Product Review: Bulu Box

There are dozens of subscription box services out there these days, especially for health and fitness enthusiasts, but one name keeps popping up in all of my circles: Bulu Box.  This little orange box comes direct to your door every month, delivering samples of the latest and greatest in health and wellness products so you're always in the loop.  And for only $10 per month, it's one of the cheapest subscription boxes out there.

***UPDATE: I ended up receiving a six month subscription to Bulu Box after this review.  I have since received five additional boxes, and my opinion of Bulu Box decreases every month.  At the end of this review I talked about how regular subscriptions have the opportunity to fill out a profile to receive more relevant samples in each box - well, those profiles mean absolutely NOTHING.  I said I cannot have caffeine, am not pregnant (nor planning to be), and have no allergies.  Most of the products I have received since creating my profile have been caffeine products, with various allergy and pre-natal products showing up pretty frequently as well.  I have yet to receive a box that has more than one product I can actually use, and I also have not received the value I would expect from such a well known service.  Speaking of service, it's basically non-existent at Bulu Box.  My emails to customer service got me a "too bad, so sad" response that did nothing to keep my confidence as a consumer.  Gotta say it - I very strongly recommend you AVOID Bulu Box and try something else.  Check my product reviews page for other options.***

This is a fabulous service - in theory.  But what do you actually GET in a Bulu Box, and is it really worth the subscription?  Thanks to SweatPink and FitApproach, I got the opportunity to try a box myself!  I've been playing with my samples all week, and it's time to share my experience with Bulu Box and this month's products.

Disclaimer: I received one Bulu Box free of charge in exchange for my review.  No additional compensation was provided.  All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are my own.

This month's box featured some Fusion Jerkey, Runa tea, Simple Being diet supplements, Movit energy gummies, and Earth's Care anti-itch cream.  Just from opening the box, I learned an important lesson about Bulu: not every product provides enough to fully test its effects!

For example, the Simple Being Simple Diet supplement packet contained only two pills, which is only one day's worth of product.  For a weight loss supplement, that's nowhere near enough to see any noticable results, even if it was a product I'd need.  I took my one-day-dose and didn't notice any changes whatsoever.  And supposing one day would be enough to notice weight-loss results somehow, there's still no guarantee that one's body chemistry that specific day would jive with the product on the first try.  Weight loss and chemical reactions within individuals take more than one day to judge and monitor, so this product's inclusion in the Bulu Box was probably not the best choice.

The Runa Guayusa Tea is another good example of not-quite-enough.  While one tea bag was certainly enough to get a taste for one of the flavors (I had the tradition flavor, but there are others available that I did not get to try), I'm not sure one cup of tea was enough to notice if I really received the "clean energy" guayusa is supposed to provide.  Much like the diet supplement, a single sample point is too unpredictable: in this case, I drank my Runa on the way to my brother's wedding rehersal, so I'm pretty sure I had lots of excitable energy from the occasion, NOT from the tea.  I did enjoy the earthy, very drinkable flavor, but I don't believe I had enough to thorougly test the product's effects.

On the other hand, the Fusion Jerky provided came in an almost full-size bag, with more than enough lemon pepper chicken jerky to share!  There are several other flavors to try, as well, but as with the tea, apparently different Bulu Box recipients each receive a random flavor.  I don't actually eat jerky, but my parents were happy to sample some and share their thoughts:

It was good!  I had some!  Soft parts were delicious, easy to chew, and tasted like rich bacon.  The hard parts were tougher and more jerky-like - still good!  ~Papa FitNyx

I give it about a 7.  I had one piece, and it was surprisingly... different.  Changed my perception of jerky!   ~Mama FitNyx

I also had more than enough of the Earth's Care Anti-Itch Cream to properly sample, though I somehow managed to not feel itchy for the majority of my testing time!  Once I did start to experience some itching, however, I slathered on some of this thick minty cream and almost instantly started to feel better.  My only complaint is that the cream is REALLY thick, and didn't rub in very easily, even though I tried to use only a small amount.  The sample size included in the Bulu Box will probably last me the rest of the year, making this product the most usable sample of the whole bunch.

Finally, I attempted to try the Movit Energy Gummies before one of my group ex nights.  They melted in the car on the way to my classes!  I tried to peel the wrapper off to eat the gummy mass anyway once it cooled down, but it was just too sticky and blobby.  Tasted just a little of it, good flavor, but I wasn't able to eat enough to have any real effect.  Also, the package recommended eating "one or two bags" before exercise, but Bulu only sent one package.  It seems odd to me that the actual printed serving size is more than what was provided, though I have no idea if the one packet would have been sufficient for me anyway since I couldn't eat it!

Overall, I'm going to be honest: I wasn't too thrilled with my Bulu Box.  I had a couple products I didn't really need or want, and a few that simply didn't provide enough product for me to fully understand what benefits might come from extended use.  This month's box was not very "me", and that definitely tainted my view of Bulu Box as a whole.

BUT.  Then I did some more research.  It seems MY experience with Bulu Box was only a tiny fraction of what the company offers to regular subscribers!  Yes, I got a box, but what I was missing was the whole point of Bulu: a custom-tailored service that provides far more than just a handful of samples!  With a regular subscription to Bulu Box, members create personal profiles that highlight their lifestyles, habits, preferences, allergies, and aversions, which allows Bulu to make more educated selections for the contents of each box.  Receiving customized samples would definitely add a lot of value to a subscription!  Additionally, members can review the products they sample and earn points towards the purchase of full-size versions of their favorite sample products.

There's so much more to Bulu than just a little orange box!  For the full experience, try it out yourself, and be sure to create your personal profile for custom samples!  In fact, thanks to SweatPink and FitApproach, you can even take 50% off a three month subscription using promo code SWEATPINK when you sign up!  Be sure to rate the products you receive and update your profile when you find things you love - and share with all of US!  #LoveBulu #sweatpink @BuluBox @FitApproach

Have you tried a subscription box service like Bulu?  What were some of your favorite products?