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BoxyCharm vs. Allure Beauty Box

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When it comes to subscription boxes, sometimes it takes some trial and error to find the best option for you. Both of these beauty boxes come with high-end brands and an exciting selection of products. Allure Beauty Box is half samples and half full products, and they’re curated by expert magazine editors. BoxyCharm, on the other hand, only includes full-size items, so you can use those products for months. There are dozens of possibilities each month, and they’re always customized according to your profile.

BoxyCharm offers full-size items, so you’ll be occupied with trying their new items all month. You don’t have to worry about getting totally irrelevant items, because each box is catered to your beauty profile. This box gives you more control over our selection, and you can even choose one of your beauty products each month. I recommend this box for its high value and customization options.

How Does BoxyCharm Work?

BoxyCharm is a monthly subscription, and each box comes with 5 full-size products. Once you sign up, you can fill out your beauty profile. The company will use this information to customize your boxes each month, choosing items that are the most useful to you and fit your style.

Once you’re a subscribed member, you’ll have the chance to choose one product that will end up in your box. There’s a window of time when the choice items are available on the BoxyCharm website, and you can make your selections then. Be warned that suppliers are limited, so they’ll run out of certain items pretty quickly.

BoxyCharm boxes arrive in a sleek black box printed with their logo. One you have your box, you can write reviews on their website. You’ll get 50 Charm points per review, and you can redeem those in their special Charm Room store.

BoxyCharm Pros

  • 5 full-size items
  • Choose 1 item each month
  • Customized to your preferences

Most beauty subscription boxes focus on samples. Beauty samples are fun, but they can also clutter up your collection. With BoxyCharm, you’ll always get full-size items that can become a useful part of your routine.

BoxyCharm gives you some control over what you receive in your boxes. Each month, you’ll get a chance to choose one item for your box. They sell out fast, so I recommend setting an alarm for the day the choices open up.

BoxyCharm now customizes your boxes according to the survey you fill out when you join. There are dozens of possible items for each box, so you could end up with anything from moisturizer to leave-in conditioner to a tooth-whitening kit.

BoxyCharm Cons

  • Sometimes a sponge or brush counts as a full-size item
  • Waiting list to join the service

BoxyCharm comes with 5 full-size items, but sometimes they count small accessories as such. That’s not what most people picture when they think of a full-size beauty product, and it’s kind of disappointing to get a cheaper item with the rest of your box.

When you sign up for BoxyCharm, the company will add you to a waitlist before you can actually start receiving boxes. It could take between a few weeks to a few months to officially become a member.

How Does Allure Beauty Box Work?

Allure Beauty Box is a monthly beauty box. Each box is curated by the magazine’s experts, and it’s designed to highlight the best, most relevant beauty items each month. Allure Beauty Box comes with 6 or more items, and at least 3 are always full-size. You’ll find a lot of well-known brands, and some lesser-known ones that are equally luxurious.

Each box comes with a min-magazine that showcases all the products in your box, with commentary from the editors and promotion codes for discounts. They’ll share the key ingredients of each product, what it does, and why they love it.

As long as you’re subscribed, Allure will keep track of what you’ve received and ensure that you don’t get any repeat items. If you ever unsubscribe, though, those records will be lost, and you’ll start over again.

Allure Beauty Box Pros

  • 3 full-size products each month
  • $100+ value
  • Items curated by editors

With each Allure box, you’re guaranteed to get at least 3 full-size items. There will also be some samples, so you’ll get a nice combination of trials and full products. That way, you can try a wider variety of beauty items, but you’ll still have at least 3 products you can use long-term and get really excited about.

Allure boxes are worth at least $100 each, but often they’re worth much more. The February 2021 box is worth $250 or more, depending on a few product variations. This is an incredible deal for just $23 per box.

Allure magazine is known for being on the cutting edge of all things beauty and fashion. The editors collect their favorite products and choose them to appear in the Allure Beauty Box. The magazine has tons of beauty connections, so they can have the best brands and trendiest items appear in their subscription box.

Allure Beauty Box Cons

  • No customization
  • Must cancel by phone or email

Allure’s boxes are curated each month, which means everyone gets the same products and they’re not adjusted to each customer. Before you subscribe, you might want to take a look at their previous boxes to see if they fit your needs.

Allure doesn’t let you cancel online. Instead, you have to contact their customer service team. You’ll have to mark your calendar and set aside time to either talk to customer service on the phone or email them. Personally, I always choose to call, because it guarantees a faster response. With emails, you sometimes end up waiting a few days to get a response.

How Much Do They Cost

These two boxes are in the same general price range, but Allure Beauty Box is slightly cheaper.

BoxyCharm

BoxyCharm is $25 a month for the Base tier. If you sign up for a full year, the boxes will be reduced to $22.92 per box, the equivalent of getting one box for free.

There’s also a Premium option available for $35, with 6-7 items. You can upgrade from the Base tier to BoxyLuxe, which is $49.99 for 8 or more beauty and lifestyle products.

Allure Beauty Box

Allure Beauty Box is $23 per month, but you can save with a longer subscription. If you sign up for an annual subscription, you’ll save $26, more than the cost of another box.

This beauty box used to be only $15, but since then they’ve increased the number of products and full-size items to enhance the experience, and I think the price increase is worth it.

What Kind of Products Do You Get?

Both of these boxes come with a wide range of beauty products, including makeup, skincare, and beauty accessories. BoxyCharm has an emphasis on makeup, though.

BoxyCharm

BoxyCharm is notable for including only full-size items. Some will be makeup, others will be skincare. BoxyCharm definitely has a bias toward makeup, though, especially eye makeup. You’ll probably get more than a few eyeshadow palettes through this subscription.

There’s the potential to get plenty of other items, though. In past boxes, BoxyCharm has included a tooth whitening kit, cuticle cream, a curling iron, false lashes, and even concealer.

BoxyCharm has a specific quiz designed to match you to the best possible foundations and concealers. You’ll select an image of a person with the closest skin tone to you, and then let them know your skin’s undertone, the type of finish you prefer, and so on. I’m curious about how well this system works out!

In your boxes from this company, you’ll likely notice some brands that are especially popular among subscription boxes, like Yensa, Sunday Riley, Elemis, and Hipdot.

Allure Beauty Box

Allure Beauty Box features trendy products, all handpicked by the magazine’s editors. Inside the box, there’s a little booklet explaining which editors chose which products, and why.

The main drawback is that you might not have the same beauty priorities as their editors, so the products may not be as useful to you. The lack of customization means that some items just won’t be a good match.

You’ll likely recognize many of the brands included here. Past boxes have included Tarte, Philosophy, La Roche-Posay, Christophe Robin, Too Faced, and even ELF.

3 or more products will be full-size, which I love. You’ll also get some samples with each box, so you can try more products without as much clutter.

Final Thoughts

Allure Beauty Box will help you stay in touch with beauty trends, and it offers incredible value for each box. If you want both samples and full-size items, this is the perfect box. There’s a fairly even split between the two. This box also tends to include lots of luxury brands, and this is a way to try them at a discount.

BoxyCharm has an average value of more than $175 per box, and each one includes 5 full-size items. I love when boxes include full-size products, because then you can really see how they work within your routine. With this subscription, you can really fill out your beauty collection. You’ll get plenty of eyeshadow palettes and other makeup to work with, and the occasional skincare product, too. The customization and choice involved in BoxyCharm sets it apart from other boxes, and it means you can create an experience you’ll love.

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