terriko

This month, the box was half the size, but apparently packed with just as much 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:



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

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....



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.



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.



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:



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:



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.

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:



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.