i first heard about birchbox on twitter (natch) and finally decide to join when i saw that they were collaborating with cynthia rowley for july’s box. unfortunately there was a little bit of confusion as there was a separate “special edition” box that was for sale on it’s own that was different from the normal monthly boxes, but oh well. i still love getting surprises in the mail! for those of you who don’t know, birchbox members get a monthly box of deluxe beauty product samples in the mail. it is only $10/month and you can cancel at any time. here is my review of my first box:

the box came in a beautiful marbled sleeve. who doesn’t love a pretty package?!?! like other newbies, i was surprised at how small the box was, but it is samples i guess. the box also comes with a card describing each item included.

ahava mineral hand cream: i am not a big fan of lotion, period. i always feel oily and greasy after putting it on so i am always on the hunt for the least oily lotion i can find. this lotion is pretty good although the scent is REALLY strong. it almost smells like white diamonds perfume and you know how strong liz taylor perfumes are (RIP).

“shay” nail polish by zoya: you know i love nail polish so this was a GREAT surprise for me. it is a slightly metallic nude color…perfect any time of year!

redken “shine flash”: this is a pretty good sized sample. i already use redken hair products so i am excited to try this shine spray out.

philosophy purity face cleaner: i use proactive so i am a little hesitant to try a new facial cleaner. and i haven’t tried this one yet so i can’t really say how it works.

kind apricot and almond bar: this was an “extra” item. at first i thought…a granola bar??? this is not a beauty product. but WOAH. seriously THE BEST granola-ish bar i have ever had. i am not kidding. i wish i hadn’t given my husband a bite. they are that good…but i LOVE apricots and almonds.

to be completely honest, i wasn’t over the moon about my first box. i don’t really care for lotion or face washes that much but the nail polish and shine spray kinda make up for that. and i did LOVE the granola bar. i am definitely going to keep my membership going but mostly because i love surprises. even as a kid i LOVED grab bags…and they never really had anything good in them but the hope that it would be just what i’ve always wanted kept me coming back for more.

p.s. you can purchase memberships as gifts and i DO think this would be a FABULOUS gift idea for any beauty product junkie.