My Cotton Bunny March 2014

This is my last My Cotton Bunny Bundle. I'm just so sad about this subscription service. I feel like there's so much potential there but they are not changing with what's demanded in this market.

I did change it up this month with what I could choose. It is so easy to update your profile to select what brand of products you want if you want a little change. This month, I decided to get the O.B. regular tampons. Here's a picture of the whole box:

I can say that I have always felt that I got what I paid for. My Cotton Bunny is $16/month. In the top left you can see a bracelet-that was the bonus for completing last month's challenge. To the top right are 3 yoga headbands. You can see the 18 ct. regular o.b. tampons, a luna protein bar, A KurFoods Delights in Dark Chocolate Mint, some bow hair ties, and a wipe? I'm not sure that is a wipe. There wasn't any information about it on the card but given the nature of the box-that would be my best guess. 

The bracelet. I got the same bracelet in a different color in my bundle last month. I am not really into pink. I'm sure I can find someone to give it to. Sharing with a friend is what the card suggests to do with it-give it to a friend. This is supposed to be a present to spoil myself with during my time of the month and you want me to share with a friend? I will. BUT, that is NOT the point of this box. Obviously, they had leftovers from last month. This is the bonus so I don't mind but isn't my idea of pampering. There is no brand associated with this bracelet. Last month I assigned a value of $7.00 to this bracelet because I saw a similar bracelet online. This is being generous to the value but I will do the same this month.

The headbands are always great. I frequently use things like this so these are a welcome addition to my collection. There was no brand associated with these but I found some Goody Headbands at Walmart that I will compare these too in the sense of price and quality. The quality of these was not so good. I will have to cut the strings off on all three! I will use them and am happy I got them.

The Luna Protein bar. I am excited about this. I love bars. Sometime's I am just not very hungry but sill want to make sure I will have some energy. This bar is packed with protein so it will be a good one. I haven't eaten it yet but I sure will! The flavor I received was Chocolate Peanut Butter.

The KurFoods Delight in Dark Chocolate Mint. I ate this as soon as I opened my box! I love chocolate and mint together. These bites are vegan and I'm not sure but I believe the majority of this treat is made of dates. I love things like this that are healthy but packed with flavor. I even looked online to purchase more-maybe in a different flavor to try them all out!

The bow hair ties. Whomp whomp. What in the world are these? Are things like this in style? I think they could be cute if carefully planned with an outfit. I couldn't find anything like these though to compare and determine a price for my box total. There were some DIY hair ties that people had posted as arts and craft projects. They are supposed to have a little star charm on one end but my charms were missing and there was just little rings. I pulled the rings out and if I wear them, I like them without the charms anyway. There is no brand associated with these hair ties.

The possible wipe. Believe it or not, I am most excited about this wipe. The fact that this was included hints that My Cotton Bunny is starting to change and get in the TOM box competition. There are quite a few TOM boxes and all of them include little extras like this.

Here's what I estimate the box to be worth:

O.B. Regular Tampons 18ct.	$4.99
Bracelet	$7.00
Luna Protein Bar	$1.25
Hair Ties 2ct.	???
Yoga Headbands	$2.39
Delights Dark Chocolate Mint	$1.00
Wipe	???
TOTAL	$16.63

You get what you pay for with this box and that's great! However, with subscription boxes the expectations are higher. Well, my expectations are higher. I really enjoyed My Cotton Bunny, I enjoyed the concept. For me, the value just wasn't there. My Cotton Bunny is a small business and I am all for supporting small businesses but there are many more small businesses out there that I'm ready to give a try! 

My Cotton Bunny's bonus challenge this month was to e-mail them for any improvements or suggestions. This tells me they really do care what their subscribers want and are attempting to get that information. Even though I won't be getting another box, I still plan to e-mail them and give my suggestions. Who knows maybe I will give My Cotton Bunny another try in the future!

Do you have any suggestions for what I should try out next? Let me know in the comments but please do not bombard me with referral links. If I am interested, I will ask you! 

XOXO,

The Redheaded Life

My Cotton Bunny February 2014

HERE WE GO. I am finally writing a post about My Cotton Bunny. My Cotton Bunny is a Time of the Month Box (TOM Box). Let me say this, TOM boxes are a WONDERFUL idea. I can't tell you how much I am in love with the idea. However, out of all my subscriptions, this is the one that I just can't wrap my head around cost wise. Normally, My Cotton Bunny is $16/month, there are some promo codes that float around occasionally and if you use someone's name at checkout-the "referrer" and the "referee" are supposed to get 20% of their order refunded back to them.

When I signed up for My Cotton Bunny, I had a promotional code for 20% off my order. I could have signed up for a monthly subscription but I would've only gotten the discount on one box and I wanted to give them a fair shot and judge the subscription over several months. I signed up for the quarterly subscription-which means I was billed for three months at one time. A quarterly subscription to My Cotton Bunny is $45.60 which averages out to $15.20/box. As I mentioned, I had a promotional code so I paid $36.48. This gave my boxes an average cost of $12.16/box

February is my second box so I will get one more. With the average cost of each box I have been completely satisfied with what I have received. Here's what I got in February:

I really like the bracelet in the top right. There were several colors sent out. I actually saw some very similar ones advertised though a "deal" site the other day. There is no brand or price attached to the one I received so I will use the price I saw for them in my price breakdown. 

The necklace was low quality. It's a heart-one side is a set gem and the other side is silver with love on it. I was not impressed. The gem looks like it is coming out and when I contacted the company, they said that all the necklaces were set like that-I doubt it but it wasn't worth picking a fight over. There was also no brand or price attached to this necklace but I'm sure it would bring the total up to at least $16-so you'd be breaking even if you had paid for this box.

The snack crackers are Back to Nature Crispy Wheat crackers. They are reminiscent of Wheat Thins. I am a fan of Wheat Thins so I did like these.

Who doesn't love Nutella? I wish there was more!

The Galleon Tea was a flavor called "Tart Berries". This tea was composed of dried berries and smelled delicious. I didn't even want to drink it because it smelled so good. I did drink it and it was also delicious, I didn't even need to add honey! There was no price associated with one lonely tea bag but definitely a high quality tea. 

I like a diverse supply. You can get the same box of supplies every month but I like to switch it up. This month, I chose a box of Tampax Radiant Super. My Cotton Bunny does not open any boxes. There are other TOM boxes but with My Cotton Bunny you can rest assured that no packaging was tampered with. 

There is also an option for a bonus as long as you complete the previous month's challenge (in my experience,  the challenges are through different social media platforms). I did the challenge on Instagram for January but no extra bonus. I contacted My Cotton Bunny and they said it would be included in my next box. We will see. However, if it is then the value of the box would go up!

Here's what I estimate the box to be worth:

Bracelet	$7.00
Galleon Tea	$1.00
Back to Nature Crackers	$0.45
Nutella	$0.50
Tampax Radiant	$4.00
Heart Necklace	$3.05
TOTAL:	$16.00

What do you think? Would this box be worth it to you? It's so convenient and a package in the mail is always a pick-me-up! Would this make you (or someone you know) smile during that time of the month? My March box will be my last box but I did try something new as an alternative to a TOM box. Make sure you follow so you know how to get started on your own personalized, cost-efficient TOM box!

XOXO,

The Redheaded Life

A Box For You, A Box For Free

Have you ever heard of subscription boxes? They are pretty hot right now so I will definitely be surprised if you haven't. With me, I have always absolutely loved the mail so with a service that's guaranteed to come every month but still be a surprise, I'm practically giddy over them. I subscribe to six different subscription boxes, they are: Ipsy, My Cotton Bunny, Graze, Goodmouth, Beauty Box 5, and Beauty Army. There is some variety in these boxes. I will go into a little more detail about each one of them as well as price.

Ipsy was my very first subscription service. This is what got me hooked. Ipsy is a monthly beauty bag. For $10.00/month you get 4-5 samples of great products. Here's why I have fallen hard for Ipsy, these aren't foil sample packets-they are good size, sometimes even full size products. It is not uncommon to receive 5 products from Ipsy with just one product being worth $15-$20. With Ipsy, boy have I gotten my money's worth. Now, If you are extremely particular-you might not like this service because even though samples are personalized to an extent, you don't get to pick out what you receive. The point of Ipsy is to try new products, so sometimes you might get a color that you really don't like. However, I bet you can think of someone to give beauty products to every now and then. If you are interested in joining Ipsy, click my referral link in this post. Typically there is a wait list for Ipsy but they have recently added an option to share you're subscription on Facebook and skip the wait list. If you are impatient, this might be a good option. Ipsy also makes the whole process really fun with sneak peeks before the bags are released and options to participate in challenges to win prizes every month.

My Cotton Bunny is a TOM box. In this box, you receive a sealed box of pads or tampons, some tea or some chocolate, a little gift, and possibly a few extras. My Cotton Bunny also has a challenge each month where if you complete it, you will get a bonus in your next box. You can also customize your shipping date to some extent. I will probably not stay subscribed to this box but I found a promo code when I subscribed to a quarterly subscription, it made the boxes around $10/month. Mind you that when you subscribe for quarterly subscriptions, money is taken out in advance for future boxes. The only reason I probably won't stay subscribed is because my main concern is value and I could purchase all this stuff every month for less. If you are in to paying for convenience, or the delight of a surprise pampering gift every month then by all means, subscribe! I have had a pleasant experience with them and their customer service is a joy to work with. I still have two boxes to receive so I will review them further in depth when that time comes! If you use my name at checkout, Angela Cook, you will get 20% of your purchase refunded!

Graze is delicious! Four perfectly portioned, healthy little snacks. Graze can pretty much be set up to be delivered however often you like. Graze is $6 a box. I have my graze account set up for monthly deliveries. Upon setup, the accounts are set up to deliver twice a month but this is a no hassle change to make to your account. Graze is by invitation only but if you use my friend code: 19FMT539B you do not have to wait on an invitation AND your first and fifth boxes are completely FREE!!! You can easily cancel at any time, even after your very first, free box. I actually received my second box today, I ripped it open and had the cookies and cream right away. The cookies and cream had these delicious chocolate cookie pieces, white chocolate buttons, hazelnuts, and sunflowers seeds. It was really good! If you get something you don't like you can trash it in your account and you will never receive it again! Seriously, sign up, you have nothing to lose on the first go round! If you want to see what I got, click here, isn't that cool! I can always show you exactly what I received!

Goodmouth is actually a really interesting subscription service. Goodmouth is a dental subscription service and the subscription cost is $36 a year. The cost breaks down to $3.00 a month but you are charged to whole amount in advance. Here's what you get:  Every other month you get a replacement toothbrush, dental floss, and a mesh little bag. All the toothbrushes Goodmouth has to offer are soft, which is so much better for your enamel. I always have used a medium brush but have found I prefer the soft bristles. You can choose the toothbrush that's right for you! I chose the green chameleon and I love it! I believe they are a fairly new company but I have had no problems even though I have only received my first brush so far. If you subscribe to Goodmouth, you are also helping someone in need of dental care. For every subscription purchased, Goodmouth donates to someone in need! How cool is that?

Beauty Box 5 is one of my newest subscription boxes and there is no variance from subscriber to subscriber. I signed up last month as part of a promotion and got the January box for free. Yay! I am patiently waiting on my February box. I will cancel either this box or Beauty Army depending on which I prefer over the next couple months. I got some really neat cuticle oil and some loofah gloves in the January box that I really enjoy. If I would have paid for the January box though, I might not have been too pleased. Nothing bad as of now though! We will all see how the next few months of service are! Stay tuned!

Beauty Army is a subscription service that I am still trying to figure out. You get to select six samples out of 9 based on a sampling profile that you create. This subscription is BRAND NEW for me. So new that I have not even received my first box yet. I did add up the value of what I chose the other day and it will be a value of over $20 when the subscription only costs $12. I have seen reviews of this box and their subscribers seem pretty loyal. They do ship in an adorable box that can be used for storage anywhere around your house, which I am actually really excited about!

Stay tuned to see what these boxes have in store for me this month! I have not received any of my subscriptions for February besides Graze so there will be a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks! Some of the links on this post contain my referral links, which may help you out if you're thinking about subscribing to any of the services listed. Do you have any subscription boxes you think I should try? Leave a comment below with any you think I should have my eye on! I've been thinking about Birchbox because I hear their point system cannot be beat! If you've been thinking about Birchbox, go ahead and use my link, you can create an account to look around on the site until you decide if you want the subscription or not!

XOXO,
The Redheaded Life

Ipsy	$10.00
My Cotton Bunny	$16.00
Graze	$6.00
Goodmouth	$3.00/month
Beauty Box 5	$12.00
Beauty Army	$12.00