Beauty Review: My September 2019 Birchbox

Another month, another Birchbox!

This is actually my last Birchbox from a 6-month gifted subscription. I won’t be continuing my subscription and I’ll share my reasons at the end of this post.

One thing I’ve noticed is that whenever I’m having a hard time in my personal life, I turn towards writing about beauty products because I find it very soothing & calming. I can still engage my brain, but not think too much about how sad or burnt out I feel. If you haven’t read my most recent Instagram post, you should to get a better idea of what I’m talking about.

I’ll be writing a full blog post about it soon, but I need a little bit more time to decompress and really think about what I want to say.

ANYWAY, let’s talk about Birchbox this month, shall we?

1. Davines MOMO Shampoo & Conditioner

I’m annoyed at how much I like this shampoo (and liked the conditioner, but there was seriously only a TABLESPOON in the packet, gag me), because I didn’t realize it’s from the brand Davines. I feel like every time Birchbox sends me a hair care sample it’s that French brand or Davines. Branch out, Birchbox!

That being said: wow, I love this shampoo. I love this shampoo so much I’m considering spending $30+ on a full size bottle and I’m considering spending $33 on the conditioner, because it really made my scalp feel ah-may-zing. And as someone whose scalp often feels like the Sahara Desert, that’s saying a lot.

I think for most people, the conditioner would probably be too heavy. But dang, it felt good.

Both the shampoo and conditioner have a really light, natural melon scent. Really lovely.

2. This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray

I love a pillow spray. I actually own several pillow sprays, and I often sleep with my diffuser going (lavender and jasmine is my favorite sleep scent, but if I have a headache, I often add peppermint and eucalyptus and cut the jasmine). Needless to say, I was pumped for this pillow spray. It is a REALLY small tube though, but I’ve used it for three nights in a row and it is going strong. A full size bottle is $29 (oof).

It is scented with lavender, patchouli, and chamomile essential oils, which is funny because it smells almost entirely like vetiver to me.

I love the smell of it, but as with most essential oils, I think the claims about “helping 89% of users fall asleep faster” are bullshit. It smells nice and it is relaxing, so I love it, but I can very easily make it myself!

3. MODEL Co Lip Oil

This is a very standard lip oil. The applicator (a fluffy doe foot) sucks. I like lip oils at night, but I don’t like glossy lips generally. So this isn’t my favorite product to receive.

4. Eyeko Brow Liner

I don’t use brow products, so this has gone immediately into my donate box.

5. MAC Cleanse Off Oil

I love a cleansing oil, so this one I was pretty excited about! The sample is minuscule though. I am not sure I buy that there is jojoba oil in it, as jojoba oil is not clear. Immediately after using it the first time, however, I broke out in MULTIPLE large cysts on my chin, which have become increasingly rare for me. Did the oil cause it? It’s hard to know because it’s totally possible it is stress related. That being said: I’m going to wait to use this again.

6. Bioderma Sensibio Light Soothing Cream

Speaking of those cysts, I also used this with the MAC Cleansing oil, so I’m not sure if the cysts are caused by: the cleansing oil; stress; or this moisturizer. Anyway, I did really like this moisturizer; it smells good and did make my skin feel really soothed. When I get stressed and upset, I tend to look like a mess, super red and splotchy, so this was nice. But if it made me break out: no so nice.

I’ve really enjoyed receiving a Birchbox these past few months, but as I said, I’ve decided not to continue. I just don’t think the customization and types of samples I can receive are worth it. I much prefer Ipsy at this point (even though I’ve switched back to the regular Glam Bag). When it comes to beauty subscriptions, I can be highly particular about what I like, so it’s hard to explain.

That being said, I’ve really enjoyed receiving Birchbox for the last 6 months. I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’re a Birchbox subscriber; do you like it? What makes you love a beauty product subscription?

I Tried Birchbox (So You Don't Have To) | April 2019

I love a beauty subscription. As you probably know, I’ve been an Ipsy subscriber for months (although we’ve been on a break recently) and have been looking for other beauty boxes to review and use each month. There is something to a beauty box, isn’t there? It’s like a special little treat.

I told Danny that the reason I love them is because it gives me the option of trying new things every single month… without spending a ton of money. To try a new moisturizer might cost $15+, depending on the brand—but I can get a deluxe sample of a moisturizer in a subscription box that I can use throughout the month, as well as other things to try, all for around $10-15 depending on the subscription.

That’s incredibly valuable to me! I love trying new things, but I hate spending money.

A few weeks ago, I was approached by Birchbox to review their beauty box subscription and to share with my readers. Of course, I said yes immediately!

Birchbox is the first beauty subscription box I ever remember hearing about: they really changed the game when they came on the scene! They are a tried-and-true brand with a ton of fans, so I was honored to be able to work with them.

I received my first beauty box this month and wanted to share everything I received, what I loved about Birchbox, and what I didn’t.

What I Got

Here’s everything I received:

• Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

• Number 4 Lumiere d’Hiver Clarifying Shampoo

• Marcell City Tinted Cream

• Sunday Riley Luna Night Sleeping Oil

• 100% Pure Green Tea Concentrate Cream

• Number 4 Lumiere d’Hiver Reconstructing Masque

• Love of Color Liquid Shimmer Eyeshadow (not pictured)

That’s $10 for 7 samples. Unlike Ipsy, there is no set number of samples every month. However, some of the samples in Birchbox are quite small; the clarifying shampoo and hair masque are both from the brand Number 4 Lumiere d’Hiver, but the shampoo is 1 fluid ounce in a travel size tube, while the mask is simply a packet (and much less than 1 fluid ounce). For that reason, it’s a lot more difficult to put a value on these products because you do receive a significantly smaller amount!

A prime example is that a full-size tube of the Oribe Texturizing Spray has 8.5 ounces and costs $46; the sample tube I received has 1 ounce. So, it would be valued at about 1/8 of $46: $5.75. However, not everything splits up quite that easily.

That’s ok though! I think even without strict numbers, we can talk about how valuable something feels: even though the tube of Sunday Riley’s Luna oil is quite small, a full-size bottle is only a little over an ounce and costs $105.

You read that correctly: full size is 1 ounce for $105. So receiving a sample tube, no matter the size, is going to be pretty valuable in terms of testing it out!

Birchbox costs between $10-15 a month to receive, depending on the status if your subscription. (You can learn more about Birchbox’s updated payment system here.) You can buy subscriptions in 6- and 12-month packages as well, which can help reduce your cost (and you can often get full-size gifts when you sign up. Score!)

What I Liked

One of the great things about Birchbox, compared to Ipsy, is that you don’t just receive 5 samples: you get a variety and often 5+ things. In my first box alone, I got 7 samples, some of them bigger than others. I’d say everything except the hair mask, I can use for at least 3 weeks, potentially more. That gives me a ton of product to experience with.

I also like that Birchbox gave me options when it came to selecting my samples. As with Ipsy, the more you review the things you receive, the better the products will be suited to you. However, with Birchbox, you can receive a sneak peek of samples starting the month before; at the end of March, I was able to choose either one sample I definitely wanted in my box, or I could have chosen two curated boxes to receive. That meant that no matter what, I got to choose something to try—which is really, really fun!

I liked all of the products I received, except perhaps the clarifying shampoo (it made my scalp itch, which is 100% a “my scalp” problem!) and the CC cream (it didn’t match my skintone, but I did like the texture).

My favorite product is probably the 100% Pure Green Tea Concentrate Cream; I thought for sure I would love the Sunday Riley Luna oil, which I do, but it doesn’t wow me as much as I thought. What did wow me was the Green Tea Concentrate Cream! It smells amazing and feels beautiful on my skin; I love wearing it under my makeup. It’s one of those things that I would have never looked for, but thanks to Birchbox, I’ll probably be buying a fullsize tube!

Things You Need to Know

What are a few things I would want to know about signing up for Birchbox?

Firstly, I think you need to remember that these are samples: not necessarily even deluxe size samples, in some cases. I don’t think that’s necessarily a draw back, but I do think it is important to have realistic expectations of what you’re going to receive.

Secondly, you can earn points on Birchbox by reviewing items; these points can then be used to purchase full size items. That’s pretty amazing!

Lastly, Birchbox is not like ipsy. They are both beauty-focused subscriptions and while I’ve compared and contrasted them here, ultimately they serve two different purposes. Birchbox focuses a little more on tried-and-true skincare products; Ipsy is much more trendy and makeup focused. What you choose depends entirely on what you want to receive! Looking to find a skincare routine that changes your life? Birchbox would be the best choice. Want to experiment with makeup? Ipsy is your best bet.

If you’d like to sign up for Birchbox, you can do so by clicking here**.

Have you received Birchbox? What did you think?