Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Book and Beauty Cravebox Giveaway!

It's time for another giveaway! This time Cravebox has provided me with two Book and Beauty Craveboxes to giveaway. One box is going to a local blog reader and the other box will be given away here to one lucky reader!

Click below to view the contents of the Book and Beauty Cravebox:


Use the Rafflecopter below to enter.
Good luck!

Cravebox is a product discovery service. You can purchase different themed boxes for $12-$16. Cravebox is not a subscription service, as you can pick and choose which boxes you want. To sign up for Cravebox, click HERE. If you do join Cravebox, please use me as your refferal: rebeccamarietta@gmail.com


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, April 19, 2013

Popsugar Must Have Codes April 2013

I have had several asking if there are any Popsugar Must Have money saving codes and here are the ones I've found:

REFER5 $5 off sitewide 

SAVE5PSMH $5 off any POPSUGAR Must Have Box subscription

GET25 $25 off a 6-month subscription to POPSUGAR's Must Have Box

GET10  $10 off a 3-month subscription to POPSUGAR's Must Have Box


I just saw this morning that they have come out with a new Must Have Summer Edition for Him box in limited quantities. This box costs $100 and so far I haven't seen any spoilers. I chose not to get the Men's Luxury box back in the winter, and I'm glad because my man wouldn't have liked very much that was in the box. The box from the winter has mixed reviews, so I probably won't order this new men's box. 

I did choose to order the Special Edition Summer Fun box (which is now sold out) and I am excited about it, especially since I got an email saying that the boxes would include a pair of Nicole Richie House of Harlow 1960 sunglasses. These retail for around $128 and the cost of the entire box was $100, so I know there will be some real value inside. 

If you want to buy a Popsugar Must Have Box, sign up here and remember to use one of the codes above!


Thursday, April 18, 2013

Cooking Light Fast Meals Cravebox

Some of you may be asking, just what exactly is a Cravebox? Cravebox is a discovery service that helps you learn about cool new products and the great thing is that every box I have received is full of great values. I have yet to pay for a box that wasn't worth more than the amount I paid (usually $10-$16). If you like what you see below, head on over to Cravebox and check out what they have. This is not a subscription service because you get to pick and choose which boxes you receive. There are several instant boxes you can order right now that will be shipped shortly after you order. If you do order, I would appreciate you using me as your referral. Just put rebeccamarietta@gmail.com in the referral box. 

I have been really looking forward to the Cooking Light Fast Meals Cravebox. I had a feeling that it would be packed full of tasty goodies and I was right! When I opened my Cravebox, it was brimming over with awesome products. In fact I had to rearrange several times to get everything in the photo:


Oddly enough, I ran out of stevia for my coffee yesterday morning and thought I was going to have to go buy more at the store. Wrong! Inside this Cravebox was a box of Pure Via  and a box of Equal along with some great recipes to use with them. The Pure Via got used this morning.


I used this next product last night while grilling. There were two seasonings from McCormick - Southwestern and Moroccan. We love Southwestern at my house so this will be put to much use. I will have to study about the Moroccan seasoning more because this is new to me. If you have any recipes or ways to use this, feel free to leave it in the comments! 


Southwestern chicken on the grill last night:


There were several snacks included. I'm so glad they chose to throw in some Fig Newtons because that is one dessert I will allow myself to have in limited quantities. There were also some Zone Perfect Bars and Popchips.


Stash Herbal Tea Sampler, 18 count. I will pass this on to someone because I don't drink hot tea, but I'm sure it's very tasty if you like tea!


Finally lots, and I mean LOTS of coupons! There are even two coupons for FREE Triscuits.


This was a great box and I'm really happy with everything I found inside. Another great thing about Cravebox is that they send out boxes with full-sized products along with samples and coupons for the same price as other boxes that only include samples. You definitely get your money's worth with Cravebox!


Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Popsugar Must Have April 2013

First off, let me say that this April box has gotten some less than stellar reviews on the web. While this may not have been Popsugar's most awesome box, it by far was not terrible in my opinion. It is common for people to jump on the bandwagon bashing a company when they see others doing the same. Popsugar continually provides customers with a box filled with products that are worth well over the $35 box price. No, you will not get everything you love every time, but no one can deny that the value well exceeds the cost. If there are things that I am not crazy about, I have enough friends and family that someone will love what I don't!

Now that my ranting is over, on to the April 2013 Popsugar Must Have Box!

Here is what I found when I opened the box:


My favorite item in the box was definitely the Kai Perfume Oil. I already had a sample of this from another box and was thrilled to get a full sized bottle. It is in a little roller bottle, so it is super easy to apply and I absolutely love the smell! I normally don't really like floral scents to wear, but this smells like fresh spring flowers and it not overpowering. It is a fragrance oil, so it will last for a long time. It retails for $48.


Ummm, chocolate. Can you go wrong with chocolate? Not in my book! Popsugar included an Alter Ego Dark Quinoa Chocolate bar with light crispy crunch. Delicious? Yes! And it's 100% organic and fair trade certified so you feel good about buying the product. You can buy this chocolate bar for about $4.


I love jewelry, so I was excited to see a bracelet. The Shashi New Nugget Bracelet is very pretty on my arm, however, the bracelet is now on my 13 year old daughter's arm. It is brown and turquoise with gold "nuggets". This bracelet retails for $30.


Here in the humid South, my skin gets very oily in the summer so these Petal Fresh Evening Aburatorigame blotting papers from Tatcha will come in quite handy. They are the perfect size to keep in my purse or beach bag and they work very well. Popsugar included these in a previous box, but who cares? They work and they are needed for me! Perhaps those complaining about getting them again need to come stay with me for a few weeks in July when it is 100 degrees with 90% humidity. These sell for $15 in a pack of 40 sheets.


Finally, we will get to the most controversial item in this month's box. The dreaded Green Garmento garment bag with a Popsugar logo. How dare they? (said with more than a hint of sarcasm). This is not a glamorous product but it is a useful product. I can think of many uses, the main one being trips to the dry cleaner. I plan on traveling this summer, so I can also use this bag to keep my clothes clean. Also, on the bottom of this bag is a drawstring so you can turn it upside down and use it for a laundry bag.  Once I looked at this product's website, I remembered seeing this bag on Shark Tank. How cool! I love that show! This bag can be bought for about $10. Oh, and I am glad it has the Popsugar logo! I love Popsugar and don't mind at all having their logo on my stuff.



Want your own Popsugar Must Have Box? Sign up for May's box by clicking here.


Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bikini Ready Cravebox

What is my favorite time of the year? SUMMER!!! I love it! Number one reason, school's out. I also love wearing shorts and flip flops, going to the lake, and just taking it easy. Cravebox has supplied me with several things I can use to help me get ready for that long anticipated time with their Bikini Ready box.


The biggie in this box is a book. This book should definitely help me get ready for the summer. I have recently lost 50 lbs and needed a little "push" to finish my last 20 lbs. I am absolutely going to try the diet in this book called The Fast Metabolism Diet by Haylie Pomroy. The book includes a diet to follow and many recipes. This should be just the thing to jumpstart those last 20 lbs! You can buy this box on Amazon for around $15 (the entire box only cost $16).


I tried waxing my legs once when I was in my early 20's. OUCH! I quickly gave up on that! However, with the Sally Hansen Pre Waxed Strips I will give it another shot. I may even give them a whirl on my eyebrows. These can be bought at just about any store that sells health and beauty supplies for around $7. Cravebox also included a $2 off coupon.


I am so excited about this next product. I have seen it advertised and really wanted to try it, but haven't bought it yet. Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips look so awesome and I hope turn out like I think they will! I haven't tried them yet because I broke a nail and want to let it grow for a bit so my nails will all be even. The design they sent is a black and white pattern that will match a multitude of outfits (and swimsuits!). You can purchase these in stores for around $7.50. The only problem with these will be keeping my 13 year old daughter away!


Like lotions and oils? Well, then this next product will be for you! I personally love lotions and have tons in my bathroom. Cravebox sent a sampling of Weleda products. The packet included two lotions (which smell amazing), a massage oil, and a cellulite oil. The packet also included a brochure about the products.


Zone Perfect? I think there was a Zone Perfect bar, but it seemed to disappear soon after I showed it to my fitness buff 16 year old son. He's all into protein supplements, so this was right down his alley. Hmmm, wonder if it tasted good? Guess I'll need to ask him.


I'm not really sure about this next bikini ready product. It seems there is an app called Gym Pact that will pay you if you work out and charge you if you don't. Since I just had bladder surgery and can't work out for a while, I don't think I will be using this (I don't have the extra cash for all the missed workouts). I may look in to it, though, after my full recovery. There is also a $5 credit if I do decide to use this app.



As you have seen above, this is a great value for the money. Want your own Bikini Ready Cravebox? You can still purchase one from Cravebox as they have put this in their instant boxes. You will pay $16, but what a value you will be getting! Please, if you do order this box or another use me as your referral by putting rebecamarietta@gmail.com in the referred by box.


April 2013 Sample Society

The first thing that came to mind when I opened this month's Sample Society box was WOW! It seemed packed full of goodies.


I will begin with my favorite product from April's box. Stila Cosmetics Prime Pot Waterproof Eyeshadow Primer is an excellent product. I did learn after the first time I used it, though, that a "little dab'll do ya." I guess eyelids are smaller than I thought because I had what I thought was a small amount on my finger and it was way too much for my eyelids. So I have gone from a small amount on my finger to a tiny amount. This works very well with my eyeshadow and keeps it looking fresh all day. And at the rate that I am using it, this little pot of primer will last a very long time. It sells for $20 and I'm not sure what size the sample is because the little sticker on bottom is too minuscule to read.


This next product caught my eye immediately. It was in a larger foil-looking package that took up the entire area of the box. This turned out to be a Hanskin Hydro Sheet Mask. This is a cloth-like "mask" saturated with seaweed extract and hyaluronic acid. There are cut-outs for eyes, nose, and mouth. You just sort of lay the mask on your face and leave it for about 15 minutes. One drawback to this is that I just had to sit for 15 minutes because it didn't want to stay in place while walking around so don't use this if you are in a hurry! After I took it off, I rubbed in the leftover moisture and then patted my face with a towel. I do believe my face did feel smoother. These sell for $18 and come in a pack of 5. 


My 13 year old daughter is CONSTANTLY asking for bobby pins! AND she never returns them. She was very excited when I showed her the Jane Tran hair accessories that were included in this box. Hopefully she will keep up with these. These sell for $6 each and Sample Society included a pack of two.



There were two facial creams in this month's box: Cotz Face Natural Skin SPF 40 and Caudalie Premier CRU. The Cotz cream is skin tone and has a matte finish. It matched my skin quite nicely and did have a nice finish. At $20 for 3.5 oz, this may be something that I will purchase and it seems like it would be nice for summer. The Caudalie cream feels nice and smells great, but at $150 a pop (1.7 oz) I will not be purchasing any time soon!




Lastly, there was a nice size sample of Borghese Gel Delicato Makeup Remover. I don't really use makeup remover as I usually just wash my face with cleanser, so I will pass this on to my daughter (whom, I might add, has started to invade my subscription boxes here of late!;). It retails for around $30/8.4 oz. 


I have yet to be disappointed with any of my Sample Society boxes. I love getting to try new products, especially beauty products. I continue to be surprised every month with what I receive. Is this box worth $15 a month? Yes, to me it is well worth the money! If you would like to purchase any of these products or sign up for Sample Society, click here. If you visit the site, please use my referral code: REBE721088