Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Pura Vida Halloween Sale: Today Only!

Pura Vida has a special Halloween sale for today only: get 31% off site-wide with free shipping!

*Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate links.


The Limited Edition Gold Spider Bracelet is a great option for Halloween, as is the Platinum Black Bracelet. The sale is good for anything on the site though, so this is the perfect opportunity to stock up on all of your favorites!

Use coupon code flash31 for 31% off your order plus free shipping. This offer is good until 11:59 PM EST tonight, October 31st. Happy Halloween!

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Introducing the MiaMia Beauty App!

MiaMia Beauty is a new app that makes saving and sharing your favorite beauty products and looks easy and fun!

*Disclaimer: Not a sponsored post.


MiaMia is a personalized social beauty platform that lets you discover and create looks and save, share, and purchase your favorite beauty products. The app is currently only available on in the Apple iOS App Store, but they're planning on building an Android and web app as well.

MiaMia was built to be an all-in-one beauty resource. You can discover new products and share your looks, plus follow other users and get recommendations and inspiration.


My favorite feature on MiaMia is their huge catalog of products! I'm always looking for new beauty products to try, but sometimes it seems like there are so many out there that it's overwhelming and I end up finding nothing. I like that, with this app, I can find looks that I like that others have created, as well as the products they used to make that look. Then it's easy to save that product to my Loves for future reference. You can also click "Buy" and you'll be redirected to a place where you can purchase the product. For example, I added the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray to my Loves and when I clicked "Buy" the app took me to Barney's to purchase.

Many of MiaMia's users are "hi-low" shoppers, meaning they have favorites from all types of brands. Maybe your favorite foundation is by NARS and you get your favorite mascara from the drug store. I know I shop all over the place for beauty so I fall into this category of shopper, and now MiaMia makes it easy to get all of my products in one place!


When you first download MiaMia you'll create your account. You can sign up through email, Facebook, or Instagram. Then you'll fill out a short four question survey (see screenshots above) so MiaMia can learn a bit more about your skincare and makeup needs and preferences.

After that, start exploring! You can find friends or bloggers and beauty influencers to follow, browse their looks, and start adding favorite products to your Loves.


I really like the layout of the app and the design aesthetic. Everything is clean and fun. The app is easy to navigate; the menu is along the bottom of the screen (as you can see in the screenshot above, on the right). I had a great time scrolling through all of the looks for inspiration. You can add your own to share with the community, too!
Bottom Line: If you're a beauty enthusiast then you should definitely check out the MiaMia Beauty app! I thought it was a lot of fun to use and I will be using it to log my favorite products and find inspiration for hair and makeup looks in the future.

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Glee Gum Review and Coupon

Glee Gum is a natural chewing gum with no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, or preservatives. I've been a fan of theirs for a while, and I'm excited to introduce some of their newest products: Glee Gum Pops and Sugar-Free Wintergreen and Sugar-Free Bubblegum flavors!

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


Glee Gum makes their products with chicle, a tree sap that is sustainably harvested to help conserve the rainforest. They're also Non-GMO Project verified. They have 11 flavors of gum, plus fun candy making kits (read my review of their Make Your Own Gummies Kit here and some of their other flavors here).


The new Glee Gum Pops are here just in time for Halloween! They're the world's first and only 100% natural bubblegum pops. Each bag has 15 pops in three flavors: Crisp Green Apple, Sweet Strawberry, and Juicy Orange. They're gluten-free, allergy-friendly, vegan, and certified kosher.

These pops are wonderful! I love their strong, juicy flavors, especially the Crisp Green Apple. They taste even better than other bubblegum pops out there that I've tried. The gum center is a bit more chewy than other pops, but other than that these are a great product that kids (and adults!) will love.


Top to bottom: Juicy Orange, Crisp Green Apple, Sweet Strawberry
One other thing I did notice was that the wrappers are secured very tightly, which is good as far as being tamper-proof, but they might be a little difficult for younger kids to open. That's nothing that a parent couldn't help with, though.


I love Glee Gum's packaging. The Glee Guy mascot is a cute retro design, as is the rest of their design. It's also eco-friendly: all of the packaging is recyclable with no blister packs. Their Classic gum is sweetened with fair trade cane sugar and brown rice syrup. These new Sugar-Free flavors are sweetened with 100% xylitol from American birch and beech trees for added dental benefits.

I've chewed the Classic Bubblegum flavor before and the Sugar-Free version is just as good! You'd never know it was Sugar-Free. It has a nice sweet bubblegum flavor that lasts a pretty decent amount of time. The Sugar-Free Wintergreen is refreshing and great tasting as well.


As you can see from the photo above, the pieces are smaller little squares. I actually chew two at a time for a little bit bigger of a piece. Each box has 16 pieces inside.
Bottom Line: The new Glee Gum Pops and Sugar-Free flavors are great! I love the juicy flavors of the pops and the new Sugar-Free gum packs. The bubblegum is a fun treat and the wintergreen is nice and refreshing. I definitely recommend Glee Gum for Halloween and beyond!

Saturday, October 14, 2017

October BookCase.Club Review and Coupon

BookCase.Club is one of my favorite boxes to get every month because I love to read. They have so many different cases to choose from and always send great titles!

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


BookCase.Club costs $9.99 per month with $5 shipping for two new, hand-selected books. They aren't new-release titles, but for that price I don't mind because you're still getting new books.

There are a bunch of different genres to choose from:
  • Thrill Seeker - mystery/thriller
  • Strange Worlds - sci-fi/fantasy
  • Teenage Dreams - young adult novels
  • Blind Date - paranormal romance
  • Booking for Love - romance
  • Quarterly Cook Books - two cook books every three months
  • Quarterly Military History - two military history books every three months
There's also BookCase.Kids, which is their children's book subscription.


The Thrill Seekers Case is my favorite because I love a good mystery, and I've gotten lots of great books from this Case. October's case featured Perfidia by James Ellroy and Past Crimes by Glen Erik Hamilton. Both look fantastic and I can't wait to start them!


Here's the synopsis of Perfidia from Amazon:
Los Angeles. December, 1941. America stands at the brink of World War II. War fever and racial hatred grip the city.

The hellish murder of a Japanese family summons three men and one woman. LAPD captain William H. Parker is superbly gifted, corrosively ambitious, liquored-up, and consumed by dubious ideology. He is bitterly at odds with Sergeant Dudley Smith—Irish émigré, ex-IRA killer, fledgling war profiteer. Hideo Ashida is a police chemist and the only Japanese on the L.A. cop payroll. Kay Lake is a twenty-one-year-old dilettante looking for adventure. The investigation throws them together and rips them apart. The crime becomes a political storm center that brilliantly illuminates these four driven souls—comrades, rivals, lovers, history’s pawns.


Here is the synopsis for Past Crimes
Van Shaw was raised by his Irish immigrant grandfather Donovan to be a thief—to boost cars, beat security alarms, and crack safes. But at eighteen, Van broke all ties to that life and joined the military, serving as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, after ten years of silence, Dono has asked his grandson to come home to Seattle.

Van is curious and a little unnerved by his grandfather's request. But when he arrives at Dono's house, Van discovers his grandfather bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot wound to the head. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, the battle-tested Ranger knows he'll be the first suspect.

To clear his name and avenge his grandfather, Van plunges back into a violent, high-stakes world where right and wrong aren't defined by the law . . . and where the secrets held by those closest to him are the deadliest of all.

The Strange Worlds Case is also a good one. I've become an even bigger sci-fi/fantasy fan since I've started receiving this case. This month's featured This Gulf of Time and Stars by Julie E. Czerneda and The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber.

My box arrived a little damaged; looks like it got caught in the rain or something because the bottom of the box was worn and you can tell it had gotten wet. The books were a little damaged at their bottoms, but nothing too egregious. I'm not too concerned, since weather is outside of BookCase.Club's control and if anything this seems more like a USPS error.


Here is the synopsis for This Gulf of Time and Stars:
To save their world, the most powerful of the Om’ray left their homes. They left behind all memory of their past. Calling themselves the Clan, they settled among Humanity, hiding in plain sight, using their ability to slip past normal space to travel where they wished, using their ability to control minds to ensure their place and security. They are no longer hidden.

For the Clan face a crisis. Their reproduction is tied to individual power, and their latest generation of females, Choosers, are too strong to safely mate. Their attempt to force others to help failed until Sira di Sarc, their leader and the most powerful of their kind, successfully Joined with a human, Jason Morgan, starship captain and telepath. With Morgan, Sira forged the first peace between her kind and the Trade Pact.

But it is a peace about to shatter. Those the Clan have controlled all these years will rise against them. Her people dying around her, war about to consume the Trade Pact, Sira will be left with only one choice. She must find the way back. And take the Clan home.



Here is the synposis for The Book of Strange New Things:
It begins with Peter, a devoted man of faith, as he is called to the mission of a lifetime, one that takes him galaxies away from his wife, Bea. Peter becomes immersed in the mysteries of an astonishing new environment, overseen by an enigmatic corporation known only as USIC. His work introduces him to a seemingly friendly native population struggling with a dangerous illness and hungry for Peter’s teachings—his Bible is their “book of strange new things.” But Peter is rattled when Bea’s letters from home become increasingly desperate: typhoons and earthquakes are devastating whole countries, and governments are crumbling. Bea’s faith, once the guiding light of their lives, begins to falter.

Suddenly, a separation measured by an otherworldly distance, and defined both by one newly discovered world and another in a state of collapse, is threatened by an ever-widening gulf that is much less quantifiable. While Peter is reconciling the needs of his congregation with the desires of his strange employer, Bea is struggling for survival. Their trials lay bare a profound meditation on faith, love tested beyond endurance, and our responsibility to those closest to us.

Bottom Line: I think all four books I received this month sound excellent, and I'm especially excited to start Perfidia. Once again, BookCase.Club has provided me with two cases of books I probably never would have found otherwise!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

PlateJoy Introduction and Coupon

PlateJoy is a new custom meal plan service that caught my eye because it's different than a lot of other meal boxes out there. They offer a ton of different custom meal plans to suit pretty much any diet!

*Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate links.

Image courtesy of PlateJoy blog [source]

PlateJoy sends personalized nutrition plans with recipes and grocery lists to match your lifestyle. They do not deliver food, but you can opt in to grocery delivery through Instacart if you live in a state that they service (more on that in a bit).


So how does this all work? It's simple: first, you'll fill out a lifestyle quiz that PlateJoy will use to tailor the appropriate recipes for you. You'll then receive a custom meal plan with recipes and ingredient lists to help you save time and reduce food waste. Then it's up to you to obtain the ingredients at your local grocery store (or opt in to Instacart delivery, if available in your area) and cook the meals!

The lifestyle quiz is very thorough. First off, it asks how many people you're shopping for, which I appreciate because I live alone and every other meal service I've seen only allows you to pick meals for either two people or four, which is always too much food for me. Then you'll give them details including your activity level, whether or not you're trying to lose weight, specific things you need or are trying to avoid (carbs, dairy, gluten, low sodium, Kosher, pregnant/nursing), any ingredients you want to avoid, whether or not you want seasonal produce only, types of courses wanted, where you shop, type of milk preferred, and how much time you have to cook.


These are some of the lunches that PlateJoy put together for me! Everything looks really good and fresh. I am not the most creative when it comes to cooking, so having the recipes and ingredients already picked out for me would be a huge help.

Photo courtesy of PlateJoy blog [source]

PlateJoy subscriptions are available in six and 12 month packages:
  • Six months: $69 every six months ($11.50 per month)
  • 12 months: $99 every 12 months ($8.25 per month)
Again, you are paying for recipes and grocery shopping lists, PlateJoy does not deliver food/ingredients in their subscription. You can choose to have the ingredients delivered via Instacart, which services the following states: AL, AZ, AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, D.C.

I think that the PlateJoy prices are very fair. It might seem like a lot up front because it's billed in six and 12 month installments, but when you break it down monthly that's about the same amount I'd pay for a lunch from a restaurant during the week. So for only $11.50 or $8.25 a month, I can get a whole set of nutritious recipes tailored to my unique needs!
Bottom Line: I think PlateJoy is a really innovative service and I am very interested in trying them out. I like that the lifestyle survey is so in-depth and the recipes they created for me look really delicious. As someone who isn't a creative cook, PlateJoy allows me to have fun recipes that I don't have to come up with myself.

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

October Daily Goodie Box Review

Daily Goodie Box is a completely free box that sends a variety of full-sized products to members each month, all you have to do is provide honest feedback. October's box had one of the best assortments of products yet!

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


Daily Goodie Box really is 100% free. They'll never ask for any kind of payment information; all you have to do is create an account on the website and fill out some information about yourself and your household. Boxes are not guaranteed, but you can increase your chances at receiving one by interacting with them on social media (links at the end of this post).


I've noticed that the Daily Goodie Boxes are always stuffed with products! Most of the items are full-sized, but they do include a few sample packets here and there. Regardless, since the box is totally free I can't really complain about anything they send.


October's box has been my favorite so far! I really liked the assortment of items they sent. Here's what was inside:
  • Now and Later Shell Shocked - I loved Now and Later candies when I was a kid and I honestly didn't know they still made them! These have a candy coating with the regular Now and Later chew inside. The flavors were really good and included the standard grape, banana, cherry, etc.
  • Flathau's Fine Foods Key Lime Snaps - I'm obsessed with these cookies. They're a shortbread snap with a powdered sugar coating, so if you're trying to eat healthy they might not be the best option but if you want to indulge they are absolutely amazing!
  • Kur Scandinavian Bite Sized Bar - I got the Brownie flavor and I haven't tried it yet, but the label says it's made with raw and organic ingredients. It supposedly has the texture of a brownie but is made with dates, nuts, and raw cacao. I'm skeptical but definitely willing to try it.
  • Creme de Pirouline Rolled Wafers - I love these cookies, too. They're little straw shaped wafers with a dark chocolate center and they have such a good texture and flavor.
  • Nellie's All-Natural Wrinkle B Gone - Nellie's products have been featured in past boxes and I really like them. They're a line of all natural soaps and cleaners, and this wrinkle spray helps remove wrinkles and freshen fabrics with a plant-based formula.
  • Inko's Organic Energy Drink - I got the Blackberry flavor. This has 100 calories per can and is non-carbonated, which is kind of a bummer. It's USDA organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free and provides energy from organic brewed tea.
  • Sun and Earth Natural Laundry Detergent - This hypoallergenic formula has no dyes, perfumes, or preservatives. I have sensitive skin that gets worse in the winter, so I'm always willing to try a good natural detergent with no irritants.
  • Pure Cosmetics Silicone Pro Blender - This is an interesting blender; as the name says it's made with silicone, so it won't soak up product the way a regular sponge would. It's easy to clean, too. I haven't tried it yet but I'm very interested to see how well it works at blending my liquid foundation.
  • Mirabella Glisten Eyeshadow Palette - This palette has seven mineral-based eyeshadows that are paraben, talc, dye, and gluten-free. I love the neutral shades (see photo below) and will put this to good use! It's also a great size for travel.

Bottom Line: This Daily Goodie Box was excellent and had a lot of fun products. I loved the Pirouline and Flauthau's Fine Foods cookies and am excited to use the eyeshadow palette!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

September Sports Crate Review - Chicago Cubs Crate #5

Alright, so the final Sports Crate for this season is (finally) here. This is Crate #5 and the theme is "Finish Strong."

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love!


As most of you who follow and/or subscribe to this box probably know, Sports Crate has been riddled with shipping issues and production problems. Sports Crate is part of the Loot Crate family and I recently saw that Loot Crate is also having a production issue with their specialty Stranger Things Crate, so it looks like this has been an issue across the board with Loot Crate.

Crate #5 is the last Crate in this series, but Sports Crate sent out an email saying they're making some changes to the subscription going forward. Crates will now be bi-monthly (six total per year) throughout the whole year instead of five Crates from May to September for baseball season. They've partnered with brands like '47, Stance, Tervis, and New Era for future Crates. There are also new pricing options:
  • Bi-monthly: $29.99 every other month ($29.99 per Crate)
  • Three months: $85.50 every six months ($28.50 per Crate for three Crates)
  • Yearly: $162.00 once a year ($27.00 per Crate for six Crates)
Crates were previously $39.99 per month, so I am wondering if the drop in price means a drop in the retail value of the merchandise as well.

I can say that I will not be resubscribing to Sports Crate as of right now. The next box will be in December, so if you sign up for their new plan that will be your first box. I'm still waiting on three BALLERS figures from this past subscription, so I don't want to sign up for anything new until I get those items and see what kind of merch they include in the next few boxes.


So! All of that stuff aside, the September Crate was pretty good. I was glad to get another t-shirt with a good design, and I was happy that Javy Báez was the featured player.


Unfortunately, this month's Crate was without the BALLERS figurine yet again. Sports Crate advised everyone last month that they were re-tooling the figurines to be better quality and look more realistic, so there would be a delay in shipping. Last month's Anthony Rizzo figurine is supposed to ship sometime this month (if I recall correctly, Sports Crate said we should have them "by the end of October), and Javy's is also delayed. Furthermore, if you purchased the Season Pass option like me our extra bonus figurine is still on the way but I don't even remember when Sports Crate said that one would be shipping.

Anyway, so regardless of what team's Crate you ordered, according to the insert pictured above we should be getting our BALLERS for Crate 4 and 5 by the end of October. Fingers crossed that we actually see them by then!


This is called the 2 Cubs Lanyard on the info card,d though I'm not sure why. Maybe "2" is the name of the brand? Either way, it's a nice lanyard made of what I'm assuming is a polyester blend. It's soft and shiny, as you can see from the photo above. I like having my keys on a lanyard because it makes them easier to grab out of my bag.



I don't know why, but I just had a feeling when I first subscribed to this box that an apron would be included at some point. I was right, since this box has the Stadium Apron. I really like the Wrigley Field design and the material is nice and sturdy, but I don't grill so I might gift this to my brother or someone else who will use it.


My favorite item in the box is the American Needle Cubs T-Shirt by Wright and Ditson. The design is simple, but I prefer my sports t-shirts to just have a simple logo on them. I also like the lighter blue background since I didn't have any Cubs shirts in that color until now. I put my size down as medium when I first signed up and I probably could have used a small for this since it's a looser tee, but it still fits fine and I will definitely still wear it.

I also wanted to note that MLB licensed apparel is usually pretty pricey regardless of how simple it is ($35 for a player tee, anyone?), so I figured this shirt had a decent retail tag. This particular design isn't available on the Wright and Ditson website, but similar tees range from $30-$38 so I think this was a good deal.
Bottom Line: Am I bummed that Sports Crate had so many issues with these boxes? Sure. I totally understand everyone else's frustration, too. But I guess because I've been subscribing to sub boxes for so long these kinds of things don't really come as a surprise to me. I hope that we get our BALLERS figurines soon, but I guess there isn't much we can do other than wait.

What do you think of Sports Crate? Do you think you'll subscribe to the new bi-monthly plan>

Saturday, October 7, 2017

October Degustabox Review and 50% off Coupon

The October Degustabox is Movie Night themed and has lots of fun sweet treats! This box always delivers great full-sized foods and snacks.

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


Degustabox costs $19.99 per month for a box of at least 10 full-sized food and pantry items. Shipping is free to U.S. addresses. They also have a U.K. box but this is a review for the U.S. version.


This month's box had 10 items, four of which were in the Movie Night theme. My favorite thing about this box is that they always send great foods at a much cheaper price than if I was to purchase everything individually at the grocery store.

  • Hippeas Vegan White Cheddar ($3.49) - These puffs are made with organic chickpeas and are gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO. They also donate a portion of sales of every bag to Farm Africa in support of farmers in eastern Africa! The snacks were really good and had a great crunch.
  • Loacker Raspberry Yogurt Quadratini ($3.99) - My mom used to buy wafer cookies like these all the time when I was a kid. These ones have a ton of tart raspberry flavor and the texture of the creme balances well with the crispy wafer.
  • SunButter Sunflower Butter ($.96 each) - I've never had sunflower butter before so I am very curious how this tastes. It has seven grams of protein and more vitamins and minerals than nut butters. I think I'll give it a try on toast.
  • Boboli 2 Mini Original Crusts ($4.27) - Boboli pizza crusts have been in past boxes but I'm always happy to get them. They taste great and are handy to have for a quick dinner when I don't feel like cooking. I already used one of these (two are in the pack) and it was great!
  • Dave's Gourmet Overnight Oats ($3.49) - I got the Apple Nut flavor. These are a blend of whole grain oats, chia seeds, almonds, and fruit. You're supposed to add milk and then refrigerate them overnight, so don't heat them up in the microwave (which is what I would assume to do)!
  • Goetze's Vanilla Cow Tales Minis ($2.25) - I love Cow Tales; if you've never had them before they're a combination of chewy caramel wrapped around a creme center. I actually like the mini sizes better than the originals.
  • Welch's Fruit'n Yogurt Snacks ($2.99) - These are available in strawberry, blueberry, and cherry and I received Cherry. I've had the Strawberry ones from Degustabox before and I really liked them, so I know the Cherry will be good, too. They're little berry gummy bites covered in yogurt.
  • Bush's Chili Beans and White Chili Beans ($1.39 each) - There's nothing more fall than a good, hearty chili, is there? These beans are flavored with jalapenos, garlic, onions, and spices and are perfect for a warming soup.
  • Kernel Season's ($1.49) - I love these little flavor salts! I buy them regularly and don't like to have popcorn without them. I got the Kettle Corn and White Cheddar flavors.
Bottom Line: The total retail value of October's Degustabox is $26.67. That's a little lower than previous boxes, but still a good deal considering the $19.99 price tag of the box. I once again enjoyed the variety of items represented, especially the Kernel Season's!