Last month, I saw a blog advertisement for Good & Lovely. I remember clicking over to their site and thinking it looked like a fun monthly subscription box. It wasn’t until I kept reading and exploring that I realized it’s even better than just a box of goodies. It’s a box of goodies delivered to my door the day I start my period (sorry to the guys that read my blog…but don’t worry…I won’t go into more detail than that). How amazing is that?

Basically, you pick the day you want it delivered and they send you a box filled with amazing products. This month’s box included Weleda body oil, a Chocolove bar, a soothing bath salt and a handmade Moroccan Mud Spa Bar sample from a boutique Seattle producer. You can also choose to include Midol, other feminine products, vitamins, and even supplements. It sure beats running to CVS for that stuff.

For around $13.99/month, it’s totally worth it and I will continue to subscribe. Also, one dollar of every months subscription goes to provide feminine care to women in need. I was so incredibly impressed with the packaging, handwritten letter, and the products that were included. Coming home at the end of a long day (while not feeling so great) and opening a box that reads, ‘Hello Beautiful,’ pretty much made my freaking day. Thanks Good & Lovely!

A few months ago I discovered Turntable Kitchen’s Pairing Boxes via Halle’s blog! I absolutely loved the idea and knew I’d want to subscribe soon and give it a try. The whole experience leading up to receiving my box was wonderful. I subscribed through their website and blogged about it the following week. Soon after, one of the guys from Turntable Kitchen commented on the blog post and started following me on Twitter. I only planned on subscribing for one month (and maybe a few more random months in the future) so when I couldn’t figure out how to unsubscribe, I emailed Turntable and they responded instantly. Within 2 minutes, I had confirmation that I would not receive another box in March. (Disclaimer: I didn’t unsubscribe because I was unhappy with anything but only because I like to try new subscriptions every month. If only I had a separate bank account to stay subscribed to to all of these wonderful services).

After receiving my first Turntable Kitchen Pairings Box, I can wholeheartedly say that I would recommend this subscription to anyone who loves music and food (okay who doesn’t love music and food?). The box came wrapped all lovely and it was fun unwrapping it all. Here’s what was inside:

Inside I found:

• A specially-made letterpressed invitation card from Jen Merrill of Green Quince
• A Heart Part from iHeart-This
• 3 recipe cards (Roasted carrots with spoked paprika & honeyed yogurt — steamed mussels & beans — and Pear, Honey & Rosemary Galette)
• Smoked Paprika
• A vinyl of Thousand – The Fall/Your Wild Heart

I also get a digital mixtape as well as digital copies of the Thousand tracks on their website! I absolutely love this box pairing and I can’t wait to make those recipes. I think this subscription will be really fun to sign up for every few months. I paid $27.00 for the box (that price included shipping) so it’s not exactly something that I can afford monthly. Let me know if any of you sign up for it and be sure to share what was inside!

My January Julep Maven box came while I was in Tennessee this weekend and I was excited to take a peek inside once I got home. With Julep Maven, you receive an assortment of nail polish and nail care products monthly. They are  delivered right to your door and each box is valued at $40. I really do love Julep Maven because all products are full-size and each product has great quality.

This month I received the two polishes (Anne and Maria) which are both so gorgeous and spring-like! I’m excited to try them both out. They also included a pomegranate scrub which smells amazing. I also was offered a complimentary upgrade last month but the shade I chose is out of stock so they included a bottle of their nail therapy (I’m assuming it’s like a nail strengthener) and a gift voucher for a FREE bottle of polish!

Since my heart is so big and I love my readers so much (and because I have WAY too much nail polish), I’m giving you all a chance to win a free bottle of Julep nail polish! In order to enter, you must head on over to Julep Maven and pick out your favorite shade. Then head back over here and comment with your favorite. I know…I’m so nice, right? You have until Thursday at 11:59PM to enter. On Friday I will announce the winner! Good luck.

You can also read my Introductory Julep Maven box review here. Oh and don’t forget, you can officially start snapping photos for the #phonephoto challenge.

I’ll be reviewing MyGlam’s January bag today! I found out about MyGlam a couple months after discovering Birchbox (which I really love). I thought I would cancel my Birchbox review to give MyGlam a chance for the month of January. MyGlam states on their site:

Every month, you receive a brand new Glam Bag with 4 to 5 of our top beauty finds! These full-sized products or deluxe-sized samples are selected by our stylists for you to enjoy.

A lot of the brands that they boast about on their site are brands like Urban Decay, Tarte, NYX, and Mai Couture. Here’s what was inside the January bag:

1. Cucumber Facial Peel-Off Masque by Freeman: This smells awful. In my opinion, the whole “cucumber” scent trend has passed. I didn’t even try this because I don’t really use anything but Clinique facial cleanser and lotion. This retails for $4.49 in any drugstore.

2. Cleansing Conditioner by Wen: I actually liked the scent of this conditioner. On Amazon, a 16 oz. bottle of this conditioner sells for $36.80. I’ll be interested in using it soon – a hairstylist I just talked to said that many of her clients use it in between shampooing.

3. Hot Ticket Nail Polish by The Balm: I have never heard of this brand…but that’s not saying much. I mostly stick to Essie, OPI, Deborah Lippman, and Zoya. I didn’t particularly enjoy the color and the formula seemed cheaper. A bottle of this polish sells for $10.00 on their website. That’s INSANE. I can buy a bottle of OPI for $8.50 and it’s 10x better.

4. Cover Duo Concealer by Sheer: I actually like this mineral concealer. I looked up Sheer Cover and it looks like you pay monthly for a kit. I don’t necessarily know how much the individual concealer sells for but Amazon has JUST the concealer for about $25. I used it and I really like it. It’s more of a dry concealer and I like that there are two shades (summer and winter).

Now that you know what was inside, I’ll share some thoughts about the whole experience.

• First of all, MyGlam’s website is lacking in many areas. I signed up for MyGlam back in December. They seemed to be adding features to their site every time I logged in to check on the status of my bag. Right now, they seem to display the current bag’s contents with links to the brands’ sites.
• They don’t award points for reviews or referrals. They also don’t allow you to purchase any products directly through their site.
• My MyGlam bag smelled like moth balls. Ew.
• The total value of the bag did end up being about $45. You get full size (or deluxe) samples and you pay $10/month. No matter how unhappy I was with the choices, I did get a deal.

In the end, I decided to cancel my MyGlam subscription. I tried to sign back up for Birchbox but they are actually sold out of subscriptions right now so in February, I will be trying Turntable Kitchen’s Pairings Box. It’s a a curated food and music discovery experience, delivered monthly! Check back late February for my thoughts. You can also read my reviews on my November & December Birchbox and Julep Maven!

Earlier this month, my friend Jess sent me a link about how you could sign up for Julep Maven for $0.01! The Julep Maven box, which is normally $20 per month, is an assortment of nail polish and nail care products delivered to your door! The boxes are valued at $40 and contains full sized polishes and products. Since I signed up in December, I received an introductory box and still have the option to continue before my January box arrives. My initial thoughts of this service (before even receiving the box) were fantastic. Their website is put together well and explains the subscription thoroughly. I’m even able to shop directly on their website for bottles of polish (which cost $14 each). Some of the fun perks of this service is that each month you can preview what’s coming and then have a choice to skip the month, send the box to your friend, try a new style or upgrade. I also get a free month if two people sign up through my link. (Hint, Hint!) Enough about all that…let’s move onto what’s inside:

1. Two polishes: One called “Demi” which is a burgundy shade and “Leighton” which is a silver shade. The polish goes on thick, smoothly, AND dries fast. I used both and you can see how it looks on my nails below (photos taken on my iPhone). The burgundy shade wasn’t anything extraordinary but the silver shade was really opaque and I liked that.
2. Glitter pot: Amazing name. I used this on top of the Leighton polish and it was really fun! If you’re not neat, glitter can definitely get everywhere. I must say, the glitter doesn’t get as flat or smooth as a glitter polish but it’s still fun.
3. Julep “Facial for Hands” Glycolic Hand Scrub: This smells great and made my hands SO soft. Something really fun that I would normally think to buy.
4. Two samples (Hand Cream and Age Defying Hand Brightener): I only tried the hand cream and it was so smooth. I don’t like really strong smelling lotion and this was so mild (slightly like yogurt? weird, I know). I actually see myself buying a bottle of this lotion. I keep feeling how soft my hands are while I’m writing this. Creepy? Maybe.

Overall, I really love this subscription. I kind of geek out over nail polish so ultimately I would love to get each month’s box. I will probably skip occasionally or maybe even send to a friend unless I really love the shades offered. Again, if you want to sign up, click here and you can take a test about your style. My next beauty reviews will be about some of the fun products that I recently bought with my Birchbox points (Zoya and Deborah Lippman polishes) and my first MyGlam box (next month’s box is valued at $50 worth of makeup!) so keep your eye out!

I got my December Birchbox last week and over the weekend, I finally got a chance to use the products and compile my review! First of all, I was really excited to see that they are donating 100% of all full-size sales to Baby Buggy (with a guaranteed contribution of $25,000). Okay, onto what’s inside:

1. AHAVA | Mineral Body Lotion : Not going to lie, I absolutely cannot stand the scent of this lotion. I used a pea-sized amount and washed my hands afterwards. I will not be using or buying any more of this.
2. amika | Obliphica Hair Treatment : I also did not enjoy the scent of this oil so I didn’t use it on my hair. Also, it had leaked in my box before it was delivered so my entire box smelled like this oil.
3. Incoco | Nail Polish Applique : Ehh…nail polish strips? I guess I just enjoy using regular polish.
4. Jouer | Moisturizing Lip Glass in Birchbox Pink : I actually really love this shade (it’s not as bright as it looks) and am considering buying some Jouer products with my Birchbox points.
5. Prep ShowStoppers | Designer Fashion Tape : I have never had the need to use tape to keep my clothes in the right place but I’ll keep this around in case I ever need to!
6. Recharge Eboost | Orange Natural Energy Booster : I actually liked the taste and could see myself ordering a few packets for those times at work that I don’t want to drink a Diet Coke or a coffee!

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed with December’s Birchbox. I actually think I’ll be canceling my subscription for the month of January and signing up/giving MyGlam a try! I love that they’re solely focued on makeup but their website is definitely lacking. I love that Birchbox allows you to gain credits and even buy the products through their website. Have any of you tried MyGlam? If you’re a Birchbox subscriber, what did you get? Anything different that you love?

If you want to sign up for Birchbox, you can use this invite link (yes I get credits) or you can read my November review here!

I was planning on reviewing my December Birchbox today but I wanted to actually USE all the products so that I could contribute to the review other than listing what’s inside. Instead, I thought I’d share some of my current favorite products. For me, a recommendation goes a long way. If a close friend or a favorite blog suggests a product (freely and not as an advertisement), I usually write it down or pick it up at the store. Some of my recent favorites include:

1. OPI’s Getting Miss Piggy With It. Sparkly nail polish is definitely a trend right now but when have women really ever stopped loving glitter? I love this shade because it has the shimmer of a regular glitter polish but also large silver pieces of glitter that–when applied–look really fun! I actually used a bright red polish before applying the glitter to get an opaque look.
2. Clinique’s Cream Shaper for Eyes. I was at Macy’s picking up my Clinique facial care and mascara when the lady suggested that I try their eyeliner. I probably rolled my eyes because I hate pencil eyeliner. It always smudges and at the end of the day, it’s all gone. BUT, this actually lasts. I’m shocked. Buy it. It’s great. It even has a little shimmer.
3. Burt’s Bees Facial Towelettes. If I need to remove my makeup quickly before working out or going to bed, I use these towelettes. They don’t smell strong (like Neutrogena’s) and they’re 99.1% natural.
4. Design for Living 32-Ounce Stackable Tritan Water Bottle. My favorite water bottle. EVER! It holds a lot of water, great design and with one twist of the cap it’s completely sealed. And they stack. (Yes Adam has one too).
5. Brilliant Shampoo and Conditioner by Aveda. HOLY COW this stuff smells good. My best friend was visiting and borrowed it while showering and even commented on how amazing this stuff smells. My hair always feels great and the scent lasts for a long time. It’s pretty pricey (in my opinion) but I’m going to need to upgrade and buy the bigger bottles after I run out.

Check back next week for my December Birchbox review, an amazing new CITY GUIDE, special holiday tips on picking the perfect wine, and of course some Christmas cheer.

Last month a few Twitter friends suggested that I try Birchbox! With Birchbox, four to five hand-picked deluxe beauty samples are delivered to your door for $10 per month. Mine arrived last Saturday and I’m excited to share what was inside!

My thoughts on the products:

• Jouer | Lip Enhancer  – Very moisturizing. I can see myself using this before I go to bed since I use tinted chapstick during the day. A .33 fl oz tube costs $14 so I’m going to need to fall in love with it if I’m going to pay that much!
• Kate Spade New York | Twirl - I really love this scent! Even Adam loved it and so I believe I’ll be buying a bottle! Or adding it to my Christmas wishlist. I haven’t been wearing perfume for awhile.
• Thymes | Eucalyptus Body Lotion - A very clean scent. I will probably stick this in my purse and use it until it’s gone! Not sure if I would buy a bottle since I use Burt’s Bees Honey + Milk body lotion.
• Zoya | Nail Polis in Noel - What a fun shade for the winter months! Can’t wait to use it after my current polish starts to chip.
• Alex and Isabelle | Classic Hair Tie - Seems like a fun piece to use instead of my boring, CVS brand hair ties.