unboxing: Abe's Market Try for $2 December 2014

If you've never shopped with Abe's Market before, you are missing out on a fantastic online shopping resource for natural products! Their Try for $2 program is not a monthly subscription box like I usually make unboxing posts on, but it's still a really great way to try natural products for great prices. Every day at 10 AM CST, Abe's Market releases new options for customers to order. Mainly they are snacks, as well as the occasional beauty product, baking mix, candle, etc, you just never know! Customers can order up to three items at a time for only $2 each. When I say $2, I mean $2 because even if you only order one, there is still no sales tax or S&H charge. There is a limit of 15 items per customer per month, but the best items usually go quickly, as in within 10-15 minutes quickly. Let me show you what I have snagged this month!

Abe's Market

Try for $2

My picks for December 2014!

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unboxing: Petit Vour December 2014

Petit Vour, a monthly subscription of vegan beauty products, is usually my last box to arrive in a month. This month is no exception, but they did push hard to get it out earlier this month than they usually do. And just when I thought I had gotten myself caught up on unboxing posts, too!

Petit Vour
December 2014
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unboxing: R. L. Linden & Co. Limited Edition Seasonal Yuletide Box 2014

When I learned the date that R. L. Linden & Co.'s new seasonal box was to be released online, I seriously started stalking their website when I woke up that morning, refreshing the page every time I got a chance until it was finally up! I get more excited for these boxes than for any monthly box I subscribe to, and this latest one did not disappoint!

R. L. Linden & Co.
Limited Edition
Seasonal Yuletide Box 2014
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unboxing: Yogi Surprise Limited Edition Holiday Box 2014

Yogi Surprise is a fairly new subscription with only three months of boxes under their belts so far. When I got an e-mail about their first limited edition box a few weeks ago, I deliberated for a day before deciding that I had loved curation enough so far to take the leap and order one.

Yogi Surprise
Limited Edition
Holiday Box 2014
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unboxing: CauseBox by Sevenly Winter 2014

CauseBox is a brand new subscription from Sevenly that sends out $150 worth of socially conscious items quarterly, though after this first amazing box I wish they shipped every month instead of only every three!

CauseBox by Sevenly
Winter 2014
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unboxing: Petit Vour Holiday Limited Edition Collection 2014

Petit Vour is an affordable monthly subscription of vegan beauty products that always has a great retail value. Several times a year they release limited edition boxes that look so amazing I just have to have one!

Petit Vour
Holiday Limited Edition Collection
2014
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unboxing: Limited Edition Deluxe Holiday Goodebox 2014

Leave it to Goodebox to come out with a fantastic new deluxe box on Black Friday when I was already seeing great deals to my left and right that I wanted to throw my money at. But I seriously had to have this one!!

Limited Edition
Deluxe Holiday Goodebox
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unboxing: Fair Treasure December 2014

Oh my, I have been getting a little behind on posting my boxes this month! I believe I have five unboxings to post, if I can get to them all today. I'll start with Fair Treasure, my monthly fix of fair trade crafts!

Fair Treasure
December 2014
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unboxing: Yogi Surprise December 2014

Between my job and my kids, and just life in general, I have a crazy, crazy life. Yoga is my outlet, for both my mind and body, so when Yogi Surprise began the first ever (but excitingly now not the only) yoga lifestyle subscription box a few months ago, I signed up right away!

Yogi Surprise
December 2014
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unboxing: Eco Emi Deluxe Beauty Box December 2014

Eco Emi is a great natural sampling service with several different options to fit the preferences of all sorts of green-conscious customers. Currently, the only box I subscribe to is the Deluxe Beauty Box, but am absolutely considering their variety subscription after receiving several very impressive boxes!

Eco Emi
Deluxe Beauty Box
December 2014
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unboxing: BuddhiBox December 2014

BuddhiBox is a pretty new subscription box. This is actually only their second month of amazing yoga inspired monthly care packages, but so far they have really impressed me with their curation and value.They offer two subscriptions, a regular box and a mini box. This review is if their regular box!

BuddhiBox
December 2014
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unboxing: Target Naturals Beauty Box December 2014

Every so often, retail giant Target will release a beauty box for one-time purchase, and when they recently released three different new boxes, they sold out fast. I managed to snag the only one I was interested in, a box full of natural goodies that Target carries. At only five bucks, I thought it was a great deal!

Target
Naturals Beauty Box
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unboxing: Birchbox December 2014

Birchbox is one of the original beauty box subscriptions, and at $10 or less per month it is one of the most affordable. They include a mix of green items, not so green, as well as the occasional lifestyle or edible item.

Birchbox
December 2014
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Pachy is the perfect product for my pits! My review of Rustic Maka Pachy Deodorant.

Going green with your health and beauty products is a very positive thing both for yourself and for the planet. But in the process of cleaning up your routine, some synthetic products can be really hard to find a natural alternative to. For me, deodorant was that product. Natural deodorant creams are effective, but I don't like having to use my fingers to apply them. Sticks are my preference, but they either dry my underarms out, or are not effective enough to even get me through a sweaty yoga session at the gym. So when Beauty Box 5 included a natural stick deodorant in their Limited Edition Eco Chic Box, I was willing to try it, but didn't have the highest of hopes that it would actually work for me. How wrong I was.

photo credit

"Pachy" is the Polish word for "underarm", and also the name of this incredible natural deodorant from Rustic Maka, a green company who believes when it comes to personal care products, less is more.

Mission statement:

"Rustic Maka is a Michigan-based company with a mission to develop healthy personal care solutions, made with carefully selected, good-for-our-bodies, made-in-nature, organic and vegan ingredients."

Pure. Simple. Organic.

Ingredients:

Manihot Esculenta (Arrowroot) Tapioca Powder,* Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Fruit,* Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil,* Aluminum-free Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda), Euphorbia Cerifera (Candelilla) Wax 

*Certified Organic Ingredient

I received a full size of the scent "Wild Meadows" in my Eco Chic Box and fell in love from the first use. The formula is simple yet effective, able to control sweat and odor without irritating, drying or chafing my underarms. It is firm, but warms quickly to the touch to glide on easily without crumbling. I even love the tube, which is made with recycled materials. The bottom twists up and down easily, and the cap also twists on and off so that I can toss it in my gym bag without a care. At 3.2 oz, Pachy is bigger than your average drugstore deodorant. I've had mine since early October, and after applying it once daily since then I still have plenty left, though I did take advantage of a Black Friday discount to place an order last month for more!

I ordered a few full sizes of Naughty Butter (the unscented version), a spare of the fresh Wild Meadows I loved, and this nifty sampler with lip balm sized sticks of five of Pachy's six available scents. One of these will now always reside in my makeup bag in case of emergency :). I find the scented deodorants to be mild yet lovely, each one uniquely aromatherapeutic.

Rough Rivers: 

Advertised as the deodorant in the line meant for men, this one is scented with bergamot. It is fresh, clean, and I think it is unisex since I like the scent very well, too.

Wild Meadows:

Fresh, sweet and scented with bergamot and vanilla, this is the first Pachy I tried and still my favorite of the scents.

Naughty Butter:

I often prefer unscented products, which is why I ordered full sizes of this one. It has a faint waxy scent in the tube, applies scentless, and works just as well as any of the others to keep body odor at bay.

Sweet Lemonade:

I love the tart, tasty scent of this option, too. Scented with orange peel, lemon peel and vanilla, it is bright, uplifting and is great for preteens just discovering the need for deodorant and older, smellier customers alike.

Calming Fields: 

The lavender and spearmint in this deodorant make for a calm, grounding scent that I really like! The rest of the scents are very subtle, but this one is just a little stronger than the rest for those who may have more odorous armpits or like to be able to smell their deodorant throughout the day.

Rustic Maka also makes a Morning Breeze deodorant scented with lavender, spearmint, orange peel, lemongrass, and vanilla. This one wasn't included in the trial pack or Black Friday sale because $2 from every one sold is donated to Angels of Hope, a charity supporting children diagnosed with cancer and their families. A beautiful cause, and a beautiful-sounding scent that I plan to order soon.

Pachy is the perfect product for my pits!

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any brand mentioned. These products were paid for by eco Birdy. All opinions are my own!

unboxing: Fair Trade Friday December 2014

Yay! I finally got off the wait list for the super popular monthly Fair Trade Friday subscription box! On the first Friday of the month, subscribers receive a package of thoughtful fair trade gifts. Today is Saturday, but I'm not complaining about my package being one little day late, especially considering how great the items are that I received.

Fair Trade Friday
December 2014
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Purr-fect facial care from Meow Meow Tweet!

I guess you could say I'm a dog person, since I share my home with two dogs but no cats. However, there's this one beauty brand out there that I think is pretty well purr-fect (pun intended). I'm talking about Meow Meow Tweet!

photo credit

Come on, how stinkin' cute is that packaging?

Meow Meow Tweet is a small batch apothecary run by founders Tara and Jeff in Brooklyn, NY, who create by hand some truly wonderful vegan products using only the purest ingredients.

MMT has a great range of items to choose from - insect repellent to body oil, a very popular deodorant cream to a lovely salt body scrub - but today I want to focus on five products that can be individually added to your current facial routine, or could make up a purr-fect (sorry, it's just too good of a pun to use only once in a post.!) routine of their own: simply named Face Cleanser, Face Exfoliant, Face + Body Toning Mists, Face Oil and Cocoa Skin Cream. For stock pictures, ingredients and usage of these products, click here!

Face Cleanser

While I don't particularly care for the juniper and mint scent of this cleanser (juniper just isn't my thing) I do really love the deliciously creamy texture and thorough cleanse it gives! I was a little nervous to try it at first since it contains castile soap, which normally dries me out really bad. My fears were for nothing, however, because it doesn't strip the moisture from my face, but all the dirt, sweat, makeup etc are stripped away like they were never there at all.

Face Exfoliant

Here is an exfoliant like no other; rather than a harsh scrubby product this one is soft and soothing. Made with ingredients of oat, walnut hull, chamomile flowers and kelp, this is so perfect for sensitive skin that needs just a little exfoliation and a lot of calming. Not only does it smell absolutely delicious, like sweet, warm oatmeal, it leaves my skin free from dry, flaky patches, so soft and smooth. I like to leave it on after exfoliating sometimes, so my skin can really soak up the anti-inflammatory benefits of that chamomile.

Face + Body Toning Mists

This amazingly refreshing toner comes in three options and I have happily spritzed myself with all three!

Bergamot Vetiver

I should really love this one since it is the option designed for dry skin, but the earthy-earth aroma is not for me. Still! The smell fades fast and it works just as well as the other three.

Geranium Basil

Best for oily skin, the minty scent of this toner is better, and I love that it is non-drying yet mattifying, perfect for oily skin indeed.

Palmarosa Cedar

This sweet and woodsy option for normal to dry skin is my fave! I love using this it as a super simple morning spritz-and-wipe cleanse when my sensitive skin needs a less is more approach. It is perfect for misting anywhere on the body, anytime of day to boost dry or tired skin and is the ultimate refreshment for my face when I leave it in my fridge before use.

Face Oil

This medium consistency face oil is simple, yet full of exceptional ingredients, making it perfect for all skin types. It's another earthily scented MMT product that you either enjoy right off the bat or learn to live with once you discover that you don't want to live without the smooth, soft, absolutely glowing face that results from 2-3 drops of this liquid gold. It is non-greasy when used alone on oily skin, and dry girls can benefit using it under a moisturizer such as the lovely one below.

Cocoa Skin Cream

Leave it to me to fall absolutely in love with the product that wasn't necessarily even meant for the face! I gotta say, though, this stuff is as perfect as it gets when it comes to the needs of my super-sensitive skin. The shea and cocoa butters deeply moisturize, the coconut oil nourishes and keeps bacteria at bay, and hempseed oil (an oil incredibly similar in lipid structure to the body's own sebum), allows the cream to completely and effectively be absorbed with no greasy sheen left behind. This cream is simplicity at it's finest, and did I mention that the smooth chocolatey scent is just heavenly?! Firm in the jar, it melts deliciously at skin temperature to glide on silkily smooth before sinking right in. It can even be used on cuticles, lips, and any other dry patch you can find on your body. I've actually adopted Cocoa Skin Cream into my everyday routine, to moisturize my face on top of a drop or two of my favorite serum.

Can I please have permission to make another silly pun joke??

These minis are the cat's meow!

=^^=

Disclosure: I am not sponsored by or affiliated with any brand mentioned. These products were paid for by eco Birdy. All opinions are my own!

unboxing: Goodebox December 2014

You know how much I love my monthly Goodebox delivery of green health, beauty and lifestyle items, so let's jump right in because the suspense is killing me!!

Goodebox
December 2014
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unboxing: Yogi Bliss Box November 2014

Yogi Bliss Box is not a typical monthly subscription box. At the beginning of every month, Yogi Bliss releases a theme for customers to decide whether or not they want that collection of 3-5 full sized yoga lifestyle items. I've never seen an online unboxing for this one, and this is my first time purchasing, so I had absolutely no clue what to expect.

Yogi Bliss Box
November 2014
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