The Key to Good Makeup is...A Pretty Face

If you're like me, you love free stuff. I collect my Sephora Insider points like a hoarder with a fetish for porcelein dolls, just to get as much free product as possible. The month Kashi gave away free cookies via the mail was basically the greatest month of all time. Too bad the cookies sucked.

And that's the problem with most freebies and samples....its either something you don't really want in the first place or such a small little bottle/bag/cookie that it's disappointing. If you're going to give me something free, be serious about it. Instead of a tiny pouch of eye cream, give me the whole thing. HOW am I supposed to know if it erases my dark circles if you only gave me enough for one-half of one eye?

Thank God the Beauty Gods smiled upon us recently and begot the world Birchbox, otherwise known as (in my house, at least), the Holy Grail of Beauty Samples.

Every month, for the the nominal fee of $10, I get a pretty little box in my mail, sweetly wrapped and tied with a bow. Best of all, it's stuffed full of beauty goodies. Once, it had a granola bar (and it was delicious).

The samples are usually "premium" sized, meaning it lasts more than a single use. Also, because I've filled out a handy-dandy survey about my beauty tastes, everything I get is something I really am excited to try. And even though there's no pressure to buy, buy I do. But that's okay, too, because I earn points when I buy things and that, in turn, earns me discounts! Genius. Pure pretty-girl genius.

Highlights of recent boxes? Korres body wash, Kate Spade perfume, Anastasia of Beverly Hills mascara, and a Twistband hair tie. Love doesn't begin to cover how I feel about Birchbox.