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Is Birchbox worth it?

First off, I should probably explain what Birchbox is.  Akin to Sephora, Birchbox sales health & beauty products.  And like Sephora, you earn points if you join the “club”, and you get free shipping at $50.  But unlike Sephora, to join Birchbox the starting cost is $10 per month.  In exchange you receive a curated box of samples, ranging from actual beauty products to protein bars and earbuds.  The men’s club also delivers “manly” skin and hair care products, and extras such as tech accessories.  If you like something, buy the full sized product from Birchbox.  When you purchase, refer friends, or review your products on the Birchbox website you earn points, and for every $100 points earned you receive a $10 credit towards the Birchbox store.

Cleansing & softening

Not every box that ships out is the same.  My friend Emma that lives in the same area as me received some different products in her Birchbox last month.  But Birchbox keeps track of exactly what they ship you, and when you log into your account you can easily find the full size products.  I have to admit, when I got my fist box, it was anticlimactic.  I don’t know what I was expecting, but I felt a little let down with how little came in the box.  But, after mulling it over, $10 is a pretty good price for what you receive.  And the box is beautifully packaged, so it’s like opening up a fun present.  The problem is that you may not utilize, or want, all the samples you get.  The earbuds that shipped in the box last month?  Not going to use them.  The stainiac lip stain is ok, but I feel like it dries my lips out.  But I loved the other products.  And this months box is pretty fun.  I have yet to use anything out of it yet, but am looking forward to it.

So, is Birchbox worth it?  Well, if you’re the type of girl that loves samples, you’ll love this program.  And ten bucks a month is pretty cheap.  Especially seeing that samples can last a fairly long time.  I am still slowly getting through all the samples from the Sun Safety Kit reviews we did over the summer.  But if you’re very picky about the products you use, and don’t stray much from the regiment you already have, I don’t think this program is for you.

Miss Jessie knows how to soften curls

So, interested in joining?  Just a warning, when I signed up there was about a months wait until I was actually invited to join.  That may have changed by now.  But once you join, you can pay on a monthly basis and skip a month if you want to.

Beth and I will be teaming up to bring you reviews on the samples we receive.  And full disclosure, if you join Birchbox through one of the reference links in this post, you will be giving the girls of full clutch credit to the Birchbox shop.  But if that happens we’ll share the love and use the credits to purchase something great to giveaway to the full clutch readers.

Are you a member of Birchbox?  What have you thought of your curated boxes so far?

  • Chris

    I was interested in getting the men’s Birchbox out of curiosity. Unfortunately it is $20 per month. At $10 a month, I am more willing to pull the trigger on a box full of samples, but $20 just seems a little too high.

  • Lyndsi

    I am sorry but I have to be a critic here. The birchbox is the worst box out of the boxes I have tried. I am currently subscribed to Glambag, Cravebox, and Beauty Army and I just cancelled my subscription to the Birchbox. If you have ever had the others, like listed above, you know that they are the same price as Birchbox, but you get SO MUCH more each month. I feel that after I subscribed to them all to see what I liked the best, Birchbox was the least of them that I liked. I always felt like I was getting screwed out of my money worth. I just recently got my last box, the Christmas box from Birchbox, and it was HORRIBLE. The other boxes use holidays as a way to get you more products and bigger portions. The Christmas Birchbox I received was small, and had nothing good for the holidays. So I would tell anyone who asked me, stay away from the Birchbox. Glambag, BeautyArmy, and Cravebox are AMAZING and they NEVER let me down!

    • http://www.fullclutch.com/ Sarah

      Lyndsi, thanks so much for the insight! I just received my second Glambag, but have yet to try any other sample subscriptions (besides Ipsy & Birchbox). It’s good to have a few others on our radar to try.

    • twosdae

      You are right. I just received my first Birchbox and thought “This is it?”. Thanks for the insite!