Birchbox Upgraded Beta Box Review – August 2015

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 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 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?

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?

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.