December Birchbox Review

I always take a peek on the Birchbox website before I get my box to see what the contents will be, and when I looked for this month I wasn't sure how I felt about the assortment.  After receiving the box, though, I'm happy with what I got!

December's theme was Holiday 2013, appropriately so.  The informational card talks about celebration, being around family, and the overall excitement of the season.  I usually don't see a huge correlation between the themes and the products in my boxes, but that doesn't bother me.  I like that they made an extra effort to make this month's packaging fun and festive (see more photos at the end of the post).

• Emily's Chocolates Milk Chocolate Fortune Cookies ($1.19) - This was my lifestyle extra for the month and it was really yummy.  I saw some other reviews where people received treats that I 'd want to try more than these cookies, but it was still a fun extra and I'm all about anything chocolate!
• Number 4 Non Aerosol Hairspray ($4.50) - This is the product I liked least this month, but simply because I don't use hairspray.  The reviews on the Birchbox site are positive, and I like that this is vegan and environmentally-friendly, but I probably won't use it often.
• Birchbox Digimate (value unknown) - This was included to celebrate the launch of the Birchbox app.  It sticks to the back of your phone and can be removed to clean the screen.  I'm obsessive about having a clean phone screen, so I'll put this to good use.

• BeeKind Body Lotion ($1.80) - Another thing I'm obsessive about is moisturizing, especially in the winter.  I hate having dry hands so I always have a travel-sized lotion with me, and I'm always happy to have more.  This one has a lemon-y scent that smells wonderful, and the texture is nice and smooth.  A portion of the proceeds supports honey bee and sustainable pollination research, which is also really cool.
• Secret Agent Beauty Nourishing & Plumping Lip Gloss (value unknown) - I'm not sure of the value on this because there's no weight listed on the tube, but a full-sized gloss retails for $18.  I have a ton of lip glosses, but I was really interested in trying this one because I've seen them on Little Black Bag but I was never able to trade for one.  The shade is Foreign Intelligence Flirt, a pink/mauve that's very flattering.  My favorite aspect is that it contains peppermint, so you get that refreshing tingly feeling upon application.
• betty&ko The Betty Polish (value unknown) - I didn't even know what this sample was until I looked at the informational card because it has absolutely zero markings on the container.  A full-sized polish retails for $65 and contains 3.4 oz, so this sample probably has a decent value.  I haven't tried this yet, but it has a warm vanilla scent that I love.  I'll probably use it once a week or so for facial exfoliation.

Bottom Line: I'm not sure of the total value of my box this month, but I'm sure it was more than the $10.80 I paid to receive it.  I haven't yet gotten a Birchbox that I didn't enjoy since I resubscribed, and I'm really happy that they're including a better variety of samples for me.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

More photos after the "read more!"