So this month my box was a little different than usual. At the end of March I received an email offer from Birchbox with an opportunity to add two luxury makeup or nail products to my monthly box for $20 extra, they call this new program, that is currently in beta, Birchbox Upgrade. I decided to bite the bullet and see if it’s even worth it, and hopefully give you all an idea of what it’s going to be like.
Also, this month Birchbox collaborated with Mad Men show and Rifle Paper Co to create exclusive design of their boxes. I received the Rifle Paper box, and it’s just so gorgeous! I usually keep all of my Limited Edition boxes for storing small things, like foil samples or lip glosses, because they’re just too pretty to throw away.
HOW IT WORKS: At $10/month Birchbox subscribers receive 4-6 luxury samples and full-sized beauty products, tailored for them by a team of curators according to a personalized beauty profile. The value of each box usually ranges from at least $15 and can be as high as $60. Birchbox also has a reward program: submitting feedback for every product from the box earns you 10 points each; and every 100 points turns into $10 in store credit redeemable for full-sized products and gifts. If you would like to use my referral link then click here to join Birchbox. Thank you!
Apparently, since the program is still in Beta stage, these extra products are not tailored for our profiles, according to this email correspondence of a fellow Redditor with Birchbox CS:
“To clarify, these products were specifically sourced to go with the theme of Spring! However, as this is a beta test, these products aren’t going to be as personalized as we intend the program to be in the future. However, we are working to ensure that they are products that could work for anyone and we will greatly appreciate your feedback in beta testing this new subscription feature! As the same with your current subscription, Birchboxes and samples are nonreturnable and nonrefundable.”
In my opinion, unless they selectively pick products with neutral undertones, there’s just no way they will suit everyone. Here’s what I received as my bonuses; mind you, I literally paid $10 for each of these products.
Smith & Cult Pillow Pie Nail Polish – I previously purchased Dark Like Me and even reviewed it on the blog, when the brand first launched at Net-a-Porter, so this is one product I am very happy to see in the box. I asked myself, would I buy it for $10 if I saw that price online, and the answer is yes. I didn’t use it yet, but I do love the hefty packaging – it will look great on my vanity table together with its burgundy sister.
Lord & Berry Back in Black High Performance Mascara – Now, as much as I like mascaras, I really don’t care for Lord & Berry, and most mascaras are overpriced anyway – a drugstore fave will work just as well as a fancypants tube from a department store. I wouldn’t buy this one even if it was $3, so I thought it was a waste of $10. Looks like I bought that nail polish at full price, after all.
Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo & Repairing Conditioner – When I first saw this duo in my dashboard before I received my box, I was convinced they’re going to be foil samples, but I was pleasantly surprised to see decently-sized travel bottles instead. I was particularly impressed with the shampoo, because its pH5.5 makes it extra gentle and suitable for using even as a facial cleanser – talk about multi-tasking! The conditioner is also really nice, it contains a blend of vitamins and 18 different Amino Acids that nourish the hair and the scalp to make hair appear fuller and thicker, and help combat scalp dryness. I don’t care for hair care in my boxes aside from select brands, but this was an unexpected discovery. If you are looking to buy some fancy hair care with your Birchbox points, I recommend checking these out.
Paula’s Choice Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment – You know me, Paula’s Choice is always a welcome sight in my boxes, as are Vitamin C products. If the formula is potent enough, I usually start noticing first results after one week, 10 days tops, and it just gets better and better every day. Another brand that loves Vitamin C in their formulas – Juice Beauty – recommends keeping these products in the fridge, due to their unstable nature, and now I do just that with the rest of my stash. Anyway, I obviously haven’t used this one long enough to know if it’s any good, but based on my previous experience with Paula’s Choice, it probably works just fine. I can only comment on the texture, which reminds me of a silicone face primer – it looks like a white paste in the tube, but goes on clear and sets with a powdery finish and has slightly minty fragrance to it.
Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain Forever Pink – I swear, I’ve gotten this very same sample in almost every beauty subscription box that I’ve ever subscribed to at this point. I like the feel of this formula on the lips, but the stain it produces just doesn’t work that well for me – it’s a wrong shade of pink that doesn’t look very flattering. I guess this one will be given away, again; I think I would have preferred to get their Lip Drink sample instead.
Jouer Tint Petal – This was my sample choice that I selected at the end of March, and I swear that blush looked pinker in the pictures. This tiny cardboard square is the perfect size for a cosmetic pouch; it’s lightweight and has just enough product for occasional midday touchups. I still kinda wish it was pinker though, because this mauvey color is a bit too serious for me, and I usually don’t buy blushes like that.
THE VERDICT: So, let’s start with my Upgrade. Out of two products I received, I was only happy about one – the nail polish. The mascara was a “blah” and a waste of $10, I would have never bought it, not even on sale. I plan to keep my Upgrade status for another month, but if I don’t like my bonus products again, I will definitely downgrade back to a regular subscription. Now, there were several winners among my regular monthly samples. First of all, I definitely want to give props to Beaver Professional hair care duo, they were an unexpected discovery, and the prices for their products aren’t bad at all for what they offer. And of course I liked my Paual’s Choice VitC treatment sample that I will surely use up. I wasn’t too crazy about the lip stain, but that’s mostly because the color it creates happens to be a bad match for my complexion; and I just wish that Jouer Tint was a prettier color – I found Petal a tad boring and too serious.
Do you subscribe to Birchbox? What did you think of your April samples? Have you tried any of these products before? Let me know in the comments below!
| Product | Retail value |
|---|---|
| Smith & Cult Pillow Pie Nail Polish | $18.00 |
| Lord & Berry Back in Black High Performance Mascara | $14.55 |
| Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Moisturizing Shampoo | $3.48 |
| Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Repairing Conditioner | $3.04 |
| Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain | $8.33 |
| Paula’s Choice Resist 25% Vitamin C Spot Treatment | $18.33 |
| Jouer Tint Petal | $9.42 |
| Box Retail Value | $75.15 |
Disclosure: This post features products purchased by Glamorable and may contain affiliate or referral links. For more details about my product review policy, copyright, and information about affiliate links, please refer to Disclosures & Content Use page.
I didn’t get the option to upgrade in time for it to be effective for this month, and when I did I ended up declining it (mostly to try and conserve some cash). I would have felt exactly the same way you did about the upgrade products. The nail polish looks gorgeous (some people got a really pretty purple shade that I would have loved as well) but I have zero use for another mascara. I hope May’s upgrade products are more exciting!
Glad to hear I’m not the only one feeling down about that mascara! Even if I needed one, Lord & Berry would never cross my mind; I haven’t tried a single product from them that I liked.
I’ve been wanting to try Smith and Cult, so that would have been a fun addition, but it would have been bummed by the mascara, too. I’ve never tried Jane iredale so I would have liked that sample, and I also like the blush shade. The box was super cute this month, though, for sure!
I usually like JI as well, but this particular sample creates a shade of cool pink that just doesn’t look good with my complexion.
I think the mascara wasn’t a suitable upgrade. I honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve paid $10 for one polish, so this would have been a no-go for me, too. I would like the PC products.
That’s what I thought, too. I only buy department store mascaras when there’s a sale, and I usually prefer drugstore brands – there are some really good ones out there that don’t cost an arm and a leg.
This would have been a box I would have liked. I have never tried that mascara so I can’t say it would be a yes or a no but everything else looks great and that nail polish! Drooling over that chic bottle!
The bottle is absolutely gorgeous!
I’d be happy just with the beautiful box! I love the Smith & Cult bottle & I’d love to try the Paula’s Choice Vitamin C Spot Treatment. The rest, I’d pass on, although I would try the mauve blush
Smith & Cult bottles really look like works of art 🙂 I now have two of them, and I even put them on display on my vanity.
The nail polish would have been a delight, as I’ve been wanting to try this brand. I would have been disappointed with the mascara, as well, although I do have a couple of palettes from Lord & Berry and the shadows in them are very nice. But yeah, what you said – hello, drug store mascara!!! The majority of it doesn’t appeal to me, only because I am not into receiving boxes with hair/skin care.
I don’t think I tried their eyeshadows, but I was majorly unimpressed with their eyeliners and lipsticks. Yay for drugstore mascara!
Thankfully, I’ve only got one mini of Jane Iredale Forever Pink but I dread getting more. I’ve never liked Lord and Berry products and wish beauty boxes would stop sending that brand. Love that nail polish, though.
Amen to that, sister! I’m wearing the polish today and it’s actually kind of streaky, but I managed to even it out with 4 coats. Love the color, but the formula is a bit blah.
I would have liked this one. I quit Birch Box way back when the boxes were not making me happy, but they look like they have improved.
Girl, I dread the days when Birchbox sent nothing but foil samples. They’ve really come a long way.
I thought the beta upgrade made the box $30, but maybe I am wrong. I’m dying to try the Smith and Cult nail polish. I’ve heard such great things about it. Excited BB is carrying it, so we can use points to buy it.
You’re right, it’s extra $20, so the total would be $30 🙂 Smith & Cult is awesome, just the packaging alone makes the bottles feel so luxe.
That Beaver hair duo sounds really cool! I like that they provide the ph right on the container, considering like 98% of companies (in skincare, hair care, anything) don’t say it anywhere on the label! Thanks for getting the upgrade box and telling us about it–I was curious, but too afraid to make the commitment to the extra $20. I’ll live vicariously through you instead! 🙂
I know right? I was very impressed to see those numbers on the bottle. I just recently re-subscribed to Glossybox, so I think I will only get my May upgrade and then go back to the regular $10/month regardless.
I’m usually not excited about haircare in my boxes since I have so many bottles open. I’d love the nail polish but I wonder if the upgrade is worth it. I haven’t gotten PC in a box yet but I know I’d be happy if I did.
I usually don’t care for it either, and my initial reaction was a frownyface, but both of them were surprisingly impressive. I can say with certainty, my first upgrade was *not* worth it. I am going to try it again for May, and then go back to the usual $10/month box.
I like that nail polish. Been meaning to buy it!
Girl, if you do, don’t get this color – I just applied it today and it’s a streaky mess. I bought Dark Like Me last year – now that’s a beautiful vampy jelly formula!
This box is incredible! I would totally upgrade mine
Glad to hear that you think it’s worth it!
I like the box for the most part, but that Jane Iredale lippy stain, oh man, I was not a fan of that when I got it in something else. The shade is just too funky for my liking.
Yeeahh… I don’t know what it is about that color, it just looks odd on me.
There are some seriously good things in this box!
Agreed 🙂
Wow, this is seriously awesome
Glad you are liking this box!
Smith & Cult…jealous you got this in your box!!
I think it’s pretty cool that they sent it 🙂