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.

K. Hall Shea Butter Cream - No. 72 Ambergris: ($22)  I haven't tried this yet, but the tube and packaging is super pretty.  

G.H. Cretors Chicago Mix Popcorn: ($2.99)  Listen, every subscription could include popcorn every single month and I'd be pleased.  Is there a popcorn of the month subscription?  I should look into this...

Tiny Prints Thoughtful Heart Stationery: ($15.90)  I love that these are generic cards and I can use them for any occasion.  Also included was a $25 gift card to Tiny Prints, which I will totally use on a gift.  I just haven't decided if it will be for me or for someone else.

Sorial Saffiano Wallet on a Chain: ($49)  I was a little nervous that my phone wouldn't fit in this, but it totally does.  Granted, it doesn't leave much room for anything else except maybe some cash and maybe a lip gloss.  Hopefully when I use this I will have J to carry my keys.

Wine Glass Writer 3-Pack: ($9.95)  These pens can be used to mark ceramic and glass glasses so that you'll never be confused about which glass is yours.  We have cool chalkboard wine glasses (thanks KB!) but these will be handy for champagne and mixed drinks.

Dominique Ansel The Secret Recipes: ($20.47)  I like to bake, but I usually stick to the basic pies, cake balls and cookies.  I'll probably flip through this and then pass it on to a friend of mine who is much fancier in her baking.

Total Value: $120.31

I actually really liked this month!  It's nice to get an accessory that isn't a scarf for a change.  I'm really glad that there weren't any huge issues with shipping like last month, too.

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

November Ipsy My Glam Bag Review - Girl Meets Glitter

The Box: Ipsy

The Price: $10/month

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

November's theme was Girl Meets Glitter.

Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Hairspray: ($2.99)  Oh, super.  More hairspray.

Nicole by OPI Nail Polish - Guys & Galaxies: ($6.99)  This fits the theme perfectly.  I do have a few silver glitter polishes, but this will make a nice topper on a galaxy manicure.

Clarisea Instant Glow Powder Exfoliant: ($4.50)  You mix this into your regular cleanser to turn it into an exfoliant.  I love products like this because you can control how much of a scrub you want.

Temptu S/B Highlighter - Pink Pearl: ($2.75)  This is a tiny little bottle, but a little goes a long way so it will last a while.  The color is super pretty and I like that it isn't overly sparkly.

Be A Bombshell Eye Base - Submissive: ($14)  They call this an eye base, but I wore it by itself and it creased within a couple hours.  I'll need to try it with a primer.

Total Value: $31.23

Well, I will say that this is probably the most I've ever seen my items actually relate to the month's theme.  While there isn't any one stand-out, OMGAWESOME item, I don't hate any of them.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

Manicure of the Week - For the Horde!

I've been dying to experiment with DIY nail decals and I thought that the release of Warlords of Draenor was a perfect excuse!  After a couple hours of trial and error, I made some decent looking Horde logos.

I still need to work on the decal application - if you look at it closely, you can see that it's a little bubbly.  Overall I'm stoked with how well they turned out, though!

Colors used: Wet n Wild Black Creme, Wet n Wild Everybody Loves Redmond, and China Glaze Ruby Pumps.

Thursday Thoughts

I'm doing the Thursday Thoughts link up over at Rambling of a Suburban Mom this week.  It's been a while!

*I spent several hours last night experimenting with DIY nail strips.  I finally got the hang of making them but putting them on...not so much!  I definitely need some practice.

*I've been on a huge reading binge lately - so much so that J came home a few weeks ago and surprised me with a Kindle Paperwhite.  I'm completely addicted to this sucker.  I'm also working on the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge, so basically I'm going to spend the next couple months camped out with a blanket, hot cocoa, and a book.

*It's been COLD here this week.  The high today is supposed to be 46!  I kind of love it.  I am a little annoyed by the fact that we didn't really ease into it, though.  It was in the 80's just a few days ago!

* I started Gilmore Girls recently and I am enjoying it a lot more than I expected.  It makes me miss the days of Alloy, Delias, and Girlfriend LA catalogs.  I've also noticed a few things that probably wouldn't fly if it were still on the air - like the whole "Oh, let me just get some prescription pills from Sookie.  NBD." thing. 

*Where the crap has the year gone?  Don't get me wrong, I'm ready to say goodbye to 2014, but it seems like the past couple of months went by particularly fast.

*IT'S WARLORDS OF DRAENOR DAY!  Y'all.  I'm a WoW fangirl.  I can't help it.  I've been working my butt off this week so that I could take today off and spend all day gaming.

*Speaking of work, this week has been complete hell.  I'm really lucky that I work from home and can snuggle Stella when my emotions start to get the better of me.  Actually, our customers are probably lucky for the same reason.

Now, if you'll excuse me...I have some leveling to do.  Thanks for stopping by!

Target Back to College for Her Care Package

The Box: Target Care Package for Her

The Cost: $5

The Goods: Products perfect for a college girl.

The box came with the same booklet of coupons as the snack box.

Venus Snap with Embrace: ($9.49)  It's so cute!  The little case that it comes in is perfect for travelling, too. 

Tide Pods - Spring Meadow: ($.26, but it's labelled as a free sample)  J loves these things so I'll give this to him.  These would have been super helpful in college.  There were constantly mishaps in the dorm laundry room - it's amazing how many kids have no idea how to do laundry.

 Nivea Touch of Happiness Body Wash: ($.53)  The citrus scent in this is super strong.  I don't think I'm a fan.

Downy Unstopables - Fresh Scent: ($.33)  The spelling of "Unstopables" bugs me.  That said, it smells great and I look forward to trying it out.

Coupon for Up & Up Adults Gummy Multivitamins: ($4.49)  J actually uses these, so this will definitely get used.

Neutrogena Make Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes: ($1.97)  These are great at removing tough makeup.  They leave my skin feeling a little residue-y, so I do have to wash my face thoroughly after using these.  I generally prefer a product that removes and cleanses, but these are great for waterproof mascara.

Purell Hand Sanitizer: ($.99)  I'm not a germaphobe by any means, but I do carry a bottle of hand sanitizer in my purse.   

U by Kotex Tampons and Liners: ($.42 and $.13)  It wouldn't be a "for her" package without feminine hygiene products.

Total Value: $18.35

I'm glad that, unlike the Snack Break box, the value was much higher than the price that I paid.  It's nice that they included a variety of items and not just all beauty products.

Target Back to College Study Break Care Package

The Box: Target Study Break Care Package

The Cost: $5 (Still Available!)

The Goods: Products perfect for getting a college student through late night study sessions.

The box came with a book of Target coupons for products such as Swiffer, Goldfish, Nivea and more.

Goldfish Mac & Cheese - Original: ($1)  Mac & cheese is easily one of my favorite foods, but I'm not sure about this.  Don't get me wrong - I'll eat it.   I just don't have high hopes for it.

Icebreakers Duo Fruit + Cool - Watermelon: ($2.09)  Oh!  These are actually good!  They're watermelon flavored but still have the freshening tingle that mints have.

5 Gum - Ascent: ($.09)  I generally prefer Orbit gum, but wintermint is my favorite mint so this can't be bad.

Goldfish Puffs - Buffalo Wing ($.57)  I am partial to the plain, original Goldfish - I don't know why they insist on messing with perfection.  These are somewhere between crunchy Cheetos and the puffy ones.  

Actually, they kind of taste like the Jalapeno Cheddar Cheetos.  They're good, but I like the consistency of Cheetos better.

V8 VFusion Energy - Pomegranate Blueberry: ($.66)  I actually can pronounce most of the ingredients, which is rare for an energy drink.  J adores V8 drinks, so I think he'll be the one who winds up drinking this.

 Total Value: $4.41

So, the value is a bit below what I paid for the box.  However, the coupons have the potential to make up the difference if I can remember to use them.  I think the items in the box make total sense, but I would have liked to see one more item.  Maybe some sort of chocolate?

No-Spend(ish) October - How I Did!

So, for October I put myself on a little spend freeze.  It was partially to prepare to Christmas spending and partially just because it's good practice in case I ever *have* to do it for an emergency.  Essentially, I was trying to not spend money on anything new - existing recurring purchases, like my sub boxes, were fine.

Let me just say...it was HARD.  Things I've been wanting for MONTHS decided to go on sale during October.  I think J got tired of hearing me whine about things I wanted but wouldn't let myself buy.

So, how did I do?  Here are the things I wound up buying:

• Presents for my BFF's birthday,  Birthday gifts don't count, right?
• I also bought my grandmother some stuff for her birthday.  I probably overspent on her but...see above. ;)
• Two books from Amazon.  They are both Vaginal Fantasy Book Club picks AND they both count for the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge.

 

• The only time I dined out was with my dad and I only can convince him to let me pay once every decade.  If I'm lucky.
• I bought Stella a new toy.  Yes, she has about a hundred, but doggy birthday gifts don't count either....right?  Right?!
• Two of Target's care packages when they had the Free Shipping offer.  I couldn't resist!

• Supplies to craft my Halloween costume...that I wound up not even wearing.  (Yet!)

Okay, so that kind of seems like a lot when it's listed out like that but it's mostly little stuff!  My Ebates deposit covered the Target boxes and I used a gift card for one of the books so really...I don't think I did that badly.  It was kind of a fun challenge, too!  I actually kind of look forward to doing it again after the holidays. 

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link.

Jinx Mysterious Bag of Mystery Women's: Giganto Edition (#2!)

The Box: Jinx's Giganto Mysterious Bag of Mystery  (See my other Jinx reviews here!)

The Cost: $30 (one time purchase)

The Goods: Over $90 worth of items.  Could be anything from hoodies to toys to stickers - all from the Jinx store!

I read your email Sticker: ($.99)  This sticker works both for hackers AND for jealous significant others!

Alliance Crest Beanie: ($17.99) The other women's bag I received had two Alliance items in it - it's rough being a Horde chick! 

World of Warcraft Role Tee - Tank: ($9.99) I usually DPS, but I *have* tanked before, so I'll still wear this.  Maybe on, say, November 13?

Alliance Zip-Up Hoodie: ($54.99)  Okay, so this is the same hoodie that I got in my other women's bag.  I knew that duplicates were possible, so that didn't really bother me.  What did bother me was the fact that neither of them were actually a women's cut.  I sent Jinx an email and they offered to let me exchange it for one that was.  I decided to gamble the cost of return shipping and see what I would wind up with, which was....

Monk Women's Zip Up Hoodie: ($54.99)  I literally squealed when I got this out of the package.  I love it.  It fits perfectly and is really well made.  TOTALLY worth the $8 I paid to send the other back.

Total Value: $83.96

I couldn't be happier with my end result, but it was a little annoying that both of my women's bags had a hoodie that wasn't actually a women's fit.  (I still adore Jinx and their amazing customer service.)  Given that there are more items to choose from - and that J and I can share - I'll probably order another men's giganto bag and just get a women's tee mystery bag to go with it.

Disclaimer: This post contains a referral link!