First off, hello from a newbie (I've been lurking in this group for about a month now and finally decided to join in!).
I'm not sure I have "the right" yet to chime in here (lol) as -- with the exception of Julep -- I haven't yet subscribed to any subscription box for more than a month at a time (still deciding which one(s) best fit my limited funds!) but here are the ones I have tried:
Conscious Box: I first tried this in July of last year. I liked it well enough but couldn't justify the $19 price tag, so I cancelled it. I subscribed once more last month after deciding to give it another chance, just received my January 2013 box, and once again... I just cancelled it. I don't hate it but it's still not quite "me" enough to justify the price. They do pack the boxes pretty full but nothing inside either box "wowed" me. Perhaps if my financial situation improves (or if they lower the price -- or if I found some sort of deal) I would subscribe again.
Gotham Box: This company doesn't seem to exist anymore (?) and after I received my one and only box from them last summer, I'm not surprised they (seemingly) went out of business. Two items (a chocolate bar and a beef jerky/pepperoni stick thing that I couldn't even eat) for $20?! Granted they were full-size, but still -- the box was supposed to include "at least 3" items. It's a shame, because I love NYC and San Francisco, and loved the idea of this sub!
Julep: Another that I joined last summer. I purchased a month-to-month subscription and ended up receiving 4 boxes. I actually intended to cancel sooner than I did just because I wasn't using the polishes, but I kept forgetting to call during business hours to cancel! I did receive several nice polishes -- again, I just wasn't using them enough (most of them, I still have -- unopened! Anyone want any Julep nail polish from last summer/fall?
)
Bulu Box: The 4th and final of the boxes that I first tried last summer. I signed up through one of the blogs (I believe it was "Everyone Loves a Treasure") after I saw a deal to get a free box. I liked it better than I thought, but not enough to continue with my subscription at the time. I decided to try again last month and am currently waiting for the January 2013 box (which I've now read is... not the greatest-sounding of boxes, but I suppose I will see for myself when it arrives!).
Little Black Bag: Fun, addicting, and dangerous... for me! Technically, I was only a member for one month (December 2012), but I decided to cancel my membership after spending close to $300 on four different bags!
(I think part of that was just "novelty" aspect, but... just in case... I decided to hold back for now!) I was impressed by the customer service, and might join this one again someday if my financial situation improves, or once I've made up my mind about all the other subscription services!
Klutch Club: This is one of the subs I ordered while on my "subscription box" spree last month. I actually really liked the December box. I still cancelled after ordering (just while I'm checking out all the other subs) but I can see myself going back to this one. I liked the variety, the size of the samples, ease of the website, and the price seems reasonable for everything they packed into the box!
Beauty Army: Another box that I tried last month, then cancelled. I like the idea of it and did receive one B&BW shower gel and one lip gloss that I liked, but wasn't too thrilled with the rest of my choices and ended up having to pick stuff that I was "meh" about (like tea). I read somewhere -- probably on here! -- to try entering a different age than my "old" 33 years, so maybe I'll try again sometime and pretend to be 18 and see if the sample choices are any better.
Love With Food: JUST got my first box in the mail today! I haven't tried anything yet and thus haven't decided whether to keep or cancel.
That does it for the subs that I've actually received. I'm still waiting for
Ipsy, Pop Sugar Must Have (this sounds like it has the potential to be either really amazing or really disappointing -- obviously, I'm hoping for the former!) and
Goodies Co., as well as the second Bulu Box I mentioned above. I signed up for the Birchbox mailing list awhile back and finally got my invite, but it was when I was really struggling with money so I ignored it and highly doubt the invite is still good. I'm not sure yet whether I should try again with that one. I was also really considering
Healthy Surprise but contacted customer service with a question and was... less than impressed with their response. Plus, I just heard of
Boxtera which seems better (to me). I might try that one next month.
Anyway, it's nice to be here!
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