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Birchbox Subscription Box Review + Coupon – January 2017

Haley Faye
ByHaley FayeJan 21, 2017 | 21 comments

Birchbox-January-2017-box

Birchbox
3.7 overall rating
657 Ratings | 188 Reviews

Every month, Birchbox lets subscribers pick between a curated box (all samples revealed) or a single sample choice and be surprised by the rest of the items.

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

This review is of the Sample Choice, $10 a month, box. 

Birchbox-January-2017-review

The Subscription Box: Birchbox

The Cost: $10 a month (get one month free and $10 to spend in the shop with an annual subscription!)

LIMITED TIME DEAL: While supplies last, use coupon code DOUBLEFUN to get a FREE extra Birchbox (with a seasonal treat!) with your first month of a Birchbox subscription! The box design—and the goodies inside—will be a surprise.

OR

New subscribers use code GLOWFORIT to get a bonus Milk Makeup Highlighter with your first box! ($24 value)

COUPON: Get $5 (50 points) to spend in the Birchbox shop when you subscribe with coupon code SUBSCRIBENOW50 OR Try any of these free gift with purchase coupons on orders of $35 or more!) And don’t forget your free mystery sample pack on orders of $35 or more!

OR

Check out the 30% off sale for everyone, too!

The Products: Beauty and lifestyle samples selected by the Birchbox team.

Ships to: U.S., FranceSpain and the UK and Canada

Check out all of our Birchbox reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

Birchbox-January-2017-info1

Each box comes with a card that has a blurb of the month’s theme and focus. January's theme is “New Perspective” and is designed around products that "make you feel like the greatest version of your (already great) self.” Sounds like exactly what I need this month!

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And the flip side of the card always lists the names and details of the items in your box!

Birchbox-January-2017-items1

R+Co Oblivion Clarifying Shampoo – 1 fl oz, Value $4

I’m not generally super excited about shampoo and conditioner samples, but this shampoo smells good and left my hair feeling very clean. It smells nice and I like it, but I’m not sure it really blew me away more than any other shampoo.

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R+Co Oblivion Restorative Gel Conditioner - 0.23 fl oz, Value $0.95

This is an interesting conditioner. It’s like a gel, and it disappeared into my hair and I kind of felt like I had to trust that it was being distributed throughout my hair well. It worked well and smells good, but like the shampoo, I’m not sure it rocked my world or anything. It's definitely something new to have tried and discovered, though.

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NUXE Moisturizer Cream Crème Fraiche® de Beauté - 0.5 oz, Value $11.33

I’ve never heard of this brand or product before, but I like it. It has an interesting scent, not one I love but I definitely don’t hate it. The cream itself is very hydrating. It absorbed completely right away, but my skin still felt hydrated.

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Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment - 0.17 oz, Value $17.85

When I saw this was a sample choice this month I had to choose it! There are so much hype and positive reviews about this product. It’s a lactic acid treatment that’s designed to exfoliate dead skin, even hyperpigmentation, correct fine lines, and brighten. I’ve only applied this twice so far before posting this review, so I really can’t speak much about the results yet, unfortunately. There’s enough product in here for maybe 3 or 4 applications, so I hope I get a feel of whether or not I want to try the full-size from that (at a hefty $105/oz).

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Juliette has a Gun Mmmm…. - Sample

I actually like this perfume! It has notes of vanilla, orange blossom, tonka bean, raspberry blend, neroli, ambroxan, sandalwood, geranium, jasmine, tuberose, and iris. It’s a mix of gourmand and floral, and it’s sweet and feminine. I don’t think I’ll be buying full-size but I was pleasantly surprised with this sample.

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Burt’s Bees Lipstick in Brimming Berry – full size!, Value $9

I’ve tried this lipstick before, and I am a fan. It’s definitely hydrating! The pigmentation is not completely opaque so you have some room to build the color. That being said, this particular shade is bold and I personally prefer the way it looks built up.

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Here’s a swatch – you can see what I mean about how the color can be somewhat sheer but is definitely a beautiful bright color!

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And here’s what the lipstick looks like on! I think it’s a fantastic berry shade and it’s so hydrating and comfortable to wear!

Verdict: Overall, I’m happy with my January Birchbox! I’m really happy to have had a chance to try a deluxe sample of Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and the rest of the samples were mostly new discoveries that pleasantly surprised me. The value adds up to $43.13, which I’m definitely happy with for a $10 discovery box!

What do you think about Birchbox? What was your favorite discovery this month?

Starting at $17.00
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Birchbox ($15 per month) was one of the very first beauty subscription boxes—we’ve been reviewing it since 2012! Each month, subscribers get a new mix of 5 beauty samples, such as makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance items. Birchbox lets you choose whether you’d like a box of items picked ju... read more.

Haley Faye
Haley Faye
Haley Faye first discovered the wonderful world of subscription boxes in 2012 and began writing for MSA in 2014. Over the years, she has found many subscriptions to love. Now a mom of three, her favorite boxes are ones that dress her kids, help her get organized, feed her family, send her snacks, and offer educational fun for her children.

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21 comments

Ingred

The February box was disappointing. Random free samples. The perfume sample in an envelope was a joke. I’m considering cancelling but my daughter wants to try one more month. They will need to step it up. Most of the reviews I see are not very good.

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here_we_are987

My February box was okay. I went with the curated box to see if I would get better items than choosing some of my own. I really like the perfume sample I received – Clean Reserve Amber Saffron! I also received the PBJ Smoothie Stick lip color, Bumble & Bumble Repair Blow Dry cream, Acure Fruit Peel, and Vasanti Eye Wonder. I’m going to stick with curated boxes from now on.

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Liz

I cancelled my Birchbox right before Januarys came cuz I wasnt impressed with the products either! I also get Ipsy, finally got in Sephora Play & after seeing GlossyBox’s Februarys box I signed up to get that. Im not too impressed with Birchbox’s February box either.

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Lola EB

I just got my first Birchbox that I paid $5 for and I’m glad that is all I paid. The total value of my samples came to $13.55. One was an eyeshadow duo that when valued out by weight came to 47 cents. When I valued it by dividing the price of the pallette by numbers of shadows then multiplied it by my sample it was still worth less than $1.00. My eyeshadow brush is bigger than the spots of color. If I had paid $10 for this box I would not have been happy. I subscribed only to get the curated February box with the Dr. Jart but ended up cancelling after they pulled two of the items I subscribed to the Feb box for. Glad I made the right decision for me when I cancelled. My Walmart box was better than my January birchbox.

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Bonnie

Wow, I chose Sunday Riley Good Genes too and my box was otherwise completely different than yours. I got Eyeko eyeliner, Pixi tonic pads, Klorane dry shampoo, and Amika blowdry spray. All fun to try – nothing knocking me out of the park. I actually used to have BB when they offered the upgrade to 2 full size makeup and/or nail polish products for an additional $20. I loved that, but when they dropped that, I dropped the box because I just wasn’t loving the stuff they were sending besides my upgrade products. Since then, I have become so much more into all types of care (although makeup is still #1), and I remembered that some of my favorite discoveries were from BB, so I said, wth, it’s only 10 bucks a month, and resubbed. It’s not my fave, but like Haley said, it’s a discovery box, and I enjoy the unboxing. Obviously, since I have gone from 3 to 16 since discovering MSA

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Lola EB

From a couple of the reviews I’ve read it sounds like walmart box is a better box for some of you. I signed up for the February curated box and then they removed the Dr Jart water drop and another item I was looking forward to so I dropped them. I have a January box on the way but I got it for $5 and according to my sneak peek it looks to be good, but I already cancelled and that sounds like it was the right thing to do for me. Especially after all the problems with glossybox. I went back and checked what I used against what I paid and what I gave away on that box. I paid 21 per month but on most months what was usable for me came to a value of 25 to 30 with one time being only 12 and another only 18 of value in usable items. I know these are all surprise and try me boxes but it does get discouraging when products aren’t up to expectations and box envy takes over. Such is the life of an addict.

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Grishma

I’ve tried using glowforit for my new subscription but somehow it doesn’t work. Any ideas?

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Kaitlynn Marie

I got the Nuxe item before and I find it smells like honeysuckle! I actually love that smell, it brings me back to my childhood when we would pick them ☺️

Overall I’m not mad I unsubscribed and I’m not sure I’m too keen to resubscribe just yet.

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EC

My last box was a sad letdown end to 3 continuous years as a subscriber. The shampoo and conditioner are, let’s face it, freebie sample sized. The perfume as a full fledged item is just not good. I also got another mascara (house brand) and another eyeliner (bringing my annual totals of each to 7 and 6 respectively, including 3 exact duplicates). The Sunday Riley (my sample choice as well) was the only bright spot in the box. The lack of focus on the very business model that put them on the map clearly shows more each month. I was sad to let it go but it was the right choice for many reasons.

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christine martinez

Not too happy with Birchbox. I got a completely different box. My perfume sample was empty. I cancelled. I would rater pay a little more and get bigger samples. I will go with Glossybox this month.

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here_we_are987

The Burt’s Bees lipstick looks great on you! I was hoping to get it, but didn’t.

My box was a bit different than yours. I received the same R+Co shampoo and conditioner and the Sunday Riley Good Genes lactic acid treatment.

In addition, I received the Beauty Protector multitasking oil that works great to smooth out my hair when it gets frizzy and it smells great!!

I also received 2 packets of Pixi by PetraGlow Tonic To Go, which is nice.

The last product is a Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner, which I don;t use eyeliner, so it won;t get used.

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Dena

I deliberately let my January box be 100% picked for me by birch box… and I must say they hit it out of the ball park this month. I absolutely loved my January 2017 box, great job Birch Box!!

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Rosemary

Hi Haley! I am stumped as to how you are able to make every lip shade work for you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of you modelling a lip product that didn’t look like the box curator personally selected it for you.
Thanks for another great review.

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Kelly

I got the Good Genes too, and I don’t know how much you’re supposed to use. I use a half a pea-sized amount every day for about a week and my tone seriously evened out noticeably. I had bad acne as a teen which left marks and my skin has never looked better! I think it even helped with my forehead lines! It’s so expensive though 😟

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Luna

Anthropologie sells Sunday Riley, and they do 20% off storewide sales fairly frequently. If you’re willing to wait, they also do a 30% off storewide sale around the holidays. The holiday sale is when I stocked up on some Sunday Riley (and Indie Lee) products. 🙂

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Kate

There is a 25% off sale on Sunday Riley right now over at Skinstore. Use the code SUNDAY25 good through 2/20.

Monique

Thank you for the Sunday Riley tip. I’m in love with it, but can’t justify a $110 splurge…might as well get Botox. That sample was fantastic though, it lasted for two weeks using twice a day. Off to sign up to overstocked.

Samantha

I love this tip cause I love Anthropologie but don’t go often because it’s so expensive! I’ve luckily caught some amazing items on the sale rack here and there, but never knew about their storewide sales!!! Need to check it out.

Kelly

Oooh thank you! I’ve been on the Birchbox website trying to justify buying the full size but I can’t definitely wait! You’re the best! 😘

Jen

Thanks for the tip!!