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Subscription Boxes

Kloverbox April 2017

 

April’s Kloverbox is here, and for the second month in a row, I’m underwhelmed.  This is supposed to be a big box from them since it’s the month with Earth Day, so I expected some neat, Earth Day related sort of products that focused on natural, sustainable ingredients, or replacing disposable items with something reusable.  That really didn’t happen here.  It feels like a random hodgepodge of items, one of which is a repeat (the bracelet).  I’ve already cancelled my subscription since two boxes that are a poor fit are kind of my rule of thumb for cancelling.  There’s one more left on my pre-paid subscription, but I can’t say I have high hopes.

  • Zabana Essentials Dry Shampoo – 2 oz / $12.95 – (Product is full size)  The scent is Lavender Citrus Mint, and it  smells completely unappealing.  The three really just don’t go together in my world, and they’re just fighting each other instead of blending together.  (Have you had orange juice after you brushed your teeth?  Yeah, like that.)  Beyond that, it’s dry shampoo.  The product says you have to distribute it by brushing it in, and you DO NOT EVER EVER BRUSH CURLY HAIR.  EVER.  So, this is useless for me.  Nevermind the fact that dry shampoos are meant to soak up oil and extend time between washing, but if you don’t have enough oil on your scalp and hair to soak up, it just makes your hair look dull and lifeless (I don’t – I add oil to my scalp to keep it from peeling apart, so dry shampoos are a huge nope in my world).
  • Elements of Aliel No. 2 Peace Cleanser – 2.5 oz / $15 – (Product is full size)  This was the only item in the box that I was interested in.  When I peeled back the inner foam seal, the scent was extremely disappointing.  It smells… wrong.  I can’t quite describe it other than that it doesn’t smell like something you would ever want to put on your face.  Almost like the compost bin or the damp, decaying leaves in the woods?  It’s a dark brown liquid, and just a little bit produces a rich lather that cleans nicely.  Just.. hold your breath while it’s on your face I guess.
  • MudLove Bracelet – 1 bracelet / $8 – (Product is full size)  We received the version of this that said, “Thankful,” in the November 2015 box, and I didn’t want it then either.  Yes, the charity is great and provides clean water for a week to someone in need, but I’m just not the type of person who wears stuff like this.  Inspirational slogans are just not me, the bracelet design isn’t my style, and I prefer to give my money to charities without receiving something I don’t need or won’t use in return.
  • AvoSeedo – 1 item / $12.99 – (Product is full size)  Well, I don’t have kids and don’t live in a climate where we can grow avocado trees outdoors, so this is useless to me.  They sprout up fast enough without using a special plastic growing tray, and I just don’t see the point to this.  Sprout an avocado pit, put it in a pot where it’ll never grow avocados where I live?  I’m just not into it.

Overall, the box value comes to $48.94 which is just shy of double the cost of $25 for a month-to-month subscription.  My personal value is only $15 for the cleanser which, even though it smells awful, it still works well enough, so I’ll still use it.  There’s a note on the product card that a vendor, Naturally Clean, pulled out of the box due to a health issue, and the product will end up in the July box instead.  I won’t be subscribing for the July box, so I’m feeling a little bit cheated out of a product here.  Maybe ignorance would’ve been bliss?   The rest of the box was a complete miss for me – I know people love dry shampoos and bracelets and there are probably subscribers who will love the AvoSeedo, but I’m not that person, and this box was a huge bummer for me.  I was pretty psyched about this box being bought out and given a makeover by new management, but between this and the last box, I’m finding it’s just not a good fit for me.  Oh well, this gives me an opportunity to move on and try new things!

One Local Summer

One Local Summer 2017 – Meal 1

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This is going to be my NINTH year of One Local Summer which is pretty incredible.  Last year, I ended kind of abruptly at week 13 after we found out that my dearest girl-dog, Mattie, had a fast-growing, incurable cancer and was given two weeks to live.  She made it 5 more weeks post-diagnosis, but it’s safe to say that she became my top priority at that point in time, and One Local Summer just didn’t seem that important when pitted against the pup’s health situation.  After she passed, my heart was broken, and really, still is.  I spent more time with her than I have with my  husband who is out to sea for work more often than he’s home, so it’s been incredibly difficult to deal with the loss of a beloved pet, confidant, and the best, most earnest listener ever.  Her brother is still around, but he’s always been a more aloof sort of dog whereas Mattie would take every opportunity to weasel her way onto your lap (yes, all 50 lbs of her) to beg for head rubs or just to curl up and snore her happy  little face off.  She was my little peanut and I miss her tremendously.

That’s a long way of saying we had a loss in the family, and I couldn’t focus on much else since I was grieving.

(and now that I’ve probably made you cry… moving on…)

In case you’re not familiar with One Local Summer, the idea is that you make one meal a week using only ingredients found locally which serves to reduce your “food miles” by using food grown and raised near home  instead of across the country.  It means that your food uses less fuel to get to your home, reducing your overall carbon footprint.  It also means that you get to know your local farmers, purchase from local small businesses, and support local agriculture.  Getting to know the people who grow/make/raise the food I eat has been such an incredible experience over the past nine years – I joke that our local weekly farmers market is my farmers market family, and they’re a wonderful group of people that I enjoy seeing every week!  I’m going back to the meal-by-meal format instead of doing set weeks.  Let’s face it, some weeks get away from me, and rather than feel stressed to cook and blog about it when I’m just out of time and energy, this gives me the option to double up some weeks, and give myself a break other weeks if I need it.

I kind of can’t believe it’s been nine whole years of this already.

Our market went to regular summer hours at the beginning of April, so I figured I might as well start this thing off at the same time, even though it’s a month earlier than the usual start of our market summer season.  The market is still on in the winter on an every-other-week schedule since a lot of producers grow in hot houses.  There’s not all that much available at the beginning of the season in terms of vegetables – lots of leafy greens, but not too much else – so the earlier meals end up being a little simpler.  Well, not this one!  I found a recipe for baked empanadas that had a great, easy recipe for the dough that was basically just lard and flour, so I knew I could do that locally.  For the filling, I deviated from the recipe and decided on veal, spinach, scallions, and cheese curds and it was PERFECT.  Really, you could fill the dough with just about any combination of veggies/meat/cheese/etc and get creative with these, so I may re-visit this recipe later.  I made the filling and dough the night before so they had enough time to chill and then assembled them the next evening.  It’s a bit more work than I usually put into a One Local Summer dinner since I don’t necessarily enjoy cooking (a girl’s gotta eat though), but the result was well worth the extra time!  I added some mushrooms and cheese curds to round out the plate since hey, mushrooms and cheese curds, who could say no?!  The wine glass features mead I made from honey from our hives, so that was an extra special treat.

Ingredients:
Flour –  Mill at Anselma
Mushrooms –  Oley Valley Mushrooms
Lard –  M&M Creek Valley Farm
Cheese Curds –  Birchrun Hills
Veal –  Birchrun Hills
Spinach –  Charlestown Farm
Scallions –  Jack’s Farm
Mead – Our Beehives
Non Local – Salt, olive oil

Subscription Boxes

Stitch Fix April 2017

 

Stitch Fix recently started offering plus sizes, and since I had been wanting to try Stitch Fix for a while, I jumped at the chance to give it a go since they finally carry my size range!  My first month was not great, and while I posted it on Instagram, I didn’t want to blog about it.  I don’t quite have the confidence (or fashion sense) of all the gorgeous plus size ladies who blog about plus size clothing, and, let’s be honest, I haven’t had that confidence at any size, whether it was a 10 or an 18.  But hey, sometimes if we do things that seem scary, after a while they feel  a little less scary, so, here goes nothing.

My second Stitch Fix arrived today and I was eager to see what was in the box.  My first box was styled by Angie, and this one was by Lana.  The styling fee was waived for this box since the last one was a disappointment, and  I thought was a nice gesture by Stitch Fix!  I did keep the jeans from the first box, and I’m finding that even though they’re a little outside of my comfort zone in terms of fit (they’re more fitted through the thigh), they are so damn comfortable and look pretty stellar on.  For this month’s Fix, Lana added a note on the styling card:

Welcome back for your 2nd Fix.  I loved looking on your Instagram and your Sheetar website for inspiration!  I’m sorry to see you were disappointed in your last Fix.  I was sure not to include any pink this time.  Since you are looking for more figure flattering tops, I thought you would love the fitted style of the Ink Love & Peace mesh detail knit top.  Pair it with jeans and your favorite boots or black flats and add the Bay to Baubles fan necklace for a night out.  The Gilli Rinna dress will give you that 50’s retro style you’re looking for and will look amazing with some heels and red lipstick for your next special event or wedding.  The Skies are Blue split neck top is an easy style you can pair with jeans on your more casual days.  The Loveappella mesh detail knit top will also look chic paired with a fuller skirt.  Enjoy!

Well, Lana nailed it.  She clearly got a good sense of what I like by browsing around my social media accounts, and NO PINK!  (a friend likes to joke that I’m allergic to pink, I dislike the color that much)  So, let’s go piece by piece..

Item: Loveappella Normen Mesh Detail Top
Cost: $44.00
Paired With: Yellow crochet flats (mine), Jeans (last month’s Stitch Fix), necklace (this month’s stitch fix)
I LOVE this top.  It’s a great navy blue color, and the mesh detail on the sleeves is just on the top of the sleeve, so the mesh won’t irritate under your arms.  Super smart.  It’s also a piece I can wear without a cardigan which I almost never do because I like to hide my arms and tush, but I honestly would feel comfortable wearing this without a cardigan.  The fabric is a mid to light weight rayon/spandex knit – it’s not so light that it feels like tissue weight, but it’s just right for spring and fall and feels like a decent quality.  I even have a yellow fuller skirt that may go really well with this – I tend not to wear a lot of skirts since I have a short torso and I feel like they look weird since my waist is so high, but it’s worth trying it out!

Item: Bay to Baubles Zaria Fan Necklace
Cost: $38
Paired With: Loveappella Normen Mesh Detail Top
At first, I thought, eh, more jewelery, but it’s a really substantial, heavy piece, and I like that it’s silver and is more of a larger, statement piece.  It does go nicely to dress up the other two tops, and it’s not something I have anything similiar to already.  I’m kind of a little take-it-or-leave-it on this since it’s more than I’d spend on a similar necklace, but again, it is heavier than your average $12 clearance fashion jewelery.

Item: Ink Love & Peace Welden Mesh Detail Knit Top
Cost: $48
Paired With:  Jeans (last month’s Stitch Fix), black rosette flats (mine)
The top is plain black, but has a neat mesh detail that runs pretty much from armpit to armpit and down  the sleeves a little ways.  This is yet another top that I’d actually feel comfortable wearing without a cardigan (MIRACLE OF MIRACLES, TWO IN ONE BOX!).  It’s a nylon/spandex blend and is just a little heavier than the other top.  The fit is great!  The only thing I’m not sure I entirely like is the shoulder/sleeve construction and how there’s a seam running around the sleeve halfway between my elbow and shoulder, but it’s not enough to make me send back the top.  It’s just a weird design feature.

Item: Skies Are Blue Avena Split Neck Top
Cost: $54
Paired With:  Jeans (last month’s Stitch Fix), yellow crochet flats  (mine)
I’m not entirely thrilled with this one.  It’s a floaty, polyester fabric, and the fit isn’t great.  You can see how long the sleeves are (note that only my fingers are sticking out of the sleeve) and how far the shoulder seams hang down my arms.  The bust is way too big, but the fit is right around the hips, so if I went down a size, I’d be risking it not fitting in the hips.  I tend to have this same fit problem with most clothes since most plus size clothing is cut for  a gal with a larger chest.  I am definitely not that gal, so it means a bunch of excess fabric where my, uh, huge tracts of land ought to be.  I think it’s fixable  by taking up the sleeves a little and pulling in the darts around the bust, but it’s a lot of work for something I’m not terribly thrilled with.  It also still falls into that shapeless-sack category that a lot of plus size clothing ends up being with no structure to the body – I tend to prefer tops with a bit more structure and definition to them, and a good fit means they look better than something that shapelessly hangs.  I’d have liked  this a lot more if it was a cotton blend or a flannel, or a more structured fabric instead of a breezy, light polyester georgette.  This is also the only clothing piece in my Fix that wasn’t made in the USA.

Item: Gilli Rinna Dress
Cost: $58
Paired With:  Cardigan (mine), red heels (mine)
HEYO!  Spot on perfect!  This little number  is a dark navy blue with ivory polka dots and doesn’t it just look great with the red?!  The fabric is I think what they call a “scuba” fabric – it’s a textured polyester/spandex blend.  The wind caught the dress a little for the photo, so you can see it has a nice drape, but it’s still a heavier fabric.  The back is a wide crossed back with a little keyhole opening around the waist.  Again (AGAIN), this is a little too big in the chest.  Fortunately, the raglan sleeves are a perfect spot to nip in the excess fabric.  I do happen to have an anniversary and birthday coming up in about a month, so, hey, nice timing!  I think this could also be dressed down a little with a denim jacket and flats as shown in the styling suggestions, or even go a little less retro paired with nude heels and an ivory cardigan.

The total bill for the box comes to $242.00.  You get a 25% discount if you keep everything, bringing the total down by $60.50 to $181.50.  I was contemplating returning the Skies Are Blue Avena Split Neck Top since there are a lot of fit issues and I’m not too keen on the fabric, but considering that the discount takes care of the cost of that top and then some, I’m probably just going to keep the whole Fix and see what I can do about alterations.   I’m no stranger to altering clothes since I’ve never been an off-the-rack body type, it’s just a bummer that precious little ever fits right without some work.

Final thoughts:  This was a MUCH MUCH better fix than the first by miles, and I feel like Lana definitely paid attention to my notes and preferences.  My favorite piece is probably the dress, but I do like the first two tops as well.  The prices are much higher than what I’d usually spend on clothes, but I also feel like they’re better quality, definitely not things I can find elsewhere, plus most of them are made in the USA which is pretty awesome.  In case you’re thinking about trying Stitch Fix and want to give me a little love, here’s my referral link!

Subscription Boxes

Espionage Cosmetics Nexus – April 2017

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Another edition of the Espionage Cosmetics Nexus has arrived!  This is April’s shipment that arrived yesterday, so it’s right on time.  The theme this month was, “Birds of a Feather,” and from a spoiler, I knew there would be a Edgar Allan Poe themed wrap, but had no idea what the other one would be!

Nevermore – This glossy nail wrap features ravens and black feathers against a cloudy sky background, with a reference to  that famous poem, “The Raven.”  You could almost double purpose this for a little Hitchcockian birds, so it’s got a little bonus content, I think.  Even better is that I love both Poe and Hitchcock, so this one is right up my alley.

Flight of the Moonfallen – This is a nail wrap with a pearl finish and bonus glow in the dark content.  I didn’t recognize this one at all, but thankfully someone on Instagram mentioned that it was a reference to the  Saga comic book series.  It’s a really lovely design, taken from the wings of one of the characters, and now that I’ve read up about it, the series sounds like something right up my alley, so I’m going to have to put it on my reading list.

This is an easy month for me since I have a soft spot for Poe, so my vote is definitely going to Nevermore in the epic nail wrap battle.  I’m still pretty fond of Flight of the Moonfallen since it’s a beautiful design, but.. POE!  Either way, I still received both of these and get to wear them, but only one will go on to victory and end up on the website for sale to the public.  The month-to-month subscription cost is $15, and since each wrap goes for $10 on the website, the value definitely exceeds the cost, plus, subscribers get first crack at new designs.  Next month’s theme has already been announced, and it’s, “Keeping Track.”  In case you’re thinking about subscribing and want to send me some love, hit up my  referral link!

Subscription Boxes

Medusa’s Makeup March 2017

 

March’s edition of the Medusa’s Makeup monthly box is here.  The shipment arrived in a pink padded mailer with minimal packaging as usual which I really appreciate.  Less waste!  Two lip products, an eyeshadow and an eye makeup primer made for four products this month.

  • Stick It Eye Primer – 2 oz / $8 – (Product is full size)  Made with natural oils and waxes, this eye primer is a bit stickier than the more velvety finish type primers I generally use.  However, I’d imagine that makes it a fantastic base for shimmery colors that tend not to stay put very well.
  • Eye Dust – 1.5 g / $7 – (Product is full size)  The color this month is, “Wasabe,” a shimmery green that’s perfect for the month that contains St. Patrick’s Day.  I really love getting a new eye color from them every month and this one is the prettiest spring green.
  • Lipstick – 3.5 g / $12 – (Product is full size)  The color received is, “Lydia,” though my container was labelled as “YOLO.”  It’s definitely the purple Lydia, and really not a color I have any use for.  It goes on as a pastel purple and looks a little bit like I’ve transformed into Violet Beauregarde.  It might work as a base under a bolder red color to bring the red into a cool/berry zone, but alone?  I’m just not the kind of person who wears purple lipstick.  It also contains parabens.
  • Lip Paint – 1.5 g / $12 – (Product is full size)  The color here is, “Get Lucky,” which is a bright, bubblegum pink.  It applies on me as a bright, flourescent pink, and I can’t see myself wearing this in public except maybe for Halloween or cosplaying Jem.  The formula isn’t my favorite – even after it’s dried and set, it’s still a little sticky, but it stays put (and is nearly impossible to remove).  This also contains parabens.

The total value this month comes to $39 which is good for a box that only costs $15.95 per month.  Unfortunately, the only products I’m going to keep and use are the eye primer and eye dust, so the value doesn’t quite make up for the cost this month for me.  I know Medusa’s Makeup is a little bit beyond my threshold in terms of bold, unusual colors, but this shipment was particularly bold, I think.  I decided to unsubscribe for the meantime since I’m honestly on makeup overload, and getting two lip colors that are pretty outlandish in this shipment put me over the edge.  I still love the company and their eye dusts are some of my favorites, so I may come back at a later date – I just need a break for now!

Subscription Boxes

Goodbeing Spring Bonus Box 2017

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Every time I see emails for these bonus boxes from Goodbeing, I jump on the chance to pick one up.  I had been a regular Goodbeing/Goodebox subscriber until May of 2016, but I still like grabbing these bonus boxes since they tend to be a good value.  This one sold for $30 including shipping and was advertised as being between a $75 and $90 value with 10 products, at least two full size items.  I usually don’t do reviews on these bonus boxes since there are a lot of products to go through and try, but I’ll at least do a list of the products plus values.  My box contained 12 products with 2 of those being full size, one of which was another one of those Rafiki bracelets like the one from  February of  last year  but in a different color.  These were the bracelets  that led me to cancel my subscription since they came in two boxes in a row and were not something I was interested in (I can’t believe they STILL have these around).  As someone who isn’t a regular monthly subscriber, I did get a few neat, new products that I haven’t tried before, so this is a great way to dip your toe into what Goodbeing offers before jumping in to a monthly subscription.

  • New Chapter Every Woman’s One Daily Multi – 24 ct / $14.99 – (Sample size is 10 tablets, value of $6.25)
  • Gia Minerals Mineral Blush – 4 g / $24 – (Product is 3 g, value of $18 by volume)  Color is “Splendid Rose”
  • Suntegrity Lip C.P.R. – 2.8 g / $28 – (Product is .5 g, value of $5 by volume)  Color is “Sunny Blush”
  • Moody Sisters Lip Scrub – 1 oz / $9 – (Product is full size)
  • Folium Medica Athlete Potion – 1 oz / $42 – (Product .5 oz, value of $21 by volume)
  • Noctua Diem Cucumber & Seaweed Cooling Mask – 4 oz / $30 – (Product is 2 oz, value of $15 by volume)
  • Odacite CaR Vital Glow Serum – 5 mL / $55 – (Product is .7 mL, value of $1.10 by volume)
  • The Seaweed Bath Co. Restoring Marine Serum – 1 oz / $45 – (Product is .16 oz, value of $7.20 by volume)
  • Derma E Hydrating Night Creme – 2 oz / $29.50 – (Product is .5 oz, value of $7.38 by volume)
  • Osea Ocean Cleanser – 5 oz / $44 – (Product is 1 oz, value of $8.80 by volume)
  • Kahina Brightening Serum –  30 mL / $72 (1 packet at about 3  mL each, approx value of $7.20)
  • Me to We Rafiki Bracelet – 1 bracelet / $10 – (Product is full size)

The total value comes to $115.93 which is well above the advertised value!  I’m pretty happy with mostly everything that came in this bonus box.  The only things I’m not terribly thrilled with are the bracelet and vitamins, but I’ll end up using everything else which makes the box a pretty fantastic value for $30.  It’s hard to pick a single item that I’m really thrilled about, but it’s probably the a tie between the Osea cleanser and Folium Medica potion that smells SO good.  Honestly, this was a great value for what’s included, and I always like getting these bonus boxes.  Looking forward to the next one!

Subscription Boxes

Espionage Cosmetics BOOM!Box March 2017

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IT’S HERE!  Holy crap, it’s here.  The theme for this BOOM!Box cycle was, “Automaton,” and featured all sorts of robot goodness.  I think this was originally meant to ship in February, but there was a delay which was well communicated and WELL worth the wait.  On first opening the box, I was greeted with an insert about the new makeup palettes which should be releasing for pre-order soon.  Under that was a little card about entering to win a free BOOM!Box with posts on social media using the hashtags #ecboombox and #post4boom.  There was also a little rolled up scroll with a note from Marissa Meyer who collaborated on this box.

Just underneath that was something new!  A silver envelope that contained product cards for everything in the box, information on Nexus and Nexus OP, as well as a reminder to check your email for the sale code for the box.  I really love this level-up on the product card.  Having separate pages for each item may use more paper, but it also gives us more information about each product which is nice.

Also inside the envelope were three stickers featuring still more automaton goodness.  There’s nods to the Iron Giant  and Terminator, and even a special Espionage Cosmetics robot sticker.  I have to admit that the Skynet FREE WIFI sticker is making me laugh – I’m going to have to stick that to my laptop.

Next up was the Wires and Nerve makeup bag featuring artwork from the new graphic novel by Marissa Meyer, Wires and Nerve Vol. 1.  The bag has some really beautiful artwork on both the front and the back and is lined with a bright orange fabric.  The outer fabric is a heavy canvas while the inside is a slightly lighter nylon, and it has padding between the inner and outer layers.  The fabric choice and padding make this a really stand-out item.  It’s not a cheap cotton bag, it’s a seriously heavy-duty, thick bag and will undoubtedly work great to protect items inside the bag.

The nail wraps this month are GORGEOUS!  We also have  some new nail wrap packaging which I absolutely adore.  On the left is, “We’re Doomed,” which is a little nod to C3PO with a quote from Return of the Jedi.  Gold and silver foil accent these glossy nail wraps around a design of exposed wires.  On the right, we have, “U-87,” which is definitely Battlestar Galactica themed.  This is another glossy nail wrap with silver foil accents and one bright red glitter accent wrap.  We also got a brand new nail file – it’s shorter and  thicker than the old cardboard ones, but I like the way it looks, and it feels more substantial with the foam core between the two sides.

WOW.  This is the A-Maze-Ing Lantern made by Geekify, Inc.  The lantern came flat-packed in a burlap bag as six pieces.  A little bit of glue and foot-tapping later, my lantern was ready to go!  Two sides have a maze design, one side has the quote, “These violent delights have violent ends,” and there’s a solid back, bottom, and top.  Obviously, if you’re using a tea light candle, you have to remove the top while lit.  The quote is more recently recognized as being from Westworld, but has its origins in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  When lit, the lantern casts pretty shadows on the wall from the maze design, and I suppose you could even turn the quote side around so it can be read when illuminated on a wall instead of read while glowing through the lantern.  It’s made of laser cut wood and painted brown, and is really a lovely, unique piece.

Our artwork this month comes from Jen Taylor and features Roxie the Robot, a retro glam automaton, self-aware, and done taking orders!  The colors on this print are just perfect, and she’s such a lovely, badass girlbot.

I’m not sure I could even begin to come up with a value for this month, but even just with the nail wraps being $10 each, the cost of $30 per month is nearly covered, and we haven’t even gotten to the value of the lantern, makeup bag, or print yet!  Yet again, they nailed the theme in every single item, and I’m consistently wowed by how well they work a theme in each delivery.  In case you’re thinking about subscribing and want to send me some love, hit up my  referral link!

Subscription Boxes

Benevolent Beauty Box March 2017

 

March’s Benevolent Beauty Box has arrived with some pretty spring colors!  I have to admit that this month didn’t really wow me as a whole like prior boxes, but I’m in love with the two Au Naturale products, so it still works out okay in my book.

  • Manna Kadar Lash Extending Primer – .28 oz / $24 – (Product is full size)  The second ingredient on this is Mineral Oil,  a petroleum-based ingredient.  I’m REALLY careful about what I put on my eyelashes and around my eyes since I tend to have some pretty bad reactions, so anything with mineral oil (liquid paraffin) is a no go.  I don’t really have a need for a lash primer – most mascaras do the job just fine on their own anyway – so this is going to the trade/give-away pile since I don’t want to take the risk of having my eyes itchy and red for days.
  • Meow Meow Tweet Deodorant Cream – 2.4 oz / $14 – (Product is full size)  I received the Lavender scent.  I’ve tried this brand in the regular version, but this one is baking soda free.  I’m.. I’m just not into natural deodorants and this is the second one I’ve gotten this month, plus it’s in a pot, so you have to get your hands messy to apply it on your pits (gross – stick deodorant only please!).  Natural deodorants don’t work to stop you from sweating (they’re not  antiperspirants), rarely deodorize for longer than four hours, and they just never work for me.  It’s the one big thing that I turn in my natural-hippie-organic-nut card for and man, if I never saw another deodorant in a subscription box, I would be a happy, happy gal.  Don’t get me wrong, for people who love natural deodorants, I’ve heard this is a good one, and the ingredients are awesome and natural, but like most personal care items, they’re just not going to work for everyone.
  • Au Naturale Creme Eye Shadow – 3 g / $20 – (Product is full size)  The color I received is, “Bora Bora,” described as a bright, aquamarine blue.  This was one of the products shown as a spoiler with two color variations, the other being, “Bliss,” which was a warm neutral-ish pink.  I have to admit that I was secretly wishing for this color to show up in my box, so I’m SUPER pleased with this!  The color goes on as a stunning metallic blue that’s easy to build from a pale shade to a brilliant blue, so it’s pretty versatile.  The formula is fairly solid in the pot, but warms up enough with the heat of your fingers  to apply smoothly and blend easily.  I cannot wait to wear this!
  • Au Naturale Eyeliner Pencil – .5 g / $18 – (Product is full size)  The color I received is, “Deep Sea,” described as a subtle ocean blue.  I have hazel eyes, so I’ve come to love blue eyeliner and mascara to bring out the green in my eyes, so this is another winner in my book!  It’s ever so slightly metallic, and the ingredients are all natural waxes and oils (no petroleum-based ingredients), and this is honestly just perfect for me.
  • Jersey Shore Cosmetics My Lash Secret Eyelash Curler – 1 curler / $30 – (Product is full size)  Also included is one replacement pad.  I have to admit that I never really curl my lashes since I don’t have a lot of lash to begin with and mascara tends to give them a good enough curl  anyway.  I think this is my third eyelash curler that I’ve received in subscription boxes, so I didn’t  necessarily need another, but now that I have another one (and it’s not buried in the bottom of the bathroom cabinet), I’ll have to remember to start using it.  The company is committed to natural and organic beauty which I’m totally down with.

The total value this month comes to $106 which is great for a box that costs $29.95 for  a month-to-month subscription!  Even if I’m really only interested in the eye shadow and eye liner, the cost of the box is still covered by the value of just those two products.  I’ll probably still use the eyelash curler, but it’s not really something I’ll use on a daily basis since I find it really difficult to curl my short eyelashes in the first place.  So, mixed feelings on this one.  I LOVE the two products from Au Naturale, but the rest of the box just wasn’t a good fit this month.  But hey, the overall value is incredible, my cost is covered by the two products I really like, and all the products are cruelty free so that works out for me!