Hello, hello! It’s no secret everyone loves getting mail, so I decided to sign up for Birchbox last month and am excited to share what it’s all about with you. I was already familiar with the concept of Birchbox since it’s popular in the USA and I was pleasantly surprised to learn the same thing exists in France. For 13 euros a month, you get a selection of mini-sized beauty products (and some other perks) all sent to your doorstep in a cute little box.
Read on for my Birchbox review!
Birchbox France {REVIEW}
For me, splurging on the latest and greatest beauty products often leaves me disappointed (and broke) when the product doesn’t live up to the hype. So instead of taking a chance on a full-size product that may end up collecting dust on a shelf, Birchbox gives you samples sizes. No stress, no commitment. That way, you can test a product before you buy the full-size version — or just have fun trying out the products.
What pushed me over the edge and got me to sign up for the January 2016 box? The little Coaching Club extra that I got (more below).
What is Birchbox?
Founded in 2010 by Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna, Birchbox is a subscription service that’s all about helping women discover the best beauty products out there. And it has made its way to France! At 13 euros/month for Birchbox in France, you’ll get 5 samples and you can skip months and cancel at any time. If you like something in your box, you can head over to the Birchbox shop and nab it at a discount. From beauty, to skin care to hair care and more, your samples are diverse and are based on a personal profile you fill out after subscribing. Each month you get a little pamphlet with info about each product as well as expert tips.
What did I receive in the January Birchbox France?
- Beaver Professional Hydro Nutritive Repairing Conditioner
- Doux Me mask
- L’Occitane En Provence hand cream
- Beauty Protector beauty wash body cleanser
- Jelly Pong Pong lighten up beauty crayon
- Bonus gifts: 2-month trial for Coach Club (43 euro value), which is an online nutrition and workout plan, 2 hair elastics
(plus a pamphlet pictured below with extensive info on each product)
Fabletics is now in France: My review >>
Why I was interested in the Birchbox concept:
- Getting a package of surprise products each month is fun! That was reason enough for me. 😉
- Try before you buy. There’s nothing worse than spending a ton of cash on a full-size product just to find out you hate it or your skin reacts badly to it. With the Birchbox model, you get a selection of sample size products each month so you can get a feel for a product before you splurge on the full-size version.
- It’s affordable at 13 euros/month and flexible. You can cancel at any time or pause for a month. Shipping is free as well.
- You get 15% off in the Birchbox shop so if one of your samples really impresses you, no need to pay full price!
Drawbacks
- Although 13 euros/month isn’t astronomical, it is still slightly more expensive than the American version and if you don’t like all the samples, the cost may not seem worth it. If you’re not into beauty and skin care products, this isn’t the box for you!
- You don’t get to pick the exact products you receive so it can be hit or miss. You do fill out a beauty questionnaire ahead of time so your selection better corresponds to your needs. In some cases, you’ll get an email in advance asking you to choose your color preference for a lipstick so sometimes you do get to have a say in what you receive.
Is Birchbox worth it?
In a word, yes. If you’re the type of person who enjoys trying beauty samples and likes hearing about new products, then this is a subscription box you’d really enjoy. It comes packaged beautifully and the samples are diverse and high quality. With the addition of the Coach Club subscription this month, I think Birchbox is absolutely worth the 13 euro cost. It also makes a nice gift that won’t break the bank. Two thumbs up!
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Do you subscribe to Birchbox?
I was a subscriber for two years back when it first came out and was called JolieBox (started by two French girls). My husband actually gave it to me as a Birthday present and it was great – like the gift that kept on giving all year long! They always gave one full size product, and I used the smaller sizes for my travels. It was only 10€/month at that point, and the loyalty program was pretty advantageous – usually once a year, I had enough points to get a free full-size product from their online store.
Things changed though in 2012 when they got bought out by Birchbox – the full size product went away and the price went up to 13€. I also felt like the others went from travel size products to sample sizes (much smaller). The content of my boxes became a lot more random, and seemed less base on my beauty profile, so I had a lot of those tiny products sitting around unused. At that point, I canceled my subscription.
I gave them a try again this past November when they were running a promotional offer for 10€ for one box. I was really disappointed with the content though, I got 5 super tiny products and definitely did not feel like I got my money’s worth (one of them was a blush that was 1x1cm – so small I could barely access it with a brush!). I contacted customer service to give them some feedback, and they were basically like “The point isn’t to get 13€ worth of product, it’s to try new beauty items. So take or leave it, we don’t care”.
So I don’t know….I really like the concept and I love trying new beauty products, but they seem less customer-focused than they were in the past. I guess that’s maybe inevitable once you get bought out by an American company??
Oh man, I hate when something’s great and then it gets bought out and the quality suffers. Happened to a fave restaurant back in NJ that got sold and the quality went downhill with the new owners. But back to Birchbox, totally understand why you cancelled. And if they start sending me random junk, you can be sure I’ll cancel too. 13 euros is still 13 euros so if everything is worthless or too small to even use, it’s a waste of money. What pushed me over the edge was the CoachClub subscription which was definitely worth it. Thank you for the insight… will be keeping an eye on Birchbox!
I started subscribing to Birchbox a little over a year ago and enjoy it a lot. It might have been better before like ksam says, but I’m happy with it now. They send little extras every once in a while, and the boxes are prettier and prettier.
Cool, I’m interested to see how my next couple of boxes will be… seems like these things can be hit or miss.
I’m with k_sam. I subscribed for less than a year and progressively got more disappointed with the boxes. The worst was in August when the box itself was gorgeous, like a sunset, and all the written content was beach/summer-oriented, but the products inside? I think I got toothpaste and random other items – total letdown. I also agree that sometimes the samples like blush or bronzer are so small they’re basically unusable – in one case, the tiny compact had a half circle of bronzer and half circle of blush, but it was impossible to get one without the other.
I’ll be curious if you still feel the same way after 6 months.
Ugh, that’s no fun! I’ll absolutely cancel if the products are terrible or just don’t seem useful to me personally. As I said above, 13 euros is still 13 euros so if it’s crap, there’s no point in paying. I’ll continue on with an open mind and see how it goes. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Just got Birchbox (in France) as a birthday gift from my boyfriend!
Only thing I can’t figure out is: do we get points for leaving product reviews like the US version? I was excited to eventually get enough points for free stuff, but now I’m afraid that this feature is not available in France…