Tag: goodebox

I should say first off that I’m not feeling this one at all.  The shipping delay really irked me – the box shipped August 28 and took 15 days to arrive.  Newgistics, you suck.  This was the first time Goodebox used Newgistics for shipping, but after having heard about all the issues Birchbox subscribers have with Newgistics, I’m not surprised it didn’t go well, by no fault of GoodeBox.  That said, if the box was better, I might not be on the fence about cancelling, but the box isn’t all that great for me.  I mean.. a wee tin of sea salt?!  Really?!  The full-size nail polish is fun, but the color isn’t really me – it’s sort of a glittery beige and just looks weird.  I saw other people got boxes with a pretty aqua blue color, so I was really disappoited to see muddy glitter in mine.  The blush color is all wrong (way too yellow), I already have a soap vendor I LOVE to bits, and the Barre 3 stuff just isn’t me.  Free trial, so I’ll still give it a go, but eh.  Their website has photos of only svelte, toned women, and there are no gals who look like me in any of their videos.  While I’m sure they offer modified poses, it’s nice to see folks of all sizes on fitness videos instead of Mr. and Ms. Perfect.  It’s disappointing and makes me want to hide my voluptuous ass in baggy  sweatpants instead of working out with three perfectly toned people.  I’ll admit that the shipping delay made my review of this box tainted with a big old pair of grumpy pants, so, it’s a little more critical than usual.  Anyway, on to the box!

• Square Hue Nail Polish – three .5oz bottles per month/$14.99 – The color I received is, “Rodeo Drive,” and it’s just not me.  It’s a really peculiar color that looks kinda pinkish or brownish depending on the light and, ugh.  I hate pink.  Hate hate hate pink.  This is never a color I would’ve picked out on my own, but the formula covers really well in two coats, goes on nicely and is 5-free.  WAY better than Zoya, IMHO, in terms of coverage and smell.  Zoya takes sometimes 3 or 4 coats to cover and really stinks  for being a 5-free polish.  I don’t think I’ll subscribe to the monthly box, but I do like the polish and may do a one-time order.  It’s just a gamble with mystery colors, and if there’s any pink in the box that month, I’m going to be wildly disappointed, and there’s no way to specify color choices.  Not good.
  Update: I like the coverage and it seemed to last about a week, but I hated the color more and more every day.
• Weleda Skin Food – 2.5 oz/$19 – So, it’s a really expensive skin lotion, and the samples are silly foil packets.  I don’t like foil packets – you have to use the entire amount in the packet in one use and can’t save it if it’s too much.  Drives me crazy.  I’ll use the  samples, but for skin lotion?  There are more affordable  alternatives that are just as good.
  Update: I finally tried this and it REEKS.  There’s something about the scent that really turns me off.. I can’t put my finger on what it smells like, but it almost smells like some kind of industrial citrus cleaning product, and in a bad way.  Note to self, use only on feet and legs.
• Homespun Northwest Himalayan Citrus Head-to-toe Cleansing Bar – 5oz/$13 – Soap.  A bar of soap for $13.  I have a favorite Honey Ale and Egg solid soap I use for shampoo that I buy from Sweets N Things on Etsy for $6 for 4oz.  I have no plans to switch since I LOVE that soap already, and it’s affordable and lasts me about 4 months.  This sample though is for  a bar of soap for $13 that doesn’t contain unicorn hair or  fairy farts.  Nope.  It also immediately shed salt that was sprinkled on the bar all over the place.  The product card offers a discount of 20% off $10 or more, but I’m really not interested.
• Plantlife Arnica Relief Gel – 4oz/$15.90 – I’ve never felt that Arnica gel actually did anything for me.  I’ve tried it before on bruises and noticed no difference in healing time or pain relief.  So, this is really meh for me and not something I’d ever buy (and will likely be found months from now in the medicine cabinet, still unused).  There’s a coupon code for 25% off an order through their website, so I’ll have to see what else they make.
• All Natural Face Matte Cream Blushes for Lips & Cheeks – .7oz/$5.75 – Reasonably priced, but the color of the sample I received is all wrong for my skin.  It’s, “Dark Rose,” when I’m more of a “Peachy Rose” or “Persimmon.”  It’s just too yellow and isn’t a color I can use as blush, and definitely isn’t a color I’d ever use on my lips.  The formula is nice though and I like that it can be used two ways.  There’s a 20% off coupon, in case I want to try one of the other shades.
• Jacobsen Pure Flake Sea Salt – 1.5oz/$9.95 – It’s salt.  I don’t understand why this is in the GoodeBox at all other than that they, “procure pure salt crystals straight from the cold waters of the Oregon Coast using traditional, hand harvesting methods,” so that they can call it froufrou special salt and charge more.  Big deal.  It’s still salt.  And going out to dinner anywhere involves over-salted food (everyone uses way too much for our near-sodium-free home cooking), so why the wee little travel tin?  It’s all weird, and it’s just salt.
  Update: Put it on dinner last night, and yep, salt.  Nothing special about the flavor.  It’s just salt.
• Barre 3 – $15/month – The offer in the box came with a wristband, Field Guide, and a month of free online classes.  I’ve done yoga and pilates before, even went to 6 months of sessions with a personal trainer.  I’m no stranger to fitness, but I absolutely hate when programs like this show only svelte, toned people in their website photos.  Okay, fine, image sells, but showing me that people of all sizes take their classes is much more encouraging than making me feel like I’m not the kind of person they want in their classes.  I mean, free trial, so as long as I don’t have to enter a  credit card, I’ll give it a try.

I’m pretty bummed about not getting the tea – I would’ve definitely used that up.  I’m not sure how else to adjust my preferences on GoodeBox’s website to get better colors that work for my skin – this is a second or third time I ended up with colors that don’t work for me.  I keep going back and making sure I selected the right things, but it doesn’t seem to matter much.  Anyway, sorry for the downer of a review, but this month is hugely disappointing.  I’ll probably end up giving the nail polish to a friend and see if anyone else is interested in the cream blush.  After that I have salt, a teeny chunk of soap, and foil packets of skin lotion.  Yeah.  Not so good.  I’ll give GoodeBox another month to see if things turn around (Subscription boxes can be so hit or miss, so I like to give them another chance), but with Newgistics on board, this doesn’t bode well.

I’m really kind of torn on this one!  There are two full-size lip products that I’m absolutely in love with, but I really don’t care about the other three samples.  I do realize this is the nature of subscription boxes, and while the two lip products more than cover the cost of the box, I really have little to no interest in the other three, so, meh?  The theme is playing off A Night For Green Beauty featuring luxury green brands.  Yeah.  I’m way too practical for luxury brands.  I don’t have a regular office job, so I have no reason to wear makeup every day, and fancy creams and exfoliators are just not something I use on a regular  basis.  I’m more of a soap-and-water and lip gloss only kind of gal.  I was sort of hoping that the GoodeBox would introduce me to  more practical products, and so far it’s been pretty good with that, with the exception of this month.  Also, silly foil packets again, argh!  Oh well, like I said above, the lip products are SO awesome, and I’m really happy about those, and that’s just the way subscription boxes go sometimes.  GoodeBox did switch up the product card this month and included little business cards for each product instead of one big card with checkboxes.  It makes more sense, and after last month’s product card errors, it’s probably much easier to pack in the card for each product than worry about proofing one big card.  I really like the new setup even if it does use  more paper.

• Mun No. 1 Aknari Brightening Youth Serum – 20ml/$95 – the product card says one bottle should last 3-4 months which makes the price sting a little less, but it’s still not something I need or use.  I’m just not worried about skin brightness and wrinkles!  It will be fun to try, but not something I’d keep in my daily routine.  The scent is really nice, sort of musky and rosy, and a quick test on my hand shows it sinks in pretty quickly for being an oil and feels velvety smooth.  The card includes a 20% off code.
• Province Apothecary Regenerating + Stimulating Exfoliator  – 120ml/$38 – This is a strongly lavender scented powder that you’re supposed to mix with water, skin cream, yogurt, or honey to make a sort of mask that you rub into your face for a few minutes.  I LOVE the scent and the idea that you blend it into another base based on your skincare needs.  I’ll have to give it a try with some honey and yogurt and see how it goes.  The card also has a code for 20% off.
• Kahina Night Cream – 50ml/$109 – WAY too expensive.  Its main purpose seems to be anti-aging, and again, I really don’t care about wrinkles.  They’re going to happen whether I like it or not, so it seems easier to let nature happen instead of trying to fight it.  I’ll try it since I have the two silly foil packet samples, but I’d never, ever buy this.  There is a code for 20% off.
  EDIT – I tried this last night and the scent is SO nice, I really like it.  Shame it’s so expensive, but I sort of wish they bottled this scent as a perfume!
• BeautyCounter Lip Sheer – 3.4g/$28 – Oh man I love this.  LOVE LOVE LOVE this.  The color (Plum) is a wee bit dark for summer, but it’ll be great for evenings and the fall/winter, and I may even buy the Currant color since it’s more the color I tend to use.  The color of the Lip Sheer is just dark enough to be seen, but light enough that it doesn’t overpower and the texture is rich and buttery.  The best of both gloss and color!  No coupon code, sadly!
• Juice Beauty Reflecting Gloss – 14oz/$15 – This is more like what I use on a regular basis.  I received the “Champagne” color which is the front swatch in the photo.  It’s a really light color that barely shows up, and it’s more about the shine/glitter instead.  The scent is really nice – lightly vanilla and fruity, and the gloss is shiny without being sticky.  The card also has a 20% off coupon.

So, there’s another month down.  Can’t wait to see what other folks got!

Another month, another GoodeBox!  This one is kinda mediocre for me.  The one product I have no use for (Softcup), but there’s one I’m REALLY excited to try (the hair oil).  I might have to go back and re-check my preferences (EDIT: I did mark “NONE” on Feminine Hygiene products), but I have a feeling that everyone is getting the Softcup, so that’s probably not something I could’ve avoided anyway.  The nail polish remover pads are kinda weak as a sample since there are only three, but i’ll no doubt use them.  The box did arrive late, but that was likely due to the July 4th holiday messing up shipping.  Anyway, on to the product list!

• Evofem Softcup – 14ct/$7.99-$9.99 – This is basically a disposable Diva Cup.  Since the topic is feminine hygiene, you can stop reading here if it makes you uncomfortable (though it shouldn’t).  tl;dr – I have no use for this at all.  I was a long-time Diva Cup user until I no longer needed the Diva Cup (I’m trying not to get into personal details on a public blog, so stick with me here).  I  still don’t need my Diva Cup, so I have no use for these either.  Really though, the Softcup doesn’t make sense against the Diva Cup, and if I did need to use feminine hygiene products again, I’d just go get a new Diva Cup ($30 each) instead of disposable cups that still cost more over the long run.  There was also a $2 off coupon availble for this product.
• Balanced Guru No Frizz Balancing Oil – 1oz/$25 – I’m super excited to try the sample, but the second I saw the price, my heart sank.  The sample size is .5 oz, so half the full size which means that almost pays for the box itself.  It’s got a great scent, somewhat herbal, lemongrassy, and has none of the bad ingredients I won’t use on my hair.  It is basically just oils, so if you’ve got greasy hair to begin with, this won’t help, but my hair is SO dry lately, oils and creams are practically a necessity.  It feels like a little goes a long way though, and there’s a coupon for 20% off.
• Lauren Brooke Finishing Powder – 6gm/$17 – Sample size is 4.5gm which is kinda small, so I can’t really see paying $17 for something just slightly bigger unless it really is amazing.  The color is about right, and if it helps absorb oil, it isn’t really something I need, but is something I’d be willing to try.  A quick test on the back of my hand shows that it’s light and not heavy at all, with a matte appearance.  The product card also has a 20% off coupon code.
• La Fresh Eco-Beauty Nail Polish Remover Acetone-Free Pads – 20ct/$10.99 – I had nail polish on, so I decided to give this a try right away since the polish was starting to fade anyway.  Acetone-free means more environmentally friendly, but it also means that they just don’t work that well.  It took MUCH longer to take off the polish, and while the scent is really nice, it leaves behind this gross oily residue that I couldn’t apply new polish over anyway.  I’ll still have to go back over with acetone remover just to get the residue off and prep my nails for new polish.  So, these are a total NOPE for me.
• Avitalin  Gentle Micropeel  – 15ml/$55 – Holy expensive batman!  I did miss trying this on the last box, so I’m glad I got it this time, but I’d never buy it at that price.  Still, it will be fun to try.
• Diva Clean Organic Body Wash – Full Size/$20 – This wasn’t on the product card which was weird!  It doesn’t really have a strong scent, but having small body wash samples to throw in my travel bag is great, so no complaints from me.  Still expensive for a body wash, so unless it does something really amazing (which, body wash?  c’mon), it’s not worth the price.  It does still use SLS, so it’s really no different from any other body wash.

I did see the Neuth creme on the card again, and I was a little bummed I didn’t get the Kari Gran Tinted Lip Whip (I love lip products).  The theme of the box was the guest curator, Mommy Greenest, Rachel Sarnoff.  I’m not a mom and have never heard of her blog, so it didn’t really mean much to me that she was the guest curator.  I did take a quick peek at her blog though, and a lot of what she said in her about page made sense to me – better choices without judgement.  Just like the Nail Polish Remover pads, they don’t work for me, so I’m going to stick with my acetone remover, but I might use it with a three-free polish instead.

Another month, another box.  This one is significantly better than the last box – no silly foil packets, and six products to try!  Here’s the lineup.  I think this is the first box with the new, updated preferences in effect, and they did a decent job with selection though I would’ve preferred one of the bee venom products instead of the deoderant.  Altogether, it’s a really great box this month and I’m psyched to try everything.

• blum naturals Daily Cleansing & Makeup Remover Towelettes – 30 ct/$7.49 – Sample size contains ten towelettes which isn’t a bad deal.  My box is for combination and oily skin and contains tea tree oil which I LOVE for zapping pimples.  The individual packets mean they’re great for travel too.
• Beauty Without Cruelty Sweet Lavender Hand & Body Lotion – 16oz/$12.95 – This is a brand I already love, and the scent of the lotion is amazing.  I’m a huge fan of lavender scented anything, so this is a BIG win in my book.  Sample size is 2 oz and I have no doubt this will go quickly, stashed in my knitting bag.  First impression on trying it just now is that it sinks into my skin pretty quickly, isn’t greasy, nor is the scent overpowering.  I really like the result so far.  The product card also includes a 20% off discount on any BWC product.
• Goddess Garden Organics Natural Sunscreen SPF 30 – 6oz/$19.99 – Pricey for a sunscreen, but it will be fun to try.  It relies on the physical barrier method versus the chemical barrier, using Titanium and Zinc Oxide.  A quick test on my arm shows that it’s a really watery liquid (not a cream), but does turn sheer and matte after a quick rub.  Might even be great for using on my face while outside gardening.  There’s also a 20% off coupon for all Goddess Garden products.
• Neuth Organic Creme pour Visage – 100ml/$75 – Basically a really incredibly overpriced make-up remover/moisturizer/face wash, I think?  It smells nice, and the sample size is generous enough, but, I’m really not exactly sure how to use it and the ingredients aren’t listed on the package or in the GoodeBox Product Card.  There’s just not enough information on the card/product to let me know what the heck it is or what it’s comparable to.  Still, going to try it, but I really doubt I’d ever purchase this.  Included is a 20% off coupon for all Neuth products, but even 20% off $75 is too much for what’s basically a fancy face wash.
• Primal Pit Paste Natural Deoderant – 2oz/$8.95 – Here’s where I turn in my organic/natural fanclub card.  I hate natural deoderants.  LOATHE them.  They never work, are annoying to apply (cream deoderant in a pot, REALLY?!), and for pete’s sake, my pits don’t need to be moisturized, they just need to not stink.  This is the only product in the box that I’m  disappointed with, but I’ll try it anyway to give it a fair shake.  There’s a 20% off coupon for all products from the company.
• Waxelene Petroleum Jelly Alternative – 2oz/$8.99 – I have never owned a single tub of petroleum jelly before, so I really don’t know what to do with this.  The product card mentions using it for anti-chafing (hello thigh rub in skirts), and for cracked heels, post-shave legs, split ends, etc.  There are only four ingredients and I can pronounce them all, so that makes me feel good about the product.  It goes on smooth, smells like beeswax (love that scent), and ends up feeling kind of matte and not greasy.  If I do end up liking it, the price is pretty reasonable, and there’s a 15% off coupon!

In other news, the blog silence over the last month was the result of  a whole ton of busy.  I had a big photography job and we went on a fantastic 10 day vacation that I’ll get around to posting about sooner or later.  I may stretch it out over several blog posts since we did SO much over the course of the trip.  I think One Local Summer has kind of fallen by the wayside this year since we’ve been away and busy, and have missed the farmer’s market every weekend since the beginning of May.  I’ll try to get a few posted this year, but it won’t be exactly every week like it has been in prior years.  It’s funny too, we have so much local stuff stashed away in the freezer that we end up doing One Local Summer meals by accident most of the time.  Even our local big-chain grocery stores are carrying local produce, naming the farms, etc, so it’s sort of happening naturally.  It’s amazing how a little challenge can end up changing your whole routine!

I’m not a beauty or eco-blogger, and really this blog is such a mixed bag already, why not add a little more to the randomness?  I had tried out the GlossyBox before and was HUGELY disappointed with the products that I’d never use, SO MUCH FREAKING EYELINER, and their terrible customer service.  So, I ditched them and signed on with GoodeBox.  This is now my second GoodeBox and so far, I’m pretty happy!  I never thought of myself as the subscription-beauty-box sort of person, but have made an effort to actually use makeup on a somewhat more regular basis, even if it is mostly just mascara, lip gloss, and a bit of eyeshadow, that’s still more than my previous no-makeup-ever routine.  The box is $18 per month (billed on the 3rd of the month, box is usually received on about the same date) and includes 5 items, usually at least one is full-size.  GoodeBox trends towards eco-friendly beauty products that are cruelty-free, environmentally friendly, or that feature natural ingredients and botanicals.  On to this month’s haul..

The box arrives pretty simply in a smallish cardboard mailer, the contents wrapped in tissue paper, all recyclable!  Inside is the product card which lets you know which items you received, how to use them, prices for full size, coupon codes, etc, and this month was a bonus card letting me know to update my profile on the website since they’d added more options/selections to help them better decide what to select for my box.  Really minimal packaging which is what made me so happy after GlossyBox – they used a big cardboard mailer box, a huge pink cardboard box inside, a wad of crinkle-cut paper, and then the products which never filled more than a third of the box.  Wasteful!  And I hate pink, so a pink box, blech.

Then, what’s inside the box!  This month is pretty good.  I’m not a fan of those little foil pouches, but there are three of them to make up the sample, so that’s okay I guess.  Helps ration out the sample into individual uses I guess.  Going around the image above clockwise, we have the full contents of the box, then..

• Shea Radiance Maximum Curl Defining Cream – 8oz/$16 – Smells fresh and lemongrassy.  I took a look at the full ingredient list, and there are two ingredients I can’t find information on (one is an acrylate which usually means a build-up factor).  It does say paraben/petroleum/sulfate free, but nothing about being silicone free.  I’m a TOTAL snob about what ingredients are in my hair care since it really does seem to make a difference with curly hair.  Given how dry my crazy curly hair has been, it’s worth a try at least once.. the ingredients are mostly oils and shea butter, so that could help a bunch.  The product card also mentioned a 20% off coupon for future products.
• Orglamix Eye Shadow in Forget-Me-Not – .05oz/$9 – I love this color so much.  It’s shimmery, but still a neutral light gold color which can go day or evening, plus a 20% off coupon for future purchases.  This is a full size sample, so there’s $9 already.
• Close-up shots of the papers which have little gold flecks and the swatch of the eyeshadow on my inner arm.  You can see it’s a really light color that matches my skin tone well, but it’s VERY shimmery which doesn’t show well in the photo.
• Tatacha Petal Fresh Original Aburatorigami Blotting Papers – 1 pack/$12 – Ehhhh.  My face really never tends to get oily anymore, but these will be great to tuck in my photography bag for wedding photography bride touch-ups.  At least someone will get use out of them!  Full size sample though, so this plus the eye shadow already adds up to over the cost of the box.
• Derma E Evenly Radiant Brightening Cleanser – 6oz/$15.50 – Face wash.  I know I can use that, even if it doesn’t brighten my skin.  My skin tends to be way worse in the summer with sun exposure and being out digging in the dirt and gardening, and it claims to help with sun damage.  Works for me.
• Derma E Evenly Radiant Brightening Night Creme – 2oz/$27.95 – Night moisturizer basically.  I really don’t care much about how even my skin tone is, but being that my skin has recently decided it’s a desert instead of an oil slick, I can always use a good moisturizer.
• Derma E Evenly Radiant Dark Circle Eye Cream – .5oz/$27.95 – If this stuff works?  It will be worth the $27.95 to actually purchase.  I have the most woeful dark eye circles.    Bonus too, there’s a 20% off coupon good through the end of June.  (Do you see that glossybox?  Coupons that work for more than two weeks after receiving the box!)

I’ll try to update this post with reviews once I’ve tried the products.  I’m really hoping that curl defining cream works out because my curls have felt like a hay bale lately.  So, that’s GoodeBox!  Coming up on the blog, socks, gardening, and some One Local Summer action.