Birchbox September 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Fresh Paint

This month Birchbox had 3 different colorful boxes that went out, instead of the usual brown box.

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit: ($24.50 for 3.3oz) I decided to take the description straight from the website: "This creamy cleanser contains moisturizing cocoa butter, and two of nature’s best astringents: eucalyptus essential oil and rosemary. These plant oils lift dirt off the skin’s surface without disrupting the natural barrier function. The 100 percent cotton muslin cloth gently exfoliates without irritation, even for the most sensitive complexions." The instructions say to apply onto a dry face, which doesn't make much sense to me as a facial cleanser but I did it anyway. I didn't like it. I think it works much better when I use it in the shower with a wet face and hands to lather up, then scrub away everything with the cloth. I do really like this stuff. Not enough to buy the full size (yet anyway) but I really like the muslin cloth. It is very gentle and doesn't feel like I'm exfoliating at all, yet my face is very smooth after.

Perlier Body Cream in Lavender: ($28.45 for 6.7oz) I'm not sure what all I can say about another lotion. It seems to be hydrating enough for the "intensive" label and the lavender scent isn't overwhelming, but instead soothing. Nice sample to have, but not much to say about it.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner in Silver: ($16) I don't understand why Birchbox sends silver eyeliners. Wouldn't a black, brown, or dark blue be better to see if you like the brand? I just don't use silver eyeliners much... and I have 2 of them already from beauty subscriptions! I've been using it to line my bottom water line and I tried it once on top of (as a separate line, not over top) my black eyeliner and I guess that was a nice effect... just more work than I usually want in the morning. It's smooth and bright so the brand itself is good, but I would rather see how it performs with a darker color.

Catherine Malandrino Style de Paris: ($110 for 3.4oz) I don't like getting perfume samples because I just really don't wear perfumes that much. But this is a nice scent. It's fruity and floral. It's a light scent but lasted a while. I'm not sure what else I can say about it...

Dr. Jart+ Pore Minimalist Mask: ($35 for 5 masks) I wasn't overly impressed with this mask. It's essentially a piece of fabric coated in a serum. There are holes for your eyes, nose and mouth but it's a fairly large mask for being "one size fits all" and bunched up a lot around my cheeks and chin. You are supposed to place it on your face and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. I felt like it had way too much product on it and was worried it would drip while I was waiting. I guess it felt a tiny bit tingly, in a good way and I could feel my skin tightening up a little bit. You're not supposed to wash off the rest of the serum when you take the mask off, but massage it into your skin. I feel like that defeats the purpose of a mask. Isn't it supposed to be cleaning my skin? Why would I massage all the gunk back in? My opinion: Not worth it. Find something else.

Birchbox July 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Power Up

This month, Birchbox partnered with Women's Health Magazine. They included a little booklet of "challenges" to try, including "Get out of your color comfort zone" and "Take a cold shower". Personally, I'm not that motivated. I've been washing my hair in cold water since I dyed it a couple weeks ago and that's long enough for me. 

They also included a card for a free one year subscription to Women's Health. I haven't decided if I want it yet or not... I don't really read magazines, but it's free. But here's what else I got!

Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk: ($19.50 for 3.2oz) I've been using dry shampoo a lot since I dyed my hair again. It's great for the days in between washing, which helps hold the color in. This particular dry shampoo is supposed to be pure and blah blah... it performs like any dry shampoo. Maybe it's better if you have long hair and you're trying to keep curls from the day before. But for my short hair, it's just another dry shampoo. It also claims to not leave residue, but it still does. Oh well. Nice travel size. I love dry shampoo so this was a great sample, but I won't be buying it.

Marcelle New-Age 8 in 1 Power Serum: ($34 for 1oz) I have to keep looking at what the 8 things are, so I've just copied the description off the Birchbox website: "The lightweight formula boasts five peptides, the amino acids that amp up collagen production and improve elasticity, plus xylitol, a natural sugar alcohol that helps skin retain moisture. These potent ingredients work in eight great ways. When it comes to lines, they smooth, provide a filling effect, and visibly reduce even deep wrinkles. They also firm, lift, and strengthen, while working to boost radiance and improve the texture of your complexion. Even better? It does all of this without parabens or fragrance." I haven't noticed much of an effect, except that it makes my face feel smooth. I also haven't decided if I should use a moisturizer on top of this since it's a serum, or by itself because it's supposed to "retain moisture". Overall, I really like this but I don't think I can justify spending $34 on something that I'm not sure all what it's doing. Maybe in 10+ years when I need help with wrinkles?

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Sugar: ($20 for .17oz) This month we got to choose one sample from a selection given to us. I liked the Cynthia Rowley Stain in Valentine I got last month so I decided to try Sugar this month. At first I was disappointed because the color looked like the plain glosses I've been getting from Ipsy - kind of made my lips disappear. I figured out that it was just my horrible bathroom lighting and it natural light, it did add a nice natural pinkness to my lips. I love the texture and the stain left behind. I would buy the full size, but I have a lot of lip products I rotate so this little size will last me a while. It also fits very nicely in a pocket or purse.

Naobay Body Radiance Lotion: ($24 for 250ml) So this lotion is all natural with olive oil, avocado oil, and shea butter. I'm not someone who only buys organic and natural (I'm not that Californian yet... lol but kudos to you if you are!) so to me, this is just lotion. It smells kind of like my BeeKind lotion did - lemony but not bad. This is a good size tube so I think I will leave it in my desk at work. 

100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel: ($15 for 13oz) Like every other Birchbox subscriber, I was disappointed in the amount of product in this package. The package is small enough, but there was barely a teaspoon of product in there. It doesn't lather like it claims, and the smell was just ok. I only used one of these packets so far, but it's enough to know that I do not like nor need a product like this. Wasted sample if you ask me.

I also finally took advantage of the Birchbox Plus offer this month. This is the Triple C Designs Power Card Ultra Thin Battery in Blush. I had been looking to order a portable phone charger (for those long days at Disneyland and whatnot) and this seemed perfect. I was a little more expensive at $28, but it's very thin. So thin that you need to push open the USB slot to make it large enough to fit the USB cord. It also has a small button on the side that lights up with how much power is left. I've used it a few times now and it's been really nice. You also receive Birchbox points for your Plus items. 

Birchbox June 2014

Birchbox is a monthly subscription box service. For $10 a month, they will send you 4-5 'Beauty and Lifestyle' samples. 

They also have a points system, which is the best I've seen. 100 points = $10 to spend in the Birchbox shop. Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend (monthly boxes don't count, except for the first one) and they offer a lot of promo codes to get extra points. You can also earn 10 points for each review of your monthly samples. That's like getting $4-5 back each month! You also get 50 points for each person who signs up through your referral. If you would like to try Birchbox, please consider using my link: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/pdwbx

This month's theme: Away We Go

I was so excited about this box! I was looking at everyone's posts on the Birchbox Facebook page to see what they got and I kept seeing items that I'd gotten before in everyone's pictures! Birchbox says you'll never get the same sample twice so I was getting worried and excited. I never peek at my box because I love to be surprised. I am so happy with what I got!

Lierac Micellar Cleansing Water: ($24 for 300ml) I've never had a "cleansing water" but I really like this. And what a great size! I got a 50ml sample, which is about $6 worth of product! It smells amazing. I can't really describe what, kind of a light floral that disappears right away. It's not great at removing waterproof eyeliner and mascara, but after using a different remover for those things, I use this to get rid of the residue and it's great. Doesn't irritate my eyes at all either.

Egyptian Magic Skin Cream: ($38 for 4oz, $26 for 2oz) I was so happy to get this! I saw it in some people's boxes and was hoping it would be in mine and it was! I'm finding new things to do with this cream all the time. I guess you can use it as a face cream, eye gel, burn cream, hair masque, etc. Mostly I use it on my cuticles and under my eyes. It's sort of like a pressed oil to me. You can rub your finger over it to get just a little bit or dig into it and let it melt a little. Kind of a more stable coconut oil. Another great sized sample.

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Creamy Lip Stain in Valentine: ($20 for full size) Another sample I was so happy to get! Honestly, this was the one I was really hoping for. I've heard such great things about it and I love lip stains. The sample seems really small but it's perfect for a pocket or purse. The full size seems really long and awkward. I love this color too. A year ago I would've been scared to get such a bright pink but now I love it. It is very glossy, pretty moisturizing, and the stain really does last a while. I can't say how long for certain because I wasn't timing it, but I loved having it at Disneyland and only had to reapply twice.
*Birchbox asked us to pick one of our samples for July. Our choices were the Ruffian Nail Polish in 3 colors or this lip stain in Valentine or Sugar. I loved this sample so much I chose to get Sugar in my next box! Yay!

Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara: ($20 for full size, which this is) The package is super cute with the glitter at the bottom, but it's different than what the Birchbox website shows, so I don't know what's up with that. This mascara claims to "thicken and lenthen lashes beyond your wildest lash dreams". I don't think it quite lives up to that... but I did find it to be a nice natural looking mascara. I've been using it for days when I want to wear less makeup. It separates lashes really well and does lengthen and thicken a little bit.

Harvey Prince Hello: ($55 for 50ml) At first I thought this was the same perfume I got a few months ago and then ordered the full size. But that was Journey by Harvey Prince. I have to say, I like this scent just as much. It's very light and citrusy. I did buy the 50ml of Journey and then they released smaller versions like a rollerball. After some digging, I did find Hello in and 8.8ml for $26. I may have to get that one eventually... or soon since it is a summer scent :)