Beauty Boxes, best one?

[doctorboo]

I’ve been given some birthday money with strict instructions to spend it on myself instead of being swallowed up by Christmas

I’ve been looking at beauty box subscriptions, but am not sure which one to go for? I love the idea of them but am concerned about ending up with lots of similar things? I want items that aren’t going to be used/borrowed by my husband or children.
I’ve just had a massive clear out of clothes and toiletries due to lack of space and I quite like having a pared down make up bag...and now I’m dithering!

For a more budget friendly one I like Glossybox! It tends to lean more on the make up side rather than skin care so you should be safe from children/husband. I find theres always at least something great in it and more often than not several great things in there.
I dont like Birchbox! Too many tiny samples that dont even really cover one use and lots of unknown brands that claim to be luxury when nobody has heard of them.
Cohorted is really really amazing but more expensive. Its full sized products of the true luxury variety though so the box is worth a lot more than you pay.

Latest in Beauty is good as you can choose your own.

Why not just buy the items you want?

@Fishandthechips and @Lumene Thanks I’ll check them out. There’s quite a few available but reviews (obviously) vary.

@Bombardier25966 I do have staples that I really like (white rabbit eye cream and Kiehl’ midnight recovery oil, for my sensitive skin for instance,) but I like the thought of trying things I’ve not heard of before and probably wouldn’t shop for.

It’s a slightly different concept - but I can highly recommend Beauty Pie. You pay a monthly subscription as a sort of membership fee and then you can purchase really high quality, full size products at a reduced price. There’s a limit to how much you can spend each month - so you end up with a monthly delivery of things you’ve chosen and know you’ll use. It works out a bit more expensive than a beauty box because you’ve got to buy the products on top of the monthly fee, but I really do think it’s brilliant as a treat.

I like Skin Organics Clean Beauty Box. It's organic, eco-friendly, ethically sourced, and cruelty-free.

And all that jazz.

H has been getting me the Birchbox subscription for 2 odd years now and I love it.
If you want a referral code, just shout!

Birchbox is a let down. Glossybox is fab and LookFantasticc is ok..hit and miss. Latest in Beauty is ok but their products are limited...they don't have enough variation.

Thank you Deffo going to check them all out.
I was looking in my bathroom cabinet this morning and there’s half used small bottles of toner, cleanser, vit c and, eye cream and an Aldi spray moisturiser. Apart from the eye cream i reckon it’ll all be used by the new year.
My make up is currently a eyeshadow quad, pot of blusher, concealer stick, bronzer balls and a few lipsticks that I don’t love

My cousin (Harry Potter fan and long time vegan) says she’s signed up for the Kinder box(?), due out in Jan, but I’m not keen on signing up until there’s proper reviews.

I just ordered my first Birchbox. Comes with a free mini Benefit Roller Lash this month which I really wanted to try anyway. I’ll come back and let you know what I thought.

I have really liked almost all of my Cohorted and Little Known Box boxes. So, so much better than Birchbox. Pricier though.

It might be worth checking out moi-meme. It's more of a "lifestyle" box but some lovely treats inside.

I've tried both LookFantastic and Birchbox, cancelled both (gave LF a year before cancelling)

I absolutely loved the treat of getting the box of surprises for the first few months.
After that, it all felt like a massive waste of money. The products are SO repetitive, minuscule sizes and mostly things I'd never use, or brands I've never heard of, colours I wouldn't choose, etc. I have no interest in the Elle magazine with the LF box either.
Some examples: Pre shampoo treatments/scalp detox, face treatments that need to be washed off (I'd prefer a serum, day cream or night cream), repetitive little tubs of shimmer and glitter (funnily enough, I'm going out soon to a Christmas do and swept some across my cheeks, but other than that, not something I'd ever wear) cheap eyebrow pencils that never work

Try it, and see. Maybe even a 3 month subscription. But I'd prefer to keep the money and buy decent sized luxury items even just once or twice a year that I know I'll love.

Try watching Diaryofa40something on YouTube. She reviews lots of subscription boxes. Love her videos 😁 xx

You can set up a profile on Birchbox though, stating your preferences. So if you have no interest in makeup for example, you can say so.
I would compare it to the M&S beauty advent calendar in terms of brands and sample sizes.
Attached what's in this month's box. Spoiler for anyone who has not received theirs yet!

Honestly I don't really rate them. Why don't you treat yourself to a few items you really want and will use?

doctorboo I promised to come back and give you my feedback!

I ordered a Birchbox on Saturday 8 December and it was delivered yesterday. I was pleased with the quick delivery time having subsequently panicked at the amount of terrible feedback on Facebook, however, people who ordered the two boxes for £5 Black Friday deal are still waiting for theirs as it seems Birchbox couldn’t keep up with the demand.

I filled out an online profile but time will tell how much they adhere to this. I can honestly say that this month I will use everything I got, so I’m very happy to carry it on for the time being. I got:-

Full size liquid lipstick, I was able to choose between two shades
Small bottle Micellar water
Small tube Smashbox photo finish primer
Face sheet mask
Sachet hair mask
Comb
Hotel Chocolat (not opened this yet but I think there’s one or two in there)
Mini Benefit Rollerlash mascara - I think this was an extra gift for new subscribers only

Also the box itself is sturdy and very pretty so I may use it for storing nail polish or something.

@Cheesymonster Thank you so much! That’s not a bad haul for the first box!