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Birchbox Curated Box Review + Coupon – January 2018
Birchbox
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. This review is of the curated box.
FYI – you can still buy this box for $10. (Or $15 if you aren’t a Birchbox subscriber.)
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 (get one month free and $10 to spend in the shop with an annual subscription!)
DEAL: Check our Birchbox Coupon List to get the most up-to-date coupon!
The Products: Beauty and lifestyle samples selected by the Birchbox team.
Ships to: US, France, Spain and the UK
Check out all of my Birchbox reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!
Each box comes with a card detailing the items included and some tips on how to use them.
Now on to the items!
Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Radiance Primer – .25 oz Value $9.75
This primer is designed to give your skin a dewy finish and a soft and subtle glow. I need a full-coverage foundation, so the perks of this primer are mostly lost on me, but it did deliver on creating a good base for me to apply makeup on. It’s not something I would buy in full-size since any type of primer will do for me, but I’ll use the full sample.
Here it is swatched (not blended out) just to give you an idea of the color:
Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Conditioner – 15 ml Value $5.29
Oribe is a luxe hair treat for me – I don’t often buy it because it is SO pricey, but I love whenever it shows up in a subscription box! And I appreciate that Birchbox sent us both the conditioner and the shampoo:
Oribe Gold Lust Repair & Restore Shampoo – 15 ml Value $5
I’m obsessed with the scents of this set, and I rarely notice any difference between shampoos and conditioners but I think I could tell that this shampoo and conditioner made my hair a little softer and shinier.
Clark’s Botanicals Age Defying Radiance Cream – 15 ml? Estimated Value $35
(The sizing isn’t listed on this product, but I’m estimating it’s about half an ounce.)
This skin cream is designed to brighten skin, even out tone, and stimulate the production of collagen to hide fine lines. I love everything about this formula! It smells fab, it’s free of parabens and sulfates, and it absorbs quickly and made my skin feel instantly smoother.
Laura Geller New York Fortifying Lashes Eyelash Primer – FULL SIZE! Retail value $22
Confession – I didn’t read the card or the tube before applying this – I totally thought it was mascara! (In my defense, it goes on black – most lash primers are white.)
This las primer provides excellent lash separation and decent volume and length, too. I followed this with my go-to tarte mascara, and the results were the best length + volume I’ve ever achieved with mascara. I’m officially hooked on this primer!
(Also major props to Birchbox for sending out the full-size version!)
Verdict: This box has a value of about $77.04 – that’s amazing for a $10 beauty box! In general, the curated boxes from Birchbox tend to have a great value, so if that’s important to you, I recommend picking those each month! I think this is one of my favorite Birchbox boxes of all time, too. I was planning on buying more of the Lash Primer immediately, and then I realized I should just buy more of this curated box so I can get everything for $10 instead of paying $22 for the primer alone! I definitely recommend grabbing one of these boxes!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, this box is available for a one-time purchase! And if you subscribe to Birchbox now, your first box will be the February box. (Tip: Check the image on the sign-up page. The box design pictured is the first month you’ll receive.) You can’t pick the curated box as your first box, but you’ll be able to pick it every month moving forward.
COUPON: Use code FIRST15 to save 15% off your first Birchbox purchase and get free shipping on $50+ orders! (Not valid for subscriptions).
Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:
- Smashbox Primer: $1.27
- Oribe Conditioner: $.68
- Oribe Shampoo: $.64
- Clark’s Botanicals: $4.54
- Lash Primer: $2.85
What do you think of the January Birchbox? Did you pick a curated box or a sample?
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 just... read more.
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!
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!
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12 comments
michele
I loved this box too. Only I have mixed feelings about the Clarks Botanicals. I love that it is a peachy color, I love how it feels, but for me, the smell is odd. I can’t even quite describe it, but it’s not floral, or spicy, just weird. I love the primer though. I like really light coverage so I’ve used it in place of my RMS foundation and I like the little bit of warm glow.
SandySue
This is a great box. I am looking forward to everything!
Tammy Haley
after points, got it for $1.70–i was offered points instead of boxes, two months in a row, now…i like that option–hope they keep it up!
Redhed36
I chose the curated box and I have tried the shampoo, conditioner, and primer. Still testing out the shampoo and conditioner, but do not like the primer. First when I seen primer I assumed white, but it’s black. I use brown mascara so this is darker than I would prefer. It’s also extremely thick. I have to scrape a lot of the mascara off on the top of the tube before I can use or it clumps horribly. The most annoying is it makes a huge mess primarily because I have to wipe so much of it off on the opening of the tube when I go to twist the lid (close it) it mushes out the sides (I have never had a mascara do that). Not sure how to accurately describe it… I cannot say with certainty that it’s the primers fault, but my eyelashes broke off after I started using it. A clump of eyelashes on the right side of my right eye were broke in half, so I know it wasn’t knew eyelashes plus there was an obvious gap. I remove my makeup every night before bed especially my mascara for this reason. The only thing I can think of is since it’s primer it’s harder to get off and maybe there was some left over and since I am mainly a right side sleeper they broke. So take extra care to make sure you get all of it off before you go to bed especially if you are a side or stomach sleeper.
Teri
Love this box! I bought several boxes for the Clark’s Botanicals cream alone, and wound up liking everything else. I wear the lash primer by itself (not underneath mascara) and think it looks great!
Luna
Liz, I’m so happy you mentioned that the Laura Gellar was a lash primer! I think I assumed it was a mascara too, and I’m pretty sure I put it with my other mascaras. Also, I recently went through my shampoo sample stash, and realized I had quite a bit of samples of that exact Oribe shampoo, so I decided to use those next, but after reading your review I’m pretty sure that I also inadvertently put the conditioner in that shampoo pile. Looks like I gotta re-allocate a couple of my products into their appropriate stashes. 🙂
TK
I’m not a subscriber anymore but still an ACE so I get free shipping. I just bought 3 of these boxes for gifts. Also got a nice GWP and used $13 in points so pretty good deal. Thanks for the great review!!
J
Do you pay for shipping if you buy this one-time box for $15 and you are not a member?
Luna
Yes, you’ll have to pay for shipping. I’m a current subscriber, but am no longer Ace on the account I’m subscribed on, and I decided to pick up February’s curated box, separately from my monthly box that I did a sample choice pick on, and I had to pay shipping.
J
Do you pay for shipping if you do the one-time purchase and are not a member?
Margie Moore-Cooper
I really like this version of the box. What do I have to put in my profile to get this one?
Liz Cadman
This is the curated box – it was available to anyone who picked it in January. Hope that helps!
