December is always an exciting month for subscription boxes. The packages tend to be more festive and they’re just plain fun to open. The December Birchbox was no exception.
If you’re new to Birchbox, it’s basically a monthly subscription box that sends you 4-5 grooming, beauty, and lifestyle samples for just $10/month. When you sign up you take a style quiz and they send you products that best fit your profile. Both well-known and up-and-coming brands are included, all in generously sized multi-use samples.
Their rewards program is easily one of the best around. You earn points for reviewing your samples, referring friends, and purchasing full sized products. Each review is worth 10 points and referrals are 50 points. Every 100 points gives you $10 to spend in their shop. The points rack up fast and there’s no limit to how many you can earn. The shop is full of great products including candles, cosmetics, home accessories, tea, chocolate, and lots more goodies. Since each box contains at least 5 samples, you’ll already be racking up 50 points after you review them. So it’s sort of like paying $5 per box instead of $10, since you get that $5 in store credit. Nice!
Okay, let’s have a look-see inside my December Birchbox!
First, the box itself. So pretty! I love the wintery feel — I’ll definitely be holding onto this one.
The info card. December’s theme was “Decked Out” and featured festive samples for the holiday season.
Whish Shave Cream – I actually don’t use shave cream, so this is kind of a miss for me. That said, it does smell nice. It’s infused with acai & grapefruit extracts. It’s also paraben-free, sulfate-free, and never tested on animals.
Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in “Sugar” – I normally don’t wear lip products (aside from balms), but I *might* actually try to give this lip stain a go. The color is a light pink that looks a lot sheerer on my lips than in the bottle (definitely a plus). The formula is also vegan and paraben-free. Score!
Mirenesse iCurl Secret Weapon 24 Hr Mascara – A special curved sculpting brush is supposed to give your lashes a “lift and curl that lasts”. The application lasts 24 hours and is removed by soaking lashes in warm water. I’m a little creeped out by this line though: “The mascara tubes slide off easily”. Tubes? Is that normal? Granted, I don’t use mascara too often, but I dunno… I don’t really wanna pull tubes off my eyelashes.
Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator – This exfoliating cleanser is supposed to mimic the effects of microdermabrasion. Use it three to five times a week for smoother, glowing skin. Sure, I’ll give it a whirl.
Beauty Protector Protect & Oil – A hair oil that protects your strands against UV rays, heat, and breakage. Just comb in 1-3 drops onto damp hair (or the ends of dry hair) and style as usual. I’m probably going to pass on this one, since using any kind of straight up oil in my hair makes me nervous. I just don’t dig the feeling. Creams & sprays, sure. Oils, not so much.
GAP $10 Gift Voucher – Also included in December’s box was a voucher for $10 to spend at any GAP store. Nice! The only downside is that it can’t be used online. Still, for those who shop at GAP regularly, this is worth the cost of their whole box. Not bad!
As pretty as the box itself was this month, I’m not all that excited about the actual items in my December Birchbox. Honestly, there wasn’t one item that I was all that excited about trying. Surprisingly, the lip stain might have been my favorite item in the box. The GAP voucher is nice too, but I wish it was redeemable online since I have no plans to get within 100 yards of a mall anytime soon. Ah well. It’s still worth it once I review my products and get $5.00 back in points.
If you order by the end of today (12/13), you can still have the gift of Birchbox delivered by 12/24. Plus, for every $60 you spend on gift subscriptions, you’ll get a FREE sample pack for yourself! Just use promo code “WSNOWPACK” at checkout. After that, you can always get 50 points when you sign up with this link — 50 points is equal to $5.00 to spend in their shop. Since the box itself is $10/month, it’s like getting your first one for half off!
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Disclosure: I purchased this box on my own. I was not compensated in any way. All opinions are my own. Post may contain affiliate/referral links.
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