Review: Green Mountain Coffee

I recently became a member of BzzAgent and my very first campaign was the Green Mountain Coffee: Fair Trade Certified campaign! I received a package in the mail with a bunch of K-cups (for my Keurig coffee machine) to test out for myself, as well as coupons to give out to friends for discounts.

After enjoying and sharing several cups of Green Mountain Coffee with my boyfriend, we came to the same conclusion: we LOVE this coffee and the fact that it supports others. As stated on the BzzAgent site, "When you choose Fair Trade Certified Green Mountain Coffee K-Cup packs for your Keurig brewer, you're helping coffee- farming communities improve their quality of life. The Fair Trade movement allows farmers to get a fair price for their beans,which leads to community development projects like new schools, improved roads and safer drinking water." All of the above is awesome, right?!

I would never have known a simple cup of coffee could be so beneficial in so many ways. Definitely ditch the Starbucks trip and make a cup of Green Mountain Coffee: Fair Trade Certified instead! :)

Love,

Kelsey

Review: Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

First of all, forgive my absence! I've been so busy with work and thinking about going back to school (yes, at 25!) that I've neglected this blog! But...I'm back!

First of all, I received my second Influenster VoxBox! I loved my first and finally qualified for another program! This one is called "The Rimmel Stay Matte VoxBox." We were told that we'd receive a Stay Matte foundation by Rimmel London.

(Disclaimer: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing and review purposes.)

I will be honest: I was a little nervous about getting foundation, since I'm Korean and seem to have a hard time matching my skin to liquid foundations. I took the longest time to pick out which shade might be right for me and was worried I picked the wrong one...more on that later!

Without further ado, here's my Rimmel Stay Matte VoxBox!

The VoxBox!

Inside!

I was asked to answer the following questions:

1. Is this foundation feather light?
2. Is this foundation comfortable on your skin?
3. Does this foundation blend flawlessly?
4. Does this foundation minimize the appearance of your pores?

Here's what I thought:

1. This foundation is amazingly light! I usually use Bare Escentuals foundation and I actually feel that this foundation is lighter than BE. And a fraction of the cost!
2. I wore this foundation and due to the lightness, didn't feel like I had makeup caked on my face. Such a good feeling.
3. This foundation blended pretty well- I used a foundation brush but buffed it out a bit with my fingers and a larger brush. I only used a tiny bit of my BE Mineral Veil over the top since the coverage was good.
4. My pores aren't too big normally but I feel that this did a good job of minimizing pores. I sometimes feel that liquid foundation can actually highlight larger pores but don't feel that Stay Matte did this- so that's a win!

All in all, I would recommend this product to my readers. I have recently fallen in love with Rimmel products (I'm also a huge fan of their matte lipsticks) and love that their products are affordable and yet high quality.

Here's some tips for matte makeup:

• Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate! Do this before putting any makeup on.
• Use toner if you'd like- it disinfects your pores.
• Use a mattifying powder if you'd like as well before applying concealer.
• Use concealer on those trouble spots with a concealer brush or your fingertip.
• Apply Rimmel Stay Matte foundation with a foundation brush or your fingers (brush is more sanitary of course) 
• Set with finishing powder if desired!

Love,
Kelsey

(I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.)

Review: All Things Dog Blog Prize!

We (Oscar and I, of course), had entered a contest over at All Things Dog Blog and won! First of all, I want to say how much I love reading this blog! Carrie Boyko shares such great information for dog lovers, and as a brand new dog mama, I need all the help I can get! We won the "Passport to Pet Fun: Petco Giveaway" and just got our prize in the mail!

*Note* The package was delivered by Carrie much earlier, but our post office had misplaced it! Thankfully, I was finally able to pick it up! It was a nice surprise!

We won a full sized bottle of Burt's Bees Hypoallergenic Shampoo for Dogs (retails for $10.99), as well as some Burt's Bees for Dogs Soothing Skin Cream (retails for $11.99). Carrie also included an adorable "All Things Dog Blog" bandana for Oscar! Check him out with his prize!

Oscar was getting a little stinky and definitely due for a bath, so we decided to try out the shampoo! We had been using an oatmeal shampoo before, but as I love Burt's Bees for HUMANS, I figured their dog products would be amazing! And I was right. His coat glistened afterwards and just looked bright and healthy afterwards! We got Oscar about two months ago and he had a flaky skin issue- but that has improved with a grain-free diet and regular brushing. I believe these products will only continue to improve his skin and coat!

Thank you Carrie for hosting the giveaway and thanks to Petco as well, for providing the prizes. We shop at Petco a little too much (he's one spoiled pup) and will be needing more shampoo once we run out!

Love,
K & Oscar

Review: Pawalla Mini Box

A few weeks ago, I had entered a caption contest on Pawalla's Facebook page...and won! It just came in the mail today and I wanted to share this amazing pet box with you! So what exactly IS Pawalla? Pawalla is a subscription service that provides monthly boxes of food, treats and toys for dogs and cats. There are two different sizes: Deluxe and Mini. The Deluxe box is $30 per month ($28/month with a 6 month subscription) and the Mini is $20 per month ($18/month with a 6 month subscription). I received a free Mini dog box as my prize.

I think that my box might have been put together by Pawalla as a special prize box rather than the current month's box. I haven't seen other boxes like the one we got- but I'm 100% happy, and so is Oscar! I let Pawalla know that Oscar was on a grain-free plan and we ONLY got grain-free treats in his box- perfect!

Here's exactly what we got:

Doggie goodies!

Description of the contents inside!
(Click to enlarge for reading!)

MedNet- Ultra Puppy Wipes

I saw these and went "YES!" Without being TMI, Oscar tends to pee a little bit on himself, so we always have baby wipes by the front and back door to wipe him down. In our house, one can never have too many baby wipes! However, I've seen other wipes for dogs but they were way too much money, so I was very happy to see these! We'll probably save these for grooming purposes though.

Cloud Star- Dynamo Dog Functional Treats: Skin & Coat/Tummy

I admit, I laughed a little when I saw these in the box. These are the very treats that the Happy Dog Box had left out of their box last month- and refused to send me. So, hey, another reason that Pawalla rocks! The most important thing about these treats is that they're BOTH grain-free, which means Oscar can enjoy them to his heart's content! Salmon is supposed to be very good for a dog's skin and coat, which Oscar definitely needs, and the tummy treats look beneficial as well. We've already given him a few of the tummy ones and he devours them! We will definitely be buying more Cloud Star treats.

Charming Pet Products- Lily the Lion Mini

Last but not least, meet Lily, the Lion! She is an adorable, squeaky balloon lion! Seriously, you really can't get much cuter than this! Lily is made of all-natural, premium latex, so I know he's safe with her. Oscar immediately fell in love:

Meeting Lily for the first time...

omnomnomnom!

As you can see, Oscar LOVED that balloon lion! We may have to get a few others for him! He can't resist squeaky rubber toys!

All in all, we really loved our prize from Pawalla! We are currently BarkBox subscribers, so as we're on a tight budget, we probably won't be able to subscribe to Pawalla for awhile, but I think we'll switch over to them next! The quality of the treats and toys are very high -and all grain-free (so far), a HUGE plus in my book. Of course, I'm the super over-protective new dog mom too! 

To get a Pawalla box for yourself, check out their website, follow them on their Facebook page, or take a look at their Instagram and Twitter!

Love,
K & Oscar

Review: Happy Dog Box

*Edited on 6/27* After speaking with Happy Dog Box and requesting that they send me the missing item (Dynamo Grain-Free Treats) and having them refuse (they only wanted to send it in his second box, since shipping costs are "too high"), I no longer support Happy Dog Box. It was their mistake, leaving out the treats and they should've offered to send them out right away. I will leave my review as is below, but do not and will not recommend this subscription service because if they couldn't be bothered to send out a missing item, I wouldn't trust their CS to solve even bigger issues. When I messaged them again (on their website's IM service), they didn't respond, but when I opened up a new chat box in a new window and started a chat, they responded immediately. How rude is that?

I have cancelled my subscription as of yesterday and will be disputing the charge as well. It's a shame, because the products themselves were of a high quality- but their customer service is clearly lacking. For a new subscription service, this is absolutely NOT the way to get started.

In addition, if you get one of these twisty bully sticks, PLEASE watch your dog while he's chowing down. I heard a coughing noise coming from Oscar and had to pull it out of his mouth and throat. Had I not been there, he would've surely choked. This goes for all bully sticks and chew treats of that sort.

Oscar and his Happy Dog Box!

I am very proud to present my first dog box review! I discovered Happy Dog Box when a friend told me they were having a deal! I was able to get my first Happy Dog Box for FREE and only paid $4.99 for shipping. The boxes are normally $29.99 per month, which is still less than the $40 average that pet owners spend on treats and toys per month! I ordered my box on June 19th and got it today, June 26th, so very quick shipping compared to other subscription boxes.

My boyfriend and I are new dog owners! We adopted Oscar the Boston Terrier a little over a month ago, from Midwest Boston Terrier Rescue. They are a great rescue to work with and found us the perfect little pup. He's 1 1/2 years old and we love the heck out of him!

Here's what we got:

Tadah!

Descriptions of the products and companies in the June box!

Pet Kelp Kelpies (Pumpkin Point) Nutritional Treats for Dogs

These look really good! I see "kelp" and automatically think healthy, so who doesn't want a healthy dog? However, when I looked at the back of the package at the ingredients, I noticed that they contained oat flour, which is a no-no for Oscar's grain-free diet. *sad face.* However, we'll gift this to the dogs at his rescue! :) I'm sure they'll love them!

Jolly Pets "Monster Mouth" Treat Dispensing Dog Toy

This is MY favorite thing in the box. First of all, how scary-cute is it?! Secondly, Monsters University came out this month, so how fitting is it?! Anyways, Oscar only has the typical Kong, so this should be fun for him! This toy hides a treat and encourages play and it also massages gums! Win-win, right? Rawr!

Woofables Gourmet Dog Bakery Dog Biscuits

Okay- how awesome are these shapes? They're basically like gingerbread cookies for dogs! These biscuits contain all-natural ingredients without preservatives or additives. They are cut by hand too! These biscuits contain spelt flour and oats and tons of veggies! We'll be giving these to Oscar's rescue as well. They look so yummy, but we have to keep him on the grain-free plan! 

Earth Rated Poop Bags (Dispenser + 15 bags)

I did a little happy dance when I saw the poop bags and the dispenser! Seriously, as a new dog mom, I never realized how FAST you go through poop bags! Holy cow. So in my mind, a dog parent can NEVER have enough poop bags! These are good for the environment too and even smell like lavender! Love.

Barkworthies Curly Beef Pizzle

So, I have to admit, I didn't know what these "pizzle" sticks were made out of until recently. Bully and pizzle sticks are pretty nicknames for um...private parts. I was a more than a little horrified when I found out, but Oscar loves them! Yech! Anyways, these are from free range, grass fed cattle, which is always a plus. This was by far, Oscar's favorite thing in the box! The proof is in the pictures:

OMG Mom, I know what this is! Gimme!

Nomnomnoms.

All in all, we loved this box! Although the treats aren't grain-free, we loved the other items in the box! There will be some very happy Bostons at MWBTR who will enjoy the treats!

(Side note: I believe we are missing the Cloud Star Dynamo Dog Functional Treats, but we have contacted the company to see what can be done about this! These ARE grain-free, so we're hoping we get to try them!)

To try a Happy Dog Box for yourself, check out their website, like their Facebook page, or follow them on Instagram!

Love,

K & Oscar

(Follow Oscar on Instagram- thebostonnamedoscar and see a video of him nom-noming on his pizzle stick!)

Review: Ipsy Glam Bag June 2013

Guess what? It's IPSY TIME once again! When I see this shiny hot pink envelope in the mail, I can hardly stop myself from jumping up and down in excitement! And I'm absolutely serious about that- just picture a 25 year old squealing in happiness and that's me!

Isn't it pretty?

So what is Ipsy? Here's a quick overview for those of you that aren't familiar with this subscription service! Ipsy is a makeup subscription service that sends you a cute makeup bag plus 4-5 deluxe samples or full sized makeup products- for a mere $10 per month! That's including shipping! I've subbed since November 2012 and it is by far my favorite makeup subscription so far!

This month's theme was "On the WILD SIDE!"

This month's product selection included brands like J.cat, Starlooks, Cailyn, pssssst!, NYX and Chella! Once you are a Ipsy member, you can get exclusive discount codes for the products of the month!

Here's this month's makeup bag! Bold and wild, for sure! Definitely fits the theme! I forsee this going into my beach bag this summer!

And now for the goodies inside...

(Full Size) Cailyn Cosmetics Line-Fix Gel Eyeliner in Purple (Value: $21.00)

This is the one item that I was really hoping to get- and lucky me, I even got the color I wanted! I never leave the house without a little black liner, but I wanted to step outside of my boundaries and try some color! That's why I love Ipsy- you dare to experiment a little! Also, how cute is the package? I love how the brush is built-in!

(Full Size) NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Tickled (Value: $6.00)

I had been hoping to get a mosaic powder (which was one of the other possible options for the blush) but I got the cream instead. Since I wear mostly mineral makeup (Bare Escentuals), I wasn't sure how this would work, but I'm going to keep an open mind.

(Full Size) J.cat Beauty Sparking Cream Palette in Suzie (Value: $4.49)

I was hoping for this color palette versus Volta, which is a cooler-toned palette. I was wary of the glitter at first, but I noticed that a few of the glitters are a finer grain than others, which make them a bit more wearable. I think this would be perfect for a party or when you just want to feel a little sparkly!

(Travel Size) Psssst! The TRUE Original Dry Shampoo by Freeman Beauty (Value: $2.99)

I have never actually used dry shampoo before- so once again, I'm stepping outside my comfort zone! This will be great to toss in my gym bag! I have straight Asian hair, so my hair looks bad if I don't wash it everyday- so this may just be what I'm looking for!

Starlooks Lip Pencil in Tipsy (Value: $12.00)

Even though I'm a lip gloss/stick/anything junkie, I'm not a huge lip liner person. However, this color is just so pretty! I will probably use it all over, versus just lining. I bet this would look great with a sheer gloss over it! 

BaubleBar O-Ring Stud Wrap Bracelet (Value: $18.00)

This was a bonus item in this month's Ipsy bag that I received for referring friends to Ipsy! I may be trading this, as I really want the coral colored bracelet! The bracelet itself is adorable though- and perfect for summer! It is quite the hot commodity on Ipsy swap pages, as it seems to be THE thing everyone wants from this month's bag! (Be sure to check out my previous blog post on Baublebar! I just love them!)

All in all, I was very pleased with this month's bag. Think about it- I got $65.48 of product for just $10! Definitely the deal of the month! I am definitely going to be trying some new things with these new makeup products, which is the entire point of Ipsy. Instead of sticking to my boring black eyeliner, I'm going to try some pretty purple! And instead of my typical no-blush cheeks, I'll give them a bit of color with the NYX cream blush! And yes, I'll even glitterize my eyes for a date night out!

I recommend Ipsy to all my friends, as I truly believe it is a great makeup subscription for those who want to try something new! Oh- and I want to mention: if you get a product that you just won't use, there is a wonderful Ipsy Swap Facebook group that you can join here! I'm an admin, so I'll see you there! 

Love,

K

Review: Sampler Village Love Bag!

As most of you know, I've fallen in love with candles, wax (melters ) and the sort! While clicking around, I discovered Sampler Village! Sampler Village was founded by Traci Porczynski when she wanted a way to help small businesses get their name out! Artisans send in samples of their products to Sampler Village and in turn, they put together a "Village Sampler Box" that can be purchased! As a consumer, I love the idea of getting to try a variety of homemade products all at once! Definitely a win-win!

I entered a contest that Traci held...and won! My prize was a Sampler Village Love Bag that had a bunch of samples inside. This is a smaller version of the larger sampler box.

Here are the goodies I found inside! I can't even describe how awesome the bag smelled! (You can click the photos to enlarge them! The business cards have contact and store information for each vendor as well!)

The Gingerbread Cupboard

Scandalicious Candle Melts

Little Leaf Botanics

Sam's Crochet

Aqua Blossom

Green Leaf Living

Bonny Bubbles

Pixie Dust Cosmetics

Soapery Sweet

Frawgz Designz

SoapMuchLove

Their next big sampler box is being released on June 21st, 2013! If you follow Sampler Village on Facebook, they are doing a pre-sale on June 17th! The theme is "Village Carnival" and is sure to be super cute! The cost for this upcoming box is $35 shipped!

Check out the adorable owls by Stitched by CB that will ONLY be included in the pre-sale boxes! So make sure to order your pre-sale box on the 17th to get one of these cuties!

If you love supporting small businesses and love homemade goodies, definitely check out Sampler Village! 

Love, 

K