Thursday Thoughts

So, I decided I would link-up with one of my favourite bloggers today and join her for Thursday Thoughts. Check out Jen at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom, her blog is FANTASTIC! If you click on the picture above, it should take you right to her site.

Now, on to my thoughts today...

- I can't believe it's almost Labour Day weekend. For the fourth year in a row, Labour Day weekend means Sonicboom Festival for me! L's sister is flying in tonight and will be attending the three day music festival with us as well.

- Did you click on the link for Sonicboom? Did you look at that lineup? So amazing this year! I can't wait to see Artic Monkeys, Jack White, MS MR, July Talk, Foster the People and Mounties for the first time! I'll be seeing Death Cab, Fitz and the Tantrums, Cage the Elephant and Tegan and Sara for the second time, and it will be my fourth time seeing Serena Ryder! Great job to all the people at Union Events/Sonic 102.9 for organizing such a great festival!

- This past weekend was supposed to be my first quiet weekend all summer, but it ended up being just as busy as any other one. L went to the Eskimos game with a friend, while I ran to the mall to return some online purchases and get a little shopping in, we met up with some friends for supper, L ran a 5km as part of the Edmonton Marathon weekend, and we walked around the fringe and caught an improv show. Weekends go by way too quickly!

- This entire week was supposed to be slow, giving us lots of time to get the house cleaned before L's sister flew in, but we ended up going for Indian buffet with a friend Monday night, and then out for supper on Tuesday night with another friend who was moving to BC. So that left us scrambling last night to clean, but we got it all finished!

- I'm probably one of the few people who is actually excited that the weather is cooling off. I love the fall, it allows me to wear layers and sweaters and boots. It also means the cats get even more cuddly - although I know they're just using me for my body heat.

- I'm falling farther and farther behind on my subscription box reviews, I currently have Topbox, Lip Monthly, Spicy Subscriptions and Tea Sparrow to blog about (and I should be receiving my August Lip Factory very shortly as well). This extra time is allowing me to actually try out a bunch of the products though!

- I did end up buying two different Memeboxes last week. I managed to scoop up one of the Jackpot boxes that cost $32 but guaranteed a value of at least $155 before they sold out and the Thumbs Up Box (which will begin shipping on September 16th). I'll find out next week the exact value of my Jackpot Box, I believe they had less than 500 of them, and one lucky person is going to win a box valued at $1000! I can't wait to see the products I receive, be sure to check back to see my reviews!

- I have a few of the other girls at work hooked on subscription boxes now. I'm such a bad influence haha.

That's all I have for today! I probably won't have much time for posting until Monday (if I don't end up going in to work that day), so have a great weekend! Check out my Instagram for a few pictures from Sonicboom!

xoxo,
Fallon

Meowbox - August 2014 Review

This past week was probably Hero and Pita's favourite time of the month - the arrival of their Meowbox. They get so excited whenever it shows up, and destroy the tissue paper before I can even get a picture of the first look.

Pita LOVES the Meowbox! (Ignore the cardboard boxes in the background, that's just part of the cat's cardboard condo...and you can also see some of my July Tea Sparrow and August Ipsy still sitting on the coffee table haha)

 Both cats sniffing it out, they knew this was all for them!

First look. I just realized I didn't get a picture of the long polka dot thing on it's own because the cats went CRAZY over it... 

 Licks Pill-Free Solution to Pet Health - Home Feeding Aid and Hairball

I read their website, and these seem like a great idea! They have a 98% absorption rate, compared to 20% in pill form, and they contain all natural ingredients. I'm sure the cats will eat these if I mix it in with their normal hard food!

Value: $1/each

Hauspanther Taffy Roll Cat Toy -  A toy made of colourful fleece fabric which cats will love to chase, and the ends are easy to grab.

Pita chased this around the other night, throwing it in the air and then going crazy trying to catch it. It was so adorable, she was loving life!

Value: $5 for a 2-pack (so $2.50 for the one)

 EcoPup Wool Felt Catnip Heart - Hero loved this! He picks it up and rubs it all over his face. What a crazy boy...

Value: $5/pack of 2 (again, $2.50 when it comes to value of this box)

 Wellness Healthy Indulgence Turkey and Duck - L gave this to the cats tonight, and there was so much juice on it! Hero and Pita both licked up the juice instantly, but Hero didn't seem to enjoy the actual chunks of food (he ate a few, but if he was a human I'm sure he would have said "meh"). Pita is a tiny little cat (she weighs less than 6 pounds and is ~3 years old) but she ate and ate and ate. I'd definitely look into buying this again!

Value : $1.99

Snack 21 Salmon Snacks for Cats - Another cat treat made from 100% all natural ingredients and made in Canada! Pita sniffed these and walked away (which is not really a surprise), but Hero gobbles these up! The bag is already over half gone...

Value: $3.97

 Pita licking her catnip kicker... I mentioned earlier that I forgot to get a picture of it on it's own, but here's the info!

Cat Nip Kicker by the Empurrium - I love this company! They're the same company who included a bowtie and bandana in the July Meowbox, and they use some of the cutest fabrics! I am actually in the process of placing a personalized order for a catnip mat and another catnip kicker with the cat's names embroidered on them :)

Value: $7.31

Hero posing with the EcoPup felt heart:)

This was the third month in my 6 month subscription, and it was probably the best one yet! The cats loved everything so far (they still haven't tried the Licks). The value of Meowbox isn't the best at only $20.27, but it's still worth more than I paid (I had a coupon code when I signed up to bring the cost of each month down to $17.67). Plus, the pricing I have listed does not include any shipping costs (which is an additional $7 just for the catnip kicker alone), so it would actually be worth way more if I added all of that in. Regardless of value, I just love the experience of this box, and the cats love new toys/treats/food! If you're interested in subscription, check out Meowbox.com and enjoy your happy kitties!

xoxo,

Fallon

Lip Factory - July 2014 Review

I briefly mentioned in an earlier post about a mix-up with my PayPal account (which I use to pay for my Lip Factory and Tea Sparrow boxes), so I didn't receive my July Lip Factory box until well into August. It was worth the wait though, this box was fantastic!

July was their second anniversary, so that could explain why this box was so great?

Their boxes come sealed with a kiss (sticker)! Also, my cats didn't feel the need to help me open this box (unlike my June Lip Factory box, which they tore apart...)

First look - so many products! 

 Pari Beauty Eye Shadow - Full Size (2g)

I can't find where it says on the packaging the shade I received, but it's a very pretty, shimmery pink. It's made in Canada, and has a cruelty-free logo on the side of the box, so those two things make this great for me! I mentioned before I don't wear eyeshadow often, but I might actually keep this one.

Value: $11

 Palladio Brow Fix - 1.26g

I had no idea such a thing existed! This is a colourless wax pencil that tames crazy eye brows. I wouldn't consider my brows to be unruly, but I tried this out and it really seems to make everything stay in place very nicely! This will be kept for sure!

Value: $6

 EcoLips EcoTints in Sugar Plum - Full Size 0.15g

I don't think I'll ever have too many lip balms/glosses (although L might disagree...), and I love lightly tinted ones! This smells great, and is dark enough to give my lips a pop of colour without looking like I tried too hard. 

Value: $4.49

 Palladio Shadow and Liner Crayon - 1.9g (full size?)

The colour I received was Champagne, which is a shimmery white. It glides on so smoothly, and it works great on the inner corners of my eyes as a bit of a highlight (it doesn't take much of this either!). Another product I plan on keeping!

Value: $6

 Ofra Lip Liner in Glacier Pink - 0.04oz (full size?)

According to the product card included in the box/the website, this lip liner is safe for even sensitive eye areas. Can't beat having two products in one! This is actually much lighter than it appears on the website, but I like it, and I think it will work well with a few lipsticks I currently own. Another product I'm keeping!

Value: $13

 Beauty Addicts Sweet Lips Lip Glosses - 0.18oz

Lip Factory July boxes each had two of these lip glosses! The colours I received were Ginger and Lilac, neither one of which I really love. I'm sure I can think of a few cousins/friends who will be happy to receive these though!

Value: $17/each

J. Cat Wonder Lip Paint - Full Size (10mL)

This actually isn't listed on my product card, so I'm not sure if I was supposed to receive it or not? I hope I was, because I love it! It's hot pink, and goes on just as bright as it looks. I put a bit of this on the back of my hand when I first opened this box, and you could still see it even after I showered that night. This stuff has some staying power! I actually wore this to a wedding I attended last weekend, I think it looks great with my fair skin :)

Value: $4.99

This box had eight items, with a combined value of $79.48. I paid $26US, so this box has incredible value! I'll probably end up keeping 6 of the products, and only adding the two lip glosses into my re-gifting pile, so this box was a huge win for me! If you're interested in signing up for your own Lip Factory box, check out their website HERE and enter referral number 386883! 

xoxo,

Fallon

Subscription Box News and Updates

I was planning on posting a few reviews of boxes I've received this week, but I received some long-awaited news yesterday so L took me out to celebrate (I finally got the marks back from the final test I wrote almost 7 weeks ago for a certification at my job). But, my reviews are coming, don't worry! My August Topbox and Meowbox both arrived this week, and I was very happy with them!

I've decided that the next box I'm going to try is Memebox. It's not a monthly subscription, you need to purchase each box individually, but it seems great! It's a Korean-based beauty product retailer, and they ship to 51 countries around the world. Most boxes have a theme, and contain 4-8 full-sized/deluxe-sized products. Now I just need to decide which box to order first!

The fall Luxe Box will be shipping in mid-September, so selections are available now for upgrading. None of the upgrades really drew me in, so I think I'll just see what shows up in the regular box.

I actually went for my Julep box this month! It's been quite awhile since I actually ordered a monthly box, but the lip crayon caught my interest this month. I also added a few mystery polishes to my order for only $4.99 each!

That's all I have for today, enjoy your weekend everyone!

xoxo,
Fallon

*This post contains referral links*

Memebox is the number one Korean beauty online retailer in the world. 

Born in Seoul, we moved our headquarters to San Francisco to fulfill our visions of building a global portal to Korean beauty trends through technology. 
Many of our products are sourced, packaged, and shipped, directly from Korea straight to your doorstep. Beauty trends evolve rapidly, and shipping directly from Korea allows us to stay on top of that.

Normal Schedule Resumes!

I haven't posted anything in almost a week, I was away on vacation yet again (this summer has been insane). L's friend got married just outside Vancouver last Friday, so BC became the 7th province we've spent time in just since June...But, now that we're back we don't plan on leaving the city for a few months (which will be nice to get back on a normal schedule - this includes fairly regular blog posts!).

I received my July Lip Factory box last week before I left (there was an issue with my PayPal, so by the time it was resolved I missed the July shipment, but they have awesome customer service and sent me the box anyways!). I'll try and get that reveal posted this week. It won't be long before my August box arrives as well!

My August Meowbox and Topbox should both arrive this week, possibly even today! Those reviews will be up very soon! I believe my TeaSparrow should be here next week, so I need to drink more of the tea I received last month (my collection is tea is a decent size right now...)

August is my last month of my Spicy Subscription, so I'm trying to decide which box I'll try out next (my aim is to give each box three months, then cancel and move on - unless it's Ipsy or one of the others with wait-lists). Any suggestions for which ones I should try?

I'll share a few pictures from my past few vacations/folk fest soon as well!

xoxo,
Fallon

Ipsy August 2014 Reveal

I totally was not expecting it, but my August Ipsy was waiting for me when I got home from work last night! I already knew everything that I was going to receive in it, but I was still excited to open it up! I didn't receive an email with a tracking code, so I have no idea when this shipped.

Since this is my first month receiving an Ipsy Glam Bag, I can't say for sure if they always ship in a giant pink mailer envelope, but I love it! I hope this is how it ships every month, so I'll always know right away when my Ipsy has arrived!

I thought the little orange and white bag looked adorable online, but it's plastic and really tiny (the Urban Decay mascara wouldn't fit inside so it was just loose in the envelope). The bag feels like a pencil case an elementary school child would own (except this one isn't even long enough to put a pencil in). I guess in that regard, it does tie in to this month's theme of "Beauty Schooled". All that being said, I will find a use for it!

My products for August! Ipsy does not include a product card, you must log in to your account to view the products you have received. 

Coastal Scents Forever Blush Sample Duo (Fresh and Elegant) - $7.95 for a full size (8g), $2.39 (2.4g sample)

Meh. I really love my Mac blush, so this will be ending up in the gift pile. 

 Absolute New York "You're the Balm" Lip Balm in Grape - $5.99/duo (with Green Apple), $3 value in this bag.

This smells amazing, and it's grape so I won't even need to share with L since he hates anything grape scented!

Lord & Berry Black Silk Mini Kajal Kohl-Liner - I can't find pricing for this online, but this is 0.02oz (so fairly tiny). 

I rarely use eyeliner, but this one glides so nicely (I tried it out on my hand), plus it's travel sized so I probably will keep it and it'll get used at some point.

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer -  $45 for 30mL, 7.5mL sample (value $11.25)

I use a primer whenever I wear foundation (so maybe a few times each month haha) so this will absolutely be put to good use! I look forward to trying out a more expensive primer than my current Quo one (which I actually really like).

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara - $22/12mL, $5.50/3mL sample

Yay! I do wear mascara a few times each week, and I just threw out a few old ones, so this arrived at a great time! I've loved every Urban Decay product I've tried, so I'm looking forward to trying this one as well!

Ipsy is on the cheaper side of subscription boxes at only $10/month plus $4.95 shipping to Canada (which worked out to ~$16something this month with the exchange rate). The total value of the products I received was $22.14 + however much the eye liner pencil is worth. These numbers are in US dollars, so it's worth more than double the cost of the bag (before shipping) which is always great in a subscription box! I won't be using the blush sample and I was disappointed with the bag, but the other 4 products will definitely be used by me. I'm still so excited about finally getting off the waitlist for this, and plan on keeping my subscription for awhile!

 

xoxo,

Fallon

 

*This post contains referral links*

Almost time for a giveaway...

Wow, the page views on my blog have exploded over the past few days! Where are all these views coming from? I'm currently sitting at ~740 views in total, so how about a little giveaway draw once I hit 1000? I haven't decided exactly what the draw will be for, but I promise it'll be good! Share my blog, sign up to receive emails whenever I publish a new post and it shouldn't take long to hit 1000!

This Busy Little Life?

Now that Folk Fest is over (I'll write an in-depth blog post at some point and share a few pictures), it's time to start looking forward to my next concert - which just happens to be tonight. Arcade Fire are playing Rexall Place tonight, and we bought tickets MONTHS ago. Seriously, I think L bought me these tickets for Christmas last year... I'm really exhausted after spending 12+ hours each day at the folk festival, but I'm also excited to knock another band off my bucket list tonight! The band has asked the crowd to dress in formal wear or a costume, so I'll need to dig through my clothes before I go...

Tomorrow night I need to take my car for an oil change (I know, everyone should be jealous) and pack my suitcase again. Wednesday right after work we are driving to Calgary for the night, and then off to Vancouver on Thursday for L's friend's wedding on Friday. Once we hit the British Columbia border, it will be the eighth province we've been in since June! That's so insane, this summer has been a little bit crazy...

I'm not sure how many posts I'll have time to write over the next week, but I should have subscription boxes arriving next week, so I will do those reviews as soon as I possibly can! I'm not expecting anything to arrive this week, except for my online Gap order I placed on Thursday last week during their Friends and Family sale (and I already received the delivery notification today, so impressed with how fast it shipped!).

I will be updating my instagram account, so come follow me over there!

xoxo,
Fallon

Folk Fest Starts Tonight!

The time has finally arrived! The Edmonton Folk Festival kicks off tonight at 6pm. L and I have full weekend passes, so I imagine my blog posts will be few and far between over the next few days, but check out my instagram for a few festival pictures!

Tonight's schedule is:

6pm - Vance Joy
7pm - Mokoomba
8:05pm - Ben Howard
9:30pm - Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite

See you on the hill this weekend, Edmontonians!

xoxo,
Fallon

August 2014 Ipsy Glam Room Open!

August will be the first month for me to receive an Ipsy bag (it feels like I was on the waitlist forever, even though it was only a few months...) I couldn't even wait until it arrived to see what it contained, so I signed in to my account this morning to view my Glam Bag contents! To do this, just log in to your account and click "My Glam Room" on the top right. You will need to share a post on Facebook and subscribe to a few YouTube channels of the stylists (which I already did when I was skipping the waitlist).
 
Here's what I'm receiving this month:

I'm so excited for this arrive, that little orange and white bag is adorable! And these all look like fantastic products, I'm especially happy about the Urban Decay mascara. I love any of their products I've ever tried, and I just threw out a bunch of old mascaras and was hoping a new one would show up in a subscription box soon! As this is my first month with Ipsy, I have no idea when my bag will even ship, but I'll be sure to post pictures once it arrives!

xoxo,
Fallon

*This post contains referral links*

Tea Sparrow July 2014

My July Tea Sparrow box arrived at least a week ago, maybe two (I lose track of time in the summer when I'm so busy), but this has allowed me to drink an entire packet of one of the teas before doing my review...

Cost: $20/month (but do a quick little google search and you should be able to find promo codes which will lower your first month to only $8!). This cost includes shipping!

First off, they have AMAZING customer service! There was an issue with my PayPal account, so they contacted me and since it took a bit of time to sort it all out, they offered me a discount code for my August box! I thought that was so awesome of them; they did not need to offer me a reduced rate on my next box - but I guess this means this subscription will be sticking around for longer than I originally planned! I love supporting well-run, customer friendly businesses! 

And now on to the tea! I just love their logo, a little sparrow inside a tea bag is fantastic branding. So cute! I wonder if they will ever include a sticker or two inside a monthly box, I'd totally put one of these on my hard hat at work haha.

The white slip of paper gave instructions on turning loose leaf tea into iced tea, which you know I'm all about... The other card contains information about the company itself.

Tea Sparrow does not include a product card, but each pouch of tea contains all the information on the front of it, including where to buy more of it. Each month you receive 4 different types of tea, and they are great about giving you a wide range. This month I received a black tea, a rooibos tea, a herbal tea and a green tea (which I think is the same as last month).

White Wedding Tea (Green Tea) - Green tea is not the first tea of choice in this house, and I typically prefer fruitier teas, but the chestnut in this one sounds perfect for the colder weather...

Ingredients: White tea, jasmine flowers and roasted chestnut flavouring.

Location: theteaspot.com

 Lychee Tea (Black Tea) - This one will more than likely end up belonging to L. I'm still a beginner to drinking tea, so I find black is a little too strong for my tastes.
Ingredients: Black tea and lychee fruit
Location: mightyleaf.com

 Lemon Zest (Rooibos Tea) - This is the one we've already devoured. These pouches don't look very big, but it's the perfect amount for my David's Tea Pitcher, so we end up with ~2L from each one. We both really enjoyed this one!
Ingredients: Rooibos, honeybush, lemon bits, flavouring, cornflower blossoms
Location: joysteaspoon.com

Citrus Sunburst (Herbal Tea) - This one sounds amazing! As I've mentioned a million times, I love fruity teas, and I can't wait to drink this one! 
Ingredients: Papaya cubes, mango bits, apple pieces, hibiscus blossoms, orange slices, pomegranate arils and safflowers
Location: tiestatea.com (I want to order all of their herbal teas!)

If you're looking for a great way to sample some new teas, I highly recommend subscribing to this box! I don't do an actual cost breakdown on each tea based on pricing from their respective websites, but turning all of these into iced teas will yield about 8L, which I think is a great value!

xoxo,
Fallon

Spicy Subscription July 2014 Reveal

My July Spicy box arrived about a week ago, but I've been a little busy and I didn't even have a chance to open it for a few days. I've paid for the August box already, but after that I'm going to take a break from this box for awhile. 

Cost: $19.95/month for the Toy of the Month Box

          $29.95/month for the Spice Box

          $34.95/month for the Spice Box Deluxe (which is what I received)

Each month Spicy ships in a large white envelope so your subscription is discreet.

The box this month was hot pink.

FabFitFun Summer 2014 +Promo Codes

For the first time ever, FabFitFun offered shipping to Canada for their summer 2014 VIP box. The box itself cost $49.99, and shipping was only $8, which is very reasonable! There are still some of these boxes left, so hurry up and order your own! Also, when I ordered mine I used the promo code FLASH10 to save $10 on my order (and this code appears to still be working!) If that one fails, try REVEAL5 to save $5 on your order.

This box is actually black, I'm not sure why it looks green in this picture...

First look before unwrapping the tissue paper...

The product card included in the box was awesome! 

The tissue paper was very neatly folded and sealed with a cute sticker

I had already skimmed over a few reveals for this box, so I pretty much knew what to expect from it, but I was still excited to see which variations of things I received!

Thursday Friday Away Mini Clutch/Makeup Bag - This wasn't my favourite variation of this bag, and I just bought a new Nine West makeup bag a few weeks back (hello $9.99 deals at Winners!) so I'm not 100% sure what I'll use this for yet, but it will definitely find a use!
Value: $35

Balanced Guru No Frizz Oil - I don't put very much product into my hair, but this actually seems like something I will use, plus this smells really nice (like lemongrass!).
Value: $25

Sonya Dakar Flash Facial - This product alone is worth almost double what I paid for the box! It claims to give you softer, plumper and younger looking skin in just one minute, and it's been featured in a few magazines (and I guess Gwyneth Paltrow is a big fan of this stuff?). I really look forward to trying this stuff out, and I'm really happy to receive it in this box since I would have never paid full price for it.
Value: $95

POPchips - Sea Salt & Vinegar - POPchips are never fried, never baked, just popped to perfection (according to the bag). I ate these pretty quickly, and they really aren't bad at all! I would definitely buy them again.
Value: $1.29
The rest of the items in the picture above are labelled as being "Sponsored Items" on the product card, so I'm guessing they paid to be included in this box?
Skintimate Shave Gel - Not overly exciting, but L and I don't have any travel sized shave gels so this will definitely be used!
Value: $1.29
Always Xtra Protection Long Daily Liners - Again, not exciting but something that will be put to use.
Value: $1.50
Slimfast Have Your Cake Meal Bar - I still haven't tried this yet, but it seems like a great idea for anyone watching what they eat (I type this in between handfuls of Lays chips, so that clearly isn't me haha). It contains 180 calories, 8g of protein and 6g of fibre. L will probably be the one who ends up eating this, but I would have been all over this if it was chocolate cake flavoured instead of vanilla.
Value: ~$1 (not sold as single bars)

I was sitting on the floor unboxing my FabFitFun and just setting things off to the side. I guess it's a good thing I left the Thursday Friday makeup bag in the plastic, since Pita decided it was the perfect place for her to sit and watch me.

pur~lisse pur~protect SPF 30 Sunscreen - I used this today since I was outside for hours at a local festival, and I didn't burn, so it actually is sunscreen haha. It went on really smooth, and didn't leave my skin feeling oily/greasy at all. I'm really fair (I'll blame it on my Irish heritage), so sunscreen is always a welcome item in my house! I can't imagine paying so much for this, but I'll enjoy this bottle while I have it!
Value: $55

Zoya nail polish in Maya - I think I received a Zoya nail polish last year from TopBox as well? I don't think I ever used it (I might be a bit of a nail polish hoarder...) These polishes are 5Free, which is awesome, and they are vegan-friendly. The colour I received is described as being a semi-opague bright pink coral with tangerine undertones (it's much nicer in person than in the picture I took). I really need to find/make some shelves for all my polishes so I can organize them better and actually start using them up...
Value: $9

KISSTIXX Lip Balm - This is actually a two pack of lip balms, I received the Strawberry/Chocolate pack. You are supposed to keep one for yourself, and give the other one to your partner then taste the flavours mix as you kiss. I guess this was on Shark Tank (the American version of Dragon's Den), and they actually walked away with money from the show. I'm sure I can convince L to try this out (as long as he agrees to take the chocolate one and let me have the strawberry...)
Value: $5.99

FabFitFun Water Infuser BPA-free Water Bottle - I could do without the cheesy saying on the bottle ("Grab life by the exercise balls"), but I will absolutely use this! I love fruit infused water, but it's been awhile since I've made any. This will be great to take to work with me.
Value: $15

The entire contents of the Summer 2014 box.

Pita's happy, she got a new box to sit in.

So there you have it! $245.77 worth of products, and I paid $47.99US. Yep, you read that right, the value of the box was 5 times what I paid for it! That's so awesome, I'm already excited to see what will be in the fall box! Hopefully more American companies follow FabFitFun's lead and start offering shipping to Canada...

I also have a coupon which came in my box with a code for $15 off for three of my friends (and I receive $15 off my fall box as well) if you're interested. This exact box is still available to order, so just leave me a comment if you'd like to sign up and get the summer box for only $34.99 (plus $8 shipping to Canada)!

xoxo,

Fallon