I’m Obsessed With Boxes + Here’s How I Never Spend Money on Beauty Products

I have a little secret to share. Last year, I wrote a blog post about how I haven’t purchased bath products in years because of all of my time spent at hotels (how much do you take from your hotel room?). There’s something else I want to share… I’m pretty much obsessed with monthly beauty boxes as well.

If you’re a male reader, I apologize in advance, but things are about to get really girly…

With frequent travel, it’s always nice to have a variety of TSA-approved travel-sized beauty and makeup products to stash in my carry on. And there’s something about the excitement from getting surprises in the mail every month… and 90% of the time, they’re not junky samples, but high-quality products (and sometimes even full-sized!).

Today I logged into my husbands’s RueLaLa account because I forgot about a credit he I had, and I wanted to burn it for him. I saw that one of the current daily sample sales was for GlossyBox, a monthly subscription box that I haven’t tried yet (I’ve tried a lot in the past… you’ll find out below which ones I believe are worth the subscription).

The price was $15 for one month, instead of the usual $21 it is monthly (seems kind of pricey in my opinion, but I’m open-minded to see if it’s “worth it”). Since there was a $10 RueLaLa credit in Kevin’s account, I figured I would spend the extra $5 out of pocket to try a month of GlossyBox.

If you are also interested in trying, you can join RueLaLa here (that’s my husband’s referral link). There’s a chance to earn $10 in credit by downloading the RueLaLa mobile app. Here’s the direct link to the GlossyBox sale that end’s in less than 24-hours.

Seeing the GlossyBox sale inspired me to blog about the current monthly-subscription boxes I receive. Here they are in no particular order:

Walmart Beauty Boxes: For only $5 per quarter ($20 a year), you’ll receive a box full of deluxe samples and valuable coupons in your mailbox. Here’s what the spring box looked like that I just received:

They also have “baby boxes” and boxes for expecting moms (I haven’t tried either of them).

To be honest, this box was “weaker” than the winter box, but I still felt that it was worth at least $5. I love when I get facial cleansing wipes because they are an absolute necessity when I travel (I tend to be lazy with my night-time skin care regimen at hotels).

There was also about $10 in coupons, but I will not use them (since I don’t buy products, duh), so if anyone wants them, comment and I’ll happily mail them.

Birchbox: Birchbox has to honestly be my favorite monthly box to date. I always get super great samples each month, and tons of full-sized products. At $10 a month, or $110 a year (my subscription was even cheaper during a-once-a-year 20% off sale, so I pay ~$7.33 a month), Birchbox truly is an amazing value. Here’s how to maximize your subscription:

If you spend a few minutes each month reviewing the products in your Birchbox, you can earn points that you can use  for full-size products in Birchbox store. You can earn 50-70 points a month (10 pointer per review), which translates into $5-$7.  So essentially using this method, the cost of the box is only $3-$5/month (in my case it makes it sometimes pennies a month!)

Here’s a picture of a recent box:

Right now, if you’re interested in joining (that’s my referral link), use promo code GAP10 to get $10 to spend in the Birchbox store instantly.

Ipsy: Another awesome monthly subscription I love is Ipsy. I have been a subscriber for almost a year and my monthly samples never disappoint. The cost is similar to Birchbox: $10 a month or $110 a year. I noticed that Ipsy focuses more on the “makeup” end of samples, but it’s still a healthy mix of skincare and other beauty products. Each month you’ll receive 5-6 deluxe and full-sized samples in a trendy makeup bag. Here’s a peek at a recent Ipsy “glam bag” I received:

As you can see, 3 out of 5 of my samples were full sized, and definitely worth much more than the $10 I paid. You can also earn Ipsy points to use for your favorite products with reviews/sharing via social media, but I tend to slack in that department (oops). Here’s my referral link if you’re interested in checking it out for yourself.

So those are the 3 boxes I’m currently “loyal” to at the moment. Let’s see if GlossyBox can steal my heart. In the past I’ve tried PopSugarMustHave (too expensive/didn’t see value), Julep (got the intro price and then canceled), Citrus Lane (it’s for babies… didn’t find it “worth it”), and probably a few more.

So what on earth do I do with the samples I don’t like/need/want?

I bet now you’re probably thinking “wow, with a dozen or more beauty products coming to your door every month, you probably are drowning in clutter – that doesn’t sound practical!”.

There’s a method to my madness, I swear.

I recently discovered a commission-free buying/reselling app called Mercari (if you download the app with invite code MNWFKW, you and I both get $2 in credit).

Yup, I sell the samples I don’t want or need. If I receive something I know I won’t like or use, I create a small bundle of 4-5 samples that didn’t make the cut, and list it for about $5-7. That way, the $$$ I “spend” doesn’t go to waste, and someone else could enjoy them.

Aside from selling my unwanted products, I found Mercari to be super useful in my spring cleaning for clothes and other household items (it’s like a virtual garage sale!). Check it out and thank me later!

What monthly subscription boxes do you belong to, and which are your favorites?