My Great Challenge: Eco Emi - May 2014

Hi friends,

I am back with my complete review on yet another EcoEmi Box. For those of you who are not familiar with EcoEmi, it is a $15/month sample subscription for natural, organic and environmental friendly products. They are now starting a new $10 plan with 4 products per box and also offer special edition boxes. You could get anything from household to food items included cosmetics and skin care. I really love my EcoEmi box, it is always feeling like Christmas whenever I receive it. That being said, and having been a subscriber for close to 18 months, I was disappointed by almost every box in 2014 - until this one came along!

EcoEmi - May 2014

I guess it was a Mother's Day special, not sure, but it did look quite feminine with the lace trim and rose petals included. Not that it matters all that much, but I feel that Christine goes the extra mile by always giving her box contents a specific look through small creative touches. Let's dive into it:

1. Anna Naturals - Herbal Teas (Cycle Ease - Energize - Sweet Dreams) - $11.99 / 26 bags

For those of you who have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am a big tea drinker and always on the lookout for new brands and/or flavors. I was very excited to receive and try these as I had never heard of the brand. Well, it turns out that they not only smell the same, regardless of the flavor, they also taste the same...blend. I fell these had little to no flavor, and did not finish any of the cups I made from Anna Naturals Teas. What a big disappointment and so expensive for what they are - I can get Teavana Tranquil Dream Loose-Leaf Herbal Tea for much less. I would put those on the Wall of Fails but since they did have some flavor, they remain at a D-.

2. Glee Gum - Wild Watermelon - Sugar Free - $1.09 / 1 pack

This is a full size product. I tasted those on the spot in the coordinating video when I first opened the box. At first, they are packed with flavor and very true to watermelon. Unfortunately, the gum hardens and loses all its flavor within 15 minutes of chewing. So this was another disappointment for me. They probably are good for those of us who want to quickly change the taste in our mouth and freshen up our breath without committing to chewing gum. Something any decent candy can do, so it's a B- for me.

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3. Ellbee's Party Dip - Southwestern Chili - $5 / 2 oz

You are supposed to use this in guacamole, or mixed with chili, sour cream, cream cheese etc. To give your food a Tex Mex kick to it. Unfortunately, that is not my kind of cuisine, so to be honest, I was not looking forward to trying this. But my husband did. He used it as a rub on steak and as an added flavor for his chili. He thought it was OK, I thought it was too salty and had too many confusing flavors wrapped into one. C+.

You must be thinking that this box, so far is a complete disaster...just wait!

4. Body Brana - Strawberries and Cream Facial Mask - $10.50 / 2 oz jar

I received a fairly large size sample which provided me with 3 separate masks and I am pretty sure I could have stretched it to 4 or 5 individual masks. This is a powder your mix with warm water to create a paste and apply directly onto clean skin. I was concerned that like all other mud masks out there, it would dry to a crackling disaster with bits and pieces falling all over the place and my skin being pulled in all sorts of directions. Not the case at all. This mask held on and maintained it elasticity until it was completely dry and once dry, while it crackled a bit, it did not fall off my faces in a crunched mess. It washed off very easily as well. The results? Oil absorbed yet skin remained moist, pores visibly diminished, skin tone more even with a pinkish hue, almost a bit of a glow to it (not a shimmer type glow, more like a "I slept 12 hours glow"). Overall, I felt this was a very good product. It is a bit messy to mix and apply (I recommend you do your mixing in a tiny bowl), so for that reason, I will not give it a +, but it is still an A for me.

5. AURA CACIA - Chill Pill - Lavender and Chamomile Essential Oil - $10.99 / 0.5 oz

This is a full size product. I love AURA CACIA , and so far, everything I have tried from them was amazing in results and scent. This essential oil combination is meant to relax your senses at bedtime, so you can add a drop on a pillow or dab it to your pulse points for example. They also suggested that you add a few drops in your car vent to deodorize your car and that alone, was well worth the entire box this month. What a great idea! It literally filled my car with the aroma of NATURAL Lavender and Chamomile, unlike the other stuff you buy at the store and is nothing more than factory made fragrance. This is quite powerful as a scent as well, so if you are allergic or susceptible to being bothered by powerful scents, this is definitely not for you. I have dark car seats, so instead of placing a few drops in my vents, I just went ahead and sprinkled my seats with the stuff. A month later, my car still smells like lavender! Great product, worth the investment. A+.

5. Suncoat - Water Based Nail polish - $8.99 / 1 bottle

This was also a full size item. I am not sure why we continue to receive water based nail polishes. Thus far, this has to be the 3rd of 4th one I received since subscribing to EcoEmi. I get the concept, it is better for your nails, but the stuff does not stay on, EVER. Literally, it's gone by the end of the day, peeling itself off. Not chipping, it just peels off. So I tried it with a variety of base coats, which really defeats the purpose, it stuck to none. I tried it after washing my hands with the least moisturizing soap one can find (laundry soap), nope, still not sticking around. So I am not sure if it has to do with my nails or lifestyle or whether this is just the way it is, temporary nail polish you can apply before dinning out and remove before bed time. That being said, it has no scent, making it a good alternative for painting nails at bedtime (really, who does that!) and it is all natural. The color I received is not my style (copper) but I tried it anyway, I knew it would not stick around. That's another near fail for me, D-. In another color and a special occasion where I travel and don't want to be bothered with polish remover, maybe I would consider it. But the only use I can see for this right now, would be for little girls to play with without risking toxic fumes and damage to their nails. I still think it is quite expensive for the results it provides.

6. Beazers Garden - Berry Sugar Body Scrub - $4/2 oz $18/ 11 oz.

You just can't get any more natural than that: strawberries and sugar. That's is. How they manage for it not to spoil? I am assuming added oil. This does not only taste good, not that I recommend you start eating your cosmetics, it does a great job as well. The other day I purchased a foot scrub in preparation for summer (kiss my face - Foot scrub) and that one did nothing for my feet, even though it was specified for dried heels. I switched to using this, and WOW! What a difference! Now, this can be a bit harsh as a result of the irregularity of the sugar grains, but, if you are gentle enough (we're not scrubbing a caked on pan here) you could use this all over your body and especially on those rough spots (elbows and heels). The scents is great, overall I like this product BUT (isn't there always a but?) it dissolves too fast making it not economical. Perhaps if there was more oil in it to hold it together, it would work, but I felt that most of it disappeared from my hands by the times I rubbed one area of my body. So If you purchase this, I recommend you wet your skin first and scrub in an area of your tub where the shower water is not constantly dripping over you, otherwise, the stuff will be gone before you get to even apply it. A- for that reason alone, otherwise good product.

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Overall, I thought this was a better than the last 4 boxes but still, some of the products were not fun or even working for me (nail polish, teas...). Do I continue to love receiving my EcoEmi box each month? Absolutely, I would not consider parting with this subscription, I think its fun, interesting and it also supports local mom and pops shops (American Brands). So yes, I am still subscribing!

You can view my Open Box video on my YouTube Channel: