Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Goose Creek is one of my favorite lesser-known candle companies. They release collections every season and do collabs with things like Strawberry Shortcake and Candy Land. Granted they're online only so doing a sniff test to some of these is not a thing. Their prices are affordable, and the burn quality is smooth. The scent throw is definitely there to throw. Both their candles and wax melts are definitely worth their prices, they also run frequent sales.
I don't know why I stopped posting my hauls, especially my candle hauls but I really should start again.
I burned Canteen Hot Cocoa pretty much for all of December and it lasted me the majority of the month.
Prominent scent notes:
Milk Chocolate, Warm Fudge, Fluffy Marshmallows, Whipped Cream & Vanilla
Canteen Hot Cocoa definitely had a chocolate scent which was the main scent being thrown. I couldn't detect much of the marshmallows but the whipped cream or a creamy-ness was there. The scent was strong enough to fill the whole apartment despite the candle only being lit in the office.
For the price this is worth a shot. Not to mention how cute is this candle label. I might be a little biased because I'm a sucker for watercolor anything, but I just loved looking at this candle on my desk!
If you're into chocolate scented candles I'd suggest checking out some of their other scents. With Valentine's Day coming up I'm sure they'll be releasing a lot more of the same theme!
It's really no secret I'm a sucker for Bath & Body Works lemon scented candles so of course I had to pick up Sugared Lemonade just to see how it would stack up against other lemon scents.
Fresh Lemon Juice, Sugar Crystals and Crushed Ice.
Not sure what Crushed Ice is suppose to smell like. But nah didn't detect that one in this candle. The lemon wasn't as strong as I expected it would be and stacked up against the other B&BW lemon candles I did like this one enough to buy another one. I low key expected this to smell almost like lemonade but that might had been a bit unrealistic. While the lemon isn't as strong as I'd like it to be, it's still a really nice soft citrus scent. If you're into that or aromatherapy with citrus scents then yeah 4/5 would recommend.
It's no secret that I love scents that just scream Spring Refresh to me, especially since I'm not a huge fan of Winter to begin with and this one was a perfect balance of being in-between seasons.
Hoping to pick this one up again if they ever re-release it in the future!
Did you pick this one up?
*this post contains links that help support this blog through commission at no extra cost to you
I'm one of those people who just couldn't find a wax melt from Scentsy that I liked. All the ones I had chosen previously were too strong and actually caused headaches (which never happens). So I'm pretty picky and hesitant about a few scents from Scentsy since some can be a little too much. And without being able to sniff them before buying, you're relying on the listed scent notes.
Someone on Instagram suggested I try Scentsy's Squeeze The Day; I'm a sucker for citrus scents as it is, they massively help when I have anxiety especially at night so I tend to melt a lot of citrus scents during bed time if my chest dubstep is going extra dubby. I tend to light lots of citrus scents through out the day in the kitchen as well, but I'm finding lately that candle scents I usually light (at least from Bath & Body Works) don't perform as well as they use to.
This one however smells like a straight up Starburst. It kinda makes my mouth water when it's melting. I don't even know the last time I had a Starburst but I think I might have to get some. The throw is strong but the scent isn't too strong that it can cause nausea and headaches. It's almost like lemon and vanilla cake. There's an extra hint of something else there that's making this balance work. One cube is usually enough for my bedroom, but for a much more open space either a cube and a half to two cubes (depending on how you want your throw) would be perfect.
The last order I made I ended up getting 3 of these as backups because I go through them so fast! I absolutely love this scent. I'm hoping to try out more citrus scents from them; I actually have Rainbow Sorbet (which was also suggested to me) on the way, so I'm hoping it has the same kind of citrus notes.
I recently signed up to be a Scentsy rep (I'm really just here for the Disney products because they're actually fire. Of all the Disney wax melts they've released in the last year there's only one I really don't like -- reviews on the others coming soon either here or on my Disney blog). If you're interested in trying out Squeeze The Day my current launch party runs until June 1st!
Join my launch party, look around, grab a drink and kick back!
Have you tried Scentsy? What's one of your favorite scents?
I'm always up to test new ones! Let me know in the comments below! And if you haven't, what's your favorite type of fragrance family?
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Trader Joe's comes out with the most interesting products, though it feels like it's mostly in the summer or the Holiday season.
This spring they came out with Mood Odyssey Aromatherapy set.
I was drawn to the pretty purple box as well as the types of scents that it contained.
The set comes with 4 oils. Each 0.33 FL OZ but it feels like there's way more than that, like this set could last a whole year even if you used it every day.
With 4 different scents, they've pretty much got you covered.
Unfortunately there isn't a list of scent notes to refer to, but there is an ingredients list on the back. And yes, they have their scientific name as well as their normal name (Thanks Trader Joe's! Always looking out).
I've so far used Awake, Bliss and Relax.
I've used several different types of lavender oils but there's something happy about this kind. I don't know how to explain it but I love using these for pretty much everything.
Awake has a scent like nothing I've used before. While there is your typical citrus based scents, there's also something else that really gives it a kick!
Bliss is such a happy scent, I don't really know how else to describe it. It def puts me in a better mood, I wish these came in like room sprays or something because that would def help my anxious ass out.
Relax has notes of lavender in it for sure. And while it's still lavender it's also not. The lavender in this smells like a field of flowers that you're just running in! It's not that core strong lavender scent that most other products have (nothing wrong with that, just saying this one is a little more softer) but it still packs a serious relax yo ass punch!
These rollerballs are great and like I said -- I use them pretty frequently. I'm hoping that TJ's might come out with more blends in the future!
LUSH Mermaid Tail Bubble Bar
Mermaid Tail from LUSH was one of the many bubble bars "Tums" got me for Mother's Day. I LOVED this bubble bar! The only thing is that the tail takes up a lot of space and so if you're trying to cut this one in half it's a little challenging. I didn't bother so I ended up just using the whole bar which I'm pretty sad about cause it was so pretty (I somehow forgot to snap a pic of my bath art)!
LUSH describes this bubble bar as;
The human world is a mess. Get away from it all with our undersea wonder, Mermaid Tail. This two-in-one bathing buddy combines a softening, silky bath oil with one of our classic bubble bars. Choose your own adventure: you can snap off the top for a dreamy, creamy bath to soothe dry skin and tired limbs; you can crumble the base beneath running water for sky-high bubbles; or you can combine them together for buttery, bubbly bliss. Meanwhile, the sweet citrusy scents of lemon myrtle and grapefruit oils will boost your mood, while a dose of heady ylang ylang keeps you grounded. No matter what you choose, wouldn't you say your collection's complete?
There wasn't really any problems with me and the glitter this product had... and I recently discovered I hate glitter in my bath products!
I'm a sucker for citrus scents, always! So this one was one that I also really liked scent-wise. I always find citrus scents to be so calming and I recently found out that it's perfect for anxiety aromatherapy! I just wish the scent was a little bit stronger with the bubble bars.
Other than that, I am finding LUSH's new products ARE becoming more moisturizing and I'm living for this considering I forget to put on lotion ALL THE TIME. Don't ask, I don't know why.
Hoping this bubble bar sticks around for a bit longer so I can grab another one!
Have you tried LUSH Mermaid Tail? If not, what's your favorite LUSH bubble bar?
Whaaaat I'm writing a review?! When was the last time I did that?!
Please don't answer that lol.
I realize that since I've sort of kind of stopped blogging I've fallen in love with a ton of different products (but sadly, not books. Last book I fell in love with was A Court of Mist and Fury and that was in 2017, sad, I freakin know) but haven't mentioned/talked about/reviewed them and if you know me you know that's not how I work.
I've seen the Expressie by Essie brand around, mostly at Target and always just passed by them. Well, sometimes the husband doesn't come with me in Target if the baby is asleep in the car sooo this was one of those days lol. I picked up the last two in the photo (I'll edit this once I remember their names, sorry) and ordered the first one off of Ulta (Afterpay is the death of my bank account).
As a new mom who only has a window of maybe 2-3 hours a day to herself you're gonna need to utilize that time (or what's left of it after you're done cleaning) as best as possible (I edit pictures at 3am when I wake up to make her another bottle, I haven't had a full nights sleep in a year and a half ya'll)! I was a little iffy about this actually being quick dry cause even with my favorite "fast drying" top coat my nail polish doesn't exactly dry quickly. And a polish without the top coat? I don't know man.
Well I'm here to tell you THIS IS QUICK DRYING. I applied it during my bubble bath and scrolled through Pinterest and IG for awhile (cause you know, not much you can do in the bath or while your nails are wet) and I noticed they dried pretty quickly. Like solid smooth dry. Not sort of dry or even mostly dry. It was completely dry. I don't know exactly how long since I didn't time it (I should and I'll update this when I do), but it was at least within half an hour!
I'm absolutely impressed with this line from Essie, I just wish they had more shades. There's a good range of shades to choose from now but I'm hoping for some dusty vibes for Fall!
Have you ever tried these? What's your favorite shade? What other "fast drying" polishes should I try? I'm currently obsessed.
I love LUSH seasonal products!
Halloween and Fall is one of my favorite times of the year so of course I was psyched to pick up some of the Halloween LUSH products!
I was really excited about Bewitched because of the scent notes and LOOK. HOW. CUTE!
I never really went back and talked about my experience with moving from state to state and with using a moving company.
I was just... really really upset with the outcome and the experience that beyond writing a review on Yelp, I didn't really want to talk about it.
But since it's coming around to that time of the year where I'm getting ready to move again, I figured I'd go back and talk about this.
Moving state to state is hard. Especially when you literally don't know what you're doing. Bubba helped me find a moving company and I had done some searches on Google and on Yelp; but PICKING one is the hardest part. These days it seems like reviews can be more hurtful than helpful and filtering out the reviews that are straight up complaints is hard.
I had a few leads and it came down to two.
When I was contacted by Coast to Coast Moving I was contacted by "Taylor" he break down the cost details and he broke down what the process was like he also stated that they were listed on a website called "Andrea's Choice" which was suppose to make them more "reputable" I guess. After going over inventory for days and finalizing it he quoted me with $1700. Assured me there was going to be no hidden extra charges and $1700 was all I had to come up with.
Here's the part that threw me off; I would call and ask a million questions just to make sure I understood everything COMPLETELY. Had him send emails with proof of the conversation. There was a time I had a question the Sunday before my move and so I called as he stated his phone was always open for questions and he threw out "as you can see it's my day off and I'm still answering my phone for questions." as if it was something he should be applauded for. He seemed like an okay guy who knew his stuff... until I handed over the deposit and it seemed almost instantly like his entire vibe and attitude had changed.
I didn't get into contact with him after that, I was passed on to someone else who would be handling my move. Someone else who even with the finalized inventory sheet "in front of them" had an incomplete list. So once again, I had to spend time fixing this damn list. He tried charging me extra and when I had protested that Taylor promised it would only be $1700 he "went to talk to his manager" and they "managed to cut me some deals" in order to keep my $1700 quote. On top of this, I had to exclude even MORE stuff.
When the pick up people got here, they were really not friendly at all. They moved stuff and worked very quickly. Didn't ask questions or say anything at all really. By the time they left I had to leave behind pretty much all of my living room furniture. The only things I brought with me were: my bed, my computer chair, one bookcase, my nightstand and my floor lamp. And since they "had to" pack my smaller boxes into a bigger box they charged me an extra $200 for it. Which was ridiculous as I didn't ask them to nor did they ask if it was okay. Boxes marked with "fragile" were completely ignored. Thank goodness I packed everything valuable with blankets. Not to mention that I noticed the paperwork said Unique Vanlines.
After all that time of Taylor bad mouthing brokers look who they are. SURPRISE, I guess.
Instead of the 10 days they said it would take for them to get my things to me, it took them 2 weeks. When it got passed the 10 days, when I'd call I would either get no answer or "they were unable to get into contact with anyone."
When they finally did come to drop my things back off the driver (I suppose) doing the paperwork had me lead him to my apartment to finish filling out the rest of the paperwork.
He very calmly, as if it were normal, told me he would have to charge me ANOTHER additional $150 because the location was over 75 feet away from the truck. I live in apartment complex. With an elevator. THE FUCK YOU MEAN OVER 75 FT FROM THE FUCKIN TRUCK.
I told him I didn't have that; he stated "I can continue to move your stuff into your apartment while you run to the bank if you have to."
1) No bitch, I mean I don't have that PERIOD because your bitch ass people quoted me $1700 which they PROMISED was all I had to pay. 2) THE FUCK YOU MEAN, I'm not leaving strangers in my apartment who already seem sketchy as fuck.
Frustrated and pretty much crying from how stressful this all is suddenly I went downstairs to the property manager and told her what was happening and if I could borrow a storage unit to try and eliminate some of the "steps". She was PISSED. And she went out there and yelled at the guy the whole elevator ride up to the storage unit to which he pretty much called us "stupid girls" and said it was "my fault" for "not reading the agreement" when I READ THE SHIT over and over again. I CALLED and verified HOW MUCH MONEY I NEEDED. I was SO ANGRY. DO NOT make me out to be some irresponsible chick just because you want to scam somebody then get mad when you're called out. He had the audacity to spew out more negativity before yelling down the hall way "fine, whatever, I'll work for free." Take that up with your sender, not me bud.
He ended up taking my stuff to my apartment "for free" by THROWING my boxes into the elevator. Didn't give a damn if they were marked fragile. As you can see the condition of my boxes in the photo above. Not just that, but had the nerve to ask if a piece they brought up was mine. ISNT THAT WHAT THE INVENTORY SHEET IS FOR?! They offered to put my bed together to which I declined and waited for them to leave. I handed them the money orders and slammed the door.
Then I curled up and cried and was so damn over the day that it wasn't even funny anymore.
Bubba came after work to help me unpack. He brought me food. And once most of the boxes were unpacked he shoo'd me off to take a hot bath while he and Sophie went to put the bed together.
It wasn't after all the boxes were put up that I realized I was missing a box full of makeup AND my floor lamp. I called to claim it and they told me to send an email. TO A GMAIL ACCOUNT. Once they "investigated" to which they said that they checked with all the others who shared the truck space and couldn't find my box OR floor lamp (THE WHOLE THING) they directed me to make a claim and when I did citing the cost lost they said they could only go off of weight to which the would only be able to reimburst me $150 because I didn't have insurance WHICH I SWEAR I FUCKIN DID.
There are just so many damn loopholes and so much scamming that is being done with this company and if other companies ARENT like this I feel bad for them. Other companies make people like me hesitant to ever want to hire any moving company ever again.
This entire experience was seriously ridiculous. I honestly wish I had gone with someone else, and even with research done it sucks that you can never be too sure if the reviews posted are legit or fake. After I had posted my review on Yelp, more negative reviews started coming on and with stories FAR WORSE than mine. It's insane that this company is still in business!
I was just... really really upset with the outcome and the experience that beyond writing a review on Yelp, I didn't really want to talk about it.
But since it's coming around to that time of the year where I'm getting ready to move again, I figured I'd go back and talk about this.
Moving state to state is hard. Especially when you literally don't know what you're doing. Bubba helped me find a moving company and I had done some searches on Google and on Yelp; but PICKING one is the hardest part. These days it seems like reviews can be more hurtful than helpful and filtering out the reviews that are straight up complaints is hard.
I had a few leads and it came down to two.
When I was contacted by Coast to Coast Moving I was contacted by "Taylor" he break down the cost details and he broke down what the process was like he also stated that they were listed on a website called "Andrea's Choice" which was suppose to make them more "reputable" I guess. After going over inventory for days and finalizing it he quoted me with $1700. Assured me there was going to be no hidden extra charges and $1700 was all I had to come up with.
Here's the part that threw me off; I would call and ask a million questions just to make sure I understood everything COMPLETELY. Had him send emails with proof of the conversation. There was a time I had a question the Sunday before my move and so I called as he stated his phone was always open for questions and he threw out "as you can see it's my day off and I'm still answering my phone for questions." as if it was something he should be applauded for. He seemed like an okay guy who knew his stuff... until I handed over the deposit and it seemed almost instantly like his entire vibe and attitude had changed.
I didn't get into contact with him after that, I was passed on to someone else who would be handling my move. Someone else who even with the finalized inventory sheet "in front of them" had an incomplete list. So once again, I had to spend time fixing this damn list. He tried charging me extra and when I had protested that Taylor promised it would only be $1700 he "went to talk to his manager" and they "managed to cut me some deals" in order to keep my $1700 quote. On top of this, I had to exclude even MORE stuff.
When the pick up people got here, they were really not friendly at all. They moved stuff and worked very quickly. Didn't ask questions or say anything at all really. By the time they left I had to leave behind pretty much all of my living room furniture. The only things I brought with me were: my bed, my computer chair, one bookcase, my nightstand and my floor lamp. And since they "had to" pack my smaller boxes into a bigger box they charged me an extra $200 for it. Which was ridiculous as I didn't ask them to nor did they ask if it was okay. Boxes marked with "fragile" were completely ignored. Thank goodness I packed everything valuable with blankets. Not to mention that I noticed the paperwork said Unique Vanlines.
After all that time of Taylor bad mouthing brokers look who they are. SURPRISE, I guess.
Instead of the 10 days they said it would take for them to get my things to me, it took them 2 weeks. When it got passed the 10 days, when I'd call I would either get no answer or "they were unable to get into contact with anyone."
When they finally did come to drop my things back off the driver (I suppose) doing the paperwork had me lead him to my apartment to finish filling out the rest of the paperwork.
He very calmly, as if it were normal, told me he would have to charge me ANOTHER additional $150 because the location was over 75 feet away from the truck. I live in apartment complex. With an elevator. THE FUCK YOU MEAN OVER 75 FT FROM THE FUCKIN TRUCK.
I told him I didn't have that; he stated "I can continue to move your stuff into your apartment while you run to the bank if you have to."
1) No bitch, I mean I don't have that PERIOD because your bitch ass people quoted me $1700 which they PROMISED was all I had to pay. 2) THE FUCK YOU MEAN, I'm not leaving strangers in my apartment who already seem sketchy as fuck.
Frustrated and pretty much crying from how stressful this all is suddenly I went downstairs to the property manager and told her what was happening and if I could borrow a storage unit to try and eliminate some of the "steps". She was PISSED. And she went out there and yelled at the guy the whole elevator ride up to the storage unit to which he pretty much called us "stupid girls" and said it was "my fault" for "not reading the agreement" when I READ THE SHIT over and over again. I CALLED and verified HOW MUCH MONEY I NEEDED. I was SO ANGRY. DO NOT make me out to be some irresponsible chick just because you want to scam somebody then get mad when you're called out. He had the audacity to spew out more negativity before yelling down the hall way "fine, whatever, I'll work for free." Take that up with your sender, not me bud.
He ended up taking my stuff to my apartment "for free" by THROWING my boxes into the elevator. Didn't give a damn if they were marked fragile. As you can see the condition of my boxes in the photo above. Not just that, but had the nerve to ask if a piece they brought up was mine. ISNT THAT WHAT THE INVENTORY SHEET IS FOR?! They offered to put my bed together to which I declined and waited for them to leave. I handed them the money orders and slammed the door.
Then I curled up and cried and was so damn over the day that it wasn't even funny anymore.
Bubba came after work to help me unpack. He brought me food. And once most of the boxes were unpacked he shoo'd me off to take a hot bath while he and Sophie went to put the bed together.
It wasn't after all the boxes were put up that I realized I was missing a box full of makeup AND my floor lamp. I called to claim it and they told me to send an email. TO A GMAIL ACCOUNT. Once they "investigated" to which they said that they checked with all the others who shared the truck space and couldn't find my box OR floor lamp (THE WHOLE THING) they directed me to make a claim and when I did citing the cost lost they said they could only go off of weight to which the would only be able to reimburst me $150 because I didn't have insurance WHICH I SWEAR I FUCKIN DID.
There are just so many damn loopholes and so much scamming that is being done with this company and if other companies ARENT like this I feel bad for them. Other companies make people like me hesitant to ever want to hire any moving company ever again.
This entire experience was seriously ridiculous. I honestly wish I had gone with someone else, and even with research done it sucks that you can never be too sure if the reviews posted are legit or fake. After I had posted my review on Yelp, more negative reviews started coming on and with stories FAR WORSE than mine. It's insane that this company is still in business!
I have a hard time sleeping. I always have, since around 2004. I literally can not fall asleep on my own, ever. And since 2004 I've been taking various types of sleeping aids. I've never gone to get this checked of figured out why, it never occurred to me this was a legit problem until recently if I'm being honest.
But for the last year or two I've been looking into other, more natural ways to fall asleep. I also struggle with anxiety, especially at night and I'm not 100% sure if the two are related but I discovered my love for the scent lavender and my love for oils some time last year. Both have helped me in relaxing and depending on the day sometimes they can even make me drowsy, but not all the time.
The beauty community had been raving about LUSH's newest body lotion called "Sleepy". The description reads:
Slather on this gorgeous pale purple lotion, breathe in its sweet, comforting lavender and tonka perfume and you'll instantly feel at ease. Glycerin, cocoa butter and almond oil work together to moisturize skin and lock in hydration to keep skin soft, supple and comfortable all day or all night long. Say hello to your new nightly ritual! Zzz..
Years ago when I was still living in California and my eczema had gotten bad enough that it started cracking the skin on my hand in multiple various painful places I used a similar LUSH body lotion: Dream Cream.
It's been a few years since then so I didn't really remember what I liked and didn't like about that product --- or about LUSH body lotions in general.
I held off on editing this photo so you could see it.
Sleepy is this really pretty pale lavender shade and it's sprinkled with a little bit of what looks like fine glitter on top. I can't tell if it's REALLY glitter, but it's shimmery so we'll go with glitter.
I think this is the large size (I don't remember, my boyfriend grabbed this for me tbh after I told him about it) and as you can see the tub size this is enough to last you a GOOD while, even if you use it daily. And all over your body.
I love the pretty shimmery shade of this product and I love how it smells. It's definitely a really comforting lavender scent that can put you to sleep, it's THAT comforting. I do like how it keeps my skin hydrated and moisturized even after I wash my hands.
What I don't like is that after the product settles into the skin the after feeling can feel a bit powdery and not in a good baby powder kind of way but in a way that it feels like it's coating your hands/body and it can be a little irritating if that's a feeling you don't really like.
I suddenly remembered having this problem with Dream Cream as well --- as much as I love the scent and product I really do not like that after feeling! I try to just deal with it most of the time for the sake of my skin being moisturized and scented beautifully with lavender but other days I just can not be bothered to deal. I wish there was a way to eliminate that after feeling!
This product can be a bit pricey;
A small 3.1 oz runs for $10
A large 7.4 oz runs for $20
And they all come in this tub format which I also am not the biggest fan of simply because it can be a bit of a hassle to unscrew it just to get to the product then with your hands oiled up and greasy from the lotion it's such a bitch to screw it back shut and make sure it's shut tightly! I tend to take a scoop and place it on my arm then screw it shut with my hands still dry THEN apply the lotion but even that seems like a bit of a hassle to go through. Not to mention with my OCD it gets tricky to convince myself that it's fine, it's clean before putting it on.
I would had much preferred if there was a pump option.
Have you tried Sleepy? What did you think?
If you've tried other lavender scented lotions are there any you recommend?
If you're like me and you missed out on The Sweet Shop Bubblegum candle then you were probably excited to hear that they came back out with it for Easter but only as a mini candle called "Some Bunny Loves You".
The scent notes are;
Pink Sugarcane, Juicy Watermelon, Hint of Vanilla
Which ironically fused together do make a prettyyyy strong bubblegum scent! Crazy, right?!
Oh, well, I thought so lol.
I have the bigger version as you've seen in my previous blog post but I don't want to burn it cause it's the only one I have though I'm SO CURIOUS to know if the bigger one has a better scent throw.
SPEAKING OF.
The scent throw sadly for this small one is pretty... non existent. Which is really sad! On cold sniff it's SO strong. Like I think if I just left it open it might have thrown it better lol! When lit this doesn't smell like anything. I don't know if it's just the first burn that's like that, but I haven't burned it again.
I personally feel like ever since Bath & Body Works stopped working with Slatkin & Co the candles, especially the mini candles don't have a very strong scent throw anymore. This is also true for some of their other 3-wick candles.
I do love the scent of this --- I've been super attracted to Bubblegum and Cotton Candy scents for awhile now, I'm not sure what the reasoning behind this is besides that it seems like a happy scent and everyone could use a bit of happy through their days!
Have you purchased this mini? Were you able to get your hands on a Bubblegum candle?
It seems every year there's a special Limited Edition Lip Smacker Mickey & Minnie Mouse lip balm set for Valentine's Day.
This year it featured Mickey in Marshmallow Hugs & Minnie Mouse in Sweet Candy Kisses.
I had the one from last year as well but I never opened/tried them and I didn't blog about it, though I'm not sure why I didn't.
Minnie has a cute Strawberry themed looking bow between her ears and Mickey is sporting a red heart on his right ear. But that's not all!
CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW CUTE THEIR LITTLE MOUSE BUTTS ARE?!
I loved the design they were dressed in and their little tails made it even better! I don't know, I guess I just assumed it was just the front face part that was designed.
I'm gonna start with my favorite former boss, Mickey.
The thing I've never been a fan of when it came to these TsumTsum lip balms is that they're so dang head heavy! And how small of product you actually get (granted I've never actually finished one of these, but still, roll with it) compared to the size of their cute huge heads!
When I first tried these two out I concluded that Mickey tasted like Magic Kingdom.
The scent and the taste of this lip balm reminded me of a really pretty sunny day walking across Main Street USA and eating my favorite Chocolate Marshmallow's from The Confectionery.
It's that kind of taste/scent. I'd say that he had a pretty heavy spot on taste and scent of marshmallow with a really nice powdered vanilla flavor.
When it came to Minnie, I felt like she tasted like EPCOT.
Like, if you were to take Flower & Garden Festival and wrap it up into one flavor, it would be this Minnie.
She had a really sweet fruity taste/scent to her. I could pick out Strawberries and Watermelon and a hint of what sort of reminded me of lollipops.
The only problem was as good as she tasted when first applied, as it faded it just started to taste/remind me of what a big huge sugary mess would smell like lol. I wasn't a fan of what it would fade into.
The scent/taste and the moisture factor for both of these lip balms lasted a really good amount of time. I didn't find myself reapplying it as much as other lip balms and it wasn't at all drying as it did fade.
I really enjoyed trying these guys out. I collect almost anything TsumTsum and I have a number of these lip balms and I USE to review them. I don't know why I stopped! I had so much fun putting this post together!
I'm curious to know what next years flavors are going to be!
I literally thought these were jelly beans when I picked them up... even though they're MUCH bigger than your average jelly bean and they're heart shaped.
The thing that got me was that they're made with REAL Cherry Juice! Also I'm a sucker for basically anything cherry flavored.
There's a ton of different flavors listed on the back and it's sort of hard to tell which is which because at least 3 of them look exactly the same!
I know for a fact I've had Cherry Vanilla, Cherry Cola, Chocolate Cherry, and Wild Cherry. It does have the tart flavor of what real cherry juice would taste like and some of them have distinct tastes but the 3 plain reds that look alike sort of start to blend in together. Chocolate Cherry is not good at all. I don't know how to explain it besides not good lol. Cherry Cola is probably my favorite one of the ones I've tried so far. Hunting down the other flavors is kind of hard because they start to all blend in together after awhile.
This was a fun thing to try and it does taste good but I'm not like in love with it or anything which I thought I would be!
Also, I sort of wish I had painted my nails prior to taking these photos lol, oh well!
What's your favorite Valentine's Day candy?
It's been a really long time since I've had a See's Candies near me, first of all.
There wasn't any actually in Florida unless you count the pop up shops/kiosks that would come around but just during the holiday season. And as someone who grew up in California well it was kinda depressing. See's has always kinda been my chocolate of choice. I mean I like Godiva but I've GROWN UP with See's. So when they release their holiday truffles it was kinda sad I wasn't able to try them, though sometimes I'd ask my mom to get me some and ship them to me.
This year they came out with 3 truffles... well 2 1/2 is more like it I guess.
I literally thought both the white and dark chocolate were strawberry filled, I guess I got too excited and misread... whoops. They also came out with the Black Forest truffle. I ended up grabbing all 3.
After realizing that the dark chocolate was indeed NOT strawberry filled I decided to just pop the whole thing in my mouth, sorry. But the chocolate was fluffy and creamy. It wasn't overly sweet and the dark chocolate wasn't at all bitter, it was perfect and comforting!
The strawberry white chocolate was pretty good; it was smooth and creamy and the strawberry flavor was definitely there. It paired so nicely with the white chocolate too! The only thing is I felt there was too much white chocolate, if you know what I mean. While the flavors both worked nicely together I could had used a bit more strawberry filling!
The Black Forest truffle was MY FAVORITE (I'm not sure seeing the inside really does anything but it makes for nice photos, right?)! It's described as dark chocolate with tart cherries and that's EXACTLY what it was! If you're a fan of dark chocolate and cherries I would HIGHLY recommend this!
I'm so tempted to go back and get a whole box of these. They kind of remind me of those holiday cherry chocolates you know with the cream or the clear liquid in the middle BUT BETTER.
I'm obviously really excited about this truffle.
I'm also really excited to try the Easter truffles they come out with every year, there's usually a lemon one that's really good.
What's your favorite chocolate shop between Godiva and See's or is there another one you prefer?
I've been obsessed with this scent for a few years now, it was a random discovery and ever since then I've kept the body wash around. I don't use it as much anymore since I use that duo sponge thing more now a days but this is still one of my favorite scents! I wish they'd make a duo sponge of this one!
This body lotion came in a set I got for Christmas and not gonna lie, I wanted the set for this lotion itself and well the deodorant that came with it too.
The consistency of this lotion is pretty thin, it's definitely not thick or creamy or oily. It's pretty thin but it does have a cooling sensation to it and it does have that pretty White Strawberry & Mint scent I love. But also it absorbs really really quickly into the skin. I love the way my hands feel after using them as I tend to have really dry hands in the winter that sometimes will crack and bleed. This lotion has been helping them stay really soft and hydrated!
I'm sad I'm almost out and I'm scrambling to find out where I can get more since it seems this product isn't typically carried in stores! I've found it at one online retailer but they only carry it online and not in stores, whomp. I'm wondering if I can get it shipped to the store for free shipping though...
Either way I'm IN LOVE with this body lotion!
Definitely one thing I look forward to the most during my bed time routine!
When this candle came out everyone was so excited! I mean the scent notes for this line sounded so good and the labels were ultra cute with their frosted jars and just CAN YOU FEEL THE ZEN AND GOOD VIBES?
Everyone in particular took a liking to this candle the Soft candle which is described as Pink Petal Tea Cake.
The scent notes include: Rose Petals, Fluffy Cake and Orange Essential Oil
Someone on Instagram described this scent as if you mixed ScentSationals Pink Velvet and Violet Sugar wax melts from Walmart together. I've never sniffed Violet Sugar so personally I wouldn't know; but Pink Velvet has been one of my favorite ScentSantionsals wax melts since 2015.
Personally I think this candle is a softer sweeter version of this candle from Kohls that came out last year. I unfortunately only have this small candle and a wax melt of it but Soft from Bath & Body Works definitely reminds me of this scent, just a little more softer and with a lighter scent throw.
Unfortunately Soft and the rest of the candles from that line gained some attention due to the fact that the label was ripped off of another company --- one I hadn't heard of before and from what I had seen people were linking it to a product on Amazon. I have since lost the post that actually went into detail about the situation. There was a candle in the collection called Nook that half the jars didn't even have a label to, it was just a blank black jar (which the store I had found my Soft at had those label-less jars of Nook).
This isn't the only label B&BW has ripped off in 2017 either, there were at least 2 or 3 more collections where they had.
Now I don't know the source behind all of this or if B&BW actually had permission from the original artists and I'm not sure if anyone else knows for sure what was going on either.
But I'm a little saddened that these candles didn't get the shelf space they deserved as they were really hard to find and people who did have access to them would post on Instagram how they'd buy up to TEN BACK UPS or they'd buy the whole store out making them even HARDER to find (which is really unfair to the rest of us) and they were really pretty candles!
Overall I do like the scent to this, though the scent throw is a bit more on the fluffy sweet side when the candle isn't burned and you leave the lid on you can still definitely smell the candle and it's STRONG. I'm not going to go crazy and burn through the only one I have until maybe I am able to get my hands on a back up but since I'm not there's still plenty of dupes and alternatives to try out --- I'm definitely going to keep my eye out for the ScentSationals Violet Sugar to mix with Pink Velvet and see how close that is to this scent!
I'll keep you all update on how that goes!
The Glade fragrances I fell in love with last year came out in spray bottle formats and I'm wondering why I have more of the pink (my favorite scent) and green scents and none of the coconut ones... I don't remember if I hated it or if I ever talked/blogged about it and that kind of bothers me.
I didn't review it, even if it was just for myself.
So I decided to review more of things I use/love/hate this year to look back on later.
I normally post my book reviews on Readarella; but lately I've been feeling like book review bloggers aren't a thing like they use to be in 2009 when I first started. I feel like it's moved on to book vloggers which isn't a bad thing since I use to post video reviews too and into bookstagramers which I feel I'm at a disadvantage at sometimes because I buy typically digital books and while you can create a cool flat lay with a Kindle or your phone I feel like having a physical book works much better. Plus I'm not savvy on how to make a flat lay and I'm limited on what to use for props. Maybe when I move into my next place I'll actually set up bookcases and do all that flat lay stuff.
But I wanted to post a review anyway since I've gotten back into reading recently \o/.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The Lunar Chronicles #1
Release Date: January 3rd, 2012
Find It: Amazon | GoodReads | B&N
Summary:
Sixteen-year-old Cinder is considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her stepmother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interference has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.
Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister, and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for plague research, an "honor" that no one has survived.
But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.
I'll be honest, I read Cinder like last year-ish but since I continued on with the series I felt weird not reviewing this title first.
Cinder is about a cyborg named Cinder who works as a mechanic in New Bejing. I honestly didn't think I would be interested in this read for several reasons --- it takes place in a future world. It's about a cyborg and Cinderella was never really my favorite fairy tale. But as the story progressed, I found myself OBSESSED with this world. With who Cinder is and the people that make up her life. Yeah she still had that awful step mother but there were so many twists the author put on this story! Plus, it was a re-telling so I had to pick it up!
Cinder still had the two step sisters although one of them was one of her closest friends and I think that made this story that much better. Though the evil one could seriously suck it, in my opinion she was just as awful as her mother! Which is crazy because hello, her sister obviously didn't have a problem with Cinder. But whatever. Also there was Iko, lovely lovely Iko who I immediately fell in love with --- she's their household android assistant and she has such a big personality for something that should had been such a small role.
The story of The Lunars and of their dreadful Queen was also an interesting twist to put on this story and this world.
I remember at the time I read this I was totally smitten with the way Cinder and Kai interacted though I can't remember exactly why. But Kai in his own wasn't bad for the guy in the story. He had his own problems and his own things going on so while Cinder played a part in his days and in his story, his story was independent enough that he stood out as his own character in my mind and I kind of like that. Too many times the boys in YA books (especially in fantasy and paranormal) get so blended in with the girl in the book that there really isn't much to them when you think back on it.
The huge plot twist in this story did take me by surprise and it drove me to read the rest of the books (and it still is)! I wish I could talk about it but I hate including spoilers in my reviews, maybe I'll rewrite this review on Readarella and include all of my thoughts there :) who knows.
I absolutely enjoyed this read a lot more than I thought I would had and I'm so glad I decided to give it a go, after like 4 years of it sitting in my TBR pile.
Here's to the rest of the series!
I need to do more foodie reviews so I thought why not start with last weekend?
I wish I had taken more pictures of the shops and things but hey there's always room for improvement, right?!
Normally before I head to Texas (or anywhere actually) I make a list of places I want to try and we try and squeeze in most of what's on that list. Sometimes we get to all of them, sometimes we don't. But foodie adventures are always my favorite.
1102 Bubble Tea and Bites was pretty high up on my list.
I've been seeing Instagram posts of Bubble Tea places in SoCal being served in light bulbs! I thought this idea was so freakin cool. Then I find a place in Arlington, TX that does this! I scooped out their Instagram hashtag and their Yelp page.
We got there on a Saturday night and it was kinda raining but not too bad. Walking in was such a nice experience on its own. The shop is brightly lit and they have low tables for you to sit at with friends or family members and play games. There's also normal tables where people with laptops were getting some work done and everything about this place was just cute.
We started with a Coffee type of Cheesecake (left) and a Greet Tea Matcha Yogurt (right). The Cheesecake was obviously a lot thicker and richer than the Green Tea, we liked them both. Also, can we talk about how cute the packaging for these jars are? I know it's just twine but the extra effort makes the difference!
Also Bubba set up this shot for me.
It turns out the light bulb tea only came in like 4 basic flavors, none of which sounded interesting to me at the time. I opted for something else and the girl behind the counter was nice enough to give me a sample of the Black Tea base versus the Oolong Tea base to choose from. Both were good and sweet and I'm not a big Black Tea or Oolong Tea fan but these were perfection. I loved them both! She also let Bubba try two different "toppings" to put into his own drink. It was nice of her to let us try before we decided what to get!
I ended up with the Tiramisu Milk Tea with Flan (which I've never tried but always wanted to in a drink) with the Black Tea Base and Bubba got the Blue Ocean Italian Soda with Mochi.
THESE. WERE. SO. GOOD.
The Italian Soda tasted better if you mixed it up with the whipped cream but I love how pretty his drink was. I'm tempted to try the other Italian Soda's at some point! Maybe I'll make a blog series out of it!
The Tiramisu Milk Tea was amazing and the Flan added an extra bit of flavor to it as well. I really enjoyed this drink! And in case you were wondering, I got it with the Black Tea base. I may try it with the Oolong next time and see how it differs from each other.
I am definitely coming back here again!
*Sadly you're not able to keep the cups
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