Native Box - March, 2013

 

Loved this month's Native Box which had some products I was pretty excited about trying in it, and again there were lots of products included which I love.  My dog couldn't leave this box alone, he kept sticking his head into it while I was trying to photograph.  I think the gingerbread smelled just too delicious for him to keep away.  The box was Easter themed including chocolates and lettuce seeds (for the bunnies to eat).  Here's what was inside:

Ecocern Mini Carry Bag (full size value $0 as this bag isn't listed on their website)

Well, this is just a throw away product (into the recycling bin of course).  I have no use for a plain paper bag at all.  I almost didn't bother photographing it but they listed it as an item on the product card (and marked it as vegan!) so here it is.  This exact bag isn't listed on Ecocern's website if I even wanted to purchase it.  Bit of wasted space really and my time wasted dealing with it.  Don't worry though, this was the only dud product in the whole box!

Bondi Chai Latte Stick in Vanilla Honey Chai Latte (full size, one serving, value $0.53)

I frothed my milk in my coffee machine, tipped in the contents of this stick and stirred.  Delicious!  The powder disolved completely without too much effort, it tasted great, and the hot milk made it lovely and creamy.  I really want to try their other flavour "Club Cinnamon" as well.

The Chia Co Chia Shots (full size, one serving, value $0.74)

Instructions say to "sprinkle onto breakfast cereal".  Will do.  They added a bit of crunch to my puffed corn and milk this morning.

Laviol Organic Shea Butter Cleanser (sachet)

One application of cleanser is not enough to successfully trial a product.  To see what effect something is going to have on my skin I really need enough to use for a week or so.  Native Box - slightly larger sample sizes on the skincare please!  The ingredients of this product looked really good and I've never seen a cleanser contain shea butter before, they're usually in body butters, so I was quite interested to try this product.  I'm also very pleased to receive a product for sensitive skin, which I have.

Rainforest Remedies Lemon Myrtle Soap (full size, value $3)

Lemon Myrtle is my favourite fragrance ever.  Yum.  This soap smells amazing, I almost want to eat it!  I can't stop smelling it.  Love this.  I want to try EVERYTHING this company makes.  More please!

Ashmore's Strawberries and Milk Chocolate (full size, one serving, value $2.20)

Mmmm.  The weather has finally turned cooler and chocolates arriving in monthly boxes through the post is viable again.  This was the yummy bonus product this month.

Gingerbread Folk Easter Bunny (full size, one serving, value $1.60)

Perfect ingredients, exactly the same as homemade, this cute little chocolate gingerbread bunny hit the spot.  The wrapper was even compostable.  Loved this too.

Greenpatch Lettuce Seeds "Loose Leaf" (full size, value $3.50)

I have a huge vegetable garden filled with heirloom fruits and vegetables so the inclusion of seeds was perfect for me.  Lettuce is a good choice too as it's easy to grow for beginner gardeners, is ready to plant now, and fits the Easter theme (bunny food).

Your Inspiration at Home Guacamole Dip Mix (one serving)

This had good ingredients and there was enough to make a pretty big bowl of dip, adding avocado and sour cream.  We made another one without the dip mix for the kids as it had chilli flakes in it.

That's it for this month.  I'm off to smell my Lemon Myrtle soap again!  As always with Native Box, if you sign up and put "Katherine Kelly" in the delivery instructions I'll get credit towards a free box. That would be lovely :-)

Check out other bloggers reviews of this month's box:

I can't find any other bloggers reviewing this box yet, so I'm claiming it as an exclusive (!) until proven otherwise.  Let me know if you've blogged it and I'll link to you.

Native Box - February, 2013

 

This is my first Native Box and due to their shipping schedule I've just received the February box in their second shipping, though I'll be getting their March box very soon.  I was super impressed with the sheer volume of products I received, easily the most from any sample box I've tried so far - 11 of them!  There were some duds and some winners with a good range of makeup, skincare, food and eco friendly products.  Here's what was in the box:

Native Box Recycled Eco Friendly Pen (full size)

Not much to say about this really.  It's a pen and it writes.  A nice little extra to round out the box, though they included so many products they really didn't need to (not that I'm complaining).

Essenza Pura Mystical Oil (deluxe sample size)

Wow.  This is a really high quality massage oil, it even has frankincense in it.  It smells lovely, distinctive without being overpowering.  I tried a tiny bit as a body oil and it was amazing.  A tiny bit goes a very very long way so the generous 20ml sample will last a really long time.  I have it on good authority from my husband that the scent is "man friendly" too.

La Mav Bio VA5 Daily Wrinkle Smoothing Creme (tiny amount, not enough for even one application)

The name of this product is bigger than the amount they sent.  It came in one of those tiny sample pots, but it wasn't even half full.  I didn't have enough for even one full application of this product.  So I have no idea if it's any good or not.  I literally only got a pea sized amount of creme.  I did like that it wasn't highly fragranced, so it doesn't clash with my perfume but I really need a bigger sample of this to form any opinion at all about it.

La Mav Wrinkle Smoothing Antioxidant Rich Nightly Repair Nectar (small sample size)

Another huge name, but at least this product had enough for two applications.  It smelled oddly like a flower, fitting their "nectar" name.  I quite liked this, but there wasn't enough for a good try of it.  I prefer to try a product for a week or so to get a better idea of how it works as you can't really see much change with only two applications.  This retails for $69.95 for 30ml so it's a pretty premium product.  I'd actually be really keen to try some more of their other products, as wrinkles aren't a skin concern of mine, but I did think this product had promise.  I wonder if they have anything suitable for reducing redness in sensitive skin?  I'd be all over that.

Bounce Foods Bounce Natural Energy Ball in Coconut and Macadamia (full size)

I was pleasantly suprised by this.  It actually tasted really good.  The macadamia gave it a bit of crunch and it was quite filling for its size.  I think I'd like to try some of their other flavours.

Natralus Aloe Vera (sachet)

I've tried this before.  It's especially great if you've managed to get sunburned as it's really soothing.  I have been good this summer and not damaged my skin so I used it on my legs after shaving.  Lovely and cool.

Ajitas Vege Chips (full size)

Yay!  I love Vege chips.  I actually hid this one from the kids when I was opening the box so I could have them all to myself.  This packet dissapeared very shortly after the photograph was taken.  Yummo.

Ecocern Pet Litter Scoop and Bag (one bag)

I only got the bag (no scoop) but I'm not going to follow it up because I really don't want it.  I do have a dog but we live on the edge of a small rural town and he gets walked out along the cow paddocks so there's no need to "clean up" after anything he might leave behind.  If I lived in a city this probably would have been more useful.

Byron Bay Ear Candles (full size)

My first ever dangerous product in a monthly box.  Ear candles are a dangerous scam product.  Mine went straight in the bin, after I posted on the Facebook page warning people not to use them.  There weren't any instructions for use in the box either, not that I was going to try them even with instructions.  Wikipedia describes ear candling as "both dangerous and ineffective" and lists quite a few other sources to back this up.

Adorn Eye Shadow in Base/Nude (deluxe sample size)

I've received a few of these Adorn eye shadow samples from various boxes now and I've been pretty impressed with them.  They've been long lasting and some of the colours have been very pretty.  A nude base colour isn't very exciting though, I would have preferred an actual colour.  However, like all the Adorn Eye Shadows it lasts all day even without a primer so if you want a "nude" shade this would be a good pick.

Cadbury Chocolate Heart (one serving)

This also dissapeared shortly after I took the picture.  I like a nice piece of chocolate every now and then.  A nice little Valentine's day extra that would have been more timely for me if I'd received the box in the first shipment (though this was due to the timing of my subscription rather than any delay by Native Box).

Madura Tea Chamomile (one serving)

Chamomile tea is nice, although I prefer peppermint.  I teamed this up with the bounce ball for afternoon tea.

Check out other bloggers reviews of this month's box:

I can't find any other reviews of this box.  Comment below if you've reviewed it and I'll link to you.

Notoxbox - March, 2013

 

Notoxbox shipped first of all the boxes this month.  It was pretty heavy again, but the product that made it heavy wasn't very exciting.  There were some other more interesting goodies inside though.  Here's what I got:

Amazonia Raw Food Bar in Berry Burst (full size)

My favourite from the box was this bar.  It actually tasted very good and there were no dodgy ingredients at all.  These are pretty expensive, they retail for $3.95 each, though the ingredients they use are expensive so it's not suprising.

Argital Clay Mask (deluxe sample size)

I decided not to try this mask on my face, as the instructions said that "sensitive skins may experience a light tingling sensation or reddening".  My cheeks and nose are red enough naturally and I absolutely don't want to add to that.  Luckily this product also included instructions for use on hair, legs and feet.  All of the applications except the feet needed me to add extra ingredients (honey and oil for the face, orange oil for the body and jojoba oil for the hair).  The instructions for feet suggested lavender oil which was the only one I actually had on hand, so I went with that option.  This seemed a bit fiddly for me.  I'd rather have the whole product mixed together and ready to use, or at least receive a sample of the other necessary ingredients to mix myself so I have everything I need to try it.  Having to purchase extra products just to try this one defeats the purpose of the sample box really.  Anyway, I tried it on my feet.  It was really hard to get the clay to mix with the hot water, and I didn't really manage to get it mixed thoroughly no matter what I did.  After soaking my feet in hot dirty water I was hoping for something miraculous to make up for the less than pleasant dirty water part of the experience.  Not so.  If anything, my feet felt drier than usual and I had to go and slather on some lanolin on my heels.

Weleda Almond Soothing Cleansing Lotion (deluxe sample size)

Another product for sensitive skin.  Yay!  This smelled of marzipan and felt super gentle when I used it, but afterwards I was horrified to see that my whole face was flaky.  I had done the suggested patch test the day before, so I was suprised to find this reaction.  Not a good fit for my skin type it seems.

Earthens Biodegradable Foodware (full size)

What an odd concept.  This company makes bowls from pressed leaves.  It actually looks pretty cool but I don't use disposable plates as it's just so wasteful.  The information card said "no need for disposable plastic again".  Well, no.  There is no need for disposable plastic but a different kind of disposable plate isn't the answer.  Just use a normal plate and wash it to reuse.  Seems simple enough.  The plate I received costs $15 for a pack 25.  My son was happy to receive this to use in his play kitchen so it didn't go to waste.  I do think there could be a place for these at large community events, it's just not something I would use in my home.

Vital Veggie Powder (sachet)

This was the bonus product that 3 and 6 month subscribers received.  It had all good ingredients and the concept is that you sprinkle it into your kids food to "hide" the veggies.  I'm not actually a fan of that general concept.  I have a fussy eater and it's tempting to hide spinach in his chocolate cake and so on, but if I do that he's not actually learning to enjoy spinach.  If he doesn't know he's eating it he may be getting the nutrients but he's not learning to enjoy the food.  So I don't think there's anything wrong with this product itself, the ingredients seem fine and I'm sure it won't do any harm, I'm just not keen on "hiding" vegetables.  I'd rather present them as the best part of the meal and let my fussy eater learn to enjoy them.

Eco Organics Brown Rice (full size)

I know brown rice is super healthy and I keep trying to like it.  I just... don't.  So I'm not too excited about this nice large heavy pack of biodynamic rice.  It ticks all the boxes, it's organic, biodynamic and healthy it's just not my personal cup of tea.

Sindhya Soap Nuts (sample size, enough for 4-6 washes)

I had a load of washing to do when I received my box, so I popped these straight in.  I couldn't actually get a look at what the soap nuts looked like as they were sewn into their little bag.   They seemed to work OK, though not quite as good as my usual powder as some food stains remained on my son's t-shirts that would usually come out in the wash.

Check out other bloggers reviews of this month's box:

No one seems to have reviewed this box yet.  Comment below if you have and I'll link to you.

Native Box

Photograph from www.nativebox.com.au.

Native Box is a monthly subscription box with a unique theme - they concentrate on Australian products that are also eco friendly.  It costs $20.95 per month and some of their brands include the hard to find Method cleaning products, Sanctum, Adorn Mineral Cosmetics and one of my favourite snacks: Vege chips.

They don't say how many products you will receive each month.  Their December 2012 box contained nine different products with the usual range of full size and sample size to try including the aforementioned Vege chips.  State of Green received that box and has photographs of the contents. My impression from reading around the web is that the contents are quite generous, and offer a good broad scope of products. 

I will be receiving the next Native Box so stay tuned for photographs and a review of the contents.

Notoxbox - February, 2013

 

My Notoxbox for February was super heavy which was pretty exciting.  Everything was packed inside the shipping box instead of inside a separate "presentation" box which fits well with their theme, doing away with unnecessary excess packaging.  I'm pretty happy with this month's box.  There was a good range of different kinds of products and the sizes were reasonably generous.  Inside was:

Blacktea Candle (deluxe sample size)

My favourite item from this box was this candle, closely followed by the cacao powder you'll see further below.  The packaging itself is lovely, it's made of glass with a lid and can be reused for (small) storage once you're finished burning the candle.  The smell was... unusual.  It smelled to me faintly of roses.  The candles are available in Cucumber & Green Tea, White Tea & Ginger, Frangipani, and Black Tea & Lychee.  Mine was White Tea & Ginger but it didn't really smell like that to me.

Olive Oil Soap with Manuka Honey (full size)

This was a really large substantial bar of soap that felt a bit grainy, so I was expecting there was oatmeal somewhere in there.  Actually, there wasn't.  It contains honey, goats milk and olive oil so I have no idea where the grainyness came from.  I really didn't care for the scent.  It was vaguely honey scented I guess, but not a pleasant honey scent if you know what I mean.  It lathered just fine but as I don't care for the smell I've given it to my husband who isn't so fussy about scents.

Spiral Foods Green Pea Chips (full size)

Talk about healthy - these contained just peas and salt so they would be a good option for people on a no-sugar diet.  My husband and I found them to be a bit bland.  They were nice and crunchy but with not much flavour.  I think they could be very good paired with a nice salsa.  Both my kids liked them and polished off the rest of the bag between them.  This was their favourite thing in the box.

Absolute Organic White Quinoa (full size)

This was what was making the box feel so heavy.  I don't actually cook a lot with Quinoa but it is quite expensive so I'm happy to have this on hand to use when a recipe calls for it.

Nutra Organics Super Greens & Reds (sachet)

It wasn't really clear from the packaging what this product is actually for, but they did include instructions to add one sachet to your favourite juice, smoothie or water.  I went with the water option as I wanted to see what the product tasted like on its own.  The powder was an unattractive brown colour but when mixed it turned into a reddish brown.  No matter how long I mixed there were still green floating "herby" bits.  It smelled "herby" as well.  I was skeptical but eventually I tasted it.  It tasted like... nothing.  Honestly it was just reddy brown water with green floating bits.  It looked unappetising and had no flavour at all.  Not a winner.

Power Superfoods Cacao Powder Gold (sachet)

I would have appreciated some instructions as to how to use this product.  I looked through the attached information sheet and the large included brochure but there were no actual recipes.  There wasn't enough in the sample to use in place of cocoa powder in a recipe, so I made a chocolate thickshake with vanilla icecream, a little milk and the powder.  I managed to get enough to make three thickshakes from the powder which the kids loved.  They usually turn their noses up at smoothies and milkshakes but this one they drained.  No suprise there, it was pretty much a dessert in a glass!  Regardless, it was super yummy.

Pukka Love Tea (sachet)

Beautiful packaging, especially on the full sized box which I checked out on their website.  This had a nice floral smell but it just smelled of liquorice root after I brewed it.  It tasted like a weak liquorice root tea too.

Check out other bloggers reviews of this month's box:

Willow Wellness

Notoxbox

Photograph from www.notoxbox.com.au.  Used with permission.

Notoxbox is a monthly box dedicated to natural, organic and eco friendly products including makeup, skincare, fragrance, body, hair and food products. 

They publish the contents of previous boxes on their website and they can be purchased as a one-off buy while they are still in stock.  They do sell out though.  A box costs $25 per month and you can also subscribe for three or six months which includes a store credit of $15 and $30 respectively.

Photograph from www.notoxbox.com.au.  Used with permission.

This was their January box, which included a full size Maeve mineral eye shadow, full size Hurraw lip balm, full size Chi coconut water, full size Biologika hand and body wash in Coconut and sample size Maqui berry powder.  3 and 6 month subscribers also received a full size pack of red kale chips.