Review: Birchbox

I LOVE beauty products - from make-up and hair styling to skincare products and new fragrances. I'm also a huge fan of homemade spa recipes that help you save a buck here and there, but from time to time it's nice to try new products and treat yourself to something nice. And that's when I discovered Birchbox.

Birchbox allows you to try fun beauty products for a small monthly fee. Each month, you receive a beautifully wrapped box filled with 4-5 different hand-picked deluxe samples from high-end brands. You can fill out a Beauty Profile that helps customize the products just for your body, skin, and color preferences. Samples are different every month, ranging from make-up and beauty tools to body and hair products. Each sample is big enough to allow you to use the product a few times, and decide if you like it or not. Occasionally, you may even get the full-sized products! All you pay is a $10 monthly fee, which includes shipping and handling, and you can cancel any time without any obligations. Isn't that a great deal?!

Another cool thing about Birchbox is their points program. You earn points for filling out product feedback after you've tried the samples. If you shop through their store, you also earn 1 point for each dollar spent on full-sized products. You can also earn points by referring friends. Every 100 points earned can be redeemed for $10 off a full-size product order.

I have been a member of Birchbox since August 2011. The picture above shows some of the products I've received during the last couple of months. You can see that most of the brands are well known in the beauty industry - Smashbox, Quidad, Ahava, Zoya, Benefit, Jouer, Stila, Kate Spade. Yes, I admit - I didn't love every single sample I've received - there have been a couple of misses, but for the most part the products are really high quality and really do match my skin preferences and beauty needs per my profile. It's fun to try new products and receive a surprise box in the mail once a month for a very reasonable fee.

Have you tried Birchbox? If yes, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Learn About Gemstones: Amethyst

Amethyst, the most valued member of the quartz family, is the official birthstone for February, the zodiac stone for Pisces, and the suggested jewel for the 4th, 6th, and 17th wedding anniversary.

The name amethyst is of Greek origin, meaning "not drunken" or "not intoxicated." Throughout history, the gemstone has been a symbol of sobriety and was believed to protect against drunkenness and addiction.

Ranging from light lavender to deep purple, its royal color made amethyst a highly desirable stone amongst the wealthy through history, as it signified power and rank. Fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels. They were also the favorite jewels of Egyptian royalty and Catherine the Great of Russia, who sent out thousands of miners to Siberia to search for the best quality in the Uralian mines, creating the "Siberian" grade amethyst. This precious quartz was also an important ornamentation in Catholic churches in the middle ages, and was a favorite stone in the high ranks of the Christian church, referred to as "the stone of bishops," due to the belief that it symbolized celibacy and piety.

Most amethyst stones on the market today are heat-treated to enhance the deepness of the purple color. Heat treating is permanent and it prevents color fading over time. Also, note that most citrine on the market today is actually heat-treated amethyst. Currently, the biggest amethyst deposits are found in Brazil and Uruguay, but smaller deposits are also found in Mexico, Russia, Sri Lanka, India, Madagascar, and US (Arizona).

The legend of the origin of amethyst comes from the Greek mythology. The god of wine and intoxication, Dionysus (Roman Bacchus), was insulted one day by a mortal, and swore to unleash his anger on the next mortal who crosses his path. He summoned fierce tigers to devour the victim - the unsuspecting virgin Amethyst, a beautiful young maiden on her way to pay tribute to the goddess Artemis (Roman Diana). In her defense, Artemis turned Amethyst into a pure crystal quartz statue to protect her from the ferocious tigers. Upon seeing the beautiful statue and realizing his cruelty, Dionysus wept tears of wine, thus staining the quartz purple and creating the gemstone we know today as amethyst.

Isn't that fascinating? If you want to learn more about other gemstones, check out my other posts here.