Musings of the Day: Do You Dig Beauty Boxes?
I recently had a reader e-mail and ask me a really great question (Thanks Crotchfairy!). She wanted to know what I thought of Beauty Boxes.
You know like Birchbox, Blissmo, Glossybox, etc…
I used to be a very big fan of the Little Black Beauty Box which I’m not even sure is around anymore. It was $19.95 and available, I THINK, every three months. Don’t quote me on the price or when they released it, etc…as I can’t really remember much of the details. Seemed like ages ago.
Moral of the story is…I LOVED that box. It basically introduced you to a slew of different E-tailers. Being a HUGE E-tailer and Etsy h0r I liked getting a little box introducing me to new E-tailers I never tried before. My subscription almost always introduced me to at least three or four new shops. Each box included samples and full size items including Tarts, candles, little makeup products like lip balm, and body creams, mists, etc…I think Little Black Beauty Box is really the original beauty box and kinda what started it all. Because outside of that box I don’t recall anyone else doing something similiar. UNTIL…just recently when suddenly everyone has some sort of beauty box in the works.
Pricing varies but boxes range from $10-$30 and contain both samples and and full size makeup products.
So what exactly do I think of beauty boxes?
I don’t like them.
Don’t kill me.
As I said I really liked the E-tailer one I used to indulge in as it was genuine to me. But right now I feel like these trending beauty boxes are a launch board for brands to either re-promote products OR introduce you to new products in a sample size.
Meh.
Sorry it’s boring to me. If you’re a beauty junkie chances are you’ve tried MOST of what is in these boxes. I see the Balm loves to include many of their cult favorites in these boxes and chances are you probably OWN every single Balm Blush around and you don’t need a beauty box to reintroduce you to these great blushes right? Samples..samples are everywhere at every counter…any Sephora MA will kindly hand you them in store or you have to have some great SA or MA that you love going to she’ll probably hook you up with the latest and greatest Dior Moisturizer Sample or Bobbi Brown Lipgloss, etc…samples are plentiful. Unlike the UK, we have no shortage of samples to indulge in.
Hey, sometimes you do run into a pissy MA who isn’t so generous and simply doesn’t want to hand over a sample but in most cases you have a very good shot of snagging on counter by asking nicely and expressing interest in a product.
So why pay someone $10 bucks to mail them to you?
Plus…
When I get samples I tend to toss them in a corner somewhere and never use them. I’ve given my mum bags of ’em to share at her little senior group because I simply don’t find I use them.
These beauty boxes are fun for those who don’t really have a hardcore beauty addiction but those of us that do, well, chances are you’ve already tried MUCH of what is inside these boxes.
Now give me a box that’s $30-$50 and contains maybe two full size upcoming products I’ve never heard about and a few generous samples of products that are launching soon and I’d be quite tempted to indulge.
But throw me a ten dollar box with small samples and perhaps a full size I already own and I’d say keep it.
Meh.
Beauty Boxes just seem like another way for brands to self promote themselves.
What do you think of beauty boxes?
Do share!