Subscription beauty boxes. I’d bet the makeup addicted amongst us have signed up to at least one at some point in our lives. A selection of goodies delivered straight to your door every month. Some new brands, some loved brands, they seem like the ideal beauty staple. With some boxes as little as £10 it’s a great way to get your beauty fix, right?

Well ten pounds may not seem a lot when you compare it to one full priced high-end lipstick but when you don’t get to choose the products is it worth it? A tenner is still a tenner and when I could save and spend it on something I really want, subscription boxes start to lose their appeal. I used to receive various beauty boxes from different companies and to be honest they became a bit predictable. At first I’d be super excited to see what was inside that sleek pretty box, a little squeal of excitement escaping when I’d get something really good. However that excitement slowly began to wane and turn to boredom. I felt like I was just getting similar things every time and many items I’d never really use. Eventually I’d open the box, look at what was inside then it would all be left unused.

So are subscription boxes really worth your hard earned cash?

To help me answer this question I was lucky enough to be asked if I wanted to build my own Latest in Beauty box. Latest in Beauty offer the traditional subscription service but with a more personal twist. All you have to do is choose how many products (3, 6 or 9) you want and you can select each and every one from the large selection on offer.

I had the opportunity to build a box of nine items. First things first, I have to say I really liked being able to pick exactly what I wanted. Latest in Beauty have some amazing brands and I had a hard job narrowing down to just nine. After um-ing and ah-ing for days, I finally settled on what I wanted and clicked that order button before I could change my mind.

I’ve actually had Latest in Beauty boxes before and when this one arrived I have to say I was a teeny bit disappointed. Unlike the sleek black box you see here, my items arrived in a delivery cardboard box with a pink interior. Now I do understand we should all be doing our part to reduce packaging but it did take some of the magic away when my box arrived damaged from the rain. I therefore decided to transfer the products to a previous box as I do like to keep everything together until I’ve settled on a home for each item.

First up, I couldn’t not build my own box without choosing some masks! Latest in Beauty have a great selection like the MaskerAide sheet mask and 7th heaven glove masques. I’m obsessed with sheet masks, they feel so luxurious and this one worked wonders on my tired dry skin. The hand treatment gloves are new to me but I can tell you I’ll be buying more. I’m actually wearing them as I write this post and they smell deliciously floral. Cruelty free and 100% vegetarian these hand masks are the perfect treat for a bit of me time.

Next up is the i-divine eyeshadow palette by Sleek in All Night Long. A stunning selection of shades ranging from warm creams, soft golds and shimmering browns. It really is the perfect palette to take you from day to night in a flash. The shadows blend beautifully and have a good colour payoff. I will say when I selected this online, I did think it was going to be a full sized version. It’s definitely a mini palette with each pan no bigger than a five pence piece. A larger palette would have been lovely, however it does make this one perfect for travelling. You could even fit it in your purse for touchups throughout the night if you really wanted!

I was super happy to see they had some products from Tropic skincare. I’ve heard great things about this brand and so I had to snap up the Super Greens Nutrient Boost Serum. It’s incredibly green (no wonder it’s super) and smells really fresh and natural. Another great cruelty free and vegan product, I can’t wait to see the effects.

I also selected a cute neon pink synthetic makeup brush. A travel-sized Palmer’s cocoa butter moisturiser which smells incredible as I’m sure you know and some no kink PopBands, perfect to keep my wild mane at bay. I finished off my box with a Sally Hansen nail polish set and my favourite item this “be kinder to your vagina” mirror. Phew that’s quite a lot!

Now to the ultimate question, is it worth it? Well for a nine item box it costs £18 a month for a subscription or £25 for a one off. The latter is quite pricy for just one box but the great thing about Latest in Beauty is you can keep an eye out for items you really want to make it worth it. As you can see I got a lovely selection of products from skincare to nails to accessories. It’s definitely preferable to pick my own products as none of these will go to waste.

Oh and my hands? They are incredibly soft from the gloves and I will be weirding my friends and possibly even random strangers by asking them to feel my fingers.

It’s time to build your own box with Latest in Beauty,

eyeshadow Face Mask latest in beauty Nail Love nail polish sally hansen Skin Deep Skincare Sleek subscription box