Darphynia's Diary

Happy summer!  We are doing a summer zero-waste giveaway with our friends at Ethique Beauty .  They are based in New Zealand and make wonderful, effective, natural, beauty products that are packaged plastic-free.  The boxes are compostable, which means they are truly zero-waste products!  In case you are wondering, yes, they have vegan products but not all are vegan.  Now, about the giveaway. Last time we did a giveaway it was for our Instagram followers.  This one is for all of you who follow us via Facebook .  This giveaway is focused on spreading awareness through zero-waste, eco-friendly, reusable products.  It also happens to be #plasticfreeJuly!  In light of that, we will be running this giveaway until July 31st @ 11:59pm PST.  The winner will be announced on August 5th. Items in this giveaway: 1.  Mason Jar 2.  Reusable Glass Straw (color will vary) 3.  Straw Cleaner Brush 4.  Ethique Solid Sunless...

Starbucks announced last week that they will be removing plastic straws from their stores, completely, by 2020.  It is a small step to help reduce waste and (hopefully) help save the oceans.  If you have had any of their Nitro or Cold Foam beverages, you will have already experienced the new lid.  That lid, which has been labeled as a "sippy cup for adults" by the online community, is set to take the place of all plastic straw-using iced drinks with the exception of the Frappuccino.  Frapp purchasers will be given a straw made of sustainable material.  What sustainable material?  That remains to be seen.  And, for those of you wondering, you may request a sustainable straw no matter which iced drink you get.  They have also invested in working to create a "fully recyclable and compostable hot cup".  Hopefully the material they find is durable and won't take ages to full break down once it is tossed.  While we were incredibly happy to he...

As the title reads, our spring giveaway has ended, and the winner has been announced on Instagram.  Thank you to everyone who participated, and congratulations to our winner!  If you didn't win this time around, there will be more giveaways in the no-so-distant future.  Plus, stay tuned because we have an amazing collaboration coming up. 

I know I've pretty much been gone most of this month.  Things have been pretty crazy, and are finally winding down.  Here is a little overview of what I've been up to and what is to come: -  Packing, packing, packing! -  Giveaways (one has CLOSED, but there will be at least one more for the summer). -  Traveling (hoping to get to Canada this summer.  It has been far too long!). -  Tech Trek (I'll get into that later). -  Mountainous adventures and visiting family. -  More reviews, and possibly a first video on my YouTube channel (stay tuned!). -  Tips & tricks for makeup, packing, etc. -  Dissertation writing, editing, etc. -  Booking for future events (I already have a room for CES 2016, and am so excited!). There has been one pretty important event this month, which involves summer camp I work...well, worked.  It is only a week (this one in particular ended Saturday), but as with many things, it can feel ...