Gen YZ Box is a monthly subscription box of fun goodies geared towards generation Y and Z.
The company offers two boxes—the Gen Y box, which is for young adults over 16 and the Gen Z box, which is for younger teens and tweens.
This is a review of the Gen Y box, which costs $44.99 per month.
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. FYI - this box arrived in October, we're just a little late in getting the review out!)
The Subscription Box: Gen YZ Box
The Cost: $44.99 per monthly box + $4.95 shipping to the US (or $9.95 to Canada)
The Products: 7-10 items geared towards the interests and tastes of Gen Y or Gen Z. The company describes the items they feature as whimsical, unique, fun, and expressive.
Ships to: The US and Canada
Check out all of boxes for teens in our Teen Subscription Boxes Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
I turned 30 this year, which puts me towards the end of the Gen Y era. Those of you who know my reviews know that my tastes are sometimes sophisticated and sometimes... less so, haha! So this playful box should appeal to my more kid-ish side.
There's info about a coloring contest in the box, too! Fun!
This rainbow feather was laid on top of the box. It's nothing special, but I do appreciate the effort to make the unboxing experience a bit jazzier.
Mills & Boon Modern Girls' Guide to Working 9-5 by Ada Adverse - Listed Value $9.99
This little hardcover gift book is a collection of old-school depictions of women at work paired with clever, feminist-minded quips, puns, and feminist observations. It's a little corny, but it's a cute book that could be inspiring for a determined person just starting in the workforce.
Kitsch Dreamcatcher Headband Set - Listed Value $11.99 (Found here for $9.00)
The whole dreamcatcher motif isn't really my thing, but I do like the white lace headband that's included in this set. These kinds of ribbon-like headbands like to slip around on my head, so I'll probably pin them down with a few bobby pins. I like that you could potentially wear a few at once, or just one at a time. The studded one is pretty interesting. I haven't seen a stretchy headband with studs in it before!
Dark Hero Light Up Your Life Mini Lightbox - Listed Value $14.99
I found a lot of similar lightboxes to this one online, but none from this brand with a US price. I've seen a lot of larger versions of these marquee-inspired lightboxes on Pinterest. This little guy is only about 6 inches wide, so it's great for a desk or end table. It comes with a bunch of letters that you can use to create your own custom message (fun!), and it's got a magnetic back to it, too! Know that it's kind of heavy, though, so that it might not stay put on your fridge (it likes to slide down).
Pineapple Sterling Silver Stud Earrings - Listed Value $17.49
These tiny earrings sure are cute, the packaging is nice, and they would make an easy, everyday pair of earrings.
Set of 5 Enamel Pins - Listed Value $14.97
The fact that these pins came tucked in a little cardboard pouch (that was tied with a twine bow!) made the experience of opening them feel a little more special, which I liked. I'm so-so on the mouse and the toucan, but boy do I love that alpaca, and the gold "cool" pin is pretty great, too. All of the pins are on the smaller side, compared to what I'm used to (they're each no more than an inch big), but I think that's kind of fun—it makes for a more visually interesting lapel when you've got lots of different sizes and shapes of pins, in my opinion.
Magic Magnetic Putty - Listed Value $ 9.99
Whoa, what a weird product! This putty is smooth and soft—it makes for a nice stress-ball alternative! The silvery metal dust mixed into the putty gives it magnetic properties. Not strong magnetic properties, but it does have them. (A few odds and ends on my desk did twitch a bit when I held the putty near them!) It comes with some little eyes and other items you can use to play with the putty, including a metal cube. Get the putty super warm and loose, and that metal cube will start to do some tricks to it.
Velvet Kitty Makeup Bag - Listed Value $8.99
I'm finding that a lot of these items come without any labels or branding, so it's hard to track down the exact item online. I've seen plenty of items similar to this one before and thought they were super cute, so I'm happy to have one of my own! There's no fabric content listed, but I can say that the velvet feeling is more like the velvet you'd find lining an inexpensive jewelry package (sort of stiff and crinkly) than something plush and soft. It has a stiff, nylon-like lining to it, which should stand up to loose makeup. (I could see it wiping clean nicely, rather than needing to be washed.) Quality wise? Not my fave. But boy does it look cute sitting in my tote bag!
Flip Flop Pedicure Kit - Listed Value $3.99
This little kit feels like something I could find at a discount store in a gift section. Like the makeup bag, the quality isn't the snazziest, but it is a really cute concept and it's always helpful to have some extra pedicure tools around in a pinch, right? Most of these gadgets can double as manicure tools, which is really handy. I might keep this zip-shut kit in my desk or in my car in case I break a nail on the go!
Hair Accessory Kit - Listed Value $8.99
The next item is actually a small bag of three hair accessories—two hair ties with different adornments and a cactus-shaped hair barette. My hair is just now getting back to the length where I can pull it back, but it's not quite voluminous enough to not look overwhelmed by these charms (which are about an inch square, each). I feel like on a longer ponytail, the chevron and fox face would look really cute, though! The cactus clip is more for show than for holding back hair, but I like it a lot—it's not the highest quality clip, but it has a really good grip to its closure!
Purple Soft Bunny Keychain/Bag Charm - Listed Value $11.99
It was a little hard to tell what this flopsy creature was right out of the box, but once I fluffed its fur around a bit and found its face, I was happy to see that it was a sweet lil bunny! This bun is about 5 inches long and ultra soft. Its paws are made from some kind of faux leather that's been finished with gold metallic thread. The execution is a little... meh (there are stray threads and less-than-tidy stitches going on). Would I hang it on my bag? It might skew just a tad too juvenile for me. But I bet this sweet little bunny would delight someone on the younger end of the generation, or make a great friend for a kiddo I know.
Bonus Item: Memo Paper - Estimated Value $1.00
There are a couple extras in this box. The first is this pad of 30 word-bubble-inspired sticky notes. I like the kawaii design of these ivory sheets a lot!
Bonus Item: Washi Tape - Estimated Value $1.00
This tape is super cute. I love the contrasting patterns. It'd be great to adorn a journal. I'm likely to use it to tack notes and photos on my wall.
Bonus Item: New Member Flamingo Necklace - Estimated Value $5.00
The other item in the box is this silvery flamingo pendant, which is a thank you for my new membership. I'm not a flamingo fan, but I really appreciate that they went the extra mile in making me feel like a valued customer! I do like that it's a more minimal design that could go with anything. Plus, the little pink box they pack it in is a nice touch!
The Verdict: This box did skew a little young for me—and maybe even a little young for the teens it's ideally intended for, too? I feel like teenagers (especially in the 16+ demographic that this Gen Y box is intended for) are more and more mature these days, so that the cutesy-er items might not fly with them as much (like the bunny keychain and some of the pins). Teens and parents reading this—what do you think? I'm curious to see whether this box is cool or uncool to people closer to it! I think the best picks were the book, the lightbox (so trendy!), and the putty (I know slime and other tactile goodies are having a moment right now...), though I'm side-eyeing the quality of each individual item I got. I might be okay getting one or two fewer items if it meant that they were made from slightly nicer materials (thinking about the "velvet" pouch, in particular).
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. Order by the 16th to get the next month's box!
Coupon - Use code MSA10 to save 10% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: This box cost 49.94 after shipping. The total retail value I estimated for the box was $120.38 (including the three bonus gifts). That means proportionally, I paid approximately the following for each item:
- Book - $4.14
- Headband set - $4.97
- Lightbox - $6.22
- Earrings - $7.26
- Pins - $6.21
- Magnet putty - $4.14
- Makeup pouch - $3.73
- Pedicure set - $1.66
- Hair accessories - $3.73
- Bunny keychain - $4.97
- Sticky notes - $0.41
- Washi tape - $0.41
- Flamingo necklace - $2.07
Note, though, that all of those values are based off the listed values given by the box. I had a tough time finding these products online (many of them lacked any branding to go off of). So just to give another perspective on value, the average cost of each item, based on the cost of the box after shipping, is $3.84 (including the three bonus items).
What do you think of the Gen YZ Box?
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