Johnsonville Cajun Celebration kit!

Alright, a few months back I had signed up for a party kit from Johnsonville Meat Company. I thought that it was a scam when come March, I never received my kit, so I didn't think anything of it until a group I follow on Facebook said they finally received theirs! I was ecstatic! Amazingly, a few days later mine came in the mail as well! So I'm here to share my excitedness (yes spell check...I know, that's not a word!)! Anyways, here's what my kit looked like!:

HOLY CRAP! That is a ton of stuff! I was SO shocked to see all of this when it came. I was very blessed and grateful to have received this as it's given a little help to my family :)

My Kit included:

This was a cheapo mask that I received. It's red feathered with a cheap cardboard backing and a cheap elastic band. Trash compared to the other two, not to mention when you wear it, it tickles your nose! This will be given to my nieces to play with...they can do what they wish with it.

The next one was better, it is a pretty gold with gold lace around the edges, and a gold gem ontop. This has a ribbon tie in the back and is made out of a nice plastic material. The only thing that bugs me is the fact that there are super glue strings left alllllll over it. :(

The last, and my absolute FAVORITE is this awesome black beauty! Look at the size of this thing!!!! It's GORGEOUS! I will most certainly be keeping this on my shelf <3 It reminds me of the Black Swan or Batman :P

10 Mardi Gras bead necklaces! Of course, these are just the normal cheapo plastic bead necklaces. These will go to both my nieces and my kittens...they always have fun with them :)

Next:

This awesome apron! It says Johnsonville Cajun Celebration on the front, and has two pockets near the bottom. This is a nice item, but a little short. Some people like that, others don't, I personally don't care, as long as I'm not getting food all over my clothing :) I love this item!

5 recipe booklets! I only showed four here, but there are indeed 5 of them. The recipes include: Simple Shrimp Creole, Red Beans & Rice, Nawlin's Low Country Boil, Dirty Rice, Andouille & Chicken Gumbo with Black Eyed Peas & Greens, Cajun Shrimp Stew, Hot Italian Sausage & Shrimp with Asiago Grits, Johnsonville Cajun Chicken Sausage Jambalaya and finally, Andouille Sausage Cajun Scramble. We're not big Cajun fans here, but I'd love to try a few of these recipes.

A nice two part magnet from Red Gold, Red Pack tomatoes. The middle is shaped like a can of Red Pack tomatoes, and once you pop that out, you're left with the outer part that is used as a frame :) So cute!

A Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices Shopping List which is ALWAYS handy to have around! Not to mention this is magnetic as well, so you'll always know where it is! I'm not sure how many sheets it has on it, but there are quite a bit!



 

A Klondike Brands cutting board with a recipe for Roasted Cajun Potatoes! This isn't a super high quality cutting board, it's just like a flimsy plastic, so I'll be using this for nail polish and clay, so I don't make a mess everywhere :) My dad also makes a killer spicy roasted potato, so we'll let him do his own recipe :P

I also received an awesome little measuring spoor from Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices. On the front it has 1 Table Spoon & 1 Teaspoon, and when you flip it over, it has little divets that hold 1/4 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon! How cool is that? I can't wait to use this :)

4 More recipe cards! From back to front: Red Gold Cajun Queso Dip, Orange Scented Pork & Veggie Stew, Hearty Italian Salad, and Cheesy Ham and Tomato Rice Supper which I DEFINITELY want to try!



 

We also got this HUGE reusable grocery tote bag! It says "Pretty Big for a Shrimp The Shrimp Council". This thing is GIGANTIC! I will be using this when I go shopping, but for now it's housing all of this stuff :)

Next we got 2 food items, and coupons for food items as well!

The 2 products we got were:

A bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce! It says "One Drop Does it!"!! I'm so excited because I LOVE hot sauce, and we have been out of it for a while now. I can not WAIT to use this! The label is a little peeled off because they wrapped it in sticky bubble wrap :P

The last food item besides the coupons was this can of Red Gold Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies! I'm so excited because I'm thinking of making my own queso, I love that stuff :) And it's awesome because it has a recipe for it on the side, and on one of the cards I got in this.

Now we have the coupons!:



 

The first one is a coupon for One FREE Tomato Product from Red Gold, Redpack, Tuttorosso or Sacramento brand up to $1.99. I already redeemed this for a 1 pound 12  oz can of Red Pack Crushed Tomatoes in Thick Puree so my mom can make some spaghetti sauce :)

This one is for One FREE package, any flavor of NEW Johnsonville Premium Cooking Sausage up to $4.99!!! How awesome is this?! I already redeemed this coupon as well, and picked up a package of Polish Kielbasi. I'm a sucker for it, and we never buy it :)

This one is for One FREE Uncle Ben's Ready Rice product up to $2.50!! Another awesome coupon in which I already redeemed. This one was awesome though because the rice I got, which was Creamy Four Cheese (yum!) was on sale for $2.00, but it gave the whole amount of the coupon off! SCORE! I got Creamy Four Cheese so I could make it with the Kielbasi! :)

This one is for Buy One Get One FREE for a tube of Gourmet Garden Herbs & Spices! I believe this said up to $3.99 on the back. I haven't used this one yet, but hopefully will soon! :)

This one is for $1.00 off one 16 oz. or larger olive oil from Pompeian! This is great because Olive Oil is very expensive now. I haven't used this coupon either.

The last item in my bag is this coupon for $1.00 off one 24 oz. Bag of Klondike Brands Potatoes. I've never heard of this brand, but I'm sure they sell it somewhere around here. I haven't used this one either, :)

 

This was an AWESOME package, and like I said, it helped our family out! Big thanks to Johnsonville Sausage, Uncle Ben's, Red Pack, Red Gold, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Gourmet Garden, Klondike, Pompeian, and the Shrimp Council!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bulu Box April 2013 unboxing!

Hello all! I have another subscription box unboxing :) This time it's the Bulu Box! I'm going to start off my saying, I'm not a health nut. So at first this box didn't really catch my eye, I thought it was going to just be weight loss samples, vitamins, ect, but I got a free box, so I wanted to go for it. It's not what I thought it was! There are so many things in here! I'm proud to say that this box is going to change the way I care about myself, and this is one box I will be sticking with. There are two types of Bulu Boxes:

The original Bulu Box is a monthy subscription service in which you pay $10 a month for a box of 4-5 premium samples plus lifestyle extras from time to time. As the first and only vitamin and supplement sample box, this box includes a well-rounded sampling of vitamins and supplements that help in all areas of health. Every box is a feel good discovery.

Bulu Box Weightloss is a monthly subscription service in which you pay $10 a month for a box of 4-5 premium weight loss samples such as vitamin and supplement samples, fitness gear and healthy eating tools. The first and only weight loss subscription box, this box was designed with the specific goal of weight loss in mind. Discover products to help you succeed with weight loss.



I'm personally subscribed to the original Bulu Box,  and with this being my first box, I think I'm hooked! As I said above, I'll be keeping this subscription and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves being healthy, or who is just starting out with supplements and vitamins. Who knows, when I decide to start a diet, I may subscribe to both! The boxes come with a card that tells you all about the products, as well as a little booklet of workouts.

This is my first box:



 

The first product received is:

CocoaVia Daily Cocoa Extract Supplement! This product is neat, these are flavored packets that contain cocoa flavanols that are good for supporting cardiovascular health! From the card:

"Improve Circulation: Support cardiovascular health with the delicious taste of rich, dark chocolate packed with cocoa flavanols. Mix one packet into your milk, yogurt, oatmeal or protein drink for a 250 mg boost of heart health support."

This came as a 4 sample variety pack that included a sweetened dark chocolate, unsweetened dark chocolate, cran-raspberry and summer citrus packets. I'm very interested in this product, and I can't wait to try it. I really like that you can put it in a variety of things including milk, yogurt, oatmeal, ect. I think it's awesome to have a product that can be put in multiple things. Also, a little fun fact, this is made my Mars Botanical, which is a subdivision of Mars Incorporated, A.K.A the people who make M&M's :) Now, honestly. if I would have seen these in stores, I would have walked by them without a doubt, but I LOVE being able to get new items right at my door.

You can buy a box with 15 servings for $19.99, making each packet about $1.33, and making this total sample packet about $5.32!

Next up:

EBoost Natural Energy drink mix! I've always heard of these, and I have heard these are pretty delicious! I'm SO happy I got an awesome flavor of two of my favorite fruits, Acai Pomegrante! From the card:

"Natural Energy + Vitamins: If you'd rather stick your hand in a tarantula cage than drink a calorie and sugar loaded energy drink, then EBoost is your solution! EBoost Natural Energy has no sugar and provides lasting energy with a vitamin boost for a healthy immune system!"

Not only does this product not contain sugar, it's also Gluten and Soy free! I haven't tried this yet either, but will certainly do it before I do some yard work tomorrow!

You can purchase a box of 20 packets for $28.00 on their website, making this sample approximately $1.40.

Next:

Barlean's Omega Swirl Fish Oil in Key Lime. This is a sample I wasn't crazy to receive, but it's whatever. I want to say I've tried an orange flavor of this before and it was very gross and oddly textured, but what can you expect, it's fish oil! From the card:

"Delicious Omega-3: Does your fish oil leave a fishy taste in your mouth? Barlean's Omega Swirl is a smoothie-like alternative to traditional fish oil pills. Same energy boosting, bone-building, heart healthy benefits in flavors like Key Lime and Mango Peach."

I'm not crazy about this, but most certainly will try it out. Now one thing I find very weird, is on the back it says "...Has the taste and texture of a key lime pie." How on Earth is a greasy liquid the same texture of key lime pie?...weird :)

You can purchase an 8 oz bottle for $16.27 on their website, making this sample packet approximately $.50 (I made my dad do the math... :))

Next!:



 

This is a Lifestyle Bonus for the month, XyloBurst Xylitol Chewing Gum in Green Tea! This is AWESOME! It's a natural chewing gum made with 100% all natural xylitol and sugar free! From the card:

"Improve Dental Health: Sweetened with Xylitol which has 40% fewer calories than sugar and helps prevent cavities! Your teeth will multitask their way to a lifetime of uneventful dental checkups by chewing XyloBurst gum every day!"



Now I've never chewed Green Tea gum before, but I'm doing it as I type, and holy hell is it delicious! My dad and I are huge fans of Arizona Unsweetened Tea, and this tastes JUST like it with almost a little minty boost! One thing that makes me very happy is that even though this is a sugar-free gum, it doesn't contain Sorbitol, so I can actually chew it! On the back, it says "Remember: Chew XyloBurst gum after each meal, Xylitol can help prevent cavities, XyloBurst is the gum that cleans your teeth! NON-GMO"

I think this was an awesome addition to the box!

You can purchase a 100ct. bottle of this gum on their website for $8.99, or a box with 12 of these blister card packets for $14.99, making this pack of gum roughly $1.25 which is SO cheap!!! I will definitely be purchasing more of this :)

Next up:

BQuick Fuel Performance Protein drink mix in Chocolate. This is another item I've very interested in! I received a Whey Protein packet from Conscious Box this month, and was disappointed because it told of being for muscle gain so when I got this, I almost put it aside for a family member, but thought the packaging was too interesting, so I turned it over to see it offers cardiovascular benefits as well, which I'm all for! From the card:

"Fuel for an Active Life: Packed with 25g of protein and 2000mg of L-Glutamine, FUEL is a performance booster and a functional recovery protein shake. Made with all-natural ingredients, antioxidants and omegas, this is how you fuel your day the right way."

It says that you mix one packet with every 8-10oz of the beverage of your choice and take with a meal, pre-workout, or post-workout! I'm wondering if this tastes similar to the Slim Fast shakes...if so I'll be in love. Another interesting thing, looking at the ingredients on the back, it says it's made with Acai Fruit Powder! I wonder if you can taste it?

You can purchase single serving packets, like this, on their website for $3.95!

Last but not least:

Neo-Chill Suntheanine Chill Pill! Yes, you read that right, a literal chill pill! How cool is that? These clinically tested pills reduce stress, promote relaxation and supports calmness! I definitely have a lot of stress in my life and I can't wait to use this! And the best part about it is that this sample comes with 2 capsules, and on the back it says to take one as needed, so this is a two timing sample! Those are the best :) From the card:

"Focus & Relaxation: Fidgeting with the edges of this card? Shifting focus? Find your chill place with help from Neo-Chill which uses L-Theanine to stimulate alpha waves in the brain leaving you feeling relaxed, yet alert."

Honestly, how neat is this? I said it before, but I can't wait to use this! :)

You can purchase a 24 capsule package on Bulu Box's homepage for $21.19 making each pill about $.88, and making this entire sample packet about $1.76! 

This boxes overall price is $14.18 which is awesome because you only pay $10 a month with FREE shipping! It was even better for me because I got this box free :)

I really think that this subscription service is one of the best out there. The products are awesome, and you get a lot for your money. I love trying new things, and this definitely helps me to do that.

BuluBox.com

CocoaVia.com

EBoost.com

Barleans.com

XyloBurst.com

BQuickNutrition.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zoya Pixie Dust Collection Summer 2013, Swatches & Review!

I have another installment of the Pixie Dust Collection from ZOYA only this time it's SUMMER EDITION! Yay! Now, as you may have recalled in my other Pixie Dust post, I wasn't crazy about them. The textures, the colors, they all just seemed off to me. So I was very excited to see the beautiful colors they chose for the summer collection, and I'm already feeling better about this group than the last!

If you don't know what Pixie Dust is, they are a new line of polish from ZOYA that is a matte, glitter infused polish. It dries to a textured sand like finish, and is EXTREMELY sparkly. They’re similar to OPI’s new polish Liquid Sand that were introduced in the Mariah Carey collection. From ZOYA's website:

“Infused with magic and wonder! The latest “must-have” nail polish finish – textured, matte and sparkling! This newly developed formula is sure to captivate with a magical sparkle and sugary finish like no other. The color experts at Zoya have created six, long-wearing stunners for the introduction of this enchanting look.“

This is the bunch I got this time:

From left to right: Stevie, Liberty, Miranda, Destiny, Beatrix, Solange.

The first color I have for you is Stevie:



 

This is one of my favorite colors from the collection. It's a soft, pastel purple. The way it dries, makes it look like sugary gumdrops! I just want to eat my fingers...which, thinking about now, is very gross and definitely not advisable. What's not to love about this polish? Not to mention the name is STEVIE, which I can only assume is named after the great Stevie Nicks! Zoya describes it  "as a violet sparkle, in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula."

This beautiful polish's first coat is super sheer. The good thing about these polishes are that they are extremely buildable. This was sort of opaque in 2 coats, but wearing this polish, I would definitely do 3 to be safe. In 2 coats, you can still see the nail line. In this picture, and all of the swatch pictures, the first two nails have no top coat, so you can see the sugared effect, and the last two have 1 coat of NYC  Extra Shine Top Coat to show you the other way you can wear this polish. I personally love both effects with this color!



 

Stevie's texture didn't really bother me a lot (I'm very sensitive to textures, so some of these polishes bug me). This, along with the others, dry very quickly. Stevie's removal was very easy. The formula was good, it went on very nice, not too thin, but not thick either.  I really like these colors because there are a lot that you can pair them with, so you can make your accent nail this nice Pixie Dust color, and then paint the rest of your nails a normal polish!

Next is Liberty:

This beautiful blue color attracted me SO bad! My favorite color is blue, and when I saw this I freaked out! Later, after applying it I didn't know I'd freak out again, but I'll explain that later. As you can see, this is a dark blue base, with a lot of aqua glitter in it. This is just plain GORGEOUS! Zoya describes it as "a blue sugary sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula."



 

This is the Chyna of the Summer Collection for me. (See my other blog post, but to sum it up, I had the worst experience with Chyna) It's SUCH a pretty color, but every thing about it is just terrible. It doesn't give off that sugary effect as Zoya stated, it's just a matte glitter polish to me. The texture of it is terrible, it still has the sand papery texture, but not the beautiful look of it. The only time it's pretty is with a top coat on, and that defeats the purpose of the Pixie Dust!

As with Chyna, the formula for Liberty was very thick and seemed chunkyer than others. For me, it didn't go on smooth, rather it was hard to spread. It has TERRIBLE removal, absolutely HORRIBLE. It wouldn't really come off, PLUS it stained my nails AND fingers! I look like I just stuffed my fingers up a smurfs butt! That was last night I removed it, and as I type this, they're STILL blue! I've tried removing the polish with polish remover again this morning, as well as wash my hands a million times, but nothing's working. :( It stinks because I really wanted to like this polish, the color in bottle and with top coat is so gorgeous, but I'm not sure if it's worth the painfully terrible removal process.

The next color is Miranda:

Miranda is a gorgeous marooney color, that almost reminds me of jelly! Like peanut butter and jelly, it's awesome! I love this color. This polish reminds me a lot of the Pixie Dust version of Paloma from the New York Fashi0n Week Gloss Collection from Fall 2012. Zoya describes it as "a rose sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Sparkle formula."



This polish, for me, is very liquidy and sheer. The polish, even with a thin coat, pooled up in the areas on the sides of my nails (very technical, huh?). Now, although I find this polish sheer, it becomes completely opaque in just 2 coats. You can see the awesome sugary effect on the first two fingers, compared to the beautiful jelly like effect with a top coat on.

Miranda's texture didn't bother me at all, and I actually kept it on for a day. Of course, because this was liquidy, it spread on well. The removal was a little difficult, it didn't want to come off, it loved my nails too much! The good thing is that when it finally did come off, it didn't stain my nails or fingers :) This is one of my favorite colors from the set.

Now we have Destiny:

Destiny is a GORGEOUS corally/grapefruit pink color. I'm SO in love with the shade of this polish, I think it's very unique. Now this polish is awesome, because along with the Pixie Dust formula, they also added in a "foil twinkle formula" which gives the polish a foily effect as well as the textured sugary effect. It's gorgeous, you may not be able to tell, but it has almost orangey gold foil specks in it. Zoya describes it as " a coral metal sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula." (Phew...that's a lot.)

Look at how gorgeous this color is! Again, I love it both with and without top coat! I found that this polish was, like the others, sheer but buildable. It became pretty opaque in 2 coats, but would definitely do 3 for full opacity. For the pictures, I only did 2.

Destiny goes on very smooth, and it was the PERFECT consistency.  Another good thing, is that the texture is bearable. I love the fact I can actually wear this one without cringing everytime it touches something, and I'm wondering if it could be because of the foil twinkle part...probably not, but it's nice to think :) The removal was awesome! It came off very easily, and for a reddish color, it didn't stain my nails or fingers.

Another polish I got was Beatrix:

This color is SO FREAKIN' PRETTY!!! The minute I got it, my sister made me do her nails with it. This again, like Destiny, has the goldish flecks in it. It's another Foil Twinkle Formula as well. Zoya describes it as "a tangerine metal sparkle in the exclusive Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula." Very well played with the Tangerine description, when dried it is a nice tangerine color!

My camera had a hard time picking up the orange coloring of the polish, but I assure you it's lighter in real life. This, again, is a sheer polish. But like Miranda, it's very liquidy as well. 2 coats is fine with this polish, but 3 is ideal.

Beatrix is a very smooth applying polish. It glides on super easily. This texture is a little more annoying of the polishes, but I feel it's bearable. This beautiful polish has an extremely easy removal that leaves no trace behind :)

Lastly, we have Solange:



 

Solange is the prettiest gold polish I've ever seen in my life. I was kind of pushing it aside when I first saw it, thinking it was just like another gold polish, but it's not! It's so pretty, and the texture just brightens the beauty of it. It literally looks as if I put melted gold with gold flakes on my nails. Now looking on their website, I see they're using an exclusive "Zoya gold pigment". Here's what they describe it as "a gold metal foil sparkle featuring a Zoya EXCLUSIVE GOLD PIGMENT in the best-selling Zoya PixieDust Textured, Matte, Foil Twinkle formula." That gold pigment is RIDICULOUS!

Look at how stunning this polish is! Unbelievable. This polish, of course, has a sheer first coat, but is very buildable. 2 coats is okay, would do 3 to be safe though. The first 2 fingers have no top coat, while the last two have 1 coat of topcoat. I just can't get over this color :)



 

Solange applies PERFECTLY! It's the perfect consistency. The only downfall is that it's a pain to remove...but for me, it's totally worth it. I'm awestruck by this polish :)

 

Overall, I feel that this collection of Pixie Dust blows away the first collection! The colors are better, and the textures/formulas seem to have improved, with the exception of Liberty.

You can purchase these one Zoya.com for $9 a piece, or $54 for the set of 6 :)

 

Zoya.com