Hi all!

Today another subscription service is under review for which I recently opted. This happens to be my first experience with this online store that too off Instagram. Without further ado lets see how this subscription service fares in comparison to others locally available. Is it really worth your money? 

I paid up for this service in September and I received the items in October. As such its September Boxy Glam which I received in October as the shipment came in this month. 

The items came in a black zipper bag. The bag is by Makeup Gallery and is made of smooth silk polyester fabric with the tag intact. I am considering the makeup bag as an additional items since most local services do not provide sturdy pouches. Inside the bag there was full sized Batiste dry shampoo in cherry, Tea tree cleanser and toner, Simple cleansing wipes, Primark lipstick in coral, Aromatherapy shower cap, Makeup revolution blush in old packaging and Super drug's fruit sorbet antioxidant peel off mask.  

Okay so, as many subscription services I have tried so far, none of them sent a dry shampoo in them, not full size not a travel size. Boxy Glam scored big points with me by sending a full sized Batiste dry shampoo in cherry fragrance. I am personally a big fan of dry shampoos since I use them on a regular basis and finding them in Lahore is no easy business. One, the Batiste dry shampoos available here once in a blue moon are all fakes and do not perform as well as the originals and secondly the Tony & Guy dry shampoo I believe is too over priced when compared to its performance. Hence, I am super glad to get a full sized dry shampoo. Liking the dry shampoo is a personal preference and it may not score big points for others depending upon what they were expecting out of their Boxy glam bag.

Moving on to the next item, my Boxy glam bag contained Super drug's Tea tree cleanser and toner. This is also full sized and contains a lot of product. I wasn't expecting much out of this baby after using Body shop's tea tree oil. But I was in for a surprise. I am quite taken by the performance of this product. I use it at night after cleaning and washing my face of all makeup. This serves as a good skin cleanser and the tea tree component keeps my skin clean and healthy. It also moisturizes my face and gives me a fresh feeling afterwards. It may be a turn off for people who do not like tea tree smell since it happens to be a bit sharp and it smells exactly like Body Shop's tea tree products. 

Next in the bag were these Simple cleansing facial wipes. I normally use facial wipes when I am travelling or staying at someone else's place as its a quick portable solution to cleaning up everything. I have used these wipes and they do a very decent job of removing makeup. In fact I am quite impressed with their performance. The wipes are study and soft and pick up a good amount of product in a single sweep.  

Next up is this Makeup Revolution's blush. I have not tried this one as yet. You may not be able to find these blushes here in Pakistan as they are being sold in a different packaging (the round ones) but these are available in UK. 

Nearing my 30's now, I have become quite vigilant regarding my skin and using different face masks is another pass time which not only helps improve my skin condition but also makes me aware as to what works for my skin and what not. The bag contained Super drug's Fruit Sorbet Antioxidant peel off mask which I have not tried as yet but am surely looking forward to using it. 

 Lastly, the bag contained Aromatherapy shower cap. Its perfect for travelling purposes and reminds me of the small toiletry packages that one gets on the airplane or hotels. I haven't opened the shower cap with the fear that I wont be able to fold it the same way and it wont fit into the tiny box. This shower cap straight away made it to my travel toiletries bag and is going to stay there. 

Above, I explained the items and their performance in some cases. Now I shall explain about the subscription service, the store itself and my views. Boxy glam is provided by an Instagram store by the name of Brand Empires. They ship items from UK. At the moment they are providing 2 subscription services: 

1. Boxy Glam

2. Boxy Grand 

Boxy Glam usually contains items that are drug store but yet luxury items. Luxury items as per them means the items which have good reviews, have good selling average and are quite acclaimed having loyalty points above 8. Product distribution is; 60% skin care, 30% makeup and 10% hair care. Its priced at Rs. 3500 excluding the shipping. 

Boxy Grand, on the other hand, is a high end service which contains higher brand items and is prices at Rs. 9500. It contains 60% high end products and 40% drug store items.I have not tried the service hence can not provide more details onto what its like and which one will be better out of the two. But clearly for 9500 rupees I will expect at least 80% high end products (personal opinion). 

Boxy Glam is a drug store service clearly. I will not suggest to include a higher end product. For high end products they have Boxy Grand. All in all, the bag contained 5 full sized items, 2 samples and a Makeup Gallery cosmetic bag. Now a price break up of the items

1. Super drug tea tree cleanser and toner £ 3.29

2. Simple cleansing facial wipes £ 1.59 

3. Batiste dry hair shampoo £ 2.99

4. Makeup Revolution blush £ 2 (approx)

5, Primark Lipstick $ 2.50 

6. Fruit sorbet peel off mask £ 0.99 

Now if I work out the costing, the value of all these items turns out to be way less than what I paid. These prices are exclusive of shipping and custom charges. Also include the cosmetic bag and shower cap. Moreover include the profit margins and consider the prices at which individual items are sold for. Only then I would be able to say that the items are value for money. Honestly I have received better products for less price in subscription services, Glam bag by Infinity and ST effects box being 2 prime examples. That is probably because they include a high end product which makes them maybe a bit more of a high end. But I would day that no other brand sent me heavy full size items of the size I received in Boxy Glam. I once received Julep mask (full size) from Infinity Glam bag but that is that. Usually the full sized products sent by other subscription services are makeup items. Very few skin care and hair products are sent of this size. 

I am quite satisfied with the items I received in my Boxy glam. However, at this point I would make 2 suggestions to Brand Empires. One, to include 1 or 2 more items as other services are providing the above for less price as the shipping charges are additional Rs. 300 which hikes it to Rs. 3800. For this price and the local mind set an additional jewellery item or some other item would be nice. 5 items considering the size are quite appropriate and also if these items are bought individually, the prices would pretty much justify the price. The other option would be to include the door shipping into the cost of the subscription service. 

Secondly, instead of keeping the customer waiting for a month or more, I would suggest bringing in the items in advance anticipating the demand as the wait is excruciating. Quick delivery would win you more points. Other than that, I do not find having any complaints with Boxy glam service. 

Verdict: 

Yes, I do see myself option for Boxy Glam again and would also recommend others doing so. 

Note: Please bear in mind, with subscription services, the items are likely to be not of your choice as its a random distribution of items per customer. The point of subscription services is to surprise and pamper yourself with the unexpected items you are going to receive. Sometimes you will love then and sometimes they will not work for you. 

Has anyone else opted for Brand Empires subscription services? If yes, how was your experience. Please feel free to share your views with me. It makes me very happy to see your comments pouring in. Stay healthy and beautiful. xoxo!!!