If you've been around the internet any time in the last few years you've probably come across the term subscription service. There are a wide variety of subscription services including beauty products, foods, crafts, handmade artisanal items, clothing, jewelry and intimates. The common ground is that they're usually sent out on a monthly (or quarterly) basis and they're usually mystery items. If you're anything like me a mystery box full of almost anything is hard to resist... I have a problem. I got into this attraction to the unknown when Modcloth started doing grab bags. If you've never heard of them Modcloth is an online clothing site that sells tons of cute cute clothing and accessories, a lot of it vintage inspired which I love. Every now and then they hold an event called Stylish Surprise where you can pay a discounted price ($10-15 for an apparel item, $10-15 for a pair of shoes, $5 for an accessory) and get a mystery item ranging in value from $20 to over $200! Can't pass that up. I've gotten some duds (obviously left overs from things no one could possibly want) but I've got some beautiful items too! Anywho I digress... I love a good mystery.
So for a taste of what's available out there here are a few options:
For the child try out Kiwi Crate ($19.95), Little Passports ($11.95) and Nerblock Jr. ($13.99) which comes in a Boys theme and Girls theme
For the crafty person try out WhimseyBox ($15),
For the foodie try Plated ($60)
For the Eco or Fair Trade Conscious person try out ConsciousBox ($19.95), NatureBox ($19.99) and Fair Treasure ($35)
For the manly man try out Trunk Club ($40), Birchbox Man ($20) and DollarShaveClub ($3)
For the Fashionista try out Wantable's Accessory ($36) or Intimate box ($36), StitchFix ($20)
For the makeup junkie try Birchbox ($10), Wantable's makeup box ($36), Glossybox ($21), Beauty Box 5 ($12) or Julep Maven ($19.99)
For the pet lover try BarkBox ($29)
*please note that not all subscriptions are available in all areas and shipping costs may differ in different countries!
*please note that not all subscriptions are available in all areas and shipping costs may differ in different countries!
I've had a go at a few different subscription services over the years so I thought I'd give you my two cents. I've tried Julep, which is a nail polish/makeup subscription service. You can get a subscription on a monthly basis ($24.99 per month) or for a three month period which works out to be a bit cheaper ($19.99 per month) with free shipping. The box boasts a $40 value in each months offering. When you enter the site you can take a quiz that will assign you a style profile containing polish colors/makeup you would probably like. There's Classic With a Twist, It Girl, Boho Glam, Bombshell and Modern Beauty, each offering a different combination of polishes and/or makeup. You're never confined to stay with your original profile and can switch things up on a month to month basis based on what you like best! And unlike a lot of other subscription services you know exactly what you're getting each month if you just check the website. Every month the contents of the different style profiles are posted and you have the option to change your mind about what you'd prefer to get which pretty handy.
 |
| Style profiles available through the Julep Maven subscription service. |
I tried out the It Girl Box and received three polishes: Blake, Claire and Morgan. Blake is a lovely pastel yellow and I loved it at first site. Unfortunately my skin tone didn't feel the same way... I felt it looked very odd on me... almost sickly... so this was a no go right off the bat. Claire is a beautiful sky blue and I adore it to this day. It's one of my only blue polishes and I love it. My favorite out of the box however was Morgan. Purple is by far my favorite color when it comes to pretty much anything (I even had purple hair at one point) so I was most excited about it. I used it a couple times and then it started to become... sludgy... I hadn't left the bottle open or closed it improperly... didn't leave it out in the sun... I stored it as I had all of my other polishes but this one alone turned strange. Extremely disappointed.
 |
| Julep colors Blake, Claire and Morgan |
It's a neat system but I just found that I didn't really NEED that many polishes. It's also a bit expensive in my opinion. On the bright side you can cancel your subscription any time and you will no longer be charged. If you've purchased a three month subscription however (payment is required up front) you will still receive the remaining boxes in your subscription. Julep's website also has a store where you can purchase any of their lovely products individually or as an add-on to your monthly subscription! Good stuff!
I subscribed to Glossybox for a few months but I found that I ended up getting a lot of similar stuff and again it was a bit pricey. You can subscribe to Glossybox for a one, three, six or twelve month stints starting at $21 per month and free shipping. It comes in a lovely pink box which is really high quality and great for storage once you're done opening. The box provides you with five mystery beauty products every month ranging from makeup, to nail polish, fragrance samples and skin care products. From what I understand Canada and the USA receive different boxes or at least they did when I was subscribed. In my first box I received: Sebastian Trilliance Shampoo and Conditioner (sample size - this was very nice but retailed for about $15/bottle!), Jouviance Rejuvenating Anti-Aging Cream (sample size - nice but sample was too small to see any significant changes), a Zoya nail polish (full size - color was so sheer even three coats was not enough), a ModelCo Lip Duo in Dusk (full size - very nice product though the brownish color was not flattering on me) and a GiletteVenus razor (full size). So three full size products is not bad at all but I didn't really like two of them and the razor... well I always feel odd about getting these in a subscription box because I'd prefer items I haven't tried and a Gilette razor? I think we've all had them. And Glossybox tended to throw one of these drugstore items in with most of the boxes I got... I think the next one contained a Curel hand cream, which was very nice don't get me wrong but you can buy that anywhere.
 |
| Previous Glossybox subscription contents. |
Overall it IS a good value for what you pay. I just found that I ended up getting a lot of similar products and people who had been subscribed for a longer amount of time said there had been quite a few repeat products so I decided it wasn't for me.
Finally, and a little off track from the others, I tried Loot Crate which is a nerdy/gamer subscription that sends you geeky items in a box every month. You can subscribe to Loot Crate in one, three or six month plans starting at $29.95 per month in Canada (much less expensive in the states).There's a theme every month so you have an IDEA about what you're getting but honestly I was never really satisfied with it. There was usually only one item I was really excited about and I could have gone out and bought that one item for much cheaper than ordering the subscription box. That being said I did end up giving most of the other stuff to friends and family so it's great for collecting stocking stuffer materials for fellow nerds :)
My first box was themed EQUIP. It came with a digitial subscription to Pure Nintendo Magazine which I never used, an Space Invaders bow tie (which I turned into an amazing hair bow), a towel printed with "Don't Panic and Remember Your Towel (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), some Super Mario themed candy (which came in a cute coin box) and some stickers. Now I LOVED the bow tie and I wear it all the time but everything else? Meh.
My second box was themed MASHUP. It came with a Deadpool/KoolAid Man mashup tee (Deadpool Aid) which was pretty cool, a stylus/pen, a pair of 8-Bit sunglasses, some random candy and some stickers. I liked the shirt and the glasses though they were not necessarily things I would have bought given the option. One awesome thing about LootCrate is that when you sign up they ask you for your shirt size so you actually get a shirt that fits when they include one in a box! Props for that :)
As you can see it's the most expensive box I've tried by far and in the end it wasn't worth it to me for the possibility of one cool item... plus there were always a ton of stickers and decals that I never used... oh well.
 |
| Some of the contents of previous Loot Crate boxes. |
In the end my advice is that if you see a subscription service you think you might like give it a try! They're generally not that expensive and you can buy one month at a time to try it out. If you don't like what you get not too much damage done and hopefully there was something in there someone you know might like so it doesn't go to waste! Most subscription services offer deals for first time subscribers for a discounted (or in some cases free!) box. So just take a look around!
So what subscriptions have you tried? Were they worth your while or a fizzle?? If you have anything to share please comment below! I'd love to hear from you!
Get your first Julep Box for FREE using code FREEBOX at checkout!
Get your first Beauty Box 5 subscription FREE using code FREEBOX6 at checkout!
Save $3 off a new subscription to LootCrate with Code JuneLoot (or check out their facebook page, they always have a discount code going on)
Save 50% on your first natureBox with code ADDICTION
No comments:
Post a Comment