Hello Fresh Review and $40 OFF Coupon

Get $40 off your first week of Hello Fresh with Coupon Code: E9SK5C

I've tried every meal subscription that I know of (Blue Apron, Hello Fresh, Plated, Munchery) and I have decided that I have been sufficiently jazzed about this one to share it with all of you.

I am very selective in my meal choices, there are a lot of ingredients I'm not fond of (mushrooms, miso, curry, fennel - really anything that is very pungent).

So if you're like me and you like to consume comfort foods that are a little healthier for you on a regular basis, this review is for you!

First of all, the nitty gritty details: for $69/week you can get 3 meals for 2 people - BUT there is a BONUS OFFER CODE that gives you the full week for just $29, so you get $40 OFF!! That's a steal. The coupon code to enter at checkout is: E9SK5C

Try this subscription out for a week, there's no obligation, minimum order or monthly fee so you can cancel any time.

You can choose any 3 recipes you want from the Classic Box or Veggie Box. Unlike Blue Apron you are not limited to choosing 2 protein meals per week.

You get this giant box full of all of the healthy fresh ingredients which are separated by little baggies labeled with each recipe - very straight forward and thorough!

Now the best part, the meals for the week of 4/6/2015 (each photo is of one portion but you receive ingredients for two portions):

Steak Sandwiches with Horseradish Cream & Tomato-Watercress Salad from Hello Fresh

What's great about this service is that allergens and nutritional facts are listed in the meal choices each week.

My husband and I are *not chefs* and we are not even good home cooks, and as you can tell by the photos in this post, all of our meals looked and tasted as if they were made by Food Network Celebrity Chefs (Bobby Flay eat your heart out)!!!

This meal was probably the heartiest of the three and the meat was tender and tasted very natural and organic. It didn't take us longer than 30 min. to prepare and we had as much fun making it as we did consuming it!

Spring Asparagus & Shrimp Risotto with Meyer Lemon from Hello Fresh

This plate looks more delicious than most meals I've had at high end Italian restaurants in NYC. I still cannot believe that we made and plated this with our own hands! I will say that my husband is an artist, maybe that has something to do with how well it turned out. Regardless, this meal was our favorite!

The seasoning is entirely up to you - you can use more or less salt & pepper, lemon, Parsley and cheese as you want to. Although recipes have recommendations you can always tailor them to your wants/needs. You can even choose to omit certain ingredients if you're trying to be more health conscious or you just don't like the flavor (I will say that in other subscriptions I have avoided fennel seeds and pungent mushrooms).

Rosemary-Walnut Crusted Chicken with Roasted Potatoes & Mixed Green Salad from Hello Fresh

By the third meal, I am convinced that we are Michelin-Star Chefs. This meal is baked, yes, the potatoes and chicken are baked, not fried. This was absolutely delicious and phenomenally crunchy for a baked meal. The chicken was moist and tender because there is a barrier of mustard between the rosemary-walnut mixture and the chicken breast.

If you were to pay full price for these meals, they would come to $11.50 per person - now I don't know any restaurant where you can get this amount of fresh food with pretty healthy meal breakdowns for such a cheap price, so I will still be ordering this service even at full price. If you use the trial, each person's portion comes to just $4.83!!! Remember you have to use the coupon code at checkout for that price: E9SK5C

The service lets you skip weeks so you can look at the recipes and if there aren't three that strike your fancy out of the five options you opt out of that week's delivery.

Do you get Hello Fresh? What do you think about it? Share your thoughts and experiences with me below and also feel free to ask any questions!

Panty By Post - Panty Subscription Review

Panty By Post is a panty subscription service from Vancouver, BC and I was kindly sent a sample for review (but I'm not an affiliate or anything so this opinion is honest). There are 3 subscription services offered, one is the Everyday Basics ($15/panty), another is their Signature Line ($22/panty), and they have a Premium Luxe ($35/panty) option. You can choose either 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions of each of the tiers. The difference between the subscriptions is that they offer a wide variety of different styles. Sizes range from XS to 5X so there's something for everybody!

Everyday Basics features comfy, easy breezy, everyday elegant styles

Signature Line features playful & sexy bottoms which are unique, colorful and stylish

Premium Luxe features high end fabrics, ultra feminine cuts & one-of-a-kind looks

The best feature of this subscription service is the fact that you can choose to receive briefs only, thongs only, or a mixture of both. I always felt that other, less expensive, panty subscriptions would sent out a lot of thongs and it's so refreshing to have a choice especially because of the higher price point of this service.

The panty package comes in a discreet, girly beautiful paper envelope and each panty is wrapped in tissue paper. It also comes with a card which describes the style, brand and color of your panty. 

I was very impressed with the quality of the fabric and panty. I received a Medium Indigo-colored panty by the brand Blush. This pair of panties reminds me of some expensive panties I own from Calvin Klein which I have loved for years. Although these are not meant to be seamless, the lace detail is so fine and sewn so flush against the main fabric of the panties that it really does not show through any of my tight leggings.

The back of the panty was ruched! What an awesome little detail that adds so much to the design and feel of the panties. This "basic" pair of panties feels anything but basic, it feels feminine, whimsical and absolutely delightful because of the wonderful trim detail, color choices and ruching.

The fabric is stretchy and has a lot of give for extremely high comfort, and you can see up close in this detail shot that the stitching is properly done and there are no loose threads (I get so frustrated when I buy a pair of panties from stores and then realize they elastics are already loose and shredding off before having worn them!).

This panty subscription has definitely won my heart and if you're looking for a great present for Valentine's Day for a loved one or "just because" you want to treat yourself, please look into this quality, high-end panty subscription.

I kind of wish I tried the Signature Line just because the photos online look so beautiful as well and I love me some whimsy but the Everyday Basics line was the most practical to review.

If you're looking to try a higher-end panty subscription, go to Panty By Post and enter the code IMNEW15 which gives you $15 off a subscription of your choice.

Julep Maven Starter Box Unboxing - January 2014

Seattle-based company, Julep, caught my eye about half a year ago but I have a plethora of nail polishes and saw no need to get more. However, while reading another beauty blog, I discovered they have a promo code "FREEBOX" which lets you get 1 free intro box and see what their Julep Maven Subscription Service is like. I literally received my box the very next day after I subscribed. Granted, the only catch here is that you have to pay around $4 for taxes and some shipping cost and they get your credit card on file (I have already sent customer service an email asking them to remove my card so that I am not billed for the following month).

If you want to sign up, click here: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/371425/

They have 5 different profiles that you can fit into (after filling out a short questionnaire): Modern Beauty, Boho Glam, Bombshell, Classic With a Twist, It Girl. I got "Bombshell" and I actually liked the box associated with my profile best (however, if you don't like your box, you can always choose any other box) - so you always know exactly what you're getting. There's also huge discounts for those who are purchasing other items (some can be as much as 40-50% off).

I received the following: 

Julep - Mighty Nail & Cuticle Serum Pen

Julep - Nail Polish - Zelda (pink champagne metallic)

Julep - Nail Polish - Kendra (an army green frost)

Julep - Blank Canvas - Mattifying Face Primer (sample packet)

This is what the polishes look like on:

Julep Zelda Nail Polish 

Julep Kendra Nail Polish

I really like their polishes, they're smooth and true to color, you can easily achieve the color that you see in the bottle usually on the first coat. I really enjoyed the cuticle pen as well because it didn't leave my cuticles feeling too oily like the "Solar Oil" I normally use but did leave my cuticles feeling softer and more moisturized.

Here's where you can buy the full sized products:

Glossybox December 2013 Unboxing

I'm rarely disappointed by Glossybox. Last month (November) I had a really irritating experience though. The majority of my products arrived broken and I contacted customer service and they sent a replacement box... which was *also* broken. So I contacted them again and they refunded my entire monthly cost, which is good but still kind of sad that I didn't get the products to show you guys what my box was.

So moving on to better news: This is the December 2013 Box! I received:

1. Anatomicals - You Need a Blooming Shower - Body Cleanser
2. Michael Todd - Pumpkin Rich Facial Mask
3. Nails Inc. Nail Polish - Victoria
4. Ardency Inn - PUNKER Eyeliner
5. Naobay - Oxygenating Cream Moisturizing



I love everything in this box! The Anatomicals cleanser has that classical rose scent and is a very affordable cleanser you can get - it's such a luxurious treat for your bath or shower, it's not sticky or gooey at all. The Michael Todd Pumpkin Mask I am very familiar with, as it was sent out earlier in 2013 in an Ipsy Glam Bag (I received it then too) and I'm happy to get it again. The color of the Nails Inc. polish is a deep burgundy red. You need to apply more than one coat to get complete coverage but I usually apply 2 and a top coat, so you'll be fine if you do too. The liquid eyeliner is in a chubby pen format with a felt tip (felt tips are my absolute favorite method for applying my liquid eyeliner) and you can get a thick line or a very thin line - it is a true black. The Naobay facial moisturizing cream is organic and natural - I love getting good-for-you products in these boxes and this will definitely be used!

This month's theme was "Gloss & Glamour" and I  think they really hit the nail on the head for the holidays with this one. The colors chosen were classy and perfect for any occasion.

Let me know if you would like an invite to Glossybox so you're not wait-listed!

You can purchase some of the products you see here:

Birchbox November 2013 Unboxing Video

Hi all,

I just got my Birchbox in the mail today and I was so excited to show it to you guys that I had to make a quick video to show you! I figured I will switch to video format for my unboxings since its probably best for you guys to see everything up close and in comparison with other products. 

Check out the video below and subscribe for more videos!!

http://youtu.be/kKHO2dmr0J8

October Glossybox Unboxing - Byrdie Edition

I've gotten many requests to show my readers what's in the subscription boxes I get monthly so I figured I would start with October! I subscribe to Ipsy, Birchbox and Glossybox, so I will review all of those for you every month starting now.

The subscription: Glossybox

The cost: $21 US/month

Total product value: $76.57

Why is it unique? You get beauty products from Europe, Asia and everywhere else. Very high quality products every month, I have never received a dud and I've been subscribed since March 2013.

Every month, you receive substantial codes for some of the products provided in the Glossybox. This is quite customary for any subscription service. Here's a preview of the contents of my October box (usually these arrive in the mail near the end of the month). I was VERY excited when I saw the preview of the box with a full-sized Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara!

This month subscribers received a Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream in a generous deluxe sample size, (this retails for $42 at 1.7oz) we received the 0.5oz so the value of this product is $12.35. It smells just like what you would imagine a lotus to, very plant-like. I have been using it and it is quite moisturizing, but it's quite a pricey product that I don't think I would purchase on my own. This is a nice, luxurious sample to get.

I received a Renu Exfoliating Gel which retails for $42 at 50 ml and we received a 20 ml deluxe sample so the value of it is $16.80. Subscribers either received this sample or Sesha's Anti-Wrinkle Mask. This feels delightful on the skin, it really does feel like it's cleaning up the dead skin cells on my face, but again this is quite an expensive product, especially since it's a cleanser, so it's nice to receive such a large sample because I probably won't go out and purchase it.

Subscribers also received a deluxe sized sample of Bulgari's Eau Parfumee Au The Vert, which reminds me of a spring scent because it's made with "Green Tea" as the base note. However, this is the most adorable sample I have ever seen because it's in a miniature retro glass container. The full sized product is 1.33oz and retails for $62. The sample is 0.17 fluid oz so it is valued at $7.92. The scent is fresh and light, definitely not overpowering and I find that it takes on an even better smell on my skin.

balance Me. has provided every subscriber with their limited edition tinted lip salve that is 100% natural. The product received was the full size which retails for $16.50 at 10ml. You can see that it swatches to a much letter intensity than the pumpkin color inside the tube. It's an extremely liquid formula, not sticky or unpleasant to wear. The super soft beige color was created exlusively for Birchbox. The gloss smells like peppermint and emphasizes lip size, creating a bee-stung effect. Great product, I would definitely recommend trying this out.

And now the product we've all been waiting for, Tarte's Lights Camera Flashes Mascara!!! This puppy retails for $23 for the full size and that's exactly what Glossybox gave us! The packaging is magnificent, there is no funky smell like some other mascaras, and it lengthens and provides so much extra volume to my lashes that I can actually feel the difference. My lashes have never hit the skin above my eyelid, but with this, they definitely do and I love it! The applicator is easy to use, it's a silicone bristled applicator and I have an extremely easy time applying the wet formula with it. I highly recommend trying this mascara, in my opinion it's worth every penny.