Beauty boxes – great value or clutter?

Beauty box reviews are all over the bloggosphere.  Every month a new box gets released with some great items but are they really good value for money?  Are they all the same and does it matter which brand you go for?

The main contenders in the subscription beauty box field are Glossybox, SheSaid Beauty, Joliebox and Luxbox.  We had the opportunity to review Glossybox and SheSaid as well as another brand called Latest in Beauty which allows you to tailor your samples a little more and is non subscription.

A Glossybox Beauty Box

SheSaid’s Beauty Box

LatestInBeauty “Skincare Stars” Box

There was another item in this “Skincare Stars” box which was a Murad exfoliating cleanser – it disappeared into the bathroom v quickly!

Latest in Beauty allows you to make up your own box – it may not be a surprise what you get but the samples are good sizes and there are some excellent brands.  It is costed a little differently as you buy the samples individually to make up your box.  I also like the fact if you are not able to afford the £10 plus p&p per month – they have a super 3 samples for £1.50 which are usually sachets called  My Little Beauty Box and you only have to send a text (c0sting £1.50) to receive it.

So on review – seems like fake eyelashes are a popular inclusion, as are Murad and Balance Me samples.  The perfume samples are handy to have and nice to try out fragrances you might not get to try – beauty counters these days seem reluctant to hand them out!  I think across the period of the subscription you would get a nice balance of products – some you won’t like personally but many that you will like and use.  These boxes also make great gifts as you can buy a 12 month subscription to gift to someone.

Pros

Some great brands – as you can see there’s St Tropez, Elemis, Keihls, L’Occtitane and decent sizes as well.  Great for festivals, weekends away and gym bags.

Some new and emerging brands.  Change things up a little!  You never know you may discover your hero products through trialling the various items.

The packaging is really professional and well protected so your samples arrive in good nick.

If you are subscribed for a full year then you are likely to get a good range of products to add to your bathroom cupboard.  If you use something you like and you want a full size, there are often discount codes to get a percentage off future purchases.

Often products are tailored by answering a few questions when you subscribed – so you shouldn’t get a moisturiser for mature skin if yours is oily.

SheSaid website has a blog and a magazine and pitches itself as a beauty social network to allow you to review and share ideas with other receivers of this beauty box.

Glossybox allow you to collect Glossydots by reviewing the items in your box.  Trade in your dots for a free month of Glossybox.

Cons

I’d like to see more cosmetics in the box – none of mine had any cosmetics.  It can be hard with different colourings and skin tones but a lip gloss or brown eyeshadow wouldn’t go amiss!  They list a lot of products on their monthly list – including cosmetics but you only get 5 in your box so it’s hit or miss whether you get the items you really wanted or not!  Although you may be lucky – the first Glossybox had a NARS product in it.

The boxes don’t fit through your letterbox so you or someone will need to receive them.  The most popular option is to get it sent to your work address – if you are allowed to receive mail.

If you are very fussy you might not like a lot of the items but you really should try everything as you just never know until you do.  There’s only so much excitement you can get from Nivea or No7 – try something new -you might like it!

Honestly – I’d be hard pushed to pick one specific company to get my box through.  If I wanted a one off box as a treat – I’d probably go for the LatestInBeauty as their themed boxes, although £14.95 (+p&p) contain an excellent range of high end products.

As far as subscription services go – there’s not much between Glossybox and SheSaid – both beautifully packaged, good range of items that suit most people and the same price.