Battle Of The Beauty (And Fashion) Boxes: Lust Have It vs Her Fashion Box September 2013

Saturday 5 October 2013




Back in July, Lust Have It announced via email that they were releasing a fashion and beauty box called the FAB (Fashion And Beauty) Box. There wasn't too much information about the box other than this from the email...

"LHI’s brand new FASHION & BEAUTY box is a must have addition to your beauty box collection! Not only will you get hold of all the latest fashion and beauty pieces, but you’ll also receive a brand new limited edition tote bag with each new edition!" 

It cost $35 and contains over $100 worth of products. Because I hate missing out and getting box envy I signed up. 

In August, they then let us know that there would be 2 Duri Cosmetics nail polishes, that were $36, and that there would be 3 fashion accessories and also a limited edition tote bag. 

There was an issue with one of the products, and while the launch box is a September box, it was sent out right at the end of September. I just received mine yesterday (on October 4th) and wanted to show you how it stacks up against Her Fashion Box.


It came in the outer packaging (a plain white box) and had blue tissue paper inside to contain the products. 


Inside, there were the 2 nail polishes ( which we were told about) in pretty pastel colours. While I love the colours, I'm not a huge nail polish person and honestly don't know if they'll get much use. 

The other accessories were a necklace, scarf and watch. I really like the necklace, although it doesn't sit that great on me (my damn boobs get in the way). The scarf is really pretty and bright. Although an aztec design isn't something I'd normally go for, I love the scarf and love that it's so light. The watch is pretty, but I honestly don't think I'll get much use out of this as I haven't worn a watch in about 5 years.


The tote looks pretty, but is quite thin. I wish that it was bigger so I could use it to hold my groceries.

In the box there's a small leaflet that lists the items that are in the box.

Because I had got my box a week after a blogger had a spoiler of this, the excitement kind of rubbed off. The only thing that did surprise me was how bright the scarf was. It seemed more pastel in bloggers photos. 

I honestly felt frustrated that not only did I receive my box so late, that there was really no communication from LHI. It wasn't until late September when LHI posted on FB about there being a delay, which was most likely because customers kept writing on their FB wall concerned about no box. Meanwhile because HFB also released their box later than usual, and Aus Post failed to email customers tracking numbers, they emailed everyone to let them know that their next payment would be a few days later than normal. They did this so people could receive their box as it's annoying being charged for next months box when you haven't even gotten this months box yet. I really appreciated HFB sending out an email to let us know what was happening. I wish more beauty boxes took the initiative and emailed customers, rather than the customers having to contact the brand. Also not everyone is on FB, so many subscribers wouldn't know about a delay... only that they don't have a box.


I've bought every HFB since it launched and honestly think it just gets better and better. 

One thing you'll noticed with HFB is their attention to detail and their presentation. 


HFB costs $39.95 and contains 3 on trend fashion accessories and at least 4 deluxe beauty items. The great thing about HFB is that they usually have at least 1 full sized beauty product... if not more.



This months box contained 4 full size beauty products and a face mask (not sure if it's classified as full size??) as well as a small sample.

I'm can't wait to try out the Chubby Lip Crayon, as I love lip crayons. Even though the beauty items this month are "drugstore" I'm excited to try them out. 


This month the fashion accessories consisted of a clutch, bracelet and a ring. The great thing about HFB is that there are 3 box types available and you choose with one suits you. As a member you also fill out a questionnaire that helps them pick colours for you (eg you pick silver if you only wear silver jewellery).

As I said before, the presentation of HFB is beyond what any other brand is offering. The black box is either reusable or recyclable. They also have a magazine that talks about the products and how to wear them. Their magazine sets them apart from every other beauty box available. 

When it comes down to it, I feel like HFB contains more value for money. Not only do you get more products, you get more of a say in what you're sent. Another thing that I love about HFB is the fact that if you fill out a survey about last months box, they send out a little thank you gift with your next box.

It will be really interesting to see what happens over the next 6-12 months. If LHI released this box a year ago, then I think that I would have loved it more. But considering HFB is only $5 more, but (personally for me) has more value in their box, I think LHI will really need to keep an eye on HFB and try to outdo them. Both boxes aren't cheap, and I can see customers choosing one over the other unless they can afford $75 each month for both. 

LHI have the 2 Duri Cosmetics nail polishes planned for the first 3 boxes. Unless you love nail polish, I can see it getting old quickly. They also asked on their FB page if people would prefer a tote every month or an extra beauty product. The overwhelming consensus was a beauty product, with some suggestions of a tote every season. Because how many totes can one really use in a year (hint... it's not 12!!).

Sadly, I don't have the cash to get both each month, so it's with a heavy heart that I won't be getting the next FAB box from LHI :( I can't wait to read about it (and most likely get box envy!).

Did you get either of these boxes? Which one stole your heart? Do you think there's enough room for 2 fashion and beauty boxes on the market?
XO

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5 comments:

  1. I agree, the Her Fashion Box is better. I'm not a fan of the colours in the Lust Have It one. I actually like the green watch, but that's about it. For the amount of money these boxes cost, I think I'd rather shop around at the real shops or online, to find something I know I will like and use. I was really interested to read this post though. The Her Fashion Box is tempting, but the sensible, frugal part of me says no :D. Have a great weekend! sparkle2day.com

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  2. Great post, it's difficult when there are so many boxes on the market, isn't it? It's tough to be subscribed to each of them, but it's sad to miss out too!

    I'm sorry if I was the one who released the spoiler on my blog and ruined the surprise for you. I did think with a blog post, people knew what it was about by reading the title, so they had the choice of not reading it and ruining the surprise for themselves. I did it because I'm on a forum and I know several people were really keen to see what was in it before the cut off date...so I posted it to share while there were still some left.

    I think it's a tough call to make as to which box is better, because I know that HFB had a lot of problems when they first launched too...they've really upped their game and the boxes are amazing now. I can't wait for the online store to launch so I can pick up some of the accessories I've missed out on in the past few months.

    Truthfully, I loved both boxes so it was hard to decide which one I preferred. I really like the accessories in the first FaB box, and I love polishes, so any box which has 2 polishes automatically gets my vote! I also really liked the HFB...so I can't pick a favourite! I wish there was one box which had just accessories in it, perhaps for a slightly lower price! I'd love that as I've got too many beauty products to get through from my beauty box subs (and my product addiction)!

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  3. Susannah- I know what you mean. I really should drop all of my beauty boxes, but I don't want to miss out... even if it means I'm broke ;)

    MM- It is. I wonder if Bellabox will follow and have a fashion box.

    And it's fine about the "spoiler," which was obvious in your blog post :) I just meant that because it was so long between seeing what's in the box and actually getting the box, I was really meh about it. Since moving to Adelaide I always get things later, but with HFB it's only a day or two (usually I get it on the Monday so most Syd/Mel bloggers have already posted what's in the box on Friday or the weekend). I think the frustration was due to their lack of communication. I think they were also sending out the normal LHI beauty box at the same time, so my box sadly came quite late. If it's a $15 box it's only mildly annoying, but when the box is quite pricey it's just much more frustrating.

    I really think that HFB is better suited to my needs as it's both fashion and beauty. Also I'm quite picky with accessories, so I like that HFB is a bit more catered to my "classic" taste ;)

    Hahahaha I know you're a nail polish lover. I rarely use it, so even though HFB also had 2 nail polishes, it didn't really matter as there was the other beauty products to use. I think if LHI only had one polish, then I would have preferred it more.

    Wantable have an accessories box... have a look here xo
    https://www.wantable.com/boxes/accessories

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  4. I preferred the HFB over FaB - I found FaB to have quite a bit of excitement generated around it, a lot of hype, only to find that the items weren't quite as amazing as they were making it out to be. Since my post re: the FaB box, where I wrote that I wasn't sure if I'd use the scarf, as I thought it was quite loud, I have used it once to brighten up a dark outfit, and it's quite a lovely material, but I don't think the tote, watch and necklace would end up on me, sadly.

    The HFB, however, has been quite good value for money, but like you, I can't keep up with all the payments for the subscription boxes all the time, so I may need to re-evaluate what I can keep on.

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  5. I also think HFB is better, I think the FaB box needed to really pull people in by having an amazing launch box as they are all generally a little bit downhill after the first couple. I think the choices in the HFB are better and it's a nice variety, i think it's better value than the FaB box. I actually managed to resist signing up to the FaB box (the first one ever i haven't tried!) but am kind of glad i did!

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