May Birchbox: Gossip Girl

This month Birchbox teamed up with the CW's Gossip Girl, with samples inspired by the series and Manhattan's chicest events.  Here are the items included in my box:

Arquiste L'Etrog:  A perfume sample with warm notes of citron, palm leaves,and mrytle that are inspired by the aromas of a medieval harvest festival in Calabria, Italy.  A full sized bottle would set you back $165.  To me, this was a masculine scent - not bad, but not my style either.  My sample is worth about $3.

Miracle Skin Transformer Body SPF 20 in Glow:  A tinted treatment from Sarah McNamara that erases blemishes and scars on arms, legs, and decollete.  A full-size would cost $34 and mine is a .5 oz sample, which I think works out to about a $6.80 value.  My chest could use some help, so I'll be testing it there.  A swatch on my hand left behind a sheer wash of color with a slight shimmer.

Ojon Volumizing shampoo:  Made with the ultra nourishing Central American ojon oil to make your hair look and feel thicker.  I've used Ojon products before, but not this volumizing shampoo.  A full sized bottle is 8.5 oz and costs $22, so my 1 oz. sample is worth about $2.58.

stila sparkle waterproof liquid eye liner in Starry Night:  Waterproof, smudge-proof - check.  This stuff doesn't budge once on.  In fact, I had a hard time getting my arm swatch off, period.  I used an oil based makeup remover followed by soap and a few flakes come off with vigorous rubbing.  I'll try a bi-phase eye makeup remover on my next arm swatch.  Until then, I'm afraid to use it on my eyes because I'm not sure I can get it off!  Not kidding.  It's pretty though, so if you are looking for a liner that could last all day, all night, and the next few days, these could be it.  This was full size and sells for $22. 

The Birchbox extra this month was a note card.  Hand written thank you cards are always such a nice touch.  A set of 12 costs $10, so mine is worth 83 cents.  No wonder emails are so popular;-).  It's cute, and I'll use it.

Overall, I'm underwhelmed with my Gossip Girl box, but that's because the perfume sample wasn't my style and I don't use liquid eye liners.  It's not a bad box, just not my favorite.  The overall value of my box this month was roughly $35, so not bad for my $10 investment.  I do love getting my Birchbox's each month - they are quality, even if there are some samples that don't float my boat!

Clever marking on Gossip Girl's part and I know there was much anticipation for this month's box.   I'll be interested to hear what other people got and if it met their expectations.  Are you a Birchbox subscriber?  What did you think of the Gossip Girl box?

Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment

Restorative Hair Treatment

Based on other reviews I've read on Ojon's Restorative Hair Treatment, this is a product that you either love or hate.  If you hate it, it's usually because of the smell.  I've seen it described as tobacco and leather, a dirty ashtray, or cigarette smoke and oranges with maybe a bit of chocolate thrown in.  I must be strange, because I actually liked how it smelled. 

Apparently Ojon has listened to the complaints.  They have introduced a new Restorative Plus line, which has been reformulated with a new, lighter scent.  I'll review it below as well.  I was first introduced to this hair treatment when I received a sample pack from Sephora.  I was intrigued enough after one use to buy the smallest container and see what long term benefits it might have.

If you are not familiar with Ojon, the story is that the founder of the company traveled deep into Central American jungles to find this miracle elixir he had been introduced to by a relative several years earlier.  The Miskito tribe had been harvesting nuts from the Ojon tree and using it on their hair and skin for generations, with phenomenal results.  The Ojon tree is found only in the Amazon and the company contracts with natives to harvest it, still using the traditional methods.  This probably helps account for the cost, as these can be a bit pricey.  I got the smallest container, which was $19.50 for 1.5 oz. 

The original Restorative Hair Treatment is an emulsified oil which needs to be rubbed in your hands prior to applying to hair.  Directions say to start with about a teaspoon amount and to continue until hair has been saturated.  I usually just stop at a teaspoon, but I also leave it on overnight as opposed to the 20 minutes in the instructions, so I figure it all works out in the end.

I can't say that this has made an amazing difference in my hair.   I like it and think it has helped with deep conditioning, but I'm not so sure that other oils such as olive, coconut, or jojoba would not have the same effect.  My hair, while color treated, is in pretty good condition as it is.  So, perhaps those with dry or damaged hair will have a different experience.
 

Treatment Plus on hair

The Restorative Hair Treatment Plus is not solid, although you can see some solid bits in it.   The smell is indeed much lighter and I found it to be quite pleasant.  I had a sample pack of this and used the entire contents for the picture on the left.  Again, it's a decent deep conditioning treatment but not something that left me thinking "wow". 

Restorative Hair Treatment Plus

Ojon has several product lines, referred to as "Ojon rituals".  You can discover yours by answering a few questions here.