Birchbox Canada is one of the original beauty subscription boxes. December 2014 they started shipping to Canada. I was really excited to sign up because the US Birchbox looks awesome. Unlike most US boxes that ship to Canada Birchbox sends different items to Canadians. I have had an extremely rocky road with Birchbox Canada and I'm going to be completely honest with my experience. I've had lots of disappointment.
The cost is $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and you can save on yearly subscriptions.
Birchbox sends 5 sample (or full sized) beauty products a month.
Yes it is well into March and I am just getting my February box. Better then my January box because I never received a January box despite being charged for it. I had received December 2014 no problem and was happy with my box. Not blown away by any means but it was an alright box. On January 31st I had yet to receive a tracking number for my January box. My credit card had been charged but my online account showed no payments. I emailed customer support and got a fast response apologizing and stating my box had never shipped. I was given 100 Birchbox points (worth $10.00 in the Birchbox store) and told my box would be shipped out that day. They are just starting out, no problem stuff happens. After still not receiving a tracking number a week later I emailed again asking for it. I was told it had not shipped yet and that they would make sure it would be shipped right away. A week later after not receiving a tracking number I emailed it again. This time I was told unfortunately it does not look like I have a box coming for January. I was given 100 Birchbox points again for the *trouble*. I was never offered a refund for the month or given a real explanation as to why this happened. Again I'm thinking stuff happens and at least I have a $20.00 credit in the Birchbox store. February came and went and I never received a tracking number AGAIN despite my card being charged. Now I'm starting to get upset. Even more upset when I read on another blog a girl saying the same happened to her for the January box but she was given a free month for the trouble as well as points. I emailed in to customer support with my concerns and was told my box should ship right away. A few days later, with the month of February now gone and after stewing on it for a while I emailed support again. This time I demanded a tracking number or for them to cancel my account and refund me for the now $30.00 I have paid for basically nothing. Two days later I received a tracking number, 100 more Birchbox points and an apology saying that they would give me April (at this point I had already paid for March) for free. I FINALLY received my February box last Thursday.
I have many subscriptions and have never had such trouble receiving what I had paid for. Again with my brutal honesty I can't help but say the actual products themselves have been underwhelming. I also learned that they do not actually ship from Canada. Boxes are shipped from Ohio and any purchase made in the Birchbox store is subject to International Handling fees as well as shipping. I used my points to order a full size Benefit POREfessional and was charged about $13.00 in fees.
Okay, my rant is over, on to my February 2015 Birchbox.
The box is super cute this month. I like getting cute boxes as I use them for storage and gifts.
Here is what is inside.
theBalm cosmetics Cindy-Lou Manizer Sample 0.02oz (Full size is $26.00)
This shimmery, soft pink highlighter perks up your features with a natural-looking glow.
As cute as the teeny tiny packaging is, I'm just not a fan of highlighters. I will likely try it as an eyeshadow so I'm not completely disappointed with this item.
clariSEA Instant Glow Exfoliant Sample 1oz (Full size is $20.00)
All natural scrub that deep-cleans, brightens, and tones using sea salt and rose powder.
Now this I am happy with! Its basically a dry exfoliant that can be mixed with either water or your regular cleanser. Its good stuff that I have sampled before thanks to Ipsy and I can definitely get several uses from this sample.
Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Heartthrob Sample 2.25g (Full size is $23.00)
A long-wearing stain from the NYC-based designer that gives unbeatable moisture and shine.
This has to be the smallest lip product ever! I'm a huge fan of lip stains so was excited to give it a try! It definitely goes on smooth, has a nice texture and the color works for me. I'm not sure I would call it a stain as it seems alot more like a gloss and was definitely not long wearing. After about 30 minutes it dried up and left my lips looking and feeling yucky!
Mereadesso All-in-One Moisturizer Sample 0.4oz (Full size is $120.00)
This one-step formula is an antiaging day/night cream, serum, eye cream, toner, and primer.
Okay, on paper this sounds like amazing stuff if we are done choking on the retail price. It is a foil sample but it has basically a lid on the back that makes it a useable foil sample at least. My expectations were really high for this "miracle" cream. There I go, making expectations again, I should know better! I found that using it just as a cream it left my face feeling almost sticky, it really was not a pleasant feeling at all. It smells half decent and is a light pea green color however I just cannot get over how yucky it made my face feel. I gave it a second chance as a primer and it was not as bad with product over top of it.
Number 4 Clarifying Shampoo Sample 1 oz (Full size is $32.00)
Vitamin-rich botanicals gently purify hair while restoring lost moisture and shine.
Wait a minute, I must of missed something here as my online account says I should have gotten a full-size Noir long-wear black eyeliner, that was the one thing I was truly excited to get. I double checked my account twice and yup still has the eyeliner listed as what I should have received.
Shampoo is off to a really bad start to say the least. A shampoo with no conditioner? Okay, now I am even more confused. Trying to be open minded I tried it. Its concentrated and low lather leaving me feeling like I needed more product and it made my hair feel almost greasy. I can't review this product on my account because it is not listed as one of the samples I received. I'm not even going to bother with customer support over it.
Summery of February box and my Birchbox future: Someone once told me that if you make high expectations you will only achieve bigger disappointment. Maybe it is because I am used to getting more from other subscriptions in the same price range, maybe I'm picky, maybe I have a real sour taste in my mouth over January and late shipping February. Customer service always got back to me and was polite and tried to help. But being told several times that your box is shipping right away to have it never come makes me loose faith. I was extremely underwhelmed with February. I do not feel as what I received was worth the $14.95 (including shipping) BUT I hate to be so negative. I have already received a tracking number for March and they promised all subscribers a Beauty Blender in the March box. I was told April would be free for me and I did receive enough points to order a full-sized product (I hope it actually comes, now I think about it, I'm not sure I got a tracking number for it) Its great that more companies are starting to ship to Canada and I really hope that my next two months of Birchbox wow me into wanting to keep the subscription, but lets just say I`m going to try really hard not to have any expectations.
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