September Snakku Review

I love trying international foods and snacks, and subscription boxes have made it so easy to do so. Snakku is a new service that sends Japanese snacks right to your door in some of the most beautiful packaging I've seen from a subscription!

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

Snakku sends hand-picked, authentic Japanese snacks that you can only find in Japan, along with a few others that are more well-known and widely available. Here are their pricing options:

• Monthly: $38.95/month
• Three Months: $115.50 every three months ($38.50 per box)
• Six Months: $225.00 every six months ($37.25 per box)

Shipping is free to U.S. addresses, and each month you'll be entered to win the $100 Deluxe Box with any subscription level!

I love Snakku's packaging! The box arrived in a USPS Priority Mail box and was beautifully wrapped in the green fabric pictured above. I ended up using it to cover a little table I have at my doorway that I set my keys on. The box itself also has a beautiful, simple design.

Each box has a theme, and the snacks for September were centered around Senbei. Senbei is a traditional Japanese rice cracker that has been a staple of the country for over 400 years. They come in all different shapes, sizes, and flavors and are traditionally eaten with green tea. I love rice crackers so I was excited to try all of the different varieties in this box!

• Ogurasansou Senbei: The three packages in the bottom row of the above photo have mini senbei inside. There were 10 different shapes and flavors, all randomly mixed into the packages. Each senbei represents a season, region, or feeling, which I think is really interesting. Salty flavors represent the ocean, leaf shaped ones represent autumn, and spicy ones represent summer.
• Bourbon Roanne: The yellow package in the upper right corner is one of the "popular snacks." It's a crispy light vanilla wafer sandwich and it was delicious! It was two wafer cookies with vanilla cream in the middle.
• Glico: Another popular snack, Glico is a caramel candy that was first made by this popular brand.

• Kyoto-style Senbei: These larger senbei are handmade and have a crispy, airy texture. Each one is grilled over charcoal and then brushed lightly with oil and soy sauce. The three flavors were shrimp, Kyoto-style salt, and sugar glazed. I liked the sugar glazed the best because I love salty/sweet combinations.

These three snacks make up the remaining popular snacks included in the box.

• Shiawasedo Milk Cake: This is a soft cake made with local Hokkaido milk. It was a little dry for my tastes; I was hoping it would be softer and creamier, but it was still pretty good.
• Green Tea Dorayaki: This is a baked wheat cake filled with matcha red bean paste.
• Pejoy: Pejoy is similar to Pocky, except the cream filling is on the inside instead of the outside. This box was Green Tea Cream flavored.

Bottom Line: I think Snakku is an excellent box and I love that they send traditional Japanese snacks that aren't readily available near me. I also like that they include so much information about the history behind the snacks!

• Visit Snakku's website to subscribe!
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

What do you think of Snakku?

September Birchbox Review

September is Birchbox's birthday month and this year they celebrated their fifth year of business! They held a Customer Appreciation Day on the 15th and I received a phone call and 500 extra points added to my account. I have always felt that Birchbox had amazing customer service, which is why I've been a subscriber for 35 boxes (and counting)!

*Disclaimer: This box was purchased by See, Shop, Love! Post contains referral links.

This was a pretty good box for me. It wasn't my absolute favorite, but overall I liked my sample selection.

• PARLOUR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing & Repairing Shampoo ($2.75 for 1 fl oz) - I don't love the scent of the PARLOUR products, but this shampoo really did make my hair feel soft and smooth.
• PARLOUR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing & Repairing Conditioner ($1.12 for .41 fl oz) - I also really liked how soft the conditioner made my hair feel. Both products worked really well together so I would probably purchase them despite not loving the scent.
• ModelCo Ultra Long-Lasting Lipstick ($6.67 for .12 oz, full-sized) - The retail value for this probably isn't exact; these are sold as a trio on the Birchbox site for $20 so I just divided that by three. Anyway, I got the shade "Smitten," which is a nice dark red that's perfect for fall and winter. It felt a little dry on my lips, but it did have good staying power.

Here's a closeup of the ModelCo lipstick. It was smudged when I opened it, but I didn't really care because it wasn't totally broken or ruined.

• Harvey Prince Sincerely ($1.62 for .05 fl oz) - I received a bigger bottle of this in a different box this month and I just don't love it. There's too much freesia and it's too floral overall.
• Sumbody Detox Cleanser ($2.21 for .34 fl oz) - This was my favorite sample this month. It's a charcoal-infused cleanser that's perfect for my oily skin. The sample packaging is horrible (you know how you have to smack the bottom of those glass ketchup bottles to get any ketchup out? That's what you have to do with this), but I would absolutely buy a full-sized tube of this.
• POP Beauty POP Portfolio Eyeshadow Palette - I'm not going to bother trying to get the retail value of this. The full-sized palette costs $26. I won't use any of these shades because they're too cool for my undertones, but it's a good item to post for swap.

Bottom Line: Not counting the POP palette, my box had an approximate retail value of $14.37, so I think it would probably be around $20 if I bothered to calculate the eyeshadow in. I don't really pay too much attention to retail value with Birchbox, though, because I'm usually pretty happy with the samples they send me, and this box was no different!

New Love With Food Coupon: 40% Off!

Love With Food is my all-time favorite snack subscription box, and now you can get your first Tasting Box for 40% off! Gluten-free boxes are 50% off, too!

*Disclaimer: Post contains affiliate links.

Love With Food sends all-natural and organic snacks at the following price points:

• Monthly Tasting Box: $9.99/month
• 3 Month Tasting Box: $8.99/month ($26.97 total)
• 6 Month Tasting Box: $8.50/month ($51.00 total)
• Annual Tasting Box: $7.99/month ($95.88 total)

The price changes affect the Deluxe and Gluten-Free boxes as well:

• Monthly Deluxe Box: $19.99/month
• 3 Month Deluxe Box: $18.99/month ($56.97 total)
• 6 Month Deluxe Box: $17.99/month ($107.94 total)
• Annual Deluxe Box: $16.50/month ($198.00 total)

• Monthly Gluten-Free Box: $24.99/month
• 3 Month Gluten-Free Box: $22.99/month ($68.97 total)
• 6 Month Gluten-Free Box: $21.99/month ($131.94 total)
• Annual Gluten-Free Box: $19.99/month ($239.88 total)

I think the prices are already incredibly affordable, but now you can try your first Tasting Box for 40% off by using this link! Or, get 50% off your first Gluten-Free Box!

Farmacy Beauty Hydrating Coconut Gel Mask Review

Farmacy's new Hydrating Coconut Gel masks are made with hand-picked botanicals for natural and effective hydration. I don't normally use sheet masks, but I was curious to try these because of their natural ingredients!

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

Farmacy masks are powered by Echinacea GreenEnvy, a patented variant of echinacea purpurea, which is a natural antioxidant that helps protect and firm skin by inhibiting enzymes that break down collagen. Plantsman Mark Veeder discovered Echinacea GreenEnvy and teamed up with farming expert Roberty Beyfuss to cultivate the plant. You can learn more about the process of making Echinacea GreenEnvy by watching this video.

The masks come in six different formulations:

• Brightening (activated by antizyme-rich purple broccoli extract)
• Deep Moisture (activated by Vitamin C-rich cucumber extract)
• Soothing (activated by mineral-rich kale extract)
• Firming (activated by flavinoid-rich celery extract)
• Oil Control (activated by lycopene-rich carrot extract)
• Anti-Wrinkle (activated by Vitamin A-rich rhubarb extract)

I received the Anti-Wrinkle mask to try. I feel that it's never too early to start using preventive skincare, so I'm always looking to try new anti-wrinkle products. Let's face it, I'm turning 27 this year so wrinkles may not be that far off for me!

The mask is a sheet mask and it has three layers. Every other sheet mask I've ever tried was just a mask inside of the package, but this one had a blue protective film and a clear film on either side. I liked that it had those protective layers because it made application a lot easier.

I left the mask on for 20 minutes and it stayed in place really well. The main reason why I don't normally use sheet masks is because I feel like they slide around too much and I'm never in the mood to just lie still for 20 minutes while I have one on. I watched TV while I had this one on and it didn't budge! It also felt nice and soothing on my skin. When I removed it I massaged the excess formula into my skin. My skin did feel a little sticky for a short while after due to the excess formula, but it was potent enough that I didn't need to apply a moisturizer after.

If you'd like to try Farmacy Beauty Hydrating Coconut Gel Masks, you can purchase them in stores and online at Sephora and and on the air at QVC. They retail for $24 for a set of three masks.

Bottom Line: I had a great experience with the Farmacy Beauty Hydrating Coconut Gel Mask and I would definitely buy more of them! I'm going to try the Oil Control mask next.

What do you think of Farmacy?

September Beauty Box 5 Review

September's Beauty Box 5 is themed "Fall: On Fleek!" and it's one of my favorite boxes yet! I loved the selection of products and I thought it was a very well-rounded box.

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

Beauty Box 5 sends five deluxe samples and full-sized products to your door for $12 per month. Shipping is free to the U.S. and $3 to Canadian addresses. The types of products can be color cosmetics, accessories, hair care, and more!

When I opened the box I was happy to see a bunch of brands that I already know and love, plus two that I hadn't heard of before. I also liked that all of the samples were pretty large this month.

• Bellapierre Shimmer Powder in Snowflake ($19.99 for .08 oz, full-sized): This is a gorgeous white shimmer that works great as a highlighter for the brow bone and inner corners of your eyes.
• Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass Lip and Cheek Stain ($7.22 for .11 oz) - This stain can be used on your lips or cheeks (obviously) and is from South Korea. I haven't tried it yet, so I'm curious to see how pigmented it is.
• Beautiful Nutrition Lemon Rinse Gentle Clarifying Treatment ($3.75 for 14 mg) - At first I thought this was a cleansing water for your face but it's actually for your hair. It's supposed to be applied root to tip and then rinsed off after you shampoo.

• Be a Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Crayon ($14.00 for 2.5g, full-sized) - I received the shade "Angel Eyes," which is a soft white shimmer. I tried using it to line my lower waterline but it wasn't pigmented enough, but I'll use it as a highlighter shade elsewhere.
• Harvey Prince Sincerely ($21.00 for 8.8 mL) - This has notes of cedarwood, freesia, and orange flower. I love Harvey Prince perfumes, but I have to admit that Sincerely is not one of my favorites because of the freesia notes. I've just never cared for that scent.

Bottom Line: I think this month's Beauty Box 5 was fantastic! I liked that there were three full-sized products and two new brands (Elizabeth Mott and Beautiful Nutrition) for me to try. The overall approximate retail value for the box is $65.96!