Beauty in a box

So today my entire twitter/facebook/blogger feeds have been full to bursting of you gals out there gleefully singing all about your delivery of this month's Glossy Box. In recent months, I've seen dozens of Beauty Boxes being launched, and so many of you are completely in love with the idea, and always so pleasantly surprised with your Box of Choice. But being the sceptic that I am, I thought I'd do a little more research into the many options available - and whether they're really a beauty investment, or pennies down the down.

What's it all about?
To put it quite simply: You pay a small monthly fee, and in return receive a sneaky box, full of testerpots, miniature, and sometimes full-sized beauty products, most of which you might have never thought of buying yourself - either they're too expensive, too niche a brand, or (like me), you hate the idea of buying a product that you've never tested before. (I always feel cheated when I've spent money an a product that breaks me out/dries my skin up/or is just generally lacking in quality.)

Glossy Box by Glossy Box (£10 + £2.95PP)
Specifics: 5 miniatures per box, no subscription, rewards system for reviews and recommendations
Brands: Shu Eumera, Burt's Bees, Illamsaqua, Liz Earle, Molton Brown and other unknown, niche brands.
Reviews: "The beauty of beauty boxes is that...if you do like what’s included – a huge percentage is taken off what you’d normally pay for the product itself." (Scarlett London) "If you’re a beauty junkie and love trying new things then this will be ideal." (Elle UK)
Rating: ★★★★✰

Beauty Box by She Said Beauty (£9 + £2.95PP)
Specifics: 5 samples per box, no subscription, online review and tester community
Brands: Elemis, Mischa Barton, St Tropez, Yardley London. Mainly popular, well-known, but (in my opinion) not luxury brands.
Reviews: "So in conclusion, I'm not wowed..." (The Girl About Town) "There is only one product I can use..." (Makeup Temple)
Rating: ★★★✰✰

Jolie Box by Jolie Box (£10 + £2.95PP)
Specifics: 4 - 5 samples per box, no subscription
Brands: China Glaze, Talika, KMS California, Yardley, Jane Iredale, and other generally unknown brands.
Reviews: "Good value for money and unusual brands included so you’re bound to discover something new every month."... "24 brands on board so far... means less brand variety">(Elle UK)
Rating: ★★★★✰

Amarya Beauty Box by Amarya (£10 + £2.50PP)
Specifics: 1 fullsize product and several trial size samples per box, exclusive offers and competitions.
Brands: Green People, Dr Hauschka, Cowshed, Weleda, Kae. All products from high-end natural and organic brands.
Reviews: "if you dont like the main product or it is not suited to your taste then there is not much else in the box" (Dainty Dollymix)"Amarya offers the UK's best selection of natural and organic beauty products">(Talk Perfection)
Rating: ★★★✰✰



So overall, after a lot of research, I'm pleasantly surprised by what's included with some of the boxes. I won't, however, be subscribing to any of them any time soon, as, being fussy, and unwilling to take the risk of paying for a box full of products I might never use. So I'm probably going to use a little more convincing.

Have any of you had any really good experiences with Beauty Boxes? Any of them stand out to you as the best out there? Get in touch if you have any comments.

Hope you're all enjoying the amazing weather!

heteroheroine