December Eco-Emi Box!

I'm so so so excited to be writing about my first official Eco-Emi box!  I had first signed up for the service in the beginning of November, and since you are always paying for the following month's box I wouldn't be getting my first one until December.  I say my first "official" box because I purchased an extra October box in the meantime, to tide me over.

The packaging this month is so beautiful!  I was really impressed when I opened up my package and saw the bow.  I love the colors, too; the brown and tan are very chic.

Here are what all of the goodies looked like when I first opened the box.  I had spoiled myself (I can never really stand to wait to be surprised!) and found out what we'd all be receiving through other peoples' blog posts and the Eco-Emi site, but it didn't take away from the joy I got from opening up the box!  The green tissue paper stood out to me, since green is my favorite color.  I thought that the brown box with green accents was much more refreshing than a predictable red and green combo.

Each box comes with an index card with a welcome from Christine, the Eco-Emi founder, along with descriptions of all of the products inside.  I noticed a few typos and grammatical errors on it, which the former English major in me found a little disappointing.  But overall, I'm most interested in testing out the products, so less-than-perfect grammar is definitely forgivable.

The loot!  Since Eco-Emi is a lifestyle box, there is a variety of different eco-friendly products each month.  I like lifestyle boxes more than strictly-beauty boxes, because I only need so many beauty samples.  I was very pleased with the items in this month's box.

• Wyk Candles Whispering Pine Candle - I love candles, and I love fall and winter scents the best.  This Whispering Pine scent is wonderful!  It's definitely got the pine notes, but it's slightly sweet, too.
• Zambeezi Tangerine Lip Balm - There has been some chatter from members who are tired of getting lip balms in every box, but I say keep 'em coming!  I'm glad that this was included since it's my first box and I'm obsessed with lip balms.  This one smells great, and like many of the other organic balms I've tried, it feels great on my lips.
• Artisana Organic Raw Cacao Bliss Coconut Butter - I haven't tried this yet, but it sounds yummy. It's a spread, so I plan on buying some graham crackers and taking it to work for a snack.  The index card describes it as a "rich, creamy, vegan chocolately-coconut spread."
• Organic Candy Cane from The Natural Candy Store - I just ate this tonight and it was really good!  It was a fun little treat for the Christmas season and I'm glad they included it in the box.
• GreenShield Organic Free and Clear Laundry Detergent - I haven't used this yet, either, but it's an interesting product.  I also received an organic laundry soap with my Conscious Box, which worked rather well.  I like these because I don't want to be putting harmful chemicals into the water when I do my laundry.
• John Masters Organics from Hip Apotheca - The two silver packets are a Jojoba and Ginseng Exfoliating Face Cleanser and a Blood Orange and Vanilla Body Wash, which are featured by Hip Apotheca.  I haven't used them yet but I'm really excited to.  The exfoliating facial cleanser sounds nice because I love trying new exfoliating products, and the blood orange and vanilla scent of the body wash sounds wonderful.
• Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Botanical Lip Gloss - This lip gloss is a full-sized tube of the Winterberry shade.  I guess a sample of it was featured in the first ever Eco-Emi box, and since the feedback was so great they decided to include a full-sized one for us to close out the year!  The applicator is one of those brush tips where you click the bottom to release more gloss up through the brush, which isn't my favorite.  I feel like they never dispense enough gloss so I'm always clicking away.  The shade is pretty, though, and smells great.
• Genesis Today Vitamin C Zinc Chews - I really like these!  One chew provides 200% of your daily value of Vitamin C, along with other vitamins.  They taste nice and citrusy.
• Maggie's Functional Organics Patterned Footies - I love these; they're so cute!  My feet are always cold, so I wear socks around the house all the time in the winter.  The pattern I got is black with stars.  They're nice and soft; I'm wearing them right now!

Bottom Line: For $15 a month, Eco-Emi is becoming my favorite subscription service.  Keep in mind that it's a lifestyle box, so there is more included than beauty samples.  All of the products are eco-friendly, too.  Learn more about them and see what's been in past boxes here!

More photos behind the cut.