This week's giveaway: Sample Bag!!!!!

This is the first of our weekly giveaways. All giveaways will open on Thursday afternoon and run until Wednesday evening the following week. This week's giveaway is a bag from Murad that is just STUFFED with samples!! Please note, that these are all SAMPLES, and not full sized products. The samples included:

·      Murad Beauty Bag

·      Secret Clinical Strength Deodorant

·      Outlast Hand Sanitizer

·      L’Oreal Ever Sleek Shampoo

·      L’Oreal Ever Sleek Conditioner

·      L’Oreal Ever Sleek Leave in Crème

·      Dove Fashion Earrings

·      Duchess Marden Damascena Face Crème

·      Burt’s Bees Radiance Eye Cream

·      Burt’s Bees Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream

·      Burt’s Bees Radiance Body Lotion

·      Frizz Ease Sheer Solution

·      Got 2 Be Smooth Operation Lustre Lotion

·      Bodycology Cherry Blossom Hand and Body Lotion

·      Bodycology Brown Sugar Vanilla Hand and Body Lotion

·      Bodycology Brown Sugar Vanilla Body Mist

·      DHC Velvet Skin Coat

·      DHC Q10 Eye Cream

·      Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Daily Targeted Deep Wrinkle Treatment

·      Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Pro Deep Wrinkle Cream

·      Shout Wipe & Go Instant Stain Remover

·      Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation

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Giveaway is over.

Citrus Lane June Review

Wow! Just when you think they cannot get any better, they send an amazing box yet again!!!

This month was all about art! My little ones have been having such a fun time with everything in the box, and you will see from my picture that some things only made it a short time out of the box.

What was in this month's box?

• A small tub of "Play-dough", in blue. It is a really nice textures and cleans up well. Amazon sells 5 for $18.64 so the value is about $3.67
• 2 packets of Eco-kids finger paint. amazon sells 5 for $22.69. Approximate value is $9.07. These are really nice because you mix them yourself and can make a very small amount at a time. 
• Baby Ganic Go Away Stain 2 oz bottle. Amazon sells 3 for $11.97. Approixmate value $3.99
• Hohner Puppy Slide Flute. Amazon price of $9.99
• Putumayo Kids CD Sampler. This is only available from their own website. They charge $29.96 for the CD. What is nice is you get to hear songs from each of the CDs they have. I would value it at $5-10. 
• 1 Junzo Tarada punch out animal. I honestly think this animal was too hard for my 2 year old, but my 9 year old LOVED it. They sell a pack of 20 for $21.24 on amazon, so they are about $1.06
• If that was not enough, they once again sent a GIFT CARD. This time $35 (!!!!!!) to Minted.com Unlike the other gift cards, your gift card does not cover shipping. My shipping was only $3.95, so very reasonable!

The total value for JUST the items is $32.78 PLUS a $35 gift card! I would make it a value to me (I used my gift card) of $67.78


If you are not yet a Citrus Lane member, it is a monthly subscription service that is $25 a month. They base YOUR box on your child's age and gender, and goes up until age 3!

Birchbox June Review

So, I really thought you could not get worse than Bluum. Last month, Birchbox was SO good, this month was a COMPLETE fail. I am very upset with them, and am really thinking of cancelling. I feel like they are dishonest in what they promise will be in boxes, and completely misleading. You will notice that a LOT of the Birchboxes out there for this month had full sized products. Not only did I NOT get a single full sized product, but I also got 3 products that are complete junk-- make that 4 products. What's in the box??

• Sample size of Blender Cleanser. This is not even labelled with a size. Says simply that it is a sample size. I would not even value it at $1
• Number 4 Super Comb Prep and Protect-- I received a 1.45 oz size. A 6.7 oz product is $27 on amazon, making this worth $5?? There are MAYBE 2 uses in this little bottle
• TheBalm Stainiac .04 oz (yes, .04) Full size is .3 and is $17 I do not even think 1/10 of the full size would be $1. :(
• Comodynes Self Tanning Wipes. $2 each on Amazon. Worth $4. The problem is, I have VERY light skin and they sent me an "intense" color, so basically this is trash to me. 
• A tili bag. Before you get all excited, this is a cheap zip-loc bag. They are priced on their own website at about $1 each. And a note to all other Birchbox folks. The info says this can be used as a carry on for liquids. IT CANNOT because, well, it is not CLEAR!!! FAIL, Birchbox, FAIL!
• Oh, and how could I forget the MEN'S SAMPLE they sent. That is RIGHT, they sent me a MEN'S sample. I have junk to get rid of too Birchbox, please do not send me your junk you have no other use for. Birchbox FAIL. It anyone is wondering, it is a little perfume sample. Yes, like the ones they try to attack you with at the department store.

All in all, you could add these up and the total is $12. Because I cannot use the wipes, it is worth $8 to me. $8 for a bunch of junk that will probably be thrown out once it all expires.

At this point, I am giving them one more month. I liked my full sized product from last month, so MAYBE they will be ok next month. This month was a waste of my money, and I would not suggest or recommend Birchbox.


UPDATE!!!! I DID CONTACT BIRCHBOX AND WAS TOLD I WAS MISSING A FULL SIZED BRONZER, BUT THEY WERE OUT. THEY CREDITED MY ACCOUNT WITH $10 WHICH IS WHAT THE MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION COSTS! AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND GETTING THAT ONE ITEM WOULD HAVE MADE MY BOX VERY WELL WORTH IT!!!!

May Bluum Review

So sorry for such a late post on Bluum! We got busy around here with the start of summer! :)

This is my last month of Bluum, and boy am I glad!!! The month of May was about as good as any other month with Bluum-- although I did not get yet MORE Wedela samples! I apologize because the Applesauce that was included in the box was immediately devoured by my 1 year old, so it did not make the picture!

In this month's box:

• Ella's Kitchen Applesauce Food Pouch-- Amazon Price: $1.85  My daughter did seem to enjoy it!
• My Dentist's Choice Tooth Tissues-- 1 Wipe-- Yes, you read that right-- they included 1 wipe. Amazon values this at----24 cents. I did use it on my daughter and she HATED them. The taste must have been rather unpleasant. 
• SuperGoop Sunscreen Wipe-- 1 Wipe--Yes, again, 1 wipe. Amazon values these at 85 cents a wipe. 
• Palmer's Skin Care Therapy--a 2 fl oz bottle. VERY small. Amazon values it at (based on a per ounce value) $2.94
• Green Babies Tearless Baby Me Shampoo and Wash- .17 oz-- Amazon values it at (based on a per ounce value) at 28 cents. They did include 2 (I think on accident), so this would be valued at 56 cents. 

When we add all of this up, the TOTAL is $6.44 and that is fairly generous. Bluum boxes are 12.00/ month (a fact you will not find on their website unless you subscribe), so this is, without a DOUBT NOT worth it! They seem to spend more time on their boxes and packaging than in the contents.