Review: September Sunday Mood Box – Glow

By: Ariana Palmieri

I love finding green start-up businesses on Instagram, and Sunday Mood Box is one of them. This monthly subscription box caught my eye right away, especially when it promised great things like natural beauty products, organic and eco-friendly bath goodies, handmade jewelry, and more. It just recently started and this is their first box ever. The theme for it is “Glow”, and all the products in this box are designed to give the subscriber a lovely “glow”. I just received the box in the mail not too long ago and am super pleased with what’s inside. Want to see what’s to love? Keep reading.

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Sunday Mood Box

The Basics

About the company

Sunday Mood Box was founded on two things: A love for subscription boxes and indie brands. The creator of Sunday Mood box is the sort of girl that “loves to read, is conscious about the environment, loves animals, has a nostalgic soul, is into the arts, music and culture”. Expect these loves to transgress into her monthly boxes,  as you’ll find “an eclectic mix of indie brands” that range from vegan beauty lines to unique household items, to healthy treats. Each box will have a theme (the September theme was “Glow”), and the items you get will correlate to it. This September box was the first of its kind, but the brand launched their website July 16. On the website you can purchase your payment plan: Billed monthly (costs $44 per month), 3 month pre-pay ($132), 6 month pre-pay ($244), or 12 month pre-pay ($460). All plans come with free shipping, unless you’re buying from Canada ($10), or internationally ($20). They do ship worldwide though, and the coolest part? They use recycled boxes with shredded recycled newspaper print inside to pad the contents. You don’t have to worry if this box will meet your ethical standards either: Each box will be 100% natural, organic, vegan, and cruelty-free. Sound like a good deal? If not, you can cancel any time (so no worries, Sunday Mood’s got you covered).

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Lavender & Amethyst Natural Bar Soap

Soapnotica

Why you want it: This bar of soap was so beautifully aromatic that it made the entire box smell like lavender (plus it has a beautiful amethyst crystal in it!).

Its value: Approximately $7(unfortunately, this specific bar of soap was made specially for Sunday Mood Box users, so I can’t direct link it!)

My review: Don’t you love soap that’s made with natural ingredients and a crystal? I know I do! You might not think the combo could work, but it does. Here’s the thing to remember about crystals in soap: While they may not enhance the soap’s ability to clean you physically, it does promote spiritual cleansing. After all, amethyst is a very relaxing stone, perfectly in sync with the therapeutic benefits of lavender. I love how raw the soap itself looks, how handmade and personal it is. The texture of the soap is smooth, but there are no rounded edges like conventional soap. Don’t get me wrong, I like pretty soap molds, but there’s a charm to the funky shape of this soap I can’t quite explain. Since this is body soap, its application process is pretty self explanatory. When I used it, I liked how nourishing the soap was for my skin (made it nice and smooth). The scent it left on my skin was subtle, but pleasant (not as strong as when the soap was dry). The best part was that this soap is so easy to hold and use in the shower. I don’t have to worry about it slipping out of my hand. Before I got this, I was using another soap bar my mom had bought. While I adored the soap’s smell, it was really big, bulky, and oval shaped. It didn’t allow much grip, and multiple times it slipped right out of my hand. Not exactly ideal. This lavender scented soap is so much easier to work with though. I haven’t dropped it once thanks to its rectangular shape. I’m at a conflict of interest when it comes to this soap though: I want to finish it quickly so I can add the amethyst crystal to my collection, but I don’t want to finish it because it smells so amazing. In the end though, I really can’t lose (I’ll always have the amethyst crystal after all). So if you like homemade, crystal infused bars of soap, Soapnotica might be the way to go!

Ingredients

Olive Oil, *RSPO Palm Oil, *Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Sodium Hydroxide, Essential Oil, Amethyst *Organic

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Rose Quartz Shimmer Mist

Miss Violet Lace

Why you want it: This beautiful smelling mist will give your skin a sweet, rose-kissed sparkle.

Its value: $20-30 (unfortunately, this specific mist was made specially for Sunday Mood Box users, so I can’t direct link it!)

My review: With me, everything’s coming up roses (and rose quartz is no exception). This rose quartz shimmer mist doesn’t actually have rose quartz in it (though I wouldn’t mind), but it doesn’t remind me of my rose quartz sphere a lot thanks to its beautiful color (check out my review of that here to see what I mean). What I liked about this (aside from the rose extract used in it), was how shimmery it was. I absolutely adored shaking the bottle just to see the mica swirl around in it hypnotically. This was my first time using a natural shimmer mist (used unnatural ones when I was little), so I was excited to give this a try. It’s not just for your face, so you can use it anywhere. I found when I sprayed some on my face (I aimed it at my cheeks the most), some would get onto other areas of my body by accident. This wasn’t such a bad thing though because it created a very subtle, glittery effect. I really liked how refreshing it was to use too. The smell of roses reminded me of my favorite rose water mist (which I also spritz my face with). If I want more controlled application, I simply spray some into the palm of my hands and then apply it to the areas I want to highlight (like my cheekbones). I’d definitely recommend giving this a go, but unfortunately I couldn’t find this product listed on the company’s website (they do have other equally as beautiful natural beauty products though, so happy browsing!).

Ingredients

Distilled water, mica, titanium dioxide, organic rose extract, vegetable derived glycerin, purple carrot extract, hibiscus infusion.

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Gemstone Yogi Bracelet

Luminescent Tides

Why you want it: If you love handmade bracelets, especially ones made with stunning gems, this is for you.

Its value: $8 – $25 (Each bracelet varies in price – unfortunately, this specific bracelet was made specially for Sunday Mood Box users, so I can’t direct link it!)

My review: Most of you already know this, but I love bracelets. Whenever you see me, I’m wearing the same ones too, and if I’m not, I feel naked. They’re a part of me as much as my own skin. I put them on with my outfit every day and while I have many different bracelets, I have favorites. This one is my most recent favorite. I don’t go anywhere without it. It’s made with stunning pink zebra jasper beads and a raw amazonite stone. I’ve seen jasper before, and I have a tumbled red jasper stone, but I’ve never seen pink zebra jasper before. I can see where it got its name: The pattern on it resembles a zebra’s. The amazonite is a gorgeous aquamarine color too, and it’s rougher in texture than the pink zebra jasper beads because it’s raw. I get a very earthy, grounding, empowering vibe from this bracelet. It makes me feel connected to the earth as well as confident. All in all, I’m very impressed with this pretty yogi bracelet and I’ll definitely be wearing it on a consistent basis (maybe even the next time I do yoga). Unfortunately, since this was a custom order for the Sunday Mood Box (a reoccurring theme, as you can see), I can’t direct you to a link. However, Luminescent Tides sells other beautiful gemstone bracelets worth looking into that you just might fall for (check the link above to get browsing!).

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Goddess of the Sea Sugar Scrub

Sam Wish

Why you want it: This sugar scrub is completely organic and made with nourishing coconut oil that hydrates skin and makes it super smooth after just one use.

Its value:$10

My review: I’m fairly new to the world of body scrubs. The only other one I’ve tried was from Prim Botanicals (and it was amazing), so it’s exciting to try another. As soon as I opened the bottle, I could tell the green color was from the spirulina powder used in the scrub. The rose petals combined with the cedar and marjoram essential oil created an interesting smell. I can’t say it was my favorite scent, but it was very soothing and non-irritating to my sensitive nose (a huge plus in my book). Like the other body scrub I’ve used, the application was messy. I had to stand over the bathtub while applying it because the sugar would crumble and fall off. Unfortunately, the rose petals didn’t stay on my skin either. I used my fingers to scoop some onto my skin and rubbed it in (this didn’t come with an application spoon like the Prim Botanicals scrub did). However, the coconut oil in the scrub almost instantly nourished my skin as soon as I applied it. I could feel it doing its job. After I had applied the scrub to the desired areas ( I decided to just put it on my legs this time), I waited about 10 minutes before washing it off. During this time I decided to stand and scroll through Instagram (gotta check those notifications, you know?) to keep myself occupied. I didn’t want to sit or move too much because then the scrub might fall off (and the last thing I wanted was to get sugar all over the bathroom floor – ever step on a few random grains of sand barefoot before? It feels exactly like that – and that stuff hurts). When I finally washed it off, it felt so nice. My skin was super smooth and conditioned. I wouldn’t say this experience was better than the Prim Botanical body scrub I tried, but it was still a good experience overall. I’d definitely recommend giving this scrub a try, especially if you want a scrub with a more relaxing, gentle scent (the Prim Botanicals one was grapefruit scented and very energizing in contrast).

Ingredients

Cane Sugar*, Coconut Oil*, Spirulina Powder*, Cedar Essential Oil*, Marjoram Essential Oil*, Rose Petals*

*Organic 

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Jasmine Organic & Mint Sencha Tea Crystals

Pique

Why you want it: If you love tea, but hate waiting for it to steep, this crystallized tea is for you.

Its value: $7.99 (Both teas combined would be $16)

My review: Personally, I don’t mind waiting for tea to steep. After all, the longer you let it steep, the stronger the flavor. However, there’s something fun about crystallized tea: Not only is it quick, but it takes me back to the days I would make iced tea using powder. This powder wasn’t organic or natural (it was loaded with sugar, in fact), but there was a simplicity to making it that I’ve missed. With these tea crystals, all I needed to do was add them to hot water and watch them dissolve. I mixed them around using a spoon to help spread it, but other than that there’s not much to it. I’m sure I could’ve added it to cold water to create iced tea too, but at the time I made it I was in the mood for hot tea. Plus, solutions dissolve easier in hot water than cold. I’m sure it would’ve took longer (and a lot more mixing) to blend it into the cold water. Either way, I couldn’t go wrong (and I can’t say no to tea). The best part is that this is so healthy: After all, it’s organic. I personally liked the Jasmine Tea better than the Mint Sencha Green Tea, but only by a smidgen. Both were absolutely delicious. However, if you tend to like floral teas better, or prefer relaxing teas, jasmine is the way to go (and just as a small side note, jasmine is also a known aphrodisiac, if anyone is interested). The Mint Sencha Green Tea was yummy too though, and it had a refreshing taste perfect for the morning. I actually drank that one with my breakfast and the Jasmine Tea before bed, which is completely fitting. The Jasmine Tea relaxed me completely while the Mint Sencha Green Tea energized me. All in all, I highly recommend both these organic tea blends, especially if you’re a health conscious person who’s constantly on the go.

Ingredients

Jasmine Tea: Organic jasmine tea

Mint Sencha Green Tea: Organic green tea, organic spearmint

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The (quick) rundown

The pros: The pros completely outweigh the cons.

1. I really liked the selection Sunday Mood Box curated this month.
2. I loved receiving full sized samples of everything.
3. I was impressed by how well everything performed: I didn’t have a favorite product – they were all my favorite!
4. I still have more left over from each sample (except the one-use tea packets).
5. I love how each product is all natural and made with organic ingredients (if not completely organic).
6. I loved that there’s a theme to each of these monthly boxes (similar to Goddess Provisions boxes or Petit Vour boxes) – and I liked the “Glow” theme for this month.
7. A lot of the businesses Sunday Mood Box partnered with are home-run green businesses that can be found on Etsy!
8. I really love Sunday Mood Box’s Instagram account and the sneak peaks they give of the future boxes they got coming up (Hint: Like vegan leather and cats?).

The cons: The cons are ridiculously low.

1. The box itself is pricey ($44 a month), especially for a recent college grad.
2. Most of the products seemed to be customized specifically for the Sunday Mood Box – while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it means I can’t refer you guys to specific product links.

Conclusion: Considering this was their first box, Sunday Mood Box did a great job. The work they put into the box was hard to miss and all the products were enjoyable. I highly recommend people to subscribe to this box because they’ve got some amazing things coming! After all, according to their website, they’ll be featuring an “eclectic mix of indie brands, vegan beauty lines, organic and eco-friendly bath & beauty products, handmade jewelry, cool niche household items, art prints, specialty teas, healthy treats, minimalist goodies and more”. If that’s not something to get excited about, I don’t know what is!