A New Year A New Adventure!

I know I have been absent for a while.  But I have still been getting my boxes and creating little works of art and fun on the side. 

 I just wanted to bring you all into the fold and let you know that I am officially opening my Etsy store today!!!

It will be full of pretty earrings and hopefully get me inspired to create other more complex artworks!  This really is a trial or test run for me.  Not only do I enjoy making the earrings but I was hoping to go back to my fine art roots eventually!

Wish me luck and stop by for a visit!

Send me a message for a coupon code for free shipping for the month of January!

 

Nature Box Review (Full size non-sample box)

So I received my first full-sized Naturebox last month and I have finally decided to formulate my review after living and snacking with the products for a while.

First of all let me say that the quality and tastiness of the snacks will never be in dispute.  I liked everything in my box. What is in dispute (and was from day 1 sample box review) was if the value is there.  After all I'm dropping $20 of my hard earned cash on this.  So I set out to see if I could find something similar and compare prices.

First up:  The item I was so excited about.  Big Island Pineapple!  These looked sooo yummy in the picture on the website.  In fact they even looked yummy when I got them.  But can I please express my disappointment in quantity received.  The bag looked almost empty!  In fact if you look at the small ramekin in my picture, that is the entire contents of the bag!

 

To be fair all comparable samples on the market are also a tiny 3 oz....  but still!

While at my local Target store I found a bag of dried pineapples by Made in Nature, also 3 oz.  This was selling for around $4.  So this was the same price that I paid for my Big Island Pineapples in the Naturebox.  Well, I'm not getting a deal there but on the other hand I'm not getting ripped off either.  The only thing is that this product is not that unique seeing as I found it at a major retailer.  However Naturebox has the benefit of being delivered to you so you don't have to go to the store.  I'm going to call this one a wash.  Both pineapples were tasty and the same price.  

Next there are the Roasted Peruvian Corn Kernels.  Like giant corn nuts.  I went on Naturebox's website to do more comparisons and it looks like they discontinued this snack.  

 

I can understand why.  These are really not that uncommon.  Trader Joe's sells a larger bag of these for $1.80 (half the price).  You can go online and find Inka Corn all over the place for $1.50-1.80 a bag.  Just as good half the price.  The value is not there for these.  Although delicious I'm not going to pay double for something.  If these were still on the Naturebox site they would be permanently banned from my pantry.  I'll just go to the store, thanks.

Then there are the Mini Waffles that I was so giddy about:

 

The size is generous. The snack was ok.  My least favorite out of all of them.  Which is strange because I thought these were going to be my favorite.  Oh well.  Belgian Boys makes these and they are called Waffle Chips.  They retail for around $2.80 a bag.  So another overpriced product. 

Next up my surprise snack: The Honey Sesame Sticks.  These are a bulk store item. You can go to any Bulk Foods place (or even bulk online retailers) and snag an entire pound of these for $5.   So that makes my tiny 5 oz bag look kind of sad ( 1 lb is 16 oz folks!)

Again another disappointing yet delicious rip-off:

 

Last but not least the Sriracha Roasted Cashews!  I loved these.  My Hubby loved these! And they were unique to Naturebox.  I couldn't find these in stores or really online anywhere (short of make your own recipes and etsy shops)  So I think the value is there for these lovely nuts.  I would get a whole box of these and be happy.  

 

I think the moral of my story is... do your research before ordering.  Snag the unique products to try them out and possibly fall in love.  Leave the other stuff for the store. 

My next box is going to have a lot of their nut and sriracha products in it! 

 ~Jeanette

Target Beauty Box, Back to College Unboxing...

I was very pleased to be able to snag a couple of the Target Back to College Beauty Boxes when they came out. It certainly helps to get alerts because these $5 beauties always sell out quickly!

At first I thought there was only one box so I purchased two. One for me and one for my mother-in-law that loves these things too.  Then after telling a co-worker about the box I realized there was another one!  Luckily I was able to score that one as well.  So let's see how I did for $5 a box, shall we?

 

First up is the Honor Roll box (this is the one I purchased two of):

 

July Boxycharm Unboxing!!!

This is only my second Boxycharm and I have to say that I am even more in love!  I can't believe the value that they continue to give to their customers!  Huzzah Boxycharm, Huzzah!

Without further ado I will jump right into the box because frankly, I'm excited!

The reason for my excitement?  Well it's right there folks. Every product in this box is going to get used up. That is a box success!

First up the MDM flow Greater Than Mascara:

I haven't tried this one out yet, but the packaging is gorgeous and the brush looks like it will do wonders.  I will definitely keep this one on the sidelines for when my current mascara runs out!


Then Boxycharm included this brush:

This feels like a very nice blush brush. I'll always take more brushes in my arsenal! 

It seems like the item most people were complaining about this month is the one I'm the most excited for:

Ofra Lip-liner in nude.  This is great. I don't have any lip-liners at all, and all the color lipsticks I wear on an every day basis are nudes and neutrals.  Some people received eyeliner instead of the lip-liner. I'm quite happy with what I got because I prefer wet eyeshadow instead of eyeliner.

Next up is the I'll Make You Look Amazing Daily Spray by Gorge:

This smells wonderful and is supposed to protect against all sorts of hair abuse.  Since I curl and blow-dry my hair this product is going to get put through its paces!  Also there is a $20 off coupon on the back of the bottle. So if I like it I can snag more at a deep discount, yay!!


Finally, and I am really thrilled about this one, is the yourMinerals Transparent Veil Setting Powder:

I swear to you I was about to head out and purchase the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, then this came!  I'm happy because it is not shiny, the powder is very fine, and it goes on clear but still tones down the oily look on my face.  Summer is the pits because of sweat and oil, but this stuff helps a lot!

This was another great box put out by Boxycharm and I'm going to use everything in it!  I can't wait to see what they will stash into my 3rd box next month!

July Birchbox Unboxing...

Let me begin with a disclaimer. I did not like the Birchbox sample choice this month. AT ALL. I wish I could have opted out of it, but I couldn't.  Bright lips are not my thing.  I can't even rock a red lip.  I just don't.

With that out of the way lets get on to the nitty gritty:

July Birchbox Unboxing!!!

I love how bright the box is this month!  It's super cute! It reminds me of my childhood, scrunchies, side ponytails, ratted hair, jelly shoes, the works!

The theme this month is go bold and they certainly did with the packaging (inside and out!)

July Julep Unboxing...

It has been a whirlwind of a month!!!  I've been more focused on my new job and the craziness of this month (more on that later) than I've been on blogging.

But no worries, I've still been getting my boxes and taking pictures so without further ado, 

The July Julep Unboxing!!

I had a hard time picking out my box this month for Julep.  It's all the new and wonderful products they keep coming out with.  So because I was able to snag a free bonus lipstick in this months box, I decided to go with more of a makeup theme than I'm used to.  Let's see how it goes.

Naturebox Sampler Unboxing...

So I must be some kind of addict for boxes.  I have my eye on a few, even subscribe to some of their emails and not to the box itself.  Not too long ago I got an email from Naturebox about their Big Island Pineapple and Sriracha Roasted Cashews.  

These two pictures....  that's all it took to have me running over to the Naturebox website and signing up.  In my defense my hubby and I love snacking on nuts and fruit so this box is a good fit for both of us.

So after very little contemplation I signed up for the $2 sample box that they offer.  My thoughts were if the box was horrible then I'll cancel and only be out of the $2 shipping for the samples.  I'm ok with that.

So here is a look into what I got for my $2 and if I think it is worth the $19.95 a month for these snacks. (It's cheaper if you sign up for multiple months)

A New Find in Tarte...

I had a tragedy about 3 months ago.  My favorite eyeshadow palette took a dive and ended up a fine powder on my bathroom floor. It was made up of mostly mauves and I so very much missed it.

In an attempt to replace it, I went to the local department stores Lancome counter and asked if they had this palette still. After glancing at the back of the package they laughed said it was old and they no longer carried those colors. I was then pointed to the colors they did have only to find out they wanted $60 for two shadows!  Now if I truly like a product I might consider paying more for it, but 1. they no longer carried my colors  and 2. I will not pay $60 for 2 colors of eyeshadow.  I don't care if there is real gold or diamonds in it. NOT worth it!

So I have been making due with samples and non satisfactory colors for a while.  Then I stumbled upon an ad for this lovely beauty:

 This is the lovely Rainforest After Dark, colored clay eye and cheek palette by Tarte.

I just saw a picture. I only had word of mouth about Tarte products. I have never tried a Tarte product myself. But these colors!  The purples are exactly what was splattered on my floor.  To top it off it comes with a blush, bronzer, highlighter, along with those 6 eye-shadows.  This palette seems to be made especially for me.  Suits my grey-blue eyes and pale complexion perfectly! 

I thought it looked small but hey with a price tag of $38 why not? So I set out to my local Ulta and what so you know?! Free sample with purchase.  (More of the bronzer featured in the palette but with more of a sparkle perhaps?)

Let me tell you. Pictures are deceiving. This is actually a large palette. Value for the money seemed even better.  So I did the swatch test and found that it has good coverage too.  A win all around. 

If you like neutrals and purples then I highly recommended getting this product! Its a dream to work with and comes at a great price (take that Lancome counter!)  Not to mention the packaging is gorgeous! (yes, the snake has a real gem in its noggin') sparkles sparkles!

After using the palette for a few days I love it even more.  I can't seem to get the dramatic looks that the insert came with, probably my own makeup novicehood is at fault, however, this is a wonderful color combination for my everyday makeup wear.  I am so happy I found this!

 Breakdown:  The coverage of the blush and the eyeshadows is great. It is made of a fine Amazonian clay so they apply smoothly. The highlighter is really really subtle and I have to apply it generously in order to see it.  Keep in mind I am very fair complected so that might be why. The bronzer works perfectly and the blush is lovely.

What do you all think of Tarte Cosmetics?  This is my first experience and I'm quickly becoming a fan.

Be kind to thyselves!

~Jeanette