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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: “EYEKOGIFT” to get a free Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner with all new Birchbox subscription purchases.
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 almost 4 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 March 2016 “Ready for Anything” Featured Box.
I don’t know if this is a new thing or if I just haven’t noticed it before, but my Birchbox had a thin layer of foam between the box and the tissue paper this month.
~PARLOR by Jeff Chasten Smoothing Blowout Spray (30mL / 1fl.oz) ($4.90): This lightweight spray is designed to add volume and shine while also protecting against heat damage. It smells great (I thought it was almost candy-like) and did give me some nice volume. I found it to be a little sticky at first, but when it dried it was fine.
~MILK Studios Lip Color in C.R.E.A.M. (0.014oz / 0.4g) ($3.08): This mini little lipstick is adorable. Not super practical, but adorable. The Ready for Anything box included the “C.R.E.A.M.” color which is a creamy nude shade. It’s almost got a hint for coral in it. The texture was great and it felt super moisturizing on. I just wish it was bigger.
~Smashbox Photo Op Eye Shadow Trio in Filter (0.04oz) ($12.44): This is hands-down my favorite sample in the box. The trio includes the shades, Vanilla, Sable and Sumatra. All are highly pigmented and complement each other beautifully. The sample size is very generous and this is just a huge win for me.
~Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream (0.25fl.oz / 7mL) ($4.04): I had a heck of a time getting this sample open! The lid is on TIGHT. I used to use Kiehl’s products (including this one) all the time, but for whatever reason (likely because I get so many other products in subscription boxes to try), I don’t anymore. This cream is rich, but at the same time it’s not thick. It absorbs quickly and just leaves your skin feeling soft and moisturized. If you are curious about Kiehl’s, I highly recommend popping into one of their stores or check out their displays at Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. They LOVE to give out samples it’s a great way to test their products!
~Wilma Schumann Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads (1 pack) ($3.60): These pads are designed to plump, hydrate and restore the skin under your eyes. They work wonders and after using these just once (this afternoon) I feel like I already want to get more. They made me look like I got a full night’s sleep (which I didn’t)!
All totaled I came up with a value of $28.06 for the Birchbox “Ready for Anything” featured box. Including the points I get for purchasing the box (10 points = $1 to spend in the Birchbox Shop) and reviewing / sharing the items in the box (60 points = $6), the value increases to $35.06. That’s a great value for a $10 box and I absolutely love that they are continuing with this curated box option.
Have you gotten your Birchbox yet this month? What’d you think? If you are interested in subscribing, new customers can use the coupon code “EYEKOGIFT” to get a free Eyeko Fat Liquid Liner with all new Birchbox subscription purchases.