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Birchbox Curated Box Review + Coupon – September 2017

Liz Cadman
ByLiz CadmanSep 12, 2017 | 14 comments

Birchbox
3.7 overall rating
657 Ratings | 188 Reviews

Every month, Birchbox lets subscribers pick between a curated box (all samples revealed) or a single sample choice and be surprised by the rest of the items. This review is of the curated box.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: Birchbox

The Cost: $10 a month (get one month free and $10 to spend in the shop with an annual subscription!)

FLASH DEALUse coupon code BB74-2968 to save 50% off of your first month of a 3-month Birchbox subscription!

The Products: Beauty and lifestyle samples selected by the Birchbox team.

Ships to: US, FranceSpain and the UK

Check out all of my Birchbox reviews and the Beauty Subscription Box Directory!

Each box comes with a card detailing the items included and some tips on how to use them. (Also, Happy Birthday, Birchbox!)

Now on to the items!

Pixi by Petra LipLift Max in Sheer Rose - 1 g Value $5.20

This lip gloss provides shine, a wash of sheer color, and a minty flavor. I didn't find the formula to be too sticky, but I also didn't notice any lip plumping! All in all, it's a nice natural looking lip gloss. (Swatched in lower photo.)

Lord & Berry Strobing Pencil - .7 g (Travel Size) Value $10

This little pencil turned out to be my favorite discovery in the box! It's a creamy pencil that is easy to blend, and it's perfect for precision highlight areas like the inner corners of your eyes, your cupid's bow, etc.

Here it is swatched beneath the lip gloss:

R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo - 75 ml (Travel Size) Value $17

Add R+Co to the list of hair care brands that make fantastic scented products! (Also, bonus points for their packaging.) In addition to smelling fab, this dry shampoo does a great job of absorbing excess oil and it goes on clear!

12 Benefits Ocean Hair - 1.5 oz Value $9

This is a new-to-me brand, and while I'm a little over sea salt sprays after a subscription box summer, I gave it a go! You can use it on damp or dry hair, and it didn't do much for me on dry hair. (My hair is naturally wavy.) I'm going to give it a dry on damp hair next, but for now, all I can say is that it smells really good.

Wilma Schumann Mouth & Lips Age-Defying Masque - Value $4.40

Confession: I hate lip masks. You can't move your lips! You know that part of the Little Mermaid when Ariel gives her voice to Ursula? It's kind of like that for the 20 minutes while you wear it. 🙂

I tried this one for a few minutes because I definitely could use some help with hydration around my lips, but I wasn't loving the tingling/cooling feeling. Not for me!

Verdict: This box has a value of about $45.60 - that's great for a $10 beauty box. Even though two of these items were misses for me, I'm still happy with this box. Great sized samples all around, and two travel sizes! (Tip: In most cases, the curated box has a good value, so I recommend always picking it if that's a priority for you.)

To Wrap Up: 

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? As of the publishing of this review, you can still get a September box if you sign up now. (Tip: Check the image on the sign-up page. The box design pictured is the first month you'll receive.) You can't pick the curated box as your first box, but you'll be able to pick it every month moving forward.

Value Breakdown: At $10 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Pixi Lipgloss: $1.14
  • Lord & Berry Pencil: $2.19
  • R+Co Dry Shampoo: $3.73
  • 12 Benefits Spray: $1.97
  • Lip Mask: $.96

What do you think of the September Birchbox? Did you pick a curated box or a sample?

Starting at $22.00
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Birchbox was one of the very first beauty subscription boxes—we’ve been reviewing it since 2012! Each month, subscribers get a new mix of 5 beauty samples, such as makeup, skincare, haircare, and fragrance items. Birchbox lets you choose whether you’d like a box of items picked just for you (incl... read more.

Liz Cadman
Liz Cadman
Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

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14 comments

Sheila

I think Birchbox is the chintziest box out there. My daughter got me a 6 month subscription as a Mother’s Day gift. She wasted $60. A gift card to Lush or Ulta would have been so much better. Majority of the samples ARE just that, samples. Items you’d receive for FREE (and so does Birchbox) if you just walk into your neighborhood department store and visit the cosmetic department.. The perfume, this month, is freebie sized. As is the Origins face wash. The other 3 measly samples (eyeliner, highlight pencil, & hair oil) won’t last long, either. You get much more bang for your buck by receiving Walmart’s $5.00(!!!) box with many full-sized items and Target’s ($7.00) box loaded with many items, many full-sized. Birchbox is making A LOT of money with these boxes, as is Sephora; $10, also, with tiny samples they didn’t pay for. Birchbox’ box weighs more than the teeny samples inside it. Very disappointed.

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Lori

I actually have to agree with you on this one.. I let them “surprise me” this month based on my profile and they got 1 all 2 samples right. The rest are useless to me again and I have a very detailed profile so there’s no point in continuing… Everything is so expensive & you don’t earn points for “all” your reviews, just some of them so there’s no way to earn enough to get a full size item even if you do love something. I guess this isn’t a good box for me cuz I’m not able to afford to buy the full sizes at their price point. I was hoping to get at least a few travel size items either for myself or if I didn’t like them then I could use them for stocking stuffers… But these samples are so small it’s embarrassing to even use them as a gift for a friend’s stocking… So far Boxycharm and Allure are keepers, and I’m going to give Ipsy a few more months to come tune my profile and I’ve been liking what they’re sending somewhat… I’m really interested in sephora cuz I’m looking for a more skin care items box… What do you ladies think of that one?

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ErynPS

I gave Birchbox a try last Fall with a 3 mo gift sub and was disappointed, I re-subbed this Spring and got some great boxes until I decided to try the “pick a sample”. I ordered the Oribe texture spray, never received it, contacted CS and they credited me a new box (still couldn’t use that month’s samples, and never got the texture spray), I have ordered the curated box the last 2 month’s with no problems, until this month. I chose one of the samples, received my confirmation, and when I got my email to “reveal my samples” AGAIN the sample I chose is not in my box. I’m very disappointed. What is the point of choosing a sample if you don’t receive it? I’m going to wait until my box gets here to make sure it’s not in my box before contacting customer service.

Lori, I have Sephora Play, Allure, Boxycharm, Ipsy, Sisley Paris, and BeautyFix. If you are looking for good quality skincare in deluxe sample sizes, and some makeup then Play is a good box, there are quite a few variations though so you don’t know what you’ll receive. If you want full size/ deluxe products that are curated (so everyone receives the same thing) then BeautyFix is a great box. If you want Luxe skincare and want to try a number of different products then try the Sisley sample box. The samples are small, but VERY luxurious. The only issue with that is if you fall in love with a product, the full sizes have a luxurious price tag too!! (But, oh they are wonderful!) Hope this helped??

Amanda B.

Im so sad! My box is just being marked as shipped today! 09/12😢

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rl889

Mine was finally marked as shipped on 9/20. Very disappointed and hope this doesn’t continue

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Svetlana7e

I went with surprise box this months, and I really like my box:
– marcelle serum;
– tokyomilk parfum
– purlissee bb tinted cream
– orbie matte waves texture lotion;
– the beauty crop glamazon stick crayon

Absolutely love my box!

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Toni

This was the first box in a while that I really liked. The box was really pretty too. That little highlighting pencil was awesome wasn’t it? It was perfect for the inner eye.

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SunnyT

I received this box as well and was not very impressed with any of it. The gloss is just ok… The lip mask was a waste of space… Dry shampoo is alright but nothing special, as is the salt spray. The strobing pencil was the only standout item in the box. I’m canceling next month when my subscription expires. Doesn’t even seem worth $10!

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Liz Cadman

I’m with you on the strobing pencil being the standout!

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Lori

I love your reviews Liz! I thought about getting this box but it didn’t grab me & neither did any of the choose a sample choices this month. So I decided to go with a fully surprise me box and I’m actually getting 7 samples this month woo hoo! I’ve been reading the reviews for the items cuz I haven’t gotten my box yet and they seem to be very small ie. foil packets of shampoo, conditioner and serum all from the same line so that could be why the extra items… I’m excited to see the Smashbox primer and a new moisturizer in the box though as well as another color of your pixie gloss 😊 looking forward to tomorrow when it gets here 😊

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