Review: BirchBox (Best Beauty Subscription?)
What do 1 million monthly subscribers + 800 brand partners equal? BirchBox.
Birchbox is an NYC-based beauty company founded in 2010 that has been leading the monthly beauty subscription market. With a continuous flow of new beauty products hitting the product, it’s quite easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices and especially in making sure that you get your monies worth. The following will be my own personal BirchBox review!
I, just as many other women have been spending over $100 monthly in trying out different products only to continue using a fraction of the products I’ve originally purchased. When I heard about BirchBox, especially with the current promo code on the market, it was an obvious choice for me – and I’ve been a customer ever since.
For just $10.00 per month, you will receive 4-5 samples based on your completed profile, and also 1-2 bonus items. With every box, you receive a nice flyer that informs you of what each sample is, it’s full price, and how it is supposed to benefit you. If you enjoy a specific sample, you simply log into your BirchBox account and place an order for a full-size version of that product.
How does the profile process look like? Take a look at this slideshow I’ve put together:
When you’re filling out the profile, you’re letting BirchBox know about your personal style, such as your type of hair, what features on your face you would like to “pop”, and the sort of samples you’re after. It’s important to fill out the profile as best as you can because the samples you receive in your box will be closely related to the preferences set in the profile.
Keep in mind, their site might ask you to complete a profile either before you place your order, or after you place your order, so if you’re placing your order without completing a profile yet, don’t be alarmed, you’ll be given the opportunity right afterward. When you are ordering the box, you’ll see a checkout page as such (click on any of the images to enlarge):
Each box costs $10.00. This includes any taxes or shipping. In return, you receive 4-6 samples – quite a good deal.
Fast forward a week or two later, you should expect the following box delivered:
You will always receive your BirchBox delivery in a bright orange box with BirchBox labeled on the side.
Once you open up the packaging, you’ll find a smaller box inside:
Now it’s time for the good stuff.
When you take the lid of this box, you’ll find all your samples nicely packaged, let’s see what I got for this month!
For the month of February, I received a total of 5 samples! Here is a list of what you’re looking at:
- Klorane: A tinted dry shampoo that retails for $20.00
- Manna Kadar Cosmetics: A lip lock that retails for $24.00
- Obliphica Professional: A seaberry mask that retails for $38.00
- Real Chemistry: A face peel that retails for $48.00
- Wilma Shumann Skin Care: Eye pads that retail for $18.00
Even though these are only sample sizes, these samples are still quite a great deal considering that you can easily get a few weeks of use out of each!
Keep in mind that the flyer that you do receive with your order does hold more information than I just shared with you:
Out of the five items, I absolutely loved “Klorane” and “Obliphica Professional” that I’ve placed an order for the full size! The one product that I felt that didn’t do much was “Real Chemistry”.
So here is the cool thing, when you receive your box, you can log into your account at BirchBox and actually see all the items in your box as well:
From here, if you’re interested in purchasing the full size of any product, you’re able to do so. If you scroll lower on the page, then for each product, you’ll be able to read other user reviews:
Now keep in mind, it benefits everyone if you also leave your own personal review of the product! If you do, your receive 10 points. For every 100 points that you accrue, you’re able to redeem it for $10 to spend on BirchBox! Take note, you only receive points for items that you personally received, and it must be for the same month. So if you received an item from them 3 months ago and you decided to review it today, you will not receive your 10 points.
In my own experience, BirchBox is 100% worth it. I’ve been a subscriber now for 4 months and for $10 per month, you receive one heck of a deal. As it stands right now, there is simply no better way of receiving an assortment of beauty products for such a low price month after month. I’m also very pleased with the fact that I have never received the same sample twice, and all the samples I do receive tend to stay aligned with the preferences I noted in the beauty profile.
Let’s take a look at a few questions you may have:
Where can I get coupons or a promo code?
After placing your order, how long will it be before you receive your first box?
BirchBox actually has a different coupon for each month. For this month, you may click here to receive a FREE full-size Pixi!
Is BirchBox only for women?
Nope! BirchBoxMan is actually the male version of BirchBox!
Can I cancel after my first box?
Yes, you may. As a matter of fact, you are able to cancel your subscription at ANY time.
Are you able to choose the samples that come in each box?
Yes and no. What BirchBox does is provide for an option known as a “curated box“. If you opt for a curated box, then you are able to select ONE specific sample that you want in that box, and then the other samples in the box will be predetermined for the month while not taking your beauty profile into consideration. So keep in mind, while you would get a specific sample that you’re after, you may receive other samples that you may particularly not want.
Can I find out what's coming in my box early?