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Birchbox
Cost: $10/month
Ships To: United States. However France, Spain and the UK also have their own Birchbox subscriptions.
Coupon Code: Subscription Box: “JILLIAN” to get 100 Birchbox shop points with any subscription purchase. Shop: Try “welcomeoffer20” for 20% off your shop purchase. And don’t forget to add a Mystery Sample Pack to your cart with your $35+ shop purchase!

For the second my in a row my Birchbox arrived super early!  I actually have two Birchbox subscriptions and typically use one to opt for that month’s curated box and then just keep my other account as is.  The curated boxes this month were a collaboration with the tv Mad Men and New York and California themed Mad Men boxes were offered. This review is on the April New York Birchbox + Mad Men box.

If you aren’t familiar, Birchbox, which is $10/month, offers 4-6 (sometimes more) 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 all boxes generally ship by the 10th of the month.  This box shipped much earlier than that (my other box has yet to ship though) and took just a few days to arrive to me.

Birchbox has been designing some gorgeous boxes lately haven’t they?  Totally love this one!

With the curated boxes you know exactly what you will be getting so opening them isn’t much of a surprise.  But it’s still always fun.  Plus I always peek anyway, so even if it’s not a curated box I always know what’s coming.

The April 2015 Birchbox + Mad Men curated box contained the following items:

~Anastasia Beverly Hills – Clear Brow Gel ($6.68): One of the main reasons I opted for this box was to try this gel.  My brows aren’t super long or anything, but sometimes they do get quite unruly.  It is possible to get bed head on your eyebrows and this totally works to tame them.

~Beauty Protector – Protect & Oil (~$2): I actually received this in last month’s Birchbox (if you opt for a curated box you may get repeats) and have also received it in the past on my other account.  I love how it smells and thinks it works fantastic and the bottle itself looks pretty, but it’s not super practical.  It’s glass and has a totally open top so you have to be really careful when you are pouring it out.

~Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush in Los Cabos ($7.54): Los Cabos is a “soft tangerine” colored blush. I tested it quickly and really liked the color (a little goes a long way).  It’s also water resistant, so if you are headed to a festival, the beach, etc. and want to make sure your makeup stays in place – use this.

~Liz Earle Eyebright Soothing Eye Lotion ($8.33): This was the other main reason I got this box!  I expected it to be more, well, lotion like.  It’s not.  It’s actually a clear liquid.  You brush it over your eyes on a cotton ball at the end of the day to help soothe, relax and “depuff”.  It works fantastic and I will be buying a full-size.

~Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Blueberry ($2.93): Whish is a Birchbox favorite and I have received it quite a few times. The blueberry smells great and even though I don’t normally use shaving cream I’ll use this sample up.

All totaled I came up with a value of $27.18 for the April 2015 New York Birchbox + Mad Men box! Including the points I get for purchasing the box (10 points = $1 to spend at Birchbox) and reviewing / sharing the items in the box (60 points = $6), the value increases to $34.18.  I am just loving the Birchbox curated boxes and love having a second account (you just need to sign up under a different e-mail address) so I can get one of each every month!

Have you gotten your Birchbox yet this month?  What’d you get? If you are interested in subscribing I believe you can still use coupon code “GAP10” to get 100 extra Birchbox points (which is equal to $10 to spend in the Shop) with any subscription purchase.