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.

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.