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Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review – October 2015

Haley Faye
ByHaley FayeFeb 13, 2016 | 14 comments

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - BOX

Wantable Makeup
4.2 overall rating
35 Ratings | 14 Reviews

Wantable is a monthly subscription service that has 3 different plans: Makeup, Accessories, and Intimates. (Plus a styling service for Fitness clothing similar to Stitch Fix in the try-then-buy model) It’s one of the pricier subscriptions ($40 a month), but everything they send is full size, and they fully customize the boxes based on your preferences. You also can return individual items from any box for a refund.

Wantable sent me this makeup box at no cost to review.  (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - all items

The Subscription Box: Wantable Makeup Subscription

The Cost: $40 a month (keep everything, and get a $4 credit to your next box).

The Products: Makeup, nail polish and tools based on your profile settings.

Ships to: US, Canada (additional $6), UK (additional $7) and Australia (additional $10)

Check out all of my Wantable Makeup reviews!

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - info 1

Here is my invoice. In addition to the retail price of the item, they also include “your price,” which is how much you would get refunded if you wanted to return that item. (Wantable recently introduced individual item returns to their subscriptions. Previously, it was keep the entire box or send the entire box back for a refund).

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - info 2

You get to take a very detailed survey of what items you love, like and dislike. You won’t receive anything in your dislike list. Here’s how my personal preferences are set up.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - items 1

Spellbound Nail Lacquer in SnapDragon – value: $14 (My Price: $5.54)

Spellbound Nail Lacquer Ceramic Top Coat – value: $14 (My Price: $5.54)

I think it’s weird I can’t find either of these on their website! I’m not sure why, but I do like both of these. The SnapDragon shade is a coral-y red, and I love when boxes send base and top coats because they get more use from me and they’re not sent out as often in subscription boxes.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - items 2

OFRA Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in New Orleans – value: $19 (my price: $7.72)

I am all about this purple! I love rocking bold/dark lips in Fall and Winter, and I don’t have a purple lipstick this opaque or this bold! It also seems to dry to a semi-matte finish.

Model Co Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Rosie – value: $16 (my price: $6.34)

This is actually a limited edition shade, which I think is really cool to have received! I love Model Co glosses and packaging, so I’m happy to have another.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - items 3

Here are swatches of the OFRA Liquid Lipstick and the Model Co lip gloss.

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - items 4

Ardency Inn Americana Custom Coverage Concentrate in Light Beige – value: $38 (my price: $15.05)

So, I have a problem with this item. I love the concept – a “color concentrate” that you can mix into your moisturizer to get a custom-coverage tinted moisturizer is an awesome idea. However, I am super pale. I have tried just about every foundation I can find (drugstore and department store) and have only found 1 or 2 formulas that have worked for me. I have this indicated in my profile, and I even wrote a note to Wantable saying just how light my skin is, as well as offering the brand/shade I wear day to day so they have something to compare to, if that helps. I just asked that, if they choose to send foundation or concealer, they make sure it’s as light as possible. I knew that allowing skin-tone specific shade makeup in my preferences was risky, but I’m still hoping that I’ll find some new, obscure holy grail or something.

Here’s my problem: This foundation is in a shade called “light beige.” It’s not even objectively a light shade – it’s definitely very tan. After looking up this foundation, it’s not even on the light end of the spectrum of shades offered for this product; it’s literally right in the middle of the spectrum. The girl who picked my box responded to my comment saying that she hoped this would work for me, but I just don’t really understand how she thought it could.

I’m definitely glad they offer returns of individual items now!

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review October 2015 - items 5

Here’s a swatch of the color concentrate. Even if I were to mix it with a moisturizer and make it more sheer, it just doesn’t even have a prayer of ever working for my skin tone.

The Verdict: Aside from the foundation, I liked this Wantable Makeup box a lot. I know I said a lot about how the foundation won’t work for my skin tone, but my main issue is that it makes me feel like the girl choosing my foundation was either not really paying attention or not really trying. I’m looking forward to see how this might change in future boxes, since this is my first one. Like I said, I can also just return it, too, so it’s not ultimately a huge issue. The value of this box adds up to $101, which is a value I’m definitely happy with.

What do you think about Wantable’s makeup subscription box?

Starting at $36.00
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The Wantable Makeup subscription offers full sized makeup based on your preferences! You can change your makeup preferences anytime, and it's easy to skip a month from your account. Shipping is free to the US. Canada: $6.00 USD United Kingdom: $7.00 USD Australia: $10.00 USD
Haley Faye
Haley Faye
Haley Faye first discovered the wonderful world of subscription boxes in 2012 and began writing for MSA in 2014. Over the years, she has found many subscriptions to love. Now a mom of three, her favorite boxes are ones that dress her kids, help her get organized, feed her family, send her snacks, and offer educational fun for her children.

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14 comments

Meagan

I’ve gotten Wantable for over a year and I’ve loved every. single. box.

Except this one.

I got 4 items that were valued under $80. A lip liner from 3 color cosmetics, which is very dry. A really great liquid lipstick from Ofra in a rust color. A very small bottle of eye makeup remover (it works, but boy is it tiny). Lastly a nice trio of shadows in yellow/oranges for fall.

I guess I’m 2 yes and 2 no for this month, but the overall value of my box was disappointing. The good thing is the Ofra liquid lipsticks came with a discount code for the Ofra website for more of those glorious liquid lipsticks.

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ItsHollyAgain

I had a similar issue! I’m Casper pale and they sent me a powder foundation in “Light/Medium”. It was completely at least 6 shades too dark. This is when it was all or nothing on returns and I liked other items. I had previously diligently explained how pale my skin is and that often the lightest shade won’t work. Ugh, disappointing since I like Aedency Inn products generally so was hoping for a review!!

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Jessvii

Wow – that beige swatch photo says a hundred words. Personally, I have the medium beige skin that sub boxes love to send products for, but even for me that product wouldn’t work right now because that’s my summer beige shade and I’m transitioning into my winter beige shade (my skin gets a couple of shades lighter in the winter). I’m sorry they didn’t listen to you.

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mimiretz

I, too, am very pale. I also hate it when boxes send peach blushes, as most don’t work for me. That said, I usually like Wantable and am looking forward to this month’s box. Hopefully I won’t get that base (fingers crossed). Everything else looks really good.

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Cloud

I received three makeup boxes from them and while I like the colors I had to pause this box due to the quality of the products they send.

In my first box I received a pretty blush but when I tried using it the blush blended horribly and did not last all day as my other blushes. Ok, I do use really nice blushes (Burberry, Bobbi Brown, Dior, Giorgio Armani, etc) but I even tested against my drug store staples and they really are not that great. At least the drug store ones can be blended and buffed enough to look more “natural.”

The eyeshadows also have this same problem. I used many different primers (even some indie primers that hold glitter) and the color payout is no bueno and the colors did not last a normal day for me. Maybe it is my greasy eyelids?

I knew better than to let them select my foundation/concealer because I have a hard time getting the right foundation for my skin when I buy in person. I often use a blend of 2 or more shades to come up with the right shade. I do like Sephora’s computerized color match because it makes the process much easier.

The lip colors are the only things I really liked but I am a lip product junkie so that is expected. I did notice on one of the lipsticks that the bullet was 75% the size of a normal lipstick. I have a million lipsticks that I have never used even half way so I didn’t mention it to them but I was surprised one of the brands would do that. If I paid full retail price I would have been screaming about that sneaky practice. I also really love receiving beauty tools and cannot get enough different brushes and tools.

In the end, I could not justify a lip product and tool subscription so I’ve paused this sub for now.

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Cat

Hey Haley,

Not sure if you have a foundation that you use on the regular but I had a great experience recently with Sehporas color IQ. Like you I’m extremely pale and even if I go with anyone’s lightest shade possible it is still dark on my face. The women at Sephora quickly ran this wand on my face and I left with a foundation that is a perfect match! I believe it is Mark Jacobs Ivory light. I never would have even thought to pick up their product as someone who loves benefit and too faced. But I’m obsessed how well it matches!

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Brooke

My skin is extremely fair. I’ve never found a great foundation match at Sephora, but recently found one at H-Mart – Iope from Amore Pacific Cushion Compact in C21. Might be worth a look.

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Haley

Hi, Cat! I actually used to work at Sephora and did hundreds of those Color IQ scans for clients! And believe it or not, the color IQ didn’t work for me. It matched me to brands like Urban Decay, which is still way orange/dark on me. Also, Benefit and Too Faced don’t work, either. I haven’t tried Marc Jacobs, but NARS sheer glow in Siberia is what I’ve found to work, and I can also work with Sephora’s spray/”airbrush” foundation in cream. Kat Von D’s lock-it tattoo foundation is pale enough but it’s too pink and I have a yellow/neutral undertone.

Like Cloud mentioned above, it’s kind of a dumb thing to do to even try to let them send me foundation/concealer in my boxes when I’ve had such an epic amount of foundations I’ve tried in person not work for me, but part of me is hoping for a secret gem out there somewhere, and I at least want to give it a month or two without limiting it just to color products and tools, like she said. We’ll see! It’s an experiment for now, I guess.

Thanks for the recommendation about Marc Jacobs! I love all his lipsticks, eyeliners, and fragrances but haven’t tried his foundations for me yet. The only Sephoras where I live now are inside JCPenney and they don’t carry Marc Jacobs so I have to order him online. =]

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Tamara

So since you worked at Sephora (kinda jealous!), this will probably not be news to you, but for anyone else interested…

I think I discovered the key to successful use of Sephora’s Color IQ system. Make sure they test your skin in NATURAL light, if at all possible. As we all know, the lighting in Sephora is wonky (WHY??), but my local store has a sky light. The SAs had noted that they got the best results when standing under it. And voila, I got very accurate results!

Twommy

I learned the hard way with Wantable to indicate “dislike” on foundation-like products(base makeup, as they categorize it) because they love sending things/colors in that category that are not so easy to arbitrarily send out to the masses- I have a tough time finding the right shade for myself and I see my face everyday- How could they get it right? they don’t. I’ve accumulated an unpleasant collection of Cattiva and Bodyography pressed and loose complexion products from them so I don’t want them to even (in their opinion) -try.

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Ally

That’s so crap about them sending you a shade that quite clearly would never work. But at least you can send it back and hope for better next time! I really do love that purple shade. I need to wear the lipsticks I have NOW first, but I’m getting all grabby hands and wanting that purple bad! I’m not familiar with the brand; have you had time to try out that one and see how it wears?

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Haley

Ally, I’m familiar with the brand but not this product. That being said I’ve been wearing the OFRA lipstick today and I’m pretty impressed! Semi-matte finish and it goes to more matte once the moisture comes off/absorbs. The moisture wears off with eating and drinking so far but the pigment stays strong. It also feels great on my lips – not drying at all. It’s not transfer-proof but definitely transfers VERY little after the moisture wears away. For me, it did in about 20-30 minutes but I have been eating and drinking (with a straw) so the moisture may last longer without that kind of activity.

Hope this helps! I found a new fall favorite for when I want to be really bold. =]

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Ragan

This is why I’m afraid to try skin-tone specific items, too. So many things look orange on me and most highlighters don’t even work on me (some are *darker* than my skin). Other than that, it looks like a good box, though. I think if I were to sign up for this one, my preferences would be similar to yours. (I don’t do bronzer either. It doesn’t look right on me.)

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Haley

Hey, Ragan. =]

I do bronzer, sometimes, when I’m really going all-out on my makeup and pretty much only in the summer. I have a couple small bronzers thanks to sub boxes, but even those are 1923423423x more bronzer than I will ever use, lol.

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