The market for subscription boxes has blown up within the past year. Companies like Dollar Shave Club and Birchbox have exploded over commercial TV and Facebook; but for the growing number of those who don’t have cable television, the words “subscription box” might be new or completely foreign.
Subscription boxes are themed boxes that are delivered to your doorstep monthly or quarterly, for a relatively cheap price. Most include samples of lesser-known or expensive products that the average person wouldn’t normally try, so it’s a win/win situation for both the company and the customer.
The majority of boxes are geared toward adult women and the beauty industry, which is great for women, considering the steep prices of quality products.
However, with the popularity of subscription boxes has, naturally, come the growing numbers of options. Sifting out the duds from the gems takes a lot of research and sometimes faith, considering one month’s box could be perfect and the next could be filled with products that will just collect dust. Luckily, some boxes seem to stick out more than others:
At $100 (every three months), this quarterly box is the ultimate splurge. Although you’ll only be receiving four a year, fashion journalist Nina Garcia tends to pick products that aren’t only high-end, but super useful. These boxes tend to value over $400 each, so even though you’ll be taking a risk with your credit card, you’re likely to see a high reward.
For $40 per month, PopSugar will deliver more than just beauty samples to your doorstep- past boxes have included everything from purses to mini exercise balls. The site also offers boxes for men and themed boxes such as a “Bridesmaid Box”. Maybe for the more experienced subscriber or just outright adventurous, PopSugar tends to offer an array of cute products each month.
At $15 per month (plus tax), this box is slightly more of a splurge, but for good reasons. Sample Society is a box put out by Allure Magazine and each month includes five deluxe samples, each reviewed by their editors and sent to you in a mini-mag. Each box also includes a $10 off coupon (on a $50 purchase) on BeautyBar.com. Although they may seem similar, Sample Society tends to have higher quality and more interesting products each month.
Similar to Birchbox, Ipsy is $10 a month, shipping included. After signing up, you’ll take a beauty quiz and mid-month you’ll be sent 4-5 “deluxe” samples or full-sized products, picked by the company. Ipsy also packages each box in a makeup bag, which can become great gifts. Ipsy also works on a points system, but is much more social media based- you can get points for sharing a variety of promotions on Facebook for points. If you’re iffy about sharing, you can also earn points through reviewing products. Each product review is 10 points and 500-1000 points will buy you a full-sized version of something from their website.
For only $10 a month (that includes shipping), subscribers are sent 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples that they get to pick ahead of time. Most products in this box tend to be high-end and this box works on a points system. You can earn points by giving feedback, referring friends and buying full-sized products (1 point per dollar spent). After 100 points, you get a $10 store credit to the website- not too shabby.