I have a confession…

I’m addicted to makeup and beauty products. Yes, it is true. I have spent large sums of money and countless hours at the department store beauty counters because of it. Some items I probably only used once or twice in years (like my limited edition M.A.C. eyeshadow palettes), but have held on to them because they somehow complete me…I mean my collection.

Alas, my addiction was burning a hole in my pretty Coach wallet and I just can’t keep up. In my realization, I also discovered my cure.

Hello Sample Beauty Box.

So, I first heard of sample beauty boxes from a friend of mine, Kachet (The Lipstick Giraffe), who started subscribing to Birchbox. Her first review of her subscription intrigued me. I thought to myself, “Alley, this is exactly what you need to satisfy your cosmetic cravings.” I like trying out new products, but I don’t really want to spend my money buying full-sized items and discover later that I don’t like them (and can’t return them). However, a monthly subscription that sends me 5 travel-sized beauty items, ranging from popular brands to up-and-coming players, all for $10 a month? SIGN ME UP NOW!

My box arrived mid-month and I was not disappointed. The box not only arrived with products inside, but they encompassed a monthly theme – “Jet Set.” I’ll be doing a review of these products fairly soon, so look out for “The Once-over” Birchbox June 2012 beauty review.

Overall, here’s my opinion of Beauty Boxes:

Pros: affordable, diverse products (not your discount drug store brand), fun monthly themes and sample sizes.

Cons: products are selected according to how you filled out your beauty questionnaire, no choice for full sized products and packaging is not really noteworthy (but the products speak for themselves).

I know that there are several other beauty subscription boxes out there, which I may consider subscribing to in the future, but for now Birchbox is definitely my go-to.

What beauty boxes do you subscribe to? What other beauty or fashion related monthly subscriptions do you recommend?

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