#1 | Round Up + Review | 01/24 / Mainly Marta :: A Motherhood + Lifestyle Blog

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What started as a digital diary to document a newfound journey as a stay at home mom / wife has quickly evolved into my own little corner on the internet where I share all that life brings my way -- the good, the bad, and everything in between. Thanks for stopping by; I hope you stay awhile!

#1 | Round Up + Review | 01/24

lush, swoony, exquis by John Gannam
 

hello my dears, welcome back to my little corner of the gram! 

this year, I'm starting a little series called round up + review where I review all the things. I'm hoping to see these posts go live every month, but at the least, every other month. items will range from food, self care products, clothes, movies, etc. basicallyt anything that catches my eye, I purchase, and/or consume is on the chopping block.

I pride myself in honesty, so I'll be giving you that -- an honest, unfiltered review. all of the items reviewed in these series won't be swayed by partnerships or brand deals, so I hope that gives you a little piece of mind when it comes to reading these. 

 

this month's round up:


dabble + dallop bath  bombs + soaps

when I first saw these soaps on Anthopolgie's website, I instantly fell in love with the packaging; it reminded me of the L'Oreal soaps from my childhood. So, naturally, I went straight to their website. I searched their Instagram and tagged photos -- it was all so cute. Consider me influenced, because the nostalgia hit and I wanted to try them.

I couldn't decide on which flavor to try, so I opted to buy the bath set to sample them all. I also bought bath bombs, and received as holiday hand wash set as part of a promotion they were running. 

Once the box arrived on our doorstep, the kids were so excited! They loved the packaging and were so excited for bath time! We've been using this soaps since early December, so here's deal:

 

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☺☹ Sort of

Overall Rating: 6/10

 
The truth is, I like some of them, but most of them I won't be repurchasing and here is why --when it comes to the bath gels, the blueberry + strawberry flavors give off a super artificial scent, the coconut is very soft to the point it doesn't really smell like coconut, and the vanilla whip is kind of a waste because it's foamy and feels more like a hand soap

Another thing to note is that I'm finding that I don't really like using them as a shampoo because hair starts to smells weird after one day, so that's a turn off. They're marketed as a three in one type of deal, but I don't feel like it delivers on that promise. 
 
To me it's a cute and lush bubble bath for your little ones.Just one pump gives a decent amount of bubbles. Since we have a large bath tub, so we use two pumps and that gives the kids a chance to mix the scents -- something they find so fun! 

On the flip side, I would and will repurchase lemon, tangerine, and honeydew soaps to use as a bubble bath because they smell amazingly good. I also love that once you have the bottle, you can buy their refill bags instead of the bottle. I also feel like the vanilla whip would be fun for sensory play and bins for the kiddos, so I might repurchase that as well.
 
So, I guess it all comes down to a matter of scent preference. The good news is that they have sample packets for $0.01listed on their website of you want to do a trial run on your own! 



I bought these because I wanted to add some minimal glam to my routine. I like I stated in last week's refresh blog post -- I don't really wear that much makeup these days. I've never been a make up guru, but I am wanting to get back into it on a low maintenance scale. These eye shadows seemed like the perfect way to do that. They're marketed as easy to use, so of course, that sounded like it was right up my alley. Because I'm a neutral girlie, I purchased all the colors except Herb + Lily. 

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☹ No

Overall Rating: 3/10


if you're looking for an invisible color, with a hint of sparkle, then this is a good way to spend $18. if you're hoping for a little bit of color, then I'd pass on these. Guys, I really wanted to love them, but I just couldn't. I wanted a hint of color and the only bit of color I got was wracked up in the crease in the fold of my eye lid because the color is so patchy! The website says to blend out with your finger, and let me just say, the little color that is loves to stay on your finger rather than blending onto your lid. I'm still using them to not be wasteful, but I will not be repurchasing these.


we're big pretzel people here and we love Dot's original home-style pretzels, so when my kids saw this bag at Costco, it was an instant grab and add to cart type of deal.

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☺ Yes

Overall Rating: 7/10

 
if you like sweet and salty snacks, this one is pretty good and worth a try. I felt like they made me crave a warm cinnamon sugar pretzel from Aunt Annie's though, so it didn't hit the spot I needed it to. My kids, on the other hand, gobbled the bag up. 

 
we signed up to bring a hot chocolate bar to a thanksgiving dinner and didn't have a hot beverage dispenser, so, off to amazon I went. there are so many options to choose from, but I bought this because it the most affordable option.

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☺ Yes

Overall Rating: 10/10

 
my children love this machine and are consistently asking for hot chocolate now. we love this machine because it mixes the cocoa powder + warms the drink simultaneously. it takes less than 5 minutes to make several toasty cups. I love that it has a frothy option which makes the drink even more creamier. it was a purchase that the whole family loves!

I first came upon these slippers while watching one of my favorite you-tubers. She mentioned how cozy they are and I was intrigued. Truth is, mules aren't my favorite type of shoe, but moving to Idaho and experiencing daily lows that are in the 20s this winter made me feel like I need a cozy shoe. 

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☺ Yes

Overall Rating: 9/10 

 
And can I just say -- cozy they are! I actually really love these shoes. they keep your feet so toasty and warm. I find that you sweat in them if you don't wear socks, but if you have socks on, these are the perfect house shoe. They have a hard sole, that you could even wear them out, but I prefer to wear them indoors.

the film: don't worry darling (2022)
so this one was on my to watch list for awhile. it's finally on netflix, so I decided to give it a go. according to the movies IMDb page, the plot of the movie is as follows -- while her husband (harry styles) leaves home everyday to work in a top secret facility, a young 1950s housewife (florence pugh) begins to question her life when she notices strange behavior from the other wives in the neighborhood

Would I Recommend it to a Friend? ☺ Yes

Overall Rating: 6/10


overall, I'd day that the movie is a decent. it started off kind of slow and if I'm honest, within the first 45 minutes, I was internally debating whether I should cut my losses and turn it off.  I'm glad I didn't because the last hour of the film picked up and the ending wasn't one that I was expecting. it's listed as a drama, mystery, thriller, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. it's a rated R film and there was plenty of raunchy scenes at the beginning that I fast forwarded through. I'm sure it was to convince the reader of the utopia of a happy couple, but I rolled my eyes each time. florence pugh carried this film on her shoulders, so hats off to her, but I can't say it had me on my seat like a thriller should. the entire movie, you'll find yourself sympathizing with pugh's character, Alice and towards the end, you're hoping she achieves what she sets out to do. the final scene isn't what I'd call a cliff hanger, but it's also not one that leaves you satisfied either. so, if you have two hours to kill and you're looking for a film to waste that time, then give it a go. 

and that's a wrap!
I hope you enjoyed this little round up because I'm already looking forward to the next one! see you next time.   xoxo.



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