Today I have a new subscription to share with you – Escape Monthly box. I was lucky enough to win one in a blog giveaway, and I must admit that I entered about a dozen of them, because I really wanted to try it out first without committing. My September box arrived in October, so they definitely have some shipping kinks to work out, and if I paid for this box I would not be happy about the delay. In the month of September, Escape Monthly took us to Oregon.
“From Mount Hood to the Oregon Coast, the Pacific Northwest is one of the most wondrous and awe-inspiring places in the world. Explore your way around the volcanic mountain peaks that scrape the sky, or sit back in wonder as you watch magnificent waterfalls collapse into crystal clear lakes. Oregon is home to an incredible adventure, and this month, Escape Monthly is excited to take you there.”
HOW IT WORKS
Escape Monthly is the only destination-inspired subscription that’s dedicated purely to pampering you! Each month for $49.95 you’ll receive full-Size luxury products, travel guides & secret tips, special offers for resorts, spas, & travel, and the opportunity to win a vacation for 2 to the destination of the month, just for being a member!
Click here to subscribe.
SPECIAL OFFER
Get 20% off your subscription plan for life using the code TROPICALESCAPE at checkout.
Metolius Tea & Apothecary Emma
Metolius Tea & Apothecary creates their tea blends with health benefits in mind, so I’m loading up on powerful antioxidants while enjoying a delicious drink. I have not opened this tin yet because I have too many tea packs open already at the moment, but I’ll enjoy it til the very last drop when I finally get to it. Emma blend features ingredients like coconut, lavender and raspberry leaf, and I can’t even imagine how those three must taste together. It will be fun to find out!
Primitive Lights Beeswax Cinnamon Roll Votive Candle
Not only is this tiny candle absolutely adorable looking, it also smells like Cinnabon! Despite being so small it supposedly provides at least 6 hours of burn time. All Primitive Lights candles are made with beeswax as their base, and I don’t think I’ve ever used that kind before; it’s always been either cheap paraffin candles or much nicer soy candles for me. After a quick google search I found out that beeswax candles are far superior to any other type of wax candles. Did you know that to make a pound of wax the honey bees must consume six to eight pounds of honey and make thirty three million visits to individual flowers? One of the benefits of beeswax candles is their ability to relieve seasonal allergies by slowly building up tolerance to pollen. We tried this same technique on my husband using locally harvested honey and it definitely worked. Since this candle is so precious, I think I’ll save it to use around Christmas, because that’s what I associate cinnamon fragrance with 🙂
Grounds for Change Peru “Cafe Femenino”
When my husband saw the bag, he said it’s hipster coffee. Hipster or not, I think it’s a good thing that Escape Monthly supports female coffee growers of Peru by putting this coffee in our boxes. I made a whole pot today and the coffee was delicious – it had rich aroma and taste, with subtle hints of chocolate.
Clearly Natural Glycerin Bar Soap
I have received a sample of Clearly Natural Bar Soap before in a Conscious Box, and still didn’t use it, so I’m afraid this one is going to the same stash. I usually give all bar soaps to my Mom who actually prefers to use them instead of liquid body washes, but I always keep one or two that smell good just for an odd chance I feel like using one. In the past year I used up two bars: one from LUSH and another one from Jaboneria Marianella.
[Extra] Wood Pumice Brush
I needed to replace my old pumice brush, so this one couldn’t have come at a better time. I like receiving useful things in subscription boxes, they make me feel like I’m not totally wasting money on things I don’t need 🙂 Even though I technically didn’t pay for this particular box, it still felt good out of habit.
Portland Bee Balm
I’m the Queen Bee of lip balms! [pun intended, kind of] I currently own about 40 or so different lip balms [yes, Houston, I do have a problem], most of which are still unopened, because I can never resist a good deal when it comes to such basic products. I don’t just buy any lip balms though, they have to be some of the “better” ones. I currently have 6 different flavors of eos, 8 flavors of Burt’s Bees and that’s only my favorites 🙂 I have so many singletons from random brands and small companies, like Keeki and Honey House Naturals. Anyhow, the point is, I have a lot of lip balms, and I’m always happy to have more, so this one will go straight into my crazy lifetime supply.
Oregon Rain Rose Lotion
Oh, how I love skincare industry: there’s always something to surprise me! This lotion uses pure Oregon rain water as the main ingredient, how cool is that? The lotion itself is pretty moisturizing without being too sticky, and the fragrance lasted all day without fading. I think it can even work as a subtle perfume for some people, because it’s not too in-your-face fragrant.
Doug’s Nuts Original Blend
A blend of premium nuts + oatmeal stout = epic snack for grownups! These nuts are just fantastic, and I really mean it. Each nut is roasted to perfection with just the right amount of coating, and I must add that the coating itself delivers probably one of the most elaborate snack flavors I’ve ever tried.
Oregon Orchard Cherry Chocolate Hazelnuts
Oregon hazelnuts are considered by many to be the best hazelnuts in the world, because the weather conditions allow the nuts to grow really big. In this pack, each hazelnut is dipped in a dark chocolate and topped with cherry coating. I expected these to be too sweet, but surprisingly the flavor was just right. I’m not a giant fan of hazelnuts in general, so it’s unlikely that I will ever purchase more, but I had fun trying a new product.
Molly Muriel Volcanic Bliss Soap Bar
I thought that two bar soap samples in one box is a bit too much, but my husband will actually use this one. He likes to use soap to wash his face, because normal cleansers feel “too sticky” for him. Well, this black soap bar sure has some nice purifying ingredients to help thoroughly cleanse his combination skin, so I hope he enjoys his new soap.
Moon Coastal Oregon Paperback Guide
I don’t really use physical travel guides, and my parents and most of my friends don’t use them either, because we have easy internet access, and none of us are adventurous enough to go to a place where it doesn’t exist. Too bad this guide book is the “big ticket item” of the box, it’s totally wasted on me. I may try to offer it to someone among my senior relatives who never adjusted to using a computer or a smartphone, I’m sure they will enjoy it if they ever go to Oregon.
THE VERDICT
I enjoyed most of the items in the September box, but at this time I think this subscription is not for me. I assume they will feature a new guide book every month, and I don’t want them piling up in my house. Most people don’t take vacations very often, so chances are I will have to keep these books forever until they become outdated. I know everyone has their own preferences, and some of you might disagree with my opinion on the guides; we’re all different and it’s awesome 🙂 I’ll definitely keep an eye on this subscription and maybe even join some day.
Are you an Escape Box subscriber? What do you think about the September box?
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Metolius Tea & Apothecary Emma | $10.00 |
| Primitive Lights Beeswax Cinnamon Roll Votive Candle | $4.00 |
| Grounds for Change Peru “Cafe Femenino” | $10.45 |
| Clearly Natural Glycerin Bar Soap | $0.85 |
| Wood Pumice Brush | $5.00 |
| Portland Bee Balm | $2.75 |
| Oregon Rain Rose Lotion | $8.00 |
| Doug’s Nuts Original Blend | $5.00 |
| Oregon Orchard Cherry Chocolate Hazelnuts | $3.29 |
| Molly Muriel Volcanic Bliss Soap Bar | $6.00 |
| Moon Coastal Oregon Paperback Guide | $16.99 |
| Box Retail Value | $72.33 |
I liked this post although, I wouldn’t sign up for a $50 membership. I do enjoy learning about regional treats, since my hometown city is known for its regional treats. I would love to support any business that supports women, especially impoverished women. So, I’d buy the coffee. I think I’d like to check out the tea. I’m going to look these up on Amazon.
Say, you have like, a bizillion products that go in your gifting/give-away pile. Might you be able to resell them on Amazon, ebay, etc? How about holding personal give-aways or creating mystery grab-bags for sale? I got the idea because I think I might be a lip balm/gloss person too. I just imagined trying out all sorts of different colored/textured/fragranced balms and glosses. Just a thought.
I agree, it’s really fun to discover regional specialties, but the $50 price tag is a bit steep. I think you’re really going to like the coffee, because those are some premium quality beans, and I’m not even a coffee lover.
I keep those unused products in the guest room in big boxes, because we rarely have people staying with us, so at least they’re usually out of the way. I do sell the more expensive things on eBay, which partially covers the bajillion subscriptions I get every month, but I just love sharing the extras with my family 🙂
I was thinking about doing blog giveaways for some of the things I have too much of, including lip balms and surprise sample boxes, but I assumed many of you might consider it a bit tacky, so thanks for hinting that at least one person wouldn’t mind 🙂
Awesome stuff on the box !!
Some things were really fun to try, while others – not so much 🙂 I wish this subscription wasn’t so expensive, I would probably consider it if it was $15 cheaper, but $50/month is just too much.