Petit Vour March 2014 Unboxing

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For those of you who are not familiar with Petit Vour I discovered this little gem about a month back and couldn't wait to try. It is a Vegan Cruelty-Free Beauty Subscription Box. Now I am not personally a Vegan nor do I use only cruelty-free products but I'm finding I have a higher interest and if you can find something of better or equal quality without the cruelty I see no reason not to.


A monthly subscription is $15 with free shipping to the U.S. For Canada its $23 with free shipping and $30 with free shipping for international customers.


I was very happy with the variety and a lot of the items are high end and very luxurious which I really like.


NCLA Nail Wraps $18

This one item covers the cost of the box making the rest perks. The design is pretty nice and I'll give them a try. I don't know that i'd pay $18 for them but I didn't have to now did I ;)


Lotus Wei Balancing Serum Quiet Mind $8.25
The full size is 2 oz and retails for $50 so the 10ml equals out to about $8.

The Quiet Mind Serum smells a bit like lemon grass and is suppose to be applied on your face and pulse points.


I.C.O.N. India Oil $3.58
The full size retails for $40 for 3.8 oz.

It has a very appealing almost floral scent and is meant to be used in your hair wet or dry.



California Naturel Skincare Sample Set $3? (Just a guess)
The full sizes retail for $35-$45 each.

From what I understood they had not been released yet for sale but I could be wrong.


LAFACE Hydrating & Firming Body Lotion $2.47
The full size is 6.7 oz and retails for $70


I guess this comes with the NCLA Nail Wraps so $0

The final total: $35.30 for a box I paid $15 for. I'd say that's a win for me. Plus I was pretty impressed with the products and can't wait to try each one out. 

Petit Vour is currently updating their website so its active but I wasn't hugely impressed but the upcoming changes that they've shown previews of looks really cool. 

Also their customer service feels so personal like you've just ordered from one individual. They are very nice.



Janod Fairy House Floor Puzzle Review

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I bought this Janod floor puzzle for my daughters 4th birthday and it was just too cute I couldn't pass it up. The idea of a puzzle in a hat box had never crossed my mind but it was appealing. So here are the pro's and con's of the Janod Fairy House Floor Puzzle.


The box is adorable and feels pretty sturdy.


The latch is wooden making it easy for little ones to access.


The picture of the completed puzzle on the back of the hat box is rather small and could be a little bigger.


The inside has the Janod bunny logo which is pretty cute.


The actual puzzle is 36 pieces, 24.4 x 36.2 inches when complete. The issue my husband and daughter found when putting it together is that some of the pieces are pretty similar and can fit together with the wrong pieces. Its recommended for ages 4-7 but it may be difficult for this reason. The puzzle pieces are very thick which is nice making them very sturdy. Since it is so large little ones may have difficulty matching the correct pieces since they'd have to stand up to see the whole picture.


Finally if you thought this would be easy for your little one to put away on their own think again. The puzzle pieces have to be stacked in two piles in order to close this hat box. I don't see a 4-7 year old doing that so be prepared to do the clean up. 

Final Verdict: Its very cute but may require extra parental help with assembly and pick up. I got mine for $18 on Citrus Lane so the cost wasn't awful. However, some sites charge upwards of $35 had I paid that much I would have been disappointed. 



Bar Soap to Liquid Soap Blunder

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So here is my saga of trying to make liquid soap from bar soap. It seemed so simple, and of course Pinterest never lies, so what could go wrong? I scowered the internet to compare recipes and most were pretty basic and called for three simple ingredients: bar soap, water, and glycerin. Every place in town was out of glycerin, no joke, and I had to wait almost a month before I could attempt this so my expectations grew and grew as time went on. The time had finally come and it was more trouble than I bargained for.



I started by grating my bar of soap. Mine was only a little over 5 oz's but it really took some elbow grease. I'm not sure why everyone is doing this by hand but its crazy. The little spiral shavings are adorable and I should have just stopped right there!


So I started with 2 cups of water, my soap shavings, and glycerin. Some recipes suggested starting with less water and then thinning it down later. 


I boiled it....and I boiled it but there were this clumps that just wouldn't break down. 


One recipe suggested blending, yes while hot, and this was a huge mistake. I was prepared so the force the blender would exert from the inside. I should have known better....so much better. It exploded all over my kitchen. I caught it in time so you can see I retained most of my soap but there was still soap everywhere. It will not add to my credit that I'm married to a physics major and understand hot liquids, pressure, small space, no no. lol.


So the site that recommended working with a small batch and then adding liquid as you needed also suggested you put it in the fridge to set it up quicker instead of waiting until the next morning. Don't.


I essential creating a much larger bar of soap. So i cut it into chunks and put it in the microwave to soften. Then I put it in the blender with warm water, not hot. 


I got the same consistency I had the first time which was like a very foamy marshmallow. The next morning it was unchanged and I added at least a gallon of water. The soap was so stringy that it was wrapping around my hand blenders beaters. I just kept adding water until it thinned out and stopped attacking my beaters.


You'd think nothing else could possible go wrong. Well I lack the skills to poor liquids properly. It's just not a skill God gave me. In trying to poor, yes even with a funnel, I spilled probably a cup of soap or more. So I thought I mine as well clean with it!


It looks like I got a decent amount out of this bar. Almost a gallon plus the mason jar, so maybe a full gallon but you'd be wrong like I was. After sitting, I checked the other day, they had settled to half that amount. Worst of all it still feels like bar soap. It was good bar soap and feels just like it did as a bar soap. Nice but not that soft feeling you get from liquid soap, even with the glycerin. Luckily this bar was free.

Waxing Your Upper Lip

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Ok so this can be an awkward subject for a lot of gals out there and I think the younger you are the harder it is because its something you think only happens to your mom or grandma. I've always had that peach fuzz on my upper lip since I can remember. I was teased in junior high and high school for it and some of the boys called me Magnum P.I. Some would think that was because my dad resembled Tom Selleck but trust me it was all about me and my "stash". Back then you didn't wax because everyone said it would make it come in thicker and darker. I tried creams that would remove the hair but it broke me out so bad I finally gave up. I didn't learn about bleaching until I got out of high school and I've used it ever since.

Bleaching worked for a long time but now, depending on the makeup i'm wearing, it shows just as bad or worse in my opinion. Its all about lighting. So after seeing myself in a penny's dressing room today I decided maybe I should try something different. I looked all over YouTube and I was surprised to see how many gals my age do it and that it growing in thicker was a myth. I thought I better give it a go that's really the only way to find out. For me blogging about this is important because I'm still so sensitive about it and I never should have been. I have poly-cystic ovary syndrome and that can cause you to have unwanted facial hair. A true test of time and confidence will be if I can ever sport a fake mustache like all the girls do. I tried at a bridal shower a few years back but couldn't bring myself to do it. When asked why I just laughed and said "no thanks I had a real one in high school,". At least I can laugh about it now.

So I undertook this diy task of epic proportions. I make my own sugar wax for my eyebrows and that's been easy enough so I thought why not. I was worried about the pain and I had every reason to be. I put the wax on, let it set for a min or so, and then my hand ripped the strip from my upper lip unexpectedly and I believe without my consent. I surprised myself and it may have been completely involuntary I swear. The sensation is like getting slapped in the face, I may have seen Jesus, and I almost wet myself. The sad part is I wasn't even close to being done because the first time you'll have way more to get rid of than subsequent waxings, which is a given. With it all over I'm glad I gave it a try and can't wait to see how it looks tomorrow after the marks have worn off. I'll let you guys know when it starts to grow back how easy it is to maintain and if its coarse or not.

As far as whether you should give it a go I think its up to each person. For some bleaching works wonders and you can't even tell so I'd say give that a go first before you go removing hair. I'm actually glad I didn't do it back in high school, although the bleach would have been nice, I learned to love myself without makeup even if the comments still sting to this day. My grandmother who, God bless her, has a face full of fine baby hair and has since I can remember. She never wore makeup and discouraged me from doing the same telling me I was better looking without it. I love her with it and am so glad she taught me to be happy with myself free from the pressures many women feel. If I wear makeup its for me and nobody else. So this little adventure was also just for me and nobody else. You are beautiful just the way you are. It may sound contradictory given what I did but I went most of my life with it being just fine. Who knows I may not even like it and go back to the way it was. We shall see.

T.J. Maxx Haul

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I'm a total sucker for T.J. Maxx especially their clearance!

 This Bliss toner sells for $26 at Sephora which I'd never give but I do like this toner and it normally sells for $12.99 at T.J. Maxx. Today it was on clearance for $7! That's a win in my book.

This buy here actually makes me wish I had internet on my phone. It was clearanced from $5.99 to $4.50. Come to find out its only $3.00 of elf's website. I guess when you figure in shipping its a steal but still a bit of a bummer to see T.J. Maxx selling above the retailers price. 

These under-eye patches sell for $9 at Ulta so I thought for $4.99 I'd give them a try. You get 5 sets so that works out to about $1 a treatment. The reviews are pretty good and I'm looking forward to trying them.

The Cala sponges come in a set of two for $2.99 and retail for $6. I used them as soon as I got home with my cleanser and really like them. They are very gentle on my face.

This is a sparkling pomegranate juice that I got for my husband. I'm not a huge fan of pomegranate but he loves it so for $3.99 I thought I'd let him try it out. 

This little facial brush is by Spa Sister and is cruelty free retailing at $8.00. T.J. Maxx sells it for $3.99 and it was on clearance for $3. I tried this before using the Cala sponge and it was harsh. Very harsh. I use the PMD every week but wanted a brush for my cleanser...bad idea. It hurt my face and felt like it was scratching the skin. I think this would work for anyone not using microderm as my preschooler said it was very soft.

This was my final item and made me very happy. Its a dress for my daughters birthday as she will be turning 4 very soon. I love the colors and the material is so light and airy. I got it for $14.99.


Then at Bath & Body Works I was able to get some candles with a 20% coupon. The Lavender Vanilla is a 4 oz which they no longer stock but the cashier said they had testers in the back, for smelling, that she could sell me. So not only was I able to get some small ones for my daughter, yes i know it sounds weird but she's an old soul who likes taking baths by candle light with my supervision lol, and my 4 oz candle. I love their 4 oz candles because they burn so evenly.