Birchbox March 2016

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. The sample choices were three different shampoo/conditioner combinations. I’m not going to go through them all individually because they’re all relatively similar.
 

The products I received this month were as follows:
 

Cartier Baiser Vole Eau de Parfum (Full-size $75)- This perfume is described as a floral perfume with notes of lily, leaves, and powder. It is so not my cup of tea. I was a little bummed out because I was excited to try a Cartier perfume, but I don’t like it. It does have really great staying power, so if you like floral perfumes you might want to check this one out.

theBalm Cosmetics How Bout Them Apples? (Full-size $32)- This product is a combination lip and cheek cream. I have received a few of these in the past and find that they tend to work for either cheeks or for lips and not both. This one feels nice on both which is great, but the color isn’t my favorite. I received the color Apple which is a red that leans a little pink. It’s an ok color on my lips but is too red for my cheeks. It’s not drying but it’s not moisturizing on the lips, and it spreads decently on the cheeks. You don’t need a lot on the cheeks which is always a plus.

treStiQue Color & Smudge Shadow Crayon in Aspen Pine( Full-size $26)- An eyeshadow crayon! I love eyeshadow crayons! I even wrote about them in my last month’s favorites and have been looking for a new one. I was very excited to see this in my box in a color I don’t own. Aspen Pine is a dark forest green color that is really pretty. The packaging is funny and I thought for sure that I had received one with a lost cap. Nope! The crayon is the cap. The brand claims to last for 12 hours, so we’ll see how it holds up to my Laura Mercier ones.
 

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultra Facial Cleanser (Full-size $19.50)- I have been thinking about trying a new facial cleanser so this one came at just the right time. This cleanser says that it has apricot kernel and avocado oils that are meant to hydrate and smooth the skin. I’m hoping that this cleanser works for me but am a little wary as my skin hasn’t reacted well to Kiehl’s products in the past. It’s a really decent size though, so if it works I will definitely save it for traveling!

Number 4 Hydrating Shampoo (Full-size $34) with bonus Conditioner ($36)- This was my sample choice this month. I am honestly not a big fan of receiving shampoos and conditioners in my Birchbox. The only produce I dislike receiving more are the perfume samples. At least I can keep the shampoos for when people come to visit. The reason I went with this one as opposed to the others is that my hair does tend to be on the dry side. I have also tried one or two other Number 4 products through Birchbox and enjoyed them.

Overall, this is a decent box. It’s not great, but it’s not horrible.

I have recently decided that instead of going through all of the products I received in last month’s box, I will just feature one or two products from my previous box that I loved over the past month and would be most likely to purchase with my own money.

The one product I want to rave about is the Hey Honey! Take it Off Exfoliating Mask. I LOVE this product! Not only is it incredibly satisfying to peel the mask, but it leaves my skin feeling so soft. I can’t rave about this mask enough as it does everything it claims to do. When I run out of my sample I’m sure I’ll purchase the full size.