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Goodebox – October Bonus Box

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A review of a box from October in December?  Well, turns out, some sort of glitch allowed for my order to be processed, but no shipping label was printed and I didn’t realize I was missing this one (between being busy with work and holidays) until two weeks ago!  Goodebox support was spectacular and while they weren’t sure what happened either, but they were quick to remedy the problem and get a box in the mail on their next shipping cycle.  I’m really happy with what arrived and because this is a bonus box with a crazy assortment of products, I’ll just list them all and not post values or reviews or anything.  The box is CLEARLY well worth the $31 price tag!  There are a couple of dupes from previous boxes, but I’m thrilled about the Juice Beauty Reflecting gloss, S.W. Organics Lip Balm, People Towels, and Province Apothecary Exfoliator the most.  I’ll definitely give all the products a try and am happy this finally made it to my doorstep.

  • Barre 3 Challenge
  • Narcissist Foundation Stick
  • Pangea Organics Eye Cream
  • Indie Lee CoQ-10 Toner
  • Indie Lee Rosehip Cleanser
  • Lotus Wei Infinite Love Mist
  • Seventh Generation Hydrating Boost
  • The All Natural Face Vegan Cream Blush in “Really Red”
  • Shea Radiance Ultra Rich Shea Butter Cream in “Baobab”
  • Primal Pit Paste in “Unscented”
  • Province Apothecary Regenerating & Stimulating Exfoliator
  • People Towels Blue Towel
  • LA Fresh Nail Polish Remover in “Fresh Tuscan Orange”
  • Jacobsen Salt Co. Salt Tin
  • S.W. Basics Vegan Peppermint Lip Balm
  • Detox Rx Cell-U-Firm Body Gel (x2)
  • Waxelene
  • CV Skin Labs Body Repair Lotion
  • Zoe Organics Refresh Oil
  • Tallulah Jane “Aiyana” Eau de Parfum
  • Mun Brightening Youth Serum
  • Lotus Moon Vitamin B Hydrating Gel
  • Vapour Mesmerize Eye Color in “Flash”
  • The All Natural Face Diva Stix White Highlighter
  • Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream
  • Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss in “Pink”
  • Pomega 5 Green Tea Bar
  • Lash Food Eyelash Conditioner
  • Jadience Exfoliating Scrub

Petit Vour Holiday Limited Edition – December 2014

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I usually don’t splurge for limited edition boxes, but this one was just too good to pass up!  I’d been wanting to try the Gressa Lip Boost for a while, and false lashes with simple, vegan ingredients?  I’m sold!  Of course, I couldn’t resist giving the box photo a little holiday treatment.

  • Aster & Bay Dandelion Face Grains – 4 oz / $30 – (Sample size is 1 oz, value of $7.50) Doesn’t have much of a scent other than a light earthy, woodsy sort of smell.  Works up to a nice, gentle exfoliating scrub and rinses away clean.  I enjoy a good face scrub, so this is a great sample for me especially during a stressful time of year.  Stress always shows up on my face (breakouts, puffiness, etc), so a product that says it helps soothe inflamed skin is just what I need.
  • Georgie Beauty Style No. 8 Faux Lashes & Clear Adhesive – $18 and $8 – (Sample is full size, total value $26)  Can’t wait to have an excuse to wear these!  This was the biggest selling point of the box for me because I’ve never used fake eyelashes mostly because I’m worried about the adhesive causing my eyes to go red and puffy.  I tend to have really sensitive eyes, so an adhesive with 5 ingredients and no sulfates or formaldehyde is a big win in my book.
  • Gressa Lip Boost – 5 mL / $26 – (Full size, value of $26) I keep seeing Petit Vour tweet about these and I’ve been itching to try one before buying a full size.  The color, “Aux Rouge,” is probably not a color I’d have picked out for myself since it’s a deep red and I tend to shy away from red-reds, sticking with lighter berry colors.  However, once I put this on, I saw that this is TOTALLY the red for me.  I love that I can layer up the color for a bold red or keep it lighter and go over it with a gloss for a bit of shine.  Really in love with this and it seems like that little pot will last a long, long time.
  • Jing Ai Sierra Glow Duo & Brush – $28 / .53 oz, $22 – (Sample is full size, value of $50) My cheeks are usually pretty rosy so I tend not to need blush unless I’m doing a full-face of makeup from foundation on up (which is rare).  It’s still great to have a good blush on hand when I’m feeling pale to brighten up my cheeks, and the brush is a great thing to have too.  There’s even a little paper disc covering the blush that contains wildflower seeds with a little message to plant the paper for someone you love.  Cute!
  • One Love Organics Vitamin C Body Oil – 4 oz / $58 – (Sample size is approx .4 oz, value of $5.80) This smells AMAZING.  The papaya definitely comes out as the main scent, and the oil sinks in to my skin so quickly and feels great, not greasy at all.  I’m thinking this is great for dry winter legs, post shower/shave.
  • R.L. Linden & Co. Thousand Petal Beautifying Mist – 100 mL / $48 – (Sample size is 15 mL, value of $7.20)  I’m thinking this is going to be awesome for sun-toasted skin in the summer and wind-dried skin in the winter.  It smells like a field of wildflowers and is incredibly hydrating.

The box cost $45 and contains a value of somewhere around $132 as calculated by volume, but the blush and brush alone are worth more than the cost of the box!  Really a great deal and a bunch of neat products I’m psyched to be able to try for the first time.

Edit, 16 December 2014 – The Gressa Lip Boost is full size!  I originally posted that  it wasn’t since the label on the container said 5 mL and the Gressa website said 7 mL for volume.  Petit Vour has assured me the product received is indeed full size, so that’s an awesome value.  I can’t get over how great the Gressa Lip Boost is and how much I love that color!

Film Rescue International

Earlier this year, I sent in a roll of film we found in an old Kodak Vest Pocket Autographic camera to Film Rescue International for their cycle starting April 1, 2014.  The camera was in my grandfather’s office and was presumably my great grand uncle Herb’s at some point.  Herb probably took it off to war with him and after he passed away, my grandfather kept the camera since he was quite the shutterbug.  As far as turn-around time goes, I had a link to the scans in my inbox on May 16th.  It ended up costing $34 for 5 images which is steep, but I’m not sure I would’ve trusted film that was over 30 years old to just anyone.  Even though Kodak Verichrome Pan is more stable than other films, it could  have been  anywhere between 30-50 years old, and the possibility of some lackey at a lab not familiar with developing old film screwing up what may have been priceless photos was just too much of a risk to take.  As it turns out, there was nothing really precious on the roll, but it’s great to know for sure, rather than sit around wondering what the heck is on there.  I am VERY happy with the level of communication and the extra care they take to manage expectations.  Expired and old film is a real crapshoot and sometimes you win big, sometimes you lose big.  I opted to download the free scans (at 532×864, 300 dpi), but if I wanted quality copies, I could’ve purchased the full resolution download for $.99 each with a 20% discount if I placed an order in the first two weeks.  The images are available on their website for a full year.  They mailed me the developed negatives in plastic sleeves along with the original spool and backing paper.

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The images are below, and that first image is the one I shot out of the front door of grandpa’s old house when I realized there was still live film inside.  Clearly, I’ve got some practicing to do if I want to use the camera again, but it appears to be light leak free which is a plus!  The next three shots are of grandpa’s junkyard in the snow which helps me date them to somewhere in the 1970s probably and the last one is the view from great grandma Olga’s house.  It’s a view that shows up over and over again in photos, so it’s one I’m very familiar with, even if the house no longer exists.

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Sepia Saturday 257: Lassoo, Dad and Son, Porch, Dog, Cowboy

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When I saw the prompt image a few weeks ago in the “coming soon” section on Sepia Saturday, I immediately thought of this photo.  It’s been a bit of a thorn in my side as far as finding out who everyone is, but I’ve made some progress since the beginning.  Here’s the rundown of who’s who (or who I think is who) with uncertain identifcations marked with a question mark.

Back, Left to right: Jessie (Battin) Powis, June (Croyle) Johnson?, Euphaime (Lamb) Miller, Marion Miller?, Oscar “Fritz” Powis, Laura (Johnson) Powis
Center, Left to right: Charles Miller and William Miller (twins, not sure who is who)
Front, Left to right: Alfred Powis, Louise Johnson?, Margaret Johnson?, Frank Johnson

As far as a date goes, Laura and Fritz were married in March of 1926, so I’d assume the Johnson family was over to visit on or around the time of their wedding.  Dorothy Powis, their daughter, was born in December of 1926, and there’s no baby in the photo, nor does Laura look pregnant, so I’d have to pretty solidly put this in early to mid 1926.  As far as my guesses go, I assumed June Johnson would be in the photo and she’s identified solely by process of elimination.  I’d found another user’s photo of Euphaime Miller online, and the Miller twins appear over and over in other photos (my great grandma was clearly smitten with them and may have even taken this photo).  I also guessed on Marion Miller since she’s standing near her mother and brothers.  The two gals in the front are likely Laura’s two younger sisters, but it’s hard to tell who is who since they were born a year apart.  The Millers are, as far as I can tell, not related at all, just neighbors.

A lot of the guesswork with the identifications takes  into account the date and circumstances for the photo.  Sometimes it’s easy to get frustrated when there are no labels and put a photo aside, but with a little critical thinking (Laura and Fritz were recently married, I know that’s Frank Johnson and the Miller Twins, so…) and a few lucky google/ancestry hits, things can be sorted out eventually.  It definitely pays to revisit unidentified photos from time to time!

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GoodeBox December 2014

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Another month, another Goodebox!  Pretty great box this month, good variety in products even though there’s a dupe product from the November Petit Vour (kinda.. it’s missing the concealer).

  • Aila Nail Polish – .5 oz / $17 – (sample is Full Size!)  The product card says full size is 2.5 oz, but .5 oz is the bottle size and I can’t imagine a 2.5 oz bottle of nail polish.  I’m not a big fan of gold (the color is “#likeaboss”) – I don’t even wear it for jewelery – so the color isn’t really my thing, but I tried it out and it covered right over my bright red polish in one coat which is pretty amazing.  It did grow on me throughout the day and wasn’t as not-me a color as I had originally thought.  It’s a 5-free polish which is awesome, but it’s also on the spendier end of the nail polish spectrum (Butter London is $15, Zoya is $10, LVX is $16).  There is a discount of 10% off your first purchase at Beautea Bar including Aila polishes.
  • Au Naturale Organic Eye Shadow Stick – .5 oz / $20 – (sample size is the same as the Petit Vour Box, so value of $3.10)  I received the color “Graphite” this time, so at least it’s not a total dupe!  I tried the one from the Petit Vour box the other day and it creased really badly in under 3 hours, so I’m less impressed with this than I had originally hoped.  The color is nice though (a steely blue grey), and I’ll have to see if I can help it out by layering some sort of translucent powder over to set it or something.  Same excess packaging (all that paper for one wee tube of eye shadow?) as the Petit Vour box, but the circle where the concealer should be was covered with a sticker that said, “All Au Naturale orders .. will include a Creme Concealer Sample.”  The box also includes the same 25% off coupon.
  • Balanced Guru Scrub Me Crazy – 9 oz / $40 – (sample size is 1 oz, value of $4.45) At first look, I thought something must’ve happened to the sample because the product isn’t like other scrubs I’ve used – it’s only a little moist and looks like a tub of brown sugar.  I expected something a little more oily?  Suspended in some sort of liquid maybe?  A quick search though and that looks like the right consistency.  It smells really heavily like spearmint which isn’t a favorite, but it’s nice and refreshing.  When added to water on your skin, a coffee smell blooms, but the scent left behind is spearmint.  It’s a rough scrub, so I used it right on the KP mess that is my arms (exfoliation followed by moisturizer is the best way to knock it back a notch) and it worked really well.  The skin feels noticeably  softer and I’ll cover up the mint with a body butter or something.  There’s a coupon code for 20% off all Balanced Guru products.
  • Shea Terra Organics Body Creme – 8 oz / $16 – (sample size is 1 oz, value of $2) When I first opened this, it smelled so good, like cakes and cookies (the scent is “Bourbon Vanilla”).  It’s AMAZING, and only SIX  ingredients!  It’s a rich, thick cream that sinks in quickly and isn’t greasy, and the littlest bit goes a very long way.  Applied over the Balanced Guru Scrub, it completely overpowers the mint and moisturizes very well.  I could definitely see getting these as gifts since the vanilla is such a great scent, not to mention pretty universally loved.  There’s a coupon code for 20% off too.
  • EcoJot Mini Notebook – 5×7 / $10 – (sample size is 3×4, value of $5, per ecojot website) As much as I hate paper, having a little notebook has come in super handy for genealogy research and taking notes when talking to family members.  I find I can jot down notes on paper faster than I can tap them into my phone if I don’t happen to have my laptop with me.  Also, for whatever reason, writing notes on paper feels more respectful than tapping away at a phone or laptop – somehow it still feels like you’re engaged in the conversation and not zoned out into a screen.  It’s a really great little notebook with a sturdy cover, and I’ll probably put a hair elastic around the bottom edge to keep it closed while jostling around in my bag.

Total value is around $32!  The Nail Polish alone just about pays for the cost of the box, so it’s a great value, and I LOVE the body creme and will use everything in the box!

Petit Vour November 2014

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The November box arrived on December 1st – a hair late, again.  The email said the lateness was a result of the snowfall last week delaying shipments which is fine, and I appreciate the communication!  I’m sure the Thanksgiving holiday had something to do with it too.  Anyway, the box this month was co-curated by Ashlee Piper at The Little Foxes, featuring the theme, “Natural Givers.”  I liked this box more than I thought I would after seeing some teaser early reviews on Twitter (seriously, how do people get their boxes two weeks before me?!).  I wasn’t so sure about the body oil, but it’s so rich and smells so good, I think it’s going to be my before-bedtime go-to for dry skin.  Now, on to the contents!

  • Au Naturale Creme Eyeshadow – $20 / 5.5 mL – (sample size is approx .85 mL, value of $3.10) I received the color, “Palma,” which is a shimmery gold color.  Easy to apply, rich color, goes on buttery smooth.  Love the ingredients list and my sensitive eyes appreciate that!  This is going to be so fun to use over the next month.
  • Au Naturale Creme Concealer – $24 / 5.5 mL – (sample size is approx 1.5 mL, value of $6.55) I received the color, “Buff,” and it’s just about the right  shade for my winter skin (maybe just a wee bit    too light).  Doesn’t feel too heavy on, but doesn’t cover very well either on its own.  Definitely needs a go-over with powder or something to really be effective.  The Au Naturale products came with a 25% off coupon inside the packaging which was really excessive.  So much wasted paper!  It looked nice and was a fantastic presentation for the products, but for a vegan beauty box, I was a little disappointed to see so much excess packaging.
  • LA Fresh Waterproof Makeup Remover – 24 ct / $10 – (Sample size is two pieces, value of $.83) I wasn’t impressed with the nail polish remover from LA Fresh, so I’m already skeptical about the makeup remover.  The second ingredient is cyclopentasiloxane which is NOT biodegradable or compostable as the front of the packet indicates.  In fact, it’s suspected to be an environmental toxin that bioaccumulates particularly in waterways.  It’s a cheap alternative to better ingredients like vegetable glycerine.  I’m not sure I’d want to use this around my eyes since they tend to react badly to products with cyclopentasiloxane, and while the instructions say to, “gently press wipe onto eyes or lips,” it then cautions, “Avoid direct contact with eyes.”  Hmmm.  So, I think this is a pass for me, and I’ll hand it off  to  someone whose eyes aren’t as hyper-sensitive.
  • Earthbody Sacred Skincare Dream Body Oil – 4 oz / $23 – (Sample size is 1 oz, value of $5.75) Oh man this smells SO amazing.  It starts out as fresh lavender and then develops into this woodsy, resiny scent on my skin.  It’s so rich and thick, and contains  only  oils, no carrier ingredients like silicones.  PERFECT.  I can see using this before bed like I mentioned above or right after a shower to super-hydrate elbows and knees.  Great time of the year to have this as a sample too for winter dry skin.
  • French Girl Organics Lip Tint – .15 oz / $11 – (Sample is Full-Size) I received the color, “Cerise,” and I cannot begin to express my love for this product enough.  This is definitely the winner of the box for me.  The scent is like a peppermint herbal tea and was a really nice surprise.  Then, it goes on like butter with the color building up to a beautiful, rich cherry color that’s absolutely perfect for me!  I have a feeling this is going to disappear quickly, so it’s great that they’re affordable.

The total for the box comes to just about $28!  Between the Lip Tint and the Body Oil, the cost of the box is covered, so I’m happy with that!  Kinda bummed that I didn’t get the Caru serum since I would’ve enjoyed that much more than the makeup remover pads, but that’s just how things go with subscription boxes sometimes.  It’s still a great box, and I’m happy with what I’ve got.  The Holiday Limited Edition box looks fantastic though and I might have to treat  myself to a little holiday present!

Sepia Saturday 256: Festivals, floats, feathers, and fair maidens

Another one from great grandma’s personal photo album.  I’d posted about this little album a while ago and the issue that the photos are all glued to black construction paper-like pages.  I had managed to free a few of the photos that were loose already and made a few new discoveries.  Fitting in with the Sepia Saturday this week, I present to you a group of  fair maidens.

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On the back is written, “Left to right, Anna Shranko, Goldie Powis, Helen Somerville, Kathleen Troland, and Mary Shranko. The Shranko sisters are from Osceola Mills, PA. Four Budds and one bloom from Williamsport, PA. Taken May 15, 1932”  Junua “Goldie” Powis (nee Patchin) was my great grand uncle’s wife.  Alfred Herbert Powis had died 6 years prior to this photo being taken and they only had one son who died in infancy.  It’s sort of a sweet way to refer to Goldie as a, “bloom,” and the other girls who had never been married as, “budds.”  I haven’t been able to find out much about the other girls, and I think maybe some of the names are spelled wrong.  I did find an entry on the 1930 census that shows Helen, Kathleen, and Mary living in a house together in Williamsport, PA, with them all working a variety of different jobs from machine operator to saleslady and even laborer in a rubber factory.  All the gals are dressed nicely for a lovely late spring day (see the tulips blooming in the foreground?).  Again, I have to wonder who took the photo and took the time to label it as well with a date and all the names.  And that’s that!  Short and sweet this week, and a little late given that things have been  pretty busy at Casa Sheetar.  It’s still Saturday though, so I say it works!

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Not Just Boring Dude Socks

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A friend was back at the sock designing board and needed another test knit, this time for socks for men.  The husband has repeatedly refused my offers to knit socks for him, but let’s be fair, he wears t-shirts all year round and is ALWAYS too warm.  Knit socks are not really what he needs, but he did request an awesome pair of mittens that I’ll get to in another post, soon.

Anyway, on to the Dude Socks!  I had to figure out who to knit for, so I opened up a post on Google+.  A bunch of guys responded, willing to be test subjects (and enthusiastic about hand-knit socks which was SO neat to see), so I random-number-generatored a winner who just happened to be friend and almost-neighbor, Steve.  Steve gave me his foot measurements and I set off knitting the large size.  After quick test-fit when the first sock was almost done, I managed to finish the pair  in 8 days!  Super quick knit, really squishy and stretchy, and the sizes fit anyone from a small woman’s foot to a large man’s foot with plenty of ease.  Steve has already worn them a bunch of times which of course made me happy because every knitter wants to hear that their hard work is much appreciated and loved.  The pattern went live on Ravelry recently, and the details are below.

Pattern: Not Just Boring Dude Socks
Designer: Corrine Walcher
Needles: US 2  (2.75  mm)
Yarn: Knit Picks Essential in “Sarge”
Ravelry Project Link