Little things to make me happy.

In July I had made the decision that I wanted to sign up for either Birchbox or Ipsy.  I knew after my surgery I was going to be home bored I figured with them both being $10 each a month, it's a pretty good deal.  I knew people who raved about each & it would be cool to get some new things, a variety of things, that I could try & either love, hate, or be "meh" about.  I had already tried the Julep Maven thing, which has its pros & cons.

Pro's:

• 1st box completely free with code FREEBOX.
• Free shipping all the time.
• 20% off all products.
• Can skip months.
• Can send your box to someone else.
• You will know what you are getting before you get it.
• Can change the box you are scheduled to get for a different one.
• Earn points for referring friends that can be used for free boxes.
•  Special deals or early access to new items.

Cons:

• Mostly nail polish & yes, I do feel you can have too much.
• You can forget to skip a month & then be auto charged.
• $20 a month. (though compared to full retail IS a PRO also)
• Bottles can break easily so be careful!
• Ordering & checkout problems.

So, yes, there's a LOT more pro's to sign up for this!  They will send you an e-mail before they start shipping out their boxes.  So as long as you're on top of when those come out, if you want the box, perfect, select it or change it, if not, just REMEMBER to log in to skip it.

I was actually having more fun with their "mystery" boxes (except for the cheap hair ties I got with short hair.  Well, it IS a "mystery" box!) so I had recently decided to re-sign up.  I figured, I'd get a box, maybe get the next one or skip it depending what was being offered or how I felt (or what my bank account looked like) but then I also ran into PROBLEMS.  Problems with billing.  Problems trying to re-sign up.  I had these same problems months back when I was trying to place a pick & choose order after becoming a Maven.  Things showing up in checkout once with a double price with free shipping, then it was charging shipping on Maven orders when it shouldn't with the regular price.  After getting to the end it kept telling me I could only have one Maven account per e-mail even though I was logged in with that account & it only showed 1 box subscription on checkout & that I wasn't a Maven. (?) I got 2 e-mails welcoming me to Julep Maven yet logged into my account it still tells me to sign up to be a Maven to take advantage of the Maven deals & Maven box.  WTF?

Now, their customer service is FANTASTIC if you have to call them but I'm trying to get more into the digital age, it was 10pm & since this is really an on-line, social shopping site, they need to get this together & fixed, make it more user friendly.  (I also just realized my 1st Maven order charged me the shipping when going through my old orders.)  I'm sure there are many people who have no problems at all but I just got fed up & so I'll save at least $20 this month.

I did have a bottle of theirs break on me.  It happened when closing it & I'm pretty careful.  I heard a pop & went to open it back up & that's when I cut my hand.  Nothing too serious but it upset me.  When I called to cancel my Maven account the girl I talked to was not pushy at all.  I told her about the broken bottle & was told how they are blown glass so you really have to be extra cautious closing them.  Unfortunately the color wasn't available anymore so I had the option of her shipping me a new color right on the phone.  Instead I opted for a certificate for 1 bottle of polish which I happily used.

Even withe the problems I had, if you are a polish hoarder or junkie I would still recommend becoming a Maven.  They are branching out with makeup & body products also.  In one of my boxes I got a volumizing mascara which I actually love!

New polish applied on the weekend, Julianne by Julep.  Within 2 days I had a small chip after doing some crafts, which is typical for my crafty hands.  Nothing to be upset about though.  The Rainbow Honey Sweet Talk polish is still kicking strong on my toes.

I've been writing bits & pieces here & there over the last few days because my eyes have been bothering me. Considering I am all still mixed up with feeling too cold & after my ginger bath I wanted to keep it warming so I had a bath of:

• Hot Clove bath ice cream by Me! Bath. (no longer available)
• Glögg shower gel by Lush. (no longer available)
• Potion lotion from Lush.

Then last night I wanted something fruity:

• Tropical Sunset bath fizzy by HawkMoon. (no longer available)
• Northern Lights soap by Lush. (no longer available)
• Strawberry Kiwi body wash by Me! Bath.
• Karma Komba shampoo bar by Lush.
• Coconut Lime Breeze lotion by Bath & Body Works.
• Cherry Vanilla body spray by Bath & Body Works. (no longer available)

Maybe it's me but the Northern Lights soap is supposed to be citrus & pine and I never really got any pine from it.  I really do wish that Lush would start making purely oil or shea based soaps.  If you look at their soap ingredients with Lush it can get confusing & complicated even with the links describing everything.  Compared to HawkMoon, one of my favorite bath & body companies, looking at their ingredients I can identify everything and not question what it is or what it does.  My skin always feels so much better & less dry with these oil/shea based soaps.  I feel, like foods, the less ingredients & the more natural, the better it is for you!

Are you following me on Twitter yet?  You should!  I'm mostly using it to post about beauty sweepstakes or giveaways, & good deals on beauty coupons through sites like Groupon, Deal Chicken and Living Social.  Occasional things I find in life to be passionate or laugh about.  If I know a giveaway has ended & winner selected, or if a deal is no longer available I usually remove the links a few days later.

I placed an order with Villainess that I should be getting today!  I'm EXCITED!  Did you know they have been around for 10 years?  Keep your eye on their blog & Twitter feed as they are posting new deals every day!

Well, I'm going to do some me stuff.  I'll also post about my Birchbox in my next post!

Until then, happy bathing!