All right, I finally broke down and signed up for Birchbox a couple months ago, and after a few months of experimentation, I decided it was time for me to tell you guys about this cool way to discover new beauty products.
For $10 a month, the service sends you sample-size beauty products, according to your preferences. In order to sign up, you have to get on a waiting list, and once there’s space, you’ll get an email. I think it was a couple weeks between when I joined the wait list and was able to register.
Then you fill out a profile. It asks about your level of beauty knowledge, whether you’re a splurger or a saver, what styles you like, your skin and hair type, etc., so it can target the products you receive. When I signed up, I wondered if this really made a difference, but since registering, I’ve noticed that, having filled out my profile saying I know a lot about makeup and like adventurous/trendy products, I get totally different items than my friend, who is more conservative hand has a lower level of beauty-product obsession. Pretty cool.
Since registering, I’ve gotten a couple of boxes with mini nail polishes, lip products, skin-care samples, hair products and more. What really swayed me into super fandom was last month, when I received a full-size Stila waterproof eyeliner. Had I bought this at Sephora, it would have cost $20 — instead I got it in my $10 box, with a few more samples to boot. Pretty awesome!
Birchbox also has a shopping site, so you can easily purchase any of the items you like in your box, along with lots of other cool stuff. Often, you’ll get free shipping if you order items from your box, plus points you can redeem toward free merchandise. Pretty nifty!If you want to go on the waitlist to start receiving your personalized Birchbox, sign up here.
