Product Roundup: November 2020

I don’t think self-care has ever been needed more than it does in 2020.  Now is the time for relaxation, meditation, and living your most gracious life.  I’m always on the lookout for new products I can take with me on the road, and also use when I’m home. It is important to make sure the products you’re using are healthy and not full of chemicals.  This month’s Product Roundup is filled with beauty products that will quickly become the favorite of anyone on your Christmas list.

Enjoy!

Aura Kit

WHY TRAVELERS WILL LOVE IT

This amazing subscription box will teach you to take a break from the noise of everyday life and learn how to quiet your mind, find peace, and restore your energy. The box teaches you to practice meditation, positive visualization, and daily affirmations.  2020 is a very stressful year, and this box helps you relieve tension, anxiety,  and negative emotions.

WHAT CAME IN OUR BOX?

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Review of Cooper and Kid…a Dad and Kid Craft Box

I love watching my husband making things with our daughters. It is such a special time and they have so much fun making memories with him.  It’s a great time to teach them life skills while bonding with them.  Since we have been practicing social isolation for the past few months, there has been plenty of daddy-daughter time.  We were so grateful that Cooper and Kid sent us two amazing kits to try out!  And it’s not just made for dads…I plan on getting in on some of the fun as well because these kits can be used by any adult and kid.

What do I love about Cooper and Kid?

Cooper and Kid is a monthly subscription box, but since most of the world is in social isolation, they have decided to do Coronavirus School Closing Relief Packages.  This special limited-time offer features discounted kits that are available immediately.  They arrive at your door about 3 days later and there is no further obligation to buy anything else.  I love that these kits help build creativity, character development, and promote problem solving.  However, mostly I love that it builds relationships and creates lasting memories.

GET YOUR KIDDOS OFF THOSE ELECTRONICS, GET SOME FAMILY-TIME IN, AND HAVE A BLAST!

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20 Books that Make the Ultimate Christmas Gift

Christmas is the perfect time to share your favorite stories with friends and family.  Maybe it’s the former language arts teacher in me talking, but I think there’s nothing better than getting lost in a good book.   Looking for a good book for someone this Christmas?  These books are full of characters you wish you could meet, lives you’re thankful you didn’t live, and endings that you wish would never come.  Pick some up as gifts or as a treat for yourself that you can enjoy after the craziness of this holiday season.

Enjoy!  Happy shopping!!

20 Books that Make the Ultimate Christmas Gift

The Silent Patient

By: Alex Michaelides

The Silent Patient: Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

The Henna Artist

By: Alka Joshi

The Henna Artist:  Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own…

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

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Halo Hand Nail Polish Review

While my family was buckled down social distancing ourselves during this pandemic, I started rethinking what food I was putting in my family’s body.  As I realized the importance of this, I then started focusing on the products we put on our body.  The ingredients in nail polish is something I never gave second thought to, until I started doing research.  I love that Halo Hand doesn’t contain the ten most common and harsh chemicals found in nail polish.  Clean polish?  What more could you want for your nails? Let me show you what we got.

WHAT CAME IN OUR KIT?

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Olive and June Nail Polish Review

Every week in October I will be having a Travel Beauty Tuesday, where I feature some amazing beauty products that I have been using. This week is all about Olive & June, my new nail polish obsession!

When I travel, I often end up at the spa treating myself to a manicure or pedicure.  Since this pandemic has begun, I have missed getting pampered and having my nails colored.  I hate that so many polishes chip just days after using them, and I am always looking for ones that last a long time. I have been stalking following Olive and June on Instagram, drooling over their amazing colors, and I was thrilled when I got the chance to work with them.

WHAT DID I RECEIVE?

I was so excited to get The Everything Box. ($80)

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Product Review (September 2020)

As some kids prepare to head back to classrooms, sports, and extracurricular activities, health and safety are a huge concern to everyone.  I wanted to share some products we have been using lately that we’ve really enjoyed.

Enjoy!

Good Green Cleaner

WHY TRAVELERS WILL LOVE THEM

  Tell me you haven’t been cleaning nonstop since this pandemic began! We have been going through lots of different cleaners because they seem to sell out so quickly.  Some we’ve liked and some we’ve hated.  Good Green Cleaner has been wonderful because it is an environmentally friendly, food-contact safe cleaner.

WHAT ELSE I LOVE ABOUT THEM

 They are a great product to travel with because you don’t have to worry about them leaking.  How? The bottles arrive empty so you just fill them with water, and twist on the recyclable “pod” to release the cleaning agents.

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Smile Create Repeat Review

Smile Create Repeat

What do I love about this box?

I love that you don’t need to be an artist to use Smile Create Repeat.  I am not a good artist, but I love that I can pour myself a glass of wine, play some relaxing music, and have some Me Time as I do a little drawing.  I also love that people who are artistic…like my daughter…can appreciate good art supplies, watch the tutorials, and then add the supplies to their collection.

What comes in each box?

Each month in your themed Smile Create Repeat art supply subscription box, you will receive:

5 or more quality art supplies chosen and tested by artists

Their exclusive Creative Card art lesson

Supply specific narrated lesson/demo video

Additional surprises

What did we get?

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Paletteful Packs Art Subscription Box Review

One positive thing about having to practice social isolation for the last few months is it gave us lots of opportunities to spark our creativity.  We spent lots of afternoons doing crafts and working on art projects.   My oldest daughter has missed the art classes she takes during the school year, so we were so thrilled that Paletteful Packs, an amazing art supply subscription box gave us not one, but two boxes for us to sample!

What do I love about this box?

Art is a wonderful way to express yourself and this box helps you explore new mediums you may not have tried before.  I like that you don’t need to be artistic to use their box because they can be used by any level of expertise. I also like that each box includes a card that gives tips and prompts.  This subscription box would be a wonderful way to support your child’s art classes, for homeschooling, and for additional art instruction if doing remote learning. Let’s face it…anything that keeps these kids off of electronics is a plus in my house!

What comes in each box?

Each month you’ll receive a thematic selection of art supplies. Every box will include a variety of media. Products include paint, pens, pencils, brushes, markers, and more!

What did we get?

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Orglamix & Wicked Good Review

Traveling is the perfect time to test out new beauty products.  It’s fun to experiment with new looks and see how long they last when you’re out having adventures.  Beauty boxes, like Orglamix, give you fun surprises each month that you can bring along on your trips.  As if we weren’t already thrilled to be receiving their box, they also offered us a box from their sister company, Wicked Good, a perfume subscription box!

What do I love about this box?

I used to not care what was in my cosmetics, but in the past few years I have started paying close attention to the ingredients.  I love that Orglamix prides itself on having clean cosmetics with 100% natural ingredients.  Their makeup is also cruelty-free, which is extremely important to me.

What comes in each box?

Each month they hand-pick trendsetting new eye shadow colors, cult favorites and cutting-edge beauty products and ship them to you.  When you sign up for Orglamix, every month you’ll receive a 4-6 expertly curated, good-for-you, artisan products including: non-toxic cosmetics, natural and sustainable, cruelty-free goods that you won’t find in any other subscription box.

What did we get?

Our theme was POOL PARTY!!!

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Match Made Coffee Review

Whenever I travel, I love to drink a cup of local coffee to start my day.  Coffee tells you a lot about the culture and there are endless ways to enjoy it.  What is the perfect treat to go with coffee?  How about a delicious cookie to pair with it? Match Made Coffee subscription box came up with the brilliant idea to do just that…coffee and a cookie chosen just for you!

What do I love about this box?

Match Made Coffee pairs organic coffees that are roasted and ground fresh with gourmet cookies that are baked fresh, packaged, and delivered right to your doorstep.  I love that these are small-batch coffee roasts that are cultivated from around the world. The only downside is they currently we do not offer decaf options. I don’t personally drink decaf coffee, but I have friends that do.

What does the company say is the best way to pair the coffee and cookies together to taste them?

Smell is a big part of taste, so smell your coffee first, then take a sip. Chewing activates your flavor receptors too, so chew your coffee a few times.

Slowly swallow your coffee so that it hits the taste buds all over your tongue and down your throat.

As you swallow, smell the cookie and take a nibble and chew a few times and swallow.

Then sandwich the cookie with the smell and nibble process on the coffee one more time.

Keep this up and enjoy!

What comes in each box?

2 bags of coffee grind and 2 cookies.

What did we get?

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