4 Birchbox Mystery Sample Packs

In the past 2 weeks I've received 4 Birchbox mystery sample packs. Any time you spend $35+ in the Birchbox shop they will send you two random samples that are supposed to total $10 in value for free. I thought it would be fun to share what I've recently received, and to see if you actually do get $10 worth of product each time. I'm a theatre teacher and not a math major; hopefully I got all my math correct! 

Mystery Pack #1

My first order was for a Birchbox Scent Sampler and Amika Nourishing Mask. The total was $36; I used a 20% coupon, $20 worth of reward points, and had it shipped free since I’m an Ace. Here’s what I received: 

*Dear Clark “Resurrecting Rince” conditioner-I’m from the Dallas, TX area and was thrilled to see that this company is from Dallas. All the products in it are organic and handmade in Texas. It contains aloe vera, sunflower seed oil, and rose of Jericho. My initial reaction was that it smelled FANTASTIC! Every time I used it my husband made note of how great it smells. It’s hard for me to pinpoint the strongest scent in it; maybe a combination of the aloe and the rose? 

When I used the product it was so incredibly difficult to get out of the sample bottle. It’s a twist top even though it’s a thick product. Not very user friendly! They recommend using a quarter size in your hair-this seemed to be a good size for me. My hair tends to be a little frizzy; not so with this product! I loved discovering this product and hope to get it again. 

The sample size was 1oz. The full size is 8.5 oz for $24 which means my sample was worth $2.82. 

*Harvey Prince Ageless Liquid Loofah -I have previously sampled the Harvey Prince Ageless body lotion. I'm just not a fan of grapefruit, which is one of the fragrances in it, so I wasn't too excited to try this product out. It claims to be exfoliating without using scrubbing beads so I was curious to see if that was really the case. I only got about one and a half uses out of the sample size and I did notice that my skin seemed to be a little softer than normal. The smell wasn't as powerful as the body lotion had been; I just wish I had gotten a little bit larger of a sample. 

The sample size was 15ml. The full size is 12 oz for $22 which means my sample was worth $3.68.

Altogether my mystery sample pack #1 was $6.50. 

Mystery Pack #2

I ordered the Home Sweet Homespun limited edition box on a 20% coupon and added the pack. I received:

*Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm- Is it shameful for me to admit that I haven't tried a BB cream before now? I have fair skin and was nervous to try the sample because it wasn't an exact color match. I shouldn't have been concerned; it blended in nicely with my skin and gave me a bit of a healthy glow. Interestingly enough it has "exotic caviar" in it to help tame complexions. I thought it had good coverage but I just didn't like the smell! 

The sample size was .2 oz. The full size is 1.5 oz for $36 which means my sample was worth $4.80

*Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris perfume -This perfume has a subtle scent to it. It has a nice combination of musk and fruity undertones. It doesn't have much staying power to it; I usually have to reapply after a few hours. It's a good smell for fall and winter. 

The sample size was 2ml. The full size is 30 ml for $65 which means my sample was worth $4.33.

Altogether my mystery sample pack #2 was $9.13. 

Mystery Pack #3

My sister's birthday is coming up so I ordered another Home Sweet Homespun limited edition box on a 20% coupon and added the pack. I received:

*Cynthia Rowley Metallic Eyeliner in silver -I received this item in my September Fashionista box so I will be giving this item to my sister along with the Homespun box. I love the silver color! I use it on my water line to add a little bit of shimmer. Now, it says it's smudge proof and lasts all day. However, on my bottom line, I have to reapply frequently. Good for a night out.

The sample size is .03 oz and the full size is .04oz for $16 which means my sample was worth $12.

*Melvita Eau floral de Rose-Eeeeeek! An expired product!!! And a year old expired product at that. I was puzzled to see that I had received a "rose floral water." Not exactly a beauty product, is it? As I was reading the bottle I saw that it was expired. Gross!

Thankfully Birchbox sent out another mystery pack to replace the mistake of sending out an expired product. They don't list this company anywhere on their website so there's no way of knowing how much they sell/sold the product for. 

This pack was worth $12. 

Mystery Pack #4

*Obliphica Leave In Moisturizing Cream-I have received several Obliphica hair products in other mystery packs. This was the first time to receive a leave in cream. I LOVE leave in hair creams; I use them every single day for my wavy hair. This has a light fruit smell to it from the sea-buckthorn. I wasn't impressed with it but I didn't dislike it either; it didn't wow me. It didn't tame my sometimes frizzy hair but it did leave it feeling soft. I'll stick with my other leave in creams. 

I wasn't able to calculate the exact price on this item because Birchbox doesn't sell the leave in cream. 

*Atelier Cologne Vanille -I've sampled Atelier before in the Mermaid box but this was my first time to receive the vanille product. I like the smell of it! It has a nice warm vanilla scent to it but it's not overbearing. It's perfect for the fall and winter. Like my other Atelier cologne products, I had to apply it throughout the day-it doesn't last the whole work day. 

The sample size was 2ml. The full size is 30 ml for $75 which means my sample was worth $5.

I'm not sure how much this pack totals for. I bet the cream sample wasn't worth $5 or more so I probably totaled less than $10 on this pack. 

So two of my packs were $10; two of them weren't. I've read many mixed reviews about the Birchbox mystery packs. Some people say don't complain about it if you don't get $10 worth, you are still getting a free product. Others say if you are going to advertise for it to be $10 worth of products then you better send $10 worth of products out! I think I agree with the second train of thought. If you aren't going to get $10 worth of product maybe credit some back to the shop so you can spend more money that way. Or maybe offer a nice $10 off coupon for the next time you shop if you spend $35 and don't do the mystery pack. 

Let me know your thoughts about the mystery sample packs! Have you discovered any beauty favorites after receiving an item in the sample pack? And stay tuned for my review of the Homespun box!