I think woefully behind accurately describes this month with the blog! This box arrived in the first few days of August, but here it is, the last week of August, and I’m just getting this online. For me, this isn’t that great of a box – I’m really only interested in the two smallest items, the eye shadow and the Well People powder. I still haven’t found a natural deodorant that works, yes, including the one in this box – I keep trying, but they all have the same VERY ineffective ingredients that do nothing to stop the sweat and bacteria growth that causes stink in the first place! The Lift spray for hair is totally off base for my profile – having extremely curly hair, the last thing I need is extra volume.. I use products that weigh down and clump together the curls instead of lift and separate the strands! Anyway, before I go on too much, on to the box contents!
- Au Naturale Eyeshadow – 1 g / $15 – (Product is full size) I really dig the color – it’s a neutral with a little sparkle and shimmer that makes it great for any time of the day. It’s a pretty basic mineral shadow, and is exactly up my alley. Not much else to say other than absolutely spot on!
- Zoe Organics Refresh Oil – .35 oz / $14 – (Product is full size) The main scent of the oil is peppermint and I’m not a big fan of peppermint or aromatherapy oils. The product information goes on about a “queasy tummy,” an “anxious parent,” and stashing the bottle in a diaper bag. It’s just a little off base for someone who doesn’t have kids. We are going on a boating vacation in a few months though, so I’ll bring it along, but haven’t found aromatheraphy to be nearly as effective as dramamine, especially when I can barely stomach the peppermint smell in the first place!
- Well People Bio Brightener Invisible Powder – 6 g / $24 – (Product is 3 g, value of $12) I already use something a lot like this in the summer to keep my face from getting shiny and this works just the same but with better ingredients.
- Love Fresh Natural deodorant – 2 oz / $15 – (Product is full size) I’ve gone on and on about how much I dislike natural deodorants and the hows of why they don’t work, etc, etc. And I’m still pretty grossed out by having to apply deodorant with my hands and dig it out of a pot where it gets all under my finger nails. Gross. And stinky. I still try them when they show up in boxes like this and I still remain disappointed.
Update 31 August 2015: This caused the most horrendous rash on my arm pits. I don’t know what’s different about it since the ingredients seem to be the same as other natural deoderants and I didn’t apply it right after shaving. It was red and hot and itchy and well, that was the last time I’ll use a natural deoderant ever. Straight to the trash! - Josh Rosebrook Lift – 4 oz / $22 – (Product is approx 1 oz, value of $5.50) I spend the majority of my hair-care time attempting to corral and de-poof my curls, so the absolute last thing I need is a spray that adds volume and thickens hair. The ingredients are basically starch and oils and it’s really sticky stuff – yes, I tried it out on dry hair just so I could form an opinion because you never know, right? The directions say to comb or brush into damp hair, them blow dry but I do none of those things to my hair and don’t even own a brush at this point! I finger comb when it’s wet in the shower and that’s it (less damage, breakage that way). It dried really stiff on my hair and I didn’t like the texture it gave my curls at all – they’re usually really soft and bouncy and this felt more like hair spray than anything else. I’m going to end up passing it off to a friend since it’s just not the product for me.
The final total for the box comes to $61.50 which is really on the high end for this box! My personal value is $27 though for the eyeshadow and Well People powder which at least covers the cost of the box (I’m on the 6 month plan at $19 per box), but just barely. I can’t quite put my finger on why this was such a miss – the products are all quality stuff and they’re great, just.. not for me. Oh well, September’s box is coming along in about a week, so I’m looking forward to see what’s up for next month! I did notice though that Goodebox revamped their website and now there’s a full breakdown of each box received including ingredients, product size, prices, offers, and a place to purchase products. Really incredible – great job, Goodebox!