Sunday, September 22, 2013

Update on ME! (AKA: Where have I BEEN anyway?!?)

Hey everyone!

So I have to apologize for the lack of updates lately. I know you're all hungry for more box reviews, and I am excited to share them with you! I do a lot of research to make sure I'm giving you guys the best information possible, and all of that research takes time.

When I started this blog a few months ago, I didn't really know what to expect. I was excited about the idea of it - about the skeleton of an idea that would become a much bigger undertaking than I ever would have imagined! I am now even considering moving the blog to a WordPress address, because there are SO many cool options with WordPress that I don't have the opportunity to utilize on Blogger.

A little about what's going on with me right now: I am in college full-time at the moment, taking 15 credits. I am in two science classes at once (Anatomy and Chemistry - yikes!!), which I've never done before. LOTS of studying involved there. I am also working two (yes, TWO) part-time jobs as well. I work for a video rental store near my house, and I also work at a local veterinary clinic as an assistant. So - I work around 30-40 hours a week besides being in school!

ALSO: I am in the process of applying through my college to study abroad in EUROPE next semester! I am so very excited about this possibly life-altering opportunity! I would be going all over Europe - London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Budapest, Vienna....and more! I am thrilled to be so close to such an awesome chance at world exploration. I want to see the entire world, and this is a HUGE step to accomplishing that dream!

But...this means that when I am not studying or working, I am working on my application, and running places to get papers signed, and having meetings in order to get this whole study abroad "thing" worked out!

The point of this whole rant about my life and myself is that I know it seems like I've forgotten about my little blog...but I haven't! It takes a lot of work to run a blog (which I now totally appreciate and understand!) and I am in a position where I can't really make it a top priority. As soon as my application for my study abroad is complete and I can take a breath, I will definitely be right back at this blog, showing you the amazing world of subscription boxes!!

Thank you guys, for sticking with me and for following my posts. It is pretty neat that people want to read what I write, and it really makes me feel like one of the cool kids :) You guys are awesome!!!!


Until next time.... <3

Monday, September 9, 2013

Taste Guru 50% off Coupon Code!!


 

I JUST got an email about this today! If you're looking into trying Taste Guru (a gluten-free subscription box - I will be reviewing it later this month!) then you're in luck, because they are offering a killer deal on their 3-month subscriptions!

Just click the following link and enter the code NEWS25 to get a 3-month gift subscription for $50!! That's a 50% savings! I just tried it, and it works perfectly.

So if you're on the fence about Taste Guru, now's the time to try it!


Until next time.... <3

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Julep Maven Box Review (& Code for FREE BOX!) - September 2013



It's time for the Julep Maven box for September, and I was SO excited to get this box! The colors for fall were amazing, and it was hard for me to pick just one box (I really had to talk myself out of getting the upgrade again this month!). But, in the end I settled on the Classic with a Twist box (which just so happens to be my "chosen" profile according to Julep's style quiz) and threw in a few add-ons as well.

Box: Julep Maven

Cost: $19.99/month

Shipping: FREE

Coupon Code for a FREE first box: FREEBOX 

Included: Two exclusive nail polish colors and one exclusive beauty product per month (there are also options to get three nail colors OR two beauty products instead).

For those not familiar with Julep Maven, it is a program that sends out a themed box every month based on a style profile quiz that each member fills out upon signing up for the program. There are five options, and they each include different polish colors monthly.

The September box theme was The Cityscape Collection. This collection is full of great bold colors for fall (you can see all the box options on my Julep September Selections post). Here is my Classic with a Twist box for September!

First View

Add on #1

I added on the sponge this month because the website raved about it being exfoliating and gentle at the same time, and I have to say that I don't think it's really all that exfoliating. It is very gentle, but when I get something expecting it to be exfoliating, I actually want it to feel like it's exfoliating. It is so gentle that I don't feel like it does the job for me. I will use it though, and the fact that it came with a suction cup to hang it in the shower is really convenient.

Beauty Product

Bare Face Cleansing Oil - Value $22.40

This cleansing oil smells great! You rub this on your face while it's dry, and then rinse with warm water. I like the idea of an oil cleanser because I have very dry skin, and it seems like this would help. I have used it once already, and I actually do like it. It isn't as moisturizing as I anticipated, but I still do like it.

New packaging!
I personally don't see what was wrong with the old packaging, but Julep decided to pack their polishes differently in the latest shipment. They do look very classy!

Classic with a Twist polishes

Julep Nail Polish in Florence - Value $11.20

Julep Nail Polish in Padma - Value $11.20

I like Florence because it is a good neutral polish that can go well with a lot of other colors, and will be a good base for lighter colors. Padma is a beautiful shade of very dark, jewel-like purple. I wore it on my fingernails the other day, and my husband said it reminded him of evil villains from Disney movies! Ha! I think it will be a color best suited for my toes though. See the swatches below for more detail on these two colors:


Add ons #2 and #3

Julep Nail Polish in Catrina - Value $11.20

Julep Nail Polish in Reece - Value $11.20

I LOVE this creamy shade of yellow for fall! It is from the It Girl collection from this month. It is so beautiful, and wonderfully opaque, which I really appreciate in a yellow polish. Reece is a gorgeous holographic purple and green microglitter, and it is actually a lot lighter on than it looks in the bottle. See the swatches below...


It's hard to tell in the pictures, but I did have a little issue with the Reece polish because the lid was not on all the way. I opened up the bottle, and the plastic piece that holds the brush to the lid was bent. As a result, the polish was slightly dried out. So I called Julep, and they were extremely helpful - all I had to do was send in a picture of the damaged bottle, and now they are sending me a replacement bottle! A+ for customer service! 


OVERALL VALUE: $76.80

I think Julep polishes are great - they cover well, and you don't need to apply three coats to get good color. They also have some really cool themes for their colors and great beauty products! September's box is a total win for me!

What do you think of Julep's September Maven box? Don't forget that you can take the style quiz and get a FREE box from Julep using the code FREEBOX!!



Until next time.... <3

Sunday, August 25, 2013

September 2013 Julep Maven Selection Time!!

It's time for Julep Mavens to choose their September boxes!!

This month's theme is Think Big: Inspired by Bright Lights and Bold Dreams, AKA The Cityscape Collection. I love the bright, bold pops of color this month, and I think they are perfect for fall.

Here are the box choices for September:


Modern Beauty Set

MODERN BEAUTY

Included:
-Blank Canvas Mattifying Face Primer
-Bare Face Cleansing Oil

These products look awesome - I am so excited to try out the Bare Face Cleansing Oil! They recommend using the Konjac Sponge in conjunction with the cleanser, so I selected it as an add-on. All of you out there with oily skin should check out this before-and-after picture of the face primer! 

It looks like it would be really effective!! I do not have oily skin, so I am okay not getting this product in my box. In order to get this product, you can get the Modern Beauty box, upgrade to the entire collection, or select it as an add-on.


Boho Glam Set

BOHO GLAM

Included:
-Tatiana (Golden Burnt Orange Microglitter)
tatiana 

-Kristy (Midnight Blue Creme)
kristy

-Bare Face Cleansing Oil

I love this orange, but unfortunately orange just doesn't work for me! I also love the blue, but my fingers look funky with super dark polish on, and I'm worried it might look black. So Boho Glam wasn't for me this month!





Included:
-Karmen (Golden crimson microglitter)
karmen

-Daria (Dark slate gray creme)
daria

-Bare Face Cleansing Oil

I love glittery polish, but Karmen is another one of those colors that just doesn't work for me! I love to look at it, but I don't think it would translate as well on my nails. I also have a lot of gray polish to go through, so I don't need to add anymore to my collection just now. These are a nice combo though - the gray is a great base, and the crimson would accent it well.

Classic Twist Set


Included:
-Padma (Royal plum creme)
padma   

-Florence (Classic camel creme)
florence 

-Bare Face Cleansing Oil

This is the set I ultimately chose, although it was a struggle for me! I love this purple, but I have doubts about such a dark polish on my fingers. I love Florence, and I will probably get a lot of use out of it. I'm also very excited to try this cleanser!!

It Girl Set 


Included:
-Catrina (Marigold yellow creme)
-Candace (Golden chocolate microglitter)
-Josephine (Deep teal gray creme)

Dollops  

This box is the reason I struggled to choose Classic with a Twist. I LOVE that yellow and that teal!!! I think they are beautiful, and I do not have anything like them right now. But...my interest in the face cleanser got me in the end. I did, however, like Catrina so much that I chose it as an add-on for my box! I LOVE that about Julep - you have so many options!


get the entire collection 

Of course, if you have a difficult time deciding which box to choose, just choose them all!! I upgraded in July, so I decided to hold off this time. It is $35 to upgrade (in addition to the normal $19.95 rate for the box), and you get over $180 worth of product! I'm so glad I did it for July's box ^_^

I did do a few add-ons this month as well (part of that "all those choices" thing I mentioned earlier!), including Reese, which is an amazing holographic purple microglitter polish that has a hint of green in it - it looks beautiful!

Add on feature
Add on Reese for $4.99


I also chose to add on the Konjac Sponge for the Bare Face Cleansing Oil because I love a good exfoliation, and this one is portrayed on Julep's website as being all-natural and gentle. It also comes with a hook and suction-cup set so it can hang in your shower!

Add on feature
Add on the Konjac Sponge for $7.99

What do you think of September's Julep Maven box? Will you order one?

The code for the free Julep intro box is still available: type FREEBOX in at checkout and pay only shipping for your first box! Then you can get in on the monthly selections like this one!


Until next time.... <3

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Stunner of the Month Review - August 2013


Stunner of the Month (or "StunMo", for those who want to feel extra cool!) is a subscription that sends out one new pair of sunglasses to its subscribers every month. You can choose whether you want Women's, Men's, or Unisex varieties of sunglasses. StunMo was cool enough to send me a pair of their shades to review!

Cost: $9/month

Shipping: FREE!

This is what it looked like when I first opened the box:



Taped to the top of the box is this awesome little eyeglass tool key chain, which Stunner of the Month generously gives to all their first-time subscribers. The two mini screwdrivers are concealed in each end of the tool, and are covered by small metal caps that come unscrewed. This is what it looks like up close:

Handy Dandy Tool!!


Every box also comes with a card that tells you the name of the style of sunglasses you've received, along with a description of sorts about the glasses and which collection they are from. There are also different "levels" of shades you can receive - I couldn't really find anything about the different levels on the website, but the ones I received (which are Unisex) are on the Mezzanine level apparently : o P

Description card for my "Guidos" shades
The sunglasses come in this bag, which would be good for keeping them dust-free when they aren't being worn. It also has a drawstring, so could be used for other things too!


These are the glasses!! The details along the nose-piece and also along each side are gold-colored. They are actually pretty rad, if I do say so myself!

The Guidos!

I have to admit, even with a name like "The Guidos", they are pretty sweet shades.  I love them, and my husband looks good in them too! He wore them all day yesterday. They really fit the Unisex category, which is awesome!

Rockin' dem shades.

What up.
Overall, I have to say that I LOVE this subscription!! It is SO inexpensive (costs less than two trips to Starbucks!) and I am infamous for constantly losing my sunglasses. StunMo is the perfect solution. I even wear shades through the winter here in Wisconsin (because the glare off the snow is ridiculous...and painful), so this will be a great subscription year-round! I will definitely be continuing my subscription!

What do you think of Stunner of the Month? What do you think of the shades I got?




Until next time.... <3

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Ellie Fit Fashionista Club Review (& 20% off Coupon Code!!) - August 2013


Ellie Fit Fashionista Club is a monthly subscription that provides subscribers with a great way to grab some adorable (and great quality) workout gear! So if your collection is worn out, look no further! Ellie was kind enough to send me a sample shipment to review for you.

The Fit Fashionista Club allows members to select two items currently for sale on the Ellie website for the club price of $49.95 each calendar month, shipping included. Some of the items in the store are "Ellie Signature" items (which have a higher retail price - such as this Noble Sapphire Sweater, retail priced at $120.95) and subscribers may chose ONE of these items monthly for the $49.95 price tag (still a significant discount!).

The packaging is super feminine - which translates to very very pink!!


The items were folded nicely and padded with tissue paper inside the envelope (as shown in the picture at the top of this post).

The first item I chose was the Rise and Shine Tank - Value $64.95

Front
Back
This tank is a liiiiiiiittle tight on me (even though it is a Large), but it is SO stretchy and still very comfortable! Many of the tops Ellie makes (including the Rise and Shine Tank) have built-in shelf bras, which don't work well for me, but a lot of people love this feature in active wear. The material is VERY good quality, and Ellie promises that it will never stretch or lose its shape. I washed this top, and it came out still looking like new. I love it!

The second item I chose was the Eclipse Legging - Value $74.95

Side Detail

Front
The pants go down to the ankles, and they are also extremely stretchy. The side detail is really cute - these leggings have an electric yellow/green stripe all the way down each leg underneath a mesh overlay. I love the fit, and they come up high enough that I'm not afraid to bend over in front of anyone (you know that's happened to you!) and low enough that I don't feel like they are up around my armpits. They are so comfortable!!

Here are a couple photos of me wearing the entire outfit (sorry for the poor photo quality!):


The clothing all has the Ellie logo on it (pants: right leg on the back, top: middle of the green on the back) but they are very discreet, and kind of genius. Instead of writing out "Ellie", it is just shortened to the two letters L and E written in pretty script inside of a tiny heart. Cute!!!

TOTAL VALUE: $139.90

Wow!! For $49.95, this is really an amazing value for a really cute, functional, and comfortable exercise outfit! I also love that these items go together (you can mix and match if you like, but I got an outfit set), but can also be paired with clothes that I already own. I will definitely be a Fit Fashionista from now on!!

COUPON LINK: Click HERE (or any of the Ellie links in this post) to receive 20% off your first order as a Fit Fashionista!

What do you think of Ellie Fit Fashionista Club?


Until next time.... <3

Friday, August 9, 2013

Jacked Pack Review and 50% off Coupon Code - July 2013

I got in contact with Jacked Pack recently because I want to make sure I review ALL kinds of boxes - even if I don't necessarily fit into the target demographic for the box!

Jacked Pack is designed for people who love to workout and want to get some SERIOUS results - as in getting super buff. They send out supplement samples each month for you to try, and they sell the full sized versions in their online store if you end up liking what they send you.

Jacked Pack has three size options:

Heavyweight - $14.50/month
  • 6-8 samples each month (some contain more than one serving)
Custom - $29.50/month
  • Trial size (7-14 servings) of a product from a specific category that you choose
  • 4-5 other product samples (some with multiple servings)
Custom XXL - $49.50/month
  •  One full-size product from the category you choose (25-40 servings)
  •  2-3 samples of the full-size product (to make sure you like it before you open it -if you don't like it, you can return the full-sized product for a credit towards your next shipment!)
  •  4-5 other sample products to try (and keep)

I love that they have super customizable box options! I can really appreciate that in a subscription box company.

Jacked Pack was kind enough to send me their July box to review. They sent me the Heavyweight box, and the informational card inside the box was impressive!! Even if you're just starting out with serious weightlifting and bodybuilding, they help explain the different categories of products you receive:


And there is a key for those little red dotted boxes too (because I had no idea what any of them meant, I was super excited about this key :D)


Here are the items I received in July's box:

Myogenix Amino2 in Fruit Punch - Value $1

Animo2 is a recovery supplement full of amino acids to help you get back into the gym faster after a hardcore workout. You mix this with a shake or in water.

Creature by Beast Sports - Value $1

12 Gauge Shotgun by VPX Sports in Exotic Fruit - Value $1.67

From the informational card: "This comprehensive pre-workout formula gives you an incredible boost of energy, insane pump, and efficiently increases blood flow and creatine retention."





Nitrix 2.0 by BSN - Value $4

Life Lift Protein Bar by VPX Sports in Cinnamon Bunz Ablaze - Value 2.79

I haven't tried this yet, but I think I'll be keeping this one for myself! It has 20 grams of protein (holy cow!) and 20 grams of fiber, but only 185 calories! Not to mention Cinnamon Bunz sounds like a delicious flavor!


BPI Pump-HD in Ice Blue Lemonade - Value $4.25

A pre-workout muscle builder, this supplement contains stimulant (caffeine), electrolyes, and amino acids. The instructions say to take one serving (there are four servings in the sample) 15-20 minutes before working out for optimal results.

Cellucor Super HD - Value $0.66

I'm sad that there is only one capsule in this sample, but it is a fat loss supplement, so I will probably be keeping this sample too!!

Overall Value: $15.37

This Jacked Pack box has a higher value than cost, which makes it a winner in my book! This set of supplements is a little extreme for me, so I will most likely be gifting this to a friend who is into weight lifting. There was a lot of variety in the box though, and I am going to get to use some of the items. Overall, I would recommend Jacked Pack to any of you "meat heads" (as Jacked Pack calls you) out there!!

COUPON CODE: Apply code 50SUMPTO2013 at checkout to get 50% off your first month of Jacked Pack

What do you think of Jacked Pack? Would you try it out?


Until next time.... <3