Friday, October 31, 2014

French Box Review, October 2014 + $10 Discount Code!!

If there were a prize for the most elegant subscription box, French Box would be the hands down winner.  I believe the October box was the third for this new company.  In terms of curation and product quality in a non-beauty box, I don't think there is another subscription out there that compares.  French Box truly raises the bar for what a subscription box can be!

You know you're in for a special experience when you see this box. It is NOT your average cardboard box, rather, it is heavyweight and suitable for permanent storage or gift giving.


October's box contains an eclectic mix of French brands, ranging from gourmet herbs to cologne to towelettes, soap, cosmetics and sweets.


The paper in this box includes a big postcard with a saying from Provence on the front. Another card tells about Sothy's makeup which is frequently featured in French Boxes. A third card gives three dip recipes to make use of the big packet of herbs in this box. The pink card gives a 15% discount code that can be used for anything on the Durance website, which offers an intriguing collection of imported products from Aromas of France, LLC.  If you might be interested, use code FRENCHBOX at checkout. There is no minimum purchase and the code is good for unlimited use.


They included an elegant little notebook with a stylish lady from Christian Lacroix on the front. This book is full of blank pages and is the perfect size to carry in a purse.


There is a big 4 oz. package of "Herbes de Provence" from Provence Epice.  This mix contains basil, savory, rosemary, thyme and marjoram.  I have all sorts of plans for this including meat rubs and vegetable seasonings.


I can thank subscription boxes for the fact that I now own TWO kabuki brushes!  This is a particularly nice one made of soft goat hair.  These are great for applying pressed and loose face powders and bronzers.  Good quality ones are fairly expensive so I'm glad to see these turn up in subscription boxes.  This one is from Matis, Paris.  (By the way, they refer to this as a powder brush; I'm still going to call it a kabuki brush!)


A glassine envelope contains an Atelier Cologne postcard and a sample of their "Santal Carmin" fragrance.  This has an intoxicating spicy woodsy scent.  I normally don't get too excited about fragrance samples but this one is exquisite.  Since its retail price starts at $195, I will make this sample last!  I'm going to put a couple of drops on the postcard, then hide it away in my lingerie drawer.

  
A little zip top bag contains four 100% cotton towelettes from Oshibori.  These are infused with a green tea scent.  I'm guessing these are similar to the ones you get on airplanes after long flights, just better smelling.  They are all wrapped individually, so I'll pop one into my purse.  So very French!


Next is a lovely triple milled Marseille soap also from Durance.  This has SUCH an elegant scent; I just may use the code up above to get more of this from their website.  This soap is actually a light olive green, not as washed out as it looks in this photo.  Tres, tres chic!


This beautifully boxed Sothy's lipstick pen is not listed on the information card.  So I don't know if it was tossed into the box by mistake or if it's just a bonus.  But French Box has taught me to appreciate anything I get from Sothys, so I'm very pleased to try this.  This one is in a dark rosy red shade, called "Rose".


The last item is a little package of four calissons from Couleur Calisson.  These are traditional candies from Provence which are made of a fruit paste ground with almonds (basically marzipan) and topped with a pastel colored royal icing.  Although I've traveled in France, I was completely unfamiliar with these.  They have a very delicate barely-there fruity almond taste.


As you can see, the contents of this box beautifully represent certain areas of France...Provence in particular.  The items have obviously been chosen with the utmost care and with the intention of delighting all the senses in an understated and elegant way.  That's something I need more of in my life; how about you?

If you'd like to try French Box, use code NMTKGK9OO1 to get $10 off your order.  You can get discounts with longer term orders. As this is quickly becoming one of my top three favorite subscription boxes, I plan to upgrade my own subscription soon!

Give yourself a little sensory vacation and try French Box.  I'm certain you won't be disappointed!

Au revoir pour l'instant!

Cheryl

Disclaimer:  Views and opinions expressed in this blog are strictly my own.  Product discussed in this post was purchased with my own money. Post may contain referral or affiliate links.

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