JourneeBox delivers a quarterly lifestyle experience that features designer-produced, sustainably-made fashion, home, body, and culinary goods. The JourneeBox direct-to-consumer business model — meaning they design and produce all of their goods — keeps costs and environmental impact down. This model guarantees subscribers quality, vetted products made from sustainable materials that are ethically made.
For $59.99 per quarter, you receive 6+ sustainably-made or fair-trade items with customizable products focusing on accessories, apparel, home, and beauty goods.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
Opening The Box
Note: The photos in this review show multiple colorways or flavors of some items where subscribers only receive one. I'll note which are choice items, and which Kevia chooses for the subscriber.
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Here's the beautiful box that all the items are sent in, with JourneeBox's signature dragonfly on the front. This quarter's box is also patterned with on-theme geometric designs to get you all the more excited to open it up!
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The Riviera Maya booklet opens with a note from Kevia, sharing her personal experience exploring Riviera Maya, Mexico. She shares that many of the pieces in this JourneeBox are inspired by the areas and individuals she visited while she was there. Throughout the booklet, we're provided with some history and context about each of the items she selected.
Here's What's Inside
Ah Cacao Mexican Chocolate — Listed Value $4.50 per bar
I'm easily won over by a chocolate bar in a subscription box! Who wouldn't turn down a treat? These particular bars are from a Mexican company that offers high-quality, sustainably produced cacao. In fact, the booklet shares that this brand, Ah Cacao, was recognized by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy as a socially responsible company for their nature conservation efforts and collaboration with ethical farms.
Note: Subscribers can select between milk chocolate ("con leche") or cayenne-spiced dark chocolate ("Maya"). Both are pictured here.
Here's a peek at the chocolate itself, with a preview of the next item in the box. The milk chocolate offers a creamy flavor, while the spiced dark chocolate lets off some heat in the initial bites, which fades into an earthy cacao flavor. Definitely a slightly different taste from the dark chocolate I usually eat here in the US!
Wood Molinillo — Listed Value $21
Before I even learned what a molinillo was, I was drawn to the beautiful shape and craftsmanship of this object. From the booklet, I found that these are hand-carved kitchen utensils that are held between the hands and twisted to create a foamy consistency in beverages. Also listed is a recipe for Mexican hot chocolate using your Ah Cacao chocolate bar, your molinillo, and some other ingredients. I ate my chocolate bar before I encountered the recipe—whoops!—but of course can use any chocolate of my choosing. I can't wait to do further research about molinillos and find ways to use it in my kitchen.
Mayan Sundial Necklace — Listed Value $55
Next up is this gorgeous medallion necklace that's meant to represent a sundial. The pendant has a moonstone-looking center haloed by small rhinestones and then surrounded by another layer of triangular rhinestones. The chain is furnished with various length settings for its clasp.
Note: Subscribers can select between an antiqued 18k gold or sterling silver finish.
Here I'm wearing my sundial necklace on one of the shortest settings. I like the way it spruces up one of my (visibly) most well-loved sweaters! I'm more of a costume jewelry wearer than a fine jewelry wearer, but this one strikes me as a nice cross between the two styles. I've had my eye on medallion necklaces in recent years and was waiting to receive one in a subscription box rather than buying one...finally, it came!
Tulum Earrings — Listed Value $65
I recognize that such a bold style of jewelry as these hammered, geometric earrings might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I couldn't have chosen a more spot-on style for myself! They're big and eye-catching without being silly, and they're lightweight. I simply adore them.
Note: This item is a gift for annual subscribers only. Annual subscribers can select between an antiqued 18k gold or sterling silver finish.
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Can you see how good I feel in these earrings? The way they catch the light brings me such joy. To me they feel just as suited to perk up an old, pilled sweater as they would to a carefully styled outfit. I can tell these are going to be a pair I reach for often.
Mexican Embroidered Face Mask — Listed Value $24
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I've long been an admirer of the floral embroidery often found in traditional Mexican textiles — I even worked with a seamstress to stitch vibrant floral accents to my vintage wedding dress. So, I'm smitten over the bright colors and textured stitches on these masks. If we have to wear masks, might as well make them beautiful, right? There have been some comments on the spoiler post for this box about whether a cloth mask is relevant in the time of these more recent covid variants, and others have mentioned that they can easily be worn over a surgical mask. Sure, maybe it's not ideal, but none of it is, right?
Note: Kevia will choose one of four colors for each subscriber, based on the colors the subscriber selects for the four customizable box items. (The colorways involve orange, yellow, or blue flowers against a black or white background.) Please refer to CDC guidelines regarding face mask usage.
The mask offers incredible coverage, and I find it to be comfortable. There are no adjusters attached to the elastic ear bands, which isn't a problem for me, but I imagine we all have our tricks by now. I find this to be a really fun, nice, useful item to have included in this box.
Riviera Tote — Listed Value $55
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This knit bag is a little larger than a classic tote, and it's very soft and stretchy. It functions sort of like sort of a "market bag" that someone might sling over their shoulder to buy fresh produce or other groceries. The booklet suggests you can carry your blanket (which I'll show next) in it. I like that use better than food-related usage, because I feel like the cream colorway especially could get stained by food quickly — although it is machine washable. I'm not loving the cotton-candy-ish feel of the coral and blue pattern on this tote, so I think I'll be passing it to a neighbor. Otherwise it's an interesting piece!
Note: Subscribers may receive cream or indigo.
Sabana Maya Blanket — Listed Value $45
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Lastly is this classic woven blanket. I've never owned one of these blankets before, but I've always wanted to — I love their durability and the texture they take on with lots of use. Such a great home base for a picnic or an outdoor concert, and a great addition to a campfire or car camping. I have seen these blankets sold at much lower costs in a number of places including the culture shop in my city, but the ones included in this box are made from 40% reclaimed material from a Mexcian blanket company. Knowing that it's a more sustainable choice makes it worth the extra cost to me.
Note: Subscribers may receive indigo, mocha or merlot. Pictured above is mocha merlot. [updated 2/23/22]
Here's a peek at the indigo version.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $59.99
Shipping: Free for current subscribers; starts at $6.99 for new orders. [updated 2/23/22]
Value Breakdown: This quarter's JourneeBox contains a total retail value of $269.50, exceeding the promised value of $250+ even more than it did last quarter. The box itself costs $59.99, which means each of the 7 items (if you're an annual subscriber) inside breaks down to an average cost of $8.57. That feels right to me! Some of the items, like the woven bag and the blanket, are valued higher than I would expect to pay for them, while others were price as I would expect them to be, like the chocolate and mask. But regardless, receiving them all for under $60 is hands down, no-questions-asked worth it. I should acknowledge that shipping delays from manufacturers of these items, plus some technical difficulties, meant that this box arrived a full season behind when it was initially promised. I can see how this is really upsetting to some subscribers, but I believe that JB has stellar, communicative customer service, and that goes a long way to me.
Key Takeaways
To me, the wait for the Riviera Maya JourneeBox felt worthwhile! It helps that my personal style is totally aligned with the styles and patterns of this curation, but above and beyond that, I think the items chosen are a great mix of useful for the long-term (blanket), unique (molinillo), fun (masks), and such a treat (chocolate and earrings). The only item I really didn't connect with was the knit bag due to the colors they used for the pattern, but otherwise it's another cool product you don't see every day.
Update 2/23/22: As you can see in the review, I enjoyed this box; that said, it’s important to note that shipping delays have been an ongoing struggle for JB and many subscribers have reported negative experiences with customer service. Because of this, I’d recommend checking the comments before subscribing.
Keep track of your subscriptions by adding this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
Other Things You Should Know
When is this box available? This box is seasonal, shipping out 4 times a year. There were delays with this box, so while the next box would otherwise be available in April, it may not be ready by then. We'll update here when we find out an ETA.
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? Yes, but it will likely sell out soon. The Kyoto Box from last quarter is also still available.
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