Deleting the naughty...with Cravebox Cooking Light November

Another subscription box I got interested in is the Cravebox. I went to their website and signed up, but got waitlisted. But, while I waited, I could enter a contest to win one of their specialty boxes, which happened to be sponsored by Cooking Light. And lucky me, I was notified by email that I happened to be one of the recipients!

Not too long ago, I received another email that shared news about how they were going to be changing the way they do things. So, I don't know if I am a member, not sure if they've changed things yet or what, but I have since then been notified of two more boxes I could enter for, so crossing my fingers because those sound fantastic too!

So, on to the Cooking Light box. First impression, the box was huge. And heavy.  This is a good sign. I tried not to focus too much on the spoilers that were coming out, as I wanted to be surprised..a little.

The box itself was stuffed full of what I would call "fall comfort food." On top was a sheet talking about the products, which were all advertisers in Cooking Light magazine. The biggest plus of all? They were all FULL-SIZE. The box was $13. Incredible value considering the contents:

McCormick Perfect Pinch Salt Free Garlic & Herb Seasoning:
There were 2 bottles of this, one for me and one I will share with my sister or mom. The one I received is a salt-free blend of garlic, Italian herbs (oregano rosemary, basil), red pepper onions, orange peel, celery and paprika. It smelled wonderful. I am leaning toward using this on a slow-cooked pork roast. I think it would also be tasty in a homemade vegetable soup.  Definitely thinking comfort food. Bonus - No MSG. And as I mentioned above..full sized bottles.

Nectresse 100% Natural, No Calorie Sweetener by Splenda:
This product is new, made from the extract of Monk fruit combined with other natural sweeteners (erythritol, sugar, monk fruit extract, molasses), nothing artificial. The box contains 40 individual sized packets.I opened up one of the packets and gave it a taste. I will be honest, on its own it is not for me. It has sort of an ultra sweet intense flavor. I do not normally use Splenda or artificial sweeteners, but my husband does in tea, and my dad and mother/father-in-law are diabetic. My husband will probably use it up. I personally try to avoid anything with aspartame, so this natural alternative might be worth looking into down the road.

Tully's French Roast Coffee:
A 12oz size package of ground French Roast. It's label describes it as rich, smoky, spicy. Tomorrow is Friday, and I do believe I will make myself a pot of this new stuff in the morning. I love coffee. I wake up in the morning and quite honestly it is the first thing I think about. The aroma...breathing in the steam off the top of the cup as I bring it to my lips, sipping it ever so slowly, letting it sit in my mouth for a brief moment to cool then tasting the coffee itself, mixed with just a little half and half, going down and warming my stomach.  The first sip is an experience for me...every day. I feel less than human until I get my coffee, oh what a vice to have.

Fruit Crisp from Dole:
This product is like the fruit cups they already make, but with an oatmeal topping provided. My box had a 2-pack of each flavor they make, peach, apple cinnamon and apple pear. You can enjoy these cold or heated up in the microwave. Now, I have purchased many a Dole fruit cup in my day. It was the perfect size and travel companion when my kids were babies and toddlers. Just pop one open and the kids had a healthy snack. So, the idea of a fruit crisp is intriguing to me. I enjoyed mine heated up with just a little bit of half and half added to it. The kids had theirs cold as an after school snack. To really fancy it up, I would heat it, then put a little light whipped cream or frozen vanilla yogurt on top..mmm.

Torani Syrup:
And if you didn't notice above, this is indeed another full size product, a 750mL bottle. I received sugar free Salted Caramel made with Splenda. My husband will love this.  He loves iced coffees and he actually orders his with Splenda, so I am almost certain he will be experimenting this weekend.  I love a good non-fat vanilla latte, so I am willing to try caramel.  I think this would even be good in just a steamed milk for the kids, a nice little Friday or Saturday night bedtime treat.

In addition to the products, there were recipes, a magnet with measurements, coupons and idea sheets wrapped up nicely in the Cravebox blue tissue paper.  I think this was an awesome box to receive in the mail and I love it! I will use all of these products and enjoy them.  Thanks Cravebox for choosing me!


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Deleting the naughty...with Conscious Box Mystery Box

Got the first Conscious Box today, which was the Mystery Box. The quote they sent with the card inside said "The unknown often scares people. It takes courage to have faith in the things you are unsure about..."

Price: $12/month plus $7.95 s/h, total: $19.95/month, cancel anytime

So with that, let's dig in!

The Mystery box claimed it would arrive jam-packed with leftover items from their stock.  It contained 11 items, not sure about jam packed.

Happy Squeeze Coco Coconut Milk:
The flavor I got was Orange Mango. It was in a cute 3.5 oz pouch.

Pure Matters Protein Powder:
The flavor of the powder is chocolate pea protein. It was one single serve packet containing 25 grams of protein per serving. You mix it with 8 oz of water (or other cold beverage). Since I am not vegan, I am going to use milk.

Simply S'mores:
I have to be honest. At first glance I thought this product looked disgusting. Located in the bottom picture, inside the box on the left, it looks like 6 cocoa coated squares of marshmallow with a few shavings of chocolate on top. My husband and I both kind of looked at each other and said "Ok, let's try it." Well, I am glad I did. While I wouldn't sit down and eat a whole package myself, they were a nice, sweet little treat. Surprisingly good and tasted so much better than those chocolate covered marshmallows you get at Easter. They tasted just like a marshmallow, just delightfully less sweet. The cocoa powder on the outside tempered the sweetness even more. The kids loved them too!

Mighty Leaf Earl Grey Tea:

I love Earl Grey, so this was right up my alley. What made me sad was their was only 1 tea bag. The bag was an organic pouch of whole leaf black tea. The description on the packet says it is black tea leaves blended with a twist of deep, first press bergamot oil. Opening the packet was a pleasant little surprise. It had an adorable little sachet that contained all the tea. So pretty I had to take a picture. I used my Keurig to give me instant hot water and let it steep for the 4 minutes suggested. It was delicious. A classic earl grey taste but richer. I was able to use the sachet for 2 refills in my 16oz tumbler.

Eco Dent Gum and Daily Care Toothpowder:
Called Between, this dental gum came in a packet of 2 pieces of sugar free Natural Cool Mint. The package says it contains baking soda and antioxidant vitamins A, C and E.

The "naturally effervescent" baking soda toothpowder is in a package in Original Mint, enough for 2 brushings. It is flouride free and low abrasion, you apply a small dot to a moistened tooth brush.

Suntegrity Face Sunscreen Moisturizer and Primer:
This packet is probably enough for a single use. It has a broad spectrum SPF 30 and says it is non-greasy. The active ingredient is 20% Zinc Oxide, infused with antioxidants and astaxanthin. I don't know what that is, and I am not going to look it up right now. 

Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Itch Relief Pet Shampoo:
I won't be using this sample but am going to pass it along to a friend who has dogs and is a practicing vegetarian. I think she would love trying it.

VegaSport Pre-Workout Energizer:
Natural plant based energizer for increased energy, endurance and mental focus. The flavor I got is lemon lime. You mix it with 8 oz water 20 minutes before exercise. The package says it was formulated by Brendan Brazier, an Ironman triathlete.

Kelapo Virgin Coconut Oil:
This packet only contained 1 TBS of coconut oil, so I really don't have enough to bake the recipe I have that calls for it. I am going to look up a recipe that I can use for sauteeing a little bit, and i am going to try it as a spread on pumpkin bread. 

Go Greens Dietary Supplement:
My husband saw this and shoved it into his pocket, he's going to let me know what he thinks.

Dark Angell Organic Candy Bar:
An organic candy bar in dark chocolate (rich cocoa and almond center).  Need I say more? Not only is a decent size, it is also low sodium, no corn syrup and 0g trans fats. 

All in all, I am not sure yet what to make of this box.  In an effort to be more eco-conscious, I wanted to give it a try, and I will continue a little longer. 


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Deleting the naughty…with Beauty Box 5 October

I got my first Beauty Box 5 in the mail! I could just pee my pants. Well, no, not actually, but it helps you get the feel of my anticipation.

Price: $12/month, no s/h, cancel anytime, other subscription packages available: quarterly, yearly

Signing up was simple and their FAQ is extremely helpful. If you like the product and want to buy a full size, they have links to the websites of the brands featured. I was sent a welcome email at the beginning of October, and I must have made the month's deadline as I was able to receive the October box.

I got the shipment notification on a Monday and it arrived in my mailbox on Friday. I was expecting 2-3 days, but getting it on Friday was a fun start to my weekend.

My first impression upon opening the box was: Wahoo! It's here. I must open now!  The second impression: The items inside were smaller than I thought they would be. Not a bad thing, just other reviews I've read made it seem like things would be bigger...or something. Or it is quite possible I built it up in mind. Have you ever gotten one of the Target Beauty Bags in the mail? The samples are smaller than those, but at first glance are also higher end. So to that end...it is what it is, and I knew upfront that people feel some boxes are wow and others are not.

Here are the contents and I will add my thoughts as I try them:

Margania Pure Argan Oil (brown vial upper left):
I just used up the last of my Boots No. 7 serum, so this came at the perfect time. The card describes this product as having naturally high levels of vitamin e and fatty acids. Labeled a "Miracle Oil", it is perfect for healing skin ailments and protecting against premature aging.  I plan to use it around my eyes and on my chest area where I see the most wrinkles, and mix a drop with my hand lotion, where age is seen too.
My recommendation: use at night. I used the first morning, and it felt a little greasy and gave my face a sheen, which is a big duh, it is an oil. But I am going to use it consistently at night and let's hope it helps get rid of some of these 40 year old wrinkles.

City Lips Lip Plumper:
Not a regular lipstick wearer, but I a willing to give this a try. The lip plumper is supposed to have antioxidant properties and moisturizer. You apply and are supposed to have plumper lips instantly.

ShowStoppers Fashion Tape
I probably won't get to these until February.  I have an event that I'm wearing a low back dress, and might be able to use these to hide my bra back by attaching it to my dress...we shall see.

Goat Haus Dairy Lip Balm:
This was the first thing I tried, my lips were dry and it was sitting next to me. It is normal lip balm sized, a  It is very soft, so I anticipate if you keep this in your pants or jeans pocket it will melt. The balm is white, goes on clear and has no real odor to it, just a light, sugar cookie-ish scent. There is no offensive flavor or aftertaste either. Very clean and pure. Then I reread the label and it is indeed called "Sugar Kisses". I've had it on for about an hour now and it still feels kind of oily on my lips, but I am assuming that it is working and moisturizing. I will use this through the weekend and see if the dryness and chapping is alleviated, doing a 5k tomorrow, so we can try it out in outdoor conditions!

Furlesse Elevens:
These are patches you put on your frown lines to reduce them in a natural way. You put them on your frown lines in between your eyes after you've washed your face for the night and go to bed, using nightly for best results. I have one deep, long frown line right in the middle and it gets deeper with every year. I don't know that anything could erase the grand canyon there. The sample size received was enough for 3 nights. I put it on and was a little awkward at it.  I had a hard time smoothing my forehead and applying it at the same time, but I figured it out.  Was my frown line smoother? Possibly.  I did, however, wake up with some new lines, on the edges of the patches where my skin sagged back down, ha ha! So, I am thinking the only way these are going to help me is if they have a large mask one for my entire face.  I will do this two more times to use the whole sample and give it a fair shake.  Oh, it worked good for eyebrow removal...I accidentally put it over a part of my eyebrow. No plucking! LOL!!

Lash Card Lash Cards:
I don't really wear mascara, though I should. As I have no mascara skills I think these will come in handy if I was applying heavier coats for a night out on the town. But for daily application of just one coat, I don't know that I would use it. The sample size received was 2 separately packaged cards. On side has a cut out and is labeled small curve and the other side is for large curve. You use on card per mascara application .


NuMe $100 Gift Certificate for Styling Tools/Extensions 

Closing thoughts: It was alright. I expected more of a wow factor at first, but I do like the idea of the Argan oil, and I always use lip balms.  I will definitely be using the tape for that event, and the plumper I will give a try on some date nights with my hubby.  But, the lash cards are a waste on me, as well as the elevens, I think. It just made me look more wrinkly in other places.  Will continue on for some more months to see what else is in store!


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