Amazon Influencer

I signed up to be an Amazon Associate. And I linked my Instagram. Weirdly, they labeled me as an Influencer. So uh, here's my first Product Recommendation:

Its called the "DOGNESS Automatic WiFi Dog/Cat Smart Camera Feeder - 6.5Lbs Large Capacity App Control Food Dispenser with WiFi, Portion Control, Voice Recording, Camera, Timer Programmable - Dark Blue"

It's a cat / dog food dispenser. I am able to look at my cats via an app on my phone while I feed them. It isn't angled down enough to actually see my cats' faces while they eat. Nor can I see the amount of food in the bowl. I might see if I can mod it so that the camera is angled down better. I wish there was a "cat version" versus "dog version" where the camera was angled down for the cat version and the small kibble hopper came automatically installed. I had to unscrew the large hopper to put in the small one when I got it. I sometimes also wish it would record automatically when it sees motion. I don't like the mega bright green light on the housing. Those are the bad parts. The good parts is that you can set a schedule. You can manually feed them. You can make up to 3 audio tracks to be played along with each feeding. It can fit half a bag of food. So, 5 lbs fit in this thing since I buy 10 lb bags of Fussie Cat dry food. That's a LOT of food!! I have been tweaking the portions. Right now, I have it going 6 times a day. Three times, it gives 3 portions. Three times, it gives four portions. I learned that 15 portions was about a cup and a half. Right now at 21 portions, that's a little over 2 cups. Which, my cat food recommends 1 cup daily for a 14 lb cat. The fat one is that big. The other one is about 10 lbs. I also really like the night vision on this thing! It is very detailed! I like that it is USB powered and comes with a 5 ft cord.

I have been watching way too much Jackson Galaxy on YouTube lately. He says automated, timed feeding, is better than free feeding. I have 1 normal size cat and then a fatty cat. So I'm trying to help my fatty more than the normal one. But either way its good. This will absolutely come in handy when I go to travel.

On Finding Me Elsewhere

As you can all see, this Blog has mostly been forgotten and abandoned. A long time ago, I accidentally deleted all my Blogger images. I did this because I found them in some obscure Google images repository and didn't know they were linked to Blogger. So I deleted them to free space up. Once I realized my mistake, there was no way to recover them without tediously re-uploading them all and editing each post that had a picture in it so that it would link to the "new" images. So I gave up.

That whole experience soured blogging for me. But I do appear in other social media platforms:

I have an Instagram page that I post daily outfit selfies, some digital art that I make, and some beauty product reviews and recommendations. It is probably the most active thing I am doing right now.
https://www.instagram.com/sallyvaneycke/

I have a Facebook page that is almost exclusively cross-posted links from Instagram.
https://www.facebook.com/SallyVanEycke/

I have a YouTube channel that has just a variety of topics. I have reviewed an adult toy, camping gear, a meal delivery service, and more. I have posted cute videos of my cats. Just whatever sparked some interest for me. I rarely update there, but I have fun when I do.
https://www.youtube.com/user/g0d5m15t4k3

I have a Patreon account where I post a fine selection of adult oriented photographs including some of my higher end modeling images. This has been a great way for me to make a tiny supplemental income. It has helped me pay for home damages. It has helped me pay for naughty adult toys. I use the funds to try to do whatever I can to give back to my Patreon patrons.
https://www.patreon.com/g0d5m15t4k3

I certainly am in other social media places, but those are the ones I wanted to tell everyone about. Thank you all for watching! I might post more here, I might not. The important part is that I am doing what feels right and feels good!

My Second Dia Box!

So I got my second Dia box today. I had a SNAFU with my credit card (which got stolen) so it took me some time to notice they didn't have my current card info. Which I had logged into their site several times to see if it had shipped/why it didn't ship and nothing indicated my card info was wrong. I found an email buried in my junk email that asked me to update my billing info. And even when I logged in to look at the billing info, it didn't give me warnings that the previous payment method was not working.

ANYWAY! Aside from website/clerical glitches, I did eventually get my second Dia box. I was unfortunately way more disappointed the second time than I had been the first time. Let's get on with the review:

Molly & Isadora - Delancey Skinny Jeans - size 14 - $65

 

OK! First up are the skinny jeans! Yes, they fit just fine. They're tight as fuck and that's basically how they're supposed to fit. They didn't dig into my hips. They didn't give me camel toe. And they made my ass look nice. The front pockets were underwhelmingly small, but I suppose at least they had pockets at all. I'm on the fence about getting these or not since I've got like 3 other pairs of black skinny jeans, or really, jeggings.

Molly & Isadora - Skylar Keyhole Sleveless Blouse - size 1X - $59

I liked the keyhole detail on this top. And the navy and white was ok. I typically go for black and white, but I could do the color aspect because the print itself was cute. But what really sealed the deal for me was the cut on this top. It is basically a trapeze top and felt more like a dress or tunic than top. And while it looked fine with a blazer and was comfortable without a blazer on, it was not at all flattering when I didn't have a blazer on. It made me look way bigger than I am, not something I am looking for. 

Michael Studio - Kate Utility Jacket - size 12 - $118

 
 

This blazer. I really wanted to like it, but ultimately, I won't get it either. The benefits were: The stretch, the D-ring details on the front, the functional front pockets, and it generally had enough stretch when I reached up. I really don't like navy, but it matched the top it was sent with and I am trying to branch out into other colors other than black and gray, so a navy is a valid choice. I didn't like: no internal pockets, not lined, too baggy around the waist, dry clean only, and kind of expensive. 

In the last image here, I'm actually wearing a blazer I already own. Its by Liz Claiborne and I got it from JCPenney. Its black, size 10, has internal pockets, front pockets I haven't un-cut to use, is machine washable and was only $40. So. I was whelmed with the blazer they sent me.

Meera Lane - Phoenix Sleeveless Flare Dress - Size 1X - $59

 
 
 

The dress was another strike out. It was waaaaaaaaaay too big. It was a fine color, deep forest green. It hit right at the knees, too, which is nice for work. But the cut was weird, the points of the boobs were like, way too high? And I don't have saggy tits, I'm wearing a normal bra in these pictures, not some unlined, non-wire bullshit. It was soft enough. Would likely snag though if the cat ever hopped up on me.

Rafaella - Carson Pant - Size 14 - $65

Again, they totally missed the mark here. These pants where HUGE. I have a size 16 pair of dress pants I bought at the thrift store and these fit just like those. But at least I only paid $5 for those other ones. These were so unflattering on my ass. The only nice thing I have to say about them is "they're black!"

So there you have it. I'm going to literally send this whole box back. Everything was whelming and didn't really fit. Which is kind of sad. But its only $20 for them to style me. So I'll let them do it one more time. I'm on the every 3 month plan, so expect another post in about 3 months!

Oh! Here's a sample of what it looks like when you tell them why you're sending stuff back:

Basic Daily Skincare Routine

This blog post is to go along with my YouTube video here:

The essentials are this:
No matter whether you do or do not wear makeup, it is important to get into the habit of washing and moisturizing your face every morning and night. 

I personally have acne prone skin that is very sensitive. It is neither dry nor oily but really doesn't like heavy perfumes or harsh chemicals. I tend to get cystic acne the worst, though I do get black heads and white heads too. I'm also very pale and sensitive to sun exposure.

I recommend to really get an idea of what kind of skin you have. Is it drenched in oil at the end of the day? Is it dry and flaky? Are some parts dry and some parts oily? If you have that last one, welcome to "normal/combination" skin like me. Try using a product for at least a solid week steadily before making any judgement on it. That is of course provided you don't have an immediate allergic reaction.

For my skin, I like gentle exfoliating washes. This one has lactic acid in it. I use this daily but you could get by with every other day if your skin isn't very clogged. Or if its hardly clogged at all, I'd only use it once a week. This is what I use right now and what I'm talking about in the video:
https://www.murad.com/product/renewing-cleansing-cream/

For acne breakouts, I am insanely in love with this salicylic acid cleanser. It's not too rough for me, I will use it daily if I'm not using the above wash.
https://www.murad.com/product/adult-acne-cleanser/

And I learned after shooting the video that Murad doesn't make their Sulfur Spot Treatment anymore! I've had it for a long time because a little goes a very long way and you only want to put it on your acne spots. If you use it all over, your skin will absolutely dry out and hate you. But I do see Murad has a Sulfur Mask here (that I have yet to check out):
http://www.ulta.com/acne-complex-clarifying-mask?productId=prod2082346

And I'm currently using EradiKate Acne treatment for problem spots. Which I WILL be reviewing hopefully soon since I've already shot video for that. Here are the details:
https://www.sephora.com/product/eradikate-acne-treatment-P232903

I also mention this is my favorite moisturizer. This stuff is great for acne prone skin because it is not heavy, has no oil, has no fragrance, and absorbs quickly. I sometimes get knock off CVS brand, but the actual Neutrogena brand is slightly,  but noticeably, better by a small increment:
http://www.neutrogena.com/skin/skin-moisturizers/oil-free-moisture-sensitive-skin/6805400.html?cgid=skin-moisturizers#start=16

Blue Apron - First Recipe - Black Pepper Beef

This post is to go along with my YouTube unboxing video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZINWwRglY

And this blog is about my first recipe!

FIRST, though, you are probably asking "WTF is Blue Apron anyway?"

It's basically a lazy way to get delicious fresh ingredients and recipes sent to your doorstep like the partially lazy piece of crap you are. I might be projecting here a bit. I personally have a really hard time getting out and doing fresh grocery shopping with any kind of frequency. We go shopping like once a month. So that results in a lot of frozen food. This is nice for fresh.

"Sounds Expensive."

I'm not going to say this is cheap. Because it isn't. It's $60 basically for 3 meals a week for 2 adults. And our monthly huge grocery shopping haul is usually just under $300 (again for 2 adults). But, its fresh. Its delivered to your house. You are paying for convenience. And it's cheaper and healthier than ordering GrubHub for 3 nights a week! There are two huge ice blocks in the box that you can use again later in your cooler. So its not without reason behind the cost.

(click to en-biggen any photos)

You can change your plan and when it is delivered here:

Here are the other pricing options:

"Cool. I have dietary restrictions. What about that?"

I was really kind of irritated you couldn't list food allergies or other dietary restrictions. Specifically, I am on a Keto diet. And my mom is diabetic. I was trialing this to see if it was easy enough and had the right food options to test and see if I could get this for my mom as a gift. As it stands right now, I don't think I will get it for her. But I've only prepared 1 of 3 meals sent to me so far. There are options for vegetarian and what kind of meats you want. Check it out here:

FINALLY, on to the ACTUAL FOOD ITSELF. This is the first recipe I made. Its the Black Pepper Beef.

All the ingredients come labeled and in bags. With only a few exceptions. It also came with a handy card that said what to refrigerate and what not to. And even where to put it in the fridge.

The little paper bag had the sauces and seasonings. The only seasoning it called for that didn't come with it was salt. And it asked for olive oil for frying.

Again, the carbs on this were way too high for a Keto diet, so not entirely sure if I want to stick with this.

For prettiness, I did each step of the recipe and put them in nice little bowls. The literally give you a step by step. I do recommend reading them once through before proceeding though.

Here are all the vegetables in the wok. Bok choy, islander pepper, scallions, ginger, garlic. You do the rice vinegar 1 min before it comes out.

This is the already-cut meat.

I mixed the ponzu sauce, black pepper, sweet chili sauce into the little bowl. Moved the veg out and the meat in. After the meat was nearly all cooked, I put the veg back in and added the liquid.

Here is the final plate with the jasmine-garlic rice underneath and garnished with the chives.

This shows the front of the recipe card. The back has the step-by-step instructions.

OVERALL, I give it a 10 out of 10 for flavor and ease.

It was very delicious. And was the perfect amount for two adults. No leftovers. It took about 35+ minutes for me to do this. But I went a little beyond: I prepped everything first into dishes and then cooked it and washed the dishes while the next step cooked. I don't like a dirty kitchen and to me it was worth the extra time to have everything all laid out like a cooking show. 

This would be $240 if I get it every week of the month. And again, our normal monthly grocery bill is about the same-ish, $300. And sometimes we stretch more than a month. So is it worth the money? Eh, it really depends on what you normally spend. If you are going out to eat all the time? Sure. Probably cheaper. For me, maybe once a month would be OK. I cook on my own for much cheaper obviously. I ultimately don't think this is affordable for me personally. It was really yummy and I do think the instructions were easy to follow. But kinda pricey for me. 

Stay tuned to other reviews of similar services!