After a horrifying and trying week, I'm thankful I have an outlet to relax and take a moment for myself. My Goodebox arrived this past Monday, just days after it shipped all the way across the country! Only after their first month, Goodebox has become my favorite beauty subscription service. Not only do they provide amazing, natural, and conscious brands; but, they also have shown me that they are here to provide for the consumers. And what I mean by that is, they are willing to take in any constructive criticism to better their brand and have been asking for their customer's opinions and brands that we want to see!
What is Goodebox?
Goodebox is a monthly subscription service that delivers trial size healthy, eco-conscious, natural beauty and personal care products. Each month you will receive 6 or more products customized for you. The brands and products that Goodebox send out have been thoroughly evaluated upon the brand's use of non-toxic, natural ingredients that respect earth, animals, and humanity. The samples will range from make-up, skincare, body, fragrances, and some lifestyle and wellness products. Every month is a surprise, but the samples picked are based on a very detailed, thorough survey that even lets you indicate color preferences, any allergies, vegan, sensitivities, etc. Goodebox costs $16 a month, but the value of your box will be way above!
Click here to join Goodebox.
April 2012, Curated by Renee Loux
This month Goodebox used a new, smaller box. No frilly paper nesting, but still arrived looking perfectly cute and organized. Plus I love that they kept the adorable pink ribbons! I'm a dork and am going to save them to reuse for gifts. They also changed the format of their information card. I actually really love it! They are able to provide so much information without wasting much paper. I love that it folds out and has all the possible products. This month there was 19 products being featured. And I received 8! The checkmarks made me feel special and loved. And it was great that all of the products were clearly listed as being vegan or not! This month the box was curated by Renne Loux who is all around eco all-star. She seems to do it all: chef, columunist, tv guest expert, and has all sorts of books on green living. Apparently this month we will have a chance to win one of her books!
I also realized that Goodebox uses their own plastic jars and packaging for many of the products. They may not be as cute as receiving colorful, original packaging. But I have a feeling the brands are able to give us bigger sample sizes because they dont have to pay for the extra sample packaging. Plus all of these plastic containers can be washed and reused, whereas most other samples I receive the packaging goes straight into the recycling. So win-win. Nice play. I would like to see more consistently labeled containers. A few have all the ingredients and the weight information,where others only have the name of the product. I emailed them about it so hopefully we'll see that in the future :)
Information Card:
When I opened my box the first thing I noticed was that this sample's cap was unscrewed. Lucky for me none of the product leaked and it didn't see dried out or harmed at all. Whew! Then I was able to really enjoy just a whiff of how amazing it smells! Coconut oils, coffee, vanilla, and rosemary essential oils all packed together. Yum! When I was 8 I would eat chapstick that smelled good, Im quite sure I would have been licking this container. GCB creates all of their products in small batches to ensure freshness and uses only the most natural, highest quality ingredients. This body scrub can also be used as a bath soak and will not only exfoliate your skin, but it moisturizes, smooths, and detoxifies. I've never used a body scrub ever. So I looked up how to properly use it. Looks like you should use this product 1-2x a week and gently rub it over your skin in a circular motions starting from your fit and move upwards. Some say it is best to use a shower glove, but Ill use a wash cloth since I dont have a shower mit/glove. Then once you finish, right after you towel off slather on lotion so you get the most amount of moisture. We shall see how successful I am, either way I'll smell delicious.
I learned about Lavera for the first time last month when I received their mango intensive repair treatment. I haven't used the product yet, but my hair feels so dry and itchy lately that I may use it soon. Lavera is a German natural skincare company that is certified cruelty-free, gluten-free, and GMO free. The face cream is meant for mature skin, but I think moisturizer is moisturizer. As long as it doesn't cause me to break out I'm happy. This is a very thick cream, but it does go on light and thin. It reminds me of some of the anti-stress creams that I have. I'm really excited to use this since my skin does get dry patches. And it smells lovely. It is formulated with Vitamin C and E to protect your skin against the environment.
Lavera: Body Spa Body Lotion in Orange-Sea Buckthorn
Energize dull, tired skin. Orange extract is mildly antiseptic to tone & clarify dull skin. Antioxidant rich sea buckthorn provides anti-aging benefits & its light orange hue gives skin a slight glow.
Full Size: 5 oz ($16.50)
Size Received: ~0.5 oz ($1.65)
I love that Goodebox's information card and email do all the research for me! Less work for me. And they explain the benefits a lot better than I do! I've never heard of sea buckthorn; its apparently a shrub that has these gorgeous tangerine colored berries. It is the berries that are used in cosmetics. They are highly acidic and oily when they are pressed the oils and fats are perfect for creating natural creams. There is possible links to sea buckthorn's anti-inflammatory benefits, they are high in Vitamin C (15x more than oranges!), and have Vitamin E. All things that I want for my skin! I don't ever use lotions but this one didn't leave my skin feeling greasy or heavy. It absorbs beautifully! And it has a nice citrus scent. I'm sold.
Linda Kammins: Daily Shine Shampoo
Regenerating formula with copper peptides & syngeristic actives to support follicle health. Daily Shine Shampoo is a concentrate. Dilute with water in a separate bottle.
Full Size: 8 oz ($14.00)
Size Received: 1 oz ($1.75)
This is an interesting concept. A concentrated shampoo? Linda Kammin's has been in the aromatherapy business for years and after much positive feedback from customers in her salon she started mail orders. The shampoo uses copper peptides that help to stimulate the blood vessels that supply nutrients and growth of the hair follicle. The shampoo of course is free of all chemicals and harsh dyes. I haven't tried this out yet, but Im intrigued by the formula. The ingredient list is super short: water, decyl glucosides, herbal extracts, lavender, and essential oils. Decyl Glucoside is a mild surfactant that is probably the best alternative to the harsher sulfates. It looks like a nice, gently formula that will work on my thin hair. I used it tonight. I started off squirting maybe 1/3 of the bottle and it didn't feel like enough, so I kept squirting until I realized that there was barely 1/6 left. I do like how it felt in my hair. I didnt even need to use my detangler tonight! Next time Ill use maybe 2 tablespoons. It's a bit inconvenient that I need to keep mixing it with purified water if it only lasts me a shower. But it smells great and made my hair feel good.
Mhmm it smells delicious. I love minty conditioners and currently use Giovani's Tea Tree Conditioner. This rinse does not use chemical softening agents which cause the hair to swell and fall out. Instead this will help loosen the hair while keeping it tensile and still let you have shiny, silky hair. Like Linda Kammin's shampoo the ingredient list is short: Water, Dimethicone, Stearalkonium Chloride, Shea Butter, Peppermint Essential Oils. I wasn't sure what the second and third ingredients were so I looked them up. apparently dimethicone is a silicone product that attaches to weak spots and patches to fill in, providing your hair with more strength. Apparently this ingredient is okay if you are not using a shampoo with it and you wash it off properly. The Stearalkonium Chloride is an anti-static, surfactant, with antimicrobial properties. Some people are irritated by this product and it causes the hair to dry out. I will try this out since I have an issue with frizz. So maybe it will be okay for me?
I never thought of using tea as a treatment for my hair? It smells so good that I could drink it, like a herbal green tea. The tea bag has dandelion leaf, hibiscus flowers, chamomile flowers, irish sea moss, red clover, hops, and hydration minerals. The tea rinse is rich in silicas which hel mend connective tissues of the body. In our hair, it will help cleanse, tone, and hydrate. The instructions on the envelope are a bit in depth. First you boil the right amount of water for your hair length (3 oz for medium length hair like mine) then let it sit for 4 minutes. Add 6 more ounces of room temperature water and pour 2-3oz into the provided applicator bottle. The rest can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks. So it says while in the shower after conditioning ring out excess water in hair, and pour the tea into your hair until fully saturated, massage into your hair, and leave on. OR you can use the tea tonic first, then rinse, and then shampoo and condition as normal. It doesn't really tell you what the benefit is of using one method or the other. I may email the company and ask because I do have very fine hair, leaving a treatment in my hair without rinsing may cause my hair to panic. I do really appreciate that Goodebox gave me the applicator bottles since I for sure do not have any sitting around.
Oh Weleda, however much I think I'll love your products since you are organic and natural I get expired products. Every single sample I've received from Weleda (free samples from the company, Beauty Box 5, GoodeBox) have an expiration of 04 12. It doesn't stop me from using the products, but I wonder how many products they manufactured during that time period! Goodebox will be giving us some extra goodies next month since some members were concerned about the exp dates. I'm excited to try something other than a Weleda lotion. This gentle cleansing milk is for normal to dry skin that cleanses without drying out skin. I love that this cleansing milk, like the Vichy 3-in-1, can be used with just a cotton pad and wiped dry! I am the laziest person ever and don't ever use cleansers that require me to wash my face with water. The cleansing milk is formulated with jojoba seed oil to add moisture and witch hazel which is a natural astringent.
Weleda: Refining Toner
Purifies skin & refines pores after cleansing. Balancing Biodynamic iris root extract regulates moisture while mildly astringent organic wild rose leaf extract clairifes & organic lemon juice, high in vitamin C, refines the pores.
Full Size: 3.4 oz ($17.00)
Size Received: 0.34 oz ($1.70)
This facial toner purifies skin and refines pores after cleansing. I like how I received two products that can go hand in hand with each other. Although this toner is alcohol based, it has wild rose leaf extract and lemon juice that act as natural astringents to clarify and refine pores. Plus, essential oils and iris root extract will help regulat moisture balance. I didn't use toners for the longest times because I thought they were oil based! I dont know why, but I guess it looks like pure oil and not alcohol based. But anyways, now I love them. I like that clean feeling I get. But I guess I don't see how it actually affects my routine. Does it really make a difference? Who knows, but I still use them just for that clean feeling.
Total value of my April 2012 box:$16.72
A very big difference in value from last month. I think this month's box was a bit stale. It took me forever and half to even write this blog post since Im not excited about any of the products. It's not that I don't like the products or am not happy to try them and who I may buy a full size, but the products are all just nothing exciting. There are months of Birchbox that I find boring and others that I love, so Im assuming its just that. Im definitely sticking with Goodebox. I think they have amazing CS, are willing to listen to customers, and have worked with some awesome brands. I look forward to seeing what they have planned for next month!
What do you think of my April Goodebox? What did you get in yours? Have you tried any of the products I received? Let me know in the comments below!
