August Eco Emi: Summer Picnic

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

Eco Emi's theme for August touched on picnicking, as the box included some take along snacks such as double chocolate chip mini cookies and raw organic walnut butter.  There were also some new beauty items from brands I've haven't seen in this subscription box before, so let's take a look!

• Natural Lemongrass Soap with French Yellow Clay by Craftsman Soap Co:  The yellow color of this soap comes from both the lemongrass and French yellow clay in it, and it is supposed to be good for both face and body use.  The craftsman behind the soap is a guy named Evan, who you can read more about here.  I love getting soap samples from Eco Emi, as they are a perfect size for washing my hands after I apply makeup.  Sample value is $3.25.

•  Gun Metal Gray Natural Eyeshadow by Gourmet Body Treats:  A dark gray mineral with a silver sparkle, this can be worn wet or dry as shadow or liner.  100% vegan and natural, gluten and paraben free.  I'm estimating the sample value at $2, and a full sized 5 gram container retails for $18.99.  That's pricey for a mineral eyeshadow, IMO!

• Vonnie Nail Lacquer by Coco Rae:  The sea foam green creme nail polish is 4-free, manufactured in the US, and part of a collection of 12 polishes from a new company established by Courtney Vines.  Their web page shows all of the polishes as out of stock and the press page has not been updated in 2013, so I have no idea if they are still up and running or not.  It looks like not. Sample value is $6, and a full size bottle was $10. 

• Cafe Machiatto Body Oil by Valenti Organics:  Infused with organically grown coffee extract and vanilla essential oil, this formula contains grape seed oil, sesame seed oil, soybean and vitamin E to repair damaged skin.  Sample value is $1.05 and the full sized sales for $21.00.
• Carrot, Grapefruit & Egyptian Geranium Rose Body Lotion by Valenti Organics:  A lightweight body lotion with noparabens,  GMOs, sulfates, phthalates, or artificial anything:-)  Features natural anti-oxidants from carrots, Vitamin C and Vitamin E with the floral aroma of Egyptian geranium rose and grapefruit essential oil.  Sample value is 52 cents, with a full size bottle running $21.00.

Food items in this month's box are Raw Organic Walnut butter by Artisana (sample value is $1.68), Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Cookies by Home Free Treat (sample value is $1.49 and they were yummy), and Edible Green Tea by Eat Green Tea (sample value is 75 cents).  There were also some wooden spoons by Baker's Confection, but I'm not sure if these are the real size or smaller sized samples, so I'm not assigning them a value.

Overall, August's box value is roughly $17, so just slightly above the $15 I pay for the monthly subscription.  This is a bit of a lackluster box for me, with the standouts for me being the soap and walnut butter.  Once I start sampling everything, I may find some other favorites though!