Blissmobox: Indulge…

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Yikes, I’ve got quite some catching up to do with blissmo! I’m nearly done with my subscription and I’ve only reviewed half the boxes. So this was the January box and I chose the “Indulge…” one because I wasn’t feeling the snacks and this one sounded so luxurious!

blissmobox is just under $25 per month with shipping (or as discounted as just under $120 for 6 months) and comes with eco-friendly products in themes like beauty, snacks, home, pets, and more. Each month you choose from two or three themes, or skip if none of them appeal to you. They do not offer a referral program.

the choices for january's blissmobox: indulge..., good morning!, and feel good snacks

The three choices for the January blissmobox.

I’m glad I chose this one because it included some cool products that I’m happy to have discovered.

opened blissmobox january 2013 with contents displayed

collage of stash tea bags in lavender tulsiStash Tea, Lavender Tulsi – I tried one bag of this and it was nice, but nothing I’d crave. Good to have in my stash (haha pun was unintended) but I’m not sure I’d get more since I have so much tea. However, when I do want a more relaxing variety, I will definitely pull these out. They strike me as the sort of thing that you’d drink when you need some calm, are trying to unwind, or are slightly sick. I just get the impression it’s kind of like chamomile tea, perhaps because of the lavender component.

divine crunchy milk chocolate barDivine Chocolate, Crunchy Milk Chocolate – A very well-chosen name! They certainly didn’t lie; this chocolate is absolutely divine. This particular flavor doesn’t appear to be sold on their site, but they have a great selection. This was THE smoothest chocolate I have ever indulged in. So creamy and fragrant and wonderful I couldn’t stop myself from gobbling it up. I definitely want to get more! YUM

collage of bambeco olive oil soap in peppermintbambeco, peppermint olive oil soap – Oooo this smells refreshing! I am generally sensitive to peppermint products, whether mints, lotions, or soaps so I haven’t yet decided if I’m going to use this or trade it off. I do love the branding, packaging, and overall look and feel, but I might want to try one of their other scents. Then again, my skin probably isn’t as sensitive to peppermint as my stomach is to it, right? Applying it to skin and consuming it in food/beverages may be different, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be sensitive to this too. I’m really on the fence with this one!

collage of kallari chocolate bar 85% cacaoKallari, 85% dark chocolate – This is a great dark chocolate! Very well-crafted and it’s not that bitter. It definitely feels exotic and exclusive. For some reason it makes me think of Amazonians… must be the name, not that I have a clue what it means or where it came from! I like that they package it in a sealed foil pouch to really preserve the freshness and it breaks off into bite-size squares. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen these at Whole Foods, and I would pick it up again.

collage of somersaults dutch cocoa sunflower snacksSomersaults, dutch cocoa – Oh, Somersaults… I first learned of you back when my friend was graduating and his mom shared some with me. I want to like you and I do enjoy your shape and super crunchy texture, but why don’t I like your taste? I can enjoy sunflower seeds on their own, so why not pressed into little cracker cookies? I don’t understand it and try as I have, I just don’t like you enough. 🙁 However, of all the flavors I tried, this is the one that I’d actually consider getting. Go chocolate!

100% pure body cream samples in honey almond and vanilla bean100% Pure, honey almond & vanilla bean nourishing body cream – I have a ton of lotions to use right now so I’m saving these to use a little later. I plan on keeping them for times when I need ultra portability and can’t or won’t bring a deluxe size lotion around. Say, when I’m going on a hike or otherwise planning on being out for a long time, for example. I haven’t been all that active lately so I probably won’t need to break into these for some time!

collage of tisano nibbles cacao nibsTisano Nibbles, Dark Chocolate Cacao Nibs – These are strangely addicting. It kind of feels like I”m eating coffee grinds that weren’t ground up so well, but gosh who knew I could love that? I enjoy dark chocolate, but sometimes the bitterness is hard to swallow. In this tiny form, popping a few is easy as pie and before I know it, I’ve consumed the whole thing. I love that it’s crunchy with those nibs and that I don’t feel like I’m eating a candy, even though they resemble Nerds.

If you’d like more info on these brands, you can click below to enlarge the photo and read more.

blissmobox indulge... info sheet

Goodies Co. July Taster’s Box

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The July Goodies box came in new packaging! Here it is, along with the contents of Taster’s Box #4.

collage of goodies co new green box smaller size and july contents

The box came with Glaceau fruitwater orange mango sparkling zero calorie drink, Cosmos Creations Cinnamon Crunch baked corn, Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Crackers in Sea Salt, The Better Chip jalapenos with sea salt corn chips, and Gimbal’s Cherry Lovers fruit chews. You can watch me unbox it and then read my thoughts below!

The Glaceau fruitwater is a yummy drink with delicate fizz bubbles and a good fruity soda taste, so it’s perfect for someone who wants to feel like they’re drinking soda but don’t want the calories. The Cosmos Creations corn surprised me with its odd shape and texture, similar to Cheetos and kettle corn combined. The cinnamon flavor is amazing with it and I want more! It’s very sweet and fragrant with a soft crunch. The Crunchmaster crackers are super crispy and I can feel them grinding in my digestive tract. I’m pretty sensitive to foods made with grains! The taste is a nice light salted flavor, perfect if you don’t want a super salty chip but want that sort of crunch. The Better Chip chips are quite spicy for someone sensitive like me. I can only eat about one chip at a time, but they are good! I love that it feels like eating a tortilla chip but there’s no need for any dip because so much flavor is already packed in. As for the candy, the Gimbal’s fruit chews are sort of like heart-shaped jelly beans. I’ve never been a fan of cherry-flavored things so I’m not a good judge of the taste of them – the only one I liked was the cherry daiquiri, which had a nice fruity flavor to mask some of the cherry. The texture is nice though, with a shell that crumbles just right and an interior gumminess that is easy to chew and doesn’t stick to your teeth.

This month’s Goodies Co. box introduced me to three new products that I would absolutely buy again!

Conscious Box July review

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With this third Conscious Box, I got all the boxes for my first 3-month subscription prize. Now I’ve redeemed the second Conscious Box giveaway I won for another 3-month stint! I’m really glad I won two giveaways because I feel like I’m just getting warmed up with these and I’m not ready for them to end.

Conscious Box is just under $20 per box (or as discounted as just over $203 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with many samples from about a dozen brands. Choose from their Classic, Vegan, or Gluten-free box. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

conscious box july inner box with card

This month’s theme is a pretty blue starry look and is based around the idea of “nature’s fireworks.” This is the first time I received an info sheet and I’m pretty sure they just started doing this, which is great. Sometimes with all those samples you don’t quite know what to do so a little bit of info is helpful!

collage of conscious box july info sheet front and back

As always, the contents of the box are wide-ranging and mostly sample sizes. Click on the picture to get a larger view and zoom if you want to see the details. If you want to watch the unboxing, I show you each product one by one as I take it out.

conscious box july contents including clif bar, adonia self-tanner, bambooee towel, totlogic lotion, kidslac probiotics, eco-gecko spoon, kios stomach relief, ecover dishwasher tablets, mdm hydration factor, last round hangover support, good nature tea, epic dental mints, clean ethics bottle bright cleaner, similasan eye drops, ancient minerals lotion

When I first saw the drink, I thought it was a DreamWater, but it’s actually a hangover cure. I’ll be passing that on to someone else since I don’t drink. My favorite item is the Bambooee towel, which I have been meaning to try. The Clif bar is going to Panda since he likes peanuts and whatnot and I don’t. I’ve never tried self-tanner so that will be interesting. I think the Kidslac probiotics will be good for both Panda and I – it’s not just for kids, right? Same deal with the TotLogic lotion; I don’t see why adults can’t use it too. I’ve gotten Ecover samples before and really should try them out – I’ve only used the dishwasher a few times in my life so it’s a hard habit to get into. The Bottle Bright tablet will be great for those hard-to-clean water bottles! I’m really curious about the Ancient Minerals lotion with melatonin… could it really help me sleep better?!

I knew a few of the brands presented this time but haven’t actually tried them so I’m looking forward to that, plus I’m learning so much about all these other products I had no idea existed! Did you get a Conscious Box too? What do you think of everything in it?

Treatsie July review

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Yay, my Treatsie July box arrived yesterday! I didn’t get around to checking the mailbox until mid-afternoon on the sweltering day. By the time I opened the package, the cooling pack was soft, but it must have done its job because my treats came in pristine condition!

Treatsie is $15 per box and comes with artisan candy from 3 brands. That usually means 5 or 6 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

treatsie july box contents with brooklyn hard candy jar, mehlenbacher's taffy sticks, and avenue sweets caramels and nougats

I promptly kicked Panda out of the room where I needed to do filming and made a video of the unboxing. I remember reading that Treatsie (very smartly) does not generally send chocolates in the hottest months since they’re almost guaranteed to melt. However, soft candies like taffy and caramels and hard candies work quite well! They definitely had an excellent, tasty selection.

Also, they just revamped their site and are now offering all these products for sale once you’ve tried them and fallen in love. Excellent move! I mean, while I enjoy trying out new things, I also want to be able to get more of the stuff I liked most! Plus, there are accounts you can manage online now, so if you need to update your address or anything it’s easy as pie. Loving all the upgrades they’re making!

treatsie july box with avenuesweets caramels and nougats

AvenueSweets Almond Nougats, Sea Salt Caramels, & Butter Rum Caramels: These pieces are huge, just the way I like it! Each flavor was vivid and depending on your preferences, you’d probably love each of them for a different reason. My personal favorite was the sea salt flavor – it’s truly divine and I think I might have to order a pound of them. It was rich and creamy and the sea salt was nice and distributed so you never got overwhelmed with a sudden chunk of saltiness. The almond nougat comes in next with its firmer texture and nice chewy consistency. And really the only reason the butter rum was my least favorite is because I don’t drink and I don’t like anything with alcohol. I took a nibble of this and definitely tasted some alcoholic flavoring, which does not appeal to my taste buds at all. However, if you enjoy drinking like so many do, you’d probably love this candy.

treatsie july box with mehlenbacher's taffy sticks

Mehlenbacher’s Taffy in Watermelon & Vanilla Bean: I was surprised at the softness of these taffy sticks – for some reason, I expected them to be firmer. Maybe because of the stick shape? Well anyway, that doesn’t matter because they are fabulous! The vanilla bean is wonderfully fragrant and the watermelon is super sweet – they’re sure to satisfy your sweet tooth! The consistency of the taffy is fantastic and it does a nice stretching when you bite and pull. I did find getting it out of the wrapper a bit of a challenge, so I think I’m going to put them in the fridge for a bit to see if that helps. If had to choose between them, I’d have to say the vanilla bean wins out by the slimmest margin. (Hey Treatsie, if you’re listening – I’d love to see you sell mixed packs so I don’t have to choose! :-D)

treatsie july box with brooklyn hard candy jar

BrooklynHardCandy in Key Lime: Ok first of all, I adore this little jar. I’m not sure how I could reuse it but I totally will. I’m also very happy with the amount of candy in it! I’ve already gone through like 6 pieces and barely made a dent. This will last me! The candy is perfect to suck on and the flavor is sweet and refreshing. I like that it’s not too overwhelming and you can bring this along on trips when you need a sugar boost. Unlike many other candies, you don’t really have to worry about leaving these in the heat – they may stick together a bit, but it’s pretty easy to break them apart. Great for summer road trips!

I’m pacing myself so I don’t inhale the entire box in one day, but it’s hard! Between everything my absolute fav (and this is a tough one) would have to be the sea salt caramel. It’s so rich and wonderful! A veeery close second is the vanilla bean taffy. Yum!

Did you get a Treasie box too? What was your favorite item?

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Ipsy July 2013: Beach Beauty

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My July Ipsy bag arrived in the mail today! Even though I didn’t get the scrub I really wanted, I was still excited to have a package to open up. It’s been awhile since I’ve received something.

Just like last month, my first impression of the bag itself was meh, but then I grew to like it. I mean, I am really not into pink, but I do like that this bag is a fun tube shape and waterproof, so I can put items I’m afraid might leak in it and not have to worry as much. For the items I got, I’m mostly planning on trading. Does IpsyMatch ever work? It seems to completely ignore my preferences. Oh well, thank goodness for trading!

Ipsy is $10 per glam bag and comes with 5 or so beauty/skincare products. Bags are sent monthly with no option to skip. There’s usually a waitlist to get the subscription. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free products.

ipsy july 2013 bag items with card including pop beauty pouty pop crayon in fuchsia flirt, coola mineral sunscreen tinted moisturizer in rose essence, benefit benetint lip and cheek stain, healthysexyhair soy renewal beach spray, and bh cosmetics calfornia collection eye shadow palette

Pop Beauty Pouty Pop Crayon in Fuchsia Flirt – trade/keep. I was kind of hoping for the coral since I don’t really have lip products in that shade and I might have tried it. I’m going to try trading this and if someone happens to offer the coral one I might give it a try. If I don’t manage to trade it after awhile, I’ll probably just give it a go. I’m trying to use more lip products and this is not too makeup-y so I’d definitely use it.

COOLA Face Mineral Sunscreen Tinted Moisturizer in Rose Essence – trade. I’ve got two tubes of the cucumber sunscreen (not tinted) so I really don’t need more mineral sunscreen from COOLA. At first I was considering trying it for the rose scent, but now that I know it’s tinted I’m not interested. Not really sure why since I have been going crazy trying BB creams, powders, and even a DD creme, which seem to be similar. Plus the size is tiny which I was kind of sad about.

Benefit Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain – trade/keep. This one I was also disappointed was much smaller than I envisioned. I also didn’t realize it was so liquidy and I’m not sure I’d ever use it. If I can’t trade it out though, I think I could give it a whirl. However, there seem to be a ton of people interested in it so I think I can manage a swap.

HealthySexyHair Soy Renewal Beach Spray – keep. This is the only item I got that I’m keeping for sure! Not only is it a fun product I’ve never tried before, I just love the bottle. I’m kind of excited for this beach look since I am no longer close to a beach and creating that look would be fun. I love that it contains argan oil, so I know my hair will be well-conditioned.

BH Cosmetics California Collection Eye Shadow Palette – trade. I don’t wear eye shadows, so cute as this palette is and as pretty as the colors are, I just wouldn’t use it. I left it sealed for trading but I did check out pictures online of the colors inside – there’s a purple, gold, and bronze I think. They all look great and if I was a makeup person I’d totally love this. Alas, I do no more than put on lip balm and maybe BB cream so eye shadows are far too much effort for me!

What do you think of these products? What did you get? If you’re interested in a trade, let me know and don’t forget to see what else I have up on my FSOT list. 🙂

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this bag and wanted to share what I got!]

Conscious Box May & June reviews

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Remember when I won those Conscious Box subscriptions? Well, I’ve received two of the three-month subscription and I’m expecting that third one any day now. Then I’ll be redeeming the second subscription I won for three more months of boxes! So let’s take a look back at what I’ve gotten so far:

conscious box inner box lid with signature window and image peeking through

Conscious Box comes with an inner box with a “window” that has a pretty design peeking through.

first glance at contents of conscious box may 2013

Upon opening the two layers of boxes, a beautiful card greets me!

conscious box may contents with yesto spf lotion, herbamare, dream water, somersaults, earthpaste, ecover, healthy hoohoo, mrm relax all, healthy kids drink, zukay kvass, bija tea, ultima replenisher, mac n mo's treats discount, and ethical electric code

Everything that came in May all laid out. They sure to know how to jam pack the box!

Conscious Box is just under $20 per box (or as discounted as just over $203 for an entire year, with options in between) and comes with many samples from about a dozen brands. Choose from their Classic, Vegan, or Gluten-free box. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

The box is pretty heavy and they pack it very well. It’s amazing how they stuffed so much into that box! I like right off the bat that I’m seeing products spanning all categories: snacks, drinks, personal care, supplements, household, skincare, etc. Check out my unboxing video for this to see each item.

I drank the Healthy Kids drink right away and I think it’s a great way to get kids to consume more healthy stuff. I like the vanilla taste and it’s something anybody could enjoy. I tried the small Earthpaste in lemon and I’m not sure how I feel about it so I’m scared to open the giant tube. The texture and consistency is quite different from the toothpastes I’m used to and I feel like it’s not cleaning as much because I don’t get that minty aftertaste, but really that just psychological. Still debating if I’ll sell/trade the large tube, at least until I finish my current tube.

I got Dream Water in another subscription box previously and I didn’t want to use it until I needed it so I’m still holding on to it! I do have trouble sleeping but that’s because I have all this stuff I try to work on at night. At this point I don’t have to get up at a certain time, so I’m not too worried about staying up late – I can always sleep in to make up for the sleep! I do look forward to trying this and seeing how well it works.

I’ve gotten a bunch of the Somersaults in various boxes now and I’m just not into sunflower seeds. I’ve seen plenty of people who like them, but I’m not very excited about them. I do love their extra crunchy texture but I’ll be passing this off to someone else in my household.

As for the smaller samples, I’m looking forward to trying everything out! I’m a hoarder so it will probably be some time before I actually get through them all… meanwhile they will be saved for a good time!

Overall impression: I enjoyed the variety of the box and I definitely found some new brands. I’m not sure I would have wanted to pay the $19.95, but I’m glad that I was able to try out this stuff for free! (Who wouldn’t right?) 🙂

conscious box june contents including molly muriel soap and shampoo bars, cloud star pet wash, sneakz veggie drink, flavrz drink mix, natural vitality calcium drink, son shave cream, earth friendly products hand soap, skout trailbar, nakedwines gift card, greek island labs joint mud, and stationery card

Everything that came in the June box laid out. Got too excited and didn’t take pictures of the boxing this time.

And then there’s the June box! Another well-packed box with products in many categories. I got so carried away with getting a picture and videotaping the unboxing that I don’t have any other pictures. I was most excited about the Molly Muriel bar soap and shampoo bar because I love detoxifying soaps AND solid shampoo bars. I’m currently testing a new facial care regimen and working to finish off a shampoo bar, so I haven’t tried them just yet, but I already want to buy more! I also think the Son will be great for my fiance – he was pretty happy there was a product for him!

Once again I tried the drink right away and this one was harder to get down. It had a sort of chalkiness and I don’t know if it was just in my mind, but I felt like I could tell it had veggies packed in. I made it through the entire thing but I would not be able to drink this on a regular basis. I don’t have a kid to test it on though – perhaps their taste buds are less sensitive and the chocolate is good enough for them! The other thing I’m not so excited about is the Skout bar, because I generally only like cherries fresh. I might have Panda try it if he likes that sort of thing.

I love the small travel size of the hand soap – perfect for bringing along on a trip. I’m a sucker for travel size items so of course this made me happy. I’m super curious about the Joint Mud, but I don’t have joint pain so I will have to wait to find someone who does or try it later. I find the card to be super cute and just the kind of thing I love but never buy… so maybe I will now. Cards like that are so much more fun than the ones you find at a checkout stand. That $50 gift card is no use to me (or Panda) since neither of us drink, so let me know if you’d like it. I might give the dog thing to a friend since my cats would hate to be washed.

Sorry if my thoughts are random and all over the place! There are so many small items I kind of just did a stream of consciousness thing instead of having 15 two-line paragraphs. My overall impression of this box is once again good, but still shaky on the $19.95 value. I really enjoy everything I’m getting but I also can’t see myself paying for Conscious Box. It’s a dilemma!

What did you think of these two boxes? Did you get either of them or are you getting the July one?

Graze snacks (next two boxes)

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You can learn more about the background of Graze in my first post about the boxes I received. As I post more reviews up, you can find them under the graze tag.

Graze is $5 per delivery (you choose the frequency of deliveries) and comes with four pre-proportioned, nutritionally-balanced snacks. Choose from the regular nibblebox or the low calorie caloriecounterbox with a default frequency of every 2 or 4 weeks. You can always increase or decrease the weeks between deliveries to fit your needs, thereby effectively “skipping” weeks as you please. They offer a referral code and link program that gives your referral their 1st and 5th boxes free and earns you $1 off your next box (or you can choose to donate it).

my third graze box with cracking black peppercorn, honeycomb flapjack, garden of eden, and bonnie wee oatbakes

My third Graze box with nutritional info.

graze cracking black peppercorn collageAs soon as I saw the Cracking Black Peppercorn, I had to dive in with them. I loved the crispness and the slight kick from the pepper. The shape and size of these crackers makes it easy to chomp down and I easily could have eaten much, much more. Verdict: LOVE.

I totally forgot to take an individual photo of the Honeycomb Flapjacks. I was disappointed in getting so many flapjacks right off the bat, so I haven’t even tried these yet. Just looking at them makes me feel fuller. They seem very dense and I doubt I could eat more than a bite or two. Verdict: TRASH.

graze garden of edenGarden of Eden was a nice blend of apple, strawberry, and blackcurrant. The varying levels of sweetness were nice and the different chewiness was a good mix too, ranging from sticky to soft. I don’t always want a sweet snack like this, but when I want a fruity mix this is one I quite enjoy. Verdict: LIKE.

graze bonnie wee oatbakesAt first glance, the Bonnie Wee Oatbakes didn’t look that appetizing. However, once I actually got to tasting them, I was surprised that they were pretty good! The oatbakes on their own would probably be too bland for me, but the caramelized onion marmalade they included was an excellent dip to use with the oatbakes. Pairing a mostly tasteless cracker with a strongly flavored dip resulted in a harmonious combo! I also liked that the oatbakes weren’t too hard. Verdict: TRY (since I don’t think I’d want it frequently enough for it to be rated a like).

my fourth graze box with sweet goan curry crackers, hickory smoked nuts & seeds, summer berry flapjack, and hot cross yum

My fourth Graze box with nutritional info.

graze sweet goan curry crackersOnce again, I was happy to see more rice crackers. The Sweet Goan Curry Crackers are sweeter than the black peppercorn ones I love so much, but they are tasty in their own right, with the fragrance of curry. I like the My Thai and Cracking Black Peppercorn more, but these still get a verdict: LOVE.

graze hickory smoked nuts & seedsHickory Smoked Nuts & Seeds were pretty boring to me since I don’t really like nuts or seeds. This combination was meh to me – I mean, it’s a good mix but it is inherently filled with food I’m not excited about. I didn’t even eat it all. Since then, they’ve actually taken this off their menu of options; perhaps most people felt the same as me. Verdict: TRASH.

graze summer berry flapjackOf all the flapjack flavors I got, Summer Berry Flapjack looks most promising, though I’m afraid I’d find it too sweet. So, yet again I’ve let it sit around and don’t want to open it since I know I wouldn’t finish it. Verdict: TRASH (but I might change to like after trying it, if it tastes anything like I imagine).

graze hot cross yumFinally, there’s Hot Cross Yum, which includes cinnamon almonds, raisins, and “sponge pieces.” The raisins are orange-infused, which is pretty cool. I guess I would call the sponge pieces cookies – they’re rather porous but still crisp. The combination of all these was interesting, but not amazing so I giving it a verdict: TRY.

This time around I found some more delicious snacks that I really like, and continued learning the lesson that I should have been harsher with my original ratings of these since I’ve gotten too many that I don’t like enough. In fact, I just went through and trashed a bunch that don’t seem very appealing – I’ll change them back to try one by one, once I’ve tried all the other ones that look good.

Yuzen December 2012 edition

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I’ve been putting off this post because I didn’t have adequate pictures, but I managed to get some of all but one product so I’ll go ahead now. I know it’s super late but sometimes you’ll get a different item from the same brand so if you subscribe to Yuzen, you can become more familiar with these brands. Even if you don’t subscribe, perhaps you’re curious about one of these products before you purchase!

Yuzen is $26 per month and comes with around 5 or 6 eco-friendly beauty, skincare, food/snacks, and home products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. Sometimes there’s a waitlist to get the subscription. They do not offer a referral program.

*Disclosure: As a super fan, I was invited to be the Yuzen Ambassador to help them spread the word about their brand. Starting with the October box, I began to receive them for free. I was not compensated otherwise and all opinions are my own, irregardless of my relation to Yuzen. I just happen to think they’re awesome (as does everyone else I’ve heard from). :)

items in yuzen december 2012 box laid out

I got so carried away with the products that I didn’t even take proper unboxing photos!

Click on the pictures for the full sizes so you can enjoy all the details of each product!  You can even zoom in to read all the messaging.

collage of sibu beauty cleansing face and body bar included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSibu Beauty – Sea Buckthorn Cleansing Face and Body Bar: One of my absolute favorite products has been this Sibu cleansing face & body bar. It smells AMAZING and feels so good on your skin. It’s gentle enough for your face, but effective for use on your entire body. Sea buckthorn is an up-and-coming superfruit that has rare Omega-7s, which are apparently good for you. This brand in general is pretty great – their products are cruelty-free and contain no parabens, preservatives, etc. They also source their sea buckthorn through fair trade agreements. Love it!

collage of red flower candle in ocean included in the december 2012 yuzen boxred flower – ocean little flower candle: This is a cute little candle with unexpected burning power! You probably wouldn’t guess that it can burn for about 15 hours! When I first read that, I thought it was supposed to be 1.5 hours. But true to its word, I started burning one and it lasted hours upon hours. I didn’t track exactly how many hours it burned for, but I logged at least 12 before I lost track. I didn’t actually burn this scent yet so I don’t know how it fills the room, but it has a subtle scent that I think I’ll enjoy. One thing to note – due to the small size, the glass can get quite hot so be careful when handling.

collage of tara bath therapy bath salts included in the december 2012 yuzen boxTARA Bath Therapy – stress relieving bath salts: This pouch of bath salts is very fine-grained. It’s practically powder, which I imagine would dissolve well in water. It smells nice and relaxing – a sweet but not overpowering scent. I rarely take baths, so I’ve actually yet to try this, but I’m really looking forward to when I do. I’ve been bringing it with me on my travels just in case I happen to get an opportunity for a bath.

collage of spa technologies hydrating laminaria oil included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSpa Technologies – Hydrating Laminaria Oil: This oil has a lovely faint scent that I guess is the laminaria? I’ve never heard of that before and apparently it’s a type of brown algae. Actually, I don’t think algae really has a scent, so it must be the essential oils they used. There’s a hint of citrus that makes this oil refreshing. I’ve been massaging it in after my showers and it makes my skin feel great. I never really tried oil before this, but now I’m hooked.

collage of ambre blends essences included in the december 2012 yuzen boxAmbre Blends – essences sample pack: These are small samples that I wish came with little spritzers so I could mist them over myself. The names of the scents don’t tell me much – ambre, solace, invoke, and unmasque essences. They are very faint scents that I could barely pick out. Solace is my favorite because it has a fresh yet warm sort of scent. Invoke reminded me of the outdoors, like grass and water and other greenery. Unmasque was a warmer scent and I really couldn’t pick out a scent for ambre. They certainly meant it when they said their scents are delicate! I love that they’re vegan and I think you’d get a far better sense once you start rubbing it in your skin and letting your body heat bring out the scent more.

collage of sparitual nail polish in hunk of burnin' love and multi-tasker base & topcoat in one included in the december 2012 yuzen boxSpaRitual – nail lacquers in Hunk of Burnin’ Love and Multi-Tasker Base & Topcoat in One: These nail polishes are so cute and apply really well. I love the bright red color, which was fitting for the holiday months when I got it. SpaRitual makes vegan polishes that are at least 3-free, if not 5-free (aka they don’t use some of the harmful chemicals in older formulas). You can feel great about your nail polish and look great too!

Missy J’sMint, Lime, Sea Salt Truffley Treats: This is the one item I can’t photograph since the remaining pack I have is at my parents’ house. It’s crazy that these chocolates are vegan, with no dairy in addition to no caffeine, refined sugar, or wheat. It’s slightly more crumbly than chocolate I’m used to and perhaps it’s the mint+lime+sea salt combo, but I wasn’t a huge fan. For those who like that flavor combination and/or are looking for a vegan chocolate, this is a great alternative. I’ve seen plenty of other people who enjoy the taste and are very grateful for all the ingredients it manages to keep out. Perfect for those with dietary restrictions!

Treatsie June review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I got my very first Treatsie box for this month and I’m super excited! I love sweets, especially chocolate, caramels, fudge, and the like. Exactly what Treatsie offers. 🙂

Treatsie got started recently, after being successfully funded on Kickstarter. They’re down in Arkansas, which is refreshing to see since you don’t get many startups from the south. They cost $15 monthly and they send a lovely box of artisan candy from confectioners around the country.

Each box comes with artisan candy from 3 brands. That usually means 5 or 6 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

Here’s what came in the June box:

treatsie carboard box with sticker logo branding

treatsie box tissue paper wrapping with sticker

june treatsie box contents with liddabit sweets, askinosie chocolate, and lambrecht gourmet products

june treatsie box contents laid out with lollipop, caramels, toffee, and chocolates

june treatsie box contents backs including lollipop, caramels, toffee, and chocolates

I loved the fig caramels the most due to the fun chunks of fig in them. I’ve yet to try the lollipop and I’m slowly working through the toffee, which is huge! I love how it’s crisp but has soft portions. The chocolate is super cute and rather bitter. Great little bite size.

So far so good! I would definitely want to get more caramels and toffee if they’re not too hard to find or expensive. I can’t wait to continue discovering amazing confections through Treatsie!

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

Goodies Co. June Taster’s Boxes

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The June Goodies box just arrived and I am loving it! It’s full of crunchy delights.

goodies co june taster's box contents

The box came with Pringles Baked Crispy Cheese Stix, Lay’s Stax Que Rico Adobadas potato crisps, gimMe Honey Dijon Roasted Seaweed Snacks Crumbles, Duchy Originals from Waitrose Highland All Butter Shortbread biscuits, Dream Water SleepStat Nighttime Nectar Sleep & Relaxation Shot, and Pastitas Black Pepper Onion Pasta Chips.

The Pringles Stix are a very strong cheese flavor and I think they’d be great with something else, but on their own they are overwhelming for me. The Lay’s Stax are delicious and a wonderful texture – definitely something I would eat again in the future! I love the taste that is salty with a hint of sweet and some fragrant herbs. I’m pretty sure they’re baked since they’re not greasy at all. The gimMe seaweed crumble smells fabulous and tastes good, though the dijon flavor is a bit strong. This would be perfect with a bowl of rice or something a bit bland. I’d love to try their other flavors! As for the only sweet thing in the bunch, the Duchy shortbread cookies are lighter than I expected and less crumbly than most shortbread I’ve had. There’s a rich butter flavor and I would love to make a cup of tea to pair these with. I am saving the Dream Water to try when I need help sleeping, but I expect it to be mildly sweet and hopefully effective. Finally, the Pastitas pasta chips are such an intriguing crunchy-ending-in-chewy texture with a lovely pepper and onion taste. They’re light and not greasy, flavorful but not too salty. A great replacement for your current fried potato chips!

Goodies Co. included a lovely assortment of crispy, crunchy items this month and it very well could have been their theme. Now the June box has become my favorite from them thus far, since I was interested in each and every item included! Some hit home more than others, but I am glad I got each to try. Bravo!

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