Love it or Leave it: Eco Emi!

Can't complain about the packaging with Eco-Emi!
Could this be any cuter?!

Hello hello everyone! Today I am quite excited to bring you a review of Eco-Emi! Lately subscription services where you receive deluxe beauty samples monthly have been all the rage, and Eco-Emi provides samples with an emphasis on things that are green, organic, vegan and cruelty free! I recently corresponded with Christine, the founder of Eco-Emi, via email and she was lovely enough to send me their March Eco-Emi box! Also, this is a random tangent, but I was a little creeped out when I received my box because the handwriting of whoever addressed it (Christine, I assume) looked almost EXACTLY like mine. Even my parents commented on it! Haha =)




Christine was inspired to create Eco-Emi by her realization that many- if not most- people want to live a green life style, but it is often expensive and overwhelming to undergo the trial and error process that it often takes to find the eco friendly products that are right for you. By subscribing to Eco-Emi, you will receive a minimum of five samples delivered to your door for just $15 a month, shipping included (or $25 if you live outside of the United States). This way, you can try out a wide range of products that Christine herself loves rather than paying a lot more than $15 to buy full sized products in a guessing game of what might work for you!  I am TOTALLY someone who could benefit from Eco-Emi- I've bought my fair share of skin care products and other beauty goods at places like Whole Foods and Trader Joes, but never found anything I truly loved and wasted a lot of money in the process.

They aren't kidding when they say that you receive a "minimum" of 5 samples. I received EIGHT, plus two little bonuses. I'll go through each item below and give you my first impressions, but this review is more for the service Eco-Emi offers rather than the products themselves. One thing I love about Eco-Emi is the variety of products they give you. "Going green" is obviously bigger than just changing up your beauty routine, and they definitely recognize this! My box contained not only skincare and makeup but also food and even an accessory!

Click if you want to read the details =)

Each box comes with a little card that lists the products you've received, the price for the full size version and then some of Christine's thoughts on them- I love that she has tried all these products herself! It gives me confidence that each Eco-Emi box includes products that they actually like- not just items from whatever company paid to be included.

In addition to the card, you get lots of brochures and information about the companies represented in your box. I was most excited about a little booklet from PETA2 called "Testing Breaks Hearts: Cruelty-Free Shopping Guide." It's a wallet-sized list of companies that don't test on animals! I will definitely be referring to this frequently in the future =)

So heres the short version: I am SUPER impressed with Eco-Emi. The amount of thought that went into this package is obvious- from the wide variety of samples to the adorable packaging, I would have happily paid $15 for this. It's also so exciting to open up what is essentially a present to yourself and discover all of the fun little surprises inside, haha =) I'm not going to get into all of the backstory of Eco-Emi because this is already going to be a really long blog post, but you guys should all go to their website and read their "About" page, particularly the "Who is Emi?" section. I don't want to get too chessy about this or I will totally kill the credibility of my review, but I really do find Eco-Emi inspiring. I'm one of those people who cares about purchasing green, cruelty free products but I get lazy about it the second I see all the deals in the drug store. This company makes me want to do better both for the sake of my own health and for the sake of my animal friends!

Another thing I like about Eco-Emi is that they seem to feature pretty affordable products overall. I've been hesitant to try similar services like BirchBox because they exclusively feature luxury goods- and honestly, while it would be fun to try samples of expensive products, I don't WANT to fall in love with something I can't afford. If my holy grail products all turn out to be $40 NARS items, I would rather live on in ignorance! However, with Eco-Emi I feel like I would be far more likely to purchase full sizes of their samples. For example, a lip gloss featured in last months looked pretty online, and when I looked it up a full size was less than $10! In this months box, the full sizes listed on the card range from $3.38 to $30, with four of the eight items under $15. DEFINITELY within my price range!

Check out the Eco-Emi website here, or follow this link to sign up for your first Eco-Emi box!

Now, I'll go ahead and give you guys a run down of what was in my March Eco-Emi Box =)

Vegan Chakra Box Chocolate by Chocoveda


Have you EVER seen a more beautiful chocolate? According to the Eco-Emi card, this chocolate truffle is all natural, dairy-free, 70% vegan dark chocolate. Not only do these organic chocolates come in a wide variety of flavors (I think mine might have been either guava or grapefruit), but they are modeled after Eastern philosophy and infused with mantras of love, healing and peace =)

Needless to say, this chocolate was as delicious as it looks. This is DEFINITELY something I can see myself buying as a present for someone =)


Stress Relief Serum by Blissoma





Christine recommends using this topical aromatherapy massage oil to help with headaches, tension, stiffness, insomnia and nerves. It can be applied to your shoulders, temples, neck or forehead or massaged into muscles to relieve tightness. The Chamo-Mint scent is soothing and not too strong- I'm definitely going to try applying some to my temples next time I have a migraine.







Pink Sparkle Eyeshadow by Zosimos Botanicals



I haven't tried this baby eye shadow beyond a quick swatch, but its definitely pink and sparkly! It's so shimmery and finely milled that I think it's best described as glowy- I'm planning to try it in a night-time look since it seems like it would catch the light really nicely. It's definitely a decent sized sample and I think I'll be able to get a handful of uses out of it. Plus, how adorable is that little foam tip applicator? According to the Eco-Emi card this company makes their shadows in a 100% wind powered studio where everything is handmade from plant-based raw materials. How cool is that?!





Moisture Shampoo, Conditioner & Argan Treatment by Neuma


Christine describes this salon hair care brand as being "clean and pure." This product promises to both maximize your hair colors hue, vibrancy and longevity as well as protect it from UVA and UVB rays! It contains zero synthetic fragrances, sulfates, parabens, formaldehyde, carcinogens, or environmental pollutants. I initially wasn't super excited to try a new shampoo but after reading the pamphlet about this one I'm pretty pumped!


Raspberry 'N Honey Dry Facial Mask by Zosimos Botanicals



Before receiving this package, I had never seen or even heard of a dry face mask. I'm a little curious about what the benefit of adding in the extra step of mixing the powder with water is, but I'm looking forward to trying this! The ingredients are Pink French Clay, Moroccan Lava Clay and Raspberry- No kidding, thats it! I love that this is such a natural, chemical free mask. It really makes me rethink all of the products with unpronounceable ingredient lists that I let sit on my face for extended periods of time...






Sole Rescue Foot Balm by Max Green Alchemy



While this little container of rich foot cream is probably only good for one use, it comes with a 10% discount code for Eco-Emi subscribers to purchase a full size! In Christines description, she says that it's great for "soothing irritated, dry, itchy or sweaty feet." My first thought was "EW" and my second was that I couldn't wait to try it, haha. This balm promises that it will absorb without being greasy or sticky to soften, condition, protect, soothe and refresh your skin all with pure ingredients. It also smells super nice- like lavender and tea tree oil. I'm not very happy with my current foot cream so I'm eager to try this out!




Lavender Harvest Aromatherapy Mineral Bath by Aura Cacia



When I first opened my Eco-Emi box, I could smell lavender and I think this is where it was coming from!  I'm SO excited to get to try this because I'm a big fan of lavender and, hilariously enough, my boyfriend is a big fan of lavender bath salts. Yes, I'm revealing his metrosexual side on blogger. I think I'll try half of this tonight and save the rest for him =)

According to the packaging, this mineral bath contains 100% pure essential oils and is without synthetic fragrances, colors or preservatives. It's also free of petroleum, parabens and, of course, cruelty =)



Organic Pasta by Eden Organic Pasta Company

Heres the second and final food item from this months box. Also, I left the tissue paper on so you could see how it was not only wrapped in the beautiful bright aqua blue you see above but also an inner layer of yellow. Can you say "attention to detail"?! This 100% whole grain organic pasta is supposed to be heart healthy AND more edible to those who are sensitive to modern wheat products because it is made from a more water soluble gluten. The brochure that accompanies this product even contains a few recipe ideas for how you can try out this product =)

Bonus Items

There were a few items that weren't listed on the card but were mentioned in the accompanying note from Christine. Both the coconut shell accessory and the woven bag pictured here are fair trade products made by craftspeople in villages around the world. The fact that these items are fair trade means that the people who made them received fair wages and work in safe conditions. Christine suggests using the coconut shell accessory in your hair, as a belt buckle, or as a bracelet. Also, everything from the tissue paper to the pretty twine around the individual boxes was handpicked to reflect the values of Eco-Emi.

Well, theres my review! Let me know if you guys have any questions about Eco-Emi! Are any of you already subscribers?

*This Eco-Emi box was provided to me for review consideration. All opinions expressed here are 100% honest and my own!