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Oh, helllooo person who waited until the last possible second to get something nice for the darling woman in their life. How are you? Stressed? Understandable. Well, relax because there is still time to give a super thoughtful gift and have it delivered in time. Online subscription boxes make for the perfect last-ditch effort gift.
For those unacquainted, a subscription box is basically a recurring delivery of hand-picked products that cater to the recipient’s interests. And there are subscription boxes for pretty much everything now: alcohol, food, home goods, fitness items, beauty products — you name it, and there’s a service that wants to deliver a box full of it to your doorstep every month.
So what makes subscription boxes good gifts in general? For starters, there’s no heavy lifting on your part. Most services allow you to gift a subscription or gift card, where you can select the number of months you’d like the service to be delivered to the recipient, directly from their site.
A subscription box is also a great way to discover and try out new products. Again, it isn’t a box of random stuff. Most subscription services will tailor their boxes to the recipient’s likes and dislikes (often via an online quiz), then an expert will hand-select items that fit their preferences.
Besides the product itself, subscription services also offer an experience. These are boxes full of surprise goodies that appear on your doorstep every month. It’s exciting!
So below, we’ve pulled together some of the best subscription boxes we think would make for stellar gifts, and that don’t read I totally dropped the ball and am getting you something super last-minute.
Subscription Gifts for Her
For the woman who deserves to be pampered: FabFitFun
The most versatile subscription box on the market, FabFitFun sets her up every season with products from name brands spanning nearly every category: fitness, beauty, style, home, wellness and more.
Whether she’s a fragrance enthusiast or an eager beginner, she can explore, learn and experience over six hundred different fragrances from unique indie brands and luxury labels with Scentbird.
Each month she’ll receive six or more expert-approved picks in makeup, skincare, hair care and more from the editors over at beauty magazine Allure, including at least full-sized products.
Firstleaf works with some of the world’s finest wine producers to deliver members award-winning wines at a lower price. We recently tried the service and were impressed with the selection of bottles, which were accompanied by thorough tasting note cards.
The female-founded startup matches tea drinkers with tasty teas from over 150 global brands. Every box comes with four premium teas that will make around 16 cups (more if they re-steep), plus reusable and biodegradable tea filters as well as tasting notes.
There is a deluge of food subscription services on the market, and we’ve tried our hand at a few of them. Sunbasket was the first to really impress us. Priding itself on clean, sustainable and always scrumptious meals, the San Francisco-based brand makes cooking healthy and flavorful dinners easy and exciting.
The OG book subscription service will send her 5-7 thoughtfully curated new book recommendations each month. Then all she has to do is choose the book she wants to dive into, read and repeat.
If mom won’t stop posting beach-related memes on Facebook then she needs Beachly, a premium surf subscription service that provides coastal-inspired apparel, beauty products and accessories. Think bright-colored towels, woven beach bags, clean hair and skincare and other items that elicit good vibes.
Unlimited jewelry? Say less. Rocksbox operates as a jewelry rental service. She gets access to an ever-rotating selection of chic jewelry from top brands like Kendra Scott and Gorjana, receiving three hand-selected pieces each month to parade around town in, then only pays for what she wants to keep.
Combining the latest tech, fitness devices and home goods in one exciting, nerdy box, the quarterly subscription service will introduce her to all the gizmos and gadgets she likely hasn’t even heard of yet.
The online marketplace that offers regional and artisanal foods from around the U.S. has the ultimate monthly food subscription service where she can get the country’s most sought-after, beloved foods delivered every month to her doorstep.
Sometimes treating mom means treating her favorite child. BarBox offers a completely customizable box of fun dog toys and scrumptious treats for her sweet little fur baby.
You could surprise her with flowers once or she could be wowed every single month by a gorgeous bouquet of farm-fresh flowers with the best blooms of each season.
This carnivore-friendly subscription service has a strict adherence to 100% grass-fed beef and often makes temptation-worthy offers like “free bacon for life.” And you can choose what goes in your order and the delivery frequency (free shipping, too).
Nurtured 9’s New Mom/Postpartum Gift Box Subscription will send her three separate boxes throughout her fourth trimester (which begins as soon as her baby is born). These thoughtfully curated and beautifully packaged gift boxes will include everything a new mom would want and need during her postpartum period.
The artisan ice cream company based in Columbus, Ohio offers flavors of ice cream her mouth likely has never tasted before. From “powdered jelly donut” to “everything bagel” (yes, they make a pint of ice cream that tastes exactly like an everything bagel with cream cheese), Jeni’s is sure to impress any ice cream fanatic (and no worries, they offer more traditional flavors, non-savory flavors all well.) All in all, if she loves her ice cream she needs a Pint Club membership.
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