Boxed-Up Beauty

Can I just start by saying the whole concept of beauty subscription boxes is pretty awesome? You can choose what subscription best fits your budget and needs, pay the fees, and bam! You open your front door and lying on the mat lies the box, full of mysterious products and grandeur.

Ok, all that extra stuff aside, beauty boxes are an excellent method of getting great products for a low cost. Most of the brands in the boxes are “high-end” and you usually get between 4-6 full-size items in a box. Here are some of the more affordable and high-quality beauty subscriptions.

Allure

American magazine Allure should be a fixture for any cosmetics lover because the magazine reviews skincare, makeup, nail polish and hair products and delivers the verdict of whether the product is effective and if it is worth the current selling price.

Imagine my surprise when I was looking for an inexpensive beauty box and Allure appeared on the screen. For $15 a month, this is a steal but it’s even better as a new member because you only pay $10 for the first month plus a free gift.

You receive four to five products with a total value of $50-$90 plus a mini magazine with tips and tricks. But you have to be quick to subscribe because every beauty guru or Instagram makeup addict seems to snatch a box.

The monthly subscription is $15, three-months is $45, six-months/semi-annual is $90, and the yearly subscriptions is $150. Allure’s July box is quickly selling and shipping so if you want one, you can check the options out here.

Ipsy
Michelle Phan, beauty guru extraordinaire of Youtube fame, started Ipsy in 2011 with Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Goldfarb with the goal to make makeup inclusive, affordable, and the company aims to help individualize the experience of applying makeup.

For $10 a month, Ipsy chooses five items for subscribers along with access to articles and videos with tips on how to apply the products. To start your subscription, take the beauty quiz, enter your email and then you start the process of subscribing! Each bag has a different design each month they are sent and the brands are switched as well. Some brands that contribute to Ipsy are Benefit, Tarte, Nyx, and Smashbox.

Unfortunately, Ipsy is only shipped in the United States and Canada but they are hoping to eventually ship to other areas of the world. For our readers from the US and Canada can check Ipsy here.

Play! By Sephora
Beauty retailer Sephora has jumped into the world of beauty boxes and has kept prices quite affordable despite most of the products included in the boxes easily costing $20 or more. It’s $10 a month and free shipping!

Inside you receive five cosmetic products, a makeup bag, access to tutorials, a Play! Pass, Play! Book, and Play! Date. The Play! Pass is essentially a coupon that you redeem in the store for 50 Beauty Insider points; these points are extremely useful if you shop at Sephora often.

The Play! Book is a little handbook with details about each sample and tips on how to apply them. The book is helpful for both amateurs and professional makeup lovers.

Last but not least, the Play! Date allows subscribers to try new products at the store. The events are exclusive to the subscribers and you get to meet beauty experts and brand representatives as well. You can start getting great products here.

Birchbox
Birchbox is one of the first subscription boxes that I heard of. Fans raved about the price ($10) and how they received items that actually matched their preferences. The downside is that Birchbox gives sample sized products and offers a slight discount if you want to purchase the full-size product.

Before you officially sign up for the box, you fill out a beauty preference list/quiz with questions about your skin tone, complexion, hair, etc. Once completed, you choose between the monthly subscription ($10 a month), three months ($30) or six months ($60). They offer free shipping and you receive a bonus gift if you are a new member.

Boxycharm
The beauty box beloved by beauty gurus. Almost every beauty guru or Youtuber I follow on Instagram shares photos or videos of their Boxycharm. If you have the money this is a great option. For $21 a month, Boxycharm sends five full-size products from a full range of brands. Most of the boxes contain an eyeshadow palette and brushes.

You can choose a monthly subscription ($21 monthly), three months ($19.66 a month or pay $59 for the whole three months), six months ($19.33 a month or $116 for the whole six months), or a yearly subscription ($19.25 monthly or $231 for the whole year). You can drool over Boxycharm here.

Let me know which beauty box you love and which one, if any, that you are currently subscribed to! Subscribe/follow The Trendy Wallet so you don’t miss any future launches, makeup tips, or other beauty content. Also follow me on social media (links in sidebar!).

Photos:
Boxycharm (website)
Birchbox (website)
Ipsy (website)
Play! Sephora (website)
Allure (website)

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