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!
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!
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!)
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!
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!
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!
So, as most of you know, I fell in love with candles and wax this year! I joined a few Facebook groups and had the privilege of meeting some small business owners who were coming up with candles of their own.
Eurie Yeo is the creator of Starlit Candles. I was one of her testers that she sent sample tarts to before she even opened up shop. These tarts were *amazing* so I knew her company would be a success! The fact that she did so much careful research even before announcing her business showed that she was truly dedicated and passionate about her candle making.
Starlit Candles features "high quality soy blended" candles with jewelry surprises inside, regular candles, melter tarts, clamshells and more! Prices are very reasonable and she always includes a few samples!
Here's what I got in my very first order:
Four clamshells, a large Pink Sugar jewelry tart and some free samples!
I quickly became addicted to "Pink Sugar Cookie"- it's nothing short of delicious! I also got "Midnight Carnival", "Salted Caramel Popcorn" and "Fairy Dust & Twinkle Toes." The "Salted Caramel Popcorn" was on the Special Scents list- and it smells EXACTLY like actual salted caramel popcorn! Nomnomnom! And look at the pretty glitter! I think that's what sets her apart from other candle companies- her wax is just so darn cute!
A few days later, I decided to melt my star jewelry tart and...ta dah! I got this beautiful 925 silver key pendant necklace- with diamond accents! I've worn it several times since finding it- maybe because it reminds me of Tiffany jewelry!
And of course, I couldn't resist. I had to place another order not too long after! Here's my second wax haul:
Clamshells: Wedding Cake, Creme Brulee Cookie, Salty Sea Air and Cotton Candy Buttercream Cupcake; Teddy Graham-scented Teddy Bear Melts, sample tarts AND scoopable wax testers! LOVE the sprinkles and glitter!
Seriously...how freaking adorable are these Teddy Bear Melts?
I have to keep reminding myself that they aren't edible, even though they smell delicious!
Here's Starlit's equally adorable business card:
Even my boyfriend is getting into the wax craze! I got him a special "manly" warmer for his Salty Sea Air clamshell...
I've been busy melting some of the scoopable testers- and so far, I LOVE the scents! I've never even heard of scoopables until now (basically, softer wax that you can "scoop" out into your warmer)- so it's been fun testing them!
I've been recommending Starlit to all my friends because I *love* supporting small businesses, especially when I know the owner does everything she can to make your order the best it can be! One of my friends is a repeat customer already! She's constantly coming out with new things and testing new scents- so it looks like I'll have another excuse to order sometime soon...!
Be sure to go "like" Starlit on Facebook to keep up with the latest news!
It's that time again...IPSY TIME! But wait...what is Ipsy? Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that sends you 4-5 deluxe or full size beauty products every month- inside a cute makeup bag..all for just $10 per month! You read that right- JUST $10- including shipping! I've subbed since November 2012- and LOVE it. This month, I was literally stalking my mail slot...waiting to see that shiny pink envelope, wanting so badly to see what was inside!
I had told myself that this month would be the month I didn't look at spoilers...yeah right. I found out that we'd be getting a Zoya polish for sure, a Yaby concealer and then a mixture of some other brands! I just wanted a Pacifica rollerball, as well as a Mirabella lipstick!
Finally...it came! In my excitement, I forgot to take a picture of the envelope. As well as the info cards that came in the bag... >_< Next month, I promise, I'll be more thorough!
This month's bag theme was "Spring Fling" and the makeup bag was a bright blue/green/white chevron printed bag- super cute and perfect for spring! Here's what I got:
!
R to L: Yaby concealer in "Vanilla", full-size Zoya polish in "Gei Gei", NuMe Finishing Serum, Mirabella Colour Sheer in "Daydream", Pacifica perfume rollerball in "Tahitian Gardenia" and my *BONUS* of Urban Decay Moondust eyeshadow in "Stargazer"
Here's some closeups of some of the products:
As awesome as this bag was, I actually ended up trading away most of my things for...lippies! What can I say? I'm obsessed!
How pretty is the one on the left- "Bellarina"- super sheer with golden shimmer!
Juice Beauty gloss in "Pink"- very pretty!
Overall, the only downside this month was that my concealer (shown above) was "Vanilla"- and I'm Korean- so I'm tan. I ended up trading that for "Buff"- which seems to be a much better shade. It'll work for now (beginning of summer) and perhaps as an eyeshadow base too.
If you are an Ipsy subscriber and you're not loving what you got, be sure to check out *Ipsy Swap* on Facebook, a special trading community! I'm an admin- so I'll approve you!
And a reminder- to get the new *BONUS* item (this month's was the Urban Decay shadow), you have to refer two people to Ipsy! If you're interested in signing up, pretty please use my referral link! :)
I'm already counting down the days until June's bag! A more complete review will follow! In the meantime, check out Ipsy on Facebook- and see what other people have been getting in their bags!
Anyone who knows me knows that my latest obsession is with Diamond Candles! Diamond Candles is an awesome company that produces quality soy candles...with a bonus! Remember Cracker Jack? Think that- but more refined! There is a ring hidden in every 20 oz. candle that is worth $10, $100, $1,000 or even $5,000! You won't know what the ring looks like until you burn the candle down. The candles are $24.95 each, but are well worth it. There are plenty of great coupon codes floating around and a referral program that makes it easy to afford these yummy-smelling candles!
I first became a DC addict, thanks to my friend Lauren! I noticed she had a few at her house and asked about them- and the rest is history! I ordered my first one- Carnival Candy- and fell in love. More about that candle, and my second (Tropical Retreat) later.
But first, here are the three that arrived today! I ordered a bunch this past weekend with discount codes and these are the ones that came early- two Hawaiian Coconut candles and one Honeydew Melon. Yum.
I decided to burn one of the Hawaiian Coconut ones tonight! Here's some close-ups...
See that gold foil? That's where the ring is!
Burning instructions!
Burn baby burn!!
So while I wait for my candle to burn...here's my review of the two candles I got before these three!
Carnival Candy!
The first candle, Carnival Candy, smelled JUST like cotton candy! And I REALLY LOVE cotton candy! I may have to get another of those. The candle produced a gorgeous ring (worth $10) but it was a bit too big, so I sold it to someone who could wear it! Oh, and there's my first (and only) video reveal- I'm not sure I have camera skills to keep doing this, haha!
The second candle, Tropical Retreat, smelled like the beach! I got this for Valentine's Day from the boy. This candle also had a $10 ring that was also too big (I wear size 4…I know, I have midget fingers!) and so I’m trading it on the Diamond Candle trading Facebook page! There’s an entire community of people obsessed with Diamond Candles- so I definitely don’t feel alone! I also want to mention that their customer service is top notch! They are very active on FB and will reply to your posts almost immediately!
So, have I gotten you hooked yet? Do you want a Diamond Candle of your own? DC also has a nice referral program- once you buy a candle, you’ll get a link like this one to share with your friends. Your friends will get $5 off their candle and you’ll get $5 store credit for your next DC!
Hope you enjoy Diamond Candles as much as I have- but be careful, it spirals into an addiction VERY easily! Follow Diamond Candles on Twitter, keep up with them on Facebook, or check out pictures of rings and candles found by others on Instagram!
Oh and before I forget...here's what I found in the above Hawaiian Coconut ring! Gorgeous, right?!
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