Saturday, November 9, 2019

Tattoo Junkee Cosmetics Review

Tattoo Junkee creates quality pigmented cosmetics at drugstore prices for one-of-a-kind women with a rebellious spirit. They have lip kits, eyeshadows, and everything else you'll need for a complete look!

*Disclaimer: These products were sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.


Tattoo Junkee kindly sent me a variety of color cosmetics to review. Everything they make is cruelty-free (PETA certified) and packs a punch of color!




The Matte, Metallic, and Urban Jungle Mini Matte Lip Paint Kits are $12.99 each and have five mini lip paints inside. Each kit has rich, high-pigmented long-lasting lipsticks that are smudge proof. These really do stay put! I wore some of the shades for a full day and they barely moved. To be honest, I even had a bit of difficulty removing them at the end of the day (nothing too crazy, but it took a little more scrubbing with my makeup remover towel than usual).


The Matte Mini Lip Kit contains the following shades (left to right):
  • Vixen
  • Grunge
  • Rebel
  • Happy Hour
  • Sugar

The Metallic Mini Lip Kit contains:
  • Heartless
  • Spoiled
  • Royalty
  • Semi-Sweet
  • Famous

The Urban Jungle Mini Nudes Matte Lip Kit contains:
  • Jungle Boogie
  • Heirloom
  • Sugar
  • Barehug
  • Animal Instinct

Here are swatches of the Matte, Urban Jungle, and Metallic lip kits in color order of how they appear in the photos above. You can see from the swatches that they are intensely pigmented! The formula is really smooth and was easy to apply with the doe-foot applicator in each bottle.



Tattoo Junkee also has a line of tools, like the 2 Piece Eyeshadow Brush Set. The set is $7.99 and comes with two brushes for blending and smudging. The bristles are soft and pick up and spread powder shadows well.



My favorite products were the Barefoot and Bankroll Glitter Glosses ($6.99 each). They are super shimmery with a smooth formula that doesn't feel too sticky on the lips. They have a light berry scent and a sponge applicator tip (keep reading for swatches).



The Glo-Lite Strobe Highlighter is $3.99 and really packs a punch! If you're just looking for a little shimmer, I recommend using just a touch of this and adding on if you need more highlight. It's very pigmented and you can work up to the level of shine you desire.

Tattoo Junkee also has powder eyeshadows. The Space Dust Moonwalk and Life on Mars shadows ($5.99 each) are gorgeous! The shadow is sponge-y to the touch and is highly pigmented. These two shades have a slight glisten to them, too.


Swatched from left to right: Glo-Lite Strobe Highlighter, Moonwalk Space Dust eyeshadow, Life on Mars Space Dust eyeshadow, Barefoot Glitter Gloss, and Bankroll Glitter Gloss.
Bottom Line: All of the Tattoo Junkee products I tried were incredible quality! I love that they are so affordable, too. This line is made up of tons of cruelty-free cosmetics with pops of color that are perfect for any look!

Friday, November 8, 2019

November Spiral Rain Relaxation & Well Being Box Review

Spiral Rain is a Canadian online store that offers handmade natural, vegan products that are inspired by a love of the Earth and all its magic. They have two subscription box options, and I'm going to share their beautiful Relaxation and Well Being Box with you today.

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.


Spiral Rain is a Canadian-owned family business that was created to celebrate love of the Earth and all it has to offer. They create unique items that re designed to overcome modern problems with old world recipes, new age metaphysics, and assertion of spirit.

All of the items you'll receive in their subscription boxes are handcrafted and designed in-house using natural ingredients and packaged with 100 percent recyclable or reusable materials. Each item is made with purposeful intentions, positive energy, and a passion for quality.



The Relaxation and Well Being Box contains bath and body and wellness products to help you relax and appreciate the positivity of the universe. I was interested in reviewing this box because Spiral Rain sounded like a fantastic company and I was really excited to see what their boxes featured.

The other subscription box offered by Spiral Rain is the Witch Box. Both boxes cost $39.99 CAD and shipping to the U.S. is an additional $25.91 CAD. The total to ship to me in NY came out to $65.90 CAD/$49.82 USD. You can do a one-time purchase of either box, or subscribe and receive the box at $37.19 CAD after the first three months.


The inside flap of the box had a sticker with "A little sparkle to align with the Universe" written on it, which I love. I like to take time to set my intentions and try to manifest peaceful positivity, and boxes like this are a great way to accomplish that.



The November box contained seven products total. The box came with a printed sheet with information about everything inside, as well as information about celestial events in the month of November (Full moons, new moons, etc).



The Protection Candle is absolutely gorgeous! I love candles and this one is great for protecting your physical and mental space. It's a soy wax candle scented with cedarwood and rosemary and contains amaranth and black tourmaline. Cedarwood is good for cleansing, purification, vitality, wisdom, and protection; rosemary is for cleansing, purification, vitality, wisdom, and protection; amaranth is for healing, summoning spirits, and healing broken hearts; and black tourmaline stones provide the ultimate form of protection by absorbing negativity and shielding your space from unwanted energy.

To use the candle, burn it in a room that could benefit from extra protection. Once the candle has burned down, the black tourmaline stones can be removed and placed around the home to create a protective shield.


The Protection Roll-On (left, pictured above) is a fragrance roll-on to pair with the Protection Candle. It's made with fractionated coconut oil with 100 percent pure essential oils of frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, and lavender with sage leaf. I love earthy scents and the combination in this perfume is so soothing and grounding.

The perfume is designed to bring you total protection for any situation or attacks you may come across. It protects against energy vampirism (something I've had to deal with often -- when someone drains your energy but doesn't help to replenish it) and any unwanted energies.


The Evil Eye Protection and Fatima Hand Keychain is beautifully-made and a great way to protect yourself on-the-go. It has an aqua glass evil eye protection bead and a silvery Fatima Hand on the bottom. There are also two smaller evil eye beads at the bottom for added protection.

The Evil Eye amulet can protect you from envy, fear, resentment, or other negative thoughts aimed your way.  The Hand of Fatima, or Hamsa Hand, has been used in Middle Eastern cultures for centuries and is associated with a female entity offering protection from evil and misfortune.


These two Seed-Bearing Lollipops from Amborella Organics are so unique! They're Rosemary Mint and Lavender Lemongrass flavored, and once you finish them you can plant the biodegradable stick to grow mint and lavender plants!



I love bar soaps, and the Dead Sea Mud Soap Bar by Naturally Vain is perfect for my skincare needs. It's made with Dead Sea Mud to cleanse and eliminate acne, dirt, and blemishes. It also softens and exfoliates skin and is highly moisturizing, biodegradable, and cruelty-free. This will be great for my oily skin.




Last up is the Jacklyn Black Bath Bomb by Naturally Vain, who unfortunately didn't fare well in transit! I don't blame Spiral Rain, as the bath bomb was well-packaged, but making the trip from Quebec to New York must've roughed it up a little.

Anyway, the bomb is supposed to be shaped like a jack-o-lantern and is scented with maple and pumpkin. It smells absolutely delicious! It has added rice bran oil to soothe skin. Rice represents rain, fertility, money, and protection. Oatmeal is used to invoke or worship Brighid (Irish goddess of Spring, fertility, healing, poetry, and smithcraft), and the pumpkin represents lunar magick.
Bottom Line: I am thoroughly impressed by the Spiral Rain Relaxation and Well-Being Box. The contents were well-curated and high quality, and I appreciated the extra information about everything and what the different ingredients and symbols represent. I think the U.S. price of around $50 for the box and shipping is fair, considering it ships from Canada and has great items inside. This box is right up my alley and I can't wait to use everything!

Monday, November 4, 2019

October 2019 Japan Candy Box Review and Giveaway

Japan Candy Box is one of the most fun boxes out there. If you like to treat yourself to Japanese snacks and goodies, you'll love this subscription!

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.


Japan Candy Box sends 10 Japanese snacks and candies each month from Tokyo, including brands like Pocky, Hi-Chew, Glico, and Kit-Kat. Here are their pricing options:
  • Monthly: $19.90 per month
  • Six Months: $113.40 every six months ($18.60 per month, save $6)
  • 12 Months: $214.80 every 12 months ($17.90 per month, save $24)
International shipping is free with every plan. Boxes ship from Japan and mine took about two weeks to get to me in the U.S.



The October box was Trick or Treat themed for Halloween. Each box comes with a colorful info packet with descriptions of each of the snacks, which is incredibly helpful if you're like me and don't speak/read Japanese.



There is usually a good assortment of sweet and savory snacks, and not everything is candy, despite the name of the box. The October snacks had an obvious Halloween theme, which was fun.


  • Shimi Halloween Choco Corn Stars: These are chocolate-coated corn puff snacks shaped like stars. I would've liked a bit more chocolate topping, but they were still pretty good.
  • Toppo Halloween Edition Biscuit Sticks: If you're familiar with Pocky, these are kind of similar. They're biscuit sticks but instead of having coating on the outside like Pocky, these had chocolate on he inside. They were really good!
  • Happy Halloween Umaibo Snack Stick: These sticks are some of my favorite Japanese snacks. It's a puffy corn snack with a savory flavor (potage soup). 
  • Koala's March Halloween Biscuits: Koala's March cookies are so good! These had Halloween-themed koala designs with chocolate inside.
  • Tohato Caramel Corn Halloween Mini Pack: These are corn puff snacks with a caramel flavor. They were a good mix of sweet and savory.
  • Black Thunder Halloween Chocolate Bar: This has "the intensity of a thunderstorm," with chocolate-coated crispy rice puff. It was really good and I wish it was bigger!
  •  Tohato Bokun Habanero Chips: These crispy potato rings are super spicy with habanero pepper flavor. Not for the faint of heart!
  • Monstro Frankenstein Gum: The gum inside is soda flavored that makes your tongue change color as you chew.
  • Pokemon Halloween Party Chocolate Snack: These chocolately treats are shaped like a Pikachu head. Mine had the Pokemon Duskull on the package.
  • Terrible Ghost Story Gum: This creepy little package has a ghost story inside that you can read as you chew on the gum; it also has a talisman inside to ward off evil spirits.
Close-up of the Koala's March cookies


Close-ups of the Toppo snacks

Bottom Line: Japan Candy Box is a really fun and affordable way to treat yourself to Japanese snacks each month! The Halloween box was full of sweet and savory snacks to fit the October month.

Japan Candy Box has generously offered a box for one of my readers to win! Enter the giveaway below. The giveaway is being run by Japan Candy Box and they are responsible for choosing the winner and shipping the prize.

If the giveaway widget doesn't load, you can also enter here.

See, Shop, Love! Japan Candy Box Giveaway

Sunday, November 3, 2019

October MyBookBox Review

I'm always on the lookout for new books, and MyBookBox is a great way to add to your collection! This subscription has a bunch of different genres to choose from.

*Disclaimer: This box was sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.


MyBookBox sends two new books each month with a special gift. The books are handpicked by their team of experts, including teachers, publishers, and everyday book lovers. Here are the pricing options:
  • Monthly: $39.95 per month
  • Three Months: $110.85 ($36.95/month) every three months, plus free tote
  • One-time box: $39.95
Shipping is free to U.S. addresses, including Hawaii, Alaska, and U.S. territories. Boxes are shipped media mail and take 3-7 days for contiguous U.S. and 12-16 days for HI, AK, and territories. Shipping to Canada is $19, Mexico for $26, and the rest of the world for $28. A delivery time for international shipping cannot be guaranteed.

All plans renew on the 28th of the month (for the three month option, your plan will renew on the 28th of every third month).


There are six genres to choose from and you can change your preferences at any time:
  • Children 3-7
  • Children 8-12
  • Young Adult
  • Nonfiction
  • Mystery
  • Women's Fiction
 You'll choose two genres per box, one book from each.


I chose to receive books from the Nonfiction and Mystery genres. The box came with the two books as promised, and the special gift for the month included delicious treats from Dallas Caramel Company!

MyBookBox was founded by siblings Chelsea and Jessica and is based on Dallas, so the inclusion of a Dallas local business makes sense. The treats were one each of the following:
  • Toffee Caramel Dipped Pretzel
  • Zebra Caramel Dipped Pretzel
  • Chipotle Caramel
  • Sea Salt Caramel
  • Orange Caramel 
Caramel is one of my favorite flavors ever and every single one of these treats was amazing! I especially loved the caramel dipped pretzels.


On to the books! The mystery title I received was The Lying Room by Nicci French, the pseudonym of a husband and wife duo of Nicci Gerard and Sean French. Here is a short synopsis:
One little secret between a married woman, her lover, and a killer.

In this thrilling standalone from the internationally bestselling author of the Frieda Klein series, a married woman’s affair with her boss spirals into a dangerous game of chess with the police when she discovers he’s been murdered and she clears the crime scene of all evidence.
I love a thriller/mystery and this one is right up my alley!


The nonfiction selection is a memoir, I Will Never See the World Again by Ahmet Altan. Here is the synopsis:
Confined in a cell four meters long, imprisoned on absurd, Kafkaesque charges, novelist Ahmet Altan is one of many writers persecuted by Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s oppressive regime. In this extraordinary memoir, written from his prison cell, Altan reflects upon his sentence, on a life whittled down to a courtyard covered by bars, and on the hope and solace a writer’s mind can provide, even in the darkest places.
This sounds like an important read and I'm very interested in diving into it.


I'm sure you noticed that each book also comes with a bookmark and a handwritten note. Here's a closer look at them: the top is from Ahmet Altan and the bottom from Nicci French. This is such a unique and wonderful addition to the box!
Bottom Line: MyBookBox is a great value for any book lover. It's a bit more expensive than some other book subscriptions, but I think it's worth the price due to the extras and curation of the books. I'm very impressed by the selections for October and I loved the sweets from Dallas Caramel Company!

Friday, November 1, 2019

Clean Ingredient Spotlight: Activated Charcoal

If you're in tune with the beauty and skincare world at all, then you've likely heard of the benefits of activated charcoal. I love using products with activated charcoal, as they work wonders for my oily skin. I've got four great products featuring this ingredient to share with you today.

*Disclaimer: These products were sent to See, Shop, Love! in exchange for an honest review.


Activated charcoal helps draw dirt, oil, and other pollutants to the surface of skin, helping fight acne and achieve a clear complexion. I have very oily skin and activated charcoal is a miracle ingredient for me! I've been using products with charcoal in them for a while and they really help balance out my skin and remove excess oil. These four products are an easy way to add activated charcoal into your beauty routine.


The Bambusa Blackhead Banisher Pore Perfecting Nose Mask is available at Dermstore.com, Amazon.com, and HydropPeptide.com at $22 for a pack of eight. These pore cleansing strips are made from bamboo extract to smooth uneven roughness and charcoal and volcanic ash to remove excess dirt and oil.

Now, I know pore strips are a little controversial and a lot of dermatology professionals will tell you not to use them. I've also heard from other professionals that they are fine in moderation. I don't like to use them more than once a week or every two weeks, but I do like them for removing excess sebaceous filaments and dirt. These strips adhered well to my skin and did not hurt when removing, and since they are black you could really see the results on the strip.


One of my favorite ways to use charcoal is in a face mask. The G.M. Collin Charcoal Mask is $48 and is available at GMCollin.com. This mask helps capture and eliminate micro-pollutants, revitalize and replenish skin, and purify skin texture while evening your complexion. Ingredients include bamboo charcoal and Persian Silk Tree to increase skin's radiance and Coral Seaweed to revitalize.

The mask has a thicker texture and spread onto my skin smoothly. A little goes a long way. It's appropriate for all skin types and worked great with my oily skin. I left it on for about 10-15 minutes while it dried, and after rinsing off my skin felt clean and refreshed but not overly dry.


The Ethique Charcoal, Kaolin, and Oatmeal Bodywash Bar is great for cleansing the rest of your body. It's available at Target.com and Ethique.com for $11.50. It's vegan and cruelty-free and made without palm oil, and has kaolin clay and activated charcoal for natural cleansing. It also has oatmeal and coconut oil to soothe skin.

I've used other Ethique products in the past and they are excellent quality. I love that they use sustainable ingredients. I used this bar with a pouf sponge in the shower and it felt great after a heavy workout. My skin was left feeling incredibly clean.


The Dr. Natural Activated Charcoal Soap is another great way to use activated charcoal to cleans your body. You can get a huge 32 fl oz bottle from Amazon for only $10.99. It is available in Citrus, Lavender, and Mint scents and is free from sulfates, parabens, dyes, and is cruelty-free. The activated charcoal naturally detoxes face, body, and scalp and helps reduce pigmentation and inflammation.

I used this in the shower after working out and it lathered up well with a sponge, despite being sulfate-free (sulfates are what helps products bubble up and sometimes sulfate-free products don't lather as well). It did leave my skin feeling tightened and a bit dry, so definitely use a body moisturizer after getting out of the shower. I don't know that I would use this on my face, but it was a great body wash.


Last up is the Petite Amie Skincare Hydrating Bamboo Charcoal Masque, which is $8 at PetiteAmieSkincare.com and Amazon. It's a gentle mask made from 100 percent bamboo charcoal to balance and hydrate skin. It also includes honey for balancing and olive leaf to quench dehydrated skin. Hydrolized soy protein boosts skin's texture and luminosity.

This mask felt great on my skin and I loved the beautiful packaging. The mask itself was a black sheet mask, but I always appreciate a nice package presentation. My skin felt hydrated and soothed after use.

Bottom Line: If you want to add activated charcoal products to your routine, these five are a great place to start. Charcoal is great for all skin types and helps keep your face and body clean and balanced.