Thoughts on Life #1

A lot of the time I get a little too caught up in what others think of me, and I think many other people do exactly the same. The truth is that the bully who is insulting you, making fun of you, or talking behind your back, is not going to sit around thinking about those words they said to you late at night. In their minds they have moved on because upsetting you just is not that large of a part of their day.

 The only person left thinking about it at night is the one who got hurt. Why let something like that ruin your night or even your week? Most likely that bully just needed something to make themselves feel better, even for the moment, and you were just there.

You are a beautiful and delicious pink starburst. Don't let anyone tell you different. 

My Adore Me Experience

Hello Everyone!

Today I am writing about my experience with the lingerie website Adore Me which I received as a part of my XO Vox Box from Influenster.

To see a review of the other products I received in my box click here.

As a part of my box I was able to receive a free set of Adore Me lingerie or sleepwear if I signed up to be a VIP member on their site. At first I was incredibly wary of this because being a VIP member is essentially signing up for a subscription service. As a VIP you must choose an item for them to send to you between the 1st and the 5th of each month or they will charge a credit to your account to be used at a later time, unless you choose to skip the month (which you MUST log on and do or they will charge you). Because I had taken the time to make sure I understood what I was getting myself into, I decided to go ahead and try out the service. I chose a nearly $50 bra and panty set and at check out applied the code I was given by Influenster and received the set for free. I have included a photo of my purchase below.

I was obviously super excited about receiving this because I often have a hard time finding cute lingerie, but Adore Me offers quite a few nice plus sized options. I checked my shipping info every few days and though the shipment left the factory by the next day, I had still not received my shipment 12 days later. I attempted to call the company around day 10-11 and at first was told there was a long wait, and the next day they were closed. On day 12 I called UPS who told me I would need to contact the company. After this I decided to wait out the call line for an Adore Me representative and finally got a person after about 40 minutes (even though the original message said the wait was past 15 minutes, not nearly an hour). The representative was very nice and offered to send another one completely free and even gave me a $10 store credit! At this point I was very happy and was looking forward to actually getting my shipment. Within the next few hours I went to check the mail at my home and of course, there was my box, after 12 days. 

I opened the box and the packaging was very nice and some pamphlets were included. I tried on my bra and it fit fairly well, though the shape was a bit pointy and the cups were kind of small. My biggest complaint about the bra was that I felt like the material was very cheap, I honestly have no idea why anyone would pay so much for low quality. I have only worn the set once, though I received it weeks ago. 

About 6 days after I had called and spoken with the Adore Me rep I had not received the replacement set, though I did not need it. I then got an email notifying me that the set had sold out and I got a code to get another product. At this point I am a little put off by the company and feel like this has been a lot of trouble. 

I am very happy to have received this set for free and to have been able to test out this service... However, I personally would not recommend this company at the time, especially if you want to receive your products by a specific date ( I really wanted to have mine for an event but did not). I do not feel like I received a product that was worth what most people would pay for the service and would suggest that if you want to test it out, not to sign up for the VIP membership unless you will be able to remember to skip the month. 

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Love, Cookie Kate

Influenster XO Vox Box Review!

Hello!

     I have a super exciting post today for all people who love to try out new stuff for free!!! Which really should be everyone, anyway, today I am sharing my Influenster XoVoxBox! Influenster is a website that anyone can join and eventually earn some awesome free products to test out for absolutely no charge (to be clear-they do not have any of my credit card info and I have not sent their company any money whatsoever), but in exchange for your time and opinion! Basically, when you join you take some quick surveys so they can get an idea of who you are, and then you work towards earning "badges" by reviewing products that you have already tried and answering other peoples questions. Then, if you stay active and Influenster has a upcoming "voxbox" (box of free goodies) that they feel would be right for you they will invite you to receive it!

     I would like to point out that Influenster does expect you to link up your social media accounts and will then give you a "social impact score" it seems that this is based largely on how many friends and/or followers you have, but can also be impacted by your activity on these accounts and your activity on the influenster site. If you are scared that you will not have a high enough score because you do not have a lot of social media followers or friends, I say give it a shot anyway! I see people on the site with scores in the 1000's but mine is only 280, and I still got a box. I hope that gave you a good overview of what to expect and how to get involved, but now let's see the box!

• Tide Pods with Febreze (10 pack)= I can't even begin to tell you how weirdly happy I was to see these in my box! Detergent is expensive and these little packets are so handy. Plus, I really just enjoy the scent of Febreze! I am looking forward to using these on my next laundry day. [Approx. Value: $5]

• Colgate Optic White Tooth Brush + Built In Whitening Pen= Another product that I shouldn't have been super excited to see, but I was. Recently I have noticed my teeth becoming more yellow and have been considering different tooth whitening options, but they are all so expensive, so I was very happy to get this. I will say that I have already been using the Crest Whitening toothpaste, but otherwise have never had my teeth whitened, and I saw no difference with the Crest. I may be imagining it, but I really do feel like I am seeing a slight difference in my teeth after using this Optic White set and pen for just two days! If I see any noteworthy improvements I will share a full product review in a separate post. [Approx. Value: $13]

• Colgate Optic White Tooth Paste (3oz.)= This paste is a part of the Optic White set, I am happy it whitens, but I must admit I am not a huge fan of the taste. [Approx. Value: $4]

• Skinfix Hand Repair Cream (1 oz.)= My skin has been sooo dry this winter! I have never experienced having skin this dry in my whole life and I really do not understand it. I do not like the smell of this cream, I suppose it smells a little bit like oatmeal and chemicals (I know that makes no sense), but I am just really not impressed by the scent it gives off. However, I applied it to my hands only one time and have not needed hand lotion for two days, while before I needed it twice a day! So, this is certainly not something I would wear out, but maybe something to apply before bed so I won't have to smell it, and can still get the benefits. [Approx. Value: $9]

• John Frieda Frizz Ease Shampoo and Conditioner (1.5 oz)= I personally do not think I have frizzy hair for the most part, though this used to be an issue for me. However, I have tried the shampoo/coniditoner and it seemed really nourishing, but did not weigh down my hair and smells super nice! [Approx. Value: $3.50 each]

• John Frieda Frizz Ease Primer (1.7 oz)= This is a hair primer that you apply before styling your hair to avoid frizz, as stated before I do not have this issue, so I gave this to my mom to test out. So far she has only used it once and said that she did not feel like it made any difference.  [Approx. Value: $3]

• Adore Me Lingerie= This offer is not something that was included inside the box, but was a perk of receiving the box by signing up for an Adore Me VIP Membership. By using the exclusive code I received from Influenster, I got a nearly $50 bra and panty set absolutely free! I will be doing a separate post on my experience with Adore Me. [Approx. Value: $50]

• Ebay Exclusive Invite= This was an invite to be a writer of an Ebay Guide. In exchange for writing 2 Ebay guides I will receive a $25 gift card to Ebay. I have already written my first guide and it was super easy, so I will definitely be taking advantage of this opportunity! [Approx. Value= $25]

• Land's End Coupon/Offer= I must admit being slightly disappointed to receive this as I am not a Land's End kind of girl. This is a coupon for $25 off of a $100 purchase from Land's End, instead I will probably be giving this coupon code to a friend.

     All in all, so far I have had a wonderful experience with Influenster and absolutely plan to continue participating on the site. The total value of my box, along with my Adore Me lingerie and the Ebay gift card, come to approximately $116, not including the Land's End coupon. That is an incredible value to have gotten essentially for free. I have obviously been giving my time to them for some reviews and participation, but otherwise this box is free! Go check them out at www.influenster.com . 

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

However, all opinions are my own!

- Cookie Kate

Loot Crate Unboxing (Feb. 2015)

Hey guys, 

Today I have another unboxing post for you, this time it is for Loot Crate! Loot Crate is a monthly subscription service primarily for gamers, so I purchased this as a 3-month subscription for my boyfriends birthday! Loot Crate is $13.95 per month plus $6 for shipping, so you really end up paying about $20 per box, but I have a coupon code that anyone can use down at the bottom of this post to get you a few bucks off! The theme for this months box was "play", approximate prices will be listed beside each item. 

My boyfriend was enjoying a tasty sandwich from a local establishment and decided to include it in the photo!

• Ready Player One Novel by Ernest Cline [$9]- This book sounded really cool to me (an avid book reader), but I think my boyfriend was probably a little disappointed by this because hes a gamer and isn't really into books. 
• Collectible Loot Crate Pin for February 2015 [$3] - I think Loot Crate includes these in all of their crates and people collect them, online I found them to be priced at around $3, so people must be really into collecting them
• Waka-Waka Poster (Manny Peters) [$3-$5] - I personally felt like this was kind of a filler in the crate. It was a tiny little poster, but maybe some people really like collecting this type of thing?

• DIY Munny Figure (Kid Figure) [$13-$20] - This is a small figurine that comes with markers so you can draw on it and create anything you want! Kind of a cool concept because when you are finished you can wipe him off and start over if you want!
• Hex Bug [$10-$15] - This is what my boyfriend was the most excited about, it is a small robot bug that has sensors and will scuttle around on the floor while dodging some objects. I say SOME objects because its sensors only seem to detect large objects, you could not set this thing on an obstacle course. 

• Exclusive Looter Edition SuperFight Card Game (Skybound Games) [$10] - Neither my boyfriend nor I had ever heard of the SuperFight Card Game, but we both found it pretty amusing. Apparently it is becoming a very popular game where you combine the cards to make funny fighting situations between characters in popular shows and movies. 
• Exclusive Rock-Paper-Scissors Dice Game (Loot Crate Labs) [$3-$5]- These dice were a part of the game you could play on the board you see in the picture. The board is the actual Loot Crate box unfolded into a board. The dice are essentially the game rock-paper-scissors!
• Exclusive Firefly Online Premium Shop Unlock Code (Quantum Mechanix) [$5?] - This is an unlock code for a new online game called Firefly. This was on a card included in the box and is not in the picture above. Looks like it unlocks a pretty awesome ship to use in game play. 

In total, given the approximate prices that I was able to find online, this crate is worth $56-$72. Either way, that is far above the $13.95 price tag and the $6 shipping. So, if you are looking for a high-value, bang for your buck, gaming box, this is certainly an option to consider! I thought this box was super fun to open and my boyfriend really seemed to enjoy all of his new nerd goodies! If you would like to purchase your own Loot Crate you can click here. And to save a few dollars on your crate you can use the code ADDICTION to save 10% on any length subscription or SAVE 3 to save $3 off of a month-to-month subscription (coupon codes are courtesy of www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com ). Happy Shopping!

-Cookie Kate

Ulta Haul! (Feb. 2015)

Lately, I have been buying far too much makeup, but I felt like my most recent purchases were worthy of sharing. A few days ago I received a magazine in the mail from Ulta telling me all about their upcoming sales and promotions. I ended up going because I saw they were having a promotion where if you buy $19.50 in Ulta brand cosmetics you get a 15pc. gift set that is worth $88 and I couldn't pass that up!

Here is a look at my Ulta Haul!

This is a full picture of all my purchases, the only things I paid for were the Rose Gold Ulta Palette and the Glittery Gold Palette on the right. The small purple bag and all of the other products were a part of the 15pc. gift set I received! (The bag is also available in pink)

15 Piece Free Gift Set:

(Keep in mind that all products are Ulta Brand Cosmetics)

• Eye Shadow Quads- I received 3 of these in my gift set and they are labeled: "Natural", "Romantic", and "Smokey". All three look very nice but are quite shimmery and I am not a huge fan of having glitter all over my face by the end of the day. I also have a lot of eye shadow because of the palettes I purchased, so I might be giving these as gifts!
• Color Pure Loose Eye Shadow: This is a mini loose shadow in the color "Yolo", it is a beautiful golden shimmer shade, but again is far to glittery for my liking and will most likely be a gift!
• Full Sized Ulta Amped Lashed Mascara: I am super excited to try out this mascara and will be using it as soon as I run out of my current one (feels wasteful to have a bunch open). I really love mascaras and would be happy to find a new favorite! This is supposed to be volumizing and defining. 
• Dual Ended Eye Liner: Another product I am super excited to try out. This product is a pencil liner that is black on one side and dark brown on the other. I swatched these on my hand and they seemed very smooth
• Butter Balm Lip Gloss: This gloss is in the shade "Thumbelina", at first I was skeptical of this bright pink shade, but I really like it more than I expected. I am also not a gloss lover, but this formula is not super gross and sticky and doesn't have glitter in it. Win!
• Lip Crayon: I had never tried a lip crayon before but I am pretty impressed with this one, it is in the shade "Oh!", but is really a peach color with quite a bit of sparkly sheen, but no glitter. 
• Mini Nail Polish: I love nail polishes and am happy that this is a small bottle because I have so many polishes that I never finish! This is in the color "Peach Parfait", but is more of a light pink with a slight peach tone.
• Small Brow Compact: I have never really been into the thick brow fad, but I am pretty happy to get this. I will give it a try, it includes a light brow powder, medium powder, and wax
• Blush and Bronzer Compact: Nice little compact with a rosy blush that has some glitter and a bronzer with some glitter as well. 
• Small Lavender Cosmetic Bag and 3pc. Brush Set: I don't particularly like the little bag that came with the set, but I am happy to have a few more brushes!

Ulta Eyes and Cheeks Collection: $7.97 (originally $14)

This was one of the many Ulta brand collections that were on clearance because they did not sell during Christmas. Fortunately for me, that meant that I only paid half of the original price! In this set there are 20 eye shadows (which are almost all glitter shadows), a black eyeliner, 3 brow powders, 2 gel eyeliners, 2 blushes, and a bronzer highlighter.I thought that was an incredible deal for $8 and so far I think the shadows, blushes, and gel liners are of pretty decent quality! Check your Ulta to see if they have any clearance products like this!

Ulta Rose Gold Natural Eye Shadow Palette: $20

This is the gem of all my purchases and the main reason I entered the store. This is one of Ulta's two new palettes and reminds me a lot of the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette (but at half the price)! This palette has 12 shadows, 6 glitter and 6 mattes, and a very nice shadow brush. I will say that some of the lighter shades are hard to see, but I am in love with a lot of the darker shades. I am soo happy with this purchase and and considering getting its sister palette the Gilded Gold Palette.

I also had a coupon for $3.50 off any $10 purchase of Ulta cosmetics (which you can find in their current ad) and my total came to only $26.12! If you add up the total cost of these products, including the $88 value of the gift bag, I should have paid $122! That is a savings of almost $100, which is absolutely incredible in my opinion, I totally suggest that you stop by Ulta soon! The free gifts are only availiable while supplies last or until March 14th! Good luck shoppers!

Graze Box (February 2015)

Hi everyone!

Last week I received my second Graze box, and I was just as impressed as the first!

"As with all my subscriptions, I like to give a little info on what exactly they are in case any readers are not sure what type of service each box provides! Graze is a $6.99 (shipping included) subscription that can be sent every week, every two weeks, or every month. In your box you receive 4 sampling's of graze's all-natural snacks and trail mixes!"

So lets dive right into this weeks snack selections (sorry if my pictures have a bit of a glare):

Cheese and Chive Oatbakes

At first I was super excited to see these in my box because in my last box I received a similar product that was my absolute favorite. However, I was kind of disappointed by this snack! These were wholegrain cheese and chive crackers or "oatbakes" with a caramelized onion marmalade. While I was skeptical of the onion marmalade it was very tasty with an excellent flavor, but a slightly weird texture due to the onion pieces. My main issue with this snack was the oatbakes, I did not find these very tasty at all and really wish they had a better flavor.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

This trail mix was super tasty, I totally wish I could get this mix at the store! This consisted of white chocolate, raspberry cranberries, and hazelnuts. I am not much for rasins, but these raspberry flavored crasins were really good and I adore hazelnuts! I will say that I thought it was odd to call this "cheesecake", but otherwise, it was thoroughly enjoyed!

Beach Bum

Sorry about the glare on this photo, but it consisted of pineapple, coconut flakes, and chewy banana coins. I was not a huge fan of this mix, but it did give it a try before passing it off to my mother. The banana coins and pineapple pieces were SUPER chewy, but the bananas had a nice sweet flavor, while the pinapple were kind of lacking in flavor. The coconut flakes were yummy but there were too many of them compared to the amount of fruit.

Summer Berry Flapjack

My absolute favorite of all the snacks were these little granola bars or "flapjacks". Personally, I am from the south and we call our pancakes "flapjacks", but maybe in other places that is what they call granola bars? These were rolled oats and berry-infused cranberries. The bars were so tender, fresh, and yummy, probably one of the best granola bars I have ever had (and I really enjoy trying granola bars)! I am looking into ordering some of these in the larger bag options that graze has began offering. 

Overall, I was happy with my box this week! All my snacks were eaten and my box of course arrived right on time! Up to this point I was receiving my Graze Box for $3.49 per box because I started my subscription during a promotion where I got my first two boxes 1/2 off. However, the boxes generally cost $6.99 which I do think is steep for the amount of food you are getting. I planned to cancel my Graze box after this one, but when I went to cancel, they offered another box 1/2 off! So, I will be posting about this box at least one more time!

If you would like to give Graze a try for free you can use this promo code when you place your order: D7RZ6HYKB. This code will get you your first box FREE and if you continue the subcription you will also get your fifth box free! However, if you want to cancel after trying out the first box you totally can! 

Until next time, Cookie Kate <3

Love with Food Unboxing (February 2015)

Hello!

I received my first Love with food box a few days ago and am super excited to share it with you! In case you don't know what Love with Food is, it is a monthly subscription box service that sends you organic and all-natural snacks. Depending on your plan you can receive different amounts of snacks. I chose to do the monthly snacking box which includes 8-10 snacks, which costs $10 plus $2 for shipping. Love with Food also donates a meal to a food bank for every box they sell and donates two for the deluxe and gluten-free boxes!

The theme for this months box was Mardi Gras, so I thought it would make sense to post my review today which is Fat Tuesday! I would also like to point out how quickly I got this box, my box shipped on February 11th and arrived on February 14th! Which was two days before the earliest estimated shipping date, so I was very impressed by that.

Anyway, here is a look at my snack box:

And here are some pictures of each of my snacks, and their approximate prices based on the Love with Food store: 

 Toffee Crunch TruffleCremes by Dilettante= approx. 2 for $1.30

I did enjoy these little chocolates, they were really good quality and were nice and creamy inside. I also thought that the beads were a nice touch in this months box!

Milk Chocolate Mini Pieces by Divine=  approx. 2 for .90 cents

I did not like these chocolates as much as the others, but I am assuming it was due to the fact that it was milk chocolate, which I personally find too sweet. However, I do like that they are made by a fair trade chocolate company that is owned by cocoa farmers!

Lemon Wafer Bites by Dolcetto= $1

These were my absolute favorite thing that I got in my box! I will certainly be ordering some of these from their online store! They are shaped like little pillow cookies and are very light/crunchy wafers. The filling is super zesty and creamy and reminds me a bit of Trix ceral for some reason. 

Traditional Hot Chocolate by Monbana= .85 cents

I have not gotten to try this hot cocoa out yet, but I am really looking forward to it. It is vegan, made in France, and is 32% chocolate!

Original Creole Seasoning by Tony Chachere's= .08 cents

I have not tried this seasoning yet, but I do enjoy creole style foods and will be attempting to cook with this soon!

Protien+ Almond Honey Bar by Rise= $1.16

I cannot say this is the best protein bar I have ever had, but it was pretty decent. It was very small and looked kind of like a dog biscuit, but it did taste like honey and almonds! I also loved the simple ingredient list: almonds, honey, whey protien isolate! Non-GMO and Gluten Free!

Olive Oil Potato Chips by Boulder Canyon= .92 cents

Though I am not usually a kettle cooked chip kinda girl, I really enjoyed this salty snack. These were crunchy, perfectly salted, and flavorful due to the olive oil. I was impressed, and if I ever see them in a store I might just pick up a bag! Non-gmo, Gluten free, and vegan. The ingredients are literately: potatoes, olive oil, and sea salt!

Baked Mac and Cheese Puffs by Snikiddy= $1

I really did like these cheese puffs and am considering ordering some more online! They were almost like Cheetos puffs but I really loved the flavor and not getting orange all over my fingers! Also non-gmo and gluten free!

Overall, I am pretty impressed with my February Love with Food box, I loved getting to try out new snacks without committing to a huge bag or box and I enjoyed that they were healthier alternatives to some of my current snacking fave's! The overall approximate price of my box was $7.21 which is really not a very impressive figure, but you also need to factor in that you are giving a meal to a hungry person! I think I will be continuing my subscription for now, but if you are looking for a box where you get a lot of bang for your buck, this is not it. However, if you are really just looking to try out some new snacks and find some healthier alternatives, totally give this a try! 

By using this referral link you can try out your first Love with Food box for free, http://lovewithfood.com/invite?m=r&ref=2pPG . I think you will still have to pay for $2 in shipping, but otherwise the box is free, and if you do not like the service you can easily cancel it to avoid paying for the next month!

Till next time!

-Cookie Kate