Unboxing – Kira Kira Crate June 2018

Hello, Interwebz!  It’s time for a post that I thought I already did!  I was preparing to do the unboxing post for my July 2018 Kira Kira Crate and realized that I never did the unboxing post for June.  Whoops!  So, let’s get to it.

June’s box contained quite a few items that I couldn’t wait to try, but mostly items that I have to wait to try.  Womp, womp, womp!

I was surprised to get a giant bottle of peppermint toner, but I am worried that it might be too strong on my face.  Now that my eczema and acne are clearing up, I think I can start trying to use it soon, though.

I have used the nose brush, which I thought was pretty unique.  When washing your face, you are supposed to use the brush to get in the weird angles of your nose and really scrub out all the gunk.  I didn’t feel like it was doing anything other than irritating the skin around my nose, so I only used it once or twice.  The mask looks super luxurious, but my skin goals right now are just to clean and calm.  So, I will be gifting this mask to my sister as a little treat when I see her next.

Then, there is also lemon skin oil and hair pads for reducing static.  These are all things that I can use, but haven’t used yet.  The body oil will wait until it’s a bit drier outside.  I want to really test it to see how it works then, as opposed to when it’s 100 degrees F with 40% humidity.  I could use the hair static things all day every day, which means that I haven’t used them yet.  I guess I’m waiting until I meet the Queen of England or something.  The Little Twin Stars blotting papers are so cute that I don’t even want to use them!  I want to wallpaper my bedroom walls with them, but my husband would get creeped out.  My walls wouldn’t be oily, though.

Wow, that was a quick unboxing!  Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought about them.  Aren’t Twin Stars just the cutest?  Do you think a brush is the best way to wash and exfoliate around your nose?  When do you most want to remove the static from your hair?  Let me know in the comments below and thanks for reading!

Unboxing – June Ipsy

I debated doing a post on this since there was some controversy around Ipsy last month. I didn’t hear about it until after I got the shipment, though. So, just a quick summary and we’re good to go!

I really do look forward to my Ipsy packages! The mailers are pretty and I like the products that they’ve picked for me so far. The little blue makeup bag is sturdy and cute! I can’t organize enough, so they’re always handy. Getting two masks in one package was pretty exciting! They are both from The Saem, a Korean skincare company. One is apple for smoothing and brightening. The other is a acai berry and is to moisturize and firm skin. This time, I found my Luxie small shader before I tossed the packaging into recycling. Now that my skin is starting to clear up, I’m looking forward to learning how to do makeup like an adult!

I guess now’s a good time to talk about the makeup from this package. The K Voss macaroon lip balm smells good, but not particularly macaroony. I usually don’t like lip balms in tubs either, but I guess I can keep this in the bathroom so that I can wash my hands before each use. I also got some M.A.C. Lipglass that I can take with me on the go! The color name is Nymphette, but the color just looks like a shiny copper. I guess Nymphette sounds more interesting than “shiny copper”. Other than the skincare masks, I’m most excited to try the Pretty Woman nail polish in Vacay (aka very pale pinky cream). Pretty Woman polish is supposed to guarantee no chipping, cracking, fading, or peeling for up to 10 days. We shall see. Either way, I think this is a perfect light color for the summer and will polish the heck outta my nails with this!

So, that’s the quick breakdown of what came in my June Ipsy package. Have you tried any of these products before? Did you like them? What do you think macaroons smell like? Let me know in the comments below! Also, I started a YouTube channel. So, make sure to check out scarletloser on the YouTubes and let me know what kinds of videos you’d like to see. Thanks for reading!

Unboxing – Love With Food May

Hello, Interwebz! As I type this, I am listening to The Indicator episode about delayed gratification and am trying to figure out if I will be successful in life. I used to tear into these Love With Food boxes immediately, but now that I write about them, I wait for weeks to open them. If you’ve ever wanted to try the snack box that also donates meals to food banks, then now is a great time. The semi-annual snack sale is going on through June 30, 2018!

This month’s theme is Thrive. It’s a reminder to “not just live, but thrive!” The box flyer also reminds us to be thankful to the people who help us thrive.

As for the contents of the box:

• (TRUWOMEN) You’re Mocha Me Cocoa Protein Powder – Haven’t tried this yet, but you mix it with water for a chocolately protein drink.
• (You Love Fruit) Fruit Leather – Yummy, but hard to eat.  They are multiple thin slices of fruit (mine was mango) that you peel off a piece of paper and eat separately.  They were so thin that I couldn’t really chew them and they stuck to my teeth.  Delicious, though!
• (Stoneridge Orchards) Montmorency Cherries – These cherries are huge!  They are dried and taste like cherries instead of sugar, so that’s good.  I like them alone, in a homemade mixture of dried fruit and almonds, or added to my yogurt.  They would probably be good added in anything and everything.  Chocolate chip cherry cookies, anyone?

• (MadeGood) Vanilla Crispy Square – I was most surprised by this item.  It is a big puffed rice cereal square with no gelatin/marshmallow in sight.  Seeing as I looooove marshmallows, but I do not eat gelatin, these are absolute heaven for me!  Not as sweet as a typical puffed rice treat either.
• (Ruger) XOXO Mini Wafer – Kinda like having a shot of cookie instead of a shot of vodka
• (Salty Road) Passion Fruit Salt Water Taffy – Haven’t tried this yet, but I have had this company’s other taffy flavors in other boxes and they were soft and tasty!

• (Bacon’s Heir) Pork Clouds – I’m vegetarian and did not eat these.  I’ve had them in boxes before and gave them to my husband, who though they were good and interesting.  This time, I gave them to a coworker who has yet to eat them.

So, that’s it for my May snacking box.  Maybe I’ll be extra motivated and review my June snacking box in June!  As mentioned earlier, the Semi-Annual Snack Sale is going on right now at Love With Food.  If you use code “SASS18” when you buy a plan for at least six months, you can get $10 off and a free box worth $20!

***I am not affiliated with Love With Food and will not get anything from this promotion.  I just enjoy the company’s items and what they support.***

Let me know if you do try Love With Food and what you think about the subscription boxes.  Let me know what you think of any of the snacks you buy on the site too.  Do you subscribe to any other subscription snack boxes?  Would you recommend them?

If you love free stuff, make sure not to miss any of my upcoming blogs.  I will be announcing a giveaway soon from another company that I love.  In the meantime, thanks for reading!

Unboxing- Kira Kira Crate April/May 2018

This week, I got my May Kira Kira Crate. They are shipped from Japan to the U.S., so they take a month to get here. I still hadn’t opened my box from April! So, I decided to combine the unboxings.

Kira Kira Crates are subscription boxes from Japan filled with Asian skin, hygiene, and beauty products. Some of these products are available in stores in the U.S., but others are exclusive to Asia. My husband gave me a three-month subscription for Valentine’s Day, so May is my last box. My birthday is coming up, though, so I may request a renewal!

Apparently, the May box itself is different from April. I wonder if that’s because of the change of seasons. Both are pretty and will be put to good use.

April 2018 Box – April’s theme is Head To Toe. The box includes items to use to pamper yourself from head to toe!

https://flic.kr/p/25r954p

Mellsavon Hand Wash – This natural foaming hand wash is made in Japan with natural oils like kudzu and thyme. The scent is supposed to be mellow, so I’m hoping it will be okay on my hands. If not, my husband will gladly use it.

Point Make Up Remover – Designed in Japan and made in China, the box says it is a makeup remover pencil from Art Collection Tokyo. The writing on the package is in Japanese, but the writing on the pen is in English. I believe I saw one of the beauty vloggers on YouTube buy this in a video recently. The pen allows you to spot fix makeup mishaps like smeared mascara or eyeliner smudges. Looks like it’ll be pretty handy.

IE Spa Gold Foil Pack – When I showed this to my husband, he said, “Oh dang! You, too, can become a Hydra officer with this mask!” The mask is Japanese, but was made in Korea. The mask is infused with gold extract (is that a thing???), which is supposed to be good for keeping the collagen and elasticity that naturally occur in skin.

Onset Bath Salt – This was made in Japan and is supposed to contain ingredients you would find naturally in a Japanese hot spring that help with muscle soreness. There are 12 varieties, but I got the pink kind. Based on the picture, it might be a Sakura scent.

Rilakkuma Handcream – This hand cream was made in China. The only bit of English is on the front and says, “I’m always feeling relaxed.” Well, little Chinese bear hand cream, I can definitely use some relaxation! Rilakkuma is pineapple-scented and the other Korilakkuma (the one I didn’t get) has a rose scent. Rilakkuma is the perfect size for my purse, so she will be coming with me while I run errands or go to work!

Foot Therapy Sheet (Woody Lavender) – These are a prettier version of the foot pads that you’ve probably seen on t.v. You put them on the soles of your feet and they supposedly remove toxins through your feet. I have seen reports that say they do not really remove toxins, but can help your feet smell better. These are designed specifically to use overnight to improve your feet’s texture and the lavender scent should help me sleep!

May 2018 Box – Now, this is what I’m talkin’ ’bout! Cozy Night In is this month’s themes. Relax and destress before drifting off to sleep. Can do!

https://flic.kr/p/25HbUfJ

Hot Eye Mask – This mask was made in China and should make you look like a polar bear when you wear it. (Instagram, here I come!) This mask smells like lavender and should help my tired eyes look awake 👀

Black & Shiny Eyeliner – This is from Mio Piccolo Tokyo and looks like it was packaged by the same company as April’s makeup remover pencil. I’ve never been able to put on eyeliner so the eraser pencil should come in handy when I bust out this eyeliner pencil. The color is Metallic Black, so I wonder how much shimmer is really in it and how much the eraser will fix.

Honey Lemon Bath Tablets – These are made in Japan and I really thought they were candy. There are tiny tablets that look like candy and some orange sandy stuff that looks like colored sugar. The flyer says this mixture will fight acne and aging while others tightening my pores and refreshing my skin. That makes me think I may need to use this on my face instead of body. I’m looking forward to figuring out how well it works on the pores on my body, ha!

Mosaics Oil Milk – The Japanese oil milk has me the most excited! There are cute animals all over the box. The flyer says it contains cactus oil to hydrate my skin. I am all for opening up this adorable bottle and getting hydrated!

Paper Soap – I haven’t used paper soap since I was a kid. This is what Asians used before hand sanitizer became hip and cool. I got the mint paper soap and am excited to bust out my paper and start lathering up in public instead of slumming it with pink soap.

Organic Mask – From Japan and made in Korea, I have high hopes for this mask. It contains royal jelly, hyaluronic acid, chamomile, and collagen, all of which are great for moisturizing your skin and restoring elasticity. I’m not sure if the hyaluronic acid will bother my eczema. Collagen is the fourth ingredient and aloe gel is the sixth, so, I’m not anticipating any problems.

Have you tried Kira Kira Crate or any of the items listed above? Do you like Asian beauty products? If so, tell me where you buy them so I can hunt for them too. Thanks for reading!

Unboxing – Love With Food April Box

Hey there, friends! You may have recently heard that I was so far behind on material for my blogs that I’m posting more often to catch up a bit. Nowhere is this more applicable than my subscription boxes. Normally, I rip into them and start using everything immediately. Since I started saving the boxes for these posts, I am now two months behind! That is a lot of wasted willpower that I could have used on saving the world or doing laundry or something. So, let’s get to April’s Love With Food box!

April’s box was the Transform Tasting Box and was meant to help you transform into healthier and better eating. The box came with a flyer to explain this, along with a few coupons for the food featured in the box and some other websites.

TRUWOMEN Plant Fueled Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Protein Bar – The glazed donut bar was in the March box and was pretty good. It was slightly sweet, but didn’t taste like a glazed donut. I’ll save this one for when my blood sugar suddenly drops (during PMS or extremely hot days). Protein bars tend to make my stomach hurt, leave a bad taste in my mouth, and cause me bathroom problems. Didn’t have any of those issues with the glazed donut bar, so I’m assuming I won’t have any problems with this one either.

Avenue Sweets Apple Caramels – I’ve had these before too and love them! They taste like caramel apples, but are slightly easier to eat.

JanaBanana Banana Bar with Peanut Butter – I’m always hesitant about these healthy banana bars. They usually taste like blackened bananas and are sickly sweet. Since these are made of more than bananas, maybe they won’t be so bad.
Torie & Howard Fruitie Chewies – I’ve had these before and they are good. They taste like a more fruity Starburst and are nice little candy when you want a bit of something sweet.

Watusee Foods Popped Caramel Sea Salt Chickpeatos – I tried these the day that I opened the box and had no idea what to expect. They are the crunchy and airy consistency of puffed cheese balls and have a general savory and salty flavor followed with a hint of caramel and salt flavor. They don’t genuinely taste like caramel, but make you feel like you just finished eating something caramel. A 100 calorie serving has 3 g protein, 3 g fiber, and 4 g fat. I stress ate them for the crunch, but I wouldn’t grab these as a genuine snack. I wouldn’t turn them away if offered, but I won’t be actively seeking them out to buy.

Mrs. Thinster’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Thins – I had the vanilla cookie thins before and they were amazing! So, I’m kinda waiting to eat these when I need a sugary snack at work to either celebrate something exciting or to keep me from yelling profanities at someone. These cookies are thin and buttery and melt in your mouth. The only complaint that I have is the oil they leave on your fingers because it reminds you that there are no more cookies.

Westminster Cracker Co Oyster Crackers – These were the only savory snacks in the box. I tend to eat oyster crackers in soup or salad and haven’t tried these yet. They seem pretty basic with only a few ingredients, which is always a good thing.

The best part of these boxes actually isn’t inside of them. For every purchase, a portion of proceeds go towards helping fight childhood hunger around the world. The company regularly donates to Feeding America and The Global Food Banking Network. If you’d like to try Love With Food to get some tasty treats while helping these lovely organizations, use my referral link to get 50% of your first box!