Kloverbox - May 2015

I received my May Kloverbox today!  Kloverbox is definitely one of my favorite subscription boxes and I am always excited to receive my monthly box.  Here is a look at what was featured in this month's box:

Product Information Card

 

Delizioso Skin Care TARA Adorned Blushing Mousse  0.25 oz ($29.95)

 

Preserve Triple Razor with 2 Blades  ($8.50)

 

Eco-armour Pomegranate & Mango Shave Foam  1.7 oz ($12)

 

Eco-armour Mango Butter Lip Balm  0.15 oz ($5.75)

 

Pure Organic Ancient Grains Triple Berry Nut Bar  1.23 oz ($2.19)

 

Cost of Box:  $25 (includes shipping)
Total Box Value:  $58.39
Impressions:   This is my first Kloverbox that has included a makeup item.  I will not be using the blush mousse which is kind of disappointing since it alone makes up a little more than half the retail value of the box.  I will try to trade it for something I can use.  I plan to use everything else in the box.  I still haven't used my Preserve razor I received in my April Goodebox but razors are useful and always good to have a stash of.   I like than an extra blade is included.  The pomegranate and mango shave cream and mango lip balm sound heavenly!  I love lip balms with cocoa or shea butter and almond oil so I'm excited to try this one from Eco-armour.  I have never tried any snack bars with quinoa or amaranth before so I'm intrigued by this Pure bar.  I do like that it has almonds and berries in it.  This will be my breakfast tomorrow morning!

Although I will not be using the big ticket item in this box, the blush mousse, the value of the rest of the items are more than the cost of the box which is good.  Overall, I'm happy with the amount of use I will get out of the items included so it was a good deal for me.  I'm looking forward to the June box! 

Bare Bliss Box - May 2015

I received my May Bare Bliss Box today.  I wasn't overly impressed with my first box from them last month but I wanted to give it another month to see if they got better.  Here is what was featured in this month's box:

Product Information Card:

  Bio Republic Green Tea Detox Sheet Mask  1 mask ($4.98 value)

 Alaffia Neem and Shea Butter Skin Recovery Face Cream  (size & value unknown)

 Goddess Garden Organics Natural SPF 30 Sunscreen  1 oz ($5 value)

 Ellovi Tinted Lip Butter  0.15 oz ($5)

 Rock Island Sponge Company Sea Sponge (maybe $3 value)

 

Cost of Box:  $19.99 per month (free shipping)

Impressions:   I liked the samples in this month's box better than those in last month's box.  I am not  sure of the exact retail value of this box because some samples were not listed with a size but I estimate it as the same as the cost of the box.  It is not a high value box but I will use all of the samples which is great!  I like having plenty of sunscreen on hand during the summer and I really like that the one in this box is natural and isn't tinted.  The lip butter is tinted but I can tolerate it because the tint in this type of lip product is usually so light that it isn't noticeable when applied to my lips.  I'm looking forward to trying the face cream because it's supposed to be good for acne prone skin.  Hopefully the neem oil smell will not be too overwhelming when I apply the cream.  I will try the green tea detox mask but I do not have high hopes for it since this is only one mask application.  Every product like this I've ever tried have had no noticeable results even with consistent use.  The sponge feels soft but it is small so it will be most suitable for use on my face.

 

Even though I thought this month's box is much better than last month's box, I'm not entirely sure if I will continue my Bare Bliss Box subscription.  I wish the retail value for their boxes was higher or that the monthly subscription rate price was a little lower.  I really like and get a lot of product use out of boxes like Kloverbox so I'm trying to let go of boxes that I think are only okay.  I may continue for another month to help me decide if this box is worth keeping. [I decided to end my subscription with the May box.]

A Note on Shipping:  Again, I did not receive any notification that this box had shipped.  Not all subscription box services offer shipment tracking but normally they at least notify you that the box has shipped so you know to expect it. 

Petit Vour - May 2015

I received my monthly beauty box from Petit Vour today.  Here is a look at the products featured in May's box:

 

Product Information Card



Lippy Girl Vegocentric Organic Lipstick in Snog Me  0.18 oz ($23)

Zabana Essentials Shimmery Dry Glow Shampoo 2 oz ($9)

NYL Shimmer Scrub  2 oz ($11)

MUN No.11 Anarose Rejuvenating Rose Toner ($2 value)

 



Cost of Box:  $15 per month (free shipping to US)
Total Box Value:  $45
Impressions:   I really like that there were three full size items in this box and the total box value was three times what I paid for the box.  I will not be using the lipstick because I do not wear it but this one is a nice color.  Dry shampoo does not work well in my naturally curly hair and even if I did use it, I wouldn't like a shimmery product in my hair.  I don't really like that the body scrub is shimmery either but I will give this a try because it contains rosehip, grapeseed, and vitamin E oils.  And I really like that it smells like white grapefruit!  I've been hoping that I would eventually get some MUN skin products in my one of my beauty boxes one day so I'm really happy to get this rose toner.  I do wish it was a larger sample though.  This is only a single use sample.  Overall, this wasn't my favorite Petit Vour box because I will not get a lot of product use out of it.  The body scrub and toner are valued at $13 which is a little less than what I paid so this month's box wasn't the best deal for me.  I'm still looking forward to seeing what comes in next month's box!

Update:  I tried the shimmer scrub and I would not recommend it unless you really, really like glitter!  Thankfully I only tried it on my arms rather than my whole body.  It took several tries with an exfoliating soap and brush to get all of the gold glitter off of me. 

Graze - May 2015

Over the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying the first of two Graze snack boxes I scheduled for delivery in the month of May.  I subscribed to the 8-snack variety box with delivery every two weeks. Here are the snacks I got to try in this box:

Nutrition & Ingredient Information Card

 Zesty Chili Lime Cashews

 Original Three-Seed Protein Flapjack

 Salted Fudge & Peanut Cookie

 Herby Bread Basket

 Chai Latte

 Barbecue Sub with BBQ Relish

 Cinnamon Fig Roll

 Apple Cosmo

Cost of Box:  $11.99 (free shipping)
Impressions:  I really liked the variety of flavors and snacks that they included in this box.  Here is a quick run down on what I thought of the snacks:

• Zesty Chili Lime Cashews: I liked the chili seasoning but I would like this snack even better without the lime flavoring.
• Original Three-Seed Protein Flapjack:  I liked this a lot more than I thought I would.  It similar in consistency to a chewy granola bar and is slightly sweet.  I have been trying to include flax seed in my diet so I like that these include flax seed.
• Salted Fudge & Peanut Cookie:   I really like salted fudge and peanut butter cookies.  I think this would have been a great snack if the redskin peanuts had been toasted.  The raw peanut taste just masked and ruined the taste of everything else. 
• Herby Bread Basket: I thought this snack was pretty good except for the oregano rice cakes.  They seemed to have a slight sweet aftertaste that didn't quite mesh well with the savory herbs.
• Chai Latte:  I love drinking Chai lattes so I was excited to try this snack.  It does have a lot of the chai latte flavors but I think I would have liked this snack a lot more if the seeds and coconut chips were toasted for a richer flavor.
• Barbecue Sub with BBQ Relish:  Essentially pretzels with barbecue sauce as dip; not what I would call a great snack idea.
• Cinnamon Fig Roll:  I like fig newtons and this snack does taste like a fig newton but with root beer.  The little cookies are crisp, not soft.
• Apple Cosmo:  It was ok, but not great.  I like dried apples and cranberries but not so much the lime raisins.  They definitely tasted like they had been soaked in lemon-lime soda.

Out of this box, I would say the three-seed protein flapjacks were my favorite.  A couple of the other snacks were OK but would have been great if the nuts were roasted/toasted or if there was no lime flavoring.  I did contact customer service to ask why many of their snacks with nuts didn't have roasted nuts or toasted coconut and they stated that they simply didn't have suppliers to do it yet.  I hope they find suppliers soon; I think many of their snacks would be great if the nuts were roasted/toasted to enhance the flavor!  Although I didn't like all of the snack flavor combinations, I did enjoy trying them.  It was also nice having these individually packaged, pre-portioned packs to throw in my purse for snacks at work.

One thing that I did not mention in the review of my free trial box is that the "use by date" for each snack is listed on the information card.  This is handy because not all the snacks have the same shelf life.  However, I do think it would be better if the date was listed on the snack package to prevent confusion if snacks from different boxes get mixed up or if you accidentally throw away the info card.  These snacks do not last for months like some store-bought snacks and I presume it is because there are little to no preservatives in them.  The snacks in this box were listed to expire anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks after I received them but they didn't last that long!  I'm looking forward to what snacks I'll get to try in my second May box.

PopSugar Must Have - May 2015

I received my May PopSugar Must Have box today.  The theme for this month's box was:  Glowing Skin, Fresh Flowers, Colorful, and California Sun.  Here is a look at the the items included in this month's box:

Product Information Card:

Sisters of Los Angeles 'Surf Sand and Love' Beach Towel  60"x31" ($40)

Middle Kingdom Mini Plum Vase in Coral Red  ($20)

Kitsch Tri'd & True Y-Shaped Necklace  ($32)

Sage and Row Shave Cream  3.5 oz  ($17)

Batiste Dry Shampoo  1.6 oz  ($4)

Hammond's Candies McCraw's Flat Taffy  ($1)

Cost of Box:  $39.95 (includes free shipping)
Total Box Value:  $114
Impressions:  The curation of this box seems to be a bit more hodge-podge than usual.  I don’t like this month's box as much as the April box but I will try to use or gift as much I can because it wouldn’t be worth the effort and cost to trade everything; especially the bigger and heavier items.  If the towel was a simple yellow and white striped design, I would like it more.  I prefer not to have items with huge brand logos or large text across it but it's a beach towel so it's fine I guess.  It is It is an exclusive design for PopSugar so you can't buy it on the Sisters of Los Angeles website.  I like keeping fresh flowers around but I think I would like the vase better if it was a more neutral color.  The bright red/coral color does not compliment my home decor at all.  I may keep it on my desk at work or gift it.  I do not wear jewelry often, but when I do it's gold-tone because it looks better against my skin tone.  I like the simplicity of the Kitsch necklace but already know it wouldn't get worn because of the silver plated color and long 36-inch length.  I will try to trade or gift it.  The shave cream contains aloe, sunflower oil, and shea butter so it sounds like it would be rich and moisturizing.  It is paraben, sulfate, and alcohol free and contains many ingredients that are organic and the scent reminds me of magnolia blossoms so I will give this a try.  Last month's box included an organic body care product too so I wonder if this is going to be a trend for PopSugar boxes.  It would be great if it does become a regular feature!  I do not use dry shampoo so the Batiste will be given away or possibly traded.  The taffy candy was kind of random but I guess they wanted to include some kind of food item since many people complained there wasn't one in last month's box (there is usually a snack item in every box).   I didn't miss having a snack last month and I could have done without the taffy in this month's box.

Overall, I am not that thrilled about the items in this month's box but the retail value is good.  The shave cream is pretty much the only item I'm looking forward to using.  Right now, PopSugar seems to be on an "awesome, not awesome, awesome, not awesome" cycle to me.  March was not awesome, April was awesome, May was not awesome,... so maybe June will be awesome!

Birchbox - May 2015

Today I received my May Birchbox.  I have not really enjoyed my past Birchboxes but this month is much more in line with the types of beauty products I like to try.  And I'm really happy that this month's samples are a little larger than usual.  Here is what I received in my May Birchbox:

Product Information Card

 

Macadamia Professional™ Nourishing Moisture Oil Treatment  1 oz ($9.52 value)

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer  0.67 oz ($14.40 value)

 

W3LL PEOPLE The Expressionist Mascara  (sample size & value unknown)

 

Dr. Jart+ Premium BB Beauty Balm, SPF 45 in Shade #2 Medium-Deep  0.17 oz ($4.42 value)

WEI™ Golden Root Purifying Mud Mask  0.3 oz ($5.25 value)



Cost of Box:  $10
Total Box Value:  over $33.59
Impressions:  This month's Birchbox is the best of the 5 boxes I have received from them.  The samples seem a little larger than what I normally get, there was no Harvey Prince perfume sample, and I can actually use 3 of the 5 samples that I received!  The Macadamia hair oil smells great and a little goes a long way so this 1 oz bottle should last a good while.  The Naobay moisturizing cream goes on the skin silky smooth, absorbs quickly, and moisturized my dry skin pretty well.  I applied a small amount on the back of my hand and after a few minutes my skin did feel a little softer in that area than the rest of my hand.  I'm really looking forward to trying the mud mask because I read some reviews that stated it was good at deep cleaning pores.  It is also recommended to apply the mask with a brush to get more even coverage.  I do not wear makeup so the mascara and beauty balm will be traded or given away.  Overall, I thought this was a relatively good Birchbox.  The is the first time I've been excited to try more than one sample in my Birchbox.  The value of the 3 samples I will use more than make up for the cost of the box so I am quite happy about that!  

I have been subscribed to Birchbox for a few months and haven't gotten much use out of the samples I receive because my current beauty needs center more around natural skincare products rather than makeup, hair, and perfume.  Although this month's box is the best one I've received, it will be my last.  I'm cancelling my subscription after I use up the last of my reward points.  If you are predominantly interested in makeup, hair, and perfume samples, Birchbox is a one of the more inexpensive, beauty boxes to try.  The brands featured are more high-end than common drugstore brands so it's nice to get to try a sample before committing to purchasing the pricey full-size products.  The rewards point program is by far the best I've seen.  And the boxes are cute and come in handy for sorting and storing you samples!