PopSugar MustHave August 2014

I think I say this every time, and I will say it again. PopSugar Must Have boxes are like a Christmas stocking in a box every month. Last month my box came late in the month. So far, I have really liked almost everything in the boxes. They are filled with little things I might not purchase for myself, but that I enjoy. That's how a gift should be. This is a gift I give myself, but I don't have to do the shopping. I am always pretty excited when the box arrives. This month was no exception. 

August was inspired by: 

PopSugar Must Have is a monthly subscription box of hand-selected items in beauty, fashion, home, fitness, and food. It's not a box of sample items. I love the variety . . .it's not just make-up or food or whatever. Everything is full-sized. Price is $39.95 per month, and they have 3-, 6-, and 12-month plans that lower the effective monthly box. Seems that almost every month there is a $10OFF code that can be found on-line.  So, you could un-subscribe and subscribe on a regular basis to get the best deal, while not missing out. They also offer single-purchase premium boxes at different times of the year. Every box comes with a card detailing the items. 

Kendra Scott Elle Earrings in Slate: I'm not sure if other people got different colors, but I really like these. Nice and neutral while being feminine. I am trying to expand my style and it's important to have some earrings that add some flexibility. Better than my routine every day studs. Also a coupon code for 20% off your next pair. Suggested Retail $52

Paddywax Ocean Tide + Sea Salt Mini Jar Candle: Made from soy wax, which is pretty cool. Smells great. Really fresh. I call it a win. Sugested Retail $10. 

Goodbyn Purple Meal and Dipper Set: Another score for me. I take my lunch to work most days and this handy little case gives me an option for my hummus. It's diswhasher safe and recyclable. All good things in my book. My husband thinks it looks like a kids meal box, but it works for me. Suggested Retail $8.

The Mason  Jar Cookie Company Celebrate! I didn't know what to expect from the picture, but it is essentially cookie mix in a jar, but not a jar . . . it's a plastic bag. Just add butter and egg and you're set. I don't use butter or eggs and the ingredients had animal based products, so I gifted it. My non-vegan friends love my subscriptions. Suggested Retail $12. 

Lollia At Last Perfumed Shower Gel: Smells amazing. I haven't tried it yet, but it's next when  I finish my current bottle of shower gel. Has shea butter and jojoba oil, so hopefully very softening, too. Suggested retail $22.

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip: It's in my handbag right now. I am constantly using lip balms, which isn't very feminine and I am trying to improve my style. This fits the bill. Soft, smooth, smells good, and just a hint of shine and color. It does look better than chapstick. Suggested Retail $22. 

And Finally, a special extra bonus item. thinkThin Brownie Crunch High Protein Bar: I used to love this brand before I gave up dairy. High protein and tasty. I gifted it, but I know it was good if you don't mind whey protein.

The August box is my favorite so far. I paid $39.95 because I haven't been canceling and joining with a discount code. I suppose I could, but that would take effort and I'm feeling a little lazy. I like a bargain and the value of the box was $126, maybe a little more if you add the value of the bar. I should just probably bite the bullet and do the annual subscription. For the first time, I did order the special fall box. It's pricier, but I'm excited to see what's in it.  

I'm looking forward to September, which is right around the corner. They have released a spoiler, so I'm super excited. Order today.

(This post contains affiliate links. These opinions are my own and are unsolicited. I have not received any compensation for my comments.)

Fun with Nieces

I have ten nieces and nephews. They were born in pairs. My oldest brother and my sister had children the same years and my middle brothers had children the same year ... except the last year, but still close. We don't live close to my family, so I haven't really had much time to spend with them. Several  years ago, when the oldest were entering senior year in high school, the Musician and I decided to have them come visit. Then, each of the next few years, we had the next pair out. We skipped a few years because there was a little gap, and then we moved or thought we were moving. The plan was that we could get to know them. Maybe show them a few new experiences. I thought we might show them colleges, but they had other plans. 

This year was the last pair. Kristen has already graduated and Kymbr is starting her senior year. This was Kymbr's first flight and Kristen's first without parents. The parents were pretty funny. Several texts with updates until they arrived. I texted them that they were safe and sound. Everyone can take a sigh of relief. I think the toughest thing for them was that they are typical midwestern girls from typical midwestern families ... that means meat and potatoes and dairy and eggs ... not in this house. They were scared and afraid. HEHEHE!!! 

After picking the girls up from the airport, we spent our first evening grilling meatless burgers and planning the next several days. They were unimpressed with the Vegan cheese, but didn't seem to hate the fries. Kymbr is artistic and Kristen is adventurous. We found a mix of both. 

High on the list of things the girls wanted to do was a Segway tour. Always fun and a good way to see the city. We booked with Segway Nation. Headed downtown first thing in the morning. Individual lessons and off we went. The Musician and I had done Segways before, so I was itching to go fast. We had a nice time getting used to the rides by zipping around a park and then for a tour of the city. We had a great guide, but I can't remember his name. Got a pretty good tour and had some nice photo ops. I learned a little more about the city, but I don't remember it all ... so much. 

Look Ma. No hands.

Remember the Alamo

After lunch at Senor Veggie, where we ran into some neighbors, we headed to the Witte Museum. At lunch, Kymbr was more adventurous, but not impressed with Lentil Chili. Kristen had pasta with red sauce. They liked corn fritters and chocolate chip cookies.

At the Witte, we went to the Grossology exhibit. We all thought it sounded cool. The Simmons clan is all about gross body stuff. It was OK, fun, but really geared towards a younger crowd. Some stinky stuff, and some games. I don't know what I expected. If they were 12 or younger,  I think it would have been awesome. We spent a fair amount of time playing games at the body exhibit ... all about your own body. I learned I have no upper body strength.Kristen made the rope pull look really easy. Our aura's were groovy. 
 We rode the sky bike and Kristen climbed a wall. She's quick like a monkey. The girls were not impressed with stuffed baked portabello mushrooms for dinner, but didn't mind the veggie chips. Also not high on their list of favorite foods is tofu scramble. But vegan pancakes ... not so bad.  Over the next few days, we did lots of little fun things. It was really HOT and we had no desire to be outdoors. We learned how to make beaded braided bracelets with a techniqee called Kumihimo. Kymbr is a master at braiding and does lots of friendhip bracelets. The beads added a new flavor for her and this was a new technique. We did some glass fusing. It's great for creative minds as well as those of us who prefer to follow directions. I really need to mail them their artwork.

We went miniature golfing at a glow in the dark indoor mini-golf. We played some air hockey. We tried a few vegan restaurants and meals. Cupcakes, yes. Veggie sushi yes. Edamame yes. Seaweed salad no. Kale salad no. Tacos with faux meat yes. We took the girls to family night at a western bar for a little drinking and country dancing ... the Musician took us each for a spin. Kymbr got to wear her boots.

Shirley Temples ... don't worry parents. I'm not corrupting them

It was hot, but not in the caverns, so we took a tour of the Natural Bridges Caverns. This was a lot of fun for me, because these two just feed off each other and did a lot of laughing and giggling. Funny, we don't drink sodas, but we offered sodas to the girls. Shocker!!! They thought vegan meant no junk food. What? One morning, at 10 AM, they were floored when we went through McDonald's for soda (them) and tea (me). OMIGOSH!!! Soda this early in the morning? Is that OK? And, how is it that these girls did not know that McDonald's sells cookies? They do now. Have I created monsters?

On the final day before the girls headed back to Kansas, we spent the day tubing. Classic San Antonio tradition. Sunburn patterns were splotchy. It was another really fun time for me watching the girls laugh and giggle the whole trip down the river. It was sad to see them go. I had fun. I hope they enjoyed the trip, too. When I took them to the airport, they were impressed with how quickly I maneuvered the kiosks and got their boarding passes and baggage claim. I am just going to harass my sibs because apparently my older brothers didn't make it seem so easy.

River Cities Triathlon 2014

Seems that about every year, there seems to be an issue with my training. I've been getting better at the training part the past few years, but this year was especially tough. If you know me well, you know that this year has been faced with hurdles . . .trying to overcome a hip injury, surgery, and some other issues that have really caused a lack of motivation. I signed up for this race several months ago, but I was going to have to travel for it, and I wasn't in the mood. My friends who were planning to do the race with me weren't going either, so I really didn't want to go. But, the swag is good . . .it's the reason some people sign up for this race. I convinced myself to pack and at least go to pick up the swag. Hey, I paid for it, right? At a minimum, we could have a weekend getaway. Fortunately, the Musician knew my struggles and had my bike tires pumped and Vaderette loaded in the bike rack before I got home to pack. I was unorganized and just couldn't figure out what to pack. I've done this triathlon thing before, right? It took forever, but we made it out of town and into Shreveport Saturday morning.

We went to Sportspectrum to pick up packet and I wasn't disappointed. The timing chip was disposable this year, so they didn't ask if I was planning to race, everything was in the bag.                                                                                 This is the 34th year of the race and it's got a reputation. Sells out in minutes. I set my alarm and cancel everything else to register. Sportspectrum does a great job. I wonder how well run their other races are? Probably pretty good. If I were local, I would check them out, too.                                                                               I remembered that I hadn't lubed the chain very well, so we went to River Cities Bicycle and they lubed her for free. Also, noticed I was missing my pedal cadence sensor so they replaced it, too. And, it was nice to talk to someone about Vaderette. Not many people know the Litespeed brand, or that they make carbon bikes (they are known for titanium). I highly recommend this shop. By the way, I love my bike. Just wish she came with a better motor. 

After all that was taken care of, we met our friends from the boat in the Galapagos for lunch. My non-vegan friends made and amazing (and huge) lunch of vegan food for us and we enjoyed it on the patio. They have beautiful property. Sharye designed every inch of the house, picked out every detail of finish and furnishings, and designed and planted every plant. She has a personal relationship with her plants and it was really fun to see them again. My mood improved. Next hurdle, get dressed and show up for the race.                                                                                                                                                       I laid out my gear to make it easier. Alarm went off at 4:45 AM and I got out of bed. Next hurdle, start the race. 

Met friends of friends and figured I was committed to race. Well, at least start the swim.  I was in a relatively early wave, so that was nice. Not much time to think about it. The water was nice, actually clear enough to see my hands. I have only been in the pool 5 times this year, so I wasn't prepared, so I wasn't nervous. Figured I could relax and just see what happened. I stayed to the outside and didn't get thrashed like last year . . .well, not until the back-half when I got caught up in the soup of the fast folks from the next wave. Surprised that I was a few seconds faster than last year? What what? And, according to the Garmin (which I am still figuring out), pretty straight. 800 meters/20:57

My usual picnic in T1. Still not feeling very stressed. Just out for a Sunday ride. It's only the 4th time I've been in the saddle this year and I stood there a bit wondering what I was supposed to do to get ready? 4:40

Bike was comfortable and smooth. Not very hilly. Noticed that the only sensor working on the bike computer was my pedal cadence sensor. Must figure this out at some point. A few minutes slower than last year, but I didn't feel completely spent. I might have looked like I needed encouragement. I got a lot of "good job" comments from cute guys, and an "I love your top" comment from a woman. Did I look that bad like I needed encouragement. Maybe so. Thanks guys. It helped. 18 miles/1:09:37

Rode into T2 and an official was waiting for little ole' me. The rules say no headphones or music players. I keep my phone as a safety device (security blanket). I don't hide it. I was told that if I wore it on the run, I would get another 2:00 penalty. I said "seriously? even if I'm not using it?" He said "yes." I said "Seriously, even though I'm probably dead last in my division? You're going to give me a penalty? Bring it, not like it matters." He said, "watch yourself." I wonder if they have a penalty for sass? I did leave the phone. Stopped on the way out and told the Musician. He is my defender. Doesn't like anyone screwing with me. He went and argued with the officials. "What about the folks with the jawbones? Aren't those headphones and music devices?" Anyway, next time, phone will likely be hidden in my gear bag, just like everyone else. 3:12

Headed out for run. Again, no expectations. This year was much cooler than last year, which may have helped the bike and certainly helped the run. I had my intervals set for 5-minute run, 1-minute walk. It helped. I was able to run the finish. A little slower than last year, but less trained, and with injuries that haven't fully recovered. I will take it. 5K/41:41

Thanks for the medal. Food was a chicken taco ...very sad I would be a little hungry. Watermelon, however, was awesome. I'll be back again next year. Total time: 2:17:23. No penalty added. I suppose that since the difference between me and the 40th of 41 finishes in my age group was 6-minutes, the 2-minutes really didn't matter. I was disappointed. I felt important getting a penalty.

2013 results for comparison

2014 results

Escape Monthly-Deluxe India Box

Escape Monthly is a destination-inspired monthly delivery of luxury products to help you relax, renew and escape! Indulge in experiences inspired by luxurious spas, tropical getaways, cultures of the world and more! - See more at: http://escapemonthly.com. If I can't take a real vacation every month, at least I can pretend with a vacation in a box. One monthly box includes a trip to the destination. If you just can't live without any extras of items in the box, you can buy them at escapemonthly.com/offers for a discount. All you have to do is enter your email address and they will send you a coupon code for the discount. They are now offering a less expensive (but no discounts) on a mini-box. It has fewer items (4-5 instead of 8, and no travel guide), but still full-size products and costs $24.95. This month they offered a deluxe box from India for $69.99 and promoted they had 25 boxes. I bought one. I wanted to see what was in the deluxe box to see what might be different. When the box arrived, it had some weight to it. It was a square gold box instead of the usual blue chevron. There was a scarf that didn't fit into the tightly packed box. 

As usual, but on different type of paper, the box arrived with a card detailing the items inside. There has been some disappointment on the Internet because the picture used promoting the box showed a few different items including a cute little snow-globe with an elephant. That wasn't included in the box. Also, some people thought the box wouldn't have ANY items that were in the regular box and there is one duplicate item, but a larger size. This wasn't really something to really get upset about, in my mind. I have to admit though, I would have liked something with an elephant, and the snow-globe looked cute.  I looked up prices of the items on-line to get an estimate of the value.

Authentic Indian Pashmina Scarf by Peach Coutoure. I usually don't wear yellow, but is a deep golden color that I think I can wear. It is 100% viscose rayon and really soft. I like that it is fair trade, eco-conscious, and handcrafted by women in India. I found it on-line for regular price $29.99, but currently on-sale for $9.99.

There were several items by Auromere. I liked that all the products are made in India and distributed by a U.S. Company. The Aromatherapy Incense 8-Fragrance Sampler contains 8 packets of 3 mini-sticks of Amber, Jasmine, Cedar, Lavender, Lily, Patchouli, Rose, And Sandal. It smells great still in the package. I like a bath with scented candles. I think I can relax with these. Retail $8.50. Conveniently, these came with a handmade Mother's Symbol (Lotus flower) Teak Incense Burner. It's pretty. Retail $2.00. And to round out the collection, Ayurvedic Himalayan Rose Soap. I'm not a huge fan of a heavy rose scent, but I won't turn it down. It feels moisturizing, so we will see. Retail $2.95. 

Included in the regular July box was the 5-mL version of the Nemat International Amber Oil. The deluxe box had the 10-mL version. I will probably gift one of them because I don't need both. The scented oil could be used on the skin or I plan to use it in a diffuser. You have to like the scent of amber, which I do. It's light and not too floral. Some people aren't a fan. Made in Fremont, California. Retail $15.50. 

Similar to the regular July box was Masala Pop Chai Masala Popcorn. This was better packaged than a similar item in the regular box, with a reclosable bag (not that I need to close it because I ate it at once). I couldn't keep my husband's hands out of them. I received Savory Masala with Papadums and Lentil Chips. I love non-GMO and Vegan. OMIGOD!!! This was really good. The packaging kept it fresh and the flavor pops. Really spicy. You can buy them on-line from their Portland, OR manufacturer for $15 for 3 2.0 oz bags, so the value of the single bag is $5.00.

There were some flavors for cooking included. First was Urban Accents Tandoori Gotta Cook Tonight Mix. I's a product of the USA for $3.99. And the other seasoning was Rub With Love Bengal Masala Rub. It's great on vegetables. Out of Seattle, WA for $6.50. I really like Indian food and Indian seasonings. I won't use the recipe suggestions because I don't eat meat, but I can definitely find ways to use these in my kitchen. 

The next item was quite a pleasant surprise for me. One day, I spent hours looking for Black Salt to make vegan deviled eggs. I finally found some, but it wasn't easy in Texas. I was happy to see Artisan Salt Kala Namak in a 7 ounce jar of fine salt. I will admit, not everyone will like this product of India. It has a very sulfuric smell and flavor. I personally love it, so I'm pretty happy. A little goes a long way, so I won't have to hunt all over town for quite a while. Retail $10.99. 

India wouldn't be complete without Chai. The box included Tao of Tea 500-mile Chai Tea Tin. The black leaves smell incredible. I don't have a tea pot and strainer, but I have a good friend who does. She can share with me. We can relax and sip after adding some plant-based milk and sugar. Of course, I could just smell it all night and feel pretty relaxed. I found a 4-oz tin or you could purchase by the ounce on-line for $2.25/ounce. The 2-ounce tin, which will brew 30-35 cups, is valued at $4.50. Of course, you can't sip tea without a cup, so the box included Earthen Light Brown Handmade Teacup. I found these on-line in sets of 4 for $12.15 (currently on-sale for $10.95), so the value for the 1 cup is ~$3.00. They appear to be made in China.

And the final item in the box is kind of fun. I'm not sure when I will play with the EarthHennna Classic Kit  of henna tattoos, but I can probably find some fun excuse. There is enough henna for about 15 designs and the kit comes with 16 stencil transfers to play with. Each tattoo should last 7-10 days on the skin and the paste for 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. Maybe I'll have a little henna party with some girlfriends when we're feeling a little wild and crazy. Retail $16.95 (but currently on sale for $10.95). Made in the USA.




 I am glad to see that there were more items FROM India in the deluxe box than in the regular box. I do really like the collection, so I'm not going to get really upset that the box didn't match the marketing picture. Sure, I would have liked a cute elephant snow-globe, but it's not the end of the world. It would have collected dust. I will actually find use for everything in the box.

I calculated the value to be about $109.87 at full price, but with current sales, closer to $85. Like the regular monthly boxes, I really would like to see a higher value that exceeds the price ($69.99 for the deluxe box) a little more. The marketing advertised a >$150 value, but I didn't see it. I feel like Escape Monthly could get some good bargains because they buy in bulk and could up the ante a bit. I will admit, that I remain on the fence about continuing since I do have some other subscription boxes that make me feel like I'm getting greater value for the expense. But, darn it, they keep tempting me with exciting new locations for the upcoming months, so I keep thinking "let's see what [Paris in August] has and then I'll decide."

(This post contains affiliate links. These opinions are my own and are unsolicited. I have not received any compensation for my comments.)