Book Review: The Dim Sum Field Guide by Carolyn Phillips

I love dim sum. I have eaten a lot of it. No matter how much of it I eat, I want more! Even with I'll the dim sum I've eaten, I tend to stick to familiar dishes that I know I like. But now I have The Dim Sum Field Guide by Carolyn Phillips--the perfect little book to help me learn about and appreciate new dim sum!

*Disclaimer: This book was sent to See, Shop, Love! via Blogging for Books.

If you're not familiar with dim sum, it's a Chinese cuisine involving lots of little dishes. It's similar to tapas in Spain. It usually consists of bite-sized portions of things like dumplings, rolls, and steamed buns. There are lots of different dim sum dishes, and as I said before, I'm not familiar with all of them. If you're new to Chinese cuisine it can be intimidating reading the menus, which is where The Dim Sum Field Guide comes in.

This book is so cute! It's small, about 5 x 5", so you could easily slip it into your purse or inconspicuously carry it into a restaurant. It has descriptions and hand-drawn illustrations of more than 70 types of dim sum, and they're categorized by savory and sweet (and broken down further into subcategories like baked, steamed, fried, etc.).

This book is incredibly informative. They hand drawn illustrations are extremely detailed, so even if you don't know the names of what you want, you can easily identify them through these pictures. The pages contain the most common names of each dish, along with other spellings and pronunciations.

When I think of a field guide, I think of a nature book. Take a field guide for birds, for instance. It should have a picture of the bird, the name of the bird, the scientific name, and information on how to identify it. This book has all of that information, but for food. I think the presentation is so creative! As you can see in the photo above, there's an identification section that describes what the dim sum looks like and provides more information about it, plus more information like basic fillings and different types, or "species."

Looking through this book makes me hungry. It not only gives incredibly detailed information on what each dim sum looks like and is made with, but it also gives background on its origin and history. Even if you're not heading out for dim sum, this book is a fun read that's packed with information.

• The Dim Sum Field Guide is available from Penguin Random House

Bottom Line: I love this book and I'm so glad I found it! I'm definitely taking it with me the next time I go out for dim sum, and I already have a bunch of new ones from this book that I want to try!

September Play! by Sephora Review

My Play! by Sephora review is late again this month, but I still wanted to share my thoughts about the box. September's theme was "The Unbasic Basics," and when I saw the spoilers for it I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Basics can be pretty boring, but this box turned out to be pretty good!

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

Play! by Sephora costs $10 per month for deluxe samples of products available at Sephora. I've really enjoyed these boxes, as they give me access to higher-end products that I normally wouldn't buy. Subscriptions are still on a wait list, but be sure to sign up if you haven't already because it seems like they've been opening up subscriptions more often lately.

Last month's box was just okay to me, so I was hoping this one would be more exciting. I was much happier with this month's samples and I felt there was a really good variety. Here's what was inside:

• Atelier Cologne Sud Magnolia - Atelier Cologne makes my favorite perfume (Vanille Insensee), but I wasn't sure if I'd like this one because I generally don't like florals. This isn't in-your-face floral-y, though, so I actually liked it quite a bit. It has notes of bitter orange, pomelo, blackcurrent, magnolia, Bulgarian rose, saffron, cedarwood, sandalwood, and musk. I think the woodsy base notes were what attracted me to this.
• Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation - This is an oil-free moisturizer that's really light and silky. I love the texture and the way it feels on my skin! It works to soften, brighten, and even out skin tone.
• Sephora Collection Rouge Shine Lipstick in Love Spell - The shade is a cool pink (see photo below) and looks flattering, but I have so many lip products already that I posted this for swap instead of trying it. The formula is supposed to be moisturizing and creamy.
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel - I wouldn't purchase a brow gel because I feel like it's non-essential, but I am happy to receive one in a box because I'll still use it. This is nice and lightweight and holds brows in place without feeling too sticky or rigid.
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper - I love Kat Von D's products but I've never used the Tattoo Liner. I've heard great things about it though, and it's waterproof with a brush tip. I haven't used it yet since I save liquid liner for special occasions, but I'm excited to try it.
• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Night Cap Overnight Perfector - Living Proof is another favorite brand of mine, and this solution gives a full week of softness and shine. I've used it once and it definitely made my hair feel softer, but I wouldn't say it lasted for a whole week.

Bottom Line: This month's Play! box featured some brands I love, plus had some new products that I really enjoyed. The only downside is that the full-sized versions are pricey, but at least I get to try them through the box.

October Book of the Month Spoilers + First Box for $5!

I'm taking a break from Book of the Month, but the October selections are really making me consider signing up again! This month's guest judge is Constance Wu, one of my favorite actresses and advocates of Asian representation in the media.

*Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate links.


Book of the Month  costs $16.99 per month for the monthly plan, but there's a discount per book if you sign up for three-, six-, or 12-month options. You can add another book on for $9.99 and skip any month.

Here are this month's selections! Click each link to read the synopsis on the BoTM site.

• Good as Gone by Amy Gentry
• The Fall Guy by James Lasdun
• The Wonder by Emma Donaghue
• The Mothers by Brit Bennett
• The Wangs Versus the World by Jade Chang

All of the books actually sound really good this month, but I'm going to have to go with Constance Wu's pick, The Wangs Versus the World. Which book will you pick?

Use this link and coupon code BOTM5 to get your first month for only $5, this link for 30% off three months plus a free tote bag, or this link for $10 off a three- or 12-month subscription.

VitaFive New Website Launch + 30% Off Coupon!

Last month I reviewed Vitafive, the first gummy vitamin subscription, and I loved their Beauty Pack! They've just launched a new website with improved functionality, so now ordering your monthly packs is even easier.

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

What is Vitafive? They're a subscription service that sends you all of the gummy vitamins you'll need to stay on top of your health. You can create your own packs based off of your needs, or you can choose one of their pre-made packs. I've been using their Beauty Pack and I love it! It contains two biotin, one Vitamin C, and one Omega-3 gummies to strengthen hair, skin, and nails while reducing cellular signs of aging. They're also really yummy citrus flavors.

The boxes contain individually packaged daily portions that are sent to you once a month. The prices vary depending on what type of pack you choose; the Beauty Pack costs $29 per month.

The old Vitafive site wasn't bad at all, but the new one is great. The functionality is improved and you can easily navigate to find anything you need!

• Check it out and see all the different vitamin packs they have available!
• Use coupon code ssl30 (all lowercase) for 30% off your first box

September RLB Art Box Studio Review and Coupon

I've always enjoyed arts and crafts but I never considered myself creative enough to come up with my own projects. I've also devoted less time to creative pursuits as I've gotten older, but luckily RLB Art Box Studio is here to provide monthly projects!

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

RLB Art Box Studio was created by Rachel L. Berlin as a way for customers to easily and conveniently learn how to use art supplies and make fun works of art. The box is designed for people ages 12 and up and no prior art experience is necessary. It contains everything you need to learn new techniques and makes something fun; it really is an art lesson in a box!

Here are the payment options:

• Monthly: $25 per month
• Three Months: $75 every three months, currently on sale for $70
• Six Months: $150 every six months, currently on sale for $140
• 12 Months: $300 every 12 months, currently on sale for $275

You can also try one box for $25 without committing to a renewing subscription.

The box came beautifully packaged in Earth-friendly packaging, meaning everything is made from recycled materials and can (and should be!) recycled after use. This may be something you might not notice, but it means a lot to me when companies go the extra mile to use packaging like this.

This month's project was called Reflections of Line. The box contains an instruction card, but you can also watch a video with instructions on the RLB Art Box website. I'm more of a visual learner, so watching the videos is preferable to me.

The project duration was listed as 60-80 minutes, but it only took me about 20 minutes (not including the drying time). It consisted of cutting strips of the yarn, dipping them in glue, and then arranging them in different shapes to create one big shape. That's a very simplified version of the instructions.

Here's my finished product! It only took me 20 minutes because I made a much smaller version than I think was intended, but I have to admit it's because the project was messy and I am impatient (that's not a criticism of RLB Art Box Studio, just me being me). They included gloves to use if you didn't want to get glue all over your hands, but I didn't use them because they made it hard to move the yarn pieces around the way I wanted them to be. I also clipped smaller pieces of yarn, so I think if I had made the sections bigger it may have been a little easier for me.

Since there was so much yarn included, this could easily be repeated. You may have to buy more glue, but that's not expensive so I would definitely use the supplies in the future to do this project again! I still have to find a good place to hang it, because I want it to get good light to cast a shadow somewhere noticeable.

• Visit RLB Art Box Studio to subscribe!
• Use coupon code SAVE10 for 10% off any purchase
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube

Bottom Line: I really enjoyed this project and I never would have been able to come up with the idea myself. That's what I really like about this box--based on this and their past projects (you can view them all on their website), each box is incredibly creative! If you love art and are looking for a monthly project to create then I highly recommend RLB Art Box Studio!