There are a lot of things I don’t have time for: Hulu commercials, hold music, waiting for pizza to cool. But the thing I have less time for than all other things: the monthly, five-day Carrie reenactment that is my menstrual period. Cramps? Mood swings? Super extra ultra strength tampons? ZERO TIME FOR THAT. Put me in a bunker with a bottle of Midol and a pack of granny diapers and I’ll see you in a week.
So when the folks at My Cotton Bunny tweeted at me that they wanted to send me a free edition of their monthly period box, I was like, “YES PLEASE and also what’s a monthly period box.”
In the same week, because this is what my life is like apparently, I got an email from a woman named Nicole from a company called Spicy Subscriptions, offering to send me THEIR monthly subscription box. At first I thought “spicy subscriptions” meant cooking spices like cardamom and shit and I was like “HELL YES SEND ME SOME GARAM MASALA” but it turned out she meant “the spice of life” AKA sex. (p.s. No one calls it that.)
Nicole described the box as “romantic and relationship-based products.” Sadly, I have no relationship upon which to base my products but she assured me the box could work for singles too. I told her to send it on over because let’s be real: I can use all the help I can get.
Well, since I was already getting a period box and a sex box, I figured let’s just round this thing out and get all the possible boxes for my box. So I asked the good people at Juniper to send me their period box too.
So, first of all, let’s talk about what a period box is because I was NOT initially on board with this idea. I thought it was some kind of gross “send your man to get tampons! lolz he will get the wrong ones!’ body-shaming thing but it turned out to be much nicer than that.
The concept is that every month you have that day, right? You’re going along, minding your own business, when suddenly your uterus is like “REMEMBER ME? LET’S HANG OUT” and you realize you have zero tampons in your purse and your Midol bottle is empty and there is absolutely no ice cream in the freezer and SHIT IS ABOUT TO GET REAL. But then, instead of going Hulkmania on your roommates, you open your mailbox and there is this delightful little cardboard box inside! And when you open it, there are tampons. And Midol. And CHOCOLATE. And suddenly everything seems like it just might be okay.
Cue: angelic chorus
At least that’s how it was for me this month.
Let’s break down some boxes, shall we?
Juniper ($28/mo)
4 Tampax Pearl light tampons
8 Tampax Pearl regular tampons
8 Tampax Pearl super tampons
3 Always Infinity regular pads
2 Always Infinity overnight pads
5 Always Infinity Liners
4 Midol painkillers
1 bar Calolea glycerine olive oil soap (hypo-allergenic, cruelty-free)
1 Brownie Bliss brownie (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free)
1 mini bag J&M key lime cookies
3 bags Pukka tea
3 honey sticks GloryBee (orange, amaretto, sour grape)
1 bag dried pineapple by Nibnaks
PROMO: Until 8/31, Autostraddle readers get 50% off your first box if you mention Autostraddle in your order comments!
Juniper goodies
My Cotton Bunny ($14/mo)
2 hair clips
1 mini bag handmade marshmallows (+ coupon)
2 honey sticks by Nature’s Kick (peach, pink lemonade)
1 full box Tampax Pearl regular tampons (18 tampons)
PROMO: Add an “A” to the end of your phone number when you sign up and you’ll get an extra special gift in your first box!
As you can see, these services are pretty different. Juniper is twice as expensive and has way more goodies in the box. Juniper also times the box to arrive in sync with your cycle whereas My Cotton Bunny just comes when it comes.
With both of these boxes you choose your favorite brand, though Juniper has more variety, and they have varying levels of customization for your tampon/pad/pantyliner/painkiller preferences.
I realize that 85% of y’all use diva cups because gay and so this may be a non-issue for you. I’ve tried to use those things so many times and I want to love them but they just do.not.work. for me. My lady doctor said it’s because I have a tilted uterus but when I told this to a friend of mine, she informed me that this was a lie propagated by the patriarchy. WELL WHAT ISN’T, AMIRITE?
Anyway.
I am someone who is perpetually out of tampons which is particularly annoying because I don’t have a car, so from that perspective, I am SO DOWN with this period box idea. I am also down with receiving brownies in the mail. I’m not sure that I’m down with paying $28/mo though? But I realllllly like getting surprises in the mail. My Cotton Bunny is definitely the more affordable option since $14 is honestly not THAT much more than the box of tampons would cost at the overpriced Stop-N-Go by my house but I wasn’t that excited by the hair clips or the honey sticks, so.
A thing I really liked about Juniper is that it’s super customizable – not only can you choose between like six different brands, but they have this thing called a BFF which is a person you can text or email any time with questions and special requests and they’ll do their best to accommodate you, so if you want extra panty liners or you really don’t like Midol or you need the extra double strength tampons (hello), you can tell them that. Based on their snack selection, they also seem pretty sensitive to food allergies and such.
Yes, that is my super gay rainbow laptop keyboard.
Alright, enough about that. Let’s move on, shall we? To the OTHER box.
The spice box.
So, my main concern about this box was how heterocentric it might be. I can’t speak for other months of course, but the box I received was pretty neutral in this regard, possibly even skewed a little gay but that’s probably just my lens.
Where’s the cardamom?
Spice Box ($25-35/mo)
1 bottle Moist lubricant
1 bottle Chocolate Strawberry Fantasy Body Topping
1 tin Comfortably Numb mints
1 Luv Touch Mini Mite “mini massager”
1 Pleasure Lickz vibrating “tongue stimulator”
1 sample Pink Indulgence creme lubricant (with “tingling sensation”)
1 sample Crazy Girl sparkling body lotion with sex attractant (!)
PROMO: Typing in the promo code “autostraddle” will get you 5% off your first box!
So many quotation marks! Let’s dive in.
Okay, so first of all, there was NO POSSIBLE WAY that this box would not contain at least one flavored lube/condom/body topping. I am convinced that these products exist solely for sex shop raffle prizes and bachelorette party gag gifts. Have you ever heard someone say, “Be right back, honey, we’re out of Piña Colada massage oil.” Literally zero people have said that.
Unsurprisingly, it was kind of gross.
“massager”
Second item of concern: WHY ARE WE CALLING THIS A MASSAGER? It’s a sex box. There is a thing in it that vibrates. We’re all adults here, people. Well, I technically am.
I was actually super impressed that there was an entire vibrator in this box. So luxurious! This vibrator is pocket-sized and adorable but unsurprisingly very loud. Also, please take a good, long look at those “interchangeable attachments.” THEY ARE MADE OF SPIKES. Seriously, you guys. As someone wise once said: “Shake ya ass… but watch yourself.”
I have not tried the Comfortably Numb mints but they say they are “specially formulated to reduce the discomfort associated with oral sex.” I have two thoughts on that subject: (1) frowny face, (2) does that mean they cure TMJ? Because even my dentist doesn’t know what to do with that shit.
TONGUE VIBRATOR. I have not tried this yet due to aforementioned spinster status but am considering bringing it to lipstick night on my upcoming Chicago trip and just waving it around while saying, “LAAAADIIIIIEEES.”
laaaaaadiiieeeees
I am fascinated by pheromone-based products and anything that claims to contain something called “sex attractant,” mainly because I will take literally any help I can get. I have actually never used such a product but I’m saving this sparkling body lotion for a Very Special Night when I need that extra boost. Also when I need to smell like a cupcake, apparently.
Laurie lives in Madison, WI where she builds databases for a nonprofit, plays ukulele for her webcam, and consistently confuses hot butches with 14-year-old boys. Read about her loves, losses, and ill-advised life decisions on her blog, Your Ill-fitting Overcoat.
No disrespect to all the wonderful content that Autostraddle produces on a daily basis, but this is by far my favorite post of all time. Laughed so hard I cried and then sent it to all my friends. Especially my straight male friends.
agreeing with the commenter above, this made me laugh and laugh and laugh…i’m personally not a fan of the “get a product box in the mail” trend that has swept the world (or at least nyc) in the past few years because i realized that with almost every box (even the tampons one, i think) i would never spend that much a month on the specific products coming my way if i weren’t pre-charged for them, if that makes sense? like i don’t think i spend $28/month on my period right now, so it seems silly to sign up for a service that will make sure i definitely spend that. ditto to makeup, food, sex toys, etc. BUT. i still love this post so much. and i have lots of friends who gets tons of boxes in the mail and it makes them super happy so as always YOU DO YOU friends. or do someone else with your “massager.”
I definitely think part of the appeal of product boxes is that everyone likes getting mail, especially packages. It feels kind of like a care package at summer camp when you get a birchbox or whatever. I ultimately canceled julep and birchbox for the exact reason you mentioned (and I wasn’t even using all the products). And like, $28 is a RIDICULOUS AMOUNT to spend on a period for me. But I still want the Juniper box. because the little package of treats! And their little wrappers! and not having to run to the store with underwear full of toilet paper! Ya know?
Great reviews and everything… But where did you get that amazing rainbow keyboard cover!?!
It makes me so happy every day. I think I got mine on eBay but they sell it on Amazon too: http://goo.gl/vHev8T
You put the stickers on one key at a time but it actually isn’t hard and I have basically zero hand-eye coordination.
Comfortably Numb mints. Who is this for, please? The purpose is… hmm? “specially formulated to reduce the discomfort associated with oral sex.” Have I been doing it wrong?
*giggles* i at least sincerely hope it’s a KMFDM lyrics quote. Because otherwise, there is no justification for something that shouldn’t be. Shouldn’t be in a Lovecraftian sense.
It’s to numb your throat and therefore kill your gag reflex when giving a blowjob.
Well, they should just said that, then.
Man, totally wasn’t thinking that. Thank you. *gag*
Bisexuality FTW!
eww!
soo glad I’m gay. You know, they should have a “select your sexual orientation” option with those kinds of products, because what do numb throats have to do with lesbians, unless you’re into fellating sex toys as a kind of bdsm thing.
now, if they only had a magic mint for tongue cramps and lock jaw…
My last girlfriend had a penis, actually! And there was absolutely nothing “eww” about it!
Lol here’s another one who could not connect why does one need any numbing while doing oral …just failed to immediately think of it the straight way, and was going to deal out some righteous wrath to ‘lesbians who don’t like kitty’.
seconding request for a tongue cramp/lock jaw medicine though. Though def not delivered this way… unless i feel unsafe enough to go for yet another layer of twisted subterfuge decorations crammed on the top of the thousands of existing ones.
I also didn’t consider it might be for that. I wondered if it might be for a sore tongue. For which, I dicovered throat lozenges work just fine. I don’t use them except when I’m ill but if it’s a time it’s taking a while I sometimes wish I did! Doesn’t happen often enough though.
If I was giving BJs I would probably need the whole pack (at once!) because I still can’t brush my back teeth without gagging.
One lets me deep-trhoat without barfing, but it still feels REAllY REALLY WEIRD – kind of like when you dry swallow medication and still kind of feel it moving down your esophagus.
TONGUE VIBRATOR. I have not tried this yet due to aforementioned spinster status but am considering bringing it to lipstick night on my upcoming Chicago trip and just waving it around while saying, “LAAAADIIIIIEEES.”
Well…Hello!
Not completely relevant: Laurie, this post was hilarious and you live in Madison, we should be friends. You should come to one of our gay brunches! Join our Madstraddlers facebook group!
I didn’t know there was such a thing! I’m taking an FB break at the moment, but my first task when I get back is to join this Madstraddlers group. I’m always in for brunch.
Wow. I, uh, I had no idea this was even a thing. I’m pretty covered on the period situation, but is there a such thing as hangover boxes? For when my drunk ass doesn’t want to get out of bed but needs coconut water, a multi-vitamin, Tums and a breakfast coupon or something?
A+ idea right here
TaskRabbit?
Maximum approval. Stefany for president.
Throw in a hand-delivered breakfast sandwich and I would so get down with that.
Oh god, that was hilarious and I love your keyboard!
“she informed me that this was a lie propagated by the patriarchy. WELL WHAT ISN’T, AMIRITE?”
Ow, I just snorted iced coffee through my nose. Please write about nonsense here forever :D
p.s. Within hours of posting this, Luna Pads had tweeted at me offering to send me products for a round up of environmentally sustainable period products. I hope I’m not going to get typecast here. I do have other interests besides vaginas. (j/k)
As said above I think it’s way too expensive for what it is, but thanks for the great idea of making myself a monthly emergency box for That Week!
The one thing that perplexes me is, unless you’re on the pill most people don’t have their periods at the same exact time each month, so what if by the time the box arrives you’re already towards their end or they’re even over already? Seems like a waste.
i spent waaay too much time on the juniper website after reading this, and they allow you to adjust your cycle length (anywhere from like 20 to 36+ days) and tell them when your next one starts. i know not everyone knows this but it’s pretty easy to find out if you just track it for a couple months. unless you keep moving to live with different groups of women (yaaaay pheromones), the length of your cycle should be fairly constant.
Ditto on that – I use the iPeriod app and it’s great because it warns me a few days in advance when my period is coming, otherwise I would never remember. It also alerts me when it’s my “green week” AKA The Week That I Want to Kiss All the Ladies. I always get that push notification and am like “ohhhhhhh that explains it.”
p.s. “Push notification” sounds like a euphemism for something.
Maybe I should also do a roundup of period apps. I can become “that girl who writes about period stuff.”
I track mine and they can be anywhere from 30 to 36 days apart, soooo.
That’s a good point. I’m not on the pill and my period arrives like clockwork on the exact day it’s due (it actually kind of freaks me out) so that didn’t occur to me. I guess you could ask them to just send it the first week of the month and hang on to it until you need it.
But making your own emergency box is SUCH a good idea. Or making them for friends? Is that weird?
Emergency box is such a good gift idea! I don’t think it’s weird to make them for friends, but it’s possible my sense of boundaries is skewed…This is would actually be a good gift for one’s gf – but you’d have to be careful. “Numbing mints/sex attractant/dried pineapple, what are you trying to say?!”
god why is this so perfect.
I already keep two sex boxes (travel and home), a slowly going off jar of chocolate and a box of ladyproducts. But the idea is nice as somehow I still get caught out from time to time.
Anyone have any advice/thoughts on diva cups? I’ve been wanting one for a couple of years. I suspect my wife wouldn’t be too pleased as she thinks flannels (in general) are unhygienic and might not be too pleased about not being able to whip it out for sex. Any thoughts on its fitting?
There are disposable versions of the same concept and I’d recommend trying those first. They didn’t work for me at all. Blood everywhere. Again: tilted uterus, patriarchy, etc. I even had my (super hippie earth mother lesbian) gynecologist show me how to put it in! (That sounded wrong.)
Instead cups (the disposable ones) are completely different from the reusable ones! I can’t use Insteads either, but I’ve been using reusable cups for the last 7 or so years.
Whoa, good to know!
Relevant way-back-machine post is relevant! http://www.autostraddle.com/toxic-shock-station-stomps-out-the-tampon-industrial-complex-56604/
Thanks a million for this!
I love how affordable My Cotton Bunny seems but I’m so sad they don’t yet offer services to Canada. We are a very polite, cold, but also menses-stricken nation.
Boxes would be a great pen pal-type activity! You could state your preferences beforehand (sexy items? washable cotton pads? vegan deliciousness? no problem!) and there wouldn’t be any filler items like hair clips or chocolate body topping. Straddlers would totally be the best at filling other ladies’ boxes.
Um, that is the best idea ever.
Well, I jumped on the comment bandwagon a bit late, but anyone interested should message me. We’ll get the ball rolling!
That is a great idea, like a sort of swap thing. They do that on youtube.
Very Helpful post to get boxes on discount.