December Loot Crate Review - Anniversary

The Box: Loot Crate

The Price: $13.37 plus shipping

The Goods: 6-8 items perfect for a geek or gamer with a total value of $40+.

December's theme was "Anniversary."

Pop! Super Heroes The Joker Batman: (~$15)  It's cool that Loot Crate is getting so many exclusive vinyls.  Unlike the epic Groot one a few months back, J doesn't really have strong feelings about this one way or another.

Simpsons Cast Mighty Wallet: ($15)  J prefers wallets with snaps so Mighty Wallets aren't exactly his thing.  He said he'll probably gift this to one of his friends who loves the Simpsons.

Dancing Groot Socks: (~$9.50)  SO CUTE.  Before even letting me see them, J said that I could have them.  He clearly knew I would have stolen them from him anyway.

Tetris Sticker Set: ($7)  J's apparently going to decorate something in his Nerd-cave with these, but I'm tempted to order a set for myself to use on my laptop.

 Batman #36: ($3.99)  J hasn't read any of the Batman comics, but he is trying to get more into comics in general.

Plasticolor Captain America Air Freshener: ($1.10)  For some strange reason, this was one of the things J is most excited to have gotten this month.  It's probably because his car can always use a new air freshener.

Ghostbusters Door Hanger: J already has a doorhanger for his geek-cave and he's neutral on Ghostbusters, so we'll probably stick this in our pile of random prizes for our next game night.

Total Value: over $51

I've seen a lot of negative feedback on December's box.  It isn't the coolest one ever, but it's far from the worst that we've gotten.  One or the other of us will definitely use enough of the items to have gotten my money's worth.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

December Golden Tote Surprise Tote Review

The Box: Golden Tote

The Price: $49-$149 + tax and shipping

The Goods: You select items from the curated boutique (1 for $49, 2 for $149) and then they choose surprise items to send you (1-2 for $49, 4-6 for $149) OR you can purchase a tote of 4-5 surprise items for $99. 

I ordered on Cyber Monday, so my surprise tote had an extra item in it.

Before we get started, a word of warning: it's been extremely gloomy here the past week so natural light was nowhere to be seen.  I should have taken a picture of the lamp set up I made in the game room for these photos.  (If any of you know Santa, I'll take a softbox lighting kit.  Thanks.)

Kate Collections Sweater:  Yeah...no.  It's comfortable and all, but I'm not feeling it.  I'm sure that it's adorable on the right girl

J threatened to steal it as his Christmas sweater but I managed to talk him out of it. (Thankfully.)

RolyPoly Henley: I was super excited when I pulled this out of my bag.  Once I put it on...eh.  It's bit tight.  If they'd sized up on this one, it would have been a win.

Fantastic Fawn Cowl Neck Dress/Tunic/Thing:  I requested no dresses, but this is totally long enough to qualify as one on me.  I really want to like it because it's absurdly soft and comfortable.

However...I'm not sure it's that flattering on me.  It might be better belted but I always feel silly anytime I try to belt a dress/top/whatever.

Miss Love Lace Top:  I have a sweatshirt with a lace inset that I wear the hell out of and this is basically just a dressed up version of that.  This is the piece I'll probably wear the most.  

 Peppermint Lace Skirt:  As soon as he saw this outfit, J immediately made a "secretary" comment.  I definitely see what he meant, but I like it anyway.

I swear my face isn't actually orange.  I need better lights.

 Here's a slightly better photo of the lace:

I paid $106.95, which breaks down to a bit over $21 per item.  I'll probably wind up only keeping the skirt and the lace top and then trading the rest.  It's a good deal, but I'm starting to think that I'm just too picky for Golden Tote.  I might just stick to buying items out of the trade group. ;)

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December 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.

Subtle Luxury Sparkle Scarf: ($62)  I need to go on a vacation to somewhere cold just so I can use all the scarves I've gotten from subscription boxes.  This one isn't my most favorite, but it is pretty and shiny.

Williams-Sonoma Cupcake Mix - Vanilla: ($14.95)  I bake from scratch, but maybe I'll drop some hints that J could use this to bake for me.  

Knot & Bow Parcel Tags: ($4)  Fortunately, I finished wrapping Christmas presents before my PSMH showed up so I'll have to save these for future gifts.  They're super cute though.

Sparklepop Syndey Necklace: ($42)  I'm not really a fan of this.  If it were shorter, smaller, and silver I'd probably like it.

Canvas Dauville Large Platinum Bowl: ($28)  This is super pretty.  I'm planning on using it to hold my rings...once I finally get my jewelry organized.

Smashbox Be Legendary Lip Lacquer - Bordeaux: ($24)  This goes on as a lip gloss and then wears into a stain.  I haven't decided whether or not I like this color as a gloss, but I do like how it looks as as a stain.  It's also got an amazing consistency - smooth and buttery and not sticky at all.

Total Value: $174.95

My feelings about this month are 'eh.'  There just isn't one item that totally blows me away.  That said, I'm not entirely disappointed by this box either since I'll use the bowl and the gloss and will eventually get around to wearing the scarf.

Disclaimer: This post contains referral and/or affiliate links.

Winter 2014 FabFitFun VIP Review

The Box: FabFitFun VIP

The Cost: $49.99/season

The Goods: Full size, premium beauty, fitness, fashion and wellness products guaranteed to be worth $125 or more.  

Zumba Max DVD and Gift Card: ($47.50ish)  They don't sell Zumba Max by itself, so I'm valuing it at the same price they sell other single DVDs.  I've never done Zumba but I'm always willing to try a new work out.  (Well, okay...not ALWAYS.  You know what I mean.)

Fashion Project Gift Card: ($30)  This website is basically an online consignment store but instead of paying commissions, they donate a portion of proceeds to charity.

Salted 3 Months Membership: ($29.97)  I usually just stick to looking up videos on Youtube, but "Grilled Cheese Master Class" sounds kind of interesting.

Passport to Beauty Tibetan Goji Berry Eye Serum: ($88)  Honestly, I'm kind of afraid to try this.  My luck I'd fall in love with it and I definitely don't think I'd want to spend that much on eye serum.

Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive: ($39)  I am stoked about this.  I love Juice Beauty and have always wanted to try one of their peels.  It gets rave reviews and I cannot wait to try it out.

Half United Classic Necklace - Silver: ($34)  Half United uses recycled bullet casings to make jewelry, and every product sold helps raise money to fight hunger.  I'm really pleased that I got the silver version, but I may put it on a different chain.

yourMinerals Eye Shimmer - Swedish Winter and Glistening Grey: ($23 each)  I've been obsessed with using Glamour Doll Eyes All Nighter but once I finally burn out on it, I'll give these a try.  

Daniel Stone COCO Candle - White Tea and Ginger Root: ($42)  This smells really great but it got completely shattered in shipping.

Justin's Classic Almond Butter: ($.83 Sponsored)  I think I've tried almond butter and wasn't a fan, but I honestly can't remember.

Organic Valley Organic Balance Protein Shake - Vanilla: ($2.99 Sponsored)  This doesn't appeal to me at all, so I've already given it to J.

Special K Snack Bar - Salted Pretzel Chocolate: ($.44 Sponsored)  I really like Special K bars, so this will absolutely get eaten.

 Total Value: $326.50   (This doesn't include the price of sponsored items OR the Salted trial which isn't a unique code.)

I'm really sad about the candle, but I've emailed FFF to see if they'll send me a replacement.  If so, I'll be totally happy with this quarter's box just based on that and the peel alone.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

Manicure of the Week - Let it Glow

I've been on a single-color manicure kick lately, but I wanted to mix it up ever so slightly today.  Sometimes simple is better, right?

I used Serum No 5 Pure Glow Getter and dry brushed on a little Sally Hansen Disco Ball.  For some reason, it reminds me of a snow globe.

Honestly though, this manicure is best viewed with the lights off.

I think Pure Glow Getter is the priciest polish I've purchased to date but it was absolutely worth it.  I'm officially obsessed with Serum No 5!

December Ipsy My Glam Bag Review

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

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

December's theme was "Thinking of You."  I'm not a big fan of the bag this month.

Bumble & Bumble Repair Blow Dry: ($3.50)  I've mentioned it a million times, but I'm really low maintenance when it comes to my hair.  I blow dry my hair maybe once every other month.

Nourish Organic Eye Cream: I can't find this anywhere so I'm assuming it's a new product.  It has a nice consistency and doesn't leave a gross residue like some eye creams.

Cailyn Just Mineral Eye Polish - Orchid: ($15)  Man, this packs a lot of shimmer.  It's not extremely pigmented, but it'll probably work well over other shades.

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes ($8.33) I'm pretty much obsessed with Urban Decay Perversion mascara, but mascara is the one thing of which I can always use more.

NYX Butter Lip Balm - Parfait: ($3.99)  For a lip balm, this is really pigmented.  It also has a sweet scent that reminds me of a Lip Smacker lip balm- though I couldn't begin to guess which one.

Total Value: over $30.82

Aside from the blow dry cream, I really liked this month's selections.  Looking at the other products that they sent out, I think I really lucked out.

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