Fan Mail: June 2015 Review, 'Fantasy'
Link: www.myfanmail.com
My Fan Mail box arrived yesterday, which was a lovely way to end June :) I've been seriously excited about finding out what these guys have to offer.
The box was full to the brim and looked very, very promising! The first thing that fell into my lap was this:
A 'Legends & Lore' Info Sheet
This lists a load of upcoming tv and film releases, book releases, video game releases and cons in the next month. I thought this was a really nice touch. The things that they list are diverse, so it should be of some use to most people.
'Toothless' T-Shirt - Created by Fan Mail
I'm a big fan of 'How to Train Your Dragon', so this put a big smile on my face. Even though black t-shirts aren't my favourite, I absolutely love the design on this. My only bugbear is that the sizing is awful. I thought that a box aimed specifically at women would actually put out clothing that felt feminine and flattering, while still looking geeky and fabulous. Apparently that remains to be a pipe dream. I ordered a 'small' but the t-shirt is huge and completely shapeless - although I guess it is possible that maybe they thought I meant 'small' as in 'a small rhinoceros'.
Something tells me that I am not the only one with this complaint, as Fan Mail have sent around an email in the past couple of days announcing that they now do a greater variety of t-shirt sizes and styles.
'Philosopher's Stone' Soap (Note: I refuse to call it the Sorcerer's Stone. Just...no)
Again, love Harry Potter and loved the idea of this. It's really cute and makes a great geeky item while being functional and smelling incredible. Seriously, it smells really good! It's so nice that I almost don't want to use it. It's really authentic looking. I may have to just use it for display.
'Legend of Zelda' Necklace
This was a really nice addition to the box - who doesn't love Legend of Zelda? The string is maybe a little shorter than I would normally like, but it still looks really cute on. I really like that we got some jewellery - that's something that I've always missed in unisex boxes.
'The Hobbit' Thranduil Brooch
I'll be honest, I had no idea what this was until I looked it up. I'm a fan of the Hobbit, but apparently not that much of a fan! It seems like a relatively obscure reference. It is beautiful though, I really like it as a brooch.
Harry Potter Nail Decals
These are awesome! I've never tried nail decals before, but now I have a reason to. I really like these, they're very subtly geeky.
Game of Thrones 'Purple Wedding' Invitation
I absolutely love this, because I am Game of Thrones mad. I guess there's not that much you can do with it, but I think it makes a really nice wall piece for anyone who is a fan of the books or the show. It's not flimsy either, so it's definitely nice enough quality to display.
'Once Upon a Time' and 'The Hobbit' Badges
Yaaaayyyyy...more badges.
Info Card
The info card for this box was really good - with a full pic and description of each item. I love it when boxes have these in.
Overall:
I honestly thought this was a great first box. They kept firmly to the theme and represented a handful of wonderful fantasy fandoms with great quirky items - and it definitely had a more feminine feel to it than other boxes. As soon as the t-shirts are sorted out then I think this box will be a total winner for the discerning nerdy girl.
The biggest problem for us Brits is the price. Do I think it has a good value for the American prices that they charge? Absolutely. Do I think that it has good value once you've paid for international shipping? Sorry, but no. I think that more than £30 a month for a sub box, even a really good one, is way too much.
I may still buy one of these boxes from time to time because I think that they have some really good stuff to offer and I love their overall mission. Unfortunately, it will have to wait until I'm feeling a bit richer.
