Influenster #FinditAtTarget VoxBox Review

I was excited to be selected to participate in Influenster's "Find it At Target" VoxBox program, because every box was going to contain a surprise product that, as the name suggested, could be found at Target.  The whole idea was to introduce people to the wide variety of things you can find at the store.

I was hoping to get some makeup or skincare items to play around with.  When I received my box I had no idea what would be inside based on the shape and the weight of it.

I ended up getting a Fudge Urban Iced Raspberry & Vanilla Styling Mousse.  To say I was disappointed when I opened my box would be an understatement.  I can't be mad at Influenster since I knew ahead of time that the items were going to be random, but this is one thing I have zero use for.  Looking at the other brands on the info card, there were definitely some others I would have preferred to receive.

I couldn't find any definitive information on whether or not Fudge Urban is a cruelty-free brand.  It's an entirely new brand to me, so Influenster and Target did achieve their goal of introducing me to a brand new item.  Unfortunately it's just a type of product that I don't use.  My hair is very thick already, so I don't need mousse.  This one does smell nice (it's very sweet), and I like that it is a heat protectant as well, but the one time I tried to use it, just for the sake of this review, it just made my scalp feel itchy by the end of the day.

Bottom Line: I think this product would be great for someone who needed a little extra volume boost, but, like I said before, my hair is already pretty thick so I don't need much help in that department.  I still think that the Find it At Target VoxBox program was fun, though, and I'm curious to see what other people received!

*This post is sponsored by Influenster.

March Sapphire Soul Balance Box Review

I first learned of Sapphire Soul and their Balance Box through Twitter; their account was on my sidebar as a "recommended for you" user to follow.  I'm glad I saw it, because their boxes are wonderful!  They kindly sent me the March Balance Box to review.

Sapphire Soul is "a subscription box for body-mind-soul balance," and it arrived in a large brown box with their logo affixed to the side.  They have two options available: the small Balance Box is $28 a month, and the large is $48.  The large box includes a piece of crystal healing jewelry.  Sapphire Soul donates a portion of all of their sales toward educating and empowering women, so not only do you get a box of great items, you can help others with your purchase, too!

The Balance Boxes can include candles, crystals, teas, essential oils, and other healing and holistic items.  My box contained eight items total.  I was very impressed by their packaging; they even included an insert that listed their eco-friendly packaging practices.

Let's take a look at what was inside:

• White Sage: This item (in the upper left-hand corner) can be burned and used to "wipe" negative energy out of your house and make room for the positive.  It smells very nice and reminds me of incense.
• Tea Tree and Lemon Essential Oils - These pure oils smell wonderful and the sample size is very generous (considering a little goes a long way).  The lemon essential oil can be used to cleanse fruit, cook with, flush toxins, disinfect, and neutralize odors; as well as provide anti-depressant and energy boosting properties.  The tea tree essential oil can be used to treat blisters, burns, colds, cough, dandruff, ear and nose infections, fungal infections, skin rashes, sunburns, insect bites, viral infections, warts, and other wounds.  I've used this on my scalp before and I love the tingly feeling it leaves!  There were two little slips of paper that gave details about each of these oils, and they stated that the lemon is for balancing the solar plexus chakra and the tea tree for the throat chakra.
• Stash Mint Iced Green Tea Powder - This is a great little on-the-go tea packet.  I love Stash teas, and I haven't tried their iced varieties so I'm sure this will taste great.
• Reiki Energy Charged Candle in Joy - I love candles, so I was glad to see one in the box.  This votive came with instructions on how to charge the candle, as well as an affirmation to say while charging it.  It's scented with essential oils of plumeria, jasmine, and sandalwood.  It smells wonderful!  I could definitely use more time spent reflecting on things I should be happy for in life, so I'll put this candle to good use.
• Royal Dream Detox Bath Soak - This is my favorite item in the box because it just smells so heavenly.  It contains epsom salts, peppermint and lavender essential oils, as well as chamomile, rose hips, rose powder, rose petals, blue cornflower, and hibiscus.  The dried flower petals look beautiful within the mixture, so I bet this would make for one amazing bath.
• Citrine Stone - This stone "purifies and strengthens one's will."  It also attracts prosperity and is known as the "merchant's stone," and cleanses and eliminates built-up poisons in the body.  It is used for balancing the sacral and solar plexus chakras.
• Chanakara Vanilla Honeybush Tea - This herbal tea is "for gathering strength and power."  It's made with African honeybush, sweetened with vanilla and orange peel.  I think it sounds delicious and I will probably brew it up tonight.

I am very impressed with the Sapphire Soul Balance Box!  I think the selection of items was very good, and I liked that it presented me with new options for holistic healing.  I especially like that each box contains a newsletter with information on the items, as well as more information about Sapphire Soul.  My box was actually missing the newsletter, but Allison (the founder and owner of Sapphire Soul) sent me a copy via email to read.

• Visit the Sapphire Soul website to learn more and subscribe
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram

Bottom Line: I highly recommend the Sapphire Soul Balance Box, I think it's a great way to learn more about holistic healing and I was very impressed by the variety of items in their March box.

*Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Sapphire Soul.  No monetary compensation was received.

Birchbox Valentine's Day Prize Pack Review

I meant to post this review so long ago, but I've been kind of lazy with my non-sponsored reviews lately.  Better late than never, I guess?  Anyway, back in February Birchbox had a contest on Instagram where if you re-grammed this photo and tagged them in it, you would be entered to win the products in the photo.  To my delight, I was randomly picked as the winner!

As you can see from the photo above, the prize pack was comprised of 11 different items; some cruelty-free, some not.  I was actually pleased to find that most of them were cruelty-free, though.  I was actually most excited about the Chuao Chocopods!

I discovered Chuao Chocolatier through Birchbox and have been a fan of their chocolates ever since.  My favorite bar of theirs is the Firecracker, but I've always wanted to try their other varieties because they're so unique.  This box came with one each of Potato Chip, Popcorn Pop, Honeycomb, Firecracker, Salted Chocolate Crunch, Orange A-Go-Go, Spicy Maya, and Maple Bacon.  All of them were wonderful, but the Salted Chocolate Crunch is definitely a new favorite.

I liked how all of the products were pink(ish) in color, to keep in theme with Valentine's Day.

• Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion - I've tried a few other Manna Kadar products before and I think they're great quality.  This lotion was a bit too sheer for my liking, but I will still use it for a light highlighter.
• Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in PYT - This is my first Deborah Lippmann nail polish, and I was excited to try it because I've been wanting to try one of their polishes for a while.  It wouldn't be my first choice in color, but the formula was very nice.
• Color Club Nail Lacquer in Reign in Spain - I actually already have one of these polish minis from a previous Birchbox, so I'll probably gift this to a friend at some point.  Color Club is one of my favorite polish brands, and this bright coral is perfect for the upcoming summer season!

• Jurlique Love Balm Rose - Jurlique is a new brand to me.  I've obviously heard of them before, but this was my first experience with one of their products.  I like this balm a lot as a moisturizer, unfortunately the rose scent triggers my allergies.
• stila Convertible Color in Poppy - stila is no longer a cruelty-free brand, so I'll be gifting this as well.  This can be used on cheeks and lips, and I guess your eyes, too.

• Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips - This moisturizer only contains one ingredient: medical grade lanolin.  The name is funny, but it's so-called because it was originally used by nursing mothers for, well, their nipples.  It can be used all over, and I like to use it as a lip balm.
• benefit They're Real! mascara - Another product to add to the gift pile, since benefit is sadly not cruelty-free.  I've heard great things about this mascara, unfortunately I can't say I'd recommend purchasing it (there are lots of great cruelty-free mascaras out there!).
• Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick - I can't remember the name of the shade and I'm too lazy to go look, but it's a light pink/red.  I don't wear lipstick, so I gave this to my mom.  I'm also unsure whether or not Elizabeth Arden is a cruelty-free brand, I found an email from the company that states they are, but I couldn't find any evidence on their website.

• 12 Benefits - I was so glad to get a full-sized bottle of this hair treatment!  I received a sample size in my October Birchbox and loved it.  I use it before blow drying my hair as a detangler and heat protectant.  It also has a great scent!
• Pinch Minimergency Kit - I got one of these kits in a PopSugar Must Have box and was less-than-excited about it.  This one at least has a cuter pattern on the bag than my last one, but it's still just an "okay" product to me.  I'm definitely not complaining since all of these items were free, and it is a useful little kit, just nothing that I was too excited about.

Bottom Line: I am so thankful to Birchbox for holding this giveaway, and am so glad I won!  They sent a great variety of items.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

March Nerd Block Jr. Girls Review

When I first learned that Nerd Block was launching a "Junior" box just for kids that would only include toys, I was intrigued.  I don't have children, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I still like to collect toys.  I figure I might have kids one day, so at least I'll be ready!  Anyway, March's box was the first, so read on to see what I thought of Nerd Block Jr. Girls!

I haven't tried to adult Nerd Block subscription, so this was my first experience with the company as a whole.  They ship from Canada, so I wasn't sure how long shipping would take.  Turns out, it was a lot quicker than some of the services I've subscribed to that are located within the U.S.!  I can't remember exactly, but I think this box only took three or four days to get to me after I received my shipping notification (they promise four to six delivery days via air shipping on their website).  My short shipping period may be because I'm only three hours away from their shipping center, but regardless, I was very impressed by how quickly it arrived.

Nerd Block Jr. is available as a box for boys or a box for girls, both cost $13.99 plus shipping.  The boxes are described as "epic toys for boys/girls ages 6 to 11!," but I'm a 25 year old adult and I still really enjoyed this box!  I decided to go with the girls box, but I very easily could have enjoyed the boys as well, I think.  Even though they're separated by supposed gender toy preferences, there's no reason why you a boy couldn't get a girls box or vice versa, it just depends on what toys your child prefers.

The box contained five items total, and the first one I noticed when I opened it was the adorable stuffed bear!  I recognized that it was from the movie Brave, but I didn't know much else because I haven't actually watched the movie.  The only complaint I have about the box is that there's no informational card that gives details about the items.

• Brave Cub Plush ($8?) - Doing a Google search for "Brave Cub Plush" didn't prove to be very helpful, and I cut off the tag from the toy before writing this review, so I don't know the brand or retail value of this.  It doesn't really matter to me, though, because I think it's absolutely adorable and I really love it!
• Mega Bloks Moshi Monsters Build-a-Monster ($7.99) - This build-your-own monster is named Katsuma, and I thought it was cute because it looks kind of like a rabbit.  I loved playing with blocks when I was younger, so this would have been right up my alley.  I'll still probably use it and put the monster on my desk at work!

• My Little Pony Slap Bands (~$4, $24.99 for 6) - I remember slap band bracelets being so popular when I was in elementary school, and I guess they're making a comeback!  My Little Pony (the original iteration, at least) was also a very popular toy during my childhood, and I know it's become popular again not only with kids but with adults, too.
• Mega Bloks Hello Kitty Blind Pack Series 2 ($2.99) - I like blind packs because I like surprises, and I also love Hello Kitty!  She's very cute and a classic toy icon.  The one that was in my pack was her dressed up as a mail carrier (kind of fitting, since I get so many packages!).
• My Little Pony Tin Tastic Creative Activity Set (~$10) - My boyfriend had gotten a Tin Tastic set featuring a different character so I had seen these before, but I wasn't actually sure what was in them until I got this MLP one.  It contains two pencils, two erasers, and a sticker sheet.  I could see this being a really cute gift to give to kids before they went back to school, and the container could always be reused to hold other items.

Bottom Line: I loved my Nerd Block Jr. Girls box!  I won't stay subscribed because, although I thought all of the items were really cute, I can't justify receiving a box full of toys each month.  I definitely would have loved receiving this as a kid, and I would also definitely subscribe again in the future when I have kids of my own!

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Beyond Polish Spring Review, Part II

Beyond Polish is a nail polish addict's paradise.  They have an extensive collection of polishes from various brands, as well as gels, acrylic supplies, tools, and much more.  Their new releases for spring include the OPI MLB Fashion Plate and Muppets Most Wanted collections.  They sent me five polishes to review, three of which I reviewed in my Part I post.

I requested two Jessica Cosmetics polishes for this review, one creme and one shimmer.  This one is obviously the creme; it's called Windsor Castle and it is a rich, gorgeous plum shade.  I love purple polishes and this one did not disappoint.  The formula was very smooth and glided on easily without any streaking.  It was fully opaque after two coats.  I was really impressed with Jessica Cosmetics after trying these polishes (see the first one in my Part I review), so I will definitely be purchasing more from them in the future.

China Glaze is one of my favorite nail polish brands, and their "Tranzitions" line was one that I hadn't tried before.  This shade is Shape Shifter, and it's a dark gray shade with a muted shimmer effect.  The fun thing about these polishes is that when you apply a top coat the color changes.  This one changes from the gray to a dark blue.  The difference is a bit difficult to pick up in the photo below, but I tried my best to get an accurately colored swatch picture.

The first and third nails (from left to right) are painted with a top coat, and the second and fourth are not.  I think the top coat blue/purple shade is most apparent in the first nail, and you can see in the second nail that without the top coat the polish is more gray.

• Visit Beyond Polish's website to view their full inventory and new spring releases

Bottom Line: I was very pleased with both of these polishes.  I highly recommend shopping at Beyond Polish, with so many products to choose from I'm sure everyone can find something to suit their fancy!