Rubybox

Paused.The website says new subscriptions are paused for now. Monthly subscription boxes ended in June 2015, and the site moved to test-and-review campaigns.

What's in the box: When the monthly boxes ran, each one typically held a selection of beauty and makeup products, often in sample sizes, for members to try.

Rubybox is not currently operating normally: new subscriptions are paused, and its website at rubybox.co.za is showing as temporarily unavailable. The service began as a South African beauty subscription, sending members a monthly box of beauty and makeup products to try at home. Those monthly boxes ended in June 2015. After that, Rubybox moved to test and review campaigns, where selected members received products to try and then shared their opinions. That later model worked more like a product sampling programme than a traditional subscription, and it depended on brands running campaigns at any given time. For shoppers, the practical point is simple: there is no box to order right now, and the site does not state when, or whether, subscriptions will reopen. Because the website is currently unreachable, there is also no reliable way to check terms, contents or account details there. Former members may want to watch the domain for an official update. If you want a beauty box in South Africa today, look at services that are actively shipping, and confirm their current offer directly before you commit.