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. 

Earn $25 a Month with This App

I like earning money online or with my smartphone or tablet. I like it even more when I can passively earn.

Media Insiders Panel is a research initiative that looks at how consumers use technology such as sharing, downloading, viewing etc. and shares that information with clients. If you're at least 13 years old you can join by downloading their app to your smartphone or tablet. The  more devices you connect to, the more you will earn. You can also download their PC-Connect feature to your computer or laptop. Just that alone will earn you rewards without you having to do anything. On top of that - they may send you surveys for points (usually around 100-300 points which is equivalent to $1-$3). They recently introduced a tv survey that earns you 50 points every time. If they detect you were watching a particular show, they'll send you a notification on your smartphone or tablet that you have a tv survey. All they ask is how you watched that particular show (online, Netflix, Hulu etc). One question for 50 cents.

This is my number 1 favorite passive money earner at the moment. I always participate in the surveys and tv surveys to earn even more points. I cash out through PayPal, but there are so many different rewards options for other gift cards or physical items.

Here's proof of some of my earnings:

Every 2,500 point redemption I've made recently was for $25 through Paypal. The rewards come pretty quickly most of the time. I believe I received my last requested payout less than a week after I redeemed my points.

As you can see I earn on average $25/month, sometimes $50/month especially now that I've been getting those new tv surveys.

CLICK HERE to checkout their site and start earning rewards.

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.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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

~~~~~

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

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.

Chance at Free Chipotle

Love Chipotle? I know I do. CLICK HERE to play their Friend or Faux game for a chance at free Chipotle. It's a sweepstakes, and you can get more entries by sharing with friends. Just for playing the game I got a BOGO coupon sent to my phone!