Yuzen - Fall 2013

I got an email a couple weeks ago that my name had come up on the waiting list for Yuzen. I already knew what was in the fall box and was a little intrigued. Plus the box has gotten excellent reviews, so I thought it was worth a try. This one only comes out quarterly so it really is seasonal. So here it is, my first Yuzen box!

Here's the first look. It's sure pretty!

Torie & Howard Organic Hard Candy - in blood orange and honey. These were yummy! And a full size package.

The Sanitas Vita-Rich Serum - This has a really nice feel and a little goes a long way. It definitely moisturizes but I can't speak to the promised long term effects of healthier looking skin (obviously.)
Ajara Ayurvedic Beauty Tea Bath Sachet - I only wish there was more than 1! This had a nice light relaxing scent. I was actually able to use it a second time after letting it dry out before putting it back in the outer bag. I may try to reuse the sachet.
Coola Mineral Sunscreen - I love the feel of Coola products and this is no exception. A sunscreen that has a moisturizer feel. Yeah! Because yes, you still need sunscreen in the fall.

Acure Argan Cell Stimulating Body Wash - Argan is everywhere it seems. Not that I'm complaining, I love the scent and feel of it. This body wash is no exception.
Sphatika Rose Cleansing Foam - I don't really get a rose scent from this but that's a good thing. I like rose but so many rose scented things seem to hit you over the head with the scent. This doesn't. And it has a nice feel and doesn't dry out my face.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive - I am really becoming a fan of this brand. This Peel fits right in. It works well with just a little bit. But it only gets tingly, there's no burning feeling like I get from some peels.
Verve Organics Blissful Sugar Scrubs - I liked this scrub the first time I used it but since then it seems to have separated. I stirred it a bit with my finger and that seemed to help but it's still coarser than the first use. Ironically my 3 year old loves it. I think she just likes the idea of rubbing sugar on her toes. :-)

Overall a good first box for me. The candy was full size and the other products were travel size packages. Not a bad value for the $33 subscription. I can see why people were sad when they went to a quarterly box.

Graze codes!

To celebrate the opening of the new Graze kitchen they gave current members 4 invite codes. I have 3 left. Email me if you are interested. Melanie0971 at gmail dot com.

Goodies - August 2013

I love to discover new snacks so Goodies.co is usually a fun box for me. It only isn't when they go heavy on the coconut snacks. Fortunately August was not one of those months.

Nature Valley granola thins - peanut butter and dark chocolate, how can you go wrong? Yum! It felt like a treat but wasn't to much of a splurge. Mine was a little crumbly in the package but I think that happened in the box in shipment. I would think if you bought a box of these it wouldn't be an issue.
I love Fiber One bars so it wasn't a new product but I enjoyed it anyway! these are also very treat like. Nice and chocolatey.
Southern Pecan coffee concentrate. I don't drink coffee so I can't speak to the taste. You can add this concentrate to hot or cold water. Clever concept. I'll save it for my sister.

 Poplets - I had no idea what to think of these when I saw them. It really looks like someone took what was left in the popcorn bag after all the good stuff was eaten. Weird. But I was somewhat surprised. They were mostly crunchy but there were a couple hard kernels. I don't think I'll buy these.
Tangy Zangy in Wild berry - I like fruit candy so I'll give these a try. I like these small packages of candy because if I do like it I still won't eat to much.
Mott's Medley's - The little fruit bites are popular in this house so these were gone quickly. Very good and not to sweet.

Our August has been excessively hot so we haven't turned the oven on to make these yet. But it's Hershey's in a cookie so I'm sure they will be good. It's your typical cookie mix that you add water and butter.

A nice selection of snack size treats and one "big" item. At $7 a month this is a fun treat.

Seasons Box - August 2013

There have been a lot of complaints about Seasons box lately. I personally haven't had any issues, knock on wood. But they've made a few announcements lately that management has changed. I don't know if they were sold or if it's just a change in day to day operations. Either way, I've already noticed an improvement in their interaction on Facebook. That being said, I really liked the August box, which was "pre change."

 These are the Vapur water pouches. I really like these. I had some before that disappeared (as things do in a house with a 3 year old :-)  ) I hadn't had the chance to replace them so I was happy to get these. Ironically they were the same colors as the two I had! The best thing about these is when they are empty they take up next to no space. I've heard you can freeze them but I've never tried.

 I love green tea but I admit I've never heard of eating it. But that's what you are supposed to do with this. It smells good but I can't vouch for what it tastes like yet. I understand mixing it in yogurt is one option...

 Tiki bath & body solid lotion bar - I love solid lotion bars but most come in paper that isn't very practical for holding or storing it once it's been opened. This takes care of that problem. The container is similar to a lipstick in that it pushes the product up as you use it. And most importantly, it feel and smells great!

Puur body oil - What you can't see from the picture is that this comes in a spray bottle. I love that idea. It seems less wasteful and easier to apply. It's perfect after a shower! It's a very light scent.

As I said, I loved this box. And I have a good feeling about the future of Seasons Box based on the Facebook interaction in recent weeks.Yeah!

PopSugar Must Have - August 2013

I still get excited about PopSugar every month. Even the months that had some things I wasn't able to use, there was at least a couple things to be excited about. It's a nice variety.

I've thought about trying Nature Box so this was nice to find in the box. The apples are pretty good. No added sugar so they are only the slightest bit sweet.

Dermalogica pre cleanse and cleansing gel - I'm curious to try these but I'm using up my current face cleanser first. The pre cleanse really just seems like a make up remover. Not that that's a bad thing. 

May designs weekly agenda - best thing about this is no dates. If I skip a week I can still just use the next week. It's got lots of space to write in. 

Lulah body wash in peony - I was relieved when I opened this. Despite the fact that it's called peony, the scent is not overwhelmingly floral. It's a pretty light scent. 

Bentgo lunch carrier - I can't just call it a lunch box because it's cooler than that. So cool that I traded for another for my husband. And they are dishwasher safe! I've been drooling over bento recipes to get the best use of this. It also has its own utensils.

This is the Gorjana & Griffin necklace that was the special anniversary gift. I don't know that the box would have been complete without it do I haven't set it apart here. It is a very pretty necklace but more delicate than the teaser pictures looked. 

Lunares apple bowl. It's food safe. And a good thing to since my 3 year old has claimed it as her own. It fits the right amount of dried Os.

I'll use everything so this box is a big success for me!

Carefree Crafts - August 2013

I realize I haven't reviewed this subscription box in a while. I think it's because it's so hard to photograph in a way that shows the real value. For the record, we LOVE Carefree Crafts at our house!! That's the other reason that it's hard for me to get pictures. If I open the bag to get pictures my 3 year old insists on doing all the crafts. I have to ration these out so they last the month!
Here's a quick picture I was able to get of all 5 projects for August. As a rule each craft is individually packaged so you know what's for what. If anything needs glue that's separate. (That's the white pen looking item with the blue cap in the picture.)

 

As you can probably tell, Augusts theme was Summer. I'll try to get some finished pictures when my daughter isn't looking. The beach photo was another of the sand art pictures with adhesive already under the coating. Just peel and pour! Very clever. 

These crafts are geared for kids age 3-7 and the subscription is $14.95 a month including shipping. Though right now use code  SAVE60 on the web site to get your first month for only $5.95! 

Stunner of the Month - July 2013

I was going to skip my July boxes because I've been so busy but I had to share my last Stunner shipment of the three month deal I got. These are probably the most unisex of the three I received. 

I laughed out loud when I opened this pair!

If it weren't for the phone I'd think this was from the 80's! Fun!

Next time I need sunglasses I'll be back at Stunner's web site. 9 bucks for a pair of sunglasses is right up my alley.