February Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

 

I know it is still technically January for the rest of the day, but I wanted to get a jump start on getting the February Beauty & The Book Giveaway posted. It also helps finish off my goal for the month of getting fifteen new posts up on my blog, so it is a win win. January was over all a good month, we attended a few events, celebrated my son's birthday and played some new games (both video games and board games) together as a family. February will be a busy month that I am looking forward to! Due to scheduling we pushed both of our kid's birthday parties to February, so we will be having both of those parties, attending a few events & I have some more great reviews + giveaways to share here on my blog. I hope that you'll all join me & check out my new content as it comes out. If you are new to the Beauty & The Book Giveaway, it is a monthly giveaway that I host as a thank you to everyone who helps support my blog & social media pages by entering giveaways, commenting on posts, sharing my posts & following my social media pages. 

There are still a few giveaways from last month that are open for a few more days, so don't forget to enter those as well! Links to them can be found on the right-hand side of my blog. 

Now let's get to the real reason you stopped by this post - The Giveaway! This month's giveaway does fit with the color scheme of Valentines Day of course, I even managed to find a book that has a cover to flow with the colors of this month's prizes. I know not everyone is the biggest fan of the color pink, but hopefully there will still be a lot of people excited about this month's giveaway! And if this month doesn't tickle your fancy, there is always next month's giveaway to look forward to.

💖 Here is what is in this month's bundle: 💖

💟 Hard cover copy of Once & Future (About a female Knight)
💟 Scented Mystery Squishmallow
💟 Pink Otter Squishmallow Ornament
💟 Two Heart shaped Wax samples from MinnyWicks
💟 Purple Eyeliner Stamp in the shape of a music note
💟 I Heart Revolution Bath Bomb
💟 Cherry Scented Red heart shaped bath bomb
💟 Wet N Wild Blush in the shade "Pinch Me Pink"
💟 Heart shaped container with mini beauty blenders
💟 Disco Heart keychain
💟 Undereye mask
💟 Creme Shop Face Mask
💟 Purple False Eyelashes
💟 Pink Seashell Keycharm
💟 Light Purple Mini Hair Claw Clip
💟 Three Pink Beauty Concepts nail polishes
💟 Pink & Gold Makeup bag
💟 Morphe lipstick 

This is open Worldwide! 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 03/02/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment answering at least one of these questions.

Which item in this bundle are you most excited about?

Do you have any goals for this month you are trying to achieve? 

Which of my recent posts is your favorite?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is easiest if you log onto Rafflecopter using the Name/Email Address option. 

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. 

Unboxboardom the board game subscription!

If you are a board game lover or are just starting out on your board game journey, it is always exciting to add a new board game to your collection. If you've been stuck & aren't sure what game to buy next, or your local board game shop hasn't updated their offerings in store then Unboxboardom is here to rescue you! Unboxboardom is a monthly board game subscription company, however they work slightly differently than traditional subscription boxes. 

Typically, when you sign up for a subscription box everyone receives the same thing in that month's box, sometimes you'll get little spoilers or peeks at what you'll be getting & other times you may not know at all what will be in the box. With Unboxboardom, you will receive an email on the first of the month which will show case three different board game choices. The email shows you the board game along with a description of the game, how many players it allows and more. You are then able to select which of the three games you'd like to receive for that month & if you can't decide then do not click on any of them, and they will select one for you. Everything is pretty straight forward & they make it easy to subscribe from start to finish when singing up for a new account. 

At the moment they offer three different subscription lengths, there is the board game beginner ($31.99) where you'll receive one game every three months, with the casual gamer ($30.99) you'll receive a game every other month and with the Gaming Guru ($29.99) you will get a board game every month. For review purposes I was able to join for the month of January & received my email to pick my selection on the first. The games for this month were Ready Set Bet, Verdant, and Fort. After looking at each game carefully, I decided that my family would enjoy Verdant the most so that is the selection I made. 

I really like that they send you an email and let you select from the three different games for the month. This helps prevent you from ending up with an extra copy of a game you already have, because that would be a bummer to pay for a second copy of a game. All games are shipped out around the 15th of the month, so you will receive it shortly after that. Shipping didn't take long once it was shipped out & we couldn't wait to open it up and check out the new game we selected. Alongside their subscription services they also have a shop where you can make a one-time purchase for some of the games they've featured in the past. This was a fun subscription box to be able to receive & I think this is a fantastic company for board game lovers to check out. It would also make a fun birthday or holiday gift for the board game lover in your life if you are not sure what to buy them or what games they may not have. 

Does this sound like a subscription you would enjoy? What is your favorite feature of their subscription service?

Disclaimer- Unboxboardom provided a one-month subscription 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.

Nom Nom Noodle Festival Review!

 

If you enjoy trying new foods & shopping from small businesses, then food festivals can be the perfect event to visit. Phoenix Food Festivals puts on a number of food festivals throughout the year that feature dozens of local Arizona food trucks, restaurants and businesses. Over the weekend they held their second annual Nom Nom Noodles Festival. All of their events offer general admission tickets or early entry tickets, we during the early entry time.

This time around it was held at Centennial Plaza Park, which seems to be their new main location for their events. I really enjoyed this location, it has two different parking garages, a covered seating area, a bathroom and a grassy area you can set up blankets on as well. It felt like everything flowed more smoothly at this event from start to finish, even getting in only took two minutes in line. They had security at the different gates checking tickets, helping with questions & keeping an eye on everything, it was very organized and was a fun family friendly event. 

It was called the Nom Nom Noodles festival, but it was more of a mixture of Asian inspired foods with a few vendors offering noodles in some of their dishes. There were one or two options we already love along with some new spots to try out. We purchased from four different food vendors while we were there, although we only bought one actual noodle dish & I completely forgot to take a photo of it until the last few bites were being eaten. Everything we had was delicious & just the right portions. 

There were also plenty of small business & handmade sellers to browse and purchase from. I liked how they had everything set up at this event, it was easy to walk around and browse the stalls without feeling over crowded or cramped for space. Last week I featured a small business called Minny Wicks, who is actually local to AZ & I was able to stop by and meet the shop owner while at the noodle festival and I of course purchased a few things from her because her candles and wax melts smell amazing. We found a few other fun things to purchase while we were there, we always love seeing & supporting local artists/vendors. We had a wonderful time at this event & look forward to visiting other events they put on through out the year.

Here is a look at what we purchased from the vendor area; 

If you missed out on this event, no need to worry! They have a few other events coming up including a event that is free to get into. They have the following events coming up;

🍜 Lunar New Year Asian Food Festival - Saturday February 17th 822 E Union Hills Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85027 4pm-9pm This event is FREE

🍙 Arizona Bao & Dumpling Festival with the Arizona Rice Festival - Saturday March 23rd- Sunday March 24th 11am-5pm 9875 N 85th Ave Peoria,AZ Tickets $15-$20 per day, Children 12& under are free.

🍜 Arizona Fried Chicken & Wings Festival with the Arizona Donut & Ice Cream Festival - Saturday April 20th 10am-4pm 9875 N 85th Ave Peoria,AZ Tickets $15-$20, Children 12& under are free.

If you are interested in more information or tickets for any of the events stop by their website to learn more. 

Disclaimer- Phoenix Food Festivals 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.

Age Of Wonders: Planetfall Board Game Review!

 

I am always on the lookout for new & exciting games to play with my family, so when I was offered a chance to receive an early release copy of a game called Age of Wonders: Planetfall, how could I say no? This game is designed for two to six players ages fourteen and older, game play takes twenty to forty minutes. It is published by Arcane Wonders and can be purchased for $44.99. The art in this game is beautiful, I love the attention to details & the bright colors that are used on not only the planets but the rest of the player cards as well.

In this game you will be playing as one of six commanders that each are a leader of their own surviving race in a futuristic planet exploring game. Each commander has their own special ability & starts off with different stats than the rest of the cards. You can either let each player look at the cards ahead of time & select which player they would like to be, or you can have everyone choose at random. During our first round of this game, we each selected who we wanted to play, each round after that we decided to start choosing at random so that we had a chance of mixing up the special abilities each time. 

The game is played over seven rounds, during each round players are allowed two turns to collect cards, resources and victory points. The order in which players go will change each round so you will need to think of your plan of attack ahead of time, but also be ready to change your plans as needed if someone snags a card you wanted. This game can be pretty fast paced & is a lot of fun to play, all of us have been having a blast playing Planetfall. 

The set up is simple, it takes less than five minutes to get everything pulled out & where it needs to go. This card consists of the board, playing cards, players mats & players pieces otherwise there isn't anything over complicated in this game, so it is perfect for when you want an easy & fast fun game to play. Sometimes we are short on time but want to play a boardgame so games like this are perfect. I also like that if we wanted to take this on a road trip with us, I could fit everything from the game into a smaller container to take with us to play. It makes a wonderful addition to our board game collection. 

Is this a game you would enjoy playing? 

If you want to find more great board games like Planetfall head over to check out my Board Game Reviews section.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Arcane Wonders 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.

MinnyWicks Review & Giveaway!

 

When you are on the search for products that have your favorite fandom characters on them, small handmade sellers are a fantastic place to look for cute & unique products to purchase. Today I will be sharing a wonderful small business called MinnyWicks with you. Shop owner Mindy creates candles, wax melts, enamel pins, stickers and keychains that are inspired by Anime & other fandoms. I am lucky enough to be working with MinnyWicks on not only a review for her shop, but I will be hosting a giveaway as well so be sure to enter to win! 

I recently received a box from MinnyWicks that showcased a selection of the products she creates & I am very excited to share all of the products with you. For my review I received two full sized candles, an enamel pin and three stickers plus she threw in some wax melt samples and a surprise sticker pack. She did a wonderful job packing everything to ensure that not only was it protected during shipping, but it looked nice to open as well. I appreciate the personal touches she included like the handwritten note, a care sheet for the candles and little freebie pack.  Ready to see what I received? Let's dive into it. 

Robin (One Piece) inspired candle. This is a 6oz soy wax candle that smells like creamy sandalwood and rich ambers with hints of lemon zest and yellow dahlia petals. I like the soft purple wax that was used for this candle & when it heats up it really sparkles from the lavender mica powder that was added to the wax during the creation process. So not only does this candle smell wonderful, but it looks pretty as well due to the glitter mixed into the wax. It has a clean burn when lit & the jar looks very clean where the wax has melted down. So far, I've burned this on two different days for 4+ hours and I still have a little more than half of the candle left. Just an FYI the figure in the photo belongs to my daughter, it did not come with the candle. This candle can be purchased on her website for $7. 

 

Haku (Studio Ghibli) inspired candle. This candle is slightly larger than the Robin inspired candle, it is 8oz & comes in a jar with a pop-off lid instead of a twist off top. It is a dupe of the BBW Japanese Cherry Blossom, which is the perfect combo for me because Haku is one of my favorite characters and I love the scent of cherry blossoms. This soy wax candle has a beautiful light blue color to it. I only had this lit for a little while as I like only using one candle at a time until it is gone, but it smelled just as good as the Robin candle. This candle can be purchased on her website for $8. I really like that the labels she makes for the candles go with the vibe of the fandom & character themselves. 

Chopper hard enamel pin. There are literally hundreds of different One Piece characters, but out of them all Chopper is my favorite, I've even done a gender swapped version of him for a cosplay convention. This pin is just adorable as the character himself & features him chowing down on some cotton candy. This enamel pin is well made & I love that the backing for it is a heart shape instead of the normal backings enamel pins tend to have, it really added an extra little touch to the pin. Chopper is going to fit in just right with the rest of my pin collection. Chopper along with all of her other pins can be purchased for $7 each. 

Stickers! I received three stickers of different One Piece characters, she included Soul King (Brooke), Fire-Fist (Ace) and Franky. All three are well made, I like the type of material she choose for the stickers and the fact that they are waterproof. They are the perfect size to be used just about anywhere! I really enjoy her style of drawing & how she chooses to draw each of the characters. All of her stickers range from $1-$2 each. 

I have not used the wax samples yet, I need to pick up a new wax melter before I am able to use them. I think I may also include a few of them in next month's Beauty & The Book giveaway so one of you can try out her wax melts as well and each one is shaped like a small heart so it will be perfect for Valentines day. 

Most of the products I received are related to the Anime One Piece, which not everyone may be a fan of, but don't worry! She also has products inspired by Attack On Titan, Sailor Moon, My Hero Academia, Pokemon, and more. I highly recommend checking out her shop if you are an anime lover or if you have someone in your life you are looking for gifts for. The shop owner is really sweet & I am sure if you had any questions, she would be more than happy to answer them for you. If you are in Arizona, you can stop by her booth at some of the local markets and conventions otherwise she ships all over the United States so you can shop her store even if you aren't local. On a finishing note, how pretty is the packaging she picked out for the wax melt samples? 

💜 GIVEAWAY 💜

One lucky winner is going to a win a candle & enamel pin of their choice from MinnyWicks.

This is open to US Residents Only! 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 02/06/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment letting me know which product is your favorite from the various products MinnyWicks offers. On a secondary note, feel free to leave a suggestion of another Anime, Video game or show you'd love to see her create a candle/sticker/enamel for. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  MinnyWicks provided the products mentioned above for this review & for the 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.

Be-Tween the skincare line for Tweens & Teens!

 

If you have a tween or teenager like I do, then you will know that they are at the point in their lives where they will start to need to combat acne & may need to start a skincare routine. A good skincare routine will not only help them prevent some blemishes in their tracks, but it will also help keep their skin hydrated and moisturized. Most of the products in stores can be a little harsh on sensitive skin, so parent set out to create a product that is gentle on pre-teen & teenage skin while keeping the skin routine simple to follow. Be-Tween started shortly after the pandemic when their children started to face the challenge of "maskne" from needing to wear a mask in school all day. 

I was recently sent a care package to try out with my teenage daughter & we will be sharing our thoughts with you on each of the products we received. As I mentioned, the Be-Tween skincare routine is very simple, there are only three products in the line which will help your tween from feeling overwhelmed trying to figure out what products to use in a specific order like many of us adults tend to do. We were gifted all three products to test out & review. 

The first product in the care package we received is the Aloe Cleansing Ball. In the package you will receive one large round clear gel ball along with a mesh storage bag. The aloe can be rubbed directly on your face, however it can be a little hard to hold onto when it is wet so using it inside of the mesh bag makes it easier to use. Using it while it is inside of the mesh bag also gives you the added benefit of having that little bit of fabric to help remove any dead skin or dirt from your face. The mesh bag is actually quite soft & is non-scratchy so it is perfectly fine even on sensitive skin. The lather from the cleansing ball is gentle on your skin & leaves it feeling moisturized and clean, I also like that it doesn't make the skin feel tight or dried out. As an added bonus it smells nice, it has a fresh scent to it that is quite pleasing. Depending on how often you use it, I would say this ball will last anywhere from one to maybe two months, the ball will start to shrink until you reach the end of it. It can be purchased for $17.99 on their website. 

Up next is the second step of the skincare routine which is their Aloe Moisturizer. This face lotion is made with hyaluronic acid which will help it absorb into the skin quicker & helps give it a deeper hydration. The bottle of lotion is a little small, coming in at just 3.4oz however we have found that you only need a small amount to be able to apply it to your whole face. My daughter likes that it doesn't make her face feel greasy or oily and that it has a light floral scent. Her skin has been looking like it is moisturized & it looks completely clear from acne. The Aloe Moisturizer can be purchased for $17.99 on their website. 

The last product we received isn't something you will need to do as part of a daily skincare routine, instead it can be used one to two times a week. Their Aloe Mask Powder is a ready to make face mask mixture, you simply need to add water to a small amount of the powder to create a mask cream. Once the mask has been mixed & applied, you simply need to wait for int to harden then you can peel it off. It does not come with a bowl to mix it in, I would recommend purchasing a small bowl to use for the face mask. It says on the bottle not to rinse the left-over mixture down the sink, so I would let it dry & then empty it into the trash. The face mask was non-irritating& left our skin feeling clean and refreshed. The aloe mask powder can be purchased for $19.99 on their website. You can save a little bit of money by buying them as a trio bundle instead of buying them each individually. 

Disclaimer- Be-Tween provided the products mentioned above for this 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.

Ororo Heated Apparel; Review & Giveaway!

 

The last few weeks have been pretty cold in some states, so why not add a piece of winter clothing to your wardrobe that has a built-in heat source for added warmth? Ororo sells a wide range of heated apparel including jackets, gloves & more. I was recently gifted one of their Unisex heated fleece hoodies in the color black & it has been wonderful to use on the days when it is extra chilly out. They sell this hoodie in a size XS all the way up to a 3XL, all the sizes cost the same. You can purchase this hoodie for $179.99 however at the time of writing this (1/20/24) it is on sale for $143.99 so if you are interested in getting one, now is the perfect time to buy. 

How does the hoodie work? It has three built in carbon fiber heating elements that provide the extra warmth once plugged into the charging battery. It has three different heat settings so you can set it to your own personal preference. There is one large piece in the back along with one smaller section on either side of the chest which heat up. Depending on what setting you have the heat on the battery can last up to ten hours. The website also states you can use the USB port on the hoodie battery to charge your mobile devices if you need. I have no used that feature yet, but it is very handy to know I have that option for when I need it. 

Even without the heated elements turned on the hoodie itself is well made & warm all on its own. I like how thick the hoodie is & that the fleece lining is soft to the touch. I like that the jacket not only has two pockets on the outside, but the inside has two pockets as well - one is for the battery and has the connection cable and the other is just a normal pocket. I think the only thing I would possibly change about the jacket is the sleeves near the wrist, it could just be myself having the issue, but I find it a little difficult to pull the sleeves up & get them to stay so I can wash my hands properly without getting the hoodie wet. Otherwise, I love wearing this hoodie, it is very comfortable and warm, the heating elements make wearing the jacket extra toasty. Depending on your charger (it comes with a charging cord, but no plug that goes into the wall) charging time may vary, I like to charge mine over night as it seems to take a few hours for the battery to fully charge. 

Since it is unisex my husband and I have been taking turns using it. In December we attended an outdoor event late at night & it was decently chilly, this hoodie helped keep my husband warm the whole time. Sometimes my work office can get extra cold during the mornings, so I like using the heating element of this hoodie during that time to stay warm. The hoodie heats up quickly, it only takes one maybe two minutes before you can start to feel the heat on your back. Along with this hoodie they also have thicker winter jackets, pull overs, gloves and more that you should check out if you are looking for a way to stay warmer. 

🔥 GIVEAWAY 🔥

One lucky winner is going to a Unisex fleece hoodie in their choice of size. Retail Value $179.99

This is open to US Residents Only! 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 01/30/2024

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment letting me know another product from the Ororo catalogue that you'd love to own, OR tell me what your favorite feature of this hoodie is.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer- Ororo Wear provided a hoodie for this review & a hoodie for the 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.

Escape Mail Episode 2 Review!

Back in December we received & reviewed the first episode of Escape Mail. If you didn't have the chance to catch that review, Escape Mail is an escape room in an envelope. There are twelve different episodes to complete, you are able to sign up to get one a month or they have an option where you can get several or even all of them in one go instead of waiting for the next episode to arrive. This month we received the second episode & I will be sharing a short review on it. The subscription is $14.75 per episode or you can bundle and buy them at once for $12.50 each. 

In the first episode it had a map included & had mentioned that there was a missing piece. I wasn't sure if that meant to hold onto the game pieces or not, but I did hold onto them. However, we didn't need them for the second episode. Aside from a pair of scissors, a phone with Wi-Fi & a pen/paper everything you need can be found in the envelope. The amount of time this takes will depend on how well your detective skills are. If you end up getting stuck, they do have some small hints that can get you back on track & if you want music playing while you are figuring everything out, they have a QR code for a customized play list that fits with the episode. We do not really pay attention to anything other than figuring out the clues, so we do not have anything playing during our sessions. 

Each episode is engaging & really pushes you to think about each piece included in the envelope and how they might connect. The piece you need to start will have a small riddle included on it that will give you the clue to where to start next. During this episode there was only one puzzle we got a little stuck on, so we peeked at the clue & realized we had done the puzzle correctly we were just looking at the answer in the wrong way. Otherwise, we just needed to take a moment to think about how the clues intertwine with each other & how they could be used to solve a puzzle. 

As this is something that is meant to be completed by yourself or with a group of friends/family, I won't go into detail about any specific puzzle, so I won't accidently giveaway the answer or how to complete it. I will say that some of these puzzles make you think outside of the box & they are a lot of fun to complete. My family and I have really enjoyed both episodes so far & think this would make a fun monthly game night if you do the twelve-month subscription. Age wise it is recommended for ages 10+ and I think that is pretty accurate, due to the complexity level of some of the clues. Younger children might find it too difficult or too boring as they can't really participate in helping solve the puzzles. My son is right at the age limit of ten, he enjoys helping out with the puzzles and thinking of ways they need to be solved. We are looking forward to seeing what the other episodes have in store! I think they did a fantastic job at putting these envelopes together & hope they come out with some other story lines in the future as well. 

✉ Does this sound like a Mystery Escape you'd enjoy subscribing to? What stands out to you the most about this subscription?

Disclaimer- Escape Mail provided Episode one for this 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.