The Best Beauty Subscription Boxes

With a boatload of different beauty subscription boxes out there, it’s hard to decide which one is the best deal for you. We did the research on nine different boxes to help you narrow down to the one that has your name written all over it.

Birchbox

How much: $10 a month
Sample brands: Benefit, Deborah Lippmann, Amika, Stila
How it works: Birchbox arrives at your door filled with about five deluxe beauty and lifestyle samples based on the answers you provide in an online questionnaire. Plus, if you like what you get, you can purchase a full-sized product at Birchbox.com and receive reward points toward discounts on future purchases.

Photo: Courtesy of Birchbox

Glossybox

How much: $21 a month
Sample brands: Burberry Beauty, Illamasqua, Marvis, Wella
How it works: Interested in high-end beauty brands? Then Glossybox is for you. The service delivers five luxury, travel-sized beauty products based on your bespoke beauty profile, all packed in a chic, reusable box.

Photo: Courtesy of Glossybox

Julep Maven

How much: $19.99
How it works: The subscription of choice for nail polish addicts, the Julep Maven box comes filled with new nail polish colors plus other beauty products selected based on your style profile. We love the flexibility with this one: The company emails you on the 20th of every month with a preview of next month’s box, so you can choose to ship or skip. You can even try a different box or send your box to a friend.

Photo: Courtesy of Julep Maven

Beauty Bar Sample Society

How much: $15 a month
Sample brands: Alterna, Diptyque, Dermalogica, By Terry
How it works:BeautyBar.com has partnered with Allure to give you Beauty Bar Sample Society, a subscription box and discount shopping experience in one. Each month, five deluxe-sized samples are delivered to your door, along with a $15 monthly gift code to use on a $50 BeautyBar.com purchase (as long as one of your purchases include a brand that you’ve sampled that month). Your goodies also come with an mini-magazine curated by Allure beauty editors.

Photo: Courtesy of Beauty Bar Sample Society

Ipsy myglam Makeup Bags

How much: $10 a month
Sample brands: Yes To, Urban Decay, Josie Maran, Kiehl’s
How it works: When you subscribe to Ipsy, you not only get four to five deluxe beauty samples, but they also come in a chic, collectible makeup bag. Everything is personalized based on your answers to the Ipsy beauty quiz.

Photo: Courtesy of Ipsy myglam Makeup Bags

Beauty Army

How much: $12 a month
Sample brands: Bath & Body Works, Macadamia Oil, La Fresh
How it works: Beauty Army is one of the few subscription boxes that lets you choose which samples you get in your monthly box. You get six samples of your choosing based on your beauty profile. If you don’t like your options, you can retake the style quiz for a new batch of samples to choose from. Beauty Army also offers a rewards program for coupons and free months.

Photo: Courtesy of Beauty Army

Beauty Fix

How much: $49.99 per shipment
Sample brands: Perricone MD, Dermalogica, Jane Iredale
How it works: Beauty Fix may be the most expensive beauty subscription, but you definitely get more bang for your buck. Instead of getting a smaller box every month, Beauty Fix goes on a seasonal schedule with four boxes a year. You choose eight picks from a lineup of 60 deluxe samples and full size products, plus you get a makeup case to stash your goods.

Photo: Courtesy of Beauty Fix

Beauty Box 5

How much: $12 a month
Sample brands: H2O Plus, Rosebud Perfume Co., Weleda
How it works: Beauty Box 5 lets you sample products from luxury, drugstore, and vegan-friendly brands. Every month, you get a box of deluxe samples and at least one full sized product (which will practically pay for itself). All you need to do is specify your personality and concerns and they will choose the products that fit you best.

Photo: Courtesy of Beauty Box 5

Goodebox

How much: $16 per shipment (choose monthly or bi-monthly)
Sample brands: Pacifica, Juice Beauty, Josie Maran, Tata Harper
How it works: If your biggest concern is finding healthy, eco-friendly beauty products, then Goodebox is your best bet. Members get to sample up to seven trial-sized beauty products (and occasional wellness products and supplements) from brands that make an effort to minimize their environmental impact and offer more sustainable products. Goodebox also asks you to fill out a beauty profile so they can send you the perfect products for you skin type and special concerns.

Photo: Courtesy of Goodebox