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Birchbox Review and Video

During October (and probably into November) I am going to focus quite a bit on subscription boxes here on Beauty and Fashion Tech.   I recently got together around 8-10 different boxes to do individual reviews and video reviews, and well as one big comparison review, where I will rank them from best to worst.  So keep an eye out for that! Today, I look at Birchbox.

Birchbox August 2012

Birchbox is one of the older subscription boxes. At $10/month, it is also one of the more affordable subscription boxes. I have tried two Birchboxes. One was sent to me for review eons ago and I was not impressed, so I didn’t review it. The one I am reviewing here, I purchased. I like it OK, especially based on the price, but I still am not overly impressed.  I also didn’t love that there was wait list to get a box. When I ordered mine, I waited about 6 weeks to be approved. Cancellation, however, was easy. I was able to do so with the click of a mouse through the website.

Birchbox Contents

In my Birch Box, which was the August 2012 box, were the following items:

Birchbox Review

Beauty School: A booklet with beauty tips. This was a rather basic publication and I really didn’t have much interest in it. I basically view it as a cute, but rather useless addition.

Schick Razor: I have tons of razors. I get them in the mail as a consumer and companies send them to me as a blogger. So this really isn’t a needed item, nor is it anything special since these things are not hard to come by.

Whish Shaving Cream (sample size): I liked this item. It is a nice shaving lotion with a good fragrance and I was not familiar with the brand. So I was perfectly happy with this item.

Viva La Juicy Fragrance (sample tube): I am not a fragrance person, and fragrance samples are a dine a dozen. So I wasn’t thrilled with getting this in the box.

TwistBand Hair Tie: A cute little hair tie, but it didn’t impress me much initially. In the video I wasn’t even sure what it was at first! But then I looked at the brand’s website. If you want hair bands in every color under the sun, that is the place. So this turned out to be kind of cool in hindsight.

The Balm Stainiac (sample size): I love lip stains, so I was fine with this item. However, I have received samples of stainiac in the past, so it wasn’t new to me.

Overall impression:

I give the Birchbox a middle of the road grade. At $10 it is a pretty good value, the website is easy to use, and cancellation was easy. But I also didn’t feel like it was all that original in terms of the content of the box.

Below is my video review:

Where to get it: Birchbox.com

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Glossybox Review and Video

As part of my series on subscription boxes I tried out two different boxes from Glossybox that were sent to me for review by a company representative. One was for June and the other July 2012.

Glossybox has better packaging than most of the boxes and includes a mini magazine that actually has some decent material in it. It appears that the boxes normally contain one full size product and 4-5 sample size items. From talking with bloggers, it also appears that there are at least 2 different versions each month, so you might get one box, while a friend might get a different one. The cost is $21/month which is higher than some of the boxes, but lower than a couple as well. Subscribing for longer takes a few dollars off.

Here is a look at the July box that I received. The box  itself could be reused for storage, as it is attractive and rather sturdy. I like my subscription boxes to be nicely packaged, which this one is. That makes opening them more fun!

Glossy Box Packaging

Here is a look at the mini magazine cover.

Glossy Box Magazine

Inside is information about the products and a few substantive articles.

Glossy Box Magazine Insert

Here are the products from the July Glossybox.

Glossy Box Product

Alessandro International - Pedix Heel Rescue Balm (sample size): This is a foot cream, which goodness knows I need since I am a  runner with ugly feet!

Sebastian - Color Ignite Multi Tone Shampoo (sample size): Advertised as moisture for color treated hair. However, this is not sulfate free, which in my mind makes it less than ideal for protection color. I also won’t be able to use it since I require hair items to be sulfate free because I do Keratin straightening and  also wish to protect my color and avoid breakouts.

Sebastian - Color Ignite Multi Tone Conditioner (sample size): A conditioner to go with the shampoo. I did not see sulfates on the ingredients for this, so maybe I’ll test it.

Figs & Rouge - Lips, Face & Body Balm (sample size?): This is multi-use tin balm that looks interesting.

Senna Cosmetics - Mineral Eyes Shadow Trio (full size): An eye shadow trio with neutral, beachy shades. This is a nice looking product.

Blushed Fragrance by Ruddy Water (sample size): A fragrance towelette. I’m not a fan of fragrance samples, so this does not interest me.

Here are the products from the June Box.

June Glossy Box

Beauty Addicts Show-OFF Mascara (full size): A curved brush mascara that I look forward to trying

First Aid Beauty Smooth Shave Cream (sample size): I’m always more than happy to try a new shave cream, although it would not be my first choice in products for these boxes.

Kinerase  Restructuring Firming Cream (sample size): Kinerase samples show up all the time in various things. So I am not really impressed with one being here. This is not to say that Kinerase is bad - it isn’t. But if I am paying for samples, I want unique items.

Shea Terra Organics Ultimate Moisturizing Creme (sample size): A white chocolate shea butter cream that smells nice. This appears to be a pretty nice item.

Wella Professionals Enrich Moisturizing Treatment (sample size): I did not see sulfates in the ingredient list on this one (although the shampoo in the line has them), so I might give it a try.

Overall Impression

I give the Glossybox a pretty good grade. At $21 it is pricier than some of the boxes, but it also offers more items, including a full sized item, and the packaging and magazine are nice. I usually can find something wrong with any subscription box, and in Glossybox it is the inclusion of fragrance and perhaps that it is heavy on skin and hair care. But I suppose they probably have fragrance loving customers, and skin and hair care are to be expected. It is likely hard to make a perfect box for everyone.

Here is my video review of the Glossybox:

 

Buy a Glossybox

GLOSSYBOX - Discover NOW!

 

Disclosure: This review is based on items sent to me by a representative of Glossybox.

Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page

Little Blag Bag Open With Oliva + Joy Bag and A.V. MAX Necklace

This is a video review and open of a Little Black Bag with an Oliva + Joy hobo handbag and an A.V. Max beaded necklace. The Oliva + Joy bag is quite nice. It is very roomy and perfect for fall. The necklace struck me as just so-so.  I don’t love it, but I’ll wear it.

For full information on how Little Black Bag works, see my previous Little Black Bag Review.

Buy a Little Black Bag

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Disclosures: Beauty and Fashion Tech at times reviews products provided by a representative of the company. When we do so, we specifically state so. We also use affiliate links. For more, please see the disclosure page