Flicker Box Review

Flicker Box is a candle subscription box that allows you to subscribe monthly or bimonthly and save by paying 6 months or 12, upfront. Each month they pick a theme and select artisanal candles that fit that theme. The theme for December was "Merry and Bright". A card comes with the box to tell you which company makes the candles, a little bit about the company, and their location. 

 First up are these Bayberry scented Tapers by Mole Hollow Candles. These are handmade candles from a family business that has been operating since 1969 and is located in Sturbridge, MA. I like the scent, but I might end up gifting these to my mother since I feel like they would fit in with her winter themed gazebo. Plus I don't really have any candle holders at the moment.

Next up is a Peppermint soy candle from Lighten Up Shoppe in California. I like the scent and it's I've never purchased a soy candle before so I found that to be unique.

On the right is Spice (Cinnamon & Orange) from Big Dipper Wax Works in Seattle, WA. I can't really comment on anything else about the company since it seems there was a mistake on the card and they mixed up with candle was from this company so I don't know what else is a mistake. I hate cinnamon. Not a huge fan of this candle for that reason. 

And lastly Gingerbread Man scent from Eco Candle Co. in Appleton, Wisconsin. I'm from Minnesota so it's kind of neat to have a candle made from our neighbors to the east. It smells really good - definitely like gingerbread. The box also came with a book of 20 matches.

The monthly play is $39.95 when you include shipping. If you purchase a 6 or 12 month plan you get a bit of a discount. The candles are well wrapped so I doubt they would break easily en route. 

I really love this subscription box as I love candles and am always interested in trying new types/scents/companies. I will definitely be resubscribing when money permits.

Target Beauty Box August 2015 Review

A little backed up on box reviews, so here's a Target beauty box I received in August. Target beauty boxes seem to be put up randomly, and are limited supply. This isn't your typical subscription box where you're guaranteed to get it - you have to know when it's up and order it from the Target website. (Use your RedCard for an additional 5% off and free shipping). This particular box cost $7, I believe.

First glance inside.

 Clairol Hair Food Moisturizing Mask full size ($11.99). This product alone recovered the cost of the box. However, I was a bit disappointed to see it as I think Target already sent me this in a previous beauty box. Exact same item, brand, scent etc.

Covergirl LashBlast Supersizer mascara full size ($5.99). Can never have too much mascara around here so happy to receive it. 

Fekkai Pre-Soleil Hair Mist, trial size. (~$6.80)

Crest 3D Whitestrips 1hr Express, contains an upper and lower strip. (~$12.50???) 

And lastly, two sample bottles of Olay active botanicals - moisturizing toner and day lotion. (~$5.40)

So overall this box was worth the money spent. Overall, though, I'm unhappy with the repeat item. I did like that a full size mascara was included because I use mascara almost every day. 

Japan Crate August Review

Japan Crate is a monthly subscription box that sends out Japanese candy and snacks (and a drink if you get the Premium box). I decided to order the Original Box with a coupon code. 

And here it is - the Original box is $25 a month and comes with 8-10 items with a DIY candy kit guaranteed. The Mini box is $12 a month and comes with 4-6 items, and the Premium box comes with 12-14 items including a DIY kit, a drink, and a revolving bonus item.

The Chocoroom DIY kit. I think the DIY kits are the main thing I'm most excited for. It's awesome to be able to interactively make your own candy/snacks. Little biscuits for the stems are included, and the flavors are white chocolate, chocolate, and strawberry. I'll show some pictures of me making them towards the end.

Shuwa Shuwa Soda candy. It appears to have a bit of a liquid center, and the whole time its in your mouth it reminds you of the fizz of soda. It's quite interesting, and I definitely enjoyed these. Comes in grape, orange, and what I assume is cola. The cola/red one is my favorite.

Chocolate Pucca - it's a pretzel biscuit shell covering a creamy chocolate. I liked these - the overall shape reminded me of Goldfish crackers. The outside isn't all that salty so it didn't remind me of a pretzel at all.

Pokemon Puzzle gum - it's basically a piece of gum, but with a sticker Pokemon puzzle included.

Crayon Shin-Chan Candy - crayon colored, "ramune" flavored candies. Ramune is apparently a soft drink sold in Japan. They were okay - not a lot of flavor at first. 

Soy Sauce Pretz - biscuit sticks with a tangy soy sauce glaze. These were good - not something I'd eat a lot of in one sitting, but definitely good. Finally something somewhat described as pretzel that tastes like pretzel. There are two enclosed packages of them inside. 

Crackling Cotton - grape cotton candy with an explosive pop rocks kick. I don't think I've ever had grape cotton candy before - the taste reminded me of grape gum. Definitely good. Pop rocks are a fun extra hidden within the cotton candy. I love Pop Rocks as well. 

Puzzle & Dragons x Bikkuriman Wafer - basically a wafer with chocolate in the center. Nothing too amazing. 

'And lastly - Mario Kart Gum. A long strip of 10 individually wrapped gums, each package with a Mario Kart character on it. The gum is good, but the flavor doesn't last very long. 

Here's what's included in the DIY kit.You place the tubes in warm water to melt the candy/chocolate before putting them in the mold with a biscuit in the center. 

Here they are in the molds. There were a lot of leftover biscuits, but nothing left of the candy. There was just enough to fill each one with different designs. A little hard to keep all the biscuit "stems" to stay upright... maybe I shouldn't have put them in right away. Then you pop them in the freezer for a few minutes to let them set. 

 BAM. Cute little mushroom candies I made myself. They actually taste pretty good. The strawberry reminds me of a strawberry milkshake.

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Overall, love this subscription box because I love being able to try new things - especially candies and snacks from other cultures. I'm very tempted to upgrade to the Premium box to get the drink. Plus they show you what you would've gotten in the pamphlet you receive with it, if you had purchased the other boxes. Some of the snacks I missed out on look interesting. Definitely keeping this subscription for now. 

Love with Food July Tasting Box Review

My July Love with Food Tasting subscription box has arrived! Thanks to a deal offered through them, I paid $4.99 for this box and I received 100 points to use on their website to buy more snacks when I reach 1000 points ($10). 

Love with Food is a monthly subscription box that can be ordered by you personally, or by a workplace for their employees. This company donates meals for every box you order/receive. You can check out their website to see exactly where those meals are being donated, and chances are some have been received in your local area. This food box subscription offers three different boxes - a Tasting box (8+ snacks), a Deluxe box (16-20 snacks), and a Gluten Free box (8-12 Gluten free snacks). Each box will donate 1 - 2 meals to fight hunger in America. You also get points for receiving boxes and reviewing the items inside. You can than use those points to buy snacks in their online store. 

They also come with a pamphlet describing the snacks and easily list whether they are Organic, Gluten Free, or Non-GMO. Six of my eight snacks were Gluten Free, so if you don't want to pay a bit more for the exclusively gluten free box, this would also be a good option if you have some gluten free people in the family. 

First up are two of the larger snack packages. Hawaiian BBQ kettle potato chips by One Potato Two Potato. Sounds interesting, but I'm personally not a fan of BBQ chips so I'll let someone else try these.

Bear Naked Coconut Almond Curry granola. I love Bear Naked granola products and am excited for this since it's a variety I haven't tried yet. It contains coconut, almonds, and cashews. 

Next up is Kids Organic Chews in sour citrus flavor (grapefruit, cherry, lime) by Honey Stinger. One packet provides 100% of your daily Vitamin C needs. Also in the box was a 50% off code for Honey Stinger organic chews or waffles. 

Simply Toasted Crunchy Coconut Chips by Bare Snacks. It's great that this lists only three simple ingredients - coconut, cane sugar, and sea salt. 

Organic Fruit Snack by Fruigees. It's made with 1/2 cup of fruits and vegetables and is in a beet/cherry flavor. Definitely interested in trying that flavor combination. 

Received four different flavors of True Citrus products (Lime, Lemon, Orange, and Grapefruit). You can use these to add some flavor to your beverages and get 25% of your Vitamin C for the day. I believe I read somewhere you could even add these to teas. 

One Gum Pop by Glee Gum in what I'm assuming is an orange flavor. These are made with pure cane sugar and natural citrus peels. Also in the box was a discount code for 15% off all products at gleegum.com

And lastly Lemon Almond Biscotti by Biscotti Di Suzy. 

One last thing included was a coupon for 1 FREE Lean Cuisine Entree (up to $3.99). Was very excited to see freebie coupons included in this box, and the coupon alone almost makes up the price of the box. I was definitely happy to resubscribe (temporarily stepped away due to lack of funds for the boxes). 

Check out Love with Food and join through my invite which will help me earn some points. It's a very nice snack subscription box that'll let you try some new things, and some things you could eventually purchase in stores. I know through this box I found a few snacks I now buy online because I absolutely love them.