Facebook PixelAllure Beauty Box vs Macy's Beauty Box vs Look Fantastic - October 2017 | MSA
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Allure Beauty Box vs Macy’s Beauty Box vs Look Fantastic – October 2017

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanOct 30, 2017 | 13 comments

Allure Beauty Box
3.6 overall rating
721 Ratings | 155 Reviews

This new Allure Beauty Box vs Macy's Beauty Box vs Look Fantastic series compares the subscriptions every month to give you a good idea what you can expect from these popular beauty subscription boxes.

Allure Beauty Box and Macy's Beauty Box are $15 a month, Look Fantastic is $16 if you pick an annual subscription (you don't have to pay the full cost up front), so it seems fair to stack them up against each other).

If you are interested in finding other great beauty boxes, check out our Top 31 Beauty Subscription Boxes for 2017, our Birchbox vs Ipsy vs Sephora Play series and our Boxycharm vs Glossybox vs BeautyFix series!

FYI – Each of these boxes sends the same items to all subscribers with occasional variants. (For example, there may be three different shades of a nail polish a subscriber might receive, but all subscribers will receive that nail polish.)

Allure Beauty Box October 2017 (Check out the full Allure Beauty Box review)

  • Number of items: 6
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 1
  • Brands featured: Pantene, Kat Von D, Avene, Korres, Pureology, Beauty For Real
  • Categories featured: Skincare (2) Makeup (1) Haircare (2) Fragrance (1)
  • Total Value: $57.40

COUPON - Now through 10/31, Use this link to get your first box for only $7.50 (50% off) and you’ll receive a free full-sized tarte blush ($29 Value) as well! (Blush may ship separately.)

Favorite item in the box: It's a tie between Korres Wild Rose + Vitamin C Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial and the Pureology Hydrate Air Dry Cream 

I love how soft and hydrated the sleeping facial makes my skin (and that it's a deluxe sized sample.) And the Pureology is the first hair product I've ever tried that made my hair noticeably shinier.

Check out our Allure Beauty Box Spoilers and our Allure Beauty Box Reviews, too!

Macy's Beauty Box October 2017 (Check out the full Macy's Beauty Box review)

  • Number of items: 6 + a bag
  • Full-size items: 0
  • Deluxe size items: 0
  • Brands featured: Elizabeth Arden, Lancome, Origins, Strivectin, Smashbox, Yves Saint Laurent
  • Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (4) Fragrance (1)
  • Total Value: $55

Favorite item in the box: LANCÔME Énergie de Vie Water-Infused Moisturizing Cream 

I really like Lancome's skincare, and this is a generous sized sample. It’s moisturizing without being oily, and it absorbs so quickly.

Check out our Macy's Beauty Box Spoilers and our Macy's Beauty Box Reviews, too!

Look Fantastic October 2017 (Check out the full Look Fantastic Sephora review)

  • Number of items: 6 + magazine
  • Full-size items: 3
  • Deluxe size items: 0
  • Brands featured: Bean Body, Lancer, ModelCo, Ciate, Monu Skin, Skimono
  • Categories featured: Makeup (2) Skincare (4)
  • Total Value: $63.65

Favorite item in the box: Ciate Wonderwand Mascara 

It was tough to pick a favorite this month, but this mascara was a great new discovery! It really holds up to my favorite mascara, Tarte Lights Camera Lashes.

Check out our Look Fantastic Spoilers and our Look Fantastic Reviews, too!

Verdict: It's tough to pick a winner this month. All boxes were solid. I'm going to narrow it down to Allure Beauty Box + Look Fantastic, though, since both of those boxes introduced me to new brands or products.


Of course, my favorite box varies every month, so here are my general suggestions for which box to pick:

Allure Beauty Box: Allure is great for a mix of makeup, skincare, and the occasional haircare item. They also are good about sending some full-size or deluxe-size items each month, and they include a variety of brands. (Pretty much anything featured in Allure magazine is game.)

Macy's Beauty Box: This is a brand new subscription, so we'll have to see if things change in future months. For now, this seems to be a good box for a beauty subscription newbie. Everything included in this first box is a great beauty staple.

Look Fantastic: If you're looking to try out brands you might not see at Sephora, this is a great box to sample. (It's from the UK.) And the UK version of Elle magazine is a nice bonus, too!

What was your favorite box for Setember? And what was your favorite product?

Starting at $25.00
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Each month, you'll get 6+ Allure-approved makeup and skincare picks delivered to your door ($100+ value for only $25). 6 or more products (at least 3 FULL-SIZE) valued at $100+ with only expert-approved products, hand-selected by Allure editors. Enjoy a new member gift valued at $15+ free shippin... read more.

Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

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13 comments

Michelle

I loved everything in my Allure box except that Pantene. It was yucky feeling and made my hair feel dirty very fast,

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Michelle

I recently added allure to my line up of boxes. Can’t wait to try the pureology and korres mask!!

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Dena

Yeah, Got my notice today that my November Macy’s bag is on its way. I love how fast they are!!

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Morgan

How do you determine what a deluxe size is? I’ve been reading for a while now but my pattern recognition isn’t strong enough to determine a trend in deluxe vs sample size.

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Ashlea

Reading this makes me realize that the number of skincare items vs makeup are a big reason these often fall flat for me. I don’t do sheet masks and I have sensitive skin so they’re often a miss.

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IV

I signed up to allure just to get the tarte blush. I recieved the box today but the blush wasn’t included. Does anyone actually recieved their bonus sign up item separately?

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Wendy

I have been waiting a while for my blush. I have contacted them twice and each time it has supposedly just shipped. Yet, I have not seen it. I’m at the point of if it shows up, great. If not, I’m tired of calling.

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Liz Cadman

Yes – sorry about that. The blush will ship separately. Some MSA readers have reported getting it about 2 weeks later. Hope that helps! 🙂

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IV

Thanks Liz😊 I just wanted to know from here before I call or email allure about it. I’m so glad this site is ever here to help, very helpful to a sub addict like me😄

LB

According to CS you should receive the blush in a separate shipment that might lag by a couple of weeks.

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IV

Thanks LB good to know😊 Now I don’t have to email them.

Gabriela

Thanks! I ended up canceling Macy’s Beauty Box and subscribing to BeautyFix instead based on these comparison reviews.

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Jacki

I really enjoy these comparison reviews. I am switching up my subs and these are very helpful in choosing what’s next. Thank you!

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