Ever", but they are not inspiring my confidence with this being the first box.

The inside was laid out a little differently with one of these cardboard puff pouches. I have to say I love the one they had last year and this large one. I re-purpose them for all sorts of stuff. Well, lets get started......


First product I tried was this Lait-Creme Concentre from Embroylisse. My limited French tells me this is "concentrated milk-cream" and the box says it is made with shea butter. This moisturizer is thicker so it is great if you have a really dry face. I have an oily face, so I only used a dab of this product. This tiny tube is smaller than any sample I have ever gotten from Sephora, so I am not sure I can consider it "deluxe" size.

I saw this Color pHerfector Shampoo from Amika and got very excited! I have the hair mask and love it so I was anxious to try more from this brand.....but there was no conditioner paired with this. It is a pet peeve of mine when sub boxes send just shampoo or just conditioner to try. This shampoo smells amazing and I will be using it with the hair mask I already own.

Really Birchbox? Yet ANOTHER sample of Viva La Juicy from Juicy Couture? I do not care for this perfume so the fact that I have received it yet again in a Birchbox is just down right disappointing.

This was the "lifestyle extra" this month.  It is a sleeve of Cleansing Milk, Antioxidant Serum, and Nutrient Moisturizer from Juice Beauty. This is a neat way to package samples and I am willing to give this line a shot. I may get about 3 days out of this sleeve.

This was the other product I was excited for. This small tube of theBalm Put A Lid On It eye lid primer can be considered a deluxe sample as this will last for months. This is a colorless primer and goes on nice and smooth. After a few seconds of letting it set, it has a velvety finish that the shadow sticks to. It does not feel heavy and your eye make up does not crease. Love this stuff!

This was folded up in the back of the box. I unfolded it and on the front are colored pictures of products and on the back are a bunch of ways to live a healthier lifestyle. This could have been a cool thing to put up in my bathroom, but it was mostly plugs for products they are selling with a few "do more lunges" and "take your tech stuff out of your bedroom for better sleep" things thrown in. If this had been a calendar or a real list of suggestions for a better 2013, I would have considered it a bonus to the box.







Ugh, I feel so bad that this was such a negative post, but I just think that Birchbox and I need to break up. I am going to be looking for another box in this price range to replace it with.  Birchbox promised in the beginning that every box would have a full sized product and that hasn't happened. Starting January off with a box with 1 deluxe sample does not inspire my confidence and there are a TON of beauty sub boxes out there doing some awesome things for just $10 a month! Here is to a new year and a new box subscription!

Jenn

Ipsy Glam Bag- January 2013

My second sub box of 2013 that arrived was my Ipsy Glam Bag! I am still loving this little monthly hot-pink enveloped gem. There are always great products in either large samples or full sizes which makes this one a steal!

This has been the cutest bag I have received yet from Ipsy. The outside of the bag is navy blue, but the inside is a royal blue with my favorite....stars! I was so disappointed that my bag had a huge slice from one corner to the other. It looks like maybe a razor cut it :( I emailed Ipsy to see if I could get a replacement make up bag and I will report back when I get a response!
UPDATE: I sent my email to Ipsy on January 15th and received a reply the next day. The customer service rep, Alyson, had me verify my address before they sent out a replacement. I received the replacement in the mail on January 22nd, so one week later. Fantastic customer service even for something as minor as a damaged cosmetic bag!

I love the card this month. This is definitely one that I will be putting up in my bathroom as motivation. And what a great motto for a new year! This will be great to remember when I start my new job next week. Maybe I will put this up at my new office :)

I will start with this small bottle of Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil since it is a product I have used before and really like. I use this oil in my hair as well as on my hands and feet. It is not sticky or too thick, it has a pleasant smell and absorbs quickly. This little dropper will go a long way! Just 2-3 drops of this stuff will cover your hands completely.

Pacifica is a new brand for me but this Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter did not disappoint! It is not thick like I thought a body butter would be, more of a lotion consistency, but it is still rich enough that when you rub it in your skin stays soft and dewy. And the smell! It is a wonderful, juicy, and sweet scent that I am in love with! This 2.5 oz tube is a travel size and goes for $7.00 on the Pacifica website.

Gotta love having another nail polish! And another selection from Nailtini is awesome too! I was so happy with the one from November's Ipsy Glam Bag that I could not wait to give this creme red color called Bloody Mary a try! I painted my toes and as expected, the consistency of the polish is perfect, the brush is a great size, and the polish dried quickly. This polish goes for $6 on the Nailtini website which is a steal since it is a huge bottle at .5 fl oz. I am starting to wonder what is up with the blood theme this month though.....

I saw this travel sized can of Big Sexy Hair's Spray & Play and thought this would be great for those days when I put some curls in my hair. It says on the can it is volumizing hair spray and from what I could find, this little can goes for $8-10 for the 1.5 oz. I checked their website and it said this spray is supposed to "give incredible volume, lift and shine". The fine mist on this spray is great and it is wonderful for holding curls in hair when you don't want to starch them into place.

 Last up we have this Concealer Brush from  SOHO Beauty that features an ergonomic design and boasts that it deposits just the right amount of concealer to cover your dark circles. This brush goes for $7.99 on the SOHO Beauty website which is a great deal and I love the 80's feel to the site! The inside flap in the package had some tips like how to apply the perfect lip and how to achieve a dimensional look. I am excited to try some of these out!







That is everything for the January Ipsy Glam Bag! I won't say that these are the most glamorous products they have sent, but they are great and very functional! Who doesn't like a make up brush and a yummy smelling lotion?!?! I am hoping they have an adorable heart-themed make up bag next month for February...we shall see!

Jenn