Long over are the days when every woman's collection of beauty products could fit into a single make-up bag. These days we're bombarded with hundreds of different primers, serums, exfoliators and lipliners in any number of varied consistencies at the local 'drugstore'.
Fashion and Beauty on Female First
Endless magazines and online platforms tell us why we need all these products, and there are even people making substantial amounts of money by trying out all the latest products and reviewing them in addictive YouTube tutorials. It's no wonder, then, that the new popular trend for beauty addicts is the subscription box. Far from procuring a monthly magazine and reading about all these new, expensive products you can't afford, you can be presented with a selection of samples of these products in one monthly package instead - and all at a very reasonable price.
The idea is that for as little as £10 a month, you receive a set amount of beauty treats (usually around five) worth around about £45+ (GBP). Some beauty boxes are more expensive than others (Cohorted is £35 a month and very make-up based, while Mintd is a whopping £65 a month with a selection of skincare products worth around £135), and some offer a full-size product amongst the sample selection (such as Glossybox, which is £13 a month).
One of the more recent hits is the Love Me Beauty box, which appeared on the eleventh episode of 'Dragon's Den' series 14. It was London entrepreneur Oliver Gauci who convinced investors Sarah Willingham and Nick Jenkins to hand over £80,000 with the agreement of a shared 8% equity. This was another £10 a month subscription featuring products worth upwards of £45. The convincer was Love Me Beauty's new deal with Debenhams; a store which sells products from some of the most internationally well known high-end beauty brands. Plus, the dragons were particularly impressed with the fact that the business would be getting the products from the brands for free.
So what do the beauty brands get out of the deal? A few free samples here and there are hardly a dent in their profits, especially when they're sending full-size products of every colour for free to online make-up gurus like Zoella, Tanya Burr and Pixiwoo at the same time. From these bloggers' millions of devoted video viewers, brands are drawing in a massive percentage of potential consumers. And these subscription boxes are another way of encouraging people to buy the full-size versions when they've used their sample. Plus, some subscription websites - like Birchbox, for example - sell the actual full-size versions too, and offer more free gifts as an incentive to keep spending (and that's very easy to do).
Of course, as much as these subscription boxes like to argue the incredible value for money, it is worth mentioning that when you get a one-use sachet of product as one of the number of products you have been promised, the value hardly counts. These types of samples can easily be picked up in fashion and beauty magazines, on drugstore or department store stands and free with other make-up purchases. When you're not paying extra for samples in these circumstances, it feels unfair that part of your monthly payment should go towards it.
It's difficult to be sure if £10's worth of products is really worth £45; a lot of the time, this calculation is simply worked out by dividing the highest price of the full-size version by the amount of product, and multiplying that by whatever the sample offers.
The reality of it is that while these boxes are a great way to discover new brands and products, jazz up your beauty routine and keep you on top of all the latest trends, the haul that you get from it is very much supplementary for your collection and not necessarily a way of keeping your skincare and make-up collection in check. Regard your subscription box as a monthly treat, and enjoy the excitement of not knowing what's on its way to your doorstep. Just know that your beauty budget is likely to double at the same time.
Tagged in beauty buys