November Runnerbox Review

The Box: Runnerbox

The Price: $20 plus shipping bimonthly

The Goods: Gels, bars, chews and other items for runners.  They also have a gluten-free box and a box geared towards Triatheletes.

This is actually J's subscription, so I don't the actual item reviews are a bit lacking.  Waiting for him to try it all would take all month.

The Good Bean Sea Salt Chickpeas ($6.17)

Active Accessories Hair Band: ($1.33)  Hey! Something I can justifiably claim as my own from this box!  There's no such thing as too many hair bands.

Get Up and Go Caffeinated Cinnamon Dolce Latte Granola: ($1.67)  Sure, this sounds tasty and all...but can we talk about how adorable their logo is?

2Toms Blister Shield: ($1.25)

Betty Lou's High Protein Almond Butter Balls: ($1.34)

Foot Rubz: ($5.50) J stands on his feet all day at work, so he's happy to have this.

Muschie's Fruit Medley Granola Bar: ($3.50)

Quest Protein Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bar: ($2.08)

Garuka Bar: ($3)

Clif Spiced Pumpkin Pie Bar: ($1.25) Pumpkin pie is J's favorite dessert, so he was stoked to see this in his bar.

Extreme Sport Beans: ($1.25)

Just Great Stuff Fruit & Veggie Bar: ($1.97)

Saltstick Caps: ($1.99)

This was J's favorite Runnerbox yet.  He's not a chocolate person, so he was pleased with the fact that there weren't any chocolate things.

November PijonBox Review

The Box: Pijon Box

The Cost: $29/month

The Goods: A curated care package of products for college students.  (You choose male or female.)

This month's theme is "Thanksgiving On-the-Go"

Tapaz 2 Go: ($2.99)  I'm not crazy about hummus.  I'm not sure how J feels about it, but he'll eat anything I stick in his lunch bag, so it'll probably wind up going to work with him.

pHresh Deodorant: ($7.99)  I like the smell, but I only use antiperspirant.  Even though it's a woman's deodorant, J will probably use it since it's aluminum free and chemical free and he's allergic to a lot of deodorants.

Waxelene: ($4.99)  This is a cruelty-free, petroleum alternative.  I don't use petroleum jelly regularly, but with the hell the cold weather's giving my skin, I'll use this.

revitaPOP: ($7.44)  These suckers claim to help with energy, focus, and stress.  I need all of these things.

Mamma Chia Chia Squeeze: ($2.25/each)  I've had a Mamma Chia drink in my fridge for a while, but I haven't worked up the nerve to try it yet.  Maybe since I can't actually see the seeds in these, I'll be less scared to try them?

Light My Fire Sporks: ($2.99/each)  I'm not sure how sturdy these are, but J and I have been talking about going on a camping getaway, so these will be perfect for that.

Color Club Poptastic: ($8)  This isn't your typical winter polish color, but I like wearing neons on my toes year round.  For a neon, the application actually wasn't bad.

The total value of this box was about $45.  I didn't dig it as much as last month's box, but I still think this would have been rad to get while I was still in college.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

November Ipsy Review

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10

The Goods: 4-5 full and deluxe-sample sized beauty products chosen based on your beauty profile.

November's theme was "Glam It Up" and the makeup bag has a wristlet strap on it.  Not my style, but cuter than some of the others they've sent.

Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil - Topaz: ($14)  When I pulled this out, I wasn't excited at all about another eye pencil.  It was a different story once I opened it though.  It's a really pretty metallic silver that will be PERFECT for NYE.

Pixi Bronzer - Subtly Suntouched: (~$16)  I actually really love this.  It doesn't bronze so much as make me look all glowy.

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon - Hot Damn: ($14) Ipsy sure loves sending me reds and this is FINALLY one that doesn't make me feel like a clown.

Nailtini Champagne: ($6)  Nailtini isn't my favorite formula, and I can't decide if I like this color or not.  I don't hate it, but I don't know that I'd reach for it over any of the other shades in my collection.

BH Cosmetics Galaxy Chic Baked Eyeshadow - Aphrodite: ($.83) They've sent BH shadows before, and I'm still impressed with how nice they are for the price.  This is a soft, pearl-y brownish red color.  It makes a really pretty smokey eye.

em Michelle Phan Creamy Color Sheer Lipstick - Showstopper: ($16.50)  Ipsy sent all subscribers an em product this month as a bonus item.  This lipstick looks and feels more like a tinted balm than a lipstick.  It also smells like a cupcake.  The color is a tad bit too pastel-y for my skintone, but I'll probably wear it anyway.

 For $10, I received over $65 worth of products.  I kind of wish I hadn't gotten two lip products in the same bag, but I'm overall happy with the month.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

Sunday Confessional

I've never really thought of myself as one to get star-struck.  I've worked enough concerts and conventions that I've met some really bad ass people, but at the end of the day I knew they were ordinary people doing what they loved.

Meeting the author of one of my favorite books, on the other hand?  Cue the geeking out.

Side note:  I met Michael Jackson when I was little.  My parents took me up to him, he said hello, and I got so scared that I cried.

October Loot Crate Review

The Box: Loot Crate

The Price: $13.37 plus shipping

The Goods: 6-8 items perfect for a geek or gamer.

This month's theme was "Survive."

Zombie Hunter ID Card:  This card doesn't have much of a purpose, but it is a fun novelty.

8-Bit Zombie Buttons: (~$3) These buttons were inspired by old school zombie video games.  I need to think of something to do with all of the buttons J and I have collected through the years.  We've got some cool ones, but we can't exactly show them off on our backpacks anymore.

Outbreak Status Tattoos: (~$1) J and I instantly started plotting how to use these.  The local Comic Con is coming up, so we might build some costumes out and use these.

Bloodberry Oozing Eyeball Candy: ($.10)  

Zombie Survival Guide: ($14.99)  World War Z is one of my favorite zombie books, so I'm looking forward to reading this.

OpenMe Zombie Love Card: ($4)  How awesome is this card?  J was actually bummed that he had to show it to me to take pictures, since now it's not a surprise.  OpenMe has some really awesome cards, though.

Graphic Lab Ewoking Dead Tee: ($15)  Loot Crate sends the most amazing tees.  It makes me thankful that I wear the same size as J. ;)

The Zombie theme of this box couldn't have come at a better time.  J and I have finally been catching up on Walking Dead - we're halfway through season 3.     Every month, Loot Crate gives an epic "Mega-Crate" prize to one random subscriber.  November's Mega-Crate is a PS4 AND an Xbox One.  You have to sign up by 9pm Pacific on Monday to be eligible to win. I mean, c'mon though...I'm totally going to win this one. ;)

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

November Popsugar Must Have Review

The Box: Popsugar Must Have

The Cost: $39.95/month

The Goods: Hand-picked food, fashion, beauty, home, and/or fitness items.  

I still have a couple reviews from the past couple weeks to get through, but I was so excited about this month's Popsugar that I couldn't wait to post it.

Illume Naughty Boxed Candle: ($15.75)  This scent is described as a combination of exotic spice, precious woods, and white musk.  It's sort of a masculine scent - which I absolutely adore.  I'm in love with this scent.  It's amazing, but not overpowering.  If they made this scent in some sort of diffuser, I'd totally buy it.

Lands End Canvas Wine Tote: ($14.50)  It's much nicer in person than it looks in this photo.  I plan on using this in place of a Christmas stocking and filling it with wine-themed gifts for someone who enjoys wine much more than I do.

Soap and Paper Factory Roland Pine Shea Butter Soap: ($8)  When I first opened my box, I smelled Lemon Pine Sol.  This is half of the reason why.  It's a really pleasant, crisp pine scent and how cute is the wrapper?

Barefruit Sea Salt Caramel Apple Chips: ($3.49)  I love barefruit's plain flavored apple chips and I love caramel anything, so I was super excited to see these in the box.  The caramel flavor isn't extremely strong, but it is noticeable.  

Absolute! Nail Polish Remover Wipes: ($2.99) This is the other half of the Lemon Pine Sol scent that came out of my box.  I was pretty skeptical about these.  They're acetone-free and no bigger than a golf ball.  However, they did a really good job at removing my shimmery polish.  Since the wipes are so small and thin, I did get a lot of the remover (not the polish) on my fingers, but since it was a fresh lemon scent, I wasn't too worried about it.

Maison de Monaco Strawberry and Blackcurrant Cream Preserves: ($6) This looks super tasty.  They suggest putting it on toast, waffles, cheese, or ice cream.  I need to go get some good vanilla ice cream now. 

Canvaspop Coupon: ($30)  This doesn't have a minimum, but the cheapest item they seem to offer is $30 for a rolled (no frame) 8 x 10 canvas print.  

Michael Stars Folk Art Wrap: ($42)  I saved the best for last.  This scarf/wrap is SO soft and cozy and pretty and amazing.  I'm pretty much in love with it. It's big enough that I can wrap it around me like a shawl, but thin enough that it scrunches up into an infinity-type scarf well too.

With a value of just under $100, it may not be the highest-value box ever, but this is hands down my favorite box in a long time.  With the exception of the Canvaspop code, everything this month will be put to good use.  Now excuse me, I have to go burn my candle and snuggle into my wrap.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.