May Healthy Surprise Review

Healthy Surprise is a subscription box that delivers vegan, natural, gluten-free, and soy-free food.  They have three types of boxes with different numbers of servings in each.  I got the Starter box, which is supposed to be 16-20 servings for $33 + $6.99 shipping a month.

The box was very nicely packed; even J commented on it when I first opened it up.

At this point, J pulled up a chair to check out everything I pulled out.  The box was pretty full of goodies.

Home Free mini chocolate chip cookies: ($1.49) Home free makes treats perfect for anyone with food allergies.  The little packet of cookies that I received actually had expired on 5/15, but J will probably try these anyway.

Journey bar: ($2) I adore all things sea salt, so I'm pretty excited to try this.  They have other flavors that sound interesting, like coconut curry, so if I like this one I might pick up the sampler pack.

Just Pure Foods Zucchini Chips: ($7) I have seen this brand's kale chips in HEB, but never tried them since I usually make my own kale chips.  These were...interesting.  I didn't hate them, but dijon isn't my favorite of flavors.  I'll probably wind up eating the whole bag,anyway. I really want to try the Sour Cream & Onion flavor out.

Fruit.0:  ($2.49)  I haven't loved any of the fruit pouches that I've tried so far, but I'm always willing to keep trying different ones.

Freshly Wild Onion Joy: ($5) I'm obsessed with Funyuns and the French's onions you put on green bean casserole, so I was super excited to try these.  They're a little bit more chewy than French's onions, but still pretty tasty.  They're flavored with salt, nuts, and lemon, and you can certainly taste the lemon on them.

Crunchies Freeze Dried Mango: ($1.69) I really like Crunchies' cinnamon apples, but haven't tried any of their other fruits.  I'm sure I'll enjoy these, too.

Taza Chocolate Chocolate Mexicano Discs: ($4.50)  I've seen several bloggers get these in other boxes, so I literally squealed when I pulled this out.  I've been on a massive chocolate tasting spree, so this will certainly be put into the queue. :)

LiveSmart Raw Bar: ($3) It's called Chocolate Suicide, so it HAS to be good...right?

Cocomo Joe JOEBAR: ($2.50) Yeah, sure, the bar looks great, but they also make organic chocolate milk granola.  Shut up and take my money.

That's it Fruit Bar: ($1.66) This will make a great breakfast the next morning I'm running late.  That is, unless J manages to eat it first.

SunBiotics Almonds: ($3.99) Almonds are my favorite nuts, ever.  I might have to melt down a bit of that Mexican chocolate and coat these in it.

Final verdict: The total value of the box comes to a bit over $35.  It's not the bang for your buck you might get with other food boxes, but if you are wanting to try more vegan and/or gluten free foods, it's absolutely worth it.  Right now, Plum District has a $20 coupon code for your first month.

May LootCrate Review

Until recently, J didn't seem to understand my obsession with subscription boxes.  Last month, I signed him up for 3 months of LootCrate so that he'd get mail on occasion too.  (He even started asking last week about when it would come in. He's slowly getting the bug too.)

LootCrate is $13.37 plus s&h and they send 6-8 items that appeal to your inner geek and gamer.  This month's box had the theme of "It's dangerous to go alone!"

This is the first time, ever, that J got mail and I didn't.  I had to fight him to get pictures taken - he wanted to closely evaluate everything immediately. (Yeah. He's 26 going on 5.)

Official Looter Membership Card- Last month was J's first month, but he got his LootCrate membership card this month.  It's a pretty cool extra touch.  LootCrate says that there will be ways to redeem the affiliation soon. 

Inanimate Character Stickers: ($2) He and I both love random things like this.  I'm obsessed with Vandal-Eyes so these stickers are amazing. Of course, everything Fred & Friends makes is awesome.  

Don't Panic Towel: These appear to be custom printed, so I don't entirely know how to price it, but I'll say $5+.  This is a light weight, promo type towel, so it's not ideal for use but it's still a fun item.  Besides, Towel Day is May 25.

Pure Nintendo Subscription: ($10) I bought a Wii in college, but neither of us have used it much after we got our Xbox.  J has a friend with a WiiU who is in love with Nintendo, so he might pass this on to him.

Ninja Cord Wrap: ($1) This little ninja bunny is adorable.  I don't know if J will  use him, but if he doesn't I'll steal him and make him a magnet.

Iron Man 3 Papercraft: Since you can download these for free, I'm not putting a value on it, but I think it was a neat addition to the box.

Super Mario Coin Candies: ($2) I love the little container.  J hasn't eaten any of the candy yet, so I don't know if it's tasty or not but...seriously. The container.

Batman Figurine: (~$8?)  I can't find this exact figure anywhere online.  Others from the series are anywhere from $4-$10, so I'll go with $8.

8 Bit Bow Tie - ($12?)  J doesn't wear bow ties all that often, so I might slide the bow off and bobby pin it into my hair. :)

Verdict: J thought this month was better than last month. The good and bad thing about LootCrate is that the stuff they send isn't easy to find. It's good in that you probably wouldn't have been introduced to it any other way, bad in that I can't find a value for anything.  Even so, the value is probably worth as much as or more than the cost of the box, so I can't complain.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link. <3

May Popsugar Must Have Review

I have a love/hate relationship with the Popsugar Must Have box.  It's the one subscription I get most excited for every month, but the shipping kills me.  I get the tracking number, then it sits in California for a week, then I don't get an estimated date of arrival until the day that I actually get it.

Anywho. It's $35 a month and they send you their favorite products for the month, usually valued over $100.

Oh, did I mention that I got this yesterday and my tracking STILL says I'll be getting it Monday?

I managed to avoid most of the spoilers! The only thing I knew about was the beauty blender.

Beauty Blender ($19.95) and blendercleanser ($8.98)  I stalk beauty blogs enough to have heard of this, but I don't wear foundation often enough to ever have been able to justify buying myself one.  I look forward to giving it a shot. I don't look forward to having another beauty tool to clean, though. I'm lazy, yo.

Pacifica Color Quench Lip Tint ($7) The color I got is Guava Berry.  Holy smokes I love this lip balm. It's 100% vegan, cruelty-free, gluten-free, and paraben-free.  The tube is recyclable.  It smells, feels, and tastes amazing. I'm absolutely going to buy another tube or two.  Oh, and the box says that some of the proceeds support clean water. So that's cool, too.

Way Better Snacks Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips ($1.19) They're GMO-free, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, and really tasty.  I was nervous about eating these.  Even though I live in Texas, I'm a wimp when it comes to hot foods.  These are spicy, but not overly so.  They'd be really good for nachos, I think.  It's like Doritos had a baby with those sesame sticks from trail mix and they rolled it in cayenne pepper.  So. Freaking. Good.

The Modern Cocktail Modern Margaritas ($7.59) Each of these adorable little bottles has enough mixer for one different flavored margarita.  The sand art packet is actually colored salt. My 21st ruined tequila for me, so I don't usually keep it around.  (Let me just say, if someone tries to get you to do a Mexican Thanksgiving shot...don't.)  I might pair each one with a mini bottle of tequila and a fancy margarita glass to give to friends for birthdays and such. Or I might see how these mixers taste with vodka.

Kooringal Giselle Hat ($27.99) Okay, in all fairness, I didn't really bother to un-smoosh this hat that well.  I can rock a mean fedora, but I have no idea how to wear a hat like this.  I feel like I should be out in a garden when I have it on.

Questions I Ask When I Want to Talk About Myself ($13.45) I have a confession.  I don't like the Office.  I've also never bothered to watch the Mindy Project.  All I know about Mindy Kaling is that I found her hilarious when she was on the Daily Show in 2011, and so I read her book.  On each of these cards is a topic, a little anecdote from her life, and a couple questions to ask your friends.  Will I use these with friends?  Probably not, but I will read them all and have a couple giggles, I'm sure.

Popsugar branded tote bag (~$2?) I've never paid more than a buck or two for a reusable bag, so that's what I'll call it.  We always haul our own bags to the grocery store, so adding another to the collection is never a bad thing.

Charm & Chain Discount Card ($30) This is off any purchase, no minimum.  Their jewelry is anywhere from $30-$3,600.  I didn't see anything that I couldn't live without (I mean, unless someone wants to donate me an extra thousand bucks) but it's good through the end of the year, so I have time to find something.

Total value: ~$118.  Of course, the two things I like the most are the two cheapest items in the box, but I'll find a use for the rest of it, so it's totally worth it.  It isn't the best Popsugar box I've gotten, but it's far from the worst.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links.

May Ipsy Glam Bag Review

My May Ipsy bag came today! I was actually suprised to see the shiny pink package in my mailbox since my  tracking says that it's sitting in north Texas.

All mail should come in pretty packaging like this.  I don't think that I'd mind getting bills as much if they were in a bright, shiny envelope.

I've been a very good girl this month and avoided spoilers for all of my subscription boxes so far.

This month's theme was Spring Fling.  I love the bag - it's totally going to the pool with me.

Juice Beauty Reflecting Lip Gloss: ($7.50) The color I got is simply called 'pink.' It is super shimmery and feels wet, not sticky at all.  It also has a really light, fruity scent.  I really like it.

St. Tropez One Night Only Instant Glow Body Lotion: ($6.08) This is essentially a lotion that acts as a bronzer for your body.  I've got vampire-pale skin, so most people would probably say that I certainly need this.  I've grown to like my reflective coloring, but I'll probably still give it a go.

Yaby Concealer Refills: ($5.06) Remember that vampire skin of mine?  This color (buff) is a shade or two too dark for it.  I don't use concealer regularly anyway, so I'm not all that disappointed.  I'll probably pass it on to a friend.

Mirabella Colour Sheers Lipstick: ($22) Oddly, this isn't listed as one of the options in my Ipsy Glam Room. Pixie, this bright orangey-red color, really intimidated me when I opened it up. It's actually really pretty and sheer and totally wearable.  It feels like a nice lip balm on.

Zoya Nail Polish: ($8) Zoya is my absolute favorite nail polish brand.  They're big 5 free and are super durable.  This color, Jacqueline is a soft, creamy off white.  I don't have anything like it in my collection and I'm super excited about using it in a manicure soon.

Not pictured: A code for $110 off hair tools or extensions from NuMe.  The prices vary anywhere from $128 to $229.  I'm not really in need of any new hot tools, so I'm not sure that I'll use this.

Total value: $48.64, not including the bag or the NuMe code.  Definitely not too bad for $10. As always, there are discounts on all of the month's products through the Ipsy store.  I've got my eye on you, Macadamia hair treatment.

Want your own Ipsy bag? You can use my referral link! :)

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links.

Stitch Fix #1

I heard about Stitch Fix via Veronica Belmont.  I don't really *hate* traditional shopping, but I am lazy so anything that allows me to stay on the couch is worth a shot.

What is Stitch Fix? Basically, you fill out a style profile, pay a $20 styling fee, and then they ship you 5 items of their choosing to try on.  You have three days to try them on in your own home and decide what you like.  You pay for the items you like (and the styling fee becomes a credit) and anything that doesn't make the cut gets shipped back.

Here's what I got:

Oh, I was sick at the time, hence the lack of effort in posing and styling...and the decapitation in most of the photos.

Rachel Eva Diamond Danglers $38

I didn't dislike these.  Actually, they kind of grew on me...until I went to Kohl's the day after I got the shipment and saw an almost identical pair for $15.

THML Amber Mixed Material Hi-Low Top $48

On someone else, I would have loved this.  It looked cute when I pulled it out of the box, and it was really comfy, but I didn't feel like it was very flattering.

Collective Concepts Ivy Sheer Tulip Print V-Neck Blouse $78

Okay.  Here's the thing.  I'm cheap.  I also work from home 80% of the time so I pretty much live in sweats and tanks.  All that taken into consideration, $50 is pretty much my limit on a top.  I really, really liked this top but didn't like the price.  I tried so hard to talk myself into it, but I just couldn't do it.

Everly Janey Back Cutout Hi-Low Tunic $34

Hey! That's in my budget.  Too bad the price was the only thing I liked.  I'm on the fence with the Hi-Low trend anyway, but this tunic made me feel like a penguin.  Especially with my reflective-white legs.

Honey Punch Trina Split Neck Sleeveless Dress $58

When I pulled this out of the box, I was super excited about the color.  Unfortunately, I ruined that excitement by putting on this potato sack of a dress.  You can't tell in the photos, but there was a lot of extra room in the area between the straps and my armpits.  I assume it's because I barely have a chest.

So...everything went back.  I was a little disappointed to have lost the $20 fee, but the experience was worth trying.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links.

Why am I here?

This is the fourth blog I've started in about as many years.  Two of which I've completely abandoned and the third, my house blog, I have stopped regularly having things to post.  So why bother with a fourth? Mainly because I need a place to dump all my pictures and thoughts about beauty, fashion, and subscription boxes..in a semi-organized way.  Also because I, personally, get frustrated at the lack of reviews for some subscription box services.  So, I figure, if I can help one other person in the world from being frustrated by throwing my unboxings up here, plus keep track of what I get, it's a win-win.

PS - That one other person? That's totally the number of readers I expect total.