The CuteBox Subscription Review + Coupon – September 2016

The CuteBox is a monthly subscription box that sends you 10 or more handpicked cute and kawaii items. These items may be wall stickers, nail art supplies, key chains, mini figures, hair accessories, jewelry, stationary, and candy.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

The Subscription Box: The CuteBox

The Cost: $18 per month + free US shipping (discounts on longer commitments)

ACTIVE DEAL: Save 20% off any subscription!
CODE: ADDICTION

The Products: 10+ cute and kawaii items

Ships to: U.S. only

Check out all of our The CuteBox reviews and the Kawaii Subscription Box Directory! 

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add The CuteBox to your subscription list or wishlist!

The CuteBox recently started adding a little info slip to their boxes.

Iwako Food Erasers

Food-shaped erasers are something I consider impractical but totally adorable. The one on the left is a pair of cherries while the one on the right is cake slices.

Chocoball

These are peanuts enrobed in wafer and milk chocolate-- really yummy. I think snacks containing peanuts are a little risky in subscription boxes because of peanut allergies. Thankfully, this packaging had English-translated nutrition facts and ingredient list.

Marukawa Strawberry and Orange Bubble Gum

These are bubblegum candies in strawberry and orange flavors. I have tried these before. Even though they taste great the flavor is not long lasting.

Closeup of the Chocoball and strawberry Marukawa gum.

Bakery Gel Stickers

In keeping with the food theme, this is a single sheet of pastry and confectionery stickers. I love all the designs! My favorites are the doughnuts. They're definitely normal, flat stickers though, I'm not sure why they're listed as "gel" stickers.

Ice Cream Cone Pen

I received this cute pen in a different color in the May Doki Doki Crate. It's a decent writing tool-- the tip allows for fine lines but the ink skips occasionally. The body is also thin enough so that gripping it doesn't feel awkward.

Cherry Earrings

These are cherry stud earrings with rubber backs (not shown). The quality is similar to something you'd find at Claire's. It looks like there's rusting on the right earring, but that's just an odd reflection. Both earrings are in perfect condition.

Handmade Decowhip Necklace

This is a weird necklace choice. The "whipped cream" part of the pendant is rubbery and topped with jewels. It rests on top of a solid silver frame. It would be nice as a keychain, but I would not wear bejeweled whipped cream around my neck. I think the gold ball chain clashes with the silver pendant as well. Overall it's not my style, so this is a miss.

Cookie Mirror with Comb

I adore compact mirrors as much as the next gal but they have to be functional as well as cute. This one has a fun design-- it is shaped like a sandwich cookie and the white "filling" is actually a small comb.

Unfortunately, it lacks practicality. There is no closure system at all, which means the mirror is bound to open up when bumping around in somebody's purse. That could lead to the mirror breaking or the little comb getting lost. Another miss for me.

Squishy Ice Cream

This ice cream cone is made of foam and rubber sprinkles. It has a removable strap on top. I think the paint job could be just a little better but the sprinkles really complete the look.

Gudetama Sticky Notes - Value $1.80

These sticky notes are precious. Ever since receiving a Gudetama item from a subscription box a couple months ago, I have been obsessed with this character from Sanrio! Gudetama is a lazy egg and likes being lazy. I relate to his temperament.

Kracie Ramen DIY Kit - $3.40 (on sale for $2.30)

This ramen and dumplings DIY kit is the star of the show. I squealed when I first saw this in the box. I watched a YouTube video tutorial on this kit a few years back, which marked the beginning of my obsession with Japanese candy DIY kits. The company, Kracie, made an updated version of the ramen kit, which is what you see here.

The instructions on the packaging were in Japanese so I followed along to this YouTube video. Everything you need, except scissors and water, are included in the package.

I wanted to document every step of the process but it would have been enough content to warrant its own review. So many photos!

First, the dumplings. I started by shaping the provided "dough" into a thin circle, then I cut the circular part out of the plastic tray and pressed the dough into the mold. The "filling" is made from bits of sugar crystals, sour candy, and sprinkles.

I pressed the mold into a taco, released, and voila! Perfectly formed dumplings.

Next came the ramen (yellow) and broth (brown), both made from powder and water.

I poured the yellow goo into a baggie and pipetted it out of a small hole. 

The broth is special in that it immediately thickens the goo upon contact, turning it into ramen noodles. Probably some kind of cool chemical reaction.

Verdict: I am consistently happy with The CuteBox. For this particular box, out of the 11 items, two were misses for me. However, the DIY ramen kit was a dream come true, so I'm still thrilled overall. The cost breakdown is about $1.64 per item.

What do you think of The CuteBox?