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.

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. 

Target Head of the Class Beauty Box Review July 2015

So I also managed to snag the Head of the Class Target Beauty Box for $5 which also lists a $20 value online (but I'll calculate it out just to see). This box arrived a little scuffed up in the mail, but they're still really nice and sturdy boxes that I'll likely keep for storage.

Target beauty boxes are like subscription beauty boxes, except you don't subscribe - you just have to make sure to purchase it when it's available and before it runs out. 

First up, another Bathery item (there was a pouf from this brand in the Honor Roll box). Bathery 2 in 1 pumice stone. I'm still debating whether or not I'll keep this item. - $1.99

A 10 count pack of Yes to Cucumbers soothing facial towelettes. Excited to see this, as it's the perfect size for traveling (which I'll be doing soon) and I love their towelette products. They smell really good and definitely are cool and soothing. - $2.99

And another 3 pack of Goody Ouchless Elastics (received on in the Honor Roll box). Can't go wrong with hairbands, though - I'm always losing them and misplacing them. Estimated price - $0.38.

Hollywood Fashion tape to help your clothes stay put. Definitely intrigued and will likely try this product out, especially while wearing dresses. Had to estimate this price based on similar products by the brand and sizes. - $1,50

Herbal Essences Wild Naturals Illuminating Dry Oil Spray. I've already tried this out - smells really nice and gives your hair a shine without looking "dirty-oily". - $5.99

Wet n Wild Max Volume Plus Mascara, which I've already been using and enjoying. It doesn't clump up my lashes and stays on for quite some time. Another thing you can't go wrong with... I use mascara almost every day so it's great to have some extra on hand. - $4.99

And lastly, CoverGirl Colorlicious Lip Gloss in 630 Give Me Guava. It's a nice natural color, but I'm almost positive I've received this in a Walmart subscription box... This lip gloss isn't sticky like the one in the Honor Roll box, so that's a huge plus. - $5.99

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TOTAL VALUE: $23.83
TOTAL PAID: $5.00

So once again, good value for the price paid. Also included was a $3 off coupon for any beauty purchase of $15 or more. Good to use for those gift card deals.

Target Honor Roll Beauty Box Review July 2015

Every so often Target will offer a beauty box for a limited time (they run out fast) to purchase on their website. These boxes are similar to beauty subscription boxes, except you don't subscribe- you have to know when they go live and buy them while you can. 

This is the first box I ordered out of their two box offer geared at college students. This one is the Honor Roll box for $5 (listed as a value of $20 online, but we'll see by comparing the online prices). 

The box was pretty big so the bath pouf could fit in.

First up - John Frieda Luxurious Volume 7 Day Treatment that says it can transform fine hair and leave it full after multiple washes. Smells pretty good and I can probably get a couple of uses out of the bottle. It's a 1 oz sample size so based on the price per ounce online - $2.25

Next is a NYX Butter Gloss in Strawberry Parfait. I love NYX products and this is a very nice, light color. It's a little sticky, though, so I do apply some chapstick underneath. - $4.99

A sample size of Olay White Strawberry body wash. I absolutely love this body wash scent after receiving it in a Walmart subscription box and have since been buying the full size. So I was only slightly disappointed to see Target also including it - however, it'll be the perfect size for me to take along when traveling. 3 oz size and based on full size price - $0.64

CoverGirl Outlast All Day Primer which looks to be full size. Goes on very smoothly and no complaints so far while using it. - $9.79

Bathery Delicate Pouf, a very useful thing and not just for college students. Definitely happy to receive one in the box as I tend to go through one every month. Couldn't find anything online, but for a similar size and quality I usually pay roughly $2.00 at Walmart so that's what I'll estimate it as. - $2.00

Burt's Bees White Tea Facial Wipes are once again, something I'm pretty sure I received in a Walmart subscription box. And I didn't care much for them. A pack of 10 which could easily be taken along while traveling, though, so very convenient. Based on what I could estimate online - $2.00

And last - a pack of 3 hairbands - Goody Ouchless Elastics. Sadly, one of them already looked like it was splitting/starting to break. Calculated out to roughly - $0.38

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So, based on estimates and online prices:

TOTAL VALUE: $22.05
TOTAL PAID: $5.00

So this box was definitely worth the money, as most Target boxes are. Also included was a Target coupon for $3 off of a Beauty Purchase of $15 or more.

Ipsy December 2014 Bag Review

Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription bag at the cost of $10/month. Each time you receive a different bag filled with full and sample sized products. On top of that, you can earn points on their website for referring friends and posting reviews which you can use to get free products. Prices listed will be based on what I find on the companies individual websites, or what I calculate out based on full size prices if it's a sample size.

tarte lights, camera, lashes mascara 0.1 fl oz. (less than $10 [.13 oz was $10])

Nyx butter lip balm in Red Velvet ($4) Thankfully when applied it's not as red as I was expecting, so I'll definitely be wearing this. It applies very smoothly. 

Beauty without Cruelty facial cleanser (~$3) a 100% vegan/vegetarian facial cleanser.
Pixi fairy dust in Brightening Bare, use to highlight your eyes and cheeks. ($10)
Crown Crease/Shadow two in one brush (~$6.99)

This was my first Ipsy bag and overall I'm pleased with it, and will continue to subscribe for now. The value of the products was more than what I paid for and I'll likely use all items, though I may gift the facial cleanser to someone else as it doesn't interest me all that much.

Walmart Winter Beauty Box Review 2014!

The Walmart Beauty Box is a beauty subscription box that comes seasonally - four times a year - and only costs $5 each box. The Winter box just arrived and here's what's included:

A sample size of Dove deep moisture body wash. Use it for softer skin during this winter months, and pair it up with the sample size of Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. 

A 10 count back of Burt's Bees facial cleansing towelettes. Use it to remove makeup, and clear up your face. Covergirl Colorlicious Gloss in Candylicious (620). 

Samples of - John Frieda luxurious volume shampoo and conditioner. A $2.00 off coupon is included on the back for a Luxurious Volume styling product. L'OREAL Paris Color Vibrancy shampoo, conditioner, and treatment. Flower Fragrances in Radiant, Sultry, and Cherished. I really like all of them - Sultry might be my favorite.

Overall I liked this box. It's cheap, and worth it - I believe the Covergirl Gloss alone covers the cost of the box. The only problem one might have is remembering that it's a recurring box and your card will be charged $5 every season - so make sure you remember to expect the charge.

Head to https://beautybox.walmart.com/  to subscribed now, to ensure you get the Spring Beauty Box!

Target December Women's Beauty Box 2014

It has arriiiiiiived! I recently ordered the Target Beauty Box for Women at a cost of $10. Target also offered two other boxes at different prices - a natural box and a Men's box. The Target boxes are similar to subscription boxes, except you don't subscribe to them -you have to keep your eye out on the Target website to purchase them when they become available each time. They arrive at your door a short time later with samples and full size products plus coupons or other discounts. Price of the items will be the prices I found on the Target website.

Look at how cute this winter-themed box is! I'll definitely be keeping it to store things in. 

First look inside.

First up we have the Clairol Hair Food moisture hair mask with Honey Apricot Fragrance 6.3 oz ($11.99). Use it to give your hair more fullness, softness, and shine. It smells okay. 

This is the Revlon HD Lacquer #510. It'll give you HD shades in a glossy color. As you can see, it's a very bold color.  ($7.99)

Chapstick Total Hydration in Sweet Peach. This clear chapstick is great for chapped lips during these winter months. ($2.99)

Covergirl Eye Enhancers kit 282 daring nudes, shadow collection. Top two may be a little too dark/daring for me now, but I'll definitely be using the others.  ($4.49)

Boots No7 Protect and Perfect Advanced Serum, designed to smooth, hydrate, and boost. Sample size, so no price. 

And lastly, L'Oreal Butterfly Intenza mascara in 379 black noir. Use it to add volume and lengthen. I was quite excited for this being that I just ran out of mascara. ($7.99)

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask to hydrate your skin overnight. Sample size at 20 mL, smallest I could find was 50 mL. (~$5.75)

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen liquid liner in black noir. I think this might be a sample size, but I'm not sure. Website didn't list the size of the one they're selling. 

Overall I'm pleased with this beauty box. It was definitely worth the $10 for me - overall it had roughly a $45 value based on the prices I found on the Target website. I'll definitely be ordering again when the next one comes around. 

This box also came with 2 Target coupons and a $10 gift code for dermstore.com