Birchbox July 2014 Unboxing

Wow – my Birchbox came in record time this month!

You may have noticed that the title of this post says “Unboxing”, not “Review”.  I’m heading out of town in the morning so I don’t have time to do my full review until I get back.  So I thought I would just do a quick post just to show you guys the goodies I got this month, and then I’ll do a more in depth review once I get back in town and settled.

So, can I just point out the box?  Could it be any cuter?

Goodies received:

 

100% Pure Gingerade Shower Gel (Honey Cream Wash)

Birchbox says: …Ease into your mornings with this invigorating, yet still gentle, body wash. The plant-based formula hydrates and refreshes skin with nourishing botanicals—and the sweet-and-spicy scent kicks the morning off on an energizing note. Better yet, the gel is entirely free of artificial fragrances and preservatives.  With its blend of therapeutic herbs, green tea, and seaweed, this shower gel hydrates while gently cleansing your body. Just as notable as what’s included in the ingredient list is what’s missing: This all-natural formula is free of sulfates, detergents, artificial fragrances, dyes, chemical preservatives, and other harmful compounds.

I don’t normally use body washes (I’m more of a bar of soap kind of girl), but I am looking forward to trying these out.  I like the idea of energizing products.

 

Cynthia Rowley Creamy Lip Stain in Valentine

Birchbox says: Equal parts playful and polished, this creamy lip stain offers the moisture and shine of a gloss, paired with the ultralong wear of a stain. These creamy shades were inspired by Cynthia Rowley’s spring makeup looks from New York Fashion Week, and the slender packaging features her signature gold foil design.  This creamy lip stain is vegan, cruelty-free, and paraben-free.

I got to select the color I wanted to receive for this lip product, which was really cool.  I can’t wait to try it out!  I’m such a lip product junkie!

 

Ofra Universal Eyebrow Pencil

Birchbox says:  No more wondering which pencil, powder, or mousse best matches your brows: Pick up this pencil from Ofra, and you’ve got the right shade. Its universally flattering tone works to define and fill brows of any color, and the water-resistant formula stays put all day.  Synthetic beeswax gives the formula its smooth, long-lasting finish. It’s easy to match the universally wearable pencil to brows of any shade: Feather lightly over brows once for a light tone, and layer on to darken.

I’m not always a fan of doing my eye brows.  I’ve found very few products that give a natural look.  My fingers are crossed that this won’t give a harsh look to my face.

 

Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel

Birchbox says:  In less time than it takes to cover up a flawed complexion with caked-on foundation and concealer, you could uncover a new layer of fresh, glowing skin with Real Chemistry’s Luminous 3 Minute Peel. The acid-free peel gently sloughs away dead skin cells, evening tone and smoothing rough patches without irritating sensitive skin.  Suitable for all skin types, this pH-neutral protein peel gently exfoliates delicate skin without the use of harsh acids or abrasives. The unique gel binds to dead skin cells on the face, neck, and décolleté, forming solids that can be easily washed away with water. In just three minutes you’ll reveal the luminous, younger-looking skin below. Great for reducing the appearance of acne scars, dark spots, rosacea, and blotchiness.

I’m a little nervous about this product, but hopeful it will have really great results.  I just hope I don’t have a weird reaction to it.

 

NAOBAY Body Radiance Lotion

Birchbox says:  Packed with botanical moisturizers like olive oil, shea butter, and avocado oil, it deeply nourishes and hydrates skin. What’s more, it’s made almost entirely of natural ingredients (and nearly 20 percent organic ingredients) and comes in packages made of sustainable cardboard—for a product both you and your skin can feel good about.  Olive oil, shea butter, and avocado oil deliver serious moisture, while aloe vera soothes and protects skin. More than 98 percent of ingredients in this creamy lotion are natural, and over 19 percent are organic—and like all Naobay products, it’s free of GMOs and made without parabens, formaldehyde, petrochemicals, synthetic dyes, and a host of other chemicals that research suggests may come with health risks.

I’m hoping this will be a lightweight body lotion since we’re in the hot summer months.  A heavy body lotion would not be fun in the middle of July.

 

So that’s what I got in my Birchbox this month!  Sorry this is such a quick post, but like I said, I will do a more in depth review once I get back in town next week.

Did you get anything cool in your Birchbox this month?

And of course, if you’re interested in signing up with Birchbox, please considering using my referral code here.

Birchbox April 2014 Review

Ah, Thursday.  The gateway to the weekend.  Thank goodness!  This week has gone by pretty quick, but I feel like it hit me pretty hard.

Anyway, I received my April Birchbox last week and I’ve been testing out all the goodies.

** Birchbox is a monthly beauty subscription box that sends you “high end beauty, grooming and lifestyle samples” that have been customized for you through your beauty profile. You can easily earn loyalty points which can then be used as $$ toward your purchase of full-sized products. The cost of a Birchbox subscription is $10/month. **

Goodies received:

 

Nyakio Trio

(I apologize in advance that I didn’t take any photos of this stuff.  I used the scrubs in the shower, and my camera isn’t a sporty waterproof one!)

Kenyan Coffee Face Polish

Full size = $34.00, Sample value = $0.68

Blech!  I did not like this scrub at all!  It smelled awful.  Lemongrass and coffee are not a good combination!

Also, I didn’t think it was a very good scrub, either.  It seemed to dissolve really quickly and didn’t leave my face feeling that great.

Kenyan Coffee Body Scrub

Full size = $55.00, Sample value = $1.28

Now this body scrub was a bit better.  It had a more pleasant smell (a strong coffee scent) and actually left my legs and arms feeling pretty smooth.  It still dissolved pretty quickly for a scrub, but at least it gave me good results.

I didn’t have a problem with the oils in this scrub making my shower slippery.  But is that because they kept the oil level to a minimum, or their just wasn’t a lot of oil in my little foil packet?  Hard to say…

Hydrating Face Oil with Kola Nut

Full size = $49.00, Sample value = $3.27

I was ready to throw this sample away and give me little statement about how I don’t put oil on my face.  Then I remembered I had a few readers tell me that I am too quick to judge facial oils and I should give them a try despite my oily combination skin.

So I’ve been testing this facial oil for the past 4 days.  I put one little drop of oil on each cheek and then rub it all over my face.

Okay, it’s lightweight.  And yes, I actually forgot I was wearing it most of the time… until I touched my face.  It seemed like the oil took a LONG time to really sink into my skin.  Like, several hours.  Every time I touched my face, I could feel the oil.  I didn’t like that.

But my skin didn’t seem to have any problems with it.  But I’m not really sure if I saw any real benefit to it either.

 

Kind Healthy Grain Bar in Maple Pumpkin Seeds flavor

Full size pack – $11.88, Sample value = $0.79

Normally I’m willing to consume any time of food product sent to me by a sub box.  However, I recently joined Weight Watchers, and while this Kind Bar was a VERY generous size, I didn’t like it enough to eat the whole thing for the amount of Weight Watchers points I would have to spend on it.  So I only ate half.

I’ve never really been a fan of Kind Bars, and I’ve tried several.  It’s something about the texture – like they’re too soft, or not chewy enough, or something.

Anyway, this one did have a slightly sweet maple flavor, but what REALLY came out was the saltiness!  Goodness, this is definitely classified under the Sweet & Salty category!

 

Cynthia Rowley Beauty Eye Liner in Silver

Full size = $16.00, Sample value = $12.00

  

I read a bunch of beauty subscription box blogs before joining Birchbox and Ipsy, etc and I remember one thing very clearly.  Almost all of them complained about how much black eye liner they’ve received.  For me, I thought that was great!  I love black eye liner!

And yet somehow, after receiving both Birchbox and Ipsy for a year, I think I’ve received  more silver eye liner than black.  Why???

I liked the smooth texture of this eye liner, but it doesn’t really seem to set and stay.  I accidentally touched my eye area and smeared the outer corner of my eye liner all over the place.

 

Color Club Nail Polish in Aquamarine Azulino

Fill size collection = $13.00, Sample value = $3.25

I’ve received a lot of nail polish in sub boxes that may not have been my first choice in color selection, but I have to say, I really disliked this color.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I really love blue nail polish, including light blue nail polish.  However, the baby blue of Aquamarine Azulino has a pearlescent finish that comes across as really juvenile.  I just don’t care for it.

Ironically, this particular nail polish had the best formula of all the Color Club nail polishes I’ve tried.  It went only nearly opaque after just one coat, and I had no trouble with streaking, which tends to be Color Club’s biggest issue.

I got three days out of this manicure before it started to chip.

 

Keims Cleanshine Energizing Shampoo

Full size = $9.50, Sample value = $1.90

It’s always a bummer to be sent a shampoo without a corresponding conditioner.  *Sigh*

This shampoo is enriched with peppermint and macadamia nut.  It sounds nice, however, I thought it smelled like my grandfather’s aftershave.

And I also thought it was a fairly drying shampoo.  I prefer a moisturizing shampoo.

 

Overall, I was fairly disappointed in most of the products from this box.  It’s extra disappointing because when I looked at my spoilers online, I was really excited to receive this box.  And it had a pretty decent value.  I paid $10, and the total box value was $23.17.  But a poor color choice or a bad formula can really kill a box.

How was your Birchbox this month?

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