Beauty Boxes. Maybe you’ve heard of them. You might even have an opinion about them. For those of you who never did, you might be asking yourselves: What exactly is a beauty box and why would I sign up for something like that?
Here’s the roundup: for a monthly fee, you get to sample a variety of products for a fraction of the price you would otherwise pay in retail. Aside from that, you get the hottest and trendy products from well known and up and coming brands delivered right to your door. If that hasn’t convinced you yet, how about having your own beauty expert curating your products for you based on your wants and needs? Sounds good? I thought so.
In other words: it’s a subscription service. Yes, there are many to choose from, so how do you know which one (s) might be best for you? It depends on what you are looking for. Is it makeup? Skin care? Fragrance? Whatever it is, I’m sure you will find something that will match what you are looking for.
In an attempt to serve as a reference guide, I managed to gather a list of the most popular ones along with a quick review to make it simpler for you to compare them. They are not ranked in any specific order, and it’s just meant to serve as a quick guide. I hope you find this useful. Here they are:
FACETORY
Affordable sheet masks inspired in the famous Korean face mask trend. Facetory has three types of subscription plans: The basic which is called “4-ever-Fresh” and the two premiums: “7 Lux” and “Lux Plus”. The basic plan is less than $8/month and the premium plus is only $ 29.71/month. This service is for people who are interested in skin care only.
This sub service is great because eliminates having to search for new and innovative masks on your own and is a great timesaver. The quality of the masks is superior to the ones you would get at a pharmacy or Target store for instance. You do get more value for your money this way rather than going shopping on your own. Overall, a great box for skin care lovers.
BOXY CHARM
This is definitely on the top 5 of the most popular beauty boxes out there. All subscription plans are under $20/month unless you prefer no to commit to any plan and go with the month by month deal. In this case, you will be paying $21/month. Subscribers receive 4 to 5 full-sized beauty products from well-known, popular and up-and-coming brands. On occasion, you might only get 4 full size instead of 5 and a travel size.
They focus mainly on makeup, but you can also get in the mix nail care, skin care, hair care and fragrance. The value of the products you will get will always be over $100, which in itself already pays off. Something to note though, you may not always get the type of product you’d like, think of it as a trial.
Boxy Charm is a great way to expand your makeup collection or if you have trouble deciding what to purchase when you want to splurge on beauty products.
IPSY GLAM BAG
More than a subscription service Ipsy is a community of beauty product lovers. Ipsy encourages you to create a beauty profile on their site before you sign up, so it helps them better match the products to your personal preferences.
This means you will only get products tailored specifically for you. Every now and then, they might also send you something for you to try that may not necessarily match your profile or from a brand you’ve never heard before. You’re able to request to opt out of certain products, if you get something you no longer need or want and you can also add new options to try. With your subscription you get a new make-up bag every month.
Ipsy has had some complaints from customers lately about getting the same products over and over or not getting products that match their profiles as well as problems with shipping. It is not clear yet if these were isolated cases or a widespread problem.
Overall, Ipsy seems to have a pretty strong fan base still. Subscription is only $10/month and with the variety of products you get it’s a good value overall. Worth a try.
SEPHORA
This one needs no introduction. “Play by Sephora” is the name of the beauty box by the famous Sephora brand. For only $10/month, you get trial size samples of all the most sought-after makeup products.
Sephora sub service is consistent on its quality with super high-end brands and bigger than usual sample sizes. If you are looking for brands you’re familiar with, this might be a good box for you. Every month you get 5 deluxe samples and then a regular product.
The only drawback of this box is that they don’t have a points system, unlike other subscription services, if that is something important to you.
ALLURE
Allure is probably one of the most popular beauty boxes out there. No wonder! For only $15/month you get the most value for your buck. All the products are tested by the magazine editors.
The box includes a mix of sample and full-size products of the most trending skincare, haircare, and makeup products. The value of the box is a different value every month depending on the products, but at least it is more than $50. Sometimes you will get a box more than a $100 value.
With your subscription, you will also get a mini-magazine with tips, shortcuts, and step-by-steps and a reusable pouch in limited-edition hues. New members pay $10 for the first month and also receive a bonus gift.
BIRCH BOX
Another favorite of the crowds, for only $13/month you get a mix of makeup, hair products, skin care and fragrance. They work with a lot of different brands so you know you will get a good mix of products in your box. If you like whatever you tried, you have the option to buy the full-size version with free shipping.
Birch box personalizes your box based on your beauty preferences as well, but regardless of what they send you, you will always get quality items with pertinent information.
Also, on your second month, you get to chose one of your samples for your next box, a nice perk since most subscription services don’t allow you to chose what you will get next.
BEAUTY FIX
This is a subscription service by http://dermstore.com, offering full and travel size of every product from makeup to skin care, bath and body and hair care. Products are handpicked by a panel of beauty experts. The box costs $24.95/month and the value of the products is well over $100. The box also includes a booklet detailing every item included.
GLOSSY BOX
Their signature pink box with a black lace, is very pretty and it comes with a mix of 5 beauty products worth over $60. They have a variety of subscription plans ranging from 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. The longer the commitment the cheaper the plan. But if you just want to go with the month to month deal, the box will cost you $21.
NEW BEAUTY TEST TUBE
This box will cost you $29.95 monthly, with a value well over $150. All products are curated by editors with a wide range of categories and popular brands plus luxurious new names.
With your beauty box subscription, you will automatically get a New Beauty magazine subscription as well.
TARGET BEAUTY BOX
Target beauty box is one of the most affordable beauty boxes out there. For only $7/month you will get samples of hair, bath, and body products that you can find in Target stores. This is great if you are on a budget and wanting to try the products before you buy them at the store.
SCENTBIRD
This box is for fragrance lovers like myself. You can either pick a scent you would like to try or let them pick one for you. For $14.95/month, you can sample a variety of perfumes and colognes from 450 designer brands before you commit to buy a regular size bottle.
The box comes with travel size bottles of 0.27 ounces that are super cute and reusable. The sprayers are quite colorful and of good quality.
BEAUTY HEROES
The price point of this subscription box is a bit higher than most, but that also means you will get more for your money. For $ 42.95/month you will get with your box a new brand of skincare or makeup through one larger “hero” product and one sample-size “sidekick” product from the spotlight brand.
Their philosophy is “Use Less. Love More” which means you’ll get the best in clean beauty, so you love more of what you use, and use less of what you don’t. The clean beauty brand is always valued at over $90. You also get a 15% discount at any time you would want to buy a product whenever you want.
PETIT VOUR
If you are mindful about what’s inside your beauty products, you can feel good about this one. All products offered are vegan, non-toxic, and 100% cruelty-free. For $18/month, or $15 (If you opt for the yearly plan) you’ll receive a mix of 4 products ranging from makeup, hair care, body, and skincare ($45-$60 value), curated to your beauty profile. Petit Vour also ships worldwide.
LOOK FANTASTIC
This box is by original British boutique of the same name. They work with leading luxury beauty brands such as Kérastase, FOREO, Dermalogica, Redken, Chantecaille, Jurlique, Matrix, REN, EX1 Cosmetics, Elemis and many more.
Their beauty experts receive regular training directly from the brands. You’ll get an average of 6 products per box, ranging from hair, makeup, skin care, body care. Month to Month subscription is $19, but they also have 3,6 and 12 month plans.
MARGOT ELENA DISCOVERY BOX
An Indie brand of bath and body and lifestyle, their concept is a bit different than most subscription services as they only have yearly subscription plans. You will receive a box once every 3 months, basically one for every season: spring, summer, fall and winter.
Plan is $179.99 a year, which comes down to $15/month. You will only get full size premium products.
FAB FIT FUN
Made up of a community of likeminded people, FabFitFun is consistently one of the highest rated subscription services for women. Their box offers products on beauty, fitness, wellness, home, and everything in between. You can choose to customize your box every month or let them surprise you! Subscription plans are either seasonal for $49.99 or the yearly for $179.99. You will get a new box every 3 months.
They also offer FabFitFun TV, which is a collection of on-demand videos on their website on the workout, meditation, and even cooking! You can watch them either on your computer or on your phone. Members also have access to exclusive sales with discounts between 30% and 70%.
MACYS BEAUTY BOX
Macy’s box offers 5 deluxe sample size products plus one bonus gift and collectible cosmetic bag. The products range from makeup, skincare, body care, and fragrance. Just like Ipsy’s, it also comes with a folding card detailing each product received.
Subscribers also get a $5 coupon to shop online or in-store. Macy’s beauty box costs $15/month. The value of the products you get is worth $50 or more.
BOXWALLA BEAUTY BOX
This is a small family-owned company with a very cool concept. They only use green products on their boxes that are gentle yet indulging on your skin. The products are for skincare and are crafted by artisans from all over the world. All products are either full-sized or large travel-sized and are always cruelty-free.
They also have a food box, book box, and film box. You can add or switch box interests at any time during your subscription. We are going to focus here on the beauty box, but the others sound very interesting as well and I am most definitely going to try them in the future.
The beauty box is delivered every other month free of charge and the subscription is $49.95. Box contains 2 full-size products of a brand called “5Yina”. They also give the option to buy a one-time box an “a la carte” service if you will, in case you want to gift someone or just to try it out.
The actual box itself is a work of art. They are handmade and crafted in India and take several weeks to make. All in all, everything they put in the box including the box itself is meant to be of the highest quality and unique.
There you have it. I’m sure there are more boxes out there that are not on this list that you might know about, but this was meant to be a quick reference guide on the most popular brands, mostly in the US. I will keep updating this list as soon as more relevant information comes up. For now, I hope you enjoy it ?
