March Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

Tomorrow brings a fresh new month, which means it is time for a fresh monthly giveaway. The winner of last month's giveaway will be posted on my Facebook page along with the announcement for the new giveaway bundle. 

Over the next month I have some exciting reviews, giveaways and posts to share with you! If you haven't seen it yet, there is a giveaway up for some CBD nail care products and coming soon I will have exciting giveaways that include Skincare products, CBD products, board games and more.

Last month I mentioned how I found these adorable journals and picked up two of them, one was in last month's bundle and the other is being included this month. The journal has a variety of different pages inside including some blank, pages, lined, etc for all of your journaling desires. This month's giveaway may be on the slightly smaller side than the packs I normally put together, but don't let it fool you! It packs a bunch at over $65 in value.

Here are the rest of the goodies included this month.

 💙 Hard Candy Mini Palette
 💙 Five pairs of false eyelashes.
 💙 Bath & Body Works lotion in a new scent "Pink Pineapple Sunrise"
 💙 Winter scented Hand lotion
 💙 Wet n wild eyeshadow
 💙 Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer 
 💙 Eye of Horus lipbalm
 💙 Revlon lipstick
 💙 NYX lipstick
 💙 Marrakesh hair oil
 💙 Tarte blush
 💙 Tatcha face cream
 💙 Perfume sample
 💙 Trestique eye liner in black
 💙 Two face masks

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 3/29/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me something that makes you happy. Could be anything, your favorite food, reading a book curled up on the sofa?

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You can complete as many entries as you want, there are several one-time activities and daily activities that can earn you more entries into the giveaway.

Be sure to keep an eye on my site & social media pages for more giveaways headed your way.

CBD personal care with CBD Daily!

 

I've reviewed some fantastic products from CBD Daily in the past, and know I am going to share three more fabulous products from their line with you. All of their products are THC-free, Cruelty free, contain natural products and are sustainable. I really like the CBD Daily Intense cream that I covered on this previous review, so I was pretty excited to get to try out the soothing serum version of it this time in the same great scent which is Lavender. 

The soothing serum comes in a 60mg glass bottle for $22.99, 60mg might not seem like a large amount however this is an oil so one pump covers a decent area of skin. In a single pump I can apply it to my foot, or to both hands to give you an example of the amount of space you are able to rub it into. This product helps relieve some stress and pain from the area you are applying it to and is great after a long day at work, or working out. First you'll notice that the scent helps calm you, followed up by the product helping soothe the area.

Ultra Care Cuticle Oil - This can be purchased in a 50mg glass bottle for $14.99. During the winter my nails can become a little brittle, even if I manage to grow them out they will eventually all break off doing various normal tasks. So I thought it might be helpful to get a cuticle oil to help strengthen my nails. This cuticle oil is scented with coconut and verbena which is one of my favorite scent combos from their line. This helps my nail beds not look so dried out which in turn helps my nails feel better and hopefully over time will strengthen my nails as well. 

Daily Ultra Care foot cream - This can be purchased in a 100mg glass jar with a pump for $24.99, and also comes in the same scent as the cuticle oil. I love that it comes with a pump, it makes the cream so much easier to get out than having to squeeze it out of a tube. 

You can get 25% Off any purchase of Marrakesh or the other Earthly Body products (including CBD drops) by using code Luna25 during check out. You can shop their wide range of products on the Earthly Body website.

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to win a CBD Daily cuticle oil, foot cream, hand & body lotion along with a hand wash. A $83 value!!!! (Box and flowers aren't included)

This is open to US Residents! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME.

This giveaway ends on 3/09/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment and let me know another product you'd like to try from their WEBSITE. <- link 

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Disclaimer-  Earthly Body/CBD Daily provided the products mentioned above for the review & giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Mrs. Chickens - Nashville Hot Chicken in Phoenix,AZ!

 

You may have recently seen my reviews on the restaurants Frasher's Smokehouse & Frasher's Tavern, but what you might not know is that the owner also owns a restaurant called Mrs. Chicken that serves Nashville style hot chicken. Don't worry though, if you aren't a fan of hot foods they also have an original flavor that doesn't have any spice to it. However if you are looking for something spicy they have a mild level of heat and also offer on that is so spicy you are required to sign a waiver before eating your food, they call it the "Melt your face off" chicken. Mrs. Chickens is located in Phoenix, their address is 4011 N 32nd St, Phoenix, AZ 85018.

We were able to stop by and visit Mrs. Chickens to see what they had to offer and boy was it delicious! I can be pretty picky about how I like my chicken, so I was very happy with the quality of chicken we received. Each of us picked out something slightly different to try out and we were all happy with our selection, here is what we each picked out:

My husband went with the "Hot" version of the chicken wings, the hot is made with Habanero peppers. It was a little spicier than he had thought it was going to be, but he really enjoyed the flavor and the crunch of the fried wings. I tried a little piece of it and can say, yes it was hot! I can't imagine what the XXX hot (melt your face off) version tastes like. We are told that they have a few regulars who like to come in a few times a month and eat the XXX hot, which I can believe there are a lot of spicy lovers out there. 

My children each went with the chicken tenders, my daughter wanted the original because she doesn't like any kind of spice and my son went with the mild. The original might not have any spicy seasoning to it, but there are still quite delicious. All of the chicken in each of our meals was cooked perfectly, they were crunchy and crispy on the outside yet still juicy and tender on the inside. Mild is made using a bit of Cayenne pepper so it has a little bit of a kick to it, enough that it won't make your mouth feel like it is on fire but that you can taste it. Each of the kids also selected the BBQ seasoned fries with their meal, yum! The kids and I agreed we could go back there for just the fries and be happy. 

I selected the Yardbryd sandwich on recommendation of the owner. I did remove about half of the coleslaw though, I do like coleslaw but only a little at a time. I went with Medium which is made from the same pepper as the mild, it just has more of it. It was so good, I loved that even though it was spicy the bread and slaw helped level out the flavors. I was also able to try a tender in Medium and mmmmm the tenders are fantastic. 

Side wise we were able to try out the baked potato salad which was good, plus if you feel like your mouth is a little too hot the cold potato salad can help alleviate your mouth a little. The red beans & rice was alright, but it wasn't our favorite just because it felt a little out of place with our meal so we probably wouldn't get it again. Lastly we were also able to try the collard greens, to me they tasted kind of like diced up Brussels sprouts, it was different no something I would think of ordering but it was good.

The restaurant feels like a cross between a sit down joint and a fast food place and the prices are about right in the middle as well, the portion sizes are great though. I think their décor fits well with the theme, they even have chicken coop wire up in the windows which gives it a cute farm feel. My kids can usually get two meals out of one tenders order due to the tenders being large enough you fill up quickly. We actually have been back since visiting to do a review and it is a restaurant I would stop at again when I am feeling in the mood for spicy chicken tenders. The first time we were there we ate outside in their outdoor patio area, the weather was nice and it was enjoyable sitting out under the string lights they had up and the second time we got our food to go to enjoy at home.

Disclaimer-  Mrs. Chickens provided the products mentioned above for the review  free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchasing the product.

Heroes Welcome - A board game Review!

 

Ever since my kids were young we've always enjoyed playing board games together as a family. When they were younger we played simple games like Monopoly Jr., Who Shook Hook, etc. however now that they are older they are able to play more complex games. Today I have a fantastic game from Pencil First Games called "Heroes Welcome" to share with all of you. It is family friendly & a blast to play, we've played it almost every day since we received it last week. Our kids are nine and thirteen, both love playing this game and were able to pick up the rules quickly without feeling overwhelmed or confused. The base game and expansions can be bought at various retailers, amazon seems to be the best price at $35 for the base and $15 for the expansion. 

One of the first things I noticed and liked about this game is the fact that you can play it with as few as two players or up to five. We usually play games together, but sometimes one of us has something else to do or just doesn't feel like playing board games so we can sit out while everyone else still has fun playing. We haven't played a one on one match yet, but the next time the kids are at their grandparents or don't want to play, I look forward to seeing who wins, my husband or myself. 

The goal of this game? The mission/goal you are playing towards is seeing who is able to become the master merchant reaping the most coin and points before you reach the end round. It is crazy just how close some of the games we've played have been, we've had several times where two of us have tied and we have to resort to tie breakers. Typical games can last about ninety minutes, the first time we played it took an extra thirty minutes for us to play so that we could learn the rules and go over everything with the kids. After that it has taken no time at all to get everything set up each time we play, and we all know what to do now so the game goes a bit quicker. The rules are laid out so that everything is quite simple to understand, and the game is pretty straight forward.

After the first time of going through and setting everything up, it will go quicker every other time you play. It takes us three to five minutes setting everything up together, which includes setting up the boards, and setting up our own characters areas. If I set up the game on my own, it takes me five to ten minutes. In this game you will not get your own character piece to move around the board, instead you'll pass around a token that says "Master Merchant" so you will know whose turn it is. 

Every player will start off with one item, a set amount of coins, two scam cards and a mastery card which I will go over later on in the review. Each round you'll be able to play any scam cards you have and do one action for your turn which can be one of the following options: 

• Run a shop - To do this you'll move the heroes token to any open shop and perform the function of that shop which can earn you items, tokens and even upgrades.
• Visit a Guild - This option allows you to collect more scam cards, upgrade your specials, build another shop, and more.
• Craft for a customer - The main way to earn "VP" which are the points you'll need to win is to craft for customers. Each customer requires a certain amount of items to be trade in for their card which in turn give you Vorpal (victory) points and tokens. 
• Call for end of round - Self explanatory. 

A tid bit about scam cards - While the name might sound a little ominous these cards are actually quite helpful. They can help you move around the board, ignore closed shops, and more.

Mastery cards - These specialty cards give you extra bonus VP for completing the task on the card. Every player starts off with one that comes with their merchant and extra cards can be gained during the game. Each card has a different task, for example the Red Shard Mastery gives you an extra 2 VP for turning in three red shards during a craft session.

So how long does a round last? That entirely depends on the players, to start off with there will be four customers on the board that you can build for. Each player starts out with one item, however that isn't enough to craft anything, which means you need to start collecting more items. Certain shops allow you to buy the items currently in a heroes backpack, you'll notice in the image above there is a rectangular board which shows three characters - Olaf, Moonbeam & Knives, these are the heroes of our game. On their board they each start off with two items which can be purchased by or traded with the players. Every shop on the board will tell you what you are allowed to do, for example the Peddler allows you to purchase one item from a hero for one gold. 

Once a shop or guild has been used by a player it gets a "closed" sign places on its tile and the hero token stays on the last shop that was used, players can no longer use this shop unless a specialty scam card called "Late Nightshift" is played which allows you to ignore the closed sign and use the shop anyway. Players are only allowed to visit a shop that is located adjacent to the current shop the heroes are at.  You might be thinking "Hey Luna, what happens if you get stuck with nothing but closed shops around you and all the guilds are also closed?". If there is an open shop on the board you can move closer using scam card, however if you have nowhere to go and no cards to use, you can call round end. If another player is able to do tasks still, they can "bribe" you with an item to continue the round, in which case you cannot refuse it and it becomes their turn no matter the order they fall in.

On your turn instead of visiting a shop or a guild, you can choose to craft for a customer instead. The game starts off with four customers waiting for items to be crafted for them, they start off only needing two to three items per craft at first and continually require more as the game moves on. If you have enough to craft an item for the customer those items get placed back into one of the loot bags, a monster token gets placed into the dungeon and it moves to the next players turn. 

If there are only four customers on the board and each hero only has two items to start off with, how the heck do they get more? This is where the end of the round comes into play, once there are no longer any moves or materials to be collected on the board a player can call for the current round to stop. When this happens, all of the closed signs get removed, the monster tokens get flipped over to show which hero gets a "level up", a new shop gets built and a few other tasks covered in the book. Each hero also gets items equal to the number of the level they were able to level up to, with the help of additional tokens that can be earned from one of the shops this is how heroes get more items to sell. Then it is time for the next round to begin. 

This continues on until you reach the 16th customer who is the "boss", once the boss is defeated and end of game is called players can do one last craft or trade in tokens to earn some last minute "VP". After the last-minute build/trade is done, the player with the most VP wins and is the victor! 

Along with the base game they also have an expansion pack which adds some fun new elements and items to the game along with a new customer. If you are a board game fan, or just getting into board games you'll find you will run out of shelf space quickly, which is why I love the fact that they thought ahead and left space inside of the base game for the expansion pack to sit snuggly in, so it won't take up more shelf space. As someone who likes keeping their board game pieces organizes, I love that they also included baggies in the base game to sort the pieces into.

Now that I've blabbed on so much about how the game play works, I bet you want to know what we think about the game? We have found that it is set up so that it is quick and easy to learn even for slightly younger kids. We received the game to check out for review about a week ago, and I think there has been maybe two days since then that we hadn't played a round, otherwise we pretty much play one round a day. The creators and the artists who helped bring the imagery to life did a fantastic job on this game and it is one that should be part of every board game collection! I look forward to seeing if the creator of this puts out anymore board games in the future. 

I hope that you enjoyed my board game review of Heroes Welcome, and that I didn't muddle anything up! If you enjoyed this review & want to see what other games we've played there is a link on the right-hand side of my blog you can click to see other reviews and keep an eye out for new board game reviews.

Disclaimer-  Pencil First Games provided the products mentioned above for the review  free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchasing the product.

Hemp Seed Body Mist + Miracle Oil Conditioner!

 

I have a quick review to share with you! I am a big fan of the company Earthly Body and all of the lines within that brand, one of them being the Hemp Seed line. They are a brand that makes me wish smell-o-vision were a real thing, all of their scents are quite intoxicating. It is hard for me to pick a favorite scent by them because there are a few at the top of my list which include Isle Of You (Amber,Citrus,Tuberose), High Tide (Coconut,Lime,Verbena), and Dreamsicle (Tangerine,Plum) however I really enjoy their other scents as well.

This time around I am writing a short review on their body mist in the scent High Tide.  This body mist is perfect for every day use, it has a wide spray radius so you'll only need one or two sprays to smell delectable. I like using a spray of this before work or before we go out for the day, I personally enjoy the scent and my family likes the way it smells as well so my daughter will also use this. The bottle is quite large and since you do not need a lot of the product, this bottle will last a long time. The scent is light and will last for a few hours. It comes in an 8oz bottle for $11.99

I also received the Miracle Oil tea tree conditioner to test out, it comes in a 16oz bottle for $19.99. This conditioner is designed to help unclog hair follicles and nourish roots which in turn will help your hair look and feel better. It has a bit of a strong scent, but I still enjoy how it smells. It is a mixture of tea tree oil and eucalyptus which combined give it an almost earthy scent with hints of peppermint thanks to the addition of it in the formula. I find that this leaves my scalp feeling cool, clean and fresh following my shower. With the addition of the peppermint it gives your scalp a cool tingling sensation while washing, which is nice during the summer because it almost feels as if a cool breeze washes over your scalp. I do usually follow up with a quick wash with one of their other conditioners though to give my hair more of a floral scent which I like. 

You can get 25% Off any purchase of Hemp Seed or the other Earthly Body products (including CBD drops) by using code Luna25 during check out. You can shop their wide range of products on the Earthly Body website.

Disclaimer-  Earthly Body/Hemp Seed provided the products mentioned above for the review & giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchasing the product.

Monster Jam Live Event Review!

Even if you aren't the biggest fan of monster trucks, it is still an event you should attend at least once as you'd be surprised just how exciting it can be. Monster Jam came through Arizona over the weekend at an event they hosted in Glendale, AZ at the State Farm Stadium. The event itself is a lot of fun, however I recommend arriving early by at least an hour, traffic into the parking lot can get a little crazy especially since there was another event going on at the same time, so it took us about 45 minutes waiting in line before we were able to park and that was prior to going through the security check and getting to our seats. Before you even step foot into the stadium you start to get excited because you can hear the rumble of the trucks massive engines and the cheers from the crowd going nuts over the tricks and jumps the trucks are able to pull off. 

Once we got inside our seats were easy to find. The crowd was full of energy and excitement everyone was ready to see some fun tricks, vote on their favorite trucks and potentially see some trucks wreck. I haven't personally been to a show since I was a kid, so I was looking forward to seeing if anything had changed. My kids and husband have never been, so it was an all-new experience for them. Monster Jam has a live app you can use during the show to vote on your favorite trucks and their performances to help them rank up on the score board to see who the ultimate winner would be. 

With so many crowd favorites it was a close competition with some of the trucks such as Grave Digger, Son-uva Digger, Solider of Fortune, Zombie and more. Each driver has a unique set of skills and a preferred method of tricks. 

It is absolutely crazy some of the tricks they are able to pull with the massive trucks they drive. Seeing the drivers being able to get the trucks onto two wheels balancing the trucks ever so perfectly so they won't topple and end up upside down. We were also able to see a two wheeled donut, some successful and unsuccessful tries at flipping their trucks and yes, I got videos of it! I will be sharing highlights of the event over on my Instagram page. I can only imagine how much fun it is to drive one of these massive trucks and do the amount of insane tricks that they do, it takes a lot of dedication, practice and a level of calmness to be able to get the massive amount of weight these trucks weigh to cooperate with what you are wanting them to do. 

There is a delicate balance with these trucks and the many turn overs you'll see goes to prove how you can go from doing an absolutely crazy stunt one second to being on your back the next because the ramp happened to tip your truck a little too much to one side and gravity took over.  

The first half of the event features the drivers seeing who could keep the trucks on two wheels for the longest amount of time, the longest running champion was Son-uva digger who managed to get almost 10 seconds. It is insane to see the time afterwards because it feels like it lasts several minutes then they announce it was only seconds they were up on two wheels. Each truck had two chances to test out their skills using which ever ramp around the venue they wanted to assist their trucks getting vertical. It is probably the truck most people know the name of and is my favorite truck as well, which truck is that? Grave digger of course but seeing son-uva digger was great as well because the driver Ryan had some of the best tricks of the night. I also really enjoyed watching Solider Fortune out on her runs, even when she ended up flipping her truck on it's backside she was still high spirited and did some cart wheels out on the track once she got out of her truck. All of the drivers had a lot of energy and were pumping up the crowd with their fun mini interviews during the event.

Following this there was a short intermission where they fixed anything on the trucks that needed to be fixed, fans could go get snacks, use the bathrooms, etc. then they came back for a free for all. Each of the drivers has a pretty amazing team behind them, they only have a set amount of time in between each half of the show to repair any damages that may have been done to the trucks. This includes rebuilding any part of the truck that may have fallen off during their stunts, replacing parts that burst or broke from how hard these trucks are driven during their short time out, and more. 

During the free for all each truck was given two minutes to drive the course and perform any number of tricks they wanted which were then judged using an app fans had access too. During the event as a whole, we saw some very high jumps, a few awesome flips and several accidents as well where trucks either ended up upside down or on their sides, and one even started to catch fire however the crew was really fast and put it out almost as soon as it had started. The show was pretty exciting because you never know what might happen during an event. My kids both enjoyed the show.

Good things to keep in mind before attending an event: If you don't want to spend a lot on food at the venue I suggest eating a head of time, arrive at least an hour before so that you have time to get into the parking lot, get through security, get to your seats and get settled in before everything starts. If you have small children, it can also get very loud during the event so it might be a good idea to bring a pair of protective head phones for them. 

Disclaimer- Monster Jam provided tickets for us for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Date night at Frashers Tavern in Scottsdale.

 

Valentine's day is coming up on Monday! If you are still thinking of somewhere to treat yourself and a loved one to a nice meal for the holiday and you are near Scottsdale, Arizona you should think about stopping at Frashers Tavern. The tavern is a steakhouse that has only been at this location for a short time after they moved to this new building, before this the owner had another location that has been around for almost twenty years. This location is located at 4180 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Scottsdale,Arizona 85251.

It is a nice sit-down restaurant that is a little on the higher end of the price scale but offers a romantic feel to the room with low lighting, candles on all the tables, a nice-looking wine room/ wine selection. Speaking of the low lighting my camera was not very happy with it so sadly I wasn't able to snap a proper photo of all the main courses we had, sorry! 

We arrived at the Tavern on a Thursday evening, it was still early in the night so there were only two other occupied tables and a few people up at the bar. Our server was very friendly, and he helped us to our seats before helping with our order. To start off the night we placed an order for the toasted ravioli, the BBQ shrimp and a small bowl of the peppercorn steak soup to split as appetizers. Not only did the description for the raviolis sound delicious, but I saw a photo of them on their website and they looked fantastic as well, so I knew I had to try them. 

The kids and I really enjoyed the raviolis, they were cooked just right giving them the perfect crunch when you bit into them. The BBQ shrimp are in a mixture of bbq and butter which makes for an interesting yet tasty combo, plus the shrimp were a pretty decent size. Last up on the appetizer we tried was the peppercorn soup, it was by far my favorite of the three. I honestly could have had just the soup as my main course and been happy with my meal, it had a lot of rich flavors and was packed with tiny, shredded pieces of steak so there was some in every bite. 

For our main course, my husband had a ribeye steak, my children split a steak sandwich and I had the babyback ribs plus we split a dish of green chili mac & cheese. When it comes to steak, I never really picture how big it will be in ounces so I was a little surprised at just how big the steak was that my husband received, it could feed two people. The steak sandwich was also a good size, my kids split it and they were both full at the end of the meal & both seemed to enjoy the sandwich (and the fries, but almost all kids love fries). What is a steak sandwich? It is just as it sounds, they take a griller tenderloin along with cheese, sauteed peppers and onions and add them to a hoagie roll served with a side of fries.

My babyback ribs were pretty good! They aren't overly saturated with bbq sauce so unless you are going crazy when eating, you shouldn't make a huge mess. However, just in case you do they will bring you out a warmed wet towelette to keep your hands (and face) clean while eating. My dinner came with a side of mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. I do wish the asparagus had some seasonings or garlic cooked with it to add a little more flavor. The mashed potatoes were just the right consistency and there was plenty of food, so we ended up taking leftovers home with us plus a slice of cake to try out once we were ready for dessert. 

It was a nice experience at a new restaurant we've never been to before, the location is a little tucked away, but it is easy to reach & there is plenty of parking in the parking garage next to the restaurant. Be sure to bring your parking pass with you as the restaurant will validate it so you don't have to pay for parking. Even if you are full at the end of the nice, I recommend taking a piece of the chocolate decadence cake home with you to try, it almost tasted as if someone added a small layer of cake to a pan then added a layer of fudge on top. It was quite rich and creamy, and yes quite sweet so I am glad the four of us split a piece. 

Disclaimer- Frashers Tavern provided dinner for us for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.