Subscription Box Trades - April 2015

Time for a monthly round-up of trades I've made with the unwanted items from the subscription boxes I subscribe to.  I trade or "swap" my unwanted items on the My Subscription Addiction swap page.

Here are the swaps I made in April:

• Juice Beauty Cellular CC Cream in Warm Glow and One Love Organics Healthy Locks Dry Shampoo Powder - swapped for ->  Malin + Goetz Lip Mojito Moisturizer and 100 % Pure Mint White Tea Tonique
• Knock Knock "What to Pack" Travel Packing List Pad - swapped for -> Derma E Evenly Radiant Brightening Day Creme SPF 15 (0.5 oz)
• Laura Geller Baked Liquid Radiance Foundation in Golden Medium (2 tubes) - swapped for -> Mitchell & Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil
• Lauren B Nail Polish in I'm So LA - swapped for -> Aerin Waterlily Sun Perfume

The White Tea Tonique is a 100% natural, light moisturizing spray which is great when I don't want to have a lot of product on my face.  I checked out the 100% Pure website and there is so much stuff I want to try from them!  I need to come up a with a good reason to treat myself to a mini shopping spree on their website.  The Malin and Goetz lip moisturizer felt greasier than I would like but it works okay.  I'm happy to be rid of more items from the March PopSugar box.  I finally found someone, a 4 year old girl, who wanted the hot pink zip pouch from that box so I gave it to her.  I was able to trade the travel packing checklist for another container of the Derma E brightening crème that I received in the April Goodebox.  Since one of my current skin goals is to lighten a couple of hyper-pigmented spots on my face, I'm hoping crèmes like this one will help.  I love serums and oils for skin, so I'm always looking for new ones to try.  The Mitchell and Peach oil contains some of my favorite natural oils such as jojoba, grape seed, and coconut oil.  It also contains apricot and sunflower seed oils.  My only concern is that it contains perfume.  Perfumed oils are hit or miss when it comes to a negative reaction on the skin on my face.  I may just use this one as a hand and body oil.  My nose is usually pretty sensitive to perfumes, but I really like the scent of the Aerin Waterlily Sun perfume.  I tried a little on my wrist and it lingered for several hours but it was not too overwhelming for me.  I thought it was the perfect balance of sweet, floral and musk for me.  I think it will be perfect for spring and summer.  The 0.3 oz travel size that I have can be purchased from Nordstrom for $15.  I like the small bottle and the convenience of being able to carry it in my purse anywhere.  And since I wear very little perfume, even this small bottle should last me a long time.  I will probably purchase another small bottle to have an extra one for my bathroom vanity.  Overall, I was quite pleased with the trades I made this month!

Subscription Box Trades - March 2015

The upside of subscription box services is that you can score some great items well below the retail value but the downside is that you may end up with some items that leave you feeling like you wasted your money.  Some box services will release a theme or a spoiler for items that will be featured that month, but usually you have no clue what you're getting until you open the box.  Surprise!  So you're just as likely to end up with something you love or as you are to get something you really don't want and will never use.  Of course, you could always gift the items you don't like to friends, family, and co-workers or try selling them on eBay.  I've also found that by being a part of a subscription box community site, I can make fair trades with other friendly, like-minded subscription box lovers.  Both parties walk a way with less stuff they don't want and more of what they will actually use.  It's a win-win!  I trade or "swap" my unwanted items on the My Subscription Addiction swap page.

Here are the swaps I made in March:

• Bliss Micro Magic Microdermabrasion Treatment - swapped for ->  Mitchell and Peach English Growers Body Cream and The Body Shop 100% Natural Lip Roll On (Rose Version)
• Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash and Porefessional Minis, The Wet Brush Squirt, and Coastal Scents Revealed Palette Sampler in Latte - swapped for -> Lauren B Nourishing Hand Creme with Orchid and Peony and Essential Elements Rosemary Shower Gel
• Baggu 3D Mint Striped Small Bag, Dr Brandt Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant, and Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24 Hour Mascara - swapped for -> Burt's Bees Brightening Even Tone Moisturizing Cream 

Fortunately, I was able to get rid of a few of the items from the March PopSugar Must Have box that I really was not impressed with along with a few makeup samples from various beauty boxes I subscribe to.  I'm in a bit of hand cream and lip balm phase right now so I've been on the hunt for these types of items on the swap board.  The Lauren B orchid and peony hand cream smells wonderful.  The shower gel I didn't like so much because it smelled like rosemary and menthol (I guess it would be great if I had a cold!).  The Mitchell and Peach body cream ended up not smelling or moisturizing as nicely as I had hoped but I'll still use it.  I really like that the Body Shop lip balm is all natural, but it is a bit too sticky (somewhat like a lip gloss) for my preference.  I'll use it in a pinch but would never buy it.  I got the Burt's Bees brightening cream to hopefully help lighten a couple of small hyper-pigmented spots on my face caused by acne.  Overall, I'm pleased with the trades/swaps I was able to make this month!