Saturday, July 28, 2012

Giveaway winner and update!

First of all, my Wholly Guacamole giveaway has ended and the winner has been contacted! Congratulations, Stacy Kurtz! Please reply to my email by Monday night so I can get your info to Wholly so you can get your prize.


Also, if you've noticed I've been quiet, it's because my computer is current out of commission until I get my new power cord. I will have a Barkbox to give away to one of you as soon as I get it back!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Little Black Bag - July #3


I have one more LBB that I received last week. This one was a bit of a mess...not the received products, but the process.

I had initially shipped my bag with 5 products (as I received) and several days later, it still hadn't shipped. I checked my spam and found that I had received an email that one of the products I'd selected  was out of stock. They let me choose an available item at the same price point to replace it. The item I chose had become unavailable in the meantime, so I had to choose yet another selection. All was well...until I received a reply that now two more of my items were out of stock. Another round of choosing replacements, and I finally had a bag to ship, a week later.

Note that this isn't  a regular occurrence, I have to wonder if there was a glitch in the system that messed up inventory counts or something. At any rate, the problem was resolved.

So, only two of these items were the items I had actually chosen, but I am still really happy with everything and may like my replacements more than the things I had initially chosen!


This was one of my original items - the Portolano Python zip wallet. This is a simple, straightforward wallet. The leather is nice and soft, and it has plenty of card slots and pockets to keep everything organized. I was badly in need of a new wallet, and I am happy with this one!

This is the Betsey Johnson heart wristlet! This was a replacement item for a necklace I had that was out of stock. I looooove this. So cute! It's small and soft. I removed the bow, because, while cute, it got in the way. I love the chain wrist strap.

This is another replacement item - the Ali Khan skull ring! This is so pretty and sparkly. I have three other big Ali Khan rings from LBB, so I was really excited to get this one.

Love.

This is the other original item in my bag - the Jules Smith Edward's Smile necklace. I love vampires and necklaces, so I had my eye on this one. It's so cute and delicate in person!

And finally, the Betsey Johnson Hippo necklace! This was another replacement item. I love it! 

Isn't she cute?

In all, this is one of my favorite bags to date, and it was worth the month it took to get it! What's in your current Little Black Bag?

Little Black Bag - July (makeup edition)

So, when it comes to LBB, I tend to go in phases. First, I was all about getting some cute handbags to liven things up. Then I was determined to get my jewelry collection to...well...exist. Then I was focused on sunglasses and wallets. But one of my favorite categories available on the site is makeup, and I recently decided to go for an all makeup bag - specifically, an all Cargo bag. I succeeded! Here's what I ended up with.

As always, everything was wrapped up neatly in black tissue.

They always have everything well wrapped with bubble wrap, as well. This is the first bag that I've received that has EVER had a damaged item!

I was really excited to finally get my hands on this color quad in Vienna! I am really lacking in the neutrals department, and Cargo eyeshadows are quickly becoming my favorite. The packaging is beautiful, too. Really happy with this!

Aaaand here's the part that brought a tear to my eye. Despite being well packaged, my Amalfi blush was crushed. The good news is that their customer service is great, and after I contacted them and sent them a picture of the damage, they gave me an exchange item credit for use in my next bag.

And, with the assistance of some rubbing alcohol, I was able to repress the blush. It doesn't look as pretty in the tin anymore, but still usable (and gorgeous when worn!)

I got the Smoky eye duo in Brazil because I am sorely lacking when it comes to brown liners, and I thought the idea was cool. The cream side is nice and smooth and goes on well, and the powder side is silky and easy to use. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on the black and gray versions of this, as well.

This is the BeachBag Beauty set. I basically traded my soul away for this!

It included a full sized tinted moisturizer in the shade "Nude". First of all, this is huge! 1.7 ounces. The formula is smooth and silky and feels great on the skin. Unfortunately, it is way too dark for me. I hoped to find someone to trade it with, but I haven't had luck so far, so I guess I'll keep it to mix with foundations that are too light or too dry for me. Unless one of you is interested. Then you should email me or comment. :)

Also in the kit was a color stick in Maui. I LOVE THIS. I now regret that I didn't get some of these when they were on the site a while back. It is awesome - not too wet, not too dry, goes on like a dream and easy to blend.


The color is beautiful. I have used it both on my cheeks and my lips, and it's flattering on both. I use it most often on my cheeks!


Finally, a full sized Better than Waterproof mascara. This is my first Cargo mascara, and I love it! And once again, I now wish I'd grabbed a few when they were on the site alone a while back. It lengthens, thickens, and defines. It lasts all day and can be removed without much trouble. 

The brush is nice and big, and really grabs your lashes and pulls them up. I've been using this pretty much daily since I got it.

And, as an added bonus, LBB teamed up with Redken this month and gave everyone a deluxe sample of a product. I go the Shine Flash 02 spray, and everyone and their brother wanted to trade their Redken sample for this and I kept it. LOVE.

Here's all the Cargo I've gotten from Little Black Bag in the last two months (minus a lipgloss I keep at work). Awesome stuff. Have you tried it?

As always, I'm happy with my bag. If you haven't signed up yet and want to try it, here's my referral link! :)

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Pawalla - July (a new pet subscription service!)

A month or so ago, I was contacted by a company called Pawalla to try and review one of their new subscription boxes for my dog, Rowan. We were excited to accept the offer!

Pawalla is a new monthly service that delivers the "best of" wet foods, treats, supplements, and toys for cats and dogs. Items are selected by a nutritionist, and the (dog) box promises 2-3 types of wet food, 2-3 premium treats, 1-2 supplements, 1-3 essentials or accessories, and 1 special toy or surprise. The box is $26 for a month including shipping.

As mentioned, they also offer a cat option! I have cats, as well, so I'm excited to try that one out next. But what did Rowan and I think of the dog box?

First of all, the box is huge. And it's super cute! It's sturdy a great size for storage, too.

We appreciated the little note inside.

Inside, we found a list of all of the items included. I love that it's big and detailed!

The box comes well organized. There was actually a piece on top holding things in place, but I took it off for the sake of the photo. As you can see, we got lots of goodies.

We got a large can of Mulligan Stew in the Beef flavor. Rowan loves wet food in general, but he goes NUTS for beef, so I know he's going to love this! This food promises to be formulated to assist with detoxification and antioxidant production - cool. He hasn't tried this one yet, but he might get it for dinner tonight!

Next, we got two cans of Weruva Amazon Liver food. Weruva's tagline is "People food for pets" and they promise to use ingredients that people actually eat, which I love. We got the Amazon Liver flavor, which sounds amazing. Here's it's description:
Your dog will enjoy every bite of this boneless, skinless, white breast meat chicken, with chunks of chicken liver and sweet potatoes in a delicious pumpkin gravy. Enough to entice every pallet! Did we mention the chicken free of added antibiotics and hormones, and it is also cage free?
 Rowan has already tried one of these, and not only did it really look like people food, he gobbled it down in about a half a second. I definitely plan to find more of this brand for him!

We also got two cans of Precise Holistic Complete food in the Beef with Vegetables and Pork with Vegetables flavors. These are grain free foods with holistic ingredients. Rowan has already eaten and enjoyed the pork one. I love the nutrition in these, and that the can is BPA free!

These are Mobility supplements by Wapiti Labs. They include elk velvet antler and they promise to help with joint support, immune system support, and muscle recovery as well as act as an anti-inflammatory. I am interested in these, because Rowan is a large dog, and large breeds are naturally prone to mobility issues with age. On top of that, Rowan already has a bad foot from an old injury (before his rescue) and it's never a bad idea to be conscious of these things! 

We also got two different types of Kong treats. Rowan has a couple of Kong toys already, and we love them! These treats are great for hiding in the Kong, but they're also a good small size for training treats, as well. We love that they don't contain wheat or corn, and they must taste awesome because he goes nuts for them.

Ro has jaws of steel, so this antler chew was a great addition to the box! It's tough and great for power chewers. Now, this one is too small of a size for Rowan's big mouth, but we're going to give this to his little friend Izzy and get him a larger one of his own!

Rowan was most excited to see this - a Kong tire! He has a couple of other Kong toys and they are his favorite (and they're great for power chewers), so we're excited to add a new variety to the mix. The tire is awesome for hiding the treats and peanut butter in, and he likes to chase it as we roll it. Fun!

Ro loves sweet potatoes, so we were really excited to get these Sweet Potato chews by Sam's Yams. They describe themselves as "veggie rawhide" and they're a healthy alternative. He's had a few of these already, and we love that it takes him a bit to devour! Keeps him occupied.

We also got a bag of Chicken Dinner Bites by Nutrisca. These are awesome - they're freeze dried bites containing chicken, peas, chickpeas, cranberries, and apples. Rowan devours these like mad!

And finally, something I was glad to get (but Ro was less so) - Clean teeth gel. This allows you to clean and freshen your dog's mouth without brushing. Ro hates to have his teeth brushed, so this was great for us to get! It really does help fresh breath. 

I attempted to get some pictures of Rowan checking out and enjoying his box, but he was having a camera shy day and every time I would try, he'd turn away. So here's a bonus shot of him with his miniature uncle. 


In all, Ro and I were very impressed with the product offered by Pawalla! We loved the variety and the focus on truly nutritious foods. Rowan and I are also excited to offer you a discount on a Pawalla subscription: if you enter the code "ROWAN20" you will get 20% off your first month. Sign up at Pawalla.com.


*Disclaimer:  I received a box free of charge for review purposes. I was not compensated for this review, and all opinions are my own.


Saturday, July 21, 2012

Wholly Guacamole review and giveaway!

A couple of weeks ago, I got something awesome in the mail: a cooler full of Wholly Guacamole products, including their four new salsas!

I signed up to be a member of the Guac Squad a while back because I think Wholly products are just awesome. They're always fresh, and they have no preservatives or additives and plenty of flavor. I was really excited to get a chance to try all the new flavors!

 Now that I've tried everything, the awesome people at Wholly Guacamole are letting me give a similar cooler of goodies away to one of you!  Here are my thoughts on what I received.

This was my absolute favorite product in the box - the Avocado Verde salsa. It's just what it sounds like - yummy salsa verde mixed with creamy avocado. It's full of yummy tomatillos and chunks of hass avocado. I ate this on some chips, but I think it would be amaaaazing with some enchiladas! It's got a zing to it without being too hot. I've already bought more of it!

This is a pretty simple product - Wholly has taken ripe avocados and scooped them into a package for us, nothing more or less. I used this on sandwiches, but it'd be a great way to make your own guacamole while taking the effort and guesswork out of finding and preparing perfectly ripe avocados. 

I was happy to get some of the 100 calorie snack packs in classic - I love to take these to work with me! They're the perfect single serving size and the packs are super convenient and not at all messy. I love Wholly's classic guacamole, it's perfectly balanced.

This Guacamole with Spicy Pico is great for dipping! The bottom layer is smooth, creamy classic guacamole, but it's topped with spicy, chunky pico de gallo. The pico on its own is a bit spicy for my taste, but it is mellowed out beautifully by the guacamole.

The three classic flavors of salsa are what you'd expect - just a great, fresh tasting salsa full of fresh veggies. The hot variety is too spicy for me on it's own, but I love using it in a queso dip or in chili! It has more flavor than just "HOT", the heat has a lot of taste behind it.

 

The medium is my favorite of the three classics. It's got a bit of a zing, but just the right amount for me! I use it on everything from chips to burritos.

The mild is great for those who want flavor without spice - it's super fresh tasting, with no heat. I like to put it on tacos!

The pineapple is another new offering. Made of pineapple, roasted pepper, and ginger, it's definitely a different taste! It's sweet, as you'd expect, but there's a bit of zip to it, as well. Wholly recommends putting it over vanilla ice cream, which I haven't tried, but I did enjoy it on a salad with grilled chicken! It'd also be good on a shrimp dish or with rice and pork chops for a sweet n sour type dish.

The Red Pepper Mango flavor is my mom's favorite of the bunch. It's so good! Sweet, but not too sweet, and full of mangos and red peppers. I plan to try it on some shrimp tacos and meatballs.

The roasted tomato salsa is delicious. It is a thinner, less chunky salsa with the complex, smoky flavor of roasted tomatoes and a bit of lime. It would be an amazing addition to spaghetti sauce, chili, or anyplace you use canned tomatoes.

And finally, more 100 calorie snack packs in the spicy flavor. I love these with some sour cream on burritos! They're just spicy enough. Mmm. 

They also included a cute avocado stress ball, which I've been using like crazy, let me tell ya. :)

So, sound good? Enter below for a chance to win your own cooler of goodies from Wholly.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Birchbox - July

This month, Birchbox teamed up with Glamour magazine to send us a box themed "the five senses of summer". I always love the partnered boxes, so I was really excited to get this one! Here's what I got this month.

I think the little sleeve it came in is adorable.

The intro card talks about wanting the box to be a multi sensory experience. Fun!

This is one of the "see it" items - a full sized Skinny liquid liner by Eyeko. I am so excited to get this, I love liquid liner and this one has a marker tip and serious staying power! I do wish I had gotten it in a fun color for summer, but I can always use a great black liner. This liner retails for $15.

This is my "taste it" item for the month - minteas by Tea Forte. These are tea infused mints that are supposed to be energizing. I got them in cocoa mate, and they smell delicious. Love the little tin, too.  A 3 pack of these tins retails for $9.95.
 
This is my "hear it" lifestyle extra this month - Birchbox branded earbuds. I love the colors of these, super cute! The sound quality isn't amazing, pretty standard for cheap earbuds, but they will be great to keep around for a backup. I tend to be really hard on earbuds, as I take them everywhere with me, so extras are necessary. These aren't currently for sale, and are a subscriber bonus.

The little package is always my favorite part of my Birchbox. I just really like opening things.

Another "see it" item - Color Club summer pastels polish in Blue-Ming. How pretty is this color? I have tried Color Club polishes in the past and found them too thick and clumpy for my taste, but this one seems smooth and nice, so I'm excited to try it. The full sized bottle retails for $8.

This is my "touch it" item this month - City Sunscreen Serum by Supergoop! This is a weightless sunscreen serum. I am super pale and need sunscreen always, but I hate the thick heavy feel of most of them, so I'm really excited to see how this works for me. The full size bottle retails for $42.

And finally, my "smell it" item - eau flirt by Harvey Prince. As I've posted here many times before, I love Harvey Prince, and they're probably my favorite perfume maker. I already own and adore eau flirt, but I am happy to have this little sample to keep in my bag for touch ups. This is a great scent, with a lavender pumpkin base. It's not too heavy or too light. Love it. The full sized bottle is $55.

In all, I am really happy with my box, and I'll be trying everything out. I love the themed boxes, and hope Birchbox keeps them up! If you still haven't signed up for Birchbox, my referral link is here. 

What did you get in your box this month? Or, what are your favorite products for summer?