Birchbox January 2017 Review

Like so many other people, I hopped on the beauty box bandwagon—but for a good reason. I’ve never been the type to work with makeup extensively—at least not until I reached 23 and I realized it was time to ditch the Maybelline Define-A-Line that smudged after a few hours of being at work. I needed something better and higher quality. So last year, I decided to join Birchbox and Ipsy at the same time. I had planned to drop whichever was worse, but nearly a year later I’m still in love with both services.

Birchbox is a fantastic choice for both veteran beauty gurus and beginners because they send a variety of products for only $10 a month. When you join, Birchbox asks several questions related to your style, hair and skin type, and beauty regimen. All of these questions have the goal of sending you samples that are specialized to what you need in your life. Someone with blonde hair won’t need dry shampoo specifically designed for brunettes, you know?

Plus, Birchbox asks your income so you can get samples from brands you can afford—because maybe someone who makes under $30,000 per year may not want to spend $200 on a facial mask.

Anyone can see how it’s affordable and ideal for any level of beauty knowledge, but is it worth it? Even though it’s highly customized, we’re going to take a look at what I got in my box to figure out if it’s really worth the cost. Remember, you may not get these exact products because our profiles could be vastly different.

The Service

In general, I love Birchbox’s service. The box bills at the start of the month and I receive an email that tells me when my box will be delivered. I’ve been a Birchbox subscriber since May 2016, and my box has never arrived later than the 15th.

The customer service is excellent, especially if your box gets damaged during the shipping process. One month, a compressed bronzer busted, and I contacted Birchbox. They sent me a whole new box rather than just the single product, so I got double the samples! I was more than happy.

The Products

The theme for the January 2017 box was “Your Greatest Self,” and it was products that were chosen to “make you feel like the greatest version of your (already great) self.” The items included were:

• Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner: $10.29 value ($18 for full-size)
• ModelCo Lip Lacquer: $12 value ($24 for full-size)
• Living proof.® Perfect hair Day™(PhD) Dry Shampoo: $11 value ($22 for full-size)
• ARROW ENDURE Water-Resistant Mascara: $9 value ($20 for full-size)
• Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic To-Go: $0.54 value ($18 for full-size)

I can say that compared to past boxes, I’m not as happy with this one. There were some definite hits and misses. First of all, I want to talk about the misses. Maybe I just have bad luck with dry shampoos, but Living proof’s dry shampoo wasn’t what I thought it would be. It seemed like a texturizing spray over a dry shampoo and did little to combat second-day hair. It smelled wonderful and would probably be great later in the evening on a day you’ve washed your hair and just want some extra volume.

Second, I didn’t fall in love with ModelCo’s lip lacquer. I received the Crème Brulee, which was nude on me. I’d received Casablanca in another box previously and loved it—although I have the complaint that it’s sticky like lip gloss.

I fell in love with the Pixi Glow Tonic. I used one pad, and it made my skin feel smooth and fantastic. The Eyeko liner was also great. It’s a pretty high-quality liner that makes your wings precise without much effort. The mascara was also alright, although I tend to stay away from waterproof.

In most of my Birchboxes in the past, I’ve received a lot of mascaras, which could seem aggravating, but it’s great for me. I’m sure you’ve heard that you should throw away your mascara after three months, but no one wants to do that after spending $20 on a product. With Birchbox, you get a high-quality mascara with a fine, detailed brush that catches every lash, and lasts around three months.

Birchbox January 2017 Box Value: $42.83

Overall, you can see how you get your money back in products. The total value of this box is approximately $42.83. At least, that’s the amount of money each sample is worth. You may not like every product that comes in the box, but Birchbox works to customize every sample to your profile. When you get your samples, you can review each one to let the company know how much you like the products to avoid getting the same stuff month after month.

Reviewing also gives you an additional benefit: for every 100 points you earn for reviewing a product, you get $10 off in the Birchbox store. The points expire a year from the date you accumulated them, meaning if you reviewed every product from the January 2017, the points would expire in January 2018. You also earn points when you purchase goods and/or refer a friend, so it’s pretty easy to accumulate $20 or more to spend in the store on a product you absolutely loved from your sample box.

Even though some of the products were a hit and miss, I’d have to say that it’s a good value. Nowadays, $10 doesn’t go very far. In fact, you can’t even order two Starbucks lattes for that price, but with Birchbox, you can get quality products to try and purchase down the line. It also saves money when you get a product you’ve wanted to try, but just didn’t live up to the expectation. Birchbox is definitely a winner.

Sign up for Birchbox here!