Birchbox - The Luxe Beauty Gift that Keeps on Giving

by Annie Scott (RSS feed)
Dec 8th 2010 at 11:01AM

Birchbox is a service which, for the low price of $10 per month (or $110 if you'd like to give a year's subscription as a gift), provides you with brand new luxury beauty products to try right in your mailbox. It's like moonlighting as a beauty editor for a women's magazine, only you get all the perks and none of the pesky deadlines.

Basically, you know how you see all those fabulous beauty products on the shelves and wonder what using them would be like, and whether they're worth it? Stores have become so stingy with samples and rubbing a little lotion from a tester on the back of your hand doesn't really give you any indication of long-term results. Birchbox eliminates this problem by sending you samples -- big, fat samples, not the weensy ones -- of new high-end beauty products every month. You can even personalize your selection by indicating your coloring, skin type and personal style.

And, if you like something Birchbox sends you, you can go to Birchbox.com and buy the full size directly from the site. This, as well as referring friends and completing surveys about products (both totally optional), earns you reward points, 100 of which results in a $10 gift card good for anything on Birchbox.com. Brands include Naturopathica, Luxist favorite Laura Mercier, Tatcha, Kiehl's, NARS, Stila, Too Faced and more.

I wasn't sure that Birchbox was necessarily the right fit for Luxist, but then I saw the glee on my friend Beth's face when her Birchbox, made of 100 percent recycled materials, arrived. As she rifled through the sizeable samples, excited to try out the products chosen especially for her, I realized that Birchbox has all the makings of a luxury gift: high-end products, generous servings, personalization and delightful packaging. It's like getting a special present every month. Birchbox is truly the luxe beauty gift that keeps on giving.

Tags: beauty, Birchbox, gifts for mom, gifts for women, holiday gift ideas, holiday gifts, samples