Beauty
Beauty Boxes
By Kate Duggan
Subscription boxes have really taken off in recent years. Who doesn’t love receiving a goodie bag through the door now and then, even if the person treating yourself is you? But with so many boxes to choose from, how do you decide which one to pick?
Here’s a few things to consider before you hand over your card details… What are you looking for? First off, consider your budget and what you want to get out of the subscription. Are you signing up to discover new products, or do you just want a treat delivered to your door every now and then? Do you prefer big brands or would you rather support smaller businesses? Do you want natural, vegan-friendly products, more skincare than makeup, extra treats like cosmetic bags…and so on. Browse the boxes Most subscription sites share the contents of previous boxes. It can be difficult to see which products are full-sized and which are mini from a photo, so check the description. Read reviews Check reviews on different sites. Remember that brands do sometimes pay people to write reviews and they often sponsor influencer content. Look at ratings on Trustpilot, where the brand will likely have thousands of reviews and can’t delete the bad ones, rather than just relying on the comments on a socialmedia ad. Don’t get locked in Generally with these boxes, the longer you subscribe for, the lower the price of each box. However, you don’t want to lock yourself into a commitment that doesn’t work for you. So it might be worth trying one
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box before you commit, or making sure you can cancel without penalties if you sign up to a monthly payment. Boxes to consider Glossybox (www.glossybox.co.uk) is one of the most reasonably priced boxes on the market and scores well on Trustpilot. Each box contains five or more products with a combined value of at least £50. Usually, you’ll get a mix of skincare and makeup, mainly from lesserknown (but good-quality) brands. From £11.75 a box. FabFitFun’s boxes (www.fabfitfun.com) treat you to a mix of health and beauty and lifestyle products. My first box contained a dressing gown (which I’ve been living in recently), a hair mask, a couple of mugs, a mascara (which is awesome and by a brand I’d never heard of) and various other items. Truthfully, a couple of the products have gone straight in the charity box. However, overall, I’ve been impressed. At $59.99 (approximately £45), it’s not cheap, but you do get to customise the contents and definitely get that ‘ooh’ factor when it arrives at your door. If you prefer natural, vegan brands, LoveLula (www. lovelula.com) is worth a look. For £14.95 you’ll receive at least four products a month, from brands such as Green People, Balm Balm and Madara. Other boxes to consider include: • Birchbox: www.birchbox.co.uk • Cohorted: www.cohorted.co.uk • Little Known Box: www.littleknownbox.com • Look Fantastic: www.lookfantastic.com
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