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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: “subscribenow50” to get 50 extra Birchbox shop points with your new Birchbox subscription purchase.

Birchbox 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 to get some complete steals (which I try to do).  I have been subscribing to Birchbox for over 3 years now and would say they are one of the most (maybe the most) well known subscription boxes out there. They are certainly one of the longest lasting boxes.

Birchbox ships via USPS and all boxes generally ship by the 10th of the month. The monthly “curated” box (like this one) tends to ship earlier, unless you get add-ons.

Since I have two accounts I generally opt for that month’s curated box on one account and opt for the standard Birchbox on the other account.  This review is on the November 2015 Birchbox x GlamLifeGuru Curated Box.

Birchbox always reveals the contents of the curated boxes in advance so you can make a decision if you want to skip your “regular” box in favor of the curated option. I love having two subscriptions so I don’t have to make that choice.

The Birchbox x GlamLifeGuru (aka Tati Westbrook) included some of her favorite must-haves fro great makeup, hair and skin, plus a special treat from her new makeup collection:

~Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum (5mL) ($6): This serum is hypoallergenic and plumps skin while also promoting cellular regeneration. It was a tad thicker than other serums I have tried and had a milky white appearance. I didn’t see any immediate difference, but it rubbed in quickly and made my skin smooth.

~Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo (92mL / 1.8oz) ($10.22): I am a huge fan of dry hairspray. I know Birchbox sends it on a pretty frequent basis, but I love it.  I sprayed this way to close to my scalp when I tested it, but it didn’t leave any white residue. It soaked up quickly and smelled great too.

~LOC One & Done Shadow Stick (Full Size) ($10): To be real I wasn’t expecting to love this shadow as much as I do.  The color is INSANE.  It pops so much it almost glows.  I was blown away.  It went on smoothly, no flaking or cracking and looked flawless on. Amazing job Tati and Birchbox.

~Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer Conditioning Lip Treatment (4.5mL / 0.15oz.) ($7.28): This was different.  It felt smooth on my fingers, but when I put it on my lips it felt almost gritty.  I thought it was going to start tingling (even though the card says it won’t), but it never did.  The grittiness went away and it really did make my lips look fuller.

~Shiseido Ultimune Eye Power Infusing Concentrate (5mL / .18oz) ($21.67): This concentrate is designed to help the skin around the eye look healthier and finer, while also boosting the benefits of other eye care products. This made the skin around my eyes extremely smooth and almost silky like.  So far so good!

All totaled I came up with a value of, get this, $55.17 for the November 2015 “Birchbox x GlamLifeGuru” 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 $62.17.  Just like last month, this month’s box was a crazy good value.  And I loved the contents.  I think these curated boxes are the best thing Birchbox ever did!

Have you gotten your Birchbox yet this month? What’d you think?  If your box hasn’t arrived yet and you want to peek in it, you can use this link to see if it’s been posted.  Just remember, these boxes are NOT final and may change when boxes are officially posted by Birchbox on the 10th.  If you are interested in subscribing, new customers can use the coupon code “subscribenow50” to get 50 extra Birchbox shop points with your new subscription purchase.