Posts Tagged ‘cookies’

Treatsie February 2015 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Mmm, goodness these are tasty treats! I tend to like more chocolate, caramel, toffee type candy and this box was chock full of that type of thing.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 2-3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link to get your first box FREE!

treatsie february 2015 box contents with carla hall petite cookies, chocolate twist peanut butter pretzel bar, nunu chocolates milk chocolate lollipop, and mcfaddy candy co valentine toffee with cat sniffing box treatsie february 2015 info card

Carla Hall Petite Cookies: I have no idea how all those cookies could have fit in the container. They were exploding out of it when I opened my box! It was a bit messy, with crumbs everywhere, but at least they’re clean enough. I couldn’t stuff them all back in though so I’m pretty impressed at how much they fit in. I love the little bit of cinnamon that gives these cookies an extra kick. You think you’re getting a normal chocolate chip cookie, but then there’s that bonus taste…

Chocolate Twist Peanut Butter Pretzel Bar: At first I thought this was sort of like a Snickers bar and similar to the fixx chocolate bar. Then I saw it has pretzel, which is definitely different. It is nice and hefty, with a generous portion of caramel. I didn’t really get much of the peanuts or pretzels, though there was definitely a hint of peanut butter flavoring. This is quite a rich bar that is nice and dense. It’ll last me a few more rounds!

Nunu Chocolates Milk Chocolate Lollipop: How sweet! I’m thinking this could also work well as a hot chocolate stirrer, which is my newest obsession. I’ve had a couple of those recently, just by stirring chocolate into milk and it’s so much fun. I might just chow down on this like any other lollipop, or if I run low on the stirrers this will be my backup. 🙂

McFaddy Candy Co Valentine Toffee: Hmm, this totally foreign to me. I’ve never had fruit-flavored toffee! It’s very interesting, with the tartness of the raspberry mixing in with the sweetness of the toffee. Very intriguing. I’m not quite sure what to make of it still.

These were all solid choices and candy I will enjoy, though I still have my favorites from other boxes. Which treats would you like to try? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

[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 February: Nashville Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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So I kept Escape Monthly because I was super intrigued by Nashville. Coincidentally, Panda and I were planning a trip there this weekend. I was hoping the box would arrive in time so I could bring the guide book and look out for more of any treats I particularly liked from the box. It did end up getting delivered just in time! Buuut due to the weather conditions, we decided to postpone our trip for another time. There just aren’t many places to go for a short vacation when it’s snowing so much. Luckily, that means I get more time to prepare when we do decide to go.

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 february nashville box products showing escape monthly february nashville box info card

escape monthly february nashville box info card opened with fact sheet showing

They’ve always included facts, but I never photographed them. Figured I’d include them this time since the back is boring and no longer offers a preview of next month’s destination.

escape monthly february nashville box info card opened with details of products included (click to enlarge and read full messaging)

So the first thing I thought was, only five items outside of the guide book?! That was disappointing. So I scoured them for something that perhaps was a super high value item. Didn’t find that. For the price, I felt like they could have included at least one more thing. Just looking at what was included without thinking about value, I certainly did enjoy what they sent.

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Nashville – As I mentioned, the timing of this would have been perfect had we gone ahead with the trip this weekend. We can use this to help plan the trip when it actually happens.

Willa’s Wildflower Honey Shortbread – Oh my word these are delicious. If I didn’t stop myself, they’d be long gone. Instead I have maybe a third left and I probably won’t resist much longer. These are lightly sweet without being too much and a wonderful buttery, slightly crumbly texture. The bite sizes are just perfect too!

Little Seed Farm Farmstead Milk Soap Rosemary Mint Scrub Bar – This is a super soft bar of soap that I accidentally nicked with my nail. It smells so relaxing and is such a great blend of scents. It makes me think of Chivas, a company that also uses goat milk. I visited their farm in SoCal way back when and it was my first time seeing Square being used. I’ll add this to my arsenal of awesome soaps to use.

Brittle Brothers Peanut Brittle – I’ve had both their peanut brittle and their cashew brittle come in Treatsie boxes before! I definitely prefer the peanut one, which is strange since I am generally not into peanuts. But gosh, there’s something about their brittle that lets the peanuts stand out in a way that I am totally happy with. I’ve already eaten half of this!

Sweet Meat Beef Jerky – Oh gosh, I probably would have gobbled up another flavor, but I don’t like mango and I prefer my jerky sweet or salty, not spicy. Still, I did try a piece and it was an interesting burn with a hint of sweetness to mellow it out. I can definitely see people liking these flavors enjoying this jerky.

Soberdough Brew Bread Mix in Roasted Garlic – So I first saw this whole beer thing and I was like, is that the scent emanating from the box? But it’s just the dough and you can use beer or just carbonated water to make it (whew!). I’ve never made bread before, so this should be fun. Turns out the flavor I got is roasted garlic, so the smell must have been garlic. I’m pretty excited to try it!

I feel like I got a great intro to some of the snacks to be found in Nashville. I would have loved to have gotten some sort of trinket or tool as well. I’m pleased with the products but wish that either there were more or that their value was a bit higher. Which items in this Nashville Escape Monthly box do you want to try? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): AUSTRALIA or MYESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

It seems like the new thing is to promote the chance to win a $1000 towards a trip, which they offer every month. It’s a FB photo contest and I have yet to enter, so maybe I should. I checked their Facebook page and found that next month it’s going to be Australia – who could resist that? So I’ll keep my subscription alive. Well played, Escape Monthly.

[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!]

Love With Food Taste the Season December 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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You know, I feel like a lot of the boxes put out some of my favorite stuff in the winter. Still, I’m not going to re-subscribe to this when my pre-paid months are over. I like having snacks, but there are always so many bags of things I haven’t eaten that I need to regulate more.

Love With Food is $12 per box (or as discounted as $120 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 8 or more snack products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

contents of december 2014 love with food box including eight snacks info card with details for december 2014 love with food snacks(click to enlarge and read messaging)

I ended up bringing a bunch of these on my trip and leaving some for my friends to try. The Oogies Kettle Corn is in my backup stash for when I need a snack on the go. I like kettle corn every now and then, but it’s not the type of thing I crave. Now the Hannahmax Cookie Chips – oh those are fantastic and the very sort of thing I can eat a whole bag of without realizing it. They’re totally addicting and provide an awesome sweetness with some crunch. Both the Liddabit Sweets Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels and the Honey Acres Dark Chocolate Honey Mints were nice chocolate treats for a bite-size boost of sugar. I was very curious about the Next by Nature Dark Chocolate Coconut snacks, which are kind of like eating a crisp Almond Joy (without the almond). Or wait, there’s a dark chocolate version without the almond isn’t there? I don’t know the name of that, but imagine if that bar was more like a chip. It’s a nice snack to have around if you like coconut flavor!

I decided not to keep the Nocciolata Hazelnut Spread because I already have an entire jar that I haven’t even used yet. The Olympos Pitted Green Olives are not to my taste (no olives are) so I’ll find them a happy home. And since I don’t like anything coffee, the Bali’s Best Coffee Candy shall be shared with someone else who likes those types of things.

Another decent box that I mostly enjoyed. I love having options when I need to be traveling, whether on a plane or in a car. What items do you like from this month?

[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 at the special offer price and wanted to share what I got!]

Treatsie December 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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The December Treatsie box totally has holiday flair! I am absolutely loving it and it’s finally starting to feel like Christmas is near.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 2-3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link to get your first box FREE!

treatsie december 2014 box contents with ticket chocolate hot chocolate on a stick, newfangled confections frittle, serendipity confections caramels, and grey ghost bakery cookies treatsie december 2014 info card

Ticket Chocolate Peppermint Hot Chocolate on a Stick: This is so perfect! I thoroughly enjoyed the hot chocolate on a sticks from last winter, so I jumped at the chance to buy some from Target last week. Now I have another delicious one to enjoy and I can’t wait.

Newfangled Confections Frittle: Whoa, this is something made with peanuts that I actually really enjoy. It reminds me of those flaky, crunchy peanut candies. Totally addicting. I like how they flake, but then they sort of bind in your mouth if you give it more pressure, so it becomes more chewy like hard candy.

Serendipity Confections Gingerbread caramels: These are huge! The gingerbread taste comes in a few chews in. It tastes slightly different from caramels I’m used to – definitely a unique set of ingredients for them. It’s not my preferred taste, but these are still really good and I couldn’t stop eating until the entire piece was gone.

Grey Ghost Bakery Cranberry Orange cookies: This is a wonderful bakery with a great flavor for the season. I do prefer their lemon sugar ones, but those are just heavenly and can’t be compared. These are more tangy and have a little bit of a bite from the cranberries. I think drinking hot chocolate with these would be a perfect complement. Nom!

Alright, this is a box that I will completely devour. I’m excited to try more products and see what I might want to order from their shop. I won an Instagram contest awhile back so I have some store credit to use, yippee! Which items caught your eye in this box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

[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 September 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

A great variety this time around and all tasty stuff in this Treatsie box! The items had a more fall feel, just in time for the cooling season.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 2-3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program to earn store credit. Use my referral link to get your first box FREE!

treatsie september 2014 box contents with quince & apple tart cherry and white tea preserves, j&m triple chocolate cookies, and bequet confections caramels

Quince & Apple Tart Cherry and White Tea Preserves: Hmm, this is an interesting flavor I wouldn’t be able to describe! It’s lightly tart and not overly sweet like many preserves. I like that it’s a more subtle flavor and I’ll have to find something to spread these on. It’s so cool that it’s made with tea and jasmine flowers.

J&M Triple Chocolate Cookies: Wow, they cooked these perfectly. The chocolate flavor, the crunchy texture, and the soft bits of chocolate chips is a wonderful combination. It’s a rich flavor and not the dry crunchy cookie, but perfectly made for enjoyment. I shared these with my coworkers and we couldn’t get enough of them.

Béquet Confections Classic Soft, Celtic Sea Salt, and Salted Mocha Caramels: We received these at the office last holiday season, so imagine my surprise when they showed up in this box! I love these caramels and was totally addicted to the bags we got last year. I sure hope we get more of these at the end of the year. They’re tasty and there are a ton of great flavors.

I’m happy with the selection and I look forward to getting more of those cookies. What do you like best from this month’s box? To get Treatsie, sign up with my link and get your first box free!

[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 August: Paris Box review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Ah, Paris… of course we’d some gourmet items here and leave it to one of these items to have some delays coming through customs! I was also intrigued by the very different guide book included this time around.

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

escape monthly august paris box products showing escape monthly august paris box info card against blue and white chevron background escape monthly august paris box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

The items this time around didn’t take up much room, which made me feel like there wasn’t much there, but the value of the items is certainly higher than usual.

Here’s what came in the box:

Rick Steves’ Pocket Paris – This is a nice little guide full of colorful pictures! You might not even have to go to Paris anymore after seeing all the sights from its pages. I certainly plan on visiting Paris time and time again, so this will be a great way to help me discover all that the city (and surrounds) has to offer.

Nuxe Body Scrub & Shower Gel – Well, I didn’t get the scrub and that’s really sad for me since that’s one of my favorite skincare items. Instead, I got two shower gels, so I’ve emailed them to get the scrub sent to me. I didn’t even notice the seal on it when I first tried to open it for a whiff. I’m not a huge fan of almond, but the combination with orange flowers is really great! It smells fantastic and I can’t wait to lather up to the scent in the shower. I’ll be even happier to scrub to this scent!

Institut Karite Paris Perfume Almond and Honey Precious Hand Cream – I’m guessing that this was the product holding things up in customs. It looks luxurious and definitely fancy and Parisian. I’ve certainly enjoyed shea butter hand creams like the ones from L’Occitane, so I’m sure I’ll love this for the winter months. It’s so thick! I love that I got a scent that is rather unique and I hope the almond scent doesn’t get too strong for me after awhile. So far so good – it appears to be a nicely mild and sweet scent.

Edmond Fallot dijon mustard – There’s quite the history behind this little jar. I don’t really eat many items I’d put mustard on, so I’m thinking I might take this to work to put in the communal fridge.

Pierre Biscuiterie French butter cookies – I like that they have two plastic packs in this box, so I don’t have to worry about having to each all of them quickly. These little butter cookies are crisp and rich in flavor. The dried fruit bits offer a bit of a tangy, fragrant kick to the cookies. I’ll be finishing these off with my next pot of tea, which I think will be just fabulous.

les Anis de Flavigny French mints – The light lemon flavor of these mints is lovely. There is a bit of an aftertaste that I can’t quite place – perhaps that’s the anise (no idea what that is). It’s a bit bitter, but not outright so. I think of these more as candies though, since I don’t think they’re really freshening the breath much. Whoa! I just bit into it and definitely got the anise taste – I think they have small bits of it in the center. Now I know these must be related to those star anise dried things you cook with.

Bonne Maman strawberry preserves – I love the little jar this comes in. This was the bonus item for this box. Perfect for traveling with and a 1-2 person portion. I actually got this in another box once upon a time and have yet to open that one. I just don’t get around to eating jams, so perhaps it’s time to consider buying bread or English muffins. I’d also want to get into the habit of eating breakfast, I suppose.

I could have gone for more items, but the hand cream really elevated the feel of this box. Which item do you think is the coolest from this Paris Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): PARISESCAPE or RICOESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

For September it’s time to go to Puerto Rico! Fantastic. I’m really excited about that one since I could certainly learn more about that country.

escape monthly august paris box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of puerto rico

[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!]

Love With Food Fun at the County Fair August 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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This time around the info card became a pamphlet so they could add a bunch of extra content. There’s even a recipe in there and background info about the company. I’ve yet to read it all, but will get around to learning more as I eat everything.

Love With Food is $12 per box (or as discounted as $120 for an entire year, with an option in between) and comes with 8 or more snack products. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral program that earns you points towards products or boxes.

contents of august 2014 love with food box including eight snacks info card with details for august 2014 love with food snacks(click to enlarge and read messaging)

Alright, summer fair! It’s been ages since I’ve been to one and I probably won’t get around to it this year. So far I only tried the Skeeter Nut Free Cinnamon Grahams that are crisp and have a fantastic cinnamon taste and the Salty Road Salty Peanut salt water taffy that has a nice peanut flavor (even though I don’t like peanuts much) and is a bit sticky. The shapes of the Skeeter cookies are adorable squirrels! I’ve tried YumEarth lollipops before and they’re nice enough. Lately I haven’t been into lollipops though.

I handed off the Love With Food Kettle Sweet Peanuts to Panda since he’ll enjoy nuts far more than me. I will try one when he eats them but I’d never buy nuts. He also got the 180 Degrees Nutty Rice Bites with Blueberries because of the nuts and health bar-like snacks these are. Also snacks that I’m not into, but will be great for him as an afternoon snack or even breakfast item. I’ve put the Smooze Fruit Ice in the freezer to enjoy later. Pineapple and coconut are not flavors I’ve tried together before, so it’ll be interesting which flavor stands out more.

Finally the Covered Bridge Montreal Steak Spice Seasoning Chips and Back to Nature Crispy Cheddar Crackers have made it into my work bag for snacking on this week. I’m looking forward to trying both and I hope they don’t disappoint! I’ve never tried chips with such a unique flavor so that will be exciting and we’ll see if it’s too strong for me. Meanwhile, the cheddar crackers should be good since that’s a snack I’ve had a variety of and generally enjoy.

Taste-wise I think this box is very promising. I’d eat more of the items if it weren’t for my aversion to nuts and bars. I’m all about sweet snacks or crackers/chips. What do you think of this box? Which item would you like to try most?

[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 at the special offer price and wanted to share what I got!]

Treatsie April 2014 review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
2

[Edit: I’ve learned that there was some confusion and I was actually supposed to get a third brand. I’m getting a premium one sent to me to make up for it! :)]

I was super confused with the box I got this time around because there were only two brands (granted one item was really large) and the card inside listed three. I finally reached out to Treatsie to ask if I was supposed to get all three and it seems that the upgraded boxes had the third item, but those grandfathered in to the non-upgraded version got the card listing all the items without actually receiving all items listed.

Treatsie is $15 per box + $4.95 shipping and comes with artisan candy from 3-4 brands (I am grandfathered in for $15 for 2-3 brands and fewer items). That means about 6 or 7 different flavors of treats (or 4 or 5 for me). Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a referral link program.

treatsie april 2014 box contents with brix bites chocolate bars and grey ghost bakery cookies

Brix Bites Chocolate for Wine in Extra Dark, Smooth Dark, Medium Dark, and Milk Chocolate bars: Even though I don’t drink wine, I can totally enjoy these. They truly are “brix” in that they are a very firm piece of chocolate. If you like a piece that will not just melt in your hand, this is the type for you. I like the hardness of them and even better is the taste. I’ve tried the medium dark and extra dark so far and both are fabulous – great flavors that are super smooth. These are some quality chocolates that anyone would love with or without wine.

Grey Ghost Bakery Lemon Sugar cookies: I was certainly skeptical when I first saw these – they looked too crumbly. But oh my, did they surprise and impress me! They’re actually wonderfully moist (I hate dried out cookies, don’t you?) and those giant grains of sugar along with the chewy bits of lemon hidden in there… wow, fantastic combo in a cookie. I think I need to have these with my tea every day now. Fantastic, and I’m glad the bag of them is a generous portion.

treatsie april 2014 info card

The third brand as you can see was Hot Cakes. I’m not much into peanut butter, so no huge loss there. I’m glad I got the two brands I did!  What do you think of the items in this 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!]

Escape Monthly February: New York Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

Just as I was getting antsy for another box, I got the Feb Escape Monthly box yesterday. Lovely way to end the week!

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

escape monthly february new york box products showing escape monthly february new york box info card against blue and white chevron background escape monthly february new york box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

I used to live within an hour of the city, but I would have no clue what to include in this box. I think it’s appropriate that there is a greater focus on food items in this box, since everyone talks about the food you can find in NYC. As for the rest of the state, something apple-themed would have made sense, but I guess that didn’t make the cut. Oh well!

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Metro New York City – This would have been handy when Panda and I went on our trip to New York last year. Luckily, we’re close enough that we’ll definitely be going back soon enough, so I’ll keep this handy. There’s so much to do in the city, I’m sure it will take many visits to experience and see all that we want to.

Better Brittle West African Style Peanut Brittle – Hmm, what does it mean by West African style? These little bars of brittle are inspired by something called “nkati cake” from Ghana and they’re made upstate in Syracuse. They’re vegan and all natural, with a strong nutty flavor. They’re not overly sweet like many other brittles I’ve had and the pieces have a solid crunch to them. They’re a simple blend of peanuts, evaporated cane juice, and salt so you know just what you’re getting.

Sundaes Best Hot Fudge Sauce – I’ve never bought fudge sauce, so I’m excited to explore the options here! I’m going to have to try making hot chocolate with it, pouring it over ice cream, and even spicing up some other desserts with chocolatey goodness. I like having these kinds of products at home, which is really making this place feel at home. Whenever I want gooey chocolate on something, I’ll have a jar handy now.

Flint Creek Soap in Good Skin Blend – These soaps are made in upstate New York and only contain natural ingredients. This particular soap sounds fantastic, with bentonite clay (great for clearing impurities) and essential oils that apparently tone and tighten pores. I’m going to have to try this in all my breakout problem areas! I love the smell that is super refreshing and minty. These soaps are made in small batches and are safe for any to use anywhere on their bodies!

kanpekies peckigram cookies in Cherry B Mine – These are perfectly themed for Escape Monthly, with an adorable box that looks like a postcard! They’re made right in NYC and you can tell they’re packaged with love and flair. Inside the box are two sets of two shortbread cookies. I got the cherry chocolate variety that looks like a chocolate chip cookie until you start opening it and find that the sticker on the bag was covering a sweet pink heart! The shortbread is just crumbly enough to fall apart in your mouth.

The Peanut Principle Gourmet Maple Peanut Butter – Maple peanut butter?! That’s totally new to me. I could totally smell the maple in this product through the seal, but once I opened it the peanut butter took over. It’s super creamy and has a slightly different taste, though if you didn’t know it was maple I don’t know if you’d notice. I don’t normally eat peanut butter, but I’m sure Panda can make good use of this on toast.

Brooklyn Studio Travel Tin Candle in Green Tea Lemongrass – Ooooh I’m liking this candle tin. I enjoy green tea and lemongrass so this combination is lovely. It’s a soy candle, which is fabulous, and it came in a nice little travel baggie! I wonder if people actually travel with candles though, since, um, aren’t you not allowed to burn them in a hotel? I don’t quite understand the concept of a travel candle, but I love it anyway.

New York Taxi Treats Cookies – More shortbread! Is that something New Yorkers are known for? Well, anyway it’s a fun theme and seems like an excellent item to include in a kid’s lunch pail. These cookies are light and crunchy, almost like a cracker. I can definitely taste the milk or vanilla influence giving it a sweetness.

I<3NY – This little sticker was the bonus item, a total classic. It’s so simple yet powerful. I have no idea where I might put it, but at least I can say I was a New Yorker before.

I think this box was great in showcasing brands in New York state. Almost every single item was made there and most of them are actually from upstate, so there wasn’t too heavy of a focus on NYC. What do you think of the New York Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): IRELANDESCAPE or YOURESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

When I saw the theme for March I got SO excited! I looove Ireland and I hope to get something sheep-related.

escape monthly february new york box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of ireland

[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 December: Italy Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions,Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1

To round off the year, Escape Monthly offered their very first international theme of Italy!

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. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

escape monthly december italy box products showing

escape monthly december italy box info card against blue and white chevron background

escape monthly december italy box info card opened with details of products included(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

I don’t know what I might have expected in this box, since all I can think of when I think of Italy is delicious mushroom pizza. Of course that’s not something you can readily pack into a box, so of course what we got were snacks and some skincare items. They’re all totally appropriate for Italy, though I do wish they could have snuck some pasta in too. I would have loved another beauty tool or some sort of trinket from the region to top it all off.

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Living Abroad in Italy – This is exactly the sort of thing I’d put in a care package for someone planning on studying abroad in Italy. Of course, I don’t know anyone at the moment, but I’m sure it will be a great way to learn more about the country and see what other areas I might want to explore. I’ve been to Rome, Vatican City, Venice, and (briefly) Pisa. I’ve got Florence, Milan, and Naples on my radar… who knows what else I might learn about that I must go see next time!

iSiciliami Passione Pasticcera Riccio al Cacao cookies – I think these are a great selection – a very Italianesque cookie that I’ve actually never heard of. So here I am learning something new about the country and getting to try wonderful treats that were actually made over there. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try them before having to leave, so I’m excited to get back and try them soon. I’ve heard fantastic reviews on them so far and I’m always a fan of a good cookie.

Rigoni di Asiago Nocciolata hazelnut spread – Now I’m not quite sure how/when to use this spread, but it does sound delicious. I love that it’s organic and it’s from a family business based in Italy. Treats like these definitely fit with the theme. I would have loved if they included some cookies/crackers/bread that this could be spread on. I’ll have to try it on some toast or maybe even a bagel, though I hardly ever eat those so I might just eat this straight from the jar. 😛

Skin&Co Roma Truffle Body Milk – What an adorable lotion! I love the look and feel of it – perfect for keeping at your desk to use when you’re feeling a bit dry. Using truffles is so very European of them and makes their line seem quite luxurious. I loved looking into the story of how the line got started generations ago and why having truffles in the products is good (antioxidants helping to reduce free radical damage). I hear it smells great too, which I shall have to confirm when I get my hands on it again.

Skin&Co Roma Truffle Body Gel – With claims of anti-aging effects and a super cool ingredient like truffle extract, this definitely has me intrigued. As mentioned already, the branding on this is pretty cool. And of course I gotta love that they’re a born and bred Italian company!

Perugina Baci chocolates – These were the bonus item this time around and really, who could say no to chocolate truffles? I just wish there were more of these! Since they’re individually wrapped, they are perfect to share with others (if you can resist eating them all yourself).

La Civetta extra virgin olive oil – Such a cute bottle of olive oil, which I can’t wait to break into the next time we cook. I’m curious what the green apple and almond flavor in it is like. Do most olive oils have other flavors infused like that? Have I just not noticed all this time? I can’t say that I really know much about olive oil so maybe it’s normal, but I think it’s really cool that they’ve got some other flavoring going on there.

Olio & Olive Castelvetrano olives – Ah yes, I should have known there would be olives. I’m personally not a fan, so I’ll be looking to give these away, but I do like that they came in a nice neat see-through package. I might look into seeing if I can make my own olive oil from them though… that’d be pretty cool to try!

Provence of Terni Umbria – I think this might have been added in as part of the Skin&Co set since that’s where the whole truffle thing got started for the brand, or maybe it’s just a coincidence and Umbria is a place I should be adding to my future destinations. Whatever the case, I look forward to learning more!

I really like how this box wasn’t just a hodge podge of things that vaguely remind you of Italy. It seems like they really took the time to pick out some fabulous Italian brands to showcase, which I really appreciate. I’ve definitely discovered a ton of new stuff! What do you think of this international Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): PAMPERME or COLORADO for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription, ITALIANESCAPE for 20% off, GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

January we’ll be getting a Colorado box! Panda just went there recently so I’ll be interested to hear what he thinks.
escape monthly december italy box info card back with preview of next month's box theme of colorado

[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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