Soap from Basin

Surprise Soap Bag

Basin is a store in Orlando that I found out about through another blogger.  Ramblings of a Suburban Mom mentioned that they had grab bags of soap for $10 and I thought that sounded like a great deal.  Shipping was $6.95 so it was a good that they were just $10.

These surprise bags regularly sell for $35 so get them while the price is so low!

It came in this cute plastic Basin Bag that I can re-use for other stuff.  These soaps are vegetable glycerin soaps.

Here is a look at the 6 soaps I received:

Mediterranean Mint Soap ($5.99)  this bar soap is mint and rosemary.  It has very pretty leaves in it.  I like this one very much.  

Wine Soap ($6.99) this is a very pretty fuchsia color and I love wine so this is a perfect soap for me. 

Tomato Juice Soup Soap ($5.99) according to the website, fresh tomatoes bring Vitamin C and antioxidants to your skin and fights off other scents.  

Blue Bell Soap ($5.99) According to the website, this is sweet melon, pear, and citron are entwined with praline and patchouli.  

Tahitian Vanilla soap ($6.59) I could not find this soap on the website.  They must have discontinued this one but it is one of my favorites from this bunch.

 Green Frog soap ($5.99)  this is my favorite of the soaps!  I love frogs!  This is a kiwi scented soap.  

This was a fantastic grab bag - I got all these soaps for $16.95 with shipping and retail was $42.93.  I was hoping for one of the Fall soaps but I just might have to place an order to get one of them. 

OOH I WANT ONE....

Monday Yearnings

There are a bunch of new makeup sets out there for the Holiday season!

The first collection is Sweet Dreams by Tarte.  They have brush sets, blush sets, and lip gloss sets.  This collection is very beautiful. 

This portable compact has blush, eye shadow, mascara, and mini glosses.

Too Faced has released a Holiday collection.  Bella Carousel, Melted Kisses, Everything Nice,  Under the Mistletoe are just a few of the new sets.  This collection might be my favorite for the packaging alone! 

Benefit has also released their Holiday collection that looks like a sweet shop - first up is a nice little blush box. 

The Sweet Shoppe is open for limited edition sets at Benefit.

 Candy Coated Countdown has a ton of my favorite sample size Benefit products.

Sweet Tintations has the tints and the balms. 

 Urban Decay has also put out their Holiday Collection - the colors are fantastic!  Edgier and more shades than any of the other collections.

Smashbox has a new holiday collection that is similar in tones to Urban Decay.  This is a very sophisticated set; think Audrey Hepburn.

Stila has also put together several holiday collection sets.  They have some very beautiful jewelry in these sets as well.  Sparkling Rose is my absolute favorite!  Beautiful rose bracelet!

There are some wonderful Holiday collections we will miss out on here in the States unless you can find a buyer overseas for you!  These two are from Japan and so fantastic I can barely stand it!

Here is a close-up of the Jill Stuart collection - love that blush!

Is there a collection I missed?  Fill me in the comments below!

New to Subscriptions....

What type of box do you want?

If you are new to subscription boxes, start small.  Do not go blow $100 bucks on all of them.  Do your research and know what you would like to get and what your expectations are.  There are boxes everywhere for those who love makeup to those who love fitness to food boxes to boxes for your pets.

I have tried a lot of boxes:  Julep, Ipsy, Lootcrate, Birchbox, Wantable, Sample Society, Beauty Box 5, Citrus Lane, Bluum, Holiday Housewife, Glossybox, Lip Factory, Lip Monthly, Boxycharm, Bonjour Jolie, Walmart Beauty box and Fortune Cookie Soap box.

The ones I currently subscribe to: (don't tell my husband) two Ipsy bags, Birchbox, LootCrate, Sample Society, Kawaii Cute Box, Fortune Cookie Soap Box and Walmart Beauty box.   Those last two are quarterly boxes.  Wantable too but it's a great one because you can skip months for their three themed boxes.

 Ipsy is a good one to start with at $10 a month.  You can cancel at anytime.  Just remember when getting boxes at that price, they are mostly sample sizes.  A good way to think of it is getting small samples to see if you like something enough to pay the full price for it. 

 Birchbox is another good one for this and they have surprised me each month with brands I have never tried.  It is also $10 but has an awesome points system that lets you earn back that money to spend in their store by doing reviews for them of the items you get in your box.  

Blue Velveteen is a new box that just started this month that is also $10.  I have just signed up for this one but it looks like it will be a good one to get.  I loved the variety I saw in the first look of them.

Allure Sample Society box is in the next group up at $12 a box.  I found that they usually have one item that is very high in value with 4 others in the low value range.  It is a good way to try a variety of products though.  

Beauty Box 5 is also a $12 box and it has a very nice value.  The shades they send work well with everyone and there is always a variety of items.  I have found a lot of brands through them that I would not have looked at without the sample.

Splendies or Volupties is a woman's underwear subscription box.  It is $12 a month and you receive 3 pairs.   For the larger sizes, they have Volupties that is about $16 a month.  The underwear is all very nice quality.  I do think they could send less lacy ones.  But I love pretty underwear. 

And so many more.... For a more complete list, check out my favorite blogger's page here.

Saturday Steals and Deals!

Social Bliss - Their spoiler this month is the clutch below.  Use code LOVEFALL for an extra surprise in your box this month!  Hurry, this deal ends October 13 to first 100 new subscribers.  This sub is $40 a month with shipping and handling, so about $50.  I am waiting on the purse I want before signing up.  

Ulta - Right now the deal is 40% off all NYX, Revlon, Physician's Formula, and Almay cosmetics.  NYX is one of my favorite brands that is already drugstore prices.  

Urban Decays' Pulp Fiction palette is on sale right now for $16.  It looks fantastic! Ulta has that deal or go to Urban Decay for more of their great deals today.

Blue Velveteen makeup box is having a few growing pains.  When I checked my Paypal account this month, I noticed they were not set up to automatically pull every month.  I knew I would be getting an e-mail from them discussing the situation.  Sign up with them and save $2 by putting OCTOBER in their code box.  This deal expires tonight at midnight - so go join.  That would make your box $8.  

Pixi and Pop Cosmetics are featured on Hautelook right now.  Those deals go fast so jump on them. 

Those are the deals I am most interested in today!   Do you know of any great deals I am missing out on?  Comment below! 

Thursday Thoughts!

Thursday Thoughts!

When I want to waste time, I pull up Pinterest or Instagram and just surf around - 

 sometimes I find the prettiest things - like this post: 

I found this Samy hair cream at Wal-Mart and I love it!  First of all, it smells like orange dreamsicle!  So YUMMY!  Second, it makes my hair soft and de-frizzes without making the curls hard like mousse.  And third, it is super cheap!

My theme for my big birthday next week is Paris!  I love Paris - here are the plates I picked out on Amazon: 

I also found these super cute napkins to go with them:

I have been looking for these cute soap dispensers for awhile!  Target sells them online but I could not find them in the store.  I was shopping at Mejjer the other day and there they were!  Minnie's hand wash is in strawberry and Mickey's is lemon.

Blue Velveteen September 2014

WHAT'S IN THE BOX?

Blue Velveteen is a brand new subscription box that started this month!  It is $10 a month. They had kind of a rocky start - their initial box was given to several bloggers to spread the word but the box the bloggers got was not the box you got if you signed up for the sub box.  This caused some disgruntled customers as you can imagine.

The box is really cute and the little blue square is velvet!  Mine did not have B V on it like other boxes I saw reviewed.

First Look: 

NYX Ultra Pearl Mania Eye Shadow -   ($3)  These little shimmery eye shadow comes in a variety of colors.  I received the Penny color which is a coppery color.  I really like this shade on me so I was happy with it.  NYX is one of my favorite brands so I was thrilled to get something from the line.

Sexy Bath And Body Lavender & Chamomile Calming Body Wash -  ($4.50)  This is a very nice little tube but I am allergic to a combination of these two fragrances so I will be passing it along to a sister.  

 Ciate Mini Mani Polish in Tweed -   ($2)   This is a cute little polish and I love Ciate brand - the photo here does not do it justice however.  It is a gold color with shimmery aqua and navy.  I cannot wait to wear this holiday season!  

 Macadamia Nourishing Leave In Cream -  (~$2)  I just got this in a Conditioner from my Birchbox this month so I was happy to have something else from their line.  I love leave ins so can never have too many.  The packet is a nice size too so I will have enough for my thick, long hair.

Blanc Pearl Caviar Toner Skin Brightening and Anti-Wrinkle Effects -  This toner is expensive so it was fun to get a few samples of it in my box.  This is a Korean skin care product.  I have just recently become aware of the great skin care products from Korea.  I do not really know what the value of these would be; a couple of dollars I would guess.

The other boxes that went out included all of the above (excluding the Blanc Toner) with a perfume, lip gloss and hair tie.

While this box did not have the value I would normally like, it was a nice little box with lots of new products to try.  It reminds me of Birchbox but without the point system.  I am very interested to see what they do with next months box.