Birchbox November 2014

This review is for the Birchbox from November 2014. Birchbox is a very popular subscription box. It is $10/month for 4-5 beauty and lifestyle samples, which are personalized based on a quiz you take. They seem to stick to the quiz fairly well, though they do state that even if you "dislike" a particular product, you may still get it once a year or so. The great thing about Birchbox is its reward system. You get 10 points for every item you review from your box, as well as a point for every dollar you spend in the Birchbox shop (which includes the purchase of your actual box). You can also get points for referring friends. Every 100 points you accumulate is $10 toward a purchase from the shop, which contains full-sized items, some of which are exclusive to Birchbox. So, it's a pretty inexpensive way to try out products and then use your rewards towards buying the ones you ended up liking or something else entirely.
I got my Birchbox this month the same day I got my Ipsy bag: the 12th. I guess the theme this month is "Holiday" according to the insert.

Here is the card detailing the items in the box. I will go through the items in the order they are listed on this card.

Here is the box upon opening. My first impression was that it looks pretty packed with stuff, but the extra coconut chips do take up a good amount of space.

The first item is Bain de Terre Color Therapy Styling Oil, which sells for $14 for 1.7 oz of product. The sample is $2.05 for the 0.25 oz. The description boasts paraben-free (what do people have against those parabens anyway?) and alcohol-free (isopropyl alcohol doesn't count?). This doesn't really sound like my kind of product, so I will probably give it away.

Next is the Eslor Firming Collagen Day Cream. The full-sized 1.7 oz really does go for $85 from what I can find, making this sample worth $17. I really like the packaging of this sample; it is very sleek and looks like a legitimate product. The ingredients seem pretty moisturizing, though there are a lot of plant oils, which can easily cause irritation, so I recommend patch testing (as always)! This is one of the few skincare products that I have received in beauty boxes that I would actually try out. I doubt I will like it enough to purchase a full-sized version, but maybe it will give my skin a little boost while I try it out.

The next sample is Folle de Joie eau de parfum. The full-sized perfume goes for $98, which means this little sample is worth $1.96. I do like collecting these little perfume samples because I don't wear perfume except for special occasions, and now I have a good selection to choose from. I can't smell this right now because my allergies are acting up, but as long as it's not too heavy/musky I think I will be happy with it.

This sample is the one that I chose this month. It is Not Soap, Radio Joy Inducing Body Wash. The full size is exclusively sold at Birchbox, and it costs $16. The sample is worth $1.76, and it is a fairly good size - probably enough for 5-10 uses. It can be used as either a bubble bath or a shower gel. Even through my stuffy nose I can smell the sweet lemon-y scent, and I look forward to trying this out and seeing if it induces the joy it promises.

The final sample is theBalm Cindy-Lou Manizer, which I found on Amazon for $17.69. The sample is pretty tiny and worth $1.18. I have never owned any of theBalm products, but their packaging and product names are always so clever and cute. Even this small sample is encased in a magnetic-locking cardboard container with a "mug-shot" design. The shadow/blush/highlighter is a pretty subtle peach color with a bit of shimmer. I swatched it on my arm, but it was pretty much the same color as my skin, so there wasn't much to see besides some shimmer. I think this will work as a good highlighter on my cheekbones and inner corner of my eyes. I am happy to finally own a product from theBalm, even if it is really tiny!

I also received a bonus item in this bag! Birchbox is trying out a new thing that you can opt in or out of to receive extras (usually food/lifestyle items). These bonus items are available for review (extra 10 points!) and can only add to the value of the box. In this box, I got dang Coconut Chips. They are sold on Amazon in "snack sized" bags and "family sized" bags. You can get a 12-pack of the snack bags for $30. My sample is a little smaller than even the snack bag, so it is worth $1.22 based on that pricing. I tried these out and they are pretty tasty. They are a little crunchier than I expected and quite sweet. It's nice that they are so minimal, with only three ingredients. I don't think I would buy these for myself because they are just a touch too sweet, but I enjoyed the sample.

Here is everything all together! The total worth of these samples (as calculated by me) is $25.17, with the majority of that coming from the eslor day cream. Without that, the value is less than the cost. I think this box definitely wowed me less than previous boxes. However, after reviewing these products on the website, I will have $20 worth of points to shop in the Birchbox store. I think I will stick out this subscription a little longer, but I don't see myself committing to it in the long term. There are just too many hair and skin care samples that I don't want to use.