What better time of the year to go green than on St. Patrick’s Day! Which was also the perfect time for me to try out the goodies from my White Apricot Green Grab Bag.

What is it?

White Apricot’s Green Grab Bag is a monthly beauty sample subscription service with a twist: all items are natural, organic and vegan. For $15 a month, you get a completely green bag full of different guilt-free beauty items to try.

What Was Included in My Bag:

The sample bag I am reviewing is from February 2012, and here’s a look at what was inside:

Artisan Naturals Soothing Aloe Face Cleanser (1 fl. Oz.)

Pure Plant Spa Aromatic body lotion plus Lavender & Tangerine (.24 fl. Oz.)

Overall beauty Minerals Eye Shadow in Pink Magic

SoapyLayne Relaxing Herbal Bath Tea (1 bath tea bag)

Naked Eye Beauty Rose Tinted Lip Balm (full size)

Gourmet Body Treats Chocolate Bon Bons (1 piece)

Vapour Organic Beauty Aura Multi Use blush stick in Spark (full size)

Overview:

Seven mostly deluxe size samples of green beauty products packaged in a paper bag with handle, tied with ribbon (green!) and a cardstock description of what’s contained inside including special discount codes for future purchases. Perfectly giftable for someone who is looking to make greener changes in their beauty routine.

What I Liked:

The herbal bath tea bag was a fun way to sit back, relax and unwind. The chocolate bob bon body treat was amazing smelling (if it did not come with the “…because our bon bon doesn’t have any sugar in it, it won’t taste very good “ warning on it, I just might have believed it was mislabeled and tried to take a bite) and left my skin feeling luxurious. The body lotion sample came in a packet that is easy enough to stash in my desk drawer at work and use when needing a scent pick-me-up. The rose tinted lip balm reminded me of Rosebud Salve except in a more convenient tube form. Had a nice tinted soft pink color. I wasn’t too excited about the scent (I found it to be on the heavier side) but the color was so nice that I can overlook the intensity of the smell.

What I Could Do Without:

The only downside, as with most of these monthly sample subscription services, is that you don’t know what you are going to get. Some of the color cosmetics contained in my bag were not the most flattering or necessarily shades I would have chosen for myself. This could be a good way to try colors outside of your comfort zone, but in my case they just were not a good match for me (pink eyes shadow), or things I would typically use (bush).  However, the blush was such a pretty color shade, that I tried it on my lips and works fine as a gloss, giving the perfect sheen of coral color for spring. I also found the face cleanser to be too heavily scented for my liking and quite difficult to squeeze.

All in all, I was pleased to find a monthly sample company specializing in only green beauty items and found White Apricot’s Green Grab Bag to be well-done in both presentation and offerings. A good value (this month’s bag retails for well over $50) and good for the environment, looking pretty the green way has never been easier to achieve!