Little Lace Box Review: April 2015

Reviewing Little Lace Box has become difficult for me, because it's such a nice box and a pleasant surprise each month - and every time I see anything online about Little Lace Box, I find myself irritated. I don't understand why this box seems to get so much animosity from the same group of people, but I grow exhausted by it. It's well worth the value, the items are so nice, and it really does cater to a lifestyle of treating yourself well and appreciating the finer things. I suppose that's not something a lot of people do these days, but I really like this box and it makes me happy - and then the negativity that gets thrown at it feels draining. 

Anyway, other people and their issues aside, I thought this box was phenomenal. I smiled while opening it and my husband and I loved every item. 

UrthBox Review: April 2015

I had signed up for the UrthBox special promotion a few months back and these boxes are so loaded it's ridiculous. With the move, though, it's a good time for it to be coming to an end for us, because we were just saying that we have too much stuff!

This is only a small selection of the extremely full box. This box was quite heavy on the kale, which isn't a favorite in this house, but there were still some awesome finds. In particular, I will be looking into buying more from Pretzel Perfection!

Eco Emi Review: April 2015

I always get so excited when Eco Emi arrives! Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the boxes I've received, but mostly because it's all about renewing products and I'm inundated with that kind of stuff. Sadly it's also the end of the road for Eco Emi, which they recently announced. :(

My Geeky Goodies Review: April 2015

Geek subscription boxes can be tough, because these days, everyone seems to want to be part of geek culture. It's ironic, since most of us who grew up geeky were tortured about it for years, only for it now to be the thing to do. So there are a variety of boxes and they all tend to be similar, but there's something really special about My Geeky Goodies. (I would say this goes for Geek Fuel, too). Take out things like Custom Fan Box, which is customized and therefore going to appeal to you since it's based on your interests and not random themes, and Collectible Geek, which is a more expensive collectible box, and you're left with several mystery geek boxes in the $15-$30 range each month. How do you stand out then? I think it's easy for My Geeky Goodies, because they advertise as a box FOR geeks BY geeks - and they mean it. 

A lot of people love Loot Crate and that's fine, and from a casual observer's standpoint, there may not be much of a difference between something like that and My Geeky Goodies. In April, both boxes included a shirt, a value item in the $10 range, and some filler. But for me, as a hardcore nerd and gamer, there is a dramatic difference - and it comes down to something very simple: curation. 

I've had a hard time explaining this, but I am going to do it this way. My parents and in-laws don't really know or care much about my interests. I don't mean that in a bad way, but we're all people living our own lives and I don't really know much about theirs, either. When the holidays come, unless someone asks for something specific, there's a lot of generic gift giving happening. Beyond gift cards (the savior for when you have no idea what to buy), we tend to shop on a superficial level. My dad likes to garden and my mom likes taking baths. That's kind of shallow, but I know I can pick up some gardening supplies and bath products and they'll probably like them. I can't, however, select specific seeds. My mom collects these weird wooden figure things and birdhouses or something, but I couldn't tell you which kind or which ones she has. And it's the same for us. They know I play video games. They know I love Harry Potter and Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. If you asked my parents to name a house in either Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, they wouldn't have a clue. (My dad could tell you about Tom Baker, since he got me into Doctor Who as a child, but he didn't even know it was back on.)

How does this relate to geek subscription boxes? Well, it relates a lot, actually. A set of Game of Thrones magnets or a Harry Potter luggage tag is something my parents would get me for Christmas. It's fine, but they don't have a clue what the different magnets mean or what 9 3/4 is. Last month, Geek Fuel sent a dragon glass arrowhead. My parents would NOT buy this, because it means nothing to them. It means a great deal to me, though, as a fan. THIS is the best way to explain the difference in curation. I feel like the people sourcing items for My Geeky Goodies and Geek Fuel get it; the people sourcing for Loot Crate are not appealing to fans, as much as they're appealing to generic concepts and franchises. And really, superficial enjoyment of popular franchises is, for me at least, the absolute antithesis of geekdom. Again, it's a slight variation, but little bothers me more than corporate greed. 

Quarterly Box from Rosario Dawson: April 2015

I have actually had good experiences with Quarterly, since I have selected curators based on their interests that match mine. I was really looking forward to the Rosario Dawson box this month and I loved it. However, with that said, I won't be subscribing to any more Quarterly boxes. I will discuss why at the end of this post, but first let's look at how great this box is. 

Sudsy Box Review: April 2015

As much as I have enjoyed several of my subscription boxes, there are things I don't like. In particular, I don't have very positive feelings about the way that people market their products. I especially am not a fan of sending out boxes early for review in order to get more customers. The greatest difference between just shopping and signing up for a subscription box is not convenience but surprise. I can buy brands I like that are ethical and natural for less, and I can also set up recurring orders on Amazon and elsewhere. It's much easier to manage than an account with a subscription box, especially since many of these companies make you email and hope they get it in time if you don't want to be charged. So essentially what I am paying for in these subscriptions is twofold - exposure to new brands that I may not have found on my own and the element of surprise. 

So with all that said, I was subscribing to Sudsy Box because I like natural soaps. It's not really a big surprise what's in the box, beyond the fourth item and the scents, but I figured I liked the enjoyment of the unexpected box every few months. I already subscribe to Wholly Hemp, who don't operate the same way with deliveries. You get your box the same time every month based on when you sign up and they're usually based on their current stock, so surprise is inevitable. Wholly Hemp also doesn't do a ton of marketing. 

I received my last Sudsy Box about a week ago. Sadly it's my last because certain people, and those who don't feel like they need to pay $20 every two months, got theirs almost a month earlier. I'm done with this as a customer. If you want my business, and you want my money, then you simply need to prioritize customers over marketing. Sudsy Box doesn't want to do that, so I will stick to the companies who do, I suppose. (To be clear, it's not that they send boxes out to reviewers. Bloggers get things for free and that's part of the deal, but it's the fact that the marketing strategy of revealing items well before the people who bought them get them - or even have boxes in the mail - feels so greedy.)

Hip Humanitarian Review: April 2015

This month's Hip Humanitarian box was the Beauty Box and it included several items. While I'm still not sold on the value of this box, I liked two of the items a great deal. I do like that each box is focused on a theme and that it's more of a lifestyle box than others. I also like the companies they source from (although I have had trouble getting much info on a few of them, including one from this month). Overall, I believe this is a subscription heading in the right direction and they're at least fair in not claiming they can offer the subscription for less than it costs them to operate it. 

Wantable Accessories Collection Review: April 2015

It's that time again - time for the Wantable Accessories Collection! This was a solid collection. Not my favorite, but not bad, either. There wasn't a great deal of variety, but I do tend to like necklaces more than anything so that makes sense. 

I received three necklaces this month, along with a pair of earrings. When I first opened the earrings, I was concerned because I don't usually like hoops and I didn't include them on my survey. However, these aren't hoops, but dangling circles. I really like these because they're delicate while also being stylish and unique. 

Wholly Hemp Review: April 2015

I love so many things about Wholly Hemp. The products are natural, they give back to help build stronger communities, the packaging is basic so it's easily recyclable, and it's an affordable way to get awesome bath and body products that are cruelty-free. Also they utilize hemp, which is a sustainable resource we desperately need to be using more. 

My box this month also had a jar of orange moisturizing cream, but Crafty was using it when the box arrived! Also included was a stick of Secret Falls deodorant. I have been using the Honest Company spray and I love it, but with summer coming up, a stick will be nice because it's a bit more certain to keep me smelling fresh. (Also I just tried the lavender vanilla deodorant from Honest Company and it smells exactly the same as my bergamot sage, so that's a bummer.)

Orange Glad Review: April 2015

Well, this is ridiculous. This box is too good to exist, I think. I have to warn you that if you try Orange Glad, you won't be able to stop ordering from them. Unless you simply hate joy.

The first item in the box was a pack of Dreams Come Chew from QUIN. This is the second item I've tried from QUIN, but this is the first item in all the snack boxes that inspired me to order more. I bought two full-size bags of this after sampling it, because it's that good. I'm actually a big fan of Starburst, but since they contain gelatin, I don't eat them. QUIN's Dreams Come Chew is handmade vegan Starburst basically and it's amazing.

Then there were chocolate chip butter biscuits. They came broken, sadly, but that's okay, because they didn't last long enough to need to be in one piece. Wow, these are awesome, and wow, Orange Glad just really knows how to pack a box of happy treats.

Love with Food Deluxe Box Review: April 2015

I realized after receiving my Love with Food box that people felt this was a bit short on snacks. I suppose that's true, since usually there are more items, but these were bigger than a lot of what we normally receive, so maybe that's why? Either way, I actually think this is my favorite box since I like almost everything in it, as opposed to the sort of hit and miss history I have with Love with Food. While I definitely consider it a worthwhile subscription, I do find that there are snacks each month that don't appeal to me. This one was pretty solid overall, on the other hand. 

The first two items were popcorn chips, which is a really interesting new snack. We received kettle and white cheddar flavors, and I am happy with those two flavors. Two of our favorite snacks are kettle chips and Smartfood, so these are a great way to try something new that also isn't so new it feels odd. 

GlobeIn Review: April 2015

This month's GlobeIn theme was "Picnic," so the items were useful items for such a picnic! Although they seem to be moving away from artisans (which was originally the name of the box) to fair trade companies, I don't really mind. Although when I think artisan, I do tend to think handmade items. 

Included in the box was the basket, which has become a staple for me. I love them, because they're sturdy and pretty good-sized for organizing things. There was also a pack of dried mango and a set of napkins in a drawstring pouch. I love the pouch, because it would fit in a messenger bag or bigger purse and you could add other items beyond the napkins, saving space rather than relying on a full picnic basket. 

Nature Box Review: April 2015

Oh, I love my Nature Box - and the cashews are back! We received a hefty haul this time around, because my husband wanted to double up on his beloved cashews. 

There were seven packs in this box and I am ashamed to admit that most of them are gone. The first three bags included a bag of Salted Caramel Pretzel Pops, which we still have and they're good, but not as good as other snacks.

We also received Blueberry Greek Yogurt Pretzels, which are my favorite, I think. This box, which comes monthly, was polished off nearly in a weekend and these were the first to go. We got the box in the morning and I finished this bag that night. They're really good, so don't judge me.

This time, we ordered two bags of Jalapeno Cashews and I had a bunch, but they were gone fast, too. My husband looks forward to these so much!

Nibblr Box Review: April 17

Doesn't it just figure? I decide to slow my subscriptions and cut back, making Nibblr a monthly box instead of biweekly, and they send me the best box ever! ;) Seriously all four snacks in this box were fabulous and if they were to offer bigger sizes, I would sign up just to get all four of these in bigger versions. 

We received Chocolate Cherry Jubilee, Cocoa Nuts, Apple of My Pie, and Salt and Pepper Cashews. 

Blue Moby Coffee Review by Crafty (March 2015)

This review has taken me a while to get around to, because, to be completely honest with you all, it wasn't until Boxy brought it up this morning that I remembered I still had two of the four coffees to try so that I could review them!

Here's the scoop on Blue Moby Coffee. Blue Moby is a subscription box coffee service that will provide you with four different coffees from around the world for $17.99 plus $1 for shipping, which is awesome. The other thing that is unique to Blue Moby is that, each month, they choose a nonprofit and give back 10% of everything you purchase. The March nonprofit was Bring Love In, an organization located in Ethiopia that pairs widows with orphans to build new families, or as they call them, "forever families." Boxy mentioned before in her Causebox post that some people say they would rather donate to the organization directly but few do. Blue Moby offers you a way to do good, and get great coffee in return!

Indie Craft Sampler Review: April 2015

This is my last month of Indie Craft Sampler, since I signed up for three months and they don't renew automatically. Right now is a good time to pause anyway, as I am doing with a ton of my subs, but I still enjoyed this sub. This month included a nice mix of products. 

The first set of items included a cologne, healing balm, nail polish, and body lotions. I love that the sampler has everything from personal care items to food and mini comics. All of these items intrigue me and I will be checking them out in detail once we move. I did notice a few are marked vegan already, and generally small indie artisans are cruelty-free, too, which is refreshing. 

Infinity Crates Review: March 2015

There are so many geek subscription boxes and, like geek fandoms, each caters to a certain kind of person. What is a total win for someone could be an epic fail for another. We like different things and even if you're like me, with a wide range of interests, you may find certain types of items more valuable than others. I love POP figures and collect them, so I feel a box that includes one as a guarantee each month gets a boost over ones that don't. Others don't care about those things, or prefer more variety. Again, it's a personal experience. 

I really loved my box from Infinity Crates last month and was so anxious to get this. It shipped almost a month ago and I was getting worried. It does come from Wales, so that means more waiting, but I was starting to think it had been lost. In fact, I went to the Infinity Crates Facebook page and posted that it had been lost - only for my mailman to drop it off literally five minutes later!! 

Anyway, I didn't love the Adventure theme as much as the Nostalgia theme, mostly because it's a pretty broad topic and I surprisingly didn't receive anything from Game of Thrones, which is a bit of an obsession here. At the same time, I am pretty happy that I didn't, because I have a lot of the POPs from the series and I'd be more likely to get a repeat had it been included. Still, although it wasn't as good, I still truly enjoyed this box and plan to keep this subscription. 

Super Cool New Box: March 2015 (Deadpool)

A while back, I had been looking for a new geeky subscription box, because the big name ones just don't cut it for me. I don't want endless swag; I was looking more for collectibles. I am willing to pay a bit more if I feel like the value is there and it's more thought out as well. 

I came across Cool New Box, who offers a monthly box with a theme like the others, but they also offer Super Cool New Box. This is almost twice as expensive, but is supposed to be super. Like I said, I will usually pay more for better quality and I will try anything once. To be sure, though, I went online and checked out some unboxing videos of Super Cool New Box. The ones revealed were loaded and I signed up. 

At this time, I have to say that Super Cool New Box is extremely far from super. It's the biggest disappointment I've had in a geeky subscription box, because although the quality is better than Loot Crate, the price is too high to justify. I thought maybe there was an error and that I had ordered the regular box, or that the super part hadn't shipped yet, so I contacted the people at Cool New Box just to be sure. They instead argued with me about shipping costs and defended the items, saying that the retail value was correct. I went to Amazon - and I could actually get these items for cheaper with free two day shipping, rather than $20 shipping that takes two few weeks. So sadly this is not only not super, but also overpriced. I guess Cool New Box simply does the shopping for you, but that's not the point of subscription boxes for me and I wouldn't have bought half these items, so it just feels like money wasted. 

The positive is that the items are Deadpool, who has always been my husband's favorite comic book character. He has all the books and has always liked Deadpool, although he's a little worn down by his sudden inclusion in pop culture. 

Anyway, here's what I received. The first two items were Deadpool sunglasses and a wallet. The wallet is not made of leather, which is nice, although I can't see either my husband or I wearing a chain. I think we've passed that point. The price tags for the items were still on from Hot Topic. 

Honest Company Essentials Pack: April 2015

I think it's clear that we are big fans of The Honest Company here. Now that I've been getting the Essentials Pack for a while, I am able to order the concentrate refills for many of the items, rather than new bottles, which is nice as well!

I picked the concentrates for the bathroom cleaner, floor cleaner, and multi-surface cleaner this time around. I don't really need them yet, but I like having them on hand and they're small enough that you can store them easily. I had to get the full bottle of the stain remover, though, because it's my first time getting it.

Good Mouth Review: April 2015

GoodMouth is a dental hygiene subscription box that you can order monthly or quarterly. We get the shipments every three months, since we don't go through toothbrushes faster than that, but there is a lot of flexibility. 

For every order, GoodMouth donates dental services to people in need as well. That, combined with the quality of their products and the companies they work with, makes this a definite must for me as a subscription box.