Kal-Elle Fandom Monthly Subscription Box – April 2016

Kal-Elle Fandom Monthly provides you with 4 – 7 fandom-inspired designs worth over $40, all matching the month’s chosen fandom. In addition to jewelry, you may also receive other items such as magnets, artwork, lanyards, hair accessories, etc.

Kal-Elle Fandom Monthly
Cost: $19.00 USD
Shipping Costs: $3.50 shipping within the US or worldwide for $18.50.
Payment Method: Credit Card.
Mailed Out: In the first week of the month.
Note: subscriptions auto-renew on the 1st of each month.

I received an email confirming when my package was shipped on the 23rd of April along with tracking information, and it arrived on May 3rd.

As soon as you open the box, the first thing you see is the artwork that reveals this month’s theme – for April, it was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I like how neatly the contents were packaged in this pretty bright pink paper. Boxes that have items wrapped inside are my favorite because it prolongs the anticipation instead of revealing all its secrets at once!

Everything is individually sealed in plastic and the jewelry is also tucked into a little pouch, keeping it safely secured.

OVERVIEW OF CONTENTS

We have a contents card printed on a background matching the TMNT theme.

From what I’ve seen of past boxes, artwork is provided each month, always in this same minimalist style – I really like this TMNT print, it’s quite pretty!

Super cute little TMNT magnets featuring each of the Ninja Turtles! Magnets are always a welcome item in any box, they’re great for decorating one’s fridge!

TMNT lanyard (on Amazon for $18.99, although they came with a charm of one of the turtles, so the value for this would be lower): the material is high quality, it feels so wonderfully sleek I may have stroked it for a minute or so in a slightly creepy manner, lol. And the print is very colorful and eye-catching. I’ve gotten the standard boring lanyard in Loot Crate before, so I really appreciate how creative and well-crafted this one is.

TMNT felt embroidered hairclip ($3.49): this handmade hairclip is pretty darn adorable, I like the frowny-face better than the happy-looking clip from DoodlebugsDaydreams site. Unfortunately I don’t wear hair-clips as I prefer hiding behind my hair, lol. Still, this could be used to clip notes together or pegged on a board or put to some other use.

The TMNT ring was handmade by Kal-Elle.

The TMNT necklace, bracelet and earrings all have the same design – this isn’t always the case in past boxes, where the jewelry designs have differed from one item to the next. This pizza set will please those who like to wear matching accessories.

I’ve found the earrings on Etsy ranging from $5.00 to $9.69 to $13.95 (AUD).

The bracelet varies from $5.44 to $9.74 to $12.55 (AUD).

And finally, the necklace is being sold from $5.57 to $8.04 to $9.00 (AUD).

VERDICT

I really enjoy subscription boxes, but it’s such a gamble whether you’ll actually enjoy the contents. I’m not a fan of TMNT, so the appeal of this box was lost on me, unfortunately. I’m regifting a few items, but not enough to make this purchase worthwhile to me, personally. >_<

I wish more fandom-themed subscription boxes gave spoilers about the monthly theme, because it’s a little crushing to anticipate the box all month and then be let down because it’s not compatible with your interests.I have this same issue with Fandom of the Month Club, so now I’m pinning all my hopes on Geek Chic Monthly, which not only gives you the fandom theme, but also the option of skipping that month if you’re not interested AND at least one spoiler pic of an item from the box!

Worth It? The value of the box is definitely $40+ USD from what I found online and what I guesstimated. Americans would’ve paid $22.50 and therefore got at least double the value of what they paid, which is awesome!

Alas, as a lowly Aussie, I paid $44.20 AUD for this box (after using voucher to get a discount off my first box), but at least I got equal value for what I paid. It’s tough living Down Under! 😦

This subscription is great for those in the US or UK, because you get so much bang for your buck. For a little over twenty bucks, you’re really very spoiled with everything you get, it’s an embarrassment of riches! But for the rest of the world – unless you love every fandom in existence or are the type to be happy with every type of fandom-themed design, regardless of personal investment in the source material, this is probably not for you.

Because I’m addicted to the thrill of playing the odds with subscription boxes, I’ve renewed my subscription and am rolling the dice to see how I feel about the May box from Kal-Elle. Fingers crossed it’s $50 well-spent!

Quality of Curation: It’s cool that there was a range of items in the box, something for everyone! We have your basic jewelry pieces, then the magnets, lanyard, hair-clip and art, so that wide variety is fantastic.

However, I didn’t like the silver pizza design – the details aren’t as clear with the pepperoni being difficult to distinguish from the pizza base, and I wish it’d had a pop of color instead of being all monotonous silver. And since this design was repeated across the bracelet, necklace and earrings, that meant three items were knocked out of contention for me in one go, which is sad. I’d prefer unique designs for each piece so if you don’t like one, at least the others might suit you.

Personal Rating: 3 out of 5 kitties approve this box!

Find Out More: You can find Kal-elle Fandom Monthly on Facebook and Instagram.