Wantable Makeup: Premium Cosmetics at a Bargain Price

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Makeup is one of those things where you often get what you pay for. Granted, drugstore brands work well enough for most of us, but if you're a cosmetics maven, a single tube of name-brand mascara can seriously cramp your budget. (See also: Makeup Advice for the Frugal)

That's where Wantable comes in.

About Wantable

For $40 per box (or $36 a month if you subscribe for monthly boxes), you get a number of full sized, premium products. You can choose from three categories — makeup, accessories, and intimates — and that's all you know about your box. Even so, with help of an easy style quiz, Wantable will make sure you love what you get.

The Goodies

This time, the makeup box included several items that I wouldn't think I needed, but hey, trying new things is a big part of the Wantable experience. As for the getting-your-style part, I think they did pretty well. Here are the makeup loves, likes, and dislikes that I provided in the style quiz:

• Love: Eyeliner, Lip Color, Nail Polish, Tools, Complexion Products
• Like: Brows, Blush, Highlighter, Lash Product
• Dislike: Bronzer

And these are the products I received:

Michael Marcus Lip Plumper

This is one of those things I didn't think I needed. I'm still not sure if I do need it; I don't really care how plump (or not) my lips are. With that said, and despite my initial doubt, this product does seem to work. My lips look fuller within minutes! That's kind of amazing to me, but like I said—I don't really care about lip plumpness. I like it better for the moisturizing feature and the minty scent.

Retail value: $20

Girlactik Beauty Eye Shadow in Sable

This has become one of my go-to eye shadows for day, night, and everything in between. I love the rich, warm brown color. I love how easy it is to blend. I love how I can simply apply a light layer for a casual look and add more to ramp up the drama.

Since I do my makeup in front of my large closet-door mirror (and forget about said makeup for the rest of the time that I wear it), I don't often use the mirror in the case. However, I can imagine that it could be useful for quick touch-ups. In fact, the case surface is reflective enough to work as a mirror, too.

Retail value: $19

JAPONESQUE Angled Foundation Brush

I wish I had some powder foundation to test with this brush. I read that you can use brushes to apply liquid foundation as well, so I gave it a go. It didn't work out. It was difficult to maneuver the foundation around my face, and most of it stuck to the brush instead of my skin.

The bristles are super soft, though, so I might keep the brush around to sweep over my face, no makeup added, just for fun.

Retail value: $24.50

Rainbow Honey Nail Lacquer in Ephemeral

I wasn't entirely sold on the color when I saw it in the bottle. I tend to prefer bright, bold colors for my nails, and light pink doesn't do much for me.

But, of course, I was wrong.

Sure, the base color is quite pale, but the sparkly-shimmer effect makes up for it tremendously. And OK, I actually really like the neutral color, too — makes it easier to match with outfits all across the spectrum. Plus, this is some long-lasting stuff! Chipping didn't start until more than a week later, when my nails had grown out noticeably.

Retail value: $10

Skiin Instant Skin Tightener & Line Filler

My mom tested this one. She liked that there was hardly any scent at all, but that's about it. It did seem to work as far as tightening goes — perhaps too much? My mom reported that the area where she applied the cream felt uncomfortably stretched and dry, with (weirdly enough!) no visible results. She stopped using it before the sample tube ran out.

Retail value: $0 (Free sample)

Is It Worth It?

The retail value of this box came out to $73.50 — so about 46% savings, which is somewhat low compared to past boxes. It's still a better deal than what I would have to pay for similar-quality products at full price…assuming I would actually go out to purchase similar products. And unfortunately, for half the products in the box, I wouldn't.

That's not to say the quiz got me wrong. I do like brushes, and I do like lip products. It just happened that foundation brushes and lip plumpers don't quite fit into my usual makeup routine.

But that's just me. I don't wear makeup very often anyway, so I didn't expect to be able to use every product every day. Actually, what I like about Wantable is the surprise factor, and the chance to try something that I wouldn't have purchased on my own. Even if the brush and the lip plumper didn't work out, I was able to play around with them for as long as I wanted. And even if they don't work for me right now, I'll still have them for special occasions or if Wantable sends me some loose powder foundation.

Final verdict: Worth it if you're used to spending premium prices on premium products; not so much if you already love drugstore makeup and their lower price tags.

Disclaimer: I received a free box for an honest review.