Golden Tote March 2014

Golden Tote, March 2014

Well, that's it.  I'm going on a diet!

I was so excited to get my $149 March Golden Tote! I had picked out some cute items and was looking forward to my surprises.

The tote itself

We will start with the surprise items.

Priddy by Puella Gray and White Striped Dress

Priddy by Puella gray and white striped dress- back view

I love this dress! It is exactly something that I would have picked out for myself!  

Priddy striped dress, back

Between the crossed back, the above-the-knee length, and the gray and white striped pattern, it is just about my perfect dress!  

Priddy striped dress, front

It's a little on the snug side, though :(  That's ok... at this rate, I'll have another month of snow before I can even wear this, so there is time to shed my winter pounds.

Porridge duck-backed T-shirt

Porridge tee... with DUCKS

This was one of the spoiled surprise items this month, and I am in love! 

Porridge tee, front

I was really hoping to get the duck print, I think it is so fun.  There were a few other patterns sent out this month, and they are all adorable!  

Porridge tee, back
Do you know one of the collective nouns for ducks is a PLUMP?  I have a plump of ducks on this shirt.

Plus, this is probably THE MOST comfy t-shirt I have ever owned.  It's amazingly soft and drapey.

Noble Sweater in driftwood

Noble sweater

I'm making up that color, but it's a pale purple-toned taupe.  It is a nice stretchy one-size-fits-most ribbon knit sweater.  

Noble sweater, front

It's cute!  I will get a lot of use out of this, as I really like open-knit patterns.  The seaming is a little weird, and I wish there were either zero or two pockets, but it is totally wearable.  

Noble sweater, back

I like that it is on the bigger side, and that is is super stretchy.  We all have bloated days, right?

Under Skies Lace-print shell

Under Skies lace-print shell

I actually wore this today and liked it more than I thought I would.  It looks so much better under a cardigan!  

Kinda boring like this
Under Skies lace print top

The print is subtle, and the material is silky soft.  It drapes nicely, but tends to get a little static-y.  

Big girl clothes!
Needs a sweater
Under Skies lace print top

I'll get some use out of it, especially if I end up going to a week-long conference this June, which I just registered for.  I need some big-girl, non-grad-student clothes!  I'm getting there, and Golden Tote is helping.

Here we go with the two items I chose.

Black and White Plaid shirt by Thread and Supply (Not-so-basic button-up)

Thread and Supply plaid button-up

I was hoping this would be flannel, but it is just a really soft cotton.  It's pretty sturdy, but still totally comfortable.  It is also a tiny snug and I can't button it all the way because of button gaps!  

I keep trying new poses and they are all awkward, then they end with me with my hand on my hip like always.
Not so basic button up in black and white

I wore a cami under it to work yesterday and it was ok, but I'm going to have to be vigilant about not putting it in the dryer!  

Thread and Supply button up

Normally everything I order from GT fits me perfectly, so I was a little sad about this shirt.  I didn't change my size preferences, either.  I guess this shirt just runs small!  Another reason to stop eating pizza and take-out.  (But it's so convenient and delicious!)

Elephant Dress by Porridge

Elephant dress by Porridte

I'm a little embarrassed I'm actually putting these pictures online!  It was quite the ordeal to zip me into this, and I couldn't wear a bra, and I'm pretty sure that this is obscene.  

...but it has POCKETS!

So, in short, this dress is way too small! I ordered the size I normally wear in dresses, but I definitely should have sized up.  I'm going to sell or trade this.  I don't even think losing a few pounds would work :(

Elephants!

This really bums me out.  This elephant dress is the reason I got the tote in the first place!  Ugh.

All together

Anyway, it was a decent tote style-wise, even with the size mishaps.  I picked two items and received 4 more in my $149 tote.  They also offer a smaller tote every month for $49, where you get to choose 1 item and receive 1-2 more.  The new sale is usually up the first week of the month, and I usually get my tote 3.5 weeks after ordering.  This is not a recurring subscription.



This is what is behind me in all those pictures, by the way!

I didn't know orchids dropped their flowers! I was so sad this fall! But now it is re-blooming :)

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. All items mentioned within were paid for by me.

Fabfitfun VIP Spring 2014

Fabfitfun VIP box, Spring 2014

Because I canceled Popsugar Must Have, I decided I should try out some different boxes, starting with Fabfitfun VIP.

Hello, FFF!

FFF is a quarterly box, so it comes once per year.  Obviously, I HAD to get the spring box becasue PSMH ran out in March for me, and I didn't want to wait until June to get my first quarter of this!

FFF Spring 2014, first look

There were some spoilers, so I knew two of the items that were coming to me.  When I opened up the box, I was immediately overwhelmed by eucalyptus and peppermint! It smelled so good, and I couldn't wait to dig in.

Turband from Cult Gaia 

This was the first item that was spoiled this month by FFF.  The pattern varied from person to person, and I happened to get this springy floral.

The turband has a sturdy wire running along its length, so you can style it however you want!  This is super far out of my comfort zone, but I did play around with it a little bit.  It might be nice for the summer at the beach.

I had to filter this; I wasn't wearing any makeup.

This is probably how I will be wearing the turband.  It didn't look quite right as a headband (under my hair), and I didn't want to do the bunny-ear thing Cult Gaia shows on their website.

These retail for anywhere from $38 to $150 on the company's website.  I couldn't find my exact print, so we will call it $38 to be conservative.

Level Naturals Shower Bombs

This is what was making my box smell so good!  This is a set of four shower bombs from Level Naturals, and they have menthol, eucalyptus, and tea tree oil in them.  They have sodium bicarbonate and citric acid in a cornstarch base, so they might fizz a little bit as they dissolve.  

I used one and it made my shower smell so good! I'd so much rather get shower bombs than bath bombs, as I never soak in the tub.  It grosses me out.

I wish I could afford to use one of these every time I shower! It made it an even more relaxing experience, and I think with the scent of these particular bombs, it would be great if you have some sinus congestion.

Pack of 4, $7.99 on the Level Naturals site.

Dermasuri Deep Exfoliating Mitt

To continue the spa trend of this box, I got a deep exfoliating mitt from Dermasuri.  I haven't tried it yet, but it is a thin material (which will dry fast), and will act like an exfoliator when you use it to scrub your skin in the shower.

$19.99 on Dermasuri's website.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Invisible Volumizing Dry Shampoo Spray

Excellent! I keep trying to find a nice dry shampoo, and I have seen good reviews of this one.  I am going to use it tonight (if you dry shampoo the night before, it has more time to soak in and do its oil-absorbing job) so I can avoid washing my hair in this unseasonably cold weather.  Seriously, why is it 20 degrees this late into March?

UPDATE:  This smells like lemons and I love it.  It did not make my hair all white and powdery, it added volume, and it absorbed all my grease super fast.  Consider me a convert!  

$25 on Oscar Blandi's site

Marrithew Mini Stability Ball and DVD

Does this seem familiar?  Yes? It's because I got a pink mini stability ball in March's PSMH!  Same thing! Same straw to blow it up, and same little plug to make sure the air stays put.  However, FFF included a DVD with their mini ball.  That is so much better than PSMH!  Now I will know how to use this, and won't have to spend my time googling, "mini ball workouts".  Besides, that sounds like a search that might give me some weird, weird results.

The 7.5" ball sells for $11.99 on the Merrithew site, and their DVDs go for about $12.71, for a total of $24.70.  

The Better Chip Spinach & Kale with Sea Salt

I'm glad this box showed up when it did- I was hungry and there wasn't anything in the fridge that I wanted to eat.  So, I popped these open.  They were good.  They tasted like corn chips with a tiny hint of greens.  Sort of like eating spinach dip with tortilla chips, but less fattening and not quite as satisfying.

Also, there were like 9 chips in the whole bag.

Yeah, that's what 1 oz of chips looks like.  Not a lot!  I was a little sad.

I couldn't find a value for these online, so I'll go with the FFF suggested retail of $1.99.  I would like to try the jalapeño version!

Cover FX SPF 30 Protection Primer

The goodies just don't end!  FFF included a full size of SPF 30 primer from Cover FX in this month's box.

No color, and blends in completely with a silicone-y smooth feeling

This reminds me of Smashbox's Photo Finish Primer, but that is probably because of the texture and color and appearance and everything else.  It is silicone-based and rubs in clear.  It gives you that slick feeling, if that is something you like on your face before putting on makeup.  I have a few versions of silicone primer, and I never end up using any of them.  I'm not really a fan.  I do like that this is SPF 30, but there is NO WAY you would be able to apply enough of this to get the full SPF benefit from it.  You would have to apply too much, and you wouldn't be able to put anything over it- your foundation would literally slide off of your face.

This sells for $38 at Sephora.

Kai Perfume Oil

Last up, the other spoiler item for this season.  It is Kai Perfume Oil, which is a rollerball and smells like gardenias.

The company says that this will smell different on everyone, but I'm pretty sure that's false.  It will smell like gardenias on everyone, just with subtle variations that come from the oils mixing with the person's personal chemistry.  If you don't like gardenias or floral perfumes, don't hold out hope that this will smell like musky amber on you.  It just won't happen.

I happen to like this, but not for every day. 

$48 at Nordstrom.

All together! FFF Spring 2014

All together, this box had a value of $203.67!  Nice!

Most of these items are things that I wouldn't have bought myself; either because they aren't my normal style, or because they are out of my price range for a non-essential item.  Do I need a scrubby shower mitt? No, but I like that I have one now! 

Fabfitfun VIP is $49.99 per season, but they usually have $5 off coupon codes floating around for your first month.  It is curated by Giuliana Rancic (and the FFF team) if that means anything to you.  It seems from this box, and the ones before it, that this subscription is mostly luxury items.  Nothing you NEED, but everything you may WANT (and talk yourself out of!).

No special consideration or compensation was received for this post and all thoughts and opinions are my own. All items mentioned within were paid for by me.