July 2012: Birchbox, My Glam Bag, BarkBox, Foodzie Box, Must Have Bag, Julep Box Reviews

Eeks! I haven't written in awhile! To make up for my absence I'm going to fill you in on all the subscription boxes I received in July of 2012. It was a lot. Probably not going to make a repeat in August, but I'll let you know what I thought of all my goodies! Ok to start, I'll show you my regulars that I will definitely be keeping up with:

Birchbox $10/month

(I have a year subscription at this point)

July was a Glamour curated box based on the 5 senses. I received goodies that I could see, taste, hear, smell, and touch. My favorite item: Boscia BB cream because I've been dying to try out the BB cream craze! It's a little more makeup coverage than I'm used to, but maybe perfect for a wedding! Least favorite: Minteas because they taste like the worst breath mint you've ever tasted. I would never want my breath to smell like how they taste and I can't even get through one mint they taste so awful.

My Glam Bag $10/month

This month's bag was a huge win for me. I loved 3 items and liked the remaining 2 items. Favorite has to be: Hydro Punch hair conditioner, seriously my hair was like silk! Least favorite: the white nail polish only because I already have white nail polish.

Foodzie Box $29.99/month (this has been discontinued as of July)

I had planned on quitting this subscription after June, but then I found out that the Foodzie company had been bought by Joyus and that they were discontinuing their service after July, so I had to get the last one! And it turned out to be a pretty good one too. I bought 2 of the items from this box. favorite item: Chukar Cherry Medley- they're like candy but simply dried cherries. I can actually taste the difference between the three cherry varieties and they complement each other well! Least favorite: the Halfpops popcorn- it's literally popcorn that is only half popped, who even wants that?

Barkbox $19/month with the 3-month subscription and discount code (you get $5 off if you click the link)

This is for your pup! I decided to spoil Baloo (more) since I hadn't really done much for his birthday this year. I also got one for his Noodle brother! You can designate if you have a big or small dog, but that's about all the personalization this one has. Baloo loved all of the edible things, of course, but the giant steak toy scares him because the squeaker is so loud haha! favorite item: Yumzies treats because there is no gluten filler and they're lasting a long time. Least favorite item: flavored bubbles, so weird.

Julep Box $.01 seriously use MAVENINTRO or PENNY ($20 after first month)

I got this box for obvious reasons, but I will not be continuing it since I don't think it will be living up to the value I like to see from my boxes. I got 2 small nail polishes, a toe separator, and a foot cream. I never use the foot cream and I already had similar colors of nail polish in my collection.

Must Have Bag from Pop Sugar $35/ month (ouch)

This bag was described as being filled with the editors (from Pop Sugar) favorites. I was intrigued to find out favorite what exactly. Turns out a variety of things: food, beauty products, bags. I think I'll buy the 3 month subscription ($95) to get the price down a tiny bit and see how it goes. Favorite item: RGB nail polishes, lovely colors for year round! Least favorite item: lip stick, I don't really wear it. I have to note that the Kind bars were really good as well!

Anywho that was my month of subscription boxes! For those of you keeping track at home, I plan on continuing with Birchbox, My Glam Bag, Barkbox, and Must Have Bag. I'll keep you updated on those goodies in case you're interested in trying them!



Enjoy!

Monthly Subscriptions

I added another subscription for May, Glam Bag, and am still getting my Birchbox and my Foodzie box (at least until June). Here are all the goodies I received this month:

New Glam Bag:

I looooved the Studio Gear lipstick! Really a perfect color match for me which is a miracle. The brushes and Philosophy perfume were nice as well. I will definitely never use those nail sticker things.

Gossip Girl Inspired Birchbox:

I love the Dior mascara, very lush! The Miracle Skin Transformer stuff seems like putting makeup all over my body and in Houston that means I'm going to be sweating makeup off all day, gross. The Dior perfume smelled like old lady and the Shu Uemura cleansing oil is nice, but not enough of a cleanser for post-soccer hair.

Foodzie Box:

This Foodzie box was a bust for me. The only items I ate were the hazelnuts and the soda, and neither of them were spectacular. The raw cookie was gross (but Baloo still ate it), the marionberry fruit de pate was ok but weird, and the sausage was completely molded over and smelled like butt. I wouldn't even let Baloo taste it- went straight in the trash. I think June will be my last month of this box. I don't think it's holding its worth since they made it bigger and more expensive.

Lately

Here's what's been going on with me lately:

Randi and Steph at Prohibition for Laura's Bday

JP and I enjoying fancy bevs for Laura's bday

The birthday girl and I at Prohibition

 My April Foodzie Box

Baloo with his Kong Wobbler

At lunch with Matty as he drove through Houston

 Lots of randomness occurring lately. Hopefully a more concise post soon!

March 2012 Foodzie Box

Just a quick peek into the March Foodzie box this time. I've decided to keep up with the Foodzie box until I've been doing it a year (in June) since it is so expensive $29.95/mo and I don't really need it (but it's so fun!). This month I chose the Brooklyn Box where all items were from Brooklyn businesses. Here are my goodies:

I literally loved everything in this box. I'm already obsessed with the peeled company and all their products (I often pay the ridiculous $2 for a package of dried apples at Starbucks), the ovenly peanuts were Old Bay flavored!!!! (hello I'm from Maryland, Old Bay is at the top of my condiments list and can often be found in my purse), the chocolate items were both yum, and the granola was filled with different seeds and nuts and no fruit (my favorite kind has no fruit). The only so-so item were the crackers, but they were pretty good with some cheese. Love me some Foodzie!

January 2012 Foodzie Tasting Box

It's my first month paying full price for the new, more expensive Foodzie Box and while I enjoy getting new things and flavors delivered to my door, I want to make sure it is worth the price hike. Here is my Jan 2012 box:

Loaded with lots of goodies to be sure. Here is the breakdown:

Pacific Sea Salt and Cinnamon Crunch biscuit by Somersaults

2oz= $1.89 (x2)= $3.78 + s&h($5.95)

These are also available at Whole Foods, closest of which is 45 min from my apt.

Vanilla Blueberry Energy Bar from Bearded Brothers

4pk=$12 so 1=$3 + s&h($4.95)

These are also available at Luke's Locker, also 45 min away.

*Sea Salt & Nibs Bar by Madecasse*

EASILY MY FAVORITE ITEM IN THE BOX

1= $5.99 + s&h($5.99) but there is a min $17/ order

Also available at Whole Foods

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil by Kelapo

8oz= $7.69 so 0.5oz= $0.47 +s&h(4.95)

Sun Ripened Pu'er Tea by Five Mountains

2oz= $19.95 + s&h($5.60) 

I have no idea how much was in our box, the pkg is not labeled, I shall weigh it tonight and edit post tomorrow!

So I weighed it and there was only 1oz in the bag so this is actually 1oz= $9.98 + s&h($5.60)

Quite Cheesy Kale Krunch by Alive & Radiant

1= $5.99 (s&h tbd)

Roasted Almonds by Stackhouse Orchards

3lb= $25 so 4oz= $2.08 + s&h(free from Foodzie this month)

This brings my total box to a grand total of $31.29 before even calculating in separate shipping and handling costs. Since the current cost of a Foodzie box is $29.99, it seems this is an ok deal. And, as you can tell, there are a few items that cannot even be bought as a single. Now, the highest value item of this box was the tea. I have yet to try this tea, but I'm not a real big tea aficionado like my sister so that's not something I would have been interested in buying/ trying to begin with. I will continue with the Foodzie box for a month or two more and continue to assess the worthiness of it. Stay tuned for future boxes!

Boxes Update

I've been slacking on my Foodzie and Birchbox updates. Here are the ones I've received for the past few months:

November Foodzie box favorite: Vadeboncoeur nougat. The pistachios were yummy, but really messy and hard to open. Everything else was sort of a wash. I made the cornbread muffins, they were dry. And I've just been eating the cranberries, good but not exciting. And I didn't like the crostini and haven't figured out what to do with the pickled figs.

December Foodzie Box: so hard to choose a favorite, but it would have to be the Put Your Money On Honey caramels by Droga Confections. Oh my goodness, the perfect combination of dark chocolate and caramel topped with sea salt! I also loved the butterscotch, chocolate sun cups, blueberry acai gummies, and butter crunch. The florentines were ok and I didn't really like this flavor for the 479 popcorn.

December Birchbox favorite: Olìe Biologique Huile Moderne face and body oil. It has really helped keep my face from drying up and flaking out in the winter weather.

The price of the Foodzie tasting box has increased from $19.99 to $29.95 so I will be investigating if it is really worth continuing for the January box. Stay tuned!

October Boxes

I just got my October Foodzie Tasting Box and Birchbox in the mail, yay! I was very excited for all the pumpkin/Fall themed goodies in my Foodzie box. I've been munching on pumpkin seeds constantly!

The caramels are really delicious too. I'm thinking I'll try the fancy apple juice tonight and I'm on the lookout for a recipe for the maple syrup. The fruit leather was super tangy and I had to rotate bites of it with candy corn to balance out the taste. The energy bar was ok but too much going on for me I guess.

The Birchbox was another so-so one in my opinion.

There was one product that I had been wanting to try- the Laura Geller Spackle Tinted Under Makeup Primer in Bronze and the rest are just ok. I loved tow of the Befine products I've received so far-I even bought the full size version of them, but the lip balm isn't for me. I don't really like slimy lip gloss and that's what it is. Also in my box this month were The Laundress Delicate Wash, AHAVA Rich Cleansing Cream, and Orofluido Elixir. Let me know if you've tried any of these boxes or know of any different ones I can try!

Foodzie Tasting Box and Birchbox Reviews

So I'm pretty sure I've neglected to tell you all about my two favorite subscriptions. If you're thinking magazines, I promise I wouldn't bore you with my love of Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living ;) I'm talking about my Foodzie Tasting Box and my Birch Box! The Foodzie tasting box an aggregate of samples from the Foodzie online store, usually following a theme. Foodzie is a company that likes to focus on foods and beverages made by small food companies in the USA (yay local!). Many of the foods and beverages they stock can't be found anywhere else and they often fit into a special category such as: handmade, following old family recipes, incorporating unique ingredients, etc. You can also find a lot of organic, locally sourced, or Fair Trade items. I've received three of these tasting boxes so far and I'm loving them! Here are the last two I've gotten: August was a nostalgic/ comfort food theme:

September was a 'Tea Time Out':

Some of my favorite items from the Foodzie Tasting Boxes have been: Black Truffle & Fresh Thyme Herb Sea Salt (which I used in this recipe), 479 White Cheddar Black Truffle Popcorn, Oren's Kitchen Coconut Chili Macademias, and Sir Kensington's Gourmet Scooping Ketchup. The tasting box is $19.99 per month and it's totally worth it! You can cancel at any time so no worries about getting sucked into one of those club schemes (and while it sounds like it due to my excellent advertising skills I am not getting anything for their review, just wanted to give my homies a heads up!). Check out some of the products from this month's box in-depth on their blog or just dive right in and sign up for next month's box!

The other subscription box I'm currently loving is the Birch Box. The peeps at Birch Box hook you up with 4-5 samples of items from their site- be it hair products, cosmetics, skincare, nail polish etc. Being pretty make-up stupid I find this to be a great way to try things without forking over $50 for a face cream, especially since I have no idea what I'm doing in cosmetic world. Luckily for me, Birch Box also has a blog with tutorials, videos, and suggestions for how to use their product and each product page details what a particular item is supposed to do for you. As for what kind of products they work with, this is what Birch Box has to say: "We’ve shamelessly cherry-picked every category to bring you companies that pour time, research, and love into their products. You'll find both clinical skincare lines and makeup artist-approved color collections, up-and-coming niche brands and longtime favorites. In our beauty drawer, diversity rules". I've definitely gotten some products that didn't make sense for me and some crazy awesome things that I was willing to splurge on the full size item. The following are some of my faves I've received: Number 4 Lumiere d'hiver Reconstructing Hair Masque, Befine Night Cream, and Befine Exfoliating Cleanser. Here are pics of my first and second boxes (August and July, I forgot to take a pic of September):

Sign yourself up for a recurring monthly subscription for only $10 (once again you can cancel at anytime so no getting trapped) or even sign up for a whole year! This time I get 50 points (100 points= $10 off a full sized product purchase) if you use my link to sign up, but I haven't received any freebies to write my review, I just really like my Birch Box! Let me know if you end up trying them!