November 2013 Conscious Box

Once again, so sorry it's taken this long to post. Just got finished with the video this morning. Anywho, without further ado, my post on November's Conscious Box!

I was in Chicago on vacation when this box arrived, so I had to wait almost a week before I was able to open it. Longest I've had to wait so far!

Anyways, you can watch the unboxing video on YouTube here. Please like and subscribe :)

Only one picture this time:

November 2013 Conscious Box

And everything I received in my box:

YogaVive - Apple Chips (chocolate)
Fiddlebump's - Healing Salve
Abike Natural - Black Soap (alata)
Ivre de Fleurs - Lip Balm (blood orange & juniper)
Harmony Acres - Soap Bar (happy face)
Mighty Leaf Tea - Tea (earl grey, mint mélange, spring jasmine)
MRM - Relax-All with Phenibut
Better Botanicals - Eye Therapy (apricot)
Rebootizer - Dietary Supplement
Information Card and Coupon Code for Align Your Life Program
Information Card and Coupon Code for Postography

As always, once I eat/drink/use these products, I'll post a review here on my blog, so stay tuned!

If you want to get your own monthly Conscious Box, you can sign up here.

~Lindsay

P.S. Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season! ^_^

CC Cream

Earlier this year, I received a free sample in the mail of a BB cream. After trying it out, and liking it, I decided to look for a full-size version I could buy. I quickly realized I'd need to look for a different brand though as the one I received not only had a long list of toxic chemicals, but animal by-products as well. Through my research though, I found a new BB-like cream just emerging into the market. It was basically like a souped-up version of BB cream, with added benefits. It was called CC cream.

Trying to not only find a vegan cream, but one with no toxic chemicals proved to be difficult. Since CC cream was new and there weren't a lot available yet, the choices were limited. But I prevailed and found a vegan, non-toxic CC cream. The brand? Juice Beauty. I knew I found the right one when I saw some of Juice Beauty's products were collaborated with Alicia Silverstone, an outspoken vegan and activist.

Front of outer box

Back of outer box

Juice Beauty's CC cream comes in two shades and I chose the lighter of the two as I'm quite pale. Instead of buying directly from Juice Beauty's site though, I went with drugstore.com as I'm a member, earn cashback, and get free two-day shipping through ShopRunner.

Front of tube

Back of tube

A few days after receiving it, I began using it. Since I started, I haven't really noticed any permanent physical changes to my skin, but it does make it look smoother after I apply a layer. It's a great moisturizer with SPF 30, a nice added bonus.

I bought it back at the beginning of April and I'm still on my first tube. Definitely lasts awhile!

So, if you're in the market for a BB cream/CC cream/moisturizer, I'd definitely recommend this one :)

~Lindsay

Saltine Crackers

Once my box of store brand saltine crackers was gone, I decided to find a healthier version of crackers to dip into my soups. Although technically the crackers I was eating were vegan, they had a long list of ingredients, so I wanted to find something a little less processed with a shorter list of ingredients.

Looking in the healthy section of my grocery store and down the gluten-free aisle, I found a box of saltine crackers by Annie's. As this was all I could really find, I decided to give it a shot.

Annie's saltine crackers

First thing, they're not in the regular square shape, but rather hexagonal, which I thought was a little different!

Hexagonal cracker!

As for the initial taste (which is probably more important), it was a little different than what I'm used to. It's like it's missing a little something, but I'm not sure what. Regardless, over the last few months since I've bought them, I've gotten used to them. So, for now, I'll stick with these!

~Lindsay

Tomato Soup

I know this may not be very exciting or anything, but I just want to write up a little post about this new tomato soup I found a few months ago. Previously, I used to get Campbell's condensed tomato soup or just a store brand, but I was looking at the ingredient's list one day and realized there was high fructose corn syrup listed. I was flabbergasted.

I tried looking for a healthier alternative in the healthy section of the grocery store I shop to no avail. But, one day, I was in the gluten-free section, just one or two aisles over, when I spotted it. A can of condensed tomato soup!

New tomato soup

Nutrition facts and ingredients list

It's by Dei Fratelli and it's absolutely delicious! It tastes almost like Cambell's or the store brands, but with a little extra kick. Which I surprisingly like (as a picky eater). It's a little more expensive, but it's totally worth it. I highly, highly recommend it!

Nom, nom, nom!

~Lindsay

Review: Nature's Bakery Fig Bars (Peach Apricot)

I'll admit, I was a little nervous trying these fig bars from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box since it was peach and apricot inside (never had apricots before and I've only ever drank peach juice, never eaten the actual fruit before). But my worries were pointless!

Fig bar

I, surprisingly, really liked this bar. I ate one fig bar on one of my breaks at work and the second bar on a later break. This was definitely the fastest bar I've eaten in all of my boxes. And if it wasn't for the fact that I wanted to spread out the bar, so I could eat something on my second break, both pieces would have been gobbled up in one sitting!

Inside

Since I liked it so much, I wanted to buy more. So, I went to Nature's Bakery's website and then to their store locator. I found out only two stores in my town sold it: Hy-Vee and Wal-Mart. Going to Hy-Vee first, I couldn't find any boxes of them, just single packs at $1/bar. At Wal-Mart, they sold boxes, but not the peach apricot flavor. Looking online at Amazon though, I found a 12-pack of boxes (6 bars in each box), so a total of 72 bars. It cost me $36.88, about 51 cents per bar.

My Amazon package of 12 boxes

I bought them back at the beginning of September and as of right now, I still have about 4 boxes left. So, they'll have lasted me quite awhile (probably around 5 months).

So, to summarize, I highly recommend these little bars! They're absolutely delicious and are a great, healthy choice for a snack :)

~Lindsay

October 2013 Vegan Cuts Snack & Beauty Box

Sorry this has taken so long! I've been extremely busy with my internship, plus I took a week-long trip to Chicago last month. But, I'll try to get the two November videos done this upcoming week and then post them here.

Anyways, a few days before receiving October's box, I got an email from Vegan Cuts said they'd be combining boxes. I thought that was cool as it'll likely save lots of money shipping in the same box instead of separate ones each time (for those of us subscribed to both).

Without further ado, here's the video for the combo box: http://youtu.be/mlJoMxI9_Cs Please like and subscribe! :) I'm starting to use a little video intro I put together, tell me what you think of it!

And here's some pictures:

Everything I got

Beauty Box portion

Snack Box portion

And a list of everything I got (in the order presented in the video):

Mediterranean Snacks - Lentil Chips (cracked pepper)
Seaweed Love - Roasted Seaweed (olive oil)
Crunchmaster - Multi-Grain Crackers (sea salt)
Stash Tea Company - Tea (spice dragon red chai)
YumEarth Organics - Fruit Snacks
Surf Sweets - Gummy Rings (peach)
YumEarth Naturals - Sour Jelly Beans
Runa Tea - Energy Drink (berry)
Smooze - Fruit Ice (coconut + pineapple)
Earth Science Naturals - Shampoo & Conditioner
Bare Bones - Cleanser
The All Natural Face - Blush (dusky rose)
Lotus Moon - Facial Moisturizer
Concrete Minerals - Eyeshadow (wicked)
Meow Meow Tweet - Body Tonic (geranium basil)
Karitex - Shea Butter
Rescue Chocolate - Peanut Butter Square
Information on The Humane Society
Information Card on Beauty Box Products
Information Card on Snack Box Products
Coupon for Crunchmaster Crackers
Coupon for Stash Tea

If you want to sign up for your own Vegan Cuts monthly boxes, you can do so at the following links:
Snack Box - http://mbsy.co/gZlQ
Beauty Box - http://mbsy.co/gZlR

As always, once I eat/drink/use these products, I'll post a review here on my blog, so stay tuned!

~Lindsay

October 2013 Conscious Box

Sorry it's taken this long to do, but I've been busy with an internship. Finally had time though today to edit the video. So, without further ado, here's my post on my October Conscious Box.

The video, which just finished uploading, can be found here. Please like the video after you've watched :)

As per usual, here's a few pictures of this month's (or rather last month's) box:

It was a Halloween theme ;)

This month's message

Everything I got :)

And here's the list:

PopChips - Chips (original potato)
Goddess Garden Organics - Lotion (grapefruit bergamot)
Eat Green Tea - Edible Green Tea
Outer Spice - Spice Blend (himalayan sea salt)
Gardenbar - Bar (italian savory)
Wean Green - Snack Cube (blueberry)
CrumCreek - Mini-Breadsticks
The Honest Company - Shampoo + Body Wash
Auroshikha - Incense (frankincense)
Information Card on Goddess Garden Organics (with coupon code)
Information Card on Outer Spice (with recipe ideas and coupon code)
BioBag - Compostable Waste Bags

Once I eat and use these products, I'll write up a review then post it here on my blog. Stay tuned!

And if you want to sign up for your own Conscious Box, you can do so here :)

~Lindsay

Review: Parma! Cheese (and Eco-Gecko Wooden Spoon)

I was looking forward to this the most in July's Conscious Box as I didn't like the taste of Go Veggie's Parmesan cheese (you can read that review here).

Cheese and spoon, perfect fit!

Although this one didn't taste or look like dairy Parmesan cheese, I actually sort of liked it. The fact that it only has 5 ingredients (organic walnuts, nutritional yeast, organic sunflower seeds, organic hemp seeds, and Himalayan salt) was a very nice bonus (smaller ingredient list, the better in most cases).

Since the sample came in a small plastic bag (instead of some kind of shaker, like with Go Veggie's sample), I figured I should use a spoon, otherwise it'll all come out at once. So, I decided to use the Eco-Gecko wooden spoon included in the same month's box. The small spoon worked well for the small bag. Now that I've used up the entire sample, I'm not sure what I'll use the spoon for as it's quite tiny. For now, it will stay in my cupboard until I can find a use for it.

Parma on my pasta :)

As for the "Parmesan cheese", the sample was used up after just a few plates of pasta. Since I liked the health benefits (omega 3's, B12, protein) and the taste wasn't bad at all (I'm sure after awhile, I'll actually prefer it over the dairy version), I decided to buy a full bottle of it (my first time actually buying a product after sampling it from one of the monthly boxes!). I looked on all the sites that sold it and found that the cheapest (including shipping) was on Amazon (not to mention I have an Amazon Visa card, so triple the points).

7oz bottle

Nutritional facts

Once I finished my last bottle of dairy Parmesan cheese, I started to use Parma! cheese (in conjunction with finishing up Go Veggie's Parmesan cheese, which I still have some left!). I'm about to open my third bottle Parma cheese. This is definitely a winner in my books for an alternative to Parmesan cheese, even though it doesn't taste cheesy at all. I highly recommend it!

~Lindsay

Review: Macro Greens Bar (Chocolate & Cinnamon)

I was looking forward to trying this bar from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box as this was the first bar I've received in either boxes (Conscious Box or Vegan Cuts) that was chocolate (and I love chocolate). So, as with all my previous bars, I brought this one to work with me to munch on during my break.

Macro Greens bar

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. The bar was littered with nuts and, sadly, I hate nuts in chocolate. Although the chocolate part itself tasted different from other junk chocolate bars, I think I might have actually liked this bar if the nuts were taken out. Or even blended or something. I like my chocolate bars to be "smooth", not crunchy.

Ingredient list

Nutrition facts

Even though I finished the bar over a couple of weeks, I'm definitely not going to buy this flavor of bar in the future.

What it looks like inside

~Lindsay

September 2013 Vegan Cuts Snack Box

So, this month's Vegan Cuts Snack Box definitely arrived late. I got the tracking email on September 27th, but the only status was that electronic shipping information had been received on the 21st. I was going to contact Vegan Cuts last Monday, but thankfully, that very day, the status finally updated to saying it was accepted at a sorting facility, phew! It was delivered on October 2nd. Better late than never though ;)

Anyways, you can watch my unboxing video here on Youtube. Please like the video :)

My Vegan Cuts Snack Box :)

List of everything inside:

Kiwa - Vegetable Chip Mix
TeeChia - Super Seeds Cereal (blueberry date)
Home Free - Cookies (mini double chocolate chip)
Herbal Zap - Herbal Supplement (immune support)
Snapz - Apple Crisps with Cinnamon
Meatless Select - Fishless Tuna
Barnana - Chewy Banana Bites
Raw Snacks - Snack Bar (blueberry vanilla)
Information on TeeChia Products, Plus a Recipe
Coupon Code for TeeChia
Information on Fishless Tuna Product
Information Card on Herbal Zap Product
Information Card on All Products

As per usual, once I eat and drink these products, I'll post up a review here on my blog.

If you want to get your own box of delicious goodies, you can subscribe here.

~Lindsay

Review: Food Should Taste Good Chips (Multigrain)

Finally got around to trying these chips from my July Vegan Cuts Snack Box. I was excited about trying this product the most I think because I had seen these Food Should Taste Good chips on sale where I work for months now, but never got around to actually trying them. But I finally have now, thanks to Vegan Cuts.

Food Should Taste Good multigrain chips

My initial reaction upon opening the bag was that the chips were pretty big. I always thought they were smaller. Boy, was I wrong!

Back of the bag

As for the taste, I (sadly) wasn't that big of a fan. It wasn't horrible, but I don't think I'll ever buy the multigrain flavor in the future.

Picture of large chip

I did have a coupon for the bigger size bag, so I bought the barbeque sweet potato chips. I'm (guiltily) in love with the Lays Stax BBQ chips, so I was comparing them to these. Sadly, I didn't like this flavor of Food Should Taste Good chips either. Maybe third time's the charm with another flavor?

~Lindsay

Review: Organic Flavrz (Revive)

So, I finally got around to trying one of these flavored drink mixes from my very first, June Conscious Box. I was at home working one day when I got thirsty, but wanted something a little more exciting than just plain water. So, I filled up my Blender bottle with water, then dumped in the entire contents of the Revive, Superfruit Sports Drink mix, and then shook the bottle to mix it together.

Front of the drink mix

Back of the drink mix

Close-up of the back

Maybe it's some kind of placebo effect, but knowing that it's vegan, organic, and non-toxic (compared to like Vitamin Water), it tasted so yummy! I'm excited now to try out the other flavors I got.

All mixed together

Added some ice to make it colder

I can definitely see myself buying these in the future :) Two thumbs up, I definitely recommend it!

~Lindsay

Review: Graw Bar (Banana Coconut)

*sigh*

This bar is probably the "worst" item I've tried so far in my June Vegan Cuts Snack Box. I brought it to work for one of my breaks, but couldn't get past the first bite. And about a month or so later, it's still sitting in my purse uneaten.

Graw Bar

Now, just to be clear, I'm a really picky eater, so I'm sure for the average non-picky person, this bar is fine. But I don't like coconut, so I'm thinking that's what it is that I don't like, although I'm not positive.

Back

I told myself before signing up for these monthly subscription boxes that I would eat/drink/use everything that I got, but I might have to make an exception in this case...

~Lindsay

Review: Lippy Girl Lip Gloss

The lip gloss was the very first item I tried in July's premiere Beauty Box. It came out nice, not too much, not too little. It wasn't a horrible scent/flavor, but it wasn't anything exciting either. Just regular/plain. I prefer a more fruity scent, like cherry.

Lip gloss

I don't really use lip gloss (I'm more of a lip balm kinda gal), so I probably won't buy any of this in the future. But if I ever do start using lip gloss, this one by Lippy Girl will definitely be at the top of my list of choices!

~Lindsay

Review: LVX Nail Polish

The LVX nail polish was probably the item I was most excited to try from the first Vegan Cuts Beauty Box. Although I typically wear red or black nail polish, I still really liked the color (Deco) of this one. But, I'm not at all picky when it comes to nail polish colors, so...

LVX Nail Polish, in Deco

Besides being vegan nail polish, it's also got no toxic chemicals compared to your standard drugstore nail polish, which I always like of course :) And, I don't know if it was just me, but the nail polish seemed to last a lot longer than my other ones, which tend to flake off after a day or two. So, another point to LVX!

Pretty nail polish!

I will more than likely buy LVX nail polish in the future. But, I'd prefer to use up all my current nail polish before buying anymore, so I won't be buying this any time soon (I have like 20 bottles of nail polish in a drawer!).

But, if you're in the market for vegan and/or non-toxic nail polish, I'll have to recommend LVX!

~Lindsay

September 2013 Vegan Cuts Beauty Box

My Vegan Cuts Beauty Box arrived on Monday, just a few minutes before I had to leave for work (why USPS was so late, no idea), so I couldn't do an unboxing video then. So, I (patiently) waited until Tuesday to do the video. You can watch it here. Please like and subscribe!

September's Beauty Box!

List of everything inside:

Weleda - Replenishing Body Lotion (sea buckthorn)
Weleda - Pampering Body Lotion (wild rose)
Weleda - Regenerating Body Lotion (pomegranate)
Weleda - Hydrating Body Lotion (citrus)
BWC - Shampoo (lavender highland)
The Fanciful Fox - Soap Bar (patchouli tangerine)
Weleda - Refreshing Body Oil (citrus)
Good Clean Love - Personal Lubricant
Information Card on All Products
Coupon for Free Pantiliner from GladRags
Information Card and Coupon Code for Swagger Cosmetics
Information Pamphlet on BWC
Manic Panic - Eye Wear Shadow and Liner (raven)

As I always say: once I use these products, I'll write up a review, so stay tuned!

If you want your own little Beauty Box (packed with a bunch of products), you can subscribe here.

~Lindsay

Free Snack Box

So, in every Vegan Cuts Snack Box and Beauty Box, there's an information card, not only on the products, but also on how to win a free box (fill out a survey, record an unboxing video, and/or upload pictures). I also receive an email about this too.

Well, since I subscribed to both boxes, I've always done all three options for the chance to win a free box. Less than two hours ago, I received an email from a representative at Vegan Cuts saying I was the lucky winner of a free Snack Box! Woohoo! Super happy ^_^

~Lindsay

September 2013 Conscious Box

Last Monday, my September Conscious Box arrived. You can view the unboxing video here. Please like the video and subscribe :)

A few pictures:

Inside the first flap...

The little card posted on the second flap

Everything inside

And here's the list of everything I got:

Sticker and Coupon Code for All 'Bout Trees

Good Boy Organics - Potato Chips (sea salt)

Squarebar - Bar (cocoa crunch)

Loads of Love - Soap Nuts Laundry Detergent

Coastal Scents - Soap Bar (african black)

GreenShield - Laundry Detergent

Zabana Essentials - Soap Bar (pomelo patchouli)

K-Pax - Energy Booster x5

Celestial Seasonings - Herbal Tea (goodnight grape)

Aquatowel - Water-Based Hand Towel

BioBag - Compostable Sandwich Bag

Information Card and Coupon Code for Blade Buddy

Information Card on Sustainable Kidz eBooks

Information Card on GreenShield Products

According to my packing list, that sandwich bag (which initially I seemed to be confused about in the video) wasn't listed. There was also an item listed that I didn't receive in my box (it was baby wipes though and I don't have a baby, so no big deal, lol). So, not sure what happened this month! Previously, I always had the exact items as the packing list found online. Oh well, not a big deal at all for me.

Once I eat, drink, use these products, I'll post a review up, so keep an eye out!

If you'd like to sign up for your own monthly Conscious Box, you can do so here.

~Lindsay

August 2013 Vegan Cuts Snack Box

Managed to get the video edited over the weekend! So you can watch my Vegan Cuts Snack Box unboxing video here.

My August Snack Box

Here's the list of everything:

LesserEvil - Chia Crisps (southern barbeque)
Snack Factory - Pretzel Crisps (original)
Angie's - Sea Salt Popcorn
Zevia - Soda (black cherry)
Emmy's - Macaroons (lemon ginger)
Squarebar - Bar (cocoa crunch)
Dream Water - Sleep & Relaxation Shot
Garden of Life - Protein Powder
MRM - Drink Mix
Information and Coupon for Zevia
Information Card on All Products

And, as you know, once I eat and drink these products, I'll write up a review and post it here on my blog. So, stay tuned!

If you want to get your own Snack Box every month, you can sign up here.

~Lindsay

August 2013 Vegan Cuts Beauty Box

As with my August Conscious Box, sorry this took awhile. But, I finally got the video edited this morning and I'm now getting around to posting :) I'll try to get the August Snack Box done early next week!

Without further ado, you can watch my Vegan Cuts Beauty Box unboxing video here. Added product information, for the first time, in the video. Tell me what ya think!

Everything I received in my August Beauty Box

Here's a list of everything I got (same order as video):

NCLA - Nail Wraps
Perennial Soaps - Facial Bar (peppermint tea tree)
Lip Glosserie - Body Cream (citrus dream)
Schmidt's - Natural Deodorant (bergamot & lime)
The Fanciful Fox - Lip Tint (peach)
Relogy - Acne Spot Treatment
Sunology - Suncscreen for Face
Information and Coupon Code for Relogy
Information Card on All Products

As always, once I use these products, I'll write up a review here on my blog. And if you want to subscribe to get your own beauty box, you can do so here :)

~Lindsay

Review: Califia Farms Coupon

In my first Vegan Cuts Snack Box, there was a coupon for a free (!!) bottle of Califia Farms (either for their almond milk or iced coffee). On the coupon, it stated that Califia is "available at Whole Foods". Well, I live in South Dakota and there is not one single Whole Foods in my entire state. The nearest one is in Minneapolis, about a six hour drive there (and thus, another six hours back). So, not worth it for just ~$4. I was a little said I wouldn't be able to use the coupon, but I kept it... just in case. And I'm so glad I did.

One day, about a week after I had received my box, while in my regional grocery store Hy-Vee, I noticed that they had a new brand of almond milk available. Any guesses as to what brand? That's right, Califia Farms! I couldn't believe it. It's like the store knew about me getting that coupon, haha!

Anyways, I didn't have the coupon on me, so I couldn't buy it on that shopping trip. On my next trip to Hy-Vee though, I had the coupon on hand and bought it. Well, I tried to buy it anyways... Once I presented the coupon, the cashier tried scanning it across, but it didn't work. So, she looked at the coupon and began to read it more closely. She pointed out the statement at the very top where it said "available at Whole Foods" and that because they weren't Whole Foods, they couldn't accept the coupon. Whaaaaat?! I was a little surprised that she thought this. It was just a statement saying where you can find the product, not that it was valid only at Whole Foods. She called over the manager and he said the same thing as she did. She handed the coupon back to me and I told her I didn't want the almond milk. I was both and angry, I work in retail and know the difference in wording between "available" and "valid only".

I decided to email Califia Farms and explained what had happened. I asked if I was right in thinking that the coupon should have been accepted. Within minutes (wow!), I received a response back saying that yes, I was right. They mentioned that if it happens again to tell the manager to call them.

So, on my next trip, I printed out the email, ready to hand it over. But there was no need. Although the coupon didn't work on the scanner, this cashier, without a word, pressed a couple of buttons and did it manually. Someone who actually knew how to do their job! So, finally, I got my free Califia Farms almond milk!

Free Califia Farms almond milk

It tastes the same as previous brands I've bought (Blue Diamond and Silk) and since Califia Farms costs about $1 more, I probably won't be buying them in the future. Which I find just a little funny with everything I went through just to get the free Califia Farms product!

~Lindsay

Review: Beanfields Bean & Rice Chips (Nacho)

As I was watching an episode of a television show, I got the munchies. I decided to have the bag of Beanfields chips (nacho flavored) that had come with my June Vegan Cuts Snack Box.

Bag of chips (sorry for the horrible lighting)

Being that they were nacho flavored, I was expecting them to taste similar to Doritos. And they did a little bit. But, in a way, much better as they don't have all the crap that other chips do.

Back of chips, showing nutrition facts
and ingredients

As with most of the food items in these monthly boxes, I was a little apprehensive, especially when I saw the first few ingredients were beans. I'm not a bean person (not yet anyways). Yet, these chips weren't actually that bad. I think it's quite possible that I may buy these in the future, instead of my usual Lays chips.

Picture of an actual chip

~Lindsay