Birchbox March 2019 Review Take Two and Subscription Box Offers

I’ve already covered my March 2019 Birchbox review and the March 2019 curated Birchbox I purchased separately. Yet, here I am to provide two more Birchbox March 2019 reviews. Why? When March 24th rolled around, I decided to purchase two more subscriptions on the last day I could get them for $10 each per month. Since I wanted to see if the new boxes are really better than the old boxes, I wanted to have a few each month for comparison. It is easy to get one lucky box. If you get three out of three, it is far more likely actual improvement is taking place. In typical studies, you usually need a sample size of at least 30. As much as I love experiments and blogging, I was not ordering 30 boxes!

I decided to purchase three-month subscriptions, because it was the cheapest plan that let me get some boxes under the new box format for $10. That means these March boxes still fall under the old format of Birchbox giving at least 5 deluxe beauty samples each month for $10. It also means I got four March boxes total to compare against the three I will receive under the new format in April and May. Once I’ve received my final May boxes, I will recap everything and let you know what I think of the changes. After that, I will also return to only purchasing one a month. Until then, I will present the boxes in my typical review format (only factoring the average box value for the year on box one, because it is the only subscription I will have all year.

Boxes (past the first, welcome box) get customized to your beauty profile, and you can opt out of one type of sample per box during sample choice. All boxes are a mixture of haircare, makeup, and skincare. There are times when body care items pop up, and you can select an option to receive no more than 6 fragrance vials a year in your profile. You could get a box with 2 haircare items, 2 makeup items, and 1 skincare item or any similar variety, but you will rarely see more than 2 items from any category unless the third is a foil. If you are looking for a box that is mostly makeup or mostly skincare, this is not it. Those looking for a well-rounded sample box may enjoy this subscription.

I will have all three April and May Boxes in one article, but I decided to purchase these long after I already reviewed the other March boxes separately. Two of my April boxes are already here, so I am just waiting on the third before I can write the review. 

Annual Birchbox Review

See a synopsis of a year of Sephora Play Box reviews vs a year of Birchbox reviews. Every year, I review my $10 boxes against each other, so I can declare the annual winner. This is also helpful for those who would like to see a year of reviews for either box in one place.

About the Birchbox Subscription

The $10 charge processes immediately for new subscribers and on the 1st in succeeding months. Boxes usually ship from the 8th through the 12th. At the end of every month (actual date varies), Birchbox will email an option to select a sample (from a choice of 3-5 items), or the featured box where you know all samples up front. Those who respond to that email can also opt out of one type of sample. If you want a sample choice and the featured box, I suggest making a choice and purchasing the featured box separately. Subscribers can review 5 samples for 10 points each once during the lifetime of the account. Those who pay full-price for their subscriptions up front get points to use toward shop purchases. People who use a discount code on up front subscriptions will not get points. No one on a month-to-month plan gets points for the subscription either. The amount spent for the subscription goes toward the $300 annual minimum to achieve Aces status.

March 2019 Birchbox Theme

Birchbox makes a custom box design for each month. These are welcome boxes, so they arrived in green duo-toned boxes. See my main March 2019 Birchbox review for the design from this month.

The first thing you normally see when you open a Birchbox is a product card. It lists the items in the box and the price to purchase the full-size. This is my product card from box two.

This is my product card from box three.

The back of the card goes over the theme, which is, Invent the Reality You Want to Live. Birchbox is giving at least five members the chance to win $5,000 in honor of International Women’s Day. This $5,000 is to help them realize their dreams.

Contents are loose inside the box with a single piece of black foam at the bottom. As you can imagine, fragile samples move around too much inside the box and are subject to breaking. These are the contents of box two.

March 2019 Birchbox Sample Choices

You do not get a sample choice on your first box, so I did not get a chance to choose anything. For those who did, the three items to choose from were: amika Reset Pink Charcoal Scalp Cleansing Oil, thisworks® deep sleep™ pillow spray, or The Beauty Crop Lighting Crew Highlighting Cream. Those who selected the featured box got all six of these samples: Luxie Beauty Rose Gold Eye Shading Brush, Oribe Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse, ModelCo Metallic Eyeshadow Trio Positano, Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Bigger, Badder, Volumizing Mascara, My Clarins RE-CHARGE Relaxing Sleep Mask, and Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Botanical Cleansing Oil. Subscribers can always purchase this curated box separately for $10 if they want that and a sample choice. Everyone else can purchase a featured box for $15. I wanted the curated box, so I decided to purchase it separately this month.

My March 2019 Birchbox Subscription Review Box 2

The Box I ended up with is 63526898. It has one hair product, one skincare product, one lip balm, one body product, and one makeup product.

The 0.04oz eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is worth $12.57. I still have not tried this, so I am unsure whether I will keep this duplicate. My hands shake so a skinny liquid liner is my best chance at getting an even line that is not too thick. If I try it and love it before someone hits me up for liquid liner, I will keep it. Otherwise, dupes I’ve never tried are second out after things I am not interested in.

The full-size 0.14oz ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm Blush Hour retails for $15. I already own this lip balm.

There is a slight mint taste. This does make my lips a tad more pink, but it is definitely a MLBB shade. The formula itself feels almost like a standard chapstick. While it moisturizes fine, and I love the subtle pink tint, I am not sure it is worth the price. For a bit more, I can buy a fresh balm that moisturizes deeply and lasts longer. I would consider this if I could get it for $10 or less.

The 0.17oz Marula Light Hair Oil Treatment is worth $3. I enjoy the Marula oil from this brand, so I will have to see how this light version compares.

The 0.4oz Natura Castanha Hand Cream is worth $3. I go through a lot of hand cream and love getting ones this size for my purse. Since the price per ounce on this is ridiculous, I will never buy it even if I love it. Trying an expensive products like this is a lot of fun.

The 0.1oz My Clarins RE-CHARGE Relaxing Sleep Mask is worth $1.59. I love sleeping masks and really wanted to try something from the new my CLARINS. When I got this in the March curated box, it made me happy. Getting it a second time makes me a little less happy. It’s not because it is a duplicate either. I dislike receiving samples worth less than $2. At $10 for 5 samples, they are $2 each. When one falls under $2, it is not pulling its weight. If it is something I really want to try, I can overlook it. Once it is a duplicate, I cannot. That said, I could end up loving it and feel grateful that I received it again. With only 0.1oz of product, each sample will only have about two uses.

My March 2019 Birchbox Subscription Review Box 3

The Box number I ended up with is unknown, because it is not listed in my box history. It has four hair products (two are bonus foils), one skincare product, one lip balm and one makeup product. I’ve never received 4 hair samples in one box before, but I do think it is interesting that it arrived on the box where I listed hair products as my preference. My main box focuses on makeup and my second box focuses on skincare. I did that in to get more unique samples instead of three boxes with a lot of duplicates.

The 1oz amika Reset Pink Charcoal Scalp Cleansing Oil is worth $3.73. This is the sample I selected in my main box, because my husband has complained about his itchy, flaking scalp. Getting an extra one gives him longer to form an opinion or gives me a chance to try it as well.

The 0.04oz eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner is worth $12.57. Scroll up for my thoughts.

The full-size 0.14oz ARROW BOOST Color Enhancing Lip Balm Blush Hour retails for $15. I like this lip balm. Scroll up for the swatch and review. My niece has asked me for a color changing lip balm, so I am giving this to her.

The 0.1oz My Clarins RE-CHARGE Relaxing Sleep Mask is worth $1.59. Scroll up for my thoughts.

The 2.5oz Davines MINU Illuminating Shampoo For Color-Treated Hair is worth $8.40. I am already in love with this product thanks to testing it as a sample from my main subscription. One of the cool things about opening a new subscription is the chance to get repeats of products you love. You cannot get repeats on your main sub unless you choose it through sample selection or a featured box. Randomized samples do not repeat. It leaves my hair looking and smelling great. My hair looks less frizzy when I use this, and the generous sample size lasts a while.

The 0.4oz Davines MINU Illuminating Conditioner For Color-Treated Hair foil has no value. I do not place value on foils, because I feel they should always be free (unless they come that way). Birchbox obviously agrees with me, because these are bonuses. Getting these bonus products is great for my foil challenge, so I am grateful. I’ve used this in the past and really loved it.

The 0.2oz Davines MINU Hair Serum For Color-Treated Hair foil has no value. I do not place value on foils, because I feel they should always be free (unless they come that way). Birchbox obviously agrees with me, because these are bonuses. Getting these bonus products is great for my foil challenge, so I am grateful. This product was in my February 2019 Foil Challenge. It added great shine, which I enjoy, but I was regretting not testing this on color treated hair. Now that I have a new foil, I will save this one for a time my hair has color. That way, I can review it as intended.

Were these March 2019 Welcome Birchboxes worth it?

These March 2019 Birchboxs have a $35.16 and a $41.29 value. My personal value is at least $6 on box two, and $12.13 on box three. Yes, box two is below the $10 I paid, but I am not unhappy with either box. They each had a full-size item and decent value. For anyone who does not already have multiples of these products, her personal value could land closer to the box value. Without receiving the lip balm, I would still owe my niece a color changing lip balm. Plus, I got two (on top of the one I already owned before these boxes arrived). When she shows off her lip balm and someone says, “I want one,” I can cover that person, too.

There is also a chance I might keep something I am unsure of, like an extra face mask or one or both of the eyeliners. If that happens, my personal value would shoot up. Only two items were unique to each box, but I am not even mad at that. These were welcome boxes. When you order two subscriptions on the same day, the boxes usually have identical items. It made me happy to see there were only three overlaps. My verdict is these are good starting boxes. Even though I have many of these items, a new subscriber would not.

Subscription Start-Up Offers

See my list of Birchbox subscription offers. Want to subscribe? Click that link to see the current start-up offers. If you’re reading this around the time I’ve posted it, the one I posted below will work.

What are your thoughts on these March 2019 Birchboxes? Let me know below. If your purchase is over $25 (longer subscriptions or purchasing something from the shop with the subscription), you can pick a free item from the bonus shop if you do not use a subscription start-up offer or discount code, which I cover on my Birchbox Deals Page. Some discount codes on that page will not work on subscriptions, but I will post any that work on my Birchbox Subscription Deals Page. You can always add a free two piece sample pack when spending $35, because it combines with any promo code. Tips For Getting the Best Deal lays out all the ways I know to save money at Birchbox. Product reviews do not always make it into the haul article, but you can always type the product into the search bar to see if I’ve mentioned it or reviewed it elsewhere. Subscribe to the blog to get updates on all posts. View my main page for the guide map to the site and deeper deal exploration.

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