Fangirl Monthly – December 2016 Review

Fangirl Monthly is a subscription box that delivers jewelry and accessories curated around an anime, manga, or video game.  Each box includes 3-5 items, with at least one piece handmade by a small business.  This month’s theme is Cardcaptor Sakura!

plus $3.99 shipping within the U.S., $10.99 to Canada, and $13.99 internationally.

You can also purchase 3 and 6 month prepaid subscriptions for a slight discount.

Each box includes an information card that pays homage to that month’s theme.  This month’s theme is Cardcaptor Sakura, one of the original magical girl animes!  Sakura Kinamoto is an elementary school girl who accidentally unleashes the Clow, a series of cards that contain magical powers.  With the help of the guardian Keroberos (the happy little yellow guy on the card), she recollects the cards and battles evil.

Every month, Fangirl Monthly includes a postcard and drawstring bag, both designed exclusively for this subscription.  This month’s postcard features the main characters of Cardcaptor Sakura in full Christmas gear!  How adorable!  The drawstring bag that holds all the jewelry has a metallic print of Sakura’s signature wings.

Star Wand Necklace

The first piece in this box is a necklace modeled after Sakura’s star wand.  The pendant has an enameled finish and is displayed on a very long chain.  This necklace is a subtle nod to the series that would be cute even if you didn’t know the anime.  I love pieces like that!

Here is the necklace with the postcard, just to give a sense of how long the chain is.

Keroberos and Spinel Sun Hair Clip Set

These bobby pins have enamel images of two Guardians of the Clow!  Kero (the yellow one) is instantly recognizable and a very popular figure.  They’re quite stiff and don’t have a lot of give, which I appreciate because it keeps my hair in place without sliding out easily.  I do wish that one of the characters could have been on the left end of the bobby pin, since I prefer to hold back my hair on that side of my head, but these are adorable either way.

Double-Sided Keychain (right)

This keychain was made by Fangirl Monthly and shows the main character, Sakura Kinamoto, surrounded by Clow cards.  The image is on both sides of the keychain, and is made of a hard, shiny plastic material.  It seems durable, which is necessary if it’s going to hang from my keys!

Magic Circle Compact Mirror

This is a small mirror with the image of a magic circle on the back.  Each magician in the series has their own circle that appears whenever they are casting a spell, like a unique signature, and this is Sakura’s.  The mirror is the perfect size to toss into a handbag for quick touchups, and I like that it comes with its own little bag to protect from scratches!

The mirror is actually handmade by an Etsy artist, Dory Eng!  Her Etsy shop is called Hikari wo Sagasu, and she carries a lot of adorable accessories – I have my eye on some Sailor Moon washi tape!

The actual mirror measures 2.25 inches in diameter.  There is some slight warping around the very edges, but that doesn’t bother me at all.  I think this is great for re-applying lipstick on the go!

Sakura, Wings, and Stars Charm Bracelet

WOW.  This charm bracelet is beautiful!  It’s so delicate and lovely, and has lots of nods to Cardcaptor Sakura!  The charms are comprised of cherry blossoms (called “sakura” in Japanese), Sakura’s wings, and little gold and pink enamel hearts.  The chain is made of little interlinked hearts, and there is a diamond crown at the end.  The clasp fits on any one of the heart links, so you can adjust it to be as big or small as you want.  This bracelet is probably my favorite piece that Fangirl Monthly has sent out so far, it’s just so cute!

Overall, I loved this month’s box!  While I haven’t seen many episodes of Cardcaptor Sakura, I think this might be my favorite Fangirl Monthly so far!  The pieces were girly and feminine, in keeping with the Cardcaptor Sakura aesthetic, which are totally my style so I will get a lot of use out of them.  Everything was on theme, and there were two exclusive pieces (four, if you include the postcard and drawstring bag!).  I also appreciate that they’re including more Etsy and small-business artists in their boxes!  I’ve enjoyed every box that Fangirl Monthly has put out so far, and I certainly do feel like they’re steadily getting better!

 

Fangirl Monthly has also released the theme for January on their Instagram account!  Here it is:

 

Purchased.  All opinions in this review are my own, and no compensation was received for this review.  This post contains affiliate links.