We asked our readers which boxes they wanted us to review, and they rose to the occasion! A user named taylor suggested Lunarly, which is a self-care box centered around intention-setting, mindfulness, and harnessing the lunar cycle/astrology.
Each installment of this metaphysical box is themed around the nearest new moon (the box arrives 3-4 days before each new moon, per the calendar on this page) and features intention-setting guidance, inspiring gifts, and a plant or candle!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Lunarly
The Subscription Box: Lunarly
The Cost: $40.00 per month + free shipping
The Products: Each box contains mindfulness/wellness gifts and inspiring information themed around the upcoming new moon. You also get a plant or candle in every box! (Candles arrive in every third box.)
Good to Know: Shipments are timed so that each box arrives 3-4 days before the upcoming new moon. Boxes tend to arrive early in the month, but the exact timing changes based on the lunar calendar. You can see the dates on the Lunarly FAQ page. If you'd like, you can skip individual months of the subscription.
Ships to: Contiguous US for free. Note that there is a $3.00 shipping charge for a one-month gift subscription and a $6.00 shipping charge for a three-month gift subscription. Recurring subscriptions get free shipping.
Lunarly "Sturgeon Moon" Subscription Box Review August 2018
There's a good bit of paperwork in this box! First up is the product list. I really like that they don't just name the items but reference the significance of each gift and give instructions on how to integrate it into my Sturgeon Moon "rituals". The instructions for the soap aren't all that revelatory, but I appreciate that they kept with the format, hehe!
This tiny card includes a few addendums to the product list. Always better to be safe than sorry!
Next up is this Sturgeon Moon card. The design on the back is cool—it makes the card feel like a collectible. On the front of the card, there's a quick explanation for the name of the moon and an "Intention to Inspire", which is kind of like a mantra for the month. This month is all about abundance and harnessing the opportunities before me.
A big part of Lunarly's mission is getting subscribers involved in the ritual of intention setting. As this card explains, intention setting is sort of like goal setting, except the focus is all on you. How do you want to feel? What perspective do you want to take on? Lunarly asks you to use the advent of each new moon to refresh your intentions. You can use the "Intention to Inspire" to jumpstart your ideas, or just go with whatever comes to you. August is my birthday month—I'm a proud Leo, and I love thinking of all the new opportunities I want to take on in my next year. I'm big on writing lists of to-dos/dreams for my personal and professional life, and this practice felt a lot like that. I tried to skew my intentions less towards goals and tasks and more towards ways I wanted to exist in/greet the world, just based on other things I've read about what intentions tend to look like. Lunarly gives a lot of information and guidance here, too. It was a fun activity, especially at the start of a new year of my life!
Lunarly Notebook
To help me document my new intentions, Lunarly included this small, soft-cover notebook. It's about the size of a postcard with blank, unlined pages. I'm a doodler, so I appreciate having plain white paper to write on. I like the starry design on the front. I can see tucking this inside the front pocket of my planner and refer back to it whenever I need to get grounded/reset.
Cedar Smudge
Smudging is said to help clear the energy of a room. I can say for sure that smudging always leaves my apartment feeling refreshed if simply because of the natural, fresh aroma the burning plants leave hanging in the air. That's especially true for this cedar bundle—it smells like the inside of a warm 'n' cozy cabin.
Amethyst
This chunk of amethyst is around 1.5" wide and about 1 inch tall. According to the info card, this stone promotes balance, peace, and calm. The color is really pretty. It's a bit frostier than other amethyst crystals I have, but that makes it interesting, too. It's a nice size for carrying in a jacket pocket or setting on a small shelf to inspire good vibes.
Pacha Soap Co. Spearmint Lemongrass Soap - Retail Value $6.00
This was the first item in the box that I could find elsewhere online. The smell of this murky-colored soap is soooo invigorating. It's also quite powerful—I left it in the box on my desk overnight, during which time the refreshing spearmint aroma filled the whole room! Reading the Pacha Soap Co. site, I learned that this brand not only makes a fragrant, creamy bar of soap, but they also help support clean water initiatives and "sustainable ventures in developing countries." Cool!
Potted Pilea Peperomioides Plant from Bloomscape - Retail Value $35.00
The big ticket item in this subscription box has got to be the plant. I was impressed by how safely this little plant was shipped! It comes in its own secure box.
Inside that box is another box, which holds the base of the plant securely in place.
The pot itself has a topping of springy hay to protect the soil and keep it from spilling out.
Here's what it looks like when it's all unwrapped!
This species is sometimes called the pancake plant because of its round, flat leaves.
I'm so happy with the shape the plant arrived in! It doesn't look stressed out or dull at all. And the soil stayed neat and tidy in the included pot. The pot is about 4" tall, and the "branches" on the plant measure around 5" long each.
There's even a stone base to set beneath the pot for when it starts to drain.
There's a really thorough care card that comes with the plant, too. I need as much information as I can get when it comes to plants. I was surprised to read that this plant is actually part of the succulent family! Apparently, it doesn't need much water and can do well in partial sunlight. I've had to move most of my plants outdoors, as the partial sun of my apartment wasn't quite doing it for them. I'm hoping this plant will allow me to invite some greenery back in my living room!
I thought this was a really cute idea—they give you a plant marker with space to note your intention on it. I like the idea that every time I go to tend to the plant, I'll be reminded of my intention. And over time, I'll hopefully have a lot of different plants with evolving intentions to recall (and continue to nurture).
Sticker Set
Last but not least, I got these three sheets of colorful Lunarly stickers. I could see using them in my intention setting notebook, but I'll more likely keep them for decorating my planner, etc.! I like the glowy color scheme. I might have to use some of the plant-themed designs on greeting cards/gifts for green-thumbed friends of mine!
The Verdict: This box was a really sweet, fun introduction to intention setting and astrology. Because of the bright colors and the vibe of the gifts, I feel like this would be a fun gift for a young adult/college-age person looking to get into these rituals. As someone who's a little more familiar with these sorts of spiritual practices (partially from reviewing other similar metaphysical boxes like Merkaela and Gaia Collective's MoonBox), I felt like the information provided in the box itself skewed towards beginners—they didn't go too deep on how to engage with your intentions/follow up with them, the significance of the lunar cycle, or why/how to follow it. However! Lunarly does provide some additional guidance on their website, social channels, and via email. (There's a new moon ritual that'll appear on Instagram on September 9th! I'm going to tune in and see what it's like...) This box is a cute way to dip a toe into the vast world of astrology/spirituality as a form of self-care. I'm excited to use this box as an excuse to sit down, take time, and reconnect with where I'm at and what I'm feeling each month.
To Wrap Up:
Can I still get this box if I sign up today?: No. Order by August 28th to get the next box, or check out the calendar on this FAQ page for future order deadlines.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $40.00 + free shipping. The items I could find individual retail values for online (the plant and the soap) added up to $41.00. The average cost of each featured item in the box (the plant, the smudge, the amethyst, and the soap) is $10.00, based on the price of the box. If I count the ephemera (the sticker set, the notebook, and the Sturgeon Moon card), that average drops to $5.71.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of Lunarly?
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