I just have this one last box to go over with you all and I'm officially caught up! I have a Yarnbox on the way and few selections to make in the next couple days, however, for now I can focus on the DIY and crafting bit! (and boy do I have one brewing!)
So I'm a bit of a makeup novice. I'm amazing at stage makeup. I can make some really scary Halloween makeup. But to give myself a normal day to day look... yeah novice. So in order to improve my beauty know how I subscribed to Birchbox.
Birchbox is a monthly subscription box that sends 5 samples (sometimes deluxe size or even full sized) of high-end beauty products to your doorstep for only $10.00 a month. I'm excited about June because they have already announced that a full sized sample will be coming with every box! You can also sign up for a year subscription in advance and pay $110 dollars (a $10 a year discount and most of the time you can find a coupon for a free full sized item with your year subscription).
Also Birchbox has branched out and started a Men's subscription box for $20 a month. Inside you can find manly grooming products as well as tech gadgets, socks, and other items of interest.
One thing I liked about Birchbox is that they have a points system. You earn points when you purchase a box, when you purchase items from their store, when you refer friends, and the great part... when you review the items in your box. Every 10 points is worth a dollar in their online store! Every review I make on one of their samples is 10 points. This can rack up to a deep discount on a product or a free product rather quickly.
My only complaint is that the box is so tiny. However, considering that it contains samples it makes sense. It's actually kind of adorable. But to give you a sense of size I took pictures of it with a q-tip and with my computers mouse.
So here is the very first box I received. Please note that I used a coupon code to receive the RMS Beauty Lip Shine for free and it was not part of the box itself.
Adorable packaging right? Birchbox apparently puts a lot of thought into all the designs of their boxes (I have mentioned I'm a sucker for packaging right?)
Here's a peek inside:
So the very first item I wanted to try was the Juice Beauty CC Cream. I've been loving on the idea of one-cream-to-rule-them-all. I am a no fuss kind of gal so this seemed right up my ally. Not to mention that I've been hearing wonderful things about Juice Beauty and all of their products!
First off may I make a note of the sample size? It's TINY. Like super small. And half-empty (or full depending on your outlook on life). The package it came in made me think it would be much larger. But I digress... that is not the main issue I had with this product. Firstly it didn't blend in my skin very well and left an oily and yellow looking spot on my hand where I swatched it.
Secondly, the smell. Ew. Ew. Achoo! Ew. It is very flowery. Not the pleasant rose or lavender flower. I'm talking about the flowery rotten smell of fruit trees in the spring time. (It's spring so surely you know the smell I speak of) I don't know how anyone would be able to stand to have such a strongly scented product on their face all day! I personally think that face creams and makeup should hold on the fragrance and let a lady choose her own! I dapple in aromatherapy and I am familiar (and allergic) to this particular scent. They happened to use Neroli essential oil in their formulation. Which has been proven to be amazing for ageing skin. But also has that distinctly floral rot smell I would rather stay away from!
The next product to get a test run was the Amika: Perk up Dry Shampoo. I instantly loved this littlest-aresol-can-I've-ever-seen. The bright colors alone made me want to perk up!
So let me tell you about my hair. It's fine and straight. I wash it everyday or else the grease fairies visit and make me look like I'll be attending a grunge concert. So a dry shampoo that will help with that? Sure, I'll give it a shot.
This shampoo has a strong but pleasant smell that does not fade at all. I wore this for a day and still smelt it at the end. The dry shampoo did seem to take the look of the oil out of my hair but it still had a greasy, turned powdery, gritty, greasy feel to it. I mean my hair looked ok, but it certainly didn't feel clean in the slightest. I'm not sure us fine, straight, greasy-haired girls are a fit for dry shampoos, but in a pinch and to keep in my gym bag this sample was a win.
Next I had the Not Soap Radio: Bathing with sharks (for that competitive edge in work and/or play)
Yes, that's the name of the product. This company names all of their products in this manner. I love it! LOVE. There's something to be said about a company with a sense of humor.
This soap had a nice fresh ocean-ish smell that would be great for guys and gals alike. This will definitely be going in my travel bag. Also the formulation is nice. Leaves the skin clean but not squeaky or dried out.
The next product I was really excited about. The Coastal Scents: Revealed 3 palette sampler in Desert Bloom. I had a tragedy a few weeks ago while scrambling to get ready that ended with my favorite eyeshadow palette on the ground in itty bitty bits of dust. So getting a replacement palette with at least 2 colors similar to those I lost was great!
I'm not too sure about the gold shadow but I'm in love with the other colors. I'm also quite happy with the sample size. It is definitely enough for multiple uses.
Then there was the Marcelle Hydra-C Moisturizer.
The sample was a sufficient size for multiple uses. I kept trying this one out, over, and over. Still my opinion is on the fence. On one hand its a lightweight (really not even there) cooling moisturizer. But on the other hand calling is a moisturizer is generous. It hydrates the skin but does nothing to condition it, or make it softer. It gets my dried out T-zone normal again after a shower but other than that I don't know what its doing. Would I purchase this product? No. Will I keep trying it out until its gone because I'm still confused as to what it actually does? Yeah probably.
Finally we have arrived to my freebie with a new subscription! I got the RMS Beauty Organic lip shine in the color Bloom.
This is a full size 0.20oz little frosted glass jar filled with a lovely neutral lip gloss that has a lot of shine to it. The only down side is that you get it all over your finger when applying and its pigmented so that gets all over your fingers as well. Yes, I realize they make lip brushes. No, I really doubt you can convince me to carry one around with me at all times. I liked this product. No smell, no flavor, a little gritty because of the natural minerals used to color it, but I'm ok with that because it wasn't so gritty as to be offensive. Besides, I like natural products.
All in all I'm quite happy with my Birchbox. I was able to try a bunch of new products I would have never purchased on my own and now I have some useful items for my gym and travel bags! As well as an everyday wear lip shine.
For $10 a month I think Birchbox and I are going to get along swimmingly (with sharks even!)
Remember to be kind to thyselves!
Jeanette
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