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Our Subscription Box Favorites for January!

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanFeb 25, 2016 | 23 comments

Subscription Box Favorites

We're starting a new monthly post highlighting our favorite discoveries from subscription boxes! Here are our favorite items from the past month:

Lindsey's Favorites:

YummyBazaar-January-2016-Carrots

The Item: Cayenne Carrot Sticks by Preservation Co. 

The Cost: $8.95

From: Yummy Bazaar's Destination Food Club Full Experience Box

Why I love it: Maybe it’s a little weird, but I think pickles are probably my favorite food. Anytime I’m in a restaurant that offers a pickle plate, I always insist on ordering it, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a veggie that I didn’t think was better in pickle form. These cayenne carrots are no exception. They’re spicy, crisp, and oh so yummy. So far, I’ve been eating them straight out of the jar, but I’m thinking about using them as a garnish for Carrot Bloody Marys!

Shaker-January-2016-JulietMade

The Item: Juliet & Romeo Cocktail

The Cost: Shaker & Spoon is $40 per month. They send everything you need (except the alcohol) to make 12 cocktails from 3 different recipes.

From: Shaker & Spoon

Why I love it: I always have a blast mixing up the cocktails from Shaker & Spoon, and I’m consistently impressed with their unique homemade syrups and creative recipes. I’m usually a fan of their drinks, but this month’s Juliet & Romeo Cocktail is especially great. It’s made with muddled cucumber, simple syrup, coarse salt, gin, lime juice, rosewater, and spearmint extract. The combination of flavors is complex, balanced, and refreshing.

NomadCoffee-January-2016-CoffeeBag

The Item: de Mello Palheta Coffee Roasters Ethiopian Worka

The Cost: $12 CAD (approximately $8.57 USD)

From: Nomad Coffee Club

Why I love it: I got to sample several different coffees from a few different coffee subscriptions in January, and this Ethiopian Yirgacheffe that Nomad Coffee Club sent out is my favorite. The medium-roast beans arrived very fresh, and I’ve been enjoying this coffee every single morning since it arrived!

Celicia's Favorites:

JANFAV - 1

JANFAV - 2

The Item: Shea Moisture - 10-in-1 Renewal System Shampoo 15ml & Hair Masque 30ml -  Sample Set

The Cost: $1.50

From: CurlKit

Why I Love It:  SheaMoisture on my top list again...I know!  There’s something about their shampoos that makes William and Abigail’s hair so vibrant.  I normally co-wash our hair with conditioners, so changing it up to this combo was really great.  I would love to see a deluxe set in any of my current subscriptions.  Although this was not enough product for my head alone, I was able to wash and condition the kiddos’ hair TWICE!!

JANFAV - 3

JANFAV - 4

JANFAV - 5

The Item: Kevyn Aucoin - The Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX8

The Cost: $48.00

From: Choix

Why I Love It:  A few months ago, I went on a mission to try a ton of these enhancers from Kevyn Aucoin.  I think my mission is now complete.  This is the perfect under eye concealer color for me! (Middle Swatch) It has just the right amount of orange to correct my dark circles with full coverage.  I love that these enhancers are so thick and creamy, but don’t feel nearly as heavy while being worn. No matter what shade of brown (or white chocolate as my Hubby would say) you are,  if you’ve never tried these, you’re missing out!

Anna's Favorites:

buddhibox-jan-journal
The Item: Ganesh Journal

The Cost: $18.95

From: BuddhiBox

Why I love it: It's just beautiful. It was also delivered with exquisite timing, and I now use it to record the everyday magic that I see all around me. I love keeping journals for specific purposes, and this one was just a perfect match of form and function.

mapp-welcome-puzzle
The Item: Puzzle Box

The Cost: ???

From: My Amazing Pen Pal

Why I love it: I love it because my son loves it. My son loves it because he finally has a place to put his little treasures that his older brother can't get into! We both agree that it's super cool!

panda-pals-jan-yellow-socks
The Item: Socks that snap together when not in use

The Cost: $15 for two pair

From: Panda Pals

Why I love it: Because they're socks that snap together when not in use! Ingenious!

Ragan's Favorites:

misstutii-january-2016-handcream

The Item: Secret Key Berry Milk Hand Cream

The Cost: $3.95

From: Miss Tutii

Why I Love It: It’s finally getting cold in Georgia and my hands look awful.  When I remember to use this, and do so consistently for a few days, it really helps.  The scent is not too strong and it absorbs quickly.  It works as well as many more expensive products.

catladybox-december-2015-necklace

The Item: Glass Black Cat Necklace

The Cost: $49.99 (custom item for Cat Lady Box)

From: Cat Lady Box

Why I Love It: I’m a certified crazy cat lady and this is a cute and tasteful way to display that!  It’s small enough and delicate enough to wear to work without drawing attention to myself.  (Take the price with a grain of salt – I got it from the Cat Lady Box information card…)  I think this is a December item but I received it in January.

olfactif-january-2016-fragrance

The Item: Winter by Dasein

The Cost: $18 (for three samples)

From: Olfactif

Why I Love It: The spruce and pine notes are a perfect reflection of the season.  I have never smelled a fragrance quite like this one, with these particular notes, and they really work for me.  It lasts a fairly long time.  And I recently discovered it in the Birchbox shop, so when I have a few more points and a code, I’m totally going for a full sized bottle.

Haley's Favorites:

Haley Favorites JAN 2016 - ITEM 1

The Item: Indigo by NEST

The Cost: $16.95 + shipping for an a la carte 8 ML Scentbird spray (case sold separately). Or, $68 for a 1.7 oz full-size bottle.

From: Scentbird

Why I love it: This perfume is officially my new favorite discovery through Scentbird! I’ve heard a lot about NEST fragrances, and Indigo was the fragrance of the month for January. I love it! It’s feminine and sweet without being sugary (no vanilla or caramel notes, like a lot of sweet perfumes have). I think I smell the black tea and the fig most on my skin, which I love. I have about a billion perfumes but am thinking of making this my new everyday one! Now to try Midnight Fleur by NEST next.

Haley Favorites JAN 2016 - ITEM 2

The Item: Pink Owl Bird Print Tunic

The Cost: $50?

From: Modcloth Stylish Surprise Apparel

Why I love it: I adore this top! The print reminds of Deux Lux’s Anguilla design pattern which I’ve always really liked. It’s such a flattering style and easy to wear! I also don’t have much green in my wardrobe, so I’m really happy to have this.

Haley Favorites JAN 2016 - ITEM 3

The Item: Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner

The Cost: $16

From: Birchbox

Why I love it: I love felt-tip liquid liners, but I’m really picky about them and have found they can be hit or miss. But I really do like this one. The opacity is nice and I didn’t notice any bleeding, which is one of my biggest pet peeves with liquid liners. The fat tip makes cat-eyes really easy, too!

Haley Favorites JAN 2016 - ITEM 4

The Item: DKNYC Foil Glitz Tank

The Cost: $70 (Le Tote Price $56)

From: Le Tote

Why I love it: I feel like a bombshell in it! I never wear gold, but this gold leans more platinum-toned than yellow, which I think makes it work so much better for my complexion/preferences. The keyhole is just sexy enough without being too revealing (plus I could always wear a cami with it, too).

Bekki's Favorites:

Treatsie5

The Item:  Mayana Chocolate - Kitchen Sink Bar

The Cost:  $8.00

From:  Treatsie

Why I love it:  What isn't to love?  This candy bar, as I've already gushed about, is so incredibly fabulous.  It is definitely the heaviest candy bar I've ever had in my chocolate loving hands, so I stretched it out over about a week by eating little slices of it. It should tell you something that the first thing I've ever purchased after I received it in a sub box, was this candy bar.  Three of them to be exact - and I am counting down the days for it to show up on my doorstep!  

Note about pricing - the candy bar is $1.00 cheaper on the manufacturers website - when I went to purchase from them though, the shipping was quite a bit higher than it was going to be through Treatsie, so it worked out to be cheaper to buy them from Treatsie.  If you're buying a bunch though - the manufacturers website may be the way to go!

EFL6

The Item:  Bluff Cove Lemongrass Mint White Balsamic Vinegar

The Cost: $16.95

From:  The Taste Club by Eat Feed Love

Why I love it:  This white balsamic is outstanding.  The flavor is smooth, bright, and slightly sweet.  Neither flavor overpowers the other, and it is just such a great blend that I would never have picked out for myself.  I made the cumin scented rice from one of the box recipe cards that called for this, and it was really good.  I have to admit though - I drizzled more of the vinegar on after the rice was done - it was just that good.  

Choco3

The Item:  Dolcetta - Dark Chocolate and Rosemary Caramel Bar

The Cost:  $5.50

From: Chococurb Mini - January

Why I love it:  I'm a sucker for mixing unexpected flavors.  Rosemary caramel is something I would have never considered, but it works so well together!  I loved this chocolate bar. It was just the right amount of sweet, with excellent texture from the caramel.  

Eric's Favorites:

unnamed

The Item: Pestemal Bath Towel

The Cost: $40

From: Bespoke Post "Steam"

Why I love it: This is my go-to towel now. I loved it so much that I bought a second. It's thin and super absorbent and I love the terry cloth addition to the classic Turkish towel.

unnamed (1)

The Item: Daredevil Pocket POP

The Cost: $2.78 on Amazon

From: Powered Geek Box

Why I love it: This is my first POP from the Daredevil Netflix show, and with the show coming back next month - with The Punisher(!!!!) - I'm so excited to get back to Hell's Kitchen.

unnamed (2)

The Item: Matching Loot Crate shirt

The Cost: $10-20

From: Loot Crate and Loot Pets

Why I love it: I'm pretty certain that the matching shirts will be in this round up every month. Liz loves the matching shirts, and I have fun trying to get Buckles to do a photo shoot.

unnamed (3)

The Item: Max Sockatanksy

The Cost: $5-10

From: ZBox

Why I love it: I've been having fun wearing my geeky socks lately - so these really fit the bill. They might be the most unique socks I have received!

unnamed (4)

The Item: Star Trek: Bat’Leth Letter Opener 

The Cost: $34.84

From: Fandora's Box

Why I love it: Perhaps the coolest item to ever be received in a box, this letter opener is not only fun to display, but useful when opening mail.

Liz's Favorites:

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 12.02.39 PM

The ItemNeoCell Beauty Bursts 

The Cost: $15

From: New Beauty Test Tube 

Why I love it: I'm addicted to these collagen chews! I bought a full size package as soon as this sample ran out, and I feel like I can see a difference in the quality of my skin. (Plus they help with my sweet tooth, too!)

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 12.02.58 PM

The Item: Pehr Designs Pebble Speck Bin 

The Cost: $40

From: POPSUGAR Must Have January Box 

Why I Love It: I think this is one of the best items POPSUGAR has ever sent out - it manages to be both super practical and also feels special! I love the subtle design, and I feel like it can work in all seasons and with all decor styles.

Screen Shot 2016-02-25 at 12.03.07 PM

The Box: The Voice Limited Edition Gift Box

The Cost: Was: $49.99 + $4.99 shipping Now: $19.99

COUPON: Use coupon code 20NOW to save an additional 20%, plus get free shipping on orders of $39 or more before coupon – AKA get two boxes for $31.98 shipped!

From: The Voice Box 

Why I Love It: I know this isn't just one item, but I I love this box because of all the items combined at the price! I think this was such a fun box, and I ended up buying a few more of them for gifts for Valentine's Day. It definitely was my favorite deal of January! (And it is still available if you are interested).

What do you think of our favorites for January? And what were your favorite discoveries?

Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

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23 comments

JillA

I LOVE these posts! If there is something really terrific that I missed then I can try to track it down.

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Keri S.

I totally agree with you about ‘The Voice’ box from People. I ordered two also – it’s an amazing deal. I remember buying another box curated by People magazine that was on sale about a year ago (???). That was one of my all time favorite boxes ever. I signed up for their emails from the shop and check it from time to time. They have some cute things that are definitely worth the sale price. But, nothing that comes close to beating the box deal.

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Kalina

For those who are interested in purchasing the People Voice Box – the website offers FREE SHIPPING on ALL orders today only. The code PS10 worked for me to save 10%, so I ended up paying $19.11 (tax included) for the box.

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glenda

Kalina, thanks so much for posting! I started to order one yesterday, but shipping was $6, and I just couldn’t pull the trigger… Thank goodness I didn’t!

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Sonya

ok ok ok! I cant resist The Voice box any longer…..I am sure someone is having a birthday or something…..
The code 20NOW says it is expired 🙁

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Judi

I think that The Voice Limited Edition Box should win box of the year even though it didn’t seem to have much of a direct connection to the show. Really good brands that people actually like and items that were fun, cute, usable and useful, and stuff that you would feel good about gifting if something wasn’t good for you. At full price it covered the cost of the glasses; at the sale price it was crazy not to grab a few.
Whoever curated this must do another one!

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Tammy

Bekki: My Treatsie box with the add on Mayana bars just came today! They are an indulgence, but I can’t wait to try the other flavors!

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Karen

Liz, your hubby Eric is a HOOT!!!

Eric…. you are a HOOT (I bet he reads these too)!!

Haley, the owl top is adorbs on you!! I think it’s a winner as well!! I wish I was so gung-ho about eyeliner as you because I also got the eyeko eyeliner in my birchbox but I just don’t know how to make eyeliner work for me and for some reason I feel it seems to create fine lines near my eyes when otherwise there aren’t any. I think I’ll list mine with the tons of other eyeliners BB has sent me this past year (I was surprised they sent the full size!!)… or maybe I should watch one of those youtube videos and give one of the eyeliners I have tried before another try. I suppose they can make the eye look larger when done correctly.

Thanks guys…. this is a fun new thread you added!!

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Liz Cadman

Haha thanks Karen!! 🙂

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Debbie S.

Socks that snap together! That is genius. The Bespoke Post towel is my favorite too. I haven’t even used it yet because I like how it looks on the towel rack.

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Joy

I haven’t used a single other towel since mine arrived! we got 2 of them and are considering 2 more. They are really nice.

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Kay

This is a fun post and I enjoyed reading all the reviewers’ favorites. Liz & Eric – please help! I was reading about NeoCell Beauty Bursts and I went to your review link of New Beauty Test Tube. Your review said Eric takes Collagen powder and felt improvement in his joints. Can you please tell me which products he uses? My husband recently had a knee surgery and doing a lot of PT and I am wondering if he can use something like this. He is a coffee lover as well. Thank you for all you do!!!

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Liz Cadman

Eric uses this brand: Great Lakes Gelatin, Collagen Hydrolysate – we recommend it! I hope your husband has a speedy recovery! 🙂

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Kay

Thank you, Liz! You are the bestest. Have a good day!

Browning

Liz (and everyone!), what do you use the popsugar bin for? I have 2 and need ideas on how they can be put to good use!

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Kiales

I use mine for my yoga stuff – my block, strap, blanket, clean hand towels, mat cleaner, etc 🙂

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Kristin

I keep mine near the couch and use it to hold my extra throws!

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Karen

That is a FAB idea!!! Mine has not been utilized yet because I am in the midst of a MAJOR declutter-organization-action but I may put the many cashmere sweaters I have suddenly noticed need some darning after finally getting around to unpacking them after my summer move. Or, I might toss random shoes (I.e. the ones that are not good enough to go into my storage boxes bought from the container store) in it or maybe books I’m thinking of reading. Or I was even thinking it could be used to keep my extra laundry products (I have a habit of keeping at least two of certain laundress products on hand at all times plus an love of fabric spray) or I like the extra quilt/throw idea. There are just a ZILLION ideas but I’m just not organized enough to use this item that will help me get further organized!! I must say that was my favourite POPSUGAR box yet!!! I actually kept EVERYTHING!! A never before thing for me.

Mallory

Try PS10 to save 10% on the People x Voice box. It’s a better deal if you only want one since it saves you two dollars although you still have to pay for shipping

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Amy

PS10 worked and today they have free shipping so the box total was $19.16. Awesome deal!

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Sarah

I finally cancelled Birchbox today after 3 months of pretty much all sample choices and curated boxes being sold out within hours. I am a working mom and I can’t sit by my email to see when the sample choice email comes out. Going to try Ipsy.

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TH

The People x Voice box coupon doesn’t work anymore :(. I’ve been trying since last week!

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Lauren

I have those cayenne carrots, I put those, diced, alongside some fresh english cukes over a bowl of home made Pad Thai a couple weekends ago, and it gave nice little spice/crunch to it.

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