Not Another LA Blonde

Tag: blogging

Invasion of the Space Squirrels – August BARKBOX

Happy Friday y’all! I tried to post this yesterday, but something happened and you couldn’t see my post just the title. But I’m not going to let that get me down because today is the start of high school football for the school I coach at and there is nothing I love more than those Friday Night lights (ahh the memories that come flooding back)!! But that’s a conversation for another day, let’s talk about the box I’m going to be reviewing today.

Ok, so I got my August Barkbox last week. I’m still loving this box (it’s super convenient and I don’t have to go to the pet store for toys/treats) and Bella loves it even more since it’s for her! Even Kodiak wanted in the action this month.

Barkbox is a monthly subscription box just for dogs. Each box has 4-6 dog products and is customized to the size of your pup, plus there is a new, cute theme every month. Bella is a cairn terrier that I adopted from the shelter as a puppy, so I chose the “Small & Cute” size (0-20lbs). You can choose to just buy 1 month for $29, 6 months for $25/box or 12 months for $21/box.

For August, the theme was: OUTER SPACE (which fit perfectly with the Eclipse we witnessed on Monday)

Here is a BREAKDOWN of the goodies in my box:

Tranquilized Trudy Space Squirrel – Value = $8.00

Bella dove right in the box to snatch this toy up and then ran away with it…5 minutes later I find her in my parent’s room with 2 legs chewed off already (this is the reason I get her a box every month…to destroy toys). This toy is perfect because the squeak isn’t too loud and it’s not super annoying when she walks around the house squeaking it at all hours! I usually let her play with toys until there is no more stuffing in it and is completely destroyed.

Bark Side of the Moon Treats – Value = $6.00

These treats are made in the USA without any grain, wheat, corn, or soy, these treats are perfect for any pooch parent who doesn’t want to worry about wacky fillers or artificial preservatives. Made with delicious chicken and natural cheese flavor! Both Bella and Kodiak LOVED these! They’re super cute treats because they’re shaped like the moon. These got a 2 paws up from my pups.

Crumps naturals Salmon Snaps – Value = $8.00

These treats are made in Canada with wild caught pacific salmon and are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids. Feel good about giving your pup a taste of the sea for a treat or snack because these snaps are wheat-free and made without any dyes, fillers, or preservatives. Kodiak LOVES all food/snacks that taste like salmon so he was in doggy heaven when I gave him one of these!

Chew F.O. –Value = $8.00

No longer unidentified, this Chew F.O. is known for close encounters of the furred kind. It’s stuffed with our satisfying deep disc squeaker. The fuzzy blue tail makes for splendid shredding or thrashing. Also great for a game of fetch, your pup will want you to be the constant tosser for this saucer. This toy is great for mid-sized and small pups!

Sawmill Creek Smokehouse Pig Ear Chew –Retail Value = $3.00

I couldn’t find the exact one that was in my box, but I linked the 10 pack version. Your mutt will love munching on this tasty treat from the folks at SawMill Creek. Dried bits of pig have never tasted this good before! The pig ear is slow dried, which produces a super-tough, super-tasty treat for your pup. This is all natural and gluten free. My dogs don’t actually get to eat the chews since I worry about them choking and it’s just way too big for Bella (she’d probably eat the whole thing in one sitting).

THE VALUE

The value of this month’s box is $33 which is less than last months’ box. For the $21 I pay per month, I thought that the value was a little low this time around. I still love the box and there are a lot of positives to the box: Bella and Kodiak get to try out new treats, Bella gets to destroy a new toy every month, and I don’t have to go to the pet store for any of that! It’s literally a win-win for all of us so I will continue to subscribe to my box!

The box automatically renews each month, but it’s super easy to cancel at any time. Like I mentioned above, a monthly box is $29, but if your go for a longer subscription, the price goes as low as $21/month (this is what I have).

If y’all subscribe the box what were y’alls thoughts on the content this month? If you want to learn more about the box you can click here and read all about it. If you want to subscribe, you can use my referral link here.

XOXO

August 25, 2017
Ipsy – August 2017

Good Morning and happy Tuesday y’all! I got my Ipsy bag at the end of last week and I’m going to be real honest… I like about half of what I got (maybe I’m just being picky lately, but I haven’t been super impressed with the last few bags I got)!

I know we never talked about the July bag, but with everything going on last month I just ran out of time!

Here’s the deal, I’m going to share with y’all what I got in my pouch this month and what I did or didn’t like about each item in my bag:

For starters, the theme of August’s bag was GOOD VIBES ONLY. My bag said Peace Love Lipstick. I liked this bag more than some of the others because of its simplicity and is cute enough to throw into my work purse.

The Products:

theBalm Cosmetics Voyage Vol. 2 Eyeshadow in Willkommen – Value for 0.57 g= $5.50

You can get the Face Palette for $39.50 which includes 9 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, a bronzer, a highlighter, and 2 lip/cheek creams. Famous for their triple-milled pigments and anti-aging ingredients, theBalm is one of our fave go-tos for gorgeous, cruelty-free products. The Willkommen eyeshadow is a deep caramel shade, perfect for creating boho-inspired looks. I think this color is super cute and if I didn’t already have like 5 of the same color then this would def be a keeper in my book. I really like theBalm products and look forward to receiving it in my bag!

FORMULA 10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Skin-Clarifying Mud Mask – Value for 1 oz = $2.06

The full 3.4 oz mud mask retails for $6.99. You’ll instantly feel the tingle of this clarifying mask as it sucks the gunk out of clogged pores. AHHHH yes, I love masks that I can paint on my face! I prefer these over sheet masks any day of the week. This one smells really good and left my face feeling really clean but not all dried out like some masks make you feel. I can’t wait to use this again and with its inexpensive price I will definitely be buying this again!

sundays Nail Polish in No. 28 – Value for 14 ml = $18

This is a FULL size product!! Based in NYC, Sundays’ nail salons have spawned a cult following for their cruelty-free, non-toxic nail polishes! Sundays nail polish has an insanely shiny lacquer finish and a totally curated color selection. This color is a lavender grey and looks really nice on the nail. I normally do gel manicures, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta let the nails breath and use a regular ol’ polish. This color will be great when the weather gets a little bit cooler and we transition into Fall!

Make Up For Ever EXCESSIVE LASH Arresting Volume Mascara – Value for 2.5 ml = $7.35

The full size 8.5 ml mascara retails at $25. This mascara gives you the fanned-out lash look with its petite brush. The blend of soft and hard fibers on the brush allows you to layer on the formula and build up your lashes while combing through to nix clumps. I LOVE getting mascara in my bag!!! Personally, I love Make Up For Ever and was super excited to get this in my bag this month. I’ve been looking for a new mascara so this came at the perfect time. (side note: I haven’t purchased mascara for almost a year now!) I really like this mascara and it’s become my go-to in the morning.

Hey Honey Come Clean: Propolis & Minerals Facial Scrub – Value for 15 mL = $5.14

The full 70 mL cleanser retails for $24. The main ingredient in this scrub is Propolis extract (a healing and anti-inflammatory compound produced by bees). It helps dissolve residue, minimize the look of pores, hydrate, and brighten up your skin. It’s also packed with non-abrasive dissolving crystalline beads to help clear dead skin cells and blackheads for a smoother complexion. This is the perfect size to throw into my gym bag for when I shower after my workout during lunch. It has a nice feel to it because of the beads (I always feel like my face gets cleaner with them) and I am totally washing away all the sweat/makeup residue after my workout!

While I can’t guarantee an exact price of the products in the whole bag, I’ve estimated that the AUGUST bag is worth at least $38.05! While there was only 1 FULL size item in the bag, I think that the $10 you pay for the bag is such a steal compared to buying each item separately!

The cost of the box every month is $10 + tax and free shipping. So for 5 products (one of which should be full size, the low price is a pretty good bargain. The bag is great if you’re looking to try out different products that you may not currently use.

To subscribe to Ipsy use my referral link to discover new brands/products that you might come to love that you wouldn’t otherwise try!

XOXO

p.s Let me know if you got anything different that you absolutely loved!

Also, if you see something that you like/want feel free to check out Mercari if you have it. If I can’t find friends that want any of the goodies I’m not a fan of, I try to sell it!

August 15, 2017
The Engagement Party

Happy Monday y’all!! I know that last week I only posted one time but like I told y’all, I’ve been super busy these last couple of weeks. Here I am to tell you what I’ve been up to…the Fiancé and I finally celebrated our engagement with our families this past Saturday. It was a TON of work but the final outcome was everything I hoped it would be.

Ok, so for starters, we’ve been planning this party since about May. It was supposed to be in July, but my future in-laws house wouldn’t be done with their remodel by the beginning of July so we pushed it back to the beginning of August instead. The remodel at the house should have been done around mid-July, but as of Monday of last week, it still wasn’t finished (eek, talk about stressful!). So we were about a week out and the remodel seemed to be never-ending and I honestly didn’t think it would be done in time. I think magic was made because by Friday, the bathroom and living room were about 95% done and the backyard had grass and was landscaped making the remodel pretty much done.

Friday morning my mom and I went to DTLA so that I could pick up the flowers I needed to make all the centerpieces. As soon as we got to my house, I finished the welcome sign that would be hung for people to see as they walked in and then got to work on cutting and arranging flowers. Once we were done with those, we headed over to the fiancé’s house to start setting up (there were still tons of workers there so not much got done). We all worked really hard on Friday to get as much stuff set up as possible.

Saturday morning rolls around and we head back over to the house to finish setting up all the details. Let me tell you, it was not smooth sailing, there were lots of sweat, tears and threatening to cancel the party (what are y’alls thoughts on kids at an engagement party?) Anyway, we got it all resolved and ended up with 100 people over at my future in-laws house for the party. I made most of the decorations used at the party and my parents helped me with pretty much anything I needed. My future husband’s parents also helped us out a lot too. Even though all of our bridal party couldn’t be there, we had such a great time with everyone who was able to make it. I can’t thank everyone who helped out enough for being there for us even when I was being such a pain!

Here are some pictures of the decorations I made for the party:

Here are some shots of us, the bridal party and our parents:

Sunday afternoon the fiancé and I opened our gifts and were pleasantly surprised at how generous people were (any money we got is going straight into the wedding fund account because every little bit helps)! That’s all for my fun-filled weekend. I hope y’all went and did something fun and didn’t work too hard!

XOXO

August 7, 2017