April Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

It's April already? It is always crazy how some months seem to just fly by while others drag on and on and on. March was a good month, we were able to check out the Az Ren fest that is back this year, we went mini golfing as a family, checked out a great little family owned ice cream shoppe and my husband and I went to the Trinity of Terror concert which was amazing. Also if you are a fan of Marvel, Moon Knight started on Disney+ yesterday, I was so excited when I found out they would be giving him his own show. I wasn't sure what to expect & was hoping they were going to do a good job, thus far even though it is only one episode that is out, I am pretty happy with it. 

In April, I am looking forward to checking out Morbius coming out this Friday along with the new Fantastic Beasts movie on the 15th. If you are one of my readers from Arizona, I am going to be sharing some reels and mini reviews of some great local places to check out. And if you aren't from Arizona I have plenty of great reviews & fun giveaways headed your way. Jumping a little ahead, but May is my birthday month so I usually try to include some extra goodies in my monthly giveaway.

I know the main reason you are here is for the giveaway though, so let's move onto what is included in this month's Beauty & The Book Bundle. The book included for April is a hardcover copy of "Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix" by Julie C. Dao it is a Fairy tale/Fantasy book. Also included is;

💙 Four different face masks!
💙 Eva*NYC shampoo packets
💙 E.L.F Ink eyeliner in Black Navy
💙 NYX lipstick
💙 Rimmel London Lipstick
💙 Wet n Wild eyeshadow 
💙 Oryza mini eyeshadow palette
💙 Bath & Body Works hand lotion
💙 When Beauty Rose coconut face scrub 
💙 Lipbalm
💙 Perfume Sample
💙 Jesses Girl eyeshadow palette
💙 Real Techniques tool
💙 Tattoo stamper pen
💙 Real HER blush
💙 CBD oil sample

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 4/27/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me something that you'll be doing in the month of April, is there anything you are looking forward to doing, or seeing? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

Create cute bead art with the smART Pixelator by Flycatcher Toys.

 

I was recently asked if I'd be interested in reviewing a neat toy with my kids called the smART Pixelator by Flycatcher Toys & I was pretty excited about it as it reminds me of a toy I used to play with when I was younger (just not as cool). The Pixelator is a fun toy that uses small plastic beads to create art pieces like keychains and more. 

After you complete the image, you'd like to create, you need to use a iron to semi melt the beads which will help them fuse together. I did something similar when I was a kid with my grandma, I remember making all kinds of designs and having her help me use the iron to complete them. What sets this pixelator apart is that it has a digital light board highlighting the designs you select or create and guide you on your way step by step. 

The memory card that comes with it comes pre-loaded with several different designs that are ready for you to create, the images include the cute little gameboy looking robot below. If you want more images than just what is on the memory card, you can search through other designs on their app or use the app to create your own pixelated image from a photo you take. You can use the app directly from your phone. If you are working on an intricate design that will take some time to complete, you can come back at a later time and pick up where you left off. 

Each set of beads comes with a bead applicator which can help place the beads onto the peg boards to create your designs, however my kids seem to like just using their hands to complete the images they slected. You'll also be provided with a ironing paper to go between your design and the iron, I do wish it came with a few more though.

We haven't made our own creation using the photo method yet, but my son has had fun coming up with some of his own designs using the beads. It has been wonderful to see both of my kids using this and having fun with the outcome of their work. We have a steam iron, it does an alright job but I feel like a normal iron would work better so maybe keep that in mind when shopping for a iron to use with this kit. The base set comes with a limited number of plastic beads, however they have a great into bundle that comes with a free gift which is two sets of 2000 beads so you are set to create quite a few great designs before needing to purchase more. The set is normally $79.97 however they are having a sale at the moment and you can purchase the bundle for $29.99! 

Disclaimer-  Flycatcher Toys 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. 

Body care with High On Love; Review & Giveaway

 

Over the last several years products with cannabis have become increasingly more popular for a variety of reasons & Today I wanted to share a company that I discovered recently with all of you, that uses cannabis oils in their product line, the company is called High On Love. They sell a line of body care wellness items along with a intimacy line, all of which contain cannabis oils. I recently had the chance to test out four of their products & share my thoughts with all of you, plus one lucky reader will win a prize pack! (You'll receive the same pack I did).

Soft Touch Hand Cream (Retail $25) -  Their hand lotion is a mixture of almond, argan, macadamia nut and cannabis seed oil. Scent wise it smells like a mixture of rose & baby powder to me, it is a nice light and airy scent. I only need a small quarter size amount for each hand to cover everything, and it leaves my hands feeling soft + hydrated. 

Sensual Lip Balm (Retail $24) - This can be used as a base under your normal favorite lip color, it is supposed to help noticeably plump your lips and has a warming and cooling sensation when used. I have only used lip plumper's maybe twice in the past and I know they normally give your lips a tingly sensation as the product is working, but I didn't like this balm. It could have been my lips were just overly sensitive or I am not used to using a product like this, as soon as it touched my lips it didn't feel tingly instead it felt like light burning so I washed it off. Even though I personally didn't like this particular product doesn't mean someone else doesn't love it! 

Cannabis Body Butter (Retail $50) - This is similar to the hand cream, it has a similar smell to me that I enjoy. It uses natural moisturizers such as coconut and Shea butter to help your skin both look and feel its best. Plus the packaging it comes in is pretty, it almost looks like a Genies bottle. I also like that this doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy or oily after using it! This is perfect for your arms, legs and chest/belly. 

Sensual Massage Candle (Retail $50) - First I have to say that the thing I love the most about this candle and why I was drawn to it is the candle holder it comes in! It comes in a pretty rose gold holder that has their heart logo cut out on it and the candle itself is in a light pink glass which goes so well with the holder. This candle also doubles as massage oil, once the oil is warmed up enough you can pour some of it into your hand or use a wooden spoon to scoop it out if you'd prefer. The warm oil will help your muscles relax and ease your mind letting the worries of your day melt away. 

I am always trying to keep my skin feeling quite soft to the touch, it is something I've always enjoyed and my husband also loves how soft my skin is. The body butter and hand cream are up on my list of moisturizing lotions that I've tried out and actually enjoyed using. 

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to win a prize pack just like the one I received! A $149 value.

This is open to USA Residents & Canadian 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 4/11/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering this question > What is another product from any of their collections that you would love to try? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  High On Love 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. 

Harlem Globetrotters Live!

 

To be honest, I have never been a big fan of sports, however the Harlem Globetrotters is different when it comes to me wanting to watch them. They provide more than just a game of basketball, it is a show and a whole experience that is a lot of fun to see in person (or on TV). My great-grandma was a big fan of theirs and always watched them on TV so I remember seeing some of the crazy things they did as a kid watching it with her. My husband enjoys them as well & has always wanted to see them live so when I was provided with the chance to be able to take my husband and kids to see a live show, how could I say no?

The Harlem Globetrotters recently came to Arizona and played not one, but three different cities. We attended the game in downtown Phoenix at the Footprint Center. Getting into the center and into our seats went smoothly and both teams were out on the court practicing before the game so that everyone could watch. 

In total the show was about two hours long and the entire time you were either smiling, shouting with excitement or laughing at something that was going on. All of the players really put a lot into their performances and it showed, they all seemed like they were having a great time which in turn put the crowd into an even better mood. Some of the seats were court side and the players interacted with some of the members sitting in those seats which was fun to see, one of the husbands was drawn out to the floor to dance with a player and he was even swept up off his feet by the player. 

My family had a great time watching the crazy moves the players were able to pull off along with some of the silly scripted parts like Hammer giving his number out to a woman in the crowed then getting a phone call right after that was put onto speaker, who was calling? A bill collector trying to get him to pay a past due bill, and the whole time he was on the phone he was still playing ball. We also had a lot of fun watching both of the mascots they had come out and do performances, we especially loved Big G. It is an event I would happily attend again, and it is an event I would recommend to anyone looking for something new and exciting to go see even if you aren't a basketball fan.

Click HERE to see a highlight reel I put together of some action from the game.

Are you a fan of the Globetrotters? Have you ever been to a show in person?

Disclaimer- The Harlem Globetrotters provided four tickets to the show 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. 

When Beauty - Review & Giveaway!

 

Selfcare doesn't need to take forever & it doesn't have to be complicated, it can be something as small as using a face mask, taking a short nap or even just treating yourself to a coffee & a snack. At least one a week I like to relax on the sofa watching one of my favorite shows while using a face mask to help my skin look & feel its best. Typically most masks instruct you to leave the mask on for ten to thirty minutes, depending on the type of face mask you use they can be a little slippery and hard to keep on if you are moving around a lot, which is why I prefer to sit back and relax if I am using a sheet mask. I recently received a care package from When Beauty to check out for a review here on my blog, and thus far I am loving their products. 

After my package arrived I took a look at everything & took some photos when I noticed there was a little issue with what I was sent. One of the items had expired in October and two were about to expire, so I reached out to the rep I was speaking with to let them know. Things happen so I wasn't angry about it, I just wanted to let them know in case they have pre put together kits they send out for media type inquires so that they could check their stock. I received a quick reply back, one of the items was out of stock but they were going to send a replacement for the other two. The replacement arrived quickly, plus they sent a bonus which was an extra rose coconut scrub to make up for not having the other cream in stock, which I thought was nice of them as they didn't have to replace them for me.

Masks - When Beauty not only carries sheet face masks they also have neck masks, breast masks and cream masks for those who prefer creams over sheets. I received a mixture of all of them to try out, i love the wide variety of ingredients and what the mask helps. Recently my face experienced a trouble area where I had a few spots that popped up a blemish, they are thankfully gone now and are healing, however it created a dry rough patch in that spot of my face. After looking at what each mask is designed to help, I decided to test out the "The Last Choice" mask first which provides your skin with extra hydration to fight dry patches or any flaking. Dry skin patches can also be a pain if you are planning on going out and wearing makeup as they can sometimes show through your foundation, yikes! Using a face mask and good moisturizer before hand can make a huge difference. 

The mask is a little thicker than your typical sheet mask, instead it has a layer of gel like hydrating serum. It was easy to apply & stayed in place, I liked the way it smelled and my skin immediately felt soothed after putting it on. When I went to take it off my skin felt so soft, smooth and moisturized which made me pretty happy! I also noticed that the next day when I woke up it looked a lot better than it had the day before. There are so many fantastic masks in their line that is is hard to pick out which one you want to use, because they all sound great. Bonus, many of their masks are vegan and none of their products are tested on animals.

I also used their creamy mud once this week, it has some natural peppermint oil in it which makes it smell so good. It does not come with an applicator so you will need to use your fingers or favorite mask tool, I personally like applying my face masks when an Eco tools applicator I have as it helps give you an even application.  The creamy mud has a little bit of a cooling tingle to it that is refreshing, it is easy to wash off and my skin felt clean + soft after using this. 

Berry Dual gel & cream anti-aging sleep mask - I enjoy how smoothly this gel applies to your skin, it is light weight & glides across your skin absorbing quite nicely. Some skincare gels and serums can leave a weird sticky or almost oily texture on your skin that just doesn't feel right, this gel doesn't do that, once it is absorbed your skin will just feel moisturized. This has also been helping that trouble spot I mentioned earlier in the post, plus I like how it looks in the jar so that is a bonus. 

Rose Coconut Gentle Exfoliating scrub mask - I always love a good exfoliating mask that is gentle on the skin while still having a "scrub" aspect to it and this fits that perfectly, plus it smells good. A little bit of product goes a long way, I use a small dime sized amount for each side of my face. 

Revivifying Collection - When Beauty currently has three products in their Revivifying collection, all of which contain Seanol which is a patented marine polyphenol ingredient from Brown Algae Extract. I received the toner spray and a cream. I have not used the cream just yet, as I have some other creams I need to finish first. I've never really used toner in my normal routine, however I know they can be extremely helpful so I am trying to remember to use this as part of my daily routine and it has started to help my skin look more refreshed. 

All of their products will make you feel as though you just had a mini-spa experience, it is the perfect way to unwind after a stressful day or a great way to take some time out for you as part of your selfcare routine. Fresher healthy looking skin can also help give you a confidence boost as well! 

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to win a face mask trio shown in the photo above.

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 3/31/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering this question > What is a product from any of their collections that you would love to try? 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  When Beauty 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. 

Arizona Renaissance Festival 2022!

If you have a Renaissance festival near you & you've never been, you should check it out at least once. They are such a fun and unique experience that is sure to leave lasting memories of the fun you'll experience. This year the Arizona Renaissance Festival opened again and will remain open every weekend until April 3rd, it is located at 12601 East US Highway 60 Gold Canyon, AZ 85118. Ticket prices raised slightly this year, but are still a great price for the amount of entertainment the festival offers. Tickets are currently $20 per child and $30 per adult, children under the age of four are free. 

Before heading out it is a good idea to prepare for the festival. Depending on where you live in Arizona it is a long drive to the festival. For my family and I, it is about an hour drive away from where we live. In previous years we were able to get to the festival & into the parking lot without much issue so we didn't think it would be much different this year, however we were wrong. The day we decided to go on was a day everyone and their mums decided to go! It took us an entire hour to go eight miles once we reached the line of cars waiting to get into the festival grounds, I heard others say they had a longer wait than we did. So give yourself some extra time for the drive, it is better to arrive earlier than expected just in case of a line so that you aren't missing out on having that time inside of the festival. 

You are allowed to bring in one factory sealed water bottle per person, I recommend doing this so that you are staying hydrated and it will have you some spending money. I also like bringing a round blanket or two to lay out and sit on when we need to be seated in a grassy area for a show/food. Most merchants at the faire allow you to use cash or card, however most of the food/beverage stands along with the games/rides are cash only so I'd bring some with unless you want to search for a "Ye Old ATM". There is some shade at the festival, but you will mostly be in the sun all day so be sure to pack some sunscreen or put it on before you leave to prevent yourself from getting a sunburn. It is also a good idea to bring a pack of hand wipes or hand sanitizer to clean your hands before eating.

One of our favorite things about the festival is that you are able to dress up! There is a wide range of costumes at the festival from Pirates to Witches, Dragons and Fairy type costumes with everything in-between. My family likes dressing up for these events so we have specific costume pieces we pull out to use at the festival and we love seeing everyone else in costumes as well. If you want to dress up, but don't own any clothing you think would suit the festival they have costumes for rent!

There is a TON to see and do at the festival, so much in fact it could take you the entire day to try and do everything. Before arriving decide how much time you have to spend at the festival and whether you'd like to watch shows or look at shops/play games. A lot of the shows over lap and everything is a little spread out so they offer schedules posted around the festival to help you know what is going on, and maps are available at the front. You can easily get lose track of time looking at all of the shops, so if you mainly want to watch shows be sure to keep an eye on the clock. Each shop you'll visit has a plethora of goods for sale ranging in price from just a few dollars to a few hundred, you can find pet dragons, clothing, jewelry and more.

A neat fact about their rides is that none of them run off of electricity! All of them are pure man powered, you'll see a number of festival workers at each station using just their bodies & strength to get the rides to turn and move. If you are hoping to see a mystical creature, you are in luck!! Not only are their guests who dress in a variety of creature costumes, the festival itself has a Unicorn in the petting zoo, Mermaids you can visit & watch swim in the water, a woodland fairy + her friends and more for you to see & enjoy. Between all of the staff members being in costumes and the elaborate shops/booths you will really feel like you stepped back in time. 

One of my favorite shows to watch has always been the bird show! I love seeing the birds up close, this time around we were able to get great seats up close and I got a very very close encounter with a falcon. It was flying from one side of the performance area to the other and it's path brought it right towards me, I was so happy with a look of glee on my face and then I realized just how close he was to my face and I had to duck down a little. I normally wear a set of fake horns to the festival and I realized he might have thought they were branches, my husband and kids said if I didn't duck down a little he might have hit me. But I would have been alright with it, hahaha I love birds and it was a cool experience that I still talk about.

What kind of show would you want to see at the festival? Or what is something you think you might want to buy at a festival like this?

Disclaimer-  The Arizona Renaissance Festival provided four tickets to the festival 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. 

Enjoy the 90's in a box thanks to Magic Unique Treasures on Etsy.

 

It can be a lot of fun to buy those "Decades" inspired candy boxes that have the candy that was sold during that set period of time, but I recently found a great small business that goes one step further with their 90's inspired Nostalgia boxes. Not only do the boxes have candy items that were popular in the 90's they also include an assortment of other fun 90's themed products like stickers, books, toys and more! Magic Unique Treasures on Etsy sells themed boxes and goodie bags that will each have you feeling like you are back in your childhood again. She sells pre-made boxes, however you can create a customized box and even pick a box based on your favorite color. Shipping was quick, it arrived a lot faster than I had expected and everything was so well packed that nothing was damaged or broken. You can check out a quick unboxing reel over on my Instagram page. This box is a real blast from the past, let's dive into what I received in my box.

For my review I let her know that my favorite colors were Blue & Purple and she ran with that for my box theme. I was a 90's baby, I was born in '91 so it made me feel slightly old knowing you can buy a 90's Nostalgia box now, but then again it really isn't that old. Opening the box looked like staring into my childhood, aside from one or two things that I wasn't a fan of growing up everything in the box was something I remember loving or knowing about when I was a kid. I never really watched Saved by the bell, and I don't ever remember getting Disney Adventures so both of those were things that didn't really bring back any memories, otherwise everything in this box I knew. 

To start off with - the candy! So many delicious favorites, I have always loved the sour punch straws and Fun dip so I was happy to have these included in the box, plus they go with my color theme which I thought was a nice touch. I don't particularly re-call the "Pop boom" popping candy, I always had the pop rocks brand so I look forward to trying out this brand. Slap bracelets are always fun, were you able to get it curled around your wrist on the first slap every time or did the end stay straight to where you had to make it curl by hand?

I am really impressed that the store owner has so many unopened 90's products and even the copy of Disney Adventures doesn't really seem like it was used and is in great shape for being a 1998 copy. The Spice Girls and Nsync postcards are both unopened, as is the beanie baby toy & Saved by the bell cards. Both bands in this box were bands I listened to growing up of course, and I remember in grade school when girls would argue over who was better Nsync or Backstreet Boys. I have always loved the Ninja Turtles (and still do) as do my husband and kids so we were all excited to see the DVD included in this box. My husband and I also both read the Goosebumps books growing up so that was another nice bonus to this box. 

You can't have it be a 90's box without a beanie baby and Lisa Frank stickers! I had a decent collection of beanie babies when I was in grade school, most of them were gotten rid of over the years however I do still have my favorite beanie baby which is a raccoon that sits on my book shelf. Do you remember how crazy people got over beanie babies in the 90's and that they'd be "worth a fortune one day"? There was actually a couple on divorce court who had their beanie babies spread out across the floor and they were fighting over who got which, that is so crazy. After I opened this I sent a quick text to my best friend & she immediately called wanting to know where I got the box from, it is such a fun way to bring back a lot of memories for those who were born in the 90's or grew up during the 90's.

I haven't watched The Simpsons much since I was younger, but I remember watching new episodes with my parents each week. During Halloween my husband and I will usually throw on a few of the old Tree House of Horror episodes to go with the holiday theme. Even a Tamagotchi keychain was included, those little guys were such a pain to keep alive sometime! If you don't want a box quite this large, they also sell smaller boxes with specific themes or color themes ranging from $19.99-$39.99 and you can buy collectables such as Sailor Moon trading cards.

Also available in their shop at the moment are St. Patrick's Day look bags for $5.99 each. These cute little bags are perfect for gift giving on St. Patrick's day as each one is filled with some gold coins and green goodies. The Smarties included are tropical flavored which I haven't tried yet so I look forward to trying them out. The bracelet included is fun too, great way to add a bit of green to your outfit if you don't want to wear a green shirt or anything. The bags are great for kids or for adults. 

Boy/girl bands not your thing? They also have Buffy the vampire slayer, Friends, 90's horror, Babysitters club and more. They have over 1k listings so there is sure to be something that fits in with what you liked during the 90's. 

What were some of your favorite things from the 90's? Any favorite bands, movies or TV shows? 

Disclaimer- Magic Unique Treasures provided a box 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.

Feb Creepy Crate Review!

 

It is no secret that I like things that are creepy or related to horror movies so I am always excited when I receive a new Creepy Crate in the mail, you never know what might pop up in each new box. Creepy Crate is a Horror & True Crime based subscription box that ships out bi-monthly. The boxes have been known to have a wide range of products included from clothing to household goodies, but one thing that is certain in each box is that you'll receive one paperback book and a digital book as well. The crates are $39.99 per crate, you can choose to get billed bi-monthly or pre-pay for your crates selecting the three or six crate option, shipping is included in the price.

Some of the movies and true crime cases they include I am familiar with, while others I am not so it is a great way to find new content to look into. One of my favorite items to receive in these crates are the cute collectable pins that are included from time to time, sadly there hasn't been on in a while. I am also a goober and think puns & "dad" jokes are funny so this month's box had a item in it that really made me laugh. Let's jump into what was in the newest crate I received:

This month's physical book is a copy of "The Girl In the Corn" by Jason Offutt and is actually an advanced reader copy, which is always neat because there is a chance it is slightly different from the prints that come out for mass production. This is a fantasy type book centered around Fairies, I love books like this so I can't wait to read it. The ebook for this month is a copy of "House of Bones" by Dale Bailey and it is about a housing project haunted by dark and evil forces. Also included was a Dead Headspace book mark which is a podcast that talks about horror, true crime and more.

The punny product I mentioned? It is this wine carrying bag, it is so silly but I love the "Wine-digo strikes again", it is a fun way to introduce people to the Wendigo if people aren't familiar with this North American creature legend. Plus I know a few wine-os who look like the picture on the bag!

Loup-Garou Hurricane Cup - Prior to receiving this crate I hadn't heard of the New Orleans version of a werewolf creature called the Loup-Garou so I was able to find something new and interesting in this crate. Werewolves and vampires have always been two of my favorite creatures so this fun hurricane cup is great. 

Yosemite's Map of Terrors - What do you do if you have an area of land that has multiple tales about creatures and mysteries that go bump in the night? Create a map of course so thrill seekers can check out the areas if they dare visit the spots on the map. 

Check the backseat air freshener - This is a classic move in horror and thriller movies to have the serial killer waiting in the backseat, which is why you should always look before getting into the car. Also included is a Take a pope lick lollipop inspired by the pop lick monster that is part-sheep, part-goat and part-man and is said to live below a bridge in Louisville, Kentucky. 

I thought this was a fun crate this time around, though I can't quite put my finger on what it is - it might be the hurricane cup but the box has a funky smell to it, an almost nail polish remover type scent so I am letting all the items air out to help get rid of the scents. 

What is your favorite horror movie or creature?

Disclaimer- Creepy Crate provided a box 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.

Escape the Crate Review + Giveaway!

Escape rooms can be a lot of fun, but you might not have a full team of players to go with or you simply don't want to leave your house and that is okay! There is a fun alternative of doing an escape game all from the comfort of your own home. I recently received the wonderful chance to work with Escape the Crate on a review (plus a giveaway below!). What sets their escape games apart? Instead of being a escape game company that sells only one or two escapes for you to complete this is a subscription based escape crate that will send you a new crate every other month, it starts at $29.99 a crate but goes down in price if you buy a longer subscription. They put a lot of work into each crate and it shows when you are playing the game.

To play this game thoroughly and completely you will need a fully charge electronic device that can hook up to the internet. Why? Instead of this being a paper/item only escape game it has an interactive website that helps you along on your journey. If you don't feel like reading everything out loud to your group they have audio buttons you can hit and it will read everything out for you. Along with having someone read the directions and story to you, they also have youtube videos intertwined that have vital information for your escape.

For our crate we are spies who work for an agency that is able to travel through time to help stop a villain from destroying the timeline. One of the things that I like most about this isn't just that it comes with an app, but you'll also get an assortment of documents, real props and the box that it comes in itself is part of the game as well so it really is the whole package. 

The app does provide some hints at the bottom of the page in case you get stuck, just like how a game master would help you out in a Escape room. You are not punished nor do you have to remove anytime from your count down for using a clue, they are meant to be helpful so that you can enjoy your game experience without feeling overwhelmed or upset. If you prefer to play this alone instead of with a group they have "solo" options for certain aspects that would normally require at least two people.

The first half of the game is set up a little easier than the second half so that first timers can get a hang of how to play, then once you move onto the second half it becomes a bit harder. Both parts have their own set amount of time to complete them in or you can choose just to do it for fun and not set a timer at all. I liked the fact that we were not stuck doing both portions at once, each one takes an hour to an hour and a half which is a decent amount of time so we finished the first half then did the second half a few days later when we weren't busy.

We all had a lot of fun working together trying to figure out clues, the kids even pointed out things their dad and I didn't spot when first looking at everything that ended up being a big help for solving different aspects of the codes we needed to progress further in the game. The second half of the game was indeed harder than the first half and didn't have as much direction as the first so we were stuck on the first riddle for a little longer than we'd like to admit until it finally clicked as it was something you wouldn't think of right away. 

They do provide information on how to "reset" the game and also offer a way to print off any sheets that get ruined during the game so you can re-start everything, therefore you could re-gift this crate to a friend or a family member to try out. I think the Escape the Crate team did a great job putting everything together and making it user friendly. If you love Escape games or have been wanting to try one out, I suggest taking a look at their website to see what they offer. If you missed a crate that you really want to try out they offer you the chance to purchase a retired crate.

Want to try out a crate of your own or subscribe for a set amount of time? Use code MOONLIT20 to get 20% OFF of your purchase.

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to win a crate of their own to try out. 

This is open to US & Canadian 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 3/14/2022

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering this question > If you could have your crate set in any time period/era, which would you choose?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  Escape the Crate 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.