I’ve literally been collection Birchboxes these past five months, without doing any reviews (my last one was back in October). So today, I thought it would be fun to combine all my Birchboxes from November 2016 to March 2017 into one post, to serve as a quick round-up of some of the different brands and products that were featured. Hopefully this will be helpful if you’re interested in trying out Birchbox and want to get an idea of what to expect sample-wise, or if you’re a current subscriber who may be curious what other boxes included!
Just as a little bit of a background, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box that comes with sample-sized, deluxe, and occasionally full-sized samples. It costs $10 per month (which includes shipping), so over 5 months, that’s $50. Is it worth it? Let’s take a look!
November 2016
Goodies inside:
- Lavanila The Healthy Fragrance Pure Vanilla
- jane iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain
- Marcelle New-Age LumiPOWER 3-in-1 Moisturizer
- Obliphica Professional Seaberry Serum
- Coastal Scents® Blush & Bronzer Palette
Box favorite(s): jane iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain and Marcelle New-Age LumiPOWER 3-in-1 Moisturizer
December 2016
Goodies inside:
- Kensie Eau de Parfum
- LOC One & Done Shadow Stick
- Marcelle CC Cream SPF 35 Complete Correction – Golden Glow
- NUXE Moisturizer Cream Crème Fraiche® de Beauté
- Hey Honey Walk the Walk Propolis Foot Cream
- Oribe Shampoo for Brilliance & Shine
- Oribe Conditioner for Brilliance & Shine
Box favorite(s): Marcelle CC Cream SPF 35 Complete Correction – Golden Glow and LOC One & Done Shadow Stick
January 2017
Goodies inside:
- Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
- Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner
- amika Bombshell Blowout Spray
- Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
- Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic To-Go
Box favorite(s): Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk and Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment
February 2017
Goodies inside:
- CLEAN White Woods Eau de Parfum
- Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré 24-Hour Miracle Cream
- dr. brandt® microdermabrasion skin exfoliant
- Obliphica Professional Seaberry Mask
- The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick
Box favorite(s): The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick
March 2017
Goodies inside:
- ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm
- Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Face Primer
- Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Silky Cream – Normal to Dry Skin
- R+Co DALLAS Thickening Spray
- Davines OI All in One Milk
- Davines OI Shampoo – Absolute Beautifying Shampoo for All Hair Types
- Davines OI Conditioner – Absolute Beautifying Conditioner for All Hair Types
Box favorite(s): Davines OI All in One Milk and ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm
Wrap-Up
Product variety totals:
- Hair care – 8
- Makeup – 8 (Broken down: Lips – 3, Cheeks – 1, Eyes – 2, Face – 2)
- Skincare – 7
- Fragrance – 3
- Body care – 1
Just based of the product variety, while there was a decent division of hair care, skincare, and makeup, I would have liked to see more body care and nail care thrown in (there wasn’t one mini polish, nail decal set, etc in these five months.)
On the plus side, there were two full-size lip products in there – the ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm (worth $14) and the The Beauty Crop PBJ Smoothie Stick (worth $14.95), both of which I happen to love for their quick, foolproof, and moisturizing formulas.
Other high-valued gems included the Sunday Riley Good Genes All-in-One Lactic Acid Treatment (valued at $105 for 1 oz, so the sample, though small, is worth around $17.85) which was a brand that I’ve been wanting to try out for some time. Another higher valued product from one of my personal favorite hair care brands is the Davines OI All in One Milk ($35 for 135 ml, so the sample is worth around $12.96). Another hair care item that I’m super happy to have discovered is the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk (valued at $20 for 3.2 oz, so the sample is worth $5.70). It’s my new favorite spray dry shampoo – it smells amazing but it’s too strong to the point where you need to leave the room just to get some fresh air. Plus, it gets my hair looking fresh and completely oil-free while also adding texture and volume.
Add these 5 products up (all of which I’m sure to get some use out of) and the value comes to $65.46, already exceeding the cost of the 5 boxes by ~$15. And assuming I eventually use up the additional 16 samples (not including any foils/packets) while traveling and whatnot, the value amounts to over double the cost of the boxes.
Overall, I’d say it’s been a good 5-month run in samples! I am however finding that the samples are accumulating much faster than I can use them up. So for that, I may be taking a break for a while. (I’m also trying to make the switch to more natural, organic, vegan, and cruelty-free options, which makes services like Vegan Cuts Beauty Box and Makeup Box, and Petit Vour a little more appealing to me. We’ll have to see!)
If you’re interested in trying out Birchbox, you can use my referral link here to get 50% off our first box.
Were you, or are you currently, subscribed to Birchbox?
What are your thoughts on the product variety and overall box value?
