Updated What I Get Out Of Birchbox

Wednesday, December 5, 2012 Updated What I Get Out Of Birchbox Aug. 19th, 2012 at 11:27 PM Sunday, August 19, 2012 For me, the value of Birchbox is that I get to see brands and products that are new to me. Whether I like what they send or not, I go to the Birchbox website and see what other products they might have for that brand, and I go to the brand websites and see all the products they offer. It's about learning about stuff I would never find out about otherwise. I like the descriptions of the products on the Birchbox website. Sometimes they are better than the ones on the actual product website. I do not like that everyone seems to get stuff they would never use, but I signed up for Birchbox to be exposed to new things and I knew up front that not all the samples would be something I would like. Don't get me wrong, I can complain with the best of them, but it's gotten to the point where I just want to say <>. I have resolved to complain less and start taking part in the Birchbox Trade Forum/Thread. I really hate that I left the most negative feedback possible on the 2 perfume samples I've received, and both times, a day after I left the feedback, Birchbox sent me an e-mail titled something like "How to Choose an Age-Appropriate Scent" featuring only the perfume I had just left the feedback for. There were not even any other perfumes mentioned. Viva La Juicy in my April box and Arquiste L'Etrog in my May box. Ick. I'm not interested in "age-appropriate." I changed my age from 33 to 25 on my Beauty Profile. I was hoping that would make a difference if they sent me a perfume sample in my June box. I like getting samples and reviewing them. And what I don't use or plan to trade, I give away. What bugs me is the size of the samples sometimes (Dr. Jart BB Cream), the April BeFine moisturizer being expired, and the fact that they sent me ALL leftover samples from previous months in my Welcome Box in April, except the expired BeFine, which was new that month, I think, but still expired. I agree about the value of the box. I don't care how much it's worth as long as I can use the samples and they don't substitute a lifestyle extra for a real sample. I did get granola bars in both June and July, which makes me less than happy. I have found value in the Birchbox point system and the fact that any product I see in someone else's Birchbox I can go to the website and other places online and find more information, and then buy a full size if I want to. I bought the Orange Sanguine perfume by Atelier I saw in the April boxes. I love it. I got the 30ml size. I bought Juice Beauty Blemish Be Gone at the same time with the 17% Tax Day Discount. It's about the whole Birchbox experience. My box might suck, but I get to review the products and get points anyway, and I have found products that I love through Birchbox. I like that we get to see what everybody else is getting in their Birchbox, too, on the MakeUpTalk.com forums and on YouTube. I would not like a subscription service where nobody knows what anybody else got. I do think the Lara Bar being sent in my July Birchbox was a direct result of the feedback I gave for the Luna Bar in June. I said I loved it. The Lara Bar, being the Cherry Cobbler flavor, is inedible, at least for me. I did leave feedback indicating that, but I'll probably get another one soon. On the plus side, not Lara Bar in my August box. ThePeridotCricket