One of the fun things about receiving subscription boxes is receiving things to try that I would never think to buy or try on my own that end up being amazing for me! Most of the things in this post are items I was not excited about when I received them, but ended up becoming products that I would (or already have) repurchase. I can be a smidge resistant to change....
Healthy Sexy Hair Beach Spray-I received a sample of this in my first Ipsy Glam bag. I was hesitant to try this salt spray, not knowing if it would work for my fine, wavy hair. However, it has quickly become a Holy Grail product. The first time I sprayed it on, my husband sniffed my hair, and told me it smelled like the beach, and that I should "never stop using it." (Yeah, he didn't know how expensive it was when he said that.) This is a man who rarely seems to notice when I use a new product, so this is pretty high praise. It amped up my lazy waves, and created some nice curl and texture in my hair, and that's what truly sold me! This product is free of silicones, which I am trying to avoid, so that's a huge bonus, as well. Unfortunately, this stuff is about $20 a bottle, and I go through it pretty fast. Also, now that's it's winter, and the air is not as humid, this product is not working quite as well for me as it did in the summer and fall, but I'm still a newly devoted fan.
Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer-I received a generous sample size of this stuff in my first Birchbox. I'd never heard of Juice Beauty at that time, so I wasn't too excited about it. I have sensitive skin, that often breaks out from various moisturizers. I've always had a very hard time finding a good one that keeps my skin flake free without causing acne. This stuff does that for me. A dime sized dot is more than enough to cover my face and neck, so even though the full size is $29, it'll last me for a while. I wish this had some anti-aging ingredients in it-that's the only drawback. I'm hoping to get some samples of other Juice products to try out!
Eyeko Black Magic Mascara-I'm almost embarrassed to add this to my list because of the way I griped and complained about it when I received it! I feel like subscription companies love to send me mascara, even though I always de-select it on my profiles. I wear contact lenses, and have itchy, allergy eyes, so I only wear waterproof mascara. I'm fortunate to have dark, long, thick lashes already, so mascara is something I rarely wore, because it made my eyelashes look like clumpy spider legs. Not a good look. Sometimes, though, I feel like I need something to re-darken my lashes after putting on concealer and eyeshadow. I've found myself reaching for this more often that not since receiving it in a Birchbox. It doesn't do anything "magical" to my lashes, but it also doesn't clump. At all. I only use a teeny, tiny amount, so that may have something to do with it, but I'm loving how I can use this and keep a more natural, less spider-leggy eye look. This is something I'll probably repurchase when I run out.
Face Stockholm The Great Face Contouring Kit-I received this concealer/highlighter palette in my November Wantable box, and wrote more about it here. I'm using it every day, mostly to cover up my dark under eye circles ( I use the lighter concealer and a bit of the pink highlighter mixed together), and acne scars. The coverage is very good, although I'm still looking for something that will totally obliterate my horrible dark circles. I'm still impressed with the size of this, and how much product is in the pans of this wheel. I would totally repurchase this, but I think it'll last me a long time.
Miss Jessie's Leave-In Condish-I received a huge, foil packet of this in a Birchbox a couple of months ago. In fact, the sample was so big, that I'm still using it! It is very, very difficult to find a good detangler/leave-in conditioner that doesn't contain silicones. My fine, long hair, gets horrible knots and tangles in it, and I need a detangler with some serious slip. This is the only thing I've been able to find that helps. It doesn't work nearly as well as my beloved, but silicone-laden KMS Moisture Revival Cream, but it does provide more slip than the other things I've tried. After my second use of the sample, I purchased the full size from Birchbox. It has a strong, fabric-softener like scent, that some people hate, but I don't really mind, as I like clean scents. I have noticed that if I use too much, I get a film on my hair, and my ends get stringy, but until I find something better to help me unsnarl the terrible knots I get in my hair, this is a Can't Live Without It product!
Honorable Mention (not pictured)-Noya Lip Balm in Vanilla-I was so mad when I received this product in my second Ipsy bag instead of the Urban Decay lipstick sample that other subscribers received in it's place. But honestly, I use this lip balm daily, and I'm sure I wouldn't be using the same lipstick sample daily, so I guess it worked out after all. This balm really works to keep my lips mositurized. It's creamy, long lasting, and tastes good. When I use a different balm, I always wish I'd put this one on instead because it just works better.
There you go! I'm really excited to see what new Holy Grail products I might receive this year, or if I might find some that I like even better than these.
