I said I’d give Ipsy a full year so I could see how they handle every season, and October will be my twelfth bag. I’ve adjusted my quiz at least three times, and while I have gotten plenty of great things, the content of my bag is always very predictable. The overall style this year has been a no-makeup look, and honestly that’s not why I got into makeup in my 30s. One thing that has not changed about my quiz is my preference for perfume, but I have never gotten one. True, it hasn’t been offered for the last several months, but when I first signed up it seems like there was one or two every month. I missed out on some absolutely delicious fragrances. Meanwhile, I haven’t missed out on a single beige eyeshadow.

As the countdown to my final bag begins, I have to weigh the pros and cons of several other subscriptions. I might keep an ongoing sub or I might spend a month with each of them to see what they can do for me. It’s not unusual to hop between subs. My boyfriend has a few geek boxes he goes between depending on the theme, but for beauty boxes you often don’t know the theme until you’re committed to that month. Ipsy, for example, doesn’t tell you what’s in your bag until several days after your payment has cleared. Other boxes don’t have themes at all and the items are a complete surprise when you open the box.

I’m not disappointed in the price of Ipsy; $10 for what you get is totally reasonable. It’s just time to branch out and try new things. Here are some services I’m considering at the moment.

Black Box Subscription – $20 monthly darkling goodie box. Created and curated by Vixx of the band Axis, this box actually comes in two sizes. The basic box is $20, and the deluxe coffin box is $40. Vixx makes most of the jewelry herself, which is really exciting. I’m a darkly inclined individual, and I’d love to try this box. Boxes contain makeup, jewelry, accessories, candy, music, art and other oddities, and always a bottle of black nail polish. You get to take a survey to determine your tastes, and Vixx selects items that you will love. I’ve seen this box cater to so many different themes, styles and fandoms, I get giddy thinking about it. I would absolutely LOVE to get in on this service. The only downside I can see is that I’m used to paying $10 monthly, and the basic box is $20. Totally worth the $20, but still more than my usual.

Scentbird – $14.95 monthly perfume service. You take a quiz to get suggestions, but you are free to select the fragrance you want to receive each month. You can make a list in advance and Scentbird will automatically send you the next perfume each month. When you sign up, you get the case and your first cartridge of perfume, and each month after that you get an interchangable cartridge with the same amount of perfume. Some perfumes are quite expensive, but your price will stay the same each month. It’s a great way to build up a collection and test out fragrances that might otherwise break the bank. Downside, you only get one item and you may not even like it.

Birchbox – $10 monthly beauty service. The price is right, but I’m not sure I’m feeling the products. From what I’ve seen lately, there’s very little makeup in these boxes. The upside to that is you get less things that are a bad color for you, and let’s be honest, I love skin treatments. Masks, lotions, scrubs = win. For $10 a month, I can treat my body like a temple, and have enough money left in the bank to choose my own makeup. Also, the point reward system is much better with Birchbox. Your points can be spent on anything in the store, not just a few limited offers, and if you save up enough, you can put it towards your subscription.

BoxyCharm – $21 monthly beauty service. This one is very tempting. Each month you get 4-5 full-size products, not samples. I’ve seen entire shadow palettes come out of this box. Lots of makeup and perfume in this sub. The difference with BoxyCharm is that you don’t get to personalize the box. Everyone gets the same box, so some of the items might not work for you. It is a pretty big investment at $21, but last month included the Revealed 3 palette which is about $20 on its own.

What should I do? What boxes do you love/hate or think I should look into?