Eco-Emi May 2013

Eco-Emi and Ipsy tie for my favorite subscription boxes. Eco-Emi speaks to my hippie side, and Ipsy speaks to my inner glamor girl. 

This month's Eco-Emi box is a "kick off to summer" theme. The intro card went on to say that in June we'll see some originals - all I can say is it's about time. Don't get me wrong - I loves me some Eco-Emi, but lately all the boxes have been filled with companies and products that we've seen before - just in different incarnations (i.e. pink eye shadow from Lauren Brookes instead of gray).

And just how does Eco-Emi kick off summer? Like this:

Assorted Nailpolish by Suncoat Girl: The color I received is a mystery - according to the card: "You will receive one surprise shade!" And it truly is a surprise, because there is no label on the polish - so I had to give it my best guess, based on what is available on the website. I am fairly certain I received Apricot. It's not a color just anyone can wear - and homey certainly can't. It will make me look like a pale face. 
Retail price: $7.99 a bottle

Lauren Brooke Pink Champagne Powder Eyeshadow: Oh my. This is a lovely shade - it goes great on my pale face! It lasts all day, and I've even received compliments on it. Go ahead, you can give me one, too. I don't mind.
Retail price: $9.00

Mongo Kiss Vanilla Honey Lip Balm by Eco Lips: Eh... you know how much homey is getting sick of receiving lip balm. Still, they often make good gifts. This one has Mongongo oil - yeah, I know. I hadn't heard of it, either. Apparently it's the oil from some sort of African nut. Oh, and all you African males out there reading this: I don't want your nut oil. Keep it in your pants, mister.
Retail price: $1.99 for a .25 oz. tube

AquaSport SPF 30 Sunscreen by All Terrain: I don't go into the water (unless I'm bathing with African nut oil - kidding), so I don't know if this holds up to it's promise to be effective even after 80 minutes in the water. But it's non-greasy and won't cause eye sting. (I didn't think I was supposed to put it in my eyes... what do I know? I'm an indoor kind of girl.)
Retail price: $12.99 for 3 oz.

Seaweed Powder Bath with Hawaiian Kukui Oil: Land sakes, how many different kinds of oil are there? At least two, right? I'm so glad this came with a warning: "Bath water will turn a greenish brown color from the seaweed." Yeah... I didn't think I was THAT dirty.
Retail price: $2.89 or 2.o oz.

Pomegranate bar by Athena Bars: Eh... see what I mean? This is a repeat product, but not really. We've received Pumpkin Spice and some sort of blueberry monstrosity... now this. Aren't there other delicious bars out there from different brands? By the by, the blueberry sucked the big red one, but the pumpkin spice one was quite alright. I haven't been brave enough to try this one yet.
Retail price: $22.68 for 12 bars

Vegan Natural Mascara by Suncoat: The card said "you will receive one surprise color!" Guess what my color was? Black... just like my heart. Seriously? Black? I was disappointed until I went to the website and saw that there are only three colors: black, brown, and blue. Now I feel better. (By the by, this is "sugar based." Not sure what that means, but don't try to eat my eyes, okay?)
Retail price: $14.99 for 10ml

Herbal Armor Insect Repellent by All Terrain: I haven't tried this yet - I live in Nevada, so not a lot of insects around. Well... tons of ants and spiders, but they don't seem to be repelled by anything, not even my coffee breath.
Retail price: $8.99 for 4 oz

Aromatherapy Hair Care Rosemary Mint Tea Tree Shampoo by Beauty Without Cruelty: Per the card, it appears that people either received a lotion, shampoo, or conditioner. I got the shampoo. It smells good and doesn't have alcohol in it - but I was unexcited. I'm picky about my hair products. I might give it a go, though, to see how it works. Who knows? It could become a favorite...
Retail price: $10.95 for 16 oz.

Nitpicks: Recycled products - the Athena bar isn't that good to begin with, and this is my third bar in about six months. Blerg. On the other hand, I liked the first Seaweed company product I tried, and was excited to see a different product to try this month. But... homey wants variety, so I'm really looking forward to next month's box.

Lasting Impressions: Three things really stood out this month: The variety of products really got me excited about summer. The packaging as always was beautiful, but this month seemed especially eye catching. Lastly, they were EARLY this month! I was so excited to get my box early that I almost wet myself.

Eco-Emi April 2013

Eco-Emi had a little insert in this month's box stating that they were late. Uh... what? You're late every month. It's a good thing you're a subscription box and not a girl, otherwise you'd be buying pregnancy tests by the bushel.

But I digress... The theme of this box was Spring. I think. It wasn't clear - but the card said that this time of year I will feel a weight lifting off of me if I remember to put myself first. And you know me, this homegirl always puts herself first, so this box is right up my alley!

Here's what was inside:

Oluv Care by OluvSkin: This brand doesn't really excite me - I received an Oluv soap in a prior box. But, this is one of those "amazing" salves that does all kinds of good things, from preventing diaper rash (who's gonna change mine?) and repairs minor cuts and burns. I have several different kinds of similar salves - I think I'll take this one to work in case I get a papercut or shank a co-worker.
Retail price: $5.36 for .25 oz.

Moisturizing Hair Milk by Shea Radiance: This stuff smells DELICIOUS. But don't eat it - put it on your hair instead. It's a vegan moisturizing hair milk - unfortunately it does have alcohol in it, so I'm not sure that I'll use it. It just smells so dang good... I might have to try it and hope it doesn't strip my color.
Retail price: $16 for 8.5 oz.

Unscented Deodorant Towelettes by Crystal Essence: Oh boy. My favorite: foil packs. But, I guess since these are towelettes, they really couldn't give a different kind of sample. I admit to being curious about these - but homegirl likes fragrance. Still, with all the damn hot flashes I get, I think it would be wise to stick these in my purse in case I need to freshen up before a meeting.
Retail price: $2.99 for a 6-pack

Dahlia Creme Eye Shadow by Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques: This is a beautiful color. And unlike other Lauren Brooke samples I've received, this one is actually generous. Weirdly, it's infused with an "organic vanilla" scent. I wonder what an un-organic (inorganic?) vanilla scent is like? And do my eyelids really need to smell like vanilla?
Retail price: $9

Organic Gluten Free Guacamole Dip by Simply Organic: Oh what fun! This is why I love Eco-Emi. Not only can I make myself beautiful with my Dahlia eye shadow, but I can eat my way to happiness, too.
Retail price: $1.69 for an 0.8 oz packet

Organic Hemp Shine Lipstick by Colorganics: I would have been more excited if this had color to it - basically, it's a glorified lip balm. *yawn* But it is a full size product - yay! 
Retail price: $17.95

Dead Sea Mud Facial Mask by Rainwater Botanicals: This will be fun to try. I know - I usually hate masks. But this one is ready made! I don't have to do a thing except to slap it on and drink some wine while it dries. Or doesn't. Bonus: it's from an etsy shop - support independent business!
Retail price: $12 for a 3 oz. jar

Comforting Geranium Mineral Bath Salts by Aura Cacia: I LOVE this brand - and I love bath salts (the real kind... not the druggie kind). This is a scent I haven't tried yet - and I'm waiting for that perfect day and the perfect wine to try this. I think it'll be tomorrow - we'll have stormy weather - what better time to soak in a hot bath with a glass of wine and a book?
Retail price: $3.29 for a 2.5 oz packet.

Nitpicks: The colorless Colororganics lipstick. How can one call a lipstick colorless? Isn't it a lip balm then? Plus, what is a company with the name "color" in their name doing with a colorless lipstick? It makes no sense.

At the same time, I know that Eco-Emi sends out what the company gives them. And Colororganics probably had a buttload of these to offload - I mean what woman in her right mind buys a seventeen dollar and ninety-five cent lip balm?

Another nitpick: the little card that announces all the goodies in the box had numerous misspellings. Not such a big thing, that is until one realizes that the names of some of the companies and products were misspelled.

Lasting Impression: Lots of good products: Lauren Brooke eyeshadow. Aura Cacia bath salts. And Guacamole dip - ole! Plus, Eco-Emi really makes these boxes up like a huge present - lots of things to unwrap, and always a nice little bag inside. This time it was a pink satin bag - so pretty!

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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