December Birchbox Review

I didn't choose any specific samples for my Birchbox this month, so this is the first one in a while that has been a total surprise.  I was pretty happy with it overall, but I'd like to be able to say "no more mascara samples" in my beauty profile.

I loved the design of the box this month.  It's so pretty and perfect for winter.  The theme for the month is "Decked Out," and the info card says "With apologies to Scrooge, we find it hard to feel anything but buoyant this time of year."  I know "buoyant" can also mean cheerful, but I still think it sounds weird.

There probably isn't anyone in the world who's interested in subscription boxes that doesn't already know this, but just in case, Birchbox costs $10 a month, with free shipping within the U.S.  I pay an extra 80 cents for tax because I live in New York state.  They also recently started shipping to Canada.

• Sumbody Salt Scrub Bon Bon in Tuscan Orange ($4.50 for one) - I'm excited to try this out.  I love any and all scrubs, especially ones that have good scents and cute packaging.  This one is made with Pacific sea salt.  I'm just not sure how I'm going to store it; I'm afraid it might disintegrate if I just leave it in my shower.
• Borghese Superiore State-of-the-Art Mascara ($6.50 for .1 oz) - I have too many mascaras, both full and sample sized!  No more!  This one promises to lengthen, condition, and curl.
• Juara Turmeric Antioxidant Radiance Mask ($5.83 for .5 oz) - This is my favorite item this month because I love face masks, but it's also a generous sample size.  It has an incredibly light scent that I can't place, but I don't think it's intentionally perfumed, more that it's the scent made up by the combination of ingredients.  It's supposed to soothe the skin and help with inflammation.
• W3LL People Bio Brightener Stick in Moonstone (~$4.00) - I'm totally guessing on the value of this because there's no size listed on the sample.  I'm estimating it's about .05 oz?  Anyway, I like that this brand is cruelty-free and uses natural ingredients.  I don't really have a need for this right now because I have a bunch of other highlighters, but I've heard great things about it.
• RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in RUFFIAN Red ($10 for .17 fl oz, full-sized) - Normally I'm excited to receive nail polishes in my Birchbox, but one color I do not need any more of is red.  I've used other RUFFIAN colors and they have a great formula, I just wish I had gotten any other shade.

Bottom Line: This month's box had an approximate retail value of $30.83, which is exceptional.  It also contained a coupon for $10 off at Gap, so that bumps the value up to $40.83.  I do think they chose good items for me based on my beauty profile; I just put some of them up for swap since I have to many of that particular product already.

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