Birchbox: beauty samples, $10/month
Promo: 5BOXGIFT to get your first box for $5
I paid: $10
Box retail value: $53, My value: $20
Enjoyment factor: ☺
Canceling: painless, through website
Birchbox is a monthly subscription which sends you five beauty samples every month, generally a mixture of skin/haircare and makeup. It comes in a cute little box that you can reuse. You can review each sample and receive 10 points and exchange 100 points for $10 off their online store, including gift subscriptions to their box. When you subscribe, you can fill out a questionnaire telling Birchbox which type of products interest you, though you may still get products you don’t care for. Lately, Birchbox has allowed subscribers to choose between a curated box that has known samples and a mystery box, with a choice of selecting one sample from a limited array, while supplies last.
This month I’m getting two Birchbox boxes. I signed up for this one with a now expired promo that gave you a free beauty blender with any new subscription. As I was getting two boxes, I opted to get the curated box in this account. This box is curated by Tati, who appears to be someone who posts beauty/makeup videos in YouTube. Birchbox has collaborated with her to issue a new line of makeup products called Love of Color or LOC. The items are made in Germany or the USA, and everyone all subscribers were supposed to get a LOC product sampler this month. One, of course, was included in the curated box.
The Tati curated box had five samples and I was rather happy with all of them, except for the particularly tiny Avéne one. The box had a total value of $53, however two of the products are incredibly overpriced and are of little or no worth, so the value of this box for me is around $20, not counting the beauty blender which has not yet arrived.
This is what I got:
Shiseido ULTIMUNE EYE Power Infusing Eye Concentrate, 5 ml, $22
I like the concept of an eye serum, but I’m not sure that I want to try this one. The first three ingredients are water, dimethicone and denatured alcohol (aka ethanol), the latter is known to be toxic to skin cells. Why anyone would want to put this on their eyes is beyond me, but I’ll put it up for swap. It’s made in the USA.
Living proof Perfect hair Day dry shampoo, 1.8 oz, $10
I always like getting dry shampoo because I know that I’ll eventually use it. Alas, until I do I can’t really review it. It’s made in the USA.
Avène Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum, 5 ml, $6
This serum seems to be an overpriced moisturizer. It’s main ingredient is water, followed by a bunch of chemicals. I’m sure there is nothing wrong with it, but I’m not sure what justifies the price. I’ll just use this tiny sample as a moisturizer. It’s made in France.
Jouer Lip Enhancer, 4.5 ml, $7
This is supposed to minimize lines, increase fullness and add moisture. I think it does it as well as any other lip product. Lip balms are useful to have and I’ll use this one or gift it. Made in Canada
LOC One & Done Shadow Stick in day trip (metallic bronze), .05 oz, $8
This is Birchbox new eyeshadow and I loved it. I got it in a color that I’d describe as shimmery bronze. It applied very easily and smoothly, without being overly greasy as eye crayons can be, and it had a great shimmery color. It’s way too young for me, but it was a lot of fun to try. I’m sure one of the kids will use it.