Beauty subscription boxes are a passion of mine – the joy I get when I receive an email saying I have a package to pick up the first week of every month is unreal. Not only do you get fun products to try, but you learn about new brands!
Confused about what box to get? Don’t worry – I’ve been getting each of these boxes for months, and I’ve rated each box to help you decide which to sign up for.
IPSY
Price: $10 a month
Includes: Five beauty products + makeup bag
Products: Mostly sample size, occasional full size
Ipsy is the starter beauty subscription box, as I like to say. It’s the one that everyone seems to know about because it comes with a cute makeup bag in addition to the five products. Most of the brands found in ipsy are smaller brands, often unknown. This being said, sometimes the products included are cheap and questionable. If they do include full-size products, it’s often drugstore brands.
When signing up, you’ll create a beauty profile that will help match products to your beauty needs, so each box is tailored to you specifically. This subscription box is perfect for those who want to try out products outside of their comfort zone and don’t care too much about brands. It’s playful, fun, and inexpensive!
Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
BIRCHBOX
Price: $10 a month
Includes: Five beauty products + decorative box
Products: Mostly sample size, occasional full size
Birchbox is much like ipsy, but tends to carry more skin and hair products in comparison. It tends to carry smaller brands, but often the boxes are an equal spread between up-and-coming brands as well as more known.
Like ipsy, this box is also tailored to the subscriber each month, but you get the opportunity to choose a curated box or pick one item to include in your box each month. Birchbox is for those who are looking for new products in their hair care or skincare. The occasional makeup items are definitely fun to try and will soon become staples in your collection.
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
SEPHORA PLAY!
Price: $10 a month
Includes: Five beauty products + perfume sample + drawstring bag
Products: Always sample size
If you shop regularly at Sephora, you better sign up for this subscription service. Sephora will send five of their new or popular makeup items as well as a perfume sample for you to try every month. These items are always brands you know and things you often need.
The Sephora Play! boxes are similar for each subscriber, but offer some variations depending on your Sephora profile. In addition to the products, you’ll receive a free 50 points card to use once a month at Sephora. Every month that you buy something at Sephora, you’ll receive an additional 50 points to your account – that’s a free sample every two months!
This box is perfect for someone who loves the Sephora samples they get at checkout, but wants to try new products more often.
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
BOXYCHARM
Price: $21 a month
Includes: Five beauty products
Products: Almost always full size
If you have $20 a month to dish out for this box, I would suggest doing it. This box comes pre-designed (not tailored to each individual) but it comes with over $100 worth of products in it each month. Each product is almost always full-sized and four out of five products will always be name brands. Everything from full-size eyeshadow palettes to brand new brushes – Boxycharm sends you the things you forgot you needed.
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Beauty subscription boxes are best for those who love trying new makeup and don’t always stick to the same products each time they run out of something. For just a couple bucks every month, you can have brand new products for you to try!