Monthly subscription boxes seem to be everywhere. It feels like you can get a box for anything from snacks to dog treats to lifestyle products. I decided to give a few subscription boxes a try to see if they are worth all of the hype.
After searching high and low for a reasonably priced monthly subscription clothing box, I found StitchFix. StitchFix is $20 a month and they send you about four to six pieces in each box.
The registration was surprisingly simple. I was able to take a short quiz establishing my sense of style and interest as well as my price range for my stylist to determine what I would like to receive. The phone app is a nice bonus which allows you to select your specific arrival date, check out for your items and rate the box you received.
The clothing items I received are within my price range and the quality of the pieces are worth what I spent. Canceling the box is easy as long as your stylist hasn’t already started working on your box. The company also has a section that has step by step instructions on how to cancel your subscription if you get confused.
The downfall to the subscription: if you get a box with nothing you like, you’re out $20.
Overall, however, I would recommend this box.
For makeup, I signed up for the Sephora Play! Box and the Allure Beauty Box. There are a ton of different boxes, but I figured Sephora and Allure were the most similar brands. I signed up for both boxes on the same day, and I found my opinion is entirely different toward each box.
The Allure box is typically $15, but your first box is $10 for that month. No full-size products are in the box. My analysis for the Allure box is quite simple. I never received it. The day I signed up for the box, I was informed that I would receive it within the month. While technically the month isn’t over, the box has yet to arrive. Allure had no problem taking my money as soon as I signed up for the box, though.
A pro for the box is that you know what you will be receiving, or so I assume what they tell you is in your box is in fact inside the box. Again, I did not receive mine so that I wouldn’t know.
The cons: I didn’t receive it. I logged onto the website to check on the status of my order and it said that I ordered it on Oct. 22, which is inaccurate. Canceling my box was nearly impossible. I had such a hard time that I had to email Allure for assistance. I have yet successfully cancel my current subscription.
Overall, I would not recommend.
For the Sephora Play! Box my experience was drastically different. The box is $10 per month, and there are no full sizes. I received my box promptly. I didn’t know what I would be receiving, but was able to track my order. With the addition of my subscription, I gained 10 Sephora points plus an additional 50 points in the box.
I received five samples inside the box. The samples included a primer, foundation, eyebrow gel, face wash and serum. These products all came from well-established brands carried at Sephora and were catered to me personally.
With the box, I was able to create a profile describing my skin type, skin tone, hair color, hair type, eye color and the list went on. The customization factor was a bonus because I received samples in my shade range and that catered toward my skin type while allowing me to step outside of my comfort zone.
The sample sizes at first glance are small and I was insulted by the size, but I was able to get at least five days’ worth of use for all of the products they sent me which allowed me to establish a thorough opinion on the products.
Canceling the subscription box was extremely easy. I was able to find a subscription tab which allowed me to cancel the monthly box easily.
Overall, I would recommend.
I see the appeal of having a subscription box. The perks of getting to try different things that might be out of your comfort zone or out of your price range is nice. For me, I don’t think the monthly beauty boxes are neccessary especially considering that you end up spending anywhere from $120 to $180 for a bunch of samples doesn’t get it done for me. However, I did decide to keep my monthly clothing subscription with StitchFix because $240 for fullsize clothing items seems worth it to me.
1 Comment
Good article!