Graze Review: May Box

Ah, Graze.  Oh how I so desperately wanted one of these.  For those that don't know Graze is currently by invitation only.  You can sign up online to request an invitation, which is what I initially did.  However, after almost a month of not receiving said invite I became desperate and started stalking the internets for some nice individual who would offer me theirs.  Finally, on May 17, I was on their Facebook page and just so happened to notice somebody who posted on their wall that they had one invite code to give out.  I PM'd that sweet person so fast I barely had time to blink lol.

So, what is this amazing box that I was so keen on getting my hands on?

According to Graze.com it is "nature delivered.  Delicious, healthy snacks by mail."  I refer to it as a box of 4 delicious snacks you receive by mail every 1, 2 or 4 weeks.  

Now the real question.  Did Graze live up to the expections I had built in my head?

As stated, I signed up for Graze on May 17.  Upon signing up I was given the option of the Nibble Box or the or the lower calorie Light Box.  We chose the Nibble Box and were then given the option to read through all the different snack packs they offer.  Over 100 of them! When doing so we could rate the items as either "trash it," "try it," "like it," or "love it."  Anything marked as "trash it" is guaranteed to never be sent to me.  Love that! The hubby sat with me and we went through and trashed any of the ones that included ingredients that neither one of us cared for.  When all was said and done I think we trashed 3.  Maybe 4.  We left all the others as "try it" with the idea that we would rate them as we tasted them.

On May 18 I received notification that my first box was in the process of being packaged and the following day it was shipped.  I do not remember exactly how long it took to arrive but it wasn't long enough to annoy me so I'm guessing less than a week.

First look.  Small enough that it fit inside my mail box :)

First open box look.  I know it's silly but I like that the inside of the box was decorated and that the packets of snacks were fit snuggly into little separators inside the box so they couldn't slide all over the place.  You can also see the word "free" (my fave word haha!) on the card.  When I signed up through the invitation code it let me know that my first and fifth boxes would be free.  Wahoo!

On the reverse side of the box it had nutrition facts for each snack we received.  I will love this when I go back on Weight Watchers after the baby is born!

If you recall, we left all the options as either "trash it" or "try it."  Well, except for one, which the Hubs wanted to try so badly we marked it as "love it" to see if it would magically appear in our box.  I'm happy to report that we did not receive anything we trashed and the Chili Lime Pistachios did, in fact, show up in or box.  We also received My Thai, Cranberry & Honey Granola and Tutti Frutti.  I thought this was a great combination of the categories they offer.

So, what's our thoughts so far?

As expected we loved the Chili Lime Pistachios, even our 2 year old! They are exactly what they sound like - pistachios with a chili and lime seasoning.  They had just enough spice to not be overwhelming and pistachios are always winners in our book.  Our only complaint was that with three of us eating them there weren't nearly enough ;) Not really a complaint considering they are meant for one person.

The Tutti Frutti was good, not great.  It's a mixture of blueberry infused cranberries, pineapple, cherry infused raisins and green raisins.  The Hubs commented that he would prefer something that had more nuts and less fruit.  I think it would taste even better if it was mixed with some oatmeal in the morning.  But, as hot as it's getting who really wants oatmeal right now? Not me.  We marked it as a like.  We wouldn't be upset if we received it again, but are hoping to try lots of other options before it makes another appearance.  

The Hubs wasn't interested in trying the Cranberry & Honey Granola.  That was an option solely for me.  It consists of granola seeds, honey almond pieces and cranberries.  I thought it was good, but found myself wishing I had some plain vanilla yogurt in the fridge to mix it with.  Then I think it would be great! It also got marked as a like, but not a love.

For some reason we haven't tried the My Thai yet.  Odd since this was the other one we were most excited to see in there.  My Sister got it in her box as well.  She was a big fan of the dip, but not so much of the soy chips that it came with.  I'm gonna have to move it to the top of our snack box in the pantry so I remember to try it soon.

Overall we were very impressed with Graze.  The shipping and communication were great.  The amount of options they offer is excellent and there wasn't anything we were sent which we hated.

Graze runs $5 per delivery and you can choose to receive a box once a month, every two weeks or every week.  For now we have chosen every two weeks and I can't wait for my next box to ship in a few days.  I'm secretly hoping for one of the flapjack options and another dipper option.  But, unlike before I haven't played with any settings to try and pre-determine my choices :)

Cirtrus Lane Review: May Box

What is Citrus Lane? According to their website you "get a surprise box of the best products for your child every month." I would describe it as a monthly box full of goodies for your child, selected based on age and gender.

I signed up for Citrus Lane on April 19 and received my first box on May 21.  Now, normally this would annoy me - I mean that's over a month! But, I knew when I signed up that I was too late for the April box.  And, even better, I received an email the same day letting me know I would be receiving the May box and I should expect it to arrive between May 17 - May 21.  I then received an additional email on May 16 letting me know my box had shipped via USPS, a tracking number and to expect it to arrive by May 22.  I definitely give two thumbs up for the communication which is huge for me!

The bright yellow is such a happy, fun color to me!

First look - I should also point out that our box was for a 2 year old (29 months old based on how Citrus Lane curated it) boy

First look that got my Son interested - he couldn't wait to tear into it to see all the goodies.  And, no worries I let him go through everything first and then put it all back to take pictures while he had a snack.  I was not "mean Mommy" who made him wait for me to take pictures first ;)

The first item in the box is the book We All Go Traveling By a Barefoot Book which includes a singalong CD.  We have yet to listen to the CD, which also has video if you play it in your Mac or PC.  But, we have read the book several times and he absolutely loves it! His favorite part is when we get to (all the) parts where the train makes the choo, choo sound.  He gets a big grin on his face and says it with  me every time.  My only concern is that it is a paperback book and we are still working on being gentle with books and that just because a book is paperback doesn't mean it's a coloring book.  

Value: $8.99

Next up we have a full size (1 oz) package of Happy Munchies veggie & fruit crisps.  We received the banana, beet and blueberry flavor and unfortunately these were not a hit with my little man.  He was excited when he saw the package, but took one crisp out, gave it the stink eye and refused to try it.  Clearly we have a picky eater on our hands.  If he doesn't like the way something looks he will not even attempt to taste it.  We've been working hard on this, but have not had much luck yet.  The Hubs even ate one in an attempt to encourage little man to at least try it, but it still has not happened.  I think this is a perfectly age appropriate item for the box and do not fault Citrus Lane for my Son's picky nature :)

Value: $3.59

We also received these two coupons.  I'm a huge fan of couponing and am glad to have them, but will not add them to the value since a purchase is required to benefit from them.

The big item in our box was this Sandwich Shop made by Green Toys.  I will be the first to admit that I need to do my part to take better care of our Earth so I was thrilled when I did more research on this company.  It appears that every toy is made with 100% recyclable plastic.  Way to go Green Toys!

Now, I'm going to be honest, at first I was a little disappointed to see that we received the Sandwich Shop (I had seen other reviews where people had gotten race cars or tug boats for the bath which I knew my Son would love).  However, after having these in the house for a day I realized this were perfect for my little guy.  He has a toy grill that he got from Santa for Christmas last year and as soon as we opened up the box he immediately took them to his grill to make a hamburger for Dad ::thumbs up:: He also loves to show us each piece of topping (cheese, lettuce etc) and ask if we want it on our sandwich.  And, if it's a food he doesn't like he will ask us like this, "pipple (pickle) Momma? Nooooooo way."  Makes me laugh every time!

The Sandwich Shop also includes this order form.  He isn't quite old enough to understand the concept of how to use it, but he loves to get out a crayon and scribble on it anyway.  I was also impressed to read that when you run out of the order forms you can go online to print more.  

Value: $12.86

  

The final item in the box was a special gift for Mom which is my understanding they include every month.  This month it is a full size (.5 oz) Deep Steep Moisture Stick.  I'm not sure if everyone received the same scent, but mine came in lavendar and chamomile.  According to the container "Deep Steep's Moisture Stick, rich in hydrating oils & butters, targets dry areas resulting in soft, supple skin."  The directions say to apply it wherever you need extra moisture.  I haven't tried it yet as I had purchased a coco butter moisture stick from Body Shop literally the day before.  But, once that one runs out I am definitely giving this one a try.  I had never heard of this brand before, but one of the reasons I am loving getting boxes is to be able to try new things!

Value: $3.70

Overall, I am thrilled with this box.  With the exception of the Happy Munchies snacks we will use everything provided for us, I received two brands I had never heard of before (Barefoot Books and Deep Steep) and my little guy was so excited to receive a present in the mail.  Citrus Lane is definitely a keeper for us!

And, although I am more focused on liking what we receive rather than the value of this box I still like to know if I'm receiving a good deal.  The value of this box (according to Amazon pricing) came out to $29.14 which exceeds the monthly subscription price of $25.  Even if you deduct the cost of the Happy Munchies, which were not a win for us, we are still breaking even at $25.55.  But to make it better, I had a promotional code which gave me half off my box this month so I got over double the value of what I paid.  AND, I signed up through Swagbucks earning me 975 points which was only 25 points short of redeeming for a $10 gift card.  A win all around for me!

If you are interested in trying out Citrus Lane I would love for you to use my link.  Not only will I receive $10 off a future box but YOU will get $10 off your first box.  Savings for us both :)

*** All the Citrus Lane links are affiliate links.  If you use them to set-up your subscription I will receive a credit towards my next purchase (and so will you!).  I will also love ya forever if you do AND once I receive three Citrus Lane referral credits I am going to do a giveaway for a Citrus Lane box on my blog! The Swagbucks link is also an affiliate link.  If you sign up through that link, and I recommend you do (I've been using them since December and already cashed in for $250 worth of gift cards) I will receive a percentage of the points you earn up to 1,000 points.  I did not receive any compensation for this post and all thoughts and reviews are those of mine and my family.  ***

Julep Follow-Up: Intro Box

A little over a week ago I did a review over my Introduction Box from Julep.  Now that I've had some time to play with the products I wanted to follow-up with  my thoughts on everything.

Almost immediately I started using the American Beauty Volumizing Mascara.  If you remember, I was so excited about everything this mascara promised.  Thick, gorgeous, plump lashes? Um, yes please.

Upon opening the mascara I was immediately saddened by the very small applicator brush, but I tried to push the feeling aside and not let it sway me.  After all, maybe that was exactly what I needed to help me with my man lashes ;) Once I started applying the mascara I noticed quickly that it wasn't separating my lashes like it promised to do.  In fact, it was more clumping them together than anything.  I continued application as best as I could and hoped for better luck the next day.  Throughout the day I couldn't help but notice that my eyelashes felt heavier, like I could actually feel the weight of the mascara.  Again, I just brushed it aside as in my head and tried to let it go.  

Even though day one wasn't a success for me, I followed through with my plan to use the mascara for a week before reaching a final conclusion.  Throughout the week I religiously grabbed my American Beauty Volumizing Mascara to apply before heading out for the day.  Although I got more accustomed to the small brush and better at separating my lashes, the rest of the formula left much to be desired for me.  Two of my biggest complaints were that small hair like fibers were often hanging from my eyelashes from the mascara formula and it removed very easily.  One day I felt like I had something in my eye and, without thinking about it, I rubbed my eye.  I know, not the smartest thing to do when wearing eye make-up, but I literally swiped it twice and when I looked in the mirror basically all my mascara was gone.  It looked as though I never even applied any to that eye at all.

So, unfortunately, the American Beauty Volumizing Mascara will be going to my "no use" pile as it just wasn't for me :(

Now, moving on to happier things.  The nail polish.

As a reminder I received Yumi, a very pretty, glittery color, and Petra, a deep maroon color with shimmer hints throughout.  

As soon as my previous gel manicure started to peel I immediately sped the process along so that I could try out my new polish.  They were just so pretty and kept sitting there staring at me to put them on.  When the time came I had such a hard time deciding what to try first.  So, I did what any logical person would do.  I used them both!

I started with the Yumi and was immediately impressed with how easily the nail polish went on for being a glitter polish.  I didn't have to apply several coats to get an even layer of glitter and I also didn't have to use a huge glop at a time to get desired results.  It applied like a normal, non-glittery polish.  Definite win! And the color? Beautiful.  It has a predominant silver color, but depending on how the light hits it you can also see some pretty light pinks, purples and blues.

When I was satisfied with my single layer of Yumi I opened up Petra to begin application.  Although this formula went on smoothly it came out slightly thick.  I felt like I had to remove more polish than normal off the brush to achieve an appropriate thickness and avoid an overly goopy mess.  Once I figured this out, however, I was very satisfied with the application.  It went on smoothly and wasn't streaky at all.  Since I was painting my nails with my 2-year old running around I didn't have time to apply a second coat.  With  many nail polishes this does not leave a desired color or effect, but with Petra it didn't matter.  There weren't any streaky areas or any translucent looking areas that clearly needed an additional coat.  And, again, I love the color.  It has  deep, but bright, maroon color with hints of silver sparkle when the light hits it.  So pretty.  Another win for Julep nail polish!

With flash.  The air bubble looking spots on the Petra are actually the specks of silver sparkle.  They aren't 3-dimensional in real life so I'm not sure why they photographed like that.

Without flash.

I've been wearing the nail polish for three days now and it is still holding quite well.  The ends are starting to chip slightly, but I don't blame this on the polish as I didn't have a top coat to apply to seal the color in.  Overall, I am very impressed with the Julep nail polish and I'm so glad that my profile declared me as a Bombshell because I am in love with the colors.  I can't wait until the selection window opens up tomorrow for my May box!

Don't forget, if you are interested in trying out Julep for yourself you can try your first box for only the cost of shipping.  Just enter the code FREEBOX during check-out :)

*** All the Julep links are affiliate links.  If you use them to set-up your subscription I will receive a credit towards my next purchase.  But, I will love ya forever if you do AND the first time I earn enough credits for a free box I plan on using it as a giveaway! ***

GoBites Review: April Box

After diving into the fun of subscription boxes I started scouring the internet for every possible discount code available in order to decide what to try next.  There are so many that I want to try, but I'm starting out with the ones I can get for the best deal first ::thumbs up:: One of the first deals I came across was a deal on Plum District who was offering a voucher for GoBites.  Normally this subscription runs $27.86, but I was able to snatch up a voucher for $14.00.  Almost half price - I'll take it!

So, what exactly is GoBites? Well, according to their website it is "a portion-controlled 'mini-meal' made with the finest, nutrient-rich, organic and all-natural ingredients from around the world.  The ingredients in each GoBite have been carefully selected by our team to create nutritionally balanced, tasty combinations."  I would describe it as a box filled with 14 different single-portion snacks delivered every month to your door step :)

One of the things I immediately loved when setting up my GoBites account was that they gave you a description of all the available snacks and you have the option to choose exactly which ones you receive.  Since I can be picky this is exactly what I did.

I placed my order on April 30 (as soon as my voucher code posted to my Plum District account!) and then sat back and waited for it to be delivered.  To be honest, I don't remember exactly how long it took to arrive, but I'm pretty sure it was less than a week.  I wasn't annoyed or looking up the order date or anything, so I know it was fairly quick shipping.

The box was delivered directly to my door step since our mail box is way too small for it to fit.  The mailman was nice enough to make sure it was placed in the shade, but I'm glad that it didn't appear to be sitting out too long as it would have been a bummer for the chocolate options to have melted.  But, I guess that's a risk you take when picking items with chocolate in them during the hot, summer months.

Upon opening the box I was happy to see that all the individual snack packs were boxed well, tightly sealed and individually labeled as to what they were.  

As promised, there were 14 individual snack packs and I had a lot of fun going back through remembering what I had picked. But, I'm going to be honest, after that, I packed them back up and they just sat there for a while.  We have had our box of GoBites for roughly two weeks and there are still several packs waiting to be eaten.  Although they are the perfect size to be thrown in a purse or diaper bag and take on-the-go I tend to forget about them :(

Here is what I've tried so far and my thoughts on each:

Heart Health Mix: (pictured left) a combination of  almonds, cashews, walnuts and pumpking seeds - all lightly roasted.  Mmmmm, I absolutely loved this one as did my 2-year old and my Husband.  I'm not a fan of walnuts so those were given immediately to the Hubs (who loves them) and we shared the rest.  I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but this was my first time trying pumpkin seeds and I can definitely say that I'm a fan! This one will definitely be a pick in a future box :)

Fountain of Youth: (pictured right) a mixture of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and flax seeds.  Simple and yummy.  My Son is a huge lover of sunflower seeds so he was all over this one, and, as noted, I am now a pumpkin seed convert so this was a winner for us as well.  The Hubs did want me to note, however, that he felt these would have benefited greatly from being slightly salted.

Chocolate Monkey: (not pictured) this was the first one I grabbed on my way out the door and I hadn't yet taken pictures yet.  This was also the one I was most excited to try.  Chocolate Monkey is a blend of cashews, bananas and dark chocolate chips.  Doesn't that sound heavenly? Yeah, well, I was thoroughly disappointed :( I guess I was expecting the bananas to be your typical dehydrated bananas (sweet and crunchy) so imagine my surprise when they were dry and chewy.  When taking a handful of of mix where you got all three options the flavor was good, but I just couldn't get past the texture of the banana.  This will not be chosen in the future.

So, how do I feel about GoBites after receiving my first box?

I'm torn, to be honest.  I love the concept and many of the combinations sound great.  But, seeing as how we are two weeks in and have only consumed 3 packs so far I don't think it's the best deal for us.  Luckily, GoBites has the option to go in and change your next delivery to a future date of your choice and this is exactly what we did.  I'm not ready to completely cancel our subscription, as I think part of the issue is I need to move the snacks out of the box and into our snack shelf in the pantry, but it definitely hasn't proven to be worth the money every month for us.  Once I get the snacks moved to a more logical place and we try more combinations I'll be sure to let you know our final thoughts on our GoBites subscription.

*** All the Plum District links are affiliate links.  If you use them to set-up an account and make a purchase I will receive credit for my next purchase.  GoBites does have a referral program but only via email.  If you are interested in trying them out for yourself you can visit www.gobites.com to set-up your account.  I did not receive any sort of compensation from Plum District or GoBites for this review and all opinions are my own. ***

 

Julep Review: Intro Box

So the first box that I ordered after becoming interested in the subscription box phenomenon was the Julep Maven box.  Ok, truth be told I tried to do Birchbox first, but I was put on their infamous waiting list, so Juelp was the first box I was successful at ordering.

When I first signed up they had me fill out a profile "quiz" and at the end told me I was categorized as a Bombshell.  Um, yeah, I wasn't expecting that.  At all.  I'm a pretty simple gal so I was anticipating I would have been categorized as such.  But, I loved the colors so I wasn't complaining.  I know many people who have gone back and re-done the quiz to get a different intro box, but I was content so I didn't bother.

I placed my order on April 24, received a shipping confirmation on April 25 and received my order on April 30.  Considering there was a weekend thrown in there I was very impressed with their shipment speed!

Of course, upon receiving the box I immediately tore into as I was anxious to see what the colors looked like in person.  And, at first glance I have to say I was very impressed with what I saw.

I love the way it was all wrapped up in pretty colors making me feel as though I was a special customer or receiving a gift from someone.  And, although I already knew what was going to be inside I was still excited to go through each item piece by piece to see what they were really like :)

It's my understanding that each box contains a little "extra" surprise for you.  In this box I received the following two items:

One Step Polish Remover Pad:  I love the concept of these as I hate using a cotton ball and big bottle of nail remover.  I hate the smell and I really hate the little cotton pigments that linger behind.  I'm just curious if one pad is enough to remove the polish from both hands?

Naill File:  I have a massive pack of the flimsy Revlon emory boards that I got on a CVS special for like a penny (seriously!) so it's nice to have a bigger, solid file to use.

Now onto the real goodies!

American Beauty Volumizing Mascara:  I love, love, love trying new mascaras so I was beyond pleased to receive this as part of my box.  Then, when I read the description I squealed with excitement "Lash growth enhancement ingredients and micro-fibers are our secret weapons in this ultra-plush formula that goes to bat for thick, gorgeous lashes.  Super-fine applicator separates, conditions, and plumps up even the smallest lashes to bring them out of hiding and into big-time focus."  Um, yeah, I have what I refer to as man eyelashes (short, stubby and light colored) so I am all about everything it claims to do.    I started wearing this earlier this week and will report back how I like it after a week.

And, lastly, what Julep is known for, nail polishes.

Yumi:  (pictured on the left) is a very pretty, glittery, girly, sparkly color.  It has hints of silver and different shades of pinks/purples throughout.  

Petra:  (pictured right) is a dark maroon/red with hints of silver shimmer throughout.

Both actually photographed pretty true to their color and I am quite pleased with both of them based on how they look in the bottle.  Unfortunately, I had gotten a gel manicure right before receiving this box so I have not had the opportunity to try them yet.  But, as soon as that first piece of gel starts to peel I'm all about Yumi.  And, of course, I will report back my feelings on each after I use them ;)

So, how do I feel about Julep after receiving my introductory box? 

I'm very pleased so far.  The shipping and communication were spot on, all the products seem very high quality and there isn't anything in there that I wish were something different.  I also like that each month you can go in and choose which box you want, if you want to gift it, receive it for yourself or skip the month.  For  $19.99 a month I'm definitely going to keep this one around for a while!

Are you interested in trying out Julep for yourself? Right now you can get your first box for only the cost of shipping ($3.99).  That's a savings of $16.00 folks! Just go here and enter discount code FREEBOX.  Be sure to let me know what profile style you got and how you like it :)

*** All links are affiliate links.  If you use them to set-up your subscription I will receive a credit towards my next purchase.  But, I will love ya forever if you do AND the first time I earn enough credits for a free box I plan on using it as a giveaway! ***

Addiction Announcement

They say the first step to recovery is admitting there's a problem.  But, what if it's not a problem you want to recover from? Then do you simply admit to the addiction and move forward? I think so!

Hi, my name is Shannon and I'm addicted to subscription boxes.  Reading reviews about them.  Debating which ones to sign up for.  Searching for the best codes before taking the leap.  Texting with my Sister about them (hi Erica!).  Waiting for them to arrive in my mailbox.  Opening them to see if I'm pleased with the contents.  In short, I love them!

Truth be told I'm kinda very late to this whole game.  Apparently these bad boys have been around for quite a long time, but I just recently bit the bullet and started signing up.  Currently, I have signed up for 5; but I'm also on the waiting list for 2 and just purchased a voucher on a bargain website for another.  And, we won't even talk about the post-it note I have on my computer at all times to make notes of new ones I'm hoping to try some day.  At last update there were about 25 on there ::hangs head in shame::

And, since I love reading so many other people's reviews I thought I would take my obsession one step further and start posting reviews of my own.  Be warned, if you are looking for posts full of sunshine and roses you should probably just step away now.  If it's a great box full of great products then it will get a great review.  But, if it's a complete dud then I will speak my mind about it and sometimes I don't know how to hold back.  Just sayin'

If you're still reading then I hope you will join me on this fun filled quest of anxiously awaiting for my Mailman to arrive (who comes ridiculously late in the day by the way!) to see if he has any goodies for me to share with you about...