It’s here. The time has FINALLY come. Birchbox* has now come to Canada! In what feels like a game of Survivor: Beauty Box Edition, Birchbox has outlasted, outwitted and possibly outsmarted many of its competitors. Monthly subscriptions are $10/month (plus $4.95 for shipping) or save two months by signing up for the year at $100 (plus shipping). To ensure that your Birchbox suits you best, make sure to fill out your beauty profile so that your straight hair isn’t subject to products that restore curl (true story…).
When I first entered the beauty box subscription ring 3 years ago, oh how I fantasized about getting a Birchbox. With its variety of makeup brands and rarely a sample packet, subscribers have seemed consistently happy with the service and boxes. More importantly for me, Birchbox has been running for 4 years which is a record after having gone through shutdowns from other beauty box companies. I’ve yammered on for long enough and I’m sure most of you have already scrolled to the bottom to see what was inside, but let’s go through the unboxing anyway shall we?
I can see why people repurpose their Birchboxes because not only are they a good size for storing makeup, but the print on the inside of the box is quite attractive.
A couple of the products were stored in this green box. The ones that could not fit were placed freely outside.
amika | Nourishing Mask
Paraben-free treatment that conditions and repairs with superfruit sea buckthorn berry.
Thoughts: Oooh, I have never tried anything from amika before and they are known to be pretty good hair peeps. Hair masks are pretty awesome at this time of year and I have been OBSESSED.
Full size: 60mL/$11.00 CDN
I received: 20mL/$3.67 CDN
Benefit Cosmetics | High Beam
This award-winning illuminator highlights and enhances features with a soft pink shimmer.
Thoughts: If I had NEVER tried this before or received this in numerous other beauty boxes, this sample would be great to have. It’s small, but lasts a surprisingly long time and is actually a wonderful product that even the most novice makeup person could use.
Full size 13mL/$32.00 CDN
I received: 2.5mL/$6.15 CDN
Cynthia Rowley | Creamy Lip Stain in Heartthrob
A long-wearing stain from the NYC-based designer that gives unbeatable moisture and shine.
Thoughts: I’ve seen some Cynthia Rowley products at Winners, but have not tried any. I’m not a huge fan of stains so I’m not sure how I feel about this product yet.
Full size 0.17oz/$23.00 CDN
I received: 0.079oz/$10.69 CDN
Juice Beauty | Green Apple Peel Sensitive
An amazingly effective (and gentle) peel with fruit-derived acids to dissolve dead skin.
Thoughts: I am just getting into Juice Beauty and this peel is PERFECT for my skin. This is a glycolic acid-based peel which you leave on the skin for 10 minutes and wash off. I do this once week already with another mask, so I am excited to give this a try!
Full size: 2oz/$42.00 CDN
I received: 0.26oz/$5.46 CDN
Noir Cosmetics | Long Wear Eyeliner in Forever Noir
Enriched with vitamin E, this creamy waterproof liner glides on smoothly for all day wear.
Thoughts: I have a lot of black eyeliner, BUT this one is pretty creamy and does glide pretty smoothly across the skin. It’s also very smudgeable making it the perfect pencil for creating the very in smoky eye.
Full size: $15.00 CDN
I received: *FULL SIZE*
Value of Birchbox: $40.97 CDN
Not bad at all in terms of value and product variety! There is something for the hair, face, eyes, skin and lips and one full-sized product in this Birchbox. For those of us who have been beauty box whores these last few years, this box might underwhelm because our expectations are that much higher. I do like that there is an online store where I can purchase every product in the box at full size should I love a product like crazy. Everything featured in this box is ready for purchase online with free shipping over $70. There is also a rewards or point system where for every 100 points accumulated, you earn a $10 credit to spend online. Points can be earned on subscriptions, referrals, product surveys and products purchased. This point system is similar to Glymm’s which I really loved because you could buy something every few months just based on product surveys.
Past boxes and collaborations look very promising and the brands and products featured are well-curated so is Birchbox worth a try? I think so!
Referral links present.
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