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

Review: BaubleBar

I first heard of BaubleBar back when Ipsy announced that they would be giving referral gifts from them with their GlamBags. I looked them up and was hooked!

BaubleBar is an online fashion jewelry store. They have new stock coming in all the time, so the selection is always fresh! The prices are very reasonable and shipping is ALWAYS FREE! They also offer free returns- so you really can't go wrong! They have "Buried Bauble" deals during the week, in which certain pieces of jewelry are marked down considerably- but you have to find them first!

You can also earn referral credit that goes towards your next order- so it's not hard to get fun jewelry at a very good price.

Here's what I got from BaubleBar! This is about three shipments put together- two of my own and one that my boyfriend ordered for me!

The box!

The goodies inside! How cute are the little velvet pouches?

Fuchsia Tab Strand Necklace

Ombre Chain Strands (Mint)

Buried Bauble: Glitz Disk Necklace (Mint) 

Buried Bauble: Bullseye Bangle (Blue)

Complimentary studs from BB! The internet was down and ordering was difficult, so they gave  everyone who ordered these cute studs!

All in all, I absolutely LOVE the jewelry I got! I am trying to expand my style and get into "statement jewelry" more, so this is a great way to try out different styles without spending too much money!

This is my favorite necklace so far!

Check out their Facebook page, see what others got on Instagram and follow them on Twitter!

Love,
K

Review: Influenster "Spring Fever" VoxBox

When I first heard about Influenster a few months ago, I was intrigued...but then very, very confused! But after talking to a few other people who were hardcore Influenster members, I got the hang of it. Basically, Influenster is a community of people who share reviews on products to build up their overall score! And if you're lucky, you'll get selected to receive a complimentary (FREE!) "VoxBox" in the mail- a box of goodies and samples for you to review!

I was thrilled when I found out my survey answers qualified me for the "Spring Fever" VoxBox! Here it is- such a cute little box!

Inside, I found this:

The card that described all the products in the box (click to read!)

So first of all, the Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant:

Who doesn't need more deodorant? I'm not usually a "gel" girl, but I'll give this a try!

Next up, the NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm:

The NYC Applelicious gloss was BY FAR my favorite product in the box. Of course, I'm a lip gloss junkie- but still. Gorgeous sheer color and smells great!

Next, the Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure! Check out the colorful nails I got: 

I'm slightly wary of these, as they remind me a bit of those "stick on" nails from years ago that never really stayed on...but they are free- so I'm going to give them a try.

The directions seem easy enough! I have tiny nails, so hopefully they'll fit!

And now onto the hair product, OSIS Gelastic by Schwarzkopf Professional:

I'm gifting this to my boyfriend! I used it for a high bun updo once, but I'm not really a gel product girl (that goes for the deodorant too, haha!)

And lastly, the Tastykake Kandy Bar Kake:

People were raving about these. However, I'm doing low-carb so I was planning on giving this to the boyfriend but it was expired! Oh well- it was free, so I'm not complaining!

Overall, I really liked my first VoxBox! I've had fun tweeting and instagram-ing everything! I hope I'll get selected for future boxes- fingers crossed!

If you'd like to become an Influenster, you'll have to get an invite! If you go on the Influenster Facebook page, people are usually offering invites there! I'd offer you one, but I'm out! Make sure to keep up on tasks and maybe you'll be getting a VoxBox in the mail soon too!

Love,
K