August 2011 Birchbox - Beauty Innovations

It's that time again! I got my August Birchbox in the mail today and the theme this month is beauty innovations. I'm not sure how well that really describes this months products, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

1. blinc Eyeliner 0.02 oz
2. Carol's Daughter Monoi Repairing Hair Mask 0.71 oz
3. Pangea Organics Australian Wild Plum & Willow Facial Cleanser 1 fl oz
4. Wei Tibetan Chrysanthemum Correcting Eye Treatment Pads 2 pairs
5. twistband Hair Tie

So far, I think I like this box better than last month's box.  I'm a little hesitant about the eyeliner. It looks like a great product. The packaging claims that it cannot fade, smudge, run or flake.  I did a swatch on my hand and I'm inclined to believe those claims.

Why am I hesitant? It's simple. I suck at applying eyeliner.  This stuff dries pretty quickly and doesn't budge once it's dry. If I try and fail with this it's going to my sister.

I'm excited to try the hair mask. My hair is really long and tends to break relatively easily so this is a great product for me. I am equally excited about trying the Pangea Organics facial cleanser. In my June box I received a Pangea Organics toner and I loved that so I'm hoping I'll be equally pleased with the cleanser.  It definitely smells delicious and fresh.  The eye pads look interesting. They claim to minimize the appearance of dark circles.  They better make them disappear and stay gone if I'm going to shell out $60 for a package of 10 pairs.  Wow, they're expensive... The last item was the hair tie. I didn't even know it was an item in the box until I read the card. I thought it was part of the packaging that had slipped off. I can always use extra hair ties!

The value of this month's Birchbox: $25.90. Not too shabby.

July 2011 Birchbox - Cynthia Rowley

This July Birchbox got a lot of hype because it was curated by fashion designer, Cynthia Rowley.  I am not super duper into fashion so I'll admit to being a little ignorant of who she is.  I just went to check out her website and it kinda creeped me out. Don't watch the video.  Well, she designed some cute Band-Aids...but they're $10. Who spends $10 on designer Band-Aids? Wait. Don't answer that.  Back to the box.

What you see when you open the box.

I was really entertained by the tissue paper matching my bedsheets this month. They usually wrap everything in pink so this was a fun little surprise. So, here is what I got:

It's like a little present inside a present!

My Impression: Meh.

1. AHAVA Mineral Hand Cream 25ml
2. philosophy purity made simple one-step facial cleanser 1 fl oz
3. Redken shine flash 02 2.1 fl oz
4. Zoya Touch Collection Nail Polish in Shay 0.25 fl oz
5. Kind Almond & Apricot Bar

The hand cream is nice, but I am not too keen on the smell. It's not too strong of a fragrance so I'll probably still use it. The cleanser is also nice, but stinky. It doesn't dry out my skin which is a plus. I haven't tried the Redken shine spray. I usually have my hair up for work and it's been ridiculously hot so I'll get back to you on that one. My first impression of the Zoya nail polish was ugh. It's a light neutral color and I always wear bright colors and I only paint my toes. I tried it out on my thumb and the color is starting to grow on me. Last, but not least, the Almond & Apricot Bar was delicious. I didn't have an afternoon snack on my way home from work so it was the perfect treat. The apricot added a nice tartness to the sweet crunch of the almonds.

Overall, it was not a bad box, but not that great either. The value of the products is about $19 and I paid $10. I wonder what July will bring. Interested in Birchbox? Let me know!

Birchbox Review #1 June 2011

For those of you who don't know, Birchbox is a $10 monthly subscription service that sends you high end beauty samples. I first learned about it from a review video by missglamorazzi on YouTube. She's wonderful, you should check her out! Anyway, after some further research I decided to give Birchbox a try. On June 14th, I got my first box. It came packaged in a bright pink shipping box, adorable! Inside, was this:

And inside that, was this:

(It was wrapped so nicely inside the box with the lovely pink tissue paper and a little black ribbon.)

I was amazed at what I got for a mere $10. Here is a rundown of what I got:

1. AMIKA Obliphica Oil Treatment (0.34oz)
2. KATE SPADE Twirl (0.05floz)
3. LAURA GELLER Baked Blush N' Brighten in Honey Dipped (0.32oz) FULL SIZE!!!
4. PANGEA ORGANICS Toner for Normal/Oily Skin (1.8floz)
5. DR. DENNIS GROSS Powerful Sun Protection SPF 30 Towelettes (2 pieces)

The card you get with the box has a message from the Birchbox girls on one side talking about the theme of the month and the other side lists the products and prices of the full size items. I did the math and the value of what I got in this box is $48.33. I paid $10. I'd say it's a good deal.

The most amazing thing in this box was the full sized Laura Geller product which retails for $29.50. It is a beautiful bronzy color which is great for the summer months. I am very fair and it gives my cheeks a nice glow. I just have to be careful to not use too much. I wasn't too thrilled with the sample of Twirl by Kate Spade. The fragrance is a bit strong for my taste, but not awful. The toner is great for my combination skin. The fragrance is Italian green mandarin & sweet lime. It is very refreshing and light on my skin. It keeps my skin from getting too greasy throughout the day. I'm on the fence about the hair oil, I don't think I've used it enough to give it a good review, but it definitely smells great. I haven't used the sunscreen towelettes yet, but I plan to. I'll let you know how they work out.

To learn more about Birchbox:
www.birchbox.com

Check out missglamorazzi on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi