terriko: (Default)
This is my favourite wantable box so far!

Let's start with the boring and work our way up:

Wantable Socks - Color: Black



Wantable Socks
Wantable, your system isn't so good with colour, is it? Pretty sure that's not black.

These are a cheaped out part of the box, for me. I could buy these at the drug store for probably $3.99 or less, so the claimed $6 by stamping a wantable brand on the tag is pushing it.

That said, they're kind of cute neon socks. I'm not a huge fan of short socks since I've moved out of the desert and have discovered that short socks often result in damp ankles, and I hate damp ankles, but I'll enjoy these when I'm not leaving the house, anyhow.

Hiding the more intimate parts for those who might not want panties showing up on their feeds... )

PACT Navy Bandana Camisole



PACT camisole

I love love love this piece. It fits me perfectly, has a bit of runching in the front so it sits properly on my boobs, goes down to my hips, it's soft, and it even claims that profits of the sale went towards urban garden projects. How cool is that?

My only complaint is their flavour text about the organic cotton, which I'm too lazy to look up right now but it included something like "it's certified organic, which means no harsh pesticides" FAIL. Certified organic means a restricted set of organic pesticides, not no pesticides, and many of those organic pesticides are plenty harsh and dangerous.

20140210-IMG_0937.jpg

Mis-information aside, PACT seems like a pretty cool company. They're a bit hippy-dippy, but they claim to be sweatshop-free and their prices are reasonable, so I'm willing to give them a bunch of money. The hard part is in deciding what I want and how many tank tops I can justify buying at once...

Claimed value: $28 (Actual value: Originally $30 on PACT's website, but currently marked down to $12)

Summary


Lots of winners in this box, and only one pair of panties that was annoying. I discovered a new brand which I like, even if they don't understand what certified organic means. I am pleased!

... which is just as well, because February's box is so underwhelming that I may return it entirely. Stay tuned for pictures!
terriko: (Default)
This month, the box was half the size, but apparently packed with just as much stuff!

Subscription box stuff

I approve of smaller shipping boxes in an environmental sort of way, so I like the change. Plus, I'm hoping that this means they're thinking about their shipping and won't screw it up so I owe shipping when the box arrives, because that was unclassy. (However, it hasn't happened since that first box and I've received 5 now, so it seems they've fixed the problem!)

A thing I don't love about wantable's website: Not only do they not have product links easily available (you'd think this would be something the product providers would want!), but sometimes they don't even tell me the brand of the item. Which is relevant in the December intimates box:

Short Sleeve Tee- Amethyst Heather



This is a Bella t-shirt. You know, the ones that are one of the cheap options for women's cut shirts if you want to get shirts printed? I realize these retail for something ridiculous like $30 on Bella's website (presumably to match the printed markup cost?), but if you get them blank in bulk for printing they're like $7. Threadless-type stores seem to sell them printed for $10 pretty regularly. So I feel like Wantable's claim that this is $22.00 worth of value may be sort of disingenuous.

I actually like the shirt, though. It's a nice dark maroon-purple heathered colour, and Bella shirts actually fit me reasonably well, which I know because I have a few from conferences and stuff. Here's this particular one:

Subscription box stuff: Bella t-shirt

It's a bit tight but comfy and something I will in fact actually wear. So I guess I'm pleased with the shirt itself, but feel like maybe wantable cheaped out a bit on this?

Claimed value: $22. Actual value, probably closer to $7.

Betsey Johnson Intimates Bikini Hot Pink



Subscription box stuff

Like the last time, this item demonstrates an appalling sense of taste. It looks especially bad next to the socks in this month's package. But not nearly as bad as when you look at it more closely....

20140210-IMG_0920.jpg

Yup, leopard-print crotch on the inside of those suckers.

At this point, I have to conclude that Betsey Johnson has a brand dedicated to people with incredibly terrible taste. Or perhaps people who like to pretend to have terrible taste in a hipster-ironically sort of way? Which frankly, is just a different type of terrible taste.

But, I find these so hilariously bad that I will wear them, so what does that say about me?

As undies, they are actually pretty comfy. They are low in the front and fully cover your butt in the back, which I find a very weird choice because it basically means every time I lean over these panties are all "hi there!" which would be I guess kind of fun way to avoid showing butt-crack if they were attractive. Unfortunately, they're really not, so when I lean over you get "OMG YELLOW-ORANGE LACE" like the white "blind the dangerous thing" signal of the white tailed deer.

I leave this to your imagination.

These are hilarious in the same way that bad thrift shop clothes are hilarious, but they're not a win with me, Wantable.

Claimed value: $12, or 3 for $27. Since I can get victoria's secret panties that I know fit me for around $6, this is not a terrible bulk price, but if I chose my own panties I would never have chosen these.

OZONE Socks Basket Weave



These socks are probably actually the neatest part of the December box. I'm not in love with the colours, but they're kind of handknit-style and comfortable.

Socks from Wantable's December intimates box

There's a few textures in play here: a smooth stockinette bottom/toe/heel, textured top, and differently textured cuff. I presume from the name that the top cuff is "basket weave" stitch although it doesn't look much like it when stretch out on my strong walker calves. I don't really know my knitting stitch names well enough to tell you what the stitch on top of the sock is called. More experienced knitters, feel free to chime in.

Socks from Wantable's December intimates box

One thing that I did find interesting, especially in light of the "so strong it bruises" elastic from November's socks, is the elastic in these, which goes below the very large cuff, where the colour change starts:

Socks from December's Wantable Intimates Box

Claimed value: $13. Which is probably around what it would cost me in yarn to handknit socks, so not terribly unreasonable.

Luster Bralette Black



Last and most definitely least is the Bralette:

Subscription box stuff: Soft bra

It's not a bad shape. The cross-back straps mean it's unlikely to fall down, and I like the shaping in the front.


Their "M/L" is basically a compression bra on me. This has some usefulness for me as far as breast-binding for costumes go, and it's stretchy enough that it's comfy.

That said, it's undeniably not really my size. Unfortunately, while wantable touts that you can return individual products, it's not really worth it because of how they handle it. I have to return enough product to get my wantable-assigned value below the $36 I paid for the box. Since I actually like the shirt ($22) and the socks ($13), I'm going to get a maximum refund of $36-$35 = $1. That's not worth my time.

Oh well. I'll either keep it for crossplay costuming, or I'll see if my sister wants it, I guess.

Claimed value: $38.00. Not horrible if it were the right size, I guess. To me, actual value is around $5 to replace tensor bandages for breast binding.


----

Total claimed value: $85
Actual value to me: maybe $25-30

So for a $36 box, that's pretty darned disappointing, even though I liked the items.
terriko: (Default)
I'm really behind on the Wantable box descriptions, which is a side-effect of really being behind on photo processing in general. But on the bright side, I can tell you how much things actually got used!


V-neck Bra Heavenly Pink



This is actually the least used of the bunch: it's a little light pink soft bra in the same style as the coobie camisole I loved in my first box. I like it, but just not quite as much as my existing soft bras, which are of this crossover style, which I find stays in place better the way I move.

It's almost identical to the cami, except shorter and pink, so it was actually kind of disappointing in that it wasn't a new thing to me. It's moderately useful since I have relatively few light-coloured bras, at least.

If I took a picture of these, I can't find it, but basically imagine the pink of the bandeau in my previous box, but the shape of the beige cami, only missing everything below the bra band. Yeah, this felt like a repeat in box 2.

Emerald Bay Socks



These are mid-length argyle socks, from the same company as the pink knee-highs I got in the first box. Here I am on box #2 and I'm already starting to wonder if Wantable actually has the deals in place to pull off this intimates box thing long-term or if I'm just going to get the same things over and over again.

I like these socks aesthetically, but they have such strong elastic at the top that they leave basically wounds on my calves after I've been wearing them all day. Good if I don't want my socks to slip while walking, but if I don't remember to shove them down to my ankles during the day, they nearly bruise. I wear them because it is awesome to have walking socks that don't slouch, but I have mixed feelings about them and look forwards to the elastic starting to stretch. Having noticed the excessive elastic problem in these, I realize that it also happens with the knee-high ones, but since they go over top of my calves, it's not so noticeable.

If I took a picture of these, I can't find it, but basically imagine the pink socks in my previous box, only green and shorter. Can you say repeat?

Betsey Johnson Intimates Sleep Shorts Houndstooth



Subscription box stuff

I actually wore this for the first time this weekend, because it's a bit too cold for shorts in the house (seriously: not a great choice for a November box, Wantable). They look... hilariously bad on me. Like cheap, ill-fitting booty shorts. I'll use them anyhow because this amuses me and they're more comfy than my existing sleep shorts, but definitely not a thing I would have bought myself.

Subscription box stuff

Seriously? Houndstooth, hot pink lace, rosettes? Teensy little ass-pocket? That is comedy gold right there, in some sort of bad taste blog. You'll understand if I don't photograph myself wearing these for those aesthetic reasons alone, but I'll tell you that they also are weirdly saggy in the front, too tight in the back, and while I'm sure J's going to appreciate the rear view because he thinks I look great no matter what, they do not make me feel attractive at all.

Edit: Nope, even he thought they looked weird on me.

Snowflaked Slipper Sock- Grey



First: I am *so* glad that wantable has put in a review system so that I can see what they'd sent me without having to pretend I want to return the package.

Second: I really wish they'd made it so there were links to places to buy the products/get more info, because I like to have such links on my own blog.

Third: The slipper socks I received weren't grey.

Subscription box stuff

That meta-discussion done, I want to say that this was the real winner of the whole box! I absolutely love these, and I have from the moment I got them:




They're warm, they're thick, they're comfy. They don't even seem to make me generate excessive amounts of static (my existing socks combine with the crappy carpeting in our house to make me zap every metal surface in the house this winter). My only complaint is that they do slide around a bit on my feet (though they have grippy bits for the floor), so I have to be careful on stairs.

I love these so much that they completely made up for the rest of the box, with its repeats and its dubious booty shorts. But I can already tell that this whole wantable intimates thing might not last for me unless they step up on the supplier front.
terriko: (Default)
When I was trying to decide which makeup box I was going to try, I looked at Wantable (again, thanks to the most excellent blog Brightest Bulb In the Box: Beauty for Critical Minds). Unfortunately, since their big thing is that they give full-sized products, something I actually didn't want given my minimal makeup needs, I wasn't even tempted by them. However, I found out that they also did an intimates subscription box. I had just done a big cull on my underwear and socks and discovered that once I'd gotten rid of anything showing its age, I didn't have much left, so I figured I'd give it a shot! Plus, wantable promises that you can return any box didn't love, so it wasn't as huge a risk as it might have been.

Box 1 was October:

Wantable October Box

Unfortunately, Wantable doesn't give me a nice list on the website of what I got with product links and stuff. Missed opportunity, guys: I would probably be ordering more of those socks if you'd made it easy for me!

In the interest of just Writing The Darned Review, here's what I had, without product links:

Thing #1: Pink argyle socks, knee high.

I love these and wear them all the time. So cute!

Thing #2: Little plastic clips for converting your bra to a more racerback style.

I own a set of these, pretty much identical, that I got at the dollar store for a buck, so I can't say I was thrilled that this was part of a $36 subscription box. Also, since I already own them, I know they are useless to me: my shoulders are so broad that there's not enough give in my bra straps to use these without everything becoming too tight. I gave them to my sister to try out, though, and she says they were ok for her, so not a total loss.

Thing #3: Coobie bandeau top, pink and lace-y

I've never worn a bandeau, so I was glad to try this out. It's actually a nice addition to my wardrobe in that it can be layered with a low-cut shirt, and the colour works with a bunch of the things I own. It does feel a bit like I'm intentionally binding my breasts, though, and it doesn't always stay in place on me, so it's not like I'm a sudden bandeau top convert, but I like having the option!

Thing #4: Coobie camisole, beige

I had just been thinking that I could use some camisoles (again, to deal with the slightly-too-low-cut shirts that I got from threadless and a few other places) and this fits the bill nicely, although the beige colour is perhaps a little too close to skin-tone to get a nicer layering effect. It's also nicer than a bra under certain types of sheer shirts. I do wish the bra cups were a bit bigger (they're little triangles that don't quite fit the natural curve of my breasts), but they're removable so I can always fix that later. I actually liked this so much that I bought another one on Amazon, in bright pink (since it was the only colour they had).

Thing #5: Jockey panties, brown and beige lace

These are... really not my style. I actively dislike peekaboo lace on my butt, and if my boyfriend likes it, I don't want to know. They may get put in rotation simply because I'm low on underwear, but they don't fit well, they ride up, and I think they're ugly, so... anyone want a pair of panties I've only worn once? You should probably have a smaller butt than me, since these ran smaller than the label would have implied.

IMG_0295

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