Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Birchbox, January 2014

Good evening! How've ya been? I've been doing okay, considering this crazy Wisconsin weather! One day it's sunny, 40 degrees, making you think Spring is around the corner and BAM!!! Snowstorm. Ugg! Well, tonight, I thought I'd do a post of something I love getting each month :) Birchbox! For those who aren't familiar w/ Birchbox, it's basically a monthly subscription service where for $10 a month, they will send you a box that looks like this:



Inside this box are 4-6 (or sometimes more) deluxe sized samples. These range from skincare, make up, hair stuffs, perfume, etc. Sometimes there will be something a bit different, like lifestyle or food, but is mainly based around beauty products.

I have been a subscriber for 2+ years now, and so far, have not been disappointed :) Of course, some months are better for me than others, but I think that's just the way the cookie crumbles. As a whole, I love this company :)

So I thought for this post, I would show you my January Birchbox! Here we go!

When it arrives in the mail, it looks something like this:




And then you tear into it, and then looks like this!



Take off the cover....

Always wrapped so nicely!



Ooooooooo!


They put so much detail in to this, that even the inside of the box has a neat design!



But of course, that's not really what we're looking for, right? Right, lol :) This is more what we're looking for:


Just glancing at it, I can tell I'm going to like this box :) Right off the bat, I see something Burt's Bees (one of my absolute favorite brands) and a shampoo/conditioner. Sweet!!

Digging into the box, I find there's also a perfume sample and an eyeshadow in the little mint pouch thing:


I also notice the little mint pouch thing had a bit of an accident :S


Whoops! Oh well, the stuff inside wasn't damaged at all, so no biggie!!

So here's a rundown of what I received this month:

Let's start with the Fekkai stuffs!


I've never tried this brand before, but I have seen them in stores. First thing I did was take a whiff (honestly, that's probably the first thing I do with any hair product-scent is important to me!). Wowzers! I was super surprised at how calming the scent was! I was expecting a heavy salon perfume scent, but instead it was light, slightly fresh, and even a bit olive oily! I really liked it! 

Now I only really used the conditioner, for the shampoo does contain sulfates, and they don't play nice with my scalp :(. So I can't say how well that worked for hair hair, but it worked great for my make up brushes! :D The conditioner was nice, but definitely on the light side. It did make my hair shiny, and didn't leave a coating or anything like that, but it wasn't moisturizing enough for my super dry hair in this Wisconsin winter air. Granted, it isn't marketing towards moisturizing at all, so it wasn't false advertising or anything. I can see this working for someone who has fine hair, since it was lightweight, or who doesn't have super dry hair. I could see maybe trying this again in the summer, since my hair isn't quite as dry then.

Next was the perfume sample. Now, I know a lot of reviews don't like when Birchbox throws one of these in, but I personally do! I'm not one who goes to a counter often to sniff a new one, so I do like getting these! I've had Harvey Prince ones before, and wasn't a fan, so I was a bit iffy to try this one. But luckily, I was pleasantly surprised!!




This scent is described having notes of South African Freesia, Japanese orange flower, Moroccan rose, Indonesian clove bud, and Australian sandalwood (can you see where it gets it "Journey" name???) Just reading those notes alone is a no wonder I really enjoy this perfume, I love all those types of scents! This a wonderful fall/winter perfume, for it has that warmth and depth one looks for in a heavier scent, but it still has a light, floral scent lingering in there. I will probably be purchasing this soon!!

Next is the the little eyeshadow quad from Coastal Scents:



Again, a little skeptical. Not because I didn't like Coastal Scents, but because the colors I've received before weren't really my taste. And, again! Was pleasantly surprised!!



Whoo-ooh!! NUDES!!! Here's what the whole Revealed palette looks like:

Picture via Birchbox
As you can see, it's Coastals Scent's version of the Naked palettes! Just by glance, there seems to be a lot of similar colors between this and the Naked and Naked 2 palettes! With this being only $34, and each Naked being $52, this seems to be a steal! Would be awesome for someone who has been interested in owning a "nude" palette, but didn't want to shell out the cash for the Urban Decay ones (and honestly, who does? I've been saving up my Ulta points for the Naked 3!!). 

Each one of the colors is nicely pigmented, goes on smoothly, and feels buttery!


If I didn't already have the first two Naked palettes, I would seriously consider getting this!

Lastly, is what Birchbox considers their "Latest Discovery Finds"


Is the Burts Bees Intense Hydration Day Lotion, and it came in this super cute little jar!



Even though this is a "day" lotion, I did try it at night, and honestly? IT'S AWESOME!!! It has a light scent (if you have ever used any of Burt's Bees facial lotion, it's a similar scent), sinks right into the skin, doesn't feel greasy, and leaves my skin moisturized and lovely. I would consider buying this in the future!!

And of course, Birchbox likes to put in extra papery things:



As well as the "info" card that's included each month:



Overall, I think this was an awesome box!!! Lots of new, fun things to try, and most of them were a hit!!

Well, I think that's about does it! Thanks for hanging around for a longerish post!! Hope you're having a great night!!

Emily
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