August Sub-Box Recap!

Well friends, the end of the month only means one thing: I try to cram in all the monthly features that I've somehow forgotten about over the past 4 weeks. Just kidding, I've dropped the ball on several, but I can't let the sub-box haul pass me by! Today I'm sharing Birch Box, My Glam Bag, GlossyBox, and Love Club!

My Glam Bag is one that I almost never subscribed to because of the founder's sketchy reputation. I've followed it myself for a while and I'm still not a huge fan of her, but I do like the subscription service. However, this month's was just " N". The postives? The Circus nail polish (in briiiight pink!)... even though I got a Circus nail polish last month. The pink is beautiful and it actually holds up incredibly well! That says a lot because I am not easy on my hands. The mineral eyeshadow is very pigmented. Looking at it you wouldn't think it's pink, but it definitely is. The rest: I loved the color of the "generic" My Glam lipgloss, but it was veryyy sticky and thick feeling, though it gave little to no color. It also tasted like watermelon and I hate all artificial watermelon tastes/smells. Personal preference. The "clean skin" roll on perfume very much smelled like clean skin, and that is kind of creepy to me. I'm not sure why. The 2 Eclos products have yet to get used. Face stuff, galore! Overall: Take it or leave it. 

Love Club is a fairly new player in the sub-box game, and I've heard great things about them so far. I was asked to review their August box (along with other months), so in full disclosure: I did not pay for this box. Opening it up I was happy to see the pretty polka dot tissue paper. I'm such a sucker for packaging. Inside, it felt a little "messy" (for the lack of a better term). Now, take into consideration that I'm someone who buys something solely for the packaging sometimes. A lot of the items were just in clear baggies stapled to a business card. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, as all the items made it safely to me, but I often want more in terms of indie box packaging. Maybe how BirchBox wraps + ties it's smallest items together? Not sure, just an idea :) Inside contents: A silver ric-rac headband that I've already gotten plenty of use out of, nail decals that I've yet to try but am waiting for the perfect color palette, a ginger lily lotion sample that was pretty darn dreamy, and then some of those pain-free elastics (I never wear hair ties so I'll give these away) and die-cut paper pieces that probably won't get used because I'm horrible at keeping up with my letter-writing! (Though the colors are great) Another thing I loved about LC is that the content sheet was fixated clearly on the lid of the box itself. That was a great way to see what I was getting as I was opening it. It's a simple move, but it speaks volumes (to me at least). While August wasn't overwhelmingly "me", I've heard some of the other boxes were truly spot-on, so I hope I have the chance to share those with you. I can think of a few gals that this box would have been perfect for, so that's a great first impression. I also think it'd make for a great gift box! Overall: Great start, but I can't wait to see more.

There's no use even trying to salvage this one: I was not impressed, GlossyBox! I hold GlossyBox to a much higher standard than the others simply on the basis that it costs twice as much. The lip balm came in beautiful packaging, but I've just kind of thrown the rest of the box aside. Spoiler: the lip balm is good, but not great. I'll admit I haven't given the hair products a whirl, so they could totally surprise me. Based on other reviews and what my hair tends to lean toward however, I'm not too optimistic. Overall: I sure hope September is better!

Another slightly-disappointing package? August's BirchBox. The only product that actually surprised me and had me excited was the Per-fekt lash perfection gel. I wish the sample had been bigger because I really loved it. I try to switch up my mascara every month because it's the one beauty product I notice a huge difference in. I'd recommend it for sure. I think one of the reasons I was bummed about this month's BB was because I got a razor. A razor. I just don't feel that to be an adequate usage of my subscription fee, but I'm sure plenty feel differently. The soaps (lavender pine scent) smelled very regal, if that's a word I can use for them, and I decided to keep my little spritzer of the new Juicy Couture fragrance in my bag. I've been using the DDF facial cleanser for a few days and so far so good. It hasn't broken me out like traditional facial cleansers tend to, but it's also nothing to write home about. I do appreciate the generous sample size, though! Overall: Not nearly as bad as GlossyBox, but still far from the best.

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Sadly August didn't overwhelm me with awesome like previous months had, but I'm just calling a fluke. Each box had it's own redeeming qualities (except for GB haha) so it's still a success! I have a great feeling about September and I hope it doesn't disappoint. At the end of the day I still really dig all 4 of these boxes and I'd recommend them to absolutely anyone. They can't all be winners, and the gamble of that is what makes it fun. Did you get any of these this month? How do you feel about them? (Did I totally miss out on the greatness of one of them? Sway me ;P)

PS: Not related to sub-boxes at all, but Romwe is having a 75% off sale on their site through the end of this week! Check it out HERE!

July Subscription Box Haul

Phew! This month's haul is a bit big, so stick with me! It was a pretty fantastic month from each subscription so I'm tickled to have some new favorite products to share :) First up, My Glam Bag!

In this box: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion (I really like the feel of this stuff. I haven't used the whole bottle yet of course, but it's one I'll definitely consider purchasing again) -- Nume HydroPunch Hydrating Conditioner (I'm getting ready to use this again today. I haven't noticed a huge difference in my hair, but it could always use some hydrating...) -- Circus by Andrea's Choice nail polish (in Reverso) (this is WHITE! It has amazing coverage, that's for sure!) -- Buxom Big and Healthy Lip Polish (I wouldn't normally pick this dark of a shade out for myself, but I love this lip gloss!) -- Yes To Cucumbers facial towelettes (these are perfect for my purse on the go. It's a great boost of hydration when it's super hot and humid outside. I've been going sans makeup a lot of days anyway!)

Overall thoughts: This bag was a winner. From the actual bag it came in (so fun!) down to each and every product. I was really really happy with it! (Sign up for your own!)

I feel like kind of a doof but I knew I shot this box a while ago. I always try to shoot the box before using the products that you can obviously tell have been open (like the cookies above, for example) but I've lost the photos and had to re-shoot it after using some of it. Oops! There were definitely more cookies and suckers, too... but we've kind of been enjoying them ;) (Just so there is no confusion, this is actually the June box from Hammock Pack! They were a featured sponsor last month and this box was courtesy of.)

In this box: Butter Plus Love jam sandwich cookies (these were pretty darn delicious. Toby especially enjoyed them!) -- This Charming Candy lollipops (these were amazing! I hate anything basil flavored so I passed those off to Mike, but the pineapple? guava? So good!) -- Motor City Creations Hawaiian Breeze soy candle (this candle is my new favorite. It's currently burning here on my desk in my office and it smells insane. The color is beautiful, too. And I'm a sucker for that simple but classy packaging.) -- Theme Fragrance Sea Kelp Ginger Lime Coconut Milk soap (phew! Long name! This soap smells really good, but even more so it's very pretty! I've refused to use it for that reason...) -- Dress Green Coconut Vanilla Lip Balm (I normally hate anything coconut-flavored but I couldn't even tell in this balm. The vanilla is a fantastic flavor and smell, and it's so incredibly hydrating. [Also - How many times can I say "hydrating" in this blog post?!]) -- Grace and Lace scarf headband (I love the idea of a scarf headband, and this one is made incredibly well, it just wasn't my style of pattern. I did give it to a friend who loves it though! Win!)

Overall thoughts: If I weren't already drowning in subscription boxes, I'd probably subscribe to this one every single month. It's a bit higher ($25) but worth every penny! This was Hammock Pack's first sub box (June) and it was fantastic. I'm not just saying that either, less the hair accessory, I've used and enjoyed absolutely everything in this box! This has been my favorite "independent" box yet. :) (Hurry and get your subscription in for the August box!)

This was my first "US" GlossyBox. I was sent a c/o one back last year from the UK PR team and I really loved it. I still use so many of the products (some were full-size!). I decided to take the plunge and try one of the sort-of-recently-released US subscriptions even though they were $20/mo... double what many of my boxes are. Low and behold, it was a great delivery (in my opinion!) Here's what was inside...

In this box: BeautyAddicts Show Off mascara (This was a full size product! A $20 value in itself. I love trying new mascaras because it's really the only product I change up every single month. This one has proven itself awesome so far!) -- First Aid Beauty Smooth Shave cream (Not the typical product that I'd pick up at the store, but I'm glad I got it! My shave cream tends to leave my legs feeling very dry after shaving, but this was very moisturizing [Ha! Didn't say hydrating!]) -- Kinerase Restructure Firming Cream (This isn't anything I think I'd directly benefit from, but I know a few women in my life who might enjoy giving it a go! I'll definitely be passing it on to someone in the family.) -- Shea Terra Organics Ultimate Moisturizing Body Creme (This stuff is thick! I love that about body cremes though. I like when they don't feel like runny lotion!) -- Wella Professionals Enrich Moisturizing Treatment (I'm planning on using this soon, but haven't gotten around to it due to the other hair treatments I received in various boxes. The one thing I can say about this though: It smells so so so good!) -- A Perfume Organic "Urban Organic" fragrance (This was the only thing I'd throw out immediately. Ugh. The basil is overwhelming. But then again I hate basil in almost everything except my food so there's that!)

Overall thought: Well worth the $20 spent. Glossybox always seems very "classy" and "mature". I'm not really sure I'm either of those things but I feel like I'm given products I'd never seek out myself, and I like that. I also love the packaging! I'll be a subscriber for a while, I'm sure! (Sign up for your own!)

Indie Gift Box is a new independently-launched subscription box from Erin, a super sweet Honeybean designer! She asked if she could send me a box to review and I was happy to do so. Here's what was in this shipment! I love that they're all from indie and handmade businesses. For $15 a month you can choose from their four box options. This box was the "Dainty" box!

In this box: Anirtak Shy Owl Necklace (I've had this sweet lady as a sponsor on the blog before, and I own another one of her necklaces. It's a sweet and dainty piece for sure) -- Vegan Mineral Eye Shadow in Peach Ice (This was my favorite thing in the box. Peach is my favorite color and I love a good mineral cosmetic!) -- Elle Dee Designs hair ties (We carry these in the 'bean [though not from this designer] and people seem to enjoy them. I don't use hairties at all, but I can definitely see the appeal to the no-crease ones! Plus these colors are pretty!) -- Glow Kouture Earrings (I have stretched ears so these will never get worn by me, but I'm sure my niece will love them! I also make the same earrings for Honeybean in various prints/colors!) -- Mary Rebecca Felt Bow (I make these in my Hive + Honey shoppe [same color + packaging too!] so obviously I like them :D) 

Overall thought: While I can't speak for the other "theme" boxes, the Dainty one was very sweet. It'd be great as a gift subscription for a sweet gal in your life, too. We carry everything showcased in Honeybean (though through different designers) and we've been happy with our selection thus far! The only thing that I'll be using personally is the eye shadow but I know they'll make great gifts to friends/family. You definitely receive a lot of handmade product for only $15! (Check out the offerings for your own here!)

In this box: Ada Cosmetics Bronzer (I loved this! Such a subtle but shimmery boost of color for summer!) -- Gloss Moderne High-Gloss Masque (This has worked well on my hair so far! It's a nice contrast to the normal dry-ness from my dry shampoo during the summer) -- Harvey Prince "Hello" fragrance (I loveeeeed this! It packs a powerful punch of scent, but even Mike said he was a huge fan when I wore it. I love citrus-y scents.) -- stila lip glaze (This was a happy surprise in my box, too. The color is fantastic and I'm a huge fan of stila glazes) -- Larabar Uber bar (My Bananas Foster one was delicious! Nothing else needs to be said) -- Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds (The colors came as a shock upon opening them, and I thought for sure I wouldn't like them, but I was pleasantly surprised! The bright neon aside, they're great. They actually stay in my ears which is a nice change of pace from my Apple earbuds!)

Overall thought: Another happy box for Kaelah! I know some people were so not into this month's BB but I loved it. I can only hope they don't let me down next month! BirchBox really is one of my absolute favorites. (Want your own? Sign up here!)

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Do you subscribe to any of these? What was your thoughts on them this month?