Book & Beauty Cravebox Giveaway

A while back I reviewed the Book & Beauty Box and once again sang Cravebox's praises. It has definitely been one of my favorite boxes from them to date. Now, I am thrilled to offer you the opportunity to win one of these fabulous boxes! Enter via the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win The Book & Beauty Cravebox!!

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Book and Beauty Cravebox Review

I am a bookworm. That is probably no secret since I post so many book reviews on this blog! I am also a beauty product junkie, so what could be better than a Cravebox containing both? For those of you that don't know what Cravebox is, it is another subscription box company. The way it is run is a tiny bit different than the other monthly subscription box companies out there. Cravebox has a list of boxes on their website of different themes, how they can be purchased and what they will cost. Depending on what is in the box you are interested in, it can cost anywhere from from $10-$16, shipping included. There are several different purchase options as well. "Instant Boxes" allow you to purchase a box immediately as well as know what the contents of the box are. You can also enter a drawing to be one of the lucky people that gets chosen to receive specific boxes (you choose which drawings you'd like to enter). If you don't want to try your luck at the drawing, there is also an "Guaranteed Box" option to purchase the box now, but for a few more dollars than you might have paid had you have been selected as one of the drawing winners. There are so many options, it's kind of fun to try them all out. I usually stick to the drawings, but I have bought a few instant boxes as well.

Anyway, back to the Book and Beauty box...I was excited that Cravebox was offering another box with a novel. Just the cost of the novel is more than the box, so you definitely get your money's worth. I loved the first Book box they did, the "Book Lover's Box" so I knew I would want to get this box as well.

The novel included in the Book and Beauty Cravebox was Mistress of My Fate by Hallie Rubenhold. I have never heard of the book or the author, but I love a good historical romance, so I was excited to find out that is exactly what this book is and that it is the first in a series of books. This is a nice hard bound and also has a gorgeous cover! I haven't read much of it yet, but it seems like it will be a really nice read.

Now, on to the beauty products. I was perplexed that this box didn't contain bubble bath. I mean, when I think of a good book, I think of relaxing in a nice bubble bath or some other bath time goodie of some sort. The items that were included were great though. There were several Biore product samples and a full size tub Vaseline Total Moisture lotion. The lotion is really great and leaves my hands feeling soft and pampered and definitely not dry. I was glad it was included in the box since I had never tried it before and probably wouldn't have thought to. That is the beauty behind a subscription box, you can definitely fall in love with a product you never would have thought to buy in the first place! There was also a full size bottle of John Frieda Full Repair Hydrate + Rescue Conditioner. This is a a $9 product, so I would say this box more than paid for itself.


I really liked this box and hope for more Book boxes from Cravebox in the future! The Book and Beauty Cravebox is now and instant box so you can purchase it right now if you are interested! You can also check out other current and upcoming box themes! If you happen to buy a box, please consider saying CristiMarashi (my username) referred you when you create your profile at the website! I'd really appreciate it, as it could get me free boxes in the future. Then, make sure to tell all of your friends about Cravebox and have them say you referred them!

For more information about Cravebox, head over to the Cravebox Website!

*Disclosure- I did not receive anything in exchange for this post. I just really like this service and wanted to share it with my readers!

Resolutions Cravebox Giveaway! TWO Winners!

When I received my Resolutions Cravebox in January, I wrote a review about it on this blog, well because I love Cravebox, but also so I could enter the contest that Cravebox offers bloggers and vloggers for each box. They pick several winners and send them two boxes to share with their audience. I am ECSTATIC to have won the contest for my blog post for what has been one of my favorite Craveboxes! If you would like to read my review of the Resolutions Cravebox, you can do so here.


If you haven't yet, sign up Cravebox to find out what great boxes are coming up and to learn about their NEW option- Instant boxes- where they list boxes that are available for purchase right this instant! If you do sign up at Cravebox, please see the "About Me" section of your profile and let them know that CristiMarashi (my Cravebox user name) referred you!

If you want to win a FREE Resolutions Cravebox, enter below via the Rafflecopter! Good luck!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Resolutions Cravebox Review + Giveaway

As January rolls around, many of us reflect on the past year and think of ways we could improve our well being. Some of us even have New Year's Resolutions that we try to abide by to better ourselves. The first box of the year offered from Cravebox was a Resolutions themed box. And it was full of healthy goodness. I was super impressed and enjoyed most everything in it. Here is the run down of what was included in the box-

• A sample of Celestial Seasonings Metobalance Tea + a coupon
• a 12oz can of both A&W root beer and 7UP that are only 10 calories each!
• a chip clip and a coupon good for a free package of Wholly Guacamole (bonus points: this is a local company to me, based out of Ft. Worth, TX and I love supporting local businesses)
• 2 coupons for Smart Ones frozen entrees
• a sampler of CocoaVia drink powders
• A deluxe sized sample of Pantene Mousse
• Mary Kay Timewise Repair Eye Cream
• Perfectly Simple  by Zone Perfect bar
• Several bars of  SunRype Fruit and Fruit & Grain Bars

My absolute favorite thing out of this box were the SunRype bars. They tasted almost like a thick fruit roll up, but without all of the icky ingredients I would never allow my kids to consume. These bars are made of fruit and they are super tasty. I was kind of bummed I only got to eat one because my kiddos claimed the rest. We will definitely be buying them again in the near future.

I tried the A&W and 7UP 10. We normally aren't huge soda drinkers, but I wanted to compare the difference for this review. The root beer tasted identical to traditional root beer, but I felt like the 7UP was extra sweet.

We love the Wholly company, so I was excited to see a coupon for free guac in this box. My husband and one of my boys eat avocado and guacamole like it's going out of style! I am not a guac fan, but I do love Wholly Salsa. The representative's for this company are often at my local Costco and you couldn't come across nicer people. Their products are awesome because they are comprised of all natural ingredients. I highly recommend Wholly Guacamole and  Wholly Salsa!

I was super excited to see CocoaVia samples in the Resolutions Cravebox because I have been wanting to try it for a while! I have  not got around to it just yet, but I really can't wait!!

Cravebox is a subscription box company that is run a little differently. For each box that they come out with, they will announce the theme and a drawing. If you are interested in the theme of the box, you can enter the drawing and then Cravebox randomly selects people to receive the box. There are some great themes coming up including a Book Lover's Box, A New Mom's box, a Little Ones box and there are currently two boxes that are open for entry- the Zatarain's Big Game Cravebox and the Cooking Light Cravebox. You can enter as many or as few drawings as you want. If you decide to enter a drawing, please tell Cravebox CristiMarashi (that my Cravebox user name) sent you, they have a great referral program as well!

There were a few things in the box that I can't use that I know other people would love, so I wanted to share a chance with my awesome readers to win some awesome Resolutions Cravebox goodies! 1 lucky winner will receive the 2 free coupons for Smart Ones AND the Mary Kay Timewise Eye Repair! Enter via the rafflecopter below for your chance to win!! Good luck.


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Cooking Light Select Cravebox Review

I am always excited to get a new Cravebox on my doorstep. And it seems the boxes keep getting bigger! Cravebox has kind of changed up how they do things. They list the upcoming boxes and you can enter a drawing to win a spot. If you are one of the winners you pay somewhere between $12-15 depending on what the box is and you are all set. Change of any kind always seems to cause an uproar, but I kind of like the way Cravebox is set up now. It sets them apart even further from other subscription boxes and I can only assume if affords them the opportunity to work with more companies to offer even more box options. Just last week there were drawings for 3 different boxes. And yes, I entered for all three of them. :)

Anyway, I was excited to see my Cooking Light box on the porch when it arrived. This was the first box I got that I really wasn't sure what to expect, but as usual the box exceeded my expectations.

Here is what was inside:

Not one, but TWO full sized bottles of McCormick's Salt Free Garlic & Herb seasoning. I like that there are two, so I can share one with a friend. I have not had the chance to use this just yet, but I intend to immediately. I am not huge on adding salt to food, but I am a big spice fan, so I look forward to seeing what dishes I can come up with!

a full size bottle of Torani's sugar free syrup in caramel. And by full size I mean the big bottle. I am a huge fan of Torani's syrups, not only will they add flavor to your coffee or hot chocolate, they can take the flavor of your baked goods to new heights.

A bag of Tully's Coffee. I am not a coffee drinker, but my husband is a coffee fanatic, so he has been enjoying this. He said it has a very bold, strong flavor and he likes it quite a bit.

From the makers of Splenda, a new zero calorie sweetener made from Monk Fruit, Nectresse. I actually am pretty excited to try this. I like to use natural sweeteners and this one having zero calories is a big plus. I was very happy to see it included in this box

And last but certainly not least three 2 packs of Dole's fruit crisps. This was the first thing the kids and I got into. We ate it for dessert after dinner the day the box arrived. My boys ate the peach crisp and I snuck a bite- it was fantastic and my daughter and I had the apple crisp and it was as fabulous as I expected. Throughout the next few days I had the pear apple crisp for breakfast and it was also rather tasty. These were good warmed up or straight out of the pantry and each container was less than 200 calories and only contained natural products. Color me impressed.

The only thing missing was a subscription to Cooking Light, which I thought would have made an excellent addition to round the box out. I thought this was one of the best boxes yet from Cravebox, but I feel like I say that each time I get a new box. This is a good sign though, it just shows that they keep improving and keep on surprising me with the fun products that are included. 

Connect with Cravebox on Facebook

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More information on signing up. 

*Disclosure- I did not receive any free products in exchange for this review. All opinions stated are 100% my own.

Tasty Favorites Cravebox Review

A few days after I got my Back to School Limited Edition Cravebox, I received my regular monthly (4-6 weeks to be more accurate) Cravebox. The theme of this box was "Tasty Favorites." SEVERAL people have complained on the Facebook page that this box is not worth $10, but to break it down it is worth $12.33 + several valuable coupons for some of the products. No, this box was not as packed or as high value as some of the other boxes that Cravebox has spoiled us with, but I do think it was a good box and I am not disappointed in it at all. In fact I found a new product in it that we will most definitely be buying in our house which is kind of the whole point of this subscription box thing!

Here is the break down of what was in the box:

Plentils: These are a GMO free, GLUTEN free product! These are chips made out of lentils. What I got was a bag of garlic and Parmesan. My 3 year old twins and my 5 year old daughter automatically decided that these were theirs to eat, I did manage to sneak a few out to try. All of the kids ate theirs and asked for more and the ones I had were delicious. Let me stress that these have the right crunch for a chip. Many alternatives to potato chips don't quite hit this the mark. These do, plus they are made of healthy ingredients and I don't have to wonder about their source with a trusted company like Enjoy Life AND they taste awesome. Oh, did I mention there are only 100 calories in the bag? I am IN LOVE! <3 Plentils retail for $3.99 (Enjoylifefoods.com)

Next up was a bag of caramel apple filled Werther's Originals. I wasn't sure what to expect. I love the original Werther's candy, so I thought I would most likely probably like these. The best way I can describe this is Werther's meets sour apple jolly rancher- if the jolly rancher was liquid. I thought they were pretty good and a perfect candy to have around for the start of Fall! Werther's Caramel Apple candies retail for $2.49. (Walgreens.com)

Also included was a package of Crum Creek's soy nut trail mix. Check out my previous review of Crum Creek products here. Unfortunately, the soy nut trail mix was the one thing I tried that I didn't like. I gave these to my five year old though and she ate almost the whole package! The Crum Creek soy nut trail mix retails for $5.50 for a case of 10, making the cost of one around 55 cents. (CrumCreek.com)

There were 2 flavors of Mini Balance Bars in the tasty favorites box. I love that these little bars are only 100 calories. I think they make a great little pre or post workout treat or even just a quick fix for a chocolate craving. These are also good for kids. Mine love them. Mini Balance Bars retail for $8.99 for a box of 10 making the two that are included around .80 cents each or $1.90 total (shopbalance.com)

The last thing included was a bag of Mystic Harvest Purple Corn Chips. This is another gluten free and non-gmo product. This is a huge deal to me. I try to only buy non-gmo foods for my family so the fact that Cravebox just introduced me to 2 of them is a HUGE win in my book. We have not tried the Mystic Harvest chips just yet as we are saving them for my daughter's birthday party. The    Mystic Harvest Purple Corn Chips retail for $3.50 (mysticharvest.com)

Overall, I thought this was a pretty nice box. The only thing I would have done to improve it is maybe include one or two more products to further fill up the box. I hope Cravebox does another box like this in the future and fills it up just a teeny bit more.

*Disclaimer- I was not compensated in any way for this review. All opinions stated above are 100% my own.

Back to School Cravebox Review

It has been like a Cravebox overload this week! Due to an error in shipping with the limited edition Back to School box, it showed up  a little late and just a few days before my Tasty Favorites Cravebox. The awesome people over at Cravebox made right the shipping error by generously giving EVERYONE their Back to School box for absolutely free! And let me tell you, I would not at all have minded paying the measly $13 for this box. It was filled to the brim with awesome products and well exceeded the amount I would have payed for it had we not been offered the refund. Here is what was in the box:

A full size bottle of yummi bears DHA vitamins for 

healthy vision & brain function. These retail for $21.99 (Drugstore.com)

so the box had already paid for itself with this one product.

My kids and I all enjoyed the taste and have been taking 

these vitamins daily!

 A coupon for a free Lunchables lunch combination.

                                   We are not a lunchable kind of family, but I love

 that they are trying to healthify their options and we

    will definitely give the new lunchable with the fruit  

smoothie a try with our free coupon!

Pocket size Kleened. I love that you open this up 

and take them out of the middle. Then it reseals. 

So it is super convenient to grab a tissue!

I am always up for free writing utensils. My kids 

     are all at the age where they are interested in writing,

 my husband is a serial student and I love to write,

   so these bic mechanical pencils are awesome.

I love that they are cute, but not too cute that

my husband wouldn't consider using them. I also

love that they are thicker than most mechanical

pencils and have a great comfort grip for your fingers!

retail price: $5.79 (Office Max)

Halo oral antiseptic is a new innovative product

designed for keeping the germs away. You spray

it in your mouth before you go somewhere (store,

work, airpline, school, ect.) and it works for up

to 4 hours to keep the germs at bay. Watch

Cristi's Reviews for more info on Halo and

a great giveaway coming up this week!! :)

Halo has a retail price of $12.99 (CVS.com)

More Bic products! This time it's Bic Atlantis Colored

pens! My kids and I love these. Because sometimes you

just need to write in pink! Retail price: $3.28 (Walmart.com)

Fruit of the Earth Aloe Vera Gel

This is pure aloe vera gel. No added 

ingredients, which is great for those of

us who try to stay away from chemicals

and stuff. Retail price: $5.99 (Drugstore.com)

And last, but not least one Little Pim's Spanish

Language DVDs. They have several videos in each

language to expose your kids to something new. 

This video retails for $17.95 (LittlePim.com)

As you can see, SEVERAL of the products cost more than the cost of the entire box! There was just so much fun stuff in this box, my kids and I have really enjoyed it. This has definitely been my favorite limited edition box from Cravebox yet! I will continue to sign up for these! You can too! Check out Cravebox.com and click on the link for limited edition boxes to be signed up when they become available. You do not have to be a monthly Cravebox subscriber to sign up for the limited edition boxes!

*Disclaimer- I was not compensated in any way for this review. All opinions are 100% my own.

                             

Summer BBQ Cravebox Review

I was happy to see that my Cravebox arrived the other day. If you don't know, Cravebox is a subscription box. For $10 you get an array of products in a box, some full sized, some sample sized, all usually pretty cool. I hesitate to say it is a "monthly" subscription box. It is not news to anybody that has been following this blog that I LOVE Cravebox and blog about it quite often, but my one complaint would be lack of consistency. The next box may come in a month, but it may be closer to six weeks. Of course, for $10, I can't really complain, I just love getting the boxes so much, I just wish it happened every 4 weeks so I would know that I could look forward to getting them a little more often.

With that said, I really enjoyed the Summer BBQ Box. It had some really great products in it. I was excited to see True Lemon in the mix. I am not usually a fan of powdered drinks, but this one was awesome! It TRULY tasted like lemonade, only has 5 calories and it 100% natural. NO artificial sweeteners here, which makes me a super happy person! Another product I really enjoyed from the Summer BBQ Box were the Mozaik appetizer plates and cocktail forks. I happened to be having a party with a fondue pot in the mix, so we used the Mozaik plates and forks for that and my guests RAVED over them. I will definitely be using both of those products again!

Also in the box was a sample of Mighty Leaf tea. I am not a tea drinker, so I will be passing that along to a friend. There was also a Bic Flame Disk, which is a pretty neat little thing to put on top of a charcoal grill- no charcoal needed. It would be a fun addition at a camping trip or for a backyard that had a charcoal grill. There was also a coupon for a bic multi purpose lighter. I already have 3 or 4 of these at my house. Not only would they be great for lighting up a grill, they are wonderful for lighting candles!

Overall this wasn't my favorite box, but they can't all be and the fun thing is there were still a few products I discovered that I love-which is the whole point of a subscription box! So I still love Cravebox and I will be looking forward to what surprises lie ahead in the next one!

Don't forget to check out the Cravebox website for more information on how to join!

Cravebox "Taste of the Tropics" Twitter Party 6/5- Chat and Win Great Prizes!!

After a month of no Cravebox while they transitioned into a stand alone company, I was so thrilled to get my May "taste of the tropics" box. Maybe you are one of the lucky ones that got in on the beta Cravebox or one of the ones that got in during the last round of subcriptions or maybe you haven't had the chance to get a Cravebox yet. Regardless, you should join @cravebox tomorrow June 5th on Twitter at 9PM ET for a fun party full of prize giveaways every ten minutes!

You can RSVP for the Twitter party by leaving a comment on the Cravebox blog.

The great prizes to be given away include:

Sunsweet Gift Baskets
Lipton prize pack
Something from Tree Hut
Skinteresction prize pack
Guylian party pack

and the GRAND PRIZE- Belgian Chocolate Truffles & Pol Rogers champagne tasting party basket- Featuring Winston Churchill's champagne of choice, Pol Rogers, the extra Cuvee de Reserve which provides a luxurious indulgent when paired with Guylian luxuriously rich and creamy Belgian chocolate truffles. Over $120 value!

I actually discovered Cravebox by hearing about their first Twitter party through SheSpeaks and happened to win a box that first time, so I highly recommend for everyone to attend these parties!! :)

May 2012 "Taste of the Tropics" Cravebox Review

I was very happy to receive my Cravebox this month! Well, I am always happy to get it, but since there wasn't a box in April, it was double exciting! It even comes in a bigger box, which I thought was awesome! I like the new box and it's presentation. This is what it looked like when I opened it-

I love the colorful raffia paper. And look at all of that product- all just for $10!

Here is a look at each item individually-

Sunsweet Plum Amazins'- two 1oz bags

I have seen these in the store and have been meaning to try them, but didn't want to buy a whole container in case no one in our house liked them. It seems I had nothing to worry about. We had them straight out of the bag and we all liked them. In fact, I have already bought a container at the store that I actually plan to add into some trail mix after I finish this blog post! This is what I love about Cravebox, the opportunity to try something you are hesitant about or that you might not have thought of to begin with! These are 1 oz bags. There was also a coupon in the box for 55 cents off and two recipes to use the Plum Amazins' in!

This Guylian sample box had 6 pieces of chocolate in it!

I love chocolate and by that I mean I love really good chocolate. I am already familiar with Guylian, but it was a nice treat for it to appear in the box. These Belgian chocolates are creamy and delicious.

Lipton Tea & Honey To-Go Sample in Mango Pineapple

This was a sample of one of those little drink packets you can put in your water. This is Green Tea with honey and available in several other flavors. There is also a coupon for 50 cents off of a box of Lipton Tea & Honey To-Go or Pitcher size box.

Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub in Coconut Lime

This Tree Hut Scrub is a full size product! It is 18 oz and retails for around $7.50! I haven't got the chance to use it yet, but it smells AMAZING, so I can't wait!

Skintersection Intense Repair Cream- 2oz

The Skintersection intense repair cream was by far my favorite product in  the May Cravebox! Not only does it truly work wonders on very dry skin (believe me, mine is super dry!) It is a full sized product and worth more than the entire Cravebox cost. This product retails for $17.95!

I would say that this month's Cravebox was a box full of great products! I've really enjoyed all of them!

Don't have a subscription to Cravebox yet? Come to their Twitter party tonight to learn more and to win prizes! Don't forget to RSVP!

Cravebox Review + Giveaway

One of my favorite ways to try new things is by winning them and one of my favorite ways to win things is by attending twitter parties. Last December, I won one of my favorite things so far, a Cravebox!

You may be thinking, what is a Cravebox? It is a specialty box designed exclusively for members and each box is filled with various products. Each month you will receive 5-6 products in your box for $10

After I won my box in December and fell in love with the program, I got my name on the waiting list (yes, it's so awesome there is a waiting list!) I was lucky to be able to get into this program while it is still in beta mode. A full launch is tentatively set for April.

On to my February Cravebox!


When you first open the box, it looks like this:

Then there will be a note inside detailing all of the products you have received for the month.

This month's theme was "Date Night" and here is what was included:

Downy wrinkle release- travel size

2 Think thin bars

3 packets of orange E-boost

6 Bic Mark-it permanent markers

1 oz Amore Pacific treatment cleansing foam

1 oz Amore Pacific moisture bound skin energy hydration delivery system


I was pleased with all of the products in this box. As usual, the value of the products well exceeds the $10 you pay to receive it. I loved the think thin bars. They are great as a replacement for a light meal or even for a tasty  recovery snack after working out! Really, they are even good as a snack that will keep you full for a while. The E-boost has a great orange flavor and who couldn't use a little more energy? I have already used the wrinkle release several times. It works just as well as ironing and is so much quicker! The bic markers came in some really pretty colors. As someone who enjoys crafts, I look forward to using them! I love that Cravebox let's me try new beauty products, I am very please with the Amore Pacific products. It is so much fun to get a little luxury in your mail once a month!

I wanted to share a little taste of my Cravebox with you guys. So I am giving away 1 packet of e-boost and the Amore Pacific Cleansing foam for one lucky reader to win. As a bonus, I am also going to send the winner a FULL SIZE Mereadesso face + neck toning gel from the January Cravebox! Enter to win with the Rafflecopter form below!

**You MUST be a follower of this blog to claim any prizes.

Sign up to be on the waiting list for Cravebox's full launch!!