Indie Gift Box: Introducing Indie Man + a Giveaway

Indie Gift Box is back!  I've tried two of their previous boxes and they were a lot of fun.  The subscription closed for a while, but I believe it's under new ownership and is now launching new and exciting options!  They launched their first Indie Man box this past Monda and are giving you an opportunity to win a free box!

Their Morning Ritual inaugural box contains products from Kehoe Naturals, Craftsman Soap Co., Red Rooster Coffee Roaster, Musician Matt McCloskey, and Sugar & Type.  It's a steal at only $25 for over $40 worth of products, so even if you don't win I still think this box is worth purchasing!  The best thing about Indie Gift Box is that, like the name implies, they support independent artisans and crafters.  I've seen what previous Indie Gift boxes have included, and I've been really impressed.

• Enter to win an Indie Man box by clicking here!  It's a Rafflecopter giveaway that ends on November 30th at midnight, PST.
• Or, purchase a box outright by clicking here (if it's no longer on the page, it means they've sold out).
• Learn more about Indie Gift Box at their website, and check out all of the boxes they have available
• Read my past Indie Gift Box reviews here.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.  It contains no affiliate or referral links.

March Indie Gift Box Review

This review is really late because I'm lazy.  I received the March Indie Gift Box during the first week of the month but I got behind on my reviews so I'm just getting to it now.  This month's theme was "Squeaky Clean," and it contained all sorts of bath and body products.  I knew I had to buy one when I found out the theme because I love handmade beauty and skincare!

I've only purchased one other Indie Gift Box, and it was the Holiday Box back in November.  I was a bit displeased with it, but it was mostly my fault because I misunderstood how many items would be included in the box.  The March box, however, was much better suited to my tastes.

This box cost me $25, including shipping (I think--it may have been slightly cheaper but I don't quite remember).  It had five items total and one coupon.

• Ballyhoo Bath Carnival Twilight Soap - I love handmade soaps!  I hoard them.  This one is so pretty and it smells wonderful.  According to their Etsy shop, the scent is a duplicate of Twilight Woods by Bath & Body Works (a combo of berries, musk, mimosa flowers, apricots, oak, and juniper).  I'm familiar with the B&BW scent, and I like this one much better.
• Sweet Tea Apothecary Perfume - I received two cute little vials of "White Tea, Grapefruit, Saffron" and "Sandalwood, Honey, Saffron."  I like the White Tea one better, but they both are very rich and true-to-scent.
• Bungalow Bath and Body Lotion and Lip Balm - My lotion scent is "Pink Bubblegum" and the lip balm is "Pink Frosted Cupcake."  The lotion is absolutely perfect--it smells exactly like a gumball.  It reminds me of my grandpa; he used to have a gumball machine and would give one to my brother and I when we went to visit him.  The lip balm is also wonderfully sweet and absorbs into the skin well.
• Emily's Homestead Probiotic Deodorant - I had actually run out of deodorant when this packaged arrived, so it was perfect timing.  Natural deodorants can be hit-or-miss, but I like this one.  The main ingredients are cocoa butter, beeswax, and shea butter, along with a few others, and it's scented with essential oils of rosemary, peppermint, lavender, tea tree, and jasmine.  The scent is nice and light and it worked well throughout the day for me.
• Evitchka Face Scrubbies - I was so confused by these when I opened my box; I thought that they were mini-pot holders!  I haven't used them yet, but I really like the idea because I'm sure they give a nice and gentle exfoliation.  They're so pretty, though, that I almost don't want to ruin them!
• Aura Sensory Coupon - The only coupon in the box is for 25% off at the shop.  I took a quick look at their site and they do have quite a few natural bath and body items, so I may or may not put that to use.

I am much more pleased with this Indie Gift Box than I was with my previous one.  The Holiday Box certainly wasn't bad, it just didn't suit my interests as well as this Squeaky Clean one did.  What I also like about Indie Gift Box is you don't have to commit to a subscription--they have a certain number of boxes available, and if you want one it's just a one-time buy.  Unfortunately, Erin (the owner) recently reported that Indie Gift Box will be closing after May, so if you want to give them a try, you have two months to do so!  Unless, of course, someone else takes over--and I hope someone does, because it's a great way to highlight handmade products.

Check out more photos of my items after the "read more."

Holiday Indie Gift Box Review

I've had Indie Gift Box on my list of subscription services to try for a while, and when they announced that their last box of the year (November and December combined) would be a Holiday Box, I decided to give it a try.

I'm not a crafty person, but I do like getting little trinkets and such, so that's why I was interested in this box. I paid $25 total for this box, $20 for the box itself and $5 for shipping.  Shipping to Canada is $10 and $15 for anywhere else.  I can't find a definitive price on their website at the moment, so I'm going to guess that $20 is the price of every box.  Indie Gift Box is interesting in that there are only a specific number of boxes available -- sometimes only 10-15, but this box had 100 available.  You have to monitor either their blog (I signed up for the email list) or other social media to get updates on when the box will go on sale, and you have only 10 minutes to pay through PayPal or you'll lose your spot.

I wanted to purchase the Holiday Box because after seeing the preview of what brands would be featured I thought that they looked interesting.  I had my boyfriend hop online to grab one for me since I was at work, and he didn't have any difficulty with it since they had so many available.  It shipped fairly quickly, but I can't remember how long it took exactly since I got it a few weeks ago (this review kind of fell by the wayside due to sponsored reviews I had).

I was excited to open the box because I'd never tried a service like this one before, but the items inside left me with lukewarm feelings.  They weren't terrible by any means, but I didn't feel it was worth $25--maybe $15, but not $25.  Here's what was inside:

• The Shop of Worldly Delights Matryoshka Ornament ($9) - This ornament is really cute but it's not something I would normally purchase for myself.  It's one of the items I felt more "meh" about.
• PlainJ Body and Home Soy Candle ($7) - This was my favorite item in the box because I'm totally candle-obsessed.  The scent is Cranberry Citrus and it smells fantastic.
• Kitty Meow Holiday Card ($3.50) - I don't send out Christmas cards, but my parents do.  I'll probably give this to my mom to see if she wants to send it to anyone.
• Life Created Snowman Tag Kit ($2.75) - I love snowmen and this is really adorable.  Like the ornament, I wouldn't purchase it otherwise, but it makes me smile at least.
• EEF Etcetera Holiday Necklace ($12) - I didn't end up taking a picture of my necklace, but it's a small silver snowflake charm on a silver chain.  I really like it and it's perfect for winter.

So the value of the items in the box adds up to $34.25, and there were also coupons for other Etsy shops included.  The coupons were the part that I misunderstood; when I read all of the shops that would be included in the box I didn't realize that half of them would just be coupons.  Had I realized that, I probably wouldn't have bought the box.  The vendors included were Megandowntherabbithole, My So Called Chaos, Sebastian Design, Wired Essentials, and issa.ino:handmade.  I did take a look at all of the shops, but none of them piqued my interest so I won't be using the coupons.

• Visit Indie Gift Box and learn more about their service
• Connect with them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest

Bottom Line: I think Indie Gift Box is a really fun idea for people who love handmade crafts.  I just like handmade crafts, so I probably won't be purchasing another Indie Gift Box in the future.  The only type of box I might be interested in from them in the future would be one that featured beauty items or home fragrance.

Check out more up-close photos of the items after the cut.