The Best Subscription Boxes to Gift

If you follow New York For Beginners regularly, you’ll have noticed that the 12 Days of Xmas Holiday Gift Guides ended yesterday. Well, technically. We wanted to do something special for those procrastinators that might not have a lot of time to do ye olde good in-person shopping. To solve your gifting woes, we have selected the best subscription boxes.  

Why, you might think? To start with, because they never sell out; even in the event that you don’t get a physical box in December, you’ll get a gift subscription. Second, because they make your life extremely easy: As they are already curated by experts in each theme, they are a gift that the recipient will actually like. Finally, because they offer a bang for your buck; subscription boxes make terrific gifts because they usually include items whose retail price is way higher than what you paid for the box.

Think of this extra gift guide as a lagniappe, honoring the well-known Italian tradition to give something extra when you purchase something by the dozen. Thank you very much for reading us and Happy Holidays!

{Psst! Click on the pretty pink links to learn more about each subscription box!}

1. The Styled Man Box: Staying on top of man’s fashion trends can be overwhelming, especially when most Gothamists work so hard they barely have time to hit the shops or follow influencers. That is why we loved the idea behind The Styled Man Box: Completely tailored to each customer’s profile, it includes such items as socks, cuff links, sunglasses, lapel pins, grooming products, or even wallets. Pictured here is a representation of what a certain gentleman cold receive.

But… wait for it. Every box is unique! No-one will receive the same box. This means that if you give it as a gift, the recipient won’t end liking just half of the selection. Ideal for young and mature gentlemen, this terrific idea costs $39.99 for a single box (the price drops to $33.99 each box for a three-month subscription) and includes four to six items per shipment worth up to $100+.

2. GLOSSYBOX : Do you have a friend obsessed with the latest beauty trends? Then GLOSSYBOX is the ideal gift for you! They were the first to create the concept of a surprise beauty subscription, and believe me when I say they know how to do an amazing job.

Pictured here is the GLOSSYBOX December 2016 Special Edition, which includes five #GLITZandGLOSSY products to take you through the holiday season and beyond! The full-size semi-matte lipstick in Bossy by MDMflow reflects the street style inspired by hip-hop she-hero Kelis. Highly pigmented and hydrating, Bossy is a beautiful pink nude that compliments most skin shades and retails for $18. If that wasn’t enough to scream in delight, this month some boxes also include two Diamond Select Anti-Gravity Spark Eye Mask by Kristals Cosmetics. With diamond powder, collagen, and olive oil, these lil’ wonders are a beauty weapon to look your best during the festivities despite the hustle and bustle. These beauties alone are worth over $66 and justify at least a three-month subscription! But wait… there is more! My box included a Luxie Beauty small tapered blending brush nr. 231 made with the softest synthetic bristles for a cruelty-free Insta-worthy makeup (worth $6), a full-size Beat The Blues Skin Illuminator by MeMeMe to achieve a healthy glow (worth $9) and my favorite item: A full-size Pop Electric Eau De Parfum Spray by Gwen Stefani for Harajuku Lovers. With the cutest packaging ever that looks like it’s been dipped in molten chrome, my Baby fragrance is the perfect companion for a New Year’s Eve bash. This fragrance alone is worth $25, for a whopping total value of about $125 in this December 2016 GLOSSYBOX alone.

Although there are many subscription options, I highly recommend their three-month plan. For $19.50 per box the giftee gets 5 luxury beauty products delivered to her door. If every month value is nearly close to what the December box includes, even a one-month subscription for $21 makes a terrific gift. And shipping is already included in the price!

3. FabFitFun: I have to confess I was personally very curious about this subscription box that promised products for a life well lived. However, I can say this box lives up to its motto. FabFitFun is different to other subscription boxes because it includes only full-size lifestyle products (yes, no sample sizes here!), which span from beauty to anything related to wellness and fashion. In the picture, you can see a generic FabFitFun box with a few of the items included in the Winter Box.


The Fab Fit Fun Winter Box 2016 includes seven products for a total retail value of $252.95. The good news is that they’re so high-quality that you can even purchase the box and gift the items separately as they are tremendously varied. The downside? That I very much doubt that you’ll want to part with any of them…


The D.L. & Co Candle is my absolute favorite. Made with a soy blend and scented with either Bergamot Woods or Blackberry Nectar notes, it has an intricate design that makes it a perfect gift. Worth $45, this item alone could pay for the cost of the subscription! In the beauty realm, the box contains a full-size Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacquer Mascara by Butter London, an O.R.G Skincare Mineral Peel Face, and an Anderson Lilley Beach Butter Body Cream. In the fashion realm, the box contains either a silver or a gold Gorjana lariat necklace. Finally, this Winter Box excels in the lifestyle arena with a Marie Mae Company Thank You card set and a Moleskine 2017 weekly planner. I was taken aback by the great quality of the products and the very obviously careful curation that went behind the scenes. You can access a more detailed review here.


I personally find that getting $225+ worth of products for $49.99 is a steal. The FabFitFun Box ships once every quarter and includes free shipping. If  you want to make a terrific gift, you’re still in time to get a Winter Box, so grab it before it’s sold out!

4. LootCrate: I like to describe LootCrate to the layman as “the Glossybox for geeks.” Filled to the brim with high-quality products from the most beloved cinema and pop-culture franchises, it is an excellent gift for both ladies and gentlemen who enjoy virtually any type of fandom. Each box includes licensed collectibles, t-shirts, home goods, and enough geeky goodness to make it a tremendously good holiday gift.

You might wonder why we have included a closed LootCrate in this article. Well, we haven’t received our December box yet, so we have no idea what it might contain! You can check Mr. Gotham’s monthly reviews of LootCrate and their sister subscription LootWear (featuring geek wearables) by clicking this link (yes, we’ll post the December LootCrate as soon as we receive it! All reviews are available in English and Spanish for your convenience).

If you’re thinking of gifting one LootCrate I can tell you that you chose wisely, Indy! Fortunately, folks at LootCrate make their subscriber’s life extremely easy and have a special Gift section where you can choose how often you want to send a dose of geek goodness depending on your budget. A one-time box retails for $24.99 and a three-month plan retails for $62.75, and all these subscriptions include free shipping.  For those of you from overseas, they also have plans that ship internationally. Merry Geekmas, ho ho ho!

Disclosure level 1: The author received NO compensation to write this post. The author received a sample of some of the products featured for editorial consideration. Receiving a sample didn’t influence the decision to feature a brand nor the opinions expressed by the author. All links provided in the article are for information only and are not part of any affiliate marketing program.