Monday, June 16, 2014

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: The Fantasy Box- Classic

Note: This review contains adult content and frank (but not graphic) discussion of sexuality and is not generally safe for viewing at work. 






When I came across The Fantasy Box, I got lost looking at their website for hours. There was so much information; I really felt as though I knew exactly what I was getting into by the time I was done. Their site was so incredibly thorough, and beyond beautiful. I really don’t think I have ever seen a more aesthetically pleasing place on the web. 




During my time on there, I learned that this was going to be unlike any other relationship-spicing subscription box out there. This wasn’t just a box of toys. This was a learning experience. I don’t think I could even begin to explain it better than them, so why try?

“There is a natural deficiency in the communication process between most couples regarding creative intimacy (ie. not missionary in the dark). And rightfully so - it’s not easy to ask for something you’ve wanted to try - it’s intimidating.

And a ‘box full of novelties’ is no more a solution to spicing up a relationship than diving into the deep end is to learning how to swim. The irony is that access to said novelties is so easy! I’m pretty sure my cat could figure out how to order a vibrator on an IPhone in 40 seconds.

But then you are sitting there. Feeling like you just ordered an Ikea dresser with no directions. And this creme you just rubbed on you is starting to burn. And you're staring at this...giant... thing.

That has now begun to move by itself...Oh God…”

That paragraph is one of the first things you see at The Fantasy Box, and I don’t know about you, but it put the whole thing into perspective. For starters, the humor! That alone, takes so much of the pressure off and lets you chill out. If you remember my previous review on subscription boxes of the same variety, they really summed up how it felt. Yea, it was a box of AMAZING stuff, but…what do I DO with it? It seemed to add to the pressure or the anxiety that already existed in our bedroom, instead of relieving it. I knew this box was just what we needed!

I received their Classic box (I’ll go over the options at the end.) When talking to one of the owners, Mariah, she asked me what size lingerie I would need. Again, if you remember past reviews on similar subject, you’d know why that makes me love them already. They cater to women size S-4XL! 

The box arrived in a plain brown box with a nondescript return address. You never have to worry about nosy neighbors or mail carriers! 

I did immediately open it a take a peek. The intention of The Fantasy Box is to leave it unopened until you and your partner are beginning your experience. But because I normally take unboxing photos for review, I needed to take them in advance  - it would have been off-putting to start snapping photos of  the contents as we were using them! However, I do wish I hadn’t even peeked, and saved the surprise for ‘during.’ I did not read the instruction cards in advance though; I knew better than to not spoil that aspect. 

That being said, I’m sad to say that, unsurprisingly, the box sat on the coffee table for nearly two weeks time….

I should preface with a little more about our situation. My husband and I have been together for 9 years. In fact, our anniversary came and went while the box sat there, unopened. 
We have a 4.5-year-old daughter and I’m currently 6 months pregnant. 

Like many, we have had a lot of obstacles to overcome in our relationship, some of which remain unresolved. In spite of all we've been through together, we always acknowledge wanting to find ways to reconnect. We know the importance of finding a way to escape current trials and tribulations, if only for a while, and we know how important physical intimacy is to holding a relationship together. Not that we actually DO anything to achieve that most of the time, which is frustrating for both of us. 

Additionally, for the most part, we don’t match each other sexually. I mean to say, one of us (me) has a naturally higher sex drive than the other, leading many encounters, or lack thereof, that end in arguments and resentment. 

On top of that, my husband is not nearly as inclined to be adventurous in the bedroom as I am. I’m basically open to anything, at least once and want to try as much as possible to keep up the excitement. He would be perfectly fine not swaying too far from our, as you say, ‘missionary in the dark.’  

I think a lot of couples experience this sort of incompatibility, and it does add a real challenge for committed relationships, and one that is so emotionally sensitive it can be hard to deal with without people feeling rejected on one side and pressured on the other, neither of which make for good sex.

So while he knew the box was there, and I hinted more than a handful of times, there it sat. There was always a reason. Our daughter didn’t go to sleep in a timely matter, he was tired earlier than wanted, one of us got sick for a few days, pregnancy was getting the best of us, etc. Eventually, we just set a date and stopped waiting for spontaneity to do it for us. I wasn’t able to find a sitter, but we had to make it work, even if for no other reason than I that needed to get the review written!  Maybe not the most romantic reason for a date night, but at least it got us moving on this!


The way Fantasy Box works is that rather than getting a box of random things each month, they come in a series - the first box is the one we received, with later boxes launching off from this one, in a progressive journey toward intimacy. This first box in their line really gets to the bottom of our main issue - communication.  

When you first open the box, there are a few written materials to focus on. There are HIS and HERS questionnaires. There is also a direction card that spells out how to go about using this box. 

The first step is to fill out the individual questions prior to the night of the event. The questions were really great. They asked what kinds of things turned us on, got us in the mood, how often we wished sex occurred, and other questions such as that, mostly in multiple choice form. 

Then it says to go over the answers after a romantic dinner, during dessert perhaps. Unfortunately we were unable to accommodate that part with our schedules, and childcare options. So after a normal family dinner, macaroni in fact, we put the kiddo to bed a tad early, turned off the TV and got to business!

Oh wait, no that’s how it SHOULD have gone. 


What actually happened was we put the kid to bed, realized a favorite show was recording, and said it can wait until after that. Then that show ended, and we let it just go into the next one. Eventually it sparked an argument of sorts that was filled with “well I was waiting for you to bring it up,” and “well, I thought you wanted to watch this.” Basically, we both kept procrastinating because as much as we wanted the results, we were so nervous about the process.

Eventually we really did pull out our questionnaires and just go for it. We traded off answering the questions first so no one felt more vulnerable than the other. I felt like I'd easily be able to guess most of his answers but there were a few that made me feel like I was learning something new.  Most importantly, we were talking!

The whole process, which included 20 questions each, lasted us well over an hour. Each question sparked a conversation. While I won't go into too intimate details, it just allowed time for expanding on certain aspects. We would expand on our answers by discussing a time it happened, or just explaining how we could go about achieving that desire. 


Once we got to the end, it was time for part two! We had to decide who was going to be LEADER and who was going to be FOLLOWER. Leader would be in charge of actually opening the box, and facilitating the fantasy, while follower simply followed the leader's lead!
We discussed the options. If I was leader, that kept things as they usually are, allowing us to experience the box, but without stepping to far out of comfort zones. 

If he was the Leader, it would create a whole new experience and allow him to try out that role, with a set of directions to help him try it. 

After he said he was confident in either role - that settled that! So I grabbed the FOLLOWER card, turned it over and was quite surprised to see 5 large print say-nothing instructions. Meanwhile, 5 minutes go by and he is still reading his very detailed looking card. I was definitely feeling excited and curious!

We took the box upstairs, he handed me a blindfold and a wrapped package and told me to put both of them on, lie down on the bed and wait for him to return. The lingerie was absolutely gorgeous! It was a off-the-shoulder, soft black chemise with red floral lacing at the top, and a matching thong. The whole thing was see-through, but tastefully so. I felt sexy and elegant in it.

After 45 minutes (ok fine, it was more like 5-10 but sheesh!) I was exploding with anticipation. I knew he had to have been making me wait longer than necessary, but it really added to everything. 

Eventually I heard him come back in. He didn’t speak at first, and when he did, it wasn’t something that would normally come out. (I'm going to leave what it was a secret but...) There was clearly some dominant training going on, on that card! I found myself doing a lot of nervous giggling. Not being able to see where he was, or what was going to happen was exhilarating! 

Unfortunately I did end up having to switch out the blindfold for another one I had because it was not actually blocking anything out. It was beyond comfortable, since it was padded, but that made it stiffer and didn’t lay right around my nose, leaving gaps. 

Also, our floor is super creaky, giving me at least hints on what side of the room he was on. He kept switching sides of the bed, keeping up the surprise of where he was.  Being blindfolded really made every sound much more full of intense meaning.
Many points in the evening we found ourselves in laughing fits. I think that keeping some humor took a lot of pressure off of trying to be overly sexy.


There was one point while he was going through the box that he says “Hrm.. but I wonder if this is safe to go in your mouth?” I laughed so hard!! I had no idea what he was talking about, but to just hear him say that was hilarious. Turns out he was referring to a lubrication, just trying to plan order of events…I’ll let you figure that one out yourselves….


The Sliquid Organics lubricant was incredibly silky, and certainly did its job well. 

Again, without going into anything that is going to give our site a XXX rating, lets just say, I will be a very long time customer!

 The only thing in the box we didn’t get around to using that night, was the massage candle because we didn’t have a lighter handy and didn’t want to interrupt to go find one.

I think my favorite element of the night actually came after the main event.

Thanks to the instructions on the card, after all was over, he started asking me questions. He asked what I liked, didn’t like, and gave me his own feedback. I cannot count how many times we have done new things, and I was left in the dark as to if it was something I should repeat or forget ever happened altogether. ‘The Debrief’ was very important, and hopefully gets incorporated from now on!

My husband says if there was anything about this that he would change, its that he wishes that there was a little more instruction on set up so that things were more smooth sailing once we were in the moment. 

He didn’t know to search the box for batteries for the vibrator (but loves that they were included!) He didn’t know to have a lighter handy. 

Other than that he was thoroughly impressed. 

He loved that it gave him very helpful instructions/ideas but overall left the actual actions up to his own imagination. He really enjoyed playing the leader roll and was able to get into it much easier than he would have thought possible. 

He also expressed how nervous he was but was able to move right past that after seeing how nervous I was as well! 



A few nights later, we decided it was time to test out of candle. We have owned one before that we got from a Renaissance Faire that we loved, so we were pretty excited to try another. 


This one is a soy candle that smells amazing. It says it burned just 2 degrees higher than body temperature so it was comfortably warm to touch, and doesn’t burn your skin at all! The coolest part was that it even had a pour spout! 

This product definitely got a ‘thumbs up’ from us both.  It was a lot greasier than the other one we've tried, though, so I would want to do some advanced planning to protect the bedsheets before using it again.

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So, on to how you can get a Fantasy Box of your own! The Classic Box that I received is the mid-level subscription style offer. The three tiers are The Essentials, The Classic, and The Platinum. Each follows the same flow, with the same fantasy instruction cards. The difference between them is the price/value of the items included. 

They all come with lingerie and toys, and trademarked fantasy cards. The Essential costs $34, with an average value of over $50. It includes a few less products than the Classic, in the form of more sample-sized products rather than full-sized. The Classic costs $59 a month, with an average value of over $75. Lastly, they offer the Platinum package. This monthly box costs $159, averaging a value of over $200! This box will come with nothing less than the top of the line toys and lingerie. It also appears to be a little more personalized toward what you like, and less generic than the first two options. 

Once you sign up, you can switch around which package you will get each month to fit your current needs and budget. 

As if that weren’t good enough, there also have more advanced mini-series subscription box options! 

The first is centered on Control Fantasies (definitely think 50 Shades style!) 

The second is about Sensual Fantasies. That sounds perfect for the couple not lacking in the spice department but maybe just looking for something special to get the romance going! 

The third line is Costume/Role-Playing fantasies. I’m curious how much role play comes up in the main line, but I like that it is a category all on its own. 

The final option is for Light/fun fantasies. I could see this one being great for us as well, as we somehow managed to be in giggle fits throughout a more dominant/submissive fantasy! These boxes are a little pricier and come in two tiers, $199 and $499!

I also found out that they have a whole online community forum for people to not only discuss their experiences but also get ideas on how to use the box contents, or take things past the box for further sexual encounters!

In all honesty, I want to try them all! I can really see how this first box is going to help me and my husband tremendously. I can only imagine there are a million other marriages that are going through the same kind of bumps that we are, and just need a little direction and a fun push.

I’m so excited to have learned of this, and couldn’t wait to let people know. 

In spite of our nervousness to begin, I felt no sexual shame, or embarrassment as this box just comes across as classy and fun to me, and  the built in opportunities to talk in a caring way about sensitive subjects was invaluable to both of us . I happily shared our experience with people, including my own mother! I hope you all go try this out and enjoy discovering your partners like never before.  This would be such a wonderful gift to share together.



The Fantasy Box is offering the first box in the Classic series as a giveaway to our readers. This giveaway is open to US residents only, over the age of 18.  This giveaway will run until  just before midnight (EDT) on Monday, June 30.  Good luck, everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
The Fantasy Box
The Fantasy Box @ Facebook



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33 comments:

  1. Wow! This is amazing Jackie! I just love that you were able to be so honest in this review. I am sure that many of our readers will benefit from this product. I personally can't wait to try it. I know that, after 14 years of being with my husband we could definitely use a communication enabler. Thank you so much for this review!

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    1. Yes! I highly recommend this for any couple in any stage :)

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  2. This is an awesome sub box. I love that it feels so comfortable.

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  3. I love that it seems like something fun that gets the evening started!

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  4. I like that there is a point to everything in the box...it's not just a bunch of random stuff that you're supposed to figure out on your own.

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  5. I like that there is themed boxes.

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    1. Me too! Those could definitely be fun for special occasions :)

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  6. i like that there are levels for people's various price ranges.

    -Lauren B.

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    1. I agree! I think we are going to get one more classic (to build up our product arsenal!) then switch to the essentials box for a few months. Save the platinum for major occasions! lol

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  7. This sounds like so much fun! I really like the MANY different options for boxes!

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  8. It's neat that they come with lingerie in every box.

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  9. I like that they offer the 3 different types of boxes, depending on how much you want to spend

    Nathansmommy619(At)Aol(Dot)com

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  10. Each of the 3 different types sounds unique

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  11. I really like that the primary focus is on the experience and not just the 'stuff' (but that the stuff itself is good quality) and especially like that each box after the first builds on the previous ones.

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  12. I learned they have 3 levels of boxes to choose from!

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  13. This would definitely spice up a 25yrs marriage. Lol. I like you can send as a gift to a newlyweds.

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  14. This box is a must for parents of twin toddlers! (Me!) ;)

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  15. I love how their website isn't intimidating ...

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  16. looks like a lot of fun and love the themed boxes. thankyou, ken pohl19@comcast.net

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  17. Hey, you can do these month to month, change the upgrades, skip a month, how ever you want to do it! Also, that forum/message board you mentioned is anonymous! No embarrassing comments to come back and bit you in the butt!

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  18. I love that it has lots of different products, and an easy way to subscribe. Helps couples discover new things together in a safe, comfortable way

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  19. The theme boxes looks really cool

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  20. Themed nights sound interesting. Sensual experience sounds the best.

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  21. I like this because you can keep things fun without having to go shopping in the novelty shops in person.

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  22. I like the themed fantasy bundles, especially the light/fun fantasies.

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  23. A box of goodies to spice up your romance.

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  24. I like the concept of providing couples with a safe way to expand their horizons so to speak.

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  25. I learned that my partner has fantasies just like I do! I love this box. No couple could ever go wrong with a surprise box like this. I really really really want one. Please?

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  26. The themed boxes are intriguing!

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  27. I love this box and all it's contents.. I don't think any couple could ever go wrong with a subscription like this.

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