Beauty In A Box

February's box

I am totally not a beauty product junkie. During my teen years I experimented with the latest fads but by hair was simply too heavy for the feathered big bang look of the 1980s and brightly colored eye shadowed always left me looking like I had two black eyes. I quickly decided that it was all too much effort for such disappointing results. As an adult, even before I became a mother I could never be bothered with high maintenance, time consuming routines. And after motherhood? I have even less time to deal with a  laborious routine. Easy was and is key and for more years that I want to admit, this tactic has worked. Until it didn't any more.

And that is because Belgium, combined with the inevitable aging process, has been brutal to my skin and hair. Hard water, raw air that is damp yet skin drying and cold temperatures are doing a number on me. So much so that for the first time in my life I've found myself trolling beauty counters, online stores and even home based beauty consultants in the desperate need for beauty products that will do the trick. It has all been so hit or miss--with more misses than hits--and as anyone who purchases beauty products knows, expensive if you aren't sure you want to commit to a new product. Everything claims to be the best, cure the biggest problems the fastest and leave you looking and feeling beautiful. Umm....that is simply not the case. So what is a girl to do?

Much to my surprise I have taken a step that I never imagined I would take and signed up for a monthly Birch Box subscription. I filled out a questionnaire and for a nominal cost each month without fail a box of beauty product samples shows up in my mailbox. In my questionnaire I identified skin and hair as being my primary concerns (or at least the ones I wanted to address) so to date all of my samples have been products focusing on these areas. The marketing around this idea is all rather ingenious since I've found myself following through and buying full sized versions of the products I like. Yes it has sucked me in but that is OK because finally I feel as though my dry skin and hair are becoming a thing of the past.

March's box

Each month a pretty little box arrives in the mail filled with little things that are just for me to enjoy. Some items are a hit and others are misses. I'm still a novice since sometimes items arrive that I'm simply unsure how to use. This past month's box included a small bottle that looked like nail polish and had an applicator like nail polish but didn't smell like nail polish. Besides, I know that I can't receive nail polish through the mail. I was stumped and had to look on line to see what I had actually received. It turned out to be a liquid face highlighter. I tried it but quickly relegated it to the "miss" category. You do win some and you loose some.

But for a mere $10.00 a month I'm expanding my horizons. And you can too. They even have boxes for men. Simply click here to see what it is all about.