I’ve heard so many positive things about Conscious Box in the past that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. After emailing the company and requesting a box to review, I received a quick response telling me that my very own Conscious Box for the month of March would be on its way soon! Today I’ll be discussing the contents of and sharing my experience with the lovely package I received.

Contents:

• Olivella Nourishment Cream Sample- I’ve been using this as a day and nighttime eye cream. It has a nice, lightweight feel, and it’s cruelty-free. Extensive review coming soon!
• Minteas Ginger Pear Mints- Sometimes it’s hard for me to chew things politely, so I’ve always preferred mints to gum. These are the best! They’re delicious, they freshen my breath, and I will definitely be buying another tin when I run out.
• Olbas Lozenge-These have such a good flavor, and they’re sugar free so I wouldn’t feel quite as bad about eating a garbage bag full of them if I were sick (just kidding, sort of).
• Acai Natural Energy Boost Packet- These would be great to keep in my purse, since the water fountain water at school tastes like a hotel swimming pool.
• E Boost Pink Lemondade Natural Energy Booster Packet- See above, but I’m also a sucker for anything that even resembles lemonade.
• Teraswhey Pomegranate Cranberry Goat Whey Protein Packet- Holy smokes, you guys! This stuff is delicious. I mixed mine with whole, organic milk.
• Java Juice Organic Liquid Coffee Extract- Great for people who are on the go, or for someone who wants to throw together a makeshift celebratory White Russian (this girl).
• Good Kind Natural Coffee Creamer- I like my coffee like my eyeliner (black), but my mom would love this stuff. The best part? It’s GMO and rBST-free!
• RW Garcia Mixt Bag Yellow & Blue Corn Tortilla Chips- Again with the non-GMO! I could’ve eaten this bag twice.
• Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Sea Salt Crackers- They’re made with flax and quinoa seeds. That’s how you know they’re fancy.
• Baker Creek Heirloom Tokyo Long White Bunching Onion Seeds- These will make a lovely addition to our upcoming garden.
• $5.00 Gift Card to Hip Mountain Mama- Most items are really reasonably priced, so I could do some damage with this!
• $15.oo Gift Certificate to Mineral Hygienics- Hey there, brow gel.
• Coupon for one free cookie from Morning Sunshine Breakfast Cookie-I can’t wait to receive mine!

The box also came with two cards: one describing the contents and another with suggestions for reusing my Conscious Box. Nifty!

Overall Experience: The whole point of Conscious Box is to help us discover new, ethical brands that we might not have otherwise been exposed to, and I have certainly been exposed to some brands that I love and will continue to support when making future purchases. The environmentally-friendly packaging and goals of the company are also significant selling points for me. I am entirely satisfied. Good job, Conscious Box!

Get your Conscious Box today!

• One or two drops of the essential oil of your choice (I’ve been using lavender, and I’ve also been using more like 5 or 6 drops).

Danielle bought me this beautiful assortment of essential oils for Christmas (+ a tea tree).

• A bath cloth to catch the drops of essential oil (You’ll need to apply new drops to the cloth for each load you dry).

This has become my designated dryer sheet cloth.

If you have a bath cloth to spare and and a bottle of essential oil lying around*, then you should definitely give this a try. There’s nothing to throw away, and making them only requires one ingredient! Neither of those things can be said of store bought dryer sheets.

*A bottle of lavender essential oil sells for as low as $5, so even if you don’t currently own a bottle…buying one probably wouldn’t break the bank.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I’m sure we’ll all be eating our share of sweet treats.  I love a Reese’s Heart just as much as the next girl, but I also realize that milk chocolate might not be the healthiest or the smartest choice to make. If you’re like me and are disgusted by the ingredients listed on the bag of those cute little candy hearts (modified food starch?!!), then you should check out this Care2 article about Healthier Valentine’s Candy & Chocolate. It has links to several sites where you can purchase natural, environmentally-friendly, and organic candy or chocolate.

My friend Missy introduced me to the Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops pictured above (which are free of corn syrup, artificial dyes, and GMOs) and they are delicious! My favorite flavors are Mango Tango and Pomegranate Pucker. I can usually find a bag or two of these bad boys at Marshalls, but they’re also sold at Whole Foods (in case you’re fortunate enough to live near one).

Image Courtesy of supermarkethq.com

By the title, of course, I meant more environmentally friendly items for less money.  It may not be clever or original, but it made me chuckle. And if you’re usually broke like me, then you’re gonna love re-nest’s 25 Green Home Gifts Under $25. Before seeing this list, I actually purchased one of the items listed for Kirby as one of his smaller Christmas presents). I won’t disclose which one, since Kirby may or may not read my blog sometimes (probably not). Anyway, how cute are those lavender sachets?!  Annnd I don’t hate that solid brass bicycle bell.

If any of these topics make you uncomfortable, then please read no further. Also, if you’re a girl, why are you uncomfortable with periods? They’re not going anywhere until you’re about fifty. Deal with it.

I once was a huge fan of tampons.  Sanitary Napkins (or pads, if you’re not big into fancy talk) were basically diapers for adults in my eyes; I wanted no part of that.  Still, the idea of stuffing bleached cotton in my vagina did not sit well.  I eventually decided to make the switch to unbleached tampons, but I quickly realized that my job does not pay well enough to treat myself with such luxuries.  My only other option was to give the pad another chance. I started buying them, and discovered that bleached cotton resting upon the vagina feels just as wrong as bleached cotton inside the vagina. I went to my sister, Disfordelicate , for advice. She had a simple solution, as she always does. She gave me two homemade pads that she had sewn together out of old t-shirts. They are stuffed with flannel to make them extra absorbent, which is great because I can honestly and unashamedly say that I have a stupidly heavy flow.

The verdict:

I am sold. They’re comfortable, reusable (Just rinse them with cold water, and then wash them with your towels.) and more environmentally friendly than the dozens of pads/tampons that I easily go through in a year’s time. I will absolutely be making more when the next Crafternoon rolls around. I will also be posting pictures of the process, if anyone’s interested.