12 Days of Giveaways: Day 6 with Little Passports

If you're looking for a unique gift idea that keeps on giving for the children, let me introduce you to Little Passports.

When I initially discovered this monthly subscription, I was instantly captivated.

Anything to do with culture is of huge interest to me. But what about your child? How can you teach your child to love and learn in an enjoyable and fascinating way? Kids get bored so easily -- we all know that.

Little Passports nailed it on the head with their subscription packages where they follow Sam and Sofia on their exciting adventures around the USA and/or the world. 

It helps them to inspire a love and understanding of the world as they learn about geography, history, culture, and language in a fun and memorable way. How can you not love this? Brilliant!

They offer two subscriptions: World Edition and USA Edition (perhaps a Canadian Edition next?)

Your child's first month’s Explorer Kit arrives in a suitcase and contains everything your child needs to get started: a letter from Sam and Sofia, a map, a passport, stickers, access to online games and more. Country specific packages filled with fun souvenirs, letters, stickers, photos, activity sheets and more arrive every month thereafter.

My daughter really loves that she has 2 friends that travel the world and send her cool things from each country every month. She looks forward to their packages/letters and stamping off her passport and finding the place on the map! For example, her last package, her friends just visited Japan so she received a letter and some origami among other fun stuff! So cool! Even I was into it! 

On a side note: Origami is NOT as easy as it looks.

Little Passports is truly your child's ticket to an exciting global adventure... in the comfort of home!

Perhaps one day when they're older, they will take you along with them on their real travelling adventures around the world!

To learn more about Little Passports, visit them at www.littlepassports.com.

For Day 6 of CAC's 12 of Giveaways, I am gifting a 3 Month Subscription to two winners!

To enter, leave me a comment below telling me Where in the World does your child want to travel to and why.

Contest is open to Canada and US Residents.

Ends 12/12.

Good luck!

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Take Your Child On A Global Adventure with Little Passports [Review & #Giveaway}

“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” ~ Saint Augustine

The world is larger than we think and only after you have experienced staying in another country far different than what you are use to, with different languages, food, beliefs... will you truly begin to get a broader understanding of life and human kind.

I still have many untapped corners of this world that I would love to encounter. 

Our last escape was to Paris, France (to which I fell in love with) and instead of staying at a hotel like most tourists do (we like to consider ourselves travelers not tourists), we stayed at a friends pied-a-terre apartment located in the heart of Paris just a few steps away from La Tour Eiffel.

We bought groceries, cooked, did our laundry with a one-shared complicated washer/dryer combo in our building, got to know our neighbours, walked around on foot and took the metro and RER with nothing but a small map, attempted to speak only in French and indulged in delicious French fare.

We learned so much more this way and truly felt like locals. It was such a wonderful experience!

One of the most important things that I wish for my children as they get older is be able to travel the world and experience other cultures and ways of life.

I was so excited to learn about a monthly package subscription called Little Passports that provides monthly goodies and access to online games and activities to inspire children to learn about other countries and cultures in a fun and engaging way.

Your child is taken on a mini-adventure right from home with two new pals, Sam and Sofia, as they travel the world and share their findings with them via monthly package.

It comes in two subscriptions; you may sign up for one or both.
World Edition: Join Sam and Sofia as they travel to a new country every month
USA Edition: Travel with Sam and Sofia as they visit two new states every month

Little Passports offers several different subscription plans depending on what works best for you. Sign-up for the convenience of their month-to-month plan or sign-up for a set number of months upfront. If you decide to sign-up or gift a set number of months upfront, you can also renew your subscription so your child doesn’t miss out on any adventures.

I decided to go with a World Edition for Ava and this is what we received.

My daughter was very excited to see a package delivered to our front door with her name on it!
Upon opening we received an adorable little blue and green suitcase complete with world map, passport, a letter and picture from Sam & Sofia and much more!

The Explorer Kit is the 1st month of the World Edition.  It is a starter Kit and it gets your child ready for the adventures ahead!  The next 11 months of the first year are country specific.

Ava was really excited to get started!

I was excited for her! Such an adorable package -- wonder if they will start making one for adults? 

We got started right away! Ava got to know Sam and Sofia and learn some how to say Hello in different languages also learned a few capital cities of different countries to determine where her buddies are headed to next!

I was actually so impressed with how involved and intrigued Ava was (having a 4 1/2 year old you will remember how easily distracted and bored they can get!). She loved learning where all the countries were on the map including where we were located in Canada.

She asked where her grandparents were from on the map and where her relatives were located all across parts of the world. She really loved it!

And I really loved seeing how much she was learning all while having fun.

She is looking forward to receiving next month's package and goodies from her friends while at their new destination. She talks about Sam and Sofia to her friends and family (as if they are real people - which I find super cute!).

Overall we are really impressed and content with Little Passports and I am so glad I learned of them for my daughter (and my son when he gets older!).

The benefits of this subscription go far beyond the years!

It's a one-time payment of $41.85 for the 3 months or $13.95 per month. For everything included and what this will do for your child, I would say it's truly a great deal!

To learn more about Little Passports, visit them online at: www.littlepassports.com.

Little Passports is giving one of my readers a chance to win a 3-Month Subscription (Your choice of The World Edition or US Edition)

1) Leave a comment below telling me Where in the world you would LOVE to travel to with your child/ren and why.

2) Submit via rafflecopter and get additional entries to win!

Contest ends October 1st. 

*Open to US and Canadian Residents.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclosure: As part of this review, I received a complimentary subscription to Little Passports; however as always, all opinions expressed are my very own.

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Happy 1 Year Anniversary GLOSSYBOX!

Attention Beauty Lovers!
We have yet another monthly beauty box subscription available to you, but this time we're getting a little more daintier, chic and high end.

So as you already know, I've done tons of Beauty Monthly Box Subscription reviews to date, all of which have not disappointed and offered a nice surprise for me. However, the GLOSSYBOX has raised the bar and perhaps stands as #1 of Beauty Boxes for me to date.
What I love (and can totally tell) about the GLOSSYBOX is that it was created by and for the chic and trendy woman.

Similar to the others, how it works is simple.
You join GLOSSYBOX online, choose your subscription plan and create your body profile.
Based on your profile, 5 carefully selected deluxe luxurious beauty samples are sent to you each month in a pretty keepsake box (more durable than it's competitors) and wrapped in pretty packaging.
I always hate opening the packaging when it's so pretty!

Usually the GLOSSYBOX is in a lovely pale pink keepsake box but this was a special box for their one year anniversary + Valentine's Day special Month.

Upon opening the ribbon, here was what came inside the Anniversary Box.

Right away I was pleased to see some Bioré Deep Cleansing Pore Strips in there because my nose was in total of need it! No matter how often I care for my skin daily and exfoliate 1-2x a week, sometimes you really need a deeper cleansing strip to remove all the dead skin and blackheads.

 

Another product that instantly screamed out to me was the Anatomicals Shower Gel. Catchy name, especially because it really did smell like a rose bouquet.

 

 I am a lip gloss fanatic so I was very happy to see a sample of Givenchy's Gloss Interdit in No.3 Coral Frenzy. What a pretty colour for Spring!

The Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Treatment is a product I'm definitely looking forward to trying out. I just recently coloured my hair for Spring and the it's in some need of a little extra TLC.

 

It's too bad the Crabtree & Evelyn Tarocco Orange Eucalyptus & Sage Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy was only a small sampling satchet. It smelled delightful! However, a little birdie told me to stay tuned for a full-size of this product in an upcoming box! 

 

I'm not usually one to try out eye shadow if I am unfamiliar with the brand name as I've had a bad experience in the past, but once I tried out the (full-size) Essence Quattro Eyeshadow that I received in my GLOSSYBOX, I was quite impressed! The staying power is great and I didn't need to apply more than 2 swipes of a colour on my lids for it to show. 

This is the Oh-So-Cute Quattro Eyeshadow collection with pretty shimmery shades of Pink, White, Blue and Dark Midnight Blue/Black.

This is how the colours looks on my skin after just one swipe. Pretty vibrant, huh?

Other products included in the box was a Eucerin Hyal-Urea Anti-Wrinkle Day/Night Cream Satchet Duo and a GLOSSYBOX Cupcake Kit. How adorable are they?!

 I'm predicting some delicious red velvet cupcakes in the near future.

For only $21 a month (+ free S&H) and other great perks and discounts if purchased in bulk installments, I truly think this is a fun and worthwhile subscription for the beauty-loving lady that enjoys the indulgence and all pretty things.

You can cancel anytime you want.  For more information, visit them online at: www.glossybox.ca.

Cupcake, anyone?

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Bring on your Bombshell with Julep Maven

I have so much nail polish, I totally don't need anymore. Said NO ONE ever.

Seriously, what girl out there doesn't love a new polish that compliments her style and mood?

I switch my nail colours as often as I wash my hair. My mood is constantly changing and so is my polish-style!

I have to thank my beautiful mom for my love of nail polish (and handbags).  

She still to this day, has one of biggest collections of nail polish I've ever seen in life.

Like the Imelda Marcos of Nail Polish. No joke.

We all know how much I raved about and was smitten by beauty boxes, well guess what, there's a new subscription out there for the Nail Polish aficionado.  

Ladies (and possibly some gents... to each his own), may I introduce you to Julep Maven.

For just $19.99 a month, you will receive at least $40 worth of hand-picked Julep products in an exclusive gift-able Julep Maven Box.

I was very intrigued, so was giddy to receive an intro box to see what this was all about.

This was what I received inside my intro box.

Very chic, simple black re-giftable box, lovely packaging filled with 2 nail polishes (I chose which style I liked best which in this case was Bombshell Maven), The Best Pedi Creme Ever!, and a set of toe separators.

I loved the Bombshell Maven colours! 

Oscar is an ultra-chic, multi-dimensional gold glitter (which looks fabulous over any colour polish you have!)

and Natasha is an intense orange, so perfect for this season, especially on your toes.

Each polish if you were to buy individually costs $14.00 USD each.

The Best Pedi Creme Ever! was luxuriously soft and smooth on my feet and I truly did feel a difference overnight.

It exfoliates with alpha hydroxy acids, hydrates with shea butter and coconut oil, nourishes with vitamin E. Apply nightly for noticeable results in just 1 to 2 uses.

To buy this individually will cost you $22.00 USD for a regular 2 oz. bottle.

What I really love best though about Julep Maven polishes is that they are “4-free,” meaning they don’t contain the carcinogens formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin, toluene or DBP.  Perfect for me right now since I'm pregnant, but also great to use even when my little "diva" wants to follow in mommy's footsteps (literally) and have some polish applied as well.

I am quite nail polish-snobby. As soon as I pull the brush out and apply the first layer, I instantly know if this polish is of good quality.

I love the flat brush which made for easier application, and the quality of the polish itself was perfect for even just a quick one-time application -- no 2nd layers required! The polish dried quickly and after days of mommy duties, noticed hardly any chipping and it still looked good! WIN!

To get started on this membership, all you have to do is fill out a quick Style Quiz so they can determine what best suits your style and voila! You have a choice to join then and receive your first intro box.

To find out more on how this works, click here.

You can choose to be charged every 27th of each month or choose from 3 pre-pay options: 3, 6 or 12 months.  

At this time, they are only accepting credit card payments, hopefully they will incorporate Paypal (I love me some Paypal).

You can cancel at anytime and another great thing is that S&H is free! And we like free, don't we ladies?

More of your FAQ's answered here.

So, do I think it's worth $19.99 per month (or $59.97 quarterly, etc.) for what I'm receiving monthly? 

Considering the quality of these polishes, including the other great perks you receive as a Julep Maven, perhaps.  I would like to see the monthly price at a little less than this if possible, to be honest.

I've only received one intro box, and very interested in seeing how a regular box would look like (if it's any different than this one).

I can easily purchase nail polish during my drug store run with a variety of equally great polishes & colours to choose from for much less than $19.97 but again, you have to put into consideration the monthly little "surprise gift" beautifully packaged including amazing quality polishes and products specifically for you that you receive in your mailbox.

I do appreciate that little extra every now and then, don't you?

*SPECIAL PROMO CODE for CAROL AU COURANT Readers

For my lovely readers, you can receive your first Julep Maven Box for only a PENNY, yes a penny.

Just head on over to this link, take the quick, easy & fun Style Quiz, and use the promo code MAVENINTRO at checkout. 

I'm also giving one of my readers a FREE Julep Maven Box!

Win a free Julep Maven Box for yourself and give your nails a beautiful glam-over & pampering by simply filling out the rafflecopter entry below.

Open to US and Canadian Residents. Ends 7/29.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Disclaimer: As part of the Julep VIP Blogger Program, I received free products; however the opinions expressed in this review are my very own.

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Mailatale: Bringing the World of Literature to your Doorstep

After having joined the world of Twitter, I've been fortunate in meeting not just a vast and admirable amount of new friends but also getting to know old brands I've been loyal to for many years and also new ones that have sparked my interest.

One new company that I've gotten to know well is Mailatale. 

Mailatale is a monthly personalized package of children's books carefully put together just for your little one/s.

With a Mailatale subscription, you’ll receive a monthly delivery of great reads – from award winners to backlist gems. Each package is age-perfect, and suited to your reader’s interests. 

And how cute is that logo? Makes me smile, that's for sure.

I was asked if I wanted to participate in a beta testing for Mailatale as they ramp up their business and website.

Of course I obliged! Not only am I an avid bookworm, but so is my little girl! 

I was interested to see what this service had to offer.

Much like my past review on beauty box delivery subscription, The Luxe Box by Loose Button, this is very similar in that you are paying for a monthly service which is personalized to your child's specific book interests and age and it is shipped to you once a month.

To sign up for this service, all you had to do was click 'Get Started' on their homepage and complete a quick 5-step enrollment process and that's it! You're all set up.

Currently the price for a monthly service is $27.95 montly with a small $5 S&H fee.

You will always get at least a retail value of $25 of quality books, source guide and stickers.

You are able to cancel your subscription at anytime.

I was smitten by the website when I first logged on; it's colourful, cheerful and whimsical! And registering was very easy!

What sold me was when I received my first package for January -- adorable logo of the mailatale squirrel on the box along with a quote on the packaging sticker. Adorable!

Opening the package excitedly with my little girl, we first came upon the welcome letter/source guide outlining the details of the books. Ava liked seeing her name. :)  

I love the little personal touches like the wrapping paper and quote tag and ribbon -- so pretty that I didn't even want to tear it open! I was being super careful.

Cute straw-like ribbon pulled together the books wrapped in white tissue paper with a quote tag (love those quotes!), and personalized stickers for her books. Utterly enamored but the packaging -- so carefully put together like an individual gift just for my little bookworm.

The two books that were included in this package were Hardcover book Brontorina by James Howe (retails for $18.00 CDN) and A Flock of Shoes by Sarah Tsiang (retails for $8.95 CDN).

Both wonderful choices for Ava; we got to reading them that same day and she loved them!  Brontorina is probably one of her new favourites in her growing book collection.

So do I think this is a book delivery service worth subscribing to and for the price? Absolutely!

They put much care in choosing the books for your child, packaging it and just all the little details makes for a special little surprise every month.

A brilliant service for the bookworms in your family -- I highly recommend Mailatale!

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents."

— Emilie Buchwald

Happy reading!

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