Finding the Best Beauty Subscription Box

Who doesn’t love receiving a package every month? A great beauty subscription box not only scratches that itch, but also gives you the chance to try new beauty goodies at a discounted price. You can get items for 20 percent off or more from the brands you know and love, like Paula’s Choice and Beekmans, and brands you’re just discovering.

However, not every beauty box is worth the splurge. Some companies have come under fire for promising beauty boxes that take preferences into account, then delivering a box filled with products the buyer didn’t request. The most common problem with beauty boxes is that customers receive products that aren’t as valuable as the box they paid for. To avoid getting a box that disappoints you, we suggest that you keep the following factors in mind.

What to Consider When Choosing the Best Beauty Subscription Box

Product Size

What size products do you prefer in your subscription box? In general, you have three options: all sample size, a mix of sample and full size, and all full size. Boxes that contain only full-size products are usually the most desirable, but they tend to be the most expensive. Boxes with only sample-size items are the most affordable, but you’ll run out of products quickly. A mix of sample and full size products is a good in-between.

Customization

In an ideal world, we’d be able to customize all the items we receive in a subscription beauty box, but most companies are unable to accommodate this because of additional costs. Some companies allow you to choose a few products in every box, but the vast majority of subscription providers keep everything a mystery until you open the package. The best way to tell whether mystery items will have good value is to check out previous boxes and see what was available.

Type

There are a number of beauty box types available, including makeup-only, skincare-only, boxes with both makeup and skincare and bath-and-body boxes. The most common box type is a blend of makeup and skincare, though a few makeup-only or skincare-only brands exist. Generally, we believe that you’ll get the best deal if you stick to boxes containing a blend of makeup and skincare — or bath and body boxes.

Price

Creating a budget for how much money you can spend on beauty subscription boxes is important, because costs can add up quickly. The most affordable box in our recommendations is $7 and the most expensive is $130 per month. On average, you should expect to pay at least $20 for a monthly subscription and more if you want all the products to be full size or luxury items.

Value

What sounds more appealing to you — an expensive box full of luxury, full-size products or an affordable box full of one or two-use, high-quality samples? No matter your preference, the goal is for your monthly subscription to cost less than the overall value of the items inside it. If you can achieve this, then your box will have high value.

Customer Service

Unfortunately, many things can go awry when ordering a subscription box — the box gets delayed or never delivered, some items are damaged or some items are not what you requested. In these instances, customer service can make or break your experience. We made sure to look at reviews of customer service departments for each subscription box before making our recommendations.

What Are the Different Types of Beauty Subscription Boxes?

Beauty subscription boxes are categorized into three types: makeup, skincare and a combination of both.

Makeup

Makeup-only beauty boxes are some of the most popular subscription boxes, usually because customers already have set skincare routines and would rather explore the world of makeup. In general, you can expect to receive eyeshadows, mascara, false eyelashes, highlighting and contour kits, eyeliners and lipsticks in a subscription makeup box.

However, makeup-only boxes are the hardest kind of box to get right. Each customer has specific tastes in terms of what makeup they like, and skintone-specific makeup has a high chance of leading to customer dissatisfaction.

Skincare

Skincare-only beauty boxes are not as popular as makeup-only boxes, but they often enjoy high customer satisfaction. This is because most skincare boxes include high-quality, full-size items that the buyer would never find at the drugstore or seek out. If you want to purchase a skincare-only box, expect to receive cleansers, moisturizers, skin serums, body lotion and more.

Makeup and Skincare

In a makeup and skincare beauty box, you can expect to receive a combination of all your favorite beauty items (think cleanser, moisturizer, serum, eyeshadow, lipstick, lip gloss and more). Just be warned: Most combination beauty boxes focus on skincare rather than makeup, because makeup is more likely to lead to customer dissatisfaction.

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