Birchbox Review May 2017

Every month Birchbox sends out a box (sometimes cute, usually not) with 5 samples at a cost of $10. Birchbox likes to send higher end brands so sample sizes tend to be on the smaller side but I won't complain about that unless they're sending foil packets. Another Birchbox trait is that they are more skincare/haircare heavy as opposed to Ipsy or GlossyBox which are more makeup heavy. This is fine with me (the skincare side at least) since I am also subscribed to Ipsy so that more or less covers my makeup fix. If you're interested, you can click my referral link here. This month was pretty decent. I received:

• Visanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator -$5.53, CF & V

• Marcelle New-Age LumiPOWER 3-in-1 Moisturizer - $3.65, CF

• Whish Firming Body Cream - $5.40, CF

• Living Proof Perfect Hair Day In-Shower Styler - $4.80

• ModelCo Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner - $11.00 (from the company's website), CF

Once upon a time I said the Dr. Karin Herzog exfoliator was magical. Then I said that Dr. Brandt was magical. I also once tried the Juara microderm abrasion treatment and compared that to the aforementioned two. Visanti Brighten Up Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator is right on par with the three scrubs I've mentioned in texture and effectiveness but for a far more affordable price. The aluminum oxide granules are what do all the work with a mild yet serious exfolation. I had to keep adding water to make sure the paste wasn't too dry and overly abrasive. For reference: I love using St. Ives scrub on my face and this is about as effective but the texture is a much more finely milled crystal. If you don't want something as tough as St. Ives then you might want to avoid this product.

Marcelle New-Age LumiPOWER 3-in-1 Moisturizer has what I might consider to be the perfect texture for a facial moisturizer. It floats somewhere between a very light cream and a serum. It absorbs very well, smells nice and doesn't leave my face feeling coated. I love this moisturizer so much that I'm actually quite upset that the sample is so small. That and it fell out of my hoodie where my 2 year old proceeded to use it on her hands as a lotion. I was seething pissed but she didn't know any better so I just had to sit on that displeasure for some time. I might be forced to go out and buy the full size when what remains of my sample runs out.

This was only my second experience with the brand Whish. The Whish Firming Body Cream is just your basic body lotion. I don't believe it actually has any firming properties and so I would not buy the product for such reasons. It does have a very slight, almost lemon grass scent to it and it absorbs well without leaving my hands feeling sticky so I think I will designate this as my new purse lotion.

I'm not sure what to do with the Living Proof Perfect Hair Day In-Shower Styler. It is definitely not kid friendly so I won't waste it on the dwarves. I have yet to use this product but I think I'm just going to have to settle for using this as a leave-in conditioner and hope it at least hydrates. It's really thick and left a test patch of my hair pretty soft though.

The one makeup item I received this month was the ModelCo Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner (swatched below). I love that this pencil can be sharpened manually and just look at that tip! It applies pretty smoothly, I did not have any issues with breaking off the tip when I was swatching, but then I was being pretty gentle. The color payoff is pretty good while the pencil itself is not dry but it's also not too creamy. I do wish it was a little deeper in tone, perhaps just slightly more brown than pink because it does pull a little ashy on my lips. But other than that this was a good sample. Of course, since this is Birchbox the sample was not full sized so it did not include the pencil sharpener cap but I won't complain since I can get dozens of uses out of this sample.

ModelCo Lip Enhancer swatched

The overally value of my box was $28.51, pretty consistent for the tenure of my subscription so far (I got an annual subscription in December). Overall I'd say I'm pretty happy with this month's box. My primary complaint I do have about Birchbox though, aside from the occasional infuriatingly small foil packet, is what seems like their proclivity of ignoring their ethnic subscribers: almost every time I receive a haircare product it's curated towards Caucasian people with curly hair (in the best situations). Sometimes it's a dry shampoo. Sometimes it's a blowout spray. If I'm lucky it's a conditioner that I can use as a leave-in instead.