Lilee: First Impressions

Update 3/19/18: Lilee’s website has closed down, they have not updated their social media accounts since August 28, 2017, and they are not responding to customer emails. 

While big name luxury subscription boxes like FabFitFun are stealing the spotlight, other similarly priced (and arguably higher quality) boxes are slipping through the cracks. Exhibit A is Lilee — a monthly box designed and curated specifically by women, for women. For $49 a month (the same price as each seasonal edition of FabFitFun), you get a beautifully wrapped box full of goodies — from cosmetics to accessories to more practically useful lifestyle items, it’s every subscription box junkie’s dream.

The Products

The theme of the February box was “Write Stuff” and the items inside included:

• Lilee Custom Colored Pencil Ruler Box: $15 value
• Pelham Goods Notebook (assorted prints): $10 value
• Manna Kadar Cosmetics Day-Dream Palette: $39 value
• Prestige Cosmetics Ideal Match Marbleized Brow Pencil (in Light/Medium): $5.50 value
• Mirabella Beauty Velvet Lip Pencil (in Love Velvet): $25 value
• Starlooks Gem Eye Pencil (in Ultra Orchid): $16 value
• Primrose Hill London Pencil Case: $8 value
• Heelho Heel Insoles: $12 value
• BONUS Minis: Bodipure Keratin Gloves (estimated $5 value) & Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Eye Primer ($10 value; $20 for full-size)

First of all, let’s start with the box all of this comes in. Lilee was founded on the mission to eliminate the inconvenience that comes with collecting a stack of useless boxes as a result of receiving multiple subscription boxes every month. Instead of coming in an ugly cardboard box, or a box that is clearly labeled with the subscription service’s name, Lilee wants you to be able to reuse their high-quality, unmarked gift boxes for other things — whether that’s sharing some of the monthly products with a girlfriend, wrapping a birthday present for your mom, or simply to store things in around your apartment.

With eight full-size items plus the bonus pack of “mini” sample products, I was completely stunned by the sheer amount of products in this month’s box. But what really makes Lilee stand out among other “luxury” subscription boxes is the uniqueness of the hand-picked items for each box. Not only is there the four expected full-sized beauty products (plus the bonus mini samples), but this box also includes two creatively inspired items (notebook and colored pencils), along with the practical shoe insoles that every high-heel lover will rejoice over.

Now, as all subscription box junkies can tell you, quantity certainly doesn’t always equal quality. However, in Lilee’s case, this is not an issue at all. All of the products in this box are in line with the standard of quality you would expect from a luxury subscription box — and I have personally enjoyed every single one of them. Usually there are at least one or two items in a box this size that I don’t have any personal use for, but Lilee’s February box is officially an exception. My favorites, though, have to be the Manna Kadar palette and the colored pencils — the palette is now a part of my everyday makeup routine (LOVE it), and the colored pencils came at a perfect time when “adult coloring books” are gaining in popularity. I actually wouldn’t have minded if they had actually included a coloring book to go with the pencils, but the pencil case and notebook were cute enough to make up for it.

The eyebrow pencil is a great versatile product (and it is especially useful for blondies like me whose eyebrows virtually disappear without a little help). I haven’t had a chance to try the lip pencil or eye pencil yet, but I’ve used the brands before and wasn’t disappointed to see them again. Overall, this was such a great box full of amazing products. Lilee really seems to be curated with products that women will truly love and enjoy — either for themselves or for sharing with others.

The Value: $145 Total

Though this subscription service is a little more expensive than other boxes at $49/month, Lilee boasts that every month’s box will be valued at $120 (or more) — and as you can see, the February box well exceeded that number. Not to mention, you can save $21 by signing up for a 4-month plan or up to $90 by subscribing for a whole year up front.

Additionally, while other luxury subscription boxes seem to inflate the overall value of their boxes (like FabFitFun), I think that Lilee was very honest about the values of their included products. It was extremely easy to find the prices of the products online (links are included in the prices of the items), and even the one item that was custom to Lilee (colored pencil ruler box) was very reasonably and fairly priced.

So, for this one month alone, the value of the products is nearly three times the price of the box.

The Verdict: Is Lilee Worth It?

Honestly, I’m kind of in love with this subscription box. So much so that I’m seriously considering cancelling all of my other boxes and shelling out the cash for Lilee every month. When you think about it, if you sucked it up and paid the $500 discounted yearly subscription, you would receive over $1,400 worth of products (at the minimum) over the course of the year. That’s a pretty darn good deal if you ask me.