Little Life Box May 2014 Review

This is a bit of a late post, but as you can see from the lack of activity lately, life's been busy and I haven't been on much. I did receive a Little Life Box this month (well, actually 2 with the Mother's Day box), so let's check it out:

I received:

• Camino Organic Fine Chocolates Box (www.lasiembra.com/camino)
• Deep River Snacks Gluten-Free Kettle Chips in Original Salted (www.deepriversnacks.com)
• Go-Go Quinoa Puffed Cereal Choco-Puffs (www.gogoquinoa.com)
• EFFFI Gold Exclusive Skin Emulsion (www.efffi-e.ca)
• Ener-C Vitamin Drink Sachets (www.tryenerc.com)
• Mighty Leaf Organic Tea in Spring Jasmine, Breakfast, and African Nectar (www.mightyleaf.ca)
• Natura Cappucino Soy Drink + coupons (www.nutrisoya.com)
• OneCoffee Organic K-Cups in Sumatran (www.myworldinacup.com)
• Sow Good Face And Body Polish (www.sowgoodbeauty.com)
• Maison Orphée Unrefined Toasted Sesame Oil (www.maisonorphee.com)
• Brad King's Ultimate Calorie Burn (www.transforminghealthinc.com)
• Ecoideas Chlorophyll in Mint (www.ecoideas.ca)

One thing I will mention is that I received the same box for Mother's Day as I did for the regular box, differences being a different flavour of the Deep River Chips and a note in the MD box (ranty note: when the MD boxes were ordered [I ordered one for my mom and Mike ordered one for me] you had the option to have a personalized note written on a card inside the box. My mom received the personalized note; I received a generic "Happy Mother's Day". Mike was not impressed). Other than taking the specialness away of having a MD box, it worked out having both boxes the same because they were so good. You have no idea how happy I was to have a second crack at that box of Camino chocolates (which, btw, were beautiful and delicious).

There were a few repeat brands: Camino obviously, but THEY'RE SO GOOD they can be in ANY BOX ANY TIME; OneCoffee k-cups (which I have a sneaking suspicion they're trying to clear out); Mighty Leaf Tea (different flavours this time); Ener-C, which I love for work anyways; Sow-Good, different product though.

One weird item I received both times - Brad King's Ultimate Calorie Burn. Now, I'm wary of all weight loss pills, since, well, c'mon. There's no magic pill. I also find it kind of insulting to include this in a MOTHER"S DAY box! It's like, "I love you Mom...but lose some weight." I dunno, it's supposed to give you energy, so maybe I'll use it when I'm back in class in September?

Otherwise, everything else I received was so good. Standouts (other than the Camino): the Maison Orphée sesame oil (I feel really luxe cooking with it), and the Natura Soy Milk, which tasted awesome, and I've bought a few times since trying it.

To subscribe to Little Life Box, visit www.littlelifebox.com

imPress Press-On Manicure Review

I recently got the chance from Influenster to try the new imPress Press-On Manicure. The kits came as a total surprise in my mail one day (though 2 days later I received an email from Influenster saying I had been chosen to try out this product and that my box was being shipped :/). Anywho, here's what I received:

I don't generally do artificial nails, or even long nails for that matter, for several reasons. One, I am not functional with long nails AT ALL. And by long, I mean normal for everyone else. When my nails are like an inch long, I act like my nails are like this:

The second reason I don't use artificial nails is that I have small nail beds and usually artificial nails are too big for me. That said, the inPress nails are actually quite small fitting. I really wanted to try the lacy set too so I had high hopes for these.

These were super easy to apply - just peel the back off of each nail and press it on. The package also came with a variety of sizes which was helpful. The length was okay. Still longer than I'd like, though the thumb length was perfect. If all the nail lengths were like that I would've been very happy. The nails stayed on very well. I peeled them off after a day, but it took a lot of effort.

IF I were to buy artificial nails, I would buy these because I know they fit well. Maybe one day I won't be such a spazz with long nails :P

For more information on imPress, visit www.impressmanicure.com

Camino Ginger Dark Chocolate Bar Review

ethicalDeal recently sent me a Camino chocolate bar to review as part of their new ethicalSamples program. I'm a big fan of Camino chocolate. Their chocolate bars are certified fair-trade, organic, kosher, and gluten-free. Here's what I received:

Camino's Ginger Dark Chocolate bar contains 65% cacao. I love dark chocolate but I was a little bit apprehensive to try ginger and dark chocolate. I don't mind a little bit of ginger here and there in my food, but I'm not a big fan. That said, ginger and dark chocolate actually makes a really nice combination in this chocolate bar. It's similar to chili dark chocolate, which I like, but less spicy which works out better than me (I'm also not crazy about a lot of spice).

It's a really different kind of chocolate bar, and I would definitely buy it sometime. I might have to, because the rest of the family isn't getting any of this :P

For more on Camino products, visit www.tasteofcamino.com

Good Things in the Mail - May 12, 2014

Here are some good freebies that came in the mail last week:

• Garnier Damage Eraser shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask samples (from www.garnier.ca - OVER) - I was able to try these products in the Influenster Mystery Box  so I know they're good :)
• SaveaLoonie.com tote bag (from sending in a hot freebie tip)
• Bolt Tape sample (from www.bolt-tape.com - OVER) - I'm excited to try this on my wrist (I have carpal tunnel syndrome), and I've used KT Tape before which is similar so I feel like I'll have success with this

What good things did you get in the mail last week?

Clearance Steals at Chapters

I was at Chapters last week to do a return (accidentally bought a book I already had), and of course I had to go check out the clearance table (my favourite place in the store). I had checked out calligraphy and fountain pen kits the last time I was at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, QC  and REALLY wanted them. Well, I found BOTH kits at Chapters! For uber cheap!

Manuscript Calligraphy Set - reg. retail price $25, sale price $5

This set comes with looks great! It comes with two fountain pens as well as a selection of nibs and colour cartridges, practice pad, and guideline sheets.

Manuscript Quill Correspondence Set - reg. retail price $50, sale price $8

I'm SO excited to try out this set. It comes with a quill with 3 nibs, a bottle of ink, red and gold sealing wax, wax seal, and stationary.

I am extremely excited to try out this set and I'll have to share some of my work once I get started :)

For more information on Manuscript products, visit www.calligraphy.co.uk

 

Cesar Softies Medley Trio Dog Treats Review

Cesar Canada ran a giveaway on their Facebook page in March/April offering a free bag of their new Softies Dog Treats. To enter, you posted a photo of a "sweet small dog moment", so of course I entered Annie.

Seriously, who can resist this cuteness?!

Cesar Softies are treats especially created for small dogs. We received a bag of Softies in Medley Trio flavours - the three flavours are Porterhouse, Grilled Chicken, and Applewood Smoked Bacon (thus confirming that my animals eat better than me).

Annie is a bit too big for these treats (Beagles are such a weird size category, like smallish-medium? I have the worst time finding a dog sweater for her). That being the case, I gave her a few at a time to eat. She LOVED them! Really really loved them. Unfortunately, the cats did too. I left them on the microwave in the evening and when I got up the next morning, the package was in the living room, package shredded and treats gone. 

Olive, one of the treat-stealing fiends

Despite only having a brief time to try the treats, we were very impressed by them. They would be best for extra-small to small breeds (and maybe even cats!). 

For more information on Cesar Softies Dog Treats, visit www.cesar.com

Kiwi Crate April 2014 Review

My son Hudson's 6th birthday was in April and he chose to put his birthday money towards a Kiwi Crate subscription (www.kiwicrate.com). Kiwi Crate is a monthly children's craft subsciption box. For $19.95/month you receive a crate with around 3 themed activities/craft projects geared towards ages 3-8 (themes include Wild Safari, Secret Agent, Fairy Fun). Hudson had the option to choose the theme for his first month (other months are a surprise theme), and he chose Medieval Fun (that's my boy!). Here is everything that came in the crate:

The kit came with supplies to make a knight's face mask, princess hat, banner, and catapult, as well as instructions to turn your crate into a castle and make puppets.

First, we made the medieval dress-up items. We used to Kool-Aid in water to dye the silk scarf (for use in either the princess hat or as a banner).

While we let that dry, we worked on the mask and princess hat.

The mask and hat were very simple to make. Only the princess hat required cutting, otherwise everything was perforated. Ribbons were attached to the hat and mask to fasten on each kid's head.

Hudson's completed mask:

Aislinn's completed princess hat (minus the silk scarf - still drying):

We next worked on the catapult. It was also really easy to make, mainly just a matter of assembling the pieces. Here is the completed catapult:

The crate came with small pom-poms, a large pom-pom, and a ping-pong ball to try in the catapult. Here are the little pom-poms in action:

I was happy that the crate came with enough supplies so that both of the kids could do the crafts together. I also really liked that the activities required a variety of skills to complete. Each activity had an accompanying book with a difficulty rating, which is nice to see in advance so you can be prepared with how much the kids will need your help to complete the activities.

Hudson's rating of this month's Kiwi Crate was "Awesome!".  His favourite thing to make was the catapult. I'm excited to see the next month's activities, and so are the kids :)

One other great thing about Kiwi Crate is that they have a referral program. When you refer someone, they receive $10 off their first month, and you receive a $10 credit! It's a win for everyone! Here is my referral link, so if you are interested in subscribing, please use this link to receive your discount. :)

GlamST Website Review - Part 2

Back in March, I reviewed the website www.glamst.com as part of a BrandBacker campaign. Since then, GlamST has made a number of changes to their site and makeover app that I'd like to show you. In case you haven't read my original post,  GlamST is a virtual makeover site created by two telematics engineers from Uruguay. You upload your own photo or use on the of the photos provided to try on different makeup from different lines. After you complete your option you have the option of purchasing your items though Sephora. It's a really cool site and I was excited to go back and try new features.

New Feature #1 - Looks Section

When you click into your Looks section now, the first thing you see are all of the recent looks from bloggers, community, and yourself. Look, there's me!

When you click each photo you will get a pop up window with a before and after of the photo and the makeup products used. You also have the option to love, share, or try a look, as well as looks similar to that one.

The Look feature is great because you get to see what other looks other people are doing and you can even find some inspiration for yourself! 

New Feature #2 - Eyeshadow and Eyeliner

GlamST has improved their Eyeshadow and Eyeliner features. You can now chose the shape of your eyeshadow/liner.

They have also updated the Eyeshadow feature so you can choose which eyeshadows to use in a palette and where.

I love the updates that GlamST has done to their site. They improve the experience and make it more personalized. I highly recommend you check it out for yourself at www.glamst.com