Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Citrus Lane Mealtime Mystery Box

Rating: Like It!!!
Cost: $29/ mystery box ($60 value)

We received the Citrus Lane Mealtime Mystery Box yesterday. The only item we knew would be included was a Skip Hop bib, but we weren't able to pick which one we wanted (monkey or owl). They promised a $60 value and the cost was only $29, so that was definitely a deal. I figured even if we received items we could no longer use for our almost 2 year old, they would make great gifts, so we took a chance!

It arrived in a normal Citrus Lane box, much like the monthly subscription. It even had the same yellow tissue paper. The only thing it was missing was an information card. And this box was full, so I couldn't wait to see what we got!!!


And this is everything we received!!!


The first item was a Snack Happened Reusable Snack Bag by Itzy Ritzy. This is cute and looks handmade. It also has a water-resistant lining and is washable. I love the cute fairy princess print, which is perfect for our daughter. This is one item we'll definitely be keeping and using!


We also received 2 Trainer Cups by Munchkin. I was so happy these were included. The reason I chose the mealtime mystery box was because I was secretly hoping we would get a new sippy cup. We go through these like crazy. (Why do kids insist on biting the tops?!?) These are Click Lock and are spill proof. We'll also definitely be using these!


The next item was Packin' Smart Stack-N-Seal Stackable Food Storage Solution containers. We received these in a previous box and used them when she was much younger for formula, baby cereal, etc. These are kind of small for her to use for snacks now, and I prefer to use the reusable bags because they are easier to pack and go, but these will make a great gift!


The next item was a Clutch Dishwasher Basket by Boon. Believe it or not, we have lived without a dishwasher, but we are moving and will have a dishwasher now!!! So, I'm actually excited about this to keep all the sippy cup parts in one place in the dishwasher.


We also received Plum Zucchini & Spinach with Pasta Marinara organic baby food and Plum Dispensing Spoons by Boon. My daughter loved these food pouches when she was younger! She wasn't really in an eating mood today, so I tried to give her this and she thought it was more fun to take the spoon on and off than to eat it. Oh well!


The next item was the one thing I knew would be included in the box. We received the Monkey Skip Hop Bib. I would have been happy with either, but was hoping for the owl, since we have the owl lunch bag. I love Skip Hop items and this will definitely get used, whether we decide to keep it or gift it!


The final item was a Bottle Strap by Ah Goo Baby. This is a cute design, but my daughter is a bit old for a bottle strap, so we will be gifting this. The bottle strap uses velcro to grip the bottle or sippy cup and secure it to a stroller, car seat, high chair, etc. These are useful for little ones and I'm sure whoever gets it will be very happy.


This box ended up being decent and we will be able to use most of the items. The few items we are unable to use will make great gifts and are different things people don't usually think about buying, so I'm very happy about that! Citrus Lane has been launching a lot of mystery boxes lately. It seems like as soon as some sell out they launch different ones. Today they announced a Mystery Box with a Skip Hop Plate and Bowl set for $29. You can choose from 3 designs; Zebra, Hippo, or Elephant. Of course I caved in about 2 minutes and purchased the Zebra. I can't resist Skip Hop items and my daughter really needs an irresistibly cute plate!!! I believe they're still available in the shop if you want to order!

*This subscription was purchased and financed by me, unless noted otherwise. Posts may contain referral links and I totally appreciate it when you use them!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Golden Tote April 2014

Rating: Lifer!!!!!
Cost: $49 or $149/tote (I'm reviewing the $149 tote today)

I received my Golden Tote for April! I was so excited to see the items I chose in person and see what surprise items I received. I always try to find reviews and spoilers of what others receive before I get my tote and secretly hope I get certain items in my box. And as usual there were a few things I wanted to see and some I was hoping I wouldn't get. The great thing about Golden Tote is they have a Golden Tote Trading Group on Facebook, and I've never had any problem finding someone to trade with, when something I received just wasn't my style.

Ok, enough blabbing, on to the tote. The tote bag changed this month, because of their collaboration with Woo. They featured 2 Woo dresses as pieces you could choose this month, and also multiple surprise Woo items showed up in totes. I actually prefer this design on the tote bag. I think it's adorable (even though I live nowhere close to California).


These are the pieces I received inside the tote bag. Do you see anything you recognize?!?


With the $149 tote, you choose 2 items and receive additional surprise items. The first item I chose was the Woo Kaftan dress in black. I was so excited to see this dress in person. The midi length is outside my comfort zone, but I fell in love with this dress. They ended up including a black slip with the dress, which I am so glad about. The dress was very sheer and would not be wearable without it. That's one of the reasons I love Golden Tote, they pay attention to those details and make sure their customers are going to be 100% satisfied with everything they receive. the details on this dress are really beautiful! I'm in love with my new Woo dress!!!





This dress also came with a rope belt (which I styled it with above). I already know I will be wearing this belt with so many things this summer. It also came in the most adorable canvas bag with the same design as the tote. I'm so happy Golden Tote included it with this dress!



The next item I chose was the Variegated dress by Collective Concepts in green. Golden Tote styled this dress with a rope belt also. It looks great with or without a belt. I also styled it with the rope belt included in my Golden Tote. I love how this dress fits a little loose and blousy. This will be a very easy dress to throw on and still look polished. It can be dressed up or down. Another win!



My first surprise item was something I was hoping for. Golden Tote announced the first 1000 orders would receive a Woo raglan lace top and I was hoping I would get it. I ordered a couple days after the sale started, so I wasn't sure I'd be getting one. I was so happy I did. I received the shirt with white sleeves, but I also saw a grey sleeve variation. I would have been happy with either. This shirt is from the Woo Souvenir Edition collection. They also included a black cami as an extra item, so you were able to wear it immediately. I was very excited about that. This shirt fits great and can be styled with pants or skirts. I love it!



I didn't take a picture of the black cami, but it was very nice quality with adjustable straps. Golden Tote included a card in the tote explaining why they included it.


Golden Tote also includes styling cards for the items you choose each month. I love these!


Another surprise item I received was the Priddy by Puella dress in navy/white with a red lining. I was hoping for this color (I have seen others receive a black/white variation). This also looks adorable with the rope belt and gave it a nice nautical feel. It looks great worn with or without a belt and is very soft and comfortable. I'm thinking this will make a great swimsuit cover-up to throw on, when I'm off to the beach (can't wait for that)!


The next surprise item I received was an item I loved from last month and requested. It was the Porridge t-shirt with the floral back. These shirts are so comfortable and I put it on my order that if they had any left in my size I would like it as a surprise item. I was very happy when I saw this in my tote. So, now I have the blue/white pattern and floral pattern (this was my favorite pattern). Yay!




And the final surprise item I received was a super b tank top in navy. I've never heard of this brand before or received anything from them. This is so soft. I was a bit iffy about it at first, but I think this will be easy to style with many different things. I'm just not sure what kind of under garment I can wear with it, because I'm not really a strapless type of girl. This has very thin straps that are kind of halter style and tie in back, creating a very cute back detail.



I loved everything in my tote this month!!! And Golden Tote already started releasing spoilers for the May tote, which I believe will start May 5th. I like what I'm seeing!

Did you get a Golden Tote? What did you get?!?

*This subscription was purchased and financed by me, unless noted otherwise. Posts may contain referral links and I totally appreciate it when you use them!

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Thursday Thoughts


I'm linking up with Jen from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for Thursday Thoughts.

My Golden Tote for April should be arriving tomorrow and I can't wait! I feel like I'm missing out on lots of great trades, but I'm secretly hoping I love everything in my tote, so I don't have to trade anything! I had the worst dream about my April Golden Tote this week and now I'm so worried it will come true. In my dream, I didn't get most of the items I ordered and did not receive enough surprise items and the ones I did, I didn't like at all. Also, I wanted to try everything on so bad, but kept getting interrupted in my dream and wasn't able to. I woke up annoyed and still waiting (in real life) for my real Golden Tote to arrive. I should pay for faster shipping, so I don't have to torture myself like this, but I always forget and just try to order as quick as I can, so the items I am trying to order don't sell out.

Does anyone else dream about their subscription boxes or am I just crazy and far too addicted?!?

The weather where I am is driving me crazy. It's seriously 80 degrees one day and snowing the next. And now I have a cold/allergies/something. Anyways I hate being sick and am a total baby about it. My mind is always so cloudy and I just can't be productive at all when I'm sick. And trying to prepare to move and being unproductive definitely do not go together. I'm hoping whatever I have goes away very quickly.

I've cut back on subscriptions recently and the months seem so much longer now. I would love to get boxes all the time! If only I could win the lottery, so I could buy whatever subscription boxes I wanted!!!

And one thing I'm going to bring up that annoyed me this week. I ordered from Birchbox, so I could get the adorable Yumi Kim iPhone case! I received my package this week...and the Yumi Kim case was not included. It was on my order, but not in the box. Birchbox customer service has always been amazing, so I called and to my disappointment I was told they were completely out of Yumi Kim cases. Apparently they sold out much quicker than anticipated! So, I didn't get one, even though the code worked fine and the case was added to my order. Boo hoo hoo. I know...it shouldn't be a big deal, but I so wanted that case. It was perfect for spring!!! Perfect!!!

Birchbox did add points to my account to make up for me not getting the free gift with purchase, but I'm still bummed. No fault on them. It seems to happen to me often, I always miss out on those great opportunities for gifts with purchases or amazing coupons or whatever. It's just my luck I suppose. 

What are your Thursday Thoughts?


Sunday, April 20, 2014

Citrus Lane April 2014

Rating: Lifer!!!!!
Cost: $29/month

My 22 month old daughter's Citrus Lane box arrived this week and I didn't look at any spoilers, so I had no idea what would be inside the box. We always open this box together and my daughter loves that! I think she enjoys getting packages in the mail as much as I do!!! And if you don't already subscribe to Citrus Lane and want to, now is the time to sign up because the boxes are up to 44% off during their Semi-Annual Event. Sign up here if you're interested.

And now onto the box.


Here is what was inside. Lately, the Citrus Lane boxes have had 4 items each month and this month was no different. This month the theme was Spring! And in the spirit of Earth Day they selected products from partners who focus on eco-friendly design.


The first item was a Flower Set by Green Toys. This was custom made for Citrus Lane and I love it! My daughter and I played with this for awhile and she did not get bored with it quickly. She loved putting the flowers together and taking them off and rearranging them over and over. This set is made in the USA from 100% recycled plastic milk jugs, free from BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings. So, it's fine if she decides to put the flowers in her mouth, which she still does from time to time.



The next item was a set of two Tumblers from Green Eats. My daughter loves drinking out of these big kid cups, over a sippy cup. She would rather drink out of cups like we use, than the ones I prefer that do not spill all over the place. She grabbed these right out of the box and asked for a drink, so these were a hit! They are made from 100% recycled plastic milk containers and contain no melamine, BPA, phthalates, PVC, or external coatings.


We also received Prince's Bedtime Book and CD set from Barefoot Books. This was a really cute story with great illustrations. My daughter loved it! I love that it also included a CD. I'm always happy to get a book in our box and lately we have been getting one.



The final item was Lemon Verbena Dish Soap from Mrs. Meyers Clean Day. This soap includes Soap Bark Extract, which is one of nature's best degreasers. I will definitely use this and it was a very nice addition to the box.


This was another great month of Citrus Lane and as usual I can't wait to see what we get next month. I also recently ordered a mystery box (they have been selling a lot lately and they usually sell out very quickly). I was able to snag a mealtime themed mystery box and can't wait to see what we get!

*This subscription was purchased and financed by me, unless noted otherwise. Posts may contain referral links and I totally appreciate it when you use them!

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Popsugar Must Have April 2014

Rating: Love It!!!!
Cost: $39.95/month

My April Popsugar Must Have box arrived yesterday. This month I didn't look at any spoilers, so I had no idea what to expect. Well...I did see the email Popsugar sent out with the Too Faced palette spoiler, so I knew I'd be getting that, but otherwise everything was a surprise!


Popsugar always includes an information card with everything included in the box.


Here is everything that was in the April box. I'm loving all the spring colors!


The Must Have Fashion item included was BlueAvocado (Eco) Shopper reusable bag. This bag was designed by Lauren Conrad and is a collapsible tote that folds neatly into a wallet sized pouch. It's also made from upcycled plastic bottles. I love this! The colors are perfect and it's the most adorable reusable tote I've ever seen, plus it is a very generous size. I will be using this all the time!!!





The Must Have Beauty item included was Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette. I love the colors included in this palette and can't wait to try it. It also came with a guide of how to apply the shadows for different looks. This palette is enclosed in such a pretty tin with a nice size mirror too!




The Must Have Home item included was Graphic Image Pocket Notes. This notebook was designed exclusively for Popsugar and says "Run the World". It has lined paper with silver edges and will be great for list writing. This is going right in my bag!


Another Must Have Home item included was Caldrea Rosewater Driftwood Hand Soap. I can't wait to try this, because it sounds like it will smell amazing! And it's free of any harmful chemicals.


Another Must Have Home item included was Fresh Pastry Stand Totally Awesome Tea Towel Set. I love these dish towels and they couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time! We're in the process of moving, so these will brighten up the new kitchen nicely and I was in desperate need of new dish towels.



The final item and Must Have Food item included was NatureBox Popsugar Must Have Mix. This mix made exclusively for Popsugar includes almonds, soybeans, corn, and cranberries. It has no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no corn syrup, and no hydrogenated oils. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm sure it will be yummy!


This was another amazing Popsugar Must Have month. I loved and will use every item! I'm so happy they've been including products exclusively made for their boxes too! I always look forward to this box each month because it always includes items I didn't know I needed, but do. I'm already looking forward to seeing what they'll send next month!

*This subscription was purchased and financed by me, unless noted otherwise. Posts may contain referral links and I totally appreciate it when you use them!