Review and Giveaway: Cloud9 Sample Box (Part 2!)

If you have been following us long enough, you may remember my review back in March for Cloud9 Sample Box. If you haven’t, lucky for you, here’s the LINK!

Back then, they had send me their February special Valentine’s edition, “Chocolate, Chocolate, and more Chocolate.” As much as I adored that amazing box, I really wanted a chance to show our readers one of their regular boxes, so they could actually get a feel for what they would get when they purchase.

Earlier this month I received their April box. I was very pleased to see a nice assortment of things. This box really showcased what I had hoped to see in the first box I reviewed.

The first thing I dove into was one of my old favorites! I have come across Hail Merry Macaroons in many different subscription boxes, and I’m always happy to meet again. This was actually a new flavor for me. The Salted Caramel Sea Salt was amazing, and easily a top contender amongst the ones I’ve tried.

 

Next in the box was a packet of Sahale Snack Glazed Nuts - Almonds with cranberries, honey and sea salt. They were a fabulous treat that held off hunger well. I was definitely a big fan of these and will certainly be on the look out for this brand in the future!

I had promised my daughter from the beginning that we would do the Lisa Ann Skincare Facial Mud Mask together.

After putting it off all week, the evening finally came that we had time to do it. I was oddly intimidated, as I’d only ever done one mask, and that was a black peel off masque. So after dinner we settled in and I asked my husband to give us a hand.

I was pretty disappointed when we opened the jar. I know it was just a sample but it appeared to be a great sized sample, yet it was less than a third of the way filled. My husband stared into the jar of mud with a look of fear on his face. I decided this probably would go a lot smoother with a brush!

That experience made me realize how badly I needed to clean out my brushes- it took me the better part of an hour to get all the foundation out of the brush I was wanting to use.

It turned out there was more than enough mud for both of our faces with plenty left over. It felt good, but as it dried, I felt like I had botox injections with how stiff I felt. It only took about ten minutes or so to dry. My daughter and I had a great laugh together while wearing these.

When it was time to clean off, we took turns stretching our faces wide, to watch it make cracks. I just wetted a paper towel to clean off, and the mask hardened on my face instantly turned back to mud and wiped right off. It wasn’t hard, or as messy as I’d feared and left both of us feeling super silky smooth. I definitely will want to do this again!

Another item, which ended up being a favorite, I also put off trying. It’s the Rip Van Wafels (Cocoa filled) Amsterdam Wafel.

The reason I put it off is because the proper way to eat it, as instructed on the back of the package, is to place over the opening of your cup containing a hot beverage. That way it soaks up the hot steam, allowing the chocolate filling to get nice and gooey, while softening the outer shell. I’m not big on hot beverages as it is, and ever more, its currently 100 degrees temperatures in the desert where I live.

That being said, I eventually just opened the package and ate as is. How did I possible wait so long! It was absolutely incredible. It had a wondrous fudgy taste.

I could see the benefits of letting it get soft and gooey, and resembled an awesome pop tart of sorts…only better. I had to split this three ways as my daughter and husband suddenly became vultures.

They even included a bag of Compelling and Rich Specialty Coffee. However, it was whole beans.

While I know enough to know that freshly ground right before brewing makes for the freshest cup, I found it a little too presumptuous to assume everyone receiving this box had access to a grinder. I myself do not own one, but was able to borrow one from a friend.

As mentioned, I’m not big on hot beverages in general so I actually had my mom taste this one for me.

The coffee had notes of honey, floral, and lemonade. Being a lighter roast than she was used to, she still thoroughly enjoyed this sample. You could smell the floral and lemon scents right away, and taste them as well. It was interesting for sure. The sample bag, using my Keurig with a reuseable K-cup, brewed about four large cups of coffee after grinding! 

The last thing in the box was a simple little floral notecard. A cute little square card that was blank on the inside. It even came with a little envelope. I could see many uses for that, however when the box arrived the card was freshly wet and tearing. The only thing I could deduce was that the tub of mud mask was collecting condensation, as nothing else in the box could be ‘juicy.’ It was unfortunate but a small loss. It didn’t have a stationary brand on it.

Having gone more in depth in my first review on Cloud9, this box costs $15 a month plus $5.95 shipping. By my calculations, the contents of this months box come to a value of about $15. That is surprisingly less than February’s box, but not by much. For that, I think that the nearly $6 shipping could be worth the element of surprise for an occasional pampering.

If you'd like to treat yourself to a fun subscription box full of pampering, Cloud 9 is offering one of their June boxes as a giveaway to our readers!  We can't say what might be inside it - but that's a good part of the fun, isn't it?

This Giveaway is open to US residents only and will run from now until just before midnight (EDT) on June 12, 2014.  Best of luck!


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