SBS: Pantry by Try the World

What is it? Pantry by Try the World is the younger sister service of the parent Try the World food subscription service, and specializes in gourmet pantry items such as snacks and condiments from around the world in an effort to upgrade your grocery essentials.  

How much does it cost? The first trial box is free, but all boxes afterward are $29.99/mo. 

Sign-up and ordering: It was fairly easy to sign-up and order my box as I'm still subscribed to Try the World's newsletters, which is how I found out about the trial offer. I just signed into the site, signed up for the trial and updated my credit card information. 

Delivery and cancellation: Delivery is listed as being around 4 weeks after placing your order, but I didn't get mine for 7 weeks. I ordered the box back on November 30th but didn't get it til the 18th of January. Since I ordered it around the holidays, maybe that was the reason for the delay. The box arrived with the regular mail and was in fine condition but one of the products had a bit of damage at the bottom of the box (which you'll see in a minute) which appeared to have happened during shipping. I would have liked the box to have been sealed or secured on the outside somehow because anyone could have just opened the box while it was en route and I didn't like that at all, but fortunately all of my products were intact and appeared to not have been touched. Cancellation is one-click and you get a confirmation email following the cancellation of your subscription. If you're only interested in the trial, I would suggest cancelling around three weeks into your subscription so that you don't get charged for a second box and avoid cancelling your first. 

Customer service: Throughout the time I was waiting to receive my box, I had to speak to customer service once, but it was a painless experience. I hadn't cancelled my subscription yet because I was still waiting to receive my box but because of that, I was billed for a second month of service. I wasn't about to pay for a second month when I had yet to receive my trial box so I emailed customer service about it. I got a response within 24 hours along with an explanation as to why the box was taking so long to arrive. The customer service rep I spoke to, Kaylee, was very helpful in explaining the shipping times to me and reversing the transaction. I got my money back by the next business day, and that was that. I don't recall needing to speak to them again after that, but I enjoyed the fast and friendly response. 

Purchasing received products:

Everything I received in my box was easy to find in the shop, easy to purchase, and the prices were reasonable. There's no difference in sizes between what you receive in your box and ordering the product from the shop. Some might be sold out or unavailable, but everything else is easy to find. 

So what came in the box?

This is how the box came, minus the grassy material that came on top. As I mentioned up in the 'Delivery and Cancellation' section up above, there was a bit of damage to my box of lemon and dill sauce from the toffee spread next to it, although it's likely that it happened during shipping with the products being pressed together en route. They could have been shoved into the box during assembly but either way, this was the only damage I saw. Fortunately, it was just the container that was damaged; the product inside of it was fine. Per usual with my food boxes, I asked my family to try everything out along with me so I could give you more than just my own opinion. Let's get to the products. 

(Canada) Canadian Maple Shortbread Cookies by Sprucewoods, $6.40

When I first bit into these cookies, the taste of the maple hit my nose and tastebuds very strongly. I can't recall having had actual maple syrup many times (if at all) so it tasted a lot stronger than it probably would if I was used to it. I wasn't sure I'd like it but surprisingly, the taste of the syrup mellows out and melds with the texture of the shortbread very well. Choosing shortbread for the cookie was a good choice, as I think it was solid enough to handle what can be a very overwhelming taste in the maple syrup and the two complement each other very well. I think a softer type of cookie would have made the maple too strong. The taste of the shortbread itself was usual shortbread, buttery but drier than a regular cookie. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to eat the cookies as a regular snack but after getting used to the maple flavor, I realized I quite liked them. Loved them, actually. I'd like some more. lol

The family agreed; the syrup taste is rather strong and can be a little overpowering, and it was unanimous that the cookie overall is an acquired taste. They wouldn't grab for it for an everyday sort of snack because more than a couple at a time would be too much, but for a random, "Hey, you want a cookie?" kind of thing, it's alright.





(France) Lemon and Dill Sauce by Christian Potier, $6.90 for 3/1.7oz. packets

The directions on this sauce recommend using the dill sauce with seafood and while lemon dill sauce is excellent for fish and shrimp, I don't eat seafood. lol I used it on chicken instead, which lemon dill sauce also happens to complement quite well. The instructions for usage were clearly labeled and easy to follow. I first used this as a marinade for a chicken breast, then I used it as a topping for the chicken and pasta after it was done. I hate leaving negative reviews, I really do. But this sauce was not good. At all. It smells like a hollandaise sauce, but it tastes like hot plastic. You don't get a good taste of either the lemon or dill, and the taste you do get from it just isn't pleasant. It didn't really leave a lasting taste from when I baked the chicken with the sauce on top but it did make it a bit softer. It does leave a bit of a film on the tongue afterward and the aftertaste also isn't appealing. Overall, I was really disappointed in this sauce. I didn't like it at all.





(Morocco) Orange Zest Cookies by Orientines, $6.40

I'm not very fond of these cookies, to tell the truth. They're small and hard, with little pieces of the hard orange candies baked into them. I'm not that crazy about orange, so maybe these will be great for someone who loves the orange candies. For me personally though, some of the cookies were a bit too hard and the orange was a little too strong. Since they're supposed to complement tea, the texture makes sense. When you just eat a couple of these, the orange comes through really heavily but I've noticed that the more you eat, the more subtle the flavor becomes.  

The family wasn't quite as into these cookies either. My sister agreed with me that the hard pieces of candy sort of threw everything off, while my brother's main complaint was more with the cookies being dry rather than the orange, which he said wasn't very strong. My niece didn't have much to offer on the cookies, we asked her if it tasted like oranges, she said no, then a few seconds later said, "I no like it." Three minutes later, she was asking for another cookie though so I guess her jury's still out on it. lol 

(Portugal) Gourmet Honey by Casa de Prisca (I couldn't find these on the site, but their Honey with Chestnuts was there--unfortunately, you can't purchase that either bc it's sold out. lol)

The first thing I noted about this honey was the glass jar it comes in. The jar is very weighty and for me, it made the product feel all the more special and more gourmet. I know that probably makes no sense but considering that I usually eat honey out of a plastic container shaped like a bear, I clearly don't have high standards. lol

As for the taste, it wasn't like any other honey I've had before--which should be evident by the fact that I've only had honey from bear-shaped containers lol--and at first, I wasn't sure what to make of it. This honey isn't quite as thick as store-bought honey, but it's no less rich. It's not as sweet, either, but I tasted this bit of spiciness towards the end that I definitely wasn't expecting. I hope that doesn't mean I got a bad batch. lol It's a lot smoother than store-bought honey and I was surprised that I liked the difference so much. For my first experience with pure honey, I was pleased. I'm not in love with it yet because I'm still trying to acclimate myself to the differences in taste, but I'd be down to try it again. 

The family's opinions varied on the honey; one of my brothers said it wasn't as sweet as store-bought honey, my sister said it was as sweet as store-bought, and my sister-in-law said it was stronger. Everyone agreed that it has a little kick to it, the aftertaste wasn't very strong but the flavor lasts longer, and the consistency wasn't as thick, which was nice. For the most part, everyone said they'd have to get used to it excluding my sister-in-law, who said she's good on it. This opinion was not shared by my niece, who may have had a couple spoonfuls too many. lol 

(South Africa) Honey and Salt Toffee Spread by Darling sweet, $8.40

This spread says you can eat it as topping for breads like pancakes or toast, or you can eat it by itself for a snack, and I was too lazy to make either pancakes or toast when I first got the box so I tried it alone. lol At first, like the honey and shortbread cookies, the taste can be a little intense. It's very heavy on the toffee and I didn't taste much of either the honey or salt. I think I was expecting a bit more of a sea salt taste since I often see that with toffees, caramels and chocolates. I think the honey makes the toffee a bit smoother, but neither the honey or salt are particularly strong, which puts the toffee taste front and center. If you're on the fence about toffee at all, this may not be the product for you. By itself, I can only handle a couple of spoons at a time. I tried it on toast a few days ago and even though I only spread a thin layer on the bread, the toffee taste still overwhelmed the bread somehow. Maybe I should have used a thicker cut of bread.  

When I had the family try this out, the opinions were a bit more similar than they were for the honey. My brothers and sister-in-law agreed that the spread wasn't super sweet, had a thick texture sort of like peanut butter, and reminded them all of caramel lollipops or cubes. They also agreed that the honey and salt flavors weren't noticeable. My sister said she could have the spread in moderation and wanted to try it on toast rather than by itself next time, but my sister-in-law (and niece, who determined she wasn't about to be left out of the tasting lol) liked it enough to eat it by itself as a snack. 

My thoughts:

As I believe I said during my initial Try the World review in late 2015 (I'll always remember doing that review because the week I received my products and was starting to put the post together, I broke my toe. lol), I love the attention to detail that the company pays to ensuring that their products really do come from places around the world. I love the concept of putting different pieces of the world into one box and allowing me to taste the things that people in those countries may snack on or eat for dinner. It exposes me to new products and companies without having to leave my room, and I love that about the company as a whole. As you can see from the list, I got products from a bunch of different places around the world and I like that I was given a well-rounded taste profile with the products that I tried. I'm also glad I got to try this box with my family; I love trying out food boxes with them but my youngest brother says he's still traumatized from the health-conscious boxes I used to try because he always got the gross stuff. ha

Since the regular Try the World service is the same price as the Pantry service, though, I don't know that it allows for a new consumer to mentally separate the two services, despite the boxes catering to different taste profiles. There are smaller things in the Pantry box so it would make sense to me for the Pantry box to be a bit cheaper than the parent service but because it isn't, anything beyond the trial box may be out of the budget for a perma-broke consumer like myself. I think that would be my primary complaint with the box, or with the Pantry service as a whole. I also think the shipping times should clearly be stated somewhere on the order page because they wasn't there when I ordered mine and it got frustrating as the weeks went by and I hadn't received anything or had any communication from the company about where the box was. To try to keep it fair and not go so hard, I had to remember that the Pantry service is still in a stage of relative infancy so it's safe to assume the team is still feeling things out in terms of how the service will function best. Try the World, however, is not in its infancy, so I guess I was expecting something a bit more concrete.  

So do I recommend the box?

Despite my complaints about the shipping and price, yes I would recommend this box. I would recommend it if you consider yourself a foodie, if you like being the one to say, "Try this!" to your friends and shove something new in their faces (or is that just me?), or if you just want something outside of your regular snack choices and preferences. I wasn't sure 5 smaller snacks was worth $30, but when you consider that each of these are considered to be gourmet snacks, that ramps up the individual price of each snack from about $3 to around $5 or $6. So while it makes sense from that standpoint, it would also make sense to me that it costs a few bucks less than the parent box. Honestly speaking though, I don't know if I'd pay $30 every month for a few snacks. Maybe a couple of times a year for some treats, but not every month. Pantry is a great service though; it exposes you to different sweets, condiments and foods from around the world, just like its parent box Try the World. A lot of attention goes into each box, which gives you a well-rounded look at a number of international places and the treats offered there.  Another thing I really appreciate about this box and its products is that it's not hard to repurchase them, provided they aren't sold out. I've had that issue with quite a few subscription boxes; I can't find the products anywhere else and they aren't always available on the site after the box comes out (which makes no sense to me). The prices are affordable, which is a big factor to me because duh. I'm broke. So if you'd like to treat yourself (ha) to something special and gourmet every so often, give Pantry a go.

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30 Things About Me

When I first thought about my birthday post for this year, I initially had the idea to do "30 Things I've Learned..." as a follow-up to last year's "29 Things..." post. But then I thought about it and realized I'd have listed 59 lessons in 2 years and I've only been around for 30. lol Not saying I haven't learned 59 lessons throughout my life, I think I've learned a ton, but to be truthful I think many things I've learned can be blanketed underneath larger, more general lessons, and I covered that last year. 

I still wanted to do a birthday post though, so I started thinking how I could change it up a bit and let you know a bit more about me other than the bits of rambles in review posts. That's when I remembered that one of my 52-week post prompts from last year was "50 Things You Don't Know About Me," but I don't believe I ever got around to doing it. I switched out 50 for 30 and that's what we've got going on here today. Here are 30 things about me, most of which I don't think I've mentioned here before. Enjoy!

1. I don't consume alcohol. I don't drink it, don't eat things made with it and won't cook with it.  

2. My allergy list is pretty long, but my two favorite (and embarrassing) things to mention on it are latex and hot dogs. lol 

3. I'm notorious for getting late-night giggles. 

4. I can eat myself sick on cheese puffs...and usually do, so I try not to eat them too often. 

5. I have had headaches nearly every day for the past 10 years. 

6. Most of the time when I come up with nicknames for people, they stick. 

7. Breakfast is my favorite meal to eat, but dinner is my favorite meal to cook. In that same token, winter is my least favorite season but it's my favorite to make meals for. 

8. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac. 

9. The shower is where I do my best thinking but I'm often hit with epiphanies at random moments. 

10. I have a thing for accents. 

11. My friend and I love creating imaginary dialogue between her and her dog. LOL 

12. I'm not very competitive, to the point that I'm the boob who prays for the opposing team to remain injury-free during games. 

13. My favorite WWE superstar of all time is Shawn Michaels. 

14. My first major in college was psychology. 

15. I become so emotionally invested in certain books that my brain tricks me momentarily into thinking I experienced something that I actually read in a book. 

16. I discovered my desire to work in hospitality by accident. 

17. When I really like a tv show, song or YouTube video, I will watch it over and over...and over again. 

18. I was a vegan for a year and a vegetarian for four years. 

19. My anxiety sometimes affects me in quite amusing ways; I once had an anxiety attack about something involving pepperoni. 

20. I have an obsession with school supplies and notebooks. I probably own over 40 notebooks. 

21. I'm a low-key hipster and would love to be sorry for it....but I'm not. 

22. I have imposter syndrome, among other things. 

23. I learned graphics design from a job I had on a virtual roleplaying site. 

24. Despite being a GB fan, I hated Rodgers for his first two seasons as quarterback. 

25. I thrive the most when I'm single and celibate rather than being in a relationship.  

26. I'm still a little angry at myself for misspelling the word 'zaniness' in my 5th grade spelling bee. 

27.  I would have loved to have attended the Royal Rumble in San Antonio yesterday. 

Let me paint you a picture. This past weekend was the 30th Royal Rumble, in my home state of Texas, in San Antonio, Shawn Michaels' billed hometown, and he was there, along with Undertaker, another of my all-time favorites. All of my other favorites were in the building as well, including my birthday twin (and fellow Irish lady/steampunk fan) Becky Lynch, who is also turning 30 today. The Rumble card was the most stacked it's probably ever going to be, and I don't know that it'll happen again. Today is the post-Rumble Raw, which is the official kick-off to Wrestlemania. For me, the stars couldn't have aligned any better and being able to enjoy sharing my birthday weekend with one of my favorite PPVs was something I'd been hoping to do for months. I don't think I'll ever get an opportunity like that again, especially with my favorites being in attendance. It dulled the entire weekend for me not to be there, honestly.

28. I love movie scores more than the accompanying soundtracks. 

29. I dedicate a bit too much of my time to wondering about magic and extraterrestrial life. 

30. I am terrified of getting older. That fear, for me, starts with 30. 

At first, I had the idea to give a little backstory to each of these, but that would have dragged out this post to the size of a small book....so in other words, this would have dragged the post out into one of my normal entries. lol I decided to leave all but one story-free to keep it a little more interesting. And shorter, because you'd be spending my birthday in the house trying to get through the post if I'd kept the initial draft. Anyway, so there's 30 things you probably didn't know about me. As I have said multiple times, I'm a boring gal. I used to make apologies for it and try to change it, but I love me and, at this point in my life, feeling the need to apologize for being me, boring or not, out of fear that people will be disinterested feels rather contradictory to me now. Here's some advice for you if you are spending your twenties the way I spent mine--apologizing for who you are for other people, and letting that prevent you from fully embracing yourself: STOP THAT SHIT. If you're boring--to other people--but you love your interests, enjoy keeping your own company and aren't ashamed of who you are, then be boring. But own it. Don't ever apologize for who you are, unless who you are is someone who hurts yourself or others. And with that, I hope you have a great Monday (I'm in the minority here, but I actually love Mondays), thank you for spending a little time with me today and I'll see you tomorrow!

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What I've Been Watching: January

This month I didn't watch too many new things. When I was watching Netflix this month, for the most part I was rewatching series rather than trying out new ones, but there were a few that caught my interest. I'm sure you're relieved that for once, the length of this post won't be the same size as a novel, but I'm sure that'll change for February's edition. So enjoy it while it lasts. lol

Corrupt Crimes

Curious and Unusual Deaths

CNN's The Eighties

Escorts

The 100

Real Life Wife Swap

The Investigator: A British Crime Story

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

One program that stuck out for me was Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, starring Neil Patrick Harris as Count Olaf. I might be in the minority here, but I actually loved his take on the Count. He was deliciously evil, sarcastic in a dry and self-aware and simultaneously oblivious way (which I know sounds confusing, but he was entirely aware of being a bad person, yet completely oblivious to the fact that he was an awful actor and a nightmare on the eyes) and I think this might be some of his best work. There are tons of cameos by familiar faces like Joan Cusack, Will Arnett, Alfre Woodard and Catherine O'Hara, to name a few, that make up quite an eclectic cast. Patrick Warburton narrates us through the series as Lemony Snicket, our constant wet blanket of foreboding throughout the Unfortunate Events.


Corrupt Crimes is a series I saw last month but didn't pay attention to until a couple of weeks ago, when I didn't have anything else to watch. lol I'm sorry I underestimated it though; it's been an intriguing series so far. The crimes vary, from Ponzi schemes to the infamous 1997 Wild West style shootout in LA between the LAPD and two would-be bank robbers.


Escorts is an English documentary following the lives of two friends who live and work together as escorts. It's not a super heavy documentary, but I think it does help to bolster the opinions of those who feel you can enter the sex industry voluntarily. Maybe it sounds bad, but I'm of the opinion that if you feel that's how you want to live and lead your life and you make the conscious, voluntary choice to enter the sex industry, who am I to say nay, you know? Anyway, you get to know both women, what motivates them to do what they do, and their goals for the future (both eventually want to get out). What interests me the most with workers in the sex industry, whether it be adult films, nude modeling, escorting or full-on prostitution, is what led them there. The viewer is able to see them try to navigate real-life dating or at least explore the possibility while juggling their jobs as escorts and the reason why they ended up escorting slowly comes out. Like I said, this isn't super heavy but it's worth watching if you're into that.


Real Life Wife Swap came up in the Recommended list after I finished watching Escorts and at first I thought it was a documentary-styled take on ABC's Wife Swap. I was wrong. lol This mini-series is about swinger couples; I realized a bit later that the term 'Wife Swap' was a slick hint at what was actually going on. Each episode features a different couple in the English swinger scene and their goings-on, and there was quite a bit of variety with each couple that created a pretty diverse look overall. Much like Escorts, this series lets you get to know each of the couples involved and their motivation/desire to swing. I wish the series had been longer; it was only a handful of episodes.


My uncle, his wife and one of my brothers have been harassing me since before Christmas to watch The 100, and while I was interested in the show months ago, I'm not into it now. All three of them, however, love the show so they've been bugging me to watch it. I cut a deal with my brother (if I watch The 100, he has to watch Stranger Things) and we watched the first two episodes a couple of weeks ago. The premise of a future in which Earth is uninhabitable doesn't seem quite as far-fetched as it did a couple of years ago, and the concept itself does intrigue me. It's the characters that irritate me into not wanting to watch any more episodes. lol I'm on the fence about continuing to watch, but I really want my brother to watch Stranger Things (and I need an excuse to rewatch it) so I might have to power through.


CNN's The Eighties is part of their 'decades' series as this has two predecessors, The Sixties and The Seventies. This isn't much different from the others; it follows America's political, cultural and most impactful events and people of the 80s. I haven't gotten too far into the series but I've enjoyed hearing more about the stories that shaped the decade I was born into.


Curious and Unusual Deaths is a docu-series about just that, curious and unusual deaths. Different deaths that on the surface sound unusual are explored, like how someone can die from something as simple as touching a door knob, or how a man with murderous intent for his family was killed by of his own booby traps in his home. Each episode features someone different and it's pretty interesting to watch the dots be connected in deaths that sound too implausible to be true.


Finally, The Investigator: A British Crime Story follows one of Britain's top detectives as he attempts to solve a 30-year mystery. After a housewife named Carole goes missing in the mid-80s, investigators eventually arrest her husband Russell. He makes history by later being convicted of his wife's murder without a body ever turning up or confessing to the crime. His daughter never got the answers she needed from her father, as he rejected all of her attempts at communication over the years. Her hopes that her mother's disappearance and likely murder will be solved hinges entirely on the investigative skills of the detective and his team. The father is quite the character, I'll say that. He sends his daughter, the detective, his team--and subsequently, the viewer--on wild goose chases, plays games with everyone involved and leaves a lot to be answered. It's a riveting story and there's a lot more to it than I've said, so give it a look.


Picks of the month: The Investigator: A British Crime Story, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Throwaway pick: Escorts

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2017 Outlook

As the final set of questions in Anoushka Rees' list of bullet journal prompts, this is my outlook for the year ahead. The last three weeks were recaps of 2016 and covered a bit of everything--career, relationships, goals, self-analysis and development--and this week is a bit of the same, but more as a peek into my vision and hopes for the year ahead. Let's get started!

1. What do you want the overarching theme for your 2017 to be?

I thought of having a word of the year, and I believe it was Grind. So my theme for 2017 would be around-the-clock grind time. lol I have so many fears and so much reluctance about turning 30...in two days!...that I was determined to make this the best year of my life in response. I had to admit to myself that I'm afraid of getting old and I do have an issue with age, which was hard to do because I always thought that I was okay with it. No, in the grand scheme of things, 30 isn't old at all. But it's old to me, and I'm struggling like hell with it. So instead of running from it, I wanted to give myself the best 30th year that I possibly could in order to counter that fear. I'm ready to have what I want and I'm tired of feeling like I'm waiting on it to just happen to me, so I'm going to do what I need to do to make it happen. I hate the word 'hustle,' don't really like the word 'grind' either, but it does inspire me lol, so that's the year's word and theme.

2. What do you want to see, discover, explore?

I know this is a cheesy answer, but I want to see, discover and explore more good in the world. 2016 as a whole seems to have deeply shaken my faith in humanity, in the underlying bit of optimism I've always had, and my belief in the direction I thought we'd be going in. There's a reason why books and movies set in the future are always so negative, so apocalyptic, but I always dismissed them as works of fiction. The more hatred I see spewing in the world, however, the more I wonder if life isn't going to imitate art someday. Hopefully it won't be that dramatic, I mean it more in terms of the manner of how uncivilized things seem to be becoming. I'd love to see more light and good in the world we live in. Who wouldn't, though? I know it's a rather vague answer and I do have other answers to the question, but this desire affects me the most as to how I interact with the outside world, and I'd be much more comfortable interacting with a safer, more tolerant and inclusive world. But again, who wouldn't? 

3. Who do you want to spend more time with in 2017?

I want to spend more time with like-minded individuals. I've always found it so inspiring to be around a bunch of business-minded people because the gears in their minds are always turning, they're excellent to bounce ideas off of, and I love the environment. Of course I'd like to spend more positive time with my family, but I'd also like to expand my horizons and get out a little more. 

4. What skills do you want to learn, improve or master?

I'd like to learn more advanced website, app and graphics design because while I know a bit about graphics and website design, I wouldn't say I'm confident in said knowledge yet. I know nothing about app design though and I'd like to create an app someday so that's something I definitely want to learn. I want to improve and eventually master things relevant to improving my blogs--photography and product photos, website design so I can add a few more features to the site, and of course, improving my reviews and the way I do them. There are tons of things I'd like to improve, but one thing I'm learning--the hard way, obviously lol--is not to overdo things. I'd like to master a schedule. lol 

5. What personal quality do you want to develop or strengthen?

I would like to redevelop a quality I lost a few years ago, which was the ability to just listen to someone speak. I was in a relationship a few years ago that felt very much like a dispute between lawyers towards the end of the relationship, so I was doing more listening in order to speak, to dispute what was being said. I also speak to a lot of people who don't really allow the other person to speak, so I had to start cutting in the conversation if I wanted to be heard. Unfortunately, I think doing that so often got it stuck in my head, because now I do it quite often. I can't stand when people cut me off and never allow me to speak, so it drives me nuts when I catch myself doing it. I do it in casual conversation a lot now, almost unconsciously, and I want to kick myself every time I hear it because it's such an ugly habit. The mix of listening without speaking and listening to speak caused it to stick with me, and it's something I'm trying to get myself back out of doing. I used to be a really good listener and while I can still listen without speaking, it wasn't always this hard for me to do and I hate it.

I would like to think that my communication skills are improving but I'd like to get better at them. When I can express myself calmly, clearly and without sounding overly biased it can really help in conversations where middle ground and a calm attitude are needed. I also know that when I can express myself with thought to the other person's perspective, I then open the door to being understood myself, which is really all I usually want. As I try harder to be more aware of what I say and how I say things, I realize how helpful non-combative conversational styles can be and I can learn what 'combative' is to those I'm around. While on the subject of awareness, though, another quality I'd like to strengthen is my self-awareness. I'm a big advocate of self-therapy if possible and to me, it requires a heavy ability to be impartial and understanding to how things look and feel to others. Being able to evaluate your words and actions from someone else's eyes is a great and often underlooked quality that can't be developed or strengthened without being self-aware.

6. What do you want your everyday life to be like?

I want my everyday life to be happier, more peaceful and more productive. Sometimes when I'm stressed, I can escape through working on something but many times, especially if I'm going through a stressful period, I become anxious and a bit scatterbrained so I can't get anything done. I'd like to be more productive on a regular basis whether I'm stressed or not. Speaking of stress though, I'd love....LOVE...if my everyday life was happier and less stressful. It would significantly and positively affect my health on so many levels if my everyday life was a bit happier. I'm not entirely sure how to make that happen, but I'm trying to figure it out.  

7. What habits do you want to change, cultivate, or get rid of?

The number one habit I would love to just get rid of is smoking. If I could wake up and never want another cigarette again, I would be just fine with that. It's become more of a crutch to me than anything else and I really do detest the habit. So if that habit and all of its cravings, odors and dependencies could jump off a cliff, I'd sleep much better at night.

I'd like to cultivate being more at peace with things that anger me because truth be told, I'm a bit of a hothead. I could blame it on my Irish blood and having a family full of hot-tempered people, but I won't. I just have a bad temper. I have little patience, no tolerance, a very low threshold for stupidity and my main trigger is people being shitty to others. These things create what can be a Molotov-level temper, which I've worked hard to get control of over the years. I try really hard not to immediately go from 1-100 but everyone has their breaking point and once I've hit mine, its game over. Despite this though, I'm actually a really good mediator and peacemaker. Contradictory as shit, right? LOL I usually have a good handle on it nowadays, but that's more in the way of how I express it to others.  It hasn't changed how it affects me internally, and I'll carry an argument around with me for days or even weeks sometimes. It just sits in my stomach like lead, and many of my health issues are triggered or worsened by stress so if I'm not careful, I could trigger several things at once just by being angry for a little too long. I would really love to just be more at peace and not so easily bothered by certain things anymore. I wasn't sure it was a habit, but I'm in the habit of angering easily so I'd like to cultivate a different response. lol

8. What do you want to achieve career-wise?

By year's end I'd like to have my food truck up and running, or at very least with an inked-in opening date. I'd also like to have taken RRNT to the next level, which to me would be cultivating a small audience and being able to interact with them as well as finding my niche with the products I review. I'd like to be on a roll, so to speak. If by some miracle I am able to achieve both of these things, that'd be fabulous.

9. How do you want to remember the year 2017 when you look back on it 20 years from now?

When I look back on this year 20 years from now, I would firstly and most importantly like to be alive and mentally sound because if I'm not, this question really doesn't matter, now does it? lol But seriously, when I look back on this year 20 years from now, I would like to see that this is where the ball got rolling and I was able to reverse a lot of issues that plagued generations of my family. Wow, that got deep real fast. Let me explain. My family and generations before it have always been poor, in bad health, and plagued with life-threatening illnesses. Everyone seemed to escape the more serious illnesses in their 20s, but the 30s came about with a vengeance and it was only recently that I realized how close I was to that invisible deadline. I don't want the same fate for myself because I've seen just how dangerous some of these illnesses are, and I already have a list of health issues to deal with on my own. So there's that. Financially speaking, I've always wanted to be the one to reverse my family's status and clearly doing it in my 20s wasn't in the cards for me. I would like to see that I was able to move things in a different direction for my family when I look back on this in 20 years. 

10. What is your number one goal for 2017?

My number one goal is to move out of the bubble of stagnancy I've been in. That bubble of stagnancy encompasses so much of my life and I would love to see what things would be like if they were moving more steadily. Again, I'm not quite sure how to make this happen for myself because of the reasons why the stagnancy is there, but I'd love to find the loophole. Like I said, I want this to be the year. Admittedly, a lot of this reason is to counter my fears and reluctance about entering a new decade of my life, but urgency reasons aside, it's still important to me. I can't make things happen for myself if I'm in the bubble of eternal stagnancy, so this year my main goal is to find the needle.

And that brings this little series to a close. I hope you enjoyed reading these posts; I certainly enjoyed figuring out my answers and sharing them with you. I wish I hadn't sounded so angry or sad for many of the answers, but the truth is that 2016 was a pretty bad year for me, and both of those emotions were rather dominant for me for a good majority of the year. I'm happy with the direction I'd like to move in, it's simple but I'm rather simple, so it works for me. What does your 2017 look like based on these questions? What question from this list would challenge you the most? See you soon!

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2016 In Review: Part 3

Hi! Here is the third part of my year in review, and as January winds down it's been nice to take this introspective look back at the year. I often don't make an effort to chart how I feel about any given year other than summing it up with one word or sentence. This has been a really fun experience for me and I'd love to do it again when the year is over. But I'm getting ahead of myself; we haven't even hit summer yet. Let's get to the questions!

1. What was your most common mental state?

My most common mental state was either angry, anxious or conflicted. My environment and my personal health really took a dip this year and I carried it around for way too long. My anxiety relapsed in 2016 and it got worse because of the emotional issues I was dealing with throughout the rest of the year. 

2. Was there anything you did for the very first time in your life?

I did my very first yoga challenge in 2016 and loved it. I've been subscribed to Brett Larkin's newsletters for a little while, but she held a two-week challenge in early 2016 and I wanted to push myself to try something new so I took it on. I fell a couple of days short but overall, I really loved the experience.

3. What was your favorite moment spent with friends?

My favorite moment spent with friends was when I had to go over to my friend and her husband's house a couple of months ago because I needed to do a data transfer from one laptop to the other. Not only was I able to see their home and family life and get to know them as they are now, I got to spend some time with their boys, get a peek into married life as parents, and enjoy a really peaceful evening. At 17, I never would have figured that one of my best friends and one of my frenemies, who were not really friends at the time, would be married and it would be such a fun day for me to spend some time with them and their kids without really doing anything. 

4. What major goal did you lay the foundations for?

I laid the foundation for a few goals during a few meetings with my mentor before the holidays. We're in my favorite stage of start-up, which is the research/planning stage. Laying the foundation work for a concept is by far my favorite part of the process. I'm not sure why, it just is and always has been. 

5. Which worries turned out to be completely unnecessary?

Hmm. I have a thing with worries; I never deem them unnecessary in general, I just deem them unnecessary for that period of time. I feel as though I'd be jinxing myself to say, "Whew, glad that's off the table," because with my epically bad luck, I end up placing that worry back on the table as the centerpiece. So I'll say that my worry about not being financially able to make it through the year was unnecessary because I made it. 

6. What experience would you love to do all over again?

Truthfully, I didn't have too many good experiences in 2016. This was a trying year in so many ways, on so many levels, that I'm just glad it's over. Now if you rolled this back to November 2015, I would love to experience the moments just before I broke my toe so that I can reroute my steps, not collide foot-first with a wooden shelf and not still be dealing with a broken toe now. LOL 

7. What was the best gift you received?

The best gift I received this year was the seed of DGAF that I discovered on my birthday. I kept hearing that as I got older, the DGAF switch would install itself, but the older I got, it went in the opposite direction instead. Then I turned 29 and realized that the switch had already installed but it was a sleeper switch that I couldn't control yet. It flipped itself on and off at will, whether I wanted it to or not. It doesn't come on often, but when it does, its glorious. I struggle with not giving a fuck a lot. I always give too many and that's partially why this year was such an emotional experience for me. Once the switch is 'on' though, I don't really have the time to figure out if I want that or not because I don't care enough anymore to attempt an answer. LOL Now as far as the best physical gift, I'd have to give that award to my mom for buying me the Legendary edition of Skyrim, which was also a birthday gift. 

8. How did your overall outlook on life evolve?

I think my overall outlook on life became much more pessimistic and cynical. So many ugly, tragic and bad things happened throughout 2016 and even though I usually have a healthy mix of both cynicism and optimism, 2016 definitely shifted it more towards the former. I struggled spiritually for the majority of the year partially because of these events and I can't say I'm fully out of it yet, especially with yesterday's inauguration fresh on the brain, but I'm trying.

9. What was the biggest problem you solved?

The biggest problem I solved....hmm. Most of the problems I solve are probably small and miniscule compared to the real problems others solve on a daily basis. 

10. What was the funniest moment of the year, one that still makes you laugh aloud?

There were a ton of moments that made me laugh, but can I immediately recall any that were so funny I can laugh about them now? If I think really hard, I can remember a lie that my cousin told everyone once and it still tickles me to think about it now, but I can't recall an actual comedic moment. 

11. What purchase turned out to the best decision you'd made?

The best purchase decision I made this year was my new laptop. I was running out of options very quickly and with Cookie (my old laptop) on her last legs, I was starting to get desperate. I wasn't eager to take on another bill as I already have quite a few and didn't want to stretch my already thin pockets even thinner, but buying the laptop I'm on now was so worth it. If I hadn't bought this laptop when I did, I would have been so out of luck because the morning that the laptop was scheduled to arrive in the mail, my bathroom flooded and in the process of cleaning up the room, Cookie's charger shorted out even more when it was moved and the laptop died, and I haven't been able to turn it back on since then. If my laptop wasn't due to come in the mail the same day, things would have been even more catastrophic than they already were. 

12. What one thing would you do differently and why?

It applied to multiple situations that happened throughout the year, but I wouldn't have stood around arguing with everyone, trying to be understood, get to a middle ground or get someone to be accountable for their words or actions. That comes back to one of the questions I answered during Part 1 of this series, which was about what lessons I learned from the year. I learned that some people don't learn or change, and while I live my life by the credo "Do onto others," others do not and I cannot hold them to those standards. I wanted to make sure I held people accountable for their actions but if they have no desire to be held accountable, then the only person I'm stressing out is myself. If progress is to be made, then the stress is worth it. But these are old arguments and nothing's stuck so it's the same argument with different people every time. If I'd understood that at the level that I understand it now, I could have saved myself a lot of grief and everyone else a lot of time. Sigh. Families are complicated. lol 

13. What do you deserve a pat on the back for?

Hmm. I don't know that I did much over the past year that was deserving of a pat on the back. That sounds bad, but I didn't really have an opening to do anything that would warrant that response. I'd like a pat on the back, though. Could always use a good burp. LOL 

14. What activities made you lose track of time?

Researching blog posts I'm planning always makes me lose track of time, especially if its a topic I love. Reading usually makes me lose track of time as well once I really start getting into the book. Pinterest, however, is still the biggest time suck in my life. After six years and thousands of pins, I can still get on there and blow hours of my life.

And that brings my 2016 in Review to a close. Did any of these questions make you think about how you spent your year? It's funny how you can think certain moments are unforgettable and priceless while in the moment, but then when you're asked about it later you can't remember it to save your life. lol It dulls the impact of so many things when you still find yourself falling short of answers to some of the questions at the end of the year. Anyway, next week is a look ahead at 2017 and my expectations/plans for the next 11 ½ months. I hope you enjoyed this post and I'll see you soon!

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Alina Skincare Review + Experience

Hi! My first review of 2017 is a skincare brand I recently tried out and wanted to share with you. I've been testing the products out for about a month now to see how my experience was with both the products I used and the brand overall. I'll start with explaining how I got the products, then get to the rest of the review.

Okay, so keeping in agreement with my Empty Pockets contract, I'm subscribed to a few email newsletters that share product contests, giveaways and discounted/free products that are available. In one of these emails, I saw the link for free full-sized products from a company called Alina Skincare and I don't think I've reviewed a lot of skincare products here before, so I was down to try out something new. When I went to the link, it was explained that you can try out a small collection of Alina's samples (4 came in my pack) for $1 to cover the shipping and after about a week, they'd follow up via email to gauge which products caught your interest. If you were interested in any of them, they'd then send you the full-sized product for free. I thought that was a pretty sweet deal as in all of my years trying to find good deals in order to pick up new products, I'd never come across anything like that. I ordered my samples, paid my $1 and waited. A few days later, I received my samples and started trying them out, which brings me to the actual review. 

My sample pack included eight samples, with two samples of each product. I received the Purifying Clay Renewal Mask, Anti-Aging Moisturizer, Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, and Vitamin C Serum. 

The Purifying Clay Renewal Mask went on very smoothly and I figured that I would have been able to get at least 2 good uses out of the amount of product in the sample. I say 'would have' because my skin reacted badly to the mask the first time I tried it, so I didn't try it again. The mask has bentonite and kaolin clays as well as papaya and pineapple enzymes along with oatmeal extract, the latter of which you would assume would be the soothing element of the mask. The instructions are the usual for masks; apply a thin layer, let sit for 15-20 minutes then gently wash off. I followed the instructions but I noticed that my skin felt tingly, then started to burn a little and I wasn't even fully finished applying the mask yet. Fifteen minutes later, I had no choice but to wash it off because my cheeks and the skin underneath my nose were burning that badly. When I removed the mask, my face was red and irritated all over, but more so in the aforementioned spots.

The Vitamin C serum didn't irritate my skin too much, but for me it dried down with a pretty funky scent. I wasn't here for it. It also didn't help soothe my skin when I applied it after using one of the products that had irritated my face, so that was a strike. I don't remember too much else about it, which tells me that it either wasn't memorable or wasn't positive. I decided to request one product but received two in exchange because my experience wasn't entirely negative. Here's what I received a full-size of.

Advanced Anti-Aging Moisturizer $28/1.69oz. 

Benefits:

--Hydrates the skin

--Targets wrinkles

--Lifts and smooths the skin

The Anti-Aging Moisturizer was my lifesaver throughout this sample pack. The rest of the products irritated my face to some degree, but my skin took beautifully to this moisturizer. When I used the mask and exfoliator, I applied the moisturizer afterward and it soothed and calmed my skin almost immediately. I got 2 uses out of the product per sample, which as I mentioned earlier, I used after the exfoliator and mask. I was able to use the second sample by itself, and at first, my skin felt a little greasy. I would recommend using this after washing your face because using it on dry skin can make it feel a bit oily, at least it did for me. The product holds up well underneath heavier makeup and doesn't leave my face feeling dry at the end of the day (which is important to me since I use matte foundation, which is a little drying on its own), and it works great on days with little or no makeup. It smells like orange rind to me, which I don't mind. It has the scent of orange without the bitterness that many things with rind tend to have in it. The scent is pleasant, not overwhelming and doesn't last very long if you don't care for scented products.

I haven't noticed any benefits from the anti-wrinkle and lifting properties of the moisturizer, but the hydration property has had a huge effect on my skin on a daily basis. I usually have dry patches on my face during the winter and I haven't had any since I started using this moisturizer, even if I skip a day. Overall my skin looks healthier, has a bit of a glow, and hasn't had the dryness or dullness I usually have this time of year. A combination that's quickly becoming a holy grail combo for me is to use the exfoliator, then wash my face with the Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser, then finish with this moisturizer. I try not to use the exfoliator more than once a week so when I'm not using it, I'll just use the cold cream cleanser and moisturize afterward. My skin has responded really well to that combo of products, so I'd recommend it for you as well if you have dry+sensitive skin. 

Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, $20/2oz.

Benefits:

--Designed with beads that are gentle on the skin

--Moisturizes

--Soothes and calms the skin

The first time I used the Multi-Benefit Exfoliator, I had a really bad reaction afterwards. I used it after using my regular cleanser, which was a morning cleanser with the tiny beads, so I think using the exfoliator afterward might have created a combination that was too abrasive. My face felt stripped and was very red afterwards, so I used the moisturizer on it and that helped a lot. Initially, I wasn't going to use the second sample but when I figured that my reaction could have been from my choice in cleanser, I tried it again with a different one and my skin was fine. I use a rubber scrublet for all of my face products (you can find it in the L'Oreal Go 360 face washes) and that was what I used to apply the exfoliator the first time, so I also realized I may have been scrubbing too hard. The product is filled with tiny beads that don't seem like they'd be too rough, so it's easy to misjudge and scrub your skin too hard. The short explanation is that I realized my skin's bad reaction may have been my own fault. lol

I've found that for me, the best method of application is with the fingertips, followed by a hydrating cleanser afterward for dry skin or a gentle cleanser for normal/sensitive skin. Anything else makes my face irritated or dry. I have noticed a couple of breakouts underneath the skin since I've been using the exfoliator, but I haven't been able to figure out whether it's hormonal or from the product. I have also noticed that, despite the instructions, if I use this more than twice a week my skin starts to get that dry, stripped feeling afterward. In general, I haven't noticed much of a difference since I started using the exfoliator, but I like it enough to finish what I have. 

My thoughts: 

Overall, the Alina skincare line as a whole is a bit of a hit or miss for me. It's a bit more of a miss, honestly, because the moisturizer was the only product to gel well with my skin. The mask and serum caused a lot of irritation and I wasn't able to figure out why. The exfoliator falls right in the middle; it's a bit fussy but with some tweaking you can use it with no issues.

When I was emailing customer support to order the full sizes of the products, I told the rep about my reaction to the other products and she didn't acknowledge it at all; just sent me the products I'd asked for. She didn't even reply to the email. I wish there'd been a bit more engagement from the company on that end; I didn't feel like what I was saying was very important to her. If I were paying full price for these products, I'd like to know that customer service cares about how their customers react to their products. But on the flip, I received my samples fairly quickly after ordering them, and same with the full sizes.

Do I recommend these products? 

 I think these products would work fine if you don't have fussy or dry skin, but if you do, you might have to make changes to how you use a couple of the products. The one product I can fully recommend, however, is the moisturizer. It's great. If you'd like to try your hand with a new skincare line for a lot less money, try to find where this deal is offered. I would love to tell you what newsletter it was, but I receive so many a day I can't remember the one I got it from. If you find it, you'd basically only be paying $1 for full sizes of the products you like, and you won't find that anywhere else. It's a great deal. Now would I repurchase any of these products? Since they retail for around $20 a pop and they're as small as they are, no, I honestly wouldn't. But I'm cheap, so maybe don't listen to that part. lol

Where can the products be found?

You can see the entire Alina Skincare range, including the pre-release products, on the website, but the line as a whole is sold exclusively on Amazon. 

Have you heard of Alina or tried any of their products before? Would you be open to trying them? I hope you enjoyed this review and I'll talk to you soon!

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2016 In Review: Part 2

Here is the second part of my 2016 in review questions. This block of questions deals with a bit of everything, from career moves to family relationships, positive influences, topics researched and habits learned. This one was more fun for me to answer, as it delved into more of the positive things that came from the year as opposed to the deeper ones, which have sadder or more negative answers. Let's get into it!

1. What five people did you most enjoy spending time with?

My niece, my friend and her husband (and their two boys), myself and my Twinsie. 

2. What was your biggest breakthrough moment career-wise?

My biggest breakthrough was when my mentor and I put down roots on a few of my business concepts. After years of making plans and moves by myself, I found a mentor who understood my brain and helped me tailor my concepts down to something we can pitch. Things are finally moving in that direction now, and it's been awesome. 

3. How did your relationship with your family evolve?

'Devolved' would probably be the better descriptor. For a few reasons I won't elaborate on, things have been rather strained with my family and I for a few years. Each year that has gone by has caused said relationship, especially those with my mom and sister, to deteriorate just a little more. It still has wonderful moments in which I'm able to remember why I was close with everyone at one time, but its the times between those moments that cause the fun moments to be more bittersweet each time. I know they won't last and it makes me really sad because at one time, it was the bad times that were moments, not the good ones. As I get older, confront the many lingering feelings I have about certain situations and those feelings evolve--which then shapes how I interact with others--, my relationship with my family devolves just a little bit. 

4. What book or movie affected your life in a profound way?

Hmm...I saw quite a few movies that affected me, but when I think about something affecting me profoundly, I think of something that shaped and changed something about my life after being exposed to it. I don't know that anything I saw was applicable to my life to shape it in such a way, even if the experience as a viewer stuck out in my mind after the movie was over. 

5. What was the best compliment that you received this year?

My godmother told me Happy Mother's Day this year, and that was the first time anyone else had ever recognized me on Mother's Day. As the oldest child, I already had the lion's share of responsibility when it came to watching out for my brothers and sister but my childhood was pretty fucked, so I had to take on a lot more in order to shield them as best I could from what was going on. Once things were stabilized at home, my mom and I worked to give the kids the childhood I didn't get to have, and for the most part they were able to have that. When she wasn't around, I was. But because I'm not mom, what I've done often seems to get lost in the shuffle, which stinks. Mother's Day isn't for me and I'm totally fine with that; I'm not a mom or even a surrogate. I'm not trying to intrude on that at all. I explained all of that to say that the morning of Mother's Day, I was so touched when I texted my godmother to tell her HMD and she told me she knows I'm not a mom but that she's proud of me and knows how much I do for my family. Nobody's singled me out before and I appreciated that she did. Now do I think I deserve HMD wishes? Of course not. But I'm happy that someone thought of me at all, especially on a day that doesn't even apply to me. I really appreciated that someone else saw what I've done and continue to do so that was hands down the best compliment I received in 2016. 

6. What little things did you most enjoy during your daily life?

Being able to watch my nieces play and hear them laugh was one of the things that I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed the moments when I didn't have a blog post to worry about and I could lay in bed and read. I was so busy for a lot of 2016 that I didn't often get a lot of time to do the things I wanted to do, so I loved the moments that I wanted to curl up and read a book and was actually able to do so. I also enjoyed my obsession with figuring out ideas for childrens' parties and outfits lol, because that came out in full force in 2016. 

7. What cool things did you create this year?

I created a couple of floral headband crowns for Christmas and New Year's, and while I'll probably look back on them later and laugh because the design is probably elementary as hell, I still think they're cute. I also created some nice (to me) calendars that I'll be showing you in a DIY soon, and I created a coloring book for one of my friends as a Christmas gift. 

8. What did you think about more than anything else?

Freedom. The thing I thought about the most by far was getting my own space. At this point, it not only feels practical but necessary. It's necessary for my peace of mind, it's necessary in order for things to remain on an even keel with my family, and it's necessary because I'm of an age when I should have my own space. I'm about to turn 30, I'm not really in the mindset to follow someone else's rules when I should be creating my own. Now if my anxiety gets in the way too much, I don't mind moving back until I get myself together. But moving out and having something that I can call my own has been on my mind more than anything else. 

9. What topics did you most enjoy learning about?

At one time I probably would have said 'world events,' because at one time I loved hearing about what was going on in the world. But the world's gotten so ugly, I hate having to hear about it now. I loved hearing about the topics I cover here--beauty, books, tv, DIY projects and home decor, games of all kinds and different tech products. I really enjoyed learning about bullet journals and different life improvement techniques, things I could try to bring to the blog. There were a ton of topics I enjoyed learning about.

10. What new habits did you cultivate?

New habits? I started drinking water on a more regular basis, which for me is a new habit as I wasn't often in the water drinking game before. lol One of the more fun habits was creating seasonal inspiration boards. I don't know if its a habit per se, but I consider it a habit because I do the boards on a regular basis now. I also got in the habit of pre-planning my longer post series, but this is more a thing for ATV, where I do 3 month-long series a year. Instead of waiting for the last minute to prep the posts, I work on them the month before so that I'm not cramming and struggling to keep up. I'm not always successful, but it's a habit that's done me a lot of good. 

11. What advice would you give your early-2016 self if you could?

Don't let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security because you think people will be as willing to help you as they say. It sounds nice, but circumstances are going to get in the way and it's not going to happen. Other people will waffle on you and you'll be stuck trying to figure things out by yourself anyway. You already have everything you need, don't rely on the opinions or confirmations of others to give you the confidence to push ahead with your ideas. Get off your ass and get the shit done. 

12. Did any parts of yourself do a 180 this year?

Not quite a 180, but I did make some turns. lol 

13. What had the biggest positive impact on your life this year? 

The biggest positive impact......hmm. That's a hard one. I don't know that any one thing had the biggest positive impact on my life this year because there were several. 

I still think a lot of the year was shit, but there were a few bright lights in there somewhere. Career-wise, it actually wasn't so bad. I've made moves with my business plans and finally gotten some clarity out of both blogs, and I've come out of the year with a lot more direction about what I wanted to do and when. I hope you enjoyed this part of the year in review and I hope you'll come back for next week's! 

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