First Impressions of May 2015 Birchbox

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Birchbox is a $10/month subscription box. You get around 5 samples or deluxe-size samples of beauty (makeup, skin care, hair care) products. Similar to ipsy, you take a quiz to customize your box and get points for reviewing products in your box and for referrals that you can use to “buy” products on the Birchbox website.

With Birchbox, you get the option (if you choose fast enough) to pick either the curated box, one of your samples or to just let Birchbox pick all of your samples. This month I passed on the curated box and did not get to choose my own sample so I had a total mystery box.

Birchbox comes packaged in a box within a box. This month’s box is gorgeous, as usual. Birchbox teamed up with Emily Shuman who runs the lifestyle blog cupcakesandcashmere. The box is light orange with a check print. These boxes are great for organizing makeup. The box also contains a card detailing the items and the (full-size) value of each item.

I actually cancelled Birchbox after the April box. I don’t get products that excite me so I’d rather spend my money somewhere else. AND THEN Birchbox emailed me and said if I resubscribed they would send a free beautyblender and cleanser…so, I signed back up for May and will be cancelling again. Here's what I received:

Product #1: Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Palette Quad in Desert Bloom (0.08 oz.)

This mini palette has four colors: A matte mid-tone brown, a gold shimmer, a dark fuschia shimmer and a light mauve shimmer. I didn’t swatch the colors because I will be giving this away. I just received the Revealed 2 palette in the April 2015 Boxycharm (see the full review of the palette here) and did not care for it. After using the palette for a bit after reviewing it, I realized that the shadows really dry my skin out so I probably won’t use it again. Hopefully whoever I give this to has better luck than I did.

Value: $2

Product #2: Harvey Prince Sincerely Eau de Parfum (0.05 oz.).

I really hate the way this smells! Plus, I’ve received Harvey Prince from Birchbox before. The notes in this perfume are freesia, orange flower, rose, cyclamen, tuberose, clove, mandarin, bergamot, cedarwood and sandalwood (that’s a lot). It’s hard to describe the scent since one note doesn’t dominate. I usually love sandalwood but it’s definitely overpowered by all the other ingredients. The scent is just not for me.

Value: $2

Product #3:  Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream in Natural Glow (0.17 oz.)

I’m excited to try out Juice Beauty and hope that this product provides good coverage even though it’s a CC cream. I swatched it on my hand and it at least looks like it will be light enough for my skin tone (CC creams that come in boxes are usually way too dark for me). It is a very small sample so I will probably only get one use out of it (maybe two), so it will be hard to form a solid opinion on it. Juice Beauty is organic and this CC cream has an SPF 30.

Value: $4

Product #4: Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizer (0.67 oz.)

I love getting moisturizers in subscription boxes because the samples are usually a decent size. This sample is almost 1 oz. so I will be able to use it for a while and decide if it works for me. This moisturizer is natural and organic and claims to hydrate, protect and soften skin. It contains sweet almond and rosehip oil.

Value: $14

Product #5: Number 4 Super Comb Prep & Protect Leave-In Conditioner (1.0 oz.)

*sigh* Another hair conditioner/detangler. I feel like I get one every month from Birchbox even though I say I do not want hair products (or perfume samples). This smells disgusting (like cleaning products) so I don’t know if I will try it. It claims to strengthen, repair, detangle, protect color and provide UV protection. You put this in towel-dried hair.

Value: $5

Overall Value: $27 (more than half of the value is from the moisturizer)

Like I said, I will be cancelling Birchbox again. I just do not like this box—I only see myself using the moisturizer. Not only do they insist on sending product types that I say that I don’t want, I don’t particularly care for the things they do send anyway. Since I am also cancelling Boxycharm, I will be re-subscribing to the POPSUGAR Must Have Box (one of my favorites).

What are your thoughts on Birchbox? If Birchbox is more your speed and you’d like to sign-up for Birchbox, feel free to use my referral link. You can read all of my Birchbox reviews here.

Disclaimer: All products are purchased by me or my lovely husband unless otherwise noted in the post. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you. This post is not sponsored.

Referral Links:

ipsy: https://www.ipsy.com/r/ts6i8

POPSUGAR:  http://popsu.gr/uXzQ  Save $5 off your first box with the code REFER5

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/dqphm

Ebates: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=hbpGf26lDsl%2F2zOsOOaIRw%3D%3D&eeid=26471

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Boxycharm: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/41854/

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First Impressions of April 2015 Birchbox

**If you are receiving this post via email, you may want to check out the actual site as the email throws off the formatting**

Birchbox is a $10/month subscription box. You get around 5 samples or deluxe-size samples of beauty (makeup, skin care, hair care) products. Similar to ipsy, you take a quiz to customize your box and get points for reviewing products in your box and for referrals that you can use to “buy” products on the Birchbox website.

With Birchbox, you get the option (if you choose fast enough) to pick either the curated box, one of your samples or to just let Birchbox pick all of your samples. This month I passed on the curated box and did not get to choose my own sample so I had a total mystery box.

Birchbox comes packaged in a box within a box. This month’s box is gorgeous! Birchbox teamed up with Rifle Paper Co. The box is coral with a floral print. I will use it to organize my makeup. The box also contains a card detailing the items and the (full-size) value of each item.

 Product #1: LAQA & Co. Sheer Lip Lube Pencil (0.07 oz)

The color I received in this lip crayon is Honeypot. I think the color will vary since the color was not indicated on the content listing card. It is a nice blue-based mid-tone pink. It smells like a candy cane. It goes on smoothly, is semi-sheer and has a nice shine. It’s not sticky at all. I think I will like this!

Value: $14

Product #2: Obliphica Professional Treatment Hair Serum (0.50 oz)

This has a nice smell—I can’t quite put my finger on it—a very clean scent. This hair serum is supposed to repair and protect dry/damaged hair, and add shine. You can use this in damp or dry hair. This has seaberry in it. I’ve seen seaberry pop up in a few places so I’m guessing that will be the next big thing (like argan oil just was). If you’ve been reading my past Birchbox posts, you’ll know I don’t really care for hair products as I just never use them. I will give this a shot next time I wash my hair.

Value: $8.64

Product #3: POP Beauty Portfolio Eyeshadow Palette in Peach Parfait (0.15 oz)

It seems as though 

everyone will get the same color of this eyeshadow trio. The colors are absolutely beautiful. There is a vanilla, peach and bronze color. They are shimmery and remind me of the Pixi Apricot Glow eyeshadow duo I received in last month’s ipsy bag. I wore this trio today. The shadows are not pigmented at all. I don’t mind eyeshadows that are not pigmented because it allows me to build up the color without it being too intense. However, I could not really build up these colors. They colors are so pretty when swatched, but I’m not sure if that will translate to the eyes. The lightest color arrived broken. I’m sure Birchbox would replace this product if I asked, but I don’t think I’m going to bother.

Value: $3 (?)

Product #4: Vasanti Cosmetics BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator Exfoliating Cleanser Enriched with Papaya, Micro-crystals and Aloe (0.70 oz)

This cleanser is supposed to be akin to microdermabrasion and will brighten, smooth and soften skin.  It is parabens and sulfate free, vegan, 99% natural, etc. It smells like a cleanser, no real scent. You are supposed to use 3-5 times per week. It says that it is okay for all skin types, but I’m a little worried it might be too intense for my sensitive skin. I’ll give it a shot.

Value: $5.63

Product #5: Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Blueberry (0.75 oz)

I received a Whish body butter (that smelled horrible) last month so I was not excited to see a repeat brand this month. The blueberry smell is nice (like a Flintstones Push-Up Pop—let me know if you remember those!). This shaving cream has a shea butter base and is supposed to moisturize, soothe and nourish because it contains shea butter, omega 3, green tea, coconut oil and jojoba seed oil. It is parabens, sulfate, DEA, TEA and petrochemical free. I really hope this is moisturizing because I have such dry skin.

Value: $3

Overall Value: $34.27

I’m not sure if I’ll be keeping Birchbox. I think I want subscription boxes that are just focused on makeup/skincare. I just don’t get excited over hair products. Also, I received a Whish product last month and I want to try different brands. Even though the value of the products is well above the $10 price tag, the personal value just isn’t there for me.

What are your thoughts on Birchbox? If Birchbox is more your speed and you’d like to sign-up for Birchbox, feel free to use my referral link. You can read all of my Birchbox reviews here.

Disclaimer: This bag was purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. I do receive points if you sign-up for a subscription using my referral link; however, I am not affiliated with Birchbox.

Referral Links:

ipsy: https://www.ipsy.com/r/ts6i8

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/dqphm

Ebates: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=hbpGf26lDsl%2F2zOsOOaIRw%3D%3D&eeid=26471

Ibotta: https://ibotta.com/r/bthara

Boxycharm: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/41854/

                    at checkout enter the following code: M3d2Q1dTT21MR1RTNWJ0KzhRWUo0Z0lWWWtoRnVrZmk0NGNOVWY0MVBHRT0=

Favorite 5: March 2015

**If you are receiving this post via email, you may want to check out the actual site as the email throws off the formatting**

At the beginning of every month I’ll let you know what my top 5 favorites were in makeup and/or skincare for the previous month. 

Here’s what I loved during the month of March:

1. Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara

I have a first impressions of this mascara. I loved it then and I still love it. This mascara is amazing. It really holds the curl and length all day while still keeping your lashes looking natural. If I were ever to splurge on a mascara, it would be this one (the full size is $24, I got mine as a free sample with purchase from Sephora.com).

           

2. Urban Decay Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette

Even though I have a bunch of new eye shadows I want to use (like the new limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos), I have found myself reaching for this palette most mornings. It has a good mix of light to dark shimmery shades. I don’t find the shimmer to be too much. These shadows last all day too. The double-ended brush that comes in the palette is high quality—one end it good for putting color on the lid and the other end is good for lining the eyes. The matte shade (Tease) is perfect for the crease. These shadows are so pigmented and blendable. Lately, I’ve been putting Verve (silvery-champagne color) all over my lid, Tease (taupe with the slightest hint of rose/purple) in the crease, Snakebite (medium brown) on the outer corner, Foxy (matte yellow-cream) on my brow bone and Bootycall (peachy champagne) on the inner corner. It’s my simple go-to look for mornings when I’m too tired to think about my eye makeup.

3. Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in Black

I received this in my FebruaryBirchbox and have been loving it to tightline. This is a creamy liner so it’s perfect for tightlining. I haven’t needed to put liner on my upper lash line because this eyeliner is so pigmented.

4. L’Occitane Immortelle Precious Night Cream

This stuff is amazing! I’ve been using this since my eco-beauty moisturizer ran out and have loved it. It is a very thick cream so a little goes a long way. It absorbs into the skin nicely and when I wake up in the morning my skin looks and feels so hydrated and smooth. I got this using my points at Sephora. I would love to purchase it but it is super expensive ($7.2 for 1.7oz.). I hope Sephora has the deluxe size sample again because I would definitely use my points!

5. Essence Lipliner in 11 In The Nude

I mentioned this lipliner in a recent haul post. This lipliner a great browny-pink nude color and is the other lip product I’ve been reaching for this month. I wear this alone with some lip balm over it or under most any other lipstick I’m wearing. It doesn’t dry my lips out and leaves a nice color when my lipstick wears off.

What products did you love during the month of March? Let me know!

Disclaimer: These items were purchased with my own money or by my lovely husband (or were bought with Sephora points/a free sample with purchase, as noted above) and all opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. Products that work for me may not necessarily work for you.

Referral Links:

ipsy: https://www.ipsy.com/r/ts6i8

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/dqphm

Ebates: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=hbpGf26lDsl%2F2zOsOOaIRw%3D%3D&eeid=26471

Boxycharm: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/41854/

                    at checkout enter the following code: M3d2Q1dTT21MR1RTNWJ0KzhRWUo0Z0lWWWtoRnVrZmk0NGNOVWY0MVBHRT0=

Review of March 2015 Birchbox

**If you are receiving this post via email, you may want to check out the actual site as the email throws off the formatting**

Birchbox is a $10/month subscription box. You get around 5 samples or deluxe-size samples of beauty (makeup, skin care, hair care) products. Similar to ipsy, you take a quiz to customize your box and I wanted to try out Birchbox since it is a similar price as well. Like ipsy and Boxycharm, you get points for reviewing products in your box and for referrals that you can use to “buy” products on the Birchbox website.

With Birchbox, you get the option (if you choose fast enough) to pick either the curated box, one of your samples or to just let Birchbox pick all of your samples. This month I picked the “Beauty Solutions” curated box. Each sample is supposed to tackle a specific beauty problem.

Birchbox comes packaged in a box within a box. The box is actually quite cute—the bottom is a composition notebook print and the top is a seafoam green diamond print. I will use it to organize my makeup. Score for not having to buy makeup organizers! The box also contains a card detailing the items and the (full-size) value of each item.

Product #1: Dear Clark Volumizing Hair Tonic (1 oz.)

            The overall theme of Birchbox this month was hair, so I knew I would end up with a hair product (well, I knew everything I would receive since I picked the curated box). This spray is free of parabens, sulfates, etc. and contains organic ingredients. It’s a good size to see if you’ll like the product. Its downfall is the smell. It’s horrible! It’s like part Robitussin, part rubber. There’s a very (bad) medicinal smell to it. So bad that I don’t want to put it in my hair…        

Value: $4.33

Product #2: derma e Evenly Radiant Brightening Day Crème SPF15 (0.5 oz.)

            This is a decent size sample. I was concerned at first because it was not safety sealed, but it looks like no one’s was safety sealed. It absorbs quickly and has a faint lotion scent to it, nothing offensive (probably because of the SPF). I will put this in my “moisturizers to use” line. This is parabens and cruelty-free.

Value: $7

Product #3: Laura Geller Beauty Baked Blush-n-Brighten in Pink Grapefruit (0.06 oz.)

            This blush is the sole reason I picked this box. I have always been interested in Laura Geller’s makeup, but have never purchased anything. Her Pink Grapefruit blush is one of her iconic items. I’ve seen it on QVC many times and have always wanted to try it. It is so, so beautiful. The Laura Geller website describes it as a mix of “beige, mauve and shimmering pink.” On me it looks peach, with a hint of pink—like a toned down grapefruit. I absolutely love it. It is highly pigmented—a little goes a long way—seriously, use a very light hand. This wears well too, the color did not fade throughout the day.

Value: $7

Product #4: Supergoop! Advanced SPF 37 Anti-Aging Eye Cream

There was a Supergoop! product in last month’s box (CC cream) and it was not for me (wrong color, sample too small to really try).  This sample is pretty small too, but for an eye cream that’s okay because you only need a tiny bit. However, the tube doesn’t even feel halfway full so I’ll probably only get to try this one a few times. I like that this eye cream has SPF, a lot of eye creams don’t. It has a slight sunscreen smell, but nothing noticeable. It absorbs well, but leaves a bit of the expected white cast on the skin because of the high SPF.

Value: $5 (?)

Product #5: Whish Three Whishes Body Butter - Almond

            I was excited for this product too, I love body butters. The smell of this body butter is not for me though (and scent is a big thing for me). It has an overly sweet, fake almond smell to it. It absorbs well and feels nice on the skin, but I really don’t like the smell so I will be passing this along. It is paraben, sulfate, petrochemical, etc. free with organic ingredients so that is a plus.

Value: $3.60

Overall Value: $27

This month wasn’t too exciting for me as there were two total misses and only one product I’m really excited about (Laura Geller blush). I will use the day crème and eye cream though. I will probably give Birchbox one more shot before canceling.

What are your thoughts on Birchbox? If you’d like to sign-up for Birchbox, feel free to use my referral link.

Disclaimer: This bag was purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. I do receive points if you sign-up for a subscription using my referral link; however, I am not affiliated with Birchbox.

Referral Links:

ipsy: https://www.ipsy.com/r/ts6i8

Birchbox: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/dqphm

Ebates: http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=hbpGf26lDsl%2F2zOsOOaIRw%3D%3D&eeid=26471

Ibotta:

Boxycharm: https://www.boxycharm.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/41854/

                    at checkout enter the following code: M3d2Q1dTT21MR1RTNWJ0KzhRWUo0Z0lWWWtoRnVrZmk0NGNOVWY0MVBHRT0=

Review of February 2015 Birchbox

Birchbox is a $10/month subscription box. You get around 5 sample or deluxe-size samples of beauty (makeup, skin care, hair care) products. Like ipsy, you take a quiz to customize your box. Birchbox lets you choose one of the samples you will receive each month, a curated box (you'll know all the contents ahead of time), or a box based on your personalized profile. I wanted to try out Birchbox since it is a similar price point to ipsy. Like ipsy and Boxycharm, you get points for reviewing products in your box and for referrals that you can use to “buy” products on the Birchbox website.

Birchbox comes packaged in a box within a box. The box is actually quite sturdy and has a chevron print on the inside. I will use it to organize my makeup. Score for not having to buy makeup organizers!

The box also contains a card detailing the items and the (full-size) value of each item. This month, there was also a coupon for $30 off at Rent the Runway and a coupon for a free Benefit Porefessional Primer Deluxe Mini with any full-size Benefit purchase at Birchbox.com

Product #1: Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave In Conditioner (0.5 oz.?)

            This is nothing I would ever buy on my own. I own like zero hair care products outside of shampoo, conditioner and a new addition, dry shampoo (and the hairspray I got in my February ipsy). This leave-in condition smells really nice; it’s hard to actually describe what it smells like (helpful, I know), but it’s nice. Clean with a hint of something… It worked well in detangling my hair after showering and left my hair soft, so that alone makes it worth it to me.

Value: $1.37

Product #2: BeeKind Shampoo (1 oz.)

            I was not too thrilled to see a shampoo in the box. Shampoo is just not very exciting to me. It’s a good size for a shampoo sample though—I’ll definitely get several uses out of this. It smells very good, like lemon verbena. It contains none of the bad stuff (e.g., parabens, phthalates) and contains honey and red clover extract. Plus, a portion of the proceeds go toward helping honey bees survive!

Value: $1.88

Product #3: Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in Black (0.03 oz.)

            This is very creamy and black. I like it for tightlining. I would not recommend it on the lower lash line or in the waterline. It transferred immediately on me. I even tried setting it with a black eyeshadow, but it still smudged a lot and not a good smudge. I will definitely use this, just only on my upper lash line.

Value: $12

Product #4: Harvey Prince Hello Body Crème (0.50 oz.)

            Smells so, so good! The notes are lemon, mandarin and plumeria. I used this on my hands and it left them very soft. The scent stayed around, which I like in a body crème—especially since this one smells so good. I will probably use this more as a hand cream since the size isn’t really big enough to use as a body cream more than once. This is something I would consider buying.

Value: $1.83

Product #5: Supergoop! Daily Correct SPF 35 CC Cream in Light/Medium (3ml)

            It’s hard for me to give an assessment of this product for a couple of reasons. One, the color is way off. I put a little on to test and it looked like I had a horrible fake tan. I wish Birchbox had sent me the Fair/Light color instead of Light/Medicum as I am nowhere near Medium in skin tone. Second, the sample is so tiny I’m not even sure there would be enough to cover my whole face. So, this was a miss for me. It’s nice that face products are getting on the bandwagon and including higher SPF (physical only, not chemical) sunscreen.

Value: $2.04

Overall Value: $19.12. The majority of the value came from the eyeliner. Overall, it’s an okay box for me. It’s probably not good when the thing I’m most excited about is the box that the items came in... This was my first Birchbox so I’ll give it a few months before deciding if it’s a box I would like to keep.

What are your thoughts on Birchbox? If you’d like to sign-up for Birchbox, feel free to use my referral link.

Disclaimer: This bag was purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% honest and my own. I do not provide positive reviews for payment. I do receive points if you sign-up for a subscription using my referral link; however, I am not affiliated with Birchbox.