September 2012 Birchbox

Hey readers!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! My family & I had a wonderful outdoor barbecue and it was so nice to see so many family friends, especially having not seen them in the past year or so. All the bugs (yucky!) came out to play, so Sandy went back in & decided to write this post instead.

So, another month has passed & with each new month, comes my monthly subscription services! While I love sharing with foodie adventures with you all, it's nice to take a break and show you that I do enjoy other things besides eating (who doesn't? ;D). Anyways, I received my Birchbox saturday afternoon and couldn't wait to share it with you all. If you remember how disappointed I was with my August birchbox, then you'll know that this month's box was the deciding factor whether or not to finally make the difficult decision of canceling my subscription once and for all. Stay tuned to find out more.

Let's get started: 

❀Back to its original hot pink exterior packaging

❀This month's theme: The September Issue

❀What's inside my box this month

❀Benefit Cosmetics (foamingly clean facial wash + refined finish facial polish): Purify your skin with this glycerin-packed cleanser and natural clay exfoilator

❀One-time use samples of each product

❀Color Club-Birchbox Custom Polish: We teamed up with Color Club to create this custom shade, inspired by the Fall 2012 collections

❀Polish color in "Status Update"-spelling error there

❀Nexxus-Pro-Mend Split End Treatment System: Infused with coconut oil and amino acids, this shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in treatment work together to fix unsightly split ends

❀Twistband-Birchbox Custom Lace Hair Tie: Designers went gaga for lace this season and we don't blame them. Get on board with these ouch-free hair ties

❀Youngblood-Mineral Primer: Prevent makeup meltdowns with this clear gel primer, which contains skin-soothing vitamins and minerals

❀EXTRA-Mighty Leaf Tea Company: Swap your afternoon latte for these yummy tea blends, made from natural, ethically sourced ingredients

❀Madewell coupon code & The Fall Lookbook

❀Glance of everything inside the September Birchbox!

Now the answer you've all been waiting for-YES-I've finally canceled my Birchbox subscription. I was expecting this month's box to WOW me or at least attempt to wow me with something that would finally get my attention, but just like they've utterly disappointed me in the past, this month's box was no exception. Surprising enough to say, my favorite item in this box was the vanilla bean tea that came as part of the extras. I absolutely despise Color Club polishes (too streaky and inexpensive-you can buy a 6-pack of them at Ross from $3.99) and Twistbands (which we get every few months). The Nexxus samples I can receive for free anywhere. I am looking forward to trying the Benefit and Youngblood products, but even still, it was nowhere near a wow factor for me, overall. Another two thumbs DOWN to this month's box-of the past 16 or 17 Birchboxes I've received in the past, I can honestly say I've only been completely or partially satisfied with maybe 5-6 total. That's about $110 going down the drain, when I could actually be buying things I really love at Sephora (especially with the awesome sale section). I've said this before many times, but I sincerely dislike that some box values are 2-3X more than others, like mine. Same thing happened last month, same thing happened this month, it's NOT cool. I thought Birchbox would've fixed that issue by now, but it seems like they haven't-it's becoming more about the quantity of consumers rather than the quality of the samples in their boxes. If they ever change that around, I'd sign right back up in a heartbeat, but for now, I'd rather spend that $10 on a meal than this. *END RANT* Also, I usually include my referral code to join Birchbox, but I'd rather you save your money on something you can really splurge on rather than Birchbox.

Thank you all for stopping by,
-Sandy