My sister and I picked a blisteringly cold day to stop by Birchbox SoHo. We had been planning to drop by since they opened, but bizarrely enough I haven’t really spent much time in SoHo this past year. Anyways, as one of the first customers in the store we could see the entire layout minus the crowds and it was probably one of the most inventive ways of using NYC’s notoriously limited space that I’ve seen. Even though the store itself was really narrow, the set up was so clean that I felt like the place was a massive beauty hideout. I could probably browse in here for hours and not even notice. I don’t know why I thought that was worth mentioning, but I feel like inventive use of space should equal New York City brownie points or something, haha! That or I’ve been watching too much Fixer Upper.
My younger sister has become something of a beauty addict, and we’ve actually been debating adding her own series on here for curly haired gals. Seriously, she will give you the low down in a minute on which curly hair products are even worth looking at. I’m so proud of her (*cries a beauty blogging tear). She’s been dying to build her own Birchbox, which we heard through the blogosphere is one of the highlights of the Birchbox store. The BYOB section is located in the back of the top main floor, there is a lower floor as well where you’ll find more products as well as Birchbox Man. I’ve read that you’re meant to choose one product from each sort of beauty section but we spoke to two sales associates and they said that if you really can’t find something you like in one section then they’ll let you get two of another, no big deal.
A BYOB costs $15, or $16.33 after tax. The entire BYOB section was loaded up with great products, the sample sizes were huge so I felt like the $15 was well worth it (yes, I know that a monthly subscription comes in at only $10 a box, but you get to pick what you want here). They also featured a free item – that week it was travel sized Illume candles, my sister and I love Illume so we were thrilled about that addition! The customer service was also great too, the staff there can help you find any sort of product that you’re looking for, but they don’t hover, aren’t pushy at all, and just leave you to do your own thing if you like.
She picked out Wilma Schumann Skin Care Hydrating Collagen Eye Pads, DevaCurl Super Cream, Briogeo Curl Charisma Leave-in Cream, Ayres Body Polish – Pampas Sunrise, Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner in Indigo, and the Illume Gardenia tin candle.
Birchbox SoHo also offers a menu of beauty services including makeup, nails, and hair – which you can book online here. They also offer beauty classes, which are free for subscribers, and $30 for non-subscribers – however, you get that amount of money in store credit when you take the course, so it’s basically like getting it free with a $30 purchase.
Are you a Birchbox subscriber? Have you ever been to their SoHo flagship store?