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Bombay & Cedar Subscription Box Review – December 2019

Taryn Lowman
ByTaryn LowmanJan 27, 2020 | 25 comments

box

Bombay & Cedar
2.1 overall rating
21 Ratings | 15 Reviews

Bombay & Cedar is a luxury lifestyle subscription box for women that focuses on essential oils, diffusers, skincare, books, snacks, and other products.

This review is of the Premium Box for $49.95/month.

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This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

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About this Premium Self-Care and Aromatherapy Subscription Box

The Subscription Box: Bombay & Cedar

The Cost: $49.95 per month + shipping, or save with longer subscriptions.

The Products: 2 essential oils and 6-8 full-size products such as diffusers, skincare, books, healthy snacks, and other surprises with a retail value of $120+.

Ships to: The US for $6.95, Canada for $16.95, and internationally for $23.95

Good to Know: They now offer a Mini Box that has 5-7 full and deluxe size samples with a retail value of $60+ for $29.95/month. Bombay & Cedar recommends beginning with this box if you're looking to test out the experience!

Bombay & Cedar "Thrive" Review

 

The box comes with a booklet of information that lists out the products and highlights some of the brands. The theme this month is "Thrive."

 

Silver Fir Essential Oil by Bombay & Cedar, 10 ml - Listed Value $14.00

Bergamot Mint Essential Oil by Bombay & Cedar, 10 ml - Listed Value $14.00

I love anything with a fir scent, especially this time of year, so I went straight for the silver fir scent when opening the essential oil bag this month. It smells divine! Not only does it have an amazing scent that I can't wait to use in my diffuser, but this oil helps support your respiratory system, promotes mental clarity, and aids in restful sleep. The mint blend is so refreshing with a mild mint scent that is just right along with this fresh herbal aroma that is so lovely. This blend has calming and relaxing qualities that will be great to use in my diffuser to help calm everyone in the house. The real question is though, will it calm my two kids down?!

 

Pumpkin Souffle Hand Poured Candle by Urban Wax Refinery, 7.23 oz - Listed Value $15

I absolutely love receiving candles, especially one this large! I also love the glass that it comes in which matches my home decor perfectly—just an added bonus for me personally. These candles are all hand poured with a soy and coconut wax blend. The candle burns nicely, filling my entire downstairs kitchen and family room with its aroma. I will say I was a little bummed to see a pumpkin scented candle in a December box only because pumpkin feels more fall; right now I prefer fir or woodsy scents, but that is just my personal preference. Someone else might love having pumpkin year-round! The scent is perfectly pumpkin with a little bit of sweetness to it, like a pumpkin cream cheese or sweet muffin.

This item is available in several different styles.

 

Multi-Vitamins by Sugar Bear Hair, 60 pieces - Retail Value $30

I have been wanting to try gummy vitamins recently, so these came at a great time! I am a big believer in taking your daily vitamins, so even though I just bought myself a new container right before these arrived, I'll be holding onto them for when that bottle runs out. These gummies are honestly delicious and a welcomed change from the massive daily vitamin I am currently taking! They taste like a fruit snack but are filled with Omega-3, vitamins B-12, C, D-2, E and more. Plus they are vegan and free of any artificial flavors or sweeteners. As an added bonus, these vitamins came with a scrunchie featuring the bear gummies riding a unicorn on it! The scrunchie is super soft and way cute; my daughter has taken this as her own and wears it on her little wrist most days now which just melts my heart!

 

Oatmeal Green Tea Bath Soak by LM Organics, 9 oz. - Retail Value $24

Now that we are into the new year, I am trying to make a point to carve out some "me time" which I don't get a lot of now that I'm a Mom of two. I have a big beautiful bathtub that I have used maybe twice so this bath soak was just what I needed to make "me time" and using my bath happen! The oatmeal in this soak is perfect to help relieve dry skin, acne, bug bites, or any other skin irritations. My skin is naturally really dry year-round, but the winter makes it even worse. The second I stepped out of this bath soak I could tell my skin felt instantly smooth as silk! The green tea added this wonderful relaxing aroma and helps to detoxify your skin. I do think I used too much of this in my bath because it took forever to get it all to drain as it didn't dissolve much in the water, but that is an easy fix. I can't wait to use this bath soak again!

 

Nectar of the C Serum by Fleur & Bee, 1.0 fl oz - Retail Value $28

Vitamin C is the magic serum that works well on all skin types. I was super excited to receive this natural serum, and was shocked to see that it isn't more expensive! Fleur & Bee makes natural products without any nasty toxins and they are cruelty-free as well. Vitamin C helps to reduce dark spots, soften fine lines, smooth, tighten, and leave your skin looking more youthful. This is great to use in the morning and at night before your moisturizer or other serums. I have only been using this for a few days, but I have noticed my skin looking tighter and smoother. The smell is fresh and goes on smoothly. I can't wait to continue to see the benefits of this Nectar of the C!

 

Marinated Veggies by Poshi, 1.58 oz - Listed Value $2.49 (Buy a pack of 10 here for $19.99)

I received the marinated artichokes in basil and thyme, but you could have also received asparagus in rosemary and oregano. I have to admit, I was a little weirded out by the idea of eating artichokes from a bag. However, they look just like the ones you would get from a jar so really its just packaging, and they were honestly so delicious! I gobbled this entire bag down in one sitting and even said to my husband that I want to buy more because they would make a great snack. You could eat them right out of the bag on the go or use them to add over a salad or in a sandwich. These are vegan and gluten-free with low-fat content so they are super healthy for you! I'm for sure going to be buying more of these!

You could have received either marinated asparagus or artichokes. 

 

12 Month Updated Planner by Compendium - Listed Value $18.95

I absolutely love planners; there is something satisfying about keeping all appointments and dates written down. Plus it helps me stay organized! This one is not just a planner, it is filled with vignettes to spark joy, inspirational quotes, and prompts throughout the entire year. So you can stay organized and inspired! I have a giant calendar that I keep on my fridge to help keep my entire family's schedule organized. If I was still working, this planner would be perfect for me to keep at my desk. Since I already purchased my calendar for the year, I am going to gift this to my neighbor that I know will love and appreciate this elegant planner!

 

On the Go Fabric Shaver by Gleener - Listed Value $12.99 (Buy a set of two for $23.50)

Well this is an interesting product, I don't think I have ever seen anything like it! This fabric shaver comes in a cute little pouch and case that makes it great to keep with you on the go (this would be great for a stylist to keep) or to travel with. This set comes with 3 fabric-friendly edges that remove pet hair or dandruff without pulling the fabric. I used this on a pair of black jeans and a coat that were covered in dog hair and it worked wonderfully! I don't know how often I will be using this gadget; I have two kids and am usually covered in much worse things than dog hair, but I think it will be great to have if I travel or have a wedding to attend and want to look extra nice!

 

Birthstone Necklace by Wanderlust + CO - Listed Value $79

I am going to start by saying that this necklace is honestly so beautiful, but I was shocked to see that it was so on sale. It has since been removed from the Wanderlust + CO site, but at the time I was writing this review, it was on discounted to $14.50. I mean, it said that it is marked down 81%—that seems like a lot and makes me wonder why?! This is the highest listed value item this month, but when I see that I could buy it for so cheap on my own if I wanted it makes this item feel much less special. That might just be me though, some people might love that it is on sale because that means you can keep yours and buy some for friends that will love it too. The quality is nice, it doesn't scream $79 worth to me, but the little details are what caught my attention, made with an 18K gold plated dual-layered necklace encrusted with cubic zirconia stones. All in all, it's a style that I love and will wear but it didn't blow me away considering this was meant to be a big item for this month.

Verdict: This month's box had a lot of hits and a few misses for me. I am in love with the Nectar of the C serum, the hand-poured candle, and the bath soak—all items that are going to help me achieve my goal of more self-care! The vitamins are so delicious and will absolutely get used, and I got to learn about a new food brand that I'm going to start purchasing (seriously those artichokes were so good—go order yourself some if you can!). So if I look at all of the items I loved this month, I would say that this box is a win for me. However, I was shocked to see that the necklace is on sale at such a discounted price; it really lowers the value for me and makes me less excited about the necklace in general. All in all, I was able to learn about a lot of wonderful new brands and companies while testing new products that I would normally not purchase for myself so that for me is where the value is. I do hope that January has a bit more of a cohesive curation with a bit more of a wow factor!

To Wrap Up: 

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first month would be the February box!

Value Breakdown: This box costs $49.95 + $6.95 shipping, which means that each of the 10 items in the box has an average cost of $5.69.

Check out all of our Bombay & Cedar reviews and the best women's subscription boxes of 2020!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of the Bombay & Cedar "Thrive" Box?

Starting at $44.95
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" Bombay & Cedar is women and family-owned and operated in Atlanta, GA. We were intrigued with the idea of curating unique monthly finds that not only bring joy but help to enhance our members' lifestyles. Launched in July of 2017 as a monthly lifestyle subscription box featuring two of our p... read more.
Taryn Lowman
Taryn Lowman
Taryn's passion for subscription boxes started when she was gifted a monthly Birchbox. She is excited to discover more Mom and baby boxes to share with her family!

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25 comments

BL

I hate that they ship out the box in the next month ….like Dec in Jan or Jan in Feb. I get a email saying my box with ship out on the 23rd of Jan but all was done was a shipping label was made. I would rather not get that email because I expect it more so. I love the boxes though so I will sadly deal.

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katie

I absolutely loved this box. Whatever I won’t use is easy to gift. The necklace is beautiful,I get so many compliments. I often buy from Wanderlust and they do have some great sales so I wouldn’t take it to mean that the necklace is flawed in anyway. I haven’t tried the fabric shaver yet so I can’t attest to how well it works. I thought the artichokes were interesting but to tell you the truth one was enough. I love that this box sends “different” things I don’t get in other subscriptions.

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Taryn Lowman

Thanks for your feedback!

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AB

This box always makes me really happy and I liked this one a lot. I took a break for a little while last year and found I really missed it. I’ve discovered things through their boxes that I will actually go out and buy b/c I like them that much. Some of my all time favorite useful things I got in a Bombay & Cedar box. My daughter is still trying to steal my fancy first aid kit from last year! Keep it up Bombay & Cedar!

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Taryn Lowman

I’m so happy to hear you loved this one!

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JackieCupcake

I love the necklace! Gonna have to see if they have July in stock.

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Andrea

I have the July one. I’ll put it up on the swap page.

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Carol Priddy

Okay, I just received and opened my first Bombay and Cedar box. None of my items are ANY of the ones in this review. When I signed up I was able to “customize” the reed diffuser and the tooth whitening kit. I didn’t even get a tooth whitening kit.

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Taryn

It sounds like you received a different month than what I received and reviewed here.

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Carol

Ah, why is the December box just being reviewed when the January boxes are being delivered? The January box was a complete let down. If I wanted cleaning stuff I would have subscribed to Grove. Also, the hero item was missing from the box! They said they are sending it and went ahead canceled my sub.

Shannon

Sounds like you received the current January box. This review is for the December box.

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MrsLittle

I think the fabric shaver is actually too remove fabric pills from your clothes.

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Taryn

Oh really? I thought the 3 set that I received had different parts, one is for fabric pulling but there are ones for lint removal as well.

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MrsLittle

Oh, maybe so. I’ve only ever seen them for pills. I used to have one and miss it…

Emilia

I don’t usually subscribe to Bombay due to price, this was one box I decided to get because of the necklace and fabric shaver (glamorous, I know). I got a different candle, asparagus and a different design of the shaver. All in all, I like the box very much, even though I don’t believe for a second that these vitamins are really capable of achieving their claimed goals. The biggest disappointment for me was the necklace, it feels very cheap and it tangles uncontrollably. I got it for my 10-year-old daughter, so I’m not too worked up about that.

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Taryn

I’m glad you enjoyed the box!

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Flora

There’s a $5 Fleur & Bee sample pack that is “free” with code TRY, just pay 99 cents in shipping

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Crystal

I know that this is an unpopular viewpoint but no one who eats a normal, well-balanced diet needs a multivitamin. NO ONE. If anyone is interested have a look at the recent Johns Hopkins research. If you’re vegan of course you should supplement, but with targeted vitamins like B12. I hate to see multivitamins in subscription boxes, I think it’s ridiculous.

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Lisa

Unless you have a medical condition or your doctor recommends it.

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Taryn

Thanks for your feedback!

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Ragan

I got those artichokes in Vegancuts and I couldn’t even eat them. I tried but the texture was really weird to me and I couldn’t get over it. (To be fair, they are not something I normally buy or consume.)

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Jill

Artichokes have a weird texture in general. I can only tolerate them sometimes. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to try the ones I got in this sub yet. The thought of asparagus like that is horrifying, though, and I like (fresh) asparagus!

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carol

That necklace is currently $20 on their site. I’m going to see if they also offer the other months!

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Cole

I have been loving this sub. This box was great, the necklace was surprisingly my favorite item! It is so pretty and looks great on. My Nectar of the C Serum did not smell so great though. I do not think it was good? It smelled rancid to me, so I stopped using it. I never reached out, so I am not sure what customer service would have done if I told them.

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