Birchbox and ipsy are both $10 a month for 5-6 samples, which I think is pretty affordable considering that most of the time, you're receiving high-end samples that normally retail for 3x that amount or more. I want to see what else is out there, so I looked on other sites that rounded up a list of different subscription box companies and I picked out a few I want to try within the next 6 months. I had no idea that the world of subscription boxes was so large; there's one of these services for almost everything! Food, pets, DIY, kids, even your man can get involved. I like that there's so much variety in what I can look at so I've decided to resume experimenting and yammering to you all about it once I've tried it. Below are some links to those that I'll probably be trying within the next year or so. I've included links to the subscription pages so you can look at the companies' descriptions as well. I went to Broke Beauty Blogger and Ramblings of a Suburban Mom because they had extensive lists of all kinds of subscription box services so if your tastes are different from mine you should go peruse their lists; they're pretty similar but categorized down the page differently. Just keep in mind that these lists were compiled awhile ago and some of these businesses have since gone dark.
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I set my budget at $15; there are a couple on here that are more than that but I consider those to be 'splurge' boxes. lol1. Madd Cat--This site here (I just betrayed my country roots right there LOL) will send out either full-sized or deluxe sample sized products with every box. The site promises that each user will receive 2 full-size eyeshadows and at least 2 deluxe samples as well as random surprises, like discontinued or overstocked items. I like that concept and I also like that the company is aware that many users of subscription boxes would like to receive more full-sized products with their boxes.
(Monthly Price: $12)
2. Beauty Army--This one is kinda cool in that it begins with a simple quiz to figure out your body type. I believe I went through a similar quiz with ipsy but I still like that we have the option to personalize our options a little bit. This creates a profile and based upon your answers determines what type of samples you'll probably receive. It's very interactive because you get to select your samples, whereas Birchbox and many of the other subscription boxes prefer to surprise us.
(Monthly Price: $12)
3. Beautybox5--This service provides between 4 and 6 samples every month from luxury to well-known brands and can include makeup, skin care, hair products, fragrances and accessories. I think I even saw a mention of some vegan companies being included and I don't think I've ever tried any organic beauty products so that might be interesting.
(Monthly Price: $12)
4. Love with Food--Speaking of organic foods, Love with Food sends eight+ organic/natural snacks or samples every month and an added bonus of purchasing boxes from this company is that boxes are also donated to food banks and related charities like Share Our Strength, which I think is awesome. I also like the idea of being able to try out new foods and snacks.
(Monthly Price: $10)
5. NewBeauty TestTube--This company markets itself as the 'ultimate' program for sample box subscriptions and you pay $30 six times a year. I don't know what exactly is offered in these particular boxes, but I'm imagining that the number of items you receive is probably more than the regular box and that there are probably more full-sized products. It's about $60 more than you'd pay for a $10 subscription over the course of a year, but I would figure that it has to offer more. Is it worth it though? Ehh. I don't know.
($30 six times a year)
6. YokoTea--I like this idea. I'm not really a tea person normally, but one of my business plans involves tea and I'm open to trying new brands. Each month, you get between three and five varieties of tea. In terms of actual cups of tea, the company amounts it to around 30. That's not bad if you're not an everyday tea drinker. The company also says that rare teas will also be included, so that's another plus if you're looking to expand your beverage horizons a little.
(Monthly Price: $10)
7. BuluBox--Now this is interesting. This is a subscription service that focuses on weight loss management and fitness. Each box will include between four and five samples with various health, nutrition and weight loss items. After sampling the products, filling out surveys and subscribing can get you points, which amounts to money that you'll be able to save on regular sized products. I believe this is a normal thing for many subscription box companies though.
(Monthly Price: $10)
8. Treatsie--What I like about this box--besides the fact that it's a subscription box for nothing but snacks--is that you can get a sampler box for $5 to see if you like it before upgrading to the full monthly subscription. That's really interesting; other than Julep, who offers their first month free, I don't know of any other subscription services yet who offer discounted samples of their boxes. If you want to check out the types of things they send out, you can go here to see what's been included in the monthly boxes since June. I took a look at them and I like how strategically they put together their boxes. All of the products per month seem to be in line to form a theme of some kind, which I like. And the treats sound like they'd be fun to try. I'm hungry.
(Monthly Price: $15)
9. Soap-Of-The-Month Club--I love natural and organic soaps. I think they smell fresher, they smell nicer, and they aren't as rough on the skin as regular soaps that have chemicals and other derivatives in them. This club sends out a soap a month. and I've seen natural soaps for about $5 in my local area so this monthly price isn't too bad. I wish it was more than one but that could just be greed. lol
(Monthly Price: $6.50)
10. Green Grab Bag--Now this one I'm really interested in. I haven't seen any other subscription box service like this before; they offer three types or sizes of boxes. You can get the smallest box for $15, the regular for $25 and the largest box for $35 a month. You get to select a number of products from two columns, which will put you in the corresponding box according to the proper weight, size and type of product. I kinda like that; you can sorta choose by the types of things you order (all organic and vegan stuff, of course) which box you'll get. Nice.
(Monthly Prices: $15, $25, and $35)
11. Pretty Power Box--Now this one I'm interested in trying out because it's not like any of the other boxes I researched. This subscription box is just for female entrepreneurs, with each box providing office or entrepreneurial items in addition to the health and beauty products, which I think is cool. The company describes this box as being a help for female entrepreneurs so that they can achieve a healthy balance in their lives between work and family, and that's a different focus from many of the other services I've seen. I like that a lot.
(Monthly Price: $15)
12. The All-Natural Face--I like this box because in addition to the monthly contents of the box every month, each user will receive free samples as well. I like this because it seems like they're committed to giving a little more than the normal box and while you really get to try out the larger products you get, you're also exposed to a few more via the free samples. This box service also specializes in natural beauty and skincare products.
(Monthly Price: $15)
13. Sahshe--This company is for women of color (like meself) and different skincare, lifestyle, haircare and cosmetics products that we may be interested in. This service costs $12 a month and 4-5 luxury samples are delivered with each package. It's a little less than some of the other box services offer, but I'm interested to see if the 4-5 items will be worth it.
(Monthly Price: $12)
14. Skoshbox-- My sister would love this box. This is chock full (I really love saying that lol) of Japanese snacks and other goodies that are sent out every month for $12. If you like Japanese treats, you can check out the boxes from August to November here and see if it's up your alley. I think that this is a really neat box to help expand one's pallet.
(Monthly Price: $12)
15. MunchIt--I know I've been focusing on a lot of natural and vegan-based boxes but I think I've found more variety in those and I've also been really intrigued by a lot of them. I like this box because you get to choose from a number of different food mixes, hot and cold tea mixes and even gum flavors. This is a weekly subscription; the only thing I'm unsure of is how many products come in each weekly box.
(Weekly Price: $3.58; monthly price around $16)
16. OneRadiant--I've checked out this site before but I couldn't afford the $36 price tag so I put it on ice. Fortunately, it's not $36 per box, it's $36 for three boxes. The good thing about these boxes is that it is nothing but skincare, personalized to address your individual concerns and help you improve the condition of your skin through the 4-5 monthly samples.
($36 every three boxes)
17. Fancy Pants Food--This is pretty much the American equivalent to the Japanese Skoshbox I mentioned above; a box full of different kinds of American snacks that vary from month to month. They've shipped out different kinds of nuts, popcorn, chocolate, fruit caramels and teas, just to name a few.
(Monthly Price: $10)
18. Her Fab Box--I believe this one is also for women of color but it too has something that makes it a little different from some of the other boxes. What makes this different is that it has different sized boxes as well but there are different things offered in each box. The smallest box is called the 2+1=Cute and Edgy Package, costs $10 a month and comes with two pieces of jewelry and a surprise. The Two for Fab, the box I was looking at, costs $15 monthly and includes 6-9 samples of different sizes and a couple pieces of jewelry or accessories. The jewelry differs between boxes which I also like. The largest box is the Fabulous Box One, which includes some full-size products in addition to the regular sample and deluxe sized products. This one costs $25 a month and also includes jewelry and accessories. I'd go with the Two for Fab.
(Monthly Prices: $10, $15, $25)
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All in all, I'm excited to start on this little experiment. I would like to keep my subscription to Birchbox while I do it so that I could have a small basis for comparison, but I already have two Spotify Premium subscriptions, a Netflix and a Hulu Plus subscription in addition to my other bills so I just can't swing it. One subscription at a time for me. OAN, I'll probably be cancelling the Hulu Plus though; I hardly use it. But that's beside the point. lol Anywho, I'll do a different subscription per month and see how I like it, then come back and review it. At the end of the year, I'll have more than enough products...and "research" (LOL) to see which ones I like the most. I'm easily excitable so this lil' experiment has me really looking forward to January.
*Are you part of any subscription service? Have you tried Birchbox? If you have, what'd you think? Shoot me a comment and tell me about your experiences or if you want to take part in this little experiment with me!
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