August Birchbox: Last Gasp of Summer

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I chose the curated box option for my August Birchbox, as it seemed like a pretty solid group of products.  I think the stila liquid lipstick in Patina is what tipped the scales for me, but I'm actually feeling positive about every item in the box. But first, a mini-rant. Regardless of the enclosed card's "who says summer has to end?" sentiment, I'm completely over it.  Here's why: I get swarmed by mosquitoes and my camera fogs up immediately when I'm outside taking pictures, plus it's a 90+ degree sauna/swamp every_single_day. I'm over it. Bring on autumn!

I believe all Birchboxes received two hair items this month, and the Beauty Protector Protect & Detangle Leave-in-Conditioner is a tried and true favorite. I like the smell and it works, nuff said.

The No Frizz Living Proof Nourishing Oil is new to me, so I'm looking forward to trying it out.  This can be used on wet or dry hair and is supposed to help with flyaways while it smooths and hydrates.

The HUM Raw Beauty Green Superfood Powder is a bonus item featuring organic greens, enzymes, and probiotics to help support healthy skin. I drink a green smoothie almost every morning, and I will add this to my next one.

Wearing Julep's Tatiana on my nails

I know liquid lipsticks are having their moment in the sun, so I was excited to try out Patina.  It's a wearable mauve rose that dries down to a flat matte, which seems to be uber fashionable these days.  After feeling a bit alarmed at my somewhat pruney lips, I decided I liked it well enough and went about my day, which included a lunchtime meeting with food and everything. A good test, I thought.

My anxiety level did rise a bit again when I noticed I was wiping Patina off my chin after a few bites of my chicken sandwich. So yes, there was some color transfer and the color wore away on the middle of my lips, but considering the forgiving color, it was not as obvious as if I'd be wearing a bright red or pink.

I'll wear it again and try to avoid eating. Perhaps I should have brought the Acure Organics Coconut & Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes in my purse for a quick cleanup after lunch. Note to self.

I've received the Marcelle BB Cream in Golden Glow in a previous Birchbox subscription but never really tested it out. I'm liking it with the few times I've worn it this week, primarily as a base under a very light application of whatever cream foundation I'm wearing for the day.

It gives a soft glow to the skin with just a touch of color and is actually very nice for this time of year, as I'm loath to have anything heavy on my face.

So, no complaints from me this month regarding Birchbox. I did cancel my yearly subscription, so only 4 more boxes to go before my Birchbox goodness ends!

July Birchbox: Let's Do This!

As most are probably aware, Birchbox announced that their points system will be changing, and sadly not for the better.  Apparently money is tight and Birchbox has yet to turn a profit, so the points for reviews will be limited to 5 products for the life of your subscription as opposed to the 5 reviews per box (1 point = $1 in the Birchbox shop). Yep, and accrued point will only be good for 6 months. You can earn points through purchases and referrals, but the points for reviews were what set Birchbox apart in a good way.

I've definitely enjoyed Birchbox over the 3+ years I've subscribed, but it looks like troubled times ahead for the company that started the whole subscription box craze.  I've read more than one article speculating on what the future holds for Birchbox (here is a good one from racked.com), but I decided it was time to cash out my points and cancel my auto-renew yearly subscription, which ends in December.  I'll enjoy my last four months of boxes, however, and July's was a pretty solid box. I'm all about facial sprays right now, so the above Avene Thermal Spring Water was a welcome sight.

Coola has been a staple brand in Birchboxes for while, and Daydream Mineral Primer is a new product from them.  The tube contained a surprisingly small amount of primer, about enough for 2 uses.  I know people complain about receiving foils, but putting the amount of 2 foils in a tube isn't exactly the solution, IMO.  For reference, a Smashbox primer foil contains .05 oz, and this has .10 oz.

Beyond that, the primer has the slick yet velvety feel I associate with silicone, and it did a good job of mattifying my skin and smoothing/filling in pores.  I don't know if my makeup wore any longer, as it's the dog days of summer in Mobile right now, with temps and humidity that make you regret walking outside.  Bottom line, nice but not something I'm motivated to pay $42 for.

The sample choice this month was between mascaras, but I decided to go with the luck of the draw and received this Smashbox X-Rated volumizing mascara.  I really like it. 

I didn't take a picture of the brush but I'm finding it does a nice job of coating my lashes without too much transfer to my lids (my bane - I always get mascara on my upper lash line), and it has minimal smudging on my lower lash line.  Good stuff.

I know people talk about how Birchbox didn't pay attention to subscriber profiles, but they usually did a pretty good job with me.  Or I'm just really easy going about stuff like that.  Regarding, I've got blond hair so this Klorane Blond Highlights shampoo makes me happy.  I like saving items like this for travel, and I've got another work related writing weekend planned for September, so I'll take this  and the conditioner with me. 

Overall, a solid month and all items I will use. I'm sad Birchbox seems to be floundering, but hopefully they will find their niche again.  Cancelling this and not resubscribing to Le Metier de Beaute's VIP program has left quite the void in my subscription box world.  Hmmm.

April Birchbox: Spring Awakening

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

April's Birchbox features a botanical floral pattern from Rifle Paper Co.-, and I'm loving that bright chartreuse green.  Growing up, my bedroom decor was dominated by pink and chartreuse green, and that combo still does it for me.  I"m also pretty excited by my box contents this month, so let's take a look!

Burt's Bees was one of the first natural brands I discovered when I was in graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill.  The brand originated just down the road in Durham, so many shops carried Burt's Bees and I loved the little sample packs that allowed you to try multiple products.

Sweet Violet ($7) is the first tinted balm I've tried from them, and initial impressions are that it's lightly moisturizing with a barely there soft pink tint.  I like balms like this for frequent application during the day, and I'm hoping that this one will keep my lips feeling soft and happy.  Some balms irritate my lips, but this one seems okay.

When I first saw the W3LL PEOPLE Expressionist mascara ($23.50) wand I thought "it looks dry" and I wasn't expecting much.  W3LL, I was wrong.  This is a really nice natural ingredient mascara:  super black, easy to apply, non-clumping, and very natural looking.

No mascara

2 coats of Expressionist on upper lases, 1 on bottom

amika's Un.Done Texture Spray ($24) is designed to give you that tousled, slightly messy look along with a little volume. Considering my hair is thick but fine and can go flat in an instant (factor in Mobile's humidity for flat/frizz/cannot hold a curl), products like this can make a difference.

Un.Done features the mineral zeolite to help build volume and sea buckthorne berry to help strengthen hair, and an exclusive polymer blend to bind the formula to hair without making it feel stiff or sticky.

I sometimes rely on dry shampoo for the same effects, although I can see where the white powdery finish can be a draw back for some.  Un.Done does have a matte finish and feels similar in texture to a dry shampoo to me, so I'm not sure I'd pay $24 for this.  Nice, but not a go to for me.

If you are thinking the derma|e Purifying 2-in-1 Charcoal Mask ($19.50) tube looks a little flat, that would be because I had already used it once before taking these pictures.  I ran on the treadmill one night and thought I'd test out the mask afterwards, considering my pores were probably open wide and ready to be purged after a good sweat.

Scary, I know

The mask dries quickly and does not feel uncomfortably tight, and after 5 minutes instead of just rinsing you are supposed to remoisten and rub your face so that the apricot powder in the formula can help exofliate off all the stuff that has been purged from your pores.  Bottom line, I liked this mask and am pretty impressed with derma|e products in general, but I've got a glut of clay masks to get through at the moment.

I've used Vasanti's BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator ($34) in the past and remember liking how fine the scrubbing granules were, so I'm happy to have another sample of this on hand.  The value of my April box is about $32 and I'm happy with everything!

Hello 2016: January Birchbox

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

New Year, new Birchbox. This one felt particularly heavy when I pulled it out the mail box, and I've got to say the contents did not disappoint, for the most part. Let's take a closer look.

I was particularly pleased with the size of all the items, which even included one full sized product - the eyeko Fat Liquid eyeliner in black ($16).

A few reviews I read online made it sound like this eyeliner is particularly easy to use, but I'm not sure I noticed any advantage over my skinnier liquid liners. I've already got several favorite black liquid eyeliners such as Kat von D's Trooper and Lorac's Front of the Line Pro in black, and this one wasn't quite at their level.  It's not as pigmented nor does it apply as smoothly, so I'm not sure I'll be reaching for it much.

Next is a lovely coral red mini polish from Ciate London called Access All Areas ($5.55).  I'll be breaking this out once it gets warm.  Trying to remember if I've worn a Ciate polish before, and I do not believe I have.

Super happy with the size of the shampoo and conditioner samples (~$2) from the Beautiful Nutrition Grapefruit Detox Shine Repair line. These are supposed to help with product buildup and hard water, and should be a better for my hair option than the dish washing liquid I usually use for that purpose (although that does the trick). This is the item I'm most excited about for some reason.  Happy to see it's also sulfate-free.

Last up is the RESIST Wrinkle-Repair Retinol Serum from Paula's Choice ($9.46). I'm in need of a good retinol product and this sample should be large enough for me to form a solid impression. The formula contains a stabilized version of retinol as well as antioxidants and skin soothers, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed to see a difference in my skin.

Also included in January's box were some inspirational word stickers, which I added to my office door collection of similar objects. Sometimes I need to mentally prepare before I walk out that door :-)

Total value of January's box was $33.01, but even better I'm pretty excited about the shampoo/conditioner/retinol serum.  Way to start the year off, Birchbox!