May Cravebox 2012- My First Box

I was finally accepted to get the Cravebox. The first time around my entry was not selected and  I recieved an email saying that sorry I wasn't chosen this time around. Of course I was upset and sad. They were only a few slots available for the Cravebox subscribers additions lottery. This was after a successful Beta program. Well 3 weeks later I was sent an email saying that they were opening a few more slots for those who still wanted one. This too was also a drawing. I was excited to get one more shot. So you should have seen my face when I found out that I was chosen to participate in this wonderful program. This is a monthly service for $10 a month Cravebox delivers 4-5 hand selected products a month to your door.

May's Cravebox was entitled A Taste of the Tropics Cravebox.

This is how the package came when first opened. How cute.

So this was what was inside this fun and colorful box.

 Sunsweet Plum Amazins. These are diced dried plums perfect for yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, or salad. Along with a coupon savings for .55 cents along with four recipes to make using the Plum Amazins. Sample Value $1.25 for two packages.

Lipton Tea & Honey To Go Packets. A refreshing blend of mango and pineapple flavors, green tea and honey. Along with a coupon savings for .50 cents. Sample Value .25 cents.

Tree Hut Coconut Lime Shea Sugar Body Scrub which is infused with coconut oil and lime extracts. Full-sized. Sample Value $7.99

Skintersection Intense Repair Cream perfect relief for cracked summer skin. Full-sized. Sample value $17.95

Lastly from Guylian Original Belgian Chocolate Sea Shells. These world famous gourmet chocolate creations are made from the finest chocolate. Sample Value $4.16

Now these were the two standout products for me from the box. The Skintersection Intense Repair cream which is awesome at repairing very dry skin. The Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub was a nice product as well it smelt so good and worked great.  Overall this was a fantastic box and I really was surprized to see two full-sized items. Overall box Value was $31.60 which is great. I'm so happy to have been chosen to get this box. It is well worth the $10 monthly fee. I'm very impressed. If you want to get on the list to be notified when they be allowing more subscriptions go to www.cravebox.com and sign up. It it worth it.

Beauty Box Five May 2012

I have been subscribing to this box for the last 3 months. So of course the first month I was with them was great then every box after this has been ehhhh. I may not be staying with this service for very much longer. This months box was not any better than last months.

For starters I got my box really fast this time. Which is a plus. I guess.

I wasn't really happy to be receiving sample packets again with not more than probably two uses. I was thrilled to see a decent sized body butter and deluxe sample of a face mask by evie evan whom I've never heard of. Then 3 small packets of Moonlight Radiance Night cream from a company named Merlot. Which makes natural grape seed skin care. They claim this cream promotes thicker skin and better skin tone. Helps to reduce and reverse deep lines and wrinkles. It is made in the USA and doesn't test on animals. So I guess I should be happy to get three packets instead of one to try.

Then I received from It's a 10 a sample one time use of their Miracle hair mask. Which claims to do ten things. Detangle, restore moisture balance, restores elasticity, softens, smoothes, imparts luminous shine, enhances natural body, nourishes, de frizzes, and finally improves color vibrancy. So after shampooing work in to hair and leave on for 1-3 minutes. For a deep conditioner use for up to 5-15 minutes, then rinse. Their Miracle styling serum which is alcohol free claims to do ten things as well. I won't get in to that again. The ten things are somewhat different than that of the hair mask. As for the serum you just apply after washing and before styling.

The last packaged item was from Comodynes it a Beauty Flash Lifting effect- Instant Beauty Spray. This spray claims that a concentrate of plant extracts will tighten skin and reduce wrinkles and pore size. In one minute the skin will be smoother, brighter, and toned. 8-Hour lifting effect. Apply on clean, dry skin prior to make-up. For all skin types. 1 spray=2 applications in sample. So OK a spray that makes those claims seems crazy. I'll try this out later then let you know what happens if anything.

In this really weighty glass jar was a Mini Purity Masque. This masque had the traditional spa smell. It wasn't overpowering or harsh. Just a nice clean scent. It says on the card to Apply masque to a clean, dry face. Let sit for 10-20 mins. Rinse with warm water. I too will try this and give a report later.

The next item was a Shea body butter in Hawaiian Kukui by Tree Hut. I too have never heard of this brand as well. It says it's certified organic Shea butter. Not tested on animals. This was a 2 oz size which will be enough to tell if I will like it. It does have a heavy coconut smell which I'm not a fan of. The cream is very thick and smooth and makes the skin feel soft. It does absorb quickly which is a plus. This does make you feel like your in the tropics just from the scent alone. So that's great for scent to suddenly whisk you away to an island paradise. All while still sitting at your desk.

I'm still on the fence about this box. I'm not sure on overall value of this box. I do know it was not worth the $12 it costs. Have you tried this box before? Or have you thought about it? If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

May My Glam Bag 2012

I really was happy to have received my My Glam bag for this month. This months bag was themed Love is in the air. Which is nice but, it did make me think of Valentine's Day instead. This bag was a  soft light blue color with a hot pink lip pattern on it. I was very happy to see what was in my bag. I really liked all the items for this month.

A sample perfume size of Philosophy's Love Sweet Love Spray fragrance. As I've said, time and time again I really don't like perfume samples period. Well any away the only two brands of perfume I can wear without a reaction is any by Coach or Philosophy. So I was happy to get this sample to try out. It was a soft sweet floral smell with a hint of fruit.

Now we did get a full sized lipstick from Studio Gear. This was the complete color lipstick. As for the lipstick I did love the feel and the way it applied it was rich and creamy. The one thing I didn't like was the color. This lipstick says it plumps and hydrates the lips. Now while I didn't get any plumping of my lips it did hydrate and soothe them. The color was from their luxury line it was in Cinnabar which to me was a vampy dark blood red color with gold shimmer. It is not a color I would wear.  But, I'll make it work some how. It retails for $15.

Now I have never tried the latest craze nail stickers. I always tend to paint and design my own nails. Well we were given from Miss Beauty a Nail Bling set of 20 nail art stickers. These stickers are simulated silver rhinestones with pink bling hearts on the nail. These claim to last up to 10 days. I may use them for a accent nail to try them out. I won't dare to put them on all my nails. Not sure on retail value b/c I couldn't find them any where online.

Lastly the only other items in the bag were the My Glam concealer and defining eyeliner brush. This was the last two of the signature pink brushes to complete the myglam collection of brushes from the other bags. What can I say the brushes are alright they are nice and soft and will do for traveling. I personally would have not purchased these if I had seen them in the store. I like my brushes to be of good quality so I stick to brand names and/or ones that have been proven to hold up and do their job.

So this bag was alright and the lipstick and the brushes saved it but, not by much. Now not to get me wrong I did like the bag. I'm really hoping that they step it up and get better products soon. If not I just may have to move on.

May Gossip Girl Birchbox 2012

So where do I begin. I got my May Birchbox really fast this month. I just got an email saying it was shipped on Monday. Then when I went to get my mail yesterday it was there. Wow!

Well this months box was another themed box. Like March's Teen Vogue box. This one was from Gossip Girl. Well that's fine and dandy. I don't watch Gossip Girl no care to and I thought that this box would be awesome. Especially since it was themed and supposedly the items were picked out by the hair and makeup people on the show. Well nonetheless I was very disappointed in the box. I was expecting a lot more from them.

This box was themed Black Tie Ball. There were also other themed styles like Chic Sunday Brunch & Hampton's Beach Party. I'm not sure if there were others. Upon seeing many youtube videos almost 95% I saw got the Chic Sunday Brunch box. It was alright. I'll take the one I got any day to that one. The best one I thought was the Hampton's one.Well anyway lets get started.

First of all I got yet another perfume sample which I don't need. This stuff is so expensive a Full-sized bottle is $165 wow. It's by Arquiste the name is L'Etrog warm notes of citron, palm leaves, and myrtle combine in this transporting scent, inspired by the aromas of a medieval harvest festival in Calabria, Italy. Ok so unless you were there how would you know what a medieval harvest smells like. EWWW. The tiny sample size is worth about $???? I tried to figure it out but, oh well.

The next item is the Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 in Glow which I'm not thrilled with either. I'm familar with the one for the face HSN sells it. It have yet to try that one. I may try this on my face instead. It says, don't settle for anything but flawless skin- all over your body. This tinted treatment erases blemishes and scars on arms, legs, and decollete. Full-sized is $34. This deluxe sized sample is $6.76 give or take.

I was happy though to see that I got an Ojon product a nice deluxe size of their Volume advance Volumizing Shampoo. This is made with ultra nourishing Central American ojon oil, this weightless shampoo helps hair look and feel thicker. Full-sized is $22. This sample is $2.75 give or take.

I saved the best item in the box for last. Which was from Stila. A Full-sized Sparkle Waterproof liquid eye liner in Rock Candy which is a rich chocolate brown. Pearly shimmer meets intense pigment in this lasting liner. Better yet, the pen-like wand makes wiggle-free application a breeze. This retails for $22. 

For the lifestyle extra I got a notecard wow. These Birchbox notecards come in a set of 12 for $10. So this card is worth $1.20. Like I needed a card. They could have put in another awful perfume sample and I would I like that much better. What's weird is as of this posting it's sold out on there site. All in all the box was alright it was valued at about $32.71.

What was your thoughts on this box? If you have any questions or comments please leave them below. I will try to review the liner, shampoo, and Miracle skin transformer. Later when I have had time to test them out.

Lemonade Day is May 6th 2012

While going through some emails I spotted one from a local restaurant here Pappasito's Cantina. The restaurant is one of many local sponsors of Lemonade Day which benefit kids in Houston. So during April 30th thru May 6th when you purchase a lemonade at any of their restaurants. A portion of the proceeds go to Houston's Lemonade Day. Many other businesses throughout the greater Houston area are also participating.

Lemonade Day is a free, fun, experimental learning program that teaches children how to start, own and operate their own business using a lemonade stand as well as fundamental lessons about life, success and themselves. You get to make your own stand and signs you even get to make a free website to advertise your stand. Plus you get to share with the world in minutes at the lemonadeday.org site. You can also add your stand to the Houston map so everyone can find your business. I feel that this is a great teaching tool. Which kid hasn't had their own lemonade stand while growing up or purchased a cup of that refreshing beverage? I know I did.

I'm pretty sure this is a national effort as well. So if your want more information or want to donate or volunteer then just log on to www.lemonadeday.org or www.Houston.LemonadeDay.org.

So in the spirit of Lemonade Day 2012 I decided to do something fun and different.

So here is a lemonade drink, with two lemon slices and some clouds. Perfect weather for an ice-cold drink.

Here is a close up of my thumb nail. I just decided to make a whimsical lemon character. Since this is a program geared for children. I made the look of the nails to be cute and childlike.

 So if you are interested in what colors I used or have any questions please let me know. Or if you have any ideas or requests for future nail art creations. Please comment below. Thanks.