Yuzen- December 2012 Box

I do not know why I waited so long to sign up for this box! Maybe its because I did not enjoy other eco-conscious boxes, but I took a chance and my first box hit the nail on the head. I am so excited to share it with you guys.

Yuzen had very high marks on other sub box review sites which is one of the reasons I signed up. It is $26 a month and almost all products are full-sized or premium sample sized.  You can see what each box has in it every month on their website under "brands". I placed my order on Monday December 17th late at night and it arrived Wednesday December 12th! Incredibly fast shipping!

There were 7 products included in December's box. I was very impressed with the amount of products and their size. The enclosed card lists information about the brands and products and why they were chosen. This information was great to have when using and reviewing the products. It lists the websites for each product and a code for a discount for some of them which I think is fantastic.  Everything came lovingly packed in a gauzy bag and surrounded by bright blue tissue paper.

I love that the theme of the box is all about zen and relaxation. I read on the website that Yuzen is a type of Japanese paper that uses a process that layers patterns and colors. Every month they include a piece of yuzen paper in the box which I think is a nice touch.

The first product I tried was a Mint, Lime and Sea Salt Truffley Treat from Missy J. These are carob based and free of caffeine, dairy, sugar or wheat. The vegan treat definitely melts in your mouth and you can taste every aspect of the flavors. It was like a chocolaty, tart, salty explosion in my mouth. This pack runs for $2.99 on their site for  pieces and the adorable domain name is www.ohyesyoucandy.com. Isn't that adorable?

I love skin oils and this Hydrating Laminaria Oil from Spa Technologies was wonderfully light and moisturizing. I applied it after my shower and it has a great scent! It is scented with  ylang-ylang and bitter orange essential oils so it smells fresh and a little like citrus.  This is a 100% pure seaweed oil is organic and free of chemicals. This left my skin feeling hydrated, smooth, and very soft. This bottle was a premium sample bottle and I will get well over 20 uses out of it.

Feeling a little festive and time for a polish change anyway, I grabbed these 2 mini bottles of polish by SPAritual in Hunk of Burnin' Love and the Multitasking  base and top coat and painted my nails while I watched Pitch Perfect. The formula on these polishes were great! They were easy to apply, opaque after 2 coats of the color, I felt like they dried quickly and the top coat was nice and shiny. On my toes, it lasted for severeral days with out chipping.  My fingers got about 2 days. These minis are valued at $5 each and after browsing on the website www.parmaca.com they have a wide range of colors that are all 3-free!

There was a mini Red Flower in Ocean which smelled great! This is the 2nd red flower candle I have received in a box and I preferred this scent to the Spanish Gardenia. The candle is very tiny and I am hoping it will be strong enough to fill my bedroom with the scent. The candles are 100% botanically based and are made from vegetable-based candle wax. This little candle goes for a whopping $14 on their website.

These 4 samples from Ambre Blends Natural Fragrances are very cool. All the scents are amber based (which I love) and are like little oils. The information on them said that they are activated by the body's warmth and that they compliment one's own natural chemistry. I tried the Solace Essence first and it was like a magic trick! In the bottle it smelled good, but not very strong. I applied a drop to my pulse points on my wrists, one a the base of my neck and one drop on each side of my head behind my ears. Seconds later I was literally washed with this amazing musky-vanilla smell! It was like I had sprayed perfume but in reality I used 5 drops! I can not wait to try each and every scent. This sample pack goes for $9 on their website www.ambreblends.com.

This Sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Cleansing Bar is something I am very excited to try. It is formulated with sea buckthorn and the information on this product said that it is a superfruit of Tibet ( I love learning about superfruits!) It says that sea buckthorn is a berry and is loaded with antioxidants and essential fatty acids. I will have to finish my current bar soap before I can break this one out, but I will update my review when I use it! This full sized bar goes for $6.95 on the www.sibubeauty.com website.

Last but not least, we have the Tara Spa Therapy Stress Relieving Bath Salts. These salts smell amazing through the bag! The back of the packaging says it included essential oils of ylang-ylang, lavender, chamomile and herbal extracts of Valerian, skullcap and hops. The directions say to use 1-2 tablespoons in a bath, and I think I will get about 2-3 baths out of the pouch that was included. I will be trying this product in the next couple of days and will update when I do! I could not find a value on this pouch on their website taraspa.com.

My overall first impression of Yuzen Box........AMAZING! The types of products that were chosen were amazing, the quality of the products chosen was amazing, the sample sizes of products was amazing, and the presentation was amazing. This box gets a 5-star rating from me and I will definitely be keeping this one on my sub box rotation. Thank you so much to Jen & Ted for curating such a great box!

 

Jenn