My Review of the ECO-EMI September 2012 Box

This is my review of the September 2012 Eco-Emi Box.  This is my first month trying out this box and I was really excited for it to come.

The stats:  $15/mo with free shipping

• You get (per their website):  Chic, eco-friendly products delivered to your door once a month. 
• An array of products - everything from animal friendly makeup to organic brown rice, all natural perfumes, to herbal teas and vegan chocolates. 
• We want you to try a little bit of everything (not just beauty) so that you will be able to shop completely green in all areas food, beauty, household and more. 
• We strive to feature either organic, all natural, vegetarian, fair trade or vegan products

Here's what the September 2012 Eco-Emi Box looked like:

1st impression - "Love the packaging and the description card!  Can't wait to see what's inside!!" 

This box included:

Safonique Lavendar Sea Laundry Detergent - 4 fl oz (enough for 2 loads) - RV $ .78

Yogi Skin Detox and Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life Tea Bags - 2 of them - RV $ .62

Sen Cha Original Green Tea Leaf Mints - 1.3g/3 count - RV $.01

Sparklehearts Bubbling Blooms Body Wash & Conditioner - two .07 oz packets - RV $.07 each = $.14

Biao Beauty Rejuvenating Night Creme - .07 oz - RV $ .43

Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes - 10 count (FULL SIZE) - RV $3.00

Crum Creek Mills Organic Soy Nut Trail Mix - 1 packet - RV $.55

Angell Crisp Organic Milk Chocolate Bar - 1 bar/1.23 oz - RV $1.79

Aubrey Organics Silken Earth Powder Blush in "Honey Bronze" -  approx .03 oz - RV $3.98

Good Fortune Creamy Coconut Lip Balm - .15 oz (FULL SIZE) - RV $4.00

TOTAL ESTIMATED VALUE:  $15.30

MY COST: $15.00

A closer look at these items.....

1.  Safonique Lavendar Sea Laundry Detergent - (4 stars) - I like the size of this sample.  It says it's enough for 2 loads.  It does smell quite strongly of Lavendar, which I'm not particularly fond of.  (I will update this blog as to how strong the smell is after use).  Product says it has "pure essential oils" in it and is "eco-friendly", which it goes on to explain means "Phosphate free, biodegradable, septic system safe, free of synthetic dyes & perfumes, fragranced only with pure essential oils, all-natural deep cleaning Borax, and no animal testing".  Though I'm not a huge fan of lavendar, I am a fan of not putting all the chemicals against my body that are in your typical detergents.  Therefore, I'm excited to try this.

2.  Yogi Skin Detox and Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life Tea Bags - (Did not Try) - I'm not a fan of tea and therefore, did not try these tea samples.  I did gift them to my parents to try though since they are tea drinkers.  

3.  Sen Cha Original Green Tea Leaf Mints - 1.3g/3 count - (2 stars) - These mints taste OK.  They're very minty at first, but then leave a strange after-taste.  I wouldn't say they left my breath feeling really fresh.  I was more perplexed by the flavor.  Not something I'd buy.

4. and 5. - Sparklehearts Bubbling Blooms Body Wash & Conditioner - two .07 oz packets - (3 stars) - Each packet was the perfect size to sample.  The smell was very faint.  It specifically noted that it was "bubbling".  There were some bubbles, but not enough to brag about.  I felt the same way about the conditioner.  It had a VERY faint cotton-candy smell to it, but left my hair dry (and it ended up full of static).  I like that they're both 100% natural and both were nice to try, but I wouldn't recommend buying either of them.

6.  Biao Beauty Rejuvenating Night Creme - .07 oz - (Did not Try) - I've said it umpteen times on here - cremes are not really my thing.  This one is headed straight to Listia.

7.  Burt's Bees Facial Cleansing Towelettes - 10 count - (4 stars) - I love that this is a full-sized product and I am a fan of Burt's Bees in general.  This towelette was soft and did leave my face feeling refreshed.  This is something I'd use after workouts or when I'm traveling.

8.  Crum Creek Mills Organic Soy Nut Trail Mix - 1 packet - (2 stars) - I will be the first to admit that I am a picky eater.  However, I was excited to try something new that's healthy for me.  Sadly, I discovered I am not a fan of soy nuts!  I wanted to like them, but I hated them!  I chewed up one handful and then picked the organic chocolate chips out of the rest of the package.  

9.  Angell Crisp Organic Milk Chocolate Bar - 1 bar - (4 stars) - This is a chocolate bar and I've admittedly met few in life I didn't like.  It is chewy, though the crisps aren't very crispy (if that makes sense).  The flavor is good (very rich).  This is something I'd buy in the future!

10.  Aubrey Organics Silken Earth Powder Blush in "Honey Bronze" -  (approx. .03 oz) - (DNT) - will test this out tomorrow and update this blog once I do.

11.  Good Fortune Creamy Coconut Lip Balm - .15 oz (FULL SIZE) - (5 stars) - This balm smells great (like fresh coconuts) and is very creamy.  It goes on clear and is long-lasting. This is something I would buy.

The final verdict:  3 stars!!   I really like that this is an eco-friendly product box and I love trying out new products!  I liked the wide variety of products, but sadly, most were ones I wouldn't normally purchase except for the lip balm and chocolate bar.  The price is reasonable, but the value of the box is rather poor compared to the other subscription boxes I'm signed up for ($15 for 11 products, valued at approx. $15.30).  This is the first Eco-Emi box I've received though, so I'll give it another chance for the next month or two before deciding whether to keep subscribing to it or not.