Dottiebox August 2013 Review

It's Dottiebox time again! For $26/month ($20 for the box and $6 for shipping. Or you can buy a single non-subscription box for the same price), you get a selection of handmade items from various artists/businesses picked out by Dottiebox. It seems like it's usually 5-6 items per month, plus a few coupon codes for the artists featured. I enjoyed my first box in July as well as the Christmas in July special box, so I couldn't wait to see what was in the August box.

Opening the box - chock full!

Info card

First up, in a cute little bag with a pretty tag and a bow, was a candle by Pure Palette Scents ($3.50). This was an adorable little candle, but I was not at all a fan of the Lemongrass Lavender scent. The Lemongrass was super strong (I smelled it before I even opened my Dottiebox, before the candle's tin was open) and it overwhelmed the Lavender to the point that I couldn't even smell it. Their shop is currently on vacation, so I'm not sure what other scents they have, but assuming they have others, I'd guess I'd probably find something I'd like. Thankfully, my parents were visiting last week and my mom likes Lemongrass and was happy to take the candle! Problem solved!

Cute packaging!

Pure Palette Scents candle in Lemongrass Lavender

Next up, wrapped in cute confetti tissue paper and string, was a set of quartz chunk earrings from Adam Rabbit ($15). These were interesting - cute, but a bit out of my comfort zone. I will try them out though! Maybe I'll think they're awesome paired with the right outfit!

More cute packaging!

Adam Rabbit quartz chunk earrings

My next item was a Karol's Handmade Soap Lotion Bar in Lemon Ginger ($5.00). The lemon in this isn't as off-putting to me as the Lemongrass in the candle above (and they do have a Lemongrass scent - I'm glad I didn't get that one! Though I won't lie - I think I would have loved Raspberry Vanilla or Lavender a bit more). This lotion bar intrigues me. I only had a chance to take a picture of it when it arrived last week, so I haven't tried it yet. I'm interested to see how it works!And what cute packaging! It looks like it should be in a fancy hotel!

Karol's Homemade Soap Lotion Bar in Lemon Ginger

My last big item was a set of twist-band style hair ties from Poppy & Elle ($4.20). Well, I'll give them one thing - they are cute prints. But, as I noted in my Christmas in July Dottiebox post, I'm really not a fan of twist-bands. While I was taking pictures, I decided to put my hair up. Like other twist-band style hair ties, Poppy & Ellie claim that these hold your hair without leaving a dent. Unless I've got unique hair, this just doesn't prove true for me. In order for it not to dent, I need to fold it over twice, at which point it slips right out of my ponytail with very little movement (a low ponytail - no way would it hold up the weight of a high one - my hair is quite long). In order for it to actually stay in place and hold a low ponytail, I have to fold it over 3 times - 15 minutes later, I had a dent.

Poppy & Ellie hair ties

My final product was a sample of Fabled Soap Co. Handmade Laundry Powder Soap in Lemon Squeeze ($0.83). This must be the lemon box! It smells nice and clean and I'll try it, but I much prefer liquid soap to powder - I feel like the powder leaves a residue sometimes. Plus, my daughter has sensitive skin, so I usually just use unscented detergent. But I can try this on my stuff. I'd be interested to see what Vanilla Lavender and Ocean smell like!

More cute packaging!

Fabled Soap Co. info

Lemon Squeeze Laundry Powder

We also got a coupon code for 20% off any purchase at Kristin's Kreations. Admittedly, until I got to this point in the review, I had no idea what she made. I guess she doesn't really have anything small enough (like one hair clip or something) for a mini sample to go with the code in the box, but I think maybe a little paper insert from Kristin's Kreations with the code and a picture or 2 might have been nice to let us know what kind of products she made. Anyway, her baby hats are really adorable - if I didn't live in TX, I'd consider using the code to get the owl, tiger, or pumpkin one for a future kiddo! Emily wore a bunch of adorable crocheted hats when she was a baby (she was born in North Carolina, where it did actually get a tad cold in the winter - it even snowed a few weeks after she was born!).

August 2013 Dottiebox

I'm really pleased with the variety in this box - jewelry, hair, home, and body are all covered! Some of it isn't 100% my style, but that's how it goes with subscriptions boxes. I'll use some of it myself, and gift some of it! Plus, the value was about $28.53 (not including the coupon), which is great! I found out about some new Etsy sellers and I'm pretty happy overall. If you'd like to sign up, head over to the Dottiebox site! If you already subscribe, did you like your box this month?

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