#subscriptions unboxed

[bookishlyvintage]

Owlcrate prompt 4: Reading Planner & TBR

-> I just love these so much, it's my favorite item in their yearly boxes. Of course I love goodreads for tracking books read, but there's something special about hand writing your review

[unboxingwitharleen]

Very affordable monthly makeup subscription.

[lilidawnonthemoon]

[someonelookingpraediti]

Subscription Box Comparison - 2023

This year, for my annual book box comparison (it’s happened two years in a row, that makes it annual) I’m comparing five subscription boxes: FairyLoot, OwlCrate, Illumicrate, Rainbow Crate, and A Year of Sanderson. I also received two book-only shipments, and a bonus box to share with you, which isn’t a book subscription: Witch Casket!

Let’s start with some of the boxes I didn’t include this year.  One of the companies I featured last year (Book Box Club) has gone out of business - this is something I predicted, because they weren’t any good. Other boxes I’m not including: The Bookish Box - I think this box looks really good, and I’d love to try it, but they don’t ship to the UK. I could use a third party courier, but it would be very expensive. Fox & Wit - this only comes with one item, so I’m not that invested in trying it, I prefer full boxes. And their website is really quite terribly designed - it’s difficult to navigate, and there never seems to be anything available on their UK site. LitJoy - I’ve tried the occasional one-off purchase from LitJoy, and I can’t deny their quality is amazing. But they persist in clinging to their infatuation to H*rryP*tt*r, which makes me very uncomfortable. They say that they support trans rights, and don’t condone the author’s actions, but their worship of the series says otherwise. In this case, actions really do speak louder than words. But even if they sorted that out - their products are just too expensive. Yes, they’re good quality, but they are incredibly overpriced. FaeCrate - I will never, never order from FaeCrate again. I ordered one box - it was over three months late to arrive, which is apparently very common, and their customer service was not just bad, but they were genuinely rude. When the box finally did arrive, it was just absolute tat, and the entire lot went in the bin. Even the book was uncustomised. And on top of that, there was an item that they’d not included, and a note saying that this item would be sent on to me later. I never heard from them again.

Keep scrolling for my comparison! I've updated my scorecard for this year, which I'm using to rate the books out of 20. Click the Box Name to see a full unboxing for each.

FairyLoot Theme: Eternal Featured Book: Seven Faceless Saints - M.K. Lobb Price (before shipping): £27.50 / $35.90 Total number of items: 4 Items I actually liked: 3 Book Customisation Rating: 12/20 Overall: This is usually one of my favourite boxes - but this month's was quite disappointing. FairyLoot is normally really good, but I have seen a drop in quality recently.

OwlCrate Theme: Let's Rewrite History Featured Book: Midnight Strikes - Zeba Shahnaz Price (before shipping): £29.08 / $35.99 Total number of items: 4 Items I actually liked: 3 Book Customisation Rating: 08/20 Overall: This box has improved massively since my last comparison, last year I was considering dropping this box, but now they're consistently good!

Illumicrate Theme: Live Like Legends Featured Book: Lies We Sing to the Sea - Sarah Underwood Price (before shipping): £27.00 / $35.00 Total number of items: 4 Items I actually liked: 3 Book Customisation Rating: 13/20 Overall: I switched to book-only for half the year, but I went back to the full box as their item quality improved. They're still hit and miss, but vastly improved on last year.

Rainbow Crate Theme: Protect Your Own Featured Books: Ravensong - Cayla Fay and I am Not Your Chosen One - Evelyn Benvie Price (before shipping): £37.95 / $46.97 Total number of items: 2 Items I actually liked: 0 Book #1 Rating: 01/20 Book #2 Rating: 10/20 Overall: This is the first time I'm trying this box, and it'll be the last. Although you get two books, only one is properly customised. And there are only two items, neither of which were much good.

A Year of Sanderson Theme: Cytoverse Featured Book: none Price (before shipping): £32.32 / $40.00 Total number of items: 3 Items I actually liked: 1 Book Customisation Rating: N/A Overall: This one-off Yearly subscription was a complete rip off, and it's made me lose faith in one of my favourite authors. This box comes with either a book or box, and the quality is vastly lacking. It's hugely overpriced, and I've been nothing but disappointed.

This year there are also two upcoming subscriptions that I’m eager to try. There’s a sucker born every minute and, apparently, that sucker is me. One is the new OwlCrate Adult subscription that they’re currently working on. The shipping to the UK makes OwlCrate expensive for me, but I'll definitely try getting both boxes for a while, if I can afford it. The appeal of this is that it's a full box, unlike the FairyLoot Adult subscription, which is book-only. The other is the new Illumicrate Horror subscription. I’m keen to try something other than a Fantasy book subscription, and usually the only options are Romance or Spice, neither of which I’m interested in. This is book only, which is disappointing, but it’s a quarterly subscription, which is more manageable!

The two book-only options I received this month are FairyLoot Adult, and a three-month delayed Sanderson book from January.

FairyLoot Adult Theme: Rotten Opulence Featured Book: The Foxglove King - Hannah Whitten Price (before shipping): £20.00 / $28.00 Book Customisation Rating: 13/20 Overall: I've started skipping months for this subscription, and will probably end up dropping it soon. The books are nice, but they come faster than I can read them, and it doesn't seem as good value without the items, even though it's cheaper.

A Year of Sanderson Theme: Secret Project #1 Featured Book: Tress of the Emerald Sea - Brandon Sanderson Price (before shipping): £32.32 / $40.00 Book Customisation Rating: 03/20 Overall: I've made my thoughts quite clear on the overpricing of this subscription. For this month, we only received a book with no items. It was advertised as a "premium" hardback, which it absolutely is not. It's nice, but not worth the amount they've charged.

The last box I'm going to share isn't a book subscription at all! But honestly, it's so thoughtfully put together, and such good value for money, that I had to include it in this comparison post!

The box is "Witch Casket", and as the title suggests, it's a witch-themed subscription box. I've tried boxes with similar themes before, and always been disappointed, but this one blew me away so much that I've decided to make it a regular subscription!

It had an incredible twelve items, all of them exclusives, rather than the wholesale purchase stuff I've received in previous witchy boxes. You often get spell ingredients, candles, crystals, enamel pins, tea blends, incense. Such brilliant value for money - if this also included a book, it would be a perfect box!

[bodyboxspain]

Este mes por el Black Friday, recibe la bodybox con 10 productos de marcas increíbles en lugar de 5 a un precio irresistible. Los productos destacados de este mes son: ✨️ Mascarilla intensiva de PrimaDerm que restaura la función barrera y proporciona confort a las pieles dañadas. ✨️ Acondicionador Deep Sea Hydration de John Frieda hidrata el cabello en profundidad y lo mantiene suave. ✨️ Parches anti-fatiga iluminadores de Iroha Nature que ayuda a atenuar las ojeras.

¡Consigue ya tu caja 2x1!

[rachaelstray]

Unboxing November Autumn Glow Glossybox

My November Autumn Glow Glossybox arrived on Bonfire Night so was it a box to remember and did sparks fly when I opened it? What was inside the November Autumn Glow Glossybox? Ciate London Sweet Kiss Illuminating Blush (full size RRP £20) The lightweight, buildable formula has a blend of matte pigments and finely milled illuminating particles to give you the perfect flushed cheeks in a…

[robyn-weightman]

It's my last SakuraCo box and i'm not ready 😭

[mediashadowreads]

[UNBOXING] FAIRYLOOT 'SCHOLARLY SECRETS' MAY 2024 - YA BOOK BOX

[straightedgestoner420]

I subscribed to the Smoke Cartel Boss box.

[mysillylittlegang]

Have you seen what I received in my January 2024 Nadine West package! Check out all the beautiful pieces I received. The February post is coming next week! See my blog post here.

[bookishlyvintage]

November Owlcrate: Perilous Travels [x]

[etsyrippleffects]

Lush Kitchen August 2023 - Subscription Unboxing

[theheelerbooklifereads]

[sewgeekmama]

We Got the Turkish Munchies

[bodyboxspain]

¡Nueva Bodybox Mayo! 🎁 #Beautylover

Este mes 5 PRO-DUC-TA-ZOS 🔝 de calidad reconocida, ingredientes estrella y best sellers para todas las #beautyadictas 🥰 ¿Tú también eres una de ellas? ¡Entonces esta cajita te va a encantar! ❤️

☀️ Crema solar SPF30 para piel sensible de P20

💦 Limpiador bifásico con aceite milenario de Madamua

✨ Discos tonificantes exfoliantes e iluminadores de Iroha Nature

💅🏽 Mini Color Salzburg de Mavala ¡plena tendencia para manos y pies!

🤍 Pack piel sensible y atópica de Mussvital

¿Aún no eres de Bodybox? —> Apúntate ahora mismo en Bodybox.es y te enviamos tu caja YA.

[rachaelstray]

Unboxing October Autumn Glow Glossybox

My October Autumn Glow Glossybox came just as the weather really turned so a treat to brighten up the wet dark days was definitely needed! What was inside the October Glossybox? Aveeno Face Calm+Restore Oat Rich Balm (Full size RRP £14.99) The Aveeno Face Calm+Restore Oat Rich Balm targets multiple signs of dry skin, including tightness, uneven texture and sensitivity. Powered by a blend of…