PSA: Pop some popcorn, make yourself a beverage, and keep your pitchfork at the ready.
Subscription Box: NStyle
December’s box is scheduled to be shipped December 7th!
Cost:
$35.00 on auto-renew bi-monthly and ships anywhere (plus a shipping fee unless you were grandfathered in). Shipping would have costed me $5 (I read it costs others $10) but I was grandfathered in for free shipping when I signed up initially for the second box.
Note:
If a box does not sell out, you can purchase it for $45 (not including shipping cost). June is sold out but August is still available (you can see my review for August here).
What You’re Getting:
Items that may be in NStyle range from “home décor must-haves, DIY projects, cooking necessities, home organization inspiration, and lifestyle picks.”
NStyle was created by YouTuber “At Home With Nikki”. If you happen to stalk me to the best of your ability you would see in my Subscriptionista profile that I love to watch YouTube organizational videos. It so happens that “At Home With Nikki” was one of them and I was beyond excited to see that she now curates her own box!
Now I am underwhelmed.
Kick Back and Get Comfortable:
Like the debacle of the Glossy(box) that did not come ribboned one month, the return address of this box has changed!
It’s not sexy, but its better than a “Returns” address!
Note: This box is scented.
This box shipped late. Nikki stated in her video that she wanted us to tell her what we thought the scent that the box was sprayed with likely because she did not know it either. It smells like PineSol. Does scenting tissue paper cost extra because I rather not have that experience. Plus most of us subscription folk have sensitive, picky, and selective noses so best not to wrinkle noses via scented tissue paper.
How about a candle or something actually substantial that is scented in the box!?! Win-Win 😉
Post Worthy Stuff Inside The Envelope
Nikki likes this because it keeps the fillers organized but I don’t like it because its an extra cost to the box that I rather have in an item(s).
Pnut keeping it real. Its not like we can miss on those heavy pieces of paper in our boxes anyway.
Ink Head 12 Ounce Cup with Spoon ($2.97 with a an order of 1008)
I would have loved a nom or hot chocolate packet or a sample of that awesome coffee Nikki lauded in her unboxing video (and in her holiday/entertainment videos too she puts yummy noms in her cups for guests) to compliment this lovely wholesale item. That would have made me overlook the wholesale part of this item. Ohhhhhh something nommy….
I need some beverage in my cup to go along with my popcorn.
CottonCraft Dish Towel ($13.99 for a set of 12 via Amazon)
This is really nice dish towel and maybe if I get on the dish towel kick (i.e., this washes well and is durable) I will snap a set of these up.
My discounted cup with spoon filled with my own beverage is too hot I need this economical single dish towel to hold it.
Design District Pumpkin Pillow Cover ($9.99)
This is a quality, substantial high quality pillow cover. If you love linen you should check out Design District’s Etsy store!
If you are going to gift this, I recommend stuffing it the day before and letting the linen wrinkles un-wrinkle. Add a pumpkin pie for validity.
I am going to bring this huge pillow (currently in hiding) with a $5 huge Costco Pumpkin Pie when we go to our cousins for Thanksgiving.
I said I’d “bring” a pumpkin pie, not bake one 😉
This Etsy seller sells most of her awesome pillow covers for $19.99. Nikki should have noted that this pillow cover is made of linen but she was trying to convince the viewers that she felt that the pillow cover should coordinate with the barely $1.50 dish towel. Nikki, c’mon, you have an excellent item in this box and you wanted to showcase it as coordinating with a dish towel!?!
I am distressed now and need to lay down with my pillow with my coordinating dish towel which holds my cup with spoon whilst eating my popcorn.
The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar ($6)
A legit luxe subscription item makes the box. I heart anything Laundress!
I just spilled my stuff on my dish towel laying down on a pumpkin pillow cover and will use this to spot treat.
Cloth & Paper Number Folders Set ($18.90)
This is fancy brand but it is not that useful and perhaps an overstock item unloaded into a subscription box. Nikki is lucky I have four kids I can Tim Gunn “Make It Work” each one from the order of birth will get assigned a folder in which I will figure out stuff to fill it with. Even if you have a planner of this size you still need a hole puncher. Nikki makes this work by using it as an agenda for her employees and has plans to use it to hold menus and possibly create quips from the peanut gallery on “why did I receive #2, #3, #4, #5!?!”
I did not major in marketing but maybe use this if you have more than 1 and less than 5 kids, or as a countdown of sorts, or as a prize in a party (“What’s behind folder number #5”), or maybe like a weekly folder (i.e., use 4 in a 4 week month and use all five in a 5 week month).
This is a total “Make It Work” set.
Place Holder
When I saw Nikki’s YouTube unboxing, I hoped that this better be a set of four as seen on her video when she featured it during her unboxing. But I was wrong. She had FOUR she used for a work brunch she tactfully decidedly to add after the unboxing. To add insult to injury, she gave her workers a basket with a THROW and what appeared to be other nice stuff than what was in the NStyle Box. Forget about the nice treats that she had on the table and other accessories that would be perfect in an NStyle box.
Ummmm… how about when you piggyback a work brunch to your unboxing video, you gift your BOX rather than a nicer gift basket to your employees. Sure your employees do deserve it but what does that say to your subscribers? That we are not good enough? Next time save the non-box gifts for another YouTube video.
VERDICT:
Anyone that knows my reviews knows that I really dislike to “dump” on my reviews but this one just released diarrhea of the mouth.
My pet peeve saying is real. I.am.so.dissapointed.
What really ticked me off was that I watched Nikki’s unboxing video that turned into a small work brunch-like event complete with quality and quantity of affordable accessories and gift items. And I don’t want to hear the word Pottery Barn after seeing that unboxing and brunch video.
Can you see how verklempt I am over this!?!
I am torn. The future of this box will depend on how strong Nikki’s YouTube community has for her subscription box. Based on comments, I believe the subscription box community is losing interest as we are more into “value” than for “curation”. Especially for new subscribers that pay for shipping I have read of commentators paying $10 for shipping. No way would I stay with this box if I had to pay shipping it is not worth it.
I love Nikki and her holiday YouTube Channels. I still have hope and would LOVE to give an awesome review for December.
I think I am going to still take one for the team (because I saved $5 being grandfathered in free shipping and I easily get suckered into savings/codes) and stay on for December’s box that ships out December 7th because she has great holiday videos. I can hope for an improved and awesome box.
I also have subscription home box withdrawals. RIP Burke Box *sniff*
I got a email notice that my credit card will be charged soon so its now or never. Or maybe Nikki will pull a “triple L” and cancel my subscription for my “Pnut keeps it real” review. If December is decent I might stay for February since there has to be a decent chocolate nom.
I am all for noms in subscription boxes.
But unless there are improvements in box value in December and February, I stop my subscription after February if I even stay that long.
But for now, Nikki will get another $35 clams from me and I hope I do not get coal in my subscription box.
***See Our NStyle Reviews Here***
Should I stay subscribed to NStyle or jump ship like Sephora Play!?
Please share your thoughts or any other random commentary below!
Disclaimer: I bought this box with my own clams. There are affiliate links to this post.
I like how you keep it real in your post. With August box I thought this sub box had a lot of potential but this month’s box is terrible. The mug that get too hot with a hot drink. Too many folders and not enough place holders. With the place holders you would think there would at least be two or more in the box. At least the box had a nice pillow cover. I did like that the box had a wash and stain bar in it. I like it when sub boxes put useful items in their boxes. After seeing some of Nikki’s YouTube videos this box makes me wonder if Nikki is the one curating her box anymore. This box is so meh compare to her YouTube videos.
Thanks Farmcat!
I think there was some element of not knowing what was going on. For example, the dish towel link on her YouTube video was accurate but in the box insert appears not to sell dish towels. Also the scent of the tissue paper maybe it was some cruel joke on her by the packers because it seriously smelled like Pine-Solish and Nikki in her video is all like “Oh you let me know I want to keep you surprised” or something like that.
I think what really pissed me off about was the dissappointment of the box YouTube unboxing LINKED to her work brunch with a much better selection of goodies for her workers. That should have been two separate videos. What was Nikki thinking!?! Not much considering her awesome videos like you mentioned that did not at all represent this box.
I had hope that this would have been a great box to subscribe to; but it is looking like my hopes have been dashed. This box had so much potential and it is so meh. And why on earth would she spray something that smells like Pin-Sol in her box!?! It takes away from sub not add. I would rather the money used on the spray and fancy box go towards the stuff in the box.
See what I am hoping is that December will be her best box up to now. Because if its not the box she is going to lose more subscribers. If it blows me away (which I am doubtful), I will stay but I will likely cancel after December if she can’t deliver two months of holidays she will horribly fail at gal/valentine’s day.
I hope she does a good holiday box. Or at least someone do a good holiday box! I haven’t seen any holiday boxes!
She “should” as her best videos are her holiday videos :/
In case it was not obvious in my comment I can be so bluntly sacastic but she failed at the first holiday box. Hoping she doesn’t mess up this upcoming box.
So many chuckles in this!! I love this review It really irks me that there the place holder and towel should have been sent as a set but you got five folders. I mean, I like your idea for the folders, but what are you going to do with ONE placeholder!? Pitchforks, my friend. Also, I laughed so much about the Pinesol scent
PS: tell me how the dishtowel absorbs and feels because it’s an awesome price and I’m OBSESSED with dishtowels. Of course, McBoyfriend has used my fancy $18 citrus PSMH dishtowel and my white kitty dishtowels to clean off the counter and dust. RAGE. So, if I got a bunch of those cheap ones I would be as mad if they got used.
What the heck. I had so many periods in that comment that went missing.
I noted missing periods when I was writing my previous comment to you. I just pressed that dot button to show who is the boss and it listened.
The Grove Co dish towels are so much better and absorbant. Nikki’s just looks cleaner because it has a single line.
Pitchforks indeed! Some peeps have commented on her FB page so she is getting the message really clear. She also has not revealed the secret scent after many inquiries. And no it is not The Laundress product.
1 placeholder!?!?! 5 folders… cancel. bleh.
Great review! 😀
Thanks Heat 😉
One place holder and one towel. 5 folders. Perfect for someone who is forever alone. And likes to organize.
lol Ks however I could be forever alone but I will still need a ton of towels!!!
Haha Pnut you will never ever be alone!!!
True 😉
Now I am nervous. Nikki did a holiday video recently and was lauding paper bags as dessert doggie bags. I forsee two (2) wholesale bags in my future, four (4) if Nikki is not being “generous”.
On a nicer note, the lovely linen but on sale pillow that I stuffed and brought to Thanksgiving with several Costco pies was well received by my cousin, a lover of pies.
*returns back to stalking Black Friday deals but no purchases within the last 24 hours*
Ugh I hope that doesn’t mean you will be getting a single paper bag in your box to go with the single place holder. Or maybe she give five paper bags to go with the five folders. So as you give them their dessert doggie bag you hand them the recipe to the dessert to them to in the folder so it doesn’t get ruin.
Awesome Farmcat!
This was my first NStyle box from Nikki. I was hugely disappointed. Because my card was charged soon after receiving my Oct. box, I decided to let the December box make my decision to stay or go. If the Dec. box is this sad, I’ll cancel. The only think I liked in the Oct. box was the pillow cover, and it’s not something I would have chosen. The cup and dishtowel were cheap, and the paper goods and lonely place card holder were useless.
Thank you for commenting J B!
We are taking one for the team! Let’s hope for a better than wholesale/bargainbasement box for December!
I actually started using the cute but cheap wholesale cup for cold powder drinks since it has a spoon already and it was too much issues using it with hot liquids. I have labeled Nikki’s box as a “Make It Work” because one has no choice to do so in order to enjoy what was dealt to us (versus her employs that video still makes my blood boil).
Nikki posted the December box unboxing just now! Color me impressed! I am so happy that she listened to the sub box community we got through to her what a win-win 😀
Omg LOVE the scissors!!!!
lol right on! I am not sure whether Nikki knew that sub boxers go gaga over fancy scissors!