Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review – January 2014

ByLiz CadmanJan 17, 2014 | 18 comments

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Box

Wantable offers monthly subscription boxes in three categories: Makeup, Accessories, and Intimates. I recommend the makeup subscription for anyone who wants full-size makeup customized to their preferences. (It's on the pricier side, but you can get super specific on what types of makeup and what colors you want and don't want).

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Items

The Subscription Box: Wantable Makeup Subscription

The Cost: $36 a month (one time only purchase available for $40)

The Products: Makeup products based on your profile settings.

Ships to: US, Canada (additional $5) and Australia (additional $9)

Check out all of my Wantable reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Preferences

I had the same issue I had with my Intimates box this month - there was a glitch that removed my dislikes (items I never want to receive). Fortunately Wantable has amazing customer service and immediately sent me replacement items.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Eye Shadow

FACE Stockholm Nail Polish in Want-A-Blue - Value $12

Starlooks Eye Shadow in Enter Eden - Value $12

This eye shadow was on my dislike list, so they are sending me a replacement. (It's not that I don't like eyeshadow - I just have way too many right now!)

I do love this nail polish shade though!

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Brush

Michael Marcus Prime Foundation Brush - Value $38

I always need more makeup brushes, so I love that Wantable sends tools in addition to makeup.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review - January 2014 Blush

Color Club Nail Polish in Brr-Red - Value $8

Mistura Beauty 5-in-1 Solution Compact - Value $37

I think I say this every time I get Color Club polish - but I love this brand! In my experience their formula is the longest lasting polish I've come across!

Verdict: I paid $36 for this box, and I received over $100 worth of full-size makeup. I think this is one of the highest value makeup boxes I've gotten from Wantable - I wonder if that's what happens when you don't "Dislike' everything!

What did you get in your January Wantable Makeup box?

Posted in Beauty Subscription Boxes, Makeup Subscription Boxes, Subscription Box Reviews, Subscription Boxes for Women

Liz Cadman

Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

Read More By Liz Cadman >

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18 comments

Donna

Just received my first Wantables this week. A bit underwhelmed but love the blue nail polish. I will give it a couple of months at least. Thank you for this amazing blog. Very helpful.

Kaellan

I was thinking of subscribing but after reading the reviews, I’m not so sure. Which beauty subscription is the best for full size products? I’ve looked at the starlooks, elf and this one (haven’t subscribed but have looked at their programs)

Liz Cadman

I always have a tough time picking out the one best box, but here’s my breakdown of full size makeup boxes – hopefully it will help!

Wantable Makeup – $36 – I recommend this box if you want to get specific of what types of makeup and shades you want – but keep in mind you won’t be able to pick brands. They seem to primarily work with mid-tier brands. (Good news – you can try this once without subscribing for $40, and they allow returns).

StarBox – $17.58 – If you like the Starlooks brand, this is a great way to build out your makeup collection inexpensively. You usually get 2-3 pieces per box. Their makeup is usually highly pigmented, and I would say mid-tier quality.

elf Beauty Bundle – $26.90 – Because elf makeup is so inexpensive, you get a ton of different makeup products in this box. If you’re looking to get a lot of full size makeup in each box and like the elf brand (I do!) than this is a great box.

Lip Factory – $22 – This box usually includes 4-5 full size makeup products each month. The brands range from drugstore to mid-range. And every couple of months they do a lips only box (lipstick, gloss, stain, etc).

BoxyCharm – $21 – This box is still relatively new, but they’ve gone from only sending drugstore brands to now sending a mix of drugstore and mid-tier brands.

If you are looking to sample higher end makeup brands (Tarte, Benefit, Stila, etc.) I think your best bet is to go with GlossyBox or Birchbox – they usually include some high-end brands in every box – but keep in mind they may only be samples.

Hope that helps!

Ashley

I ended up canceling my subscription because I don’t feel like the value is there. I got this same nail polish last time and two neutral, kind of boring girlactik shadows and a lip pot/gloss (which they valued at $40?!) that I look forward to hopefully swapping when that system gets going! 🙂 I’m loving IPSY and vegan cuts a bunch more! (I picked those thanks to your awesome reviews!)

boxskeptic

Rather than a Wantable subscription you’re probably better off taking the cost of your subscription and spending it on department store makeup when there’s a gift with purchase. That way you get at least one thing you really want, in a colour you actually like, from a trusted brand, and an assortment of new things to try in this-season’s colors.

Erin

I’m on the fence about staying with this sub from Wantables. At one point I subbed to all 3 but I dropped the accessories after a few bad value/quality months. I got three Starlooks products out of my 5 total, which I don’t consider high end at all. I could just sub to Starlooks for less than half the price if I wanted their brand exclusively. I got their mascara, eyeshadow and a lipstick. The only non-Starlooks items were faux lashes and the Michael Marcus foundation brush. For $36 I expect more than just Starlooks, which costs $15/month for a full sub. They did follow my likes and dislikes for categories but not so much for colors. I’m giving them one more month but if I see Starlooks products again like this, I’m dropping this one too.

boxskeptic

I think your dissatisfaction is totally justified.

Kim

My box was similar with a taupe eyeshadow shade instead of the green. I did love that Face polish, mine is in the same shade. Also like the brush.

Instead of another polish and the foundation I got a lip gloss by La Bella Donna in Grappa (deep plum) and a lip liner pencil from Sorme in nude.

This is my third Wantable box and I am continually impressed each month.

JennyME

I’m skeptical about the values listed for these products. (Not that you’re listing them incorrectly, but that Wantable inflates them.) You can find that shade of Color Club online for less than $6, the price for the makeup brush is absurd (what is this brand? their website looks like 1998) and the Mistura–can you even buy that thing outside of Canada? It looks like a little tub of bronzer in a generic color. Is that all it is?

These products may be full-sized, but they are not anything I would ever want to pay almost $40/month for the “privilege” of owning. I would probably stick with Wantable if I had a bunch of referrals and could get it for free every month, but for non-bloggers paying out of pocket I think it’s a huge rip-off. The brands they offer are simply not high end enough to justify the price they charge.

boxskeptic

I looked at the Michael Marcus website too and it seems like there is something wrong with it. Their ‘current’ press articles are from 2009. Another beauty box sent me a Michael Marcus lip gloss and it appeared to be separated. Gross. The product used to make the bristles in this foundation brush are also used in less expensive and widely available brushes.

Nicolette

We got identical boxes except my color club polish was a different color. However, they are sending me 3 replacements now because all polish except glitter and nail art should have been ‘dislike’ for me, and my starlooks eyeshadow was missing from my box with a girlacktic lipgloss in its place. Their customer service is really the best!!

Something they told me yesterday that I didn’t know: when you get your first email of the month that says ‘we are putting together your box’, we can actually reply to that email and make specific product requests that they will do their best to accomodate!! So say you saw a product in someone elses box last month that you loved, you can ask for it next month! Or maybe you really need a new waterproof mascara this month, you can specifically request that too!

Vanessa

Thank you so much for that tip! My box just shipped today but I’ll try it next month!! I get the intimates sub, but I may try the makeup one.

Liz Cadman

I didn’t know you could give them specific requests – thanks for the tip!

boxskeptic

Specific requests from wantable is so hit & miss… I gave them a list of several brands I wanted from products they have provided other subscribers recently after looking at youtube and photos of boxes on their website. I received just one of the items from a brand I wanted. The other three were kind of random.

Melissa T.

No comments from you on the Mistura beauty compact?

Liz Cadman

Oh, it was one of the products I’m getting a replacement for, so I didn’t try it out yet. Also, not sure how it’s a 5-in-1 product. Looks just like a blush to me. I guess I need to look into it! 🙂

Emmy

Ha, the lack of comment made me follow the link to read about it. It’s funny you should mention that.

Jennifer

Haha! I have many things disliked on my profile also! I do like both nail polish colors they sent to you.

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Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review – January 2014

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