LE TOTE: Netflix for Clothing

www.letote.com

Price: $49/month. $5/month insurance recommended. Free shipping both ways.

The Deal: After a style quiz, browse through Le Tote's catalog and collections to put items in your "closet" (basically your wish list). Every tote comes with two accessories and three clothing items chosen either from your closet or based on your style quiz. Keep them for as long as you like before you return them, or buy the pieces you love. Unlimited totes per month.

Review: Le Tote is basically the clothing and accessories version of Rocks Box–which, as you all know, I love. So far I think it's a pretty good deal. You get a lot of stuff for $50 a month, and you don't have to buy anything, so it's a great chance to try out new trends without cluttering up your closet.

Another thing I really like that's unique to Le Tote is that they let you review all the items in your tote *before* they mail it. You can then switch out pieces you don't want for something else. Love this feature! The only piece of clothing I really like in this tote is the one I decided to switch for.

Also, you don't even have to clean your clothes at all–they do it when you send them back. Basically you can order a weekly wardrobe and send it back without ever having to do laundry! (Note to self: Attempt to see if this actually works.)

Coupon: Use the link above to get $25 off your first month at Le Tote.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared on Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books. The link above is a referral link. The author will receive a $15 in-store Le Tote credit if you sign up using the above link.

BOOK RIOT QUARTERLY BOX: Bookish Delight in a Box

quarterly.co

Price: $50 every three months, plus $5 shipping. You can also buy individual boxes without subscribing, sometimes on sale. $8 shipping for non-subscribers. International shipping options.

The Deal: The people who brought you Book Riot hand-select 5-6 books and bookish items to brighten your life.

Review: I'll be honest, the only reason I ordered this box was because I wanted that #Booksandbooze flask. I love the flask. Ergo I am very happy with my purchase.

That said, I got this box on sale. I think the regular price of Book Riot's box ($50) is pretty steep. But for $25, getting an awesome flask, one book I'll probably never read and another book I'll *definitely* never read, a bookmark and some random notebook paper seems reasonable.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared on Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books. The author is a contributor to Book Riot but is not associated with the Book Riot Quarterly Box in any way.

LOVE WITH FOOD: Snacks for One

lovewithfood.com

Price: $10-24.95/month, free shipping

The Deal: Curated snack boxes are sent to your home or office every month.

Bonus: For every box sent, Love with Food donates meals to hungry children in America through various food banks.

Review: Love with Food has two significant differences to Nature Box. First of all, the snacks are single-serving, probably a good option if you're planning on enjoying them all by your lonesome. Second of all, each box is "curated" by various foodies, nutritionists, chefs, etc. You don't get to choose what goes in it, beyond a gluten free option.

The problem with curated boxes like this is that if the theme isn't cohesive or specific, it feels like you've been sent a bunch of random stuff. Unfortunately my box leaned more toward the random side. I was also extremely unimpressed with the "healthy snack" selection. It could just be the box curator for that month, but the taste of the snacks ranged from meh to blech and ptooie. If these are healthy snacks, give me Cheetos or give me death.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author received this box for review purposes.

WANTABLE: Intimates Collection

www.wantable.com

Price: $40 for the first month and $36/month thereafter. Free shipping both ways.

The Deal: Wantable sends 3-5 "intimates" items (loungewear, lingerie, bras, panties, socks, etc.) every month based on a style quiz. You can return items if you don't like them and rate items for improved boxes in the future.

Review: So far I'm very pleased with Wantable! They have different monthly subscriptions focusing on fashion accessories, makeup, intimates, fitness clothing, and style edits (which are basically the same as Stitch Fix). I went with the intimates collection because I realized I didn't have enough pajamas, and the ones I did have were on their last legs. So to speak. There was a simple quiz about my size, style preferences, and what sorts of items I wanted (have I mentioned I'm a sucker for quizzes?), and then I got my box lickety-split. I absolutely loved the items they sent and the price was very reasonable–$40 per box, which translated to less than $20 per item. Plus a $4 credit on the next box if I keep everything. I can't wait to get my next box! Definitely recommend this service.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared on Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books. The link above is a referral link. The author will receive a $10 Wantable in-store credit when you sign up using the above link.

SCENT TRUNK: Niche Perfumes and Colognes

scenttrunk.com

Price: $18-$15/month, free shipping

The Deal: After completing a scent profile, subscribers receive three indie and niche fragrance samples hand-picked just for them.

Review: I was super excited to try this box service. I've never been the type of person who wears perfume, but I always wished I was, so this seemed like a great opportunity to try out different perfumes and see what worked for me.

There's a lot to like about Scent Trunk: I love that they only use niche fragrances, and the customer service is awesome and very personable. I also really liked the "Fragrance 101" emails they sent.

Unfortunately, all the perfumes Scent Trunk sent me contained scents I specifically said I did NOT like in the quiz. I don't know if it was human error or their website's algorithms were off or what. All but one of the perfumes were completely awful; one even made me sneeze. The "Rate My Scents" option is actually a way to get subscribers to write public reviews for Scent Trunk's retail website and not private feedback. End result: I did not feel listened to.

Add to that a snafu with the shipping (they said I'd receive the package by Friday, by Wednesday I was still waiting and then they sent me the wrong tracking number after I emailed them), and I think this box is a cancel.

On the plus side, though, these awful perfumes–which aren't cheap, by the way; check out how much this one retails for–provided an opportunity for my dad to give hilarious reviews of them. They ranged from, "You smell like you've been rolling around in old lady clothes," to "What's that smell?" to, "I don't smell anything. Five stars."

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared on Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books.

NATURE BOX: Healthy Snacks

Image via flickr

naturebox.com

Price: $16.95-19.95/month, free shipping

The Deal: Choose up to five unique, healthy snacks to be sent to your home or office every month.

Bonus: For every box sent, Nature Box donates one meal to Feeding America.

Review: Nature Box offers a TON of very unique snacks you can't get anywhere else, like Jalapeño White Cheddar Popcorn, Guacamole Bites, Flat Fortune Cookies, and Santa Fe Corn Stix. You can also find more typical snacks, such as pretzels, chips, and cookies, but without hydrogenated oils or artificial colors and sweeteners. Every bag has enough to share, and while not every snack is a hit, it's fun to try some of the stranger ones.

If you like trying new snacks and have a bunch of people to share them with, this is definitely the snack box for you.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author was sent this box for review purposes.

BAMBOO SUPPLY CO: Socks Box!

http://www.bamboosupplyco.com/

Price: $14-$16, depending on subscription, free shipping

The Deal: Bamboo Supply Co. sends you their brand of bamboo dress socks, which are soft, antibacterial, moisture-wicking, and safer for the environment than traditional socks.

Review: Who doesn't like socks, amirite? I think a subscription box service for socks is a great idea, because you know you're going to need them. I would have liked socks that were a little quirkier design aesthetic, but that's just my personal style. The socks from Bamboo Supply Co. are very comfortable and soft, like silk or cashmere, and luxurious. They might not last a super-long time, but hey, that's what the subscription's for.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author received this box for review purposes.

BULU BOX: Health Nut Gear

www.bulubox.com

Price: $9.17-10/month, free shipping

The Deal: Receive curated samples of exclusive health supplements based on your personal profile, then buy the ones you love in full-size.

Review: Much better than expected! As with Bark Box, Bulu Box is impressively themed, and you get a lot of value for your ten bucks. And like Ipsy, Bulu Box is the type of service where if you don't like one or two items it's okay, because the rest of the stuff is probably worth the price of the box on its own. You don't just get health supplements, either, but a card tracking your wellness and health tips from experts.

If you love GNC, this is the box service for you.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author received this box for review purposes.

MISTOBOX: Artisan Coffee Subscription

one.mistobox.com

Price: $18-30 per shipment

The Deal: After filling out a coffee profile, you get a shipment of personally curated coffees from artisan coffee makers all over the US who only use sustainably farmed, free trade coffee beans.

Review: If you're one of those people who's totally fine with grabbing a bag of ground 8 O'Clock coffee for your drip coffee maker every morning, this is probably not the service for you. All the bags I received were whole bean (something I wish they'd warned me about), so I had to go out and buy a coffee grinder. As for using a French press, come on. No one's got time for that.

BUT, even using the drip coffee maker, the coffees Mistobox sent were sublime–bold, smooth, flavorful, and delicious. If you treat coffee like oenophiles treat wine, you need to try this box service.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author was sent this box for review purposes.

ROCKS BOX: Netflix for Jewelry

www.rocksbox.com

Price: $19/month, free shipping both ways

The Deal: Following yet another style quiz (love quizzes, LOVE THEM), a stylist picks out three jewelry items and sends them to you. You keep them for as long as you like and send them back (or buy them, if you like) when you're ready for another box o'jewelry. Rate each item online to improve your next box.

Review: Rocks Box is kind like of Stitch Fix meets Netflix. You're only renting the jewelry, not buying it, but for $19 a month you can try out a lot of jewelry. Like Stitch Fix, Rocks Box benefits from specificity. Even if you don't have a specific event or reason for ordering jewelry, however, the stylists are fantastic and eerily prescient about what pieces are "totally you." You might start wondering if they're internet stalking you.

Overall a very fun experience with a high value in what you get for your money. One of my personal favorite box services.

Coupon Code: Use TASHABFF20 at checkout to try Rocks Box free for 1 month.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The code above is a referral code. The author will receive $25 in Rocks Box "shine spend" when you check out using the above code.

BARK BOX: Prezzies for Your Pets

barkbox.com

Price: $19-29/month, free shipping

The Deal: Bark Box sends you dog treats, toys, and gifts every month based on the size of your pet.

Bonus: Bark Box donates 10% of its profits to dog rescues, shelters, training, and spay/neuter programs.

Review: Getting a subscription box for your dog might seem pretty silly. "Dogs don't care!" you might be saying to yourself. Yeah, but YOU probably like having fun with your dogs, and that's what Bark Box provides dog lovers: fun in a box. No other box service I've encountered so far is so well-themed or so clearly focused on providing an experience by way of a product. The boxes are soooooo much fun and provide hours of entertainment. Personally, my dogs love all the treats and toys they got in their boxes. For $19, Bark Box seems a bit pricey but is by far one of the most addictive box subscription services you can find.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author received Bark Boxes for review purposes.

HELLO FRESH: Fresh Ingredients and Recipes to Cook Meals at Home

Spanish-style steak salad

www.hellofresh.com

Price: $69-$129 per box (includes ingredients for 3 meals and is sent weekly), shipping included

The Deal: Hello Fresh sends seasonal, fresh ingredients along with recipes to create healthy and balanced meals. Vegetarian options available.

Review: Hello Fresh delivers on their promise to send super-fresh, quality ingredients. The recipes are very clear and easy to follow and the meals are crowd-pleasers, even for a family with picky eaters. Also, cleanup is a breeze, something that's much appreciated.

You're probably thinking this box is for people who don't know how to cook or are too lazy/busy to go grocery shopping, but in fact Hello Fresh is really for anyone who enjoys learning new recipes and simply likes to cook.

That said, even though the boxes themselves are awesome, Hello Fresh as a company engages in some very hinky business practices. I ordered a box using a $40 off coupon, understanding that I could order more boxes at any time. What they didn't make clear was that they would automatically send me a box every week unless I went into my account and canceled it. So when another box arrived at my doorstep a week later, I was blindsided.

I refused the box and immediately went into my account to see what was up. Coincidentally, the cut off date for canceling the next box was the day before I was set receive my boxes. There was nothing to do but wait for the next box to arrive and then refuse it, but Hello Fresh refused to grant me a refund despite the fact that my state law requires refunds on boxes that are refused on delivery. I'm still considering taking the matter up with the Better Business Bureau.

Basically, Hello Fresh lured me into trying them with a coupon, then tricked me into spending $260 I wouldn't have otherwise. And who the hell wants to learn three new recipes every freaking week anyway? I wish I could say I recommend this box service, as the boxes themselves are great, but the customer service end was absolutely terrible bordering on a scam.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. 

STITCH FIX: Personal Stylist Clothing Subscription

www.stitchfix.com

Price: Depends on the items, but averages to $250 per box, or $50 per item. Shipping and returns are free; frequency is up to you.

The Deal: After a quick style and fit quiz, a personal stylist picks out five pieces of clothing just for you. You try them on in the comfort of your own home and send back the things you don't like. Rate each clothing item to improve future boxes.

Review: I'm one of those people that hates shopping for clothes because I can never find anything that fits me and blah blah blah. So I was crazy impressed by how perfectly every item in my Stitch Fix fit, without the stylist ever even having seen me! That said, Stitch Fix is expensive, and over time I felt like the stylists weren't listening to me. The Fixes became increasingly random instead of better, despite the time-consuming feedback process. I eventually discontinued my account. I know lots of people who are happy with Stitch Fix, but I'm not one of them.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP.

LOOT CRATE: Gamer and Geek Box

www.lootcrate.com

Price: $11.95-13.95, plus $6 shipping

The Deal: Every month you get a "comic con in a box," with themed boxes geared toward gamers and pop culture geeks. Social media is designed to build a sense of community between Loot Crate's 10k+ subscriber base.

Review: I am completely and absolutely in love with this box. First of all, the box itself unfolded into a game board!!!11!! Genius, I tells ye. And the game (all pieces were included) was actually fun. Secondly, the box included several items that were worth the whole price of the box by themselves. Loot Crate provides their subscribers with exclusive card games, an exclusive die set, and an exclusive MMORPG that you can play online. A magazine containing articles, information on all the items in the Loot Crate box, and LC's exclusive comic series is included. This subscription box is soooooo worth it. Highly recommended.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The author received this box for review purposes.

TRY THE WORLD: Travel the World with Food Subscription Boxes

www.trytheworld.com

Price: $33-39 every other month, free shipping.

The Deal: Local chefs curate boxes that capture the flavors of another country or culture, giving you a chance to travel the world through food.

Review: My favorite thing about Try the World was the packaging. Very pretty shipping box printed on the inside, and a high-quality green gift box to hold the food items. As for the box itself, there were some fantastic items and some that weren't so hot. I was also annoyed that they charged my card, then never let me know when my box would ship. Getting a response from customer service took DAYS. Considering all that, not quite worth the price.

Note: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP.

IPSY: Makeup and Beauty Products Subscription

www.ipsy.com

Price: $10/month, shipping included

The Deal: A quick style quiz gets you a personalized monthly Glam Bag with a unique clutch and 4-5 beauty products. Rate what you get every month to refine future Glam Bags for your needs and wants.

Review: Ipsy's probably one of the best subscription mailings out there. First of all, at $10 it's very affordable and a bargain to boot–most of the items you get in each bag are worth between $5-10 on their own. Secondly, the quizzes actually do work to make each Glam Bag better. Add in a very active community on Instagram (if you have absolutely no use for an item, you can usually arrange an exchange with a fellow "Ipster" on IG using the hashtags), and this is a must-try for anyone who wears makeup.

Notes: Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP. The link above is a referral link. The author will receive Ipsy "points" if you sign up using the above link.

Your New Obsession: Subscription Box Services

Welcome to the future of retail.

An unexpected combination of old-timey snail mail, marketing algorithms, and social media, subscription boxes are taking over the internet. If you're on Facebook or Instagram a bunch, you probably already know what I'm talking about even if you haven't participated in the phenomenon; if you're not on Facebook, you should be.

Of course, subscribing to get things in the mail you don't necessarily want is nothing new–if you're of a certain generation, you probably remember those Book of the Month or EMI "clubs," which lured you into getting free books or CDs if you promised to buy a certain amount in the coming year.

Modern subscription box services are much different from those mailings, though. First of all, those were kind of a scam. You had to actively opt-out of getting a box every month, or you'd  wind up paying more than you needed to for things you didn't want; most subscription boxes today allow you to cancel anytime, offer free shipping, and are up-front about how much you're going to pay.

Secondly, those "clubs" were selling (or off-loading, as the case might have been) product. Even though today's subscriptions boxes do contain STUFF, the most successful recognize that they're not retailers. As Zach Frechette, the founder of Quarterly–a quarterly box service that offers curated boxes from experts and celebs like Nina Garcia and Wil Wheaton–puts it, "We’re really nothing like a store... What we’re offering is an experience."

This is what's essential to understand about subscription box services and their appeal: you're not buying a product. You can buy product on Amazon. What you're buying is the chance to expand your interests and try something new by letting other people pick out stuff for you. It's like Christmas morning meets Facebook personality quizzes.

Social media plays a big role, too: posting pics of your #unboxing to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is part of the deal, and many subscription box services work Instagram into their company in creative ways. Ipsy offers the chance to win a year's worth of mailings if you post pictures of your monthly bag with the hashtags #ipsy and #glambag, and Rocks Box lets you #wishlist any item they post with a simple IG comment.

Today there are thousands of subscription boxes out there, most focusing on either fashion or food, though there are several catering to specific hobbies and interests. If you're curious about which ones to try, Subscription Vixen is here to help! We post reviews of subscription boxes and tell you which ones are winners and which one are duds.

Have your own subscription box experience you'd like to share? We post guest reviews. Find out how under our Review Policy.

Portions of this post originally appeared in "Unboxing Subscription Boxes" in the April 2015 edition of The Pueblo PULP.