Birchbox January 2014

Birchbox hasn't been terribly exciting for me lately, and this month continues that trend.  In fact, I had to look back at the picture I took of my box to even remember what I received!  It wasn't a bad box, really, but I didn't receive any of the products that I was hoping to get from the spoilers I saw.  Birchbox has so many box variations every month, that it's hard to predict what you might get.  However, I'm realizing that if I don't get a product I really want one month, it most likely will turn up in a future box. I have this picture in my head of the Birchbox Box Packers reaching a hand into a giant vat of beauty products, snacks, and tea, and throwing handfuls into boxes.  It just seems so random, and doesn't really fit my "customized" Birchbox profile much.

Oh, well.  It's only ten dollars, and most of this stuff will get used or traded for better stuff, so it's all good! Here's my box:

Benefit Benetint-I would have been over the top thrilled with this sample a couple of months ago! I was so upset when Ipsy sent out Benetint, and I didn't get it.  I've wanted to try this product for the longest time, and finally I got a deluxe sized sample of it in a Benefit kit I got for Christmas.  Even though I wanted to try it so badly, I've really only used it a couple of times.  I've only used it on my lips, as I'm not brave enough to try it as a blush yet. It creates a nice berry red stain on my lips, that while buildable, isn't very dark.  I like the consistency of this product much better than theBalm's Stainiac, which I found to be oddly un-uniform-it's like there were random glops in it.  Anyhow, this Birchbox sample is really tiny, but I'm sure someone will love it.  I'll keep my deluxe sample from my kit, but I'm going to trade this new, unopened one.

Origins Smarty Pants CC SPF 20 Skin Complexion Corrector with a Stupidly Long, Self-Important Sounding Name-Ahem.  Seriously, I'm surprised that big, long name even fit on this teeny, tiny little tube! Anyhow, I can't really review this product, as I haven't used it yet.  I've got it put up in a box until spring or summer, when I find myself needing a lighter coverage foundation and a higher number sunscreen.  My winter midwestern skin can't use this right now.

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk-This actually came at a good time for me, as my sample can of Batsite just ran out.  I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but I've heard good things about it.  I love getting products that I actually need!

Whish Three Whishes Body Butter-I have so many lotions and things right now that I haven't tried this one yet.  I put some on my hands to smell, and it has a familiar, light and fruity scent that I can't place.  Watermelon Jolly Ranchers, maybe?  I don't know.  It feels like a typical lotion on my hands, and not particularly thick and buttery, but it could be great stuff, I'll have to give it a real try before I decide if I like it or not.  Unfortunately, there's only enough in the tube for maybe 2 body applications.

Ahmad Teas-I received three tea bags in this box, which I'm not excited about at all.I knew my turn was coming for the tea though, as these have been in box variations for a couple of months now.  I'm not a big tea drinker, but I do like a cup of peppermint tea every now and then.  Thankfully, one of my bags was peppermint.  I tried it yesterday, and it's.....just tea.  No better or worse than any other.  But then again, I'm not a tea aficionado, so I probably wouldn't know the difference anyway. ;-)

For the month of February, Birchbox is teaming up with US Weekly to create a box with "red carpet essentials".  Here's a link to an article with some of the products that may be included in thsee special boxes.  It is my understanding that all subscribers will receive a US Weekly collaboration box instead of their regular box, and not all of the boxes will be the same. Hmm...sounds interesting!

If you are interested in subscribing to Birchbox, please click on this link, as you can help me earn Birchbox points.  Birchbox subscribers earn points every time we review products, buy products from Birchbox, or refer a new subscriber.  These points add up quickly to money off purchases from the Birchbox store! This is worth the subscription alone.

More box reviews and other stuff, coming soon!

My Most Used Sub Box Products 2013

     I've only been subscribing to beauty sub boxes since July 2013, when I received my first Ipsy bag.  Since then, I've added on Birchbox, then Beauty Box 5 (which I cancelled after 3 "blah" boxes) in August or September, then Wantable.  I received my first Lip Factory box and Sample Society box in December. So, while I subscribe to a ridiculous amount of boxes, I haven't been getting them for very long.  I decided to put together a post sharing the items that I've used the most out of my 2013 boxes.  Since I haven't gotten that many yet, I only have five items to share, but just imagine what next year's post could look like!
     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....

     First of all, I'm sorry the picture is sideways-that's just soooooo professional of me to leave it that way, isn't it? Oh well, moving on!

 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.

Birchbox December-Where's the Beef?

Ok, you have to be "of a certain age" to get that reference, but really, when I opened this month's Birchbox, that was my reaction.  Everything in the box this month was teeny tiny! I know it's a sample service, but wow-these items are small!

Here's what I received this month:

Number 4 Non-Aerosol Hairspray-This is supposed to be really great hairspray for some reason.  I used it once, and, well, it's just hairspray. I prefer aerosol hairspray, because the finer mist helps add body to my fine hair, but this will still get used up.  Boring, but usable.

Manna Kadar Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion-Apparently this stuff is supposed to be a big deal, too.  I must be really hard to impress, because I'm not excited about this stuff at all.  Mostly because I received a full size of it in my Wantable box, as compared to this itsy, bitsy .27 oz tube.  I did try wearing this a couple of times, but I couldn't even tell I did anything different.  I suppose if I had great skin and didn't wear makeup, this might show up a little better. Meh.

Harvey Prince Hello-I actually like this perfume sample, as it has a nice scent, and I will get a few uses out of it, although I wish it were a little bigger.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentrate moisturizer-This is the one product I was actually excited about receiving.  that is, until I opened up the box and saw the minuscule little tube.  I should have taken a picture of it, it's even smaller than the Manna Kadar, at a measly, .17 oz.  If you believe the Birchbox hype, this is a must have product for makeup artists, as it can be used as a makeup priming moisturizer, makeup remover, or body lotion. The sample size is way too small for me to try out all of those uses.  I did use it once as a makeup primer.  I didn't notice any extra staying power of my makeup, and I had a HUGE pimple forming by the end of the day.  So, I guess it's safe to say that I'm not a fan of this sample!

Twistband-I didn't include this in the picture, because it fell out of the deep, cavernous recesses of my nearly empty box, and I didn't even notice it was missing.  I received a single, silver twistband.  One. Twistband.  I'm sorry, but am I the only person that thinks that is kind of pathetic? A single, solitary pony tail holder? Beauty Box 5 sent me a whole pack in my first box. Sure, I'll use it, but c'mon.

Birchbox Screen Cleaner-This is supposed to be an extra.  I received one in my Birchbox Man box, as well.  What you see in the picture is mostly packaging, the actual item is a 1 inch square little thing that can stick to your phone, and you can use the non sticky side to wipe off your screen. I threw the last one away, and this one is going there, too.

I usually like Birchbox pretty well, as I've discovered some great products through this service, but I can't help but feel like they scooped up the tiny little crumbs from the bottom of the barrel and threw them in my box this month.  Bah Humbug!

Disclaimer-I paid for this subscription, and all opinions are my own.  By clicking on any links in this post, and then subscribing to Birchbox, you are helping me to earn Birchbox points.

Birchbox Man December 2013

A couple of months ago, wanting my husband to share in the subscription box fun, I signed my him up for Birchbox Man.  When you sign up as a man (or for a man), you are asked a variety of questions about your interests, likes, etc., in order to personalize the box.  I had hoped that my quiz answers (that I did for my husband) would assure that he would receive things he would actually use, and not think were not "manly" enough.  I feel the need to say that my husband is a "macho" guy, for lack of a better term.  While he's not out in the garage working on his car all the time, or riding a motorcycle and wearing black leather, he's a fairly old fashioned and masculine fellow. I knew that chances were, that he would not be too excited about getting grooming product samples, but thought I'd try it out.

Well, as I predicted, he just wasn't into it.  He was a good sport about it, and enjoyed opening the boxes, mostly because he knew that I was excited about it.  However, each month after opening, he never used any of the samples, except for the tiny little cologne vials. Since that $20 a month is money that I can put towards a new subscription for me (what can I say? I'm addicted!), I recently cancelled his subscription.

Apparently, I cancelled too late, because we recently got his December box in the mail. Here's what he/we got.

First up, is a pair of Jonathan Adler socks.  Now, I honestly don't know why my husband doesn't like these. (C'mon-stripes? What's un-manly about hunter green and gray stripes?) I like them! In fact, I wore them yesterday.  Sure, they went nearly up to my knees, and were a little big on the foot, but I loved the soft texture, and the weight of the socks.  (And I'm very picky when it comes to socks-I think I have some sensory issues when it comes to my feet and socks.) These will make nice boot socks for me this winter!

Next, is a pair of boot laces from Benjo.  Yes, boot laces.  In a Birchbox.  That was kind of his reaction, too. They are orange and yellow, and...well, they are boot laces.  Rather short ones, too.  Ho hum.

Moving right along, we have a bottle of Lucky Tiger Liquid Shave Cream.  I'm more impressed with this product than he is.  It is in a cool bottle, that looks like glass, but isn't.  With the old fashioned label, this would look nice sitting on the bathroom counter.  The shave cream has a pleasant, fruity smell.

The black bottle is Real Men Go 24 7 Body Wash.  My husband's reaction? "Wow.  That really stinks." I don't think the scent is that bad, although it's certainly a masculine smell.  Maybe a tiny bit too Brute aftershave-like, though.  My 10 year old son will probably use it and love it.

A product that already has gone directly to the 10 year old, is the American Crew Alternator Styling Spray.  Hubby has a flat top (and thinning hair), and doesn't need a product like this, but it works well to style my son's thick, "messy look" hair.

Billy Jealousy Liquid Sand is the last product.  A couple of months ago, he received Billy Jealousy moisturizer, which I have been using as a hand cream.  It has a pleasant, light scent, as does this product.  The moisturizer absorbs quickly, and feels silky on.  Sadly, this product will go unused.  I happened to mention "You might enjoy using this to exfoliate", to which my husband replied, "I might enjoy it to what?!" Let's just say he's not the exfoliating type.

There was one more thing in the box that isn't pictured.  It was a dumb little clingy thing with the Birchbox logo, that you are supposed to clean your phone screen with.  It doesn't work.

So, there you have it.  If you are a man who enjoys sampling various grooming products, and doesn't mind getting a few other odds an ends, then you'll love this.  Otherwise, tell your wife that you would love for her to use the money to get herself another subscription! ;-) (You're welcome, ladies!)

This product was purchased with my own money, and all opinions are my own..  By clicking on the link in the post, and then signing up for Birchbox, I would receive Birchbox points.  Otherwise, I am not compensated for this post.

November Birchbox

Yep, another box review.  Maybe eventually I'll blog about something other than my subscription boxes! (I still have one other I haven't reviewed yet, so don't hold your breath.) I've had Birchbox for maybe 4 months now.  I usually end up with a few things I like from these boxes. In fact, one of my unexpected "Holy Grail" products has come from Birchbox! I received a sample of Juice Beauty Oil Free Moisturizer in my first box, and much to my surprise, my sensitive skin loved it! I've since bought a full size.

I forgot to take a picture of my Birchbox this month.  I usually receive it and my Ipsy Glam Bag on the same day, and in my excitement, I forgot to take a picture of either box. Here's what I received, and my thoughts.

Vasanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator-This is an exfolliant product, in a fairly decent sized sample tube. I've only used it once, as I have plenty of similar samples to try out at the moment.  It seems to be a very fine grained exfolliant, and felt pretty sharp and scratchy.  Since I've only used it once, I can't really vouch for it's effectiveness, but my sensitive skin didn't get upset about it, either.

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips-Yes, the first thing you noticed about this was the name.  Me too. This was originally created to be a lanolin healing cream for nursing mothers, thus the "Nipple Balm". Unfortunately, the good doctor's name just makes the product name sound funnier.  Or not.  Maybe I just have the sense of humor and maturity of a 13 year old boy.  I didn't think I'd like this, especially after squeezing and squeezing the teensy tube to get anything out of it, and finding it was at least half way full of air.  However, after wearing this a few times, I kind of like it.  It leave my lips glossy like petroleum jelly would, but the glossiness lasts longer, and the stickiness is more bearable.  It actually works well under lipstick, and somehow doesn't create a glopy mess, as I would have expected.  I may actually buy this, but I'm just not sure how I would feel about pulling it out of my purse in public, due to the name.  I know, I know-grow up already, right?

Eyeko Black Magic Mascara-Yet another mascara sample. I'm actually keeping and wearing this one, though, since it's water resistant. This stuff is apparently supposed to be a big deal, that does fabulous things to your lashes, perhaps due to the wand shape, or some such mumbo jumbo. Ehhhh...it's a decent mascara. I like that it doesn't clump, it doesn't run, and it doesn't make my eyelashes feel stiff.  But then, I only wear a tiny amount.  I'm fortunate to have dark, long eyelashes, so I only wear a bit to re-darken my lashes when some concealer or eye shadow has gotten on them.

Folle de Joie Eau de Parfum-I received a small sample vial of this perfume.  This seems to be a very popular perfume among sample box subscribers, so I was happy to try it out.  It has a nice floral smell, but I'm not sure how well it works with my body chemistry.  The jury is still out.

Miss Jessie's Original Leave-In Condish-Despite the obnoxious, Rachael Ray type name of "Condish", which annoys me way more than it should, I like this stuff.  It came at the perfect time for me, as I've been on the hunt for a silicone free leave in conditioner that actually helps me get the tangles out of my hair, which is pretty darn hard to find!  It came in a generously sized, foil packet.  Birchbox often gets a bad rap for it's foil packet samples, but really, I've already gotten 3 uses out of this, and I'll probably get 3-4 more generous sizes uses out of it.  When I rub this on my tangles, and then comb with a wide tooth comb, the tangles comb out so much easier-almost as easily as they did with my old favorite, but silicone laden, leave-in (which gunked up my hair-story for another post).  The smell is strong, and reminds me of off-brand fabric softener sheets, but it doesn't last too long, so I can deal with it.  I actually ordered a full size of this, however, I just noticed that my scalp is getting that gunked up, oily feeling again.  I've read the label multiple times searching for overlooked silicones or build up causing poly-quats, but I don't see any. I hope it isn't this product causing it!

Ghirardelli Toffee Crunch Candy Bar-Sometimes Birchbox sends out food items.  I have my profile set to not include food items, but this month, everyone was sent some type of snack or tea.  This a a huge, full sized bar, unfortunately, no one at my house likes toffee.  Birchbox doesn't know that, though.

So, all in all, it was a pretty decent month for Birchbox! I'm excited to see what December will have.

I purchased this box with my own money, and all opinions are my own. By clicking on the Birchbox links, and then signing up for Birchbox, I would receive Birchbox points.  Otherwise, I am not compensated for this post in any way.

Is there a five step program for beauty subscription boxes?

Because I may need one!

I had been aware of monthly sampling subscriptions for a while, but finally got around to signing up for one in June.  I received my first Ipsy Glam Bag in July, and I've been a subscriber since.  Not a super thrilled subscriber, mind you, but I'm certainly not planning on cancelling my subscription any time soon.  The next month, I signed up for Birchbox, and then Beauty Box 5.  Not being content to stop there, I bit the bullet, and subscribed to a more costly subscription, Wantable. I recently signed up for a skin care only service, One Radiant, and then another beauty one, The Sample Society (after cancelling Beauty Box 5). Yes, I am practically swimming in makeup and sample sized products, but I love it!

I'm constantly stalking blog posts and forum threads about beauty subscription services-not that I should really subscribe to any more, because while most are only around $10 a month, the cost does add up fast! My excuse is that I have a stressful, pretty much all consuming, job as a first grade teacher, and this is my form of relaxation.

I'll be posting pictures of the boxes I've received this month (except Ipsy and Birchbox which I forgot to take pictures of-yeah, it's my fist post, and I'm already a crappy blogger, LOL), and giving my reviews of the products soon.  If you'd like to sign up for any of these, I'd love it if you'd click on the links I post to subscribe under me.  I could earn points, and you can help me feed my addiction!