Overrated Product #6: Monthly subscription beauty boxes

You might have noticed that beauty boxes, in their various different guises, have been featuring very heavily in the beauty community recently. My post will contain no reviews or personal participation, merely my take on the whole phenomena.

{images sourced via Google}

Essentially, for those who are not au-fait with the concept, these monthly subscription beauty boxes allow the recipient an opportunity to try out 'high end', 'premium' samples. There are typically 5-6 products per box, obviously varying per company, all of which are very similar conceptually. The main boxes I've heard of are Glossy Box, Boudoir Prive/JolieBox, Carmine and Feel Unique, but there may well be more.

Personally, the beauty box concept is not for me. Regardless of my financial circumstances, I do not find myself interested in the idea of receiving a box of deluxe samples to try, for at least £10-£12 per month. The contents will always be a surprise, and whether that be good or bad, its certainly a gamble. I'm sure a significant part of the allure for some is the very concept of not knowing what you'll receive each month, and whilst I can't deny being excited about receiving surprise packages in the mail, I'd rather keep my money and put it toward something I actually want/need. There has not yet been a single product in a beauty box {that I've seen via peoples blogs/videos} that I've even remotely lusted after.

Undeniably, a beauty box subscription may allow you to discover hidden gems of the beauty industry, however, I personally prefer to make those choices myself, and would rather have a smaller selection of beauty products I have chosen myself, than endless piles of samples that would no doubt remain unused and which I'd eventually render useless. Also, with no doubt hundreds of other people receiving the exact same box, that 'unique' discovery of hidden gems becomes less of something to shout about, and more like yesterday's old news.

I suppose for the price of a monthly subscription, beauty boxes are a novel way of allowing people exploration into different, perhaps less accessible brands, but I can't help but think it preys upon the 'keeping up with the Joneses' style of needing to have the next best thing before anyone else does. If anything, I would prefer to give (or even receive) a one off beauty box as a gift, rather than sign up as a monthly commitment. However, I may be alone in my thoughts, for some I'm sure the beauty box phenomenon is just what the doctor ordered!

I'd like to make it clear that these views are very much my own, and this is just my public reflection of the current craze sweeping the beauty community. Each to their own and all that jazz, I'm in no way meaning to criticise those who adore the idea and are subscribers themselves. I wanted to air my thoughts, and I shall simply conclude that beauty boxes are just not for me.

I'd love to know what your take on the beauty box phenomenon is, so please do let me know in the comments.