Beauty Boxes (Singapore) Overview

[ As promised in my previous post, (#1: VT, #2: BB & #3: GB), I will do an overall review on the 3 available Beauty Boxes exclusive to Singapore residents. Many apologies for starting a new post late by 1 day as I need to gather up all the links to post them up here as well, and the Vanity Trove post kept refusing to show up. ]

*Warning: Loads of images uploaded to accompany this post. If loading time for this blog/page do take a while, kindly be patient ;)*

Before I go on to my actual review, here's what each Beauty Box is about. Especially if you still have't caught on the Beauty Box craze in Singapore yet:

Source: Vanity Trove Singapore @ http://www.vanitytrove.com/sg

At $25, Vanity Trove clearly clocks in as the priciest of the three subscription services available locally.

But the extra cost is clearly visible in an effort made to present a more upmarket package, such as in the drawer-like packaging made of thick cardboard and its potpourri-filled interior.

tems and their packaging seemed like products you could find in a regular pharmacy or beauty store - nothing show-stopping enough to justify the price tag, which is almost double that of its competitors.

Vanity Trove also does not currently have an online store for those who would like to purchase full-size products, but clueless males looking for an ideal present for his female partner should take note.

After receiving several orders from companies for their female employees' birthdays, maternity celebrations and International Women's Day, Mr Gan and his team are currently setting up a system to keep track of their members' birthdays, which employers can then tap into to send them timely gifts.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/16267

Source: BellaBox Singapore @ http://bellabox.sg/

Although the tiniest package of the three, Bella Box offers the biggest geographical spread of brands.

Boxes are packed according to specific beauty, age or skin profiles, which are then sent to customers who fit the respective categories.

Bellabox works directly with brand partners like Laura Mercier, Caudalie, Dermalogica, DKNY, OPI and Korres, meaning that their products will be released in tandem with the brands' marketing strategies and launch campaigns.

This ensures that users receive the latest products and not excess samples from unauthorised distributors - a point that Australian founder Emily Hamilton is keen to drive home.

Bellabox also has an online store where users can directly purchase full-size versions of the samples, which are sorted according to whether they are bestsellers, recommended and latest products.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/16266

Source: Glamabox Singapore @ http://www.glamabox.com/sg/en/home


For Cristina Ng, co-founder and general manager of Glamabox, going down the subscription-based retail route "made logical sense".

She explains: "With the advancement in technology and logistics, consumers now have a smarter way of making purchases. There are thousands of beauty products from around the world and it is virtually impossible to try each one to find out what really works for you."

Glamabox, therefore, touts itself as a cost-effective way for women in Asia to try out products curated by cosmetics consultants and hand-picked by Hong Kong model Lisa S, who is the brand's co-founder.

Glamabox subscribers pay $18 monthly and boxes are shipped out via registered post in the first week of each month.

Source: http://www.divaasia.com/article/16264

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Now, on to my personal review on which boxes are my favorite and which ones I will likely subscribe to on a monthly basis.


First up, Vanity Trove! As mentioned in my previous Vanity Trove post, this Beauty Box costs a whopping S$25.00 (I paid S$30 for my Rocket Science Beauty August Edition) on a monthly basis. And when it arrived at my doorstep and after opening it up, I was a little sorely disappointed.

The list of disappointments in my Vanity Trove issue consists of:

• BRAND'S InnerShine® Prune Plus Essence


• BRAND'S Grape Seed Extract


• Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover


• SKIN79 Super BB Cream


• Oxypad Oxgen Sanitary Napkin

Why? I'll explain in detail. For BRAND'S InnerShine® Prune Plus Essence and BRAND'S Grape Seed Extract, these 2 aren't exactly new to the Singapore market. In fact, I used to buy them on a monthly basis as I don't drink them daily, it can last a good 1 month for me. And my exact point? These aren't new to the Singapore market, if I may emphasize once more. It is easily bought at practically anywhere throughout Singapore, such as supermarkets that includes NTUC Fairprice, Cold Storage, just to name at least 2 of them. Even pahrmacy outlets sell them too. I was expecting them to bring in something similar to these 2 products, but not readily available in Singapore at all.

Next, Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover. Truth be told, a few months back, Biore was aggressively promoting this new product on television, prompting viewers to go to a specified web address to redeem their own free sample. And free samples in Singapore travels pretty much via word-of-mouth and to date, I've had 2-3 samples of this item in my stash, but not using my eyeliner fast enough to use them up yet. Although the Majolica Majorca Eyes Reset Gel is a nice touch. In fact, I felt that they should skip the Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover and replace it with another Majolica Majorca product meant for the eyes as well, to go together with the Majolica Majorca Eyes Reset Gel .

Now, on to the SKIN79 Super BB Cream sample. I find this a tad stingy in so many ways. For a particular special Edition that costs an extra S$5, shouldn't the SKIN79 Super BB Cream sample be a small tube instead of a sample satchet? There are always certain products that needs to be used for a continuous few days in order to gauge/judge the overall effectiveness and 1 sample satchet is only enough for 1 day use. Which kinda makes me feel the product could have been a winner in my own personal opinion, but because it is a sample satchet enough for 1 day use, it became a loser instead as I cannot gauge/judge on how effective it is. Let's face it, Singapore although is a hot and humid country, what if today I wear a BB cream on my face out on a hot sunny day today, and use it again on a day when I'm stuck all day in an air-conditioned place? A generous sample amount would have been sufficient for me to gauge/judge whether I would buy this product on a long-term basis or not.

And lastly, Oxypad Oxgen Sanitary Napkin! Like what BB Creams is all about, 1 day usage wouldn't have been enough to gauge/judge how effective it is for individual women. What if I had heavy flow on the first day, and then followed by light flows on subsequent days? Which particular day should I use it on to gauge how effective the product packaging claimed? And on another side note, I definitely wouldn't want a man to tell me which sanitary product I should try, especially if it's for just 1 day use.

If you would like to subscribe for a month to gauge/judge for yourself if this Beauty Box is worth subscribing to on a long time basis, you can sign up for an account via my referral link: http://www.vanitytrove.com/?r=13328

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As mentioned in my previous Bella Box post, this one's a close 90% hit. Here's the list of why this monthly box at a reasonable price of S$19.95 is such a hit with me:

• Enavose 1st Line Probiotics Exfoliance Gommage


• Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser (30ml)


• Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus Beblesh Balm [UV Protecting SPF 25 PA++]


• L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Pre-Essence (5ml)


• China Glaze Nail Lacquer with Hardness (14ml)

First of all, let's take a look at Enavose 1st Line Probiotics Exfoliance Gommage and Dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser. Despite it being a sample product, they do come in a somewhat generous amount which I can use for up to a good 1 week or even slightly more. And they do have a semi-questionnaire profile page where you fill in information with regards to your preferences that includes skin concerns, skin type& skin tone, which probably amounts to how your box is customized to your immediate needs.

All in all, my skin concern includes oily/pigmented skin-tone due to acne blemishes on a regular basis and these 2 facial cleansers literally feel like a godsend. Most oily/acne prone sufferers would probably have tried a lot of facial cleansers that promises and may not necessarily deliver. And having a beauty box service that actually cares about my skin condition makes it even more worthwhile, when the time comes for you to open up a Beauty Box and finding some stuffs/gems that actually does cather to your skin condition.

Next, Skin79 VIP Gold Super Plus Beblesh Balm [UV Protecting SPF 25 PA++]. This sample actually comes in a generous gold little tube instead of a sample satchet, as seen on the Vanity Trove one. And this is practically enough for more than 1 day use. And as I had previously mentioned, "A generous sample amount would have been sufficient for me to gauge/judge whether I would buy this product on a long-term basis or not." Kudos for the mostly-female team and the female founder of BellaBox Singapore for knowing the issue on BB Cream samples. 1 sample satchet is simply isn't enough to properly gauge/judge anything, however, a generous tube can be used for a good 2 days to judge how good a product is in different weather/temperature settings.

And then on to L'Oreal Paris Youth Code Pre-Essence. Even though it's just a 5ml small sample tube, most anti-wrinkle creams need not be applied too generously. More may not necessarily be good nor even work at all. This can last me for a good 1 week as well. Better than just a small sample satchet.

And lastly, China Glaze Nail Lacquer with Hardness. Guys will never know how much girls and women of all ages loves nail polish. I probably got the pink color one due to my filled-in profile at Beauty Box's website, as I have rather ghostly/pale skin tone most times. Too harsh a color may probably make me look like one of the undead still left loitering in the streets in the dead of the night. The pink color is a nice touch and gesture, when it comes to my skin tone/complexion.

If you would like to subscribe for a month to gauge/judge for yourself if this Beauty Box is worth subscribing to on a long time basis, you can sign up for an account via my referral link: https://bellabox.sg/bellabox/index/r/rid/4051

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As mentioned in my previous GlamaBox post, this one's a close 90% hit. Here's the list of why this monthly box at a reasonable price of S$18 is another hit with me:

• Pureté Duo Care Eye & Lip Cream


• Marie Dalgar Black Dry Fast Eyeliner


• Louvier SPF50 Sunscreen BB Cream

Before I explain in detail on my hit list with GlamaBox, here's a little something you may not know if you had never subscribed to GlamaBox before. This site has a Beauty Profile section where you fill in a questionnaire, similar to BellaBox, but just a tad more information. And your monthly box will actually be closely customized to your filled-in Beauty Profile on the site. How's that for "exclusivity"? They do understand and know the fact that each and every women's skin condition wants and needs are different. No 2 people have the same exact skin condition, and they do take the trouble to know a little more about you.

Besides that, our skin condition sometimes changes with the weather, season, age and you can keep re-editing your Beauty Profile to suit your current skin conditions. In this way, your beauty box will always come with products that actually suit your usage most of the time.

First up, Pureté Duo Care Eye & Lip Cream I'm a total sucker for lip balms as I always have dry and chapped lips on a daily basis. And this lip & eye cream actually comes in a nozzle form, unlike the regular roll-out lip balms. What's more, it's a duo-usage product, instead of 1 body part. Kinda genius, if I may say so.

Followed by Marie Dalgar Black Dry Fast Eyeliner. I'm also a sucker for eyeliners, especially black ones. Not really a big fan of the browns, blues, reds, you get the idea. Even for a female who may not be all about putting on various types of cosmetics, such as eyeshadow, lip-liner, blah blah. Even a sample eye-liner, some blush on the cheeks and a little lip-gloss, lip-color is almost sufficient. I have been trying to look for another alternative eye-liner since I already had a Majolica Majorca eyeliner pencil. Now, with the Marie Dalgar Black Dry Fast Eyeliner, I have another alternative to eyeliner product that I can use on different occasions.

And lastly, Louvier SPF50 Sunscreen BB Cream. This sample comes in a little container, not a sample satchet. And like I have already stressed out in this post, 1 sample satchet just isn't enough for anything. Best samples are the ones that comes in little tubes or containers that can let you use it for 2-3 days worth to see how well it goes on your skin, how long it can last on your skin, etc etc.

If you would like to subscribe for a month to gauge/judge for yourself if this Beauty Box is worth subscribing to on a long time basis, you can sign up for an account via my referral link: http://www.glamabox.com/sg/en/home/refuid/23849

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*Drum-rolls*

The Beauty Box(es) that I will like to subscribe on a long-term monthly basis would be:

• BellaBox @ S19.95


• GlamaBox @ S$18.00

Why? Both BellaBox and GlamaBox, although may be cheaper and the products might be lesser than Vanity Trove's, do not contain products that I can easily find and buy in Singapore. Why on earth would I want to try something that I can easily have access to on a regular basis? And on top of that, these 2 boxes are actually hemled by women. And you do not know how important it is for another woman to truly understand the true meaning of "different people, different skin conditions, different skin tones". Skin on men and skin on women are totally different, no matter how much they seem alike, or even based on the fact that both genders does have this thing called "skin" on their bodies.

What works on men could be harsher on a women's skin, and what works on a women's skin may not be effective on a men's skin. I truly appreciate the thought and feeling that there is a woman out there (in this case, BellaBox and GlamaBox) who do want to take the time to ensure that other women can enjoy life to the fullest while looking their best as well.

Personally, I don't see the point in paying the big bucks just to have a Beauty Box crammed full of products where 50% of them can be bought/found easily. And to top it off, some are actually affordable products I have no problems in getting as well. I might as well go for the cheaper and smaller version that does bother to know a little more about me and introduce products I may not have heard of and have generous samples, than to get an expensive one that is crammed full of stuffs I can find easily but with sample satchets that border on stingy.

And this concludes my personal opinion and review on which boxes I feel that is better. What about you? Share your thoughts, opinions and comments with me too!