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 September 2018 (Check out the full Allure Beauty Box review)
- Number of items: 5
- Full-size items: 3
- Deluxe size items: 0
- Brands featured: Drunk Elephant, IGK, tarte, MAC
- Categories featured: Skincare (1) Makeup (3) Haircare (1)
- Total Value: $66.40
Favorite item in the box: MAC Lipstick in Lustering
There are several favorites in this box for me, but I'm picking the MAC because the Lustering shade was surprisingly wearable for me. (It goes on somewhat sheer - exactly what I need in a bold red color!)
Check out our Allure Beauty Box Spoilers and our Allure Beauty Box Reviews, too!
Macy's Beauty Box September 2018 (Check out the full Macy's Beauty Box review)
- Number of items: 7 + a bag
- Full-size items: 0
- Deluxe size items: 1
- Brands featured: Sunday Riley, Donna Karan, Jimmy Choo, Clinique, Dr. Bronner's, Yuni
- Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (3) Deodorant (1) Perfume (2)
- Total Value: $47.26
Favorite item in the box: Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant
This is over half the size of the full-size version! I’m not much of a perfume wearer, so this might be the right amount of fragrance for me. The scent is a bit powdery but subtle, and the deodorant lasted all day.
Check out our Macy's Beauty Box Spoilers and our Macy's Beauty Box Reviews, too!
Look Fantastic September 2018 (Check out the full Look Fantastic review)
- Number of items: 6 + magazine + candy
- Full-size items: 0
- Deluxe size items: 1
- Brands featured: Eve Lom, Mane 'n Tail, Lord & Berry, Aromatherapy, Omorovicza, Philip Kingsley
- Categories featured: Makeup (1) Skincare (4) Haircare (1)
- Total Value: $71.91
Favorite item in the box: Omorovicza Ultramoor Mud Mask
I love this ingredient-conscious (and pricey) brand and this mask was new to me - so it was easily my favorite in the box! This mud mask is designed to help clear out pores and firm skin. It dries in under 10 minutes, and it has a very gentle exfoliation when you rinse it off.
Check out our Look Fantastic Spoilers and our Look Fantastic Reviews, too!
Verdict: Allure Beauty Box was the winner for me this month. All products were great sizes, the brands are great, and it really felt like such a glam box thanks to the lashes and red lipstick!
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 September? And what was your favorite product?
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