The Launch of Fabulous Finds, Malaysia’s First Beauty Box Subscription Service

WHOOP! Haven’t been this excited about a launch in a while, so here’s our take on Fabulous Finds. All pictures are credited to Rinnah, as my photos have turned out abysmal. I apologize in advance.

Beauty box subscriptions aren’t new, but it certainly took a while to come around to Malaysia. For the uninitiated, beauty boxes are sample boxes featuring different brands and products. Typically, it’s a monthly subscription service and you’ll get several deluxe-sized samples as well as one (or more) full-sized products. An example of a typical sample size would be individual sachets at around 1.5ml or so. A deluxe-sized sample would be miniature bottles/tubes at around 15ml (though arguably, a deluxe sample could be sachet-packed and larger than 1.5ml, perhaps?). Reckon you could refer to deluxe-sized samples as travel-sized :).

Credit: Rinnah of Rinnah’s Consumer Views

The launch showcased the July box, which housed products from Crabtree & Evelyn, Lunasol, Burt’s Bees, Beaubelle, Benefit, and Shu Uemura. A monthly subscription sets you back about RM35, but if you’re a beauty fiend, it may be worth it to splurge for an annual subscription at RM420. You’ll get 13 boxes instead of 12, which puts the price of each monthly box at RM32.30 instead.

Credit: Rinnah of Rinnah’s Consumer Views

Looking at the July box, it’s not a bad price at all considering that the only full-sized product – the Crabtree & Evelyn hand cream – is around RM25. Here’s a quick review with my pros and cons list:

PROS:

• It was lovely to get reputable brands in this box. That’s what sample boxes really are – providing you with samples of niche or higher-cost brands so that you’ll know if it’s worth spending on instead of splurging on a full-sized product that you’ve not tested before.
• Great range of products, from skincare, makeup, and body care.
• Fair price – the July box contains a Crabtree & Evelyn handcream, which already costs around RM25.
• Supporting a great cause: The boxes are packed by women from disadvantaged backgrounds, thus enabling them to earn some income to help improve their lives.
• There’s even a 3- and 6-month subscription option, if you’d like! Priced at RM105 and RM210 respectively.
• More brands will be hopping on soon on the sample box bandwagon, so look out for more brands in the future!

CONS

• I was a little surprised to see normal-sized sample sachets; the Shu Uemura cleansing oil is available in a deluxe-sized sample of 7ml, housed in a tiny bottle. It would’ve been nicer to get that size instead of a sample sachet.

I spoke briefly with Hui Ling, the founder and CEO of Fabulous Finds. A well-educated, well-spoken lovely lady, Hui Ling discussed that she was looking forward to getting bigger and better samples and more brands for the following boxes. Personally, I applaud her entrepreneurial spirit and for thinking out of the box. She’s passionate about beauty and women’s causes, so while most people would simply think about providing great beauty box subscriptions, she thought about how her service can help women around her. The boxes are packed by women from lower income backgrounds, which enables them to get some supplementary income for their day-to-day lives.

Credit: Rinnah of Rinnah’s Consumer Views

ParisB has a great interview with Hui Ling at her website, My Women Stuff. Click here to find out more! Meantime, do visit their Facebook Page or website.

Here’s a close-up look (phew, finally a pic from ME) of the products you can expect in the July box. Hurry, only 180 boxes are available and ready to ship on 15th July 2012!