Subscription Central (Spoilers, Unboxings, and More)

[ElleElleG]

Hi All! 

We are long overdue for an updated Subscription Sharing thread!  Whether it's BoxyCharm, Ipsy, or PopSugar we want to hear (and see) all about what you are subscribed to.

Interested in trading with other users?  Here are some things you need to know from @SydBristow and her trade threads:

Spoiler

IMPORTANT NOTE: To comply with Sephora's terms of use, items cannot be listed "for sale" or even for trade for Sephora or other gift cards. Please do not list "prices" either (which implies selling), but you can list approximate trade value.

Because a number of fake items have been sent in trades, it is strongly advised you provide photos of your higher-end items, including the labeling (you may be asked for it anyway) and list WHERE you purchased the item from. Fakes are readily available from less reputable sellers and can contain toxins! It is important to everyone to know where their cosmetics come from.

Please also be aware that some makeup products cannot be sanitized - please use caution in your trades. When in doubt, ask the community, it's a great resource! Used items you may wish to avoid are mascara, liquid eyeliner, lip glosses, and cream products.

Acquiring Items
Please use discretion with whom you enter into trades with. There is a summarized list of trusted traders here: http://community.sephora.com/t5/Off-Topic/List-of-Successful-Traders-January-2015/td-p/1852954 Protect yourself in your trades, ask questions (such as where an item was purchased), ask for additional photos (to show level of usage and/or labeling to prove authenticity).
If you don’t feel 100% comfortable doing a trade because someone is new, you can request they send their items first.

Communication
Please use the private message system on Beauty Talk and/or tag the user you are trying to get in touch with. Communication is key! You can tell a lot about a trade by how the communication goes. If you will be unavailable for any periods of time, please be up front, and if there are any issues with shipping please be up front about that as well.

Delivery
Having tracking and insurance on shipments goes a long way to figuring out where an item might be. The USPS puts anticipated delivery dates and tracking numbers right on the receipt. If there is any issue with an item you have sent out, please follow up with the carrier.

SUCCESSFUL TRADE EXPERIENCES?
Consider providing your feedback on successful trades on this thread here: http://community.sephora.com/t5/Off-Topic/Successful-Trades-or-TSB-Experiences/td-p/1012387

**the previous thread can be found here: Subscription box photo sharing

[Tamara76]

I finally got my Sephora Play box!  

Spoiler

1.  Bag - Love, love, love!   So cute! 
2.  Murad Invisiblur - I've gotten so many samples of this over the years and I am not a fan - It makes my skin break out, which is somewhat hard to do - this went straight to my bestie who loves it.
3.  Verb Ghost Oil - Love it, but I actually already buy and use the full sized version
4.  Lancome Miel En Mousse - This is a nice cleanser I've tried before
5.  Buxom Plumpling Lip Liner in Hush Hush - This is new for me and I'm actually really excited about it!
6.  Sephora Collection Powder Foundation - I have also never tried this and look forward to checking it out
7.  Ouai Anti-Frizz wipes - Will give it a try, but I may have tried these before - don't remember

Overall, I just wish they would include more newer products in the Play Box - For those of us who buy from Sephora all the time, it is kind of disappointing to get the same samples so often.

[ElleElleG]

I believe some  Play! subscribers visit this thread so here's a spoiler for April as well as info on how to determine which box you will receive each month (perhaps I should add the steps in the OP as well as it seems to be a recurring question).

[KemoLove]

@ElleElleG ~ Thank you for sharing this! I really hope it ends up in my box 😀

[Kim888]

Did you all see the Boxycharm announcement? Posted on my subscription addiction: 

"Yosef from Boxycharm did a Q&A today with some information on their plans for 2018!In 2018 Boxycharm is planning on the expanding the beauty profile and product review sections of their site in order to provide more customization in future boxes. This will include new brands and types of products (skincare!)."

What are your thoughts on this?? I'm personally pretty excited! I've mentioned before I really loved the boxes where we got some skin care so I am pretty excited about some of the potential new products we might be seeing! The customization makes me a bit nervous - I feel like the more variations there are the more it feels like someone gets screwed so hopefully they will be able to have some customization while still keeping major makeup items the same for everyone.

[sparklekai]

i like this idea - if its executed well. the problem with customization is that you expect the products to fit you and that doesn't always happen.  its one of the reasons i cancelled my ipsy.  i got frustrated with saying i didn't like things only to get them every.single.month! 

i've been having mixed emotions on keeping boxycharm - my last subscription.  generally i get products i will use that are more than the value of what i spent.  however, i wouldn't have necessarily bought these things myself - for some things this is a good thing, for others it doesn't really matter to me.  

my subscription is up in july so hopefully they implement the changes and i have a chance to figure out what to do with my life by then.

i'm also getting super frustrated with the shipping.  i get that things take time to arrive but i received shipping notice on march 6th.  it's now march 22nd and my shipping says that i should receive my box on March 29th.  that's a little ridiculous.  particularly when as a canadian we pay for shipping. 

[RGbrown]

Hmmm...I signed up specifically because I knew what at least 3 of my 5 items would be. I dislike the element of surprise that comes with "customization", and am fairly picky about what I want and am willing to pay for. That makes be a horrible candidate for subscription boxes in general...but that's also why I chose BoxyCharm, since boxes aren't all that varied and spoilers are an excellent indicator of what I'll get. I suppose I could get foiled by a wait list at some point, but my plan is to jump in or out as spoilers come around each month, but if boxes are going to start being drastically different, I'll be less inclined to start jumping back in. 😕 

Just need the April spoilers to start coming out so I can decide about next month 😄

[Lazybeautybeast]

I'm kind of thinking along the same lines. Maybe I'll jump in and out (or ideally they would add a pause/skip option) based on what spoilers I see.

[Lazybeautybeast]

I saw that. I'm excited for the changes but I hope to see changes sooner rather than later. My subscription is up in June or July. I'll have to decide if I want to stay with it or try something else. Lately, I have had mixed feelings about my boxes. I am happy that they mentioned more skincare and profile. I would love it if I could tell them to stop sending masacara and black eyeliner....I have plenty of those.

[ElleElleG]

I've been so on the fence about BoxyCharm of late so I'm glad that they are adding the profile. But, as you noted, too many variations could be problematic particularly if the overall value of product(s) differ from profile to profile.

I really need to make a decision on this subscription in the next couple months. $21/month adds up especially if you're not using the products. 

[Tamara76]

Here are a couple of my March subs... 🙂 

Ipsy:

Spoiler

1.  SL MissGlam SL41 Blusher Brush - So cute!  I have the blue brush from a past box, too, and I really like it!
2.  Tarte Sex Kitten Eyeliner DS
3.  Goldfaden MD Facial Detox Mask DS - Gave it to my daughter, but I don't think she has tried it yet
4. City Color Glow Duo - Wow!  This is super pigmented when you apply the powder over the cream - nice!
5.  Doucce Freematic Eyeshadow Single in Ariana
6.  Bag - Cute, but I opted not to color mine - I like it better in black/white

Birchbox:

Spoiler

1.  Amika Brooklyn Bombshell Blowout Spray - Gave this to my kiddo 😉
2.  Winky Lux Glazed Lips Donut Lip Gloss - So cute!!!! I love Winky Lux!!!!
3.  Laura Geller NY LashBOSS Mascara DS
4.  Glamglow Supercleanse DS
5.  TokyoMilk Dark fragrance vial sample in Pretty Rotten - I bought a full size bottle of this on clearance last year and gave it to my sister because I hate the scent - guess who is getting this sample!  lol! 😉 

[Samtian]

That's a bummer about Pretty Rotten. It's my second favorite scent by them.

[Tamara76]

@Samtian  You just never know with fragrance - I thought I'd love it based on the description, but it just did not work with my body chemistry or something.  Luckily, my sister loves it, so she is getting the sample. ❤️ 

[Ispend2much6]

@Tamara76  I LOVE how the Winky Lux lip gloss looks; I just wish it wasn't coconut scented.  And, that Goldfaden Mask is one of the very few very effective acne products we've used!  I hope your daughter likes it.

[Tamara76]

Thanks, @Ispend2much6!  Lucky for me, I love the coconut scent.  My daughter hasn't tried the Mask yet, but I will share your review with her! ❤️ 

[nikki]

I got my first Margot Elena box. I love it. For 49.99, i received 223.50 in value. Here are some pictures!!

Beautiful scarf that I’m not doing justice

[Samtian]

@nikki Lucky!!! I wanted to get it, but it is a little out of my price range. Thanks for sharing!

[Ispend2much6]

@nikki  Wow!  That's a great box!

[Tamara76]

Fabulous!  Enjoy!  ❤️  @nikki

[Shosh85]

@nikki This looks like such a fun sub!! So many cool and interesting things!! Thanks for sharing this! Have fun! 🤗😍

[Kim888]

@nikki I've never heard of this box either but it looks great!

[RachFace2921]

I've not heard of this subscription before  @nikki, but this looks amazing!  More expensive than most, but such nice things!

Thanks for posting!