When the doorbell rang, I looked out the window and saw the brown truck. My cute UPS guy usually just drops and leaves, so I was surprised to see him standing on my step when I opened the door. He needed my signature, which meant that this was something GOOD.
I signed and he thanked me with a wink, which I’m sure I imagined. I read the return address on the box, and I squeal with the glee of a kid in a candy store.
Because I pretty much was a kid in a candy store. In the box were my Chuao chocolates that I had received for free in exchange for a review. That’s my disclosure; the chocolate was free but the opinions are honest.
I tore open the box to find four beautifully packaged chocolate bars. I think I heard the angels singing as I opened the lid. My kids looked on in excitement; what better way to avoid doing homework than holding a chocolate tasting? But first I had to take a picture of the bars in all of their uneaten perfection.
And then the tasting began. I videotaped the kids trying each bar, but they are wearing t-shirts with school names on them so it was vetoed. So I’ll recap for you instead:
Bar #1 was Maple Bacon. It smelled like bacon, duh, and there are actually pieces in the bar. It’s good quality dark chocolate, but I couldn’t have more than a bite or two. This was our least favorite.
Bar #2 was Sweet and Salty (milk chocolate with sea salt). If you are a chocolate purist, this one’s for you.
Bar #3 was Pretzel Toffee Twirl (dark chocolate). You could see whole pretzels in the bar, and it was delish. James said it was like chocolate covered pretzels, and it was Gwen’s favorite even though she is not usually a fan of dark chocolate. I could have eaten the entire bar, and justified it because dark chocolate is full of good stuff, right?
Bar #4 was Ravishing Rocky Road (milk chocolate). You can see the marshmallows and almonds in the bar (top one in the photo). James shoved a huge piece in his mouth and just nodded vigorously if I asked him if he liked it. Then he asked for another piece.
Chuao got rave reviews from all four of us; Matt partook when he got home. My own final thoughts? Chuao is good quality chocolate, with attractive packaging and pretty bars. There are fourteen varieties to satisfy all tastes, as well as gift sets.
By the way, Chuao is pronounced “chew wow,” which is pretty accurate.
1. Chuao chocolates are the first item on my May Love List. You can get the bars at Whole Foods, Wegman’s and Bed, Bath, and Beyond (20 percent coupon!), so the next time you must have good chocolate, give it a try. I like to slip a chocolate bar in a birthday card for a friend; attach a Starbucks gift card and you are all set! Or buy a few bars and hide them so your family can’t eat them. Not that I do that.
2. Cartwheel app
My daughter Gwen told me about this app when we were in Target last weekend. It’s free, and it can save you money on almost anything in the store. There are offers on tons of items, and you just put up to ten of them in your cart before (or while) you are at the store. When you checkout, the cashier will scan your barcode and all those offers will automatically be applied to your order.
The best part? These offers are not available in the store – just on Cartwheel.
3. Eos lip balm
Eos stands for Evolution of Smooth, and it is my new favorite lip balm. First, it’s adorable. Second, the spherical shape of the lip balm makes for an awesome application. And third, it works. It’s 100% natural, and paraben and petrolatum-free. Oh, and it’s about three bucks at Target and grocery stores. The only negative is that it looks a little strange when you shove it in your pocket. You may not want to do that.
4. Maidenform t-shirt bra – one fabulous fit
It’s time to break out the t-shirts, and this bra makes the girls look pretty awesome underneath that cotton. The first time I wore mine I was so impressed by the lack of lines that I had Matt take a few pictures to use in this post. Then I came to my senses, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. I bought mine at Kohl’s for about twenty bucks.
5. My brand new mug
Instead of bringing me flowers after the LTYM show, my friend Lisa sent me this mug.
How awesome is that? It makes me smile. She got it at Cafe Press, and they have a lots of other cute mugs there too.
Who couldn’t use a snarky mug full of coffee on a Monday morning? Excuse me while I refill mine.
What’s on your love list this month?
I’m jealous you got to review chocolate! I’ve never tried a bacon chocolate bar… but I think I should! Cartwheel is my FAVORITE app! Did you know you can scan items in the store? I just realized that maybe a month ago. I was sitting there typing and searching in target when someone passing by said you can just scan the barcode and it will tell you if there’s a cartwheel or not. I feel like super mom if I buy something on sale, on cartwheel, AND have a coupon!
I did not know about scanning the items – thank you Caroline! I type and search too, but now I’ll just scan. Yay – you made my day! Pathetic that this makes my day, but such is my life.
Oh when I found out about the scanning feature, it made my day, too!
LOVE that mug SO much!! 🙂 And all of my friends are obsessed with the Cartwheel app…if I ever get a smartphone I am definitely getting it! P.S. the chocolate looks SO delicious!!-Ashley
Wait – you don’t have a smartphone? Ashley! What are you waiting for?
You were nicer than me to the Maple Bacon, LOL. It was gross, but the rest was YUM so there’s that!
I wish we got to see the videos! Totally agree with your review 🙂
I wish you could have seen the videos too – they were funny. Next time I’ll have them change their t-shirts!
Who could ask for a better product to review than chocolate? I’m sure I would love the chocolate with pretzels, sounds delicious. I bought EOS lip balms for all my favorites at Christmas. Everyone loves them and they come in so many different scents you can please everyone.
I entered the amazing giveaway. What a dream to win.
I would love for you to win, Barbara! Fingers crossed for you.
I looooooooove
Everything!
I want the chocolate w/ pretzels!
I MUST have that MUG.
I’m ordering now.
xxx
It’s great, isn’t it? I love witty sayings but I don’t really want them on a t-shirt, so a mug is a perfect way to be snarky in a discreet way. 🙂
Now I want some chocolate. Yum!
I LOVE that Cartwheel app. I always use it. I’m at Target weekly.
I’m glad you like it – I look forward to taking advantage of it the next time I go to Target!
There’s a little speciality food store around the corner from where I live that sells Chuao chocolate–oh my goodness, so heavenly! I actually really like their bacon chocolate, but you have to try the one they make with pop rocks! I’m also a huge fan of Eos lip balm. And great mug!
I will have to try that one – sounds yummy. I’m afraid to check out my local stores for Chuao; that could be dangerous!
LOVE LOVE LOVE the mug…so have to get that. LOL…hubby always asks. “Am I going to end up in you rblog now?” whenever he does anything to annoy me…like to keep him on his toes.
I love fining new chocolate at Whole Foods…hmmmmmm
My kids ask me the same thing!
I’m so glad you like your mug! I’m not a huge chocolate lover ( and yet we are still friends) but I will try those bars. That ap looks very cool. Jenny loves eos. And it just so happens that I need to go bra shopping. So thanks for the info.
As always – love your blog and love you.
Love you too!!
I stopped wearing makeup so that lip balm seems perfect!! Nooo I got the sweet and salty idea with the maple bacon but is it real bacon…like not turkey bacon? I eat kosher…no pork! Ugh! Still looks like a lot of other yummy chocolate options though. YOU KNOW I LOVE MY CHOCOLATE, DANA!!! LOL. I love your lists. Thank you for sharing the chocolate giveaway with us!
I don’t know what the bacon is, but I’d steer clear if I were you. There are plenty of others to choose from!
Those chocolate flavors sound amazing!
They were – and they have lots of other great ones too.
I’m not sure why I don’t have the Cartwheel app since I shop at Target several times most weeks!!
Fun that y’all all got to be part of the taste test – I’m not sure I would like the bacon chocolate.
Awesome mug!
I don’t know why I didn’t have it either, Kim. They don’t seem to advertise it well.
I just downloaded Cartwheel – thanks! And I love Eos lip stuff – so awesome. How perfect that you got chocolate delivered to your door, too! So cool. And I love your mug 😀
It was awesome to see you yesterday by the way – and thank you so much for coming! You’re the bombdiggity!
Why thank you – you’re pretty awesome yourself.
I’m so glad you’re a giver and sacrificed your time and tastebuds to do this review for us! The Toffee Twirl bar sounds amazing!! I’m not a coffee drinker, but I definitely need that mug!
You could put milk in it to eat with your chocolate 🙂
That mug is fantastic! I think every blogger should have one! I wish I could try the maple bacon chocolate. I think I need to go find a bar and buy some. 🙂
I meant find a maple bacon chocolate bar…although I always enjoy going to a bar, too!
Ha – how about a bar that serves bacon and chocolate?
I think you do too, Ginny. Go right now…
Everything about this made me laugh (in a good way.) I wouldn’t be posting pics no matter how much I liked a bra, either! I have been torturing my kids with those chocolate bars for 2 weeks now, it’s probably time to try them and do the review already.
Also – LOVE the mug! That is a great gift!
TWO WEEKS? How have you had unopened chocolate bars in your house for two weeks? You are superhuman, Stephanie.
I love your lists! I just opened my Better Life products this morning that you had recommended . . . they’re amazing. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed cleaning, but each product worked really well and I didn’t have to open windows while cleaning to get rid of the fumes. Well, windows ARE open but it’s not to get rid of the cleaning smells. EOS is well loved here, too.
I’m glad you like the cleaning products, Mimi. I actually need to order more, so thanks for reminding me!
The Pretzel Toffee Twirl flavor sounds delish! And I am all about the Cartwheel app for Target. Genius marketing for them and great savings for me!
It really is – I was so excited when my daughter showed me. I barely use paper coupons anymore.
You had me at chocolate! And I’ll need to check out those EOS lip balms given all the rave reviews in the comment section here. Thanks for sharing your faves!
No problem, Kerry. I’m happy to share my finds!
I am loving your list, but especially the chocolate. I missed out on the review, but discovered I can buy it in one of our grocery stores! So guess what has found it’s way into my cart and is hidden right now from the kids. I have the potato chip bar waiting for me downstairs! 🙂 I’m doing a happy dance just thinking about my own chocolate that no one knows about but me! haha
That’s awesome, Michelle – I want to try the potato chip bar! I usually have a bar hidden in my house somewhere too.
I have just recently become an EOS convert…I simply adore these magical little eggs, and I now carry them everywhere!
Me too, Stacey!
I swear by EOS lip balm. I probably have ten of them floating around. Only problem is my dog thinks they are pieces of fruit and will eat them whole. She also tries to go through the purses of my friends if she smells them in there. We now have to keep our EOS in a special drawer.
Lol – your dog has good taste in lip balm! At least it’s all nautural. Not exactly fruit, though!
I have a cute UPS guy too! Or at least I did. And I had one who knew where I worked, which was two blocks from my apartment in SF, and would drop off a package there if I wasn’t at home first. That’s service.
Anyway, back to the chocolate review because I’m an idiot and I dropped the ball on this one and I was the perfect candidate to review chocolate, being that my father worked in a chocolate factory for 30+ years, AND I’m a supertaster!
The review is fantastic. I went to their website and placed 100 orders for 100 count chocolates. And I want that mug.
So you ordered ten thousand chocolate bars? Excellent. I may get some of the mini bars as little favors for James’ bar mitzvah – yummy, right?
I love this whole list!! The chocolate was awesome. I have some eos lip balm, I love anything Target-related, and that mug is fabulous. I’m sure you look like the bra model, too. I’m sure I would! 🙂
I’m sure you would too, Lisa. We missed our calling as lingerie models, clearly.
You get free chocolates to test and review, and I get free water belts… What’s wrong with this picture? Obviously I need to change the focus of my blog! LOL 🙂
I love the mug, and must have one! I have cocktail napkins that say, “What happens tonight… goes on Facebook tomorrow.”
The only things I’ve ever reviewed are chocolate and books, and I consider myself an expert on both! Love that napkin – so true. Although it may be more accurate to say it goes on Facebook as it’s happening!
I’m thinkin’ that bacon chocolate bar needs to go… so far I haven’t read anything ‘digestable’ about it- but hey, maybe Jennifer Barbour would LOVE it??!! LOL
YUM to the chocolate!!! LOVE the mug!! I DO need that for Mother’s Day!!! And cool APP for Target- will get on that asap. I need to get those Eos lip balms- I keep seeing all my teens with them… (youth group, not really ‘mine’ but kinda ‘mine’).
Here’s to Monday morning with COFFEE and CHOCOLATE!!
Cheers! I’ve already had both today 🙂
And I think it’s laid my eyes. Sorry. I saw chocolate, got a little excited.
Yeah, chocolate does that to me too.
I bet angels are singing! They were singing for me as I layed my eyes on that photo! NEED CHOCOLATE NOW. I believe I’m about to enter my first ever giveaway, because that’s how good a combination giver you and chocolates are. And of course he winked!!!
I hope you win Katia!
Yes to Chuao Chocolate and wish I could so get another delivery of it. But seriously was so good. I loved the sweet and salty, too here. Oh and my girls and I absolutely are addicted to the EOS lip balms, as well 😉
There are awesome, aren’t they? Costco sells a multipack so we always have a few on hand.
Tell Gwen I said thanks for the tip! I’ll pass it on to our friend, Scott A- the other VM coupon Queen! ; )
Ha! I use paper coupons less and less, so these apps are perfect. I can’t believe she knew about it before I did – I was so proud of her!
Those chocolates look yummy indeed, although I am not to sure about combining bacon and chocolate… just because you can doesn’t mean you should! I’ll get back to you with my May love list, I can’t think of anything right now! (Unless you count chocolate but that’s on my love list every month)
I’m with you, Ana Lynn. So imagine my excitement when those bars arrived on my door step! If only the kids had been at school, I could have eaten them all by myself.
That mug is AWESOME! I love it!!! I also love the Eos lip balm – I wear it all day, everyday! I also cannot live (or shop) without Carthwheel – it’s such a cool app.
I’m glad you mentioned where we can all get chew-wow 🙂 I’m sure my husband will love the bacon one!
That does seem to be one that would appeal to men – if there were such a thing as manly chocolate, that would be it!