Mantry March 2015 Subscription Box Review

Buy American and support American Artisans. Mantry ships 6 full size American Artisan food products to your door every month in a signature wooden crate.

Since Mantry is more geared to men, I thought this would be a fun subscription to enjoy with my boyfriend. The cost is $75 per month but their special was $45 for the first box. This month’s theme is Tennessee and they included a booklet describing their experiences and why they chose each item.

Here’s what was included in my March Mantry box:

    I wasn’t that impressed with the items and didn’t feel like they were well paired. We liked the caramel chews and the moonshine cake was decent. The brew bread was a unique flavor and we overall liked it. However the rest of the box was a huge miss for us. I can’t imagine paying full price for this box, as I was already unimpressed at the $30 off price.

    I really like the concept behind the brand and it is well packaged. The value was fairly low (barely $55) considering the box is $75 normally. Excluding the value, I just don’t think the box is a good fit for us.

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    CocoFeed: JewelScent Cinnamon Buns Wax Tarts Review + Ring Reveal

    Warm ground cinnamon melds with the fragrant scent of freshly baked bread and is accentuated by sweet notes of piping hot icing to create this decadent nod to the delicious confectionery delight.

    The Cinnamon Buns scent is a seasonal Jewel Scent Wax Tart that is only avaliable during specific times of the year… and I am SO happy I was able to get one!

    The smell is absolutely heavenly and I am so much in LOVE with it. The smell filled my entire apartment and basically had me drooling.

    And the best part? The RING! Check out what I received below:

    CocoFeed

    The ring value is $40 according to the Ring Appraisal on JewelScent’s site. It isn’t as high as the other ring I received before, but I like this one just as much! Especially since it is pink!

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    Graze Sharing Box Review

    The sharing box is a great way to enjoy more of the snacks you love in larger, resealable bags. They’re great for sharing! A sharing box contains 5 sharing bags, and each bag includes approximately 4 portions. That’s about 20 portions of food per box.

    I subscribed to Graze’s snacks in the past for a few months. Even though they were absolutely yummy, I ended up cancelling because I didn’t feel like the value was there

    When I heard about their newest box, The Sharing Box, I was intrigued. The Sharing Box will cost $25 regularly, but right now Graze is overing $5 off your first box. When you compare this to their standard box, 4 snack portions for $6.99, this is a pretty great deal!

    As Graze usually works, you select which snacks you would like to try and they pick from your list to send to you. Here are the 5 snacks I received:

    • salted fudge and peanut cookie – baked salted peanuts, redskin peanuts, mini chocolate cookies and fudge pieces
    • scrumptious blueberry swirl – blueberry yogurt raisins, raspberry infused cranberries and blackcurrants
    • chocolate pecan pie – chopped dates, pecan nuts and chocolate fudge
    • honeycomb flapjack – rustic rolled oat flapjack with honeycomb and chocolate drizzle
    • summer berry flapjack – rustic rolled oat flapjack with berry-infused cranberries

    I absolutely love Graze’s snacks. They have unique combos of sweet, salty, crunchy, and chewy. I always end up picking out sweet snacks, because I tend to have a sweet tooth and small snacks are a great way to curb my cravings.

    graze-honeycomb-flapjack graze-chocolate-pecan-pie graze-summer-berry-flapjack

    The first time I tried a flapjack, I was absolutely in love! If I could order them in bulk, I would. I was pleased to see two in my Sharing Box. My favorite Graze snack is the Honeycomb Flapjack, but the Summer Berry one is a close second. I also really liked the Chocolate Pecan Pie snack. I would not normally eat dates, but it blends wonderfully with the pecan and chocolate pieces.

    graze-scrumptious-blueberry-swirl graze-salted-fudge-peanut-cookie

    The Scrumptious Blueberry Swirl is a little too sweet but still good in small doses. The Salted Fudge and Peanut Cookie was least liked for me. My boyfriend loved it though so it will be solely his snack.

    Overall, I think the Sharing Box is a great value if you love Graze snacks. I also really like that you can order a one-time Sharing Box because I would prefer to order one when I feel a craving for a flapjack (which may happen more often now that I know I can get them at a better price)!

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    Diamond Candles Review and Ring Reveal

    Since I really loved the JewelScent Candles I bought a few weeks ago, I decided to try out the brand that I first heard of years ago doing the same ring candle concept: Diamond Candles.

    I really wanted to try the Irish Cream Latte Ring Candle and found a coupon for Buy Two Get One Free (they are regularly $25 each)… it was hard to pass up. I ordered Irish Cream Latte (for the kitchen) along with Tropical Retreat (for the bathroom) and It’s A Boy (because who doesn’t like the smell of baby powder?).

    They arrived well packaged and in decent time. I don’t like the candle holder as much as JewelScent’s but it’s still nice. One thing I did notice is that these candles are kind of lumpy on top and even once they have melted and re-molded they are still lumpy. Other than that, they smell nice and are a lot stronger than the JewelScent candles which is a huge plus.

    • Irish Cream Latte – Indulge in this sweet blend of dark roasted coffee and Irish whiskey with butterscotch and caramel drizzled all over. Top it off with creamy whipped cream!
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    • It’s A Boy – Your little one smells like a little angel after bath time. A sweet combination of soft powder, bubble bath, and honey-vanilla, this scent brings a smile to your face.
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    • Tropical Retreat – With a hint of the Caribbean, a blend of green bananas, coconuts, oranges & grapefruits takes your nose on a vacation of a life time – right from inside your home! On this journey to paradise, Tropical Retreat is sure to relax you.

    I was able to get all three rings the same night I first lit them which was pretty cool. They were easier to remove from the wax but two of the three rings had some leakage and the ring reveal coupons were fairly wet, as well.

    Here are the rings I dug out of the candles:

    CocoFeed: Dug out the $10 rings. Entered in all three codes and don't win anything in the

    Unlike JewelScent, you cannot choose your ring size with Diamond Candles. Of the three rings, only one of them fit, but luckily the one that fit was my favorite! My favorite is the purple ring in the middle. The ring has a butterfly on either side of the stone which was a very cute detail! Another difference between JewelScent is that these rings are only gauranteed to be worth $10. To receive anything higher you must win it in the “Ring Reveal” from the coupon/code that is inside the candle alongside the ring. I really liked that JewelScent had slightly higher valued rings in the candles, so at least if you didn’t win the “jackpot” you at least got a fairly decent ring. These rings were very cheap and not a great consolation prize compared to my experience with JewelScent.

    I entered in all three of my coupon codes into the Ring Reveal program, which is actually a pretty cool idea! I thought it was fun being able to potentially capture an awesome moment such as winning an expensive piece of jewelry…. unfortunately all three of my webcam recordings ended up with the ZERO, ZILCH, and NADA results. I was pretty bummed not to win anything since I was hoping for my beginner’s luck to help me out.

    Overall, I think Diamond Candles was a complete miss for me. While I did like the strength of the candle’s scents, I really was not impressed with the ring quality. Since the whole gimmick of ring candles is about finding jewelry, I think I will stick with JewelScent for now as they really do give you a quality product.

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    Bare Escentuals BareMinerals March 2015 Mystery Box Review

    It’s a 10-piece Beauty Surprise collection brimming with mystery goodies. These go fast. We’re talking a few hours. Tops. You’ve been warned…

    bareminerals-mystery-boxThis Mystery Box was only avaliable on March 17, 2015. Since I had never gotten a Bare Minerals Mystery Box before, I decided to try it out.

    I was lucky to get one of their special Black Friday deals a year or two ago and was very happy with the value, so I thought this might be similar. I definitely think the is a great way to try out different products from their brand.

    The Mystery box was $45.00 and was labeled as a $191 value.

    Here’s what was included in my Mystery Box:

     

    Full Size:

    • Soft Focus Face Brush with Matte Black Handle ($30)
    • Big & Bright Eyeliner, Charcoal ($14)
    • Big & Bright Eyeliner, Midnight ($14)
    • Prime Time Primer Shadow, Racing Green ($18)
    • Natural Lipgloss, Rose ($15)
    • Ready Touch Up Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 15, Tinted ($23)
    • Ready Eyeshadow 4.0, The Exotic Escape w/ Rose Gold Case (orig $30)

    Samples/Other:

    • Brightening Pearl Perfect Light Mineral Veil w/ Rose Gold  Cap (6.5g – $18 ?)
    • Mini Prime Time Brightening Eyelid Primer (1.5ml)
    • Sample Prime Time Foundation Primer (1ml)
    • Large Patent Leather Makeup Bag

     

    I think the $191 value is a little high because after looking up my items online it is more like $160. Especially since many of these items are no longer available and can be found at a discount.  Even at $160, it is still a great value of items at $45.

    My favorite items in the Mystery Box are the Soft Focus Face Brush and the Ready Touch Up Veil. I have wanted to try out their pressed powders since they started making them but never ended up getting any.  So far I really like the results and the brush is super soft!

    I was pretty impressed with the variety of the box but  most of the items are not necessarily something I will use. I have tried a few different Mineral Veils before and I am not a fan of them. I also tried out the Charcoal Eyeliner today, which I like as a backup. I just recently started wearing eyeliner – but I still prefer the Stila liquid Eyeliner I received in the Sephora Favorites Superstars Set. The Midnight (blue) Eyeliner  isn’t for me, so I will probably end up gifting it to a friend who loves colored eyeliners.

    Overall, I think this is a really great way to try out different products from BareMinerals at a great price. The three items I ended up using would cost almost $70 to purchase separately, so it definitely ended up being a good deal. I am not sure if I will do another Mystery Box right away, but maybe in another year or two I will be ready to experiment with new BareMinerals products.

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    Walmart Beauty Box Spring 2015 Subscription Review

    A defining line here. A splash of color there. Every woman has her own unique way of showing the beauty within her. At Walmart, you’ll discover the latest products and most trusted brands at our low prices. Every day.

    For $5 each season, Walmart will send you a box full of samples and coupons for Walmart beauty products.

     

    Here’s a list of the samples and coupons I received in my Spring box:

    • John Frieda Touchably Full Shampoo and Conditioner (0.28oz/8.3ml each)
    • L’Oreal Color Vibrancy Shampoo, Conditioner, and Instant Shock Treatment (0.34oz/10ml each)
    • TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo(1.15oz/32g)
    • St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub(1.0oz/28g)
    • Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion – Omega Moisture (0.5oz/14ml)
    • Dove Pure Care Dry Oil (0.4oz/11ml)
    • Hard Candy All Glossed Up Lip Stain in Chic (0.081oz/2.3g)
    • Nivea Smooth Sensation Dry Skin Body Lotion (0.14oz/4ml)

     

    And the Coupons/Ads:

    • $2.00 Off Coupon for any John Frieda Luxurious Volume styling product
    • $1.00 Off Coupon for any one Nivea Body Lotion or Creme
    • $2.00 Off Coupon for one Covergirl + Olay Simply Ageless Foundation Product
    • Ad for Maybelline’s new pallette: The Blushed Nudes

     

    At first glance, I was fairly disappointed in my items compared to others I have already seen, as it looks like others received larger samples and more coupons in their boxes. But now that I am looking into the items more carefully, I am actually becoming more excited in some of the items I received.

    hard-candy-all-glossed-up-lip-stain-chic

    I was most happy to see the Hard Candy lip stain. I believe this is full size and $5 in stores, so that one item covers the price of the entire box. Chic is a nude color, not my first choice but it’s pretty and glides on silky smooth. I like it!

    dial-omega-moisture

    I also really liked the Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion. It smells like berries/peaches to me and my skin loved it. It looks like the Omega Moisture is a newer scent featuring Sea Berries. I also saw they have a Greek Yogurt lotion which sounds delicious!

    The majority of my box contained hair care type products, which is something I don’t use a lot of. I have quite a few oils that I have received in different subscriptions that have been left unused… so I don’t see the Dove one to be of much use for me. I will have to force myself to use the shampoo/conditioner samples so that they aren’t wasted. I hear other rave about dry shampoo all the time, so maybe I will give it a try, as well.

    Once I am able to thoroughly test each product, I might post a review of an item that stands out to me. So far I am most intrigued by Dove’s whole Omega Moisture/Sea Berries line.

    Overall, I am pretty pleased with the selection for $5. Since I generally do not shop at Walmart  or buy these types/brands of products, I am probably not their target market. I ended up cancelling my subscription, but I did enjoy getting this box and think the value is good.

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    Rachel Zoe’s Box of Style Spring Subscription Spoilers

    I have recently become more interested in ADDICTED to the subscription box world… in fact I have already signed up to try over five new ones this month. I am most excited to try out the Rachel Zoe’s Box of Style and luckily I was able to secure my subscription!

    INTRODUCING BOX OF STYLE. OVER $300 WORTH OF GLAMOROUS FINDS, CURATED BY RACHEL ZOE AND DELIVERED TO YOU FOR ONLY $100.

    This is a seasonal box, so there are only four boxes each year. They have two packages: Seasonal $100 (4X a year) or Annualy $350, plus tax.

    Currently, the box is completely SOLD OUT! In fact, it sold out in just HOURS of being available to purchase. You can join the waiting list to get the summer Box of Style.

    So far they have released two spoilers for the spring Box of Style:

    • Miansai modern screw cuff (valued at $200)
    • An exclusive trio from Zoya (consists of a gorgeous nude, vibrant poppy red and stunning opal)

     

    miansai-modern-screw-cuff-gold

     

    The cuff isn’t exactly my taste per se, but I love that it has a high value. It is pictured in gold but it comes in gold, rose gold, and silver. I would love there to be different varieties in the boxes since I love silver but the silver one is $365 so it is doubtful.

    I have been a huge fan of Zoya nail polishes for years, but haven’t gotten a new one from them in quite awhile so I am extremely pleased to receive a brand I already love.

    Check out the official video spoiler featuring Rachel Zoe explaining why she selected these three polishes below:

    I am hoping that there will be more luxe items like the cuff but I do like the variety so far from spoilers.

    CocoFeed: Hello Spring Wallpaper From Cocorrina

    I am loving my new iPhone lock screen from Cocorrina! I also used one of her other wallpapers for my home screen. They have totally transformed my phone!

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    My $10 Month with Gwynnie Bee Review

    Gwynnie Bee is a monthly subscription clothing rental service for sizes 10-32. Pay a flat monthly subscription fee and get an endless, rotating wardrobe with unlimited exchanges and free shipping both ways.

    Self proclaimed ‘Clothing Without Commitment, Gwynnie Bee has become known as the ‘Netflix’ of Plus Size Clothing. I stumbled upon Gwynnie Bee last month when I was looking for plus-size dresses. I vaguely remember going to their website before but at the time I was still in college and it didn’t appeal to me. I started a new job last year and I have been wearing dresses to work everyday – I kid you not. I am generally a 1x or size 16, but depending on the brand can fit into a 14 or 18. I was intrigued by their “$10 For Your First Month” special and decided to try out the service. It seemed like a great deal considering the plans start at $35 and go up to $159 depending on the amount of items you can have out at a time.

     

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    I signed up for Gwynnie Bee on January 1st, with the “3 Items At-A-Time Plan” (1 and 2 items were priced at the same $10 special). After adding 8 items to my closet “Rack” (8 is the minimum amount of items needed on your rack at the 3 Item Plan), I patiently waited for my selections to be chosen. They recommend at least 15 items on your rack, but I am picky and wanted to have a better shot at getting my favorites since you can only buy their products when it is “At Home.” I also had about 10 dresses “on hold” for when I needed to add my dresses back up to 8.

    Pro-Tip: If you have two slots that need to be filled, have at least 9 items (or however many your plan requires plus one) otherwise the second slot will not get filled since your closet will drop under the minimum.

    After awhile, this process became too tedious, so I ended up filling up my wishlist.

    On January 5th, I got the following email:

    We’re working on it, but unfortunately your Gwynnie Bee package has been delayed beyond our usual 2-3 days. Our apologies!

    We’d like to make sure you get your full 30 days of the Gwynnie Bee experience, so to make up for the delay, we are extending your billing date by a week!

    Thanks for your patience. We hope to get your package sent to your doorstep within the next few days.

    My selections were delayed, but I was pretty excited that my plan had been extended to January 8th, which means I have more time to participate!

    The cool thing about purchasing an item is that you don’t have to wait for it to be returned and, in theory, will receive the next item faster. I updated my closet since the size 18’s had been too large, and changed my choices to 1x and 16’s.

    Upon creating my membership, I now could shop at the Gwynnie Bee shop, which is basically like “Last Call.” I purchased the following two dresses at $20 each, which would have been a great deal if they hadn’t been 1) too big and 2) worn looking. Oddly enough, the smaller sizes (16 vs 18) was about $18 cheaper. I probably wont use the Shop again since everything is ‘Final Sale.’

     

    ABS-cap-sleeve-floral-fit-and-flare-dress tart-collections-ilene-dress-in-volcano
    ABS – Cap Sleeve Floral Fit & Flare Dress – Size 18 Tart Collections – Ilene Dress In Volcano – Size 2X

     

    Check out my individual reviews of the clothes I received each week:

     
     
    My first shipment arrived January 8th and my final shipment arrived February 7th before my trial subscription was over. Here are a few stats:

    I received 19 dresses in total.

    Returned Worn: 4

    Returned Unworn: 8

    Purchased: 7 (plus 2 from the Shop)

    Total Spent: $211 (plus $40 from the Shop and $10 subscription)
     


    Throughout the process, one thing I did not like was that the prices to keep the items continuously were updated. So at one point there was a pretty decent sale going on and then suddenly the discount would be lower. At one point it jumped so low, I ended up not purchasing the item because I was annoyed with losing even just a few dollars.
     

    FAVORITE PURCHASE

    REGRET BUYING

    your-clothing

    Yours Clothing

    Coral And Black Daisy Flocked Peter Pan Collar Skater Dress

    This dress is absolutely gorgeous. I would buy it again in a heart beat!

    spruce-and-sage-sunset-charmer-fit-and-flare-dress

    Spruce & Sage

    Sunset Charmer Fit & Flare Dress

    This dress ended up being too big, so I wish I hadn’t bought it after all.

     

    REGRET RETURNING

    MOST WANTED TO TRY

    asos-skater-dress-with-mono-print-blocking

    ASOS CURVE

    Skater Dress With Mono Print Blocking

    I really liked the uniqueness of this dress and enjoyed wearing it. I wish I had ended up purchasing this one.

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    COREY

    Poppy Handkerchief Hem Dress

    I was intrigued by this dress and it was at the top of my wishlist… unfortunately I never got the chance to try it!

    Overall, I think this is a very cool and fun service. It’s a great way to expand your wardrobe, especially if you are a plus size girl. Gwynnie Bee offers a wide variety of options including pants, shirts, and especially dresses (as you could tell – my favorite!). The price points are a little steep and the shipping process is very troublesome at times – I felt like I spent way too much time picking up and sending off packages. If I ever decided to try the service again, I would want to experience one of the higher plans so that I could have more outfits to play with before having to send back anything. But at $159 for 10 items at a time, the price is way higher than I would consider to rent clothes, especially when I already spent A LOT of money to keep the clothes.

     

    ClothingWOCommitment_bee

    CocoFeed: JewelScent Lemon Macaron Ring Candle – Ring Revealed Inside!

    Unfortunately, the smell for this one was almost nonexistent and I wasn’t a huge fan of the actual candle style of this one. But… the RING!!! WAS GORGEOUS!!! I’ve been wearing it for days now!

    CocoFeed: Had to finally dig this beauty out toward the bottom of the candle. Totally worth the wait as it is appraised at $100 on the site. Kinda chunky but gorgeous. Doesn't look like its sterling silver tho

    This ring appraised for $100! I absolutely adore this ring and can’t wait to keep trying for a token!

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    CocoFeed: JewelScent Pumpkin Caramel Ring Candle – Ring Revealed Inside!

    This candle is absolutely beautiful and smells great. Although, I wish it was stronger. It didn’t quite fill the room as I had hoped. The ring in this one was a miss for me, but my best friend’s daughter LOVED it.

    CocoFeed: First ring obtained! Not really my style. Worth $22 according to the site. Fingers crossed for the next candle! No sign of it yet @jewelscent

    This ring appraised for $22!

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    CocoFeed: NatureBox Sampler

    My NatureBox samples arrived! All this for $2! Can’t wait to try them!

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