WHAT SUBSCRIPTION BOXES TAUGHT ME ABOUT BEAUTY
Happy Monday, ladies!! This is another set of pictures that have been sitting around for way. too. long. I’ve been wanting to do this post for, uh, a year. But it’s FINALLY here – today I’m talking about all the beauty subscription boxes I’be subscribed to, what I’ve learned from them, and most importantly – if I think they’re worth it. I also linked a bunch of products I’ve learned about thanks to these boxes in the widget below!
This post may contain affiliate links.
SHEIN TOP (SIMILAR) // HOLLISTER SHORTS (SIMILAR)
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WHAT I’M SUBSCRIBED TO
I’m currently subscribed to four boxes, three are monthly, and one is seasonal. I’m going to list them in order of when I subscribed to them below. I’ll just briefly describe what they intend to provide in this list. The last section of this post will discuss each subscription and if I think they are worth it.
I am subscribed to:
- Birchbox: A mix of haircare, makeup, and skincare (less makeup in my personal experience), 4-6 products, delivered once a month in a decorative cardboard box. $13-$15/month.
- Ipsy: 5 personalized products, including haircare, skincare, makeup, nail polish, and tools, delivered monthly in a new, unique cosmetic pouch. $10/month
- FabFitFun: A huge box delivered seasonally with a $200+ value, including a variety of full sized products, home goods, clothing, accessories, and more. $49.99/season
- Sephora PLAY!: Individualized box delivered each month with 5 samples of Sephora products, plus a card to redeem 50 points at Sephora. $10/month
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WHAT I’VE LEARNED
Without these subscription boxes, I don’t think I would have the education I have now about skincare and beauty. I’ve always had a general interest, but the amount of products that I’ve been exposed to has led to significantly more knowledge. Learning about makeup and skincare is very overwhelming. Receiving a few new products each month is a great way to guide the learning process. It’s difficult to put all the things I’ve learned into words, but I’ll mention three-ish below.
Firstly – BB creams and CC creams. I had heard of them prior to having these boxes, but I didn’t get the hype. I’ve gotten a few over the years now and I’ve come to love them. It probably would have been years before I tried one if it wasn’t for these boxes, but now I wear a BB cream almost daily. I’ve also gotten to try a ton of different kinds of skincare products and masks that I never would have picked up before.
I also always assumed my skin was purely oily, but in an effort not to waste product I would use all the moisturizers and learned exactly how not oily my skin was. I learned so much about how and most importantly why the skin reacts the way it does to different products. Now, the products in the box didn’t teach me that, but by using them I learned and had experiences that guided my skincare research and has led to the knowledge I have now.
Subscription boxes also introduced me to liquid lips, but I probably would have experimented with them even if they had not. So not sure how much we can attribute that to the boxes.
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ARE SUBSCRIPTION BOXES WORTH IT?
Birchbox
Birchbox recently up’d their price, some people are grandfathered in to a lower price, but new subscribers will pay $13-$15 a month. If their box does not change, it will not be worth staying subscribed. If they do in fact seek out better products, larger products, or higher end products, then it might actually be worth it. Only time will tell, but for now, this box is up in the air as to its value.
Ipsy
Ipsy is the best value for the buck in the subscription boxes I’ve tried that arrive monthly. I use the super cute makeup bags all the time. I organize drawers with them, my makeup collection, my purse. When we go take blog photos, I use them to separate my jewelry and accessories. I think a big part of Ipsy’s value comes in that bag alone for me, so I love it. I also tend to get quite a few makeup brushes which is just amazing since those last significantly longer. I’ve received a few full-sized products!
FabFitFun
FabFitFun is such an exciting box to receive each season. In my Spring box I got a robe from Show Me Your MuMu that I now wear all. the. time. It is the most expensive of the boxes I’m subscribed to, even if you break it down that it is only delivered every three months. It comes down to about $16/month. When you look at that compared to Birchbox now, FabFitFun is way better. Last year I got a water bottle I use all the time, and quite of few jewelry pieces I love as well!
Sephora PLAY!
Like Ipsy, Sephora used to do specialized bags with their subscription which I LOVED. Now they’ve switched to these horrid plastic things that I suppose are recyclable, but I would much rather have something to REUSE rather than RECYCLE (It’s a tier people: 1. Reduce, 2. Reuse, 3. Recycle). And it’s lost a bit of magic for me because of that. I’m still enjoying testing these products and I like the 50 points (even if Sephora’s points system is the worst right now). I’m holding out hope for a little while longer on this box. I think if Sephora improved their points system to be more similar to Ulta, this box would be well worth it.
Final Result: If you want a monthly box, go for Ipsy. If you want a larger variety and more of a punch, go for FabFitFun. Skip Birchbox and Sephora PLAY! unless you’re a serious sample user.
Do you have any beauty subscriptions? If so, which one, and what do you like about it? And if you’re considering one, share that below, too!
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