Nature Box October Unboxing and Review

Hubby fell in love with the Sourdough Cheddar Pretzels and the add-on mocha almond bars, so of course I reordered those.  But then I decided to experiment with a few new items: Roasted Kettle Kernels, South Pacific Plantains, Country Ranch Sunflower Kernels, and Dutch Cocoa Sun-Crunch.

Opened up the bags this morning, and the verdicts are in:

Roasted Kettle Kernels are extremely crunchy with a hint of honey.  Perfect for those days I'm trapped at my desk studying, craving something sweet and need something healthy to munch on.  Hubby is unimpressed and is leaving the entire bag for me.  YAY!

South Pacific Plantains have a lovely crunch and a hint of sea salt.  The plantain flavor is faint, but nice.  As hubby said, "They're nothing to write home about."  I'll probably leave these for his midnight snacks.  They're not our favorite (and there are plenty of other amazing snacks on NatureBox), so I won't be reordering these.

Country Ranch Sunflower Kernels are my second favorite item in my box this month.  They have just a hint of ranch, but it doesn't overpower the nutty flavor of the sunflower kernels.  They're already shelled, so these will make a wonderful study snack.

Dutch Cocoa Sun-Crunch = meh.  I can certainly taste the cocoa.  The grains in the chocolate crackers add an enjoyable texture, but next month I'll be going back to Dark Chocolate Nom-Noms.

Sourdough Cheddar Pretzels have an amazing cheddar cheese flavor that is accented with notes of beer.  Yes, beer.  These are rich carb snacks.  Hubby LOVES these, and I'm okay with that.

Mocha Almond Bar is Hubby's other favorite from NatureBox.  I've ordered two for him the last couple of months.  At $1/each, they're a little pricey compared to other granola bars I get for him, but they're definitely worth the splurge!

If you're interested in trying NatureBox, enter code TD3C-RL3 at checkout to save $10!

That's 50% off your first box!

#myfavoritethings #food #unboxing #review

Waking up Girlie

So, one day this past summer, I woke up and felt girlie.  I mean, paint my finger nails pink and yellow, buy new lipgloss, and never leave the apartment without mascara, girlie.  I seriously thought I was losing my mind.

It started when I got a box of nail polish from Julep.com for $2.99, a bunch of good smelling freebies from online sites, and noticed that nearly all of my close friends are guys.  I suddenly became very aware of the fact that I am NOT a boy.

In the midst of thinking I really had lost all of my sanity points I've been building up, I had this odd childhood memory.  So, naturally, I went rooting around in all the photo albums I could find stashed in my apartment.  I found this old picture of me in a photo album I almost forgot I still had (I am still surprised it wasn't lost in the infamous 2006 Marietta Apt Fire).

There I am in a frilly purple dress with puffed sleeves outlined with lace.  My hair is in pigtails and the random pink crayon shaped barrette and parted, slightly sticky bangs reminds me of a certain amount of exuberance I had as a child even in the south GA heat.  I'm sure that if the picture were zoomed out there would be perfect little patent leather shoes with frilly socks completing this little ensemble.  My hands appear to be held in prayer, near my mouth.  AND this, my friends, is where the typical cute girl ends.  Closer inspection of those little girlie hands reveals a dark, shiny (meaning slimy) object -- a bullfrog tadpole.  The reason my hands are so close to my mouth?  Yep.  I'm giving it a kiss.  Not to turn it into a prince, mind you.  Simply because bullfrog tadpoles are the most amazing of all tadpoles.  Watching them turn into frogs is astonishing, and there's no guesswork involved when those legs start sprouting!

Remembering myself as an audaciously girlie, girly, girl who fully participated in P.E., loved catching tadpoles in my dress, and embraced the consequences of learning to bike ride in my beloved skirts, brought me into a new sense of being centered.  Rediscovering this part of myself, loving my body, taking care of my skin, and finding ways to be happy with the face I see in the mirror is one way I'm acknowledging that I am important.  So, here I am, "keeping up with the boys" in CA.  And I just need a little reminder of my femininity, a means to spend a little bit of time pampering myself.  I've stocked up on my nail polish thanks to Julep.  I've joined Birchbox to more affordably support my obsession with good smelling, lovely products that embrace this re-emerging girlie-girl.  But don't let this pretty face fool you!  I'll get down and dirty, run through the fields, and play with the dog even while looking fantastic!





Interested in Birchbox?  I'll be posting reviews soon.  Interested in trying it out? (If you want to save $ on trying out birchbox, see the current rebate on ibotta!) Here's my referral link for Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/laughingscholar

#aboutme

Julep's Black Magic Collection Unboxing

October My Maven Box: 

The Black Magic Collection!

 My Box: The Dark Arts
Includes: Oxygen Treatment Top Coat, Glam Roc (Midnight purple & gold stardust (matte glitter)), Estelle (Midnight black with holographic shimmer), Cleopatra (Black latex crème (*no latex in formula)), and White Chevron Nail Decals (pictured below)
My Add-ons: Misti, Mystery Polish (Michelle), and Nail Decals (which were subbed with a nail polish, Karmen), and one earned freebie (Catrina)

Additional Goodies: Maven Perk, Freebie Card, and Awesome Edgar Allan Poe Quote Card, PLUS Candy Corn (not pictured, b/c hubby LOVES candy corn while its not my favorite thing).

Total Retail Value of this Box = $91.58 (with maven discount)
I paid = $27.97 + 750 Jules (without Jules approx. cost = $32.97)

I've been with Julep since June 2014.  They're awesome.  Their selections are great.  Their new polish lasts a long time, even with how rough I am on my hands.  Their "Oxygen Technology" is wonderful! I just started wearing nail polish regularly; I didn't before, because I didn't like how it felt on my fingers, especially when I took it off.  Julep polish makes my nails look and feel better than ever!  Plus their range is great.  Every box I've received contains some sort of discount bonus, which is great!  They run specials constantly.  Their bottles are smaller than usual, but seriously, when was the last time you actually used up an entire bottle of nail polish?  These last long enough without running the risk of you getting tired of them before they run out.

#julep, #unboxing, #mymavenbox, #halloweentreats

If you want to try it, use this link with the code FREEFALL (or the most up-to-date code on their main page) to try it for the price of shipping!

I hope you enjoyed this post!  If so, please subscribe above!

#beauty #review #unboxing

Obsessed with ibotta!

So, if you're as obsessed with your phone, saving money, and buying good food as I am, then you should know ibotta!  This is a fantastic little app for iPhone and Android phones that offers you money for items you might want to buy anyway.  The best thing about ibotta is that you can layer the deals in the app on top of sales and coupons at stores near you!  All you have to do is download the app, unlock the rebates for the items you want to buy, make sure you buy the items at the store listed on ibotta, and then shop!  When you get home, open your ibotta app, select redeem, the store you visited, and then take pictures of the UPC code on each item.  Finally, upload pictures of your receipt as instructed.  You'll see the credits in your ibotta account within 24 hours (I've never actually had to wait that long).

Here's the kicker about ibotta, you can earn extra money when you and your teammates redeem rebates of a certain number and dollar amount.  This month, you can earn an extra $20!!  I joined ibotta in September, and I just cashed out $82.25!  That's another grocery shopping trip for me and hubby!

The app is free, so there's nothing to lose!  So, if you're interested in trying this out, use this link to join: https://ibotta.com/r/yssoada