What Box Got You Hooked on Subscription Boxes?
I’m so excited to hear your answers to this question: What box got you hooked on subscription boxes?
For me, I first got addicted to subscription boxes with Birchbox is 2011. In one box I got a Laura Geller full sized blush as one of my samples and couldn’t believe it! A $28 item as one of my 5 samples in a $10 box?! More of this, please!
After that box, I created a second Birchbox account so I could get two boxes each month. (Birchboxes have always varied in samples subscribers could receive, and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the exact same box in a month.)
And it was the amazingness of the September 2012 POPSUGAR Must Have Box that made me start telling all my friends and family that they needed to subscribe to boxes ASAP! (I’m sure me adding, “You know what, there’s a perfect subscription box for you.” in just about any conversation got a little annoying at times!)
What was the box that got you excited about subscription boxes?
Written by Liz Cadman
A few years back my daughter bought me a three month subscription to Birchbox for my birthday. My son fondly refers to that as my “Gateway Box”.
I got bark boxes for our pug Tater about 5 years ago. Then 2 years ago I started getting style boxes and julep and then I discovered this site…. Now I get about a dozen different boxes. Funny thing my hubby calls them bark boxes for people. ?
My first was Pop Sugar way back & I don’t think it disappoints. You, My Subscription Addiction, were the reason I got hooked on the others: FitFabFun, Zoe, Ipsy, Birchbox, Allure, Target & Wal Mart! Maybe that’s a little too much!!!
Fun thread!
I first heard about subscription boxes when a couple of people blogged about them (one had a food box, since discontinued, another loved birchbox). Then I found the MSA site and decided to get a PopSugar box for my maid of honor as a thank you. And got one for me as well.. and have ever since. I tried some Quarterly subscriptions – Hitha, Arriana, and Bianca but have dropped them all (maybe I’ll add Bianca back if her next box looks good – too many free samples in the last one). I’ve also become obsessed with Bespoke. I’d love to add one of the fitness boxes but I’m getting ready to move so I need to not let more stuff into my home!
I am not super into beauty boxes which are most prevalent, but I just got my first Beautycon box and I loved it! Actually the swap is what made it totally worth it because the items I wasn’t as excited about were snatched up on the swap almost immediately! I have been contemplating Stitch Fix, but wondering if I am too picky for it haha
I think my first was the Graze snack boxes! I didn’t like it too much as I didn’t know they would of sent it out weekly (this is before I changed it to monthly) but I loved getting mail that was not bill related or an ad. Then I came to this site and and took advantage of the almost free list and man, did I tried everything! Some I thought were ok, some I loved but couldn’t afford to keep it going and a very few I kept. I made a list of the tried and gone and the winners of my list:
Currently subscribed:
Barkbox
Loot Crate Firefly
EC Boombox
Landfall Freight
Love with food – I purchased 3 months worth but may cancel after it is over. Just not a fan of the snacks they offered.
Was subscribed and might resume later on given the theme/items is right:
Loot Crate
Nerdblock
1 UP box
OwlCrate
Try the World – I loved how beautiful this box was. The country was Spain and while the food was not all a fav, I still loved it and wish I kept going to get the Thailand one since it is my parent’s home country
Horrorblock
Tried and didn’t like or care for or it was a one time purchase:
Bulu box
Graze – I subscribed and resubscribed so many times and realized that with me eating $12-$25 worth of snacks in one day is not worth it for me lol
Urthbox – I don’t remember what was in it
Kitnip box – not that I didn’t care for it but I don’t have a cat and bought it for my parent’s cats. It was kind of pricey for little they had but then again, I don’t know what the average price is for a cat toy
PawPack – Loved that they offered more organic and artisan items but it is the pricier box for my dog (close to $40) and she seems to love the toys in BarkBox a lot more than Pawpack
Boxychan – my first nerdish mystery box and I hated it! It was a fantasy themed and the items were just junk. With the price I paid for, could of just gotten nerdblock instead
Columbia House Music in the 80s was my first, but for this particular addiction, I started with Birchbox at the end of 2010. Tried Beauty Army, MyGlam (Ipsy), hated it, and then kicked into high gear as sat in front of my computer one June morning in 2012. refreshing and refreshing for my invitation to Glossy Box. I was subscriber 80, and still roll my eyes at people complaining about how much it has gone down since I was there for the days when we got expired L’Oreal lipstick.
And then I subbed to the very first PS, and think I still have things I could not use laying around my house….
You can see the beginnings of my downfall on Makeup Talk in old threads, same user name 😉
PopSugar was the beginning of my sub box frenzy a few years ago. I heard about it from “the other Jen”‘s blog The Polishaholic.
I loved it! Then I found Ipsy, followed closely by BirchBox. Then I discovered the MSA blog and that’s when I really got in trouble. So many more boxes available than I ever knew. (Side note: I’m shocked how many women have never heard of subscription boxes!)
I don’t know the order but soon I was getting GlossyBox, Sample Society (now Allure), LuxorBox, BeautyFix, LeMatchbox, BoxyCharm, Julep, FabFitFun, HappyMail, WalMart, and my new favorite PinkSeoul.
I’ve actually considered cancelling a few boxes since I receive way more stuff than I can use. But I swear every time I cancel a box the next month’s box is the best one they’ve ever sent. So I never cancel. Too much angst. Lol!
I started with Graze in late 2014, but that only lasted a couple months. It was Target Beauty Boxes that really got me hooked in Spring 2015, then I signed up for Walmart Beauty Box in Summer 2015, then Birchbox with their awesome Black Friday deal, and just signed up for Ipsy this month! I think I have 4 boxes coming this month, plus an additional purchase of the curated BB this month!
My first was actually Barkbox last year. My dog loved it and I was starting to get jealous that he had a fun box in the mail every month and all I got was bills lol. Then I found Birchbox and then MSA and oh lord it’s just gotten out of control from there. I subscribe to BeautyCon, FabFitFun, Walmart, Ipsy, Graze, Love with Food, Glowing Beets, BeautyFIX, Bulu and Allure. I think that’s all of them….who knows at this point. I love that I hardly ever have to buy makeup and I can try things I would never spend the money on otherwise. My favorites are Allure, FabFitFun and BeautyFIX right now. It’s so easy to get addicted and I love the reviews on here to find out about new ones.
My very first sub was Citrus Lane for my son. :). Then it took off! In the past I have received birchbox, ipsy, kiwi crate, glossybox, fitfabfun, love with food, surprise ride, OwlCrate, some special edition boxes, target and Walmart. :). As of right now I receive uppercase, bookish box (ending in May thought), CauseBox and fortune cookie soap box. :). I know there are many more that I have received in the past and I just can’t remember right now…. Lol.
I found a groupon for Little Lace box last September. I googled it and found this site. The rest is history as I now subscribe to 10 – 12 boxes. More if you count Target which I don’t because you must purchase it when it becomes available. I also have subbed some one off with specials posted on your site like the Gentlemen’s Box offer from last month.
I now look for new subs that fit my needs and have found a few to send to my daughter at college.
Not all my finds have lived up to my hopes and I have cancelled a few but I have created my own swap center with neighbors and friends I have turned on to subbing
My first sub was Julep, we had a nail salon close by and that’s how I learned about the maven program. Then I had been getting PopSugar emails for a while and Discovered my first box January 2015 and was instantly hooked (especially once the February 2015 box came!!). Since then Ive tried Ipsy and Birchbox (since cancelled both due to too many pruducts, tempted to try GlossyBox though). I’ve also done one luxor and one Box of Style box so far, signed up for the newest Nina Garcia box (any updates on when that will ship?). PopSugar mini, Bespoke Post, Fabletics, AdoreMe… the list goes on I’m sure!! I love way too many boxes to choose just one. Usually I watch spoilers and cancel/resub as I see things that call my name. (which sometimes is too often). I almost got pulled into Golden Tote this month but held off.
Recently I’ve found a new one called ButcherBox which is a subscription box for Grass-Fed meats. I think once I move out (getting married in August!) I will try this one out.
Wow, so many people do the beauty boxes. (Massive tomboy here so NO beauty boxes) Barkbox did it for me. At one point I was getting 4 different pet boxes (Petflow, Barkbox, Dr, Ds, Bugsys Box, Pawalla, Purrpacks) . LOVE THEM. I love doing my reviews on my youtube channel.
Right now I’d love to get the PetTreater box, but money is tight. 🙁 Someday….
Julep and their dang free first month deal! It was all downhill (uphill?) from there!
Anytime I see a free first month or BOGO or any amazing offer like that on a box I think I’d like i’m such a sucker I have to sign up for it!
I’d heard of ipsy and other boxes from beauty gurus, but was never that interested.
Then I saw a print ad for Allure’s Sample Society last year, and decided to give it a try.
Before my first box arrived, I started to search online for other boxes and found an ‘addicting’ but cool site that listed like a billion sub boxes, did tons of reviews, and was updated all the time. If I saw something on their ‘subscription box list’ that I wanted more info on, it was a safe bet that they had at least one review for it on their site. Hmmm, what was the name of that site?…I think it was something like ‘subscriptions addictions’, or something like that. Anyway, thanks to all the helpful info on the site and crazy, mad updates all the time, I’ve now got 10 boxes coming to my house every month. That site – It may be called MSA or something like that – has become my sub box bible, and my bank account now follows their teachings!
LOL! Seriously Liz, I love your site way too much! Thanks for everything you do. It’s great not to have to search a million different places to get info, reviews & updates on these boxes. So yeah, Allure got me started, but MSA keeps me going. 🙂
I got hooked on subscription boxes with Ipsy. Back in October of last year I was thinking wouldn’t it be nice to receive beauty samples in the mail for a low price, then got to googling it and found MSA!
I first subscribed to Ipsy from this site and then Birchbox, Glossybox, and FFF, in addition to every Target box since then. The first two months after I discovered this wonderful site I spent a lot of time reading all the reviews and comments from past boxes as I could, it was great fun! I also got glimpses of Liz’s adorable personality and that made me love MSA even more. I am in the lower end of the income spectrum, wish I could get Popsugar, Rachel Zoe, Luxor, etc. so for now I live them vicariously through the reviews and comments on here. I can honestly say that stumbling onto MSA was one of the best things that happened to me in 2015. Long live MSA! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Birchbox – I’ve been subscribing since the near beginning after my Dad read about them in one of his tech magazines. I also got that Laura Gellar blush – hooked me for good with that one!!!
The first subscription box that got me hooked was Ipsy Glam Bags. I love getting stuff in the mail. I am at a point in my life from getting over a long illness and I am ready to get back into life. However, I look in the mirror and I still look sick with dark circles under my eyes and such. Ipsy gave me the tools I needed to get back into the world.
The second month I added Birchbox to my subscriptions. Now I have eight subscriptions each month!
Early on I found http://www.mysubscriptionaddiction.com and all the wonderful emails I look forward to. They are full of great information about upcoming boxes, sneak peeks and new subscription boxes. Thank you……
Ipsy was my first subscription and I joined this past October. I honestly thought I was just signing up for a month or two and then would cancel because I don’t even wear makeup daily. I really enjoyed getting more than just makeup and trying new things, so I stuck with it and added on some more 🙂 Now I’m subscribed to Ipsy, Walmart (both Trendsetter and Classic), Beauty Box 5, Allure Beauty Box, Peaches and Petals, Kup Club, Julep Maven, and Lip Monthly (which I am in the process of cancelling..) but I also get the Target beauty boxes each month. It’s like Christmas every month!! I am addicted and will eventually try them all.. XOXOXO
Like so many others, Birchbox got me started. I also currently have Ipsy, Popsugar, Rachel Zoe Box of Style, Fab Fit Fun, StitchFix, Rocksbox, Sephora Play! Julep (although I skip frequently), Honest Company. I just signed up for Pop Sugar Mini. These are cancelled but I have had at one point or another: GlossyBox, BeautyFix, Boxycharm, Beautycon BFF, Allure, The Match Up, Blue Apron. I can’t remember how I found this site, but am so happy I did. What a great community and concept. The camaraderie this space allows has been so wonderful. It is such a positive experience. Swapping has been so fun! xoxoxo
That September 2012 PopSugar box was my first also, and it has become the box I compare all other boxes to. My mind was just blown when I opened it, so glad I got to start on such a high note! I still love (and wear) that Brokedown scarf.
That is the ultimate box to start with!! I still wear my Brokedown scarf, too!
It was Jan 5, 2016… I finally had time to look at Facebook after the holidays. Several of my friends had posted about Ipsy and I thought, “What on earth is Ipsy?” I did an Ispy review search and it took me directly to MSA. After reading on MSA for several hours, I decided to sign up for Birchbox instead of Ipsy. I also signed up for WalMart (it’s cheap) and BoxyCharm (great reviews) that same day. Now, three months later and I’m also subscribed/addicted to Target, Allure, PopSugar, FabFitFun, Dollar Shave Club, Beauty Fix, BOTM and Serendipity. And I’ve still not signed up for Ipsy… LOL
Many years ago there was Cosmetique, which my mother loved and which ca used me much envy. Fast forward to just a few years ago and the simultaneous discoveries of New Beauty Test Tube, Birchbox, Ipsy, BeautyBox5, and Eco-Emi (RIP). Was up to about 15 subscription boxes at any given time but have scaled back while branching out from beauty boxes. Current loves are Goodbeing, Crazy CatLady, Try the World, and Stitch Fix. The Luxor box is on my coveted list.
I did not realize Eco-Emi was gone!
Wow. I had cosmetique pre internet.
The Very Busy Box was my first, from Blair Turner Paper. When it ended I tried to fill the void with beauty boxes. First Ipsy and Birchbox, then Beauty Fix and Allure. I got rid of Ipsy right away and it seems Birchbox will be next to go, but I can’t ever see not getting Beauty Fix and Allure.
Ipsy was my first box. It was a February box 2 years ago, and I got all of the samples that I didn’t want lol
It started with reading an article about Birchbox when they were first launched. Then came Eco emi, conscious box, popsugar, and ipsy. I don’t have Eco emi or conscious box anymore. I am on a break with popsugar because of their horrible customer service. I am waiting for them to get it together. I have tried ther along the way but, they are never as great as Birchbox.
i started with birchbox feb 2015 and i was looking up reviews for it when i came across this site and ended up getting ipsy the next month,, seen that it had a waiting list so i sent them an email to cancel it and was automatically taken off the wait list then the same month started another birchbox… and started getting the target box which i think might be my fave.. but i hate how you have to stalk them each month though.. and then the walmart box which i ended up getting 2 of them and was getting ready to cancel til they stepped it up this month … then last month i cancelled one of my birchboxes for an allure boxwhich i’m still excitedly waiting on …. now all i have to do is manage to get one of the allure beauty thrills box each time it comes out and i’ll have it made but i keep missing that one :(…. but i love this site and plan on getting a couple of the other ones..this is the best site that i have found for honesty and i love how you have everything set up..
I learned about Birchbox and Ipsy from my sister and I signed up for both at the same time. I didn’t like the wait list from Ipsy so I cancelled it, but I stuck with Birchbox. It’s so worth $10 a month. I have sampled a lot of great products and they have the best points system. I found My Subscription Addiction a few months into subscribing with Birchbox. I love reading all the reviews. I had no idea there were so many subscription boxes available. There is really something for everyone. I recently signed up for Love With Food and am anxiously awaiting my first box. I also have my eye on Golden Tote and Hamptons Lane.
About a year ago I decided to start wearing make-up again after about a 30-year hiatus. Instead of wandering the make-up aisles and spending thousands of dollars on products that may or may not work, I figured subscription boxes were the way to go. My daughters both subscribed to BB, so i started there. I Googled “subscription boxes” and MSA popped up. I spent the better part of a weekend going through MSA reviews and signing up for those boxes that looked interesting (currently subscribe to about 30 or so, including several quarterly ones, make-up and skin care, lifestyle, Graze, and Bark Box). I keep a spreadsheet of what I subscribe to, with my own rating system, and rotate in and out of ones that no longer fit my needs.
After spending years basically ignoring myself, it feels great to indulge!
Mine was Cairn subscription box for outdoor/hiking/etc. Liked it so much I branched out to Loot Crate then Pop Sugar Must Haves and then I was hooked. I’m up to 15 boxes right now. I managed to cancel 4 but then found 3 others I wanted to try so not much of an improvement there. But I rarely have to buy gifts throughout the year because whatever I’m not using from the boxes can almost always be gifted to someone who will love it. That’s how I justify my addiction 🙂
Never heard of sub boxes until a relative starting working at pop sugar. Sooo that was my first and most exciting box. I still get pop sugar, birchbox and Rachel Zoe. 3 is plenty for my budget. I love this site, would love to be surprised one time but I get so excited to see the spoilers!!! Liz you do a fair and exact evaluation in your reviews which I trust. The swap site has made it nice to swap items with others so I feel it is a great deal. Thanks Liz!
Thanks so much, Kim – that means a lot to me 🙂
Ipsy was my gateway subscription, Nov 2014. March 2015 I received my first Birchbox. I wasn’t really blown away by either. They were fun to receive but the quality and quantity/size became a huge bummer every month so I have cancelled both. Last August when I received the invite to sign up for Sephora’s Play! box it was a clear no brainer, I immediately signed up. I now have Allure, Love with Food, Sephora Play!, Target Beauty Boxes, and my brother recently gifted me a Firefly Cargo Crate sub(I was so friggin excited!!) MSA really helped when I was first doing research and because of MSA I have a long wishlist of boxes I would love to try.
Oh definitely Birchbox for me… in 2012! I dabbled with Ellie, Ipsy, Lola, Honest Co, and a few others… but now I’m sticking with BB, PSMH, and Fabletics!
My first box was NEW BEAUTY. I had seen the ad in the magazine & resisted at first b/c I thought it was more geared towards women, but who cares. I’m a man & I love beauty subscription boxes! I get that Christmas morning feeling every time I get one. After NEW BEAUTY came GLOSSYBOX, BIRCHBOX, BIRCHBOX MAN, IPSY, BEAUTYFIX, BEAUTYDNA, ALLURE, TARGET, WALMART, POPSUGAR, & TOTAL BEAUTY. Not all at the same time. I’m not crazy. Just ADDICTED!!
I’m a woman and always liked Birchbox Man better than plain Birchbox.
Pop Sugar Must Have Box and Plated were the first subscription boxes I tried out in 2014. (with a coupon code of course). I was hooked and obsessed with finding a subscription box that could meet anyone’s needs. That Christmas I found tons of coupon deals and was able to get a subscription box for nearly every member of my family! Boy were they excited 🙂
I do feel like I have been a bit spoiled with pop sugar in that other boxes just don’t seem to give you the same kind of bang for your buck. Since money is now tight I have to be very selective with what boxes I get and I always try to make sure I’m getting a discount.
I love trying new boxes, but I really hate when the company makes it difficult to cancel your subscription service by forcing you to call them instead of being able to do it online. I have a bit of a phobia about talking on the phone, so before I sign up for a box I usually try to check how you can cancel first.
Happy unboxing fellow addicts!
I had Birchbox for awhile but it wasn’t a great fit for me. What really got me hooked was a FitFabFun box a friend sent when I was on maternity leave.
My Daughter and I tried Popsugar and FabFitFun first and we were forever hooked. We now have Rachel Zoe, barkbox, birchbox, julep, and ispy. We love them all.
It started with ipsy (my friend had posted about it on FB). Then, I found your blog and have been broke ever since! LOL I have done birchbox, ipsy, glossybox, boxycharm, sephora play, marvel collector corps, loot crate, hero box, smuggler’s cove, collectiblegeek, graze, love with food, honest, kiwi crate, and allure. My faves and the only ones I’ve kept were ipsy, glossybox, play, honest, and allure. The rest I sub periodically when I see spoilers on here that I like. Overall it’s been fun, but I’ve become a product snob because I’ve become so spoiled!
Barkbox…then Birchbox sub was a gift from my son that started it all (I buy all their curated boxes as well)…along with MSA!! Now Allure ; Walmart; Target; PSMH + the new mini; LLB + Serendipity when avail.; Ipsy; Phone Case of the Month; Happy Mail; Wink (pricey for what you get but LOVE it). Thinking about FabFitFun next. I especially like subs that take payments for a length of time up front so no surprises each month when I balance my checking account! My husband just rolls his eyes…. 😉
Stitch Fix!
I heard about ipsy and birchbox at the same time and signed up for both. I told myself I’d never spend $20 of $30 a month on some of these other boxes. Ha! 14 months later I’m a total addict and I think I get around 12 boxes a month. Boxycharm and allure are my fave right now. But i love bb points!
My subscription addiction began with the TOM box. Then I started getting Ipsy, followed by Birchbox. Then I discovered the Target Beauty Boxes and the seasonal Wal-Mart Beauty boxes. Then came Boxy Charm. Somewhere along the lines, I subscribed to Lip Monthly, and I just subscribed to Allure last month. The only one I’ve cancelled is TOM box. I’m seriously considering cancelling Lip Monthly, Ipsy, and Birchbox in the near future.
Oh, I forgot about Julep! I only had it for a few months.
Mine was the February 2014 Glossybox that was in a cool Love box. My co-worker got it and it had the cutest royal apothic lip gloss in it and this foam body wash. That’s when I learned about subscription boxes . I quickly signed up for both glossybox and birchbox. Then after dicovering this site and seeing how many more boxes there were there was no going back. I added Boxycharm, ipsy and Allure soon after. I’ve since ended Allure and added the smugglers bounty box and Pop Sugar Must have.
I can’t remember where I first read about Ipsy – some beauty article online… so I searched “Ipsy reviews” and then saw references to Birchbox. So then I searched “Ipsy vs. Birhcbox” and soon found MSA – the most comprehensive site about all things related to sub boxes!
This was in January of 2015 then I got my first Ipsy in February, my first Birchbox in March… I’ve tried many Beauty (& a few food) boxes (Glossybox, BeautyFix, BoxyCharm, Petit Vour, Target, Wal-Mart, Beauty Joy, Play! by Sephora…) and been hooked ever since. Damn you Liz!!
On another thread, there was an Emily who talked about having a sub box spreadsheet – yes, I have one. It’s details all the boxes I’ve tried and what months I received them. Some boxes I only tried once (often with a discount!) and others I’ve gotten every month for a year + (Birchbox! At one point, I had 3 subs… well, one was for my mom.)
I’ve cut back quite a bit and generally avoid LE boxes but we’ll see how my addiction evolves in a few months. 🙂
For me, it started when my husband got me a Birchbox subscription as one of my gifts for Christmas 2014. I loved it so much and started looking at more, so he got me a Glossybox subscription for Valentine’s Day. Then, I signed up for Boxycharm. Since then, I’ve added Ipsy, Julep, PopSugar Must Have, and FabFitFun. I just added Lip Love and the PopSugar Mini, so I haven’t gotten those yet.
At one point, I had BeautyFix and Allure, but canceled those. I may go back someday, though.
Go back to Allure. It’s SO much better now. I cancelled in November I think and re-subbed in January. It’s one of my favorite now.
I started small with the Walmart Beauty Box – then I found Ipsy in Dec 2014. Ipsy led me to Glossybox. When I found FabFitFun I decided to just keep the seasonal subs. BUT THEN, I found MSA and was introduced to the Target boxes and more!!! It’s like Christmas every month waiting to see what is going to come in the mail 🙂
I started with Birchbox in 2013 and I loved it so much that I had to subscribe to more beauty boxes! I usually get the Target Beauty Box and I am subscribed to the Walmart Beauty Box and ELF Play Beautifully Box. I’ve also tried Ipsy and Petit Vour in the past.
The first subscription box I tried was Beauty Box 5 about 2 years ago. They had a promotion where the first box was $5 I think? About the same time, I signed up for the free introductory Julep box. I ended up cancelling Julep because it was too expensive but I stuck with BB5 for about 6 months. I tried Wantable’s Makeup box for 2 months (also too expensive) and Wantable’s Intimates box for about 3 months (not thrilled with the items). For the last 18 months or so, I’ve been a faithful Birchbox and Ipsy subscriber and I look forward to them every month. I love the surprise of it all! Not really knowing for sure what was going to be in the box is my favorite thing about it.
Ok, I’m alot older than you all but I started with Columbia records (who didn’t back then), there was a cosmetic box monthly that I can’t recall the name that was big in the 70’s, fast forward to the new boxes. It started with the allure beauty thrills. The biggest,baddest box ever. I’m now addicted-birchbox,allure,ipsy ,target,pet gift box for my dog and cats and I just tried walmart. Thank you MSA!
One of the old boxes was World of Beauty. There was another too. I belonged to them and Columbia records. This time Ipsy got me hooked, then Birchbox. Now several more. Allure, Fab fit fun, target, Wal-Mart, beauty box 5, and more, thanks to my subscription addiction. I think I have 8. But Ipsy is my first and favorite.
Geesh! I forgot about World of Beauty! OMG, lol!! 🙂
Thankyou, the company was cosmetique! I would have driven myself crazy trying to remember.
I know. I just found it was Cosmetique while reading these comments. I’m glad we both know now. Those first two boxes were awesome while I was working. I only cancelled them because we were shipped to Okinawa.
This made me remember…heck, my first sub wasn’t Birchbox. The earliest one was for me personally was a music subscription that sent out classical music and you would randomly get a couple of CDs and some pages with music facts that you were to put in an album). Everything was color coded and numbered so eventually you would have a completed collection when done.
But even before that in the mid nineties I had a subscription for my daughter that sent out pages about wildlife and in the end (same as the music concept) you would have an encyclopedia of information about wild animals.