July Snakku Review

Snakku is a premium Japanese snack box and one of my favorites. They send authentic snacks that are only available in Japan, along with some more popular ones. This month's box featured snacks from the coastal town of Kamakura!

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

Snakku stands out from other snack boxes because they send items that are only available in Japan. Purchasing a box helps sustain local stores and businesses and provides an authentic Japanese experience! They have a few pricing options:

• Tasting Box: $15.75 per month
• Monthly: $38.95 per month
• Three Months: currently on sale for $115.50 every three months
• Six Months: currently on sale for $227.70 every six months

Shipping is free to U.S. addresses, $5 to Canadian addresses, and $15 for all other international countries. Currently the Tasting Box is only available to U.S. customers.

Snakku has the best packaging. Every box is wrapped in a beautiful design; this month's reminded me of Easter because of the pink color and circles (they reminded me of Easter eggs).

As previously stated, this month's snacks were from Kamakura, a small coastal town less than an hour south of Tokyo. It was the capital of Japan from 1181 to 1333, when warlord Minamoto Yoritomo chose it to be the center of his rule. Today, it's called the "Kyoto of the East" because of its numerous temples and shrines. It's famous for the Kamakura Daibutsu, a bronze statue of Buddha that stands over 43 feet tall!

The featured snacks are the special ones that are only available in Japan and are from the featured region/city.

• Hato Sabure - These cookies have been made by the Teshimaya snack store since the Meiji period in 1868. Kyujiro Kubota, the first owner, started making them when butter became available tin Japan. These are simple and absolutely delicious! They're nice and buttery and perfect with my morning coffee. The dove shape is really cute, too.
• Kurumiko - This is the little bar on the bottom right of the photo with the squirrels on the packaging (so cute!) and was probably my favorite snack this month. It's a caramel and chestnut bar made by Kamakura Beniya, which has been making snacks since 1954. This is their most popular snack and it won the 27th National Japan Snack Award!
• Kintsuba - These are the square above the Kurumiko and are a traditional snack made in Japan since 1600. They're composed of red bean paste wrapped in thinly-stretched flour dough that is then baked on a copper plate. Bean paste is common in Asian snacks and at first I found it hard to wrap my head around it, but it's so good!
• Apple Honey Pie - These are in the yellow packaging on the bottom left of the photo. They're a delicate cookie made with Japanese apples and honey from the Ishii beekeeping garden. They're really light and crispy wafers and I loved them.
• Kamakura Hydrangea Cookie - These little cookies are made from hydrangea essence. Hydrangeas bloom during the rainy season in Kamakura.

Each month you'll also receive more popular snacks to compliment the featured ones.

• Saya Wasabi Snow Pea Crisps - I love wasabi and crisps, and these were perfect! They're not actually dried snow peas, but more like puffed snacks shaped like them. They are infused with snow pea and traditional Japanese dashi flavors, though.
• Fukkura Okoge - These are rice grain senbei lightly glazed with soy sauce and baked in a clay kiln. I could eat senbei all day, every day and the soy sauce glazed kind are my favorite!
• Bakauke Aonori - These are also senbei, but they're covered in aonori (blue seaweed). I love the flavor of seaweed and these had a nice light touch of it.

• Flower's Kiss Candy - I haven't tried one of these yet, but they're creamy, apricot-plum flavored candies made with flower essence.
• Matcha Azuki Cookie - I don't really like the flavor of matcha so I'll probably pass these along to a friend, but they're made up of a Kyoto matcha green tea cookie filled with Hokkaido red bean cream.
• Bourbon Baum Rolls - These are delicious! They reminded me of Ho-Hos (but way better) and are made up of vanilla-glazed mini baumkuchen rolls.

Bottom Line: The July Snakku box was another home run for me! Not only do I love trying yummy new snacks each month, but I also enjoy how much information about the snacks and the history behind them that they include.

• Visit Snakku to learn more and subscribe!

Kusshi Travel Makeup Bag Review

The Kusshi line of makeup bags is fun, stylish, and launches today on Kickstarter! They kindly sent me their BO and BOCO bags to share with you.

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

Kusshi was started by Jess Parker, who wanted to revolutionize the makeup bag. She got the idea while returning from a bike trip through the Rhine River in Germany, where packing for days of athletic activity and nights of nice dinners proved to be a challenge. After drawing up the plans, she paired with master tailor Sophie Alasti to create the prototypes!

The Kusshi makeup bag and brush organizer system solve plenty of common travel woes when it comes to makeup: no more bent brushes, ruined bags from leaks and explosions, accidental spills; and also a fashionable way to carry around your essentials and awkwardly-shaped items like eyelash curlers.

The first thing I noticed when I opened up my Kusshi package was how bright and beautiful the blue color was! The BOCO makeup bag comes in fully washable vinyl (which is what I received) and leather, which has a zip-out, fully-washable interior. What's really neat about this is that when fully unzipped it lies flat so you have easy access to all of your makeup. No more digging to the bottom to try to find everything! It's also super roomy and fits everything I need. It also has snaps on the side with the zippered pocket to attach your brush organizer!

The BO brush organizer is also available in vinyl and leather. It has enough space to fit your cell phone, credit cards, money, and, of course, your brushes! I like how sleek it looks and that it easily folds up to be more portable. The best part is that it snaps into the BOCO bag.

I filled the BO with the brushes I normally take with me when I travel, and as you can see, there was still plenty of room for more!

I'm really in love with the Kusshi makeup bag and brush organizer. I travel often enough and was always annoyed by many of the frustrations that also led Jess to create these bags: having to pack so many separate things, place them in Ziploc baggies, not being able to find anything easily...now, with these bags I can just throw it all in and go!

I tested these bags out during my morning trips to the gym. On Mondays and Fridays I go early before work, shower at the gym, then get ready there as well. I was taking a bunch of different small pouches to transport my makeup and haircare products, so the Kusshi bags came at a perfect time. Everything fits in really well, and there's plenty of room left over even after I pack all of my essentials. I snap the brush organizer into the bag, throw it in my gym bag, and I'm good to go!

• Visit the Kusshi website to learn more!
• Back their project on Kickstarter

Bottom Line: I think every girl on the go would love the Kusshi makeup bag and brush organizer! I'm looking forward to taking my next trip with them, and in the meantime I'm loving how convenient they are on my morning gym days.

Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara Review and Giveaway!

My best friend, Linze, recently became a Mary Kay consultant and thus I've had the benefit of learning all about their new launches through her! Their Lash Intensity Mascara is one of their newest products and today I'll be reviewing (and giving away!) a tube for you!

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

I never really used Mary Kay products before Linze became a consultant, so I've had a lot of fun learning about all they have to offer. Okay, I lied, I did have a Satin Lips lip mask (as you can see in the photo above) that I bought a while ago from another friend who was a consultant. But other than that, my experience with their products was minimal.

The Lash Intensity Mascara is selling like hotcakes, and I can see why! I'm usually pretty skeptical of mascaras because they always promise to lengthen or volumize or otherwise turn my short, straight lashes into something wonderful, yet they rarely ever deliver on their promises. This mascara is different--it definitely makes my lashes look longer and fuller! I was very pleasantly surprised.

The Mary Kay info page says that this mascara will make your lashes look 84% longer and give 200% more volume. The special "Double Impact" brush is designed to plump lashes while also combing through them to lengthen.

Here's a look at the brush. It's on the larger side and has lots of bristles, and I would recommend gently swiping it through a tissue before applying (I do this with all mascaras, not just this one) to pick up any excess that may cause clumps. Right now it's only available in black and retails for $18.

Now, the true test--my before and after photos! Please excuse the lack of makeup on the rest of my face; I really wanted the focus to be on the mascara so that's the only thing I applied. The Before photo is just me, right after washing my face. My lashes have acquired a little bit of a "natural" curl, thanks to me curling them every day, but it's really not enough to make them stand out the way I like them to.

The After photo is me after curling my lashes with a lash curler and one coat of the Lash Intensity mascara. I think they definitely look longer, fuller, and more defined! You can always add another coat to really make your eye stand out, too.

• Visit Linze's Mary Kay site to learn more
• Like her page on Facebook to stay updated!

If you're interested in purchasing a Lash Intensity Mascara, you'll have to contact Linze directly. The product sells out so fast that it's not currently available on her website, but she can special order it for you. You can contact her by visiting her "About Me" page on her website right here.

Bottom Line: I think the Mary Kay Lash Intensity Mascara is a great deal at only $18! I wasn't sure how well it would actually work for me, but I am pleased with the results. I use this as my daily mascara now and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an extra boost of volume and definition!

Linze has kindly offered a tube of the Lash Intensity Mascara for one of my readers to win! Enter below using the Rafflecopter form. This sweepstakes begins today and ends at 12:00 AM on Sunday, 17 July 2016. Open to U.S. residents aged 18+ only, please see Rafflecopter form for full terms and conditions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Yogi Surprise 4th of July Sale - 25% Off First Month!

Now through July 4th you can get 25% off your first month of any Yogi Surprise subscription!

*Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate links.


Yogi Surprise is a yoga lifestyle subscription that sends 6-8 full-sized items, vegetarian and GMO-free, each month! There's a $70+ retail value in each box. They also have a jewelry subscription that includes two handmaid pieces and organic chocolate with $65+ retail value.

Click here to subscribe with 25% off your first month!

New Subscription Review: Squintbox!

SquintBox is a unique new subscription that sends "Your monthly MiniFix!" They deliver a delightful assortment of hand-crafted miniature figurines, perfect for collecting, each month.

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

SquintBox was created by Darren Scala, the founder of D. Thomas Fine Miniatures, an online store featuring all things miniature. They also have a brick and mortar store located in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Each month, you'll receive up to six 1/12th scale miniature items from categories including food, flowers, books, and accessories. They have three payment options:

• Monthly: $29.99/month
• Three Months: $80.87 every three months ($26.96 per box)
• Six Months: $152.75 every six months ($25.46 per box)

Shipping is free, but they currently only ship to U.S. addresses. An international launch is planned for the coming months.

I love SquintBox's packaging! It arrived as a box inside of a plain brown box, but the real box was carefully packaged and tied up nicely. Presentation is important to me in a subscription box and this one definitely surpasses my expectations!

I also want to note that shipping is incredibly fast. I received an email from Darren, the founder, saying that my box had been shipped and it arrived the very next day! This may be because I live in New York State, but I still think this box must ship pretty quickly to any address.

I have to admit that this was my first experience with miniatures. I mean, the box is pretty self-explanatory, but I had never collected anything like these before. The box came with six minis packaged in cute little wrappings, as seen above.

And here they are! I probably should have included a quarter or something for scale, but trust me when I say these are all pretty small (1/12th scale, as noted previously). The only one that would come close to being the same size as a quarter would be the Cosmopolitan replica. Here's everything that was included, clockwise from top:

• Six-millimeter extension cord
• Cosmopolitan in a classic martini glass
• Two Squint-box branded designer table candles
• Sugar-dusted blueberry pie (in a real tin pan)
• Bottle of California Red wine
• Vintage Cosmopolitan magazine (circa 1964)

These miniatures are so cute! They can be used for crafting, display, in dollhouses, shadow boxes--pretty much any crafty endeavor you can think of! This box is perfect for collectors and anyone who likes cute, unique items.

• Visit SquintBox to learn more and subscribe!
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube

Bottom Line: SquintBox definitely caters to a niche market, but I think that it's a really interesting box that delivers high-quality miniatures. I like that they feature a new artist every month and that every single mini is hand-crafted. I can't get over the incredible detail on these little guys!

Also! Subscribers will have a chance to win a signed and dated MCM ash tray made by Michael Yurkovic, right from the set of Mad Men, during launch month!