Birchbox Breakdown: May 2015

I've realized that I hardly ever buy makeup in the summer. Beyond sunscreen and mascara I don't wear nearly as much as I do in the winter, so I rarely shop for it between May and September. This means that I hadnn't even been thinking about my subscription when the box showed up and it was a delightful little surprise! Woohoo! (You have to imagine me saying that in the Target Lady voice).

I chose the "Beauty Solutions" box because I'm all about problem solving even when your problems are, admittedly, just first world ones. Here's what was inside:

CoTZ Flawless Complexion SPF 50

 

I loved this, hands down. It's a slightly tinted sunscreeen that's not too oily or greasy. I liked that it didn't turn my pale face orange, which many do, and it didn't sting or slide off throughout the day. I like it enough to wear it alone, or you can put it under foundation as a moisturizer and it will add little extra coverage. I'm a huge fan of it being SPF 50 since I turn all sorts of freckly and blotchy after too much sun. It's $20 which is really reasonable for a sunscreen this nice.

Juara Candlenut Body Creme

 

This body cream (or creme if we're feeling the need to parlez Francais) is nice. It's very rich and has an inoffensive smell. The sample size was miniscule so it only covered my arms (no, I don't have giant arms, it really was that small) but I'm not quite sure it's worth $35. I think you could find a drugstore brand that performs the same.

Marcelle Hydra-C 24H Energizing Hydrating Gel

 

The name of this product is entirely too long. So many words. That being said, I really like this gel. I used it as more of a serum and put it on under my regular moisturizer, but it would be sufficient if you have oily skin. I have read that vitamin C is supposed to be magical, anti-aging, brightening and create a mystical barrier from UV rays....or something like that. I just liked the feel of it. It had a cooling sensation when you put it on and smelled like cucumbers. It's $24 which is approaching my threshold of "too expensive" but it might be worth it if you like a lighter moisturizer or spend a lot of time in the sun. 

Number 4 Blow Dry Lotion

 

This is supposed to help your hair dry faster and keep it from getting frizzy when you blow dry. I only tried it once but it seemed to work as promised and my hair dried pretty quickly. It's $32 which is quite pricey for me since I blow dry my hair about four times a year. 

W3LL PEOPLE The Expressionist Mascara

 

Let's ignore the fact that they used a 3 in their name instead of a letter and give them the benefit of the doubt. I did not have high hopes for this mascara as I had tried A LOT of mascaras and am really picky. It was described as "all natural" which I realize doesn't mean much but I was thinking it might be made out of clay and charcoal or some nonsense. I tried it and was blown away. This mascara is amazing and gives you thick black lashes without clumps. I love it. Of course it's $23.50 because good things are rarely cheap and now I have to decided if I like my money or my eyelashes better.

*all photos are from the Birchbox website*

Overall, I think this box was a hit. I appreciated that it was products I'd actually use in the summer and not heavy perfume and glittery eyeshadow.  Seriously, sunscreen and mascara are all almost all I wear and they sent me two amazing ones. Nice job guys.

Birchbox Breakdown: April 2015

Have you heard of Birchbox? It's a subscription service for makeup samples, you pay ten bucks a month (or less for a year's subscription) and each month they send you samples to try. They include various types of makeup, hair products, perfume and occasionally snacks or other goodies.

I first signed up when Rory was a baby because I was in desperate need of something grown up to look forward to and let me tell you, finding that box in the mail each month was just delightful. I ended up cancelling briefly because the products where not really tailored to what I wanted (I loathe perfume samples and no I don't want samples of dog treats!). However, I gave it one more try and was very careful while filling out the profile questions and the products I received after that were much more suited to me. Occasionally I've even gotten full size products or cool things like new headphones. Totally worth it to me now, and so much fun.

I know about 2 and a half people who are vaguely interested in it so I thought I'd write a bit about it.

So here is a breakdown of the box I received this month:

This month you could choose to receive the standard box or one of two Mad Men themed boxes (New York or California) and I chose California.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel:


I'm all about eyebrows and normally I fill mine in with pencil and then a Maybelline Brow Drama tinted gel, but that's been looking a little, well, dramatic lately and I want to lighten up for spring.  This stuff is awesome and holds everything in place so you look sleek but not distracting. There's a reason Anastasia Beverly Hills is known as THE brow brand.

Beauty Protector Protect and Oil:

Can't find a picture of this on the Birchbox site for whatever reason but picture, if you will, a tiny bottle of oil. There you go. I haven't tried this yet, and I have baby fine hair so any type of hair oil makes me twitchy, but this is recommended for after sun/swimming and that might be the one time I'm willing to try it since summer tends to wreak havoc on my hair. Would probably be wonderful for a thicker haired lady.

Cargo Swimmables Water Resistant Blush in Los Cabos:


This comes in this cute metal tin and looked very peachy pink. I applied it a little haphazardly (whoops) and was shocked by how highly pigmented it was. You need a teeny bit, and it goes on my fair skin with a much more orange tint than pink. This sample sized one they sent will probably last forever since you need such a small amount. With a light hand, this would be the perfect bronze pink color for summer.

Liz Earle Evebright Soothing Eye Lotion: 
 

This is billed as magical potion of botanicals that soothes eyes blah blah blah. At the ripe old age of 27 I'm already prone to wrinkles around my eyes when my skin gets dry. I take eye creams seriously. This is a very thin liquid and to me it was basically a glorified eye makeup remover. Not moisturizing or refreshing or whatever. One of the main ingredients is witch hazel and it made my skin dry and tight feeling. Gross. Will pass on this one.

Whish Shaving Cream in Blueberry:



So this stuff was strange. It has an amazing blueberry scent an feels really rich on your skin...at first. It took a ton of it to actually cover my skin (washes away very easily) and left it feeling somewhat dry. But seriously, the smell is like those blueberry scented markers from childhood that left you with blue dots all over your nose. So good. Probably not worth buying full size but will definitely bring you back to first grade art class.


Here is a link if you're interested in trying it out: Birchbox

All photos are from the Birchbox website.