Summer time reads for Kids from CandleWick Press!

Reading is not only an important way to help keep your mind engaged, but it is always an amazing way to explore new worlds and beyond using your imagination and the words on the page. I am the type of person who gets excited seeing kids who want to read as many books as possible so I love buying and gifting books to my friends and loved ones. Today I wanted to share some great kids books with you!

Madame Badobedah; This book is by Sophie Dahl and it is available in hardcover for $18.99. I enjoyed reading this book with my kids, it was quite a fun adventure that will make you smile. The main character is a little girl named Mabel, her parents own a hotel and she loves pretending to be a spy learning about all the new guests. One day a extravagant older woman named Madame Badobedah moves in and she is very mysterious because she is a private woman who keeps to herself and often stays in her room. Over the course of the book Mabel gets to know her and they go on a lot of heart felt adventures together making their friendship grow as the book goes on. This is a great book that teaches first appearances aren't always as they seem.

One Mean Ant; This book is written by Arthur Yorinks and is available in hardcover for $16.99. My kids highly enjoyed this book, it is one of their favorites out of the batch of books we are featuring on this post. As you can guess this book is about a very mean ant, he is so mean that leaves fall off of trees when he walks by, and none of the other critters like being around him. One day ant is so busy being mean and telling everyone what to do that he gets lost, while he is lost he meets a fly that tries to be friends with him. The fly helps break down a bit of the ants rude demeanor and they do end up becoming friends.

Dot Unplugged; This book is available in hardcover for $16.99 and it is by The Jim Henson Company. Dot is a character in a great series of books that are colorful and entertaining to read for young children, each book holds a new adventure. In this book Dot, her friend and her parents have to figure out what to do to keep themselves entertained when the power goes out in her house due to a storm outside. What in the world are they going to do without any electronics to keep them entertained? They decided to celebrate a day of being "unplugged" and look for things to do at home that don't require electricity. Through out the day they play games, do crafts and more. I think this is a great book highlighting non-electronic activities to do!

The Blunders A Counting Catastrophe! This book is available in hardcover for $16.99 and it is written by Christina Soontornvat. This book is about a family that has ten children, the mom is trying to clean the house the children have made a mess and they are driving her a little nuts so she asks them to go play outside for a while but keep an eye on each other. The children go out to play and when it is time to come in they go to count themselves to make sure everyone is there, but one of them is missing! Each child takes a turn counting each of their siblings and they can only count nine of them. I like that the book not only counts in English but other language's as well as shown above. The children don't realize that when they are counting they are not including themselves in the count so they believe someone is missing and go home to tell their mom they lost a sibling, which is when she reassures them that they are all there.

Follow Me, Flo! This cute book is for younger children and it is available in hardcover for $16.99, written by Jarvis. Flo and her father are on their way to visit a family members new nest, her father instructs her to follow him otherwise she will get lost. While they are walking she entertains herself by singing and telling stores but she gets so wrapped up in her story telling that she wanders off and becomes a bit lost. The illustrations in this book are quite bright and the characters are darling, and the book has a happy ending of course.

Hazel and Twig: The Lost Egg. Written by Brenna Burns Yu and available in hardcover for $16.99. The sweet little mice in this photo remind me of a book that I read when I was younger so I really enjoyed reading this cute little book. Hazel and Twig are playing in a meadow one day when they happen upon a egg which they think is lost and they decide they'd like to hatch it themselves so they take it home. This book shows their adventure and what eventually pops out of the egg!

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for 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.

August Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

A new month, new giveaways! I want to first congratulate the winner of the July beauty and the book giveaway which is Tonya M. who has already replied back to claim her prize. This month I have another bundle of goodies for one of you to win including some of my favorite brands.

This month's book is called "A Season of Spells" which seems fitting since the cooler months and Halloween are drawing near! Along with the book you will win the following goodies:

• X + O Tic Tac Toe Makeup bag
• Bodycology body mist
• L.A Colors palette 
• Wet N Wild Makeup Brush
• ELF lipstick
• NYX lip butter
• Hemp Seed Lip Balm
• Autobalm Eyeshadow
• EcoTools Face Mask kit
• Pretty Vulgar eyeshadow
• L.A Colors nail polish
• LXMI Illuminator 
• EOS lip balm
• Mermaid Facemask
• Face peel samples

One winner will win everything in the photo (aside from the tray and letter board). Keep an eye out for up coming giveaways which include: Chill Boys Boxers, Kids toys, Canvas prints and more.

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 and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 09/08/2020

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me what your favorite ways of pampering yourself. (I personally like using a facial steamer 2-3 times a week followed by a face mask, and I like to keep my feet kept up + looking pretty).

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**This giveaway is sponsored by ME, none of the companies mentioned are associated or sponsoring this post. **

Creepy Crate April/May Box Review!

My favorite time of the year is slowly making it's way towards us, that time of the year is Halloween time! I love seeing all of the spooky décor and products in the store, the smell of pumpkin spice floating through the air and the cooler weather are some of my favorite things. If you love the Halloween season too and are looking for a way to add a little bit of the spooky feeling to your life during the rest of the year than the Creepy Crate is for you and for all of the Horror movie loves out there.

Creepy Crate is a True Crime/Horror subscription box that ships out on a bi-monthly basis. Each box could contain clothing, pins, accessories, house goods, books and more that is based on either a true crime such as the zodiac killer or on a horror movie such as Friday the 13th. You can purchase a three box subscription for $120 or a six box subscription for $240. (Single boxes are $40)

The April/May crate had several products that I highly enjoyed! One of the products in the crate is a coffee mug, however my brain can't quite place which Horror related movie or show it is from and it isn't on the sheet telling you what was included in your crate. If you have a guess please leave it in the comments below.

Also found inside of the box is a book called "The Beetle" by Richard marsh, this is a recently re-released new edition of the 1897 classic. I sadly hadn't heard of this book until now, and it sounds fantastically thrilling so I am very much looking forward to cuddling up on the sofa and reading this adventure. The kids of horror button pack features Charlie from Hereditary, Damien from The Omen, Gage from Pet Sematary and Regan from The Exorcist which is a nice collection of characters and movies. The button pack is a lot of fun, and they can be pinned onto bags, clothing, and more to show off your love of your favorite movies. The Cthulhu sticker included is also creepy, powerful and draws your attention to it, the sticker is about the size of my palm and seems well made.

Finally there is a pair of "Do you love me?" socks that feature a Voodoo doll. There are a one size fits all knee high sock, I've always had pretty muscular legs so knee high socks have always been a hit or miss for me, these fit although they are just slightly tight at the top so I wear them a little lower than you normally would. As an added bonus the crate came with a digital copy of the boom "The Monster Novels" by Robert R. McCammon. 

Overall I was quite pleased with this crate and I highly enjoy the fact that their crates not only come with collectables, wearables and home goods but they also come with books. Plus I love how the product packaging looks, you can spot the creepy crate right away when you pull up to your house after work or answer the door when it gets dropped off.

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.

Earthly Body Hemp Seed Review + Giveaway!

Earthly Body is a great brand that has several branches of mini brands within their product label, one of those lines is their Hemp Seed line. I recently received several different products to test out and I also received a great prize for one of you lucky winners! From the products I've tested from this brand I love what they create and I hope that you will all look into checking their products out for yourselves as well. 

As you can see they sell an assortment of products within their Hemp Seed line. I received some body butters, massage candles, lip balm, hand wash, shower gel and a Miracle oil shaving cream. If you are looking for a range of products that have a wide selection of heavenly scents, this is your brand! They have lots of different scents to choose from and each of them smells amazing. The jars are just the right size that I can easily stash one in the purse to have it with me on the go. 

The skin butters are quite creamy, you only need a little for each section you are spreading it on. It has a bit of a cooling effect when you are applying it which stays for a short time after you apply the skin butter, it also won't leave your hands feeling oily like some lotions/butters can. 

I really enjoy the hand wash, however I don't use it as an actual hand wash. Instead I use it as more of a body wash, because I highly enjoy how it smells and it has little micro scrubbing beads that help get rid of dead skin. The shower gel is also a favorite of mine, it makes my skin feel clean and soft after I use it, it lathers nicely so you only need a little for each section of your body. Your skin won't feel greasy after using this which is nice because some massage oils/creams make me want to get in the shower after using it.

The massage candles not only smell nice but they are really nice for sore muscles, the warm wax helps soothe your muscles and makes giving a massage easier. I do however wish that they came with a little spoon to scoop some of the product out, because pouring it out can be a little hot on the skin so it is nice to let it have a two or three seconds to cool slightly before applying it to your skin. The Creamsicle scent smells delicious! It smells like a orange creamsicle pop. 

I enjoy the lip balm, but I wish I would have gone with the actual stick of chalpstick vs the tin. Because with everything going on in the world at the moment using my finger to dip into lipbalm to apply to my lips doesn't sound appealing so this has only been used at home. It helps your lips feel nice and smooth and it isn't waxy or sticky.

The shaving cream isn't pictured above, but you can see it on their website Here. It is really nice to shave with, although I am on the fence about how I feel about the scent. It is a bit musky/woodsy and lingers on your skin after you shave, my kids have mentioned it smells odd and I agree. It is one of those scents that you can't tell if you actually like it or not! My skin does feel soft after using this and it helps me get a close shave. 

PRIZE ALERT:

One lucky winner is going to win a Hemp Seed Mini Mania (shown above). This kit is in the scent Skinny Dip which is a combination of vanilla and cotton candy. The set has a massage candle, a lip balm, a body lotion and a shower gel. Retail value $15.99

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 ends on 08/08/2020

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a comment letting me know another product you'd like to try from this brand! More products found Here.

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Earthly Body 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.

July Ipsy Bag Review!

Back in May I decided that one of the things I was going to get myself for my birthday was a month subscription to Ipsy, I signed up at the end of the month which meant I received June's bag. You can see my review for that bag by clicking here. I thought the bag was cute and I was excited about one of the items sent, the others were a toss up so I wasn't sure if I wanted to get another month or just cancel it. 

One of the things they do on their site is they give a sneak peek at what the next month's bag might contain, so when I received the email with a few of the spoilers where it let's you choose on of the items that will be in your bag I decided to keep my subscription for another month. This is what I received in my July Bag:

My bag arrived looking slightly beat up, it has a bunch of scruff marks on it that don't seem to want to come off. The bag is a type of vinyl material that smells like a pool floaty and seems like it will get dirty quickly, so while I think the bag is cute it won't be used. 

Inside my bag I found a Luxie brush, which is a cute pink! I do love makeup brushes, but I recently bought a big set so this brush is going to get put in one of my future Beauty & The Book Giveaways. I also received a Verb curl cream, which smells nice, it spreads out evenly and does seem to help my curls a bit. 

I am also looking forward to using the Murad daily moisturizer with sunscreen and the Ciate watermelon hydrating primer. The item I selected as my choice item was the Kat Von D tattoo liner, I was excited about testing it out, however it was a big disappointment. I am happy I was able to test out a smaller version of it before committing to a full size.

I think this subscription is a big toss up, for around $13 ($12 a month plus tax) you could end up with some great products you were wanting to try out or you could end up with some duds. Seeing next month's bag nothing excited me so I won't be getting another month, however I will probably keep an eye on the future bags and if any look good I might pick them up. I do still wish they had an option to select "No Makeup bag" and instead you could get another sample product or a small discount.

I did recently find a neat subscription that is similar in price and comes with five full sized products vs sample sized products. It is called LipMonthly and I'll be reviewing that one here on my blog soon as well. 

**This is not a sponsored post, I purchased this product myself and wanted to share what I thought about it with my readers who have similar interests.**

July Beauty & The Book Giveaway!

This month instead of picking out a regular book for this giveaway I decided to pick out something to help keep you entertained while you are staying at home more during this time due to covid. The two books you'll receive in this prize pack is a word search that also has coloring pages in it, and "The book of Joy journal" which has quotes along the way to inspire you while keeping a 365 day journal. 

Along with the two books is of course makeup goodies! You'll be winning everything shown above which includes the following:

• Nicole Miller Wingin' It mascara + eyeliner
• Ecotools color perfecting minis
• ELF Molten liquid eyeshadow in Liquid Gold
• Spalife face mask
• Nose mask
• Two Moda makeup brushes
• ELF aqua-infused blush & bronzer
• Eva-NYC dry shampoo
• Lancome mascara base
• Glow for a cause lipbalm
• Naked cosmetics eyeshadow in Naturally Nude
• L.A Colors nailpolish "Lucky"
• Wet N Wild liquid catsuit in Satin Sheets
• Adore swarovski necklace 

All of this could be yours by filling out the rafflecopter form below! Increase your chances of winning by completing as many entry possibilities as you'd like.

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 and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above.

This giveaway ends on 08/07/2020

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Summer time beauty or skincare product is. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This giveaway is sponsored by ME, none of the companies mentioned are associated or sponsoring this post.**

Dragon fruit refresher; Dunkin Donuts VS Starbucks

Currently both Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are offering a Dragon fruit flavored tea for the summer season, I decided to test out both of them to see which one is the best. I wanted to share my thoughts with you, plus I am going to host a small giveaway for all you coffee/tea lovers out there. 

Dunkin:

Size: Large

Price: $2.79

Prior to heading out to try out this tea I had never tried a Dragon fruit tea so I wasn't quite sure what to expect flavor wise. I was pleasantly surprised by this drink, it has almost a sweet strawberry taste to it and it was a welcomed refreshment from the hot summer heat. The Dunkin Large holds quite a bit more than the largest cup offered by Starbucks, and is is cheaper.

Starbucks:

Size: Trenta

Cost: $5.25

After trying the Dunkin refresher, I knew that Starbucks was also offering one so later in the week I stopped by to pick one up. Looks wise the Starbucks drink is more appealing to the eye, the pink is brighter and they add actual pieces of dragon fruit to the drink, however that doesn't mean the drink is better! Flavor wise I thought they were pretty on par, however once I started getting to the last 25% of my drink I was pretty unhappy due to the amount of chunks of seeds and dragon fruit that were getting caught in my straw. They also offer one with lemonade which I think is better than just the dragon fruit refresher alone. 

So which is the winner? Since both were pretty similar to me in flavor, I'd choose Dunkin as my winner due to the price difference and the fact you get more for your dollar buying it from Dunkin. 

GIVEAWAY:

Over on my Instagram page I am going to be giving two lucky commenters a $5 gift card to either Starbucks or Dunkin (Winners choice!) so that you can try out this drink or another of your choice.

  

**This is not a sponsored post, it is just a quick fun little post/giveaway that I wanted to do. It is not affiliated with Dunkin or Starbucks. Prize will be handled by me and email directly to the winner.**