SBS: Pantry by Try the World

What is it? Pantry by Try the World is the younger sister service of the parent Try the World food subscription service, and specializes in gourmet pantry items such as snacks and condiments from around the world in an effort to upgrade your grocery essentials.  

How much does it cost? The first trial box is free, but all boxes afterward are $29.99/mo. 

Sign-up and ordering: It was fairly easy to sign-up and order my box as I'm still subscribed to Try the World's newsletters, which is how I found out about the trial offer. I just signed into the site, signed up for the trial and updated my credit card information. 

Delivery and cancellation: Delivery is listed as being around 4 weeks after placing your order, but I didn't get mine for 7 weeks. I ordered the box back on November 30th but didn't get it til the 18th of January. Since I ordered it around the holidays, maybe that was the reason for the delay. The box arrived with the regular mail and was in fine condition but one of the products had a bit of damage at the bottom of the box (which you'll see in a minute) which appeared to have happened during shipping. I would have liked the box to have been sealed or secured on the outside somehow because anyone could have just opened the box while it was en route and I didn't like that at all, but fortunately all of my products were intact and appeared to not have been touched. Cancellation is one-click and you get a confirmation email following the cancellation of your subscription. If you're only interested in the trial, I would suggest cancelling around three weeks into your subscription so that you don't get charged for a second box and avoid cancelling your first. 

Customer service: Throughout the time I was waiting to receive my box, I had to speak to customer service once, but it was a painless experience. I hadn't cancelled my subscription yet because I was still waiting to receive my box but because of that, I was billed for a second month of service. I wasn't about to pay for a second month when I had yet to receive my trial box so I emailed customer service about it. I got a response within 24 hours along with an explanation as to why the box was taking so long to arrive. The customer service rep I spoke to, Kaylee, was very helpful in explaining the shipping times to me and reversing the transaction. I got my money back by the next business day, and that was that. I don't recall needing to speak to them again after that, but I enjoyed the fast and friendly response. 

Purchasing received products:

Everything I received in my box was easy to find in the shop, easy to purchase, and the prices were reasonable. There's no difference in sizes between what you receive in your box and ordering the product from the shop. Some might be sold out or unavailable, but everything else is easy to find. 

So what came in the box?

This is how the box came, minus the grassy material that came on top. As I mentioned up in the 'Delivery and Cancellation' section up above, there was a bit of damage to my box of lemon and dill sauce from the toffee spread next to it, although it's likely that it happened during shipping with the products being pressed together en route. They could have been shoved into the box during assembly but either way, this was the only damage I saw. Fortunately, it was just the container that was damaged; the product inside of it was fine. Per usual with my food boxes, I asked my family to try everything out along with me so I could give you more than just my own opinion. Let's get to the products. 

(Canada) Canadian Maple Shortbread Cookies by Sprucewoods, $6.40

When I first bit into these cookies, the taste of the maple hit my nose and tastebuds very strongly. I can't recall having had actual maple syrup many times (if at all) so it tasted a lot stronger than it probably would if I was used to it. I wasn't sure I'd like it but surprisingly, the taste of the syrup mellows out and melds with the texture of the shortbread very well. Choosing shortbread for the cookie was a good choice, as I think it was solid enough to handle what can be a very overwhelming taste in the maple syrup and the two complement each other very well. I think a softer type of cookie would have made the maple too strong. The taste of the shortbread itself was usual shortbread, buttery but drier than a regular cookie. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to eat the cookies as a regular snack but after getting used to the maple flavor, I realized I quite liked them. Loved them, actually. I'd like some more. lol

The family agreed; the syrup taste is rather strong and can be a little overpowering, and it was unanimous that the cookie overall is an acquired taste. They wouldn't grab for it for an everyday sort of snack because more than a couple at a time would be too much, but for a random, "Hey, you want a cookie?" kind of thing, it's alright.





(France) Lemon and Dill Sauce by Christian Potier, $6.90 for 3/1.7oz. packets

The directions on this sauce recommend using the dill sauce with seafood and while lemon dill sauce is excellent for fish and shrimp, I don't eat seafood. lol I used it on chicken instead, which lemon dill sauce also happens to complement quite well. The instructions for usage were clearly labeled and easy to follow. I first used this as a marinade for a chicken breast, then I used it as a topping for the chicken and pasta after it was done. I hate leaving negative reviews, I really do. But this sauce was not good. At all. It smells like a hollandaise sauce, but it tastes like hot plastic. You don't get a good taste of either the lemon or dill, and the taste you do get from it just isn't pleasant. It didn't really leave a lasting taste from when I baked the chicken with the sauce on top but it did make it a bit softer. It does leave a bit of a film on the tongue afterward and the aftertaste also isn't appealing. Overall, I was really disappointed in this sauce. I didn't like it at all.





(Morocco) Orange Zest Cookies by Orientines, $6.40

I'm not very fond of these cookies, to tell the truth. They're small and hard, with little pieces of the hard orange candies baked into them. I'm not that crazy about orange, so maybe these will be great for someone who loves the orange candies. For me personally though, some of the cookies were a bit too hard and the orange was a little too strong. Since they're supposed to complement tea, the texture makes sense. When you just eat a couple of these, the orange comes through really heavily but I've noticed that the more you eat, the more subtle the flavor becomes.  

The family wasn't quite as into these cookies either. My sister agreed with me that the hard pieces of candy sort of threw everything off, while my brother's main complaint was more with the cookies being dry rather than the orange, which he said wasn't very strong. My niece didn't have much to offer on the cookies, we asked her if it tasted like oranges, she said no, then a few seconds later said, "I no like it." Three minutes later, she was asking for another cookie though so I guess her jury's still out on it. lol 

(Portugal) Gourmet Honey by Casa de Prisca (I couldn't find these on the site, but their Honey with Chestnuts was there--unfortunately, you can't purchase that either bc it's sold out. lol)

The first thing I noted about this honey was the glass jar it comes in. The jar is very weighty and for me, it made the product feel all the more special and more gourmet. I know that probably makes no sense but considering that I usually eat honey out of a plastic container shaped like a bear, I clearly don't have high standards. lol

As for the taste, it wasn't like any other honey I've had before--which should be evident by the fact that I've only had honey from bear-shaped containers lol--and at first, I wasn't sure what to make of it. This honey isn't quite as thick as store-bought honey, but it's no less rich. It's not as sweet, either, but I tasted this bit of spiciness towards the end that I definitely wasn't expecting. I hope that doesn't mean I got a bad batch. lol It's a lot smoother than store-bought honey and I was surprised that I liked the difference so much. For my first experience with pure honey, I was pleased. I'm not in love with it yet because I'm still trying to acclimate myself to the differences in taste, but I'd be down to try it again. 

The family's opinions varied on the honey; one of my brothers said it wasn't as sweet as store-bought honey, my sister said it was as sweet as store-bought, and my sister-in-law said it was stronger. Everyone agreed that it has a little kick to it, the aftertaste wasn't very strong but the flavor lasts longer, and the consistency wasn't as thick, which was nice. For the most part, everyone said they'd have to get used to it excluding my sister-in-law, who said she's good on it. This opinion was not shared by my niece, who may have had a couple spoonfuls too many. lol 

(South Africa) Honey and Salt Toffee Spread by Darling sweet, $8.40

This spread says you can eat it as topping for breads like pancakes or toast, or you can eat it by itself for a snack, and I was too lazy to make either pancakes or toast when I first got the box so I tried it alone. lol At first, like the honey and shortbread cookies, the taste can be a little intense. It's very heavy on the toffee and I didn't taste much of either the honey or salt. I think I was expecting a bit more of a sea salt taste since I often see that with toffees, caramels and chocolates. I think the honey makes the toffee a bit smoother, but neither the honey or salt are particularly strong, which puts the toffee taste front and center. If you're on the fence about toffee at all, this may not be the product for you. By itself, I can only handle a couple of spoons at a time. I tried it on toast a few days ago and even though I only spread a thin layer on the bread, the toffee taste still overwhelmed the bread somehow. Maybe I should have used a thicker cut of bread.  

When I had the family try this out, the opinions were a bit more similar than they were for the honey. My brothers and sister-in-law agreed that the spread wasn't super sweet, had a thick texture sort of like peanut butter, and reminded them all of caramel lollipops or cubes. They also agreed that the honey and salt flavors weren't noticeable. My sister said she could have the spread in moderation and wanted to try it on toast rather than by itself next time, but my sister-in-law (and niece, who determined she wasn't about to be left out of the tasting lol) liked it enough to eat it by itself as a snack. 

My thoughts:

As I believe I said during my initial Try the World review in late 2015 (I'll always remember doing that review because the week I received my products and was starting to put the post together, I broke my toe. lol), I love the attention to detail that the company pays to ensuring that their products really do come from places around the world. I love the concept of putting different pieces of the world into one box and allowing me to taste the things that people in those countries may snack on or eat for dinner. It exposes me to new products and companies without having to leave my room, and I love that about the company as a whole. As you can see from the list, I got products from a bunch of different places around the world and I like that I was given a well-rounded taste profile with the products that I tried. I'm also glad I got to try this box with my family; I love trying out food boxes with them but my youngest brother says he's still traumatized from the health-conscious boxes I used to try because he always got the gross stuff. ha

Since the regular Try the World service is the same price as the Pantry service, though, I don't know that it allows for a new consumer to mentally separate the two services, despite the boxes catering to different taste profiles. There are smaller things in the Pantry box so it would make sense to me for the Pantry box to be a bit cheaper than the parent service but because it isn't, anything beyond the trial box may be out of the budget for a perma-broke consumer like myself. I think that would be my primary complaint with the box, or with the Pantry service as a whole. I also think the shipping times should clearly be stated somewhere on the order page because they wasn't there when I ordered mine and it got frustrating as the weeks went by and I hadn't received anything or had any communication from the company about where the box was. To try to keep it fair and not go so hard, I had to remember that the Pantry service is still in a stage of relative infancy so it's safe to assume the team is still feeling things out in terms of how the service will function best. Try the World, however, is not in its infancy, so I guess I was expecting something a bit more concrete.  

So do I recommend the box?

Despite my complaints about the shipping and price, yes I would recommend this box. I would recommend it if you consider yourself a foodie, if you like being the one to say, "Try this!" to your friends and shove something new in their faces (or is that just me?), or if you just want something outside of your regular snack choices and preferences. I wasn't sure 5 smaller snacks was worth $30, but when you consider that each of these are considered to be gourmet snacks, that ramps up the individual price of each snack from about $3 to around $5 or $6. So while it makes sense from that standpoint, it would also make sense to me that it costs a few bucks less than the parent box. Honestly speaking though, I don't know if I'd pay $30 every month for a few snacks. Maybe a couple of times a year for some treats, but not every month. Pantry is a great service though; it exposes you to different sweets, condiments and foods from around the world, just like its parent box Try the World. A lot of attention goes into each box, which gives you a well-rounded look at a number of international places and the treats offered there.  Another thing I really appreciate about this box and its products is that it's not hard to repurchase them, provided they aren't sold out. I've had that issue with quite a few subscription boxes; I can't find the products anywhere else and they aren't always available on the site after the box comes out (which makes no sense to me). The prices are affordable, which is a big factor to me because duh. I'm broke. So if you'd like to treat yourself (ha) to something special and gourmet every so often, give Pantry a go.

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SBS: Walmart Beauty Box--Winter Edition

What is it? Walmart Beauty Box is a seasonal box service featuring a collection of products normally sold in Walmart stores. This one was the Winter edition, a collection of products meant for the colder months

How much does it cost? The cost is $5 per box but supplies are limited and there is a deadline to order the box before it becomes unavailable

Sign-up and ordering: Sign-up was fairly easy, especially because I intended to order the Fall box and got there too late, so I put myself on the reserve list for the Winter box instead. lol Sign-up in general isn't complicated, though. Make sure you are on time for the box you'd like to receive, and register for the site. The site is specifically for the beauty box, so you should be included in the next round of boxes that go out. If you want to order the next season's box, you change that in your subscription settings. It's really simple. 

Delivery and cancellation: Delivery came around the normal time sub boxes go out, around 1-2 weeks. I believe it came with the regular post, and both the box and its contents were in perfect condition. Cancelling is a one-click function (I love those) and went through on the first try. I haven't gotten harassed by emails trying to get me to sign up for the next round of boxes; all contact has stopped. 

Purchasing products you received: Very easy; all products in the box are sold both in-store and online in full sizes

So what came in the box?

So as you can see here, a lot of what I received were sample sized items. For the most part I didn't mind because most beauty boxes are full of sample-sized products and when you get to the prices, many of the full sizes cost more than the entire box. There were a couple of products in here that I wouldn't be able to get a good read on because the sizes were too small for me to use them more than twice, but overall the sizes were okay. Now let's break down the box. 

Pure Silk Shaving Cream in Raspberry Mist, $7 for 8oz.

I'm normally not very particular about shaving creams and the like; I usually just shave with my shower gel or a conditioner. I've used this a few times now though and I really like it. The raspberry scent isn't overpowering and doesn't even last past the shower, which I like. The lather quality is great, I've noticed that the the areas I shave are a bit softer between gardening treatments (lol), it isn't difficult to wash off and a little product goes a long way. The nozzle must have come loose somehow during shipping, so it popped off the first time I used it. I replaced it, but now it sprays excess product no matter how lightly I press the handle. As for the shaving cream itself, though, I love it and would definitely use it again.









Dial 7-Day Moisturizing Lotion, $4 for 21oz.

This was the one product that I'd actually used before, as I have a half-full 21oz. container of Dial 7-Day lotion sitting in my bathroom right now. It's half-full because I disliked it so much, I couldn't bring myself to finish it so I bought a different lotion. It didn't work for 7 hours, much less 7 days, and I didn't like how greasy my skin felt afterward. I'll use it once I run out of my regular lotion, but it definitely isn't my first choice.












Neutrogena Healthy Skin Boosters Facial Cleanser, $7.84 for 9oz.

I've used Neutrogena skin products a few times over the years but it's usually a bit out of my cheap-o price range. My favorite Neutrogena product is the makeup remover wipes because they remove my makeup without me having to rub my eyes to oblivion, the ingredients don't burn my eyes, and the wipes don't dry out my skin. If you're in the market for new makeup wipes, give those a test run.

As for this facial cleanser, I like it. I don't have high standards for my face cleansers; as long as they moisturize and clean my face without giving it the squeaky, stripped-down texture I'm fine. This cleanser has white tea and vitamin E in it, so the smell is very light and fresh. A little of it goes a long way, which is another thing that I like about it. It was very gentle on my skin and didn't dry it out. I didn't see any change in the appearance of my skin, but it was a bit softer when I used it repeatedly.






NSPA Exotically Creamy Coconut Body Butter, $5.21 for 6.76oz.

I'm in love with this body butter. I'm partial to coconut-scented products so I was excited for the scent, but it smells a bit more like cocoa butter than pure coconut. No matter to me though, I still love it. The thicker consistency leaves my hands looking and feeling moisturized without that greasy sheen or slick texture, so this was good for the tail end of winter, when my face and hands were still really dry. I love the size as it makes it easily portable for most of my purses.







Pantene Pro-V airSPRAY in 2, $5 for 7oz.

The first thing that I liked about this hairspray was the scent. It didn't have an alcohol-heavy scent, something I hate about a lot of hairsprays. This reminded me more of those salon sprays, which smell softer and more floral to me. It doesn't make the hair crispy or hard to manage but kept everything in place. It didn't flake after a few hours, and it wasn't difficult to brush my hair out at the end of the day.














Goody Slideproof Silicone Elastics, $3.24 for 15 elastics

I initially wasn't impressed when I saw these elastics in the box, but they've grown on me. What I liked about these elastics were the little silicone spikes going around them because they gave the elastic a bit more traction in the hair without tangling it. They didn't have much give, though, so I can see someone with very thick or curly hair not being able to get much use out of these without them snapping. I didn't have wads of hair tangled in the elastic, or more commonly the metal binding that mine have, when I took my hair down and it felt secure in whatever pony I'd styled it in.

Smaller Samples:

Ken Paves Volumizing Shampoo, $12.98 for 8.5oz. and Volumizing Conditioner, $14.98 for 8.5oz. 

I believe I got two usages out of both the shampoo and conditioner, and I really liked them both. My hair was softer and a bit easier to manage while it was drying, which I appreciate since I've chopped most of my hair off. The remaining hair is all Natural, so I wanted something to keep my hair soft and tangle-free as it dries.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Moisturizing Cream, $18.73 for 1.7oz.

To be truthful, I didn't use this cream. There was only enough in here for one usage and that's not really enough to give me more than a first impression, so I didn't use it.


J by Jennifer Aniston Fragrance, $28.47 for 1oz.

Jennifer Aniston gives me laidback, breezy ocean vibes. I know that sounds weird, but word association brings that stuff to mind for me where she's concerned. I mentioned that to say that I would expect a fragrance with her name on it to be crisp, clean and smell of the ocean. Before you praise my sense of intuition (lol), the promo photo for this fragrance is her at the ocean, it wasn't a stretch to see her inspiration on the scent notes. There weren't any scent notes on the sample and I'm shit at describing scent notes on my own, so bear with me. It actually smells a bit more like cologne than I expected it to; I do get a hint of musk, but it brings the crisp, ocean notes together with a bit of floral without making one scent more dominant than the other. The musk also carries a woodsy undertone. See? I'm shit at describing scent notes, but I do like it. If you'd rather hear about the perfume in a more eloquent way (and I recommend you do lol), check out the description for it at Kohl's.


Centrum Vitamint Multivitamin in Cool Mint, $11.96 for 120 mints

I really wasn't sure how to review this since it's a multivitamin, so there are no immediate results. I'd have to start taking them on a daily basis for a couple of weeks before I could give a definitive opinion on how they work.

I enjoyed this box. It was a great box for those looking for new hair, skin and body products. There was no makeup to be found, though, so if I had to list anything I wish was different about the box that'd probably be it. I don't know how any of you are with shopping at Walmart, but usually when I'm in the beauty department, I already know what I want so I don't look at other stuff. I've seen most of these products in the store before, but I always pass them up for my tried-and-true products. What I like about this box is that it can introduce you to those items you unintentionally pass up while you're in the store, and if you'd like to purchase them there's no rigmarole to go through; you can just go back to the store and get them. I also like the concept of bringing subscription boxes, which for the longest time were inaccessible to many people on budgets (and many still are), to a drugstore level in name brand, affordability of the box itself and full-size availability of the products in the box.

All of the products I tried are affordable, they're by brands that are, for most people, household names, and the box itself is well-priced. Everything about the process has been extremely easy; one of the easiest box services I've experienced by far. The like/dislike ratio of the products was a bit higher than with other boxes, which I also liked. I don't have any complaints with the pricing, purchase, delivery and cancellation of the box, and other than wishing there was some makeup in there, I have no complaints with the contents of the box. I'm open to ordering the Walmart Beauty Box again. Have you ordered the Walmart Beauty Box before? What were your thoughts?

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Try the World Japan

What is it? Try the World is a culinary-themed subscription box that showcases a different culture or country with a variety of edibles in order to give the subscriber a taste of each month's chosen theme. 

How much does it cost? $29.99/monthly but there are often deals to give you more for your buck so I'd suggest signing up under a deal

Sign-up and ordering: Sign-up and ordering the box are easy, especially if you sign up using a deal. I signed up under a free trial with auto-renewal, but made sure to cancel in enough time. 

Delivery and cancellation: Delivery came a couple of weeks after ordering the box and cancellation is a one-click process. From sign-up to cancellation, everything was easy to do and you have a clear picture of your account status the entire way through. 

Ease of ordering the products in the box: This was actually my main complaint with the box. I had a difficult time trying to find any of the products except on the companies' websites, but since they're all based in Japan I said forget it. I've been looking in local Asian markets for them instead.  

So what came in the box? 

Akagi Shokuhin Soba Noodles

When I first saw this package, I thought it was a bunch of chopsticks. lol Don't judge me. It's actually a package of buckwheat soba noodles, and you can eat them alone, hot or cold, or paired with the meal option I'm going to talk about in a few minutes. We haven't tried these just yet as we're trying to find different things to eat them with (and we're out of ponzu lol) but I believe my sister's had soba noodles and she likes them a lot. I've never had buckwheat noodles so I'm not sure what I'm in for, but I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Kasugai Peach Gummy Candies

These candies were the bomb dot com. They weren't full of artificial flavorings or extra sugar and as a result the peach flavor tasted very natural. The flavor sort of explodes in your mouth lol, but the gummy isn't that irritating 'get stuck in every crevice of the mouth' type so it won't completely kill your teeth. The bag is resealable, which I appreciated. The candies were really soft and combining that with the strong taste of the peach was a good move. My sister and I split the bag in half, enjoyed them thoroughly then lamented about not having any more. lol

Takaokaya Seaweed Snack

I tried seaweed once when I was 13, and I hated it. It's been 15 years, and nothing's changed. lol Surprisingly to me, my sister wasn't too crazy about this either. The salt seemed very high in this seaweed, and as a result it tasted like crunchy, bitter saltwater. From what I read on the enclosed card, this seaweed was harvested directly from the ocean and dried, so that would explain the flavor. My sister likes seaweed as a snack but even she agreed that it was a bit too salty on its own.















Wadakan Umami Ponzu Sauce

For me, this was probably the shining star of the box. This is like soy sauce x10. The flavor is saltier and more savory than soy sauce so I wouldn't advise this for every Asian dish, but if you find your food is a little bland, sprinkle some ponzu sauce on it. This sauce is a combination of citrus and soy flavors, and it is amazing on fried rice. Ponzu is typically used as a dressing or dip for grilled chicken, fish and sashimi, but it also works well with other dishes. Unfortunately, I didn't properly read the directions and as it turns out, ponzu sauce contains seafood and other ingredients that need to be refrigerated after opening, and since I didn't do that I had to throw a good portion of mine away. I was unable to find this specific sauce at a couple of local Asian markets so for now, my ponzu sauce is a distant memory. 😞

AOI Blueberry Matcha Tea 

I've heard a lot of things about matcha tea over the years, but hadn't tried it before. After trying this tea, I probably won't again. lol The blueberry flavor wasn't overpowering, I actually wouldn't have minded it being a bit stronger, but the matcha had an awful effect on me. I wasn't even halfway through my cup before I started feeling hot and sweaty and my heartbeat went through the roof. It later triggered an IBS episode and a small anxiety attack. If I knew this was panic-induced IBS in a bag, I never would have tried it. lol I looked it up later and apparently, matcha isn't the best ingredient for those with anxious disorders and I found a few people who'd had the same issue. My sister, however, had absolutely no issues with this tea. She found it light, refreshing, and really enjoyed the subtle blueberry flavor. She had no adverse effects from the matcha so I let her have the rest of the bag. There was a recipe for matcha shortbread cookies in my culture guide booklet, but I didn't try it.

Otafuku Okonomiyaki Kit

This is a Japanese griddle cake kit, and it's supposed to contain almost everything you'd need for an entire meal within that little bag. On the upper right-hand side of the bag, you'll see the list of ingredients you'll need in order to make the meal and at the time we received the box, we didn't have any of them. The bag's expiration date was not long after we received it so this is one we didn't get to try, but we're going to check out one of the local markets and see if one of them carries these.

Morinaga Milk Caramels

These caramels are another bomb dot com addition to the box. These are little caramel cubes with a flap at the top, so you can carry them around with you. The caramel flavor is light but savory and the candies are rich but not saccharine sweet. Like the peach gummies, these taste more authentic and less processed, something I notice with the American counterparts to these caramels. These are sweet without being overwhelming and solid but not to where you're chipping a tooth trying to chew. We loved these as well. 

All in all, I was pretty satisfied with Try the World. I loved the ease of signing up and ordering my box, and I was equally pleased with the ease of cancelling and coming back later. I still receive deals and notifications from the company through the email newsletters, and I'm more than willing to try another box. One thing that set Try the World apart for me was that rather than getting one-sitting sizes of chips and various snacks, there was a mix of snacks and meals that you can prepare on your own. It really gives you the chance to absorb the culinary tastes of the month's theme and if you have a small stomach, some of the things last longer than others. I'm speaking from experience. lol I would suggest a bit more ease with buying these products after you use what came in your box; I had a terribly difficult time trying to find them and because much of it wasn't in English, I didn't know what to tell people when I went to the Asian markets looking for them, either. This was the first box that I was seriously interested in buying products from though, and that says something.

When you think of other countries' culinary offerings, typically people only think of certain things. These boxes give a well-rounded view that's worth the subscription price. The enclosed culture guide helps drive home the box's theme, helping you to get a glimpse at different elements of the chosen culture's life and even provides a couple of traditional recipes using things that came in your box. I wasn't able to try everything from my Japan box, but I loved it nonetheless. The thought that went into the box isn't something I see too often anymore because subscription boxes are so popular now. But overall, I loved my experience and if you'd like to take a culinary vacation to another country without having to buy an airline ticket, Try the World is a great option to utilize.

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Subscription Box Series: Urthbox

I haven't done an SBS in goodness knows how long--it's been almost a year, I believe--because now that subscription boxes have become a 'thing,' a lot of the more cheaper companies have either since folded due to competition or hiked up their prices to support the demand. For someone on a budget, I can't see buying a $30-60 box just to sample it for an entry in this series, so I had to put it on hold for awhile while I found some more boxes in my price range. 

What is it?

Urthbox is a monthly box service that specializes in providing health-conscious snacks and beverages. There are four types of boxes you can choose from (classic, diet, gluten-free and vegan) and all of the snacks are GMO-free, organic and natural. A couple of extras, such as energy, vitamin or mineral supplements, hygiene or skincare products, can also be included in your box.

How much does it cost?

Mini--6 products for $8.99/monthly

Small--12 products for $12.99/monthly

Medium--17 products for $26.99/monthly

Large--24 products for $36.99/monthly

These prices change if you'd like to purchase a 1, 3 or 6 month-long subscription. You can also buy an Urthbox for the workplace or purchase it for someone else as a gift in 6-month increments. 

Sign-up and ordering:

Sign-up and ordering are both fairly easy; you can complete your order without needing to sign-up for the site first. After going to the "Get Started" link on the homepage, you select the box you want, followed by the monthly plan you'd prefer. Then you get to choose which of the four box types you want to receive, and the checkout page follows that. If you have a coupon code like I did, this is where you'll get to enter it. After that comes the confirmation page--you should receive a confirmation email as well--and the billing of your debit card, and on the 1st the new month's subscription begins so I'd suggest ordering this box at the beginning of the month to avoid getting two boxes. 

Delivery and cancellation:

Delivery took a couple of weeks but everything arrived in good shape. The box wasn't damaged in any way and everything inside had been packaged well. Cancellation was what I had problems with from Urthbox. Instead of instant cancellation that you can do yourself from the website, which I would have preferred, you have to email your cancellation request to the support team before the 30th of the month to ensure you won't be billed for the next month's box. I'd suggest calling earlier in the month to avoid getting caught up in the end-of-month madness that usually ensues when the company's only cancellation method is by email. You're supposed to get an email informing you that the support team will be in contact within 48 hours, but in my case that never happened so I called the customer support number. Now I'd already called the customer support line not long after ordering my box but after a snafu with the representative in which he'd said that he cancelled my subscription and would be sending me a confirmation email (that I never got), I went with their steps instead of emailing my cancellation request and waiting. I got the automated follow-up but no actual confirmation, so I called and after being told that the wait time would be longer than 10 minutes, I left my name and number on the machine. There was never a callback, so I emailed again and gave them a brief rundown of the prior events and that I was trying to confirm my cancellation before the next month. I finally got my answer a couple of days later and my subscription was cancelled. It took a week total to cancel the subscription. 

Purchasing products you received:

I had to search for the products individually on Google because once you log into your Urthbox account you can access your account information and see what kind of box you ordered, but you don't get any details about the items that came in your box. There is a section labeled "Products," but I couldn't find anywhere to search for the individual products to purchase them from Urthbox. 

So what came in the box?

I ordered the Mini Classic box, and here is what I was given:

1. Pretzel Perfection Salted Caramel Clusters

These are pretzel sticks covered in caramel and dark chocolate with chocolate chips and sea salt sprinkled over the top. For me, these were pretty sweet but they taste so good I'm willing to deal with it. lol I loved the size of the bag, it's more than enough for a snack or two, the bag is resealable which I also liked, and you can't even tell that this is a healthier snack because it tastes so sweet. I'm not normally a big fan of dark chocolate so I wasn't sure I'd like them, but the sea salt and caramel mix with it really well and balance out the bitterness. They're sold out on the company's website (probably from the Urthbox customers who also received these--seriously, these taste great lol) but they should be getting new stock in soon. That last part could be wishful thinking, though. lol If you live in a hot area like I do, I'd suggest refrigerating these or you'll have a melted clump of mess on your hands when you go back in for a snack. 

2. Fuel for Fire Fruit & Protein Fuel Pack in Triple Berry, $17.99

This is the only product in the box that I can say that I truly hated, and hate is still an understatement. I've tried a juice similar to this one before and it too was the stuff of nightmares. I've been trying to find one that doesn't provoke my gag reflex but unfortunately, this wasn't it. When I smelled it, it had that sickly sweet smell one gets when they're drunk and the alcohol is leaking out of their pores, or that smell after the alcohol comes back up. As an emetophobe and a non-drinker, that smell brings back so many bad memories from my younger days at the club trying to spot the ones who couldn't hold their liquor so I could get away in time. LOL The odor was enough to send me running for the hills, but I didn't feel right not trying it so I did. Immediately, I had to fight the urge to gag. The liquid looks like baby v and has this powdered milk/fruit taste that really isn't good. The aftertaste takes awhile to die down and it's bad the entire time. I don't see how people can like these. I even had some of my family try this and much like the other product we got like this, nobody liked it. If this was the only way to get my protein and energy, I'd pass. lol These are temporarily out of stock as well.

3. Chic-a-Peas Baked Crunchy Chickpeas in Sweet BBQ, $2.29

I've never had chickpeas before so I wasn't sure what to expect with these, but to me, the chickpeas taste like Japanese peanuts, but just a bit drier. I didn't get a sweet taste from the BBQ, it just tasted like BBQ seasoning but it was pretty strong. I can see taking these along with me if I'm going to be out for a few hours; I can't eat more than a few at a time but they tasted alright to me. I think they could have left the chickpeas plain and they still would have been okay. I guess these could be considered a healthier alternative to Corn Nuts, that's what these remind me of.

4. Hemp Hearts Raw Shelled Hemp Seeds, $8.99 for 8oz.

I've never had any sort of edible hemp product before but I smelled a hemp shampoo once and thought I was going to die, so I wasn't eager to try these at all. At first these taste like sunflower seeds and it's not so bad, but the aftertaste is pretty dry, like if you ate a bunch of pecans and didn't drink any water afterward. lol I can't see having these as a snack because they don't do much for me, but they weren't awful. 

5. Pnut Punch Cold-Pressed Bar, $11.99 for a 15-piece box

There was no description of these anywhere on the wrapper and the name of the candy doesn't give you much to go on either, but if you've ever had marzipan candies before, that's exactly what this tastes like. It has a stronger walnut taste than regular marzipans, but it's similar in texture and in taste. It wasn't anything new for me; the ice cream trucks here sell marzipans all the time and I used to eat them a lot when I was a kid, but if you've never had them then these candies should be a treat. 

6. Energy Gummi Bears in Citrus, $1.50 for a single pack

One of these bags is supposed to be the equivalent of one energy drink, but to be quite honest, I'd rather just have the energy drink and get it over with. lol I ate a couple of these and I didn't really feel any changes in my energy levels, so I think if you were to have one of these packages you'd have to eat the whole thing at once to get any sort of energy boost. They do taste like citrus though so even if you're not trying to get an energy boost, they'd still make a pretty good snack. 

My thoughts:

I like the concept of Urthbox, and I liked the majority of the snacks I was given. There were a couple of definite misses, but the majority of the products were hits that I'd love to purchase again. I like that there are multiple box types as well as sizes that you can choose from, and I thought it was really cool that you could buy a box for your workplace. I like that the snacks are healthier and portable so you can take them along with you on days out, and I like the variety in the types of snacks that I got. 

I do think there are some points for improvement though. I think that the option for instant cancellation should be added to the website (but that is partially because I have gone through companies who use the email cancellation option and it proved to be unreliable), and the option to purchase the products that came in your box from the website rather than searching on Google should be made available as well. Customer service is where I have the most complaints; they don't always follow through on delivering the cancellation emails (check your spam mail was what I was told; I check mine daily and never received it, but your email may filter any communication attempts there) and it can be like pulling teeth to actually get through and talk to someone. Overall, however, I liked most of my snacks and if not for the problems with getting customer service to respond to you, through either email or the support line, I wouldn't mind ordering from Urthbox again. 

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Subscription Box Series Month 7: Allure Sample Society

I have finally returned to the land of beauty boxes! lol I believe the last beauty box I purchased was way back in February, when I went with Beauty Box 5. Geez, that was five months ago. Well, I did say I'd try all kinds of boxes within my budget. But I have come home (lol) and this month I went with a beauty box. I had a bit of a hard time choosing this month because I saw so many of them that I liked, but I finally chose one; I do surveys with Allure sometimes and keep running across their beauty box through ads so I said what the hell. lol 

Source

What is it?

Allure Sample Society, partnered with Beauty Bar, is a beauty box with products selected exclusively by the editors of Allure magazine. Fragrances, skincare, hair and makeup are all included in these boxes and each month the editors will select 5 deluxe-sized samples to send to the subscribers. 

How much does it cost?

$15/mo

Sign-up and ordering:

Signing up for the site was easy, as always, and I signed up for the site at the same time I ordered my subscription. Ordering the box was just as easy as the other sites; I believe I filled out a small beauty profile after ordering my box and that was that. When my order was completed, I found out the date that the box would be shipping, and I like that more of these box services are including that bit of info for us. 

Delivery & cancellation:

I ordered my box back on the 2nd. After ordering my box, the site informed me that my box would be shipping out on the 11th of the month. As with all of the other boxes, I got a confirmation email on the 11th when it shipped, and I received it on the 18th via UPS. The box came in good shape; it wasn't dented and even though one of my products had spilled a bit, everything else was fine. There were no cracks or other damage to the box or any of the other products. Cancelling my subscription was easy as well; under the Account section the 'cancel subscription' link is easy to find. Once it's cancelled, you get a confirmation email and your name is removed from the company's email list as well.

What came in my box?

Here's what came in my box.

Fekkai PrX Reparatives Intense Fortifying Hair Masque, $24.99/7oz.
This was the product that had spilled a little bit in the box, but one very good thing about that is that I was able to get a healthy whiff of what it smelled like and I love it. It reminds me of what I'd expect to smell in an upscale spa and resort. It smells of something high quality. I rubbed some of it into my hands as I was cleaning the outside of the container off and hell's bells, my hands felt so soft and moisturized so I was intrigued, like if this is what my hands feel like what will it do to my hair? My hands were also a little sticky, but seeing as how this is a hair and not a hand product, I sort of expected it. I was sick when I first received the box so I had to wait until I was feeling better to try it out.

The instructions say to put this on immediately after hopping in the shower and wash it out just before you get out. I did that and went on to do the rest of my shower biz, so I guess I left the masque in for about 10-12 minutes. I rinsed it out and at first, I didn't feel anything different at all. The texture of my hair hadn't changed, it smelled amazing, but it didn't feel any different. But after it dried? Fab-u-lous! It was much easier to comb out, was less prone to tangles, and did I mention that my hair smelled like heaven? It's very fragrant; if I turned my head or walked anywhere I had a constant whiff of this stuff hitting my nostrils, even after I pulled my hair up. I straightened my hair the day after using the masque and the smell of the hot comb dampened the smell of the masque, but my hair is now straighter than normal, much much softer, lighter and shinier than normal, and it didn't take half as long to straighten. I am in love with this stuff.


Butter London Nail Lacquer in Champers, $15/.4oz
This is advertised as being a shimmery rose gold color, but it looks like a mix between that and a shimmery sand. I think it's perfect for summer. It didn't clump when I applied it on my nails, the color seems to intensify a little bit with multiple coats, and there aren't any formaldehydes, DBP, toluene or carcinogens. It still has that nail polish smell, but it's 10x lighter than a lot of other brands and I liked that. I painted some of my nails with this the day after I received it and spent the next morning with my hands in chemicals and water, and it still didn't chip. I didn't see significant chipping in the entire week I've had this on; a light coat easily covers up any chipping at the top of the nail (which is where I notice this one primarily chips at) and you're good for another few days. This polish is awesome and has become my new summer favorite.


Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris Aqua Universalis Eau de Toilette, $175/2.4oz
First of all, that price is hellacious. LOL But moving on, this perfume contains citrus, floral and musky notes in it and while it's not something I would wear everyday, it does smell wonderful. This perfume has Sicilian bergamot and lemon, lily of the valley, mock orange blossom and a musk base. The light hint of lilies in the perfume reminds me of the vanilla notes in the English Laundry (I think that's the one) perfume I sampled earlier this year; they smell a bit similar but this one has stronger citrus and floral notes. All of the elements combine flawlessly with each other in this perfume. First it's sort of lemony and woodsy, then you get a hit of the lily and orange blossom, then you get the musk. After a few more minutes, the majority of the scent has settled but by then it's more well-rounded and you can smell a hint of everything. Overall, this perfume isn't very heavy on the nose at all after it has settled but it definitely has the potential to overwhelm if you drown yourself in it. If applied correctly, it will be light and pleasant to the nostrils and last for awhile.


L'Oreal Paris Extraordinaire by Color Riche Liquid Lipcolor in Coral Encore, $9.99
This is my first time trying out a L'Oreal lipcolor of any kind--actually, now that I think about it, this is my first time trying a L'Oreal product at all that isn't the face wash. I love me a good coral lip, but most of the shades I considered trying had a bit too much orange in them and I didn't like how they looked on me. This one gets it right, though. It looks a bit bubblegum-ish both in the container and when you first apply it, but after the color is blended out it looks more like a mix between a sheer coral and pink. It's thick, not quite as thick as a lacquer, but not as thin as a regular gloss. It has a bit of a shimmery finish but it's still very pigmented. It's also very buildable, so if you just apply one thin layer like I did it still allows the color of your lips to come through, but if you apply more layers or another product to it the color will intensify. With one thin layer it wasn't sticky but still pretty vivid. It smells like candy, too. Another summer fave on days with light makeup.


Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlighter 01, $36

Because I'm a hopeless YouTube addict, I was already a bit familiar with the Laura Mercier brand but more so with the skincare and foundation products. I don't clearly remember seeing the highlighter in the videos I watched, but it was exciting to see that I'd received this highlighter in my box anyway because I've heard rave reviews about a lot of the products. After swatching the highlighter, I can see why I've heard so many positive reviews. A highlighter in the shade I received definitely has potential to look chalky on my skin and products in the same shade but of lesser quality end up looking just as I said. This one, however, despite being very pigmented, blends out beautifully so that you have a subtle highlight and glow. It's easy to blend, buildable and versatile so I could (and probably will) use this as a shadow or brow highlight at some point when I want a simple makeup look. 

Allure Sample Society booklet
The purpose of this booklet was to provide more information on each of the samples, with a note from the editor at the beginning on why each of the products were chosen for this month's box. Instead of a bunch of filler cards from each company taking up space in the box, there was just this little booklet that tells you everything you want to know. Each product has its own page, with information on what it is, why it was chosen, how it works and the full-size price, which saves you from having to go search online, another of my usual complaints. There was no useless information in this booklet and I loved that.

My thoughts:

At first, it was difficult for me to go from the 6-10 products per box that I'd become accustomed to over the past few months to just 5 products, but that was just subscription box greed. LOL The 5 products that I received were regular-sized products and all were of good quality. No small samples in sealed sample containers. No tiny, single-use portions. Each of these products (excluding the perfume, which was in the purse-size spray sample you usually get nowadays) were in sizes that provided long usage and were well worth the $15 I paid for the box, especially considering that the full price of each of these products is either a few dollars less or much more than my subscription. Each product in this box was useful to me, which was amazing as usually one of my complaints is that I wasn't able to use everything in the box. That wasn't the case here at all. Another reason why I liked the fact that I was able to use everything in the box is because I didn't have to fill out a beauty profile or preference survey so that the company could match me up with more personalized samples, which was initially one of my concerns. When I don't fill those out and sometimes even when I do, I don't always end up with a box full of beauty products that fit me. Again, that wasn't the case here at all.

Something I liked on Beauty Bar's website was that each category had a section called a "Beauty Brief" in which various recommendations were made for customers on what products in the section to purchase. Now some of these companies do have recommendations, but they're usually the new products, the best-selling ones or just random selections. There were no chosen selections for each specific visitor, but when you go to a particular category, say perfumes for example, at the bottom of the page are different recommendations of perfumes offered based on people's tastes. I think for a beginner to the site like myself, knowing which direction to go in based on what I like is a pretty good way to start off. 

The site was pretty large (by my 'expert' standards LOL) and extensive in terms of the included categories and products. That's another reason why the Beauty Brief was a good thing in my book; it is easy to get lost in the site and still not know which products to select without some sort of help. My experience with the site was pretty good; throughout the month I wasn't bombarded by emails, deals and supposed discounts and when I did visit the site, it was easy to find what I was looking for.

I liked that the box was simple in design, content and other materials; the only thing that I can say I didn't like too much was the little filler paper. I do much better with the usual gift wrap paper that comes with my boxes; the crinkly little papers was pretty annoying to deal with after a minute. I wish that some of the products were more affordable in full-price, but these were high-end products so I'm glad that I at least got to try them out. That brings me to another note; I got to try more high-end products in larger sizes and there was a good mix of both drugstore/affordable and high-end items that provided a well-rounded box. The month's theme was summer essentials and minus mascara and a good sunscreen, the products included hit the mark for me. I really enjoyed my entire experience with Allure Sample Society & Beauty Bar and would love to purchase another box at a later date. 

Do I recommend this box?

Absolutely. My $15 was well-spent and I wish I could try it out for another month to see if they'll knock it out of the park for me again. If you want products that have more affordable full-sized prices, then this probably isn't the box for you. But if you want a beauty box that doesn't just consist of makeup and you want more exposure to high-end lines, this is a good subscription service to try out.

Rating:

I loved this box. This is one of the few subscription services in which I loved every product I received. Sample Society definitely has the Mandy stamp of approval!

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