The Friday Five

It's almost Halloween! You know what that means: Candy, candy and more candy!

This is what I want to find in my trick or treat bag this year:

1) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Man, this is one treat that never lets me down. Salty. Sweet. And good to eat!

2) M&M's: An old time favorite that doesn't melt in your hands... only in your mouth. Truth be told, I can't hold on to it long enough to melt... in my hands OR in my mouth!

3) Mounds: Sing it with me now: I love my Mounds, dipped in deep dark chocolate...

4) Almond Joy: Almost as good as Mounds... but with the added health benefit of almonds!

5) Starburst: Probably one of my favorite non-chocolate treats. Plus since it's fruit flavored, it's healthy... right?

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Green Grab Bag September 2012

I am so late reviewing this... perhaps because I was slightly disappointed.

Green Grab Bag had been hyping this bag up for a couple of months. It was curated by Whole Body at Whole Foods. I expected lots of exciting products, and what I got was... eh.

The goods:

1) Giovanni Hair Products: 2 Chic Brazilian Keratin & Argan Oil Shampoo, Conditioner, and Leave-In Conditioning and Styling Elixir. There were two deluxe sample sizes, and a set of packets that came in a foldout with a coupon on the back.

Personally, I won't use the conditioner because it contains alcohol, and I don't use alcohol on my hair. I might use it as a giveaway in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

2) EO Refresh Breath Spray: It's not in my pics, because it leaked. I put it on the sink to dry, and forgot to include it in the group photo. I hope it doesn't feel neglected.

I was introduced to EO Deodorant Spray in the July 2012 Green Grab Bag. I have to say I love it. So, receiving another EO product wasn't a surprise or new... but I will admit that I tried it and I like it. A lot.
Retail price: $2.99 for a tube.

3) Mineral Fusion Sparkle Bronzer: I guess bronzer is THE thing right now, because I'm getting it in almost every subscription box I belong to - and just about every other month! I have bronzer coming out of my ears - and I don't use it. It's not for me.

I would have preferred a mineral face powder or eye shadow from this company instead. But you might luck out - I just may put this in a future giveaway!
Retail price: $29

4) Hugo Naturals All Over Lotion (Vanilla & Sweet Orange): I like Hugo Naturals products, but again, this isn't a new product. Maybe I had it wrong, but I was under the impression that Whole Foods would be sampling "new" products - not tried and true favorites.
Retail price: $9.99 for 8 oz.

5) Nourish Organic Body Lotion - Almond Vanilla: The scent isn't really great. In fact, it smells a bit like plastic. The ingredients are USDA certified organic, and the product is made in the USA. Now, that's something I can get behind!
Retail price: $9.99 for 8 fl. oz.

6) Everyday Shea Moisturizing Body Wash - Lavender: This product smells absolutely lovely. There was some separation of ingredients, but a good shake took care of that.
Retail price: $13.99 for ? Alaffia doesn't state the size of the bottle.

Nitpicks: Two vanilla scented lotions was overkill - perhaps different scents should have been sent - instead, two similarly scented products of the same type went head-to-head in competition. This seemed especially shortsighted, since they both cost the same (Hugo and Nourish).

Additionally, Whole Foods has a ton of great health and beauty products. Perhaps instead of sending two lotions, they could have mixed it up a bit. Maybe a deodorant or a toothpaste or a lipstick or a toner... something instead of two similarly scented body lotions.

Lasting impression: I love that Green Grab Bag reached out to a store that many people have access to. For me, this meant that if I did find a product I loved, I could just get in my car and go get it - instead of hunting it down on the Internet!

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The Myth of You and Me

Once a month, a local used bookstore has a "free book day." I went there last month on Free Book Day, hoping to find "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" by Sarah Addison Allen. It had been there two days before - but alas, it wasn't there on Free Book Day.

Thwarted, I wandered the aisles looking for another book. It had to be as good as I expected "The Girl Who Chased the Moon" would be. When I saw the cover of Leah Stewart's "The Myth of You and Me" I was drawn in.

I know. A book shouldn't be judged by its cover. But I did judge it and found it intriguing. I picked up the book and read the first chapter - it's a short one. I knew right then and there I had to know how the story ended.

I had a lot of trouble putting this book down - the story is well-told and the characters - though flawed - are genuine and likeable.

The story itself centers on the friendship of two women who met at age 14 - Cameron, who is new to Clovis, and Sonia, who's lived in Clovis all her life. From those first joyous moments of realizing that friendship has gelled to the first pangs of jealousy because it's threatened (by a boyfriend, by a new friend), it strikes a chord of belief as the story of this friendship unfolds to reveal how this type of love can be tenuous and fragile.

More than just a fluff story about friendship, it's about how secrets can hold people together and also tear them apart. It's about loving someone even when it's not easy to do so. It's about gain, loss, and redemption.

The story is so beautifully told, yet doesn't hold back. It shines a light on how our memories of a situation are not always truthful. There are times in the story when Cameron realizes a hard truth about something, but still rationalizes away her behavior - or someone else's. It's something we all do - and can relate to.

This is the first time I've read a novel by Leah Stewart - her writing is simply beautiful.

I just happened to read this during International Book Week, and of course, seemingly everyone on Facebook was posting the "Go to page 52 of the book you're reading..." meme.This book had no page 52 - well, it did, but it was blank. So I went to page 51, and followed the instructions of the meme - and found a perfect example of Leah Stewart's beautiful prose: "To belong nowhere is a blessing and a curse, like any other kind of freedom."

I would encourage all women to pick up this book. It speaks to the heart of women's friendships, of the twists and turns and roadblocks that exist in friendship - and in relationships of all kinds.

Like me, I think you'll find this is a book that was hard to close the cover on and say good-bye to. It's one of the few books I've read that will stay with me for a very long time to come.

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September 2012 Birchbox

Ah... have I mentioned that I have a hate/hate relationship with Birchbox? Okay... maybe hate is a strong word, but once again they managed to disappoint.

When I signed up, I filled out a beauty profile. You would never know it, though, based on what is sent to me. It's as if my beauty profile exists only in my mind, and not in their system. Or maybe it is there, but they just choose to ignore it. Or can't find it. Or spilled coffee on it.

Still, Birchbox has the best rewards program out there, and their customer service is pretty dang good. So for now, I stay... at least until Kara's Way gets back up and running.

Without further ado, here is the September box I received:

The products:

1) Two samples from Benefit Cosmetics: Foamingly Clean Facial Wash and Refined Finish Facial Polish. The samples are very small, and probably only good for one use. That is disappointing. But I do admit that I love Benefit, and am happy to try two "new to me" products of theirs.
Retail price: FCFW=$21 for 4.5 oz./RFFP - $22 for 4.5 oz.

2) Vinexpert Firming Serum from Caudalie (.2 fl. oz.). I'll get about a week's worth of use out of this sample; maybe more, depending on the viscosity & absorption. This serum is supposed to combat aging with the use of grape-derived antioxidants. I think the card should say "combat the signs of aging" because let's face it, it can't prevent you from getting old - although for the price, it probably should!
Retail price: $88 for 30 ml

3) Color Club Nail Polish in Status Uptade {sic} (dark grey). This would probably be one of the best products in the box - that is, if it was in a color I'd actually use. This is a prime example that shows BB doesn't pay attention to profiles. Then again, looking at the available colors, there wasn't a color that would have fit into my profile. (By the way, the label on the product says Status Uptade, but according to Birchbox, the color is Status Update - there's something wrong when a company doesn't bother to spellcheck their labeling!)
Retail price: $8 per bottle

4) Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+ (.1 fl. oz.) - My favorite BB so far is Maybelline's Dream Fresh. I will admit I'm looking forward to trying this one, though. I've heard good things about Dr. Jart+ products - this will be my first one to try. This appears to only have one color, though, and since I'm fair, I'm sure it'll be fine for me - but what about for women who have darker skin tones?
Retail price: $32 for 1.7 fl. oz.

5) twistband Hair Tie - I received a hideous orange one, and as I also received one in my very first Birchbox, this is a repeat product for me. I do like my first twistband (thankfully in black), but I've found that though it claims not to leave a crease in the hair, it does - at least, on me.
Retail price: $18 for a 12-pack.

Two Lifestyle Extras and a Giftcard:

1) One tili bag. I know people have been receiving these for a while, and I admit I was hoping I'd get one sooner or later. It's cute, but not sure how reusable it really is - it seems just like a decorative Ziplock bag. I will say it's darling and I want to do something better with it than stick my lunch in it!
Retail price: $8.49 for 12 bags

2) Birchbox Digital Download from Tristan Prettyman. Uh... pass. I know all the hip kids like these digital downloads, so I'm sure most subscribers are happy. As for me, I couldn't care less.

3) A $25 Giftcard - good only with a purchase of $75 or more at Madewell. This is something I won't use, but you might! Code: FBB8AD8A3

Nitpicks: Nothing in this box wowed me, but when I look at each product individually, I have to admit I'm eager to try most of them. Just not the nail polish - look for it in a giveaway soon!

Lasting Impression: The box was packaged beautifully - probably one of the prettiest packages I've received from them in ages.

Interested in joining Birchbox? It's just $10 a month - and that includes shipping! Plus, this subscription box has the best rewards program around - and right now, they don't have a waiting list!

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Eco-Emi August 2012 Box

Of all the subscription boxes I receive, I love Eco-Emi the most. It’s the perfect mix of beauty, home, and health products all in one reasonably priced box! They do what Conscious Box does, but Eco-Emi does it better and cheaper!

This month’s box tickled my fancy! Here’s what was inside:

Orchard body glitter by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: Okay, I’m not a body glitter girl. But, I do like Lauren Brooke products so what the heck? I’ll give this a whirl the next time I go disco dancing with the Bee Gees!

Retail price: $12 for 4 grams/$6 for 1.5 grams

Tin Slider Lip Balm in French Vanilla by Naiad Soap Arts: Ooooh, the memories! I had something almost exactly like this when I was a teenager, only it wasn’t chockfull of natural ingredients, like this one is. I will be keeping this baby for myself, thankyouverymuch. But… my only gripe with lip balms like this is that it’s applied with a finger, and then you have to wipe off your finger, etc. And this is what I remember about this type of product from my teen years – the girls’ bathroom was FULL of finger swipes on the wall next to the mirror from girls who used the wall as a finger wipe after putting on lip balm/color.

Retail price: $4.00 per tin

Organic Hydrating Sugar Scrub by Moody Sisters: This is my second product from Moody Sisters. I love that Eco-Emi is supporting small businesses – this one is on etsy.com. This is a good size sample, and so I expect to get either one very generous use out of it, or two very stingy ones!

Himalayan Rose Soap by Auromere Ayurvedic: If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: I am a gel kind of gal. The soap I have to wash my hands on my kitchen sink is a gel. The soap I use to shower with is also a gel. I rarely use soap… but this one, oh this one I can’t wait to use! It smells wonderful and is reminiscent of this store I used to go to when I was a kid called House and Garden. It smelled great – and this soap smells like that store!

Retail price: $2.95 for a 2.75 oz bar.

Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath with Calming Chamomile by Aura Cacia: I love Aura Cacia products! I was tickled pink to see this in my box. You probably don’t know this about me yet, but I am Bathtub Girl™. There is nothing I like more than a nice, long soak in the tub with a glass of wine and a good book. I’ve used the Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath with Healing Helichrysum and it was wonderful. I can only imagine this one is as good – or better!

Retail price: $3.29 for one 1.75 oz packet.

Organic Raw Pecan Butter by Artisana: The December 2011 Eco-Emi box contained a packet of Artisana’s Raw Cacao Bliss. Let me tell you, it was heavenly. Seeing a new product to try from Artisana gives me the happies.

Retail price: $10.20 for an 8 oz. jar

Cool Calm & Collected Citrus Mint hand & body lotionby Better Life: Damn, only one little packet. No fear, your homegirl has already tried this product and can say with absolute certainty it’s wonderful! It reminds me a little of Deep Steep products – so if you like Deep Steep, you’ll also like Cool Calm & Collected!

Retail price: $6.99 for 12 oz

French Green Clay Facial Mask by Rainbow Research: Masks are the one product homey doesn’t use – I don’t have breakouts or pimples, so I don’t use them. I know, I know – that’s not the only thing they’re good for. Still, facial masks are not my bag. Too much trouble for too little payoff. I might be using this in a future giveaway package – keep your eyes peeled.

Retail price: $8.49 for an 8 oz. jar

Lettuce Mesclun Q’s Special Medley Organic Seeds by Botanical Interests: Woohoo! Seeds to plant! This makes me very happy! This is the first year I’ve had any success whatsoever in my garden, and I can’t wait to plant even more stuff! Nothing gets you in touch with yourself as much as gardening (you thought I was going to say something else, weren’t you?).

Retail price: $2.39 per packet

Four herbs from Frontier Natural Products: The packets are small – approximately 1/8^th of an ounce each. The herbs received: Lavender, Rosemary, Mint, and Lemongrass. The herbs were packaged in a beautiful purple organza bag, along with a card with some suggestions for use. I was really happy with this product, although I would say of all the products, this seemed to be the most controversial on the blogs/reviews. Some people are totally unhappy with it – and those tend to be the make-up people – you know, the people who subscribe to Eco-Emi, even though they know it’s not a beauty-only subscription, and then find some reason to whine about the fact that they received herbs and tea and stuff instead of make-up products. Boo the frick hoo!

Eco-Emi is a subscription I won’t be giving up any time soon. It’s the one subscription box that consistently delivers fantastic products. Plus, they always seem to have a waiting list, and I don’t want to have to wait again to get a box (I waited about four months before there was an opening to subscribe). Yep, homey isn’t going anywhere – Eco-Emi, you have a fan in me!

Interested in Eco-Emi? Sign up here - it's $15 a month. This box does what Conscious Box does - only better and cheaper!

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