Birchbox Beauty Sampling Subscription Review February 2016

Birchbox is one of the premiere sampling subscription boxes available. It is regularly considered the pioneer of beauty subscriptions and has over 800,000 subscribers as of last year. That’s a lot of boxes! Yesterday, I went out to get my mail at the mailbox and as I passed my neighbors house, I recognized the signature Birchbox outer box on their doorstep. It made me happy that I wasn’t the only addict. (Also, typo).

Along with all the goodies in the box, you’ll get an information card explaining what you’ve received and telling you if any of them are bonuses for the month. There is usually a theme but it’s pretty vague how the products included actually conform to it. I just ignore that part usually.

What You Get: Five samples and sometimes full size items, including everything from makeup and skin care to non beauty essentials like candles and tea. Plus a really great points program.

Hey Honey Take it Off Exfoliating Honey Peel Off Mask– Made with AHA’s this mask gets rid of your dead skin and brightens your complexion. Well, I like this mask. Or maybe this is a different one because it says exfoliating. Either way I like Hey Honey’s masks. I just wish it were a bigger size.

Juara Candlenut Body Creme– I think this is the fourth sample of this I’ve received. They are really throwing their product in aaall the boxes. Meh. Body lotion. Not my thing.

ModelCo Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner– I’m not a super huge fan of ModelCo because it screams cheap and… wow, my brain thought I needed to write sleazy along with the word cheap. What on earth have I been thinking about? No. Not sleazy. Probably cheap and made in China is what I meant to think. Still, a mini lipliner in a decent shade like this is something I’ll use. Although I am getting kind of overwhelmed in the lip liner department. I need to weed through everything again.

Parlor by Jeff Chastain Detangling Leave-In Conditioner– This is what made my box smell so good. Before I opened it I loved how it smelled. I thought it might be a perfume that had leaked but no, it was hair conditioner. And really… /swoon.
It had leaked all the way out because the top was off. I’m not sure how that happened but everything else was fine. I was a little sad that it was out of stock when I contacted Birchbox but points are good, too.

Whish Revitalizing Cleansing Oil– I’m used to Whish being shaving cream but this is a facial cleansing oil. It’s more like a gel than an oil and I don’t think I like it. I do prefer my oil cleansers to have some kind of oil in the first three ingredients, preferabley the first! This doesn’t. And it didn’t want to clean off my lip liner that I’d swatched on my hand. Hm.

VERDICT: While I was sad that one of my products leaked all over the place, when I contacted Birchbox, they were very sweet and credited me $5 in Birchbox points. Since points are one of the main reasons I subscribe, I’m happy with that solution. It was pretty generous, too, since the sample in no way was worth that much.
I do have to say that the Birchbox customer service is second to none. Agents are polite and helpful and quick with resolution. I had a shop order that arrived completely shattered (glass teapot) and the replacement shipped the same day I contacted them.

If you would like to sign up for Birchbox, you can do that here. For $10, it’s so much fun to try. If you’re just dipping your toe into subscription box waters, this is an excellent place to start.