Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Peninsula Hotel ESPA Spa NYC review

This is my long-awaited spa-cation for myself.  :)
I always enjoy going to different spas and getting pampered.  Once in a while I would splurge on the luxurious ones.  This time, I chose the ESPA spa at The Peninsula Hotel, the top 10 in NYC.

The spa is located at the 21st floor on 700 Fifth Avenue.  I could not wait to dive into the glass-enclosed pool on the 23rd floor.  The pool is 42 feet (13 meters) long and the temperature was perfect, not too cold, not too warm.  I was the only one swimming in the gorgeous pool in a Tuesday afternoon.  It was so quiet I heard my breathing.  Seeing the blue water tank linking to the sky, I was wondering how Pi could survive so many days alone in the ocean.  The earth is so vast and why do people need to be mean to each other or fight over tiny  trivia?  As the water steadily splashed onto the edge, as the water rushed through my finger tips, the water cleansed away my worries...

I headed down to the shower room then the Thermal Experiences.  It was an enclave with dark gold and black mosaic tiles:  Finnish sauna, ice fountain and experience shower.  Before the massage I took a break at the Relaxation Room.  It was a room with four adjustable massage beds.  The fluffy and weighted Frette comforter cradled me while I enjoyed the Zico coconut juice.  William came to welcome me to the Therapy Room.

He was a gem!  I am quite experienced with different massages and he knew human body and had strong hands.  He quickly found my trouble spots and went down vertebrate by vertebrate.  It hurt a little bit, but the kind of hurt you know your body likes.  He worked some magic on my neck, which not many people ventured or even successfully fixed my neck problem.  I was very pleased with my deep tissue massage with William.

Extra point:
You can't beat the view on Fifth Avenue.
The well maintained pool
The Relaxation Room and Asian Tea Lounge
The deep tissue massage

It was $175 for the mid week special.  Compared to other high-end spas in NY averaging $225 per hour, it was pricy but not the most expensive one.

After my mini vacation, I hopped on the subway and my three princesses smiling faces appeared.


The chandeliers at the lobby of Peninsula Hotel

The million dollar view of the Fifth Avenue...facing south

                                                                 ... facing north

The pool making me thinking about Pi as in Ang Lee's fantastic movie "Life of Pi"


The Asian Tea Lounge serving Verbena Mint Tea, Green Tea and Earl Grey Organic Tea

Friday, March 22, 2013

Sweet Pea Box Review December 2012

I am excited to review the first box I got from Sweet Pea.  They started in the middle of December 2012 so receiving the box was like a Christmas  gift to me.. oh, my three princesses!  ;)

Sweet Pea box is a children clothing subscription service.  You get  4 items for $30, 6 items for $40 and 8 items for $50 with no shipping charges.  They offer boys and girl sizes new born to 8 years old.  They are pausing April and open up to a bigger and better company in May.  So if you are interested, email customerservice@sweetpeabox.com and mention "Three Princesses in NY".  I don't get money for referral but Sweet Pea would put something nice in my box, so thank you!  :)


My box is a combination of size 7, 5 and 2, style: preppy.

I get
Tea Collection plum romper size 2:  super super soft and comfy, Love it!  Retails: at least $20.
Ralph Lauren navy dress size 2:  Who gives Ralph Lauren in a $50 box?  The dress itself would be at least $20.
Old Navy tights size 2-4




Tea Collection Radiant Rice leggings in apple green size 5:  What can I say...  Mama loves Tea Collection!  :)  Retail: $18
Old Navy yellow birdie shirt
Old Navy yellow/grey floral shirt
Old Navy grey ruched leggings with jewels:  These make very nice combinations.




Jessica Simpson Downtown girl pink tee size M
Old Navy white leggings with golden polka dots size M
Old Navy hot pink tiered skort size 6/7


The overall value would be way more than $100.  Excited to see my second box.  Stay tuned.  :)

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Citrus Lane Box Review March 2013

This is a girl box for almost 5 year olds (60 months).
Very excited to see the yellow box from Citrus Lane.
They usually shipped on the 15th of the month and get to me around 17-22th.



We got:
Slumber Friends Plush Pillow from Cloud B    Retail price: $20
It is so soft and has a sweet lavender aroma!  It is way cuter in person.  
Princess Gamma immediately picked it up and ran around the house with it.  Princess Beta brought it to school with her today.




Ivy+Bean Paper Doll Set from Chronicle Books.  Retail price: $14.99  
Wow, this is a dangerously fun gift for girls!  Princess Alpha and Princess Beta bagged me to open it when they saw it.  They had fun all night with the two dolls, 6 pages of reusable stickers and two scenes.  It is absolutely fun with this set!



Jungle Tattoos from Wee Gallery.  Retail:  maybe $6?
We have many tattoos from birthday parties and favors, but these are unique with a little designer look. Absolutely love the graphics.  I may use the 20%off code to get somethings from Wee Gallery.


Just Bananas from Just Tomatoes.  Retail: maybe $3?
A small pack of dried bananas.  Very crunchy and natural.


$20 coupon from JustFab
Not too crazy about this since they have the same deal for all new customers anyway.


Overall, very happy with this box.  Well done, Citrus Lane!



They are $25 per month and if you use my link, you save $10 and for $15 a box, that would be a great deal!

https://www.citruslane.com/invitedby/Ming.Lin



Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Wittlebee 24M grab bag review March 2013


This is the size 18-24 Months grab bag I received on March 1st.

Wittlebee offers grab bag sales about twice a month and THEY GO FAST.  Usually they are posted on Friday 4PM EST in NY (or 1PM PST in CA).  It's kind of fun to hunt for the sale and once it opens up, people jump in like crazy.  

I ordered it on February 8th and waited patiently.  It is a sale with 5 items for $15 and $2.99 for shipping.  The deal was so good so I ordered two.

I got:
Rabbit Moon tiered dot and chocolate top -- Neapolitan  retailed price $29
Vitamin Kids Navy top with polka dot leggings
Laughing Giraffe hot pink dress
Strawberry grey leggings
American Apparel Wittlebee Giraffe tee

Rabbit Moon is a high end boutique brand.  They integrates comfort and ease with soft cotton fabrics.  The soft pink polka dot is just so darling!

I love the Vitamin Kids set.  The top is soft and puffy like a dress with two bows at the side.  The matching leggings have ruffles at the end.  It is a lovely set!

I have heard good things about Laughing Giraffe so I will keep it and maybe layer it for another look.

Overall, I am really happy with this grab bag!

You do have to be a member to participate the grab bag sale.
Please use my link to save you $10 for the first box.  :D

Wittlebee 6T Grab bag Review March 2013

This is the size 6 grab bag I received on March 1st.

Wittlebee offers grab bag sales about twice a month and THEY GO FAST.  Usually they are posted on Friday 4PM EST in NY (or 1PM PST in CA).  It's kind of fun to hunt for the sale and once it opens up, people jump in like crazy.

I ordered it on February 8th and waited patiently.  It is a sale with 5 items for $15 and $2.99 for shipping.

I got:
Mim-pi hot pink leggings --  Super happy to have Mim-pi...  would be at least $20!!
Baby Nay hot pink pants -- runs big, bug nice corduroy material
Kids Headquarter Flamingo shorts set -- good for the summer play wear
Crush grey leggings -- nice and soft butI have too many pairs
American Apparel Wittlebee Giraffe tee

It's fantastic to have Mim-pi.  It's a boutique brand in Europe.  Mim-Pi means "dreaming" on the island of Bali.  The idea that gils must feel like a princess and be able to dream of a magic world is behind every collection.    Their clothes are made of beautiful fabric with rich prints and embroideries.  They are not easily found and price is rather high.  I am very happy to have the leggings.

Baby Nay is another boutique designer brand.  I have received other pieces from them and they are very girly, classic and beautiful.  They stand out easily.

The Wittlebee tee was a freebie, though I am not a big fan of clothes with their company names.

I have to say something about their customer service!  I emailed them about having received multiple duplicate pairs of Crush grey leggings and Wittlebee refunded me the cost!  How awesome is that!

You do have to be a member to participate the grab bag sale.
Please use my link to save you $10 for the first box.  :D
http://curebit.com/x/XHt1i




Monday, March 18, 2013

Wittlebee Clothing Box Review March 2013

This is the box I received from Wittlebee, charged on February 22nd, items selected on March 1st, and received on March 11th.  I was offered a showroom to choose three items of different age and gender.  I love this feature a lot since I could pick the things I like and maybe a gift for a friend.  Given they just started this feature there were not many choices, but I have seen some people getting selections from Tea Collection, Rabbit Moon, Le Top and Appaman, etc.

The three items I chose:

Appaman 5T Hi-Lo Tee  ($40 at Amazon)
Appaman 6T rouched sweat pants   (About $20)
Rabbit Moon 6T brown with floral trim pants    (Market price: more than $20)

The three surprise items:

Trish Scully green shirt and white ruffle pants in 5T   (Market price: each about $20)
Threadless giraffe tee size 5/6.   (Market price: about $10)

For $39.99, this is a great deal!!  Everything is very high quality and and very soft.  Perfect for kids every day play with fashion.
I am very happy with this box.

They also have a lot of flash sales, mystery bags sale and Instagram sales only for members and three-month subscription would save your shipping.

Use my link and you save $10 for your first box!
http://curebit.com/x/XHt1i