Thursday, January 30, 2014

Taste Guru Box: January 2014 Review



Earlier this month, I bought a Groupon for a three-month subscription to Taste Guru, a subscription service that delivers a box of gluten-free foods every month.  I had to eliminate gluten from my diet several months ago, and I have been on the lookout ever since for tasty food that I can still eat.  I was definitely looking forward to this box, so I was very excited when it finally arrived today!  Here's what I got:

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Social Bliss Style Box: January 2014 Review


The Social Bliss Style Box is a new subscription service that sends a monthly box filled with on-trend fashion items.  The box costs $39.95 a month plus $7.95 shipping, and the total value of the items is supposed to be at least $100.  The first Style Boxes were shipped this month, and I liked the idea of a trendy fashion box.  I was a little nervous to subscribe to a completely new subscription service without knowing how it would be, but I liked the description of it and so I decided to take a chance.  Social Bliss also has a return policy if you don't like your box, which isn't always the case for subscription box services.  

My box arrived yesterday.  It shipped from CA and only took three days to get to me on the East Coast.  Here's what I got:

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Ipsy Glam Bag: January 2014 Review


Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that sends you a Glam Bag filled with 4 to 5 sample- or full-sized beauty products.  There is a quiz that you take when you sign up so that you can receive products that are more suited to your preferences.  The cost of a subscription is $10/month.

This was my first Ipsy Glam Bag, and I was looking forward to it.  It arrived last week, right on schedule.  Here's what I got:

Monday, January 20, 2014

Your Bijoux Box: January 2014 Review and Promo Code

Your Bijoux Box Greeting Card

Your Bijoux Box is a subscription service that sends you 3 pieces of on-trend jewelry every month.  The cost of the service is $35/month, and the total retail value of each box is at least $70.  This was the first box I had received from them.  Before subscribing, I had looked at pictures of the contents of previous boxes, and they all seemed like pieces that I would want to wear.  So I was excited to sign up and was looking forward to my first box!  The box arrived a few days ago.  Here's what I got:

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Birchbox: January 2014 Review


I recently subscribed for Birchbox, and I just got my very first box.  Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that sends you deluxe samples of beauty products every month.  They also have a shop on their website where you can buy full-sized versions of the products in the boxes.  There are many variations of boxes each month, and your box is tailored to your preferences using a profile that you fill out on the site.  There are a lot of different brands offered, many of which I had never tried before.  The subscription is only $10/month, and you get points for reviewing the products you receive.  These points can be redeemed for purchases on the site.  

Friday, January 17, 2014

PopSugar Must Have Box: January 2014 Review



I signed up for the PopSugar Must Have box at the end of December, and I was very excited to see what would be in my very first box this month.  According to their website, the PopSugar Must Have Box is a monthly subscription box that includes "hand-selected items in beauty, fashion, home, fitness, and food" and features premium items and full-sized products.  It costs $39.95/month and usually contains products with a retail value totaling around $100.  I thought that this was a good chance for me to try out some new products that I might not otherwise know about or spend the extra money on.  The boxes usually ship around the middle of the month.  I got my shipping notification email on 1/14, and my box arrived yesterday.  Here's what it looked like:

Saturday, January 11, 2014

After Christmas Shopping: Gilt Groupe

I signed up for Gilt Groupe a while back, and every once in a while I check out the site, but I had never bought anything from them.  Although a lot of the items on the site are out of my price range, they do have some good deals.  I noticed a sale on jewelry last week, and of course I had to check it out!  I have been looking for jewelry that I can wear to work and for weekend outings:  not too casual, but not too big and sparkly either.   On GiltI found some great pieces that fit the bill for really reasonable prices.  I placed my order on January 5th, it shipped on the 7th, and it arrived yesterday.  

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Wantable Accessories Box January 2014 Review


My January Wantable Accessories box arrived a few days ago.  I hadn't been too thrilled with December's box, but after I revised my style profile, I was looking forward to seeing what was in this one.  Here it is:

Saturday, January 4, 2014

My Favorite Smoothie Recipe



I lived in New York City for about a year, and during that time I mostly either ate out, got take-out, or bought prepared foods from the supermarket.  I lived in a pre-war (1920s) building that had once been converted into apartments from...I'm not sure what exactly, but let's just say the layout, especially in the kitchen, wasn't really designed for comfortable living.  Between that and having a roommate who had already been living in the apartment for a long time before I got there and who didn't really like to share her space, there wasn't much motivation for me to spend much time in the kitchen.  

Thursday, January 2, 2014

TasteGuru Groupon Deal

I came across a deal from Groupon today that seemed interesting--and appealed to my new love of subscription boxes!  Taste Guru is a monthly subscription box service that delivers gluten-free food to your door.  Pricing ranges from $25/month for a 12-month subscription to $34/month for three months.  The Groupon deal offers a three-month subscription for $37 or a single box for just $12!  It seemed like a great deal, so I ordered it right away.  I had to cut gluten out of my diet a few months ago, so I have been on the lookout for interesting and tasty food options since then.  This deal seemed like the perfect way to try out this subscription box and hopefully find some new favorite gluten-free foods!

If you'd like to learn more about Taste Guru, click here.

To sign up for Groupon and get this or another deal, click here.

Taste Guru boxes are supposed to ship around the 15th of the month, so I will write a review when I get the box.  I am excited!



Disclosure:  This post contains referral links.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!

Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2014!



This was taken at the local fireworks display in town last night.  It was very cold, but the fireworks were so much fun!  It doesn't matter how many times I've seen them--fireworks always make me happy :-)

Stay tuned for my favorite smoothie recipe and my new Wantable accessories review (the January box is supposed to arrive any day now)

How was your New Year's?  Do you make resolutions?