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Birchbox
Cost: $10/month
Ships To: United States. However France, Spain and the UK also have their own Birchbox subscriptions.

Yay! One of my August 2014 Birchbox boxes has arrived! I am actually getting two Birchboxes for the next year or so. I could not pass up that Gilt City offer last month so I signed up for a second account.

If you aren’t familiar, Birchbox, which is $10/month offers 4-6 hand-picked beauty and lifestyle samples, delivered to your door each month. You can review the samples you receive on a monthly basis to earn points in their shop, which makes the “real” cost of the box even less. Points accumulate until you are ready to spend, so you can stockpile and combine with coupon codes and get some complete steals (which I try to do).

Birchbox ships via USPS and took only two days to arrive which is amazing.  I don’t even think I have gotten a shipping notification on this one yet!

For August Birchbox allowed you to select one of four samples to receive in your box (with the remaining samples customized based on your profile) or you could opt to receive their special affordable luxuries box.  I picked a sample on one account and I opted for the special box on this account.  I *think* that this was box #65 (*) this month, but it doesn’t look like all the options are up yet, so I am not 100% sure.

Birchbox listed all the contents of The Everygirl Box when they sent out the e-mails about which box option you wanted this month, so I knew exactly what I was getting. So I guess I wasn’t exactly spoiler free, but since it’s before the 10th and I couldn’t peek in my account, I am counting it!

As I mentioned I opted for “The Everygirl + Birchbox” box this month. It includes the following affordable beauty essentials under $35 (full-size):

~Number 4™ Super Comb Prep & Protect ($4.80): This protects your hair from heat damage and also acts as a color protector.  I really like that it helps smooth down those crazy flyways as well.

~Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real! Push-Up Liner ($1.80):  I wasn’t overly excited by this one (I love Benefit but I don’t love liners), but I think it will be pretty easy to trade.  Benefit is a fabulous line and if I am not mistaken this is a new product?

~Acure Organics Brightening Facial Scrub ($3.75):  I have been loving the Acure line lately and am out of my normal LUSH facial cleanser, so this is a welcome item.  My skin has been a tad crazy this month so maybe this (and more sleep) will help get it back on track.

~Not Soap, Radio Happiness Inducing Body Wash ($1.64): This smells like lemon sugar and, as soon as, it’s available for sale in the Birchbox shop I am getting more.  Like it’s amazing.  I may actually have to trade for some in the mean time because I like it that much.

~Harvey Prince Hello (~$2): I am obsessed with Harvey Prince Hello.  And basically every single one of his other seconds.  I haven’t met one I didn’t like. This one is an “energizing mix of citrus and floral notes” and I highly recommend it.

All totaled I came up with a value of $13.99 for the August 2014 Birchbox + The Everyday Girl  box!  Not the most “valuable” Birchbox ever, but that’s the point!  At least if I fall in love (like I did with the body wash) I will be able to afford more!  If I include the points for doing the reviews on the products in the box (which is equal to 50 points or $5 to spend at the Birchbox shop) and the points for purchasing the box (**) (20 points or $2), I get a value of $20.99.  I got such a deal with the Gilt offer (which is now over) that I feel like they are paying me to take this box.  LOL!  Not really, but I got an annual subscription for $99 which is $8.25/month and then the Birchbox shop points through Gilt and then the points for doing reviews, so it’s a steal.

Do you subscribe to Birchbox? Did you get your box yet this month? What number was it and what was in it?  If you don’t subscribe (it’s only $10/month) and are interested in learning more, click here. Or if you are just interested in a shop purchase, don’t forget to add a Mystery Sample Pack to your cart and use the coupon code “MINDY” to get a free copy of the August Birchbox Bookclub pick “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), by Mindy Kaling” with your $35+ shop purchase!

(*) If you want to see all the boxes this month, click here and change the 1 at the end to anything from a 1 to 65 since there were 65 (in comparison, last month there were 67 box variations) box variations this month.

(**) I got 250 points for purchasing an annual subscription through Gilt, which I am breaking down to $2/month.  You also get points for purchasing the box if you buy an annual subscription (or 3-month, 6-months, etc.). You don’t get points for buying the box itself if you are on a month to month subscription.