Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review

ByLiz CadmanNov 13, 2014 | 50 comments

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Box

The Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition box is one of their newly-released holiday boxes, and probably the most luxe and special box I have ever received from Birchbox.

My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Open

LIke all Limited Edition boxes from Birhcbox - the packaging is beautiful and perfect for gifting. I'd say no need to even wrap the box - just put a bow on it!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Items

The Limited Edition Vanity Affair Box is available now!

The Box: Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box

The Cost: $98

The Products:

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Info

The box comes with an info card detailing each item included - there are a lot of items!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Face

By Terry Balme de Rose - .1 oz Value $18

Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment – Value $25 (Estimating the value since this isn’t a full size item and the size isn't listed).

I was really excited to try both of these items! The By Terry Balme de Rose is a super moisturizing lip balm and - I should not be surprised by this - is heavily rose-scented. I'm a little weird when it comes to rose-scents, some I love, others I think can be a little over-powering. This one is borderline over-powering for me. The Sunday Riley Good Genes treatment also has a scent I don't love - but I've used a few skincare products with less than perfect scents if they work well, so I will use up this little tube!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Hair

Shu Uemura Essence Absolue – 30 ml Value $9

Serge Normant Dream Big Instant Volumizing Spray – 1.8 oz Value $10

This Essence Absolue is a leave-in hair cream, and it's wonderful. I used it on dry hair and it immediately made my hair more soft. I read reviews on Birchbox also recommending using it on damp hair - it will help your hair dry without frizz. (And the scent is great too!)

When it comes to mascara and hair products I feel like I'm on a never-ending quest for more volume! This Dream Big spray may be my new favorite hair product of the moment. It goes on clear and adds a good amount of texture/volume. Some volume sprays I've tried don't seem to add a lot of texture, so that might be why this one works better for my hair.

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Lip

Chantecaille Luminous Gloss in Lychee - FULL SIZE! Value $34

Tata Harper Lip and Cheek Tint in Very Chamring – FULL SIZE! Value $35

I believe this lipgloss is the one variable item in the box - it will be in one of two shades. It's a super shiny formula - and the color is somewhat sheer. (It's a little sticky - but not so much that it is bothersome).

The Tata Harper Lip and Cheek tint is one of my favorite discoveries in this box - I love everything I have tried so far from this brand! The lip tint is really rich and moisturizing. It's highly pigmented, and I've been using it primarily as a lip balm, but it blends well as a cheek tint too.

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Perfume

Maison Caulieres Milky Bath Oil – 30 ml Value $16.50

Tocca eau de parfum in Margaux – 15 ml Value $20

These two deluxe samples are just gorgeous! I think this Tocca mini perfume would look beautiful on a vanity and fits with the theme really well. And flower petals suspended in bath oil is such a luxe item! And I was happy to discover that I like both scents!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review MAKE

MAKE Calypso Eye Shadow Palette – Value $40

I love the graphic design of this palette!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Palette

The palette is a mix of matte and satin finishes, with the top left champagne shade having a little sparkle/shimmer. I like that this set has enough neutral shades for me to use it on a regular basis, but a few more daring blue shades should I decide to mix things up. (Plus I tend to think you can't go wrong putting a palette in a box!)

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Jin Soon

Jin Soon Nail Polish in Nostalgia and Coquette – Value $36 total

Two classic shades from a high-end nail polish brand = making getting nail polish in a box exciting again for me!

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Container

Rosanna Alhambra Medium Vessel – Value $22

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Vessel

I love that they included vanity accessories in this box too! This vessel is beautiful. It's a little too short to hold q-tips, but I'll find a use for it1

Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review Tray

Stephanie Johnson Tinseltown Jewelry Tray – Value $30

I probably shouldn't be this excited about a tray - but I love this little thing! It unsnaps on the corners so you can store it flat if needed.

Verdict: I think this is such a luxe well-curated box. I'm pretty sure anyone would love to receive this as a gift - and I'm really glad I gifted it to myself! And the value is great too - almost $300! ($295.50 by my calculations) What did you think of the Vanity Affair box?

Posted in Birchbox Limited Edition Boxes, Subscription Box Reviews

Liz Cadman

Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

Read More By Liz Cadman >

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50 comments

Cindy

Do we get to review the products (for points) that we receive in the LE boxes?

Liz Cadman

No – unfortunately review points are just for subscription box samples. 🙁

Cindy

Thanks for the fast response. I can’t decide about this box. I was going to get it, but then I also thought that the price is a little high for mostly sample/travel sized items. I know the shadow tablet is full size, but that is one item I definitely dislike. Getting all those points for reviewing items might have swayed my decision, though. Now it won’t.

PA Anna

I was going through my stockpile and saw that I haven’t tried the Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment. I read the ingredients and discovered that I can’t use it 🙁 It has aloe which can irritate rosacea and does irritate my rosacea and lactic acid which is also a no-no for rosacea. It’s frustrating because I had to dig a little deeper to find out if lactic acid is safe for rosacea because of all the sites that lump rosacea and acne together. Also it frustrates me that some sites state if you avoid the sun, alcohol, spicy food, and exercise it should make it go away. NOT TRUE. Rosacea is much more complicated than that. I never noticed a difference in rosacea based upon exercising versus not exercising. I don’t drink or eat spicy food, and I wear sunscreen/try to stay out of the sun and it is a battle everyday to make sure my skin is healthy and looks great. I’m off my rant. Just frustrated that it is another product I can’t use.

Heidi

I received this pretty quickly after signing up for the year subscription (thanks for the great code Liz!).
I haven’t received my first Birchbox yet, but they sent me a text message 2 days ago saying it would be here on 12/9. My daughter and I are pretty excited.
She especially loved the jewelry tray and claimed it for herself right away. She puts her ring and earrings in it each night.
I love the Vanity box except that the vessel has a big chip off of it. I would have glued it back on but the chip wasn’t in the box it came in.
Does anyone know if they would replace it if I contact them?
One of the free sample items (the DDF moisturizer) that came in a seperate order, was covered in what looked like red lippy. It came off easily and I figure they are pretty busy at this time of year. I have seen on Instagram where they do donate a lot of time and products.
Anything that I could not use, I put into a pretty bag that my daughter made and we donated it to her school holiday store where the children can purchase presents for their family members for $5 and under. We did the same with extras from our other beauty boxes also 🙂
T
I think there will be some very happy people getting those bags.

Heidi

I also wanted to say thank you to Liz. You liked one of my daughter’s pictures on Instagram that we had made using our first beauty box items. That’s how we found this site. You made her one happy chicklette, she thought you were so cool to like her picture and she started to follow you on there. We love reading your blogs on here and it is making her excited to take pictures and write up little descriptions of her own on Instagram. Thank you so much!! <3 <3

Liz Cadman

That’s awesome! I love looking at all creative and fun subscription box pictures on Instagram. (Feel free to email me her instagram user name if you like – I’d love to follow her! [email protected])

Brooke

To my surprise…. I’m disappointed. I have spent all my points a
(& money!) getting Sweat the small stuff and Decked and dashing for each of my teen boys…. So I was reluctant to spend $100 on this.

But I kept looking at it and looking at it and coveting it….so I finally pulled the trigger with the 25% off code.

Everything is there and nothing is broken and everything is beautiful. I love the vessel and the rose thing and the Tata…. But I was shocked that everything was so small!!! I guess it never occurred to me that things would be samples at this price. And after getting so much product for way less money on various Black Friday bags, I’m really let down to have such small samples on the Baum de rose, the good genes, both hair products, and the bath oil.

Joanne

My vessel arrived completely broken into 2, not just chipped. I emailed customer service and guess what – they said it was a widespread problem and a recurring issue, and most importantly, THEY HAD NO ITENTIONS WHATSOEVER OF REPLACING THE ITEM. Basically, I’m supposed to just suck it up and deal with it.

Just a heads up to all of you out there who are planning to buy the box in large part because of the vessel – you might have to deal with the fact that if it’s broken, you aren’t going to get another one. This is frankly one of my worst experiences at Birchbox.

Jennifer

I finally bought this using all the points (had exactly enough to cover it! yay!).

When I opened it up, that bath oil had completely spilled everywhere :/ It ruined the packaging of each item, the Make palette too since it’s cardboard, plus the actual box everything came in. I emailed them with a bunch of pictures and they immediately sent me a new box. I have the tracking code and am getting it next week… yay! After about an hour, I finally was able to get the majority of the oil off the products. I’ll end up giving the 2nd Make pallete, 2nd lip gloss, and a few other items to my girlfriends… doesn’t make sense for me to have 2 of some of these.

Very thankful though that Birchbox was generous enough to send me a new box and not just a replacement bath oil.

Wendy Z

I have had a problem with a totally busted nail polish in the sub box, and then another time I ordered some lip glosses and they gave me the sample sizes instead of the full price purchase ones. Both times I emailed them with a photo and the items were promptly replaced. A photo tells a thousand words.

Joanne

Thanks so much everyone! Here’s an update – Birchbox ended up sending me 300 points to fully cover the cost of the vessel when I repurchase it in the future. I still have to wait for the item to be back in stock unfortunately, which will probably take weeks, but it’s better than nothing I guess. I also mentioned other problems with my orders recently – missing sample choice in my November box, billing early for the men’s box before my payment was due even though I intended to cancel, etc and all the problems were resolved. While I would prefer that the problems did not occur in the first place (so I wouldn’t have to go through all the trouble and frustration), I’m glad something was done at least.

Jillian D

That is SUPER weird for them. I would definitely try again with someone else and tell the next person what the first person said to you. They don’t do business like that and I’m thinking they’d be upset to hear someone said that to you. I mean, I complained that I’d gotten shampoo and conditioner in 6 out of 7 boxes and they sent me a box of my customer service person’s favorite samples as an apology. It was an extra 4 samples.

That is SO unlike them. Their CS is usually spot on. I’d definitely keep trying.

Melody

That is odd! I have only had amazingly good customer service from birchbox. I had a problem with the necklace in this box and they sent out a replacement immediately. I would definitely send another email or phone call and get a different person because they always replace things for me.

Liz Cadman

Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. I would recommend reaching out again and see if you get someone else. They should definitely replace the vessel or refund you for it. I know a lot of readers have had positive experiences with Birchbox customer care, so it sounds like you had the unfortunate luck of dealing with someone on their care team who may be new or inexperienced.

I really hope they make it right 🙁

Joanne

Thanks for the advice! I was really shocked and a little hurt when I saw the reply – even more so when the “solution” she offered was to advise me to put my email on the wait list since the item was currently out of stock, so I could buy it once it was available again. Why would I spend my money on another one when I can’t even be sure it’ll arrive in one piece? ):

Jenifer in MN

I got my box on Friday and finally had time to open it today. I love it! Most items I will use myself, a few I’ll gift.

One problem with mine: it was missing the Shu hair cream AND the Chantacaille lipgloss. I emailed Birchbox, so waiting to hear back. The auto response said it might be 3 days before I get a reply.

I was thinking of ordering one of these for my sister and having it sent directly to her, but I’m a bit worried now. Did anyone else have items missing from theirs?

Jenifer in MN

I’ve been meaning to update about this… Birchbox got back to me right away, and they were very apologetic. They put a lipgloss in the mail to me but were out of the hair creme, so they gave me a generous amount of Birchbox points.

Still debating on ordering one for my sister. 🙂

PA Anna

My husband opened the box for me while I was traveling. He had a hard time opening it and it was torn apart. I wanted him to check the eyeshadow and vessel to make sure it wasn’t broken. I looked through the box today. The items look wonderful. I’m gifting the eye shadow palette and will keep everything else for me. I can’t wait to try out the products. My mystery pack contained Tocca hand cream and Anyway perfume.

Elle

Liz! And everyone else of course… Got my vanity fair box and I am beyond thrilled with everything. I love it all. Thx to your review Liz, I kinda knew I would! Best box I’ve ever recv’d. So…on to practical matters – I’m using my Alhambra container for my perfume samples, I saw a cpl ppl were doing that and I liked the idea a lot. It looks beautiful too. My question for everyone is what are you doing with the gold tray? I can easily see using for travel to pop my jewelry etc on to the vanity to keep it all handy in one place, but my own vanity is too small for further crowding and I have a lg silver tray in the bathroom alrdy. I would love some ideas! Thanks, ladies! Thanks again, Liz! Your reviews make a world of difference for us.

Sneaky Burrito

I put perfume minis on the tray. I have about six of them from subs. A few more would probably fit. (I had to put it on a shelf in my bedroom. Because otherwise, my cats would totally knock it down.) I think I’ll use my vessel for perfume samples, too. Right now, they’re all still attached to their cards and they’re taking up a lot of space.

Anne Shaw

I love this box! I just got mine and everything is fantastic. I love how lux and well curated the items are. I have round cotton pads in the porcelain box and the hand lotion has a nice smell and is not greasy. I also love the lip and cheek tint. This is a real nice treat.

brandy

I used to so dislike rose scents. I felt like I smelled like an old lady but with these subscription boxes I have found some rose scents that I really love. Who woulda thought? I rec’d the follie joie ? Perfume amd it is a little heavily rose scented though but using a little is fine as my boyfriend is crazy obsessed about me wearing it. The masque from blush we just received smells soooo lovely and the rose scent is very nice. I am a huge fan.

brandy

I prefer this box over the other one (minus cost) lol but everytHing looks so luxe. I love bath oil and lippies. Plus the other items are nice too, would have loved to see more skincare included but happy they threw in a lot of makeup.

I hope they come out with a more affordable set but the tray and canister looks so beautiful. I have a few similar and always love vanity items. I keep everything on my dresser/vanity in my bedroom and somethings in the bathroom. I think items that look displayed well are a huge win for me. Great review! 🙂

Elle

Liz! I’m am addicted to your site. It’s official. Not only have I made some great swaps with lovely ppl in the past few days – but this review! I was a goner! I cannot wait to receive it, plus the mystery box, plus the Kate Spade pendant in fuchsia. I am soooo excited! Thank you, Liz!

Liz Cadman

Thanks so much! 🙂 I’m sure you will love the box. Plus the Kate Spade pendant and free mystery pack is a great deal! 🙂 Let me know what you think of it once you have it!

Erin

My Vanity Affair box and the Men’s box arrived today and they’re both fantastic! I divided up the men’s box between my sons (12 and almost 16) and plan to use the women’s box for gifts for several girlfriends and sisters on my list. Of course I kept a little something for me, lol. I was dying to try the bath oil and the Serge Normant texture sprays and had them in my BB favorites so this was perfect! The porcelain vanity container is beautiful and very high quality. I hope it ships well since it’s heading to Denver from Vegas. I paired it with the tray and the Tocca perfume, like a mini version of the vanity box.

Meme

I just tried to order this box and when I went to check out….they don’t deliver to Hawaii??? I’m so confused! I get the BB monthly box and I’ve ordered lots of full-sized products that are delivered right to my doorstep in Hawaii, so what in the world is wrong with this one? I’m sooooo bummed about this! Why BB…why oh why oh why??

Steph Nelson

Something in it requires it to be shipped ground. No ground delivery to Hawaii!

Sneaky Burrito

Two nail polishes, a mini perfume, and the volumizing spray together, probably. That’s enough flammables to cause concern.

Heather

I am super new to subscription boxes so I am trying to determine how many more holiday boxes will be coming out this year so I can figure out what to buy my sister in law. I love the Birchbox ones but wonder do other subscription box companies also come out with holiday boxes?

Stacey

I am in love with this box. My husband bought it for me because he knew I was upset about the NM PS box. 🙂
The By Terry balm is the best stuff I’ve ever put on my cuticles.

Becka

Ooh didn’t even think about this for cuticles! Great idea.

Liz Cadman

Oh – I’ll need to try it on my cuticles!

Sneaky Burrito

I got this for $18.40 with points and a code. I am really happy with it. (Especially considering ONE of those nailpolishes would retail for $18.) I think I will use the red polish tonight, and I’ll probably start using the Tata Harper product as blush soon since I am almost out of the Jane Iredale product I am currently using. (It’s not really a color that would show up much on my lips but it would be great for my cheeks.) I’m going to use the tray to store perfume minis as I have accumulated several of them lately.

misha

I know this sounds crazy but I might have to get this box just for the tin! I love the design on it, so cute for vanity!

melody

I want to add that not only do I LOVE birchbox’s limited edition boxes the best, their customer service is AMAZING!!! I wrote asking for a recommendation on a specific type of product because the choices were overwhelming and I got an awesome and friendly response that was VERY helpful! Then when I bought the limited edition boxes (my first store purchase from them) I didn’t find out until afterwards that we could add the mystery $10 box for free for order over $35. Even though my order was already shipped they added the mystery box to my order and shipped it separately!!! Super AWESOME! That’s the way to make happy and loyal customers. PLUS I love the point system and being able to use those towards online purchases. I just found out they have a location in SOHO, I live in NYC, so I suspect my credit card will be suffering soon. 🙂

Laura

This box looks so amazing, what a wonderful Christmas present for someone. I am so excited BB is going to start shipping to Canada soon, hopefully in time for Christmas. On a side note, I can’t wait for your box Liz, I am getting antsy!

Sara

Thanks so much for the review, I ordered this a few days ago and I’m excited for it to arrive. I think this box is so perfectly curated and I’m so impressed with the boxes Birchbox has been putting out lately. After spending over $1,000 this last year at Sephora and not getting much in return, I appreciate the points system & frequent discounts/GWP’s at Birchbox. In just a few months, I racked up $20 in points from my reviews, which I used to buy this box. I also used the 20% discount code and got this for $58 (plus I remembered to add the mystery sample pack). This purchase (only my second actual BB purchase this year) bumped me up to Ace’s status. Couldn’t be happier! 🙂

Steph Nelson

Sephora is frustrating isn’t it. Here, pick a sample of a lip gloss for a hundred of your dollars that you spent here. They never do double points or even have point perks that seem worth they money you spent there. I’m going to lose my VIB this year because I find it better to buy elsewhere. Especially at Birchbox.

Brooke

This looks fabulous! I think I’ll spring for this… thanks for the review!

Laura

I am absolutely in love with my box and I am so happy with it. It is so well curated and full of beautiful classic high-end items that really fit my personal style.

Anna

I totally loved this box! I think it was my favorite LE all year!

Melody

I am SO excited I got this and their conscious boxes instead of the NM PSMH box. I just ordered them Sun night with 20% off and $20 off points and they shipped yesterday! Can’t wait to get them!!!

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Birchbox Vanity Affair Limited Edition Box Review

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