iBbeautiful Review, Interview and Coupon Code
iBbeautiful is spreading a powerful, positive message; b unique, b happy, b you. This subscription service is targeted towards teen and tween girls and offers two subs; Basic or Graphic Tee. The Basic subscription offers a variety of products for $18 per month. The Graphic Tee sub ships a selection of lifestyle items and a tee each month for $28 month. ($1.95 for shipping on both)
iBbeautiful shipped over a box for my review this month. Let’s talk to the ladies for a minute and then take a look at the box.
What made you decide to start a subscription box service?
I have owned and operated a brick and mortar gift store for the last 11 years. Once I became aware of the subscription box industry I found the business model fascinating and was closely following it’s growth. With brick and mortar stores being such a challenge in this economy I was looking for other business venues to pursue.
How did you choose your subscription niche?
When I was in school I was never part of the ‘in crowd’ and was also such a nerd that I wasn’t even aware that I wasn’t in this crowd. But now, having a tween/teen daughter I’ve become aware of how incredibly difficult it is for young girls to navigate their way through this time of their life. In my day it was bad enough if there was a slumber party that you weren’t invited to, you maybe heard about it once or twice but that was it. Nowadays you have to witness it in real time with all the pictures and posts on Instagram and Facebook. Talk about adding insult to injury! It really bothered me that I saw my daughter and her friends constantly considering their ‘worth’ based on an external comparison to others, instead of looking internally at themselves to see who they were and being proud in their unique-ness. Our message at iBbeautiful is
[Tweet “B Unique, B Happy, B You”]
and that’s what our box is all about. Empowering and inspiring girls to feel good about themselves and comfortable in their own skin.
How long did it take between idea and official launch?
Not long actually, once the idea took hold everything just seemed to fall in place. We were the first tween/teen box to the market and we’re very proud of that.
How do you source the products that will be included each month?
Well, we approach this tween/teen market a little differently. We do not believe that we should contribute to the mass marketing efforts of brands to this age group. If we’re trying to teach our girls they are ‘beautiful just as they are’ it would not be genuine to fill our boxes with brands whose marketing goal is that one can look like this celebrity or that celebrity if they just use this particular product.
We start each month with an inspirational or empowerment theme and then we build around that. Some of our past themes have been……’Be Fearless’, ‘Always Wear An Invisible Crown’, ‘Don’t Mess With My Happy’……all of these themes gave our girls something to hold onto as they go through their day either in the way of product to remind them daily of the theme, or as a mantra to help instill positive thoughts as they navigate their way through life. Our products are fun and useful.
What was your biggest surprise – good or bad – with your new business?
My biggest surprise was the response we got from the moms. I have a huge file of thank you’s from moms all across the United States thanking us for the positive message that we are bringing to their girls. As the mother of a tween/teen I know that when I try to dispel motivational messages or tidbits of wisdom to my daughter I usually just get a giant ‘eye-roll’, but when the message comes from an outside source it is easier for her to hear, and that is why moms are loving our boxes. I probably get a least two emails a day telling me how someone’s daughter used that month’s theme in a rough moment at school to get her through and then came home and told her mom about it. Nothing is better than those emails because that means “job well done” over here at Team iBbeautiful.
What would you change if you had to start over?
The only thing I would have changed would to have started this project earlier. Our growth has been fantastic and there are so many additional ideas I want to implement as soon as possible.
Where do you see your business five years from now? Any changes in the
works?
That would be a big YES. We are already working on our own products that will be healthy and pure for teen/tween girls. You’ll just have to watch and see as all our new ideas unfold.
iBbeautiful Review
This box is called “The Sunshine Box.” It has four items perfect for summer.
Summer Scarf – this is a pretty gray scarf that will pair nicely with almost any outfit.
Anklet – a silver chain with a little bow. Very cute. I’d wear this.
Notebook + Pen – This notebook is called the Bucket List keeper. I don’t think kids spend enough time with a pen and paper these days. It is so imperative that we teach our youth to explore their feelings and work through their questions as opposed to constantly seeking validation on Facebook and other social media. Journaling is a lost art. One that will be sorely missed if we let it disappear. [Off my soapbox]
Body Butter – My insert says this should be Peppermint Fluff. Pink Sugar is what actually arrived, though I’m not complaining. This smells good enough to eat. It’s made my Sunbasil Garden Soap.
This was a nice little box. I’ve read some complaints of some tween/teen subscriptions being “too grown up” or too heavily focused on makeup. That wasn’t the case here. This was a great box all-around for any age.
iBbeautiful Coupon
Stop by the website to learn more about iBbeautiful. One-time boxes and gift subscriptions are also available. Use code BEAUTYBOX5 to save $5 on your first box! (Expires 6/30)
Disclosure: I received this box for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
