No one from Birchbox paid me to toot their horn, I just really, really love it.  In the spirit of full disclosure, however, this post does contain affiliate links.

I know without a doubt that you don’t come here for beauty advice.  Anyone who still keeps her makeup in a Caboodle is probably not your go-to person on the topic of makeup.  I don’t have the proper brushes, any attempts at something stronger than tinted lip gloss makes me look like a 4-year-old applied my lipstick, and the smoky eye forever eludes me.

Despite all that, I do like beauty products, and even though I don’t wear makeup every day, I like to have it around and (kind of ) know how to use it.  That’s why Birchbox is just about the best thing to ever happen to a makeup-challenged girl like me … and probably you.

Birchbox is a subscription service that sends you a selection of beauty product samples each month.  The samples, both well-known and emerging brands, come packaged in a sweet little box along with product descriptions.  Birchbox delivery day is the highlight of my month (if only you could live such an exciting life).  Why do I, a girl who couldn’t line her eyes with a liquid eyeliner if her life depended on it, love a box full of beauty products so much?  Well, I’m a blogger, so naturally I will tell you!

1.  It exposes me to products I never even knew existed.

Take the Oscar Blandi Texture & Volume Spray.  It would never have jumped out at me on the shelf.  It looks like a fancy can of hairspray.  Even when it showed up in my box, it barely registered as more than a handy travel-size hairspray.  But it’s not hairspray!  It’s hair magic!  Once I read more about it and learned how to use it, I realized it was just the product I needed to make my hair look sexy tousled, not she-didn’t-brush-her-hair-today tousled.  If I use it before the rare occasion when I curl my hair, the 30  minutes of effort I put into trying actually lasts all day instead of 20  minutes.  And just like that my unassuming sample turned into a full-size product I love.

2.  It teaches me how to use different products.

Sometimes things arrive in my Birchbox that perplex me, like my very first sample of BB Cream.  Is it moisturizer?  Primer?  Foundation?  (The fact that I even know these are different things?  Amazing.  Thank you again, Birchbox.)  Instead of floundering, or never using it, I just look it up on the Birchbox website.  Between their description, user reviews, and the occasional video, I can not only figure it out, but get the most out of the product.

3.  It gives me a chance to try things I would be too scared to buy in the store.

In my very first Birchbox I received a sample of theBalm Staniac – a combination lip and cheek stain.  The word “stain” used to freak me out.  Just what my inexperienced self needed – a product that would stain if I used it wrong, which I probably would.  But I tried it and loved it – so much so that I bought two full-size stains in different shades.  I use it almost daily.  I love that I can use one product for blush and lip color and I love that the color is subtle but lasts all day.  But if I didn’t have a chance to try it first?  No way a lip and cheek stain would ever end up in my Caboodle.

4.  It rewards me for trying.

Birchbox uses a points system.  For every 100 points you earn, you get $10 off a full-size product order.  And unlike other points programs, it’s easy to earn points. You earn $1 for every full-size product you buy in the store (and no, they don’t jack up prices on stuff once you get hooked on a sample – prices are competitive).  The easiest way to rack up points is by providing a quick review or feedback on the samples you get in your box.  Finally, you earn points by referring friends to Birchbox.  I save up my points and pair it with the free shipping offers that come along every so often and end up scoring good deals on products I love.

5.  It is an inexpensive way to treat myself.

A Birchbox subscription is only $10 a month.  For less than I spend on a couple of coffees, I get a box full of goodies.  People, sometimes there is even chocolate in there.  When I first tried it, I was wary of their idea of “sample size.”  I was prepared to get a few teeny-tiny things that I would use once or twice and they would be gone.  Instead I’ve been consistently surprised at the sizes.  I’ve had full-size products in my box, as well as samples that were big enough to last me for months.  Not only are the sample sizes generous, but the samples are of higher end brands, like Stila, Kerastase, and Smashbox.  I’m not the type to spend much on myself, but my monthly Birchbox is an inexpensive way to treat myself with things that I would typically never splurge on.  An added bonus?  I look good, too!  When was the last time a frappuccino made you feel pretty?

So there you have it – five reasons a makeup-challenged girl loves her Birchbox.  Now excuse me while I count the days until my next box arrives!