Culture Carton is a monthly lifestyle box for men. Each month you’ll receive curated lifestyle items and literature to enhance your gentlemanly status.
Culture Carton has three subscription options: Essential (just the lifestyle items for $35 a month), Standard (lifestyle items and book for $45 a month), Book Club (monthly book shipped to you for $16 a month).
This is a review of the $45 a month Culture Carton Standard.
This box was sent to us for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Culture Carton
The Subscription Box: Culture Carton
The Cost: $45 a month + shipping
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
The Products: A curated selection of men’s lifestyle items and a book “that belongs on every man’s bookshelf.”
Ships to: US for a varied cost. Shipping to NC is $7.26. International shipping varies.
October 2018 Culture Carton “The Ellison Box” Review
My husband, John, is helping me with this review by testing all of the products and giving me his perspective. I have to keep him away until I snap photos because he always wants to tear open the boxes.
An info card with an introduction to the month’s theme and contents is included. This month’s theme is “The Ellison.” The items are curated to help you notice and appreciate the little details.
Black Label Voyager Watch - Retail Value $120
John was so excited to see this watch in his box. It's much bigger than his regular watch but he likes that it has a totally different feel. The PU leather band is simple and streamline but the large 47mm face makes an impact. The details of this watch are what make it stand out as a luxury piece including the rotating outer bezel, the tiny minute markers on the inner bezel, and the glow in the dark hands. He says it is comfortable and surprising lightweight for its size. Plus, it doesn't pull his hair out.
Baron Fig Vanguard Pocket Notebooks in Light Gray (3 pack) - Retail Value $9
John has experienced Baron Fig notebooks before in a larger size and different color and really likes them. I love them too since I'm always making lists for my lists. 🙂 The entire range has such nice details including contrasting binding thread and super smooth paper. These pocket-sized notebooks (3.5"x5") have soft, light gray paper covers and 48 lined pages. The set of 3 means you have lots of room for taking notes.
Dave's Sweet Tooth Toffee in Milk Chocolate - Retail Value $5.99
I wish every box came with a delicious sweet treat like these toffee bits! The bag says to refrigerate after opening, but they must be kidding because once you opening these, you won't have to close them again. Made in Michigan, this toffee is handmade with fresh and simple ingredients. The crispy melt-in-your-mouth texture is super addicting and lots of different flavors mean we will be trying more. Yay!
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - Retail Value $16 (Found here for $12.79)
This month features a fiction novel exploring the issues that African Americans faced, both socially and individually, in the early-20th century. Each detail of the unnamed narrator's past plays into where he is in the story's current time – underground, as an invisible man.
Book summary on Amazon:
A milestone in American literature--a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952.
Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.
A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel describes growing up in a black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood", and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, Joyce, and Dostoevsky.
The Verdict: Culture Carton really shines when it comes to the curation of a theme. Each item reflected the importance of noticing "little details" and how they can enhance your life. John hasn't taken the watch off and is currently stretched out on the couch reading his new novel. This box makes for a great gift for any guy who is interested in building his library of classic novels and staple lifestyle items in a fashionable and clever way.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No. Sign up now for the December box.
Orders placed before the 15th of the month will be shipped on 15th-17th of month. All orders placed after the 15th will ship the following month.
Coupon – Use code MYSUB10 to save 10% off your first box!
Value Breakdown: The box costs $45.00 + $7.55 shipping to NC and it has a retail value of $150.99. That means each item broke down to approximately the following cost:
- Black Label Voyager Watch - $41.76
- Baron Fig Vanguard Pocket Notebooks - $3.13
- Dave's Sweet Tooth Toffee in Milk Chocolate - $2.08
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison - $5.57
Check out all of our Culture Carton reviews and more men's lifestyle boxes in the Men’s Subscription Box List!
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