2 Little Rosebuds

Giveaway! Win a free box from Escape Monthly! — Ends 7/27

July 6, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 41 Comments

Woohoo! My very first giveaway!

Escape Monthly is a brand new subscription service that offers you the luxuries of a getaway without the hassle of leaving your home. Sure, actually going somewhere may be ideal, but when you can’t swing that, this is the next best thing.

Every month you’ll be treated to a box full of destination-specific goodies. From full-size spa products, to gourmet foods and even gift certificates… It’s like a monthly vacation in a box. Cool, right? One lucky subscriber will even win a trip to that month’s destination. Crazy!

If you’re interested in pre-ordering the first box (shipping in mid-August), don’t wait too long — The first 100 people who sign up using the code “YOURESCAPE” will get 20% off for life! Not too shabby!

Alright, onto the giveaway! Good luck!
**Click on the graphic below to enter.**

Contest open to US residents only, 18 and older. No purchase necessary. 1 winner will be chosen. Winner must have completed both mandatory entry tasks. Prize fulfillment will be handled by Escape Monthly. This is a Rafflecopter giveaway. Contest ends July 27, 2013.

Vegan Presence July 2013 Review

July 5, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

This is my second delivery of Vegan Presence and once again, I LOVE it! But who wouldn’t? Pretty little packages of vegan goodies delivered to your door every month — what’s NOT to love? (Bonus: They ship at the beginning of the month so I got this bundle of awesome on the 3rd. Nice!)

As with my June package, I took all of the items out and snapped some photos of ’em in their modest, wrapped up state before I unveiled their contents. The care that Vegan Presence puts into their packaging puts other boxes to shame. To shame, I say!

So what was inside all of these lovely presents? Funny you should ask…

[read more…]

Taste Trunk New Subscription Box and Exclusive Discount Code!

July 1, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 5 Comments

Taste Trunk is a brand spankin’ new monthly subscription box for people who like food. What’s that you say? You like food? No way! Well, this subscription is for you, my friend!

Every month, you’ll receive a “Trunk” chock full o’ fun goodies, including: 5-10 products, discount coupons, background info on each brand, and even recipe ideas incorporating the items in your box. Trunks are $29/month, shipping included.

Taste Trunk offers 4 different trunk themes — which you can change at anytime! Yay for options!

Gourmet Trunk – For those who want their edibles to have a little class.
Health Trunk – For the more health-conscious, label-reading folks (hey, that’s me!).
Sweet Trunk – For those who like to indulge in chocolates, candies & other yummies.
BBQ Trunk – For the grillers of the meats. (I’m going to go ahead and imagine everyone grilling up veggie burgers with these particular trunks… Hey, a girl can dream!)

I decided to order the Health Trunk and was told that all but 2 of the products in the first box are vegan. Since it’s not advertised as being vegan at all, this was pretty awesome news. I can’t wait to see what’s in the box!

Want to order your own Taste Trunk AND save a little money doing so? (Heck yes, you do!) Use my exclusive promo code (“2littlerosebuds25“) at checkout to save 25% off your first box! Awesome!!

Ecocentric Mom Mystery Box (for Baby) Review

June 26, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 6 Comments

I think I’ve just discovered the mother (pun intended) of all mystery boxes!

Ecocentric Mom is a mom and/or baby box that features high quality natural and organic products (many of them vegan!). I’ve been interested in trying them out for a while now, but I knew Mike would kill me if I signed up for another subscription box. Lucky for me, they recently announced a “Mystery Box” for a one-time charge of $25 (shipping included). You could choose from 3 different themed boxes — Mom-to-Be, Baby, or Mom. They promised that each box would include at least $65 worth of products. Um, yeah. I totally jumped on it (good thing I did, because they sold out pretty fast!). I wasn’t sure which box to go with, but eventually settled on the Baby Box.

When the box arrived, I knew it would be awesome based on its weight alone. This thing was PACKED. It was a challenge to get everything into one photo, let alone cram it all into that little box. I don’t know how they did it!

[read more…]

Goodies Box June 2013 Review

June 24, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

This is my first month of Goodies. What the hell IS Goodies, you say? Well friend, lemme edu-micate you… Goodies is a subscription box full of generously sized (big ass, if you will) snack products that are sent right to your door every month. The best part? It’s only $7 freakin’ dollars! Oh, and shipping is included. Definitely one of the cheapest box subs I’ve come across. The not so awesome part (well, for me)? Many of the products aren’t vegan-friendly. BUT some of them are. You just never know what you’ll get. For $7 a month, it’s worth the gamble.

Sadly, only 2 of the products this month are vegan. The non-vegan stuff will be going to Mike or my dad. (You’re welcome.) I’ll show you all of the products, but I’m not going to go into much detail about the items I can’t/won’t eat. I’m not gonna sing the praises of something I’m not down with. Make sense? Good, good. [read more…]

Citrus Lane June 2013 Review & Discount

June 20, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

*As of December 2015, Citrus Lane is no longer in business. If you’re looking for an alternative, bluum is a great choice. — You can see my reviews of them here. With bluum, you can choose your own products and build your own box. They feature the same great brands, plus you can save $10 on your first month with coupon code “MRVA286CCE“.*

It’s here! My June Citrus Lane Box finally arrived today. It always feels like I’m the last person to get theirs. My box tends to hang out in Jersey for an extra day, gettin’ its GTL on. Not cool, box. Not cool.

Since I got mine so late I had already read a ton of spoilers, so I had an idea of what would be in this month’s box. The theme was “Fun in the Sun” and all of the boxes in my age group (11 months) included a hat, sunscreen, a sand/pool toy, and some kind of snack. There were a lot of complaints on Facebook about the size of the sunscreen, and the fact that buckets were sent without any kind of shovel (no one likes a shovel-less bucket!). So after seeing all of the bad reviews, I was kind of nervous about getting ours.

To my surprise, my box was actually pretty awesome. (No shovel-less bucket! Woo!)

Here’s what I got…

Opening the box is always exciting… Even when I already have an idea of what might be inside. Hey, it’s the little things… [read more…]

Conscious Box (Vegan Box) June 2013 Review

June 16, 2013 by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

It’s Conscious Box time again!

My tracking number told me that my box would be here on Monday, but it decided to show up Saturday afternoon instead. Hey, no complaints here.

I gotta say, after seeing some of the sneak peaks on their Facebook page, I was a little bummed that I didn’t get one of the products they hinted at. It was some kind of cupcake-shaped thing… A bath bomb maybe? Whatever it was, I wanted it. Bad. Don’t go enticing me with cupcakes and then not send one…That’s just cruel. No one likes a cupcake tease.

Alright, cupcake disappointment aside, here’s what I DID get:

What I saw when I opened the box… Snacks! I totally forgot to take a “full box” photo with all of the goods displayed… Once the camera’s left the room, it’s not comin’ back. 😉 [read more…]

Vegan Presence Box June 2013 Review

June 13, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 3 Comments

This is my first Vegan Presence box and I’m super impressed!

Vegan Presence is a monthly subscription box service that features — you guessed it — all vegan-friendly products. Items can range anywhere from food to beauty to household essentials. The website states that it’s $85/6 months or $165/year, but that’s for an introductory offer which is no longer available. However, when I mentioned it to them, they were happy to still honor it. Yay! Oh, this is my mother’s day gift from Mike, so… Thanks Mike! 😉

I was so excited when I saw the box on my front porch. I wasn’t expecting it, as all of the reviews I’ve read showed it coming in an eco-friendly bubble mailer. They are BIG on recycling/using sustainable materials. As you’ll see shortly, a box was a definite must this time.

How cute is that folded up letter? It contained all of the product details, including how to use them, why they were chosen, and where you can purchase more. It made it feel more like a care package from a friend, than a subscription box.

It really did feel like I was opening a personal birthday gift. Look at those bows! These folks definitely pay attention to the details. Bravo, Vegan Presence! [read more…]

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in our 20’s anymore.

June 12, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

Monday night was “date night” for Mike & I. Our first date night that actually took place AT NIGHT. (What a concept!)

It was also the first time that we weren’t able to put our little rosebuds to bed ourselves. *sniff* My sister arrived around 6:30, I kissed the girls goodbye, and we headed downtown to see Mates of State.

Downtown Buffalo is very… vacant. Being that it was a Monday night, it was even more so. We found a place to park and walked a few blocks (in the rain) to the venue. We expected to see a line waiting to get in, but it was eerily quiet. The guy at the door seemed kinda giddy to have someone to talk to as we gave him our ID’s. We made our way inside and sat down at a table near the stage. There was a handful of people with us, awkwardly milling around. It was going to be a long night.

Eventually the opening bands played. The first was some dude who played music over his laptop while he wanked on his guitar. I am SO not a fan of wanking. Snoozeville. Next was a band that I would have loved in my early 20’s. Not so much in my mid-30’s. It just made me feel… old.

I had plans of letting loose and getting a few drinks (something I very rarely do)… However, my “boring old mom” gene kicked in and I ordered a veggie wrap (it was awful) and a black coffee. Yep, a coffee. At a show. On date night.

Once Mates started setting up their gear, we got up from our seats at the table and *gasp* stood up near the stage. My feet were soaked through from walking through the rain and I was hoping that people would fill in around us to keep me warm. Didn’t happen. Despite the wetness/shivering, the show was pretty enjoyable. They played a few of my favorite older songs and a brand spankin’ new one that we were the first to hear.

By the end of the night, my back was killing me, my feet were frozen, and I felt like an 80-year old. I couldn’t wait to get home, shower, and kiss my sleeping babies. At one point during the night I half-jokingly asked Mike if this was going to be our last show. He laughed and nodded. Looking back now, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was… I mean, who needs a live show when you’ve got iTunes to listen to and sweet babies to kiss goodnight — all while wearing your slippers? Just add coffee & you’ve got yourself a perfect date night.

Here’s a little video I made of the show with my iPhone. Not the best quality, but what can ya do…

Daily Dose of Green Snack Box June 2013 Review

June 7, 2013 by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

Daily Dose of Green boxes always show up right as the new month begins. I’m always pleasantly surprised when I open my mailbox and see it sitting there, atop all of the boring junk mail. It’s definitely nice not having to anxiously wait all month for a box to arrive. Not that I ever do that or anything… Ahem…

If you’re not aware, Daily Dose of Green is a monthly subscription service that specializes in eco-friendly (and mostly vegan) products. Household items, skincare, makeup, snacks, etc. It’s only $15/month, shipping included.

This month’s theme is Healthy Snacks. Woohoo! I sure do like me some snackage. [read more…]

Daily Dose of Green Mystery Box Review

May 30, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 1 Comment

Daily Dose of Green recently announced a limited Mystery Box (still available!) to celebrate their one-year anniversary in July. The box would feature at least 10 eco-friendly products from the past year including “food, beauty, household and pet” — all for a one-time price of $15 (shipping included). I immediately signed up and kind of forgot about it, figuring it wouldn’t show up until July.

So when I received my box on Tuesday, I was beyond excited — a surprise fun mail day! Woo! (Yes, good mail days make me that happy.)

Oh, if you’re interested in getting this box, or subscribing, I’d suggest “Liking” them on Facebook. They’re still a small-ish company and have great customer service. I (kind of jokingly) asked if they could send me a baby/kid product instead of the pet one, and they totally did. Nice!

Alright… Time to unveil the Mystery Box! [read more…]

Vegan Cuts Snack Box May 2013 Review

May 24, 2013 by Wendy Rose — Leave a Comment

I’ve been wanting to try a Vegan Cuts Snack Box for a long time, so when they recently offered to send me the May box to review I was beyond excited.

What’s a Vegan Cuts Snack Box, you say? Well, it’s only one of the best subscription boxes out there, that’s what! For $19.95/month, they send you a box chock full o’ vegan goodness. Each box includes 7-10 vegan (and mostly gluten-free) products like treats, household essentials, beauty products, etc. Of course, the majority of the items are snacks, hence the name. Hey, no complaints here!

Okay, so let’s see what’s inside!

Oh, hello box o' vegan treats. — Oh, hello box o’ vegan treats.

This cute little information card listed all of the products in this month’s box. The theme was “summer fun time”. Sounds… fun! [read more…]

Citrus Lane May 2013 Review and Discount

May 22, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 5 Comments

After taking a strange detour from Indiana to New Jersey (and hanging out there for a few days), my May Citrus Lane box finally found its way home.

Citrus Lane is a monthly subscription box for babies/kiddos up to 5 years old. It’s $25/month (or less with 6 or 12-month subs). Shipping is included. Every box contains at least 4 items, tailored towards the age/gender of your child. My box was for a 9-month old girl (well, girls.)

I initially signed up in March, but since April was already sold out, I had to wait until May to get my first box. Being that I’m the most impatient person EVER when it comes to mail, this was a LONG wait. What made it even worse was seeing everyone else’s spoiler pics on Facebook while my box was stuck in NJ throwing back shots with Snooki & JWoww. (I totally just Googled the correct spelling of JWoww. Really thought there was a hyphen in there.)

Alright, onto the review! [read more…]

Conscious Box May 2013 Review

May 15, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 1 Comment

It’s that time of the month again (no, not that time) — it’s Conscious Box shipment time!

My May box arrived today, and though it was a far cry from last month’s Mystery Box, it was still fun to dig into. This is the second (I think) in my 6-month subscription. BUT I have a lot more coming, since I recently won a contest on their Facebook page for a 1-year subscription. Woo!

Okay, onto the review…

First look… The box inside a box. [read more…]

Daily Dose of Green Box May 2013 Review

May 11, 2013 by Wendy Rose — 2 Comments

I am LOVING my mailman this week. Yesterday’s “fun mail” was the May “Daily Dose of Green” box.

This is a new subscription for me, so I was super pumped to see what was inside. The boxes are $15/month (shipping included) and contain “samples of natural, organic, green, Eco-friendly and vegan products to your door in attractive earth friendly packaging”. Yay!

They sounded a lot like Conscious Box to me, so I was curious how the two would compare. (You can see my review of my last Conscious Box [the April Mystery box] here.)

What I saw when I opened the box — it matched my dress! Neat.

My first real “look”. I was pleasantly surprised with how much stuff was packed inside the box. Definitely a good sign. [read more…]

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