Eco-Emi February 2013

First things first: I love Eco-Emi. I really, truly do. And so it pains me to write my first "meh" review of one of their boxes.

Now had this been a regular box, I might not have been disappointed. But it was their anniversary box - and I expected great things. Not necessarily full sizes... but I did expect a lot of the cool items that has made Eco-Emi what it is today - a unique, eco-friendly, and much coveted monthly subscription box.

The box was also late, and there was some sort of screw up and tracking notices did not go out. I can forgive the lateness: they were hit with a snow storm. And things DO get screwed up once in a while - Mercury is in Retrograde after all - still, those two issues PLUS the underwhelming anniversary box really lent this month a blah flavor.

Without further ado, here is the box:

Serenity Vegan Hair Gel by ily: I haven't tried this yet, but it's supposed to be good for both curly and straight hair. I don't need to use it here in Nevada - the air is dry, so my hair doesn't get frizzy. But I will use it when I go to the Bay Area, which wreaks havoc on my hair. This stuff smells like Jello (that's not necessarily a bad thing!).
Retail price: $16 for 8 oz.

Exfoliate foaming vegan cleanser by Suki: It's a small sample, and I'll use it - but it's not exciting. However, it does smell good - well, like Jello. (Strange how the hair gel and the cleanser smell almost exactly alike, yet are from two different companies.)
Retail price: $32.95 for 4 oz.

Berry Red lip gloss by Purely You Minerals: The one thing in this box that got me excited. It's a nice color that I think wold look good on a majority of women. It's kind of gooey, though, and messy to put on (it came in a pot, but the retail product comes in a wand with an applicator). It tastes like peppermint and contains botanical essential oils and vitamin E.
Retail price: $7.99

Pumpkin Spice Bars by Athena Bars: This is a repeat item - kind of. They sent a blueberry flavor in November. Personally I didn't think it tasted very good, but apparently it was so popular that they repeated the item with a different flavor to for us to try. I'm hoping this one is better - and I do tend to like pumpkin-flavored goodies.
Retail price: $22.68 for 12 bars

Key Lime and Mint Gum by Vitacare: This is another repeat item in a different flavor. Last March, I received the Pomegranate Gum. Personally it wasn't my thing: the flavor didn't last long, and as soon as the flavor went away, my mouth felt dry. 
Retail price: $1.99 for a 12-piece packet

Collagen & Almond enriching moisturizing lotion by Aubrey: What is it with people? Can't they captailize their products anymore? But I digress... this is - say it with me now - A LITTLE FOIL PACKET. And you know how homey hates those. 
Retail price: $9.99 for 12 oz

Peppermint Spice Lip Balm by Moody Sisters: This is the third Moody Sisters product I've received. I love that Eco-Emi supports their etsy shop. I also wish that Eco-Emi would find some other etsy products to promote. Don't get me wrong: I love Moody Sisters. It would be nice, however, to try something new from a different company.
Retail price: $3.95

The Amazing Trio packet of grass. Okay. It wasn't really a packet of grass... it's a "whole food drink powder" and it's raw and gluten free. It's also kind of nasty - and it seems like the "good for you" grass products always are. But it IS full of nutrients that are good for your health, so suck up a little nasty to feel good.
Retail price: $21.99 for 15 packets

Nitpicks: As I mentioned before, an anniversary box evokes excitement and surprise - this box had very little - if any - surprise. Repeat products. Repeat companies. Additionally, there was not even one item that could be classified in the "wow" department.

Lasting Impression: This particular box was packed up beautifully. All the products were contained in a lovely silver tin with a see-through top. Eco-Emi really does put care into their packaging, and it shows.

Despite this less than stellar review, I still love Eco-Emi. I do hope they can get through this slump and revisit their roots - which is what an anniversary is about. I want to challenge them to remember to keep surprising their subscribers with new and innovative green products - to seek out new companies and new products. Happy Anniversary, Eco-Emi - may you have many more.

Eco-Emi August 2012 Box

Of all the subscription boxes I receive, I love Eco-Emi the most. It’s the perfect mix of beauty, home, and health products all in one reasonably priced box! They do what Conscious Box does, but Eco-Emi does it better and cheaper!

This month’s box tickled my fancy! Here’s what was inside:

Orchard body glitter by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: Okay, I’m not a body glitter girl. But, I do like Lauren Brooke products so what the heck? I’ll give this a whirl the next time I go disco dancing with the Bee Gees!

Retail price: $12 for 4 grams/$6 for 1.5 grams

Tin Slider Lip Balm in French Vanilla by Naiad Soap Arts: Ooooh, the memories! I had something almost exactly like this when I was a teenager, only it wasn’t chockfull of natural ingredients, like this one is. I will be keeping this baby for myself, thankyouverymuch. But… my only gripe with lip balms like this is that it’s applied with a finger, and then you have to wipe off your finger, etc. And this is what I remember about this type of product from my teen years – the girls’ bathroom was FULL of finger swipes on the wall next to the mirror from girls who used the wall as a finger wipe after putting on lip balm/color.

Retail price: $4.00 per tin

Organic Hydrating Sugar Scrub by Moody Sisters: This is my second product from Moody Sisters. I love that Eco-Emi is supporting small businesses – this one is on etsy.com. This is a good size sample, and so I expect to get either one very generous use out of it, or two very stingy ones!

Himalayan Rose Soap by Auromere Ayurvedic: If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: I am a gel kind of gal. The soap I have to wash my hands on my kitchen sink is a gel. The soap I use to shower with is also a gel. I rarely use soap… but this one, oh this one I can’t wait to use! It smells wonderful and is reminiscent of this store I used to go to when I was a kid called House and Garden. It smelled great – and this soap smells like that store!

Retail price: $2.95 for a 2.75 oz bar.

Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath with Calming Chamomile by Aura Cacia: I love Aura Cacia products! I was tickled pink to see this in my box. You probably don’t know this about me yet, but I am Bathtub Girl™. There is nothing I like more than a nice, long soak in the tub with a glass of wine and a good book. I’ve used the Soothing Organic Milk & Oat Bath with Healing Helichrysum and it was wonderful. I can only imagine this one is as good – or better!

Retail price: $3.29 for one 1.75 oz packet.

Organic Raw Pecan Butter by Artisana: The December 2011 Eco-Emi box contained a packet of Artisana’s Raw Cacao Bliss. Let me tell you, it was heavenly. Seeing a new product to try from Artisana gives me the happies.

Retail price: $10.20 for an 8 oz. jar

Cool Calm & Collected Citrus Mint hand & body lotionby Better Life: Damn, only one little packet. No fear, your homegirl has already tried this product and can say with absolute certainty it’s wonderful! It reminds me a little of Deep Steep products – so if you like Deep Steep, you’ll also like Cool Calm & Collected!

Retail price: $6.99 for 12 oz

French Green Clay Facial Mask by Rainbow Research: Masks are the one product homey doesn’t use – I don’t have breakouts or pimples, so I don’t use them. I know, I know – that’s not the only thing they’re good for. Still, facial masks are not my bag. Too much trouble for too little payoff. I might be using this in a future giveaway package – keep your eyes peeled.

Retail price: $8.49 for an 8 oz. jar

Lettuce Mesclun Q’s Special Medley Organic Seeds by Botanical Interests: Woohoo! Seeds to plant! This makes me very happy! This is the first year I’ve had any success whatsoever in my garden, and I can’t wait to plant even more stuff! Nothing gets you in touch with yourself as much as gardening (you thought I was going to say something else, weren’t you?).

Retail price: $2.39 per packet

Four herbs from Frontier Natural Products: The packets are small – approximately 1/8^th of an ounce each. The herbs received: Lavender, Rosemary, Mint, and Lemongrass. The herbs were packaged in a beautiful purple organza bag, along with a card with some suggestions for use. I was really happy with this product, although I would say of all the products, this seemed to be the most controversial on the blogs/reviews. Some people are totally unhappy with it – and those tend to be the make-up people – you know, the people who subscribe to Eco-Emi, even though they know it’s not a beauty-only subscription, and then find some reason to whine about the fact that they received herbs and tea and stuff instead of make-up products. Boo the frick hoo!

Eco-Emi is a subscription I won’t be giving up any time soon. It’s the one subscription box that consistently delivers fantastic products. Plus, they always seem to have a waiting list, and I don’t want to have to wait again to get a box (I waited about four months before there was an opening to subscribe). Yep, homey isn’t going anywhere – Eco-Emi, you have a fan in me!

Interested in Eco-Emi? Sign up here - it's $15 a month. This box does what Conscious Box does - only better and cheaper!

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