Brandless Review TAKE TWO!
What's up y'all--that's right, I am back after many many months of radio silence. I can't even explain why I've been gone so long...honestly I've just been super busy and largely uninspired, which doesn't make for many good blog posts. BUT, now I'm in a class that requires us to keep a blog, so I have to get back into the game, which is honestly awesome because I've been wanting to anyway! I'll be posting the posts that I write for that blog on here, as well as hopefully writing some more original content for this lovely little blog! Without further adieu, let's get started!
As you know, there is nothing I love more than a store where everything is guaranteed to be super duper cheap. Goodwill is my jam. Dollar Tree is even better. When I put the "Lowest Prices" filter on Amazon, I can do some serious damage.
Last year I reviewed a brand called Brandless that is committed to providing quality products for consistently low prices--and not utilizing a brand tax. I was pretty pleased with my products last year, but when I did that review, the company was just starting up. I was curious to see how the brand has evolved, what new products they have in their lineup, and whether they've kept to their word about keeping their prices consistently low. (Also I needed some paper towels and didn't feel like going to the actual store LOL).
Let's jump into the unboxing!
I ordered on Saturday morning and my items arrived that Wednesday. My order receipt shows that I didn't pay any shipping, but I'm not quite sure why...you get free shipping if you are a first time Brandless shopper and spend over $48, but I'm not new and I only spent about $27. Of course I will absolutely not complain about not having to pay shipping! And I was impressed with the speed!
All my items shipped in the same box and were packaged pretty nicely. The first time I ordered from Brandless I remember they sent me a cute little welcome card and the box had interesting packing materials, but this time around it wasn't quite as nicely done, but all my stuff was in great shape when it arrived, so no worries there.
So here's a breakdown of everything I ordered, and my impressions of the items so far (All items linked):
Paper towels (2pack) -$3
Like the packaging boasts, these paper towels have all kinds of cool earth benefits, a nice plus considering I just wanted some basic old paper towels. For a two pack of paper towels, $3 is totally reasonable. The towels feel a bit thinner than competing brands, but they seem like they'll do the job just fine.
Tissues (2pack) -$3
Again, $3 for two packages of tissues is a really decent price! Granted, you could get 2 for 2 at Dollar tree, but they might lack a smidge of quality compared to these, which are pretty thick. These tissues do the job, nothing to write home about, but I'm pleased with them.
Facial Cleanser -$4 and Facial Toner -$5
Skin care is always a gamble because you don't know how things will react with your individual skin type until you try them. So far I've used each product several times, and haven't had any major red flags yet, but it may be too early to tell. The cleanser is grapefruit scented and smells really good, but its consistency is...a little strange. It's very thick and slimy, unlike any other facial cleanser I've used. This isn't a point against it, it's just a strange observation. It does lather up well, but I feel like it's a bit drying on my skin, especially at this time of year. So the jury's still out on how I feel about the cleanser.
The toner is green apple scented and y'all, it smells AMAZING. Like it smells like straight up candy. I'm really pleased with it because it doesn't seem drying at all, and makes my skin feel really nice and smell even better.
Price wise, these products are pretty reasonable, especially considering that they're ethically made and use really good ingredients. Obviously you could buy toner and cleanser for cheaper at a dollar store, but it would probably be real sketchy.
Black Pens (4pack) -$4
I am always on the hunt down for ballin' pens, and friends, these DELIVERED. They're an almost perfect dupe for Pilot V5 pens, which are my staple favorite pens that I use every day--except this is a four pack for $4, and V5s are about $10 for a four pack, so these are a WAY better deal. They write just as smoothly and the ink is as dark. They do seem like they might run out of ink faster just because the cartridges are probably smaller, but all things consider, a really really great alternative if $10 for pens feels like a tiny punch in the gut. Probably one of my best purchases.
Colorful Pens (8pack) -$5
These pens are really fun and work great but I'm a little nervous about them because they're more like fine tip sharpies than fine line pens, and I have a bad habit of accidentally pressing in the tips of fine tip sharpies. So...we'll see how they hold up. Also, I love that they're colorful, but it seems a little odd to me that there are two shades of ble and two shades of green, but like...no orange or yellow? Just kind of strange choices, but I can jive with them. And $5 is an all right price.
Notecards (30pack) -$3
These cards might be the best bang for my buck! There's 30 cards and 30 envelopes, all for $3, and the cards come in four varieties (8 blues, 8 yellows, 7 red and 7 green). Plus, each variety is super customizable, so you can use the same type of card for multiple different occasions, which I think is really fun and cute. I think these cards are great quality and simply adorable, so I'm really excited to start sending them out!
Overall Impressions:
I would give this purchasing experience a 8/10. The prices, in general, were very reasonable, but I am a little salty that not everything on the site is $3 anymore. I feel like raising their prices kind of goes against their original business model. I understand that they have to make money, but believe me, with all the mommy bloggers and YouTubers out there giving them free press (including one of my fave YouTubers), they are not in danger there.
The items themselves are really great quality and came in great condition, and I love the ethical consideration behind each product. The shipping was quick and painless, and for whatever reason free (but I won't count on that in the future).
I would definitely say this site is a great option for those of us who are not blessed with an overabundance of funds, but a desire for good quality products! Go out there and give Brandless some love.
-VaughnDL
[This post adapted from an original post written for dakotavaughn.wordpress.com. Check out the original here.]
As you know, there is nothing I love more than a store where everything is guaranteed to be super duper cheap. Goodwill is my jam. Dollar Tree is even better. When I put the "Lowest Prices" filter on Amazon, I can do some serious damage.
Last year I reviewed a brand called Brandless that is committed to providing quality products for consistently low prices--and not utilizing a brand tax. I was pretty pleased with my products last year, but when I did that review, the company was just starting up. I was curious to see how the brand has evolved, what new products they have in their lineup, and whether they've kept to their word about keeping their prices consistently low. (Also I needed some paper towels and didn't feel like going to the actual store LOL).
Let's jump into the unboxing!
I ordered on Saturday morning and my items arrived that Wednesday. My order receipt shows that I didn't pay any shipping, but I'm not quite sure why...you get free shipping if you are a first time Brandless shopper and spend over $48, but I'm not new and I only spent about $27. Of course I will absolutely not complain about not having to pay shipping! And I was impressed with the speed!
All my items shipped in the same box and were packaged pretty nicely. The first time I ordered from Brandless I remember they sent me a cute little welcome card and the box had interesting packing materials, but this time around it wasn't quite as nicely done, but all my stuff was in great shape when it arrived, so no worries there.
So here's a breakdown of everything I ordered, and my impressions of the items so far (All items linked):
Paper towels (2pack) -$3
Like the packaging boasts, these paper towels have all kinds of cool earth benefits, a nice plus considering I just wanted some basic old paper towels. For a two pack of paper towels, $3 is totally reasonable. The towels feel a bit thinner than competing brands, but they seem like they'll do the job just fine.
Tissues (2pack) -$3
Again, $3 for two packages of tissues is a really decent price! Granted, you could get 2 for 2 at Dollar tree, but they might lack a smidge of quality compared to these, which are pretty thick. These tissues do the job, nothing to write home about, but I'm pleased with them.
Facial Cleanser -$4 and Facial Toner -$5
Skin care is always a gamble because you don't know how things will react with your individual skin type until you try them. So far I've used each product several times, and haven't had any major red flags yet, but it may be too early to tell. The cleanser is grapefruit scented and smells really good, but its consistency is...a little strange. It's very thick and slimy, unlike any other facial cleanser I've used. This isn't a point against it, it's just a strange observation. It does lather up well, but I feel like it's a bit drying on my skin, especially at this time of year. So the jury's still out on how I feel about the cleanser.
The toner is green apple scented and y'all, it smells AMAZING. Like it smells like straight up candy. I'm really pleased with it because it doesn't seem drying at all, and makes my skin feel really nice and smell even better.
Price wise, these products are pretty reasonable, especially considering that they're ethically made and use really good ingredients. Obviously you could buy toner and cleanser for cheaper at a dollar store, but it would probably be real sketchy.
Black Pens (4pack) -$4
I am always on the hunt down for ballin' pens, and friends, these DELIVERED. They're an almost perfect dupe for Pilot V5 pens, which are my staple favorite pens that I use every day--except this is a four pack for $4, and V5s are about $10 for a four pack, so these are a WAY better deal. They write just as smoothly and the ink is as dark. They do seem like they might run out of ink faster just because the cartridges are probably smaller, but all things consider, a really really great alternative if $10 for pens feels like a tiny punch in the gut. Probably one of my best purchases.
Colorful Pens (8pack) -$5
These pens are really fun and work great but I'm a little nervous about them because they're more like fine tip sharpies than fine line pens, and I have a bad habit of accidentally pressing in the tips of fine tip sharpies. So...we'll see how they hold up. Also, I love that they're colorful, but it seems a little odd to me that there are two shades of ble and two shades of green, but like...no orange or yellow? Just kind of strange choices, but I can jive with them. And $5 is an all right price.
Notecards (30pack) -$3
These cards might be the best bang for my buck! There's 30 cards and 30 envelopes, all for $3, and the cards come in four varieties (8 blues, 8 yellows, 7 red and 7 green). Plus, each variety is super customizable, so you can use the same type of card for multiple different occasions, which I think is really fun and cute. I think these cards are great quality and simply adorable, so I'm really excited to start sending them out!
Overall Impressions:
I would give this purchasing experience a 8/10. The prices, in general, were very reasonable, but I am a little salty that not everything on the site is $3 anymore. I feel like raising their prices kind of goes against their original business model. I understand that they have to make money, but believe me, with all the mommy bloggers and YouTubers out there giving them free press (including one of my fave YouTubers), they are not in danger there.
The items themselves are really great quality and came in great condition, and I love the ethical consideration behind each product. The shipping was quick and painless, and for whatever reason free (but I won't count on that in the future).
I would definitely say this site is a great option for those of us who are not blessed with an overabundance of funds, but a desire for good quality products! Go out there and give Brandless some love.
-VaughnDL
[This post adapted from an original post written for dakotavaughn.wordpress.com. Check out the original here.]
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