My friend Tara wanted to try the Wantable Accessories Subscription box, and invited me to try it too. She was lovely enough to pay for half the box for me.

Wantable has a few different monthly subscriptions for intimates, makeup, fitness and style as well. I had heard of the company before but was not keen on subscribing because of the price. It costs $40 for your first box, and $36 for each month thereafter. Since I live in Australia, I have to pay $10 shipping on top of that.

I have heard both favourable and unfavourable reviews of Wantable, so I’m going to be completely honest in this review and outline all my pain points as well.

Style quiz

Before you subscribe, you need to do a style quiz. You are asked about your style, bracelet/ring size, preference for necklace length, and are able to pick what types of jewellery (earrings, necklaces, rings) you like, love, or dislike. You don’t get any products you dislike, are more likely to get products you love, and you are allowed to change these options every month. I have actually read complaints about Wantable changing ‘dislikes’ back to ‘likes’ each month.

One of my gripes with doing the quiz is that it seems to be using a single-page application – similar to Angular JS – which means that you can’t (shouldn’t) use the ‘Back’ button in your browser, as it will go to your previous page rather than your previous view. This often results in you having to do the quiz from the beginning again if you don’t realise there is a ‘Back’ link on the page.

Since I wanted to get something a bit different from this box, compared to what accessories I usually get, I put down the following:

I put ‘Rock ’N Roll’ as a like, hoping I might get something a bit on the punk side of things. I haven’t owned any accessories of that style for a while. For love, I chose ‘Classic’, thinking I would definitely get something fitting my style, and ‘Glam’ for something different.

I was not interested in rings, earrings, hair accessories, sunglasses and watches. Hoping to get some necklaces, scarves, and maybe a bracelet different from my usual style, I set those to like, except bracelets, which I set to love.

I chose long necklaces over short, and I specified my wrist size as small. There wasn’t much else to select, though when I went back and forth through the quiz, I noticed that you could pick different styles for earrings and rings too.

Payment, processing and shipping

I ordered my box and since there was no option to pay with PayPal, I couldn’t directly use the money Tara sent me. I also incurred an international transaction fee on top of the $50 I paid. In Australian dollars, I probably ended up paying nearly $70.

A day after my payment was confirmed, I got an email notifying me that my order had been processed and my box had been exported (out of the United States). I couldn’t track the progress, so I assumed I just had to wait.

About twelve days later, I got an email saying my box had shipped. This was a bit confusing but after I clicked the link in the email, I realised that my box had arrived in Australia and I could track it from then on. I could see the tracking history of the box from its departure from the company headquarters, so I don’t know why they could have given me the tracking information earlier.

From that link, though, I was able to track the box via Australia Post (yay). The box arrived the next day.

Unboxing

I opened the box to find that it was well padded with foam. There was a sticker inside saying that the box was packaged especially for me.

As an extra comment in my style quiz, I had written, “I love bracelets and usually go for simple pieces that make a statement, but I have been on the lookout for pieces that are a bit more ‘glam’ without being too over-the-top.”

My stylist’s message said, “I have included some more subdued flam pieces that I hope you love, enjoy!”

I pulled out the contents of the box, which also included an introductory card and a quick summary of the items. There was a scarf and two pouches: one with two necklaces and a smaller one with a bracelet.

Product breakdown

I have included the product descriptions, style tips and retail price.

Renee Scarf in Grey (RRP: $24)

The Renee scarf is a printed oblong scarf.
Style Tip: Pair with dark denim and a white top!

I really didn’t like the scarf from the moment I saw it. The blue-grey colour really washed out the pastel colours of the floral print. I hate floral prints, and to be honest, this colour looks gross. I don’t even think it really matches well with any colour. It looks like a curtain from the 1800s, and not in a cool vintage way either. Maybe it was considered ‘Classic’?

There had been no quiz questions about scarf style, so maybe these are bound to be a hit-and-miss. At least it’ll keep me warm…

Brittney Bracelet (RRP: $24)

This bracelet has beautiful mint stones.
Style Tip: Pair with silver bangles for a simple layered look!

This bracelet is one of those ‘glam’ style bracelets I have wanted but have never owned, so I was sort of happy when I saw it. The quality isn’t great, though, which is always my worry when selecting ‘glam’ jewellery as a surprise… the leaf-shaped stones are cheap-looking plastic, and the rhinestones even look a bit dull. The links of the bracelet got a bit stuck when I was trying to straighten it out.

I have a small wrist (about 14 centimetres/5.5 inches) so although they must have taken into account my choice for a small bracelet, I wore it on the tightest setting and it was still loose. When I wear it, it sometimes twists because it is too big for me, and the links get a bit caught again. It’s often hard for me to find 1) bracelets that don’t slide off my hand, or 2) bangles that don’t slide up my arm a lot because they are so big.

I think the metal is pretty strong though, because I tried to remove the extension chain by hand, and found it difficult. Most bracelets like this are made of pretty malleable metal. The bracelet will get some wear, though.

Char Necklace Silver (RRP: $19)

This long necklace features peach stones and a trendy tassel!
Style Tip: Let this piece be the perfect accessory to a navy dress.

I was thrilled by the long length, but as soon as I saw the tassel, I didn’t like it. I’ve always thought that tassels belong on curtains and not jewellery, and often look quite tacky. I didn’t like the pink either. It’s my least favourite colour.

The pearl is so obviously fake. It’s just a coated/polished plastic ball, and some of the polish chipped off as I was inspecting the necklace. Referring to the style tip, the only navy dress I own is too good for this necklace.

Jillian Necklace G (RRP: $16)

This necklace features turquoise stones and metal tassels.
Style Tip: Layer with a mid length gold necklace.

This necklace had a gold chain… and a tassel. I loved the colour of the stones but they looked plastic. The links of the chain were a little scratchy and not very smooth, perhaps at the point where the two ends of a link meet. I like the necklace though.

Conclusion

I have to admit that all the pieces will get worn a little bit. My least favourite is the scarf but I will probably wear it anyway because I like changing up scarves. My favourite piece is probably the bracelet or the gold chain necklace but I don’t love them.

The quality of the pieces in my box were disappointing. Without shipping, the box will cost me $36 (USD) from my second subscription onwards. If I get four pieces each time, that’s $9 per piece. It’s obviously more in my currency, but I can get far better quality (stainless steel and cubic zirconia) pieces online for about double that price, or even go to my local Lovisa or Equip store when there is a sale, and get more decent bracelets or earrings for $5-7 a pop.

I also don’t believe the seemingly inflated recommended retail prices. Stores like H&M and Forever 21 have similar jewellery for the same price and I believe the quality is better.

If you’ve enjoyed the majority of my posts on fashion up to this point, and are generally interested in my style, then I would say the Wantable box is not for you. Perhaps ‘Glam’ jewellery is not Wantable’s strong point, but these pieces are honestly far from ‘glamorous’ and although the designs are nice, the quality is obviously sub-par.

It was fun trying out this box and having someone pick pieces based on my preferences, but I won’t resubscribe. If you are interested, you can sign up with my referral link and I might get a box with the referral credit just for fun…