Inside December’s Glossybox #beautybox

I received December’s Glossybox in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes. 

Sometimes as a kid when I visited my dad he’d give me money to go to the corner store across the street and pick out a treat. I often went with the sure bets — Twizzlers, Bottlecaps, maybe some sour keys or Swedish fish, and other times I’d buy one of those surprise bags that came with mixed candy and a little toy or two. Naturally there was a risk you’d get something you didn’t like, but that was part of the thrill. Just like subscription boxes. Some are a bigger gamble, but Glossybox is a pretty safe bet. Every month it delivers five deluxe or full-size beauty products from around the world ranging from trendy to high-end. For $21 USD you get about $60 in value.

Good things come in small packages: December’s Lip Monthly 💄

I received December’s Lip Monthly in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This review also appears on A Year of Boxes.

Find someone that ruins your lipstick and not your mascara. • Lip Monthly is a subscription service from the US that delivers a variety of lip products + one bonus cosmetic in a reusable pouch every month.

What I was most excited to give my kids for Christmas

What’s the most popular Christmas wine? “I don’t like Brussels sprouts.” 😂 Speaking of whining, was anyone else worried they might hear some complaints Christmas morning when the kids didn’t see iPhones and PlayStations and iThis, that and the other under the tree? I was. But I was excited too. Because I was pretty sure I had the best gift that wasn’t an iPhone or a PlayStation that any kid my kids’ ages (10 and 12) could want, and I couldn’t wait for them to open it! I’d ordered a Kids Christmas Box from Sweet Reads Box for them back in November and thought they’d be thrilled to unwrap a subscription box of their very own, one that promised a Christmas book, sweet treats and a few other surprises curated just for them. This was the first year Sweet Reads Box sold kids’ boxes (one for ages 8 to 12 and another for kids 4 to 7) and given how much I love my own, I thought it was brilliant. As promised, here’s a look inside.

Embracing the season we’re in with the Hygge Holiday Box from Hygge in a Box

Hygge in a Box sent me their Holiday Box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post also appears on A Year of Boxes. 

Taking comfort in simple pleasures is what comes to mind whenever I think of ‘hygge’ but it’s more than that. Hygge in a Box is a quarterly subscription box for those looking to find meaningful hygge moments with products that touch on some of the key elements of the concept: Warmth, Light, Nourishment, Comfort, Connection, Joy, Mindfulness and Nature, all made in small batches by Canadian artisans and businesses. I’ll have the Winter box for you later this month, but in the meantime let’s take a look at the Limited Edition Hygge Holiday Box.

Me time delivered for the holidays: Inside the Sweet Reads Box Christmas Box

I received the Sweet Reads Box Christmas Box in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This post is also on A Year of Boxes.

Happy New Year, everybody! I’m still in holiday mode until the kids go back to school next week so I’m giving myself some grace and sharing the first of a couple more December boxes today. I would have loved to have them up for you before Christmas but we were so busy getting ready for company and the big man in red that there was just no way. But good things come to those that wait. And this limited edition Christmas Box from Sweet Reads Box is very, very good. Like their monthly subscription boxes it’s “me time delivered” with a novel and something to eat and drink and a few bookish goods tied to the story, only this one has a Christmas theme.