NEWCOMER ALERT: OrangeBox

EDIT Apr. 20: I added a couple of photos so you could all see the site layout.

Greetings from your Subscription Boxes Queen! I just want to give everyone a heads up on a new beauty / subscription box: OrangeBox. I got wind of it when somebody was asking for advice on my FB page, and she just casually mentioned the brand. Yay!

I headed on over to the website and read up. There's not much info (and I asked for a press kit but I guess my blog is too small to bother with 9_9) but I think this venture started out just March of this year.

From the OrangeBox website:

HOW IT WORKS

1. What’s your Style?

Discover your style profile with our quick and fun quiz!

2. Get a Personalized Boutique!

Get access to a selection of beauty products handpicked for you by our experts

3. Get your Orangebox!

Select which products you love and enjoy your Orangebox!
Free shipping for a minimum purchase of Php 1,499.00

The quiz. It has ten simple questions.

The site FAQ says you wait a month after paying before you can expect your first box but I got mine in about a week. I don't know how often you can take the quiz and how you'll know when you're supposed to shop again, though.

Setting Up My Account:

I took the quiz and bought a box last Thursday, April 11. I was a little weirded out by the Php 1.00 charge on my PayPal account but I figured that it was some sort of registration marker and the rest of the fee would be charged when the box was shipped out.

It's not. I got a call the next day from a friendly CSR apologizing for the mixup. Apparently, I bought at a bad time, some IT thing was mentioned. Luckily, she says, they spotted it in time and cancelled the whole order. She apologized for that and sweetly requested that I redo the quiz. As a matter of fact, my box was already prepared and they just needed the reorder and correct payment. Before I could even react, she immediately tells me that a gift has been sent my way for the inconvenience.

Well that shut me up.

I even told her I'd forgotten my original order and to just follow what I originally chose. She said it's fine.

By Saturday, April 13, I got the gift. It arrived before the box; now that's fast CSR action. It comes in this little orange box that fits in my palm, as big as a real orange! D'aaaw!!!

OrangeBox apology gift. Thank you!

Now I don't know if the products are still too limited to make a difference, but I took a quiz assuming my personality, and another quiz assuming a totally made up person. The mini-boutique offered the exact same choices.


My Shopping Experience:

Each of the three "option lines" in the mini-boutique offers a choice of items, some of which are repeated in another option line. I veered away from mascaras, blush and face powders as I already have a lot of mascaras and blush, while my current face powder (Chanel Vitalumiere Eclat) is very reliable.

PROTIP: You have to play this smart and make sure that you get samples that add up to your money's worth. The Purple Dew Obliviate eye shadow is worth Php 1295 but some items run in the Php 400 range so if you're not careful, you might wind up overpaying for the subscription compared to buying outright from the shop!

The shop. You have three option lines, spanning a couple of pages each.

The prices and product details aren't stated in the mini-botique I penciled in what I wanted and confirmed through the online boutique that I'm not underbuying my Php 1499 subscription fee.


My "Oranges:"

I chose the Lovely Eye Set in #3, a very neutral brown, black and white color scheme. It has the Ottie Natural Drawing Eye Brow Pencil in Dark Brown (Php 325,) Ottie Shine Stick Shadow in Gray (Php 388) and Ottie Eye Shadow Singles (Php 199.) Based on the picture below, I thought there would be only one shadow but it actually came with two! The total value of Lovely Eye Set #3 adds up to Php 1,111.

Lovely Eye Set

I got the Bebeco Real Shine Lipstick in Cream Orange (Php 641) as I'm being nostalgic lately and I miss wearing oranges and corals!

Bebeco Real Shine Lipstick in Cream Orange

Lastly, I got the Oreaf Sparkle Gel Liner in Shiny Purple (Php 471) because the gel part got me. It's a gel pencil? I have a blue eyeliner and I just need a green to complete my crazy-colored eyeliners collection. Not sure if I chose the green, though. That would make more sense with me.

Oreaf Sparkle Gel Liner in Shiny Purple

The total value of my OrangeBox: Php 2223! I made budget whoo!


RECAP:

There's A LOT of Ottie and Bebeco (say who?) around here but I guess that's expected of a new subscription service. At least it's something new and worth sampling. 

However, it's still expensive at Php 1499 a month. That's almost three times the average subscription service! Yes, the product selection is purely cosmetics, and yes, the products are all at full-size. However, the current brands are pretty out there, and you get only three per month! Let's just state the obvious: this is more of a hybrid of online shopping AND sampling. I still got it though, as a birthday treat for myself mwahaha.

My personal forecast for this brand is that it would definitely click if they brought sought-after yet not-readily-available brands such as Biore, NYX and Urban Decay.


Check out OrangeBox's website here.


P.S.
I've had a little buyer's remorse over the past weekend but since getting the box this Wednesday, April 17, I've been OH SO HAPPY with my purchase. Hang on for my unboxing!