#subscriptiontherapy – Page 10

Spiffster Tie Box: June 2016 & 20% off Coupon

Been procrastinating on Father’s Day?
If so, I might have just have a solution. The wonderful folks at Spiffster, a premium tie subscription, sent me a box to review and a fabulous 20% off coupon.
Just use SUBSCRIPTIONTHERAPY to save 20% off your entire subscription (not just the first month, but the whole sub)!

How it works:
After you become a member, they send you a short survey that allows you to build your profile and deliver ties tailored to your preferences. A fresh tie gets delivered to you monthly. All ties are shipped on the 16th of each month.

What really sets this sub apart is that you get to customize the tie you receive, plus it’s super affordable. A month to month sub is only $8.95, with discounts for prepaying 3 or 6 month subs.

Spiffster also offers the ability to purchase ties separately from the subscription in their Spiffster One Time Shop.

Now you may be wondering what $8.95 will get us?
(Me too). Let’s jump in.

We start with really cute packaging:

The Tie
Now subscribers typically choose their own tie, but mine was selected by Spiffster. It’s a nice classic style and the quality is excellent. I’ve gotten a lot of ties from men’s boxes and this is one of the few my boyfriend actually wanted to keep.

Also included was a card, with instructions on how to tie a specific knot. I thought this was a great inclusion and I think a lot of guys would be interested in learning some of the different methods that they may not be accustomed to using.

Verdict: Hit!

I’m really impressed with the quality you get for only $8.95. I also really appreciate that this subscription is completely customized. For a gentleman that needs to wear a tie every day, this is an easy, inexpensive way to build up a tie wardrobe. I could also see this as a great gift for a recent grad that is heading into the business world. If you’ve been looking at tie subs, this is definitely one to move to the top of your list.

Have you ever purchased a subscription as a gift?
If so, tell me about it in the comments!

BACKSTORY
After you become a member at Spiffster, they send you a short survey that allows you to build your profile and deliver ties tailored to your preferences.

A fresh tie gets delivered to you monthly. All ties are shipped on the 16th of each month.

“Our neckties are trendy and fashionable. Handcrafted from premium materials and created to instill a sense of success.”

COST: $8.95 Month to Month
$24.95 Every three Months
$56.95 Every 6 Months

Shipping: Free Shipping on all U.S. orders.
Cancel at Any Time
Free US Shipping

COUPON CODE: SUBSCRIPTIONTHERAPY – save 20% off for the duration of your subscription

ONLINE SHOP: Ties are also on sale for Individual Purchase in the Spiffster One Time Shop

Spring Fling – Seasonal Picks: Colorful Eyes with MUFE & MAC

Because I get tons of products in my subscription boxes I’m super picky about what I purchase for myself so I tend to add just a couple new items per season. As we move closer to summer, I thought I’d share some more of my Spring picks.

Neutrals are great, but I’d been craving some pop of colors for my eyes. I was particularly looking for some watercolor type shades that would bring out my brown eyes.

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Clearwater
(Retail: $22.00)
Description: “A long-wearing blendable cream shadow that can be worn alone or with other products.”
I’d been searching for some cream shadows and heard that MACs were amazing. This sea foam shade was so lovely it just called out my name. These paint pots are hardcore and when they say longwear, they mean it. I used this with a primer and even with my hooded, oilh lids it didn’t budge. I layered other colors over it and still it did not move. One of my favorite combos was to top Clearwater with Laura Mercier’s Fairy Dust Eye Shimmer in Crushed Lapis. It gives this really pretty boho festival vibe look that isn’t too over the top. Unfortunately, I think the Fairy Dust shimmers have been discontinued, but I think MUFE’s Star Powder in White Turquoise will give you a similar effect.

ME-230 Peacock Blue, D-236 Lagoon Blue, S-404 Straw Yellow, I-544 Pink Granite, ME-512 Golden Beige, ME-930 Black Purple, I-918 Lavender, I-528 Pearl, and I-804 Golden Pink

MAKE UP FOR EVER – Artist Palette Volume 3 – Florals
(Retail: $44.00)
Description: “A collectible, makeup palette with eight must-have Artist Shadow formulas and one blush in fresh, neutral, and softly colorful shades.”
I’d been lusting after this palette from Makeup Forever (MUFE) for a long time, so when Sephora had a sale for VIB members, I grabbed it. These colors have a lovely saturation and include a nice mix of neutrals, brights and pastels. I was surprised at how wearable the straw yellow shade was and the lavender looked amazing with my coloring. Some of these colors may look a little intimidating, but they blend well and can work with a lot of different skin tones. The two blue shades are so so gorgeous and I can’t wait to experiment with them in the summer. If you want to try out color and not commit to an entire palette of bright neons, consider this one. It includes enough neutrals and softer shades to give you lots of flexibility.

If you have Ebates, remember that Sephora and MAC are available there so be sure to use your link. If you haven’t tried Ebates, it’s a great site for online shopping. You sign up for free, search for your favorite stores and use their links to go to the store website. After you purchase you get a percentage back of what you spend in your account. You can opt for them to mail you a check or send it to you through Paypal. If you do sign up, please consider using my affiliate link. Happy Shopping!

Marley Spoon: Leek & Cabbage Tart & Lamb & Spicy Sweet Potatoes Plus $30 Coupon Code

Today we’re back in the kitchen with my weekly Marley Spoon subscription box. If you’d like to try it out yourself, use the coupon code COOKSMART for $30 off.
My meal plan is for a weekly delivery of 2 meals (2 portions each), which costs $48.

Savory Leek & Cabbage Tart with Cheese and Arugula Salad
I’ve never made a savory tart with puff pastry so I had to give this one a try.
Our usual fresh ingredients:

The recipe isn’t too difficult but it does have quite a few steps – mostly involving the pastry.
First you prep the pastry by rolling it out and scoring the edges.

Then you spread Dijon mustard over it and sprinkle it with grated Parmesan, then par-bake it.

While that goes down you clean the leeks and cabbage, chop them up and give them a sauté.

Next you spread the leek cabbage mixture over the tart and bake.

While that goes down you cut up the brie and make the arugula salad.

After the tart is finished you top it with the cheese and let it melt.

When all is said and done, you have this gorgeousness:

Taste: Love!
This box arrived right before Easter weekend so I thought I’d make this as part of my contribution to dinner. It was tasty, light and perfectly suited for Spring. The richness of the brie paired perfectly with the light pastry and roasted veggies. The arugula salad was simple and a nice compliment. This is definitely one of my favorite Marley Spoon recipes.
Portion Size: Huge
Good for Entertaining?: Absolutely. I would definitely make this again. It’s perfect for a ladies who lunch type of event – like a garden party, tea, baby or bridal shower. I’d serve this alongside a fancy chicken salad with a spiked fruity iced tea. Dessert would include fruit salad and adorable petite fours.

Lamb & Spicy Sweet Potatoes with Lime Yogurt
I love lamb and Marley Spoon always sends amazing meat so this one was a no brainer.
More fresh ingredients:

So the first step is to cut up the sweet potatoes, toss them with olive oil, crushed red pepper and salt, then roast them. This endeavor makes me realize that I need to sharpen my knives posthaste. Once I butcher, uh, cut the potatoes and get them in the oven, I move on to making the yogurt sauce.

It combines cilantro, lime zest and juice, plus salt & pepper.
We sear the steak and finish it off with some scallions.

Then we slice up the steak, pile it on the plate over some yogurt sauce and drape the scallions on the side. Then we have this:

Taste: Great with a few tweaks
I really liked the flavor of the yogurt sauce and the lamb. Marley spoon included 3 packets of crushed red pepper which seems like a mistake. I only used two packets, but that was still overpowering. I like spicy foods, but I don’t think the red pepper flake works in this case. I’d use a finer spice that can more evenly coat the potatoes. The scallions taste good but are slightly awkward to eat.
Portion Size: Good
Good for Entertaining?: Yes for a dinner party menu but with a few small tweaks. I’d season the sweet potatoes with chipotle powder, smoked paprika and the tiniest bit of cinnamon. I’d also slice the scallions at least in half before serving. For this menu, I’d serve some fig & blue cheese tarts with honey as a starter and red wine sangria as the cocktail. Dessert would feature cinnamon and I’d probably go with an fresh apple cake topped with cinnamon frosting.

OVERALL
Verdict: Love!
Both these recipes were tasty and while the tart had a few steps they were straightforward. I felt like I got some great new culinary ideas from this box which one of my goals for this subscription. This one was definitely a win!

Have you ever tried a fresh meal subscription service? If so, what did you think?

THE BACKSTORY
Marley Spoon creates delicious, easy to follow recipes.
They deliver fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and you select your recipes from their changing weekly menu.

They are dedicated to sourcing organic and sustainable whenever possible. Building relationships with environmentally aware farms and producers ensures that the highest quality ingredients arrive at your door each week.

Using trusted delivery partners, your Marley Spoon boxes come insulated and chilled, staying cool for 30 hours! After delivery, all the ingredients are guaranteed to stay fresh for up to 4 days – allowing you to decide when to cook.

Marley’s Spoon donates any leftover ingredients to City Harvest. City Harvest exists to end hunger in communities throughout New York City through food rescue and distribution, education, and other practical, innovative solutions.

Each week you’ll automatically receive great dishes, but as a flexible subscription, you can skip a week or pause your subscription anytime. You can also change delivery frequency, recipes, and the number of portions you’d like to receive.

Marley’ Spoon delivers to the mid Atlantic and New England regions: most of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Washington D.C.

Monthly Cost:
Varies by number of servings and number of meals.
Check here for the configuration of your choice

COUPON CODE: COOKSMART

MAY PRODUCT REVIEW: Innersense Organic Haircare

So for May, I’ve got a real treat for all of you that love organic and natural beauty products. The wonderful folks at Innersense sent me their haircare line to review. I’ve got a ton of fun products for all different kinds of hair types, so let’s get to it.

First, let’s start with a little bit about Innersense Organic Beauty:
“Nature is at the Center of Innersense Organic Beauty. Our products are crafted from pure, certified organic plant ingredients your hair will love. Enjoy the hydration, moisture, shine and color protection only pure nature can provide and fall in love with the beautiful truth of innersense organic beauty.”

Who doesn’t want nature to make their hair pretty and shiny? It’s so much better than when machines do it.

“Innersense products are handcrafted from a rich combination of carefully selected certified organic and biodynamic plant extracts, rich in emollients and nutrients, high in antioxidants. Our products are built to restore hair’s natural balance, leaving it healthy, full of body and shiny.”

Am I the only one who gets excited when I hear the word “antioxidants”? I think it tricks my brain into thinking I can undo all the damage pollution from the Lincoln Tunnel has done to me.

It’s also important to note that Innersense is a certified green company, for those of you looking at beauty companies that are into environmental sustainability.

Now my hair is naturally red, thick, wavy and currently so long it’s bordering on sister wife territory. It’s prone to tangles, frizziness and I often get dry scalp (maybe a little TMI on the last one). Just so you have a reference point for my product experiences.

Color Awakening Shampoo
(Retail: 8.5 oz: $24.00; 32 oz: $60.00)
Description: “A gentle cleansing therapy for color-treated hair, this formula creates a gentle bath for the hair and scalp. Sunflower seed oil, a natural anti-oxidant, protects color from fading and leaves hair naturally clean without residue or dryness.”
Verdict: Love!
This shampoo had a wonderful citrus scent that I adore. It didn’t irritate my sometimes sensitive scalp and had a nice lather (which is hard to come by with many natural shampoos). It also didn’t weigh down my wavy hair like other brands have. My hair isn’t color treated, so I can’t speak to it’s properties in that regard, but it definitely felt gentle. This one was a winner for me.

Color Radiance Daily Conditioner
(Retail: 8.5 oz: $26.00; 32 oz: $68.00)
Description: “Formulated to nourish color-treated hair with natural proteins, aromatic oils and flower essences, this beautiful formula prevents build-up and includes sunflower seed oil for color protection..”
Verdict: Great for folks with Color Treated Hair
My first impression on this was the scent – unlike the light citrus of the shampoo, this had a heavier floral scent. For me, it was a bit too strong, but I could see other people really enjoying it. This conditioner did a fabulous job of making my thick knotted hair, soft and manageable, but I noticed that when I used it every day I got a bit of build-up that weighed my hair down. I offset this by using a clarifying shampoo. I think because this is made for color-treated hair, it may be a bit strong for my natural locks, but it really did a remarkable job of getting the tangles out of my hair. I think this would work amazingly well for folks with color treated hair, so if you’ve got a fab dye job, you may want to try this conditioner out.

Harmonic Healing Oil Soothing Treatment
(Retail: 1 oz: $22.00; 4 oz: $65.00)
Description: “A rich blend of sacred healing oils and flower essences, this product is ideal for soothing dry skin and scalp. With certified organic safflower and evening primrose oil, and the healing properties of sacred tamanu oil, this luscious oil is rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins and antioxidants. Its anti-inflammatory properties make it ideal for deep tissue massage and dry or irritated skin.”
Verdict: Like!
I’ve tried a lot of scalp oils and products and I really liked this treatment. It smelled lovely, (whereas other natural brands sometimes just smell like cooking oil) and it wasn’t super greasy. I haven’t tried it for my skin yet, but I really like that it’s multi-purpose as well. My favorite scalp treatments are scrubs and I’d love to experiment with combining this treatment oil with some salt to exfoliate.

Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Natural oils, fragrant herbs, flower essences and a touch of honey leaves hair perfectly balanced and ready for any style. The natural orange blossom fragrance makes this a refreshing delight for all the senses.”
Verdict: Like
This has a lovely scent, wasn’t too heavy, and left my hair soft. It didn’t really make much of a dent in my frizziness, but it left it feeling refreshed.

Curl Control Quiet Calm
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Certified organic shea butter sets and hydrates curl while rice bran oil and oat kernel extract combines to protect hair when blow drying smooth.”
Verdict: Like
This had a soft scent and wasn’t harsh or heavy on my hair. I don’t blow dry my hair often so I didn’t get to try this out as much as the other products, but I really like having a natural product I can use to protect my hair against heat styling.

I Create Hold Styling Gel
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Take control and embrace your style. Certified organic honey acts as a natural resin; organic rooibios tea adds antioxidant protection, while rosemary extracts crate incredible shine.”
Verdict: Okay
I’m not a gel person, I’m much more of a sea salt spray, let it dry, bohemian type. This gel wasn’t super heavy or tacky like some can be, but it didn’t work so well with my normal wavy style. I imagine it would work better with other hair styles and textures.

I Create Volume Volumizing Lotion
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: “Add lift from roots to end with certified organic honey and aloe. Wheat germ amino acids combined with eucalyptus provide moisture and nutrients to improve elasticity and shine.”
Verdict: On the Fence
My hair is already thick, so I’m not sure I’m the target audience for this. I’m also accustomed to volumizing products that give a big bang and this one is a bit more subtle. I think this is a product suited for folks with thinner hair.

I Create Finish Finishing Spray
(Sale Price 8.5 oz: $19.79)
Description: ”This versatile spray, provides hold and manageability. Aloe and rice proteins provide moisture and strength, and certified organic lavender soothes the senses.”
Verdict: Like!
I’m not much of a hairspray person. And I hate, hate, HATE stuff that makes your hair hard or sticky. This is a lighter hairspray so if you want to beehive your head, I don’t think it’s going to work, but for less aerodynamically challenging hairstyles I think it works well. I like that it doesn’t harden my hair or smell like a chemical factory.

A couple products they sent me were more suited for short styles, so I couldn’t really try them out, (nor did I know anyone with suitable hair) but there’s no reason I can’t share some info on them with you all:

I Create Inner Peace Whipped Crème Texturizer
(Sale Price 3 oz: $16.20)
Description: ”This crème will leave any style peacefully texturized throughout the day. Certified Organic shea butter and fruit oils are whipped with wheat protein to condition and strengthen hair, while sunflower seed extract prevents color from fading.”

I Create Inner Reflection Finishing Polish
(Retail 3 oz: $18.00)
Description: ”Add control and reflection to any style. Shea butter, wheat grass an sunflower seed extract condition hair and protect color form fading.”

Overall: Hit!
Except for the Color Radiance Conditioner, whose scent was a bit strong, I thought the products all smelled lovely. They were natural but not overpowering. Since I’m fairly no frills when it comes to styling, my favorite product was the Color Awakening Shampoo which I’d gladly purchase on my own. The styling products all come in really generous sizes and with most of them, a little product goes a long way so even if you are paying $20ish for a bottle, it will definitely last you awhile. I’d love to see Innersense expand the line a little more with a conditioner with the same scent as the Color Awakening Shampoo, an exfoliating scalp treatment and a sea salt spray.

The products all have a very natural feel to them and if organic beauty is important to you, this is a great line to check out.

How important is it to you that your beauty products be organic or natural?

Marley Spoon: Crispy Skinned Salmon with Coriander Carrot Salad Plus $30 Coupon Code

Welcome to another Foodie Friday, with my review of my Marley Spoon subscription box.
If you’d like to try it out yourself, use the coupon code COOKSMART for $30 off.

My meal plan is for a weekly delivery of 2 meals (2 portions each), which costs $48.

Normally you’d see two recipes, but I opted for the Lamb Flatbreads, as one of my choices and that happened to be a repeat. You can check out my review of that one, here.

Crispy Skinned Salmon with Coriander Carrot Salad

Marley Spoon always has the freshest fish so I like to grab that option whenever I can.

Our usual fresh ingredients:

This recipe started with a bit of prep.
You cook some Quinoa, toast some pistachios, then chop some carrots and cilantro. You have to warm coriander seeds in a pan and then chop them.

For the record, no one, (I mean no one), needs to be chopping coriander seeds on a weekday, or possibly ever. They are round little pods. Now just imagine trying to chop them up. Are you envisioning little balls rolling over your kitchen? Ding Ding! Let me tell me what you’ve won! – Extra time vacuuming your floor.
Seriously Marley Spoon, just chop these for us. Please.

Next you’re steaming carrots while the salmon cooks.

One salmon came out perfectly and the other had a bit of a skin malfunction, but hey, if it can happen to Janet Jackson, why should salmon be immune?

The carrots get mixed up with the dressing, cilantro and nuts to make the salad.

When we are finished we get this lovely plate:

Taste: Hit!
I shared this with my Mom, since my boyfriend isn’t a huge salmon fan. She loved the quality of the fish and said she enjoyed it. Typically I am anti-quinoa, but in this application I thought it worked really well. The carrot salad was a nice counterpoint to the quinoa texture. I thought the flavors were really nice and fresh. The skin was crispy and the salmon was flaky and not remotely fishy. The recipe was a little fussy what with the coriander seed issue, but other than that it was pretty straightforward (although you do end up using quite a few pots and pans).
Portion Size: Good
Good for Entertaining?: Yes, but for a Dinner Party.
This dish has a nice fresh, refined quality to it so I’d pair it some fancier offerings. For a drink, I’d go with a sweet white (like a Riesling) and an appetizer I could make ahead, like a zucchini goat cheese tart (or some other savory tart). For dessert, something lemon – there’s a lemon almond cake recipe I’ve been eyeing, so I’d probably give that one a whirl.

Have you ever tried a fresh meal subscription service? If so, what did you think?

THE BACKSTORY
Marley Spoon creates delicious, easy to follow recipes.
They deliver fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and you select your recipes from their changing weekly menu.

Monthly Cost:
Varies by number of servings and number of meals.
Check here for the configuration of your choice

COUPON CODE: COOKSMART

Spring Fling – Seasonal Picks: LaliBlue Storybook Necklaces

I know I’m probably stating the obvious here, but in case you haven’t realized by now, I’m a bit of a shopping addict. I love finding fun, beautiful new things, but I’m poor with a tiny apartment so I need to limit myself to just a couple purchases per season. I’ve tried to search out really special items for myself, so I thought I’d periodically share some of my coolest finds with you all.

I stumbled upon LaliBlue’s Etsy Shop and fell immediately in love. As a children’s book writer and fairy tale connoisseur, her amazing assortment of handmade diorama necklaces depicting stories like Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland spoke to me. These handmade pieces are amazing quality and are tantamount to wearable art. I just had to grab a couple for my jewelry collection.

Since this is an international purchase, I opted to save up a little and buy a couple at once to save on shipping.

It was tough not to just add everything to my cart, but I managed to narrow it down to my favorite three.

I thought I’d have some fun with the photos and pair a few with some books from my Fairy Tale Library.

Tin Soldier Necklace
(Retail: $33.55)
Storybook Quote: “All the soldiers looked exactly alike except one. He looked a little different as he had been cast last of all. The tin was short, so he had only one leg. But there he stood, as steady on one leg as any of the other soldiers on their two. But just you see, he’ll be the remarkable one…”
If you haven’t read Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Steadfast Tin Soldier”, you really must. It’s the story of the one legged toy soldier in love with a paper ballerina. It’s sad, but so moving and one of my all-time favorite stories.

Little Red Riding Hood Necklace
(Retail: $33.55)
Storybook Quote: “Little Red Riding Hood was my first love. I felt that if I could have married Little Red Riding Hood, I should have known perfect bliss.” – Charles Dickens

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard the story of Little Red Riding Hood? I fell in love with the sleeping wolf and the adorable diorama inside. Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not me, he’s way too cute.

Alice in Wonderland Necklace
(Retail: $33.55)
Storybook Quote: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality”
Alice in Wonderland is one of my favorite stories and has inspired so much of how I approach storytelling. There is a little kid in all of us that wants to fall down a rabbit hole and find a new, amazing world full of fantastical characters. I love the idea of being able to wear a bit of that magical wanderlust.

OVERALL
These necklaces were so lovely that I couldn’t bear to hide them in my jewelry case, so I keep them in a little bowl on my dresser. They make me smile every time I see them. The cost is so reasonable for the level of craftsmanship. If you love fairy tales, I really recommend grabbing one for yourself. The shop also takes custom orders, so maybe once my own Fairy Tale book is out this Fall, I’ll order one about my own story.

If you have Ebates, remember that Etsy is one of the stores available there.
If you haven’t tried Ebates yet, it’s a great site for online shopping. You sign up for free, search for your favorite stores and use their links to go to the store website. After you purchase you get a percentage back of what you spend in your account. You can opt for them to mail you a check or send it to you through Paypal. If you do sign up, please consider using my affiliate link.
Happy Shopping!

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: