Birchbox

Have you ever met a person that at first, you think you really are going to like them?  And then, as you spend more time with them, you start wondering if you were wrong.  Have you ever had the same experience with a blogger?

There are a few blogs that I have joined and keep up with on a daily basis.  Occasionally, I will discover another blogger through links.  As a woman who enjoys anything and everything preppy, I tend to spend a good amount of my online time checking out preppy blogs.  A while back, I found one written by a woman closer to my age (most of the popular preppy blogs tend to be written by younger, southern college students).  I bookmarked it and would pop on over to see what was up in her life once or twice a week.

But the shine wore off quickly.  There was the post about her dog getting sick.  Turns out the dog ate some clothing.  Thankfully, the dog was able to pass the clothing on his own.  And she thought it was a hoot.  There is also this underlying sense of smugness -  I can't quite put my finger on an exact post or the wording that leads me to this conclusion.  Its just something I sense in my gut.  Have you ever had that happen to you?  The nail in the coffin for me and what led me to delete the link from my bookmarks was due to her committing a pet peeve of mine.  She has her daughter call her genitals by a euphemism.  The few who commented on the post thought that was "adorable!!!" My comment asking why she didn't use the right terminology didn't make it past approval.  I was willing to overlook the over use of "super!" and "soooooooooo cute!" by a grown woman.  But, an educated, middle to upper class woman teaching her daughter to call her genitalia a "who ha" was my line in the sand.  (And to be clear, Oprah lost me with the whole va-jay-jay thing.)

BUT.......

Yes, there is a but.  One extremely positive thing came out of my time spent reading her posts.  I discovered Birchbox!  Birchbox is a company similar to Sephora or Ulta.  They are an online resource for beauty products.  However, here is what makes Birchbox different than the others.  You need to request to purchase a membership.  Membership costs about $10 a month.  You can buy one for yourself and/or as a gift for someone else.  But, memberships are limited and there is a waiting list.

By now, you may be asking yourself why I would want a membership.  Let me tell you why I bought and maintain my membership.  For $10 a month, I get sent a small box in the mail each month.

(This arrived yesterday!)

I get so excited when a package arrives in the mail, even when I know what is in it.  In the case of Birchbox, there is the added excitement of not knowing what surprises lurk inside!  In the box is a bunch of different samples of beauty products.

This month, I received a sample of Juicy perfume, a Schick razor, hand wipes, lip/cheek stain and DDF facial cleanser.  I am most excited to try the cleanser as it has been on my wish list.  I am a big fan of the DDF  10% Glycolic Toner and will be anxious to see if using both the cleanser and the toner helps speed the fading of some of the age spots I discovered last winter along my jawline (lesson learned to apply sunscreen a bit better.)

My daughter has already pilfered the lip/cheek stain.  Which isn't a bad thing because I noted that when she used it, it really does appear natural.  So if this is a means of satisfying her desire to wear makeup to school and ending our recent daily discussions of what is an appropriate amount and type of makeup for a 10 year old, I may be purchasing a full sized one for her.    If I order it this month, I get a significant discount since it was one of this month's samples.

I anticipate the arrival of my Birchbox each month the same way I anticipate the arrival of my Better Homes and Gardens.  I know that some months, I am going to love every single thing in it.  Some months, I am going to hate it all.  And sometimes, there is going to be that one hidden gem.

So thank you smug, annoying, uncaring for your dog blogger!  Sure you made my blood boil laughing off the threat to your dog's life, and made me cringe imagining your daughter in 15 years going to her first ob/gyn appointment and being too embarrassed to refer to her body with accurate terms.  But you led me to Birchbox.  And for that, I can forgive you -- but you are still deleted.