The SAM & LANCE Empower-Her Box is a Canadian-based quarterly box featuring sustainable and ethical products made by and supporting women-owned small businesses (50% are BIPOC-owned businesses). Useful and usable items are carefully chosen to contribute to your life in an intentional way! For $59.95 CAD (currently approx. $43.51 USD + shipping) per season, each box includes 6-7 full-size products.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get $10 off your first box!
CODE: MSA10
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Inside the Fall 2022 Box
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Hello to cooler weather and to the latest Sam & Lance Empower Her Box. Each quarter's items come neatly tucked inside their shipping box with minimal packing materials and a simple card to welcome you.
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The opposite side of the welcome card lists out the quarter's items, with a little info about each, as well as the women-owned small business from which it was sourced.
House of Jude Turkish Hand Towel in Cinnamon – Retail Value $28 CAD
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When I first opened my box, I thought I was going to pull a scarf out. To find that this gorgeously crafted Turkish cotton piece of fabric is a tea towel made my heart flutter. My tea towels are mostly old and dingy, but in this season of having young children, it hadn't occurred to me that slinging a beautiful piece of fabric over my oven bar would do my soul good. The dusty pink color is beautiful—it's closer to the color in the photos taken on my table than the one with it hanging from my oven handle—the fabric is soft, and the weave is quality. It's also quite large! I love that these towels are ethically made from organic cotton.
If you scroll over to the third image above, you can see that unfortunately a different product (the handmade toothpaste below) leaked some oil onto my towel. I sent a message to Sam & Lance's customer care team, and the founders wrote back the next morning apologizing for the incident. I offered photos of the stain. About a week later they responded again with washing instructions for removing the stain from the towel—which actually I appreciate, especially for an item that may end up stained through regular use anyway—and ensured me that they secured the toothpaste jars with tape and sealed in a bag so there won’t be any further leaks for customers.
Cup of Té Cream of Earl Grey Loose-Leaf Tea, 50g – Retail Value $14 USD
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Next up is this bag of loose-leaf tea from a brand started by a former gymnast who suffered an accident that left her paralyzed. It's touching to imagine the fortitude it would take to reroute one's dreams! This blend contains organic black teas, organic cornflower, natural flavors, and bergamot oil—I do find myself wishing I knew what the natural flavors were in reference to, but this tea blend is 100% organic and clearly high-quality, so I'm inclined to trust that it isn't anything harmful. I love that the instructions for water temperature, amount of tea, and steeping time are right on the front of the packaging so clearly.
How beautiful is this tea? The scent is rich, with strong lavender and bergamot vibes. The tea itself, when brewed, is flavorful and delicious.
Evio Pore-fect Primer, 1 fl oz – Retail Value $24 USD
I've encountered Evio in the Love Goodly subscription but never knew its origin story—that its founder was in a domestic violence shelter when she started this impact-led clean beauty brand. Wow! Just some incredible stories behind this quarter's business owners. This silicone-free and cruelty-free primer is loaded up with soothing oils to minimize the appearance of pores and reduce redness. As enticing as these qualities sound, I've never gotten into the habit of using primer, since I don't wear makeup most days.
Some subscribers might receive an Evio 2-in-1 mask and moisturizer instead of this primer. My info card was an accidental mismatch, providing info on the 2-in-1 rather than the primer—whoops! This is not a choice product, just a surprise.
Ma Soirée DIY Gel Nail Wraps in Gala – Retail Value $14 USD
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I've long wanted to try nail wraps, but never taken the leap because I was worried I would somehow mess them up and regret the purchase. Here's my chance, and I can tell just holding them in my hands that this type of thing has come a long, long way from the stick-on nails I wore as a kid! (I know, I'm behind the times).
Unfortunately, I couldn't bring myself to put these wraps on because the burgundy glittery hue is just so not my style. It's actually causing me to have some self-reflection, because I don't feel particularly fussy about nail polish colors, and as a color I do love burgundy. I think it just feels too fancy for day-to-day wear for me, and I wouldn't want to waste this item when I know I'll take it back off right away. I'm going to pass these to a friend and hope my chance comes again soon! I will say, though, that I love that these nail wraps come from a company that carries toxin-free, scent-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and pregnancy-safe nail color solutions.
Haipazaza Phezuta Mineralizing Activated Charcoal Toothpaste, 2 oz – Retail Value $10 CAD
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Here's the product that sadly leaked onto my dish towel, despite having been thoughtfully packaged in a plastic bag. Although I'm bummed about the incident, this might be my favorite product in the box. It's a small tub of handmade natural toothpaste from a husband-and-wife company from the Ocheti Sakowin Tha Makhoche, commonly known as the Great Sioux Nation of Canada. They put their traditional plant knowledge to use making soaps, shampoos, and other natural body products. This toothpaste uses coconut oil, activated charcoal, the mineral calcium carbonate, baking soda, and more to create this thrilling black toothpaste experience that gives your teeth a great, clean brush without using any chemicals.
Here it is on my brush! I have used homemade toothpastes before, so I'm familiar with dipping my brush into a jar for application, but this is the first I've tried activated charcoal. As they suggest, it's kind of fun to see your teeth turn black while it's in use—a unique experience. I have a white cement sink, which this toothpaste unfortunately stains (not the runoff from what I've used, but any little chunks that might fall from my brush) so I might store it in my powder room as something interesting for guests to use when they're here. If it weren't for the staining element, I would use it every day—my teeth felt great and looked bright after using!
Omash Knotted Headband – Retail Value $15 CAD
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Speaking of liking burgundy above, I'm really drawn to the deep, autumnal color of this satin headband. The founder of Omash started making handmade products during the pandemic, and donating a portion of sales to International Justice Ministry.
The satin material minimizes hair breakage, and the size of the knot feels perfect to me. Really cute! I can see myself wearing this often.
Verdict
This quarter's Sam & Lance Empower Her Box was filled with beautiful items, some of which you really don't see too often in subscription boxes! My two favorite items this quarter are the Turkish cotton dish towel and the activated charcoal toothpaste—sadly they both also have staining in common, with the towel being stained by the toothpaste in transit, and the toothpaste staining my bathroom sink. The items I didn't love this month, like the nail wraps and the primer, will still make nice gifts for friends. The headband and tea didn't wow me in terms of curation originality, but they are both lovely items from female-owned small businesses, that I will use and appreciate.
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To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of the publish date of this review, the Fall box is still available.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get $10 off your first box!
CODE: MSA10
Value Breakdown: At an approximate cost of $43.51 USD for this box with 6 items, you are paying approximately $7.25 per item. This does not include shipping costs. Not all items had USD pricing available online, but doing some quick conversions, it all adds up to approximately $90.47. That's nearly double the cost of the box, and a great value!
What did you think of this quarter's SAM & LANCE Sustainable Subscription box?
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