Sunday Confessional

I've tried so very, very hard not to like this song.

Everything about it, I should hate.

There's a stupid amount of autotune.

The video is horrible.

I'm not fan of the singer as a person.

But, oh. my. god. I can't stop singing Miley Cyrus's newest single.

June Goodies Co Review

Goodies Co. is a food subscription box owned by Walmart.  Every month, you get 5-8 new snacks.  The best part? It's only $7.

I'll readily admit, I'm not the biggest fan of Walmart.  Give me Target or give me death.  But, my obsession with subscription boxes and the low price point won out the argument.

For some reason, fancy packaging always impresses me, so I love that they have branded tissue paper.  I don't know why it matters, I wind up recycling all of it anyway.

Lay's Stax: ($1.18) This Adobadas flavor is supposed to be a Taster's Box exclusive, but I swear I've seen them in stores.  I love them.  They taste like Mexican food. (You know...tomato, cumin, jalapeno, etc.)  They'd be SO good with queso. 

Dream Water: ($2.49) This little shot is supposed to help you relax and fall asleep.  I took half a dose of an over the counter sleep aid once and slept for 13 hours.  I'm a little nervous to drink this.

Gimme Roasted Seaweed Crumbles: ($1.92)  Blechh.  These are crispy little bits of seaweed drowning in Honey Dijon flavor.  If you like mustard, give these a shot.  I don't, so they're not for me.

Duchy Originals Highland Shortbread Biscuits: ($.99)  Shortbread cookies all taste the same to me.  There, I said it.  Chocolate chip cookies? Oh, I'm a snob.  Oatmeal raisin? Don't go there.  But if I've tasted one butter shortbread cookie, I've tasted them all.  Don't get me wrong, these were good.  Good enough for me to eat them both as a dessert to my breakfast (don't judge) but they weren't extremely unique. 

Pastitas Pasta Chips: ($1.50) These look like little churros, but they're much crunchier and less melt-in-your-mouth-y.  They taste like giant al dente pasta pieces rolled in some garlic salt with a hint of parmesan.  The seasoning is good, but the chip itself leaves sort of a funky after taste.

Pringles Stix: (~$2.89?)  I can't find these anywhere, so that's just a SWAG at the price.  These are my favorite of the box.  They're fun to nibble on and they taste similar to the sticks you get in the little snack packs with the super-ultra-processed cheese.  These already have the cheese on them, though, so it isn't as obvious how horrible they are for you.

The total value of this stuff is around $11.  I wouldn't have bought any of these things in the grocery store for myself, so this was $7 well spent in my book.  Goodies Co also has a points-for-reviews system similar to Love With Food and Birchbox.

 Goodies Co is currently in beta but if you want to join, use the code SKIPTHELINE6 to avoid getting wait listed.

June LootCrate Review

J's June LootCrate came! It was originally supposed to be his last one before I switch him to some random other box for a few months, but this one was so awesome that I may just splurge on him and keep it going for a bit.

As usual, J was totally stoked for me to take pictures of his fun new toys, as you can tell.

This month's theme was "Mashup."

BIC Tech Stylus 2 in 1 Pen: ($5.99)  On one end, you have a ballpoint pen.  On the other, you have a stylus.  J pulled this out and declared "I need my own tablet now!" with a grin.  Because, you know, all it took was a $6 pen to justify that. ;)

8-Bit Sunglasses: ($7.99)  As I have probably mentioned before, J has a thing for funky sunglasses.  Obviously, these are perfect for him.  I'd probably buy myself a pair if I could find them in purple.

And here's J, modeling the glasses and the next item.  He looks like he produces dubstep or something.

Dead Pool-Aid T-Shirt: ($15) Before they shipped, LootCrate sent out emails asking for subscribers' shirt sizes, so I knew that he'd be getting a tee.  How awesome is this shirt?  I'm not much into comic books, but I still love this.  I might 'borrow' it from him.

Loot Crate Bot Sticker: (~$2)  This sticker was designed for LootCrate by Danger Brain.  

Help a Brother Out Sticker: ($2.40)  Okay, this is f-ing awesome.  I clicked around Harebrained's store and, let me just say, I know where J's going to get a few Christmas presents from this year.

Loot Crate Wall Tangrams: (~$3)  These are stickers that you can arrange, remove, and repeat on your walls.  I kind of want to buy a few and use them as some sort of border around a room.

Warheads: (~$.25) If you don't know what Warheads are, you must not have had a childhood.  Everyone was obsessed with these candies when I was younger.  I remember competing to see who could eat the most black cherry ones without making a face.  Anywho, we got two of them - apple and blue raspberry - but J ate the blue one before I snapped photos.

I DID manage to get a photo of J while he was eating his, though.

 Stan Lee's Comikaze Golden Ticket: This is basically a mystery coupon.  It could be good for anything from a free 3 day pass to Comikaze to a 20% discount off a 1 day pass.  I doubt we'd use it even if ours was a free 3 day pass, but who knows.

 The grand total value of this box comes to around $36, not including the Comikaze value.  LootCrate costs $13.37 plus shipping, so this month was a great value.

 Personally, I think this is the best one we've gotten.  J will actually find a use for everything he got this month.  Hopefully, if we decide to stick with it, it will continue to be this rad.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links. <3

June Pawalla Mini Review

Stella and I received our first Pawalla Mini box!

Pawalla offers two different types of subscription boxes:  The Mini box is $20 a month and you get 4-5 full size products, including treats, toys and other surprises.  The Deluxe box is $30 a month and you get 7-9 full size products, including wet food, treats, supplements, and a toy.  When you set up your subscription, you can choose your dog's size and age and they will select items appropriate for your fur baby.

Stella was thrilled that one of my packages was finally for her.

YoPup Happy Belly Treats: ($5.49)  These are all natural, wheat-free dog biscuits with pink(!) icing drizzled on them.  They contain probiotics to support healthy digestion in your dog.  Stella says they're delicious.

Pet Head Dry Clean Waterless Shampoo: ($6.99)  Every time I go to Petsmart, I look at the Pet Head products but I've never actually purchased one.  Dry Clean is a waterless shampoo that you just spritz on your dog and then towel or blow dry.  It's basically Fabreeze for your pets. Stella wasn't overly thrilled by the Blueberry Muffin scent, but I quite enjoy it.

Fetch & Glow Ball: ($5.99)  This ball floats in water and glows in the dark.  We received the medium size, which is too big for Stella's tiny mouth, so I'll probably donate it to a local shelter.

Wigzi Stuff n' Crunch: ($5.99)  These cookies are designed to go inside one of the Wigzi toys, but they work as treats on their own as well.  Stella is the only dog I've ever met who isn't obsessed with peanut butter, so I wasn't sure if she'd eat these.  To my surprise, she was all over them.  These cookies contain no wheat, soy, corn, or artificial flavors and you can REALLY smell the peanut butter in them.

The grand total of this box is $24.46.  That doesn't include the value of Stella's excitement during the unboxing...which is priceless.  If you use my referral link you can save $6.50 off your first box.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral links.  Don't do it for me.  Do it for the tiny adorableness that is Stella.

Sunday Confessional

Guys, I have a confession.  I have a problem.

All last weekend I was working.  This weekend, I took a mini road-trip up to North Texas.  These are both good things.  However, I am going through withdrawals.

Gaming withdrawals.  I've had so little time to play lately that I was *almost* as excited to get home to my Xbox as I was to get home to my dog.  Almost.

There. I've admitted that I have a problem.  Now, if you need me, I'll be on the couch for the next five hours with either a mouse or a controller in my hand.

June Conscious Box Review

I tried Conscious Box a long time ago and cancelled it, but decided to give it another go when a deal popped up on Plum District.  Conscious Box sends you a collection of pure and sustainable products and samples every month for $19.95 and has a vegan option available.

Conscious Box sends a box in a box.  The inner box is very nice, but I do find it to be an odd choice for a company that sends eco-friendly products.

The box wasn't stuffed, but I was at first glance by the variety.

The info card and post card included are, as always, lovely.  I really need to figure out a creative way to use them.

Molly Muriel Volcanic Bliss Soap: (~$.60) You can smell the tea tree oil in this, but it isn't extremely strong.  I like it.  It's a really great unisex soap.

Molly Muriel Soft As Silk Shampoo Bar: (~$.60)  I adore shampoo bars!  I can't wait to use this.  It has a nice scent, even though it seems to have absorbed some of the tea tree smell too.  The use of the wrong "its" on the packaging is driving my grammar OCD nuts though.

Cloud Star Buddy Wash: ($.33)  Stella is not pleased that I have yet another to bathe her this week.

Son for men Soothe: (~$1.25)  J was just complaining about a couple razor bumps the other day.  I'll give it to him to try the next time he shaves.

Earth Friendly Products Hand Soap: ($.82)  This lemongrass soap smells good like whoa.  It lathers really nicely, too.  I'm surprised how inexpensive it is.

Skout Trailbar: ($2.49 each) Both the Cherry Vanilla and the Apple Cinnamon flavor sound delicious.  I'm a massive fan of trailbars and such, so I'm sure I'll love these.

 Organic Flavrz Drink Mix: ($4.50) I've tried the Boost flavor, and haven't decided if I like it or not.  It is better for me than Crystal Light and such, so maybe it will grow on me.

Smock Paper Thank You Card: ($5)  This picture doesn't accurately show how pretty this card is.  I've looked through their website, and all of their cards look nice.

Naked Wines $50 voucher: Again, I'll never use this.

Natural Vitality Natural Calm plus Calcium Drink Mix: ($.45)  This is supposed to relieve tension and help you relax.  I might try this next time I get buried under work.

Larabar Alt Bar: ($1.59) I adore Larabars.  Have you tried the Cherry Pie bar?  It's amazing.  This one was pretty tasty, too.  The Alt Bars have added protein but unlike other bars, they get their protein from peas.  I really want to try the Pumpkin Pie flavor, too.

Greek Island Labs Joint Mud: (~$3) This junk is expensive.  Luckily, I don't have much joint pain.  Yet.

Sneakz Organic Milkshake: ($2.08) This chocolate milkshake contains a full serving of vegetables.  It's obviously geared towards kids, but I'm really interested in seeing how well they managed to cover the taste of carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.

Grand total: $25-ish.  It's not the highest value subscription box, but you do get money's worth.  I really like the wide variety of products they include.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

June Ipsy My Glam Bag Review

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to stalk tracking numbers, so my Ipsy package has been sitting in my mailbox for days now.

I love the combination of leopard and neon, so this month's bag is a win for me.

 NYX Mosiac Powder Blush: ($7) Blush is one of the items I don't have selected in my profile, so I was a little surprised to see this in my bag.  I love me some NYX, and this color, Dare, is lovely, so I'll use it eventually.

J.cat Sparkling Cream Palette: ($4.49) These chunky glitters are supposed to be used on your face and body - and apparently with caution around your eyes.  I don't use glitter much unless it's a glittery eyeliner, so I'll be passing this along to my Go-Go dancing friend.

J.cat Eyelashes: ($3.99) These are really nice, soft lashes.  I don't wear lashes very often, but maybe I'll find an excuse to use these.

Starlooks Lip Pencil: ($12) I haven't used a lip pencil since theatre in high school.  (Sensing a theme?)  The color I received is Tickle Me Pink, and it actually looks quite pretty with the Juice Beauty lipgloss I received last month. 

Cailyn Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner: ($21) This is the only product that I would have actually purchased myself.  I adore gel eyeliner.  This one is cruelty-free and has an eyeliner brush built into the cap.  I prefer a longer handle for eyeliner brushes, but this will come in handy for travelling.  The liner itself is supposed to stay smudge-proof for 24 hours.  I've had the swatch on my hand for about 6 now and it hasn't budged.

Ipsy is $10 a month and this month's bag has a value of $48.48 - not including the adorable bag itself.  I would have preferred the highlighter or dry shampoo some of the other ladies got, but even if I only use the eyeliner it's still a great deal.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.