Indie Gift Box review, May 2014

I'm a big fan of Indie Gift Box. It's a subscription service that, for $25 a month, sends you an array of products made by independent artisans. The theme of May's box was "Sparkle & Shine."

Sparkles!

And the goodies:

1. "Sprinkled With Passion" nail lacquer from Gothic Gala Lacquers (an Indie Gift Box exclusive, retail value: $8). I love the color of this polish, and can't wait to use it!

2. Alternative diamond stud earrings from Plastique* (retail value: $12). These earrings are a little too "1980s" for my liking, so I'll be gifting or trading them. However, Plastique* has some cool items on its website, so I might be making a purchase there at some point or other.

3. Sterling silver and crystal wine charms from Purely Paige (retail value: $24). I was disappointed with this item. The discs are very thin, and are also scratched. (You can notice the scratches especially well on the charm that reads "sparkle," on the left side of the package.) My dogs have worn tags that had the same look and feel of the discs on these charms, and the tags didn't hold up well at all. I feel terrible saying this, but this item looks and feels like something you'd buy at a dollar store. I have no doubt that these charms probably do cost $24, by the time you figure in the amount of money spent on materials and labor, but I don't think I'll be using them, and I also can't really gift them, given their condition.

 



 

 

4. POPS! champagne-scented lip gloss from Tulips Apothecary (retail value: $10). This gloss smells AMAZING, and I'll definitely be using it!

5. Bonus item from past artist--bracelets from Duchessa (retail value: $12). These bracelets are very cute, but I already received them in a previous Indie Gift Box. I appreciate the fact that IGB includes items from previous boxes for subscribers who might not have received them, but I also feel like this penalizes long-term subscribers, as I don't like having one of the items that I get in a new box be the exact same thing that I got in an earlier box. I'll keep these bracelets because I like them so much, but I hope "bonus items" like this don't become a trend.

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I hate to say it, but this month's Indie Gift Box was a mixed bag (mixed box?) for me. I loved the polish and the lip gloss, but wasn't enthused about the earrings, and thought that the wine charms were just ridiculous. I'm sticking around as a subscriber, though, because I've loved previous boxes, and because the Indie Gift Box team has always been very friendly and responsive when I've contacted them. On to June, and hopefully a bigger and better Indie Gift Box!

If you'd like to subscribe to Indie Gift Box, head here: Indie Gift Box subscription link