graze sampler box - impressions

hi guys! i can't remember how i heard about graze doing free sample boxes, ...but they do. so i went ahead and filled out a profile and based on my profile, these were the four snacks i was sent! the regular subscription is 8 snacks per box for $13.99 including shipping. ~Lindsay
edit: i think i paid $1 for shipping, but the snacks were otherwise free.

snacks received: chinese shiitake broth, kettlecorn kern pops, raspberry & coconut muffin, and whole grain banana caramel dippers

first off, i'd like to give mention that this is actually my second box. the business people and/or web developers at graze so kindly did not feel inclined to provide emails or in-account confirmation when boxes are sent. anyway, it was about a full week (maybe two) after i was supposed to receive my original sample box. i contacted support and they responded saying that the tracker said it was delivered. since i never saw it in my mailbox or at my door, checked with the apartment management office, they kindly decided to send me a second. now my biggest complaint (moral of my story) is that why do they keep tracking information for customer service purposes, but don't give the customers access to that information as well? is it that difficult to add to my order history? because as an ecommerce developer, i dun think so.

secondly, i'd like to take a moment to talk about the packaging. i currently have my subscription 'snoozed' mostly for me to evaluate whether i want to continue with the subscription, as well as..... we almost haz house!! so if at all possible, i'd like to not order too much to our apartment from here on out. anyway! that being said, i have not ordered a full 8 snack box yet. so i don't know how representative this is of all of their boxes, but for the sample i received, it was literally held together by two pieces of plastic. not tape, but plastic. i'm honestly surprised that it somehow didn't rip or slip off in transit. otherwise, i think the package and contents arrived in relatively safe condition.

third, i'd like to give mention to the profile matching system thing. if i recall correctly, there were a series of questions that basically asked what your tastes were, and after you finished filling that out, you could go through your matches and click one of the options: trash, try, like, love. these will also help determine what is sent to you. you could also go and review the things that were filtered out and click those choices on the snacks if you want to try something that isn't a "match" for you. for example, i told it no spicy stuff. but chinese shiitake broth, uh hello i wanna try that! so when i clicked try, it had a warning: this is spicy and you don't like spicy! and guess what arrived in my box? lol. i'll get to this snack below, but i do like that it still gives visibility to things that may not be your match, but you might be interested in and it will tell you why it was filtered out.

onto the snacks. i'm a terrible person and i suck, so i only ended up photographing my chinese shiitake broth snack, partially because that's the one that intrigued me most.

1. chinese shiitake broth -- the matrix said this was spicy. it said i wouldn't like it. i wanted to try it. and it was almost right. hahahaha. my mouth was on fire. but it did taste good. i really enjoyed the concept of this snack. it's a mug sized soup (8oz) and you just put the base and dehydrated ingredients into a mug or small bowl and pour in some hot water. super portable and convenient! 太方便了！
2. kettlecorn kern pops -- these were pretty good. they were reminiscent of >other snack subscription service<'s product that i've mentioned getting once or twice... anyway, i like the competitor's snack better mostly because those have some seasoning on them and these were pretty plain. basically this snack was partially popped popcorn kernels.
3. raspberry & coconut muffin -- you guys. words cannot express the sadness when i realized it was all gone... i get it..portion control... but i think i may need to get some more of this... this was a mix of coconut strips, nuts, biscotti-like pieces, and dried fruit. super yum combination.
4. whole grain banana caramel dippers -- this was a super simple snack. the caramel was your normal caramel sauce, but the banana dipper things... those were kind of dry and slightly grainy in texture, but in combination with the caramel... so yuuum!

included in the box were some promo codes that i could give out.. looks like they're all the same code? i'm not 100% certain if i will benefit from you using it (as i threw the card away), but here ya go if you want to use it. code: V9HFFYGWB to get your 1st and 5th graze box free. graze.com

september 2017: sephora play!

hi guys! this month's sephora play! (theme: fall into beauty) arrived yesterday, so i figured i'd get on here and talk about it! ~Lin-chan ^.~

urban decay amulet

1. urban decay vice liquid lipstick in amulet -- i'm actually pretty excited about this because i just tossed my  last sample of this into the empties bin!
   repurchase? maybe
2. belif true cream aqua bomb -- yessss! the good stuff!
   repurchase? yes
3. benefit gimme brow in 5 -- i think i've had this sample in shade 3 before which was a bit too brown for me, but now 5? i did like their original version in the previous packaging in the dark shade. we'll have to see how this works out, since this is closer to my brow color!
   repurchase? probably not
4. sephora collection eyeliner in black lace -- i'm actually going to pass this along because i have too many black liners and i don't really know how well this one will do in the waterline, even thought it says its waterproof.
   repurchase? nah
5. algenist power recharging night pressed serum -- this is pretty interesting. it's more of a balmy consistency. i haven't really been into using serums, but i'll give it a try.
   repurchase? nah
6. igk hot girls shampoo and conditioner sample -- i actually really appreciate this sample because i'm not huge into having perfume samples.. it just becomes too much.
   repurchase? probably not
7. 'coupon' for an extra 50 points on the next in-store purchase

september 2017 ipsy bag!

hi all! guess what came in the mail today and i'm blogging about it...TODAY? my september IPSY BAG*! (theme: like. a. boss) ~Lin-chan ^.~

here's my impressions:

1. luxie beauty rose gold medium angled shading eye brush -- while i do like this range of brushes, i'm not huge on this style of brush. i tend to not use them often. i'm slightly annoyed that they put it inside of the bag and the bristles are now pretty bent. but i do need to wash it before using, so maybe it'll be better.
• repurchase: love this line, not so much this brush
2. elizabeth mott pop goes the eyeshadow in toasted -- this is a very nice color! and the formula feels pretty nice.
• repurchase: maybe
3. re:p bio fresh mask -- this has a very herbal scent. we'll have to try this out. i think it's a clay mask..? maybe...
• repurchase: probably not?
4. pixi beauty blush duo in peach honey -- i have the same issue with this blush as their rose gold one that i received last year.. it's split pan and kind of small, so it's hard to separate out each half with a brush when using this as a blush. now as highlight, you'd typically use a smaller brush and that'd be fine. this is actually prettier than i thought it would be, but it is a bit orange for my liking as blush.
• repurchase: nah
5. adesse new york organic infused gel effect nail laquer in deception -- so who's a fan of the muddy mississippi on their nails?! no thanks! now, i do know that lighter skinned people like such contrasting colors.. but this is not really me.
• repurchase: maybe other colors?
6. black spikey ipsy bag -- it's interesting that the spikes are embossed on the bag. it does have a nice look and feel to it as well.

peach honey (mixed, each half), toasted eyeshadow

*Affiliate Link.

remember this?

hey guys! remember that one time i was all like: lets try blog monetization? well, its been over a year now and i have not seen a whole lot of benefit in my using it. frankly it's quite pitiful, but was a nice experiment...for science! anyway as you can now see, i have disabled ads because why keep them? ads are annoying, they clutter the screen, and i'm seeing no benefit by having them on here. i can't promise that they will never be enabled ever again, because if i start seeing high enough traffic (a significant increase from what we've got now) there will be the possibility for their return. further assessments will be made if such a time ever comes.

so, if my having ads on this blog dissuaded you from frequenting my site, i apologize and thank you for tolerating my shenanigans for the past year. i also hope that you'll continue checking back and giving me feedback in the future. ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

recent favorites and mehs

hi guys! it's been a while since i did an actual standalone favorites post, hasn't it? anyway, i skipped out last month, but i wanted to share a few things that i've been loving recently and may have forgotten to post about (whether at all or as a favorite). ~Lin-chan ^.~
makeup

tonic, zeal, pencil, liquid

1. sigma zeal -- i kind of wish this wasn't a loose pigment. only because i'm almost anti-loose pigment. that aside, this is a really nice color. it's one of those duochrome brown blue types of shades. 
2. urban decay eyeshadow in tonic -- this is such a pretty color! it's super unicorn-y purpley-blue. >w< i've worn a lot on the lid recently with a relatively neutral look, and it's really pretty!
3. tarte tartiest double take eyeliner -- i really like this for travel purposes. it's a felt tip liquid liner on one side, and a super black retractable pencil on the other. it's funny because when i first got this, i didn't realize it was dual ended, and i only noticed the liquid side...which makes no sense because the cap for it is straight like a bottom, and not curved like the other lid. anyway. the liquid side is a really nice matte black, and the pencil stays really well all day in the waterline.

random

1. lsu pj's -- sam's had these pj sets for like $17, and who could pass that up? anyway, please ignore the balled up comforter and random junk on the floor of our room there.. this photo was actually me trying it on and asking my mom if she wanted one or not, lol. anyway, these are super comfy and soft!
2. lsu jersey -- sam's $20, can't beat it! we had a quarterly party at office this week, and so management wanted us to dress in sports fan attire. anyway, i couldn't find any of my shirts, so i decided to get this jersey because it was cute and inexpensive.

not pictured

1. banana bread (click for recipe in my recipes folder) -- so, sam's again. we buy bananas at sam's and don't always finish them. but they're so cheap there, so why not? anyway, for the past several weeks, i've made banana nut bread with any remaining bananas we've had and even brought a loaf to work. so yummy and easy to make!
2. original ruffles chips & onion dip -- such a good combo! for the onion dip, combine 1 pack of lipton onion soup with 16oz sour cream, and done! such a fatty but yum snack!
3. stardew valley -- i think i briefly talked about this in whichever months' post i actually got the game (during the steam summer sale...?). anyway i have mixed feelings about this game. while i liked the game in that it was like the harvest moon and rune factory series, there were issues i kind of had with it.. 
1. the controls were a bit weird, and i'm not used to playing PC games and using keys as the controls. it was awkward and hard for me to remember which letter meant what. i also don't really play the xbox 360 that often, so getting used to that controller (usb'd to my laptop) but once i figured it out, i enjoyed playing that way.
2. basically the idea is to get a tooon of stuff accomplished by the end of year 2 for 'grandpa' to give you an awesome rating and that is basically the end of the storyline. you can still play beyond fixing the community center and retry to get a better rating from grandpa, but aside from that it's whatever. and i kind of stopped playing early to mid-year 3, after getting married with two kids and completing the community center, without grandpa's blessing.
3. i wasn't huge on the farming aspect of the game. for example, you'd plow one square and plant one seed there. and your farm (pending which location you pick, i picked the standard farm) is massive and you will never ever get all of it completely filled. i did like that tools could be leveled up, but you had to get metal and money to upgrade them. i liked that the barn and coop could be upgraded and there were a ton of animals to choose from, but feeding them was annoying. you could either buy a tooon of fodder, or get grass starters which could be planted, spread out, and then cut. but grass only had a 50% chance of becoming actual fodder? it was weird, who's got time for that?! i did like the 'alchemy' type aspect of it. you could go into the menu and create random items, like sprinklers and makers. omg sprinklers save so much time!
4. i did like being able to unlock stuff by fixing the community center. and having near daily quests available to gain friendship with the townsfolk. i also liked the rune factory-esque mining gameplay where you can fight monsters who'd occasionally dropped stuff. i do like that relationships with the single people in town was more open, so you could be straight or gay with any character, and either have biological children (who don't do anything..) or adopt them, per your orientation. i think it kind of sucks though that the townsfolk don't get married to each other and remain single for ever and ever though. so once you're with someone that's kinda it. i also read on the wiki that you can somehow get rid of your kids, get divorced, erase the ex spouse's memory, and get remarried... pretty interesting for this type of game, lol!

mehs

1. covergirl total tease mascara -- i did not understand this mascara. moreso the wand than the formula. the formula is what you'd expect from covergirl really, but the wand... i think my biggest issue was the mini brush thing on the end. i'd always feel like it'd catch on my lower lashes while i'm trying to paint on my upper ones or my cheeks. it was super awkward to work with, and because only one side of each edge had bristles, i couldn't roll the wand as i was using it.
2. ulta aromatherapy shower tablets in eucalyptus & sage -- i really liked the verbena & lemongrass one but this one, it's a pass. i'm not sure if it's because the scent of this is not as strong or what. but i could barely smell it.

august empties & hit pan!

hi guys! woah where did august go? anyway it's empties trash time! ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

1. parian spirit
2. simple cleansing wipes
3. tree hut sugar scrub in lychee and plum
4. the body shop tea tree oil
5. skindinavia oil control setting spray
6. trader joe's tea tree tingle shampoo
7. macadamia natural oil deep repair mask
8. caress pure embrace body wash
9. almay clear complexion concealer in light
10. sonia kashuk eye makeup remover
11. benefit rockateur blush -- while i really liked this blush when it first came out (hype..?) i felt that it was kind of ok nowadays. i did intentionally only use this blush daily to use it up and i'm kind of indifferent about it now. the payoff was ok, and the lasting power was only ok.
    repurchase? nah
12. urban decay anti-aging primer potion -- i guess this is like the original (a cult favorite!) with anti-aging ingredients in it? i didn't really see or feel a difference compared to the original.
    repurchase? already did before i opened this one...? it was on sale, lol.
13. skindinavia post-makeup recovery spray -- i don't know if this even did anything... it had a weird scent to it, or i just didn't like it.. i don't know, but my face didn't feel super dried out whenever i'd spray this on after removing makeup and not washing my face. so that was good.
    repurchase? nah
14. l'occitane amande milk concentrate -- i love their amande (almond) scent. this was a nice lotion but i'm not sure if i'll buy it because it is kind of pricey...but i did like it a lot.
    repurchase? maybe
15. aveeno daily moisturizing yogurt body wash in vanilla and oats -- so i briefly mentioned in my haul post about this. this scent is not just vanilla and oats. it's diabeetus cake batter deliciousness. and i have used one of their body washes a loooong time ago and i liked it. i like the semi thick consistency of the body wash and it lathers really nice. as far as it being moisturizing, i need to open up one of those full size bottles and try it longer term to find out.
    repurchase? already did!
16. da bomb bling bath bomb -- so, i pictured the remains of this bath bomb. it came in a really nice hard case, which i think i'll save and maybe make my own diy bath bombs... hmmm.... anyway, it had a little stretchy ring inside of a gumball machine type of container. it's cute, but whatever. this scent was ok too. it wasn't super strong and faded kind of fast. i definitely think that this will be a great gift for a grade schooler (the creators are two kid sisters!), but as an adult, it was kind of underwhelming and i'd rather buy a lush bath bomb for the price.
    repurchase? nah
17. origins clear improvement charcoal mask -- this is a pretty good mask. T loves this mask. while i really liked actually using this mask, it'd sometimes dry me out a little too much and i'd have a few zits the next day.
    repurchase? nah

hit pan: makeup geek eyeshadow in havoc -- i can't even. i haven't decided if i'm repurchasing yet or not because i have like 5 other dupes (of varying prices) to use too. but it's super wearable, and turns black liner blue. >w<

august hauls - planner and makeup

hi guys! it's september. what what! anyway, i wanted to share a few of the things i picked up this month! ~Lin-chan ^.~
just to try it, i got an aveeno amazon sample box. these boxes are pretty cool because you get a credit for products in the box (or in this case, brand) for your next qualifying purchase within the year. so i ended up ordering a 3 pack (not pictured) of the included body wash which was diabeetus in a bottle. it claims to be vanilla and oats scented, but i smelled straight up cake batter, and it was delicious. annnd i went a lil crazy in the skincare section at walmart. that shea moisture rose mud mask is really good, and i hate rose scented things! the yes to charcoal mask is nice, and i wanted to get the third loreal face wash that i didn't order previously.

this pic is a few different places and orders.. at sephora, i went in to redeem my play! points card and got one of their new clay masks. such neat packaging! then i needed some more parian spirit (not pictured) and i ordered a mini z palette from beautylish. at sally's i think i needed cotton balls? the bags are huge there and i picked up a macadamia natural oil healing oil spray and nail file--these nail files are super inexpensive and good. and finally, at ulta, i got the it cosmetics superhero liner, daBomb bath bombs, bronx cosmetics eyeshadow in bronze (which is in a non-magnetized pan....), and becca shimmering skin perfector in lilac geode. also, below is a swatch of all the becca highlighters i have in comparison to lilac geode if you want that reference..

it liner, bronx bronze, becca lilac geode

lilac geode (across top)
rose quartz, prismatic amethyst, rose gold, champagne pop, moonstone, opal, opal flashes jade

planner stuffs -- here's the link to my etsy list of purchased planner stuff
TheCoffeeMonsterzCO collabed with SparklyPaperCo and made this super cute unicorn set! i also ordered several sheets from the tcmc birthday sale!

and i placed two orders with WontonInAMillion! so kyoot!