When I purchased an annual subscription to The Maple Box, I wasn’t expecting to receive a box until the fall, so along with the subscription I ordered two bundles, which I wrote about in an earlier post. I enjoyed the products in the bundles so much, I was really excited to discover what wonders would be in this box. One question though: what am I supposed to do with the bag?
Upon seeing the magazine as one of the items, I was a little disappointed. I forgot that the magazine would be included. I don’t like magazines. I don’t think I’ve purchased a single magazine since I was a teen. I had a subscription to National Geographic for about a decade, but had to drop it when I realized I hadn’t even looked at one in years, and the unread stack kept growing. I’m an avid reader, but magazines aren’t something I’ve ever really been into. I haven’t read this magazine yet, but a couple of the articles look interesting: The Syllabics Project, which is about preserving indigenous languages, and The Edible Garden. I have a bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics, so the first one clearly piqued my interest. I am also a terrible, but determined gardener, so the latter article might prove to be useful to me. In any case, I’ll give the whole thing a chance, maybe tonight or maybe in a month.
In the past I haven’t been much of a snacker, but I’ve been embracing the benefits of it recently. I used to be worried about losing self control, which does sometimes happen, but I find I get less cranky throughout the day if I snack, and when mealtimes hit I’m less likely to overeat. If I’m craving salt, instead of making an entire meal to satisfy the craving I have a couple chips and I’m good.
I don’t eat a lot of nuts, but I definitely don’t hate them. This bag of nuts is not something I would think of purchasing in a store, and after trying them, I still won’t. I would be interested in trying a different flavour, but the hickory bbq just wasn’t doing it for me. I’m not really familiar with hickory as a flavour in general and wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again, but these nuts are a “no” from me.
Supplements are also something I don’t usually partake in. I guess that’s one of the benefits of subscription boxes – they force you to try things you normally wouldn’t, right?
These are pretty large and stinky capsules, so they must be beneficial. At least that’s what folk knowledge would lead you to believe. I took my first one today, and there are only 30 capsules, so we’ll see how I am in a month.
This was by far the most disappointing item in the box, and I’m honestly not sure what to do with it. The head of this brush is ginormous. I have issues with my gums receding and this is the last thing I would want to use to brush my teeth. My partner is not interested in having it either, so it might end up being used to scrub the floor.
This is the only non-Canadian product this box.
Take this with a grain of salt (haha!) but this might be my favourite product of this box. We haven’t actually cooked with it yet, but we did try it on its own and it’s delicious. I look forward to my partner using this in the future.
If you look carefully, you may be able to see a very ecstatic face in this picture.
That box is empty, but I, for whatever reason, really wanted it in the photo. Maybe it has something to do with what my photographer friend said yesterday: “Odd numbers look better.” My other friend and I ended up with a fan in many of the photographs to be our third “person”. I really can’t get rid of this box, though, because it has the instructions on it. I’m very unfamiliar with beauty routines, so it’s a little necessary. I’ve never exfoliated my lips before.
The lip mask is buttercream and the exfoliator is vanilla scented, but I honestly can’t tell the difference between the two. The lip mask is nice and soft, but a little drying, if that’s possible. I am a chapstick addict, so my lips are never dry and cracked. My lips are also barely there, so there’s not much surface area to get cracked.
The exfoliator was an experience. I liked rubbing sugar on my lips, but now they’re craving something. I probably should have tested these in the right order.
After reapplying the mask I asked my partner for a kiss test and he says they feel softer and more moist, so there you go. Looks like a winner.
I’m all for the puns, and didn’t even realize this one till I said the name aloud. Gold stars for you Mifa!
This is a very nice mist. I don’t know what mists are for, but long ago I learned to mist myself when I flew to Korea in business class and they had a small misting spray in the care package they provided. Airplane air is very dry, so I learned to enjoy misting my face. Despite that, I don’t often do it.
I just sprayed my face right now with this mist and it is a joyful scent and feels nice on the skin. It’s sticky to touch the skin, but my actual face skin feels nice if that makes sense. This is the most expensive item in this season’s box and it feels like it.
For the past couple of weeks I’ve been meaning to ask my partner to pick up dish soap when he’s out getting groceries but keep forgetting, so this is a little miracle for me. It could not have had better timing, as I have very little liquid dish soap left. I’m happy that there is a tray for it because I don’t like it when my soap slides everywhere and makes everything else soapy. This soap isn’t very strong smelling, and it smells more of eucalyptus than mint. I don’t mind this, as I’m imagining there won’t be much taste if any soap residue is left on the dishes. This is not the most exciting item in the box, but it is the most welcome. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
Overall Impression
I didn’t like the box as much as the bundles, but I knew all the products that were in the bundles and chose accordingly. This felt a bit like Christmas to me. Possibly ironically, I love gifts, but hate most of the gifts given to me. The excitement is always in the not knowing and the possibility that there is something amazing inside, but it’s slight disappointment when the reveal occurs. Although there were some cool and useful items in this box, I could’ve done without exactly half of the products. However, cost-wise, I figure I’m still ahead, and who knows, maybe I’ll love the magazine, and the chlorella will make me feel amazing. The toothbrush though… maybe it will scrub the shower grout and not the floors.
wanderingfawn 