BirchBox Review June 2014

 Have I mentioned how much I love getting my BirchBox in the mail?? I feel like it's Christmas in my mailbox once a month, so what's not to love?

This month's theme was vacation (or stay-cation). If you can't afford to go out on a spa retreat, BirchBox has added samples that are perfect to pamper yourself with.  In this box they sent: Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish™ Hot Cloth Cleanser Starter Kit, Nexxus® Color Assure™ Pre-Wash Primer, Nexxus® Color Assure™ Vibrancy Retention Shampoo,  Nexxus® Color Assure™ Vibrancy Retention Conditioner, English Laundry Signature for Her, Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eyeliner and Egyptian Magic Skin Cream.

I will start with the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Kit since that's what I sampled first. The instructions are very straight forward and the product is easy to use. You massage the cream onto your dry face and neck using circular motions, run the cloth that is included in the kit under warm/hot water and wipe your face and neck (make sure you use a clean portion of the cloth with each wipe), when your face is all clean and free from the cream you splash your face with cold water and voila! Your face is clean and smooth. I didn't have to use moisturizer after I used this so I was stoked about that. I usually have to drench my face in lotion after I wash it because it gets all dried out but this didn't dry me out and it didn't make me breakout so I'd have to say that is a win.

The fragrance from English Laundry screams summer. It's light and very pleasant. I've been noticing that a lot more fragrances are very strong and overpowering so it's nice to find one that doesn't assault your senses. I think I'm going to buy this when my sample runs out.

 On the jar of Egyptian Magic skin cream it says "a little goes a long way" and they're not kidding. You just need a little dab if you're going to just use it on your hands. It made my hands feel soft without feeling super greasy and I noticed that my skin soaked it up pretty quickly. It says that you can use it in your hair but I already have issues with oily hair so I don't think I'm going to try it in my hair. The only downside to this product is that it's kind of expensive. A 4oz jar is $38. I do know that it will last you a long time but I just can't justify spending that much on a single beauty product.

The first thing that I'd like to point out is that this sample is adorable. Great marketing strategy Nexxus. Not only is the packaging adorable, the product itself is amazing. I dyed my hair red over 6 months ago and it had started to look pretty dull. After using this sample once, my hair color looked like it was fresh out of the box. I'm definitely trading my Radiant Red in for this.

 I have like a million eyeliners (ok not really that many but I have a ton) ranging from Dollar Store brands to super expensive and this one falls right in the middle. I didn't really see anything about this eyeliner that made it more special than the rest. This is the second sample of eyeliner I've received in a BirchBox and this one did not compare to the first. The eyeliner never really dried so if I ended up rubbing my eyes then I'd smudge it everywhere. It also was a little difficult to wash off too.

I just got the notification that my July BirchBox has been shipped so I will be (impatiently) waiting by my mailbox for that to show up. I also signed up for an Ipsy GlamBag to see what the difference between the two are, so keep your eyes open for that review and comparison of the two services. In the meantime go over to BirchBox and get signed up to get your monthly box :) https://www.birchbox.com/invite/BeeBeeandJack

BirchBox Review May 2014

I received my 2nd BirchBox in the mail on 5/21/14 and it always makes my day to see that brightly colored little package sitting in my mailbox.  My neighbors probably think I’m nuts when I open my mailbox and yell “OH HELL YES!” When you get your BirchBox in the mail you’ll totally understand my excitement.

In this BirchBox I received:

• Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint
• Caldrea Body Lotion in Aloe Water Apricot
• Caldrea Body Wash in Tea Olive Lime
• Color Club Art Duo Pen in Black
• Supergoop! Everyday SPF 30 with Cellular Response Technology
• Kérastase Masque Cristal

I’ll start with the Caldrea Body Lotion and the Caldrea Body Wash  since the lotion was the first thing I sampled. I like the fact that they gave me a sample of each scent so I could smell both. I’m not a fan of the Aloe Water Apricot. It was too sweet for me and it was super strong. The lotion itself was pretty good. It was thick and creamy and kept my skin feeling soft for a good amount of time. The scent sticks around for a long while too, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing if I liked the scent in the first place.  The body wash was a thick gel and a little bit seemed to go a long way. The scent of the Tea Olive Lime was very refreshing and light.  It didn’t overpower and even with the body wash, the light scent stuck around for a while. I’d definitely purchase the set in the Tea Olive Lime scent.

The Supergoop! lotion was very light and didn’t leave my skin feeling oily or greasy. I was a little worried at first that the lotion wouldn’t protect as well as the sunscreen I am used to using because the consistency was so thin, but I wore it all day and didn’t get burned. Other sunscreens are so thick that they clog the pores on my face and make me break out. Supergoop! did not, which is a big win in my book!

The Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint was awesome because it’s got SPF in it, I just didn’t notice much of a tint when I applied it. I did notice a sparkle, which is always nice because it gives you a nice, healthy glow. I paired this with my normal concealer and I liked the little extra  sparkle and knowing that my face was protected from UV rays.

The Color Club Art Duo Pen in black is awesome. The tips come in two sizes: one for regular lines and one for super fine lines. I am horrible at drawing, so decorating my nails is not really an option besides the one color mani/pedi. I did find it very useful while crafting, so I might pick up the 4-pack of colors for that.

The instructions for the Kérastase Masque Cristal sample didn’t explain how you are supposed to use it, so I haven’t had a chance to get online and look up what exactly it is for and how it is used.  It’s kinda silly to include something that doesn’t come with instructions on how to use it, don’t you think? I know, I’m just being lazy by not googling how to use the stuff (shame on me) but I’ll do it before the next BirchBox shows up and include it with that review.

I cannot wait for my next BirchBox to show up to test out some new goodies! Stay tuned for more when it does, but in the meantime here’s the link to join: https://www.birchbox.com/invite/BeeBeeandJackBeeBeeandJack

BirchBox Review April 2014's Box

I received my first BirchBox in the mail 5/01/14 (signed up at the end of April). When I opened the mailbox to check the mail and I saw that pink box I squealed with joy. I love getting samples in the mail, so when I heard BirchBox will send you samples in the mail every month for $10, I was all over it. I’m one of those people who’s got multiple free sample sites in my favorites and hit them up daily. What I like most about BirchBox is that they send samples based on my preferences that I wouldn’t normally try out on my own.

This box’s theme was “Rainy Days” which is perfect for April (especially here where it rains from January until June). When I opened the box there was this cute little blue card that is #26 of 52 Bright Ideas for a Rainy Day: “Head online and shop for a new umbrella. That way you’ll be prepared for the next rainy day”. Good advice, but not for someone who works in Downtown where the wind will destroy your umbrella in 2.5 seconds flat. I took a peek at some of the other cards on the website and they have so many more great ideas not only to help with rainy day boredom, but also to help get you out of a rainy day funk if you’re feeling a little down due to the weather.

The samples I got for this month are: Suman Contrast Eye Pencil by Sumita beauty, a mini nail polish in "Breakfast at..." by Color Club, and a leave-in conditioner/detangler from Beauty Protector, a sample of the fragrance Yogini by Harvey Prince and a healthy grain bar by KIND.

I’m going to start with the Healthy Grain Bar by KIND. The flavor I got was maple pumpkin seeds with sea salt and it tasted a lot like the maple and brown sugar oatmeal with a hint of salt added in. I thought it was delicious. It’s the perfect blend of sweet and salty and doesn’t make you feel guilty because it’s actually good for you. All of the healthy grain bars by KIND are gluten and GMO free which is awesome because it’s getting harder and harder to find GMO free foods and a lot of people are having to cut gluten out of their diets. I really like that they added quinoa into their bars because it is so good for you but I have a heck of a time trying to get my son and husband to eat it. This way they don’t know it’s in there and they think they’re getting a sweet snack. Win-win all around!

The Suman Color Contrast Eye Pencil looks like any ordinary eyeliner but don’t let it fool you. This pencil glides on for easy application and when it dries it becomes smudge-proof. I’m not normally someone who wears eyeliner because I can never get the lines even and I always end up rubbing my eyes at some point in the day and wipe most of my eye makeup off. This stuff withstands all my eye rubbing. I was very shocked to see that I was still wearing eyeliner when I looked in the mirror after I got home. Usually I have a heck of a time trying to get the rest of my eyeliner off but this came right off with a little eye makeup remover. I will definitely be buying another when my sample runs out.

The mini nail polish by Color Club is called “Breakfast at…” which is a great name for it. The blue is very close to the color of that little blue box that everyone loves but it’s got this awesome gold sparkle to it. It sort of reminds me of a chameleon paint job on a car. At first I wasn’t sure of the color because I usually opt for pinks or reds on my nails, but this color has really grown on me. I have gotten so many compliments on the color. Another bonus is that this polish seems pretty durable. It took about a week before I saw any serious wear on my toes, on my fingers it chipped pretty much immediately. I will definitely be buying more of these in the future.

The leave-in conditioner/detangler by Beauty Protector is amazing. My hair is super curly, frizzy and unmanageable 95% of the time. With a few spritzes of this stuff, my hair was easy to brush and style. The best part is that when my hair dried I didn’t have all these crazy fly-away hairs sticking up all over my head like I usually do. My 3-year-old’s hair was feeling dry and he was starting to get a couple of dry patches on his scalp, so I gave him a couple of spritzes and his hair felt amazing when it dried. It was still soft after 2 washes and I noticed the dry spots were starting to clear up. I will definitely be buying the full size when my sample runs out.

And last but not least is the perfume “Yogini” by Harvey Prince. I personally didn’t like this perfume. It’s not that it doesn’t smell good (because it does), it’s just not my style. It reminds me if the Issey Miyaki fragrance “L’eau d’Issey” which my sister wears. She was really excited at the idea of having the same fragrance and only spending a fraction of the cost. Not good news for Issey but great news for us.

I’m looking forward to finding my May box sitting in the mailbox and will have reviews on those samples as well. If you’d like to sign up for a BirchBox, it’s only $10 a month and is personalized for you. Plus if you review your samples on their website, they’ll give you 10 points for each review. 100 points = $10 and most of their stuff comes with free shipping. Here’s a link if you want to sign up :) https://www.birchbox.com/invite/BeeBeeandJack