Culture Carton is a monthly lifestyle box for men. Each month you’ll receive 3-5 curated lifestyle items and a book they think "every man should read," selected to enhance your gentlemanly status. They have three subscription options:
- Standard - Lifestyle items and a book for $45/month + shipping
- Essential - Just the lifestyle items for $35/month + shipping
- Book Club - One book sent monthly for $16/month + shipping
This is a review of the Standard Culture Carton for $45/month + shipping.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About this Men's Lifestyle Subscription
The Subscription Box: Culture Carton
The Cost: $45 a month + shipping. Other options available.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
The Products: A curated selection of 3-5 men’s lifestyle items and a book “that belongs on every man’s bookshelf.”
Ships to: The US for a varied cost.
Culture Carton Review - April 2020
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Culture Carton only came with a welcome card this month that explains how Apollo is the inspiration for this subscription since he was essentially thought to be "the god of culture." I didn't receive the usual info card that lists the items, so I'll do my best to find values online.
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Notes From a Dead House by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Retail Value $15.95
Upon seeing the book this month, Kurt exclaimed "Oh, I haven't read this one!" which secretly makes me happy so that he can have something new to read. I am embarrassingly not well-read and although I am familiar with his name, I don't know anything about Dostoevsky. Apparently he is noted as "one of the greatest psychological novelists in world literature" and this book of his is considered to be "one of the first works of existentialist literature." While the topic doesn't particularly really grab me, I think this book and the author's life are in line with Kurt's interests and background of political science and history.
From Amazon:
In 1849, Dostoevsky was sentenced to four years at hard labor in a Siberian prison camp for participating in a socialist discussion group. The novel he wrote after his release, based on notes he smuggled out, not only brought him fame, but also founded the tradition of Russian prison writing. Notes from a Dead House (sometimes translated as The House of the Dead) depicts brutal punishments, feuds, betrayals, and the psychological effects of confinement, but it also reveals the moments of comedy and acts of kindness that Dostoevsky witnessed among his fellow prisoners.
To get past government censors, Dostoevsky made his narrator a common-law criminal rather than a political prisoner, but the perspective is unmistakably his own. His incarceration was a transformative experience that nourished all his later works, particularly Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky’s narrator discovers that even among the most debased criminals there are strong and beautiful souls. His story is, finally, a profound meditation on freedom: “The prisoner himself knows that he is a prisoner; but no brands, no fetters will make him forget that he is a human being.”
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Duke Cannon Antiperspirant + Deodorant, 2.75 oz. - Retail Value $10.00
This antiperspirant & deodorant has activated charcoal to remove toxins and deodorize while the bergamot & black pepper scent has a nice clean woody fragrance that Kurt and I both delight in. Since using the Oars + Alps Natural Deodorant from another box a few months back, Kurt was open to trying more. Although unlike that past deodorant, this new one is also an antiperspirant which uses aluminum to prevent sweating. Kurt reported back that it does indeed work really well, so he can use this one when it starts getting really hot out and he may want to slow any perspiring.
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Duke Cannon Bloody Knuckles, 5 oz. - Retail Value $15.00
This hand balm from Duke Cannon is the perfect item for Kurt because he has super dry skin on his hands and I am constantly hounding him to use lotion. It's fragrance-free which I think is especially important for a product for Kurt since he really doesn't want to smell like anything but he did detect what he describes as a slight honeysuckle scent which he likes. Using lanolin, shea butter, and jojoba seed oil, the balm is soft in the tub but holds its shape. Once warmed between the hands, it's "not too greasy, and absorbs pretty well," Kurt says. Dry hands: be gone!
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Blenders M Class Sunglasses - Estimated Value $48.00
Although Kurt wears prescription sunglasses most of the time, he will pop in contacts once in a while and that's when these babies come out of storage. He really likes the style and size of these. They are snug on his head but not so tight that they cause any stress to his temples. I was surprised that they actually comfortably fit me as well, due to the flex of the spring-hinged arms. They bend both ways which means they have less of a chance to weaken or break when taking on and off over time. A smokey grey translucent plastic, these sunglasses have a classic look that lends themselves well to Kurt's face. The two diagonal white stripes on the one arm give them a little flair as well. It looks like the "M Class" style has been replaced by "M Class X2", so I estimated the value on these.
The Verdict: Culture Carton sent a mix of personal care and style with a good read this month which is their M.O. My boyfriend Kurt enjoyed all four items even though he may not make separate purchases for them on his own. I'm so glad the hand balm came at this time and will keep reminding him to use it to save his poor hands. The sunglasses are a style he likes and can wear with his contact lenses in, the antiperspirant will keep him dry, and the book is ready for a read once he finishes the one he's working on now. The total retail value of this box is an estimated $88.95 which ain't bad for the $53.27 cost.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, you'll receive the June box as your first box.
Orders placed before the 15th of the month will be shipped on 15th-17th of the month. All orders placed after the 15th will ship the following month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
Value Breakdown: The box costs $53.27 ($45.00 + $8.27 shipping to Pittsburgh). Here's what you're paying for each item:
- Book: $9.55
- Deodorant: $5.99
- Hand Balm: $8.98
- Sunglasses: $28.75
Check out all of our Culture Carton reviews and see what the best men's subscription boxes of 2020 are, as voted on by our readers!
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Thoughts on this month's Culture Carton?
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