Birchbox December 2015

Birchbox is the original beauty subscription box and still one of the best. While they don't offer full size items they do send unique beauty items and are very good at introducing subscribers to new brands. They're only $10 per month and you get 5-6 samples every month as well as a bonus every few months. Plus, they have awesome perks that other subscription boxes just can't compete with such as their Birchbox points that you can use to spend in their store.

For our full review of the month's box take a look at our video!

Weekly Obsession

So, we took a little break over the holidays. But, during our break we discovered a ton of new items! One of them is our love for Butter London nail polish. Two colors in particular.

Golden Tote December 2015

Wow are we impressed with Golden Tote! You can see our full review on our YouTube Channel! Golden Tote is not a regular subscription service. Every month they release a new collection of clothes and you can choose to either buy the tote or not buy the tote. The tote comes in 3 Levels:

FabFitFun - Winter Box Review

Wow is all we can say about the FabFitFun Winter 2015 box. For our full review check out our YouTube video here. FabFitFun is quarterly box that costs $49.99 per quarter.

There were so many unique and interesting things in this box. The big winner was definitely the Juara Candlenut Body Cream!!!! Oh my gosh, we're in love!

However, this box was also equipped with wine accessories!!! It's like FabFitFun read our minds when they chose to create their own wine stopper and charm set. These little silicone men will definitely become some of our besties (wink, wink).

However, did we mention we love (rose) GOLD??? All things rose gold are a hit with us, so to include a set of Frends The Donna Earbud in super awesome black and rose gold (instead oh so boring white) was a huge hit with us.

Overall, this was an amazing box. We'll definitely be sticking with this subscription.

Weekly Obsession

So we're absolutely obsessed. Of course we love beauty but, FOOD...interesting food is so much more fun! This week we've discovered that one of our favorite beauty brands actually makes amazing food. What could be better???

Club W - December 2015

Club W has done it again. They've sent out wines that we pretty much loved. For our full review check out our video here.

Club W is a monthly online wine subscription box. You can have either 3 bottles or 6 bottles sent monthly at $39 or $78 respectively. All bottles bought on your subscription are $13. However, that doesn't mean that they're selling $13 bottles of wine. They mark down their fabulous wines so that they can offer a wide range of wine and still meet their going price of $13.

Peter Thomas Roth - 24 Karat Gold Mask

Oh my gosh 24 Karat Gold Mask? How luxurious right? Wellll....not so much....check out our video. This mask was nice but, overall it didn't really seem to do a whole lot. Our skin felt smooth and a little tighter but, there are other masks that we've used that really seem to work better.

STRESS RELIEF!!!

'Tis the season where both happiness and stress go hand in hand. How can this be??? Holidays are stressful. Meal and party planning as well as finding the perfect gift for each and every person on your list while maintaining a budget can wreak havoc on your nerves not to mention your body and skin. I figured I'd take a moment to share with you what gets me through this wonderful time of year.

Bath and Body has a line called stress relief. It smells amazing! Like, I'm at an expensive spa amazing! I live for long baths with a glass of our newest fave red wine. A few of these a week and I promise December will fly by.  After your holiday dinner with family and friends is over and the decorations are all packed up it won't feel that bad and you'll be willing to do it all again next year. 

     Here is my recipe for relaxation:

1. very hot bath- leave the hot water at a constant trickle to keep your water warm. 

2. 1 cup of Epsom salt. This helps rid toxins in your body as well as make your skin soft. 

3. 2 tablespoons of stress relief massage and bath oil. 

4. 1 glass of your favorite wine. 

5. Large glass of water. You've gotta hydrate while pulling out those toxins. 

6. Bath pillow 

7. Good music or a good book. 

Finish with  stress relief body lotion all over and cuddle up with the rest of your wine!

Enjoy!! Relax!! Woosah!

Julep Maven - December 2015 Box Review

We just posted our new video showing our Julep Maven December 2015 box. Julep Maven is a monthly subscription box service. It's $24.99 per month if you pay month to month or $19.99 per month if you pay in 3 month chunks. They guarantee that you'll get at least $40 worth of Julep product. Usually that includes a mix of polishes, beauty items (makeup and tools), and skin care. Plus you get access to their secret shop and they're always sending out codes for free products in your next box. Overall Julep is well worth the subscription price. 

We got a ton of great stuff this month! Our box came with:

South Coast Winery Review

So, we have to admit, we're pretty lucky to live in VERY close proximity to a ton of really awesome wineries. One of those is South Coast Winery. Now, this isn't one of the little boutique wineries. It's a behemoth that you can probably find in your local BevMo but, you should definitely find it! It has a huge selection of amazing wines. Our favorites are definitely their sweet and dessert wines. No one has the as vast of a selection as South Coast. Some of our favorites are:

Sweet & Spark - Vintage Jewelry

Sweet & Spark is a vintage jewelry curator. What is that you say? Well, they're a father and daughter team that basically do your flea market jewelry shopping for you! They buy all kinds of interesting pieces and then sell them on on their site. They also have the option to have a party with your girlfriends (a la Tupperware, but probably cooler) so that you can shop in the comfort of your own home and actually see the pieces up close.

How we came across Sweet & Spark is we got a gift card in our FabFitFun Box (see the video for the whole unboxing) and the card, please forgive the pun, sparked our interest!

We ended up buying this piece:

Free Beauty Gifts at Amazon!!! Insanity!

Amazon has really turned up the heat in their beauty department. I know that it's not the first place you think of when it comes to buying your beauty items but, right now, maybe it should be! They have a whole page of free gifts that come with your purchase of qualifying items!

Some of the items they're offering are:

 1. Free Sultra Flat Iron with the Purchase of Sultra Hairdryer. The Flat Iron by itself is a $115 value! That's almost a 100% buy one get one free. AWESOME!

2. Blue Copper Firming Eye Repair Treatment when you purchase Blue Copper Firming Elasticity,

Osmotics Cosmeceuticals Blue Copper 5 Prime, 1.7 oz, or Osmotics Cosmeceuticals Blue Copper 5 Molecular Repair Treatment. That's a $75 value! Again, Amazon craziness at almost a 100% buy one get one free value!

3. Chas Dean Boar Bristle Round Brush with the purchase of at least 32oz of Wen. The brush is a $25 for a $58 or more purchase. Just KILLING it Amazon!

4. OK, so this is our own personal fave...Free Pink Sugar Rollerball with the purchase of Pink Sugar Eau de Toilette Natural Spray, Pink, 3.4 fl. oz. We know, we know! It's a little girly and sweet but, it's truly a classic scent that keeps us going back for more. Also, that's a $20 value for a $60 purchase.

In terms of percentage back most of Amazon's offerings are at least 30% of the value of the item you're purchasing. But, as you can see above, there are several that are almost 100% of the value of the item you have to purchase. It's just insanity!

Weekly Obsession!

So, this week we've gone a little upscale...

Gift Alert! Customize Your Gift!

It seems like everyone is getting on the customized gift basket train! We just posted new videos of how to source gifts for a really great spa gift basket and glam bag gift bag. Check them out!

But, now the retail stores are getting on board too!

Cocktail Lover's Gift Basket

National Cookie Day??? Change Approved!

So we were trolling on the interwebs today and found it that Cookies have their own day! It's National Cookie Day today people! It's a very happy Friday indeed! Join us in celebrating this fantastic "holiday" (not that we ever deny cookies on any given day). We will be celebrating all day with Cookies!!!! (ahem...just like every other day.....)

Glam Bag How To

We just did a how to video about putting together an AWESOME glam bag gift set. Take a look!

Also, here's the a complete picture of what went into our glam bag.

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 4, 2015 at 10:26am PST

But, you want a complete and detailed list here it is:

Glossybox Is Here

Check out our full video for the review.

We warned you! It's HERE!

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 3, 2015 at 12:29pm PST

Bulid Your Own Giftbox! Whhaaattt???? Too Cool!

Birchbox is now offering a "Build Your Own Giftbox" in it's online store. Choose 6 items to fill it for only $55!

It's Coming!!!!

We've got the holiday limited edition GLOSSYBOX! Video coming soon!

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 2, 2015 at 7:18am PST

Instagram Alert!

We just signed up for Instagram so that we can snap great pictures on the go of all of our wine and shopping related travels. Trundle on over to our new Instagram page and take a peek. Since it's holiday time we'll be on the prowl for tons of "unique" gifts. Here's a preview from our recent World Market excursion...Everybody needs Muffin Tops!

Fun Christmas idea....although it should not be given lightly ;)

A photo posted by Life With Wine (@lifewithwine30) on Dec 1, 2015 at 12:47pm PST

Bare Minerals Surprise Box!

Oooohhhhh, I'm so curious to see what's in Bare Mineral's Beauty Surprise box! It's $35 and it has a $159 value! That sounds pretty awesome!

Weekly Obsession!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So our weekly obsession obviously needs to be something holiday themed...

Hello Christmas!

Oh my gosh! It's December 1st and it's time to start scrambling in the holiday madness race!

Wake me up when the madness is over....more wine please!

Ulta Fragrance Freebie!

So, we're generally not huge fans of the gifts with purchase when it come to fragrance. They're usually pretty lame and not something that we're excited to get. They're usually pretty ugly travel duffles or umbrellas.

Free Robe with $40 fragrance purchase
This robe is awesome! I personally like the pink hooded version but, if that's not your speed then there's a thick spa version in white and a kicky leopard one too! Plus they've even got a men's version. However, the men's version does not come in a size so if you're married to a bigger guy like both of us then this probably isn't a great option for your guy. However, they're valuing this robe at $60 which is making your $40 fragrance purchase worth $100!

New Ulta Freebie Bag!

Ulta just added another freebie bag to their site. The bag is free with a $75 purchase.

Subscription Box Updates!!!!

We have tons of new subscription box updates!!!! Take a look at our November reviews at our channel here.

Our recent ones include:

Thanksgiving Yumminess!!!

The holidays are officially here! And with that comes tons of cooking whether you're going to someonelse's house or hosting a holiday event yourself. So, we decided to preview some amazing cookbooks and sites that we found and give you some options to spice up your holiday meals. Check out our first video here.

Peter Thomas Roth - Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

Wow as all we can say about this mask! If you want to see what it actually did to our skin, check out our video here.

Weekly Obsession!

So this week's obsession we thought we'd go with something beauty related and didn't have to think very hard about what it would be....

Downtown Apothecary Smells Delish!!

So a while back we did a video on my newest find....Downtown Apothecary. This is such a neat little shop located in the Mission Inn shopping district in Riverside CA. The smell pulled me in the door like a crack head looking to score. Ok maybe that wasn't funny BUT IT'S TRUE!!!! This awesome little place makes handmade soap using the cold press method. They have more smells than one could count! They change them up often and get holiday crazy too. Along with the soaps you can find sugar and coffee scrubs, real sponges and other exfoliating products, amazing lotions, tea bath soaks, oil perfume and even hand made nail polish. I am in love with their products! If you happen to be local or in town you can sign up for their soap making classes!! I'm on the list!! We'll post a video of that when we get the chance.

Pictures are from their website

Goodbye cellulite HELLO Fasciablaster!

If you're like me and you just can't bring yourself to wear your lumps and bumps with pride AND you would do just about anything to get rid of them...... I think I may have found our pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!! Yes, you can jump for joy now.... I am!

Hot Ulta Deal!

Ulta is doing another free sample bag giveaway. If you don't know what that is, check out our video at YouTube.

Club W Wine Club Review

Check out our new video about Club W.

Club W. is a wine subscription service that sends 3 bottles a month to their subscribers for $13 per bottle plus tax and shipping. What's so cool about that you ask? Weeelllll, let me tell you!

Club W uses a questionnaire that is based on your food preferences in order to pick out your wine preferences. Then, based on your responses to the wine they send, they'll tweak your profile every month until their sending you winners all the time! That's actually pretty awesome as the point of Club W is to discover new and little known wines that you'll actually like. If you want to see how our initial experience with Club W went, check it out here.

Wine Beauty??? Yes Please!!!

An article caught my eye today on Vivino, a site dedicated to all things wine. To take a look at the full article go here.

At any rate, it seems that wine related beauty has been picking up steam lately and I agree as I've noticed that myself. Of course this is just on my weekly excursions to Sephora in search of the Tony Moly Red Wine face mask which is constantly out of stock!!! And of course the king of wine and grape beauty all things Claudalie.

Of course there's also the beauty med aspects of wine, for instance it's a natural producer of Resveratrol which is currently being researched for use in skin protection against UV rays and helping to control diabetes. Of course we get our daily dose of Resveratrol in our wine.

However, apparently I'm missing the best parts of wine related beauty! There's a huge pool in Japan that's filled with red wine that you can swim in. We're going next week. See you there!

Vinho Branco whaaattt????

Lisa and I just got to try a wine from Club W that was labeled as a Vinho Branco. As promised we have figured out what a Vinho Branco is:

Vinho Branco is a version of Vinho Verde a very popular Portugese wine. It can be either white or red depending on the grape varieties used. Typically it is a light and fresh wine that is slightly carbonated but does not qualify as a sparkling wine as there's not enough CO2 in its mixture. Apparently the Vinho Branco got its name from a particular variety of grape that is permitted in this type of wine but, doesn't seem to be desirable.

Overall, we weren't super impressed with our first outing with this Portugese wine. But, you know what they say...if at first you don't succeed, try, try again!

Take a look at what we thought of the Vinho Branco we tried!

This Week's Obsession - New series

So, we're going to start a new weekly series called (wait for it, if you haven't guessed already...) "This Week's Obsession". YAAAAYYYYY! (Cue the band)

At any rate, I'm going to kick it off with something spicy that I found at my favorite off beat store, World Market- Powell & Mahoney Sriracha Bloody Mary Mix!

Powell & Mahoney Sriracha Bloody Mary Mix

Now, I know that, in theory, I could just add Sriracha to my current Bloody Mary Mix. However, whatever these guys are doing over at Powell & Mahoney is apparently beyond my meager mixology skills because it is AWWWEEEESOME! My homemade mix just doesn't compare....

Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz Wine

Like the sound of the wine we were drinking in our newest videos? It's Jam Jar and we found it at World Market. It was a really great wine that was definitely very "jammy".

It's described as sweet wine with a balance of acidity. The flavors are blackberry, raspberry, and blueberry mixed with dark chocolate. It was awesome! I believe we paid $9.99 for this wine and we both thought that that was a steal!

This is definitely a wine you could serve to a varied audience, wine lovers and novices alike, without fear of many turned up noses.

Also, I promised to figure out just what the heck a shiraz wine was...so here goes: A shiraz is an Australian wine made from a Syrah grape. However, in Australia, they call it the Shiraz grape, hence the name. So, if you like this wine you can find it comparable to Syrah type wine. Look at that, we're learning together!

So this will be our first post with our patented wine rating system.

Good wine - We loved it! Would buy it again!

So-so wine- Ehhhh, it was OK. We'll drink it but, probably not quickly.

Bad, bad wine: AAAHHHHHH!. It burns! It's rubbing alcohol!

Final Verdict: Two wine glasses up!

Lisa Says Yes!

Sara Says Yes!

New Video and New Wine! Check out Zombie Zin!

We just posted a new video with our first 30 day skin trail. Take a look!

We also enjoyed some fun new wine called Zombie Zin. We found it at World Market (of course!) and it was great for Halloween!

You can also find out more info on the Zombie Zin label at http://www.chateaud.com/zombie.

Final Verdict:

Lisa Loved It!

Sara Said MEEHHH....