We're starting a new monthly post highlighting our favorite discoveries from subscription boxes! Here are our favorite items from December:
Lindsey's Favorites:
The Item: Red Nose Winter Ale
The Cost: Approximately $9.99 for a 6-pack.
From: Craft Beer Club
Why I love it: I’m a sucker for a great seasonal beer, and Natty Greene’s Red Nose Winter Ale is a knockout. It’s an American red ale that’s brewed with cinnamon, orange, and ginger. The spices nicely complement the sweet maltiness of the ale, and I think they’re perfect for the holidays. We cracked open a couple of these while trimming our Christmas tree, and they were a perfect addition to the festive occasion!
The Item: Petite Calisson Candies D’Aix by Roy Rene
The Cost: $16.95
From: Yummy Bazaar's Destination Food Club Full Experience Box
Why I love it: Yummy Bazaar’s Destination Food Club sent out an incredible holiday-themed Full Experience Box this December, and I was really thrilled by the items they included. Of all the fantastic items, though, the Petite Caisson Candies have to be my favorite. They’re made from almonds, crystalized citrus, and melon peel and come in a variety of flavors, including fig, pear, orange, tangerine, raspberry, apple, and lemon. I’ve never tried anything like them before, and I really enjoyed sampling them.
The Item: Albanese Gummi Snow Flurries
The Cost: $1.99 for 1 lb. (bulk)
From: Candy Club
Why I love it: I love gummy candies, but it’s rare they stand out as one of my favorite monthly items. This month, however, I simply couldn’t resist these seasonally-appropriate Gummi Snow Flurries! It was so much fun to see them in December’s box from Candy Club.
Celicia's Favorites:
The Item:Moonshine Fort Knox in Matte Black
The Cost: $25.00
From: Knockaround Mystery Box Jr.
Why I Love It: I’ve been in love with Knockaround for a few years and I’m finally getting my hands on a pair for John and I. Even though it’s winter, I wear these just about every day. Our daily commute to work is very early, and I’m not early bird. I’m more like a night owl. I hate my puffy just got out of bed face and these cover that all up for me. All black with a little bit of gold accents, stylish! I like the lens filter here too, everything looks yellow/orange and I can see everything so clearly. Love them!! And John loves his too.
The Item: Hourglass - Veil Fluid Foundation in Chestnut
The Cost: $60.00
From: Choix
Why I Love It: I’ve been experimenting with new foundations this year and the color payoff with Hourglass really stood out for me. I love how buildable this formula can be and lightweight at the same time. I ended up purchasing a full sized in the deepest color Walnut #8 during the Choix sale.
The Item: Eden BodyWorks - All Natural Cleansing CoWash
The Cost: $8.49
From: CurlKit
Why I Love It: After using this for over a month, I can say this stuff really works! I’m trying my best to remember to be less heavy handed when applying products to Abigail’s fine hair. When used correctly, it’s a really good cowash for all our curly heads. I’m hoping to find more Eden BodyWorks in future hair care boxes to see what else we’ll love from the brand.
Anna's Favorites:
The Item: Beard, Wives, Denim by Pond
The Cost: $47.99
From: Spinbox
Why I love it: Listen to this beautiful album by members of Tame Impala and you'll see for yourself! Pond is a hidden gem of a band, especially for people like myself who love modern psych rock.
The Item: Mt. Townsend Creamery Fromage Blanc
The Cost: $5
From: Rain City Box
Why I love it: I sat down to eat this cheese with some crackers for lunch on December 27, 2015, and if I could still be sitting there eating it, I would be. It's that good. It's crumbly and creamy, and it has the perfect balance of sweet, sour, and salty like a great cheese should.
The Item: Shibori Cloth Dyeing
The Cost: Varies
From: Doodle Crate
Why I love it: My seven-year old and I had a total blast making this furoshiki tote bag, and look how beautiful it turned out! He gave it to my sister-in-law for Christmas and she was thoroughly impressed. We love crafting together, and this method of hand-dyeing is so unique and makes such an unusual end product, I think we will be doing much more of this in the future.
Ragan's Favorites:
The Item: Grace & Stella Luxurious Foot Peeling Mask (2 pairs)
The Cost: Value $21.90
From: Grace and Stella
Why I love it: I love foot peels and these worked really well, even without all the soaking recommended on the instruction sheet! My heels are looking nice now and I can’t wait to use the second package.
The Item: Bridgewater Candle Company Sweet Grace Mingle Candle
The Cost: Value $20
From: CAUSEBOX by Sevenly
Why I love it: There were a lot of things I loved in the Winter 2015 Causebox by Sevenly (I also loved the necklace and the One Love Organics body serum). But I could smell this candle all over the house. Plus it’s made in the USA from a natural soy wax blend.
The Item: Pet Candy Catnip Penny Candy (2 pieces)
The Cost: Value $1.98
From: Meowbox
Why I love it: These were inexpensive. But pretty much all of my cats loved them. Here is a photo of Sneaky biting one of these, just because I like pictures of Sneaky biting things:
Haley's Favorites:
The Item: Loveapella Beasley Cold Shoulder Knit Top
The Cost (Fullsize): $58
From: Stitch Fix
Why I love it: This top is different and flattering. I love the color, shape, and cut out detail.
The Item: Loot Crate Exclusive Star Wars Lounge Pants
The Cost (Fullsize): $19.95?
From: Level Up Wearable from LootCrate
Why I love it: These are my new favorite lounge pants. They’re 100% cotton and nice and long! (This is probably because they’re technically classified as men’s pants, but I’m so happy that these are nice and long for both me and my husband, who is 6’3”.)
These are exclusive, so I can’t find them for sale online so I’m estimating the value (and I’m quite likely low-balling it)!
The Item: eSalon Custom Hair Color
The Cost: One hair color application is $24.95. You can save 20% (pay $19.95) on each order when you enroll in the Auto-Delivery service, which means they send your custom order at the frequency you specify.
From: eSalon
Why I love it: This was my first time ever doing an all-over color and also first time coloring it myself instead of at a salon! I’ve had highlights for at least 10 years now, and I was just so ready for a change. I also thought the light blonde was only accentuating the dryness from damage and harsh winter air, and as a new mom I don’t have the desire, time, or money to keep up with the highlights. I wanted to go all-over back to my natural color, basically “undoing” my highlights. I’m thrilled with what I was left with – a great, natural color and healthy feeling hair! (You can read all about my experience and process in my review of this service here!)
Bekki's Favorites:
The Item: Albina City Nuts - Sweet & Salty Hazelnuts
The Cost: $4.00
From: Package from Portland
Why I love it: Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a fan of nuts. I do not like them in my baked goods and I definitely don't like eating them plain. So when I got these, I wasn't expecting much. I gave them a valiant try, for you, the readers, and absolutely LOVED them. They're sweet, salty, and spicy all at the same time, and they have a fabulous crunch. They almost taste smoky. I could eat these allllll the days.
The Item: Edmond Fallot Green Peppercorn Dijon Mustard
The Cost: $6.89
From: The Taste Club by Eat Feed Love
Why I love it: I have always loved savory, potently flavored condiments over sweet/mild-flavored condiments, so it makes complete sense that I would fall head-over-heels for mustard. I've always preferred drizzling my fries with vinegar or dipping them in mustard, and this stuff is just the stuff dreams are made of for me. It's peppery, briny, and somehow still smooth all at the same time. Seriously good stuff.
The Item: Kimber's Cookies - Cranberry & White Chocolate Cookie Kit
The Cost: $9.95
From: My Texas Market
Why I love it: I made these cookies for our New Year's celebration, and I was a little nervous about it! I generally make everything from scratch, but it was a busy night, they were there, and I thought, hey, let's try them. After I tried the first one, I really wished I didn't have company so I could keep them all to myself! They baked up perfectly chewy, with a very slightly crispy exterior. The flavor was so good, and the texture was out-of-this-world! The added oats didn't make the cookie too much like an oatmeal cookie, they just threw in a bit more texture and made it amazingly chewy, and soft. I want to try all of the flavors now!
Eric's Favorites:
The Item: I Am The Law Judge Dredd Shirt
The Cost: Value $10?
From: Comic Block
Why I love it: I just really love the graphic on this shirt. I rarely really love a shirt, but this month's fit the bill.
The Item: Double Grip Force Choke Shirt
The Cost: Value $10?
From: Super Geek Box
Why I love it: Another shirt makes the list this month! I'm loving the mashup. While I'm gifting it to a super Simpsons and Star Wars fan, this would have easily been a keeper as well.
The Item: Enemy Critters Socks
The Cost: Value $8-10?
From: Super Geek Box
Why I love it: Subscription boxes are now getting me addicted to socks. I can always use more and more longer length socks as the weather keeps getting colder and colder.
The Item: Matching Human+Dog Ugly Holiday Sweater Shirt
The Cost: Value $10?
From: Loot Crate
Why I love it: How can I not include this one! Buckles and I had a joint photo shoot!
The Item: Han Solo in Snow Gear POP
The Cost: Value $27
From: Loot Crate
Why I love it: This is my favorite item this month! I love POPs, and I love getting exclusives that much more + Star Wars! This couldn't lose!
The Item: Transformers More Than Meets The Eye #46
The Cost: Value $4.49
From: Comicboxer
Why I love it: This is one of THE coolest items I have ever received. The only reason it's not my favorite is because I'm not a big transformers fan. This variant is valued at $50+ dollars with it's hand-drawn cover, which was individually unique for every subscriber, by Alex Milne - who does interior pencils for the series. And, above it all, I got an autographed version!
Liz's Favorites:
The Item: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream
The Cost: $9.79
From: Target Holiday Beauty Box For Her
Why I love it: This eye cream is “Fragrance-free, Hypoallergenic, paraben, sulfate & phthalate-free Gluten-free and not tested on animals.” The formula is super gentle too! It is pretty rare to find a quality skincare item I love that is also really affordable - that's why this eye cream makes the list for me!
The Item: Prtty Peaushun Skin Tight Body Lotion in Plain
The Cost: Value $39
From: POPSUGAR Special Edition Holiday Box For Her
Why I love it: This is the plain (clear) version of the Prtty Peashun, but they also offer it in tinted colors as well for a bronzed look. (I will definitely grab the tinted version for summer!) This lotion is all natural, and I absolutely love the scent. The packaging is a little unique, but I like that I won't waste any of the lotion thanks to the design. ($40 is on the high-end for lotion, so I need to get every last drop!) And the formula itself goes a long way - I've been using it every day since getting it the special edition box, and I still have over half left in the package.
The Item: Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream
The Cost: $42
From: FabFitFun Winter Box
Why I love it: I just realized I picked all lotions this month! That's dry skin season for you!
I just finished my travel-size sample from FabFitFun and need to buy the full-size version. My skin is most sensitive in the winter, and this cream has been super gentle on my skin - no irritation whatsoever! Plus it is fragrance and paraben free - always a bonus!
What do you think of our favorites for December? And what were your favorite discoveries?
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