All Around Vegan a monthly subscription box for vegans containing four categories of items: nutrition, lifestyle, bath and body, and activism.
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 All Around Vegan
The Subscription Box: All Around Vegan
The Cost: $34.95/box + shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save 10% off your first box!
CODE: ADDICTION
The Products: Nutrition items (think pantry items, supplements, and snacks), lifestyle items (clothing, books, kitchen gadgets), bath and body products, and activism items (think materials to educate and inspire others), all of which are vegan and cruelty-free
Ships to: US ($7.50), Canada ($15), International ($20)
All Around Vegan September 2018 Review
All Around Vegan is a fairly new box for me. Let’s see what they sent this month:
There was a standard information card with more details about the items in the box, including how they fit the categories nutrition, lifestyle, bath/body, and activism. Sometimes there is product literature as well.
Bounce Plant Power Almond Kale Energy Ball, 1.41 oz – Buy 12 for $26.25
This is a British brand that I’ve tried from a UK-based box in the past (and being imported is probably why these run a little expensive). I was worried when I saw “kale” in the name, but other than a slight greenish tinge to the product, there wasn’t much about this that made me think of kale. As my husband said, it tasted like they added a ton of almond extract to cover up the kale but this is not a problem for me as almond extract is one of my favorite substances of all time.
Enjoy Life Crispy Grain and Seed Bars in Banana Caramel, 5 x 1 oz bars – Retail Value $5.99 (found here for $3.99)
Well, you certainly get a lot of these! Enjoy Life is a brand known for being free of the top 8 allergens. These were OK, but they are kind of what you get when you try to approximate a granola bar without any oats or nuts (both of which would’ve improved the texture and flavor). My husband didn’t taste the banana and I didn’t taste the caramel and I’m not sure what to make of that.
Vegan Rob’s Brand Brussel Sprout Puffs, 1.25 oz – Buy a 3.5 oz Bag for $3.79
Ooh, typos in product names bother me. (It’s “Brussels sprout.”) But anyway, we were pretty apprehensive about these because snacks made with cruciferous vegetables can be really hit or miss (like, I enjoy kale chips most of the time, but I had some freeze-dried broccoli once that was awful). These didn’t actually taste much like Brussels sprouts at all, but that is not surprising since they were all the way down the ingredients list next to sea salt. These are essentially sorghum puffs (with a texture similar to cornstarch packing peanuts) with nutritional yeast and sea salt, so it’s not like you’re actually eating vegetables here.
Emmy’s Organic Coconut Cookies in Peanut Butter, 2 oz – Buy 8 bags with 9 cookies each for $49.95
These are food subscription box mainstays, especially but not exclusively in vegan boxes. I like coconut and I like peanut butter and these hold together better than some competing brands of coconut cookies. I will never complain about receiving these, even if it’s a repeat flavor for me (like this was).
Visibly Veg Vegan Car Decal – Retail Value $9
This is the activism item for the month. The activism items really span the range from stickers, to put on stop signs, to cards, to hand out in restaurants asking for more vegan options. This is one of the subtler activism items. If you don’t have a car, you can put this on a laptop or some other flat object (I don’t think I’d put it on a phone as constant handling might mess with the adhesive).
Derma E Restoring Shampoo with Lemongrass and Vitamin E, 8 fl oz – Retail Value $9.99
Well, I am kind of conflicted about this item. As you may know, I am not a fan of lemongrass in any form, and I swear I like it less each time I receive it. I was able to stand it enough to actually use this in my hair, though. It was an unusual experience. I should mention that I’d been using Davines Oi shampoo for a long time, and this was significantly different – much thinner, so I had to add more, but it did lather really well, I just didn’t feel it coating my hair if that makes sense. I do feel that it got my hair clean, and my hair was actually in pretty good shape today, but I’m still not sure how I feel about the overall experience of using this. I will certainly reserve judgment until I try it a few more times, and I do appreciate getting a large amount instead of a foil packet.
Plant-Strong by Rip Esselstyn – Retail Value $15.99 (found here for $10.87)
I’ve received several books in this subscription and, of the cookbooks, this is a little more my style than the last one. I mean, look at the second picture. There is some general advice on food, eating, digestion, and such in here, but also recipes that actually seem like things I would want to eat.
Verdict: I did not calculate a value for All Around Vegan this month because many of the food items were not available for individual purchase. This subscription costs $42.45 (with shipping), and if you add up the book, shampoo, decal, and bars, you get to $40.97, which leaves $1.48 for the cookies, energy ball, and puffs, so I really do think you are getting your money’s worth. I am always up for trying new snacks (even if I don’t always end up loving every flavor of a product) and now I know that Derma E makes hair care products, which is something I hadn’t realized. Looking forward to getting some dinner ideas from the book, too.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you sign up now, you’ll get the October box (ships October 1st) as your first box.
Coupon - Use code ADDICTION to save 10% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: At $42.45 for this box (subscription cost plus shipping), the items have an average cost of $6.06.
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What do you think of the September 2018 All Around Vegan box?
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