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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Spoiler Alert- April Birchbox Review

Oh looky, looky! A Birchbox that isn't half bad. I know the past few months I have been bitching out Birchbox for the crappy boxes they were sending me. They must be reading my blog because this months box was much nicer than they have been in the past.

In this month's box I received:

• Fekkai Technician Color Care Shampoo   (full size $20)
• Nyakio Kenyan Coffee Face Polish, Body Scrub and Hydrating Face Oil with Kola Nut  (full size $34-$55)
• Sumita Color Intense Pencil in Suman Black  (full size $11)
• theBalm cosmetics How Bout Them Apples? Cheek and Lip Cream   (full size $32)

Extra:

• KIND Snacks Healthy Grains Bar in Maple Pumpkin Seeds with Sea Salt (15 count $11.88)

So first up, the Fekkai shampoo. Birchbox is OBSESSED with sending me shampoos and conditioners. I receive a shampoo product if not every month, then every other month. I have not tried this one yet and I still have prior samples that I have not tried. They are great for travel. I'll need to travel more so I can get around to trying them out.

Nyakio skin care products. I was very excited about this product until I read the ingredients list. People stop putting potential irritants into skin care. It's annoying and I am baffled by this. I am undecided if I am going to take the plunge and try it out. I will definitely try the body polish, I am unsure of the face products. 

Sumita pencil. This pencil is super duper soft and glides on like a dream. It's seriously as soft as a baby's breath. It's so soft I am afraid of pushing too hard on it for fear of squashing it. It is quite black and nicely blend-able. 

theBalm cheek and lip cream. theBalm is a company that gained some recognition around the same time I started Little Goddess Cosmetics. I had watched a news clip about them and I was soooo jealous. They seemed to have created what I had envisioned in my head when I started my line. They have adorable, cheeky packaging and I can't be mad at anyone who is going to put a chiseled, shirtless cowboy on their products. I generally do not like lip/cheek combo products. I always feel the texture is off for one of them. In this case, I will most likely use this as a cheek color than on my lips. The color looks really saturated in the sample but sheers out to a really flattering blush.

Oh hello there sexy cowboy

Lastly, Kind health bar. I ate it and it was yum. So there ya go! This box gets a 7 out of 10.

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Spoiler Alert- March Birchbox

Another month, another Birchbox. Lately, I am feeling as if me and Birchbox are having a bad romance. I am so addicted to it but have not been happy in quite a few months. Maybe I am setting my expectations too high, maybe I should reevaluate what I expect from a $10 per month subscription box. My loyalty to Birchbox is strong, however I know there are other monthly subscriptions available, maybe I will start looking into those. 

What makes a great Birchbox for me is a fabulous makeup product from a company I've been dying to try, or from a company I've never heard of, plus a nice skin care product. That makes me a happy Goddess. The rest is just filler. I feel like I'm mostly getting filler lately. Birchbox, where are my concealers, eyeliners, foundations and lipglosses? These boxes were very makeup heavy when I first subscribed and now they are trying to include a little bit of everything to make everyone happy. Stop that shit and just make me happy!

 

So this month's box included a Coola Tinted Matte SPF 30 for Face (full size $36). I feel like I receive a lot of Coola samples and I am always confusing them with Goop. This product is ok, I always like trying new SPF. The fact that it is tinted makes no difference to me, as I will most likely apply foundation over it. 

Next up DDF Ultra-Lite Oil-Free Moisturizing Dew (full size $42) This is ok as well. It's a very light, oil free moisturizer that has a gel like consistency. I would be excited about this if it weren't for the multiple parabans included in the ingredients. The parabans always ruin the party for me. If parabans are not a concern for you, then maybe you may want to look into this. 

I also received a Gilchrist and Soames London Collection Body Lotion (full size $16) I have not used this yet and generally do not get excited about body lotion unless it smells tropical like mangoes or coconuts. I do love the Brits and this sounds so English so that's a plus. If this is very perfume-y, I will hate it no matter how British it is. 

Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment + Restorative Hair Treatment Plus (full size $33) Basically two hair restorative treatments, just like the name suggest. I seem to receive a ton of hair samples from BB. 

Lastly, English Laundry No.7 for Her (full size $90) No interest. I have no idea what it smells like or even care that it has the word "English" in the name, it is most likely going into the trash. 

Oh they also included an additional gift of Ghirardelli  Cherry Tango Square-dark chocolate and cherry. Hell yeah! I always appreciate chocolate!

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Spoiler Alert: February Birchbox

I have not been happy with my past few Birchbox boxes. 

I am still one of BB's biggest fans, I recommend them so much I should have an affiliate link on my blog for them (I do not).

This months box consisted of shampoo and conditioner, an eye cream from StriVectin, a "Miracle Skin Transformer", and breath mints. 

What the fuck is that?

Seriously Birchbox, I know you were also giving away concealers and eyeliners but neither of those made it to my box. 

 I watch the YouTube video that you post every month, revealing all the cool items that are going to be shipped and I am starting to feel like I never receive any of the makeup items that you offer. 

So back to the products, I am interested in trying the StriVectin-AR Retinol Eye Treatment although it is the 2nd StriVectin eye product I have received from Birchbox (April and I'm still using it), a shampoo and conditioner from Bain de Terre even though I received a shampoo and conditioner from Bain de Terre in my October box, Miracle Skin Face Transformer Spotlight (the one makeup product that I did receive which is going to be a glorified primer/bb/tinted moisturizer multi use product) and an effervescent breath treatment by Thomas P Connelly DDS (almost as exciting as the foot wipes they sent me). 

If they would have sent me another nail polish, I would have lost my mind. 

Not that these are terrible products but I was looking forward to some of the other products I know they were giving out so I'm pouting about it. 

This box gets a 4. It would've gotten a 5 but I removed a point due to my crappy attitude towards this month's box. Anything that makes me pissy deserves a point taken off. 

 

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Nail Rock 3D Manicure with Caviar Spheres

Today I did something absolutely unheard of in my world.

 I gave myself a manicure. 

I cannot express how absolutely painful manicures are for me. And boring. I don't even like writing about nails and polishes. Out of the over 160 post on this blog, this is the 2nd one about nails. 

I used to get my nails manicured every Friday, without question. Now, if I get two manicures a year, that is a lot. I still get my pedicures, religiously every other week, however I have become soooo impatient with manicures. I can't stand waiting for it to be done and waiting for it to dry is pure torture. You may as well lock me up and throw away the key because that's what it feels like, like it's never going to end. Ok maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but you get the picture. If I am going to treat myself to a mani, I always go to a professional because quite honestly, I suck at them. I am sloppy when it comes to nails. I keep them short and squarish. I do manage to file them and keep them neat but that's the extent of it.

So imagine my excitement when I received, in this month's Birchbox, a nail art kit called Nail Rock, the hottest new 3D manicure. So what is Nail Rock? Nail Rock is a silver nail polish that comes with these teeny, tiny pearlescent sheres (the caviar) that you dip your nail into while it is wet to create this 3D effect. I decided to try it because why not. I have to say, I was surprised that I did it without painting my whole apartment silver and it looks pretty ok. It does look much better in person, pictures pick up every damn thing you don't want them to. I also used Sally Hanson Double Duty Top/Bottom coat.

 Still in the packaging.

Out of the packaging with some fancy effects.

One coat of Sally Hansen Double Duty.

Two coats of nail polish.

The caviar spheres. These things are miniscule and I am already envisioning them all over my bed when I go to sleep.

 

Dip your finger in the spheres:

Voila'! I only did one finger on each hand because I couldn't imagine having these on every finger. I did the boring old played out doing your ring finger different than the rest on my left hand.

Then I got all rebellious and did my pinky on my right hand!

                                                     Giving you the finger(s)!

I wanted to get a shot in the sunlight so you can see how shiny it looks.

So bottom line, it was easier than I expected. I can't see these spheres lasting through many hand washings. 

I would probably do it again for a special occasion and when I was feeling calm and patient. This reminded me of a friends wedding party that I was a part of. We went and got mani/pedis the day before the wedding and I got my toes done in this delicious corally, pink color and the woman put shiny, see through spheres on my toes and they were shining like pink diamonds and disco balls. They were gorgeous. 

 You could probably use this with different nail polishes. I think this would look cool with a black, matte mani and these pretty silver caviar balls. The silver nail polish has a gritty appearance although it doesn't feel gritty. I feel like this will wear off quickly. I'll let you know. 

 The irony of all this is I was planning on getting a manicure this coming week because I have a business function coming up, so now I will have two mani's in a week! I hope I survive!

 If you are interested in purchasing Nail Rock:

Birchbox

You can also purchase Nail Rock at Charlotte Russe or Urban Outfitters. You can purchase Sally Hansen at all major drugstores and super markets. 

UPDATE:

Just as I suspected, this 3D Nail Rock is going to be a single use experience. It took around 3 hours and 1 hair washing before there was only one lonely sphere left on my pinky. My ring finger is holding on pretty nicely but I do believe the best bet for these is to plan on wearing them for one night only. And make sure to apply after you wash your hair!

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December BirchBox

With apologies, I am so behind on my postings!

This is usually a spoiler alert, however I am sure whoever receives Birchbox has already received it. 

I'm just posting it for whoever likes seeing these.

This box was about a 6-7. 

I received a non aerosol hair spray from N4, an Honest Co Healing Balm, Supergoop CC cream, a chocolate covered pretzel and a skincare system from Eslor. I pretty much liked everything, didn't love anything enough to purchase. I good box, I'm sure I'll use everything up. 

I'll let you know if I fall in love with anything. 

Until next time!

~Jessica~

Spoiler Alert November BirchBox!

Oh yay! Guess what today is? Birch Box day!
So this month's box is a good one!

I give this box a 9.5

First up we have a Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter Pencil-they know I like me a good highlighter! So this is a pencil and reminds me of Benefit's Eye Bright but less pink more peach and a little creamier. This is a non shimmery pencil that can be used all over the face to give that beautiful middle of the face highlight. 

Next we have Color Club Dark n Stormy nail polish which is a stormy grey color. I will be using it on my toes shortly. 

I also received It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product which I am very excited to try! You can use it on wet or dry hair and it is a "10-in-one treatment that addresses the spectrum of hair damage, from brittleness to frizz."

Tiossan Body Cream which is loaded with antioxidants and I love antioxidants. 

They also threw in a Chuao Chocolatier Pop Corn Pop. A mini chocolate bar with popcorn in it! Brilliant! 

Free of: 

Hydrogenated fats, artificial preservatives, artificial colors and flavors, artificial sweeteners.

So there you have it, all my goodies!

**October Box Update**

I still LOVE the Benefit highlighter and will probably purchase the full sized product when I am done. I am still waiting to use the shampoo/conditioner during my upcoming NOLA trip. The Karuna face mask had so much fragrance in it, it was absolutely unbearable and the Chapstick is unused and going in my kit. 

birchbox.com

So that's if for now Kitty Kats! 

Until next time! 

~Jessica~

Spoiler Alert-October Birchbox

Oh hiiii!!

My favorite time of the month is here! 

It's Birchbox time!

 

So in this month's box, I received a liquid pearl illuminator from Benefit, shampoo and conditioner from Bain de Terre, a face mask from Karuna and a new product from Chapstick.

Ok first, Girl Meets Pearl by Benefit in Golden Pink. I freakin LOVE this product! I have only been using this a few days but I am already madly in love with this. This is a gorgeous highlighter that creates the perfect glow, plus we all know that I think pink and gold are a marriage made in makeup heaven.

Next, Bain de Terre Macadamia Oil Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner. I have not yet tried these but I am looking forward to it. I have used Bain de Terre products before and have liked them a lot so I have high hopes for these. I do have to travel in about a month so I may wait and take these with me to use. I will let you know how in my update post if I waited and if I loved them. 

Next up, a Clarifying Treatment Mask from Karuna. 

According to the package:

Shiso, a Japanese Green Leaf, plus Ginger work to keep your skin clear and healthy, while Honey soothes and provides oil-free hydration. 

All Karuna masks contain a custom-blended beauty boost. Plant extracts, peptides, and anti-oxidants bring care and compassion to all skin types with a feeling of hydration, nourishment and renewal. 

I will be using this tomorrow night. Honey has made my skin break out in the past so I am a little nervous, however this contains Salicylic Acid so hopefully it will counteract any clogging. This has lots of good stuff in it but then the very last ingredient is fragrance. Ugh. Boooooo. 

Lastly, a new product from Chapstick.

According to the packaging:

ChapStick Hydrarion Lock provides advanced moisturization to revitalize and visibly improve the appearance of your lips. It provides 8 hour moisture, contains antioxidant CoQ10, contains hyaluronic filling spheres, gives lips a fuller and smoother appearance, has a light, silky texture for instant smoothness and enhanced lip feel.

This product does contain petroleum and parabans so it may be a pass for me. 

I give this box a solid 7 (I subtracted a point for the chapstick). 

These are all new products for me and I am excited to try all of them (except the ChapStick), 

plus I'm already in love with the Benefit product!

Until next time kitty cats! 

~Jessica~

September Birchbox Update

Ok time for a quick update of my September Birchbox goodies. 

See you never know what you're going to like. I didn't think I was going to like Davines Sea Salt Spray. I don't know what I thought it was going to do but I seriously thought it was going to make my hair too textured to the point of it looking rough and dry. I was also half expecting to be shaking salt out of my hair for days. What was I thinking?! 

Thankfully, I was wrong. This spray does provide texture without sacrificing shine. It does the job without being heavy. My hair is bouncy and shiny and the best part? No excess sand! I like it. I am no longer afraid of sea salt sprays.

Now for the Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lip Gloss in Precious Petal, eehhhh. I wore it twice and never looked at it again. It wasn't bad, it was just the same as every other lip gloss. Nothing special. 

I never got around to using the teeth wipes but I'll let you know if I do. 

Until next time

~Jessica~

Spoiler Alert-September Birch Box Reveled

Look what's here!!

Yay! My favorite time of the month-BirchBox time!

So these are the goodies that I received this month:

As you can see, very generous sized samples!

• Davines Sea Salt Spray
• Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Lip Gloss in Precious Petal
• Ruffian Nail Lacquer in Fox Hunt
• Paula's Choice Resist BHA 9 ~what a coinkydink, no?
• Pearly Wipes Clean Up Your Kisser

So I would say on a scale of 1-10 this box is a 5/6. I'll explain why.

First, I have never used a sea salt spray for my hair, I would've probably loved to have tried this at the beginning of or mid-summer but coming into fall, I am picturing a little more sleekness in my hair styles. Also, the products in the box had a bit of salt on them so I am wondering how this is going to work in my hair. 

I will follow up on this one for all you kitties that are waiting on the edge of your seats. 

I am quite excited about the Elizabeth Arden lip gloss, it is a gorgeous shade of pink with a heavy dose of gold shimmer in it. This gloss looks like it was made for me and me thinks gold makes everything look better! Next, the nail lacquer is ok-I don't generally get worked up over polish as I never do my own nails. The Paula's Choice BHA 9- one of my favorite products but I have a full bottle of it-maybe I will pass this one to my momma. Finally, the Pearly Wipes--wiping your teeth is not exciting at all. Enough said.  

So I will let you all know how these products work out for me. Maybe I will find a Holy Grail product in the mix! 

We shall see~

Until next time, 

Big Kisses to All!!