October Qbox Review

This is the last of my three month subscription to Qbox.  There are some items that I really liked, and some that I could have lived without.  That's pretty typical with Qbox though.

Each month Qbox gives you a cheat-sheet explaining all the products.  They are usually pretty self explanatory, but this month I had no idea at all what the candy/treat was.  It wasn't listed on the cheat-sheet at all, so I was left to take a risk.  There was absolutely no English on the package.  After eating it, I have no idea what the flavor is supposed to be.  The texture is unique too.  All I could pick out was salt and funky aftertaste.  Maybe this is why there was no information provided...

The Kumaman tote bag is actually a pretty big deal as far as I can tell from my web searching.  He is apparently the most popular mascot in Japan.  The Monsters Inc. cellphone stand was a surprise.  I wasn't expecting to get a Disney item in a Qbox.  The nail stickers are great.  I've used some and have really liked how they work.

The makeup again this month is from Too Cool for School.  This must be a huge brand in Korea, or easily mailable to us in the U.S.  It is a highlighter and lives up to its name.  There was also a really cool Galaxy Necklace in this month's Qbox.  In the cheat-sheet it showed that there are a ton of different designs.  I really like the color scheme that I got.  This is my favorite item in the box.

Since this is the October Qbox there had to be some Halloween items.  The socks are kind of a fun design.  It makes me wonder though, everything is printed in English.  The other items in the box don't have any English on them.  It seems like Qbox may be reaching to put together things to fit our American holidays.

So, was it worth it...my Qbox subscription was $68.85 for three months.  I am happy with some of the items in the box, but I could have lived without all of them.  The total value for the items in this box is $71.  If they were items you are in love with, it's a great deal.  I went to the Qbox site and saw the peeks at November's box and decided not to order again.  I will continue to get emails with a some hints, and who knows...I may go back to Qbox if there are items that pull me back. 

September QBox Subscription

Alright, round two for QBox.  I still wonder what the name means?  I feel like I should be doing some kind of research to figure it out.  This months items come from both Japan and Korea. 

 This month's box had a ton of stuff in it.  There was WAY more than came last month.  The items are also a lot better. QBox is big on spoilers and this month the big item they kept teasing was the Kate Spade tote bag.  I actually like this bag quite a bit because it has a round bottom and it actually stands up on its own.  QBox made a big deal that it had a matching coin purse...who really cares...  The snack this month is a Gim seaweed snack as far as I can tell.  I have yet to try, but I'm excited to.  I have never had seaweed dry/dehydrated like it appears to be here.

I really liked the earrings this month.  I feel like QBox didn't know how to describe them either, so I'll just rip off what they came up with in their flyer.  They described them as "Pony Coin Tassels".  I'm also really excited to see a twistable headband.  If you haven't seen one in real life, there is a wire that runs through the headband.  That way you can twist it to look however you desire.  The item that has me pondering is the Liphop Eyeliner.  Subscribers got lipstick from them last month.  The thing that weirds me out about the eyeliner is that it is apparently a trend in Korea to use white eyeliner.  We'll have to see how that works out when I'm brave enough to use it.

The last two items in the box are from Sanrio.  This makes total sense considering this past month you could purchase a limited edition box from them focusing in on one of their characters.  I could have for sure made it through life without owning either of these two items.  It's probably why I didn't subscribe to the limited edition box.

 

So, was it worth it...QBox is a nonrenewable subscription.  That means you sign up for three, six, or twelve month plans and then you are done unless you go back to their site and renew on your own.  I signed up for a three month plan for $68.85.  There is a flyer that comes in each box that tells you the value of the month.  This month said the box came in at $111.50. The misleading and soul crushing part of this subscription is that when you look at the claims form that gets the package through customs, they declare the box at $30.  I guess it's one of those subscriptions that you do get a great deal if you are considering retail value.  It's just a little disheartening when you see what you are buying is actually worth.

August Qbox Subscription Review

Qbox is a brand new subscription box service for me.  It is different in that it doesn't have automatic renewal.  That means, if you really like what you are getting, you need to return to the site to keep renewing on your own.  There are options for subscribing, and I selected the three month option.  There were positive reviews all over the internet, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Qbox promises to send you five to seven items each month that are from Japan or Korea.  The tricky thing I found out though, was that because this box crosses boarders the element of surprise is taken away due to the fact that they need to declare what is in the box.  Each box has a printout right under your home address.

This also means you have, in what Qbox's opinion is, the value of all the items in the box.  There are no hidden or inflated values this way.  There is also another risk of having the mysteries of Qbox ruined for you if you take notice to any of their presence on social media.  They release pictures of what is in that month's box via their website, Instagram, Facebook, and elsewhere.  The thing is, there are different reveals on different social media outlets.  A person could know almost the entirety of the box before it gets to their door.

Qbox also includes a pamphlet telling you how much each item supposedly is.  These values are greatly inflated over the declared values.  I think what makes this box so popular is the fact that it comes from overseas.  There has been some interesting foods and make-up that people have found worthwhile.  I think this has caused the inflated online positivity.

This lunch box was the first item to be teased.  It works well if your lunch has no need for refrigeration as it isn't insulated and doesn't even zip shut.  There is a snap, but things easily fall out.  The cookies are/were really good.  They remind me of Koala Yummies, if you ever had them as a child.

I'm going to call this photo, the impracticable pile.  The cat picture is actually a set of six postcards.  I don't think I've sent a post card to anyone since the internet was readily accessible in American homes.  The headphones are fine, I just have ones that are a lot nicer.  I feel like they would just sit in my desk drawer, so these will be passed on to someone else.  The prize for weirdest item, is the Happy Wing.  This gets stuck on to your toilet seat.  That way if someone leaves the toilet seat up, you can use this handle to put it down without touching the actual toilet seat.  I feel like there would be just as many germs on this, so what's the point?

The lip pigment is an interesting concept from 3CE.  While it didn't photograph well, it is actually a bright coral color.  You squeeze it onto the small brush that comes with it and apply it to your skin.  If you purchase the additional pigments, there is a yellow and white set that you can use with any of the colors.  That way if you want a color darker or brighter you can mix the yellow or white in with your original color selection.  Interesting idea if you get the other set.  Without it, just a nice coral option.

The last items were listed as two separate pieces, but were packaged together because they are from the same company.  Most of the necklaces I've been getting in my subscription boxes the past few months has been micro-sized. By this I mean that instead of large statement pieces, there has been one small item on the chain.  I'm not normally a fan of this style, but I'll give it a go since I'm amassing so much.

So, is it worth it...the three month subscription from Qbox is $68.85 for three months.  Broken down that means each month needs of a value of at least $22.95 to be financially worth it.  Even with the lower declared prices on the shipping box, there was still a gain of a few dollars on my end.  There were also eight items in this box, which is more than they promised.  There were though four items in this box that will probably never be used by me.  So, I'm on the fence with this subscription.  I know I'll be getting two more, but I really don't think I'll be renewing it unless there are some mind blowing items in September and October.