July Birchbox-The Final

I've been saying it for a long time, but now it's final.  After 14 months, I cancelled my subscription to Birchbox. (I also cancelled Beauty Army after only 2 months.)  July's box was my last box. I think it ended on a pretty good note though.  This month's box was all about the five senses so it included ear buds, mints, perfume, etc.  

I had fun receiving Birchbox, especially since it is a surprise each month and more often than not, I thought the boxes were sub par but what do you really expect for $10 a month?  Just a handful of fun items that may or may not be useful to you.  

June Birchbox

I received my Birchbox for June last week and again, it wasn't anything too exciting.  When I saw that I received a box of Band-Aid's, I thought, really?  But after looking a little closer, they're designer Band-Aid's and they are actually pretty cute.  Maybe I should cut my finger just so I can use them.

I received some $25 off some art thing which isn't exciting.  The soap doesn't smell too hot.  The perfume isn't bad.  I received a peach bronzer and it looks like a nice color.  I'm not sure about the Stainiac tint for cheeks and lips.  We'll see about that.

This is my 12th or 13th box I've received and I've been mostly disappointed with them.  Why can't I cancel this subscription?!  I just love the element of surprise.  I think I will be cancelling soon though.  I know, I know, I've said that before but I've actually joined a subscription box better suited for me.  I'll write about that when I receive my first box in July.

May Birchbox

Here are my goodies for the May Birchbox.  It was a "Gossip Girl" inspired box, but because I've never seen that TV show, the concept is lost on me.  Here's what was in my box this month:

Birchbox/Zoya Collaboration

Birchbox and Zoya teamed up to offer a trio of nail polishes that were colors inspired by three bloggers as shown below as voted by fans.  I really loved these colors and decided I needed to get them.  The set cost $22 with free shipping but since I had some Birchbox points accumulated, I was able to knock off $10 and get it for $12.  The package arrived early last week and the colors are so beautiful and perfect for summer.  I'm pretty sure I need to be done with Zoya for awhile now.  I have PLENTY of colors to last me through the whole year, but I can't promise anything when it comes to addictive little company.

Birchbox

Birchbox- April

First off, THANK YOU so much for the blog love I received in yesterday's post.  I really needed to know you guys are out there reading and it keeps me going.

Moving on, I received my Birchbox for April in the mail last week and I was disappointed.  I know I keep rambling about how I plan on cancelling if the next month is bad but I think I just want to make it a year and then I'll probably cancel.

This month's box included, get this, laundry detergent.  Ok, the little drops look cute and convenient but I want beauty products, not household products.  If I didn't get a mini Zoya in the color Lotus (which I almost bought at one time), I would have been even more disappointed. The box also included a sample of Taylor Swift's perfume, which isn't too bad but not very exciting and an organic moisturizer and a hair mask. I don't know how this equates to at least $10 worth of product. Let's get it right for next month, Birchbox!

March Birchbox

I received my March Birchbox in the mail last week.  I discussed recently that I think I'm over Birchbox and just when I feel I'm ready to cancel, I get a box that I like.  March's box was one of the best I've received.  I guess I'll keep hanging on for a month at a time.

On the same day I received my Birchbox, I also received some makeup brushes I ordered from Makeup Geek.  If you love makeup and want to know more about the latest products and reviews, tutorials or order products from the store, check it out.

February Birchbox and All the Other Alternatives

I received my February Birchbox in the mail around Valentine's Day.  Again, I'm disappointed with my goodies.  At this point, I feel like I'm only paying for the element of surprise in seeing what has arrived and it's only every few months that I really think the box was a good deal. 

However, I've done some research and there are plenty of these types of services that are popping up including:

Beauty Army

Cravebox

Julep Maven

GoGo Girlfriend

MyGlam

Beautyfix

Eco-Emi

I've already signed up for Beauty Army as you can choose the deluxe samples that come to you.  It's $12 a month instead of Birchbox's $10 but I'm picking out the things I want so it should be worth it.  

Cravebox looks like it's not just limited to makeup or beauty products but other stuff like pretty pens, chocolate and other goodies.  Not really what I'm looking for though.

Julep Maven sounds awesome but at $19.99 a month, it's expensive. It's all nail polish and nail products and you receive over $40 in products every month.  Sounds appealing but with the addiction that I'm trying to tame with Zoya right now (Ang, you have a little bit to do with this), I have to skip out on this one.  

MyGlam looks like a good service too but they're currently sold out of monthly subscriptions and based on what I read, it might be 4-5 months until they notify me that I can have a subscription.  We'll see what happens when that time comes.  

Beautyfix is quarterly and $50 but people seem to like it.

Eco-Emi looks fun to me as it's all eco-friendly products but at $15 a month, I can't splurge on this one too.  M, you can give me this one as a monthly subscription.  (I highly doubt he even read this far into my writing!  I think I lost him at the pictures or maybe even the title.)

Do any of these other subscription services sounds good to you or do you know of one that I haven't mentioned? 

Birchbox- December and January

I forgot to post about my December Birchbox and my January Birchbox arrived last week so I thought I'd show them at the same time.  If you remember, Birchbox is a service you subscribe to for a $10 monthly fee in which you receive a box full of goodies, mostly deluxe samples of higher-end beauty products.  I wasn't that impressed with my December box as has been the case with most boxes I've received but that element of surprise and getting a package in the mail has apparently been worth it to me since last May.  I really liked my January box which also included a full size product, which I love.  So, I'm not ready to cancel yet.  Maybe I'll get another fun box next month for Valentine's Day.

December:

January:

November Birchbox

Last week I received my November Birchbox.  I really liked getting the Zoya nail polish and the eucalyptus lotion.  I used the face mask already and it made my face pretty soft but getting two paper coasters?  C'mon.

October Birchbox

I received my October Birchbox in the mail last week.  While I really like one of the products, the tinted primer, I'm thinking I might be done with this whole monthly thing because it no longer feels worth it for $10 each month, especially when you get shampoo and conditioner sample packets. I'll evaluate after the December box but what girl doesn't love getting beauty product surprises in the mail?

September Birchbox

My September Birchbox came later than normal this month but here are my goodies which are supposed to be catered to me based on my beauty profile.  I think they did a pretty good job!

August Birchbox

I received my August Birchbox in the mail over a week ago but I'm finally able to write about it.  I really liked this month's box.  I already use the Smashbox primer so it's nice to now have a small size for when I travel.  I'm excited to use the masque and I've wanted to try the Ouidad hair stuff but it's too expensive to buy a full size so I'm glad I get to sample it.  The Cool Fix sounds like a great product also.

July Birchbox

I received my July Birchbox in the mail earlier this week.  If you don't remember what Birchbox is, you can check out last month's post about it.

Even though you don't know what you're getting until you open it up, they marketed this month's box by letting us know that fashion designer Cynthia Rowley curated the box and picked all of her faves.

I really the products in this month's box.  I am excited to use the facial cleanser and shower gel.  I'll have to wait to use the mineral foundation until the winter as it's a little light. The Kind bar it came with was delicious!

Here's what received this month:

June Birchbox

Have you ever heard of Birchbox?  If not, it's a really fun idea for people who love anything to do with beauty.  For $10 a month, you get a box shipped to you of high-end beauty products, which can be samples or full-sized products.  I signed up in May and my first Birchbox arrived today. I almost signed my sister up for a monthly subscription for her birthday but I wasn't sure if she would enjoy it.  (Jamie, would you like something like this?)

I was so excited to open it and I was overall happy with what I received but after looking at some other blogs and what they got in their Birchbox, I started to get a little disappointed.  First, I didn't realize that everyone's Birchbox was different.  The majority of the boxes were the same from what I saw but mine was a little different.  I'm not about to give up or get frustrated over it because I do like what I received but I wish I got one of the products that the others did (a full-sized bronzer worth $29.50) but I'm looking forward to my July Birchbox!  Anyways, here's what I received: