I’ve been pretty sick this week, and I don’t want to throw together a less than informative makeup review. So instead, I’m writing about something that just makes me happy to talk about. If you’ve been following me for a long time, you already know I love Cadence Capsules. I was reviewing them on my old blog before this Substack even existed. And I feel like I’ve had enough experience with the Parcels and Pill Stacks to do an actual review on them. I was pretty convinced I was going to tell you they were unnecessary, and I wasn’t even sure they’d work for me because I use too much skincare and take too many pills. But it turns out I love them all.
In this post, all links are affiliate links (thank you for your support!), but all opinions are my own. If you happen to be buying anything from Cadence, you can use YOURGREENFRIEND for 15% off, and I always appreciate y’all using my codes, but as always, absolutely no pressure.
Cadence Capsules – The Capsules are still the product I would recommend if you were going to buy one thing from Cadence. I use them for basically anything I don’t want happen to have a mini of already somehow, and mine have survived years of travel and being thrown around in suitcases and backpacks. I also keep two of the Small Capsules in my backpack all the time with two medications I take as needed. So in case you were wondering if you need the Pill Stacks just for a bunch of one pill, you don’t, and a regular Small Capsule already does that really well.
Cadence Small Parcels – Before I started using the Parcels, I traveled with one big toiletry bag that somehow managed to take up a bunch of space without actually holding very much. There were too many pockets (I know, pockets are great for a makeup bag, but I’m over pockets for skincare). I honestly could never remember where anything was, not everything fit, and I would put products into extra plastic bags because I didn’t want anything to leak all over the inside.
Now I use two Small Parcels instead – one for morning and one for night. I’m honestly never going back to one big bag. I’m sure this has a lot to do with travelling with our toddler (LOVE HIM SO MUCH) which has made our travel very different. We almost always end up sharing a room with him, so I can’t always turn on the lights or go back and forth between the room and the bathroom (seriously, he goes to bed at 6pm). It’s also impossible to dig through a giant bag looking for something I forgot without waking him up. So, I really like having exactly what I need exactly where I think it is. I also do have medium and large Parcels, which I also love, but I didn’t end up using them on the last few trips.
My morning Parcel has body sunscreen, vitamin C, a moisturizing serum, two face moisturizers, eye cream, face sunscreen, tweezers, hair ties, and lip balm. My nighttime one has a cleansing balm, cleanser, another eye cream, retinol, serum, a couple of moisturizers, and my Bloomeffects Royal Tulip Moisturizing Nectar (truly a must have when I’m travelling and really needs to be in a leak proof container).
Yes, I travel with multiple moisturizers and two eye creams. My skin is really dry and gets even drier when I travel, and this system means I can honestly bring as much moisturizer as I want. And everything really does fit easily. The Small Parcels are super easy to squish into leftover space, but also manage to fit a lot into them, which is especially helpful when so much of our suitcase space belongs to the little man.
The way they open also means I can easily see everything and grab what I need without having to dig through. And not that this has been an issue yet, but the inside is super easy to wipe down, so I’m not worried about ruining a toiletry bag if something eventually leaks.
Cadence Pill Stacks – I really thought I was taking one for the team buying these to review. I take seven pills in the morning and six to nine at night depending on the day, and some of them are pretty big pills. I already own a bunch of those plastic seven day AM/PM pill organizers that works fine, so why would I spend this much on another pill container and are my pills even going to fit?
I bought just a bunch of inserts because I already own an unreasonable number of Capsules and Extenders from years of buying Cadence products (no regrets!). I actually love that you can just buy bits and pieces of the system because I can save a bunch of money not buying more capsules and extenders just to try this out. For our last seven day trip, I used Pill Stack inserts in Medium Capsules so each one had an AM and one PM set. All seven of my morning pills fit, and all of my nighttime pills fit too, which I really didn’t expect.
Normally I take my weekly organizer, pull out a few days, and put some in my backpack while the rest stays in my suitcase so I’m not separated from everything if our luggage gets lost or we get delayed somewhere. The cheap little plastic cases work, but I have had them open inside my bags, which is not awesome when 1) I really need to take all the pills and can’t lose them and 2) I have a toddler with grabby hands. My husband brought regular pill containers on the same trip and his opened and spilled pills into his backpack. You know whose pills didn’t end up everywhere? Mine. The capsules really don’t leak or pop open.
They also have weight and *feel fancy* so it feels like I’m doing something nice for myself. I take a lot of medication every day and so I’m going to interact with a pill container every morning and every night. I love that this makes the whole thing feel less clinical and a little more fun. I like the colors, I like stacking them together, they’re really fun to play with (yay magnets!), I like making whatever configuration I need, and I just like using them. I also have long nails, so twisting open a Capsule is more comfortable than prying open the little plastic compartments on a normal weekly case which makes these easier to fill and get pills out of. I only had enough Pill Stack inserts set up for four days of the trip, so I still brought my regular plastic organizer for the other three. They worked completely fine, but did just make me less happy.
I’ve actually started keeping an extra AM/PM setup permanently in my backpack because on the rare occasions I go into the office, I’m extremely likely to forget my medication. Now, I just have a backup sitting there that’s also *fancy*.
I totally get it if you’re reading this and your first thought is “yup, no, I don’t need that.” A cheap pill organizer does the same job. And you’re right! But I’ve learned that I really enjoy upgrading mundane things that I use constantly rather than spending the same amount on some theoretically luxurious thing I never use. I’m also a person who doesn’t invest in shoes or clothes or lots of other things, so I’m very happy to splurge in the “make taking my medicine feel less bad” category of my life.
Obviously, Cadence products really are expensive. That said, I really don’t have another major complaint about them because everything I’ve bought has held up so well. My Parcels have been on a ton of trips and still look almost new, and my Capsules have survived years and years of use. I tested all of the not Capsules products expecting to tell you they were a waste of money, and I honestly I just really like the Parcels and the PIll Stacks. I’m probably going to buy more of the Pill Stacks if I’m honest.
What’s something completely unnecessary you’ve bought that made a boring part of your life better?
As always, some products may have been gifted, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.
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