This past Christmas, my brother’s girlfriend received a subscription to Birchbox. With her new subscription, she was able to gift a 3-box subscription to a few people, and she gifted one to both my husband and I. I was ridiculously excited – I’ve always heard of Birchbox, but never really saw what was inside each box. I need a motivator to make me subscribe to a monthly service (hence why I gladly joined Ipsy after hearing so many people talk about it and show off their Glam Bags).

I have to admit. Timm (my husband) and I have each received two boxes. His have been packed with high-end travel-size items, luxury clothing items (including a badass beanie and good quality MAN PANTIES!), and just bits of general fabulousness. Mine, on the other hand, have not been up to par. Not even a little bit.

(Let me stop here and say that I am 150% thankful to my brother’s girlfriend for gifting me these boxes, even if I didn’t love them!)

I’ll go a little deeper now into why I am just so NOT impressed…but why YOU MIGHT BE.

I do have to say that every single box is packaged adorably. A good-quality cardboard box with a fitted lid holds everything together, and it’s all sealed together with tissue paper. You open it up to revel a perfectly arranged set of products.

This was the nicest part of the whole package. It was a travel-sized Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser, complete in a little box with a tiny cloth to use with it. I’ve used it for the last few days, and I do like it. The lotion-esque cream is applied to a dry face, and then wiped off with a wet muslin cloth. The cloth does a fantastic job at exfoliating the skin, and the cream is gentle. I do really dig this, but doubt I’ll be buying the $21.50 full size version.

Next, there were three Ahmad Tea teabags – Jasmine Romance (green), English TEa No. 1 (black), and Peach & Passion Fruit (black). Now, I like tea as much as the next girl, but come on. I don’t consider it to be something I want in a monthly subscription to a beauty box.

There were three sample packs of 100% Pure Pink Grapefruit Nourishing Body Cream. They’re supposedly 100% natural, and 100% vegan, if that’s your bag. In testing this, the smell was very tart and very citrusy. I actually enjoyed it, but I could see where it would be too much for some people. It sank right into my hands without feeling greasy, even if they did leave my hands a bit shiny. It wasn’t as thick as I would usually think something called “body cream” would be, but it’s still a decent product.

Also included was a travel-size bottle of Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave In Conditioner. I admit that I have yet to try this, as I don’t usually use leave-in conditioners, but I will give it a shot.

Finally, there was a teeny weeny bottle of Ruby Wing Color Changing Nail Polish in Kitten Heels. It’s one of those colors that’s supposed to be one color indoors and another outdoors. In the bottle, it reads as holy shit florescent neon pink. When swatched, it’s a solid bright pink that borders on raspberry.

Taken outdoors, the color turns a bit more on the orange side, but it’s not a drastic enough change to notice, in my opinion.

Still, it’s cute.

Here is my main gripe with this box:
I am a self-confessed beauty addict. I know about more indie and small makeup brands than any person should. I get way too excited when I get my hands on a limited-edition product. I am thinking THAT is why I’m unimpressed with this box. Have I heard of any of these brands? No. Does that matter? NO. What matters is that I don’t feel like this box is even worth $10 to me. Little tiny samples & a few travel sized items are worth maybe $5 max.

With that being said, if you are not a beauty ADDICT, and you just really like feeling special once a month with a little gift and pampering yourself once a month, Birchbox could be a fun addition to your month. However, if you consider yourself to be more of a beauty connoisseur, I strongly suggest you try Ipsy instead. The cost is the same ($10/month) and the products are larger and more high-end.

Are you subscribed to either Birchbox or Ipsy? What are your opinions on the boxes?