Shopping subscription gifts for mom? Of course you are, because the gift that keeps on giving is the very best gift of all. In truth, mom probably adheres to the “thought that counts” mentality, which means you can’t fail as a gifter unless you forget her day completely. And you wouldn’t do that.
Anyhoo, subscription gifts are so fun because they deliver variety, surprise, and an ongoing celebration of mom’s special role in your life. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that subscription gifts get expensive. A $50 box might be out of your budget for one month, let alone three. So I went on the search for the best subscription boxes that are suitable gifts for Mother’s Day (or suitable gift boxes for mom’s birthday, for that matter) — with price points of $30 or less per month. Sadly, inflation has made it near-impossible to find a good subscription box cheaper.
Here they are, 10 subscription boxes for women who beauty, plus a few more for the mom who appreciates something different.
9 beauty subscription gifts for mom
1. Vegancuts clean beauty box
Vegancuts provides a ton of value for a small price tag. The box includes $60 to $110 worth of clean, cruelty-free beauty products for as little as $25 per box. Your options are:
- Monthly for $27.95
- 3 months for $77.85
- 6 months for $149.70
Based on my experience with one box (^^see the video^^), the three-month option would be a very indulgent gift for mom.
There are a few reasons I love Vegancuts. One, the curation of products is top-notch. A highlight from my box is the Renew cleanser by Annmarie. It smells divine and is loaded with good-for-your-skin ingredients like aloe vera and organic coconut oil. Two, the box value is undeniable. The regular price on that cleanser is $23, which practically pays for the whole box.
And three, I love that Vegancuts is transparent about what’s in the boxes — the website publishes collections from the previous three months. If you’re on the fence about whether to try Vegancuts, for you or mom, look at the prior boxes to decide.
Vegancuts boxes auto-renew, so remember to turn that off if you don’t want them to keep coming.
2. My Little Mascara Club
My Little Mascara Club solves two major mascara woes — your pricey tube dries out well before it’s empty and your mascara doesn’t stay on your lashes. To address the drying out issue, My Little Mascara Club packages its lash formula in mini-tubes that last one month.
The mini tube has another advantage, too. It’s easier to use a short wand vs. a long one. Try it for yourself and you will agree.
As for the mascara staying put on your lashes, I’ve never used a mascara that does this better. Truly. I’ve spent way too much of my life cleaning mascara off the inside of my eyeglasses, my sunglasses, and non-lash parts of my face. I’d honestly come to accept this as a downside of wearing mascara. But I was wrong. This stuff is the real deal.
My Little Mascara is also 100% vegan + cruelty-free.
You can buy My Little Mascara Club products (for mom or yourself!) on a one-time basis, but also on a subscription plan, starting from $9 monthly. You can choose one of two mascara formulas, along with add-ons like mascara shaping combs or mascara remover. Once you kick off the subscription, you get access to a mascara concierge who sends you an email reminder before every refill. You can change the order, skip it, donate it, or cancel it outright.
3. LookFantastic
LookFantastic is an online British luxury beauty retailer that’s been around since the late-1990s. The shop is known for freebies with purchase and other member perks, so the beauty box offering fits right in.
You can buy just one month of the LookFantastic beauty box for $30. Or, go big with mom’s gift this year and get her a year’s supply of boxes for $25 monthly (that’s $300 if you don’t want to do the math). Here’s what’s in the box along with the prices of those products from other sites:
- Emma Hardie Plump and Glow Mist 30ml: The 90ml bottle is $53.99 on Amazon, which translates to $17.90 for this size.
- NEOM PNS Overnight Facial Cream 10ml: The 50ml container is $50 at NEOM’s website, which translates to $10 for this size.
- Full-size Wet n Wild Color Icon 10 Pan Shadow Palette (2 shade variations): $5 on Amazon.
- Physicians Formula Highlighter (3 shade variations): $9 to $12 on Amazon, depending on the formula.
- Full-size Invisibobble Original x2: A three-pack on Amazon is $10, which translates to $6.66 for two.
- First Aid Beauty KP Lotion 28ml: 28ml is about 1 oz. KP Smoothing Body Lotion is about $4 to $4.50 per oz on Amazon.
My informal pricing research indicates that you get about $55 in value for the $30 price tag. More importantly, some of these sizes aren’t available for purchase. So mom gets to try a product that would normally cost a lot more.
LookFantastic subscriptions auto-renew, which adds an extra step when you’re gifting them. If you want to send mom three months at $30 each, let the subscription auto-renew, then cancel it after the third month. Forget this step and mom will keep getting her boxes indefinitely — which is great for her but bad for your checkbook.
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4. Ipsy Glam Bag
The Ipsy Glam Bag includes five luxury makeup and skincare samples. To sign up, you must complete a beauty quiz — so make sure you know mom’s skin tone, eye color, hair color, and her comfort level with makeup.
Better yet, sit down with mom and go through the quiz together. You’ll both enjoy the experience.
You and mom will also select brands as well as color and frequency preference for certain product types like cheek color, eyeshadow, eyeliner, and lip color.
The Ipsy Glam Bag is $13 monthly and you can cancel or turn off auto-renew at any time. Note that Ipsy adds $1.99 monthly as a handling fee — so the true monthly cost is $14.99.
5. Walmart beauty box
The Walmart beauty box ships quarterly, for $6.98 (plus tax) a box.
Users say the Walmart box is a great value for the price, since it usually contains one full-sized product along with at least four samples. Walmart’s own website is a little vague on the details — which hopefully means the box under-promises but over-delivers.
You should know that Walmart did skip its Summer 2020 box, which presents a bit of risk if you’re buying the box as a gift. You don’t want mom to get jipped after all.
6. Petite Vour
Petite Vour is a retailer of cruelty-free beauty brands that publishes a list of all the ingredients they prohibit in their store. These ingredients are cryptic, multi-syllabic compounds like formaldehyde, sodium lauryl sulfate, and methylisothiazolinone. If you can’t pronounce it, it’s probably better to keep it off your face, right?
The Petite Vour beauty box has a subscription gift program, which means you don’t have to cancel to cap your Mother’s Day spending. Your options are:
- Three months for $63
- Six months for $126
- 12 months for $216
Each box includes four ethically made makeup, hair care, body, or skincare products, which carry a total value of $60 to $100. After you buy the gift subscription, mom has the option to customize her shipments by specifying her color preferences, skin type, and skin tone.
7. Scentbird
Scentbird could be the right choice if you’re looking for a subscription box for your older mom. This gift will send mom her choice of fragrance each month in an 8 mL container designed to last 30 days.
When you buy the gift subscription, you simply choose the plan, pay, and provide mom’s email address. She’ll get access to Scentbird’s catalog and she can start picking her shipments. There are more than 500 options.
Scentbird’s gift box plans are:
- Three months for $48
- Six months for $89
- 12 months for $153
8. Facetory Lux
Facetory Lux ships your giftee seven K-beauty sheet masks for just under $20. (Note that the regular price in 2023 displays as $35, but it’s discounted to $19.90.) At that monthly price, you can subscribe to one, three, six, nine, or 12 months of shipments with no auto-renewal. This gift subscription box has a full five-star rating from 38 users.
I’ve used Facetory sheet masks in the past and loved them. The sheet mask is such a fun way to try out different K-beauty brands and pamper your skin at the same time.
9. Glossy Box
GlossyBox sends out five beauty products valued at $75 each month. Your cost? $18. The program is set up as a monthly subscription that renews until you cancel it.
GlossyBox doesn’t share specifics on what’s in the box, though customers are generally happy. Nearly 800 customers reviewed GlossyBox, giving it a 4.44-star rating.
One interesting aspect of GlossyBox vs. other options is that mom can earn credits for completing surveys and reviewing the products in her box. She can redeem those credits for Limited Edition boxes or for product at LookFantastic.
10. Bombs and Bubbles
If you don’t want to mess with picking mom’s skin tone or favorite colors, a mom crate of bath bombs might be the low-maintenance gift you need. Each shipment includes up to six full-sized, handmade, creatively designed bath bombs that are vegan and cruelty-free. Subscribers love the fun designs and delicious scents.
The Bombs and Bubbles subscription is $17.33 monthly and renews automatically until you cancel. Decide how much you want to spend, then set up a calendar reminder so you cancel it before blowing through your budget.
4 non-beauty subscription gifts for mom
In case your mom isn’t the type of who loves beauty, or she’s already experienced every beauty box out there, here are a few non-beauty options.
1. Delicious Door healthy snack box
Ok, I love this food box. It solves a serious problem for me — how to eat healthy when I’m always on the go? I’m skilled at planning and making a healthy meal…but at 3pm when I’m up against four deadlines and my stomach is growling louder than the bling of my Slack notifications, I’m reaching for whatever’s convenient. That’s probably going to involve reaching into a club-sized bag of potato chips.
DeliciousDoor provides a fun collection of healthier snack options. Everything in the box is plant-based, gluten-free, low-sugar, and free of artificial dyes and sweeteners. Any nutrition-minded mom will love exploring these tasty and interesting snacks.
The monthly box options are:
- One month for $36
- 3 months for $102
- 6 months for $198
- 12 months for $384
As always, watch for the auto-renewals. Make sure you cancel your subscription when you’ve spent your gift budget.
2. Single Cup Club
If mom loves her coffee, she will adore the Single Cup Club monthly coffee subscription box. She gets 15 K-cups monthly with a variety of light, medium, and dark roasts. Each box typically has one flavored coffee and three unique blends from artisan roasters.
Your gift options are one month for $14.99, three months for $11.65 monthly, six months for $10.49 monthly, or 12 months for $9.92 monthly. Despite being positioned as gift subscriptions, these do renew automatically — so remember to cancel at the appropriate time.
3. Cloth & Paper
Ah, the lost art of hand-written notes and planners! Help mom get organized with the Cloth & Paper monthly shipment that includes up to seven writing tools. She might get premium pens, brush pens, or markers.
You can subscribe for one month for $21.95 or three months for $20 per month. Remember to cancel or turn off auto-renew!
4. Spice Madam
Foodies and party organizers will love the Spice Madam box of culinary spices from around the world. Each shipment includes spices and blends from a featured destination, along with up to six different recipes designed to up to eight people. Plus, she’ll also get a themed music playlist.
You can subscribe for one month or three months for $25 per box. The six- and 12-month plans are discounted slightly to $23.33 and $20 per month, respectively. These, like most of the other subscription gifts, default to auto-renew. Look for the option during checkout to turn off auto-renewal.
Subscription gifts for mom
Subscriptions make for amazing Mother’s Day gifts that keep giving long after the her big day is over. From indulgent self-care boxes to healthy snack kits, there is an appropriate subscription for every mom’s unique interests and needs. So this year, surprise mom with a serial gift? She’ll thank you for it!
