Review: August BirchBox

 

I know you all missed my monthly love/hate ramblings about Birchbox! Believe me, you didn't miss anything in my absence. Not one box was impressive to me. So it must be fate that my first review in months is a box I actually like! Let me go over what qualifies a good box for me. 

1. Must have a makeup item (duh)
2. Must have a skin care item
3. Must have items I am excited to try

Now I may not love all the items after I've tried them but I really need to feel excited about them when I first open the box, otherwise what is the point? 

So this month's box contained the following items:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen in 3 different shades (smart)
• Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme
• Model Co Shimmer Bronzing Powder
• Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
• Supergoop! Hand Cream with Sea Buckthorne
• Hello Seriously Friendly Breath Spray in Pink Grapefruit Mint

First up: 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen in Nude, Sand and Tan. I have not tried these yet so I cannot speak on how well this product performs, however I will say that I think it is very smart of Ms. Mercier to make her sample include 3 shades because it sucks when you get a sample of something that is not in your shade. Sometimes the frustration of not being able to try it may make you toss it. With this, I can pick my shade and hand off the others to friends, family, or neighbors! Plus this was an added on bonus so Yay!

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme. I liked the texture of this product and I loved the size of the sample-it was huge! It did hydrate a bit, nothing life changing and it most certainly did not provide a flawless skin tone. I am not a big believer of using a separate eye creme, you can just use your face moisturizer around your eyes, no? Also, this is packaged in a jar which means it is not stable and ingredients will start to break down quickly. The full size version is $60 and for that amount of money, it should be packaged in an airtight, light-tight pump that I can't stick my grubby little fingers in. 

Next up, Model Co Shimmer Bronzing Powder. I have to say, every sample I have received from this company I have liked a lot. I have a lipstick from them that I love and that has not run out yet. They are very generous with their full sized samples and I would definitely purchase from them as their products are nice. I like this bronzer because it is not orange and it is not severe. You get a lovely shade of golden brown when you apply it. It is subtle but you can build it up but be careful, it does have some shimmer. My critique would be that I feel it does not stay on long. It might be my application, I find myself reaching for this on days when I am not wearing anything else on my face so it may not have anything to grab onto. 

 Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo-I was not too excited by this product but who can get excited about a dry shampoo? I very rarely use one but not all is lost, I just added this to my kit because you never know what you may need. In case you don't know what a dry shampoo is, it is a spray product you would apply to your roots to absorb oil on days you do not shampoo your hair. 

 Supergoop! Hand creme. I love this hand cream. I love the way it feels, I love the familiar way it smells. I flat out love it. There is a smell to it that is almost like catnip to me. I would only use this on my hands.

Moving on, Hello Breath Spray. This does not taste like mint, nor does it taste like grapefruit. It taste like chemical. Despite touting a 99% natural label, which most likely means nothing, it taste like I would develop some horrible disease if I continued using this. 

 

So that's it for this month's Birchbox-I give it a solid 8.

My one negative critique for this box and every box Birchbox puts out is the packaging. They use so much unnecessary packaging it's sinful. Here is a picture of the packaging: the box it is delivered in, the box it is packaged in, the postcard that has all the products listed on it, plus another little box/envelope they use to package products. Birchbox! You need to get this under control. Please figure something else out. As pretty as it is when it arrives, 5 minutes after opening most of it is in the trash/recycling. Get it together.

 

OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW ME!

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Physician's Formula Review

Hi there! 

Sorry I disappeared for a minute but life gets in the way and I went into vacation mode. Thanks to all that have stuck around and I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

So I was lazing around, just minding my own business when I bumped into two products that made me snap out of my summertime stupor. 

Some of the problems us fair skinned lovelies have with bronzing powders are that they can pull too orange or muddy on our skin. A bronzer should make you looked sun kissed, not like an Oompa Loompa and dirt had a baby. So on my recent first visit to Ulta (I know, where have I been?), I decided to try Physicians Formula (a line I do not recall ever trying before) Mineral Airbrushing Bronzer SPF 30 in the shade Light Bronzer. I am so happy I found this product! Let me first say that this is so finely milled, it is pretty much goof proof for anyone worried about blending it. It does give an airbrushed effect and it has a high SPF so it is protective as well. The Light shade has a pinky, sandy, neutral tone to it (no orange!), which works really well with my fair/medium skin. I use it more for contour as it is a satiny matte with no shimmer and blends really well. I am not sure how well this would show up on a darker skin tone but you can try the darker shade. Also, it was less than $8 at Ulta! I believe they had a buy one, get 2nd 1/2 off. It usually runs about $13. My one complaint would be the packaging-it is quite cumbersome. The Bronzer comes with a mirror and a brush (which I will never use) but it is bulky and awkward to carry. 

Hey Physician's Formula, ditch the brush and make the packaging slimmer please!

The Bronzer is showing up lighter in the photo than in person but this shade is definitely for light skinned ladies. 

The second product is a highlighter, also from Physicians Formula. I bought Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl after being drawn to the bumpy pearl like texture and the pinkish sheen of the product. I have to say, I am impressed with Physicians Formula's products. This product is again, very finely milled and provided a subtle sheen perfect for highlighting. It is pretty translucent, leaning towards the white side than the pink. It does not settle into lines, it just creates a healthy glow. I would use this on cheekbones, brow bones and down the bridge of the nose. I paid $13.99.

Again, epic fail on the packaging. Another bulky compact with a useless brush. 

All and all, two great, reasonably priced products worth a try.