December Conscious Box Review

Ever since I discovered Birchbox back in October I've been obsessed with finding and trying new subscription services.  I can't say enough how much I love getting packages in the mail each month!  I'm currently subscribed to Birchbox, Eco Emi, and MyGlam, but I've had an interest in Conscious Box for a while, and after receiving their December box to review I'll definitely be subscribing!

Conscious Box works like many of the other subscription services out there: you pay $19 each month ($12 for the box, $7 for shipping) and receive a box of goodies in the mail.  What drew me to Conscious Box is that all of their products are sustainable and eco-friendly.  They also contain a variety of products, from food to beauty to everything in between.

I think sometimes people lose perspective about what these programs exist for (I've especially found this to be true with Birchbox subscribers).  The beauty of these programs is that they expose you to new products and companies that you may not have found before, they aren't boxes that will send you the same brands or makeup each month.  I love discovering new green products, which is why I love Conscious Box so much!

Here is how the box looked when I first opened it.  Purple is one of my favorite colors (second to green!) so I found it very aesthetically pleasing.  There's a card on the underside of the top flap of the box, which isn't visible in my photos, that explains the theme for that month.  December's theme is "Gifts to Give the Soul;" here's what the card says:

Unwrap this holiday season to reveal the gifts of grace.  Each day of December is a chance to illuminate your soul with peace, love, and joy--offering a bright light to all those around you.  Witness as compassion and generosity wrap the world in radiance, and hear your spirit sing in harmony with your heart.

"Gracefulness has been defined to be the outward expression of the inward harmony of the soul." - William Hazlitt

As you can see from the purple photo, this box is packed with items!  A pleasant surprise, since I'm used to the 4-5 items in my Birchbox.  I didn't even know where to start!

Here is everything all laid out.  I'd say that's a very impressive spread (you can click all of these photos to view them at a larger resolution).  The box also has a few cards in them that explain in detail each of the products, along with suggestions on how to reuse your Conscious Box.  There was also a card with tips on how to make the holidays more sustainable.  Click behind the 'read more' to see what I have to say about the products.

 

I'll start with my favorites--the food!

• 22 Days Daily Mocha Mantra - This vegan protein bar was delicious.  It had a strong mocha/coffee taste, so if you don't like coffee you probably wouldn't like this.  The name "22 Days" is derived from the idea that it takes 21 days to break a habit, so with this bar you can eat them in place of candy bars, etc.  I don't know how helpful they would be as opposed to a Snickers, since they're still 220 calories, 12 grams of fat, and 21 grams of carbs, but hey--they're yummy.
• Chimes Orange Ginger Chews - I was a little wary of these because I'm not the biggest fan of ginger, and I was on the fence with the Gin Gins candies I received in my October Eco Emi box.  But these were a pleasant surprise, more orange than ginger.  I still got a little spiciness from the ginger, but it was nothing overwhelming.  I really liked these candies and I want to try their Mango flavor.
• New Tree Menthe Eternity Bar - This wee little chocolate bar was one of my favorite items in the box, simply because I thought it was so cute!  It was also really yummy.  It tasted like an Andes candy but without the creme center part.  It wasn't vegan, but I'm not vegan or vegetarian so I happily ate this.
• Mary's Gone Crackers Chocolate Chip Cookie - In other Conscious Boxes I've seen some kind of nut butter, but I didn't receive that item.  I think I received this cookie instead.  I didn't mind, because I love cookies.  This one is organic, wheat-free, and gluten-free, and you can definitely tell.  It had that slightly different taste that gluten-free cookies often have.  I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.
• Yummy Earth Sour Apple Lollipop - I haven't tried my lollipop yet, but I'm excited to because I like sour apple flavor.  This is organic, gluten- and nut-free, with no chemicals or corn syrup.  I'm sure it's satisfying; I'll probably give it a try tomorrow while at work.

Up next: packet-thingies!

• Yogi Tea - I haven't tried these teas, but I think I'll like them.  The "Bedtime" one piques my interest, because I have a Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea that I drink often, and I'm wondering if they'll taste similar.  The Kombucha Green Tea will be interesting as well, since I don't have green teas too often.
• Amazing Grass ORAC Green Superfood - I'm not sure if I'll end up trying this one.  It's an antioxidant and greens powder that you add to water or something, I'm presuming, but to be honest I'm afraid I won't like it.  I've never found a powder supplement that I've enjoyed.
• Reservage Organics Resveratrol - This little packet has one 250 mg pill of resveratrol, which they say is "The World's Finest" on the package.  I guess it's a red win antioxidant supplement.  I'll take it, although I don't think that one serving will make much of a difference in how I feel.

Now for the beauty and skin care products.

• Mineral Fusion Mineral Body Lotion - I haven't tried this sample yet but I'm sure I'll like it.  I'm a lotion fiend, the only reason why I haven't opened this is because I don't like sample containers that I can't close again.
• Sparklehearts Sweet Hearts Body Lotion - I haven't opened this one yet, either, but I'm assuming that it's going to smell really nice, and have a bit of glisten to it.  Part of me doesn't want to open it because I don't want to use it all up!  I know that sounds really dumb.
• Sacred Mountain Herbs Champa Vegan Soap - I love the way this smells; it's earthy and spicy.  The wrapper is really neat, too, it contains wildflower seeds.  It says to plant it at 1/8 depth, water, and watch your flowers grow!
• Ostara Organics Soap and Scent Chunk - The two little cubes are an unscented goat's milk soap (in the plastic) and a "Colorado Holiday Wassail" scent chunk for a fragrance warmer.  The scent chunk smells so wonderful!  I just replaced the wax in my fragrance warmer, so I'll have to hold off on trying this one.

And last but not least, the cleaning products.  I accidentally included the Ostara Organics squares in this photo again, but they're reviewed above.

• Dr. Tungs Toothbrush Sanitizer - I'm going to sound like such a loser right now, but I was really excited about this product!  I'm obsessed with keeping my teeth and my toothbrush clean, so I thought this was really interesting.  You remove a strip inside of the sanitizer (it's the turquoise thing in the photo) and it keeps your toothbrush sanitized for 60 days.
• Eat Cleaner Fruit & Vegetable Wipe - This wipe is for your apples and other foods, to clean them before you eat them.  It safely cleans their surfaces more than rinsing does.
• Berryplus Laundry Soap - The packaging on this is really cool.  Inside there are two little vials, each with enough soap for one load of laundry.  I'm actually washing my clothes right now with it, so I'll let you know what I think later.  The ingredients are 100% plant-based.
• Earth Friendly Products Uni-Fresh Air Freshener - This spray is a good sized bottle of cinnamon-scented freshener.  You can spray it in the air, on your clothes, etc., and is made from 100% natural essential oils.

Whew, that's everything.  I told you there were a lot of items!  I'm so, so impressed with Conscious Box and can't wait to sign up for a monthly subscription.  I'm going to drop Birchbox (more about that in another entry) to make room in my budget for Conscious Box.  It's a bit more expensive than Birchbox and Eco Emi at $19, but I feel it is totally worth it based on the amount of products in this box.

• Check out Conscious Box and order one for yourself!
• Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter

Bottom Line: This is my new favorite subscription!  Between this and Eco Emi, I know I'll be over the moon with all of the new eco-friendly products I'll have to try each month.

*Disclaimer: I received the December Conscious Box for free to facilitate my review. I was not monetarily compensated for this review, and all of the honest opinions are entirely my own.