I am a makeup fanatic. As my addiction has developed over the years, I’ve tried a bunch of different makeup subscription boxes. Currently, Boxycharm is the only one I get on a regular basis, but I have lots of others including: IPSY, FabFitFun, Glossybox, and Birchbox. These are some of the most highly-rated subscription products out there, but here’s my opinion on which ones are the most worth it.
- Boxycharm
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Of all the choices, this one is my absolute favorite because it has the best deals. The basic box is a $25 subscription, and they also offer deluxe boxes that cost a bit more. In the basic box, you receive 5 full-size products, and if it’s a new subscription you can get bonus offers. For January, I chose to get a Violet Voss full-size eyeshadow palette on top of the 5 other products I received. For this month, I got a full-size Ace Beauty eyeshadow palette, a Too Faced Diamond Light highlighter, a Wander Beauty blush/bronzer duo, an Avant overnight face mask, and a funky looking mascara. When Googling the retail prices on my own, this is a value of over $200! The only downside to this company is that their customer service can take quite a while to get back to you. I’m not talking a few days, I’m talking more along the line of a few weeks.
- FabFitFun
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While this is not a bad choice, it wasn’t the best, either. I did a promotion where my first box was only $30, but it also meant I couldn’t choose which items I received. This is not something they told me, so I was a bit disappointed. In my box, I got the Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cream, Bluetooth speakers, Winky Lux mini latte eyeshadow palette, a hardback notebook, VictoriaLand Beauty skin-loving treatment, René Furterer KARITE HYDRA Hydrating Shine Mask, Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Invisible+, and Invisibobble® ORIGINAL Duo Pack. While the value of this box is great, it is mostly things I do not use. I don’t use the Invisibobble, I don’t need another notebook, and I really did not like the “skin-loving” treatment. For others who prefer mostly skincare, this could be a good box, but since I prefer makeup it wasn’t my jam. I do have to say what ranks them so high is their amazing customer service! When I reached out to the team, because I had not received the products I had chosen for my box, they immediately apologized and told me that the type of box I was receiving was a secret. Since I was not aware of this, they sent me one free bonus item of my choice! I chose a cute circular Swarovski bracelet.
- Glossybox
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Glossybox is also a beauty box, but it mostly includes skincare and natural makeup. The big benefit of this box is they give a student discount using studentbeans! That is what immediately drew me this box and made me decide to try it for a month. In my box, I received a Pre-glow up face spray from Kandi Cosmetics, a strawberry booster serum from Bybi, nourishing face mask from Mudmasky, under-eye restoring pads from Avant, and a cute black scrunchie. Considering the promo they were running for this box when I got it (which made it only $8!), it is an AMAZING value! I would definitely recommend this box to anyone who loves skincare. I will say that there is not much variety between the boxes, so if you look at spoilers that is more than likely what you will receive. I’m not too big a fan of this, because I do prefer a more custom box for each customer.
- Birchbox
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The only reason Birchbox is ranked 4th is because it doesn’t have full-size products. Instead, you receive what they call “deluxe” sizes, which is usually alright but could also just be a little sample pouch. They do run promotions often, including buy-one-get-one-free happening right now! The box I received consisted of only hair products, which was a big disappointment to me. It was a variety of products from a brand called Oribe. You got a small sample of shampoo and conditioner, smoothing blowout cream, moisturizing cream, hair plumping mousse, wave and shine spray, and texturizing spray. These were all quite small samples, with the shampoo and conditioner being a one-time-use pouch.
- IPSY
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This is personally my least favorite box. It’s a steal at only $10 a month, but I’ve noticed that your input doesn’t really influence what products you get. Most of the time I’d receive brands that I had no idea about, nor was it stuff I even used. I’d get weird dark purple lipsticks, even though I asked to rarely get lipsticks and then only selected nude colors. This month I received a single eyeshadow by Nomad, a Morphe concealer (that was way too dark), a thin fan brush, a blueberry cleanser, and an Ofra highlighter. All these products were deluxe sizes, and the only thing I liked was the Ofra highlighter, but even that was a bit too dark for my skin tone.
I’ve had many adventures in the world of beauty boxes during my time as a makeup addict, and here are the things I’ve learned from my experiences. If you’re interested in beauty boxes, make sure to do your research first and be ready to have fun with it!