Conscious Box March 2013

New box alert!  I found a deal a few weeks ago for half-off of Conscious Box, and I couldn't resist!  I'm a sucker for a deal, and getting this box for $10 a month instead of $19.99 just made me all giggly.  What is Conscious Box, you ask?  Well, according to their website, "Conscious Box helps you discover the purest, healthiest natural products in the world from the most ethical companies!"  Basically, if you're currently using a cleaner, a beauty product, or eating a snack, Conscious Box sends you the eco-alternative.  You receive about 8-10 samples in each box, about double what you'd find in an Ipsy bag or Birchbox, which explains why their normal price is double that of my beauty boxes.

Before I get into the products, I do have to say I ran into a bit of a snafu.  You see, I bought a 3-month sub using the half-off code.  Then I thought about it for a few days, and realized what I really wanted was a 6-month sub.  No prob, the code is still active, just go back and buy another 3 months, right?

WRONG.  Conscious Box is the only box (to my knowledge) that lets you run concurrent subs off of the same email address.  They say it's because they have different types of subs (vegan and gluten-free, in addition to their classic sub), and some customers want to have, say, a vegan and a classic box each month.  Well, still, no problem, just put one sub on hold for three months, then reactivate once the first one runs out.

Nope.  They have "no way" of delaying a sub or skipping months.  Thankfully, despite a completely crappy computer system, they do have excellent customer service.  They completely refunded one of my 3-month subs.  Also, since it was so close to shipping time, they allowed both boxes to go out, meaning I got two boxes for the price of (half of) one!  So, I'm completely in love with their customer service, and since I see deals all the time for 25-50% of their boxes, I will definitely try to keep this one going!  I ended up with two different variations, but a lot of duplicate items.  So, sorry for the super-long introduction, but I always want to be open and honest about my experiences with you, my lovely readers.  Let's get started!

So much fun!

Ok for starters, that is a LOT of packaging for an eco-friendly company.  They use the box-in-a-box packaging that I find really annoying, and even if it is all recycled, now I feel additional pressure to upcycle the boxes into something spectacular.  Which may or may not happen.  Ugh, the eco-pressure!

I got box 1 and box 6 for the variations, and unfortunately, I was missing items from BOTH boxes.  According to the packing lists online, there was supposed to be a protein powder sample in each box.  Also, in one box I was missing a snack bar.  Yikes!  I've emailed Conscious Box, and we'll see what they say!

Here is Box 1:

See? Just one bar in the back.

And Box 6:

Two bars.  But no protein powder in sight.

I'm sure you can see some of the repeats, so I'll review those first, then go over any individual products.  I'm excited to share this with you, there was so much cool stuff in here!

Genius!

First up is this absolutely genius idea.  When I try out a new recipe, I usually have it pulled up on my phone through Pinterest.  Of course, once I get my hands good and dirty, the screen blacks out, and I need to see it again.  Do I wash my hands 50 times while I'm preparing the food?  Or do I get my phone all gunky?  Well... neither!  I now have disposable iPhone Sleeves from Chef Sleeve!  Now, I'm sure these are some version of a glorified sandwich bag, but it's definitely an idea I never would have thought of on my own. And now I have two packs!

Hmmm... Yummy?

Wheatgrass.  Well, I should have known that I ran the risk of getting something like this in an eco-box.  It's a 3-oz shot of Wheatgrass from Agro Labs, and I'm hoping my husband likes it.  'Cause I ain't touchin' it.  Them.  Either of them.

Oooh, much better!

These cough syrup packets from Zarbees are totally going into my medicine cabinet!  I hate feeling cough-y and yucky when I'm sick, but a lot of medicines make me woozy.  And all of my mommy readers know that there are times when you need to feel better without being seriously medicated.  This is a drug-free syrup, made mainly from honey and Vitamin C.  Sounds perfect.

First you cure the  cough, then you keep it away!

I am always looking for vitamins that my kids will actually take.  Of course, they like gummies.  And of course, they prefer the ones shaped like cartoon characters, that contain a lot of sugar and artificial coloring. It will be interesting to see if they take to these.  SmartyPants Vitamins are eco-friendly, made in the USA, and have natural flavors and colors.  Also, they have a program through Vitamin Angels that provides vitamins to children in need.  This was another duplicate item, so I have a two-day supply of both kid and adult vitamins.  Oh, and have I mentioned that I hate taking pill vitamins?  Gummies for adults are pretty genius!

I'm beginning to think it's mandatory to put tea in subscriptions.

Ah, tea.  I got the Stash organic herbal tea in both boxes, 2 bags in each box, so I pulled a sample from each box to show you the flavors.  Definitely looking forward to the Very Berry.  I'm a bit apprehensive about the Chocolate Orange.  But, it's tea, you know how it works, 'nuff said.

Whoa, blurry.  Oops.

It's a bit late for this, I know, but my apologies for the quality of these pics.  I had to wait for the kids to go to bed, and took these indoors in pretty harsh overhead lighting.  So yes, I know some shots are blurry, or have shadows, or show off my wrinkly tablecloth (and a random attached string).  Just another day in the life of a mommy blogger who has to use her phone for blog pics.  I'll be better someday.  Just not today.

Anywho, Nektar Honey Crystals!  I already got these in my February Love With Food box, they're great little packets for when you want a bit of sweetener in your tea, but don't want to track down the mostly-empty, highly sticky honey bear you know is lurking in the back of your cabinets.

Last of the duplicate items! I swear!

Wow, these boxes had a LOT of stuff in them!  I promise, not much farther now.  These are the snack bars from Two Degrees.  I was missing one from my first box, but got both flavors in my second box.  These look like they'd be great trail food, but are definitely not a sit-around-the-house snack.  The Apple Pecan was much tastier than the Cherry Almond in my opinion, if you decide to buy them.  Also, for every bar you purchase, a meal is donated to a hungry child.  I love this mission, and I was able to find out information on it right on their home page.  If you read my Love With Food Review, you may recall that I had a hard time researching where the donations went and how the program worked.  This group is much more up-front.

Ok, on to the individual items!  These are the box variations, and I only received one of each in my boxes.

A mini-pampering moment!

Dark chocolate and bath salts? Spa day!  Well, these are tiny, so... spa minute!  The chocolate is from Equal Exchange, and is organic and fair trade.  The bath salts are from Sumbody, and smell divine.  I need Smell-O-Vision on my screen, because I really want you all to take in this light combination of vanilla and floral.

Diaper Cream and... hmmm.  What is this?

Now we have a small sample of diaper rash/thrush cream from Motherlove.  Dragon still gets occasional rashes, and has some dry skin patches, so let's see if this organic cream made from olive oil, beeswax, and grape root can work some magic!  And next up is just about the weirdest thing ever, from TGRT tea.  I'm all for trying new things, but just from the description on the back of this packet (which seems to be made of a folded-up brown paper towel), I can't tell if I'm supposed to drink it or bathe in it.

Oh, thanks.  Clear as mud.

So, I got on the Conscious Box website and found out that it is, indeed, both a tea and a detoxifying bath!  It gets healing properties from Chaga.  Which is... a fungus.  Which means I'm not drinking it, and will probably not be bathing in it.  Maybe it will help my garden.

Granola? In an eco-box?  So surprising!

Here's your standard eco-sample of granola.  Olde Man Granola?  Wow, that's appetizing.  Hopefully, my hubby will eat it, as it's a nutty flavor, and I don't like nuts.

And last but not least....

Not just survival... surTHRIVal!!!

This is quite possibly the coolest toothbrush ever, because it's biodegradable!  To me, this screams "Hike the Appalachian Trail with me and then plant me at the end!"  This Surthrival toothbrush is made of bamboo and biodegradable fibers, and is adorable.  I will probably gift it to some eco-loving friend, but I seriously giggled when I saw it.

All in all, I am impressed with this box so far!  There are a lot of fun things to try, and it's so nice to be able to test out eco-friendly products to see if they perform just as well as the items I'm currently using.  Hopefully at the end of my 3-month sub, they'll have another half-off code!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Do you subscribe to Conscious Box?  How are you liking it?  For me, it's a keeper!