Girly Fru Fru Stuff!

So, a while back I was wandering the internets and I happened upon a blogger who mentioned this thing called Birchbox.  It's a subscription thing where you get a box of various and sundry toiletry samples each month.  I've been exploring my girly side, so I decided to check it out.  It's $10 a month (less if you get a full year--I opted for the monthly so if I decided to cancel I wouldn't be out as much).  It's also high end stuff, so it's a cheap way to try out products you might not be able to spend the money on.  There was a waiting list, so it was a month or two before I was able to sign up.

The reason I tell you all this, of course, is because my first one came in and I wanted to share/show off my loot.  Now, before you menfolk run away, I do want to point out that they do have a men's box.  Anywho, I'm super excited because a) I didn't expect it to get in until Friday and b) it's like a tiny Christmas!

This is what was in my mailbox.

Apparently, they theme each box, which is pretty neat.  This month is a back to school theme.  Inside the mailer was the packaging you see on  the website--a brown box with their logo.  And inside that....

So cute!

And because that photo is way blurrier than it was on my phone (yes, I know I have a spiffy camera, but the battery was dead) let's do some closeups, shall we?

 The small jar turned out to be pomegranate scented shaving cream.  It smells really good.

 Also included was a razor, with coupons for blade refills.  Convenient, yes?

 And then there was a cute little tissue wrapped package.  I love packages inside packages!

And inside that was a gel lip stain, perfume, and a hair tie.  

The perfume actually doesn't smell half bad, which was a pleasant surprise.  I'm usually not overly keen on most perfumes.  The little booklet that came with it all also had the full name of each item, and the price (the whole idea is that if you like the stuff you can order a full size version).  I'd just like to point out that the full size perfume is like 70 bucks for a small bottle, so that's probably why it's tolerable (it's also like the third most expensive thing they sent out samples of).

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my first box.  I'm actually looking forward to the next time I shave my legs (did I mention the shaving cream smells really good?)  and I can't wait to see if my husband likes the perfume (he's at Gencon right now--I'm not going up until Friday, so I'll have to wait).  And, of course, I'm looking forward to next month's box now, too.  I love getting packages, and it's extra fun when it's a surprise!

I may make this a regular thing for ye old blog, mostly because it's fun for me.  And who knows, maybe some of you guys are also still discovering how this whole girl thing works (I'm a late bloomer, I know).  I will say you don't have a whole lot of choice for your samples (the surprise is what makes it fun), so if you have allergies you may want to give it a pass, or share your bounty with your friends.

Don't worry, I'll try to keep up with some of the zany fun you've come to expect, although I'll admit, it's been a bit tough lately.  Things have been kinda boring/stressy, and I hate to go into rant mode too often.  But it'll all be good, so you kids have fun till next time!