I love beauty items! I can spend hours (and hundreds of dollars) in Sephora or Ulta every week if I give myself the opportunity. I’m trying to be a little more practical in my spending and also trying to keep the clutter at bay, and my beauty habit was not helping either of those causes.

Low and behold, I was the last person in the world (I think) to join Birchbox. I went back and forth on whether it was worth it for awhile.

My Reasons NOT To Join Birchbox

• I only control what I’ll receive to a certain extent by setting up my profile.
• I can get samples for free from stores like Nordstrom and Macy’s.
• I’m always hesitant to sign up for anything that automatically renews every month.
• More beauty products coming into the house means more clutter.

Why I Ultimately Decided to Join Birchbox

• I can’t control what I’ll receive, which will encourage me to try new brands that may be better, more affordable or both without investing a ton of money if they’re not.
• I don’t have to deal with driving to the mall, pushy sales people, or mall crowds.
• Using samples to see what I like will ultimately reduce the clutter of full-size products that don’t work but I don’t want to toss because I paid for them.
• It’s like a little gift/treat/surprise just for me arriving in the mail each month!

My first month (July) arrived the other day.

I had heard that other people loved their boxes, but had never really heard details on what exactly was in them.

Glamour magazine was a partner for this month’s box…I’m not sure if each month has a different sponsor or how that typically works!

I was surprised that the box not only included cosmetics, but also bright pink and blue headphones (perfect for the gym!) and an Uber Lara Bar.
Mid-day snacking just got a lot less guilt-ridden thanks to LÄRABAR®’s addictive treats. These healthy bars fulfill sweet and salty cravings while keeping our tummies full (and extremely happy) until our next meal. Each soft, gooey bar packs plenty of texture and flavor, thanks to nuts, dried fruit, and other natural ingredients. Roasted Nut Roll is a decadent blend of crunchy nuts, while the dessert-inspired Apple Turnover, Bananas Foster, and Cherry Cobbler flavors evoke Grandma’s recipes.But being the beauty addict that I am, I quickly dug into the little green wrapped package to find more goodies.

Overall, I was pretty happy with my goodies for July.

I love the Balm, so I was excited to try the Stainiac, one of their products I had always been nervous to try.
You wouldn’t know it from the state of our makeup drawer, but we’re actually beauty minimalists. Our motto: Why use two products when you can get the same effect with one? This two-in-one lip and cheek stain gives us a natural, understated flush and helps us get out the door faster. The gel formula looks dark in the tube but delivers a sheer tint. It comes in three shades that complement all skin tones: Beauty Queen is a magenta-toned pink, Prom Queen is a lovely rose pink, and Homecoming Queen is a dewy peach.

The Jouer lip enhancer wasn’t necessarily exciting, but really useful.
When we discovered Jouer, this miraculous balm is the first product we fell in love with — and our affair is going strong. It’s no surprise that we always have a tube of this on hand: it’s deeply moisturizing, smells amazing, and delivers the prettiest hint of sheer pink color. The best part? It minimizes the appearance of fine lines and boosts your lips naturally without that annoying tingly sensation found in so many other plumpers.

The Ada Cosmetics peach bronzer looked great on and was a surprisingly good price when I went to the online shop.
In our efforts to get a beachy glow, we’ve tried various head-to-toe methods: from wearing too-dark foundation to baking under the sun. Now we rely on this natural mineral bronzing powder. Free of skin-irritating ingredients like talc, it adds streak-free warmth to our complexions year-round. It can be applied all over or used to define cheekbones and brow bones. Dust a bit on your décolleté and shoulders to offset strappy sundresses.

My favorite pick of the July box was the Hello perfume by Harvey Prince.
Allow us to introduce you to your new warm weather scent. For their latest fragrance, the brother duo behind Harvey Prince decided to mimic the joy of waking up to a warm day with the sun shining and the flowers blooming. The resulting blend is an energizing mix of citrus and floral notes that will keep you optimistic even when you get up on the wrong side of the bed.

Not bad for $10 bucks.

The other benefits are that you can shop your box online and get full size products, many of which had free shipping for me this month. Anything that saves me time and an extra trip to the store is a plus in my book, no matter how much I like wandering up and down all those cosmetic aisles. You can also earn Birchbox points to get discounts on your favorite products!

If you too want to jump on the Birchbox bandwagon, you can do so here. I’d also love to hear feedback from Birchbox subscribers that have been signed up for months!

**I was not compensated for this post in any way, nor I am affiliated with Birchbox. The link above is my personal Birchbox link.**