From Goode to Great: Goodbeing Natural Beauty & Wellness Boxes

Take a look around the web and you’ll probably find any type of subscription box imaginable. Formerly Goodebox, Goodbeing is a personalized subscription box featuring 4-5 trial-sized natural beauty and wellness products shipped to your door every month. Goodebox was one of the first green beauty and skincare subscription boxes that I’d heard of since I started blogging and now as Goodbeing, the brand still continues to be a subscription box that you can trust for safe and healthy, expertly curated products.

I’ve been receiving  Goodbeing boxes* to try out their new services and I wanted to share with you my experience so far as well as what was in the January and February boxes I received.

Use my referral link to receive a free bonus item in your first Goodbeing box when you subscribe! (Offer ends March 30, 2016)

I’ve never  jumped on the beauty subscription box trend because well,  I already have too many products in my stash and I’d feel more overwhelmed. My mantra has become “buy it if you need it”, especially as I’ve got less space to store everything (and less money to keep up my old shopping habits). But who can resist getting surprises in the mail every once and awhile?

I’d first heard of Goodbeing (when it was Goodebox) during the first A Night for Green Beauty, and I even purchased a special ANFGB box that year.

Goodbeing has now expanded their subscription boxes to feature natural wellness, health and sustainable, toxin-free living goods along with the usual natural/organic beauty and skincare products. These new health and wellness additions had me intrigued, it’s not just a beauty box anymore.

Compared to other subscription boxes out there, I believe the pricing for Goodbeing boxes is fair, considering the brands participating (well-known and well-trusted brands, as well as unique indie brands) and the size of products that you receive. I also really like that the subscription plans (there are 4 options) are very flexible in price and includes free shipping. Plans start at $18/month for 12 months (the least expensive plan) and up to $21/month for a pay as you go plan (monthly or every other month). I also love that each box comes with cards for each product detailing what everything is, how to use it, the full size price, and most often a 15% off discount code so that you can purchase the full size from Goodbeing up to a certain date. Sweet!

When you sign up for Goodbeing, you answer a few questions regarding your product preferences and interests or health concerns so that Goodbeing can aptly tailor the products that will be sent to you. Each Goodbeing box is carefully put together so that you receive a personalized box within the first 14 days of every month. I was pleasantly surprised that my boxes did generally contain items I would actually use or that were of interest to me.

If you’re looking you’re looking for a trustworthy subscription box for organic, natural, and sustainable goods, or you are just itching to try new products and brands every month, I highly recommend signing up for Goodbeing!

January Box

-Balanced Guru Face It Deeply cleanser: I’d never tried any Balanced Guru products before but have seen then around and was always curious. Luckily, my January Goodbeing box came right before I left for a skiing trip so it was a perfect opportunity to take along these nicely sized sample products and try them out. This cleanser feels more like a gel cleanser which I liked, but it is pretty heavy in herbal scent, which I do not like. I do enjoy how refreshing and gentle Face It Deeply is. My skin feels very clean and soothed after using this cleanser and like the name suggests, it does clean deeply while also moisturizing skin. Would I purchase a full-size? I don’t think so, but I am glad I was able to try and use this medium-sized sample.

-Balanced Guru Tone It Deeply toner: This product is everything I like in a toner: refreshing, soothing, and rebalancing. This toner feels light on the skin yet you can also feel the lasting moisturizing and renewing effects on the skin. The ingredients are also simple yet very effective in soothing and treating all skin types: aloe vera, green tea, sea kelp and algae.

-Balanced Guru Nourish Me Facial Serum (full-size): I was pleased to see one full-sized Balanced Guru product and since I love facial serums, I was even more excited about this. To be honest, I did not have time to try this serum entirely (I did not bring it on my ski trip) but will be sure to try it out soon. The serum is described to be good for all skin types and “will lightly moisturize your skin without clogging your pores.” I did take a few whiffs of it and it smells really nice!

-Curandera Remedies Kapalabati Cold & Sinus Oil: This product really caught my eye. Curandera Remedies is a Brooklyn-based natural apothecary specializing in herbal oils and remedies. This Cold & Sinus oil is “a natural alternative to petroleum based chest rubs providing relieve from congestion of cold & flu.” Formulated using Neem infused grapeseed oil, Vitamin E, and an essential oil blend, you apply using the dropper under your nose, on your chest, back, neck, armpits or bottom of feet. Where has this been all my life! Sadly (or luckily?) I have not had been able to try this out yet but I actually kind of enjoy smelling this potent product every now and then. One sniff, and those sinuses will definitely be cleared right up! This is strong stuff and it definitely reminiscent of Vicks/congestion chest rubs but without all the toxic ingredients. Now I’m curious to learn more about Curandera Remedies and their products. I’m very glad I was able to discover this brand through this Goodbeing box.

-Bonnie Ultra Shine Lip Gloss, Pink Sapphire (full-size): I’ve never heard of this company and although the packaging was not too impressive, the color really stood out. Pink Sapphire is a bright, flattering pink lip gloss and is quite pigmented on the lips. It smells like peppermint and feels minty on the lips, it also is not sticky in texture. I liked the texture and wear of this lip gloss, but I honestly don’t wear lip gloss enough to consider buying this on my own.

Was this box worth it? Yes! I actually like all the products in this box and was pleased to see a full-sized facial serum and lip gloss, as well as nicely sized skincare products. No flat sachet samples here which is a plus! I am also curious about the Curandera Remedies product and glad I could be introduced to it through my Goodbeing box.

February Box

-Me to We Health Rafiki Bracelet: This bracelet was a very interesting addition to this month’s box and perhaps falls under the category of Goodbeing’s new sustainable living goods feature. This brightly colored, beaded bracelet is handmade by women in Kenya and provides one month of health care to a child in a community in need overseas. The bracelet’s packaging provides a code that you can enter into Me to We’s website to track the impact the bracelet you purchased (or received in this Goodbeing box) has had. My tracking code informed me that my bracelet provided one month of health care to a child in a rural community in Kenya’s Narok South District where health care is limited and illnesses like malaria and typhoid are common. This bracelet can also be worn as a necklace or anklet. I like the idea of this bracelet and I’m glad I was made aware of the Me to We products through Goodbeing. These would make thoughtful and sustainable gifts for the holidays or special occasions.

-Bedrock & Bloom Smart Ash Teeth Whitener + Detoxifier: This 100% fluoride-free, non-GMO, vegan, and cruelty-free tooth whitening powder is certainly intriguing. I’ve been looking for natural alternatives for teeth whitening products especially as my wedding day approaches. This powder is actually very easy to use, gentle, and not as strange as it seems. With a damp toothbrush, you dip the bristles into this powder and brush your teeth for 2 minutes then, rinse with water. I expected this to taste funny or have a strange texture but surprisingly there is no distinct taste and it simply feels like you are brushing with water. Seeing my teeth look completely black while brushing with this powder was probably the scariest part of using this product. However, I also think from the few times I’ve tried this, my teeth do look a bit whiter and I’m pleased this product is also very gentle on my sensitve teeth. I will definitely continue to use this and check back with the results!

I’m glad they included instructions on how to use this, it seems quite simple: just add the powder to your toothbrush, brush for about 2 minutes, and rinse.

-Kahina Giving Beauty Brightening Facial Serum: I adore Kahina Giving Beauty products but I was sort of bummed to see a couple of these tiny samples thrown in. Even so, I was running out of evening cream and was curious to try this product out. I ended up really liking this and would considering purchasing a full size. This facial serum has a nice creamy texture, it smells fresh, and really hydrates skin. I like that the texture is lightweight and fast-absorbing so that I can wear it during the day or at night and that it really keeps my face from being dry. My face does look a bit brighter from using this but I’ll have to continue using it to see the full results.

-Shea Radiance Advanced Firming Body Cream, Anti-Oxidant Body Cream, Intense Moisture Body Balm: I wasn’t too impressed with more tiny samples in this box and nevertheless, tiny samples of three types of body creams (ugh). Each had a different texture but I was most curious about the Body Balm which is the only one I’ve tried out. The Body Balm is a light whipped texture that feels super soft on the skin and seems to moisturize well. It smells pleasant too, you can definitely detect the hint of cocoa and shea butter in this. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use the other cream samples at some point.

-Vapour Organic Beauty Elixir Plumping Lip Gloss, Bitten (full size): This was the first product that jumped out at me when I opened the box. A full size Vapour lip gloss?! Again, I don’t really wear lip gloss but I do like Vapour products and I hadn’t tried their lip gloss before. This product is incredibly hydrating, it is not sticky nor gooey, and it tastes like sweet vanilla. The color I received is a gorgeous, very pigmented, deep red (something I’d definitely choose), wears long on the lips and keeps my lips moisturized all day. I do notice my lips look a bit plumper with wear this lip gloss and as the day goes by, this product stays looking glossy and actually leaves a tiny stain on my lips. I like this lip gloss and have actually have worn it more than I thought I would. The only thing I don’t like is the lip gloss brush, it would help with application if it were a doe-foot applicator rather than a small, messy paintbrush-style applicator.

Was this box worth it? Overall, yes. I really liked that there was a full-sized Vapour lip gloss and a pretty Me to We bracelet, but there were are a lot of tiny samples in this box. I would say this box was good and are all product types I’m interested in (body products, teeth whitener, skincare), but I think I got more use out of the products in the January box.

I still don’t see too much of a difference in Goodbeing’s boxes in terms of more eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle and wellness goods and hope that there are more interesting things in the next boxes. Overall, I am still pleased with the quality and types of products I’ve gotten to try with my Goodbeing boxes!

Don’t forget, if you sign up this month use my referral link for a free extra product in your first box! (Ends March 30, 2016).

What are your thoughts on these Goodbeing boxes? Are you subscribed to Goodbeing? Do you subscribe to any other green beauty or wellness boxes?

 

*As a Goodbeing ambassador, these boxes were sent to me for consideration. All words and opinions are my own, for more info please see my disclaimer page. Thank you for continuing to support this blog and it’s sponsors so that I can continue to produce fun and fresh content like this!