Subscription Box or GWP?

If you are someone like me who loves discovering new beauty products and also has something of an obsession for minis there is a good chance that you stalk the beauty counters for good GWP's or subscribe to a beauty boxes (or two) but which option is the best? 

Here's a few thoughts...

Subscription boxes allow you to spread the cost of your purchases over the course of a  year while GWP's mean that you pay all at once (which could be an issue - the most expensive gift bags such as those from SpaceNK and Barney's come with purchases above $200 or $250).

Having said that, the cost of a year's worth of sub boxes often adds up to the cost of a retail beauty splurge and large retailers tend to run their promotions at the same time every year so with a little online research and forward planning you can budget for GWP's and arrange your beauty shopping around them.

 Which leads me to the fact that with a sub box you are essentially paying for a box of random products and samples. The contents aren't always revealed ahead of time so often they contain 'dud' items that won't be used at all.     

With a GWP you can purchase your favourite products (that you would be buying anyway) and the items in the gift bag are really free. You know ahead of time what the gift will be and in addition I find the items in GWPs are more usable (and generally from higher end brands).

Almost every time I dip my toe into the pool of sub boxes I seem to have an issue with billing/late shipping/missing boxes/duplicate boxes etc etc. Maybe I have been unlucky but it's a hassle I can do without... 

While I find that GWP events are fun days to shop. Many times they feature add on gifts or free mini treatments and they allow you to foster a relationship with SA's.

(But I have to admit that coming home to a boxful of goodies after a hard day at work is a great pick me up!)

And then there is the packaging, sub boxes aren't the most environmentally friendly things are they? There's a limit to how many empty Glossyboxes you can re purpose whereas GWP's almost always come within a toiletry or make up bag. I have a ton of these bags but every so often I clear them out and donate unused ones to charity shops.

Overall: 

Although repeat items seem to feature in both sub boxes and GWP'S (for example dry shampoos, eye liner pencils)  I think you can see which way I'm leaning... While the occasional sub box is fun I'm all about the GWP, I have discovered so many great products from them and receiving one seems like a real treat. 

Which do you prefer?