Facebook PixelAllure Beauty Box vs Macy's Beauty Box vs Look Fantastic - March 2018 | MSA
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Allure Beauty Box vs Macy’s Beauty Box vs Look Fantastic – April 2018

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanJun 3, 2018 | 13 comments

Allure Beauty Box
3.6 overall rating
721 Ratings | 155 Reviews

This  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 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 April 2018 (Check out the full Allure Beauty Box review)

  • Number of items: 6
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 1
  • Brands featured: Nudestix, Korres, Rahua, Stellar, MakeUp Eraser
  • Categories featured: Skincare (1) Makeup (2) Haircare (2) Tools (1)
  • Total Value: $54.02

Favorite item in the box: Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream-Gel Moisturizer 

The formula is a gel/creme designed for oily or combination skin. I found it to be very lightweight, and it absorbed quickly, too. It’s hydrating, not greasy at all, ingredient-conscious, and the scent is fantastic! A+ for me!

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

Macy's Beauty Box April 2018 (Check out the full Macy's Beauty Box review)

  • Number of items: 6 + a bag
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 1
  • Brands featured: Korres, Coola, Origins, Schmidt's, Bare Minerals, Tony Moly
  • Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (4) Deodorant (1)
  • Total Value: $42.25

Favorite item in the box: Schmidt’s Rose + Vanilla Natural Deodorant

I love the idea of natural/ingredient-conscious deodorants, but I usually end up going back to my tried-and-true Secret or Dove because they work better/are easier to use.

First, I love that this comes in stick form. (The natural deodorants that are in a jar and you have to apply with your fingertips, just aren’t for me. I need the ease of a stick!)

Second, I was surprised by how much I liked the scent. Normally, I shy away from anything rose-scented, but this rose + vanilla combination is lovely.

And third, this worked well for me! I wore it on an hour walk, and still smelled like roses after! (Just an FYI – the scent sticks around, so be prepared to smell like this deodorant for the whole day.)

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

Look Fantastic April 2018 (Check out the full Look Fantastic review)

  • Number of items: 6 + magazine
  • Full-size items: 1
  • Deluxe size items: 1
  • Brands featured: Nip + Fab, Nuxe, Pur Cosmetics, GlamGlow, Emma Hardie, dr. botanicals
  • Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (5)
  • Total Value: $81.08

Favorite item in the box: Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

This is luxe cleansing balm scented with essential oils. It smells heavenly, is super gentle on my skin, removed makeup without a problem, and I love that you can use it as an overnight mask as well.

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

Verdict: Look Fantastic was the winner for me this month. All products were good sizes, and the box included a mix of products I already loved and new discoveries.


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 April? 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

Macy’s has 2 holds right now on my checking, for the June box although customer service swears they haven’t. I have been going back and forth all morning.

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Mandy

I think they have some serious billing/ CS problems right now. I can’t get the extra charges off my card! Good luck to all who are dealing with this new problem.

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Tanya

Yeah, and I can’t get them to charge my card since February. My card expired, and I updated it. I have called, wrote, etc to them multiple times and each time they say my suscription is active. I haven’t gotten a box since January and quite frankly, I don’t care anymore. LOL… I was mad at first but now I picked up the FabFitFun box and haven’t looked back since.

Ruth

I have been subscribing to Look Fantastic since early this year. I like the boxes, but beware the billing. They double, triple, and finally quadruple billed me. No help via chat or the phone, with hours of effort. I finally manually canceled- twice- and am hoping no more charges. I will miss the box, but the customer service is terrible.

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Mandy

They sent me an automated email response today which said ” You signed up for 12 months. Therefore, we will continue to bill you until Feb. 2019.”

Has anyone else received this message from them?

I went to live chat with their CS and got the account cancelled ( after entering a card that keeps a 000 balance- ha.)

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Mandy

The ” they” I refer to is Look Fantastic. This posted in the wrong place.

Chris

They did the same to me! They even tried to bill me after I cancelled. I had to get my cc company involved and file unauthorized purchases.
About a week after all this happened, and the charge was reversed by amex , LF finally answered my first email.

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Mandy

Macy’s has billed me 3 times for the June box. I am mad as a wet hen.
Look Fantastic billed me after I’d cancelled this month.

I’ve had it with both, so Allure wins by attrition.

Michelle Bross

I cancelled my two boxes from Macy’s (my daughter and I) they have four charges pending on my credit card and won’t release the two extra charges until the box actually ships. Do basically they’re holding $32 of mine hostage. Why? Anyone else have this happen to them?

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Alyce

Liz,
I’m so happy you are comparison reviewing LF. I received my first, June Box, last week and love the items.

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Julie

I also loved the Korres moisturizer from the Allure box. My oily skin loves gel type moisturizers and I was sad when I finished the sample, now I have to get more.

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Robyn

That Emma hardie cleanser is so amazing. I got th full size in the LF Easter deal. I use it every morning I have some time, slather it on for as long as I can until I shower. Sigh. So glad to get more to gift. I think this is the most underrated skincare sub, from the ones I’ve tried anyway (all the well known under $25).

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Jody

Look Fantastic was hands down the winner for me. I loved the Emma Hardie cleanser. I would have never thought to have tried something like that! Thanks Liz to the opening of my eyes to subscription boxes!!

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