Subscription boxes have this strange and slightly unsettling allure about them. I have seen many subscription box unboxing videos and read many blog posts, however down here in Australia the subscription box phenomenon is not readily known.
The main reason that I have personally never subscribed to a box is because many of the boxes that are reviewed are UK or US based with only a few based in Australia. Despite a chunk of the international boxes allowing for shipping to Australia, the exchange rate and international shipping costs can often make them too unaffordable. I will be posting a list of Australian subscription boxes or international boxes that ship to Australia here (link unavailable at the moment). I will endeavor to keep the list as up to date as possible.
I have been considering of taking up a subscription box for a while. Even though i do love my beauty products, I have a large container of samples (mostly free with purchase or a free offer with a coupon or survey) that I barely touch because I forget they are there and have a lot of products that I've purchased. Therefore it was safe to say that a beauty box every month was probably not the best option. In terms of clothing, I have a very specific style and unfortunately none of the boxes cater to that. I am also a major nerd but a nerd block or loot crate subscription felt like it would fill the house with figurines that we don't need before we move.
These two boxes are ones that I will more than likely end up trying one we are settled in our own home.
At this point in time I needed to find a box that I would not only find beneficial, but something that i would use.
I've been a fan of FCS or
Fortune Cookie Soap since Christmas 2012 when Brody bought me the ENTIRE unicorn farts scent range. I knew that they had a subscription box but refrained from looking into it while I was a poor university student. This is a completely different story now that I am working full time and have a solid income.
The FCS box is a quarterly box, with a new box of sample products released each season. The samples correspond with a collection that they will release within the weeks of the boxes shipment.
I subscribed to the box in December 2014, just after the 'winter' box (Northern Hemisphere Seasons) had shipped out. My first box would be their Spring (our Autumn) box due to ship out in February. The preview card on their website suggested that the box would be based on the Alice in Wonderland live-action move (2010) which only solidified the fact that I needed to purchase this box.
The box shipped out on February 9th (10th in Australia) and arrived on my doorstep yesterday, the 25th. That is around about two weeks for delivery.
The box as i had imagined was indeed Alice in Wonderland inspired and even through the box i could smell the delightful contents. The card on top listed all the products inside the box; in total there were eight products. At the top of the box was a small jeweled blue butterfly, I remember these from when I was younger. I'll probably turn it into a hair clip.
The first product out of the box was the "Futterwacken" Body wash. This is a neon orange colour in an adorable tiny bottle and is described on the card as "Sun warmed lilies brightened with a splash of
grapefruit and a breath of fresh air." The full size of this product is $10.99USD
Next was the OCD hand sanitizer, which i love the name of "We're all mad here." This was a full size 1oz bottle and is a light purple shade in the bottle. The card described it as "Playful mint waters and
natural leafy green notes perfom a masterful balancing act with musky rich cedarwood." For the 1oz bottle the price is $2.89USD but you can also purchase a 7oz bottle or for us Australians 225ml bottle for $6.49USD
The main thing is love about FCS hand sanitizers (apart from the name that is) is that there is hardly ever a chemical smell to any of the ones I have tried.
There was also a tiny jar of "It's only a Dream" whipped cream. A light cotton candy pink which my nose picked up as having a strong citrus smell.
The card describes it as "Calming verbena, lemongrass, calla lily and citrus blended with leafy greens, ylang-ylang, rosewood and ozone; with hints of soft musk and roses."
A 4oz jar will cost you $10.99USD with the 8oz coming in at $16.49USD. These products will last you a fair while, even with continuous daily use.
I pulled out a white bag filled with dried flowers, leaves and probably other things. My first though was that this was a drawer cleaner, pot-puri bag. My second thought was, wait are we supposed to drink this? Turns out I was half right with both my guesses, this is the "Twisted Tea" bath infusion tea. In the full size the product comes in a large jar (much like their bath milk or bath salts do) but our
little sample was sure enough in a tea bag. The scent of this tiny bag was unbelievable. Very natural. The description of the product is "A light, refreshing green tea with notes of sweet herbs, vanilla bean, cucumber, golden amber and hints of neroli and geranium, stirred with a bright sprig of spearmint." The full size product costs $14.99USD and includes a reusable muslin bag (like the one my sample came in) that will fit two tablespoons of product; to be filled and used in the bath.
The "Off with her head" bath fizzer had been slightly damaged during shipping so it was a little crumbly and left residue all over me but the white shaped heart and red rose petals (we're painting the roses red) is perfectly in theme. The card described this bath fizzer as "Groves of Meyer lemons and
succulent oranges mingle with a perfectly manicured garden of wild roses, violets and star jasmine, perfumed with romantic tones of bergamot and Egyptian musk." The full size is priced at $6.99USD
A tiny vile of "Eat me" perfume oil honestly made me want to do just that. It smells exactly like lollies. I think after I opened the box and read through everything I sat there sniffing this perfume oil.
It's addictive. The card described it as "Scrumptious yellow cake with a fresh slathering of rich, creamy vanilla frosting, topped with fresh white pineapple slices and garnished with a sprig of blooming cilantro.
An item that i was a bit confused about but extremely excited to see in the box was the "Who are you?" Incense cones. I adore incense, my mum used to always have it burning in the house and when I left home I continued with that tradition. They came in a little fabric bag and as directed by the card you can either burn them or keep them in the bag in a drawer. When I opened the bag I could smell pear, like the pear jelly-belly jelly beans. After a short while I got a lime after scent.
The card described the scent as "A mysterious mixture of crisp, ripe pear twisted with tart limes, vanilla orchid and a dash of raw cane sugar." I am unsure what the full size of this will be worth.
The item i've saved for last is the "Almost Alice" namesake fortune cookie soap. Neon blue in colour
the fortune inside read "Eat Me" apt and fitting for the theme. The card described it as "Fresh green snap peas and juicy pears brighten this bouquet of sweat pea flowers and freesia, sprinkled with ripe berries." This product is sold at $4.25USD
The full collection will be released on the 27th of February, at this stage I am not sure if anything from this collection will be made permanent.
I can safely say that i will be using all these products, in fact one of the incense cones is burning as i type. I am looking for to the Summer box (our winter) that will be shipping out sometime in May.
The box is charged every three months on the date of your original payment. For example if you paid in late January just before the box shipped out, you will not be charged until late April. For me I paid in December so my payment will be retrieved in March.
Ashlee.
