Yay! It’s time for another Birchbox Man unboxing and review! I absolutely love that my hubby has his very own subscription service for dudes that brings tailored shipments of grooming and lifestyle products just for men. No longer just for ladies, back in 2012, Birchbox opened up a whole new world for men, like Michael, looking to up their grooming and lifestyle games.
Birchbox Man is a $20/month subscription, and every month, subscribers receive a curated box of five, grooming, and/or lifestyle samples. From there, decisions can be made if the products are worth the money, and can purchase the full-sized items from their online shop. Like other subscription services, you can earn points that can also be redeemed in the shop. Pretty sweet. You may notice right away that the Birchbox Man box is $10/month more than the women’s version, but from what our experience has been over the past 3 months, the men’s boxes are more lifestyle geared, and include more clothing, gadgets and doo-dads here and there. Exciting.
So with this being his 3rd Birchbox man, he was pretty excited to see what all was inside this time. He did take a peek ahead of time on their website, but it’s still fun to dig right in when it arrives.
This month’s theme was Boldy Go: Venture into the great unknown with radical formulas, active wear, and gear for the rugged explorer. Interesting.
There were 5 products in this month’s box, one of which was a stainless steel pocket knife! How cool? But let’s save that for last…
Product 1: Davines Momo Shampoo sample | Full sized: $25
Birchbox Breakdown: Ask not what your shampoo can do for you—ask what it can do for the world. Davines works with Slow Food Presidia to source farm-grown ingredients from rare breeds of plants, in turn preventing their extinction. Containing Cartucciaru melon from Paceco, Sicily, this moisture-rich shampoo makes a difference in and out of the shower.
Our Thoughts: First of all, this shampoo smells really good. It’s very light, natural and floral, which is a nice change of pace from all the woodsy and spicy scents that have been coming through from the colder winter months. I guess with spring coming, things are lighter and fresher! Hurrah! Michael reported back that the shampoo lathered up nicely, rinsed out easily, and left his hair feeling clean. I can attest that it left his hair feeling SOFT. REALLY SOFT. I liked that. And I also liked how the subtle scent lasted all day. Two thumbs up!
Product 2: PARLOR by Jeff Chastain, Reworkable Hold Paste sample | Full Size, $24
Birchbox Breakdown: Just because your hair is shorter doesn’t make it any easier to maintain—quite the opposite, in fact. This soft hold paste is out to change all that. The unique hybrid formula provides flexible, touchable hold and enviable texture without feeling crunchy or sticky. Plus, it’s good for your hair: Sweet almond extract adds softness and shine, while vitamin B5 protects against breakage. All products from the line are safe for color-treated hair and are free of sulfates, parabens, and gluten.
Our Thoughts: The sample size of this product is impressive. I know I was impressed with how much actual product was in there (0.5 oz), but that’s not the thing that stood out the most to me. Upon opening this jar, I was blasted with one of the greatest smells of life ever. Oh my gosh. It’s just SO beautiful! It’s sweet, fresh, a bit floral but still very manly. I just can’t… CANNOT get enough.
Michael says that the product leaves his hair feeling smooth, light and manageable without leaving it crunchy or crispy, like some other hair products that he’s tried in the past. It doesn’t provide a super strong hold, but it does provide a handsome shine, manageability for his style, and great texture. He wants to continue to try it out and get a better feel for it, but so far, so good. Two thumbs up!
Product 3: PLANT Face Oil Sample | Full Size, $40
Birchbox Breakdown: For those of you who appreciate the mattifying effect of a good moisturizer, the idea of putting oil on your face may seem a bit off-putting. But this lightweight, 100% botanical blend absorbs easily into skin and won’t leave behind any greasy residue whatsoever. Think of it like a wheat grass shot for your mug—it contains a slew of super ingredients that nourish, repair cellular damage, and prevent acne. And that’s all in addition to keeping your mug properly hydrated.
Our Thoughts: While putting oil on his face isn’t his favorite idea, Michael was as curious as I was about this product. Personally, I’m a big fan of facial oils, and have tried my share, but he had yet to dive into the world of oil as a moisturizer.
As you can see in the above image, the sample sized vial is quite small, which isn’t awesome when it comes to making a good determination on whether or not the product is something that he’d be interested in for the future. He was conservative with using the prescribed 4 drops, but that was 1/3 of the vile! So with only 2 uses to go, I asked him to really think about what his face was feeling, and what he thought so far.
He liked the moisturizing effects, thought the smell was… unique. It’s very plant-extracty and herbal. I liked it but it wasn’t his favorite. He was also perplexed by the consistency. He says it left his face feeling oily but not greasy. It was confusing, because it didn’t feel heavy at all, but not super light either. It did the job in leaving his face feel nourished, but it wasn’t his favorite product.
(Bonus) Product 4: 3 Pack of DTRT Face Products, including Water Wise Lotion, Dear Matt Lotion and Bright Idea Serum. Described as “bonus” items. | Full sized $32-42
Birchbox Breakdowns:
- Water Wise – A great daily moisturizer is the bedrock of your regimen, and some brands take that more literally than others. This light, refreshing formula is made with minerals from underground aquifers, which sooth sensitive skin while helping to lock in deep moisture.
- Dear Matt – Your side-swept hairdo may look good with a little shine, but your face is a different story. This specialized moisturizer is oil’s natural enemy, absorbing excess surface grease to instantly mattify skin. Natural extracts like sage and peppermint round out the formula, soothing and evening skin tone for a picture-perfect complexion.
- Bright Idea – Washing your face is a start, but for a truly stellar complexion, you’ll need to ramp up your regimen. This high-powered formula was designed to clarify skin, using mineral-rich bamboo sap to moisturize and smooth even the toughest adventurer’s mug.
Our Thoughts: None so far – Sorry guys. He hasn’t tried these out yet, and the size of the samples are SOOOO small. There will only be one use out of each little foil packet, and that won’t let Michael see what each is really about.
Product 5: Izola Pocket Knife, Full Sized $18
Birchbox Breakdown: If you’re a man over the age of twelve, you’ve likely received a pocketknife for your birthday, packed with all the bells, whistles, and flimsy plastic toothpicks you could ever want but never find a use for. This rugged alternative keeps things nice and simple: just a blade, corkscrew, bottle opener, can opener, and Phillips-head, all in a refined, stainless steel casing the size of your middle finger.
Our Thoughts: What a cool idea! I know that I was pretty excited when I saw the box contents online before the actual thing arrived at our doorstep, and so was Michael.
I really like it. It’s pretty sturdy, and I am a huge fan of the inscription of “BE BRAVE” and “AND TRUE,” on either side. The knife has a bunch of features as you can see in the photos.
It’s made of stainless steel, and is a pretty snazzy little knife! The knife blade itself is razor sharp, and cuts with ease. The only thing that Michael really didn’t like was how insanely stiff the different components were, and how difficult they were to pull out from the base.
Michael ended up not being the hugest fan of the knife, but I think it’s a great little guy and I am willing to bet he’ll use it way more than he thinks he will. It’s handsome, a great size, and will get the job done when you need it. I’ll give it a thumbs up.
Overall, the March Birchbox Man box was pretty good. In order of favorite to could do without, Michael liked the PARLOR Hold Paste best, followed by the MOMO Shampoo, the Face Oil and then the knife. He didn’t try the bonus trio, so we’re not going to include that here. And honestly, I am SURE the knife will climb the rankings in the coming weeks. It’s pretty awesome, if you ask me.