Skoshbox July 2013 Review

One of my favorite things to do at Epcot is pick up a bunch of Japanese candy from Mistukoshi in the Japan pavillion, so when I heard about a subscription service that ships out Japanese candy every month, I had to try it! It's called Skoshbox! For $12 a month, you get a box with a combination of traditional snacks, candies, and fun items like erasers or stationery. I signed up for their first month ever as a subscription service. As a note, the info card didn't come with prices and I'm having a hard time finding many of these online, so I'm not going to do a price tally for this box. I also apologize for half of these pictures being in the wrong orientation. Part of that is my unfamiliarity with Japanese, but part is Photobucket being stubborn and giving me errors about not being able to access a few of the pictures to edit them.

Opening the box. Cute card with info on the back (which I forgot to take a picture of and then scribbled all over with notes)

The first thing I saw opening the box, as you can see in the picture, was a set of chopsticks! They seem decent quality and they're really cute!

Chopsticks! (you can also see a bit of the info card, just to see what it looks like)

Onto the snacks! There were 9 different snacks to try! As promised, there was a mixture of sweet candies and more savory snacks. Since most of the labeling was in Japanese, I had to kind of figure out as I went what was what on the info list.

• Suzume No Tamago. This was a bag of rice cracker balls with peanuts inside. Before I figured out what this was, I wasn't expecting a peanut taste. They looked kind of like rice balls, but I thought there would be a salty, seaweed taste. They were ok, but there was kind of a sweetness I didn't really like about it. 

Suzume No Tamago

•  Elise Stick. Described as a "crispy wafer stick with a rich creamy milk or matcha filling". Mine was milk, or as the package says "white cream". This was really tasty! It pretty much was exactly as described and reminded me of something, but for some reason I can't remember what. It was good though!

Elise Stick

• Mini Salad. I'm not sure where they come up with the names for these things. This was a rice cracker with a salty coating. The note card says it's a "savory salad-dressing-like coating", but I'm not so sure about that. It was salty and tasty, though!

Mini Salad

•  Umaibo. This was kind of like a giant puffed Cheeto.  The info card said "cheese and corn potage flavors". I'm not sure if there were 2 different varieties that went out in each of those flavors or if the snack is a combination of both. I only got one kind. They seem cheesy, but have an extra flavor I can't put my finger on. I don't think I've ever had corn potage, but maybe that's what gives this a sweeter flavor than Cheetos? A sweeter flavor I found a bit odd. This wasn't my favorite snack.

Umaibo

•  Cheese Kibun. Another rice cracker, but with a cheese flavor. This was my least favorite item in the box. The cheese flavor was off and it seemed to have a slight spicy flavor to me. Now, I'm a total wuss when it comes to spice, so I may be alone in finding spiciness here. Pepper is sometimes too spicy for me. My husband was an oil brat growing up and spent a good portion of his younger years living in Indonesia eating a lot of spicy stuff. He laughs at my sensitivity to spice because when we go to, like, a Thai restaurant, he gets everything as spicy as they'll make it - and sometimes surprises waiters/waitresses by asking for more spice, which occasionally prompts the "Where did you grow up?" question. Funny enough, after he answers, sometimes they bring out special spices for him! Spices that I'm surprised don't ignite me from across the table. Anyway, back to the post, I didn't like this snack.

Cheese Kibun. Photobucket decided this one looks better upside down.

• Fruit Gummy. I got 2 gummies - grape and melon. They were both good, but I liked grape better. They were yummy! Not as chewy as most gummies you'd find here. 
• Milk Caramel. These were fine. I like caramels, but they weren't terribly special or fantastic. 
• Fuwa Fuwa Jelly. Described as "fluffy marshmallow jelly, cider, or melon". These are a bit hard to describe. Not really a marshmallow or a chewy candy - kind of a combination. It was sugar coated and had a white part (marshmallow I guess, but not entirely that consistency, somehow not as soft, but chewier) and cubes of jelly (like the fruit gummies above) mixed in. I'm not sure which flavor I got, but this was AMAZING!! I want a whole package of these! And I don't know where to find them!! The Skoshbox store isn't stocked yet and when I look up Fuwa Fuwa Jelly on Bing, all I get is a bunch of stuff about clay. So if anyone knows where I can find them, please let me know! Hopefully, Skoshbox will get back to me about it.

Assorted smaller candies. Yellow are the caramels, green and pink are the fruit gummies, and the clear and blue package is the awesome Fuwa Fuwa Jelly!

•  Almondrush. A big chocolate bar with almonds! This is the only one I haven't tried yet, but I love almonds and chocolate, so I'm sure I'll love this!

Almondrush

Skoshbox July 2013 (I forgot to put the chopsticks in for the picture)

 I thought this was a really fun box! I like trying out new snacks, but I think I may have this as a more occasional box that I buy than keeping the subscription going full time. I don't know that I need to have a big box of snacks each month. I'm sure I will buy another in the future at some point though!

If you'd like to sign up for Skoshbox, head over to their site! If you already get the box, did you like this month's box? What was your favorite and least favorite snack from the box?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own.)

Christmas in July 2013 Dottiebox Review

I was really excited when Dottiebox sent out an email letting us know that they had a special Christmas in July box for sale. They had some extra inventory from previous boxes and you could get a box for only $10 plus shipping (a typical monthly Dottiebox is $20 plus shipping for 5-6 handmade items from various businesses/artists)! They even said we could make requests for certain items and if they had it, they'd do their best to make sure we'd get one. I thought that was pretty cool! I had seen a few items I thought looked pretty cool in the past, so I requested 2 of them in the hopes one would still be available. Quickly, my box was shipped and here!

Opening the box

Looking over the box quickly, I noticed I got BOTH of the items I had requested!! Yay!! The first item was a crochet coffee cozy from Baby Off the Hook ($6). It's so cute!! I get a Starbucks coffee of some sort almost every week at Target and I'm so bringing this with me next time! I love it!

Crochet coffy cozy by Baby off the Hook

The second item I requested, because I'm a makeup junkie, was an Overall Beauty mineral eye shadow, which I got in the color Swiss Miss ($5.50). It's described as "simple chocolate brown", but in different lights, it's really much prettier than something I'd call simple. It was actually pretty hard to photograph accurately, which I apologize for, but in the light (indoor - I took these at night), you can see some delicate shimmer and a lighter taupe color, but in shadows, it becomes darker and almost purpley, which I love! In fact, I loved it so much, I went and ordered a bunch of smaller sample size colors from them today with the included coupon code!

Overall Beauty mineral eye shadow in Swiss Miss

Swiss Miss in indoor lighting

Swiss Miss in shadow

Next up was a sample pack of different colored hair chalks by ShareeBoutique ($5.50)! The funny thing is that I thought this looked really cool in a review I read, but I didn't request it for this box because I had already requested 2 things. But, I'm so excited I got it! I'm really hoping it shows up as well on dark hair as light - it does look like one of the models she pictures has darker hair, but mine is black now (I dyed it last week!), so we shall see. I think Chris read something somewhere about hair chalks being a bit dangerous both for inhalation and skin contact, but this seller says hers are made from cosmetic grade ingredients and are safe, so hopefully that's true! Either way, I may not use these on Emily, just on me.

ShareeBoutique hair chalks

My next item was an adorable pair of green stripe earrings from Atomic Lace ($12). These are simple, but soo cute!! I'm not sure how I overlooked these when looking through the previous boxes. I love the color and the stripes!

Atomic Lace earrings

My last item was a twist-band style headband from Mommy & Me Boutique (I think - it looks like the item in the sample box pictured on the Dottiebox site was a set of small hair ties). I couldn't find a listing that sold this style headband alone or in a set, so based on the closest looking item (headbands with loops instead of knots), this seems to have a value of $1.65. Ok. So, this is my only dud. Not that they could possibly know, but I HATE twistbands. They just don't hold my hair up (hair ties) or stay on my head (headbands). With this kind of headband, I look up and it practically slingshots off the back of my head. <shrug> Oh well. Plus, and I realize I may have gotten an awesome deal at the time (~2 years ago, before the twistband craze), but back when my daughter had very little hair and I kept her in this style headband (with the little loop, instead of the knot, to attach a bow), I got a pack of 43 in various colors for less than $20. Alas, that seller isn't open anymore (heck, maybe she was selling them too cheap. Or maybe she closed up for other reasons.) and Emily doesn't keep these on her head anymore anyway. But, really, one dud in a box of awesome is so not a big deal.

Mommy & Me Boutique (maybe) headband

Christmas in July Dottiebox

Overall, I was thrilled with my box. I got both items I requested as well as 2 other pretty cool things. This was an awesome deal for someone like me, who just joined up, but has been oogling past boxes for a few months in others' reviews. And, although this box isn't about getting a huge value in your box as much as it is discovering new artists and businesses, it certainly doesn't hurt that my box had a value of $30.65! I'm super happy with my box and can't wait till next month!

The Christmas in July boxes are sold out now, but if you'd like to sign up, head over to the Dottiebox site! If you got a Christmas in July box, what did you get in yours?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own.)

Starlooks Starbox July 2013 Review

My latest Starlooks Starbox arrived today, and as usual, I was excited to see it in my mailbox! For $17.68 per month ($15 for the box, $2.68 for shipping), you get 3-4 full sized items of makeup and usually a smaller bonus item or sample. Last month's anniversary month was good items, but a tad underwhelming for an anniversary box. This month, however, was awesome!! The theme this month was Ibiza and was a mix of neutrals and bold (they rotate between neutral, bold, and mixed boxes).

Opening the box. I really liked the packaging this month!

Info card

The first item I pulled out was a 906 Sculpt and Blush brush ($22). This is great for blushes and bronzers. The description points out how soft it is, and that's not a lie! This is sooo soft! I love it. I had a blush brush already, but it's quite old and it's nowhere near as soft as this. I can't wait to try it out! And I can't believe the box is already paid for. Seriously, this box is awesome!

Starlooks 906 sculpt and blush brush

Next up was a half-size Pigment Luster in Pennywise ($9). This was sent along with a sample of Quince Relaxing Body Butter ($2.14), which is described as smelling like "refreshing peach, romantic rose, relaxing lavender, deliciously calming vanilla, and centering tonka bean" which sounds pretty nice to me (I haven't opened it yet because it's a foil packet). While you can do whatever you want with their Pigment Luster (eyes, face, mix it with lip gloss, etc), the idea given in this box is to mix it into the lotion for a shimmery, bronzey lotion! I've said before that I'm not a fan of bronzers, but I think this actually sounds pretty cool. I like that they give you instructions on how to make it light, medium, or dark. I figure I'll make a batch of light and I'll hopefully end up with a nice light shimmer. I think I'll mix it up in a small bead container so that I can close it back up if there's enough. I do love a good shimmer lotion, so if this turns out as well as I hope it does (both in looks and smell), I may actually splurge for their Ultimate Body Bronze set, which comes with a full size body butter and full size pigment luster. If I don't love the lotion, I'll probably have enough shimmer to make more with whatever lotion I already have.

Starlooks Pigment Luster in Pennywise. Also a coupon code for more of these at $5 each. This picture doesn't really do the Pigment Luster justice - it's quite shimmery in person.

Quince Relaxing Body Butter

The last item in this month's box, and the best, was a 5 Shade Shadow Palette in St. Tropez ($41)! I'm a little surprised we didn't get Ibiza, given the theme. Or, maybe more fittingly, since the St. Tropez colors work better with the other items in the box, I'm surprised they didn't just name the theme St. Tropez. Either way, I'm not going to lie, my eyes lit up when I saw the palette! As always, I love eye stuff. So excited for this. The colors aren't named on the packaging and I don't think I can guess which most of them are, but we got a pale shimmery nude/pink, a shimmery gold, a less shimmery (but not quite matte) darker coral/peachy pink, an AMAZING shimmery purpley-brown with a bit of a pink sheen, and a matte black. They're all smooth and nicely pigmented. I'll probably use the gold sparingly (like the slightly lighter BH Cosmetics gold color from this month's Ipsy), and I'll have to play with the darker pink to figure out how to wear it, but I love the other 3 colors. The palest color will be great for my everyday look (black liquid eyeliner, mascara, and a lightish shadow), the black will be great in a smokey eye look, and I cannot wait to use the brouple (brownish-purple!) because it's just so pretty.

Starlooks 5 Shadow Palette in St. Tropez

Swatches of the makeup (shades in same order as palette, swatch at the bottom is the Pigment Luster)

I thought this angle in the light showed off the sheen of the pretty brownish color nicely

July 2013 Starlooks Starbox (My little crystal was huge this month! I usually just get a tiny sliver!)

I was really happy with this month's box. I usually am. That palette was a great surprise. Overall, this box had a value of $74.14! Wow!!

Also, I didn't post about it when it arrived, but in last month's Starbox post I mentioned I ordered the Regular Russ set, which was a set of 3 Gem Eye Pencils (Roseate, Myth, and Deja Vu). When it arrived, it actually had 2 Myths and Deja Vu, so I emailed them to ask about Roseate. I got a response super quickly (I'm talking minutes) and they apologized and sent Roseate out immediately. The next day, I got another email from them, from their shipping/orders manager, apologizing again and saying that if I ever have an issue just let them know and they'll fix it immediately. As promised, I got Roseate by the end of the week. Talk about great customer service! And of course, I love all 3 pencils. They glide on so nicely and they're really pigmented and just so pretty. Including the one I got in January (Fancy, which looks awesome layered with brown liner), I now have 4 of their 6 Gem Eye Pencils. I kind of want the last 2...haha.

Starlooks Gem Eye Pencils from the Regular Russ set - Myth, Roseate, and Deja Vu. I forgot to take a picture, but they came packaged in a cute little organza bag

Deja Vu, Myth, Roseate, Fancy (not part of the RR set)

If you get Starbox, did you like it this month? If you're interested in signing up, head over to their website! I don't think you would get this as your first box, but if it looks good, keep an eye on their Past Boxes page where you can buy previous months' boxes for $25 - July's not up yet, but it should be soon. Sadly, almost every other previous month is sold out, but there are a few left! That page is also great to get a good idea of what they send, though!

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own.)

Refreshing Peach, Romantic Rose, Relaxing Lavender, Deliciously Calming Vanilla, and Centering Tonka Bean - See more at: http://www.quincebutters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=fj5457e746cbjmig3p5aglbgh1#sthash.bqDAuh7Z.dpu

Refreshing Peach, Romantic Rose, Relaxing Lavender, Deliciously Calming Vanilla, and Centering Tonka Bean - See more at: http://www.quincebutters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=fj5457e746cbjmig3p5aglbgh1#sthash.bqDAuh7Z.dpuf

Refreshing Peach, Romantic Rose, Relaxing Lavender, Deliciously Calming Vanilla, and Centering Tonka Bean - See more at: http://www.quincebutters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=fj5457e746cbjmig3p5aglbgh1#sthash.bqDAuh7Z.dpuf

Refreshing Peach, Romantic Rose, Relaxing Lavender, Deliciously Calming Vanilla, and Centering Tonka Bean - See more at: http://www.quincebutters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=fj5457e746cbjmig3p5aglbgh1#sthash.bqDAuh7Z.dpuf

Refreshing Peach, Romantic Rose, Relaxing Lavender, Deliciously Calming Vanilla, and Centering Tonka Bean - See more at: http://www.quincebutters.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=11&zenid=fj5457e746cbjmig3p5aglbgh1#sthash.bqDAuh7Z.dpuf

Goodies July 2013 Review

Just on a whim this month, I decided to try out the Goodies box. For only $7 a month, they send you a box of snacks. I'm not sure if there's a set number of snacks each month. It's pretty inexpensive, so I figured why not? After saying it was supposed to get here Saturday, it finally arrived yesterday, Tuesday. There doesn't seem to be a monthly theme, but here's my box:

Opening the box.

It was packed well - nothing melted, bust open, or spilled, so that's a plus, especially when there's a liquid included. There wasn't really an info card, just a note explaining their upcoming box size changes (smaller boxes for smaller samples, bigger for bigger - just depends on the month).

My first item was a small bag of Cosmos Creations Salted Caramel baked corn snacks ($0.70). They tasted pretty good, but a tad on the too-sweet side, and I'm kind of picky about caramel corn. My hubby's cousins own some popcorn stands in Maryland and we always get a big tub of it and it's fantastic, especially fresh. This wasn't popcorn. This was baked corn. I suppose some might prefer this because there are no husks or unpopped kernels, but to me, it's just got kind of a weird consistency. I was reminded of the time that I bought some white cheddar puffed corn instead of the popcorn at Target - blech. Just not what I was expecting. It's just not the same. This snack was fine, just not my favorite. Plus it was a really small bag. I'm not sure what I was expecting with this box, I just figured it would be at least the smallest size they sell (2.5 oz rather than the .7 oz bag we got).

Cosmos Creations Salted Caramel baked corn snack

Next up was a small bag of Crunchmaster Multi-grain crackers with sea salt ($0.42). Boy, these are some inexpensive samples. Anyway, I wasn't a fan of these. I normally like multi-grain bread and crackers, but this, again, had a weird consistency. It was way crunchier and, oddly, shinier, than I expected. Maybe that's because it's gluten free? Is this what gluten free stuff tastes like? It's 2 main ingredients are brown rice flour and whole grain yellow corn. I think it's the corn that gives it more of a chip consistency than cracker. It was salty, which I like, but that's about it.

Crunchmaster Multi-grain crackers, sea salt flavor

My next item was a good sized bag of The Better Chip Spinach & Kale with seal salt chips (~$1.10 for their brand on Amazon, my flavor was not listed). My first bite of these was not great, but I made myself try another. Surprisingly, they grew on me. It's an odd flavor, for sure, but I think I actually liked them. Not enough to buy more, but it made a decent snack today.

The Better Chip Spinach and Kale with sea salt chips

My last food item was Gimbal's Cherry Lovers fruit chews ($1.29). Again, not exactly what I expected when I first looked at it (jelly beans), they're actually pretty good. They're a bit bigger and softer than normal jelly beans, and are made with real fruit juice. I've only had a few, but the flavors I've tried were all good. I think I'd eat these again, but again, I probably wouldn't go buy them myself.

Gimbal's Cherry Lovers fruit chews

My last item, a drink, was Glaceau Sparkling Fruit Water in Strawberry Kiwi ($2.40 for this flavor on Amazon). I do occasionally buy similar drinks from Target, but I usually buy flavors like black cherry and blackberry. Pretty much never strawberry kiwi - I just don't like it. This was no different. Like I mentioned in my last Jungle Stand post, I just don't like strawberry flavored things. I'll see if Chris wants it. Or maybe Emily. I kind of wish I had gotten any of the other flavors, but I realize you can't choose what you get in your box.

Glaceau sparkling fruit water in strawberry kiwi

July 2013 Goodies box

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed. My overall value was only $5.91, not even what I paid for the box. That's disappointing. I don't expect a huge value, but I at least expect $7. Plus, I really only liked 2 things in this box. I would normally give the box one more month, but I just decided it wasn't worth it. I'd rather put that $7 towards a different box. So, it's canceled.
Did you get a Goodies box this month? Did you get different flavors? If you'd like to look into getting one yourself, head over to their website.

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own.)

August Julep selection time!!

Yay! It's time to choose a Julep box again (July 20-24)! Next month's theme is Garden Party:


I'm not really sure how much this theme screams August to me, honestly, but it seems like a pretty collection. I'm also not sure how much I can post from their site on here, in terms of pictures, so I think for now I'll describe the colors and products, with the picture above as reference for the colors. There are swatches on different skin tones on the Julep site.
The beauty product of the month is a heel and foot stick that is supposedly "moisturizes, stimulates circulation, and prevents blisters". That sounds pretty good to me, especially since my heels are always a mess.
As always, there are 5 boxes you can choose from (and the upgrade box, which includes all polish and both beauty products):

• Modern Beauty - this is the beauty product only box. No polish. You get the heel stick and a set of their new hydrating masks for feet, hands, and face. This box seems a tad overpriced to me given the fact that you only get one set of the one-time use masks. 
• Boho Glam - Heel stick along with Lois, a light pink frost, and Francis, a light green creme. This is my usual profile, but I didn't really like either of these colors this month, so I swapped profiles this month.
• Bombshell - Heel stick along with Bea, a light yellow creme, and Lacey, a dark blue shimmer. I love Lacey, but not Bea, so I chose Lacey as an add-on.
• Classic with a Twist - Heel stick along with Sylvia, a classic purple creme, and Veronica, a "modern mauve creme". I really loved both of these colors and surprisingly, unless Veronica turns out more coral than it looks, 2 colors I need, so I chose this box this month!
• It Girl - this is the polish only box. You get Fiore, a dark brown creme, Nellie, a somewhat dark fuchsia creme, and Marjorie, an orange frost. I was tempted by this box because it seems like a good lead-into-fall box, but decided I have a brown that is probably pretty close and I probably wouldn't use the orange much, so I chose Nellie as an add-on. 

As usual, there were a selection of add-ons, including Argan oil, a couple cuticle products, and a pedi prep product, but the one item that stuck out to me was their special 2nd anniversary set:
 
Gorgeous! I had to add that on as well. So, with my 3 add-ons, my box this month is a bit pricier than usual, but I'm excited for all that polish! As usual, if you want to join Julep's subscription service, please use my link! If you use promo code, FREEBOX, you can get your first box free! You just pay shipping!

(And just a disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post in any way. All opinions are my own. The final link is a referral link, but I also included a non-referral link at the top.) 

The Jungle Stand July 2013 review

Yay! Another Jungle Stand box to try! And, as promised, I got my hubby to weigh in on the tastes this month, too. For $9.92/month, you get 6 "tastes" (smallish samples) of snacks - usually food that you might not normally come across or buy regularly. Following June's "Welcome to Taiwan" theme, July's theme was "Welcome to Japan"!

Opening the box

Info card. Not pictured is the nutritional information sheet.

Our first taste was baked cake, or manju. It was mild, sweet, and soft, with a dark center. This was my favorite taste in the box and one of my hubby's least favorite. It was funny watching him taste it. I had already had mine and was expecting a similar reaction, but he just said "Eh, it's pretty bland".
Next up was nori koiwa, a seaweed dusted rice cracker. I was expecting to not like this, but actually, it was pretty good. Sweeter than I expected, and I really didn't taste much of the seaweed, in spite of the description saying it would be a strong after-taste. Chris also liked these. These were described as "probably the best taste in the bar". We both liked them, but neither of us thought they were the best.
The third taste was age ichiban. Although it was described as sweet, it was a bit more salty to me, but a good flavor. This was probably both of our second favorites.
Next was the hitokuchi kurobo, described as the "sweetest taste in the the bar". They were definitely sweet. Too sweet. Interestingly, it tasted a bit like really soft dried dates to me, although there aren't any dates in it. It was almost dusty in consistency. Neither of us liked this one much. Unfortunate, since we got 3.
The fifth taste was taruyaki goma senbei. Chris took one look at this and said, "Oh, I'm gonna like this!" And he did. This was his favorite. This was very salty - the only really salty taste we got. Everything else had at least some sweetness to it. This was my least favorite. This is just like the kinds of snacks I don't like in those little Japanese snack mixes. Blech. I happily let him have the third senbei.
Finally, the last taste was strawberry caramel corn. This didn't strike me as terribly exotic, nor is it like traditional caramel corn (like popcorn). This was also not a favorite of either of ours, but I think Chris liked it more than I did. He couldn't place the flavor at first, although I thought it was a pretty strong fake strawberry taste. It reminded me of strawberry flavored kids' cereal.

This was a more hit and miss box than last month's, but it was still really fun to try them all. And even more fun with Chris! It's interesting to compare our favorites and least favorites - I thought it was funny that we agreed on the ones we thought were pretty good to not as good, but our favorites were each other's least favorites. I look forward to more tastes with Chris! I think the only thing he'd be less enthusiastic about trying would be mushrooms, but I think I saw a box of those a couple months back, before I subscribed, so I don't think he needs to worry too much.

If you want to sign up, go to The Jungle Stand’s website! If you already get Jungle Stand, what did you think of this month’s tastes?

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own (or my husband's).)

Citrus Lane July 2013 review

As we're still comparing Citrus Lane and Stork Stack, Emily just got her July Citrus Lane box! For $25 a month (or $21 a month if you sign up for a 6 month subscription – I’ll do this if Citrus Lane wins my comparison), you get 4+ items selected for your child’s age (they offer boxes up to 5 years old). You usually get a mixture of useful things (like toothpaste, sunscreen, food items, etc) and toys or books. There didn't seem to be a theme this month, but the info card said that this month's items would be good for playtime and picnics. I don't think I remembered to mention it in my last Citrus Lane post, but this is for a 31 month old girl.

Opening the box

Info sheet. (I'm sorry it's a bit blurry, I didn't even notice until I uploaded it)

Emily's first item, a toy, is the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace pets kit ($9.99). We actually already have the farm set, which I was holding onto until she turned 3, since this says 3 and up, but Emily wanted to open the pet set right away and give it a try. She actually did pretty well! She needed a bit of direction, but once she learned what to do, she seemed to enjoy it. But it didn't quite hold her attention for a whole animal. She got about halfway through the bunny and kept wanting to start new ones. Which is fine. However she'd like to play with them is fine by me. My only small complaint about this toy is that the holes aren't terribly smooth, so they're not always easy to pull the string through and it seems to be fraying the laces just a little bit. The laces do have plastic bits at the end though, so at least they won't ever become too frayed to fit into the hole.

Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Pets

Emily lacing the bunny. (Bunnies are her favorite)

Next up was the Goodbyn Bynto food container ($9.50). Emily's not in school yet, but we could probably use this on a picnic (maybe if we ever get a slightly cooler day!). I do think it's a cute idea to put lunch into and I actually just picked up a PlumDistrict (referral link) deal - $8 for $16 to spend at BentoUSA - so I can pick up a few cute animal shaped sandwich and veggie/meat cutters to make some cute lunches for Emily. I think she'd get a kick out of that! The Bynto also came with a set of Goodbyn Dishwasher Safe Stickers ($3.50) to decorate the box with. They're not my favorite, but Emily wanted to decorate her box, so she did (I gave her a little help when she asked).

Goodbyn Bynto food container

Goodbyn dishwasher-safe stickers

In the "useful" area, we got 2 products: a 2-pack Me4Kidz Cool It Buddy instant cold pack ($2.99) and a sample of Episencial Mighty Shield bug repelling lotion (in a size that is proof that Episencial does in fact make smaller bottles, like I complained about in my last CL post) ($1.76). I like the instant cold packs. Emily is a toddler - she falls occasionally, runs into other kids occasionally, etc. I'm sure these'll come in handy, so into my purse they go. I'm a little less excited about the bug lotion. We surprisingly don't have that many mosquitos in our neighborhood, so we haven't had any trouble yet with bites. While I like that this is kid friendly, the scent is really unappealing. The site describes it as "invigorating, like a jungle breeze", which doesn't tell you anything. In reality, I smell strong lemon and tea tree oil and something else I can't put my finger on. It just smells bad to me. I smelled it before I even opened the box. Mind you, the sample had a foil seal on it - it hadn't spilled - it's just that strong smelling. I don't want really want to use it. On the upside, unlike the poorly packaged sunscreen sample, this sample is full.

Me4Kidz Cool it Buddy instant cold packs

Episencial Mighty Shield bug lotion

Not pictured, our final "product", was a code for 10 free Postagrams ($9.90 value). I'm actually pretty excited for this. My parents and sister would love to get a Postagram from Emily! They don't get to see her as often as they'd like, living in NJ, so I'll definitely use these.

July 2013 Citrus Lane box

I'm pretty happy with this box. The Lace and Trace toy was a hit with Emily, in spite of being for a slightly older kid (so hopefully, these will last a while!) and I think the Bynto box, cool packs, and Postagrams will be useful. The only item I didn't like is the sample, so I'm not too disappointed. Overall, this box had a value of $34.14, almost $10 over the price of the box!

What did your kids get in their boxes? I know I saw some Zoli Snack holders, which I think look awesome! If you’d like to sign up, here’s my personal invite link – if you sign up using that link, it will give you $10 off your order as well as giving me a $10 credit (and I’d be oh, so grateful!!)!

(And just a disclaimer: I bought this box myself and was not compensated for this review in any way. All opinions are my own. I have included referral links.)