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In the realm of monthly subscription boxes, Birchbox is an OG. Since 2010, the $10/month beauty subscription program has aimed to help everyone that isn't a beauty junkie efficiently find products they like without wasting money on those that don't.
Yet, Birchbox is much more than that. I argue that it's the ultimate retail therapy for beauty addicts who love trying new products regularly but are running out of room in bathroom cabinets full of half-empty bottles, meaning me. I recognize and revel in the high one gets when coming home to a package that contains something new that not only might work better then what you already have, but also comes in a prettier vial and is made with better ingredients. Deluxe samples of products that I can't afford is half the fun of maintaining a Sephora account. Birchbox may not be meant for me, but it is saving me money and shelf space.
Birchbox works like this: Upon a new subscription to the $10/month program (which can be cancelled at any time), you will take a quiz about your skin type, hair type, level of makeup competency, and which products you are most interested in exploring. Each month you'll receive a customised assortment of makeup, skincare, fragrance and hair product samples. And they're good-sized samples, often accomodating more than 2 weeks worth of use.
In the box, there's a sheet with details on the five samples and the regular price in case you like a particular product and want to commit to the full size. You can then have the full-sized products shipped with your next Birchbox, along with other add-on sample kits like the $15 oily-skin solutions kit or the $20 mask multitasker kit. So when you decide you'd like to go from zero-to-90 mph with mask proficiency, you can try out six different luxury formulas for $20 instead of $250.
I opened my first Birchbox to a cream gel by Dutch brand, Comfort Zone, a CLEAN fragrance sample in Lovegrass, Vitamin C concentrated serum from Derma E, rose hair and body oil by OUAI, Glow Milk liquid highlighter by The Beauty Crop, and a small bonus Estee Lauder lipstick swatch. I don't know if this was a lucky draw for my first time, but I can honestly say that I like and am using all my samples. OUAI, CLEAN, and Estee Lauder are well-established, higher end brands that I'll always be down to try. The other three brands were new to me, but easy to integrate and play with, boding well for their curation of major and niche brands in each box. I very well may buy a full size of the rose-gold liquid highlighter from The Beauty Crop, which also works to glow up decolletage and shoulders with a couple drops. I'm glad to try the multi-use OUAI oil before buying a full size, because it actually smells kind of funky and I would've regretted that $32 experiment.
It's not a whole new regimen in a box, nor a refreshed makeup arsenal. Rather, Birchbox is a prescription for those seeking more focused journeys into the intimidating world of beauty, or those that love sampling new products without financial consequences beyond $10. For guys uninterested in liquid highlighters and lipsticks samples, there's BirchboxMan for male-oriented haircare, fragrance, skincare and shaving accessories.
Sure, you lose a little control not knowing exactly what samples you may get each month, but beauty should be fun and a little whimsical. Skin-deep beauty really should never be any more serious than that.
(Cool Stuff is a new feature at Willamette Week where we feature product reviews, roundups, sales and other commerce and shopping-oriented content. All Cool Stuff reviews are editorially independent, meaning we provide honest reviews and aren't paid by the brands we write about. If you do choose to purchase something after following one of our links, Willamette Week may receive a commission, which helps fund our journalism.)