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BellyCrate
Cost: $30/month
Ships To: United States (Add $7 for shipping to Alaska & Hawaii).
Coupon Code: N/A.
BellyCrate, who kindly sent me this box to review, is a fun, bellydance-themed monthly subscription service. In each box you’ll receive one featured item and several smaller items. The featured item could be a larger costume piece like a skirt or a top, or a prop such as a veil or fans, or an accessory set, like a necklace/bracelet/earrings combo. You can look forward to a wide variety of items – hip scarves, bindis, zils, henna kits, dvd’s, cd’s, and more! If it’s bellydance related, it’s fair game!
BellyCrate ships via USPS during the first two weeks of the month. According to their FAQ, if you sign up before the 10th of the month, they will ship your first box within 5 days as part of that month’s shipping cycle. If you sign up between the 10th and the 14th, and if they have got enough product available, your new subscription may begun in the current month. If you sign up after the 14th, your first box will be sent out on the next month’s shipping cycle.
I know just about nothing regarding Belly Dancing, but I am sure that some of you out do and were interested to see what this box would include, so I happily said yes to doing a review on it. Plus, I love checking out all sorts of different subscription boxes. I say it all the time, but there really is a subscription box out there for everyone. Except maybe my Dad, I don’t know that I have found one that he’d love yet.
The February 2015 BellyCrate theme was “Leather & Lace” and included the following items:
~Hand-Crafted Leather Earrings: No two subscribers received the same pair of earrings. Since they are all handmade they are all a little different. The card says that they will add some flair to your costume or can be used for day to day wear as well.
~Long-Sleeve Lace Choli: I didn’t read the card before I looked through the items and I could not figure out what this was! I’d describe it as a shawl, but it’s a top that is worn with your costume. You’d wear this one over a colorful cotton chili or a coin / tassel bra for a little extra texture. The information card did include some extra information on this one. It indicate that this shawl was made in Gujranwala, Pakistan and, as a result of the manufacturing process, the black choli has an unpleasant odor. which will dissipate if you leave it out in the sun. I found that the ivory color one had a bit of an odor, but nothing crazy. The card also indicated that the ivory chili has some light blue markings on them, again from the manufacturing process. These, per the card, will come out in the wash. I appreciate that they addressed these issue right off the bat instead of waiting until subscribers received their boxes and started wondering what was going on!
~Mehndi-Style Temporary Hand Tattoos – with Glitter: I have zero idea where I would wear this, but I love it! The colors are gorgeous and are meant to show off your “lovely, flowing hand-work”.
~Pink Coin Scarf: The boys were by me when I was taking picture if this and they could not keep their hands off of it. They loved the noises it made the coins, everything. This is the kind of item I think of when I hear Belly Dancing!
I couldn’t do a cost breakdown on the February 2015 BellyCrate because I was unable to locate prices online. As far as I know though, this is the only box out there for Belly Dancers, so if you are interested in starting or just want to add some new pieces, make sure to check them out!
