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Current Obsession: Rocksbox Jewelry + Try it for FREE

Sunday, May 31, 2015
If you haven't heard of Rocksbox yet, you're in for a treat! Rocksbox is an awesome way to get on trend, designer jewelry without having to pay the full price. I'm a big fan of subscription services (Birchbox and Stitch Fix for instance) and Rocksbox is officially my newest obsession, for a really good reason. I don't usually buy myself jewelry, especially expensive statement pieces but with the option of getting them on loan seems so awesome to me. So how does it work?

  • Sign up to become a Shine Insider - Take a style survey and add items to your jewelry wish list.
  • Get 3 pieces to wear on loan - Each piece is hand selected for you based on your style and specific requests. Wear your pieces as much as you want!
  • Return anytime to get 3 new pieces - Return your Rocksbox pieces anytime and as often as you like. Every set has 3 pieces of designer jewelry, worth an average of $200 per set. 



Try your first month of Rocksbox free with code crystalrosexoxo
Some of my favorite statement pieces from brands like House of Harlow 1960, Jenny Bird, Kendra Scott, and more.

For $19, you get unlimited jewelry rental PLUS $10 monthly to spend on anything you fall in love with out of your set. Once you're done with the 3 pieces, you can either buy whatever you liked at a discount or mail it back easily because you're given prepaid shipping both ways! For me, shipping was very fast. It took only 2 days to get to me in New York from San Francisco. The 3 pieces I received were a House of Harlow Braided Pave Bangle, a palm rope necklace by Jenny Bird, and a pair of Gorjana drop earrings. I wore the bracelet along with some vintage pieces last night to a wedding and my husband kept complimenting the bracelet. (It was my favorite piece too) The necklace is a little long from what I normally wear but I'm going to play around with it in the next couple of days, same with the earrings, before sending them back to try another set! 

Because I think Rocksbox is so awesome, I have a code for everyone to get one month of it for free! At checkout, put in code "crystalroseexoxo" and you're good to go! That's a $19 value for jewelry that I'm sure you will absolutely love. It can't hurt to try, right?




This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links but as always, the opinion is my own. 

My Summer Must Haves

So I've been a little MIA lately, which tends to happen when the weather starts to get nice, but also I've been busy planning Ava's second birthday party! It's less than a week away and I've been going crazy buying ALL THE FLAMINGOS! Yes, we're having a flamingo party and I can't wait to share all the little details here once it's done. 

I'm writing this post to share some of my summer must haves. I get so excited when summer is close because that means we're able to get out of the house and play. Also because I can wear sandals and not have to bundle up in 10 different layers of clothes. My style is pretty laid back, with some girly touches, but there's also a little edge to it. 

Sunless tans, bright nail polish, a fun graphic tee, surf spray for summer waves, and the perfect foundation. 

Jergens Natural Glow Instant Sun Mousse- First let me say that I was a little overwhelmed when I was at Ulta shopping for a self tanner. The last time that I tried one, that wasn't a gradual self tanner, I was in high school, and I remember being an odd shade of orange, with lots of streaks. I have heard amazing things about St. Tropez but I just can't bring myself to spend that much.  I have used Jergen's 3 Days to Glow lotion before and it's decent but 1. it takes time (hence the 3 day name) 2. it can sometimes look a little orange after awhile and 3. once the color has started to develop, it smells. The reviews of the Instant Sun Mousse were all amazing so it helped me with the decision. I made sure to exfoliate before using it, which is really important, and also that my skin was moisturized beforehand as well. The mousse has a color guard to it, so you can see exactly where it's going, which I liked a lot. The smell is pleasant going on, and once it's developed, there's only a slight smell, which came off after I showered the next day. My tan looks natural, it's not orange, and it's not streaky. I most definitely recommend it, especially for the price! (Look for coupons here

Essie's Boom Boom Room- Probably my absolute favorite pink nail polish, ever. It's super bright and I think it looks fabulous on toes in the summer. This was actually the same polish I wore when I went in to have Ava. I remember all the nurses commenting on my toes, and how much they loved the color! I also love Essie's Bottle Service and The Girls Are Out as well as OPI's Bold and From Here To Eternity

Recycled Karma Rolling Stones tee- I got this the other day, with a 15% off coupon. I love graphic tees, especially when they're band tees that are timeless. I grew up listening to the Stones, thanks to my awesome mom. I'm going to pair this shirt, tied on the side, with a high waisted black skirt and some gladiator sandals. Another favorite tee of mine to wear the same way is this one and I have my eye on this tee too. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray- Ever since I cut my hair, I have had to change the way I style my hair. I love wavy hair and I found a great way to do it with a 3/4" curling iron, some Bed Head hairspray, and the surf spray. I curl it around the iron, like you typically would a curling wand and I alternate wrapping my hair over and under so they aren't all the same curls. Once it's all done, I give it a good spray with hairspray and then I use the surf spray to tousle the curls into waves. For some extra shine, I love Josie Maran's Argan Oil Hair Serum and if you need to make your hair last a little longer before washing I love this dry shampoo. It works on my hair great and gives it some extra volume so you can have big hair, for all those secrets....please tell me you get that reference. 

Lancôme Teint Idole Ultra 24H Foundation- So I know a foundation isn't usually on a summer must haves list considering how heavy they can be but this one is uh-maz-ing. I have always loved the look of full on makeup, especially in pictures, because I feel as if a tinted moisturizer or BB cream never photographs as well as foundation does. For the longest time, I used MAC's Studio Fix and never had an issue but I started to notice it settling into my pores differently...I blame it on me getting older. I bought some NARS Sheer Glow and while I really liked the feel of it, it made me a little too shiny and I noticed it made me a little yellow. With the Lancôme foundation, there are loads of colors to choose from and my match didn't show up yellow! (I'm 260 Bisque N) The guy who helped me at Sephora was actually wearing it and he looked so flawless, like his skin was airbrushed, so I told him to give me whatever he was wearing and I'm so glad I did. I use a makeup sponge with it and it goes on so smooth and it blends really nicely. I do get a little shiny with this at times but it's usually after quite awhile, but it doesn't sink into my pores and it truly can last awhile....one morning I woke up after not washing it off and my face still looked flawless. 

The best sales to shop this Memorial Day

Friday, May 22, 2015
This 4 day weekend is a great time to get some great deals on pretty much everything. Stores love an excuse to have a sale and depending on what you're looking for, you can clean up pretty nicely. I usually avoid going to most stores and do all my holiday shopping online, but there are a few stores that have even better promos if you go in store. 

Nordstrom is having their half yearly sale going until May 31st. You can snag up to 40% off select items. (6% cash back through Ebates) 

Pottery Barn will give you 10% off when you spend $100, 15% off of $250, and 20% when you spend $500 or more.

Gilt has 20% off everything using code SPLASH

Macy's is giving 20% off select items using code HOORAY and they also have an additional 25% off clearance. (8% cash back through Ebates)

Bloomingdales has their Big Brown Bag sale currently where you can save anywhere from 20-70% off. If you use code SPRING20, you can take an additional 20% off of select sale and clearance items. (10% cash back through Ebates)

Nasty Gal is giving 40% off regular priced AND sale priced items using code HOTSTUFF until midnight 5/25 (1% cash back using Ebates)

Gap has 40% off regular priced styles using code SUMMER (2% cash back through Ebates)

asos is giving you 20% off using code LONGWKND (3.5% cash back through Ebates)

Bath and Body Works has 20% off plus free shipping on orders $50+ using code BEACHBASH. You can also mix and match their signature collection by buying 3 and getting 3 free. Their 3-wick candles are my favorite and they are 2 for $24 currently (that's saving you $21)

Anthropologie will give 20% off their sale items using code GONEFISHING

Forever 21 has 30% off select items until 5/25 and also buy one get one 50% off online only using code B1G150OFF (2% cash back through Ebates)

Yes...another Kohl's discount post

Friday, May 15, 2015
So Kohl's is currently having another great opportunity to score some really fun things at a good price. Today, I got Braxton and Ava a water table for $27, including tax and shipping. (Free shipping because I have a Kohl's charge account) Right now, if you use your Kohl's card, until May 20th, they have 30% off using code SANDAL30, as well as free shipping using code MAY4MVC. You can also stack those codes with OUTDOOR10 to get 10% off if you're purchasing select outdoor toys.

Here are some of my outdoor favorites using these discounts:

Step2 Duck & Frog Pond Water Table - originally $74.99, $28.34 after discounts 
KidKraft Backyard Wooden Sandbox - originally $302.99, $125.99 after discounts 
Step2 Tropical Island Resort- originally $89.99, $53.85 after discounts 
Big Splash Inflatable Activity Pool - originally $39.99, $18.89 after discounts 
Power Wheels Jeep Wrangler - originally $319.99, $181.43 after discounts* 
Melissa and Doug Sunny Patch Blossom Sprinkler - originally $21.99, $11.77 after discounts 
Little Tikes Garden Chair - originally $9.99, $5.94 after discounts 
Magic Castle XL Inflatable Bounce House - originally $599.99, $321.29 after discounts 
KidKraft Teepee Play Tent- originally $119.99, $62.99 after discounts 
Slide 'N Soak Splash Park - originally $599.99, $188.99 after discounts 
Fisher Price Power Wheels Ford Mustang - originally $399.99, $214.19 after discounts*
KidKraft Sandbox with Striped Canopy, originally $271.99, $154.21 after discounts 

*All Fisher Price Power Wheels have a $40 to $50 surcharge for shipping, even if you qualify for "free shipping". Sometimes, it's still cheaper to go this route, especially when they are offering Kohl's cash, adding on top of their Yes2You Rewards. See how I took advantage of this exact deal here when I bought Braxton's Power Wheels Mustang for Christmas. 

Some other codes you can use on your Kohl's purchases:

CATCH15OFF -  15% off your purchase of $100 or more (without using a Kohl's card)
BABYLOVE10 - $10 off your $30 baby, toddler, or maternity purchase 
PATIO50 - $50 off your $200 purchase of patio furniture and outdoor rugs, pillows, or cushions


You can stack up to 4 codes to get the most bang for your buck. Kohl's cash can be earned until May 17th so for every $50 you spend, you get $10 in Kohl's cash to redeem later and don't forget to use Ebates for 3% cash back...it adds up! 



Britax Chaperone car seat for $89.99

Wednesday, May 13, 2015
I'm pretty surprised that Staples has this Britax Chaperone car seat for 60% off! No code needed and shipping is free, which makes it a perfect deal. I wish I could fit Ava in one of these still because the deal is that good. (This beats Amazon's price by almost $90) The offer is good for 6 more days, or until it's sold out, so don't miss out! 




If you somehow end up checking out tonight with this seat, make sure you go through Ebates because they have 16% cash back there today only. 

$10 off your $20 Crayola purchase

Going until May 16th, Staples has this awesome deal on Crayola orders. The code you need to use is 28763. Anytime I find Crayola on sale, I always stock up, for so many different reasons. Now that school is just about over, I love the idea of doing DIY teacher gifts as a thank you for the school year. 

Found here on Etsy

Look here before you do your shopping at Sephora.com


So I'm sure most of you know that Sephora is awesome when it comes to samples. For the longest time, I never changed up my beauty routine, and I never cared too much about getting samples. Now I'm starting to branch out of my MAC cosmetics bubble and the people at Sephora have been helping me out so much with letting me try before I buy. (Don't get me wrong, I'm also buying stuff when they're generously giving me samples haha) 

If you're placing an order at Sephora.com, make sure you check this out first. It gives you codes for all their samples they have available, so you can pick and choose which ones you would like. 

16% cash back with Ebates

Monday, May 11, 2015
Ebates is currently offering 16% cash back to over 158 stores now (the 11th) until the 16th. They are celebrating their 16th birthday. I'm currently kicking myself because two stores that I just made purchases at on Saturday are included in this crazy cash back deal. Of course I just got a bathing suit from American Eagle and of course I just loaded up on stuff from Clarisonic. Oh well, it's tempting to go back for more, just because haha 

Here is a list of stores that's participating...have fun shopping!
 
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