The 17 best beauty subscription boxes and memberships for trying new products

The Allure Beauty Box is favorite among Underscored editors (three of us have tried it!). According to managing editor Rachel Quigley, who has also tried Birchbox, it's the better choice between the two. "Though it’s a little bit more expensive than Birchbox, I’m here to tell you that it is worth every penny," she says. "The quality of beauty products curated by Allure’s beauty editors is always of a high standard, and you get a mix of full-size and sample-size products."

Members can choose from monthly ($25 per box), quarterly ($20 per box) or annual plans ($19 per box), and each month, you'll receive a selection of at least six products across all beauty categories. From perfume samples to K-beauty products, it's always a treat to see what you get to try out. The subscription is flexible, so you can skip a month or cancel whenever you want. Plus, the membership comes with access to the Member Store, where you can shop premium products at up to 80% off — another perk that Quigley loves. "They often have sales on products and gadgets on the member site, and they’ve started personalizing items like lip liner and eyebrow pencils," she explains. "Hopefully they will do more of that in future as this was one of the things I loved about Birchbox."

For only $14 per month, you can try up to $50 worth of new products, making Ipsy's subscription an affordable option for those that love to play with new makeup, skin care and more. Ipsy's personalized experience starts with a beauty quiz where you answer questions about your appearance, the types of products you use, favorite brands and color preferences for makeup. Then, the company creates a customized box each month filled with five deluxe-size samples that it thinks you'll love. You'll even get to choose one of the items yourself. Past Glam Bags have included Stila, Elemis, Tatcha, It Cosmetics and more.

If you're loving your samples, you can upgrade to the Icon Box ($60/quarter) once every quarter, which replaces your usual Glam Bag. The Icon Box consists of a super-sized delivery including eight full-size products that have been hand-selected by celebrities and beauty industry insiders. You'll even get to pick out three of the full-size products yourself.

With FabFitFun's quarterly box, you get a bit of everything — beauty, fashion, wellness and home products — from covet-worthy brands. It's one of my favorite gifts to myself, and I've already marked it down as a perfect holiday gift for a few friends this year. Each box includes six full-size products of your choosing, and if you don't love something, you can return it for shopping credit. The assortment is always impressive, with the latest box including goodies from Kate Spade, Tarte, Kopari and more. As a member, you also unlock access to exclusive weekly deals which has also been so helpful for general gift shopping too.

"I love a good gift box and I’ve tried many on this list (my faves being Ipsy and Allure) so I figured it was time to get my husband in on the fun," says Tobey Grumet Segal, Underscored's reviews editor. "The GQ Box is made for men and includes a monthly haul of all kinds of grooming, apparel and styling products that I am 100% sure he would never try on his own. Though I love how excited he gets when the box finds its way to Brooklyn every three months, I’m not sure how I felt when he went out and bought the pricey, full-size version of his favorite Anthony Invigorating Rush body wash — at least you’ll get up to a 75% discount any products you want to stock up on through the GQ online shop." You can get the first box for as low as $39 with the code SAVEMORE.

Now within the Ipsy family, fan-favorite subscription Boxycharm offers the same great value for makeup and beauty products. Each monthly box is customizable with full-size product, with a selection tending to focus on makeup (although you might score some name-brand skin care and hair care in there, too). The plan includes five full-size products (up to a $200 value), three of which you can handpick from a selection curated just for you. At $30 per month, you're essentially getting five products for the price of one, and members can snag exclusive deals with up to 80% off the retail price of fan-favorite brands.

Beauty Pie is a membership-based beauty brand that cuts out the markups and middlemen, so you can get high-quality cosmetics for a fraction of traditional retail prices. From tubing mascara to under-eye concealer, members have access to a vast selection of makeup — plus skin care, hair care, fragrances and more — created in top-of-the-line labs across the globe. Non-members can shop too, but you'll quickly see why the $10 per month is worth it. The bestselling Luminous Mineral Skin Tint, for example, is only $20 for members, but $50 for non-members so you'll save 20 bucks by signing up. Plus, they have a generous 60-day free trial period.

Right now, Underscored readers can score three months of free access for up to 70% off the retail price, plus $10 off your first member-price purchase with the code CNNSENTME.

Dermstore is a destination for expert-approved beauty products from top-rated brands like SkinCeuticals, Replenix, Ren and more. With its wide selection, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. But the BeautyFix box makes it easy to try a variety of products each month and find the ones you truly love. Each box contains a mix of full- and sample-size products across makeup, hair care and skin care, with a particular focus on the latter. From cleansers and sunscreen to sheet masks and body lotion, it'll have your whole routine covered.

Curology is a great option for getting a customized, prescription-strength skin care without a visit to the doctor. After filling out a questionnaire about your skin type, condition, concerns and medical history, a medical provider will prescribe a custom acne treatment tailored to your needs. You'll even send them an image of your skin so they can get the full picture. The personalized face cream will contain up to three active ingredients to address your skin concerns, and you'll get it delivered to you every 60 days. You can also customize your routine and add on cleanser, moisturizer, acne body wash and/or pimple patches to each shipment, too.

If your vanity is already filled to the brim, opting for a monthly facial is a way to keep your skin in tip-top shape and try some new products along the way. Glowbar's 30-minute custom facials make them efficient and accessible, so you can easily level up your skin care routine. "Traditional spa treatments are something you treat yourself with; it’s a long, relaxing process you want to soak in. A facial studio like?Glowbar?is something that should be part of your weekly or monthly routine; a quick and efficient facial you can fit in before or after work that doesn’t break the bank," says Rachel Liverman, founder and CEO of Glowbar. "Both have positive results, but consistency is key, which is what makes facial members, specifically at?Glowbar, the more practical, effective method for self-care." Senior lifestyle editor Tamara Kraus has been a member for over a year and tells everyone about Glowbar. "It's the most affordable facial treatment in the city, in my opinion, and takes care of the treatments I can't do at home." For $60, you get one 30-minute facial per month (which are $75 for non-members) and perks like an annual guest pass to share with a friend and 10% off retail products at its studios across the East Coast.

"With our busy schedules and non-stop appointments, we don't make our?skin the priority; we talk so much about self-care and prioritizing ourselves, but we don't keep up with the consistency.?We need to create a 'care culture' where monthly facials with professional estheticians are the norm, and that is why subscriptions are essential," says Rachel Gallo, esthetician and chief operating officer at?Silver?Mirror?Facial Bar, which has locations in New York City, DC and Miami.?"Our guests come in with skin care goals that take time to achieve?and need a combination of customized facials?and a daily at-home routine."

Silver Mirror is my personal favorite facial studio — it's a bit pricey, but I love how comprehensive its facials are. While the 30-minute facial membership ($79 per month) is great for maintenance, I've found that the 50-minute facial membership ($127 per month) is totally worth it. Every time I emerge from the anti-aging facial, my skin looks visibly refreshed and lifted. The service is stacked with 10 or more luxe treatments like a vitamin-enriched oxygen blast, LED therapy and muscle-stimulating technology that will have your face glowing and sculpted in less than an hour. With the membership, you get 20% off one facial each month, which can be targeted for acne, hyperpigmentation, sensitive skin and more, plus 10% off facial add-ons, product purchases and nutrition counseling.

Prose's custom-formulated products has made keeping up with my hair care routine remarkably easy. The flexible subscription allows you to get your routine delivered as often as you need, covering everything from shampoo and conditioner to dry shampoo and hair oil. Once you complete an online consultation about your hair type and needs, it will give you suggestions on what products to use, complete with personalized formulas. I love that it makes the process easy, and ultimately gives the customer the ultimate control. I even get to select the scent of my shampoo and conditioner.

With the subscription, you'll get 15% off each order, and you can choose the delivery frequency, which products are included and access to exclusive limited-edition products. Your subscription price depends on how many products you choose, but you can also place an order without subscribing (shampoo and conditioner are $34 each, or $29 each with the subscription). In addition to hair care, Prose also offers custom skin care, inclusive of a cleanser, moisturizer and serum.

For those with color-treated hair, Madison Reed's monthly membership will save the day — and the Limitless Premier tier is free to join. It will keep you on track for at-home touch-ups with 15% off every Color Kit on auto-delivery,?$5?in rewards for every?$200?spent as well as welcome and birthday gifts. The next step up is Limitless Plus, which offers 15% off every Color Kit,?$10?in rewards for every?$150?spent, a birthday gift, free shipping on every order, 10% off all products and services and either one free roots service a year at a Hair Color Bar or one free full-size product.

Madison Reed also has options for those who prefer to get their hair done in-studio, with Limitless Pro and Limitless Pro+ memberships from $55 per month. The Limitless Pro+ membership is perfect for Quigley, who takes full advantage of the perks. "Any woman who has had her hair dyed by a professional can tell you that it is expensive; added to the fact I live in New York and have long, dark, thick hair, then you better believe that covering up my greys costs a fortune," she says. "Doing this at home myself is not an option as I’ve had too many disasters over the years. That’s why I was so happy when I learned about the Madison Reed membership, which promises “salon results without salon cost and time.' For just $80 a month, you can get your roots touched up as much as you like from one of their hair color bars, as well as 20% off any other service, 10% off products, a birthday gift and much more."

Orly's quarterly subscription gives members early access to its nail polish collections so your tips can always be on-trend. With at least a $70 value and free shipping each box, the polish-packed subscription is perfect for those who love an at-home manicure as much as a trip to the nail salon. Plus, you can get your first box free with the code FIRSTBOXFREE.

A hybrid between nail polish and press-on nails, these nail polish strips give you an easy manicure in minutes. I always have a bevy of nail products in rotation, from at-home gel polish to press-ons, and these are a favorite. They're quick to apply, and I like that they fit my natural nails a bit better than typical press-ons (although they are a bit fussier to apply). As someone who loves surprises, it's fun to see what each box has in store. The themed monthly Color Play box includes a variety of strips that you can mix and match. The colors and designs are exclusive to the box, and you might even find bonus nail care products, like cuticle oil, inside. Once you have the learning curve down, you'll always be able to give yourself a manicure in a pinch.

I'm a bit of a fragrance hoarder, and Scentbird's subscription helps feed the obsession without adding extra clutter to my collection. After filling out a quiz, Scentbird recommends fragrances based on your preferences, and then you get to pick a designer perfume or cologne to try each month. You can get your first order for 50% off (only $9!), and it will come with a refillable case. Each fragrance comes in an 8-milliliter vial, which I've found is the perfect amount to stretch across a couple months as you get more fragrances into your rotation. They have over 700 luxury fragrances to choose from, so you'll never run out of options.

With Scentbox's Standard subscription, you can get your first month for $10 and then pay the standard $17 for each following month of access to designer fragrances. The Standard plan includes a portfolio of over 600 perfumes and colognes, so there are plenty of scent profiles to play with. You'll get a 30-day supply of your choice of one fragrance per month and a keepsake box with the most basic plan, but if you love having a fragrance wardrobe to choose from, you can opt for up to three fragrances per month. In addition, Premium and Platinum membership upgrades will increase the number of designer fragrances (up to 1,000+) you can choose from. And if you don't love the scent you picked, you can exchange it once per month.