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

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanJan 14, 2018 | 16 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 December 2017 (Check out the full Allure Beauty Box review)

  • Number of items: 6
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 1
  • Brands featured: Dior, Purity, Becca, Oribe, Hourglass, Morphe
  • Categories featured: Skincare (1) Makeup (3) Haircare (1) Tools (1)
  • Total Value: $46.59

Favorite item in the box: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in Champagne Pop 

And it is SUCH an impressive highlighter! Excellent pigment and shimmer with just one brush stroke and the warm champagne colors gives skin a healthy glow, too.

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

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

  • Number of items: 6 + a bag
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 0
  • Brands featured: NudeStix, MAC, Estee Lauder, Peter Thomas Roth, Chanel, Tory Burch
  • Categories featured: Makeup (2) Skincare (3) Fragrance (1)
  • Total Value: $67.31

Favorite item in the box: NudeStix Intense Matte Lip & Cheek Pencil in Belle

I've paid full price for NudeStix, so it's always awesome to get one in a subscription box!

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

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

  • Number of items: 6 + magazine
  • Full-size items: 2
  • Deluxe size items: 2
  • Brands featured: MDM Flow, bubble t, Suki, Gatineau, Hydra-Activ, Polaar,
  • Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (5)
  • Total Value: $64.21

Favorite item in the box: Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser 

It was a small sample, but I had forgotten about how much I love this cleanser, so it was a welcome addition to the box for me!

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

Verdict: All boxes were solid, but I'm going to give the win to Allure Beauty Box because of the brands - it really was an all-star box. (Plus I love the $20 Bauble Bar coupon bonus!)


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 December? 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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16 comments

shari

Confused, ordered in December and received my box from Allure, last week heard my mystery gift was on it’s way for a New Member, nothing about my January box and tracking has went no where in a week. I got a box in December so i would not think I was a new member 🙁

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Julie

Does anyone know what the $28 New member gift is?

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Christine

Allure for the win though that Morphe eyeshadow brush was so scratchy I consider it a dud.

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shari

Yes it was scratchy and non’flexable trashed that right away!

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Jules

I love this comparison! I subscribe to Allure, as well as Birch Box and Ipsy. BB & I are $5 less than Allure so not the best comparison, but Allure is so worth the additional $5!!! It is my favorite Beauty Box!

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Abby Craig

Can someone tell me when Allure ships their boxes? I subbed on Jan 5th but have no idea when to start looking for it. Do they send a shipping confirmation?

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LB

I’m a regular subscriber and just got my shipping email on Friday. They normally charge 1st week of month and ship 2nd. However, you might not always get shipping emails. Also your first month will likely be delayed a bit but if you don’t cancel you should be on the regular schedule after.

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Anna

They ship generally by the 15th, you can sign up for informed delivery and get usps updates on all mail. Allure boxes ship from Glendale Heights, IL through USPS and it’s listed as One Stop Mailing.

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Mandy G.

Allure and Look Fantastic both put great boxes together for December. My Becca highlighter was crushed, and I have no idea if it will be replaced ( I doubt it, really) but I liked both boxes as they were meant to be.

Mandy G.

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Anna

It’s a hard choice because LookFantastic’s was a good box too but I’d pick Allure and it’s usually my favorite of the month. I’ve been using all items.

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Angie

I got look fantastic and I loved it but my issue is this: if I wanted the lotion they gave in the box , you cannot buy this! So I canceled this subscription and will not be back til they change this . It should be that if you love an item then you can buy the item and they don’t even have this so this is no! And Macy’s I unsubscribed just because theirs way too many complaints about what they send and how they send it, so I can’t believe that! I will never subscribe again because of their professionalism. I called and they had no clue what I was talking about and don’t even know what this box even is. Until they change I’m a no go on them as well. Allure is always gonna be my favorite out of these because they give full sized products and gives you a good variety of awesome products ☺️ So I’m allure all day everyday

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Deanne

This comment is just odd.

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Julie

If you are talking about the hand cream in lookfantastic I love it. It’s my favorite item from the box. Bummer they don’t sell it 🙁

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Anna

They do sell it but it’s out of stock currently and Amazon sells it too.

Beth

I subbed to Allure in December, and the website indicated I would get the December box. But I’ve reveived nothing so far. Is anyone else having a problem?

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Anna

My mom signed up in December received receipt and shipping confirmation and just got her December box. I know my January box just shipped but I’ve been subbed for years.

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