Bath & Body Works

Saturday was a nice day. I don't go shopping too often, and when I do it's non-expensive things. Saturday, I was able to splurge on myself a little :)

There is a huge mall not too far from my house. My mother and I decided to take a few hours for a girl's day and go explore this mall. My only goal was to go to Bath & Body Works (B&BW) and get some fall candles. I've never had a good fall scent, and I knew B&BW would not disappoint :)

First, when we got to the mall, we had a hard time finding a parking spot. My mom was really tempted to use the valet because she was sick of looking for a spot. THIS MALL HAD VALET PARKING. This may be normal to some of you, but I had never experienced a mall with valet before.

After we found a spot and walked in, we realized just what we had gotten ourselves into. I knew the mall was more uppity (for lack of a better term), but my mom did not. I was wearing sweat pants from my senior year of high school (they are such a mess), with a t-shirt and my bangs french braided back with my hair thrown in a ponytail. I looked like a hot mess. My mom looked nice, but she still felt out of place in her jeans and nice shirt. She turned to me and said, "We really under-dressed for this, didn't we?" It was crazy how fancy this mall was to us. I remember telling her how overwhelmed I was because there was so much mall.

Anyway, the first place we stopped was B&BW! My mom isn't a fan of the place, mainly because of how the store smells. She always complains when she walks in a B&BW store. I, however, could not have been more excited. As much as I love B&BW, I don't go too often because it's a little more expensive than I can regularly afford. I had texted my friend, Nikki, who splurges at B&BW as much as I wish I could (lol), the day before we were going to the mall to ask her for suggestions on scents. I remember opening her text in the store, but I didn't really use her advice haha (my mom wanted to leave, so I was a tad rushed to get out...and the store was super packed).

When we got in, someone immediately helped me, and all I told her is I wanted a good fall scent. She took me right to the pumpkin candles. I really liked some of them, but I didn't choose before she took me to more fall scents, but those weren't food-related. After she explained everything to me, I went back to the pumpkin candles and picked out a 3-wick candle: Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow. Here is a picture of that candle:

I REALLY smell the vanilla with this candle. It smells really sweet, with a slight pumpkin spice thrown in. The two scents go really well together. As I'm sitting here writing this, I keep smelling the candle so I can get an accurate description of the smell. The more I smell it, the more the pumpkin spice pops out at me. It definitely smells like a sweet fall. Here is the overview of this candle on the B&BW website:

The Perfect 3-Wick Candle! Made using the highest concentration of fragrance oils, an exclusive blend of vegetable wax and wicks that won't burn out, our candles melt consistently & evenly, radiating enough fragrance to fill an entire room. Topped with a tin lid that adds a touch of autumn to your décor! Burns approximately 25 - 45 hours and measures 4" wide x 3 1/2" tall. 

• A sweetly comforting blend of vanilla and pumpkin marshmallow

While we were standing in line, there were multiple shelves dedicated to 1.3oz candles. They were on sale 3 for $10. I wanted to try more fall scents, so I grabbed 3. I grabbed Pumpkin Cupcake, Pumpkin Apple (my mom liked that one), and Caramel Pumpkin Swirl. Here is a picture of those 3:

Oh my goodness. This was one of the best decisions I made in that store. I'm glad they had these on display, because I found my favorite fall scent so far. I wish I would have gotten one of these in a 3-wick candle.

The Pumpkin Cupcake candle smells like a sweet pumpkin. I don't get the spice scent with this one like I do with the other candles. It just smells like a sweet pumpkin. It's a very nice scent. Here is the overview of this candle from the B&BW website:

Made using the highest concentration of fragrance oils and an exclusive blend of vegetable wax and lead-free wicks, our Mini Candles are contained in elegant glass and topped with a stamped-tin, flame-extinguishing lid. Mini Candle burns approximately 10-15 hours and measures 2" wide x 1 3/4" tall.

• Satisfy your sweet tooth with the scent of a freshly baked pumpkin cupcake smothered in rich buttercream frosting

The Pumpkin Apple candle I bought for my mom. I'm not a huge fan, but it doesn't smell bad. I really smell the apple, and I slightly smell the pumpkin. It just smells like an apple candle with a slight twist. Here is the overview of this candle from the B&BW website:

Made using the highest concentration of fragrance oils and an exclusive blend of vegetable wax and lead-free wicks, our Mini Candles are contained in elegant glass and topped with a decorative autumn lid. Mini Candle burns approximately 10-15 hours and measures 2" wide x 1 3/4" tall.

•  Nothing evokes fall like apple and pumpkin, spiced with cinnamon & cloves

This final candle is my absolute favorite! I wish I would have gotten this one in a 3-wick candle. Shoot, I wish I would have gotten like 3 of them. The Caramel Pumpkin Swirl candle smells so. freaking. good. It has a super sweet smell, with a slight spice. I really smell the caramel, and I also smell a slight pumpkin spice with this. I can't stop smelling this candle. Here is the overview of this candle from the B&BW website:

Made using the highest concentration of fragrance oils and an exclusive blend of vegetable wax and lead-free wicks, our Mini Candles are contained in elegant glass and topped with a stamped-tin, flame-extinguishing lid. Mini Candle burns approximately 10-15 hours and measures 2" wide x 1 3/4" tall.

• The best of fall, captured in sweet, smooth caramel swirled with fresh pumpkin

While we were still standing in line, we saw the hand sanitizers. Of course we had to get some. Here are the ones we chose: Sugar Maple, Pomegranate, Morning Stroll, Sweet Pea, and Berry Scary. And here is a picture of all of them:

I linked to all the ones that were on their website. I couldn't find Pomegranate or Morning Stroll :( Pomegranate smells like every generic pomegranate scent, just with the hand sanitizer sting added to it. Morning Stroll smells like a man. Honestly. It smells like a man's cologne.


The last things I picked up before checking out at the store were 2 hand sanitizer holders. My mom and I just grabbed 2 random ones, and I have them in this picture of everything I bought:

They aren't listed on the website.


Overall, I had a great time at the store. My mom and I did a little more shopping that day, but it wasn't anything extravagant or blog-worthy ;) If you're interested in anything I bought, I have linked directly to the product pages on the B&BW website. If you just want to search their website for more fabulous scents, here is a link to their website.


OH! As an added bonus to the great day, I received my phone case that day too! I was so excited to get this case. I saw it on Amazon (seriously, I love that website), and KNEW I had to get it. Here is the phone case I bought:

If you're interested in that phone case, here is the link to the page on Amazon :)


Do you shop at Bath & Body Works? What's your favorite scent? I am always looking for great new scents (when I can afford them, of course)!! ;)

XOXO

Jen

NatureBox! (1)

Today is a good day. I have the 'Solid Gold Oldies' Music Channel on the television (my favorite genre of music is Motown), and my first shipment of Naturebox has arrived! I've never done a review like this, so please forgive me if this isn't a good review ;) I have taken plenty of pictures, so I hope that helps :)

Here is what the box looked like when I received it in the mail (yes, everything that has my address/zipcode linked to it is hidden lol):

 

Here is what it looks like when you first open the box (I folded the paper to hide my address):

I only ordered 5 snacks, but they sent me a 6th one for free! How sweet :)


I have a sweet tooth, so this box is filled with sweet snacks. They definitely have a variety of snacks, but I will talk more about that later. Here are the snacks I received, along with what I think (I am a very picky eater, so keep that in mind as I rate these snacks):

Coconut Cashews:

These have 15 carbs or less (15g), they're dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, sweet, vegan, and have low sodium (100mg).

I love coconut and I love cashews. These were really good. They were soft, which I was not expecting. They had a bit of a crunch, but not much. I can REALLY taste the coconut, and I can somewhat taste the cashew. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

These expire December 23, 2014

I give these 8/10

Dutch Cocoa Sun-Crunch:

These are dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, sweet, vegan, and have a hint of sugar (4g).

They are definitely not what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected with these, but the taste definitely wasn't what I thought. I have only had cocoa powder a couple times, and the taste of the cocoa powder reminds me of my Shaklee shakes. They're super crunchy, and somewhat bland other than the cocoa taste. My teeth are super sensitive, so the crunchiness is a little too much for me. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

These expire March 23, 2015

 I give these 4/10

Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops:

These are dairy-free, nut-free, savory, sweet, and vegan.

I love caramel and I love pretzels, but I HATE salt (which is weird because I love pretzels-I know). But really. If I'm making a recipe from scratch and it calls for a pinch of salt, my food doesn't get that pinch. I NEVER add salt to my food to give it more flavor or anything. The only exception to that is chicken and dumplings (which I have like once or twice a year). Anyway, these were better than I expected. I've had salted caramel before, and I hated it because of the salt. I don't taste too much salt on these. They're very crunchy and flavorful. I mostly taste the pretzel when I eat these, and the caramel leaves an aftertaste. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

These expire January 3, 2015

I give these 8/10

Sweet Blueberry Almonds:

These have 15 carbs or less (9g), they're dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, sweet, vegan, low sodium (0mg), and have a hint of sugar (6g)

I was most excited about these. I love almonds, and I've wanted to try blueberry almonds for the longest time. I know Blue Diamond has them, but I could never find them in stores. All I've found are the chocolate ones (delicious) and salted, non-salted, etc. I'm so glad Naturebox has these. They are so good! I really like blueberry-flavored snacks, so I knew I would like these a lot. There is a lot of blueberry powder, which is a tad over-powering, but they're still the best almonds I've had. So much flavor in such a little almond. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

These expire January 18, 2015

I give these 10/10

Praline Pumpkin Seeds:

These are dairy-free, soy-free, wheat-free, nut-free, savory, sweet, vegan, and have low sodium (0mg).

I didn't know what to expect when I saw these, but I am glad I ordered them. I've never eaten pumpkin seeds before, so this was a good first choice. They have a nice taste, and a little pumpkin spice. My favorite season is fall, and these definitely make me want fall here more than ever. I want to snack on these while sitting on the couch cuddled in a hoodie and blanket, while I'm smelling a pumpkin candle fill the room, and while I'm watching Charlie Brown ('It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' to be specific) on the television. I will either order these again, or save these until October. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

These expire January 28, 2015

I give these 9/10

Cherry Ganache Granola:

These are dairy-free, wheat-free, sweet, vegan, and have low sodium (65mg).

To be completely honest, I am so glad I didn't order these. I'm not a big fan of granola, so this isn't tasty to me at all. It has dried cherries and almonds in it. The cherries aren't very good, and the granola isn't good either. I am not a fan of this snack. If I were a fan of granola, I'm sure I would love this. Here is the Naturebox page for this snack on their website.

This expires September 20, 2014

I give this 1/10

Overall, I am pretty impressed with my snacks. Since I am such a picky eater, I was worried I wouldn't like most of it, but I really do. I am glad I decided to try this. I snack a lot, and this gives me better options. :)

Do you want to get your own snacks from Naturebox? They have over 100 snacks to choose from. I have a link you can use, and it will get you a discount! :) Know now that you have to enter your payment information before you can choose your snacks. I think it ships about 6 hours after you register, so you have plenty of time to select the snacks you want. Or, you can have Naturebox choose snacks for you.

You have to choose a subscription plan before you order anything:

• Month-to-month
• 3 months (save a total of 10%)
• 6 months (save a total of 15%)
• 12 months (save a total of 20%)

The more months you choose, the cheaper your boxes turn out to be a month.

Have dietary needs? Naturebox has so many options:

• Gluten conscious
• 15g carbs or less
• No sugar added
• Vegan
• Soy-free
• Milk-free
• Soy-Free
• Non GMO

I'm lactose intolerant, so you can see that I received plenty of yummy snacks that won't upset my tummy :) I tend to get sick if I have an excess amount of gluten, so I'm glad most of these snacks are GF.

If you prefer a specific taste, they also have these three options:

• Savory
• Sweet
• Spicy

Would you like to try Naturebox? For every box they deliver, they donate one meal through Feeding America to help the millions of Americans who go hungry. I have a personal code that you can enter at checkout if you decide to try! When you enter this code, you automatically get $10 off your first box! :) Go to Naturebox (click the link), choose your plan, enter your information, enter your billing information, and enter the code 4QKM-78A :)

If you can't get the code to work, let me know and I will try and figure something out! Also, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me! :)

Let me know if you decide to try Naturebox! I want to know what you get and how you like it :)

Click here for my second Naturebox review.

Click here for my third Naturebox review.

Click here for my forth Naturebox review.

XOXO

Jen

Heterochromia Iridum / Heterochromia Iridis

As I mentioned in my Q&A blog (like forever ago, I know), I have a mutation....that sounds so dramatic ;)

Anyway, my eyes are not just one color: my right eye is two colors, and my left eye is three colors. I just recently found out there is a name for something like this. There is complete Heterochromia Iridum, which is where both eyes are two completely different colors, and there is partial Heterochromia Iridum, which is where the same eye has multiple colors (this is the one I have). Here's a link to the Heterochromia Iridum Wikipedia page.

For legal documents and things of that nature, I say my eye color is hazel. My right eye is hazel and green, and my left eye is hazel, green, and brown. If there happened to be an option on legal documents for this, I would definitely state all my colors, but I can only choose one. Is there an option and I just don't know about it yet?

Here are pictures of my eyes:

This picture is from 2010 (I had a friend do my makeup for an event at school). You can just barely see the 2 colors in my right eye (I can try to take more pictures if requested).

This picture is my left eye. I took this at the end of 2013.

I asked my parents if they remember when my eyes started to change color, and my mom said I was about a year and a half old, while my dad said he couldn't even tell me the color of my eyes...sounds about right. My mom didn't know if I would get blue eyes like my dad, or brown eyes like her and my bother. Turns out I got neither. Heterochromia Iridum is usually genetic, but I don't know any other person in my family with this. It can also be caused by injury to the eye, but I have only had a couple injuries to my eyes, and they were after my eyes changed colors (the handlebar from my bike hit one of my eyes when I was 4, and I had pink eye when I was 21).

Just because I'm sure someone will ask (sarcastically or not), or someone may be too afraid to ask: other than the color, my eyes are just like other eyes. In my case, I'm not color blind at all. I'm sure there are other cases where the person has partial or full colorblindness. I don't see weird things, and I can see perfectly fine when I have my glasses on. I do have really bad astigmatism in both of my eyes, but I'm positive it's not from this; my eyes are just really bad.

Growing up, I hated the color of my eyes. I didn't know why mine had so many different colors, and I just wanted to have one color like everyone else. Now that I have grown up, I have learned to appreciate the rarity and the beauty of my eyes. What I have is not common, and I am now proud of my eye colors.

Do you have Heterochromia Iridum? Do you have something else cool about your eyes? Let me know in the comments below, I would love to talk to you!

XOXO

Jen