Beauty Subscription Boxes

If you're stuck in a beauty product Déjà Vu, let me write you a prescription. Listen closely; 2-3 times a month of beauty subscription services will help cure you of your ailment. If you have some spare cash at the end of the month I encourage you to treat yourself! 

These boxes give you a great way to try out so many different products without a pricey financial commitment and can be tailored to your skin type, hair colour, skin tone and eye colour. As a girl with sensitive oily skin prone to break outs, I have to be extremely careful with the skincare and makeup products I use on this mug of mine. I have spent many dollars on some flashy skincare with rave Google reviews only to be left with a rash on my face, a sore wallet and more unused products piling up in my bathroom. Beauty subscription boxes cost between $15-$25 and offer up to six or seven mini (or sometimes full size products) for you to play around with and that really floats my boat.

And with that, I present to you 3 beauty subscription services that I have tried for your perusal:

1. Bellabox:

Bellabox was the first BSS (Beauty Subscription Service, getting fun with acronyms) that I tried, and it took a lot of humming and ahhing, about six months and a half price discount code to get me in on the action. Bellabox is a great service, the box always arrives on time and beautifully packaged. BB (loving my acronyms tonight) also send you a tracking code as soon as your box ships so those pesky little beauty elves in your 'hood can't pinch your goodies. So many brands have wooed me through this service (I’m especially talking to you La Roche Posay & Anastasia Beverly Hills) and are great if you're first getting started in this big bad world of sparkly eye shadow. Bonus points for BB including in last months box a free issue of InStyle magazine, because as a glossy mag hag, this pleased me greatly.

Positives:

•   Reliable
•   Different range of products each month
•   Shipped in adorable polka dot boxes
•   Great extras - magazines and other sweet deals
•   The cheapest subscription box in Australia

Negatives

•   Can run a bit behind in shipping


Website: http://bellabox.com.au/

Price: $15 (with free courier shipping)

2. Violetbox:

Look Bellabox, as pretty as you are, Violetbox has won my heart. No hard feelings, it's just that I’m pretty easily won over with lots of full-size products and freebies like adorable polka dot makeup bags.Violetbox is an amazing BSS and are very generous with the extras they include. Case in point, last month for the VB (Violetbox, sorry Victoria Beckham fans out there) birthday celebration, subscribers were treated to a free makeup bag, a full-sized GHD styling crème, nail polish duo and eyebrow pencil as well as some adorable sample products. VB is the most expensive of the BSS but they really are worth it for the quality of the products you are receiving.

Positives:

• Great brands featured
• Great bonuses
• Amazing Service
• Lots of full sized products included

Negative:

•   The most expensive

Price: $22.95 (Shipping Included)

Website: http://www.violetbox.com.au/

3. Lust Have It:

Oh Lust Have It, you are the underdog of the beauty subscription services, still trying to find your feet in this mad world. I used to have a monthly subscription to LHI, but sadly had to cancel after two months as the products and service were just not that great. When the first box arrived (you are supposed to receive Lust Have It packaged in cosmetic bags each month), i was a tad disappointed with the products i found inside:

•   Appelles Soap - I love soap and this one was from an Australian company.

•   Mary Kay lip product - Meh. The colour was ok, but it was in a weird pot with a brush you had to paint on. Also Mary Kay just don't appeal to me, it has a bit of an Avon vibe.

•   Coral Colours Eye shadow Trio - Another brand that doesn't appeal to me. I have tried their products in the past and they just aren't that great quality. Also it didn't help that this trio was of the pink, baby blue and white variety. No thank you.

•   Coral Colours Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown - My blonde brows did not agree with this.

•   The Cosmetic Kitchen Mineral Blush - I loved it, my cat on the other hand did not as she was sitting at my feet and copped the strawberry coloured blush all over her white coat (her fur, not some fancy white Burberry trench coat) when I opened the product. Loose blush and twist top lids do not mix manufacturing people!

So that was the first month and i wanted to give it another chance in case I just subscribed at a bit of a dud month. The next month was not that great either, with Lust Have It surprising me with two packages instead of the one I’m subscribed to (I sent it back, it would be bad karma to keep). I'm talking cheap toe separators and files. The saving grace was the La Roche Posay sample and the free nail polish. Though I did get my free makeup bag, which I use to neatly store the chargers for my electric toothbrush and clarisonic (small victory). 


Sidenote: I don't have any photos of my Lust Have It packages because they just were not that lust worthy.


Positives: 

• Free makeup bag each month 

Negatives:

•   Unreliable service
•   Brands featured aren't that great


Price: $19.95

Website: http://www.lusthaveit.com.au/