Giovanni Cosmetics Shampoo and Conditioner with argan oil and brazilian phyto-keratin: ingredients look good and it’s a decent natural shampoo and conditioner. However my hair was not as frizz free as my other natural shampoo and conditioner, I had to put more product in post shower to get it tamed. That said, if you’re still searching for a good natural shampoo and conditioner that works with your hair, I would give this one a try.
C Booth Body Butter: second ingredient is mineral oil. Not natural, pass. Tired of companies pretending to be natural by throwing some popular ingredients into their products and calling it a day.
Berry Plus Laundry detergent: looks good, very different. All natural and definitely going to try this one out. Concerns would be scent (even natural) and if they will cause any allergies to act up. I don’t think so but it’s always something I think about. All my laundry soaps are natural and unscented.
Seer Outfitters $10 off clothing:I’ve never heard of this company but it says “100% of the profits go to support organizations and causes throughout the country.” $10 off just doesn’t make sense on this on so many levels. Shipping is $5 so it basically makes a tshirt $20. Are they cotton? Poly? Blend? Organic? Oh wait, some shirts have that info and others don’t (blend.) Sizing? The FAQ says “check out our size chart HERE” and there’s no link. Just not jumping up and down over this.
In non-beauty product items, a few little comments:
Funky Monkey Jivealime: TASTY!!! Love it. SO glad I got one without bananas (allergies … man I sound crazy sometimes.) Going to buy some of these and try some of the other flavors. They are not filling but they sure satisfy the taste buds.
Zevia: These are a great no calorie soft drink made with natural stevia leaf. I think the reason I don’t drink these more is that they make me a little more burpy than normal soda. They ARE good though.
KT Tape: I’m not looking forward to using this because I don’t want any injuries that this would help BUT other than the injury aspect I am interested in these. They look awesome.
Lush Gourmet Foods Nuts: So I think one of the more disappointing things was the nuts. I get that people have peanut allergies but the promo code is kinda lame. Buy $36 worth of nuts and get a $7 bag for free. I was looking forward to trying these but probably won’t at that price to entry level. Throw it on through amazon so I can buy a bag for $7 with prime and free shipping and I’ll give it a whirl.
StreamFit: And anything that has two free months but I have to enter in my credit card info … I’m not going to do it because I don’t want to deal with the process of canceling something if I don’t like it. It’s not a risk free and easy trial. I would either want to do more research on the company to see how easy it was for other people to cancel, or if there were any complaints about billing before going that route. I don’t want it enough to spend that kind of time on it.
I canceled my recurring subscription on this one because January being that month that everyone resolves to lose weight, I doubt that I’m going to be interested in the January box. I’ll probably resubscribe in Feb or March.
Ok so this might be stretching it a bit for a clothing and makeup blog but it IS focused on health and fitness and I do plan on writing some workout gear posts that I haven’t gotten to yet. It seemed to fit here better as a result of that.
If you’re not interested in the supplements, just check out the Yurbuds and the Devita Natural Eyeliner reviews below.
This is just ok. I don’t like the Stevia aftertaste or the tropical punch flavor it sorta has as a result of the pineapple. I also think that my Barlean’s orange swirl is better and a healthier fit for me. That said, if you’re not taking any kind of fish oil and maybe you’re on the go or traveling, this would be a good fit. They sell these from their site for $45.99/90 packets = $0.51 per packet. But I also quickly found a box of 90 on Walgreen’s site for $25.19 so you can find these for less.
LOVE these. They stay in your ears really well. I can’t find the purple color (or the other colors people were getting in their boxes) but I also couldn’t find a pair for less than $29.99. They do hurt after a longer period of time (I think I wore them for 2 hours before they started to really bug me) but the fact that they lock in makes them an excellent pair of earbuds to have for exercise. Sound quality is above average but not the best I’ve ever had and I would probably buy these again if they last long enough.
Pretty darn tasty but I didn’t feel any kind of kick of healthyness to it. Didn’t taste bad for you and would be a great chocolate treat but at $29.95/12 bars ($2.50 per bar) I just don’t think I can warrant buying these. It is high quality and a great list of ingredients but I kinda mentally max out around $1.80 a bar and sometimes that’s even pushing it.
Ingredients (for the Chocolate Raspberry version): Dairy Free Dark Chocolate* (Evaporated Cane Juice, Liquor, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla), Fruitrim® (Fruit Juices, Natural Grain Dextrins), Sunflower Butter, Z52 Superfood Powder, Brown Rice Protein, Coconut, Agave Syrup, Wild Blueberries (with White Grape Juice & Canola Oil), Freeze Dried Raspberries, Inulin, Soy Protein Crisps, Organic Natural Flavors, Brown Rice Syrup, Peanut Paste. Z52 Ingredients: [Proprietary Blend of WholeFood: Spirulina*, Barley Grass*, Chlorella, Wheatgrass Juice*, Wheat Sprout Powder*, Hydrilla Verticillata, Nori (Seaweed)*, Acai Berry, Omega 3 derived from “Plant Based” LifeDHA®, Bioperine® (Natural Black Pepper), Green Tea Standardized Extract (95%), Grape Seed Extract (95%), Natural Resveratrol Extract (95%), White Tea Extract, Rose Hips, Camu Powder*, Pine Bark Extract, Lucuma Powder*, Maca Powder*, Spinach, Nova Scotia Dulse, Parsley*, Beet Juice Powder*, Carrot Juice Powder*, Rice Bran, Broccoli Sprout Powder*, Alfalfa Sprout Powder*, Hemp Powder*, Probiotics (Fructooligosaccharides, Lactobacillus, Streptococcus Salivarius, Bifidobacterium), Digestive Enzymes (Protease, Lipase, Amylase), Raspberry Powder*, Pomegranate*, Blueberry Juice Powder*, Whole Apple Powder*, Goji Berry*, Strawberry Leaves, Concord Grape*, Mulberry*, Goldenberries, Mangosteen*, Acerola Berry*, Bilberry (25% Anthocyanadins), Soy Lecithin Powder (Non-GMO), Aloe Vera (Freeze Dried)*, Milk Thistle Extract (80%), Ginger Root Powder*, Chia Seed Extract (95%), Mesquite Powder*, Ground Flax (Non-GMO), Cha de Burge, Siberian Eleuthero Root Extract]
I don’t like the stevia aftertaste on this one but I would definitely give another pea powder protein a try. It’s not bad while you drink it but that stevia taste just lingers too long. Feels super healthy though so if you eat something afterwards to get that lingering taste out of your mouth it’s actually fine. I am going to try some other brands I’ve found to compare. $39.95 for 30 servings = $1.33 serving which is reasonable. Ingredients: Pea Protein Isolate, Sugar Alcohol, Natural Flavor, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Natural Cocoa, Steviol Glycosides, Salt.
Added a scoop to a shake last night which worked well. Didn’t make it weird textured or anything. Looking forward to using it in cooking but I don’t bake much so I’m not sure yet if I’m going to try anything along those lines where it says it can be used for partial egg or oil replacement. How could it be better? It would be better if it were organic and non-gmo. INGREDIENTS: Whole Ground Golden Flax Seed
This is one of the items I was really looking forward to. I was sent the gray color and was hoping for black. I gave it a shot anyway but I wasn’t wowed. It was ok but it didn’t wow me in any way and it wasn’t just because of the color.
I was just really underwhelmed by this one. It just seemed like I couldn’t get a nice consistency no matter how many times I went back and forth over the line on my eye. I think the only interesting thing was that the sharpener was part of the lid which I haven’t seen before. Ingredients: Copernicia Cerifera (carnauba) wax, Euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, Simmondsia chinensis (organic jojoba) seed oil, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl palmitate, Hectorite, Lecithin, Iron Oxides.
These kinda remind me of a fruit rollup mingled with a jolly rancher chew … except with a sudden odd bitterness after a few seconds. If I were obsessed with acai I would probably still buy these but I’m not blown away by them.
30 chews per package for $14.95 = $0.50 each Ingredients: http://togobrands.com/shop/images/1598//ac_chew_30ct_SuppFacts.jpg
Plant-based and gluten-free holiday recipe guide and $100 membership discount. The 4 recipes in this included guide look delicious so I’ll probably make one of those then check this out a bit further.
So I signed back up for KlutchClub. And I’m really looking forward to getting this box. I’ll do a review when I get it in.
They’ve made a few changes since I gave them a try in April. When you sign up for one month, it’s auto-renewing like birchbox so you’ll be charged $18/month but you can cancel any time.
But I saw what they plan on sending out in the October box and they had me at the Yurbuds, a brand I wanted to try and been hearing good things about. And the Devita Natural Eyeliner because I’m on the lookout for natural and organic cosmetics brands to try. The supplements don’t hurt either since I’ve really started focusing on doing protein shakes more. I’ve also been looking for a vegi protein that is NOT soy which is also part of this box.
Sign up for KlutchClub and support this blog (referral link): http://bit.ly/QS7sXA
Or check out the list of items that come with the October box below:
Full disclosure: KlutchClub’s May & June boxes were sent to me by the company. These are my honest opinions however, not a paid sponsorship and I AM paying for my October box (and did pay for my April box.)
KlutchClub is an interesting new company: A fitness and health box similar to birchbox but instead of makeup, full of goodies like DVDs, food and organic items. I’ve done an unboxing video linked below:
Ignore my comment about what people got in their box, it looks like everyone gets the same box and the website has more details on what the April box contains now: http://www.klutchclub.com/womens-box-subscription/
There may be some variance on the flavor of the potato lentil chips or some of the other items but I expect overall they are fairly similar.
What they say their company does: “We know you already know the value of accessing the best products and services to help you live full and healthy lives. But here’s a reminder to help you fully explore KLUTCHclub. Each month, you’ll receive a selection of items that have inspired, motivated, nourished, comforted, and even pampered us. You’ll receive anything from nutritious snacks to brilliant skincare to cutting-edge fitness regimes, all from a range of partner companies that we know and trust. In addition, you’ll get exclusive discounts and offerings only available to KLUTCHclub subscribers.”
In my box:
“Kristin McGee’s Power Yoga” dvd
HyDrive Energy drink in Berry Blast
Zico natural coconut water
Tea Forte sample pack with cherry marzipan, honey yuzu, and cucumber mint flavors
Shea Terra Organics Rose Hips Black Soap Deep Pore Facial Cleanser. Micro-dermabrasion in a bottle. A cleansing organic deep-pore facial wash.
Barlean’s Organic Oils Mango Peach Organic Swirl. Organic omega 3, flax and fish oil supplement.
Plentils in Garlic & Parmesen flavor. Gluten Free, wheat free, soy free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free, fish free, tree nut free, shelfish free.
Enjoy Life “Not Nuts: Seed & Frut Mix” in Mountain Mambo
Kind Plus Bar in Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate + protein
gift code for $25 off of Hyde organic yoga clothing
It’s $18 per month if you do the month to month “subscription” and there is a 3 month or 12 month subscription option as well which will get you a bit of a discount. They have a page for next month’s preview but they don’t have anything up there just yet. http://www.klutchclub.com/next-months-preview/
I’m really happy I did this and I will probably continue to do this box on a month to month basis because these brands are brands that I know and already love plus I’m still getting to try enough that are new to me that it’s an excellent deal. At least so far. 😉
Are there other “box subscription” style programs you’re subscribed to? If so, which ones? Do you like this new subscription trend? I’ve been thinking about trying the Eco Emi subscription, are there any others I should be looking into?
Update: The yoga dvd was kinda disappointing but again still a good box.
I am however glad I’m doing this one month to month because the May box is a little less interesting to me personally.
May 2012 box
Hydroxatone’s Instant Effect 90 Second Wrinkle Reducer this would be the expensive sample item in this box. If you’re interested in this, purchase this box because the full size is $70! This is however something I wouldn’t use, not natural enough and I don’t really have any fine lines to worry about.
ONE coconut water I do like some coconut water but this doesn’t alone make this box worth it for me.
Moving Comfort sports bras $25 off. Use coupon code: MOM and get 20% off your klutch order this month. So $14.40 for $25 off would be a good deal if I wanted one of these sports bras. For me, meh. For someone having a hard time finding a good sports bra to hold everything in place, I have heard good things about this brand.
Yoga Download classes LOVE yoga downloads. They have a podcast that’s excellent and I’ve donated money to them to keep them going. Also bought the android app for the kindle fire. But not worth the box.
Think Thin bars they use too much soy protein for me
C Booth Body Butter: second ingredient is mineral oil. Not natural, pass. Tired of companies pretending to be natural by throwing some popular ingredients into their products and calling it a day.
