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Bombay & Cedar Premium Lifestyle Box Review – April 2020

Taryn Lowman
ByTaryn LowmanJun 15, 2020 | 22 comments

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. In addition to the Lifestyle box, they also offer a Beauty Box, "featuring vegan and cruelty-free full size and deluxe size beauty products."

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

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).

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 "Sustain" April 2020 Review

Sadly, my monthly booklet was missing from my box, but I was able to get an emailed copy after reaching out to their customer service.

 

Thieves Essential Oil by Bombay & Cedar, 10 ml - Listed Value $21.00

Lemongrass Essential Oil Blend by Bombay & Cedar, 10 ml - Listed Value $16.00

I am loving both of these oils, but wow I'm surprised to see the price increase! Normally their bottles have a listed value of $14 so I'm not sure why one is listed as $21 now. The Thieves blend smells very spicy, in a good way, almost like a really strong Big Red gum. The booklet notes that this blend is highly antibacterial and antiviral. I will need to look into best practices for how to use it before diving in, but for now I am loving the bold scent of it in my diffuser. Lemongrass is always great because it has a fresh, bold, citrus smell to it. I have been using this in my diffuser throughout the day to bring a bit of fresh spring into our house!

 

Reusable Cloth Face Mask by Acting Pro - Listed Value $7.00

Masks are the hot item right now that's for sure! As you all know, there is a bit of a delay on masks when you order online so I was excited to see this product this month. The quality is amazing, very soft, and breathable. It fits perfectly around my ears, creating great coverage on my nose and mouth while still giving me room to breathe. All of the masks I have ordered so far are black so I was excited to see this bold floral print that I can rock this summer, if we have to wear them why not make it fashion, right?!

 

Pedi-Buffer by Spongelle - Retail Value $16.00

I love products from Spongelle and have become very familiar with the brand over my subscription box years. I have never received a pedi-buffer before though so this was exciting to try! This buffer comes with one side for cleansing and one side for exfoliating. So you really are able to exfoliate your feet while providing intense, clean hydration. I am on my feet a lot with my kids so this was really nice to use after a long day outside. My feet are in pretty bad shape right now as well so I was happy to give them a little TLC. While I wouldn't say this gave me spa-like results, it still left my feet looking polished and feeling soft.

 

Petitgrain Basil Dish Soap by Illume - Listed Value $12.00

This dish soap smells amazing! I love the smell of basil and this soap has that amazing fresh scent like I'm standing next to my basil plant, only in soap form. Illume makes their home products to be free of parabens, glycol solvents, chlorine, formaldehyde, ammonia, phosphates, artificial colors, triclosan, MEA, and DEA. While I like this soap, it doesn't get that super heavy suds that I desire to fight grease and everyday dirt from dishes and bottles. The soap is very liquidy so that is most likely why I can't get a big lather on it. I do like it to have on hand though for smaller items that I don't need to really scrub. Plus, it leaves my hands feeling super hydrated!

 

Cocktail Kit by Camp Craft Cocktails, Serves 8 - Retail Value $24.00

This cocktail kit was a super fun surprise to receive this month! With warm weather approaching, this looks and feels like the perfect summer cocktail. I received the apricot cranberry smash kit which comes with dried apricots, cranberries, lemons, and citrus. The instructions are super simple too, just add 12 ounces of alcohol, let it sit for 3 days, then serve with soda, juice, or tonic. We decided to use vodka in our blender and let it sit for 4 days, one day extra to really let the flavors blend together. We mixed our drink with tonic water and added a little lemon for freshness. The drink itself was so refreshing, the perfect summer drink! I do wish the vodka had taken on the flavors of the apricot cranberry smash, especially with that extra day, but I can't say that I got a ton of those flavors in the vodka. Overall though, I think this is a super fun way to infuse some alcohol right at home and to get a yummy cocktail together. We are already thinking about what family members we could buy one of these kits and send to this summer!

 

Lemon & Thyme Seed-Bearing Lollipop by Amborella Organics - Listed Value $2.25

At first, I was slightly confused by this lollipop, but after reading about it a bit more I was really into it! So you basically eat the lollipop, ok good so far, and then when you are done you plant the stick to grow whatever herb you received. How cool is that?! Does it work? I don't know yet, only time will tell. I received the lime flavor with the thyme seed. My son saw that I had a lollipop and immediately at this one, but he was very clear in saying that it was lemony sweet! He ate it and said that we need more now. So thumbs up all around!

 

Facial Dry Brush by Midnight Paloma - Retail Value $22.00

If you follow my reviews then you know I am all about dry brushing, but I haven't gone down the facial dry brush road yet. I am here for it though! This little beauty came with instructions letting me know that facial dry brushing is recommended in the morning to stimulate lymphatic drainage, reduce puffiness, tone, firm, and boost circulation. I also love the benefits it provides for sinus movement! I can't say if I see any huge changes in my skin after a few days of use, but I am really enjoying adding this to my morning routine so hopefully, my skin will show for it soon!

 

Cleaning Cloths by Full Circle, set of 2 - Retail Value $3.99

I have two kids so I am constantly cleaning, and I mean constantly. So cleaning cloths are something that I always need and really appreciate receiving! These aren't too large but I love the print and they are great for cleaning spills or even for dusting. Each cloth is made of 95% post-production recycled fibers so they sort of have a paper towel feel without having to constantly stock up on new towels.

 

Pluggable Diffuser by AIROMÉ - Retail Value $14.99 (found on sale here for $9.44)

I love diffusers because it is such a great way to get fresh scents throughout my house while using all of the essential oils I have on hand! This little diffuser is beautiful as well and so well made. It also lights up making it perfect to put in a hallway or darker part of your house. I decided to use this little guy in my downstairs bathroom that gets a lot of foot traffic from my husband and kids. All you have to do is place 3 to 7 drops of your favorite essential oil to the pad then slide it into the base, add the cover, and plugin for a long-lasting scent! This product is great too because it's not something that I would buy for my home, but now that I have it I am obsessed with it and wonder why I never bought one before.

Verdict: This month's box was a hit for me! I thought the quality seemed a lot better, and the overall curation felt more thoughtful and well rounded. I truly appreciate receiving the beautiful and well-made floral mask because they can be hard to come by quickly right now but we all need one. The diffuser is beyond amazing and probably my favorite item this month, adding that perfect touch to my bathroom, and a great new way to use my monthly essential oil blends. The cocktail kit is so cute and fun, even though I don't drink liquor, it was fun to read about and mix together with my husband. My son was able to enjoy a yummy lollipop and we will, hopefully soon, have some fresh thyme growing! The estimated retail value is $139.23 (the total listed value comes in around $102.24), well above the $56.90 total monthly cost including shipping. I really felt like this month stepped up its game and left me with a lot of products and brands that I genuinely felt excited about! A total win!

To Wrap Up: 

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, your first month would be the June 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 April "Sustain" 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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22 comments

Bradibf1

Quick tip with infusions like this, after the alcohol had been sitting and mellowing for the recommended 3-4 days, freeze throw it in a blender with the tonic or seltzer then the freezer overnight. You keep ALL the flavor from the mix and it is super refreshing on a hot day 🙂

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Jill

Has anyone gotten shipment notification for the May box? (Yes, I know everything is delayed from Covid, but B&C had delayed shipping issues way before the pandemic started!)

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katie

Bombay and Cedar had been a favorite box of mine. I really wish I was still subscribed. That mask looks so soft and I would have really liked that diffuser. Regarding the “selections”, I always went into my account and clicked on what I wanted,usually more than once since it never actually confirmed my choices but I did receive what I chose.

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Thanks so much!

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Jenna

Oh I love this box. If anyone has an unopened one they want to sell please keep me in mind!

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I’m so glad you enjoyed the review!

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Tarrah

Thieves is a Young Living trademarked blend. Odd that they would use the same name for basically the same blend here. Seems like a law suit waiting happen. Lol. Doterra has a similar blend called On Guard.

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Thanks so much for the feedback!

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Emilia

I would have only used the dish soap. What happened to the pretty boxes?!

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I believe they changed for safety reasons. Thanks!

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Tarrah

I think they used the brown boxes last month because of the virus situation and not being able to get the usual ones in time.

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sher_w

Fabulous curation IMO!

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Michelle

I love the idea of pluggable diffusers. So I much I just ordered three! One the same as in the review, a cute little white owl and one is a pretty honeycomb pattern!

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I love mine so much I ordered more as well!

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Amy in KC

Looks like a great box!

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Mellissa

Woah. I’m impressed. I clearly need to look into this as I’m quickly aging/growing out of the FFF box. This looks more my style. I’m not sure if I’d use a ton of oils but I could pass those along easily. Thanks for the review!

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Lena

I also loved my box this month. Got the same diffuser and cocktail mix. My mask was white and floral. So soft and breathable and comfy.

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Jill

I thought this was a great box and love that they included a mask! The one I got was black with white polka and letters of the alphabet on it in a random pattern. Instead of the cocktail infusion, which was one of the choice options, I chose the “Scraps” cookbook that gives recipes using things like broccoli stems, which is really interesting! You may want to mention in your reviews that subscribers get to choose one or two items (usually two) items in each box–the other choice this month was the color of the diffuser, i think–mine’s a natural wood color.

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I don’t select from the options each month, they send me since this is for review, but can totally start to mention that moving forward. Thanks for the feedback!

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Laura

While I do love the option to choose, more than once I haven’t received one of my choice items. Although out of the two, I typically receive one. I’ve reached out to Bombay and Cedar directly and one time they actually sent a replacement, which I thought was nice. Another time, they advised that there was a glitch in the system and they are working on a more user-friendly system. It’s a bit confusing because as the spoilers are released, you get to choose an item and you enter your e-mail and it seems pretty straightforward. However, it is frustrating to think you’ll be receiving one item that you chose, then to receive something different. This month, I chose the cocktail set, but received an Eco Renaissance book instead. I’m just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

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Janelle

I didn’t get my choice item this month, and while I would enjoyed most of the choices, I received the only item I didn’t want.. I emailed customer service and they never said anything back after a couple exchanges. I ended up with the Eco Renaissance book and ended up pretty underwhelmed with getting a choice item I’m never going to use when I was so excited to try one of the other things.

Jill

I haven’t had an issue with them not sending me the right item, and I’m sorry that you did. But I agree that their selection system is weird. Ipsy has it so that you can just go into your account and make a selection–it seems like B&C should be able to do that as well. Rather than using what seems to be a third-party selection method that they have to link to your email.