So it's that time again! Bulu Box is back for a April sneak peek. Its another thing to help me keep thinking healthy positive. I have a goal I want to reach and sometimes everyone needs a little something to remind them and help them along the way. Besides my wonderful husband who is on this track with me. I get this monthly reminder. There will be at least one more after this month. From there we will see what will happen.
Once again if you have no clue what Bulu Box is you can find that info here.This will explain what it is, and how fun this subscription box can be! For those of you tuning in for the second preview of this. I am hoping to see you join up to and start this with me! I highly encourage it because it is really something cool to look forward to each month.
So Aprils Bulu Box Sneak Peek. Just like last review of this I am going to use this to show you all what came in it. From there random reviews will pop up with items from this Bulu Box with reviews. Without further ado. Bulu Box April.
So this months paper pamphlets in the box were a couple coupons for helping with weight loss products (Which for some people whom are about using pills for weight loss can be a great thing to see. They can be pricey so I can see some people getting excited about that. I personally will stick with the good olde' exercise and walking route to loss my weight. ) There was the normal paper with info on the products included in the box. As well as what looks to be like a small card marked:' YES!' I am assuming said card is to help motivate.
In total with the 'Yes!' card and the other products this box this month came with a total of seven products. Apparently the idea of the 'Yes! Change is easy card' is kind of what I thought it was about. It is to help motivate as well as helo let you monitor if your making progress on a daily basis. Which seems to be a all over pretty cool idea and I can see how that could work. I know for someone like me it may not work as well. I can write down whatever I want but unless I physically have something in my hands to be a goal for me. I kind of after a couple days start to stumble with it. At the end of the day rather then looking at a card I prefer to be able to physically see my goal reason for the whole thing or at least one of the reasons in front of me. Sipping tea and relaxing at the same time.
This brings us to HELP R&R Tea. Everyone knows that feeling at the top of ones game can sometimes be a struggle. Though for my tea lovers out there. Whom are kind of against medicine or would prefer a alternative medicine. This Tea is for you. It is meant to help with better and a more sound sleep, help with your digestion, sinuses and health in general. So this will be interesting to try and I can't wait.
The third thing I happen to pull out of the box was a Berlean's Omega Swirl Mango PEach. This is suppose to be a alternative to pills for getting your daily dosage of Omega-3's. This could be a interesting concept if the flavor is not to faint or over powering. I am highly interested in trying it. They are made to be a on the go thing so you can grab it on your way out the door if your running behind. Which is always clever thing to do anymore. Everyone is always in hustle mode.
On to the fourth product to come forth from the box. Another Smarty Pant's Vitamin product. Now I liked the last product so I do have to say I have high hopes for these ones as well. These ones are suppose to help with weight management. Which I can always use help with. Specially since I am trying to lose weight and get my other levels that need to be up up and those that need to be down down. At first I will admit I was confused why I got a product from them again then I realized it was a different type of vitamin and then it started to make sense.
Then there was the fifth. Mestrength. This powder is suppose to be added to water and helps you with hydration and strength. Because of what is in it, I will not be taking this till sometime in August/September when I am outside sweating from the heat at the Ren Fair. This will go into my kit of try this when it is the right time. Type of thing. So though I am excited you won't see this one pop up for a while. Sorry guys.
Body Glove Surge Energy Gel. This one was a little weird to me I will admit. At first I couldn't tell if you were meant to take it as is or put it in water. We figured it out of course. It seems like a interesting concept and I will be trying this out here soon in the near future. Specially since I tend to get tired quickly (I have really low Vitamin D levels so I lose energy quickly. Very quickly) So this should be a interesting try out to see if it helps giving me that extra kick I need through out the day.
Last but not least. Mediterranean Snacks has come out with a Tapaz 2 Go. This is a to go portion size of non GMO mini meal of Humus and lentil crackers. Now personally I am picky about humus my husband on the other hand is not as much. So we agreed to try this together. Get a full rounded view on it. See if it is something we would be interested in purchasing in the future. Either way it should be fun.
So this month box's is filled with many fun little things that I look forward to trying even if not right at the front of the moment. Keep checking back. Stay healthy, Get fit. Go get your Bulu Box now!
Black Truffle + White Cheddar Popcorn by 479 Degrees Popcorn
Okay time to get a little honest here. I am not a popcorn fan. I hate the fact that kernels tend to get stuck in my teeth. The fact that occasionally they don't pop fully and you bite down and it hurts! Not to mention I just never really got excited over most popcorn. The flavor rarely does anything for me.
So when I saw this bag turn up in my love with food box I kind of shrugged it off. I tried it the other night with my husband though and I was rather impressed. It smelt heavily of mushrooms. Which would be nothing more then the truffle oil that was drizzled over it.
The truffle actually complimented the cheddar nothing was overly strong. It was light and airy. Never bit into anything hard nor did I have any kernel issues with this popcorn. I could easily sit there and get this and feel happy eating it. Specially since it is non GMO, Gluten Free and low calorie and not feel guilty about eating it while dieting.
My only one complaint with this popcorn was that the bag that it came in was not resealable. For me that is a issue because I peck like a bird at things. If I do not finish it in one sitting I do not want to be coming back to a stale pack of popcorn later. So that is my only real negative issue with this product. Something worth to invest and try. A nice fancy treat for those date nights.
TCHO Chocolate Review
Okay, okay I admit my house hold has a bit of a chocolate fixation that constantly needs a fix. My issue with chocolate is that most hurt my teeth. Dark Chocolate because of the lower sugar content does not hurt my teeth. So I am always on the hunt for a yummy dark chocolate to put into my snack bin.
I received four pieces of TCHO chocolate to try and was excited to do so. Since natural is better then the fake stuff anyway. The first one we tried was the "Mokaccino" Serious Milk + Blue Bottle Coffee. The taste of coffee was overwhelmingly present. Though it was creamy and rich. Smooth in texture and over all rather delicious. The undertones of the chocolate being able to be tasted as a small after taste of the coffee. This would be good for a quick pick me up through the day. Plus fill that sweet tooth need.
The second bar we tried was PureNotes Dark Chocolatey bars. This particular bar was rather bitter. Like pure dark cocoa typically is. It also had a chalk like texture and a little on the dry side. It was good but even in the small size of this bar I would only be able to eat this in nibbling type bites. It was good just need to be prepared to not pop this whole thing in your mouth at one time!
Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries by Emily's Chocolate
I received these in my Love with food box. I have to admit I had never heard of the company or about any of their chocolates. So I was unsure about this product at first. Though if you haven't caught on yet I like trying new things anyway so this did not bother me to try out. I happen to like chocolate covered fruits for the most part. Though I have to admit I was a little curious about these.
The packaging was really cute and it is something that would probably grab my attention in a store if I saw it. These bags were easy to open with no real struggle. The chocolate pieces no one was the same size, though they all packed the same taste. The chocolate was smooth and creamy with just a tiny bitter bite. Now the issue I did have with this was the blueberries. You could barely taste them at all. It was more like eating a chocolate covered raisin then a blueberry. Perhaps if I was to eat more then two or three at a time I may start tasting the blueberry but right now it lacks it.
This wouldn't stop me from trying other products by them but it would stop me from buying THIS product by them. I feel they may have over dehydrate the blue berries to the point they lost all their flavor. That or they are using ones that don't have much flavor to begin with. Perhaps if they were to change to a different blueberry or juicer ones they would hold more of their taste. Needless to say I am not overly impressed with their product.
Restaurant Style White Bean Chips by Beanitos
Ever have that hankering for chips though with the fact of your dietary needs or wants you have a hard time finding something to fit you? Well thanks to Love with Food I found something I have fallen in love with. My husband and I are always on the search for healthier ways to snack. Without feeling like we are totally cheating on our dietary needs and wants.
So in my box I received I had to bags of Beantio's White Bean Chips. The bag was about snack size which is all I really need when I am trying new things out. So I was unsure about these because both my husband and myself our weird about gluten free things. Though I think I am a bit more open about trying things like that then he is. So I figured these weren't going to be all that great when I first saw them.
These chips texture wise were really light. Which I found odd for a chip to begin with. Then again one really does not realize how much wheat puts weight into a product. Not only was this chip light and airy. It was even crispier and crunchier then normal chips are. Which I like crisp and a nice crunch sound when bitting into a chip. The taste though...
WOWZER! I was highly impressed this chip was a nice and very pleasant taste. It reminded me a lot of navy beans with a sun flower seed follow up. Which after saying it to my husband I looked at the facts on the bag and saw they were both ingredients in this chip. So it made sense to be able to pull those flavors out the most. This chip also had just enough of a salt that it wasn't gross and overly salty making you need a drink every couple chips. It was actually a real treat to have such a grease free (Unlike most chips), savory and crispy chip.
What was better is my husband Mr Anti Gluten Free stuff couldn't stop eating these! He loved them as much as I did! These chips are all around amazing and let us guilt free eat them! We will certainly be looking for these in the future.
Gavottes Dark Chocolate Crepe Dentelle
These actually have a interesting background. The company alone was founded in 1920 in the Loc Maria District in Quimper France. This is where they hand rolled each crispy crepe for decades. It wasn't until four decades later that they became a industrialized factory. Twelve years later finally the rest of the world got to get there first taste of these delectable tasting crispy crepes. With the start of such a large tempting treat came into demand they were determined to keep up with the times. Keep their customers wanting more and being pleased with the product. From this in 1978 they started coating their Brittany Crepes in chocolate. Which as we jump forward to today is only one of the many products they make.
With that quick history lesson about the company, I will jump over to a little noting before getting into the review. I first got these this past Christmas (2013.) My father and Step mother had gotten my husband and myself these as part of our present. They were something different and new to us. She was thrilled about these things. So I have had these in the past, though at the time it was just the plain milk chocolate. I received seven to eight of these things in my Love with Food box. (Not sure what Love with Food is? Check out the blog entry on Love with Food. For all you foodies out there!)
These were slightly different from the ones we got on christmas. These instead of milk chocolate were covered in dark chocolate. Which I won't lie I was thrilled about. I love dark chocolate. So these little treats are very brittle and easily break at the slightest bit of tension. So these can get messy fast if you are not careful with them. Several in my box were smashed to pieces.
When you bite into these and start actually chewing you realize this is a very light and airy type of treat. It is a interesting and yet new kind of texture in the way it is so smooth. The taste was amazing, just enough sweetness that it is in no way disgustingly sweet but not overly bitter from the dark chocolate either. The chocolate compliments the crunchy crepe that it covers. I can see how quickly these could become in high demand. The issue I do find with them is that because of how light it is, one can easily get carried away with eating these.
This for someone like me who is on a diet would not be a good thing. None the less these things were amazing. Compared to the milk chocolate ones I like these better as did my husband. The milk chocolate was a little to sweet and if you have sensitive teeth like myself it makes eating them hard to do. All in all these are well worth the money and amazing! I can't wait for the chance to try more from this company!
Mario Camacho Pitted Green Olives
I tend to have a love for olives. I like the bitter bite they tend to carry with them. I will even go as far as buying olives just to eat them out of the jar. I got these two delectable treat in the Love with Food box. I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical. Even more so when my husband made the comment that typically these things weren't very good. So I put off trying these and put off trying these until I could not anymore.
So looking at Mario Camacho's store website apparently they sale six different types of these. The two I received was Savory Pepper and Garlic. A bit of a spike interest but still very skeptical. So the other night we sat down and tried these after dinner.
The Savory Pepper was up first. The packaging on this one was hard to open and in fact required me to use scissors. So suddenly these on the go packets have already became something that unless you unnaturally carry a pair of scissors with you are no longer on the go friendly. So once I finally got into the packet the aroma was pleasant. Which was a plus in the pro side about these since for the start was already a con. They were kind of smashed up a little which I a, not really looking to eat smashed up olives, though it was expected after all they are in a small packet.
This was a sign though that they were soft. Which for myself and my husband is a likable thing we are not big on the firm olives to much. So the softness was a nice surprise for these. This can also be a good attribute for people whom have issues with there teeth or other dental issues in general. Now the taste of these at first it tasted nothing like pepper on it. Which made me recheck the package to make sure I read these right. They were over powering in the taste of what a natural green olive taste like. After a couple of olives though you could pick up that pepper taste. It was just a small hint of it though and was more like a underlining tone.
The Garlic olive packet on the other hand was easy to open. This takes me back to the fact that it being a on the go snack. This was much more friendly towards it. Perhaps nothing but a fluke with the first one? None the less, Same stance in the way the olives were smashed in the packet. Kind of flattened. The aroma on these though were strongly of garlic. The thing I did not like about that is the fact it wasn't even a fresh garlic smell but almost like a old or artificial smell.
The taste was not much better, at least not to me. My husband seem to like them. I found them to over powering in garlic. I think the smell got to me more then anything though. None the less not something I would buy for myself.
All in all with these its hard to make a good judgment call. Based on the fluke package of the first one and they only come with eight to a packet it really is hard to tell if they are something I would put money out for. Perhaps just not those flavors? I would be willing to try the others before fully writing them off. They weren't bad but they were not something to write home about if you get what I am trying to say. Try it for yourself don't just take my word for it. After all everyone's tastebuds are different.
Hi guys and dolls,
Sorry for the delay in post still. My back is really not agreeing with the rest of my body. I am doing things I can. The blog is still up and going and I do have reviews coming for you all! They are coming in and as I can move about and review some of them I am doing so. It is just taking more time then what it normally does. So I do apologizes. I will be caught up as soon as I possibly can. I am going to try and do at least one review for tomorrow if possible. We will see how my back is doing in a little bit. I see a back doctor next week on Thursday so hopefully that will get to the point and help get me moving again.
On another note I have several things I figured I would address quickly. First and foremost I had originally planned on starting up my youtube channel. As of right now, between health issues, the blog itself, and getting ready for the Atrocity Exhibition in may (This requires me to be sewing a lot currently.) I have very little time to record anything. In the future this may change and if so I will get it up and running. Currently though it is looking like for now we are just sticking with the blog. When and if I do get the youtube channel up and going you will all be informed. I will back track and hit some of the things I have reviewed already for the channel as well. (Make sure to check out past reviews and their stores! You won't be disappointed! I give you my word!)
So secondly I will be posting policies within the next couple days about how my reviews and the spotlight works.
Thanks everyone for baring with me for the time being!
Zlollie
Love With Food Review
So we head back over to the subscription boxes that are out there today. I love food, I am always looking for little snacks I can keep around the house for when I get that odd craving. Well with a Monthly Subscription for Love With Food you can have a monthly delivery to your door step of little snacks to try that are both hard to find as well as all natural and organic.
What Came in my box:
Snack Olives by Mario Camacho: (2 packs) These are a gluten free snack and seem to be something I am really interested in trying since I have a love for olives. There will be a review coming on the two different flavors I got once they have been tried. These 1.05 oz packets run between a 1.89-1.99.
Dark Chocolate Crepe Dentelle by Gavottes: This came as seven total in the package. They are a super fine layer of crispy crepe coated in French Dark Chocolate . They have been made the same way since they were first made in 1920. Now I have had these before, in fact I got a tin of them for this past Christmas from my father and step mother. These I will do a review on because they are surprisingly a very delectable treat. The price of these depends on where you buy them from and what quantity you are buying them in for they are a gourmet treat.
Restaurant Style White Bean Chips by Beanitos: (2 Bags) These chips are made of navy beans and whole grain rice. Packed full of fiber, protein and carbohydrates. All while being gluten-free & non-GMO, with a light salted taste for a savory punch. These bags change in price depending on where you find them and what size you find them in.
Dark Chocolate Covered Blueberries by Emily's Chocolate: (2 Packets) These antioxidant whole dried blueberries are covered in a creamy dark chocolate. I look forward to trying these. They are priced between 5.25-5.99 depending on where you find them and buy them.
Honey Graham Sticks by Back to Nature: (2 Packets) Exactly what you would think they are except they have no artificial flavoring, coloring or preservatives. Price differs depending on where you find and buy it from as well as quantity you buy in.
PureNotes Dark 'Chocolatey' by TCHO: (2 Pieces) Rich, intense pure dark chocolate that will certainly indulged that sweet tooth. Could not find a price for these.
'Mokaccino' Serious Milk Chocolate + Blue Battle Coffee by TCHO: (2 Pieces) These award winning pieces are made up of a cult coffee roasters beans and a cult chocolate makers chocolate. That should give you that extra boost you need through out the day. Could not find a price for these either.
Chocolate Chip Biscotti by Biscotti di Suzy: These handmade treats are made of pure and all natural ingredients. Twice baked to give it just the right amount of crunch with each bite. Finally sprinkled with chocolate chips to help satisfy that chocolate need. I could not find a price on these.
Black Truffle + White Cheddar Popcorn by 479 Degrees Popcorn: (1 bag)This is a non-GMO cheddar popcorn that is drizzled with a black truffle oil. This suppose to be prefect for a nice date night with your other half! A Pack of 24 .5 oz bags runs around 38.40
Chocolate Truffles by Guylian: (1 Box) Containing two seahorse shaped truffles by the world famous Belgian chocolatier. Once again the prices of these differ from where you get them and where they come from.
About Love with Food
Love with Food brings to your door step organic and all natural snacks for you to try each month. Members receive a curated box of unique, hard to find snacks which change from season to season. This is not all though. With every box they sale they donate a meal to several food banks that help feed children. So not only are you receiving tasty treats that are hard to find and organic as well as all natural treats. You are helping feed a child in need a meal?!
So now to cover the question you are probably all asking yourself, 'ya well how much do I have to pay for it?' That is the best part yet. It is as little as $10.00 a month.
With the ten dollar box you receive
8+ Snacks each month
10 points each month
Free shipping (For some plans)
Cancel at any point if you are dissatisfied in anyway.
This box also donates 1 meal to hungry children in America.
Now they do have a second plan at a great deal for seven dollars more. ($17)
This box contains
16-20 snacks each month
20 points each month
Free Shipping
Cancel at any point if you are dissatisfied in anyway.
This box also donates 2 meals to hungry children in America.
Both boxes guarantee snacks are either organic, all natural, GMO-free, gluten-free or free of artificial junk.
If you find a treat in this box that you like you can also go to their website to order more of that treat there!
If you want to find out more about the founder (Aihui Ong) of Love with food, you can find her story on their website.
Website: https://lovewithfood.com
Wrap Up:
So in the end as you can see with just a couple of the products it had already paid for itself within one or two items. Not to mention you are helping starving kids. What better way to pat yourself on the back for doing your good deed then with a delectable treat. Your taste buds will thank you for it and you can sleep easier knowing there is at least one if not two least children starving because of you!
Guys and Dolls I apologize for the slow spot and no post recently. I do have a reasoning though.
I have a bad lower back and it has decided after I spent over a hour and half on my feet yesterday. By the time I was done I had a lump in my lower back bulging out. Since then it is nothing but major pain every few seconds or any time I move. Therefore I won't be posting until I am able to move easier once again. I will keep you up to date as much as possible till then.
Currently the following reviews are coming.
Love With Food (Subscription Box)
There are other reviews on their way here so more shall be popping up soon!
Smarty Pants
So I gave these a shot the other day. Upon opening them they remind me a lot of gum drops. Which could go either way to me. I like some gum drops I don't like other so I was slightly curious. The colors were of orange and red. They didn't have much of a smell to them which I am fine with. Perhaps a small hint of fruit if anything.
These are rather small and even though they are chewable I would still keep them out of reach of children. They could be mistaken for candy. As well as being a choking hazard. Upon taking them they tasted of no one thing but certainly of fruit snacks. Like those we use to eat as children. I could easily do these daily. I felt generally better all day then when I don't take vitamins. So this is a certain possible invest me in the future.
Beauty Burst
These supplements look like a taffy out of their wrappers. I assume the reasoning for them being chewable is to make it easier to take. Since some people can not or do not like swallowing pills. My experience with this supplement was not very pleasant. I would rather deal with the taste of the Biotin Pills. First I am not crazy that it does not list anywhere on the packaging the full list of ingredients. Nor did it when I looked it up on the internet. I still could not find the full list of ingredients. It does however state it is gluten free. Which is good for those who can not eat gluten.
They were fairly soft and chewable, which was a plus but if you have something like dentures I would not advise these. They have a taffy type texture even when chewing them. It took several moments for me to actually get through it.
It taste strongly of mint and little like chocolate. Which I was kind of disappointed about. I was hoping it would taste like a andies candy. It did not. It was actually very gross. Because even as a mint taste it was a artificial mint taste and very sicking. If the chocolate tasted this bad I can only assume the berry one would. I imagine it tasting highly artificial and just as gross if not worse. All in all I would not buy this product at all. It is not for me.
Thanks Bulu for this sample but I will pass! This was just down right gross.
“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." I tend to think about this quote often when I am picking soap for my family. I don't like soaps that leave residue or that don't leave me feeling clean. I hate buying soap only to have it not help my skin in anyway or my health. I want to be clean when I am done washing. Not feel like I just went from dirty to slimy. I also figure many of you may struggle with this issue as well. Always looking for a better soap. A soap you may fall in love with and just have to have.
I am always trying something looking for what works best for me. I try from liquid shower gels to bars. I have found a couple I like but after a while I get tired and need that next one. With me being all about supporting smaller companies I took to Etsy once again and stumbled across LaughingDevilDesigns.
My Review:
Eucalyptus Tea Tree (Soothing Body Soap)
Aka: Sniffle Soap
Full ingredient list:Saponified Oils of Organic Olive, Organic Extra-Virgin Coconut, Organic Sunflower Oil, Fair- Trade Shea Butter, with Organic Tea Tree Essential Oi, Organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil, and Organic Peppermint leaves
The reason I choice to try this soap particularly was for two reasons. Firstly I suffer from severe asthma. Specially in hotter weather. The Eucalyptus within the bar of soap I figured should help with my breathing issues in the shower. Which is always a good thing since anyone with asthma knows how much a asthma attack and the chest pain with it can suck.
Secondly I choice this soap for the Tea Tree Oil. Tea tree oil being good for the skin specially when one suffers from acne, as I do. I figured this would be a good a positive soap for me in the end with both positive aspects of this.
So the aroma of this soap was just very lush potent and amazing. Though I love the scent of tea tree oil so that helps since it smells greatly of it. With a soft mint like under tone which complemented the scent rather well in my opinion.The feeling of the soap dry was soft and smooth the leaves giving just enough of a texture to give a soft scrub when used.The soap lathered quickly and thickly. Which mean I did not have to struggle to get a nice lather going. It had a silky smooth texture and when washed away left my skin feeling clean and not oily.
After a couple days of use this soap proved to do what I had hopes it would do. It started to clear up my skin where I had larger breakouts at, at that time. It left my skin smooth once dried as well. I am fully in love with this soap and would highly suggest it for anyone whom may suffer any of the above issues. This soap would also be very good for when one has a cold or in general the starts of the sniffles. The mix of the eucalyptus, peppermint leaves and tea tree oil all will open up your sinuses rather quickly in a hot shower with this bar of soap being used.
The packaging of the soap as well, I have to mention how adorable it is! It kind of reminded me of a vintage country time market sort of thing. I am not sure that is how it is meant to be seen but it is how it came off to me. I loved it.
I can't wait to try more of their soaps in the future! I was thrilled with the outcome of this and fully happy to say you should already be buying this soap if you aren't yet!
Customer Service:
They were fully on the ball the whole time. Top notch and ready to please. This is a outstanding feature and just made the overall experience with them to be very much pleasant. If your in need a of a new soap the I will proudly stand behind LaughingDevilDesigns and their product. I do recommend them highly!
LaughingDevilDesigns Information:
LaughingDevilDesigns is from Crockett, California. They are 100% Vegan company that pride themselves on being Cruelty free, Chemical Free and therefore Concern Free. They are also now palm oil free as well. They can be found monthly in San Francisco at The Bluxome Street Winery Meet Market the last Saturday of every month from noon till five in the evening. If you would rather buy directly face to face that would be the best way to do it!
LaughingDevilDesigns Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LaughingDevilDesigns
I can not tell you how many times I walked into any hair isle at any store and stared at the hair products for ten or more minutes. Trying to figure out what I need or what will work best. Not wanting to waste my money on something that may not work in my hair. I naturally have pretty heavy hair. It tends to be thick and curly and wavy. As it gets longer it weights more and the more product it takes for me to keep my hair in place when I style it. Within the past year I have gone with a more alternative shorter hair cut.
With this I go back and forth on what products I use in my hair. More specifically I go between hairspray and my husbands pomade. Some times I have even used both just to get the look I wanted. I loved using the pomade so much that we typically go through it pretty fast. Between his mohawk (When he has it) and my hair style the small tubs we get of it don't last us long at all.
I wanted to find a product that would work just as well if not better, smell just as good and not cost me the arm and leg for the small amount I get from the saloon. I found a amazing product! I searched Etsy far and wide not thinking I would find anything like it on it but etsy as always provide me wrong and I happened across Lockhart's.
My Review:
Hair Pomade (Medium Hold)
So I can't explain how much I love this product. It has both its pro's and con's for female hair. (Specially since currently it is a male product.) The look of the overall packaging was amazing. It has a very vintage feel to it. Since I love vintage anything this tend to appeal to me HIGHLY. Now intentionally I had to break through the wax type barrier that was there. I was forwarned of this so this was not a issue. The texture was a good one as well as the smell was amazing. It smells of sandalwood. Almost a spicey sandalwood.
So I used this when I went to my flogging molly concert. When I typically use pomades its to help put texture into my hair before I style and cover in hairspray. So as typically this is what I did. Now I think my only real con with this is I don't think it was the right one for my hair. I think I may need a heavier hold. (At least while my hair is at the length it is now. This will be changing within the next couple weeks so I will retry this one again with it. If the results change I will revisit this.) All in all though it held pretty well for the entire night and I liked it a lot.
Now one thing to note with pomades is they don't dry and I am okay with this. Means my hair won't have that crispy texture it gets with hair sprays and gels. It also typically can take a couple washes or using a special soap or dish soap meant to take out grease to get this stuff out. I was pleasantly surprised that this did not take me more then one wash to get it out! Which is good for a girl in my shoes. Since I dye my hair a color that tends to bleed easily it means I try to avoid washing my hair a large amount of times. Within a week or it pulls my color out. So that is a positive in my book. Also unlike most pomades I almost forgot I even had this in my hair because I didn't get that overall greasy feeling you do with most pomades.
Most females are not keen on having greasy looking hair and this didn't leave it looking greasy either (Which most pomades may depending on what brand you use and so on) All in all this was amazing and one I could see keeping around in my hair products in the future.
Ingredients: Beeswax, Petrolatum, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Parfum.
Goon Grease
I am first going to state I will certainly be doing a second review of this. Because of right now with my hair at the length it is. I don't feel I got a accurate account of this one. What I will comment on so far from what I have tried of this is that the smell is amazingly yummy. It smells of fresh lemons with a small undertone of sandalwood and a bite of cinnamon. Though you really need to be looking for the other two occasionally since fresh lemon tends to be a strong scent. This one didn't exactly do what I would have liked it to with my hair and actually kind of kept pulling it out. ( I tend to tease my hair a lot) It also took me a couple washes to get this out. Which for someone like me who dyes their hair the color I do. This isn't exactly a good thing. Though with the right shampoo that can be over looked. All in all like I stated I will be coming back to this one at a later time as well since I am cutting my hair soon. With a shorter cut in the back I will be able to give a more accurate review.
Ingredients: Petrolatum, Microcrystalline wax, Beeswax, Avocado oil, Lanolin, Fragrance, and Color.
Overall:
I really hate summing up the over all without a fully accurate account on both products so for now I am only going to go with the Pomade as a final review.
I love this product, I love that though this is meant for a man's hair it can also be used on my hair as a female. It holds well, the scent unlike many pomades I have tried in the past have a scent that is not just aimed at men but could be considered a unisex scent. Which is a plus as well since not many females are okay walking around smelling of what a man should be wearing. If you are using pomades as a female or thinking of trying them. I would highly recommend trying Lockhart's.
Lockharts Information
Lockharts is owned and operated by Nichole Lockhart from Owosso Michigan. Making their pomades currently for all the guys out there. She is currently entertaining the idea of a female line. Which I for one would love to see! Her customer service is impeccable and she is on top of everything! In the end you should totally check out these products and her store! If a female line does come about believe me I will gladly bring about another review and let you all be the first to know!
Lockharts Etsy Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lockharts
Still haven't found that new loved scent yet after our last fragrance review? Don't give up just yet! I bring more amazingly yummy and magically scents to arouse your senses. As we head over to Etsy once more we are today taking a look into Kitty Witch Perfumery. Where combining magic and aromatherapy is what they specialize in!
My Review:
Pans Pleasure
The first few times I smelt this I was unsure of this scent. I could not exactly place the scent. What I could pull from it was that it had a very velvet like scent to it. Thick but smooth. The fragrances that make up this scent were cedar, sandalwood and vetivert. It wasn't until I accidentally dumped it on myself while not paying attention did it come to my attention what it really smelt like. It all clicked. It smells of Cloves. Like Clove Cigarettes to be exact. In the bottle I could not place this. It is actually (Even with most the sample bottle dumped on me.) very subtle scent and yet very pleasant as well. This scent as certainly got my love! Something I will be investing more into later on. I could almost imagine this being a a good scent for a night out to like the theater or bowling alley. Maybe even to the Ren fair. I can't get over how much I love this scent
White Heat
Okay so upon smelling this the first thing that popped into my head was Jelly Beans. It smells of Jelly Beans. Though right then and there I could not place which jelly bean though, not right away anyhow. After a few more sniffs of this I placed it pretty fast. Perhaps not so much a Jelly Bean scent as much as a Lemon Head. It smelt heavily of a Lemon Head candy. Which I personally like lemon heads and don't mind the scent of it so much. Though it did cause a craving for the small sour candies. The fragrances that made up this scent are Pomegranate, Magnolia, Lotus, Amber, Moss, Patchouli and Lemon Verbena. Which now explains why it smells so heavily of lemon. The small hint of sweet that is added to give it that candy scent I would assume is from the pomegranate. Otherwise I think this would be a all over sour citrusy type scent. I really can't smell the florals or earthy tones that should be there with the rest of the fragrances. A all over nice scent. I could almost imagine wearing this to something like a county fair or Carnival.
Sacred whore
So this one I need to state as well the look not just fragrance. Mainly because the fragrance oil to make this one up separates. You can see it separated. At first when I smelt it I did not like this at all. When I had realized perhaps I should shake it. It made this scent much more pleasant to the nose. If you see it is separated make sure to shake it. It does change the scent, due to mixing them back together. Now the scent of this is very spicy. HIGHLY spicy actually it has a bite to it. I went with describing it as a cinnamon. With a slight undertone of something floral. What actually makes up this scent is Myrrh, Cinnamon and Carnation. I can not smell Myrrh at all though it may also be whats contributing to the bite in this. Not a bad scent. Not for me though.
Voodoo you love
Okay so this was a interesting scent. It had a very herbal scent. By herbal I am not just talking random herbs. I am talking cooking herbs. To be more direct like Thyme. With a soft undertone of a floral, lavender actually. It is a all over nice scent, it would certainly be considered a calming fragrance. Looking at the fragrance to make up this scent was Ginger, Rose, Clove, Thyme and Lavender. I find this a little weird since I could not pull out any spice of the clove. Though like I stated I still find this to be rather nice and calming. I just find the Thyme to be a bit overpowering.
Buena JuJu
This was a very floral type scent with a soft undertone of woodsy like scent. Looking at the fragrances that make up this scent we are looking at Jasmine, Orange blossom, Mimosa, Iris, Vanilla, Lilly , Chypre & Jasmine. Its a very soft scent though in the end something nice to put on after a shower in the spring time.
Overall
Overall liked all the scents. I do have a couple favorites. I think their product is amazing and I do plan on purchasing a bunch of this in the future. None of my high hopes for any of this were disband. I thoroughly enjoyed them. The scents only last two to three hours though. Which for most people is okay though for people who are out and about for longer then that will have to carry theirs with them if they want to keep the scent the whole time out. That for me is a slight downer since I have had bad experience's in the past with carry bottles of stuff with me. Having them leak in my purse or in my pocket is not something I look forward to. Though with how much I do like some of these scents I would be willing to take my chances.
LipStix:
So I looked at this product a couple times over before trying. In the store shop it states it leaves a slight stain of natural color to the lips. Though when I put it on I saw nothing other then a gloss type look. This was not a disappointment since I don't typically wear lip sticks myself anyway unless for a special occasion. Perhaps it is suppose to be clear and I was just misreading or misunderstood on this. Either way I liked the product. It left my lips feeling soft without all the crud most your big name places put into their glosses. The ingredients used in this was 100% pure natural bee's wax, organic grape seed oil, organic almond oil and homemade beet powder.
Tid-Bits about KittyWitch Perfumery
KittyWitch Perfumery open their shop doors on Etsy in 2010. They are established out of Hollis Maine USA. Their colognes and perfumes are from natural botanical sources. This means they are composed in a water base using the finest, purest natural fragrance oil blends. With this being the case each scent blends to the wearer to make a more unique scent.
Welcome back Guys and Dolls. Today I bring you a special review. So there seems to be this new craze that has swept our nation. Subscription boxes. Most of you have probably have heard of them by now. If you haven't your probably scratching your head at this point. So let me back up a little. What is a subscription box?
A subscription box is a monthly box you receive with varying prices. Prices depend on the category of the box as well as company. You are able to sign up typically for one box or you can sign up for a consecutive months subscription. When you receive the box you typically receive anywhere from four to five samples (Occasionally a full size sample) of products that month to do with that category.
So that is what a subscription box is and there are literally all kinds of subscription box programs out there. It does not matter your age, gender or interest. Chances are if you do enough looking you will find a subscription box(es) that fit you. Whether you interest lie in beauty, food, outdoors or even health.
Which brings us to where we are going today. How many of you try your best to stay healthy? Or even have a goal to lose weight? Lets face it we all are trying one or the other if not both! One of the biggest issues I have run into personally is keeping up with what is out there to help with keeping healthy and in shape or even for helping to lose weight. I am no health nut by far, so I would not even know where to start looking other then possibly big box stores. Which if you haven't caught on yet, I am not a huge fan of.
I managed to weave my way through the sea of subscription boxes and found one that actually peeked my interest. So today I am bringing you BULU BOX! Well now you may be asking yourself what in the world's name is Bulu Box? Let me give you the short and skinny about Bulu Box. This is the first health, nutrition and weight loss discovery box. If you want more info on it you can find it under the tab marked Monthly Subscriptions.
What Came in Marches Box:
(I have not tried any of this yet but I do plan to start to next week.)
Slimming Smoothie
This is a protein that helps curb those hunger pains. They typically come in a two pound tub or in portioned packs which are nice for people on the go. The flavor in which mine came in was Vanilla. I am not sure how many different flavors it comes in other then Vanilla and Chocolate though. None the less the portion pack boxs comes twelve to a pack for thirty nine dollars and ninety nine cents. (USD)
Flapjacked Protein Pancakes
These protein pack breakfast will help give you the energy in the morning that you need to make it through the day. Ingredients include in these are things like quinoa, whole oats and lean muscle building whey protein isolate. They typically come in a pouch that contains fifteen serves. This item normally running at nineteen dollars and ninety nine cents. (USD) They seem interesting enough and I do plan on most likely giving them a try here in the near future. In which case you will be able to keep your eyes peeled for the review on this product.
Neocell Beauty Bursts
This product is suppose to do the same thing as taking the Biotin pills do. They are meant to help with your hair, nails and skin. Though instead of that gross taste you get from the pills you can have a nice burst of flavor! This is actually a really interesting idea and I may be investing in them in the future since I typically take Biotin. I will do a review on these later. I will probably also do a comparison between these and Biotin to find out which one is better or more so worth the money! These come in two flavors Mine was Fresh Mint Chocolate but they apparently also come in super fruit punch. Sixty chews to a bag at nineteen dollars and ninety five cents. (USD)
Rootology
Now this is a interesting product and I was excited to see it. It is a Herbal Allergy Relief medication. This is maid of concentrated herbal extracts that work both alone and together to immediately support nasal, sinus and eye health and provide dramatic seasonal allergy relief without a prescription. So this will be interesting to try in a couple more weeks when spring starts up! These come in a forty count bottle at sixteen dollars and ninety nine cents (USD.)
Smarty Pants
These are kind of cute. I know people that can't swallow pills. On occasion's its just something that is hard to do in general depending on the size of the pill. These are all in one gummy multivitamins as well as includes Omega 3's and Vitamin D. They have no fructose corn syrup in them, which I can see being a HUGE selling point. No artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Though are still very naturally flavorful. So I will go out on a limb and say these probably taste twenty times better then swallowing those horse pills. They come a hundred and eight to a bottle at twenty nine dollars and ninety five cents (USD.)
Ooberluxe
Ooberluxe seems to be a way to organize your life a bit. It's exact description is: a super intuitive, reservation-making, order-taking travel + virtual assistant. I received a month long membership for it. I may look more into this and let you know what this is all about how it works and whom it would be good for. Though I may also wait to see if anyone actually shows interest in knowing more about it.
Overall
So this box for a one month subscription is ten dollars. As you can see noted above just in one of those products this box was well worth the box. It also really kind of amped me up a little to really start doing the working out I need to do. So far I am loving it and think everyone who is looking to stay healthy and fit should give it at least a look see and try for one month at the least.
I do have two more months of this so keep your eyes open, for more healthy and fit things coming your way.
What are you waiting for! It's time to get healthy and stay fit. Click on the image below to head over to Bulu Box Now! Act now and use the promo code: BULUGAN892 and you will receive 50% OFF!
I have this secret, well perhaps not so secret love for cooking and baking. With this love comes a love for trying new things all the time. Specially when it comes to things like personally made sauces, mixes and things of that nature. I am always looking for new things to try to top it off. With that being said I am a huge hot sauce fan. I use hot sauce all the time.
Well I happen to stumble across a Etsy store called Rushy Spring Farms. Whom is known for their unique salt brine fermentation chile sauces. Upon investigate I did happen to notice what they had stated to me was true. Almost everything when you look up this form of fermentation for chile sauces it does normally come back to them. So first I am going to give you my review, then we will get more into what exactly this process is.
So I had a couple friends come over to try these with me this past weekend. When it comes to food I like to have more then just my opinion on things. So here is our review shortened to the point for you all.
My Review:
Aji Amarillo
Starting line, so here we are starting with the Aji Amarillo. So we all seem to agree this was a very mild sauce. Flavorful and a nice flavor at that. Almost border lining a lime taste. It in my personal opinion had a very sweet overtone to it. None the less it was a pleasant sauce. I had to agree with my friends on this one. It would be good for anyone who can't handle the heat of a hot sauce. (Such as the Trinidad or Tennessee Cherry) It is very complimentary to Mexican food though. In fact thinking about it, it kind of made me want a margarita.
Aji Limo
Here comes round two the Aji Limo. This was a interesting flavor for a chili sauce. Though I myself did not find much of heat in this at all. (If any) I did find this to be flavorful. A bit on the sweet side not as sweet as the Amarillo but enough to notice it. We all also noticed a small hint of lime mixed in there though it was followed by a big taste of vinegar. Though not as sour as vinegar would be alone. It still had the tinge of sweetness to take that bite away. I will actually be looking into a recipe I may be able to mix this into to see if it changes the taste at all or pulls out any flavors it did not intentionally.
Serrano
Lets get going on some of this heat we have been waiting on. So we are now finding ourselves at the Serrano. On first taste it almost brings out a nice sweet flavor. With a very mild heat. Now at first I thought this was because I just ate a lot of really hot sauce typically so the mediums seem to taste like a mild to me anymore. Though with confirmations with my two other friends whom have been helping me thus far with this review. It turns out that it was not just me. It is pleasant tasting but it lacks in bite and we all three consider this to actually be along the lines of a mild sauce. Perhaps I will come back to this later with it mixed into something and see if it brings forth a different result.
Tennessee Cherry Chile
Now we are starting to get to the big boys ball park with the Tennessee Cherry Chile Sauce. We felt this sauce was a lot more potent and your first taste to hit is that of the chili itself. Followed slowly by the burn. Though as the taste of the chili fades you are left with a vinegary aftertaste. In someways I myself found this to actually be a compliment to the flavor in the end. Though for others it was preferred not to be there. In the end this could be comparable to a high grade hot sauce. It was certainly a welcoming taste bud tingler to start our final round. This would be good to add into something like a chili for that extra ompha without over doing it.
Trinidad Scorpion
So we finally make are way to what is currently the worlds hottest pepper. The Trinidad. This baby packed a punch. Upon tasting it we all could agree that though there was major heat involved you could also pin point a tinge of sweetness. Encompassing that of the actual flavor of the chili when you get past the heat portion of this. As well as you can find a underlining tone of vinegar taste in this.
All in all we come to find that the Trinidad Chili sauce packed not only the flavor but the heat as well. Leaving your mouth to tingle and burn in a pleasant way. A little of this goes a long way!
Overall
So in the end we all liked them all but all were in agreement. The best sauce we felt out of these was the Trinidad Scorpion. It held the most flavor and it had the biggest bite. It was a well rounded Chile sauce and one of the best we have ever tried. This is not saying like I stated that we did not like the others. I rather enjoyed them all though do feel each one should be used in a proper way it may develope the flavors better. They are totally worth checking out and trying! I promise you will not be disappointed!
Tid-Bits on Rushy Spring Farms:
Rushy Spring Farms was established in 2004 in Knoxville Tennessee by a man known as Tennessee Jim. It began as a diversified chemical free vegetable, herb, greens, and fruit producer. However, year by year, economic imperatives have forced specialization. Currently, production is concentrated in high quality garlic, a few carefully chosen heirloom tomato varieties, and over two dozen exceptional chilies that cover an extensive array of flavor and heat variations. In addition to selling fresh chilies, primarily at the Knoxville, TN Market Square Farmer’s Market and high end restaurants there, they are transformed into world class salt brine fermentation chili sauces as well as dried whole chilies and single variety gourmet chili powders.
Rushy Spring Farms has a large Chile collection in which the centerpiece for is a unusual yet unique Chile. The Tennessee Cherry Chile. It was named this due to the size, shape and color of this chili was all very much similar to a actual cherry.
To find out more about Rushy Spring Farms Please follow the following link: http://rushyspringsfarm.wordpress.com/faq/
Rushy Spring Farms Etsy Link:
Do you like to smell good but hate buying dud scents that fade over a short wear time. I get this quite often and it is aggravating. I spend money on product I expect it to have a long lasting effect I am searching for. Well since everywhere I have bought from seems to do nothing but disappoint. I headed on over to Etsy once again. In search of a long lasting scent that would not irritate my skin or dry it out.
I happened across HatScents. I managed to get my hands on some of their fragrance oils to review for you all. All I can say before we get into this review is I was really impressed! Not with just the product but that the owner/creator was so knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge with me.
My Review:
Egyptian Musk
First sniff while still in bottle gave away a soft and clean. On a second sniff I can pull out the scents of Aloeswood & Amber. The Amber sticking out the most in that. Once I put it on though I could also detect a bit of sandalwood in it as well. This scent is amazing. I love it and found my new favorite scent which I will be purchasing more of in the future.
I could wear this everyday and never ever grow tired of it. The scent also lasted a long while. (Almost forty eight hours even after a shower!!) This is one of the ones that if you are okay with those soft earthy type scents. This is one you will want to check out!
Blue Nile
First sniff, it reminds me of something aquatic. Mixed with a flower scent. I would say that floral scent is either Lilac or Gardenias. Now I am typically not a floral type person but this is actually a soft scent in the matter of floral. Its pleasant. More of a spring scent though. It almost has that fresh clean kind of smell. Something I would imagine coming from someone who just stepped out of the shower actually. The longer I had this on the more I actually liked it. Though like I said before, its a spring scent.
China Rain
I like this scent, A lot. It reminds me of a rainy spring day. It has that soft tone not over done with floral. Almost as if walking through a garden. I guess in a way you could also say it has the aquatic scent to it. It was all over pleasant a good spring evening scent.
Warm Vanilla Sugar
This lives up to its name. Its a nice warm and welcoming smell. It has that soft tone of vanilla and yet that sweet sugar mixed in there. This is a scent I could really enjoy on the body during the holiday months. It kind of reminds me of warm sugar cookies!
Vanilla Twist
Sadly I did not personally like this scent it was very much a very sugary almost over loaded on Vanilla but not a creamy vanilla more of vanilla in its raw state. Which I am never a very big fan of personally. I can picture a few people I know that may be interested by this scent. Sadly like I said just not something for me. So on that note if I do find someone who likes it I will bring about a better review on this. I just couldn't get past the sweetness to it to get a good review of it.
River of Honey
On any sniff of this I took I could pull out only two scents. Vanilla and Honey. It has a very creamy like undertone which compliments the vanilla very well. It also seems to have a back drop scent of amber. Which helps pull it from being to sweet of a scent. Making this actually really nice blend. This really smells like a summer day scent.
Superior Musk
There is certainly a musk in this. I can find that scent as a back drop. I almost feel the main scent I am smelling in this is a citrus of some sort. Perhaps a grapefruit scent. Its nice but really strong. This I can be seen being worn by both male or female. It almost what I picture lust to smell like if the word had a smell.
Oriental Kush
This one was a very intense scent that was in your face almost. Though in that spicy & bitter kind of way. It certainly had a bite to it. Though after a couple smells of this I started to sense something almost semi sweet under it. I would almost go to say it could have been like a warm chocolate. It was not something I personally would wear but it is not a bad scent either. It was kind of pleasant and on the right person I think it would be very enjoyable!
24kt Gold Egyptian Musk
This had about the same scent as the plain Egyptian musk the only difference I could pull out of it was the fact that it was sharper maybe a bit more of a spice undertone to it. Going back to this a couple times I finally pulled out what brought it that small sharpness. I started to detect a slight vanilla undertone in it. Pleasant but not my favorite.
Natural Patchouli
If you have ever smelled patchouli you can guess what this smells like. It has that natural earthy, woodsy, musk. Its a very distinct scent not to mention tends to take a acquired liking for this scent. What I did like about this scent (being this is a scent I typically wear anyway) this one was a little more rich then what I am normally use to. Though still nice.
Meditation Champa
Now when I saw this one, I figured it would smell heavily of Nag Champa. Which tends to give me really bad headaches though I still love the scent. (Go Figure.) So on first sniff I was surprised to find that it actually did not smell of it. Not even after having it on for a while.Instead it smells of a floral type soap. I would say perhaps a rose or a exotic flower. Something along the lines of a lotus. I also pulled out hint of what I am assuming to be sandalwood. I actually really liked this. Though it has that floral scent it also has a tad bit of spice scent under it all. Something I can see as a summer eve scent.
Small Note: The Scents above are only eleven of HatScents scents. She does have many more so make sure to check them all out!
Tid-Bits about HatScents:
HatScents was founded by Rebecca Julian of Columbus Ohio. She prides herself highly on her product, knowledge about her product and her customer relations. Her overall goal is to make sure you the consumer have the best experience with her product as possible. She makes sure to keep you up to date from the time you place the order to the time she gets it in the mail. Just to make sure everything is running smoothly and getting to you.
All HatScents fragrance oils are alcohol free. This to me is a big selling point since alcohol is what causes most skin to dry out and become irritated. So what you buy from her you can guarantee is nothing but high quality and at a affordable price! What more could one seriously want?! Hatscents oils are not just used as perfume and cologne but also for aromatherapy purposes and to improve personal health and well-being. I have noticed while wearing some of these I have stayed calm a lot more then usual as well as I have been in a bit of a better up lifted mood.
Rebecca also crochets all the hat's and scarves she sells in her shop by hand. Each one being made to the best quality possible and with the most comfortable, non scratchy yarn possible. The colors of them are beautiful and the designs are really nice. They can be used on any style hair from short straight to long and dread hair.
Hat Review:
I have to admit at first I was not sure about the hat. I am not a huge hat person and its hard for me to find ones I like or that stay on my head. That don't look weird or awkward on me. None the less I tried this one. Let me tell you how much I have fallen in love with this hat. You can ask anyone I live with. From the time I wake up till the time I go to bed. I have this hat on. Does not matter whether I am leaving the house or not. It is very comfy and fits amazingly. Looks cute and doesn't fall off or move around much on its own! Its a all around win and I am ready to tackle both spring and fall with this adorable piece of hat wear!
Overall Review:
I liked if not loved most these scents. They did not make me break out nor did they dry my skin out. The scent lasted all day, if not all day then close to it. I was all around happy with the products. I think out of all of them I only found one not for me. That I would probably never buy myself. At least not to put on myself. Perhaps if it was mixed with something else it would peek my interest more. Thinking about it though only one miss on eleven scents?! That's batting pretty high if you ask me. I have very high faith that you could find your next favorite scent in this store. So what are you waiting for go find your new favorite scent?! While your at it get a head jump on spring and fall hat and scarf wear!
HatScents Etsy Link: 
