Birchbox April 2013

For this month(April) Birchbox lined up with Women'sHealth to bring us a themed box: Tiny Tweaks, Big Results.

Ruby Wing - Color Changing Nail Polish in Poppy: $4.6 for 7ml/0.25floz, full size is 15ml/0.5floz and goes for $10. Super excited to try this out, both colors are favorites of mine, so I would love to see both inside and outside!

J.R. Watkins - Hand & Cuticle Salve: $1.1 for 7g/0.25oz, full size is 59g/2.1oz and goes for $8.99. These cuticles need some love and pampering, so I'm really glad I got this. I know the value is not huge, but even the full size is super affordable (which is always a plus). Also, isn't this packaging so cute? It looks so vintage! Love it!

AHAVA - Purifying Mud Mask: $6.2 for 25g/0.9oz full size is 125g/4.3floz and goes for $31. I absolutely love mud masks, so I'm glad I get to try this one.

Simple - Revitalizing Eye Roll-On: $10.99 full size. This is supposed to help with puffiness and under eye circles. While I don't get the first, I always get the second, even if I get a good night sleep. They are not too dark when I actually get a good night's sleep, If I didn't get enough sleep they get darker, they are always still there though. I'm glad I get to try this out and see f it actually works for my evil under eye circles.

Oribe - Shampoo for Beautiful Color: $2.1 for 14ml/0.46floz, full size 250ml/8.5floz is and goes for $37. I do have color treated hair(I have ombrè hair), but I don't use shampoo. Birchbox did get it right and gave me a product for color treated hair, but how could they know I don't use shampoo? I don't blame them for me not liking or not being able to use this sample. There's no option in the profile that asks "Do you use shampoo?" So, it's all good.

Oribe - Conditioner for Beautiful Color: $1.4 for 14ml/0.46floz, full size 200ml/6.8floz is and goes for $39. I do use conditioner so I might actually try only the conditioner out.

Value and overall review: 

 The value of my box for this month is: $26.39

 That is honestly not that bad, is not the highest value ever, but I actually am really excited to try out the products.

 I think Birchbox really picked great products for me this month. Out of all 5, I won't use half of one of the samples.  I know I won't use up the nail polish entirely, because I have a lot of nail polish, but I definitely will use it. Everything else I'm sure I will use up.

 For some this might not be the greatest box, or not too exciting. But it fits my needs perfectly and has products I literally never have tried thus fulfilling the purpose of a subscription box. A lot of people expect Birchbox to send them huge things and highly priced and coveted items. Birchbox is a discovery service and so far it has done what is supposed to do for me.

 I can't recommend Birchbox highly enough. Box envy(being jealous of what other people got) will ruin your boxes. Don't let it, don't peek into other peoples boxes, just enjoy your own and try the products. If you still don't like what you get, tweak your profile to better suit your taste/needs. And if that still doesn't work, try another subscription service. At the end of the day, you are only out $10 and if you didn't try the products, you can always give them away.

 I'm in no way sponsored by Birchbox, I just really enjoy my boxes and understand the service.

 What was your favorite product this month in your Birchbox?

If you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link onto your navigation bar: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=58jbc

 Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion:)

Birchbox Haulage

  I love my Birchbox boxes and I LOVE their point system, so far I haven't really taken advantage of it THAT much. By this I mean, I haven't had a big order completely paid with points. And those points are the reason why I'd rather buy from the Birchbox shop rather than other sites, if the product I'm looking for is sold there, of course.

 I've heard wonders about the two main products I bought and that's why I got them, the reviews were amazing!

 This "haul" is two different orders that came within like a month of each other, but I still think it counts! haha

 I submitted this order with the BBLEARNVEST code, which I think doesn't work anymore and ended up paying only $28.43! Pretty good, considering it should have been $41.90 S&H and taxes!

Shea Terra - Rose Hips Black Soap: I've heard wonders about this product, so far I haven't gotten any of the long term results I've read about, but it definitely leaves my skin super smooth after using it. If you want an in depth review on this, let me know :) 

Chuao - Chocolatier Assorted ChocoPod: This, I can talk about haha! I love several of these, specially the Firecracker, which is spicy and it has something like pop rocks, which I thought was fun. I didn't like the Potato Chip, Maple Bacon and Honeycomb, but the bf did like them. I loved the Spicy Maya, which as they name says, is spicy; the Salted Chocolate Crunch, which is quite interesting and the Sweet and Salty, which needs no description. I kinda wish I could try a chocolate that is JUST chocolate from them, because the chocolate itself, is super tasty(the little bit I could try between all those toppings(?)).

I got this pick-two, because of the generously size hand cream!

Alessandro - Cream Rich: I was really looking forward to this product, because I really needed the hand cream. Well, it was all a huge disappointment. I can't stand the smell, it's super stinky, at least for me. Also, it took forever to get absorbed by my skin and on top of that it would leave a greasy feeling! On top of all that still, it would create a film type thing on my hands that rubbed off into tiny little thingies(tiny bunches of product), for the lack of a better word. Terrible, this was all together a HUGE fail! A bunch of people seem to love it, according to Birchbox's reviews, but I definitely don't recommend it. My go to hand cream is Eucerin - Intensive Repair Extra-Enriched Hand Creme, which moisturizes my hands just great, without leaving a greasy feeling. Plus, you can get it for less than $6 in most major retailers and drug stores!

Kahina - Giving Beauty Argan Oil: I really loved this sample as a cuticle oil! I didn't dare to try it on my face and definitely wouldn't repurchase. I'd rather get the Josie Maran Argan Oil that I discovered thanks to February's Ipsy and I know it has no negative effect on my skin!

Miracle Skin - Hydroactive Microderm: I haven't tried this out yet, but the reviews on Birchbox are decent. Either way, this was a free sample! And the size is pretty generous!

TIGI - Catwalk Root Boost Spray: I loved this! It definitely gave me the volume I very much love. I will definitely repurchase this once I run out.

Finally got it!! Clarisonic Mia <3 There's a huge hype about this product and I just had to have it! I'm so super excited to see some long term results! The whole order ended up being $91.86 because I had a 20% off code and used 100 points. I know that I didn't save all that much, but honestly I just wanted the brush already! My plan was to save points until I had enough, but I just couldn't wait!

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :)

Birchbox March 2013 + review

 I was super excited when I saw the products that Birchbox was sending in their boxes this month. Really wanted to try the MAKE products and the Incoco Nail Apliques. But, ever since I saw how heavy my box was 0.39lb, I knew things were not going to be as I expected. When I picked my box up after getting it in the mail, it was super light, which  is not a sign of good things.

This can't really be sports related, because it's a beauty box, but either way I couldn't care less about basketball! 

I opened my box I saw this, so far it wasn't exciting. The only thing that looked nice was the Wish product, though later I discovered it wouldn't work for me.

Inside the pouch I got a Twistband and Evologie Serum. Doesn't this box look kinda sad? D:

Madewell for Birchbox Nail Emery Board:$5. This is JUST a nail file, I mean, they come in handy, but it's just a file, nothing else. I have a crystal file (that I stepped on and snapped in half, but I still use it), so I don't really need a file. $5 seems like just too much for a file, I guess because of the "brand" they can just price stuff however they want, lame... Of course I wasn't trilled by this, even if it looks cute, because, well because it's just a file!

Wish Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Blueberry: $2.93 for 22ml/.75fl oz, full size goes for $20 and is 150ml. When I got my box I could smell this without even opening it. A lot of people said they were excited to get it and it has a decent review on the Birchbox site, but the scent is just way too strong for me, so sadly I won't be able to use it. I could risk it, but when I get a headache or get dizzy from a scent it takes forever to go away, so I better just pass. If it would've been unscented or with something more subtle, I would've loved to try it out. Oh well... By the way, the Blueberry scent is a Birchbox shop exclusive, you can find other scents like Pomegrante, Lavender and Almond on the Wish website.

Twistband Headband: $3.16, Birchbox sells a pack of 6 for $19. Mine is silver and really cute, sadly I must have a gigantic head, because this doesn't stay put, like ever! Also, I get a major headache because it tries to squeeze my brain! Which of course will not stop me from wearing it because it's cute! I sported a princess roll over the weekend and got a bunch of compliments, it's an easy do and really cute. You can learn how to do it here. Now, just because I like it, I don't like the fact I got it in my box, it's just some pretty elastic, that was tied at the end and branded. I can get 1 Yard for $1.99 at Joann.

Benefit - Stay Don't Stray: $6.50 for 2.5ml/0.09usfloz, full size is 10ml and goes for $26. Now, the reason why I hate this is not Birchbox's fault. I've tried this, I got it in a kit that I reviewed here. And it just doesn't work for me, this is the only primer that I have tried that makes my eye shadow crease, it's sad. That's the point of primers- to prevent creasing and this one does the opposite for me, lame! Now, how could they know that I don't like this, or well that it doesn't work for me? They couldn't, so it's not really their fault.

Evologie - Intensive Blemish Serum: $1.425 0.17floz/5ml, taking the value from the price of the full size, this would be $11.66, BUT Evologie sends a sample of this and the Stay Clear Cream for $2.85 and they are both the same size as this one. Now, I don't know why Birchbox only sent one part of the duo, it would've been nice to get both, it's still a tiny sample, but oh well. I already had this, I didn't get this month's Glossybox, but I still wanted to try some products, so I ordered this from the Evologie website and paid the $2.85. They sent it super quickly and I got to try it out. The serum is not the greatest and it didn't work better than any other spot treatment, but I did like the cream, it was OK. Now again, Birchbox couldn't possibly know that I already had this, so not their fault that I got a dupe.

Value and overall review:

 The value of my box for this month is: $19.02

  

  I'm honestly, not happy with my Birchbox this month, out of all the 5 items, I get to use one, maybe two(the headband and nail file) and the worst part of it, is that the ones I will use are the "lifestyle extras". They couldn't have known about me trying out the Benefit and the Evologie and not liking them, so I can't blame them for that. But I have to admit even without trying them it's a really boring box! 

  I still hate the fact that some people get 6 items and some get 5, so far I've only gotten 5 and I pay the same as the rest, I think that if they are going to send 6, so just send them equally so everybody gets the same amount of points to review.

  There were so many cool products sent out this month, I guess I just got the dud. Will I unsubscribe from Birchbox after this? Nope, not at all! I know this can happen, I know I can be "hated on" by Birchbox one month and maybe surprised next, so I hope April brings better things! 

  In spite of getting a bad box, I still recommend Birchbox, it's still fun and cheap! It's nice to get a box full of goodies at your doorstep, specially when it's a surprise! This month, I didn't know what I was getting at all, so it was all a surprise, a little bit disappointing, but a surprise.

 What was your favorite product this month in your Birchbox?

If you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link onto your navigation bar: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=58jbc

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :) Link is a referral link.

February 2013 Birchbox Review+Swatches

 I wasn't expecting anything this Saturday, I got my Birchbox tracking on Thursday and it said I would get my box by Monday. Surprise! Got it on Saturday, yay!! I was super excited, because I had absolutely no clue what I was getting this month and I wasn't expecting my box till Monday. If I say it made my day I would lie, it could have done it, but some event ruined my weekend...sometimes people can be just mean... Anyways, my blog is my get away, from this kind of people, that shall not be mentioned and do not deserve to be mentioned either. Everything is make up and prettiness here!

*sigh* Award seasons, it's the season to drool over those gorgeous gowns and throw up over those bad decisions! 

That doesn't look TOO exciting yet.

My first impression of this box wasn't the best.

Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares Milk Chocolate with Caramel Filling: $0.42, I don't think it's even worth it to count the value, but oh well. Full size bag has 10 chocolates I think for $4.25. This chocolate is super tasty, the caramel is a little bit salty, which makes it awesome. But if I want chocolate I can go to a store and get some. I will be able to review this and get points for it, but I would have liked to get something else instead of chocolate. I get it, Birchbox also sends lifestyle items, but food? Meh. I have Love with Food for that(last month too). 

theBalm Cosmetics - Mary-Lou Manizer(1g/0.035oz): $2.82, full size is 8.5g/0.3 oz and goes for $24. I've been dying to try this for the longest time, so much I actually traded for it. Luckily I haven't gotten my trade yet, so I will just trade it. This is a highlighter with gorgeous golden-ish shimmer. It's really pretty, I used it under my eyes, on the bridge of my nose, on my cupid's bow and on my brow bone today, oh and I also used it as my eyeshadow. It's gorgeous, I love it and I'm so glad I got it.

Swatch:

Blended- on the left and swatched- on the right.

Curly Hair Solutions - RevUP Volumist:$9.75 this product is full size, however, it comes in a set of 2 products that goes for $19.50. This is supposed to add volume and definition to your curls. My hair is more wavy than it is curly, but sometimes specially the first day after washing it, it gets really curly and I don't like that! So, I tried this out and my hair was not freshly washed at all. The results? Voluminous waves! Yup, waves! Gorgeous waves too, I'm pretty pleased, this made my hair feel a bit dry, but it didn't look dry at all. It actually looked shiny and pretty! They advise to spray it on dry or wet hair and scrunch or squeeze the hair after. I scrunched it and thought I would get a bunch of frizz. No frizz at all! Yay! My waves were definitely bouncy and just gorgeous. I really liked this and thought I would just trade it away, but decided to try it after.

Dr. Jart+ - Black Label Detox BB(3ml/.1floz): $2.16, full size is 50ml and goes for $36. When I first got this, I was like: meh. I have my Missha BB cream that I love and that one is really good. I swatched this on my hand and it was super pink. I have yellow undertones, so pink is not good for me. I was set to trade this, but I decided to give it a try and applied it with my Beauty Blender. When it set on my skin, it was the perfect shade! The tube itself is almost empty, like you have to squeeze it to the end to get some product. Even if this is a "deluxe sized" container, the sample is a foil pack sample size. Either way, I really liked this BB cream and I was matte for most of the day. I decided not to use any setting powder just to test out the "matte" powers and it didn't let me down. It doesn't have a lot of coverage though, but there is a decent amount.

Juicy Couture - Couture La La(.05floz/1.5ml): $1.35, full size is 3.4oz/100ml and goes for $90. I'm not usually a fan of perfume samples or Juicy Couture perfumes at all. However, this one is not bad, I don't mind it. It's not gonna become my HG perfume, but it smells OK. So, I'm not too disappointed in a perfume sample for once.

Value and review:

 The value of my box for this month was: $16.5. That's not bad, at least it covers for the price of the box itself. 

First impression of the box:

-Oh no, I traded for the Mary Lou Manizer, now I'll have two!

-Chocolate? I can buy chocolate anywhere -.-'

-Adding volume to my curls? I hate my curls -.-'

-Pink BB cream? I hate looking pink!! -.-'

-Juicy Couture perfume? Ewww! They all give me a headache!

 Those were my impressions before trying everything out. I decided to give stuff a chance and there's not a single thing in this box I didn't like! Except getting chocolate, I liked the chocolate, I didn't like getting chocolate much, but that's OK since that's part of Birchbox, I guess. The point of these subscriptions is to introduce us to new stuff, right? So, I guess Birchbox did their part this month, because they did in fact introduce me to stuff I wouldn't have tried by myself. And I actually ended up liking a lot of the things I got!

 Even if the value is not the highest, I'm happy with my Birchbox this month! And I'm glad I got to try out new things and somewhat get out of my comfort zone :) I'm really pleased and satisfied with Birchbox.

 If you want to try out and sample new products, Birchbox is definitely the way to go, don't expect getting full sized products, because that doesn't happen to often. But their point system is amazing! So at least you get something besides getting the box every month.

 If you want to subscribe to Birchbox, you can click here. Or copy and paste this link onto your navigation bar: https://www.birchbox.com?raf=58jbc

Disclaimer: I purchased this with my own money, and this is my own personal opinion :) Link is a referral link.