Birchbox July 2015

In case you are unaware, Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box. It costs $10 a month and you receive multiple sample size item. These boxes allow you to try tons of new products that you may have never even heard of before. The other fun thing about Birchbox is that every time you purchase an item from their site, or review a product from your box, you receive rewards points! Once you collect 100 points, you get $10 off of your next purchase. These points definitely add up quickly between buying your box, and reviewing the products.

Each month, Birchbox allows subscribers to pick one of their samples. If you prefer surprises, you don’t have to pick one. You can choose to be surprised instead. They also offer full boxes that have been made by a guest. This month’s guest editor box was the Beachy and Bright box. This month’s sample choice was a choice of three different shades of the Stila Look at Me Liquid Lipstick. The choices were Beso (a bright red), Venezia (an orangey/coral) and Bella (a hot pink). I chose Bella because I like hot pinks. I was tempted by Venezia because I like corals, but I was worried it would be too orange for my tastes.

The products I received this month were as follows (also... isn't that box amazing? I Love it!):

Jouer Daily Repair Treatment Oil (Full-size $48)- This is a face oil that is meant to smooth, hydrate, and rejuvenate skin. It is scent free and can be used as a moisturizing oil or in addition to your moisturizer. It does sink into the skin nicely and, even though the packaging says you only need 2 drops, I find that I need at least 3 to get my whole face. It doesn’t leave me feeling greasy or shiny, but I haven’t noticed many benefits from it yet.

Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray (Full-size $22-$39)- This spray is meant to give you beachy, textured waves while also hydrating and boosting shine. I have been wanting to try an Oribe product forever because I only hear good things. With curly hair, beach sprays tend to relax my curls. They don’t turn into beautiful beach waves, but they do loosen a little bit which is nice. I tried this once on my crly hair and once when my hair was straightened and didn’t notice it doing much. It maybe gave a little bit of volume but didn’t change the texture of my hair. 

COOLA Classic SPF 30 Cucumber Moisturizer for Face (Full-size $32)- This product is exactly what it says it is, a face moisturizer with SPF. It smells really nice and I look forward to using it. I’m always looking for good face moisturizers with SPF included. I’m a bit lazy and don’t like taking the extra step to add SPF. It’s not overly expensive for a moisturizer either.

Juice Beauty GREEN APPLE Peel Sensitive (Full-size $39)- This is a gentle peel that is meant to exfoliate. I’m a little nervous to try this product as the word “peel” makes me picture my face turning bright red. I’m glad that it says it’s for sensitive skin, but I’m going to have to save it for when I don’t have anything coming up. It’ll be interesting to try this because I haven’t even tried an exfoliating peel before.

Stila Look at Me Liquid Lipstick Trio (Set of 3- $20)- I received the shade Bella which is a hot pink liquid lipstick. This product is meant to stay all day like a stain. First warning, this shade is not for the faint of heart. It is probably the brightest shade of pink I have ever seen. Second warning, this product is in no way moisturizing. It’s a little too matte for my tastes (as I think it can look kind of chalky) and it can feel uncomfortable. It’s isn’t the most uncomfortable matte I’ve ever worn, but it takes a little getting used to. I sampled this when I was at work one day because I knew I would be eating at least one meal and possibly some snacks. It seemed like a good way to really test the staying power of this lipstick. I will say that it definitely stays.  The only fading that I found was on the inside of the lip, but it still looked pretty good. It’s not a kiss proof lipstick (if you kiss the back of your hand it will come off), but with normal wear it stays well. Apparently, I forgot to take a picture when I first applied, but I took a (poor quality) picture at the end of the day to show where it had worn off.

You can see the wear in the middle of the lip and at the corners

You can see the wear in the middle of the lip and at the corners

Overall this box was a major win! Definitely one of my favorite ones I’ve gotten so far. Every product in it was one that I needed or wanted to try.

June Birchbox Update

Dr Jart+ Premium BB Cream SPF 45- This BB cream is pretty nice. It gives a decent amount of coverage and feels really light on the face. It does cover the redness which is nice. It’s not something I would buy, but it’s good on days when I want a little extra coverage.

Skyn Iceland Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels- Oh man! I can’t believe I forgot that I got these! I was really looking forward to trying them and completely forgot about them. I will have to try these with my shower/bachelorette party coming up.

Marcelle Waterproof Eyeliner- After swatching this on my hand I had no desire to try it on my eye. Maybe I’ll try it eventually, but most likely it will be given away or trashed.

Temple Spa Shampoo and Conditioner- Again, another product from this box that I had no desire to try. I am saving them for guests that come over that need some shampoo and conditioner.

Pura Vida Lace Headband- I was a little surprised by how tight this headband was when I put it on. I like that it’s tight, because ta means it stays in place, but is a bit uncomfortable. The color isa little difficult to pull off and I don’t like the lacy. It’s nice to use when I’m doing a face mask, but I probably won’t wear it out of the house.