Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox November 2015

By Sheetar 3 December 2015 4 December 2015

This box arrived just before Thanksgiving, much earlier than the boxes arrive most months which was a really nice surprise! Unfortunately the box just wasn’t “me” at all. I’m not an inspirational quotes and flowers kind of gal, so this one missed the mark for me personally. It’s still got a great value, but out of the whole box, I’ll probably only use the toner – all the other items will go to others as gifts which I guess, in a roundabout way, the recipients will be thanksful for, so mission accomplished for the theme of the box in the long run.

MudLove Thankful Bracelet – 1 bracelet / $8 – (Full sized item) I like the idea and it fits the “Giving Thanks” theme of the box, but it’s just not me. Like I mentioned above, I’m not an inspirational quotes sort of gal – I’m more of a realist, and I don’t feel it’s necessary to wear slogans like this in order to be thankful, as the bracelet says. I do love the company’s commitment to clean water and definitely respect that they donate part of their proceeds to a valuable charity.
Love Bottle – 1 bottle / $16-25 – (Full sized item) Great idea, but again the design is SO not to my style. Inspirational message and flowers? No thanks! The product card lists the value as $12, but I couldn’t find any $12 bottles on the site – the lowest price ones are $16 with the USA Bottles coming in at $25. I do REALLY like the Honey design bottle since we’re beekeepers, so I may have to take advantage of the discount code and get one I like!
Meraki Botanicals Sage Orange Deodorant – 2 oz / $10 – (Full sized product) Oh boy, here we go again. I’ve ranted enough about the ineffectiveness of natural deodorants, I really don’t feel like I need to go into it again. Suffice to say, they don’t work for me and I have absolutely no use for them especially after I broke out into a spectacular rash the last time I tried one. I’m over it and done with these. So, this is a complete loss for me. I have gotten items from Meraki Botanicals before and love their face oils, but I can’t at all use a natural deodorant – it’s only a wee smidge better than going out with no deodorant whatsoever, they’re just that useless against my body chemistry.
q.c. naturals Timmy’s Toner – 4 oz / $16.50 – (Full sized product) I’ll admit I was skeptical at first – vinegar in a toner? But hey, no alcohol, so that’s a huge plus. So, after trying it? I actually really like this! The toner does smell like vinegar and tea tree oil mostly, but the scent doesn’t stick around, and it made my face feel rather nice and soft. Somehow my face feltfelt oil free, but not dried out like most toners. I think this might be the first toner I’ve actually liked enough to consider purchasing again!

The overall value of the box comes to $46.50 to $59.50 depending on how you count the water bottle. The only thing I’m keeping is the toner which doesn’t quite cover the cost of the box this month. There are always going to be hits and misses, and I’ll admit that I’m probably not their average customer since I list recycling AND heavy metal music among my likes. Looking forward to see what December’s Kloverbox brings!

Subscription Boxes

Goodebox November 2015

By Sheetar 18 November 2015 12 November 2015

Not a bad box! If you’ll remember, I got the Konjac sponge in last month’s box too, but Goodebox has assured me it’s an error and they’ll make up for it in the next box. The other items though, I’m really pretty pleased with! The sugar cleanser is exactly what I like to use on my face. I’d gotten the Ellovi butter before, but LOVED it so much, I’m not at all upset to see it again. Anyway, before I go on and on, here’s the contents of the box.

My Konjac French Green Clay Sponge – 1 sponge / $10 – (Product is full size) Like I mentioned above, a computer glitch caused the same item to be sent two months in a row. Usually Goodebox does a fantastic job managing who got what which month, but this one slipped through. I’m SO not a fan of these sponges like I mentioned in last month’s post, so I won’t go into that again. Goodebox said they’ll make up for it next month, and I’m perfectly happy with that resolution.
Odacite (Pe+C) Peach Cypress Serum Concentrate – 5 mL / $32 – (Product is approx .7 mL, value of $4.48) This is a teeny little sample of a pretty pricey serum. After washing my face, I dabbed a little out of the vial onto my finger (twice) and distributed it around my face. It smells more cypressy than peachy, but it’s a rich oil and a little does go a long way without getting greasy or oily and does seem to stop my oily spots from getting oily. This particular formulation is for combination skin which is probably the one I would’ve chosen for myself out of all of the options. I’m not wowed by it to the point that I’d consider purchasing it, but it was fun to try!
Alima Pure Brow Pencil – 1 stick / $18 – (Product is full size) I received the color, “Deep” which is pretty much the right shade. I’ll admit that I prefer something like Benefit’s Gimme Brow since it builds fiber onto your natural eyebrow hair and looks more natural than a pencil. The outer half of my eyebrows is really thin, so I thought this might work to help fill in underneath the brow gel, but it turns out it just feels like it looks fake to me and I’d rather just use the brow gel on its own. It’s still a nice pencil, and I think I’ll repurpose it as eyeliner.
Ellovi Mint Chocolate Body Butter – 3.5 oz / $26 – (Product is .34 oz, value of $2.53) I’ve gotten this product before and oh is it ever a joy. The scent of the butter is wonderful and it’s just perfect for the fall and winter. So glad to see this come through a subscription box again!
MyChelle Refining Sugar Cleanser – 3.5 oz / $25 – (Product is full size) I tried this out right away because I love a good exfoliating scrub. Of course, I tried it and THEN read the back of the tube. I was a little disappointed at first that the sugar dissolved pretty quickly and didn’t stick around long enough to exfoliate, but it turns out if I use it on dry skin with dry hands first and then wet my hands after, I can get a good scrub and then let the water dissolve the sugar and turn the cleanser into a nice lather. The scent isn’t good or bad really, and I do like the way it both exfoliates and then turns into a foamy cleanser for the best of both worlds.

The total value comes out to $60.01 which is definitely on the higher end for this box. That includes the Konjac sponge, even though it was a mistake. It also looks like the name is changing from Goodebox to Good Being as well as incorporating a few changes to the box structure, so I’ll reflect the name change in future posts. As always, looking forward to next month’s box!

Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox October 2015

By Sheetar 16 November 2015 12 November 2015

I actually like that Kloverbox is a mix of lifestyle, bath/body, and makeup items, so this box was a little bit of a disappointment. Not totally, since there are some awesome products in there, but I honestly like the usual variety better than a 100% lifestyle box. There are dozens of plain lifestyle item boxes I could’ve subscribed to, but I specifically picked Kloverbox for the mix they usually have. That said, I like all the items, so I’m calling it a win. The box did arrive late (a week into November), but they communicated the delay early on, so I didn’t mind.

Foxy & Winston Organic Kitchen Towel – 1 towel / $16 – (Product is full size) I received the artichoke design which is super cute and I like green! It’s awfully expensive though for an organic cotton towel that’s made in India – if it were made in the USA, I’d be more able to justify the price and grab another one! But, I’m glad to have this one and it’s going into immediate service in the kitchen.
Bee’s Wrap – 1 wrap / $10 – (Product is full size) This is a great idea for sandwiches. The string is really long, so it fits a variety of bread/sandwich sizes. Unfortunately, I’m not sure when/if I’ll have an occasion to use it since I work from home and don’t need to use any sort of wrap to keep my sandwiches fresh as they travel from the kitchen to the ‘office’ down the hall. The beeswax scent is really pleasant too. I may need to take myself out to a local park for lunch some nice afternoon just to get a chance to use this.
Goodie Girl Cookies – 1 oz / $1 – (Product is full size) I received the Quinoa Choco-Chip cookies and they were SO good. If I didn’t know these were gluten free, I never would’ve guessed, they’re just that tasty! I don’t need gluten free products since I’m not celiac or gluten sensitive, but who doesn’t love a tasty cookie?
Red Flower Hand & Face Towelettes – 7 towelettes / $5.00 – (Two Towelettes, value of $1.43) I had gotten the Wanderlust scented towelette in another box before, but had not tried the blood orange one before and it’s probably one of my favorite scents ever. This one did not disappoint! I really love these towelettes for a quick refresh after a long flight or hot day out, so I keep one stashed in my bag.

Total value for the box comes to $28.43 which is on the lower end for this box. Over half of the value is the kitchen towel, but I really like all the products, and the value covers the cost, so that works out just fine for me! As usual, looking forward to next month.

Subscription Boxes

Goodebox October 2015

By Sheetar 12 November 2015 12 November 2015

I seem to have also gotten behind on my subscription box posts, so here’s the Goodebox from October! I’ll have to say I was completely disappointed with this one. I saw other folks got a Shea Spray for hair and I would’ve much preferred that over just about any other item in the box and it would’ve made this a much better box for me. As it is, the value of the items I’ll actually use doesn’t cover the cost of the box. I know there are hits and misses month to month, and this was a huge miss, but it’s the first really big miss from Goodebox in a while.

EO Everyone Natural Hand Sanitizer – 2 oz / $2.99 – (Product is full size) I dont’ use hand sanitizers, ever. I think it’s already been proven that washing your hands is better, and sanitizers like this don’t eliminate all germs. I’d much rather just go wash my hands than coat them in alcohol and dry my skin out. Plus the scent on this is absolutely horrible to me – the mint and citrus combined with the alcohol smells medicinal and in a bad way. I’ll end up giving this to a friend though.
My Konjac Sponge – 1 sponge / $10 – (Product is full size) I received the “Original” version of the sponge. I had gotten one of these before from another company and wasn’t impressed. The sponge, when wet, is slimy and I don’t feel that it exfoliates at all, but I also have rough skin that tends to be a little dry and needs a good, rough scrub. Beyond that, all the nooks and crannies in the thing undoubtedly collect all sorts of dead skin cells, dirt, oil, etc and after about three uses it’s probably full of gunk. I’ve heard that you can run it through the microwave or boiling water to sterilize it, but that won’t clear out the accumulated material. I just don’t understand how these sponges can be part of any green beauty routine when they only last up to three months. My washcloth can be washed thousands of times before I need to replace it, and one washcloth costs a hell of a lot less than $10! I’ll find someone to give this to though.
Davids Natural Mint Toothpaste – 5.25 oz / $7.95 – (Product is full size) I checked over the ingredients and it contains stevia, so it’s an automatic nope for me. Stevia seems to have a very immediate and very unpleasant laxative effect. Even the smallest amount sets me off, plus I find the taste of stevia really off-putting. I won’t even bother trying it because I don’t want to find out if the amount of Stevia in the toothpaste is enough to have an undesirable effect or not. This is going straight to the island of misfit subscription box items.
Lillian Eve Nourishing Cuticle Oil Pen – 2 mL / $12 – (Product is full size) While the oil itself is pretty nice and works well on my cuticles, I’m not a huge fan of the pen. I’d much rather have a bottle and dropper or bottle and brush. I do really like the oil though and it works well, so it’s a keeper. Then pen has been hanging out by the computer so I can put the oil on and it stays put and absorbs while I type.
Bonnie Ultra Shine Lip Gloss – .3 oz / $8 – (Product is full size) Love the formula, hate the color which is “Pink Sapphire.” It’s just too light of a pink for my skin tone and doesn’t look right at all. Plus, it has peppermint oil, and I don’t really like peppermint flavored lip products. I already tried it, so I can’t give it to a friend, so it’s just a total loss.

The total value of the box was $40.94 which is on the low side for Goodebox. My personal value was $12 for the Cuticle Oil pen, but that doesn’t even cover the cost of the box. Everything other than the cuticle oil is going to trade/gift or trash which is super disappointing.

Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox September 2015

By Sheetar 6 October 2015 1 October 2015

Well, Kloverbox knocked it out of the park with this one! Super happy with this box since it’s a good mix of products and physical goods (that bag!!) which is exactly what I was looking for with this box. As the product card says, it is indeed a September to remember.

Posh Skincare Bergamot Facial Oil – 1 oz / $20 – (Product is full size) All my favorite oils in one little bottle. I’ve really come to love the oil cleansing method so this is another great oil to use for cleaning my face. The scent was a little off-putting at first, but it’s grown on me and isn’t too strong that even if I didn’t love it, it’s not a bother.
One Love Organics Skin Savior – 1.8 oz / $49 – (Product is full size) Like the product card says, a little really does go a long way and it melts with the heat of your skin into a great oil that moisturizes really well. The scent is incredible too – it’s somewhat vanilla and citrusy, but again without being too overwhelming. It’s a sweet, warm, light scent. Really love this!
Paddywax Soy Candle – 2 oz / $5 – (Product is travel size, full value) If someone could make a candle tailor made to fit me, this would probably be it. I LOVE the warm, woodsy sort of smell this has and it will be wonderful for the house now that fall has been steadily creeping up on us. I actually like the smaller tins too so that you can try out scents before committing to the full sized candle.
Baggu – Baby Baggu / $7.00 – (Product is full size) This may sound silly, but I think this is my favorite thing in the box! I love the print and that it folds up neatly into its own little wallet. Now I really have no excuse to ever use a plastic bag again. We’re big on those canvas bags for grocery shopping, but sometimes I forget to bring one for a quick stop into a drug store or something, but having this tucked in my bag will keep me from wasting a plastic bag. Plus, that print is adorable – wee little elephants on a green background.

Overall the value comes to $81 which is PHENOMENAL. Arguably the highest value for this box or any box I’ve ever seen. What’s more is that I’ll use every single item in this box till they’re empty and can’t be happier with the contents. On top of all that, three of the items came with coupon codes this month which makes the value even higher if you plan to purchase from the companies offering discounts. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next month, Kloverbox!

Subscription Boxes

Nerd Makeup Box September 2015

By Sheetar 22 September 2015 14 September 2015

Beta testing for the Nerd Makeup Box has come to a close with this box. However, it’s only a few months to wait before subscriptions open to the public in December and begin shipping for January which is incredibly exciting. I’ve had a TON of fun being a part of this box, and it’s so neat to see what they come up with for new designs each month.

Cosmetic Glitter – $7.50 – I received the color, “Invincibility,” which is a bright yellow glitter. I’ve mentioned it before, but I tend to go subtle with makeup, so crazy bright yellow glitter is probably something I won’t put on my face. The card in the box said it can be used as glitter eyeliner, but my eyes are SO sensitive that I can’t see eyelash glue and glitter playing nicely around my eyes. The info on the website says it can be used on eyes, cheeks, nails, hair, or lips, so I think this is destined for nail art because crazy bright yellow nails could work! Or I really do need to embrace my inner wild child and go for the glitter eyeliner at least once.
Nail File – $.50 – I’m SO glad these show up in every box, because I seem to misplace the last one by the time I open the next box. One day I’ll find them all huddled together behind the couch or something.
Killer Nail Wrap – $10 – This one is one of my absolute favorites, and it’s the glitter version! With Halloween next month, this one is definitely making an appearance in October.
Teleporter Nail Wrap – $10 – It’s a purple tonal glitter wrap. It’s still glitter, but it’s definitely one of the more tame wraps they have. Not a problem – I love purple and this is a winner for me.
Unicorn Blood Nail Wrap – $10 – RAINBOW NAIL WRAP! I got the glitter version of this during the last Kickstarter campaign, so it’s great to have the regular plain gloss version to try out too.
Ludicrous Speed Nail Wrap – $10 – Just when you think they have to be running out of ideas, out comes this one. I nearly dropped the box laughing so hard! The tagline under the wrap title is, “They’ve gone to plaid,” and they glow in the dark. Absolutely perfect. And unlike Colonel Sanders, I’m no chicken and can’t wait to use this one.

Total value comes to $48 which is consistent with the other boxes. I know I mentioned in the last post about doing a half-box or every other month option because I do SO love these, but it’s a bit too much for me to have four wraps every month

Subscription Boxes

Nerd Makeup Box August 2015

By Sheetar 17 September 2015 14 September 2015

Did I mention how behind I am with.. everything?! Yes, this box arrived in August, and I’m only posting about it now. *hangs head in blogger shame* But, here I am, and here’s this box! This is my third Nerd Makeup box as part of the beta testing for the public launch that will open up towards the end of the year. I was lucky enough to nab a spot in the extended beta testing and have not been disappointed!

Mineral Pigment – $7.50 – This is GORGEOUS and something unique that I don’t already have. They call it a pigment because the usage isn’t limited to just being an eyeshadow, it’s safe for use on eyes, cheeks, nails, hair, or lips. I’m probably most likely to use this as an eyeshadow though and it’s a really wonderful brick red/brown color that I can see being perfect for a crease color. I tend to go really outrageous with my nails, but with makeup, I’m definitely more of a natural/basic sort of person which isn’t entirely in line with what Espionage Cosmetics does. They have some incredible artistry using their pigments, bold and wild makeup, but this is a color I can see still working for day-to-day use which is perfect for me.
Nail File – $.50 – You can never ever have too many. I’m positively sure of it.
Smashing Nail Wrap – $10 – You can’t go wrong with purple and green radioactive glitter. Perfect for hulking out!
Patchwork Nail Wrap – $10 – This is one I picked up during the Kickstarter Campaign version 2.0, so I don’t mind seeing it again! It’s a bright neon in a stitched up pattern.
Steampunk 2.0 Nail Wrap – $10 – It has some sparkly glitter accents on some images of gears, screws, and brass plates. Fun and industrial looking.
Eagle Nebula Nail Wrap – $10 – Glow in the Dark and science nerdery, featuring images of the Eagle Nebula. This is so nerdy, I almost cannot contain myself.

Total value comes out to $48! The box costs $25 plus $4.11 in shipping in handling, so the value more than covers the cost. The whole purpose of beta testing is to find bugs and offer suggestions, but so far the only thing I can think of is to have a half-box or allow for every-other-month shipments. Having four nail wraps covers almost 8 weeks of nail coverage since the wraps seem to last around two weeks. If I get four wraps every four weeks, it would end up being a surplus, so it would actually be nice to see two nail wraps (just the two new ones) and a makeup item for say, $15-$18. It’s a little too much for me to have four nail wraps when I may use one a month or maybe two at most – my regular nail polish has been getting lonely, feeling sad and neglected. Or at least, I imagine them feeling that way next to these awesome nail wraps. I love getting the new designs and the old favorites though and would definitely sign up again if they offer a smaller box option!

Subscription Boxes

Goodebox September 2015

By Sheetar 15 September 2015 14 September 2015

This arrived almost two weeks ago, but I’m finally getting around to posting the review. I FINALLY got that 100% pure mascara and I LOVE it. The box overall is pretty decent and I’m rather happy with this one! Probably one of my favorites of all time.

The Seaweed Bath Co Argan Shampoo – 12 oz / $12.89 – (Sample is approx 1.5 oz, value of $1.60) I still have the same gripe about the sample bottles they use – they don’t squeeze, so you have to wait till the product trickles out by the force of gravity. It’s incredibly frustrating. I received the “Smoothing Citrus Vanilla” version of this, but I won’t be able to try it because it contains dimethicone, an ingredient (a silicone) I don’t use on my hair. I’ll pass it off to someone who will use it though.
100% Pure Blueberry Mascara – .24 oz / $25 – (Product is full size) WOOHOO! I finally got this in my box after seeing it the past two months show up in other boxes. I can’t quite express how much I love this for basic, daily use. It smells like fresh blueberries and it’s definitely a deep navy blue, but doesn’t show up as Mimi-style bright blue makeup. It’s a lighter sort of mascara, not heavy and clumping, so it’s perfect for everyday use. Did I mention that it smells amazing? Oh and it didn’t bother my eyes at all and washed off easily. These are all super good things in my book.
Treat Peaches and Cream Lip Balm – .5 oz / $9.99 – (Product is full size) It’s like they know me over at Goodebox because this is incredible. The flavor is amazing, and a gal can never have too many lip balms. It goes on smoothly without feeling sticky or too oily, and is honestly the perfect formula. It’ll probably go in my everyday bag to remind me of the last bits of summer as we fall into pumpkin-spice-everything season.
S.W. Basics Exfoliant – 3 oz / $24 – (Product is .7 oz, value of $5.60 by volume or $12 as mini size on their website) I haven’t tried too many S.W. Basics products before, but I keep hearing good things, so it’s great to see two products from them in this box. I do like a good exfoliator, but this one is maybe a bit too gentle for my tastes. When wet, it’s a little like putting cookie batter on your face with the main ingredients being oat flour and almond flour. I assume those work to pull out oil from your face, and it seems like it did indeed do that, but I didn’t quite feel like it exfoliated as good as a traditional salt or sugar scrub. I do like that the ingredients are simple and I’m glad I got to try it, but this doesn’t quite rank in my favorites.
S.W. Basics Cream – 3 oz / $32 – (Product is .7 oz, value of $7.47 by volume or $12 as a mini size on their website) Super thick and rich cream, again with simple, basic ingredients, unscented. Doesn’t feel so thick and rich or greasy that it gets relegated to bedtime-only use which was a bit of a surprise. I figured this would be a little on the greasy side, but it’s actually something I can keep at my computer desk for dry winter hands and use all day long. A wee little pea sized amount thorougly covered both hands, so the price doesn’t seem too outrageous when you consider how well such a little amount works. Really rather love this!

Also included (not pictured) was a $5 coupon to Target for anything in their Made to Matter set of brands. I broke up with Target a few years ago and refuse to shop there which is a story for another time and includes an incredibly rude cashier who refused to use the reusable bags I brought, and when I repacked everything into those bags and handed her back the plastic bags, she stuffed the plastic bags in my cart and said I could just throw them out. (Sorry, I did get into it.. annnyywayyy) I’ll hand that off to someone who will use it, but it has absolutely no value to me. Without including the value of the coupon, the box comes to a total of $60.59 which is pretty phenomenal! The mascara is the big winner this time with the S.W. Basics cream a runner up, and even if I’m not terribly keen on the exfoliator, I’m glad I got to try it. Of course the Treat lip balm is always something I’ll use. Overall, a really terrific box, and I’m already looking forward to the next!