Showing posts with label subscription box. Show all posts

Wildgrain

 


 Been getting ads for Wildgrain bake at home bread boxes. I'm not a baker or into baking so I think I was getting targeted since I've done meal boxes before. However it did intrigue me and as a fan of croissants, their free croissants for life offer got me. So I decided to finally try it!

 So I got the 6 item per box plan which is $99 so that makes each item $16.50 each which admittedly is expensive. But shipping is free at least! The date you choose is the charge date and not the delivery date which is annoying. But you can easily reschedule your charge date and if its soon you can see the estimated delivery date. Its seems they use some other driver base delivery system that isn't Fedex or UPS. Which makes it a bit difficult to get exact dates if you need food delivered at a certain time. But they do include dry ice in the box so it does stay cool for a bit. 

As for their selection, they have a few choices you can choose to be part of your box but for some reason the add ons have choices that aren't part of the box selection choices. So if you want them you had to choose then as a addon and not as part of your box. 

So most of the multi packs are in packs of 4 so it would mean each is about $4. Again, rather pricey! I usually get bake at home croissants from Whole Foods so I wanted to try to see how they compare. So far I think they're a rather similar. I do find the Wildgrain one is less likely to be under cooked in the middle. Its also easier to cook. You don't have to let it thaw a bit and can bake them straight from frozen.

 I also got their giant ginger molasses cookies. These are great! Very delicious, one cookie gets about 4" big so it does get huge. It is a soft type of cookie. The middle is rather bread like and soft. There's nice a good bits of candied ginger. This flavor is seasonal but I was able to get it till May.  

I also got their almond, and ham & cheese croissants. They're just filling with the dough with the sides folded over it. They are pretty good and it does cook more evenly than if it was a normal shape.

As for their breads, I got their sourdough loaf and I like that I can just put it straight in the oven and bake it. I even baked it in my toaster oven. It turned out amazing which I was surprised about! The center was still cooked and soft and the crust is crusty without burning. It turned into a nice golden brown color. I even got their sourdough rolls. These also baked into a nice small crusty little loaf. Pretty easy to bake and rather convenient.

Got their truffle butter and garlic and herb butter. The truffle has a very nice flavor but it is smaller and it was the only butter option when I signed up. I don't use flavored butter often so I still haven't finished it. Its amazing how nice it spreads after letting it soften a bit. The herb and garlic one also has an amazing flavor. Not too strong to be over powering or have a strong aftertaste. I do plan on using it to stuff under chicken skin. Very delicious and I do think its worth the price! 

 Overall, I do find their products delicious! I even got their biscuits which turned out amazing and easy to bake. I do think its weird they have so many biscuits but no scones. But I did try the cheese biscuits and they were rather good. So  much more flavorful than I expected. I did try their english muffins which are rather thick. Didn't try their cheesecakes or pastas. They even have pizza which is ok. As expensive as they are, I do find their food is quality and super easy to bake compare to ones I've had from the grocery stores. Its hard to mess up! Never got them over cooked or undercooked.

Factor - prepaid meals subscription

 


 I’ve seen ads for this meal service a lot and I have tried it years ago and I am trying it again. What got me to try again is for the free breakfast meal which is a deal that is pretty appealing. I don't find their meals to be very affordable but they are very balanced meals. The portion size is about the same as frozen dinner meals. Sometimes its easy for me to finish and others I find it difficult to finish. Each meal is about $15 per depending on your box size. The less you pick the more it costs which sucks but since its a business they want people to buy more so they make more. I would definitely take advantage of their half off discounts and cancel. 

 They have a decent amount of meal choices to choose from. I do find the meals to be good but not something that I would be craving. It’s seasoned healthily and has quite of bit of veggies which are good but the broccoli ones tend to be dry and not have that fresh crunch since they are roasted. 

The packaging is like a tv dinner. I do find it very difficult to pull the plastic film off. It’s also very loud when I do get it to pull. But most of the time I just stab an opening with a plastic knife. I take these to work since that’s when I usually get a decent meal in during the weekday. 

The portions varies. Some a little more than others. I do find the protein heavy meals very difficult for me to finish during my 30 minute lunch break. It just makes me feel fuller faster and I do find it wasteful that I’d have to throw the rest away. So I like the more lighter meals as I can finish them easier. 

As for customer service. It can be helpful but a bit annoying. I had a delivery during a huge snow storm which I assumed they would delay a day or so but they didn’t. The package did arrive but 3 days late. So technically they would say it’s not safe but it’s up to you whether you want to risk eating it or just throw it all away. They did refund me but since there was a discount they didn’t a weird credit thing. They split it for partial as credit and the rest back to my card. My credit was screwed because it didn’t factor in the discount it gave me more than I actually paid for. The problem with their credits is that they don’t apply to your next order if there’s a discount. So if you have a discount for coming back it will be awhile till you can use them. You have to contact customer service to request the discount to be removed. Just canceling the subscription and resubscribing does nothing. But you can request the credits to be refund to your card. They won’t actually refund the full credit amount since it isn’t accurate like mine was. They will ask you why and everything. They do have an AI bot customer service chat that you can request an agent in. 

 Overall, I do think it’s gotten better but it is still expensive. And they already sent me a discount postcard to come back. I think their marketing is annoying but that seems to be the marketing tactic these days. It is definitely a healthy way to eat if you don’t do it already. They never made me feel bad. I do prefer their fish dishes than their beef ones. 

Oats Overnight

 

 Oats Overnight ads popped up on Instagram for me and thought it seemed like an easy breakfast. I'm not the type to like sweet breakfast but I thought I try it out just for the summer season. The cold would be refreshing in the heat. 

I got the box that came with a free shaker. They're oatmeal mixes are drinkable but you can use less milk to make it a more traditional oatmeal bowl which is what I wanted. The shaker is bigger than I expected but it serves well to mix the oatmeal with milk. There are oz labeled on the bottle. The 6oz is clearly labeled but the other numbers aren't painted so its hard to see the numbers since I need 4oz for the traditional way to make it.

Each pack has about 1/4 cup of powder and oatmeal. Its mostly powder than rolled oats. I feel I could add my own oats to it but obviously the flavor would get more diluted. The flavor is rather moderate so its not too intense to make it seem like a desert. I got one pack for each flavor to try them out. So far there's more flavors I didn't like than ones I did like. 

Personally I feel it is a bit overpriced for some powder and oats but its not bad. Some do have that protein and vitamins taste so definitely find the flavors that you like the best.

Cook Unity

 


 I decided to try this out since I've been getting their ads rather often as well as other meal delivery boxes. What got me to subscribe was their selection of asian dishes. I had a 50% first order offer but this was sadly only on the first box. I decided to just get a 8 meal box just to try them out. I didn't want to get their largest box since I didn't know if I'd like their food enough to get that many even though it be a better deal.

 

Price

The prices are a bit high! Each meal is around $11-14 depending on how many you get in a box. And they add on a $15 fee to the total. So its not much cheaper than eating at a restaurant or getting doordash. And you don't get a lot. Its probably about 1 cup amount of food so its not going to make you feel stuffed.


Taste

This is by far the most delicious ready made meals I've had! They do taste like restaurant quality meals. They're not frozen either and the sleeves do say when they are packed, but not when they were cooked. Most of the meals I've tried are on the salty side. One Thai dish I had even has MSG as a ingredient. I don't mind salty, but it is weird how these are suppose to be made by different chefs and yet all make it salty? 

You got about one week to eat it, or you can freeze it! They freeze fine, but I would advise not freezing dishes that have sauces like sour cream that don't freeze well. I frozen a burrito that had sour cream and I think salsa which didn't thaw or reheat well so I had to throw away the sauces. Do be sure to read the cooking instructions since some may contain a sauce that needs to be taken out before microwaving!! I do feel foods like burritos or anything with a tortilla should be cooked in a oven or else the tortilla will be soggy. So do pick your meals carefully if you don't have access to an oven when you plan to eat these meals at. So for me I eat these at work so I would need to eat the burrito at home.


Delivery

I've seen comments on reddit saying that their food arrived with broken seals. Luckily, all my food arrived safely and undamaged. These were shipped from NYC and I live about 4 hour drive from there so it usually takes one day for packages to arrive from there. They used Fedex, and somehow it got delayed. I picked Tuesday as my delivery date, but it came in on Wednesday instead. It still arrived cold-ish and I was home when it came so I was able to put it all in the fridge right away. The seal on these tray are pretty easy to remove so I can see how they can be damaged. But my box was packed well. The insulation is thick and the meals fit snug inside the box. They used cardboard to layer in between the meals and ice. I don't live in a city and they delivery folks in my area have been pretty good at handling our packages well. I don't think I ever had them deliver anything that came broken! So this may depend on your area and how the delivery drivers handle packages.


Overall

I would like to keep getting CookUnity because it is tasty and they have SO MANY OPTIONS! There's hundreds of meals and add ons that you can choose from. However, it is out of my budget. When I go to cancel my sub, I put my reason down as Price and they did offer a 30% discount for the next 4 boxes, but still its a bit too much, There's also a expiration date on the offer which I don't like. I like being able to pause/skip as much as I can and not lose that deal! Perhaps if they ever do a come back offer, I may use it to order again. But right now, 30% isn't enough as its still nearly $100 for 8 meals. I sadly do not make enough money to justify this! So I would recommend this meal service IF you can afford it!

I recently got a Come Back email offer and its only 30% off the next four orders so its still the same as the canceling offer sadly. Wish it was a bit lower!

Daily Harvest Revisited

 

 So its been some years since I've tried Daily Harvest but I have seen them promoting their subscriptions at the beginning of the year since then and sometimes it was tempting to try them again. Since the last time I tried them they have expanded their selections and I figured it be good to have a convenient healthy meal to bring to work. So yes, I did take up on one of their promotions and re-subscribed to them. I did this during the winter so I didn't any smoothies. I mostly got their harvest bowls and some other stuff. I didn't take a photo of them, but if I get another box I will remember to photograph them.


 First off I do want to say their website had worked the first time I used it to customize my box, but after that it doesn't work right anymore. It was impossible to even get to the page to choose the food I want. It works better on my phone at least so I can do it there. Since the choices don't really change you can skip ahead really far in advance. 

 

 Other than harvest bowls I got their matcha and chocolate latte. They charge $6 for two little pods of one flavor. You melt these pods in the milk of your choice. I do like them but they are light in flavor for the price. Also i had to wait a couple minutes for these to soften a little from the freezer as they're stuck to the packaging. They're not bad but not impressive.

  I've also got their matcha bites which are little dough-like balls that you eat after they soften from the freezer. These are actually pretty good! Its got flavor and its soft with some texture from the seeds or whatever it was it inside it. They charge $8 for a cup of 7 bites. I do recommend their bites!!! I've only had the matcha one so not sure if the other flavors are as good.

 And then the bowls. I've got mostly savory ones but also some oatmeal ones. The oatmeal ones aren't bad, but the taste is standard. The harvest bowls are what I got their box for and they were all disappointing. They were not  appetizing or appealing when cooked and eaten. I cooked them on a pan and cooked them with a microwave and it didn't make a difference. They were bad enough for me to not eat them, but I had to mix them with other stuff so it wouldn't be so disappointing to eat. 

 I don't understand why premade food from these food subscriptions taste so off when the cheaper frozen food ones from the supermarket taste so much better? I personally would not recommend the harvest bowls. I probably will just stick with their sweet selection than their savory ones.

Facetory LUX subscription

 


 I've previously made a post about Facetory's 4Ever facemask subscription but that has sadly discontinued as of this year. They have offered a discounted subscription for a few months to their 7 mask subscription which I have taken. The price for the Lux is $19.90 for 7 sheet masks plus 1-2 bonus items so in total its 8-9 items. Price wise it is the same as 4Ever one just doubled. Its more than I'd like to pay for masks but so far I am liking it so I may keep it. Its a convenient way to get sheet masks so if you're interested you can sub on Facetory!

 Having 7-8 sheet masks a month is kinda of alot as I don't often remember to use it more than once a week, but I am curious how much of a difference using it twice a week will be. I do enjoy that it includes a small skincare product. I got a toner, exfoliating pads, and gel moisturizers so far. 

 I've noticed that in every pack they include one bio-cellulose or hydrogel mask. I never used a full face one before and so far I'm not a huge fan of them. They're not fabric and kinda of reminds me of jello so they don't hold the essence as much as the fabric ones. Also They don't seem to stick to my skin but maybe its just the brand I was given cause they're heavier. I know I'm probably not apllying it right so I'll try again but so far they don't feel as hydrating as the fabric ones. Overall, I am liking the Lux but if the 4Ever ever comes back I'd probably switch back but I think its a good deal. They give you a variety of price range masks but I personally don't really feel much of a difference between a $2 to a $6 mask.

First Sakuraco box!

 


 Saw an ad for this on instagram and I guess since I was following matcha and asian starbucks accounts that I was ad targeted and boy they got me good lol!  This box service apparently just started so I was able to get the grand opening discount. But it seems this company has a handful of Japan type monthly boxes so it seems to be established already. Sakuraco box focuses on the tea culture in Japan. So each box has tea, sweets, and some sort of tea ware. Its mostly sweets so far. The sweets are more on the traditional side which is what I like rather than snacks like Pocky. Each box will have exactly 20 items inside. The price for one month is $37.50 with the 1 year sub its $32.50 per box. I just got the box and I've enjoyed what I've tried so far. Sure its a bit pricey, but I think its worth it as someone who likes tea and Japanese sweets and lives too far away from Japan.

Since they ship from Tokyo, they do charge shipping separately so shipping costs me about $12 per box so each box cost me $44 with their grand opening discount and 6 boxes sub discount. That makes each item cost $2.20 for me. This price will be a bit higher without discounts. I think if you paid full price for one box its about $2.50 each. Some of the snacks are bite sized and small like about 1.5" small. Its up to you if you feel ok with paying that but the sweets so far all vary in sizes but generally compared to American sweets they're small. The box is only 8" x 8" x 4" but shipping was fast. Took 3 days from when DHL picks up the box to delivering it to my door. I probably shouldn't worry about anything melting when summer comes around since shipping is fast. Did anything break? Only thing that broke was the straw roll cookie and one of the monaka got a tiny bit crushed. Everything else looks fine!

 


The sweets are nice but I wish there was more tea options than just one. This box is sakura themed so the tea is pickled sakura flowers which is pretty to look at since its the full flowers. They only include two packets of it so only two cups of tea. The contents of the next box is already revealed and it seems there's always a certain type of sweets or snack includes. Other than two servings of tea, there's at least one cake type sweets, a cup sweets (like pudding), monaka, candy type, and cracker like snacks which so far are the senbei which are shrimp crackers. Of course this could change but so far all this is fine with me. They do put info on allergies or whether it vegetarian. 

UPDATE: So I've gone through the second box and have something to note. Some snacks can go stale since some won't include the little preservation packet so be sure to eat the cake types and other soft snacks that don't have the preservation packet in their packaging asap!

Freshly


 The first time I heard of Freshly, it wasn't available in my area. I got an email from them around New Years that announced they were shipping to my area and thought I should try them out and take advantage of the deal. Unlike other meal services, Freshly delivers meals that are already made and cooked. You just have to heat it up so its really convenient! You get 6 meals a week for $60 so its about the same as the other meal services. Each week they provide the same meals and some new ones.

I had to wait a few weeks before my first delivery was available. When it finally came it was a bit heavy because it included two big ice packs on the bottom and top of the box. Its insulated with denim wrapped in plastic. It just contained the 6 meals and a paper with my order.

 First meal I had is the risotto. This doesn't look much in the tray, but its good! Its thick and creamy. The chicken wasn't tough or dry either. So it wasn't too bad.



 The second meal I ate is the turkey shepherds pie. It doesn't look great in the photo, but it does taste good. Its also filling.



Third is the southwest chicken bowl. This one is quite fragrant and its pretty good! Its one of the more healthier meals I got since it has vegetables and quinoa.



 Fourth meal is the three bean turkey chili. This one is pretty thick like mashed potatoes, but its pretty good. Its also spicy which I like a lot.



 Fifth meal I had is the chiken tikka marsala. This one has a lot of sauce! Its pretty creamy and tasty although not as spicy as I would've liked. The rice also has a lot of peas vegetables. So I added a bit more rice.



 Last meal is the homestyle chicken with butternut mac. The chicken is pretty big and was tender. It was plain tasting though. It included quite a bit of green beans which tastes like typical green beans. The mac and cheese is pretty tasty.

 While these are convenient and I do like the choices, but I'm not that into the food. They don't taste much better than the premade food you can get at the store. Not the most "fresh" tasting food. So I don't find it to be worth the money because of taste. Some tasted better than others. It is time saving and convenient, but taste is important to me so I won't be continuing using this subscription. But I don't think this service is bad and has potential.

Home Chef

$40 voucher coupon codes for first time customers expires 1/31/2021: F20C628C1PLDTB , F20CDUSDPVUC8X


 I wanted to try Home Chef first out of all the meal kit subscriptions because they have smoothies. Each week you have a choice of 15 different meals and 3 add ons. 3 of the meals are labeled as 5 minute lunches. Some meals had customization that you can choose more meat or a different kind of meat like antibiotic free and such. The add ons are a smoothie, seasonal fruit bowl, and a premium meal that is more expensive than the regular meals. Each meal has the option of 2 servings or 4 servings. I have the 2 serving 3 meals a week plan. I can choose to get one or two meals, but they will charge shipping so you'd have to get 3 or more meals to get free shipping. Like with most subscription box services you can skip a week or two and cancel anytime.

 For my first box I got two pasta meals, one 5 minute no cooking required meal, and a smoothie. Each meal came in these plastic bags that same shape as rotisserie chicken and grapes comes in from the super market. So they were really easy to handle, and they are labeled on the bag what meal its for. The box also included printed and hole punched recipe cards. And since this is my first box they also included a recipe binder to put the recipes in. The box is packed in plastic wrapped cotton and a ice pack. They included instructions on how to recycle and dispose the packaging. All the plastic is recyclable or reusable, and everything else are non toxic and can go into the trash.




 First thing I made was a 5 minute meal which is called Chicken and Creamy Corn Rice Bowl. The rice and chicken are both precooked and just needs to microwaved warm. Then I mix it with the taco seasoning and top it off with cotija cheese, crispy jalapenos, and sour cream. This tasted really delicious! I don't know what they put in the taco seasoning, but it really made this flavorful. Not sure if the taco seasoning at the super market will be as good. Sadly the recipe card doesn't tell you in detail so making it from scratch maybe a little difficult.




 Second meal I made is the Italian Wedding pasta. This one included ground pork so I wanted to use the meat soon. The meat was packed at the bottom of the box, and it bagged in a large ziplock bag. This bag did end up broken open during shipment and some juice did slip outside. So I had to wash the bag and packaging. This meal required only oil and salt and pepper from my pantry. I underestimated the amount this meal would yield so the medium sized pot I used was quite full while cooking this. This came out pretty good as well! I do feel there's a bit too much meat and wished there were more vegetables. The bag gave me one lemon sized tomato and a handful of swiss chard. Some of the swiss chard had more stem than leaves. This is another meal I'd like to make from scratch.




 The third meal is the Umami Miso Mushroom Cream Pasta. Despite some of the asian ingredients, this dish has a very western taste to it. The butter and sour cream kind of hides the miso taste. So this isn't an asian dish to me, but its still very good. Like with the above pasta dish, this yields a lot for me. Though this one there's more pasta than the other ingredients. I would've liked another type of vegetable with this. Other than the mushrooms there are scallions and garlic but theres very little of it in comparison. This dish is the lightest one in terms of taste.



 Last one in my first box is the add on smoothie which is the Blue Hawaii smoothie. This one has frozen blueberries, frozen pineapples, pineapple juice, and yogurt. Only thing it needed from me was ice. This smoothie is pretty good! The yogurt gave it some zing which I like. Its refreshing tasting!

 So my first box impression is pretty good. Home Chef exceeded my expectations! Honestly at first I wasn't that into the meal choices so it really was the smoothie option that got me. I did pick all carb meals which were all delicious, but I should get at least one meal that has less or less carbs. So far I do recommend Home Chef. These meal kits are convenient and are helping people to cook more at home. Price wise its slightly cheaper than eating at a restaurant. You're definitely not wasting food with meal kits, but there is quite a bit of plastic packaging. Please recycle the plastics!! I may buy more boxes so I will continue to write more posts.

UPDATE!!! 
 So I got another box since I still get emails from them and saw they were offering a $20 off next order deal. I noticed they have an option to just buy once without having to unpause/renew your subscription so that was neat! Unfortunately when my order arrived I saw that one of the meals was missing an ingredient in the bag. I filled out the customer support form which was simple and easy to fill out. I got a response almost immediately on a Sunday and they gave me a $10 refund for the cilantro that was missing which I find generous. So far I do like this service and my experience with their customer service is better than I expected!

Facetory



 Facetory is a monthly subscription box service where you get Korean face sheet masks in the mail. Thought this be a good way to get sheet masks as part of my skincare routine. Whether you're new to sheet masks or have been using them for awhile, this is a pretty nice convenient way to get them. They have two options: a 4 sheet mask sub at under $10 a month, or a 7 quality sheet mask sub for under $20 a month.

 I got their 4 Ever Fresh subscription which is 4 sheet masks that cost me $8.90 that shipping cost is part of that price. So each mask cost me about $2.25 which sounds reasonable to me. It is the least expensive subscription I've bought. The first pack I got included two brightening masks, a snail mucin mask, and a 3 step firming mask. The second month I got two extract masks one with pomegranate and the other is aloe, a strawberry milk mask, and as pore control mask. They do include a notecard explaining each mask since the mask's packaging sometimes has no English on them. Their website will show you what masks are going in the current month's box so its not going to be different for everyone.

 The masks have done fine for me so far, and has kind of helped my skin during this winter season.  I will update later on if I think this subscription is still worth it. The luxe box is a bit too expensive for me to want to try.

UPDATE 6/30/2018
 By now I've have gotten 9 monthly packs of sheet masks, and I do plan on continuing this subscription. I do like having a variety of masks, and I feel it has helped my skin feel a bit better. I did tend to forgot to put them on for the first few months, but now I do use one once a week. What I like the most about this is that I can use everything. Its not like other boxes that I don't use or like one or more things in the box. These masks have multiple skin benefits so I feel they will benefit you no matter what skin type you have.

So perhaps I may try the Luxe set and see if those masks make a difference.Since they do a reward system as well, every month I pay for the 4 Ever Fresh I also earn reward points. These points to go into discounting future monthly boxes or past monthly boxes. You can also use them on their online store.

Daily Harvest



 Daily Harvest is a subscription box service that delivers to you cups of frozen ingredients that can be blended up to make smoothies, ice creams, and lattes. They also have savory options for soups, side dishes, oatmeal, and parfaits. The ingredients are mainly organic, healthy, and simple. They use quite a bit of superfoods too so their selection is quite unique to me. Each cup costs about $7-8 and you can get 3 cups free in your first box with our link!

 They offer weekly boxes of 6 to 24 cups, or a monthly box of 24 cups. The website gives you the ability to changes your plans and even add more plans. There is a page called Upcoming Delivers where you can edit your future boxes up to 9 weeks ahead, and you can also skip a week in the same page. Pausing your subscription is an option as well, but its a bit hard to find. You need to go to My Plan > Manage Plan > Plan Status > Change Plan Status > Pause this Plan. You can also edit the delivery day, but for me I am limited to Wednesday and Thursday. My card gets charged on Saturday, and I get a shipping notification email on Monday night. They are shipped from New Jersey through Fedex.

 The service doesn't provide everything you need. The smoothies and other blended options require a liquid to blend the frozen ingredients with. This will at least let you choose the kind of milk or juice you want.Obviously you will need a blender to make the smoothies and such. You also need liquid for the oatmeal and chia parfaits. The savory options also require water or broth, and you will need a saucepan or microwave to heat them up. No meat is included so you can add meat or other vegetables to make them heartier.



 The first box I bought I filled it with all smoothies. They all stayed frozen in the box and packed in a padded lined bag with dry ice on the bottom. The cups were slightly bigger than I thought they be. The site didn't mention how big the cups were and from the photos I thought they looked small. Each cup has a clear plastic seal and a black plastic lid with a straw opening. The box also came with a card saying to place your cups in the freezer. and a sheet of magnets. The first smoothie I tried is Apple + Greens. I used water as my liquid and since my blender is a commercial type Vitamix I knew it will blend it pretty well. Consistency isn't of course going to be creamy or the smoothest with water but that's fine with me. Honestly, I probably could have added a banana to give it some sweetness and a creamier texture but I didn't have any on hand. The Apple + Greens isn't a sweet smoothie, the greens and ginger comes through the strongest which I like. The next smoothie I tried is Strawberries + Peaches, and this time I used almond milk as the liquid. It takes nearly a minute for it to blend everything, but it came out much creamier than the Apple + Greens + water smoothie. It is also sweeter but it is pretty mildly sweet. The almond milk I used is unsweetened and not flavored. Third smoothie I had is Banana + Greens with almond milk. The sweetness of the banana with the nuttiness of the almond milk does make this smoothie tasty. Fourth smoothie is Pineapple + Matcha which has a more coconut flavor than pineapple or matcha. The pineapple took like 2/3 of the cup but the pineapple is mild in taste and didn't give the smoothie much sweetness. I used almond milk as the liquid and a bit of water and it make it less thick. The matcha came in tiny cubes at the bottom and there wasn't many. I don't think this is worth $8 since its mostly pineapples, but its not bad tasting even for someone like me who isn't that into coconut. Next smoothie I had is the Mango + Greens which tastes like the other greens smoothie. The greens taste is the strongest than the fruit. And the last smoothie is the Watermelon + Cucumber with almond milk. This is quite a refreshing summery tasting drink with the seeds as the only downside.

 The contents in the cup does easily come out of the cups, but it will come out as one solid mass. Breaking that mass down into small chunks with help your blender do its job, and less likely of getting a chunk that didn't get blended. Using milk of any kind definitely helps with the texture and taste of these smoothies, but using water or any watery kind of liquid is fine though I'd advise not filling it to the top of the cup but use less to avoid getting an overly watery smoothie. These smoothies are very very light in sweetness and taste compare to smoothies you'd get at shops. So get sweetened milk or juice to up the sweetness and taste. I feel these smoothies would be worth it if it came with everything and I didn't have to supplement it.




 I will keep updating this post as I get more boxes and try out more cups!

Birchbox - My Second Box


 So I've received my second Birchbox. I was billed on the first of the month and it arrived on the 10th. They've been emailing me practically everyday. They have reminded me about the choices I have for my box including the makeup samples I could choose or if I want my box to be their pre-picked box. I decided to just choose the makeup sample.

 I've mentioned in my first box post that I got it delivered in a padded envelope but this time it's just the box. It is still packed with another box but that's because their boxes don't fasten closed. It's like a shoebox. What I worried was that since the box is much roomier for the samples it has inside, there is absolutely no cushion to protect the samples. This month I had two glass samples inside that was thankfully not damaged. Both were oil products.

 The makeup product I chose is the eyebrow pencil which was something I never tried before but it's something I would actually use. The problem though is that they only have one color which is this brown color. My hair is a cool tone black so it really didn't fit my eyebrow hair color that well, but whatever. Since I made my preference to skincare I have received an oil for skin, and oil for hair, a 3 in 1 moisturizer. and a lip balm sample.

  Now that I have had more time, I am starting to understand their service. Towards the second half of the month, they will email you about add ons that you can purchase to be shipped with your box. The cheaper stuff like the single sheet mask usually sells out the fastest. When you buy $25 or more of stuff from their add ons or the store, you can get a free gift.

 When you spend $25, you get early access to sample choice. Sample choice is the option to choose one of the samples in your box which opens on the last day of the month. Birchbox also has a VIP program when you spend $400 in their store in a calendar year. You get free shipping, special discounts, and stuff like that.

Birchbox - My First Box


 I ran into a point where I was running out of skincare and simple makeup products. I didn't have the time nor the expenses to restock. That's is when I figure I should try out one of these beauty subscription boxes. I know this is kind of risky as I may not like anything that they gave me. These subscription boxes are basically advertising that you are willingly buying, and probably could get for free at like Sephora. But I suppose it is a good way to try out products since the beauty market is huge.

 I chose Birchbox since it seemed the products they give are much bigger in size. They charge $10 a month, but its more like $11 with tax for 5 samples. You have to buy their subscription to setup your preferences. For the majority of the questions, you can choose more than one answer which is nice. They ask about your skin (complexion, concerns, skin tone), your hair (color, description like straight, how you style it), and your makeup (knowledge, style from trendy to low maintenance). They will also ask you what type of products your prefer like nails and skincare. They also ask how often you like to be sent fragrances with two options: anytime or less than 6 a year. Another question is if you'd like to get single use foil packets as a free bonus as well as what kind of free non-beauty bonus items you would prefer like snacks. They will also ask you for your birthday, ethnicity, and income.

 The site has a points system which you don't earn with your subscription box. They are for when you purchase full size products on their site. They seem to always have a promo for a free gift when you first subscribe. Be sure to remember to input the code for it when you checkout. I'm not exactly sure how their perks work since they are rather confusing to me. I thought the sample choice was a perk if you bought $25 from the shop, but it gave me that option even without buying anything. It also allows you to choose their curated box instead of random samples from your preference. Another option they have with your box is buying Add Ons. These are full sized products and kits that you can buy to be included with your box. Not a huge selection but you should be able to find one or two that might be of interest to you. The real deal about the Add Ons is that the shipping will still be free with you Birchbox.



 I ordered my first box in the middle of the month and it arrived near the end of the month. It got shipped from Tennessee. The way its packed is a little funny. It came in a bubble padded envelope. The box itself is in a another box that is taped closed. I feel this is a bit excessive, but the free gift was included outside the box. I will have to see next month if it will be packed the same or not. So in my first box, I got 3 skincare samples, one hair care, and one mascara. So far, I am pleased that I got mostly skincare. I don't mind getting haircare, and while I did expect getting a makeup product I do wish I can opt out of it. Or at least be able to choose the type of makeup product I would rather get. I decided to give the mascara that came with my box away. The box itself could be useful, but it can be easily disposed of. I feel having a bag would make people feel compelled to keep it in case it may be useful later unlike boxes. Overall, I am somewhat satisfied with my first box and don't plan on canceling my subscription. If I do cancel, I will make a post about why I canceled. If I continue, I will also make a post on why I keep it so look forward to those! For now, I've made a post on my second box here.