OuiPlease Review – A Francophile’s Subscription Box! Is it Worth the Cost?

Hey there,

It’s been a while since I reviewed anything other than books, but a big mail day finally arrived: OuiPlease arrived at my doorstep (as did my first – and only – Ipsy subscription, but I’ll review that another day!).

OuiPlease is a “Luxury subscription box … delivering the finest full-sized French beauty, jewelry, accessories, apparel, home and epicure to US & Canada”. This subscription box can be purchased monthly (it delivers bi-monthly) or yearly, and it’s in the higher range of subscription boxes, priced at about $150 USD per month, or $640 for a 6-time subscription for the year. I say “about” because you will often find that OuiPlease promotes a discount code on their social media. Because shipping is costly (Nearly a quarter the price of the subscription box, itself), I reached out to OuiPlease and they provided me with a 30% off discount code for my first purchase.

I bought this for myself only a day after my grandmother died (September 22nd). I was sad and wanted a taste of something Parisian and something “unexpected” to cheer me up. Unfortunately, despite being scheduled to ship in early October, I just got this today – on November 14th – so needless to say, delivery time sure isn’t quick.

Now, the products in this subscription box are randomized. Not everyone gets the same thing and you can’t be sure of what exactly your box will contain. If there is something you really like, you can contact Ashley@OuiPlease and she will make sure your box gets that product. While this makes the box exciting, this also can lead to a lot of FOMO.

OuiPlease advertises their “partners” for the month on Instagram, giving you clues into what you can expect in your box. I found these posts to be immensely misleading. Not only are the products not as advertised on the partner websites or in the images shared, but more often than not, they’re just not in the box at all! Out of the 15 different brands of products that you could find in the box (some had more than one possible product from their line) I had seven. It may sound like a lot, but it’s actually only eight products out of a possible ~30 items that they advertise through Instagram and in their OuiPlease magazine. So while I was getting my hopes up and getting all excited for this box with each Instagram photo I saw, I wasn’t even getting the majority of what I was seeing.

Maybe it’s because I requested the Wall Hanging that I only got a little in my box. The wall-hanging is handmade with 24 karat gold plating and it’s advertised as being a retail value of $130. I do believe that this “retail price” is similar to those “compare to” prices that Winners has – it’s never actually sold at that price, but items of a greater quality which are a comparable design ARE sold at that price. It’s really delicate and beautiful, but would I ever pay $130 for it? No. Absolutely not. I love that it’s handmade and comes with a certificate of authenticity and it’s totally up my alley when it comes to a minimalist art piece, but it’s definitely not worth $169 Canadian! Fooey! There’s no way.

Speaking of items that are misleading and priced absurdly – I got a really lovely AMOUR handmade bracelet by Padam Padam Paris (a jewelry company). It says it retails at about $40 USD. Firstly, when Padam Padam Paris was being advertised as a partner through Instagram, OuiPlease showed their absolutely GORGEOUS gold and silver jewelry pieces. Delicate, feminine, and captivating pieces of art. The bracelet I got is made from rubber plated wire. Don’t get me wrong – I love things that have French words, but I’m so unimpressed. This looks like it could have been made by one of my students. I will wear it. I do love it. But it wasn’t at all what I was expecting, and definitely isn’t worth what it “retails” for (according to OuiPlease).

Next item in my box was a poncho. Now, I wish you could see the poncho they showed on Instagram; it was fall-coloured, argyle, gorgeous… I’m not sure if there was a mix-up in my box but the poncho I got (as you can see above) has Spring colours. What?! This was an Autumn themed box and I got stuck with a light, spring-feeling and looking poncho that I won’t even be able to wear this season!? What the hell!? It’s a great quality product, but again, wasn’t as advertised.

The next product is one I am very pleased with; a perfume by the company Maison Louis Marie. The packaging of this perfume is beautiful, and it comes with an old fashioned spray bottle. I got the scent – No. 09 Vallee de Farney. It’s so beautiful. It’s a masculine, musky grapefruit scent. Very unique, very French. This one is advertised at $85 USD and I believe it. It smells and looks like a really high-quality perfume. This was probably my favourite product in the subscription box.

The next products in my subscription box were Honey Nougat (delicious), a Parisian Confiture (tiny, but delicious), and a honey lip chap. Not featured in my photos was a very soft eye mask (valued at $25 which I don’t believe for a moment). Also, the box it comes in is really beautiful and I’m not sure how I’ll be using mine, just yet.

Overall, was I pleased? Yes, and no. While the products are lovely, I found the box to be immensely misleading (due the the advertising of the company), and for the cost of it + shipping in Canadian dollars, it doesn’t seem completely worth it. I feel like I got “shafted” with the amount of products in my box, and one of the products being so “Spring” focused when it was Autumn themed was very disappointing.

Will I get it again? I’m not sure – perhaps if there is a big sale going on, and I know exactly what to expect in the box, and truly feel that makes it worth it. Would I recommend it to someone else? Only if you have the money to waste. It would make a nice gift for someone, but Canadians, be aware that the price you pay may not really translate as you expect when you open the box.

What I truly realized after all this, was that no purchase can really fill the void that the death of someone you love so deeply leaves in your heart. I know that’s an obvious lesson, but I felt it was worth sharing.

So, what do you think? Will you give OuiPlease a try? Let me know in the comments below!

xo
C