I am trying to bring back the Favorite Friday feature. There are a LOT of YouTube channels that I follow and I would love to share them with you. Mental Floss is one of my favorites. Usually hosted by John Green, the channel does trivia lists about everything and anything. This week's list was 47 Charming Things About Children's Books (though most of the facts were about the authors and not the books themselves). Enjoy!
Bulu Box - May
Before I get into the review, I'd like to make a bit of an announcement. From this point forward, subscription box reviews will be done in video form instead of written posts. At least for now. If I decide that the videos aren't working, I'll go back to writing the reviews. That means that The Geek Within will have a YouTube channel. The Geek also has a new Facebook page. Like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Then you'll know you're getting the full Geek!
OK! Onto the review. Bulu box is a health, nutrition, and weight loss subscription box. You get 4 or 5 samples in each box. If you review your products on their website, you can get reward points that give you a discount on your next order.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the box. You can see the bright orange box on the Bulu box website. I'm not sure if every box is themed but it looks like this one is A Feel-Good Discovery.
One of the first things I pulled out was a small packet of Ridgecrest Herbals Migraine Relief. There are 6 homeopathic capsules in the packet. I do get migraines occasionally but I don't know that I get then often enough to actually try this out. I forgot to look for an expiration date on the packet. I'll keep them on hand, just in case.
My daughter pulled out the Smarty Pants for Kids gummy vitamins. She absolutely loves gummy vitamins. One of the things I didn't like, though, was that the child takes 4 gummies each day. That is an awful lot. Every other brand we have tried was 2 per day. My daughter was the first to try it. She didn't like it very much. Neither did I. The gummy tastes fine at first, but it has a terrible aftertaste. I couldn't find a flavor listed on the packet so I don't know if we just got a bad flavor or if they all taste like that. Either way, it's a no-go in our house.
There is also an adult vitamin in the box. This one is Vivioptal Women. There are 5 capsules in this pack and you take 1 per day. I haven't tried it yet. Mostly because it kinda scares me. The capsules are blood red and it says "German Formula" across the front of the box. I don't mind taking chances but I don't want to make myself sick either.
A Skratch Labs Hydration Stick came out next. This is a lemon-lime flavored powder that, when mixed with water, is supposed to replace electrolytes after exercising. Sort of like Gatoraid. My daughter had just finished two dance classes so she was ready to try the stuff. It was yet another product that she didn't like. I took of a sip after she made the Yuck face. It tasted a bit like flat Sprite. Maybe we should have added the powder to carbonated water.
The AdvanceMint Happy Hour isn't something I will ever use. It is a hangover prevention supplement. I don't drink alcohol, which is its own hangover prevention. Maybe I can give it to someone else to try.
Another little packet contained NutraWise Youtheory Collagen Advanced Formula. This is supposed to promote active joints, hydrate skin, and reduce wrinkles. It is yet another product that intrigues and scares me at the same time. I should get up the nerve to try it. I don't think this one will kill me.
Finally, BioXGenic Nature's Desire. It is a female "mood enhancer." Supposedly, it increases the female libido using natural ingredients. Hm. I'm sure my husband would like me to take it. But...ehhh....I don't know. Maybe.
I didn't have any expectations when I ordered the 3-month subscription to this box. Based on this one box, I am not impressed. Of the 7 samples we received, 2 of them tasted awful, 2 of them I am unlikely to ever use, and the other 3 scare me slightly. I hope that the products in next month's box are a little more normal.
A lot of pain
I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything in awhile. Unfortunately, due to some tooth issues, I ended up having a last minute root canal performed yesterday. As a result, I am in a lot of pain. It feels like my teeth are going to explode out of my mouth at any minute. Please forgive me for burying my head in the sand until this all blows over. On the plus side, when I am finally well enough to put words together, I have a bunch of new subscription boxes to review. Bulu Box and Nerd Crate are the two latest ones, plus this month's Loot Crate showed up yesterday.
C'mon, mouth, let me get back to work!
MaskerAide facial mask
A couple of days ago, I told you that my Beauty Box 5 arrived on Monday. I also said that I really wanted to try the facial mask that was in said box. After spending my evening at a 6th grade band and chorus concert, I decided to relax a bit and try the mask.
The mask I received was the Detox Diva. It is supposed to help minimize pores, absorb impurities, and exfoliate. Hm. OK. The instructions told me to cleanse and tone my face. I don't use a toner so I just washed my face as I usually do with Lush's Ultrabland, which is already a moisturizing cleanser. After I washed, I opened the packaged, unfolded the mask, and slapped it on my face. I adjusted all the parts to make sure my face was mostly covered and I even rubbed the serum into my neck, since the instructions said to do that too. Then I was supposed to relax for 10 - 20 minutes.
Even though I know this picture makes it look like I have a thousand chins, here I am relaxing on my couch:
After about 15 minutes, I was really bored so I removed the mask. This is really where it gets kinda weird. The instructions say, after discarding the used mask, to pat the moisture into the skin. I tried that. It didn't seem to work very well. So I took option two: give a quick rinse and pat dry. That was much better.
Let me start off by saying that I am used to slop on/wash off masks, not paper masks, for facials. So this felt very weird to me. However, once you get past the fact that you look like a mummy, it isn't too bad. The mask is very moisturizing. You could feel the serum stuff seeping into your skin. I don't know how exfoliating it was though. While my skin felt a lot softer afterwards, I can't say that it ever felt like it was removing dead skin or gunk. Despite that, I did really like the mask. I think I'd like to try some of the other masks, especially the All Nighter. That one claims to de-puff your eyes. My eyes could really use that!
What day is it?
I am having a very difficult time remembering what day it is this week. For some reason, I keep thinking it is Tuesday when it is, in fact, Wednesday. Yesterday, I kept thinking it was Wednesday. Maybe tomorrow I'll realize that it is Thursday and I'll stop screwing up my schedule. Since it is Wednesday, tonight is the first of my daughter's band and chorus concerts. This is when the two 6th grade bands, the jazz band, and the 6th grade chorus play. Next Wednesday is actually the 7th and 8th grade concert but since the jazz band is also playing that night, she will need to attend that concert as well.
I really hope June will be better for my schedule. Every day seems to be booked from now until the end of the month. Craziness!
Beauty Box 5 - May
My Beauty Box 5 box showed up in my mailbox yesterday! I always love when a subscription box shows up. I think I might have an addiction now. That would explain why I am always looking for new ones to subscribe to.
OK. OK. Let's take a look at this month's box. The theme for May is Fresh and Focused. It's all about getting yourself back in the zone instead of daydreaming about the beach. What did they give me to accomplish that?
The first thing I pulled out was a perfume sample. It is Hello by Harvey Prince. It is a very floral scent with a bit of a citrus undertone. Very pretty. I don't usually wear a lot of perfume but I might give this a try.
Next up is the Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths. The package looks like they are regular wipes. However, it sounds like there is some sort of cooling effect from them. Like, if it is super hot out and you feel gross, wipe yourself down with these and you'll not only feel cleaner, you'll also feel cooler? I'm not sure really. I'll have to figure out a way to try them out.
The next item out of the box was the H20 Plus Aqualibrium Marine Cleansing Gel. My daughter recently got a Clarisonic Mia. It looks like this cleansing gel has sea salt in it to make it exfoliating, which would mean she couldn't use it with the Clarisonic without tearing up her face. I will definitely give this a try though to see how it works. I'm always looking for new cleansers that will clear the gunk out of my pores.
The Cattiva Presicione Eye Liner came out next. Mine came in black. I don't wear makeup on a day-to-day basis. But, much like the cleanser, I'm always on the lookout for eyeliner that doesn't smudge or make me look like a raccoon. I will have to give this a try too!
The final item is one I have been dying to try for awhile. It is a MaskerAid Hydrating Facial Sheet Mask. I love face masks. A lot. I have never had the chance to try out a sheet mask though. I'm always too nervous to spend the money to buy them. What if I hate it? Now I get to try it! Yay!
I am happy with this box. There are a lot of things that I never would have purchased for myself and there isn't anything I wouldn't use at least once. I will try to post some product reviews of the stuff I do try. Keep an eye out!
Kids React to Hello Kitty
It has been a hard couple of days. Instead of a post, I'm going to give you a Kids React video. Enjoy!
The Ride
Going back to my trip to New York City for a moment, the final thing we did in the city before we left was take a bus tour called The Ride. This is the infamous "sideways bus." Yes, the seats on this particular bus are situated so that all of the passengers have a window view. Instead of facing forward, the seats face the one huge window on the right side of the bus. The seats are set up stadium-style so the top row is higher than the bottom row and everyone has a good view of what is going on outside. The Ride has two tour hosts - Jackie and Scott. It is obvious that both of them have had improv training of some sort. Both of them were absolutely hysterical as they poked fun at the passengers and the people walking past on the street. In this case, the tour operators really do make the attraction much more fun and enjoyable.
It's a little difficult to explain The Ride if you have never been on it. It is a tour so you do get to see some of the touristy things in New York. You get some basic information on Grand Central Terminal and the Chrysler Building and some other notable places. What sets it apart from other city tours is the sidewalk entertainment. There are a couple of stops where entertainers, dressed as regular people on the street, perform for you. For example, a man in a UPS-type uniform sets his package aside to do some breakdancing for us. Since he is right there on the street, there are regular people walking past him. Not only are the performers awesome to watch, it's also funny to watch the reactions of the people trying to get someplace.
The Ride is on the expensive side of things. It costs $59.00 per person for an approximately 75 minute tour. (Note: The box office is located at Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. It can be difficult to find but once you get to the museum, it is literally right there.) However, I do think that it is worth the price. All three of us spent the entire ride with smiles on our faces. I would love to do it again the next time I am in New York City.
Game review: Hidden Objects Fashion
The goal of Hidden Objects Fashion is to help children improve their recognition skills. It is a fairly basic hidden object game. The game gives you a list of fashion-related objects to find, like hats or skirts or earrings, then they bombard the the level with a ton of different fashion objects. You have to find all of the objects in your list in order to move onto the next level. Since the game is aimed at children and I play way too many hidden object games, I found this one to be pretty easy. Though I admit that I did have a difficult time finding some of the shirts. They look so similar! However, I do think that this would be a good way to help children hone more than just their recognition skills. I think that this would also help them with the skills they need to search for things. Instead of looking for a few seconds then giving up, the game tries to get the child to continue looking until they find what they need.
The one downside to the game is the audio. I found the music for the first level very annoying. The second level wasn't as bad but it was still a bit like elevator or mood music. I don't know that children will find that pleasing to hear. Other than that, I found the game very enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to someone with younger children.
Julep Maven - May
My new Julep Maven box arrived on Saturday! Julep allows you to choose which package you receive so I already knew three of the colors I was getting. I upgraded to get a fourth mystery color. Julep has recently changed the rules for their Maven boxes though. I don't think you can choose which package gets delivered to you any more. Well, I'll see how it works when next month's box gets ready to ship.
Onto the May colors!
As I said, I received four colors this month. Most of them are spring-like pastel colors. The colors are: Paulette, Bess, Jules, and Iona.
Paulette is a sort of lavender color. Even though the color doesn't seem it, it is actually really shimmery. As a result, it does take a few coats in order to get it to show up well. Two coats worked fine.
Bess is a pretty baby blue shade. This is probably my favorite of the bunch. It covers very well. Only one coat is needed but I found that the second coat makes it pop more. This was the mystery shade I added onto my subscription.
Jules is a peachy pink color. I mainly picked this specific shade because my daughter loves all things pink. Unfortunately, this one is disappointing. One coat barely shows up on a naked nail. Two coats works a little bit better but it is still rather see-through. We tried to do a nail design with the Jules on top of Bess but the blue still shone through unless we really thickly applied the pink. Maybe we'll figure out what to do with it later.
Iona is my second favorite color, just behind Bess. It is a deep purple shade that matches Paulette very well. When I have some time, I might try to do an Iona/Paulette pattern to see what happens. It might be too awesome for words.
I have to admit that I am pretty happy with this month's selection. The Maven subscription is $19.99 and the mystery shade addition was an extra $4.99 so my total this month came to $24.98. The nail polish normally retails at $14 each but Mavens get a 20% discount off of anything in the store plus free shipping. Even though I'm not particularly enamored with Jules, I do like the other colors. I'd have to say this box was a success.