Subscription Recommendations

[TasheenaT]

What beauty subscription service is the best? I’m currently only subscribed to Play by Sephora. It has only been a couple of months but I’m not really that happy with what I’m getting. I’m trying to jump on the glam train without going broke. Please help

[Annalily11]

Boxycharm is definitely the best value while still not being too expensive at $21. Full size high end and more luxurious indy brands. It is very makeup and tool heavy though, so if you want skincare frequently added in it might not be for you. It also has limited customization, but I've noticed they do try and cycle through different colors for different skin tones. However, if you want to stay at the $10 price point I'd recommend ipsy. Better customization, and you still get high end samples while also getting full sized indy/drug store brands. Plus I do enjoy how interactive they are with their monthly themes. They can get a little repetitive at times, but that seems to be the case for most of the $10 ones. 

Both boxes has been criticized for being on the "young" end, and they do seem to be aimed at teens and young adults, which works well for me, as a 22 yo college student. Boxycharm is particularly subject to current trends, which I've been enjoying, but some have complained about. I personally think it's nice to be able to try out the current trends from high end brands for cheap.

[mermaid805]

There's also a great website with a ton of information about a lot of subscription boxes, My Subscription Addiction. They'll have reviews of past boxes so you can research and see what ones look the most appealing to you. I know the Allure box a few months ago had a Full Size Sunday Riley moisturizer, but then I heard the next month was way less exciting. Some people cancel and resubscribe month to month based on spoilers, but that can be a lot of work and mean a lot of time on the phone with customer service so I'd recommend trying the one that looks most appealing and sticking to it for a little bit to get the full experience. Boxycharm (this month?) has a full size of both a highlighter and the new CoverFX Shimmer Veil in Amethyst, which has a value of $28 and the box is $21 so that's a score!

I used to love Birchbox but no longer really buy into the hype- I don't like all mini's and their point system/loyalty rewards program took a hit a few years back. Sephora is great, if your profile is set correctly and you receive items you like then the bonus card is awesome. But, a lot of people seem to not be happy with their selections these days looking at the forums... Ipsy is another sample size bag so for $5 more it seems silly not to go with the Allure box at $15 (?) when it will always contain one full size product.

Good luck and let us know how it goes! 🙂

[TasheenaT]

Yeah the items in my Play box haven't been super exciting. Once I try them I do really like them. So I am hesitant to cancel. I was just hoping for more make up than skincare. My Play boxes have been a lot of skincare products. This is great info! Thanks so much.

[Zvezdochka]

I have just recently got into this trend and did some research before subscribing. There are so many choices out there that range from the type of content (make up, skin care, K beauty, vegan beauty, etc.) to your price range. I ended up choosing Allure and Birchbox. I heard great things about boxy charm but it is heavily geared towards makeup. It might be a good idea for you to check out the thread devoted to beauty subscriptions in this group. I think it’s called subscription central or smth. It’s always on top of the thread together with February hauls.

[Anastasiya13]

I been subscribed to boxycharm for three months and its way better than the play box and you get full size items.

[TasheenaT]

I had no idea their items were full size! That’s amazing

[Anastasiya13]

It is, considering the items are more than the cost of the box. This month i just got the cover fx items as one of the posters said which is worth $28 and last month I even got a dr.brandt face primer which was full sized too.