Birchbox Upgraded Beta Box Review – August 2015
I’ve already reviewed the August 2015 Birchbox, but I signed up for another Birchbox account so I could take advantage of Birchbox’s Upgraded Beta subscription plan. If you aren’t familiar with the new Beta Upgraded subscription, for an additional $20 a month, you’ll get two full-size makeup or nail polish products in addition to your 5 samples.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Birchbox
The Cost: $10 a month (plus $20 for this upgraded box)
The Products: Beauty and lifestyle samples selected by the Birchbox team.
Ships to: US, France, Spain and the UK and Canada
Check out all of my Birchbox reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
Each box comes with a card detailing the items included. The two full-size items are listed at the bottom.
The full sized items arrive in their own separate special box!
Eyeko Eye Do Mascara – Value $26
This mascara gets great reviews on Birchbox, so I had high expectations before trying it out. I’m not the biggest fan, though. The formula gave my lashes good length, but not great volume. Plus the brush itself made it difficult for me to apply the mascara directly at the lash line evenly.
Marcelle Eye Shadow Duo in Dirty Martini – Value $16
(Good to know for swaps – this is sticker sealed)
I love this eye shadow duo! The pigment is great, and the colors are both very wearable for me. The formula is also paraben and fragrance free – plus easy to blend!
(I swatched it in the last picture – you may notice I swatched the darker shade twice – I thought this was a quad of four colors and not two for a minute!)
And I love that it comes with eye shadow applicators!
Now on to the regular 5-item samples!
Coola SPF 30 Organic Makeup Setting Spray – 10 ml Value $7.20
(Good to know for swaps – this is plastic wrapped)
This product is similar to the Supergoop SPF makeup setting spray in the July POPSUGAR box – and just like the Supergoop, you have to make sure to really shake it before spraying. (And avoid breathing in when you spray!) It gave me an instantly matte finish so I’m happy – it doesn’t smell as fantastic as some other Coola SPF products I’ve tried, but it isn’t bad by any means.
IPKN Pore Apple Sun Cream – 7 ml Value $2.80
(Good to know for swaps – this is foil sealed)
My first thought when I saw this: please let it actually smell like green apple! And yay – it does! It’s not a strong scent, and the formula is lightweight too – a pretty perfect SPF in my book!
Dr. Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution Deep Hydration Sheet Mask – Value $6
I can’t wait to use this – it’s free of parabens, sulfates, and phthalates, and it gets excellent reviews on Birchbox! (If only it didn’t take 15-20 minutes!)
Laqa & Co Cheeky Lip in Cray Cray – .03 oz Value $6.70
This cheeky lip crayon works both as a blush or a lip tint. It’s easy to blend in too. (Swatched below)
Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy – .9 oz Value $5.15
This hand cream is just as moisturizing as the name implies – and the formula isn’t as heavy as I was expecting! The other surprise with this item is the scent. I like it – but it definitely smells like a men’s grooming product to me.
Verdict: This box has a value of about $70. (I paid $30). I’m OK with that value, and I’d be a lot happier if I ended up liking the most expensive item in the box! I really like my samples and the eye shadow duo though.
What do you think of the Birchbox Upgraded subscription?
Birchbox
How do subscribers rate Birchbox?
get email alerts
add to list
Want more Birchbox? See our:
Never miss a post: get email alerts about Birchbox!
Enable notifications (
) to get the latest Birchbox spoilers, reviews, deals, and news delivered to your inbox.
Written by Liz Cadman
Hmmm a shame that’s the Eyeko mascara they sent out – it’s by far my least favorite Eyeko product I’ve tried. I absolutely swear by their Black Magic mascara (the curved brush is everything).
I received teo eyeliners in my last two upgraded boxes as well, I would recommend calling or online chat with a customer care rep. After I did, I was given the option of a refund or pick another product from their shop, not only did I get another product, I received a mystery pack and free shipping. Worth the time, plus If people do not speak up, they will not change.
I cancelled after last month due to getting a full size mascara in almost every single box. I wear mascara daily and there is no way I can go through the amount they send me. I can’t believe they sent yet another one this month. It’s a shame, because I like the idea of this upgraded box and would have liked the other items in the box.
I received the same two mascaras as you. was disappointed, but contacted customer care via chat and they offered me a refund or pick another item. I picked another item from the shop, I nice nail polish. I cancelled my $20 add on yesterday, as I feel I get more for $19.99 from Julep.
I think this is my fourth beta box. This is the second full size mascara. The other one was Smashbox, which I loved. This one…..meh. It made my eyes sting. I like the eye shadow compact, but do not like the formula. It is mega powdery. I had to wet it to get it to stick, and the colors are….well I guess they are ok. I’m just grumpy and feeling kinda ripped off! I will give this one more month to make me happy. Then I’m done.
I had to cancel my BB for a while so I can catch up! But I miss it. Oh… the lovely boxes! Seriously, not counting my swap drawer, I have 7 mascaras ready to try. And I just have to say… It seems when a home item or just something a little different gets sent out in a sub box, the swap boards go crazy! (I know I do). If BB could just mix it up a little more, I’d have to go back.
Two things that we get way too many of in sub boxes – mascara & black eyeliner!! I have enough of each to last lifetimes it seems like, and the formula on some doesn’t even seem worth it. I’m a devoted Mac Teknachol liner girl after going through endless liners that would give me raccoon eyes by the end of the night. So all my friends are definitely getting gifted Mascara & black liner amongst other things that don’t swap well on the site!
Doesnt seem like a thirty dollar box to me. Other boxes at that price range (or under- lovely strokes boxycharm) are sending out boxes of large full sized samples, and deluxe sized samples that are actually deluxe sized. But birchbox only sends two small full sized items, and then bam, right back to the barely better then foil packet samples? No thank you! I’ve never seen the value in the ten dollar box, and I don’t see it now. Like, I know people say the real value in birchbox is the point system, but I buy boxes for the boxes, not so I can buy something I thought I liked but couldn’t really tell cause the sample lasted two days. Plus it seems very skincare skewed, and I won’t need those items until I’m like sixty. #blackdontcrack
I can’t seem to find the dirty martini color for the eyeshadow on Birchbox’s site. Was it only for the box?
I contacted Birchbox on thier misleading information about the Marcelle eyeshadow quad. Customer service emailed me back within 1 day to resolve the my issue.
Birchbox team–
Thanks for being in touch. So sorry for any confusion with this!
Your product card and Box History page will always include a list of your samples, tips on how to use them, and the unit size of the full-size version in our Shop.
This month, we wanted to share the Marcelle Eye Shadow Quad your Marcelle Eyeshadow Duo is included in because it’s such a great value — we didn’t want you to miss out!
I can also confirm that the colors in the Dirty Martini duo are two of the color featured in the Jungle Fever Quad.
That being said, I completely understand how this may be confusing and have passed this along to our team to take into consideration for how we represent your samples in the future.
To make up with this confusion, I’ve personally requested another Marcelle Eyeshadow Duo in a different shade – Rockin Rose. This is so you can still try other shades offered by the Marcelle Eye Shadow Quad.
——-
So after all that I still ended up canceling my box upgrade. I will stay with Birchbox because of their outstanding customer service. I don’t abuse thier niceness, but if I am unhappy about my product I make sure to email customer service.
That hand lotion has been around for decades, but it is a great lotion. My sister used to get it for me when she worked at a gift shop that sold Crabtree and Evelyn. It works awesome and I agree that the scent is great. I haven’t had a tube in years so it inspired me to go get some!
They’ve given out mascara almost every single month! How many sets of eyelashes do they think people have?
I know. Thank god this time I didn’t get it though. Lols. I might just die if I get another mascara or hair spray.
For $20 extra I’d rather choose my own products. The upgrades would have been a total miss for me as I dislike Eyeko products and don’t wear powder eyeshadow.
I could buy something I really want at Sephora for $20!
I got this same box.
I’m not happy about mascara again as one of the full size items — nobody has shown any interest in the one I posted LAST month for swap, and even if I had used it myself, I wouldn’t have had enough time to get through it before they sent me this one! Not to mention that I think the month before that some people got mascara then too (thank GOSH I did not).
I am happy that I haven’t had any nail polish as one of the full size items yet so I guess I should be grateful there.
I am on the fence about whether the upgraded version is worth it for me (over three months for the 2 full size items I have gotten mascara twice which are both losers for me BUT I have really liked a couple of the other items; the bronzer from last month is awesome)
I put hand cream on my Sephora list and I was stoked with I saw Crabtree & Evelyn in my box on the site. The smell reminds me of dirt and an herb garden. I love it and cannot get enough of it.
I will receive the same samples with the exception of the Rusk mousse instead of the Coola spray which is fine because I have plenty from POPSUGAR.
Where do you make a sephora list? Is it for their new box? The.
I think she is just saying that the hand cream is on her list to buy the next time she shops at Sephora! I believe you can make a wish list on their website though!
It’s on my shopping list! I’m sorry for the confusion.
I wish we could personalize the new box!!