Brown Sugar Box is a monthly woman of color lifestyle subscription box offering tees, accessories, and lifestyle products designed by and made for Women of Color.
Each Brown Sugar Box includes a graphic tee and 4-5 additional full-size products ranging from drinkware, accessories, bags, jewelry, makeup, housewares, and stationery. All items are from black-owned businesses.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Brown Sugar Box
The Subscription Box: Brown Sugar Box
The Cost: $39.95 per month + $4.95 shipping
The Products: 1 graphic tee plus 4-5 additional full-size lifestyle products
Ships to: US for $4.95 and International for $12.95
Good to Know: Boxes are shipped around the 15th of each month. When purchasing a subscription, you have the opportunity to select your t-shirt size and fit preference.
Brown Sugar Box April 2019 “Squad Goals Edition” Review
Each Brown Sugar Box includes a mini magazine that highlights the theme of the box, list the products included and offers interesting and inspiring articles. This month’s box is all about sisterhood, friendship and celebrating your "squad". The Brown Sugar Box is also celebrating its two year anniversary and showing love to all the Brown Sugar Babes who have supported the box.
This article describes the theme of this month’s box--sisterhood--and lists all the items included to show love for your squad. Highlighted is this month’s cute t-shirt and the replacement tee from last month’s box. If you recall, there were misspelled names on last month’s t-shirt. I appreciate the quick turnaround on the replacement.
I love this page with a note of gratitude from Brown Sugar Box's CEO, Nicole Brown. It also includes pictures of Brown Sugar Babes sporting their t-shirts.
There's much debate on which boxes were the best Brown Sugar Boxes of all time. My favorites are the April 2017 and November 2018 boxes.
This month's magazine includes two very cool articles. One provides tips on transitioning your look from day to night by making small adjustments to get happy-hour ready. The other article describes the 5 types of friends every woman needs in her tribe. I think I am a mix of the "good time friend" and the "nurturing friend".
Izzy and Liv will be at this year's Essence Fest. This article highlights the essential packing list for the festival which includes some items found in current and past boxes. It also highlights black-owned restaurants to visit while in New Orleans.
Brown Sugar Babes are invited to share pictures of themselves on social media for a chance to win a free box. Highlighted are pictures from last month’s box. Finally, there’s an awesome “Girls Trip” playlist with all the hits! There's also a page with the Brown Sugar Box FAQs.
The back cover of the magazine has a picture of a beautiful black woman and invites you to join the Izzy & Liv members-only lounge on Facebook.
“Ain’t Nobody Fresher Than My Clique” Tribute Tee – Listed Retail Value $28
The hook of "Clique", the Kanye, Jay-Z, Big Sean collaboration, is like a friendship anthem! It boldly states that there is nobody fresher, nobody better and nobody "badder" than your crew. I really like this shirt because it's true! I also like that the blue lettering and the silver crown on the t-shirt are a bit sparkly.
Hologram Visor – Listed Retail Value $13
These bold, shiny and multicolor visors are great for keeping the sun out of your eyes and protecting your beautiful face from harmful UV rays. If I were to wear a visor, it would have to be a fun and bold visor like this. The visor fits well, isn’t too hot, and has a really cool effect – it creates a rainbow!
Crowned Friendship Charm Bracelets, set of 2 – Listed Retail Value $15
We are queens! Of course, at times life can get in the way and we have to remind of ourselves of our worth, stand up tall and straighten our crown. Sometimes we have to also remind the women in our circle that they are worthy, too, and reach out and straighten their crown. These cute adjustable string bracelets have a metal crown and clasp. They come in a set of two - one for you and one for a friend.
Demosea Botanical Body & Atmosphere Mist, Papaya, 2 oz – Retail Value $12
This mist by Demosea Botanicals is scented with papaya extract, is 100% vegan and cruelty-free with none of the bad stuff. I’m a bit put off by a product that can be used both on your body and as an air freshener. I love that the spray comes in a glass bottle and that the mist is fine and wide, but the top was leaky and I don’t enjoy the scent.
BSB Squad Keychain – Listed Retail Value $12
It's not uncommon for Brown Sugar Babes, subscribers of this box, to spot other subscribers wearing items that are made exclusively for the box. This black and white rubber keychain could allow for the same. I think it’s a bit boring and I don’t like it half as much as keychains from previous boxes – like the one featuring the brown sugar girl from the early box art.
Girlfriend’s Mug, 12.5 oz – Listed Retail Value $12
This mug features four gorgeous babes and lyrics from the popular 90s African-American sitcom Living Single. "In a 90s kind of world, I'm glad I got my girls" is from the theme song of the show that focuses on the personal and professional lives of friends living in Brooklyn. This mug is made from melamine, is very light and flimsy, and can't be microwaved. It's also not well made - there are some irregularities around the handle. This could have been an excellent mug if it were made of glass and had a glossier finish.
Rhinestone Bejeweled Flask – Listed Retail Value $14
This gold and silver bejeweled flask is featured in this month’s box. I’ve never used or carried a flask but if I did, it would have to be shiny and sparkly like this one. The care instructions caution against getting the outside of the flask wet but with such a small opening, I'm not sure how you would get liquor in the flask and clean it afterward without wetting the outside.
2-in-1 Crossbody Stadium Bag – Listed Retail Value $17
Perfect for concerts, festivals, or crowded venues, this crossbody bag will keep your goods protected in a chic way. The bag features a thick and adjustable strap the reads "Squad", a clear outer bag and a bold colored wallet inside. The quality of this crossbody bag, especially the strap, is really good. The wallet included isn't well made but it's cute and provides a nice pop of color. I like this bag!
BONUS: Flash Temporary Tattoos
These temporary tattoos let you try out cute body art that’s not permanent. This is the sparkier more adult version of the tattoos I grew up playing with. It’s a fun and nostalgic little free gift.
So, ladies, did I pull off this month’s look?
The Verdict: I’ve been a Brown Sugar Box subscriber from the very beginning so I’ve seen every box. It’s no secret that it’s one of my favorites and a brand with a mission that I love to support. I love the theme of this month’s box, but I’m divided down the middle on the products.
My favorite items this month were the t-shirt and the crossbody stadium bag. Both align with the theme, are fun and fashionable, and good quality. The visor is growing on me, the charms are cute, and the tattoos were a fun and unexpected addition to this month's box. On the other end, I did not like the smell of the body spray, thought the keychain was underwhelming, and while the flask is super cute, it's basically unusable. The biggest disappointment was the mug. I love mugs! Everything about this design was perfect, but the execution was flawed.
For me, this box falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. It’s not among the worse or the best, and that's OK. The Brown Sugar Box is such a great value - typically at least double the $44.90 cost of the box (this month's value totaled $123 using a combination of retail and listed values). You'd still come out on top even if you didn't enjoy every single item in the box. Looking forward, I've already got a sneak peek at next month's box and the Brown Sugar Babes in the Lounge are raving about it. I can't wait to share with you in next month's review!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but sign up today to receive next month's box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $39.95 + $4.95 shipping, which means that each of the 8 items in the box (not including the bonus temporary tattoos) has an average cost of $5.61.
Check out all of our Brown Sugar Box reviews and more women of color subscription boxes, along with the best women's subscription boxes of 2019!
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What do you think of this month’s Brown Sugar Box?
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