Posts Tagged ‘boxes’

Escape Monthly December: New England Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
23 December 2015
0

It seems to be an ongoing trend that I sit on my boxes for days before I manage to get a review out. Last night I was going to post this, but then I realized I hadn’t taken a picture, so I waited until today to get the photo.

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city/region. Each box comes with a guide for that area. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral commission program.

escape monthly december new england box products showing(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

escape-monthly-new-england-box-info-card-pdf

(view the file to read in detail)

Whoa, that’s a lot of chocolate! The majority of the brands seemed to come from Vermont, which is totally a place I want to visit because I always heard about the Vermont Teddy Bear Co on the radio when I was living in New York. I imagine it to be like a mini Colorado for whatever reason.

Here’s what came in the box:

Frommer’s EasyGuide to Boston, Cape Cod and the islands – I’ve been to Boston a few times, mostly when I was a teenager, but I haven’t been to Cape Cod or the surrounding area. Panda and I definitely plan on making a trip to those areas at some point, so this will be a handy guide (though I might regret arming him with so much knowledge). I’m not much of a guide kind of person, but Panda loves reading through them to find the gems.

body brush – If you know me by now, you know I love things like this. I read about dry brushing a few years back and it totally intrigued me. Now I have my very own tool to try it out! I’m sure I can find some instructional videos to try out this method. If it can really help with energy as it purports, or even if it clears off dead skin and maybe helps my circulation, this will be well worth it.

Plum Island Soap Co. face moisturizer – Ooo, the lovely lemon scent of this is very nice. The texture has a bit of a bounce to it and I feel like this will be the perfect moisturizer for whenever snow does decide to some this season. Looks like it certainly won’t be this year, but I hear February’s going to be a doozy. And randomly, I noticed the final ingredient is borax – my dad used to work at US Borax!

Nature’s Mysteries lavender roll-on perfume – I’ve never thought of lavender as a perfume, but I do like it. I’m used to it being the scent for products and often combined with other scents. I’ll have to use this on days out and be careful not to use it at home for fun, because I just discovered today that Smokey (one of my cats) doesn’t like lavender at all! We have a pouch by our pillow and when she sniffed it, she was not happy. This seems to be a personal preference thing, because Missy did not react that way at all.

Delights of the Earth Cran-Lavender lip balm – These unique blends are really cool and I’ve never heard of combining cranberry with lavender before. I have way too many lip balms I’m trying to use right now, so I’ll save this but I look forward to using it eventually! Hopefully it won’t be too old by then…

True North Maple-Vanilla granola – This is a most excellent snack pack for a trip or day when I might not be able to grab a meal. Or, I might start buying yogurt again and topping it with some of this. This looks so familiar and I feel like I’ve seen this flavor somewhere before. I just can’t quite place it, but apparently I did get this brand in the Vermont box. Somehow the maple vanilla combo is something I feel like I’ve seen, yet I can’t remember where.

Lake Champlain Chocolates dark chocolate rum caramel – Aw man! I was excited about a large chocolate bar made of dark chocolate with caramel… and then I saw the rum part. I don’t drink alcohol, eat food with their flavors, and I even avoid anything cooked with it. I’m pretty sure I’d taste the rum in this case, so I’ll share this with my coworkers!

dan’s chocolates lot-a-choc, trail hound, white delight, peppy-r-mint, pb ecstasy, and caramel river bars – Now here are chocolates I will eat! I love the variety so I can try out a bunch of different flavors. So far I’ve had the lot-a-choc, which is totally adorable because it is basically a milk chocolate bar fused with a dark chocolate bar. Of course, I bit straight down the middle and indulged in deeeeelicious chocolate goodness. I also had the caramel one, which tastes great, though I wish the caramel was gooier so I could enjoy that texture of it. These little bars are delightful.

Next month is back to India and I am super curious what will come this time. Which products from this New England Escape Monthly box do you like most? If you want to sign up, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get a code for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription.

[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!]

Yogi Surprise December 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , ,
15 December 2015
0

This is always the first box to arrive each month, which is always exciting. I like the mixture of products they sent this month.

Yogi Surprise is just under $36 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – use my referral links from this post) and comes with yoga gear, skincare, food, and other lifestyle products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you free boxes.

contents of yogi surprise december 2015 box with info card yogi surprise december 2015 info card with product details

power yoga: The Card Set – I haven’t really tried yoga at home, except for one time I led Panda through a sequence and he got tired only half an hour in! I’m not much into watching videos, so I think these cards would be a great way to go through a session. I haven’t practiced yoga in about a year, yikes!

Aura Cacia Clove Bud comforting essential oil – Now I’m not quite sure what clove buds look like, but the scent is definitely a warm type with a type of spice to it. In reading the instructions, I think I will use this for my freshening up my compost bin and garbage disposal. I never would have thought to use it for that, but that’s really cool! If I dig up some of the other essential oils I received from my Homegrown Collective boxes, I can make a nice body rub with grapeseed oil and a mixture of essential oils. But that will probably not happen soon, since I’m pretty great at procrastinating these kinds of projects.

Real Beauty for a Cause sweet orange & cinnamon scrub – I love the sweet, warm, spicy scent of this scrub! It’s very dry compared to other scrubs I’ve seen so it’ll work best directly in the shower when my skin is already wet. I love the simplicity of it.

Buddha Teas Crown Chakra tea – What perfect timing – this tea is designed for the crown chakra, the chakra of self-knowledge. I’m currently on a journey of deeper self-awareness as part of my MBA applications so hey if this tea can help, I’m all for it! Plus I love purple and amethyst, which this tea has been influenced by. I like that it’s a light blend free of caffeine, so I can drink it right now before bed if I want.

Voke Tab Vitalizes pack – I thought that the packaging had one giant tab inside, but turns out that it’s a tin with seven tabs inside. They smell very much like a berry and I will make use of them soon since I’ve been feeling lethargic at work in the afternoons. I like green tea and guarana, so I’m happy to try these in lieu of things I don’t consume, like energy drinks or coffee.

om lavender sachet – This is totally adorable! What a nice little pouch of lavender, in my favorite color no less. I will keep this by my pillow to help me relax before sleeping. I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep lately, so I’m hoping this will help.

Yogi Surprise Giving & Receiving yoga sequence series card – I haven’t yet used these cards we’ve been accumulating, but it’ll be fun to get a whole set much like the power yoga card set from this box. The poses are all about expansion, opening up the heart and stance. Check out their instruction page to download this sequence while it’s available.

I feel very calmed from these products, which is a great way to round out the year. Which of these items would you like to have?

[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!]

Julep December 2015: All Night Long Collection review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
08 December 2015
1

I’ve been skipping Julep for most of the year, but you know how sometimes you get that itch to buy something? So when I was looking at this collection, I kept wavering because I didn’t really want anything but I kind of wanted to get something. The problem was that I wanted different things from different boxes – being grandmothered in to the old plan meant I could pay by box at the cheaper rate, but I couldn’t customize. So guess what? After a long time holding out, I finally upgraded to My Maven, which allows me to customize my box (but charges me 3 months at a time to retain the same cheaper rate). Alas, they got me.

Julep ranges from just under $25 to $40 per box based on tier (or as discounted as just under $20 to $35 per box when prepaid three at a time) and comes with combinations of nail polish colors, skincare products, and beauty products (depending on your style profile choice). They offer plenty of upgrade and add-on options too. Boxes are sent monthly unless you choose to skip. You also have the option of gifting your box to a friend. They offer a referral program that earns you $15 store credit per referral.

julep maven december 2015 all night long collection box contents

December’s All Night Long Collection box with add-on

your cuticles look thirsty Fast-Absorbing Cuticle Creme
I’ve wanted this for a long time. I’m not sure exactly why it appeals to me so much and I do have cuticle oils that I haven’t used up, but perhaps the combination of the name and the cream made this totally intriguing. I absolutely love it! Just a small bit is enough for all my cuticles and it absorbs so nicely to really soften the area.

it’s whipped Matte Lip Mousse in smooch
At first I thought, “Oh, another lip product,” but then I read the description and was completely caught off-guard by the mousse part of it. Lip mousse? What?! And I do like the matte look, so I really had to try this one out. I’m glad I did because it’s awesome! Great pigmentation that feels delightful and applies so well. My lips may get flaky with lipstick, but not with this.

Polish colors in Beatrice, Elsa, and Judy. I couldn’t pick between the metallic shades of Beatrice and Judy, so I got both. I knew I wanted Elsa for the fun snow-like look! It’ll be great on top of other polishes.

julep all night long collection card and discount offer card

The All Night Long Collection cards.

julep it's whipped matte lip mousse information card

The info card with details on the matte lip mousse collection.

I’m really happy I ended up getting this box and custom choosing what came in it. I might have to get another one of those lip mousse things! They’re so fun to use. See what happens when customers get to help develop product?

Join as a Julep Maven to get polishes and/or beauty products sent to you monthly! Use code FREEBOX or FREEMAVEN to get the first box free (you pay shipping).

[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!]

Treatsie November 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
06 December 2015
0

This came before my Thanksgiving trip, so I brought along the chocolates and cookies for the plane ride. I always like having my own snacks to rely on whenever I’m traveling.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands. That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link and code FRBUCO01 to get double the treats (a purported $40 value) in your first box!

treatsie november 2015 box contents treatsie november 2015 info card
Laurie & Sons Maine Sea Salt milk chocolate toffees: Mmm yum! I love myself some toffee and the little bit of salt flakes on these, plus the chocolate melting around it make it a great little treat. I think it’s pretty cool they use Maine sea salt, since you don’t often hear about that!

Tumbador Chocolate pecan caramels: The caramel in this is less on the gooey side, so I’m thinking it’s a more “dry” style (if that’s even a thing). Do you like when you can take a nice neat bite and not have a sticky string follow your mouth? Then you will like this caramel. I actually prefer caramel to stretch until it’s a thin little thing that floats and gets stuck on your lip, so this to me is tasty but not mind-blowing. It’s all about preference though, so go with what works for you.

Velvet Rope salted caramel apple oatmeal cookies: Whoa, this is cool. I’ve gotta say, apple oatmeal cookies are new to me. I like how they included chunks of apple to really give you a burst of flavor. These make a great snack or even a quick breakfast bite.

quince&apple apples and cranberries preserves: As always, I’m drawn to cute mini jars. Not sure what I will do with the preserves, but perhaps I’ll take them to our morning All Hands are work on Tuesday to see if there will be a bagel to spread them on. In general I like to take this kind of thing to work, since I’m much more likely to find a time to use it.

Some pretty solid items that definitely had a fall/winter feel. Which treats do you like from this box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and code FRBUCO01 to get double the treats in your first box!

[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!]

Prospurly November 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
03 December 2015
0

Alright, box number two! I really liked the skincare products and overall festive feel of this box.

prospurly november 2015 box open with products showing prospurly november 2015 info card with product details

Prospurly is just under $45 per box (with code for 10% off your subscription – use my referral links from this post) and comes with artisan foods, bath & body items, home products, and other sustainably crafted items. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you free boxes.

Bubbles & Botanicals Apple Spice cocoa butter whip – Oh the fluffiness of this whip is delightful! Just a little scoop and you get great moisturization. The apple spice scent is perfect for the holidays and makes me want to snuggle up to a fireplace with hot apple cider. I’m in love.

Leaf Seed Berry Green Apple Essence exfoliating facial toner – From Juice Beauty, I learned about green apple for skincare so this is very appealing. The glass bottle feels luxurious and classy. I think I can smell a bit of the licorice root in there as an undertone to the apple. I love toners because they make me feel so refreshed and cleansed. I might try putting this in a spray bottle to use.

Juniper Earth headache shower bomb – With lavender and eucalyptus, this shower bomb is totally soothing. I love relaxing to lavender scents, so I might keep this by my pillow for awhile. I think it’d be perfect for showering at night, when I don’t want the normal invigorating shower bombs that wake you up. It’s a great size too, so I’m sure it will last me a couple showers!

Pacific Northwest Stationary Studio ROANDNOVA holiday gift card set – This trio of holiday cards seems ripe for framing and keeping around as artwork. There’s a snowflake, pinecone, and reindeer design that are really cool and look like watercolors. The twine gives this a rustic feel and the folds don’t look done by a machine so this set feels artisan. Did they mean to spell stationery with the ‘a’ or should I mention to them the typo?

Sakari Botanicals Sweetgrass Tea – Very interesting that they used a large tea bag for their packaging, but it does not appear that you actually brew the tea directly in the bag. I’ve never had sweetgrass, so I look forward to brewing this at work next week. We’ve been having internet issues so it seems that every morning we end up losing connectivity and going home to finish up the day. I like to have hot drinks at work since it tends to be cold for us cold-blooded folk.

Yes It’s Pure Elderberry Boost herbal tonic – I was first introduced to tonics in a Homegrown Collective box. I didn’t try it many times, but I’ll give this a shot this season and try a bit a day to help keep my immune system up. It smells sort of like a dried berry I’ve eaten before and the taste is slightly sweet and herbal, I guess. Pretty good, considering its supposed medicinal qualities!

Whiskey Oak Pork & Poultry Seasoning – Ok, first of all, I am obsessed with packaging like this. I haven’t a clue what I’d put in it after I use up the seasoning, but I will treasure the jar, that’s for sure. Am I weird for this obsession? Well anyway, major smokiness to this rub that will certainly give meat a distinct taste. I might try making jerky with this seasoning, now that I have my dehydrator!

I’m a fan of everything in this box and I enjoy the curation of these products. I can’t wait to try them all and embrace the upcoming winter. This rather makes me ready for a snow day! The next theme is “Seasonal Splendor” so I’m sure it will be very holiday-esque. I’m excited to see what comes! What do you think of these products?

[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!]

Escape Monthly November: Arizona Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 November 2015
0

Happy birthday to my mom! It’s nice to have it around Thanksgiving, since that often means seeing her on or near her birthday. Before the holiday weekend, I received my most recent box. Check it out!

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city/region. Each box comes with a guide for that area. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral commission program.

escape monthly november arizona box products showing escape monthly november arizona box info card escape monthly november arizona box info card opened with fact sheet showing escape monthly november arizona box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

At first glance, there are some cool items here and I immediately gravitated towards the mug. Normally I would have liked the bath puff type thing but that was overshadowed by something I find even more useful!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Tucson – I’ve only briefly stopped by Arizona before and never been to Tucson, so I should add it to my list of places to visit. At some point I expect to live in SoCal again, so then it wouldn’t be too bad of a drive to go out there.

Arizona Sun Lip-Kist lip balm – Haha, I like that this is “kissed with lemon” and the tube looks like it. I’ll save this in my growing collection of lip balms. It feels like something I’d want to use in the summer!

Arizona Sun bath and shower gel – I like that this is paraben and sulfate free, though the green color is odd. Since I don’t use shower gel much (more of a soap kind of girl), I’ll see if the husband wants to use it. I got a whiff of it and it had a very unique scent I couldn’t quite pin down. Aloe, maybe?

Route 66 travel mug – It is a surprise that this is my favorite item? It shouldn’t be. I just love things I can use that also look nice. This will be perfect in the coming winter months, so I can bring some hot water with me in the mornings.

blue mesh bath puff – Won’t this go well with the shower gel? This will come in useful when Panda needs a replacement. It’s quite dense so I’m sure it will work up a very good lather. Their little description about all things blue was a fun way to tie it all together.

Cowgirl Chocolate dark chocolate truffle bar – I’m always down for more chocolate! Lately I’ve gotten some really good ones from boxes, like the one from the last Escape Monthly box. I’m excited to eat this one too.

Phizz – I’ve never tried a fizzy tablet before, but I really should have had this before traveling for Thanksgiving. The stress of the travel and the change in climate must have gotten to my body, because I had a cold sore breakout. Ick. So now I will have one and hope for a speedy recovery! Next time I’ll need to remember to take it before traveling. I’m surprised that the pill looked rather pink, but then it dissolved into a dark orange color, sort of like orange soda. The taste was sort of like a watered down Gatorade.

turquoise necklace – I doubt I will wear this since I don’t really use much jewelry, so I will probably trade this or gift it to someone. I do like that it’s hardcrafted and showcasing Arizona’s state gem.

My wish for an Asian destination didn’t come true this time, but I did like learning a bit more about Arizona. Maybe I’ll be inspired to drive Route 66 there someday! Which products from this Arizona Escape Monthly box do you like most? If you want to sign up, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get a code for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription.

[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!]

Petit Vour November 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
24 November 2015
0

The weather’s really getting cold so I need a lot more product to help keep my skin moisturized as the dry air takes hold. I loved this box!

Petit Vour is $15 per box (or as much as $30 for international subscribers) and comes with vegan beauty, skincare, and other personal care products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards free boxes (email contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you if you sign up!).

contents of petit vour november 2015 box with pelle beauty beauty balm, obc skincare body oil, one love organics dry shampoo, modern minerals lip gloss, and info card with give thanks theme petit vour november 2015 box info card with item details

Pelle Beauty Luxe Beauty Balm – Wow, this waterless formula looks almost beeswaxy. It melts well as you rub it, so you can easily rub it across your face. Since this is a more intense product, I prefer to use it at night to let it work its magic while my body is taking care of itself.

Organic Bath Co Skincare Stress Less body oil – That wonderful lavender scent is reminiscent of a visit to a spa. Actually, that reminds me that I need to go do that. It’s been too long since I indulged in a facial or massage! I love using body oil in lieu of lotion during the winter months. It helps lock in the moisture so much and I never have to worry about dry, cracked skin (ick).

One Love Organics Healthy Locks dry shampoo powder – The presentation of this is totally adorable and this is the perfect size for bringing on travel. Dry shampoo is great for refreshing my hair when I don’t want to spend the time to get it wet and wait for it to dry (yeah, I don’t blow dry). It’s a great idea for on the road, when you might not have access to the right kind of facilities.

Modern Minerals Lotus Wei Infused Violet Rose Emotive Lip Gloss – Aaaah, what a nice lip gloss. Not only is the formula amazing, providing instant hydration and glossiness without a super sticky feeling, but it smells so unique! I love the Lotus Wei infusion, which is really calming and a lovely sweet scent. I feel like I’m getting aromatherapy from my lips (which might be the point?).

Alright! What a great set of products that will serve me will for the winter. I’m really happy with this selection. Which of these products do you like most?

[This post mentions a referral program. Signing up and emailing contact@petitvour.com to say I referred you 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!]

Treatsie October 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
04 November 2015
2

I’m not sure what happened this month, but it felt like I was waiting for this for ages. I’m happy to see so many products in it!

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands. That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link and code FRBUCO01 to get double the treats (a purported $40 value) in your first box!

treatsie october 2015 box contents treatsie october 2015 info card

le bon garçon spiced cider caramel: These are the softest caramels I’ve ever had. They’re crazy silky and a wonderful flavor for fall.

Torie & Howard chewie fruities: Mmm, these are like super soft Starburst. I’m a huge fan of the lemon raspberry flavor, which is sweet in a light way and has a little bit of tartness.

Colts Bolts chocolate: Now I’m not generally a fan of peanut butter, but the way it’s combined with the chocolate makes for a yummy treat. I like that they mixed it up with roasted almonds in there to add a super crunchy surprise.

Zingerman’s Candy milk chocolatey Karamel Krunch: I love the light crunch of this bar! I need more!! The crisped up rice was perfection and I wish the bar was larger so I could have enjoyed more of it. Now I need to go buy a whole box of these things.

Cocoa Dolce Artisan Bar: Omg this chocolate is so smoooooth. It just melts into a silkiness that is wonderful. I had to stop myself from eating the entire bar in one go. The caramel and pecans inside the bar offer a great mix to the texture, especially the crunch of the nuts.

I loved every single item here and I’m so glad I got to try them. My fav was the Karamel Krunch and I must get my hands on more of those. Which treats do you like from this box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and code FRBUCO01 to get double the treats in your first box!

[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!]

Prospurly October 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
02 November 2015
0

I saw this box from an email I got from Conscious Box and I couldn’t resist. From previous boxes, I saw fun things like a desktop garden kit and mule mugs that caught my attention in particular. I could hardly wait for the first box to come!

Prospurly is just under $45 per box (with code for 10% off your subscription – use my referral links from this post) and comes with artisan foods, bath & body items, home products, and other sustainably crafted items. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you free boxes.

orange prospurly box with white words

It came in an orange box stuffed quite full.

prospurly october 2015 box inner lid with info card

The info card is stuck to the lid, which you can then remove to read.

prospurly box inner lid with info card removed

Once the card’s removed a cute little graphic shows.

prospurly october 2015 box open with products showing prospurly october 2015 info card with product details

Honey Girls paleo chocolate chip cookie mix – You can’t quite tell from the picture, but the jar feels rather empty. It’s just a little over half full from the look of it and I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be the portion size, but it seems a bit small. Still, I look forward to trying this and comparing to all the other cookie mixes I’m used to using. It’s expensive for my taste though.

benescentials aromatherapy spray in Fall Into Winter – Ooo, this is a lovely scent of fall that is just wonderful. It’s very unique compared to most aromatherapy I’ve tried and so perfect for the season. I like how on their Etsy listing, they list how each ingredient is supposed to make you feel and what the intended benefits are. All aromatherapy is quite soothing to me but I like knowing if it’s more energizing or calming so I can plan to use them at different times.

Skin Nutrition from nature with love pumpkin lotion – I’ve never had a pumpkin lotion before and I love the warmth with a hint of spice that this one gives. I feel like I’m in a kitchen that’s making pumpkin-flavored everything. The lotion feels great and is really moisturizing. This little bottle will be perfect to keep at one of my various lotion spots: in the car, at my desk, by the bed…

Valentina’s Home-Brewed Protection Magickal Mineral Bath Salts – I have bath salts in another scent from this brand and I’m happy to try out a different variety! I like that these are basically single-use packs, though I’ll probably use just half at a time. Looks like I’m going to have to draw up a bath in the coming days, just so I can try this out.

The Suds Cafe pumpkin spice goat’s milk soap – First of all, this bar of soap is fun to look at. I love when they do layering with different textures and colors. I feel like it makes it more fun to use that way! I just recently opened up a bar of soap to use but I might swap that out for this one since this would be a great time of year to smell like pumpkins.

Bliss Pharm Harvest Moon hand sanitizer – You know, I don’t think I’ve really used hand sanitizer sprays. I’ve had wipes and those gel bottles, but I’m liking this misting action. Plus it smells so much better than those “clean” scents that just make me think of bathrooms. I’ll have to keep this bottle handy with me – I know I’m going to enjoy using it all the time.

Skin Nutrition from nature with love pumpkin spice lip balm – Cool, pumpkin spice lip balm! If it’s anything like the lotion from this brand then I’m in for a very sweet treat. I’m debating if I should open it up since I have so many lip balms in use already. For now I’ll keep it sealed and try to use up the ones I’ve had for longer.

Tin Pony Soap House Cinnamon Whiskey soy candle – Whoa, I wasn’t sure about the whiskey part but I do like the scent of this candle. Unfortunately, Panda does not and claims that the cats wouldn’t either (they didn’t seem to mind when I left it open). I might have to burn this in a room that he won’t be going to, or gift it to someone who can burn it in their home. I love the jar and I’m happy it’s a soy candle.

Cool, my first box from them and I’m quite pleased with the very seasonal products that fit “The Harvest” theme and definitely feel like locally crafted fare. I do hope for more unique home items in future boxes, since I’ve got plenty of candles. The upcoming theme is The Gift of Gratitude, which I’m sure will have some Thanksgiving-esque items. Maybe a small cornucopia? A desktop turkey? I hope it’s something that really impresses me. What do you think of these products?

[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!]

Escape Monthly October: California Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
26 October 2015
1

Wow, I can hardly believe it was well over a year ago that the other California box came. I’ve got to say, this box introduced me to some great products that I quite enjoy!

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city/region. Each box comes with a guide for that area. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral commission program.

escape monthly october california box products showing escape monthly october california box info card escape monthly october california box info card opened with fact sheet showing escape monthly october california box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

As before, I like the skincare items that were included. Guess there are a lot of those great brands out west. The other stuff is pretty cool too and overall this box has more things I’ll use.

Here’s what came in the box:

Frommer’s EasyGuide to San Francisco – This is only the second Frommer’s book that they’ve used. It’s got a ton of maps that will be useful in finding things. I’ve only ever explored SF on my own of things I’d heard of, so I’m curious what the guide will recommend.

Goldrush Sourdough Starter – This is packaged to be mailed like a postcard, which would be a fun thing to do from CA. I love sourdough bread and I’ve never thought about making it, so this should be exciting! I might even take this home to LA with me this Thanksgiving to try it out in my mom’s bread machine.

California Mango cleansing gel and hand & body lotion – As I’ve recently learned, mango skincare products smell amazing. These generous tubes will last me a very long time! I’ll smell fabulous coming out of the shower. The lotion almost smells a little bit coconuty, which is also a super tropical sort of scent.

sisal pouch – I’ve got small pouches with smaller holes for the solid shampoo and conditioner pieces that are too small to use alone and now I have the perfect pouch for my soap! I recently got a cute wool soap that’s meant to do a similar thing. I can also use this as a glove to scrub my body with if I want a rougher exfoliation.

Torn Ranch milk chocolate truffle bar – I just got a bunch of chocolate in Europe, so I’m saving this one to eat later. The truffle bar sounds rich and wonderful – can’t wait to try it!

loofah pad – I’m all about exfoliating, so I’m happy to have this to use in the shower. I might even make soap and pour it around it to make loofah soap, like this one cool bar I once got from Hawaii.

Napa Organics face mist and face oil – Ooo, now these look like luxurious products. I love mists and toners, so this toner mist is just perfect to use after washing my face. I swear the oil smells like some sort of honey (clover honey maybe?) that I’ve had before. It has a nice earthy element to it and feels like it could be a healing tonic with medicinal qualities.

travel wallet – Too bad I didn’t get this before our travels, or I could have used it to keep some money and cards stored away. I think it could just fit my passport in it as well and definitely plane tickets, which would have been nice to help me organize all my stuff.

I think a lot of the focus here was on NorCal products, so I hope that there’s a SoCal or LA or San Diego box in the future, to learn more about products from my neck of the woods. No idea what the next destination is but I’m hoping more Asian countries will show up. There are amazing things to be found out there. What products from this California Escape Monthly box do you like most? If you want to sign up, be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get a code for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription.

[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!]

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