Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Bundles of Joy April 2015

Rating: Love It!!!!
Cost: $36/month

My daughter's Bundles of Joy box arrived and I couldn't wait to show you all what she received. I love the customization on this box. When I open it up, I feel like it is a gift that is perfect for my daughter. And there is always a list of what is included with prices, so you can see you're getting a deal. My favorite part is the handwritten note explaining why items were chosen and the theme of the box.

The presentation of this box is beautiful too, making it a great idea for gifts!


And I knew when I tore open the tissue paper, my daughter would love everything! It was perfect for her! You fill out a questionnaire to explain sizes and likes and dislikes when you subscribe. And Bundles of Joy does an amazing job of getting it just right. Our box had a summer theme and included some of my daughter's favorite characters! Here is everything that was included.


I was very pleased with everything I was seeing, but I knew what my daughter's favorite thing would be right away. She grabbed for the Princess Tin. She loves carrying anything around that she can hide surprises in, so this is totally her. Plus she loves Disney Princesses! And this is the perfect size for her, big enough to fit lots of stuff, but still small enough for her to carry.


And when my daughter opened up the tin, she found all sorts of hidden treasures! I did not expect to find surprises inside, but I loved what I was seeing.


My daughter loves Minnie Mouse, so she thought the little containers were great! And then she opened them up and there were more surprises. How fun?!? I love this and how did Bundles of Joy know that my daughter loves to open up containers and find little gifts. In fact, she's quite addicted to watching surprise egg videos on you tube, haha. This was completely perfect! And inside she found chocolate kisses, hair barrettes, and hair ties. I love them all! And they all stayed with the color theme of the box and would go with the outfit that was included perfectly!


Also, in the tin were these fun bathtub drops! She will be taking a bath tonight to try these out and she's so excited about it!!!


How adorable is this headband?!? I love it!!! It's so cute and will go perfect with the outfit. It will also be cute with other dresses she owns, in case she really wants to feel like a princess!


We also received the book Curious George at the Aquarium. My daughter loves books, so this was a hit. We don't have this one yet, and it's a cute story!


I love this t-shirt! The saying is so true. We struggle every day to get our daughter to nap. And I know the daycare we use is going to love when she shows up wearing this shirt. It's perfect!


The final item included was these leggings that will be cute with the t-shirt. She loves to wear comfy clothes, so these are perfect for her! And I love the cute, summery color!!!


This Bundles of Joy box was amazing! It had a value of $50.74, which is a lot higher than the cost. I love everything and it fits my daughter's personality perfectly. I can't wait to see what we get for May. I also think this would make the perfect gift for a baby shower or a little's birthday, especially if you're not sure what to buy them. Bundles of Joy does a great job of compiling a box that's perfect for age newborn through 5 years. And you'll get unique items that you can't find in stores!

*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!

Scent Trunk Women's Subscription

Rating: Like It!!!
Cost: $15/month

I'll be reviewing a new subscription box today called Scent Trunk. They are a subscription box that delivers three fragrance samples for $15 per month. Scent Trunk started out delivering men's fragrances, but will begin sending women's fragrances May 1st. As you know, fragrance reacts differently on everyone, so this is a great way to try a scent to see if it works for you. Then you can shop on their website to purchase the full size products if you'd like. Scent Trunk also lets you sample fragrance that is not available in department stores. And they ship to US and Canada for free.

When you sign up for a subscription, you fill out a fun survey, so they can learn about your likes and dislikes and what you may want from a fragrance. It has questions like "Where would you rather be right now?" and "Choose your personality type". It also asked how sensitive you are to fragrance, which I liked, because I hate strong scents. So, after taking the quiz I was very interested to see what they would choose for me. I have a difficult time finding fragrances I would wear every day, so I was happy to try this subscription. Scent Trunk was kind enough to send me a complimentary box, so I could tell you all about the women's subscription, before it launches May 1st.

A small padded envelope arrived in the mail yesterday. I opened it up and there was a small box with the Scent Trunk logo. It was a nice presentation. When I opened the box, there was a black velvet bag and some cards explaining the fragrances. I'm happy they included cards to explain the fragrances!


Here is everything included in the box.


Ok, now onto the samples I received. The first one I tried was Darcy by Parfums de Marly. The information cards included are great. They give a description and say what seasons to wear the fragrance and the time of day, longevity, and sillage, which means the degree to which a fragrance lingers in the air when worn (I had to google that). This one was a bit too musky for my taste, but someone who likes a musk scent would love it.



The next sample I received was Panda by Zoologist. This one had a very green and clean scent that reminded me of being outside in the grass on a spring day. I really liked it. This is a different fragrance, like nothing I've ever smelled before, which I prefer. It's unique and I could see myself wearing this one.



The final sample I received was Elise by Rance 1795. This was a nice floral scent that I liked also. It wasn't overpowering, which is great. I like subtle scents better. I could see myself wearing this scent with pretty dresses, because it was quite feminine and very nice.



Scent Trunk was a fun subscription to try. I loved the survey and the samples chosen for me. I think this would make a great Mother's Day gift. It's always nice to find a unique scent that fits your personality perfectly. And since you can't buy these fragrances in every department store, you'll be one of a kind. If this sounds like something you'd like to try for yourself or buy as a gift, use the coupon code mothersday to save 25% off one box. This coupon code expires May 15th 2015.

Check out this you tube video to find out more about Scent Trunk!

*This complimentary box was received in exchange for my honest review. As always the opinions are my own!

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Birchbox April 2015

Rating: Like It!!!
Cost: $10/month

I received my April Birchbox last week. I'm always excited to see what new samples they sent me to try. And I usually peek at my account to see what I'm getting ahead of time, which I did this time. So, I knew what I was getting, but I was still excited to try them.

This month Birchbox partnered with Rifle Paper Co and designed my favorite box design! This is a beautiful floral print that's a signature design of Rifle Paper Co. I love it!


Birchbox always sends an information card to explain everything included in the box.


This box is beautiful!!!


Here is everything I received.


The first item was the item I chose this month. It is the POP Beauty POP Portfolio Eye Shadow Palette in Peach Parfait Trio. This is a great size and I love that it comes with 3 colors. They are neutral and perfect for wearing to work.


The next item I received was Number 4 Volumizing Shampoo. I received this same brand of shampoo and conditioner last month, so I was a little surprised to see this in my box this month. I prefer to receive a variety of brands and products. It seems I've been receiving shampoo samples quite a few months in a row, so I may have to change my profile. As you might remember, I usually hate the scent of these products, but not this shampoo. It smells amazing! It's a clean, floral subtle scent that is perfect. It didn't give my hair a whole lot of extra volume, but it would take a miracle for that to happen.


I also received Whish Shave Cream in Blueberry. I've received Whish shave cream in a previous box, so I knew what to expect. It works well to make your skin smooth. This scent is very nice, but it made me want to eat it, haha. It really does smell just like blueberries. Yum!


Another sample I received was Beauty Protector Protect & Oil. I love this brand, so I was happy to try this protect, Though I am always skeptical of putting oil in my hair, because my hair is fairly oily already. So I used this very sparingly. It worked well to make my hair silky and smooth.


The final sample I received was Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel. I was very excited to try this product. I love peels and masks for my skin. This was interesting. I followed the instructions that said to use on wet skin and massage in. As you massage it in you feel dead skin coming off of your skin. It kind of grossed me out to be honest. It made my skin smooth, but I'm not sure this is a product I could use often. It definitely works as it promises!


My Birchbox this month seemed kind of boring and I received a couple products I had sampled in the past, which I wasn't excited about. I always see amazing products on the Birchbox media sites that I would love to try, but I never seem to receive them. As an example, I've always wanted to try a sea salt spray, but have never received one, even though I've seen many different brands that others have received. I understand that it may not fit my profile, but I'd still like to try one sometime, just to see if I like it. I'm happy we are able to choose one sample, but it seems some months I would like to try all the choices and other months nothing really appeals to me. Hopefully next month I'm happier about the samples I receive.

*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!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Lilly for Target


I felt the need to write a blog post about a personal shopping experience. I prefer to write positive posts, but this was one of the worst shopping experiences of my life. As most people already know, Target released their collaboration collection with Lilly Pulitzer on April 19th. I was excited to get a couple things! I'm not a regular shopper of the Lilly brand and do not own any "real" designer pieces. I know this was a collection that regular Lilly fans were not promoting. But I thought a couple things were cute, and I thought they'd be great for a vacation I am taking in July. But, I never thought I would have the experience I did, just trying to buy a couple things from Target.

I live in a small town and normally the Target by me, does not get any of the collaboration items, so I was excited we were getting this collection (as well as every other store). And we do not have a Target on every corner, the next nearest one is an hour away. I read up on this sale a bit before it launched and there were tips to shopping and all sorts of media on it. I decided I should try to order online to get what I wanted, since it appeared most stores would not get a lot of the pieces. So, I set my alarm for 1 am EST the estimated time the sale would launch, according to multiple sources. I logged onto Facebook and Twitter to keep up with what was going on with the sale. Well, shortly after 1 am, it appeared people could purchase some items on their mobile devices. I tried and could successfully add items to my cart, but then it would be empty when I tried to check out. I tried several times and it didn't work. After about an hour, I decided to give up. It appeared everything was unavailable at this point anyways. 

So, then I decided I should set my alarm and go to one of the larger Target stores that would be carrying most of the items in the collection. The store is an hour from my house, and I knew I should probably get there early because there may be a line. Then I saw a Target announcement that they had taken the site down for maintenance and would be launching the sale around 3 am EST. So, I decided to try to order again at 3 am, and was able to successfully add a swimsuit for my toddler to my cart, which was one of the items I had wanted. I checked out and received a confirmation email, but then saw notifications by Target that the site was still down and they were working on it. I was worried my order didn't really go through, so then I didn't know what to do. Should I keep trying to purchase online, should I get up early and try to shop in the store, ugh, I only wanted a couple things and I didn't think it should be this difficult. I tried to call Target's customer service number to ask about my order and if it actually went through, but I was on hold a very long time and eventually gave up waiting and hung up. 

Then I decided it was silly to drive to a store an hour away that would most likely have a line, to compete with a bunch of people for a couple things. So, I thought I'd have a better chance of getting something at the store in my area, and I doubted there would be a line at my store. Still, I woke up early and went to the store an hour before they opened, just in case. When I pulled into the parking lot there wasn't a lot of cars, so I was happy. There was one girl standing by the door, so I decided to just sit in my car for a little while. Then, I decided to get out and stand at the door in case more people showed up. As soon as I opened my door, many others opened their doors too and started walking towards the Target entrance. I ended up 3rd in line, which I was very happy with. At this point there was about 10 people in line, so we were all chatting about the collection. It was nice and I knew I made a good choice with not going to the larger store.

Well, then the first girl in line had a friend come, so I ended up 4th in line, then the 2nd girl had her MIL sitting in the car, so she came out to stand with us, then I was 5th in line. At this point, I started to look at the girls in line and realized they were all my size, ugh. And I knew our store was small and wouldn't get much. I started to get worried, but was very happy with my place in line. As the time got closer to opening, many more people had joined the line and it was starting to wrap around the building. The employees had us line up single file before releasing us into the store. I may be naïve, but I thought we would just all walk to the racks and buy what we wanted. Ummmm, no.... The first 2 girls in line ran, along with everyone else, so I started sprinting too. By the time I got to the women's rack everything was gone in my size, every piece of clothing was gone seconds later. I had nothing in my hand and I felt completely defeated. Why had I been up since 1 am and stood in line for an hour for nothing, absolutely nothing. People frantically ran about the store clearing all the Lilly items from every department. I was able to snag one dress for my toddler daughter, but that rack cleared fast too. At that point I started just grabbing ruthlessy, so I was able to get one in her size. I am not that type of shopper, this was very frustrating to me. And felt so rude, which is not my nature.

Then I was sad, and just wanted one thing for myself for all my effort. I decided to sit by the fitting room waiting for people to come out with something they didn't want. Granted, the 2 girls in the very front of the line had cleared the women's department of everything in my size, and every dress in every size. I was devastated. Truly, they had to come out of the fitting room with one item they didn't want, right?!? So, I waited. And as each person walked out I politely asked if they had anything they weren't going to keep. Most ignored me and walked past to pass items off to their friends who had just entered the store. There was one dress that was passed to another girl in my size. She said she'd try it on and if she didn't like it, I could have it. So there was hope, but she came out of the fitting room with the dress on and it looked like it was made for her. There was no way she was giving it up. And I wouldn't expect her to. So, I stayed by the fitting room and waited.

Finally, the first girls in line came out of the fitting room. Arms brimming with most of the inventory. I politely asked if there was anything they weren't keeping. They looked at me with a large stack on their arms and said these are what we are keeping. I glanced at their arms, every shift dress and maxi dress in multiple sizes, ugh. On the verge of tears, I just looked at them. Two girls that were very nice, we were all chatting and laughing just minutes earlier. And now so ruthless, without any guilt. They handed me about 5 items they weren't going to purchase, most of which were not even my size (or theirs, since they were the exact same size as me). At this point there were quite a few girls standing by the fitting room waiting for what people didn't want. They flocked towards me as I was handed the clothes. Now, maybe what I should have done was kept everything and bought it and sold it on ebay, for a large mark-up. Which is what it appears many others have done with this collection. But it was not in my heart to do that and many other girls felt the same way I did, so we all rifled through the few cast offs, and everybody was able to get one item, granted they weren't the dresses we were all pining for, but at least it wasn't a complete waste. 

I got the V-Neck Tank Top in Nosie Posey, which they had 3 sizes of and one happened to be mine. It wasn't the shift dress I had wanted, but it was something and it was cute and fit me well. I had a sense of relief that at least a few of us were able to get at least one item. And I went and checked out with my tank top and daughter's dress feeling very empty and annoyed at how people can treat others, just for a little cash. I only wanted a dress to wear on vacation. I wasn't looking to sell it for an inflated price. Currently, there are over 30,000 listings on ebay from this collection, all at double, triple, or more than the retail price. It really is disgusting.

This is the V-Neck Tank Top  in Nosie Posey I managed to score. 


It has an adorable pineapple zipper pull. I love it!



And in true Lilly fashion the brand name is hidden in the pattern of the fabric.


This is the Toddler Girls' Shift Dress in Sea Urchin that I was able to grab for my daughter. It would have been adorable if I could have grabbed a matching women's dress.


It also has the adorable pineapple zipper pull and cute pink embroidery.


And the brand name hidden in the fabric design.


I was mad that Target hadn't set a limit to how much one person could purchase and allowed this to happen at my store, and many stores across the country, from what I've heard. And seeing the prices people are trying to sell things for on eBay is truly horrible. It's definitely not worth it for these clothes, and I realized at this moment that I would never be shopping a sale like this in the future, because it just didn't make me feel good. I enjoy shopping and I love a good deal, and I don't mind a little friendly competition. I'll get up early and deal with website crashes, and stand in line to be one of the first at the sale. But I will never grab something out of another person's hand and I will never push people aside to grab an item of clothing out from in front of them. I am not an aggressive shopper and never will be. What is wrong with people, and why do they think this behavior is ok?!? I Black Friday shop every year, and this was something far far worse. Someone made a joke about hunger games before we went into Target that morning. And I laughed, thinking it wouldn't be like that. But I was wrong, and it was like that. This is not what shopping should be.


Saturday, April 18, 2015

Popsugar Must Have April 2015

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

My Popsugar Must Have April box finally arrived yesterday. I had looked at spoilers, so I knew what I'd be getting, but this is still one of my favorite boxes to open up each month. This month I was excited about every single item included.

The inspiration for April was Spring Showers, Farmers Market, Outdoor Fun, Fresh Produce, and Simplicity. This box was totally me!!! And I can't wait for farmers markets to open back up in my area. Every item in this box made me think of Spring and being outside after a long long winter, which I was very excited about!


As always, Popsugar includes an information card explaining everything included in the box.


And here's everything that was in the box! I really love it all!!! I love the themes of the Popsugar boxes lately!


The first item included was Dabney Lee Dottie Umbrella. I would have chosen this umbrella for myself. I love polka dots and navy, so this is totally my style. I love that it has an auto open/close button. I will be using this all spring!


The next item was One Love Organics Gardenia + Tea Antioxidant Body Serum. I've never tried anything by this brand, so I'm interested in trying this. Plus this bottle is so adorable! I love getting new products that I haven't heard of or tried before!!!


I also received a Produce Candles Rhubarb Spring Candle. This smells amazing! I wasn't sure what rhubarb smelled like, but it's a fresh scent, that's not overpowering. I couldn't stop opening this candle to keep smelling it. And the packaging of this is great! It looks like a canning jar, and has a cute pink arrow detail on the glass. I may be buying these as gifts, because I love this!



And I don't usually take pictures of the packaging that things come in, but I had to for this one. Popsugar does a great job of having bubble wrap on items that may break in transit, but this was like nothing I had ever seen before. It reminded me of a bubble suit for the candle. And there was a slit in the front, that you can see from the picture, to get the candle out. Not sure why, but I loved this! It's like a candle safety suit for shipping and gifting!!!


The next item included was a Flip & Tumble 24-7 Bag. I received a blue and grey one (I'm not sure if other subscribers received different colors). But I love blue and I prefer darker color reusable bags, because light colors do not stay clean long with a 2 year old that loves to help carry the bags. The color in the first picture is a true color of the bag (I may have accidentally taken the second picture of the bag unfolded and very wrinkly with a flash, oops). This will be great for farmers markets and I love that you can just ball it back up into the little pouch and don't have to do any origami folding to get it inside. It also has some felt on the shoulder so it feels more sturdy that other reusable bags. This will be perfect and I will use it lots this spring/summer!



I'm a bit nervous about the final item, but excited to try it. It is Potting Shed Creations Garden in a Bag Basil. I'm no gardener, and I've manage to kill every plant I've ever owned, so this will be a challenge for me. But we just remodeled our kitchen and this will be a great addition to it. Cooking with freshly picked basil would be such a treat! I also love this as a gift idea for people that love to cook!



As a special extra this month, Popsugar included a $25 gift card to Mott 50. I had never heard of the company before now, but they sell light weight clothing with 50 ultraviolet protection factor. I'll definitely be checking it out.

I loved everything included in the Popsugar Must Have April box. I will use everything and even got some gift ideas, for some difficult people to buy for. And Popsugar already released a spoiler for the May box, (my birthday month) which is a beautiful necklace, that I'm really excited for (unfortunately I couldn't find a picture of it)! I believe the May box is sold out currently, so if you subscribe now you'll get the June box.

And because I love Popsugar so much, I also purchased the CFDA Popsugar Must Have box, which went on sale April 15th and sold out in less than 2 hours! This is the Popsugar collaboration box with the Council of Fashion Designers of America. I'm happy I was able to snag one and can't wait to see what is in it! It will ship May 15th and I'll be sure to review it!

*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!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Modcloth Stylish Surprise Part 2

Rating: Like It!!!
Cost: $15 per item

I received my final Modcloth Stylish Surprise order. They are completely sold out! I ordered 2 more apparel items for $15 each, when they were still available. I was hoping for a coat, but when I saw the size of the box and the weight from shipment tracking, I knew it wasn't a coat. I also knew I was taking a chance ordering more and could end up with items that didn't fit or I didn't like. But it's so exciting opening a box when you have no idea what's inside, that I couldn't resist ordering more!


Here is what I received. The color looked promising, but from what I could see it looked like 2 fairly plain shirts. Not too exciting.


The first shirt was by Sunny Girl and is a long sleeved green shirt. It would be cute and comfy for lounging around on the weekends, but it's quite scratchy, because it's mainly acrylic. I'll still wear it, but will definitely need an under layer, so I'll be saving this for colder months.


The other shirt I received was by Pink Owl. It's a long sleeved v-neck shirt with a patterned pocket and back. This is really soft and cute! It fits a little tight (especially in the arms), but I can still wear it. It's pretty basic and not as exciting as some of the items I've seen others receive and was hoping for. But I'll wear it.





I'm not sure it was worth what I paid for these 2 items, even at $15 per item. I think I could have purchased them on clearance in a store for less, since they are just long sleeved t-shirts. But that's the chance you take with Modcloth Stylish Surprise. You never know what you'll get. And they're not horrible, so I'm not complaining.

But now I get to show you an exciting trade I received (that someone got as a Stylish Surprise). I was hoping for a coat in one of my Modcloth Stylish Surprise packages, but didn't receive one. So, when I had the opportunity to trade for this amazing yellow wool coat by Tulle, I jumped at it. And I love it!



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