Taking in the views on our first ever trip to Toronto.
We were not loved by the Blue Jay fans.
Birchbox is a monthly subscription service that delivers five deluxe samples tailored to your personal preferences. These samples include makeup, skincare, bath and body, haircare, fragrance, and more.
Upon joining you’ll complete a beauty profile that helps them to curate your box to you. Each month you have the option of receiving five surprise items, choosing one of your items, or buying a set of items that are pre-determined by Birchbox. If you’re anything like me, you love to be surprised, but you still want a little bit of control. I choose one item as long as I like one of them.
The good news is that if you fall in love with any of your sample items you can find the full size in the Birchbox shop for purchase. Reviewing your items earns you points which can be used for discounts.
Interested? Sign up here! —> Birchbox (this is my referral link. I earn $5 if you use it!)
Box #2
Each box comes with a cute little insert that lists all of the products, their full size prices, and a short description of them.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream – full size $29.50
I love receiving face cream samples, because their full sizes are generally expensive and I never know what’s going to work for my face. I really like this cream, because it’s super lightweight and doesn’t leave behind a sticky residue (yuck!). It dries down quickly and leaves my face feeling soft while keeping me from drying out with these harsh winter winds (WHICH SEEM LIKE THEY’RE NEVER GOING TO GO AWAY). I’d definitely consider purchasing this product’s full size.
Dr. Lipp Miracle Balm – full size $16.50
Birchbox claims that this lip balm is a favorite among celebrity makeup artists and dermatologists, but I have a really hard time believing that statement. It’s no different than Carmex (sorry). It does make my lips feel soft and keeps them from drying out, but I still reapply like I would any other. Their tag line is “for dry skin, luscious lips, and glossy bits” (what the eff are glossy bits?). It can be used for other purposes like soothing sunburn, taming eyebrows, and moisturizing dry areas on other parts of your body. You know.. in case you don’t already have the specific products that do those things. You might think that I hate this product after reading all of that, but I don’t. I’m not purchasing a full size, but if it was 20 years ago their Disney style font and bright pink tube might actually appeal to me.
W3LL PEOPLE Bio Correct Multi-Action Concealer – full size $22.99
This concealer’s tagline is “correcting while covering.” It’s meant to depuff, brighten, and smooth skin using a mixture of coffee (yes please), organic algae, pomegranate, and anti-aging peptides. I was a little nervous to try this item, because I thought that it might be too dark for my fair skin tone, but it was actually a good match. I thought that it gave me pretty good coverage over the dark circles around my eyes and the redness on my nose. I’m actually in love with my Tarte Shape Tape, so I most likely won’t be picking up a full size of this product, but I liked it!
Marcelle Ultimate Volume Nano Mascara – full size $15
I was excited to try this mascara, but I absolutely hated it. It claims that it’s flake and clump resistant, but I experienced the opposite. I thought that the tiny applicator would be beneficial in separating lashes or doing my lower lash line, but I just ended up with a clumpy mess of “spider leg” lashes and lots of black streaks on my skin that I had to clean up after (I’m also pretty clumsy, to be fair). I think if there were longer bristles on this applicator it would have been better, but as of now it’s no good for me.
OUAI Leave In Conditioner – full size $26
Another leave in conditioner.. huh.. I guess you can’t really ever have enough, can you? Maybe. Anyway, this product promises to smooth knots and tangles, tame frizz, enhance shine, and protect from heat. It has a really nice smell that I perceive as a mixture of fresh linen and florals. It feels lightweight, but I don’t think that my hair likes it very much. As popular of a company as OUAI is I think that I love the other two leave ins that I’ve tried better (It’s a 10 and Number 4) for my hair.
My impression: At first glance, this box was totally geared towards me. It includes all types of products, besides the concealer, that I would generally be excited to receive. Unfortunately, I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the majority of these products. I’m happy to have a new lip balm, and I really like the facial cream, but the leave in conditioner and mascara didn’t work for me. Here’s hoping that next month will be better!
Thanks for taking the time to read my little blog! 🙂
– Tia
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