Despite receiving a tracking email earlier in the month I had totally forgotten about the arrival of my White Willow box so it was a nice, unexpected surprise! White Willow is a Canadian, bi-monthly lifestyle subscription box.  It features a combination of beauty, decor, food, style and home products and retails for $49.95 + S&H every two months. I received my first box in October and I was quite pleased. It's such a fun, luxurious subscription box that is different from anything else I've ever tried before.

White Willow does an amazing job with packaging, there's no doubt about that. Once again, the products arrived in the signature white box, wrapped in white tissue paper and tied with a ribbon. It's almost too pretty to unwrap! Inside, the products were nestled amongst shredded paper and mini candy canes. In the December box I received the following five items:

Double Layered White Marble Necklace | Prior to each box, White Willow releases one sneak peak and for the December box, the item was this necklace. Luckily, I loved it! I mean, I'm a huge fan of anything gold and/or marble, plus I love the length of the necklace and the fact that it can be dressed up or down. However, White Willow claims that the retail value of the necklace is $28 CAD, however, I found it here for $3.11, which is quite disappointing.

Greenmarket Purveying Co. Gilded Winter Candle in "Glistening Snow" & Matches | First of all, the candle and matches were carefully packaged in bubble wrap, which I really appreciate. There's nothing worse than receiving a smashed up product due to poor packaging! As for the product itself, it is a small candle and I'm not a huge fan of the scent, though I will probably use it regardless. It came with a cute pack of matches in a metallic box. Suggested retail price is $17 CAD. The candle can be found here for $10 USD and similar matches can be found here for $1.50 USD.

Manna Kadar Lip Locked Priming Gloss Stain in "Lucky" | I've never heard of this brand before but I was definitely pleased with the color, which is described as "nude petal pink". I think it's a color that would look great on anyone! I also love the formula of this product. It's moisturizing, comfortable on the lips, yet pigmented and long-lasting. Suggested retail value is $32 CAD and can be found here for $24 USD.

Kocostar Dry Hands Rescue Mask | I've heard of masks for dry hands but I've never tried one, so I was excited to see this in my box. I have super dry hands in the winter so I'm sure it will come in handy (..no pun intended, hah!). The mask retails for $5 CAD and can be found here.

Murchie's Fine Tea & Coffee Chocolate Chip Walnut Biscotti | I'm not a huge fan of biscotti but it's fine to have with a cup of tea as a little treat. This is a nice sized package and the biscotti itself is decent - not too sweet, though nuts aren't my personal favourite (wish I had gotten the white chocolate cranberry instead!). I opened it to try myself but it would have been nice to give as a gift! Retails for $10 CAD and can be purchased here.

Overall, there was a nice variety of products in the December box, from lipstick to biscotti, jewelry and a candle. I am disappointed that White Willow claimed that the value of the necklace was significantly higher than what it is, however, it does seem like decent quality despite that. Based on my calculation of the box's value, it is worth $67.11, which is about what I paid for it.

I am unsure if I will continue on with my subscription or not. I would like to, as I love that it exposes me to a variety of products that I probably wouldn't have access to, or think to purchase for myself. However, I really have to cut back on my spending in 2017 and this is a treat that may have to go.

What are your thoughts on the December White Willow box?

White Willow Box October 2016 Review

White Willow Box was formed in 2015 by Shab Ansari and is a Canadian lifestyle subscription box. Each box contains 4-5 lifestyle products, which may include beauty products, fashion accessories, food and culinary products, home decor, paper goods, and more. The subscription service recently switched to a bimonthly box, which means that you get one box every two months at a cost of $49.95 plus tax and $8.50 shipping. The total cost of the box was $66.03, which is a lot but I think the cost is worth receiving a box of goodies every two months.

I was on the fence about getting a White Willow subscription for a long time, mainly because of the cost. However, once I cancelled my Ipsy subscription, I decided to give it a try. I've always loved the products in the boxes and also that they are a Canadian service. However, the final selling point was the sneak peek of the blanket scarf. I am a sucker for blanket scarves and I loved the design of this particular one so I immediately went and ordered my first box.

After much anticipation, my box finally arrived on October 20th after leaving British Columbia on October 7th. The box itself was packaged in a brown mailing box with a "Fragile" sticker on the outside. The inner box is gorgeous with the White Willow label on the front. Inside the box, everything was wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a bow. The box was filled with shredded paper and anything breakable was bubble wrapped. I am definitely impressed with the effort that they make to protect their products in transit.

I received four items in my October White Willow Box, plus some bonus Lindt Pumpkin Spice chocolate truffles (yum!).

Rose Gold Mirror Photo Frame | I love anything mirrored and rose gold so this is definitely my style! It fits 4x6 photos and can be used vertically or horizontally. I think I will find a nice photo of me and Jordan and place this on my nightstand. Suggested retail value is $22, available here for $20.40.

Kaia Naturals Juicy Bamboo Gentle Facial Cleansing Oil Cloths | These wipes are 100% biodegradable and cruelty free, which is always great. Not only do they remove makeup but they also cleanse the skin without stripping it. They smell great and are packaged in a re-sealable matter so they won't dry out between uses. I love getting wipes as I use them frequently while travelling! Retail price is $15.50 and can be found here.

Wildly Delicious Maple Pumpkin Butter | I've never had pumpkin butter before but I love pumpkin so I was more than willing to give it a try! I don't get a strong maple flavour on this, more so just a light pumpkin taste. This can be used on toast, served with cheese and crackers, in coffee, or as a filling for baked goods. It retails for $6.50 (steal!) and can be found here, along with many other delicious-sounding flavours.

Blanket Scarf | Ah yes, the item that I was most looking forward to! This scarf is huge (hence the term "blanket") and super soft. The included booklet features a number of ways that the scarf can be worn, which I can't wait to try out. Suggested retail price is $40, however, it looks a lot like this scarf which retails for $30.

Even using the cheaper prices that I found online, the value of the box is $72.40, which is still more than what I paid for it. Would I necessarily have chosen all those items if I were in a store? No. But do I really like everything that I received? Yes! I love that I am getting products that I wouldn't necessarily be able to easily obtain here. Plus, the products are so nice that even if I received something that I didn't want to keep myself, I could definitely give it away as a gift.

I was initially only going to keep the subscription for one month, given the price. However, I really enjoyed this box and depending on what the sneak peek is for December, I think I will continue on with my subscription. This would also make a great Christmas gift for someone special in your life (hint, hint!).