Julep - Hooray For May Mystery Box

Why yes, yes they are!

I got the "Hooray For May" mystery box from Julep (not part of the subscription, but an optional special edition). I'm still new to Julep - so far I've gotten one subscription box and one mystery box from them. These special boxes cost $24.99 ($5 more than a subscription box), and are supposed to contain $70-$200 worth of products. There's several versions of these boxes that they send out, and apparently if you're lucky you can get one that has more products in it than the others.

I got version 3. If anyone would like to share what they got in different versions please comment and let me know! =D

With this box you get one polish in a little bag that, according to Julep, you can either give it to a friend or keep for yourself. I'm keeping it for myself of course! This one was "Zora", a pale pink.

Then there's the other five polishes:

"Hilary" - gold-ish glittery

"Korin" - pea green

"Sheryl" - gold and sheer

"Lucy" - it was hard to tell exactly what color this was at first. It almost looks black in the bottle. When I actually put it on, it turned out to be a dark red (see last picture!)

"Glenn" - A really pretty red

I had a hard time deciding which to try first, so I went with Sheryl. It's a lot sheerer than I thought it would be, but still pretty. In the picture below, I think I ended up using three coats and it still wasn't really opaque:

That's been a couple of weeks ago, and today I decided to cut my nails and try another - I went with Lucy since I was curious what it actually looked like =P

Ignore the messiness! I don't really clean my nails up too well afterwards and the polish on my skin comes off well after a shower or two. Anyway, as you can see, it ended up being a dark red - really pretty!

This has been the third use of Julep polish for me so far, and I'm really pleased with them. They're pretty durable and with my previous two uses, I only had minor chipping by two weeks (I do use a clear top coat with them). My June box is on its way and I'm looking forward to it! =D

Box Score: 5 on 1-5 scale

Read more about Julep here!

Conscious Box May 2013

I was extra happy to get my Conscious Box this month, since I didn't get my April one! (At least they are providing me an extra month to compensate). This box was pretty heavy too, which is always exciting. =D I subscribe to the "Classic" box - they also have vegan and gluten-free subscription boxes.

They usually send a postcard with each box. (It's the flower and bee picture in the image above). Not sure if it's a random one or if everyone gets the same one each month. I don't have any use for postcards, but it's a nice touch I guess.

Box Contents:

(Note: For simplicity I've rounded them off to the nearest 25 cents)

Ultima Replenisher Health Drink packet in Lemonade - value approx $0.50

MRM Relax-All (packet of two capsules) - value approx $0.75

Orgain Healthy Kids Organic Shake in Vanilla - value approx $2

Healthy Hoohoo Feminine Cleanser packet - value approx $0.50

Earthpaste toothpaste in Wintergreen - value approx $7.50

Ecover Automatic Dishwasher tablets (2) - value approx $0.50

Somersaults Cinnamon Crunch snack - value approx $0.25

Dream Water shots (2) in Snoozeberry - value approx $6.50

BIJA tea packet in Lemon Ginger Echinacea - value approx $0.50

I also got some additional small samples (Earthpaste, Yes To Cucumbers sunscreen, and Herbamare) that I didn't think were worth trying to put an approximate value to.

There were also some coupons for things I don't really have any interest in, and I haven't been counting coupons towards the box value in my reviews.

Total Approximate Value (minus coupons): $19

Which is about what a Conscious Box costs. Not the greatest value for a subscription box, but I at least liked several things.

The kids' vanilla shake was pretty good, and had a satisfyingly rich taste for a "healthy shake" - meant for kids, but I enjoyed it =) There's adult versions of the shakes available too.

I've been using the Earthpaste fairly regularly. It's nice that it's full-sized! Not the best tasting toothpaste out there, but taste isn't exactly the most important thing about it to me.

The Dream Water came at a good time. I'd been seeing it in stores but hadn't tried it until recently. I'm currently working a ridiculously unstable schedule (NOT fun going back and forth between overnights and day shifts!), and when I try to sleep during the day, I get woken up a lot by hubby, the cats, the phone ringing, the doorbell ringing, etc. I really think this stuff works - it's a lot easier to go to sleep again when I've used one. I haven't used the MRM Relax-All capsules yet, but probably will soon because of the aforementioned reasons.

I liked the Somersaults snack a lot too. Usually cinnamon flavored things are either really sweet or have a kick to them, but these didn't, and didn't have a strong cinnamon taste to them. They were still tasty though!

Like many other subscribers I'm sure, I got a laugh out of the Healthy Hoohoo cleanser. I am not in the practice of uh, using specialized feminine cleanser, so I'm not sure if I'm going to try this out or not.

My least favorite item in here was definitely the Ecover dishwasher tablets. Ugh, they're worthless! I had to re-run the entire load because it left all kinds of food residue on my dishes (and I do rinse them off before putting them in the dishwasher). Back to using chemicals for me!

Box Score: 4

Read more about Conscious Box here!

SomethingStore (May 2013)

Well, I finally received my package from SomethingStore. I ordered on May 3 and it wasn't even shipped until May 16. Normally they don't ship until about 7 business days have passed anyway, and on their website they said they were backed up because of large numbers of orders after being on Tosh.0. I ended up getting two "somethings" for $20.

Well, here they are. A "mighty wallet" and an unidentified piece of cloth.

According to Amazon, mighty wallets retail for $15, but I certainly wouldn't pay that for one of these. They may well be unexpectedly strong, but they look and feel cheap and have very little room in them, so neither my husband or I have much use for this.

I'm assuming that this is supposed to be a scarf. There was no tag or anything on it, so I have no idea how much this retails for.

I know that SomethingStore has wildly diverse products that they send out and it's a gamble, but I just fail to be impressed at all. You can get much better stuff, and I was probably just unlucky, but next time I have a little extra money, I'll probably just open another Little Black Bag. =P Most likely I won't try SomethingStore again.

Box Score: 2.75 on a scale of 1 - 5

Read more about SomethingStore here!

POPSUGAR Must Have May 2013

POPSUGAR gives such random stuff in their boxes that it's always a little hit-or-miss, but May 2013 was just pretty awful in my opinion. I'm hoping it'll be better next month..

Box Contents:

Kooringal Giselle Mid Brim Hat - value $28
The Modern Cocktail margarita mix set - value $8
"Questions I Ask When I Want To Talk About Myself" conversation cards by Mindy Kaling - value $15
The Original Beautyblender with Blendercleanser - value $24
Pacifica Natural Color Quench Lip Tint in Guava Berry - value $9
Way Better Snacks - Sweeet Potato tortilla chips - value $1
Total Box Value: $85

They also included $30 off of a purchase at Charm & Chain. While they have some really nice jewelry, most of it is so expensive that $30 doesn't sway me to buy something that I wasn't already planning on buying.

Another "bonus" is a small POPSUGAR bag - similar to the reusable shopping bags that are popular right now (but kind of small for that usage).

I haven't found much of a use for the bag yet, and the hat went straight to my mom - I never wear hats. If you're inclined to wear a hat like this, it is bendable which is nice (if you want to wear it to begin with).

I don't drink much, but I'll probably try the margarita mix samplers out - I like margaritas now and then (just need to get the tequila!) They also included the salt which is a nice touch.

I'm probably not using the Charm & Chain card for the aforementioned reason. I probably won't be using the Beautyblender either. For one, I don't have much use for it, and then I hate the texture of it and don't really want to rub it on my face. (I'm weird about certain textures - for example, velveteen bugs the crap out of me).

One of the only two things in this box that I enjoy is the Pacifica lip tint - it's moisturizing and not a really powerful color. It's perfect to keep in my purse since I can apply it safely without a mirror, unlike lipstick =P 

The other thing I enjoyed were the "Sweeet Potato" chips (is the third "e" intentional or a typo??) However, I could barely taste any sweet potato. They were still very tasty though! I tend to enjoy "sprouted" foods.

Ugh. Sorry to any Mindy Kaling fans out there, but this is the single most annoying thing I've gotten in a POPSUGAR box (and I thought the Green Garmento bag in April was ridiculous). I find conversation cards to be kind of stupid to begin with, and these are each accompanied with a long tangent by Mindy. And these are apparently taken straight out of her book, which makes them even more pointless.

And the titles - ugh. Just ugh.

So, basically out of everything in the box, I only like two things, which were some of the cheaper items. If the June box isn't much better, I may be using my $35 towards another service...

Box Score: 3.3

Read more about POPSUGAR Must Have here!

Birchbox May 2013

Now for my review on the May 2013 Birchbox! May has been a good month for subscription boxes =)

Box Contents:

Pilot Acroball pen - value $1.50

Kerastase Bain Chroma Captive shampoo sample - value approx $5

Cargo Water Resistant Blush in Los Cabos - (not sure about the difference in sizes between the sample and the full size, so let's say half value of the full size) value approx $13

COOLA Cucumber Moisturizer/Sunscreen sample - value approx $4.50

Folle de Joie perfume sample - value approx $2

Total Box Value: $26 (I did have to estimate a few things, so probably not extremely accurate)

Even with a rough estimate, it looks like a good value for a $10 box!

I did think it was kind of bizarre for Birchbox to include a pen in the box when they offer exclusively beauty/body products. But oh well, I can always use more pens!

I like the Kerastase shampoo a lot. I got the one for color treated hair (which I have) and even without pairing it with a conditioner it doesn't leave my hair too frizzy or dry. Full size is pretty expensive though  ($39!), so unless I really rack up the Birchbox points I probably won't be getting it.

The Cargo blush was okay, but I don't have much use for water resistant blush and it's a bit bright for me - if I use a light hand it's not too bad, but not my style.

The COOLA moisturizer/sunscreen was okay. It's still a tad heavy/greasy for me to want to use it as a moisturizer on a daily basis, but it's not anywhere near as bad as a regular sunscreen. Definitely has a better smell than a regular sunscreen too. So many other moisturizers (as well as BB/CC cream) that I like better have SPF protection too, so I probably won't be purchasing this one.

Like I've said before, I'm a fiend for perfumes, so I love the Folle de Joie sample! It's light and fresh but also has staying power. Full size is $98, but when I get some more Birchbox points I think I will have to get it! Oh, and an interesting Editor's Tip from the Birchbox site: "After spritzing, be sure not to rub your wrists together, as doing so will bruise the scent". Either I've been doing perfume wrong for years, or apparently this is one delicate perfume - I've never heard of scents "bruising".

Total Box Score: 5

Read more about Birchbox here!

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2013

This was my first ipsy bag, and I have to say I'm impressed! I love that they send your items in a different reusable makeup bag every month. Of course, if you subscribe for very long, you're going to build quite a collection, but they're good for gifting as well.

Bag Contents:

yaby concealer refill in "Vanilla" - value $5

Zoya nail polish in "GeiGei" (light shimmery pink) - value $8

Pacifica roll-on perfume in Tahitian Gardenia - value $12

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel - value - not full-sized, and full size is $22, so let's say $11

Mirabella lipstick in "Daydream" (light pink) - value $22

Total Bag Value - $58

Pretty nice for a $10 bag! And I should be able to get some use out of everything in it.

Some people who had successful referrals and/or were a frequent contributor to ipsy's website also got a bonus Urban Decay eyeshadow.

I've decided not to include coupons in the bag value, but I also got a coupon for $110 off at NuMe - I don't think it can go towards shipping cost, and you can only use it for certain things, but it still seems like a good deal - I could use some new styling equipment, so I'll probably be using it.

My favorite so far is probably the Pacifica perfume - I'm a sucker for perfume anyway, and I love the gardenia scent. Some people who got the perfume got a vanilla scent, so I'm glad I got what I did - I generally don't care for vanilla scents.

With all my Julep polishes that I've gotten in, I haven't tried the Zoya polish yet. I've heard really good things about them, though, and I love the color!

The Mirabella lipstick is very nice too - I like lighter pink colors, and it feels really smooth and moisturizing going on.

May 2013 Bag Score: 5 on 1-5 scale

Read more about ipsy here!

Diamond Candles May 2013

I got my shipment of Diamond Candles the other day!

As you can see, I got "Strawberry Bliss" and "Dusk". Strawberry Bliss is kind of self-explanatory, and Dusk smells like men's cologne. I've started burning both, and really like both of them so far (though hubby begs to differ). I don't think I've gotten soy candles before, so that's new to me too.

And there's the foil packets containing my rings - can't wait to see what I got! For 21 oz soy candles that are supposed to contain a ring worth at least $10, $24.95 per candle is a pretty sweet deal.

I'll update the review page once I've gotten my rings out!

Read more about Diamond Candles here.